Attack (1)

Flare!!!

Like igniting dry firewood, the <Trent Hydra> flared up vigorously.

Even now, shattered to pieces, I kept an eye on it, thinking it might move.

Fortunately, it wasn’t the type to drag things out unnecessarily.

With a rustling noise, it disappeared into blue powder, signaling it was an illusion.

It seemed to vanish a bit slowly, though…
With this, the fight was over.

“Phew…”

“Meow~ Seha!”

I smiled brightly at the joyful cry of Meowi.

I hugged her tightly as she rushed towards me with enthusiasm.

I took the opportunity to stretch her soft, plump cheeks that had filled out a bit after a long time.

Squeeze, squeeze!
Stretch moooore!

“Meow… wo not…”
“Hehe…”

There was truly no other angel here.
Though I wanted to keep touching forever, I stopped as the other two approached.

“Hey, hey, Yu Seha!”

Ju Na-young looked surprised.

She circled around me and jumped up and down, making a fuss.

Seeing a grown woman acting like a child…

It was incredibly adorable.

“You—what was that? Just now—what was that? What, what, what?!”
“If you keep asking ‘what’ without context, how am I supposed to answer?”
“Yooong-ah! Seriously!”

Ju Na-young then spread her left hand and grabbed it with her right hand, exclaiming dramatically(?).

“The thing where you said, ‘Burn!’ What on earth was that?!”
“What else? It’s a word spell.”
“Yong-ah? You had an Ultimate Skill when you caught the <Sea Dragon>.”
“This is something different.”
“Wow, seriously… A talented person with two Ultimate Skills? And one is a fire attribute?”

Ju Na-young clenched her hands tightly as if it was incredibly impressive.

Her excitement was exceptionally high.

It seemed that it was indeed an upgraded version of [Burning Flames], which piqued a lot of interest in various ways.

As expected, a similar question was asked.

“Is that a derivative skill of [Burning Flames]?”
“No, <Evolution>–”

I stopped mid-sentence.

Aside from Meowi, I hadn’t told anyone about [Eyes of Reversed Heaven] yet.

‘…If it’s Ju Na-young and Moon Bora, of all people…’

There was no real need to hide it, but…

I decided to roughly cover it up for now and explain it later to them.

“Uh, yeah, that’s right. It’s a unique grade skill called [Burning Demon Flame].”
“Oh my, oh my! Oh my!”

Ju Na-young freaked out, jumping around in pure excitement.

I chuckled and placed my hand on her head, ruffling her hair.

“Yong-ah…”

While she shivered as if embarrassed, Moon Bora approached in turn.

“Seha, you’ve worked hard today. You’ve become stronger.”

Moon Bora was wearing the white kimono I saw last time, instead of her usual dress.

Thinking it looked prettier, I nodded.

“Everyone worked hard.”

With this, the <Midterm Exam> was over.
It was long, yet short at the same time.

‘Now, what’s left is the <Vacation>, I guess.’

I pondered, waiting for the evaluation that would come shortly, then an alarm ringing in my ears made me tilt my head.

‘Oh…?’

It had been a while since <Grace> had activated.
I had nearly forgotten about it.
Seeing it again felt strangely nostalgic.

‘This time it’s a bit different…’

There was a difference in the number that could be passed on and received.

Ding!

‘Hmm?’

My eyes widened at the additional text that soon followed.

‘…?!’

I was slightly shocked.

Wow, crazy… there’s a function like this?

It was more versatile than I thought.

‘Giving it randomly is already a cheat…’

But to guarantee a Unique grade skill and even allow it to <Evolve>?

I let out a low chuckle, filled with rising joy.

‘Great…’

This gave me another reason to keep growing stronger.

Because the stronger I became, the more I could elevate the people around me.

‘…But wait a minute?’

What happens if I give this to Moon Bora?

With Ju Na-young and Meowi, both knew how to handle ‘fire,’ so it was easy to imagine.

But Moon Bora was an entirely different story.

Her abilities were rooted in pure, absolute cold.

‘…Huh?’

I paused and looked at her.

I recalled the time during the <Sparring Match> test when she suffered from her own abilities.

‘…If I think about it broadly…’

It’s basically an internal injury akin to , right?

In that case…

‘Couldn’t it be overcome with heat?’

“Meow? Seha?”
“Hmm?”
“The evaluator’s here.”

I snapped out of my thoughts as a professor entered the room.

“Great job, all three of you~”

The professor, whom I was seeing for the first time, inspected the summoning circle where the monster had disappeared, noting how much damage was dealt to the <Trent Hydra> and how efficient it was.

With a gentle smile, they registered the top grade of A+.

The group immediately erupted into cheers.

“Meow!”
“Yong-aahh!”
“Great!”
“…Meow. No Bora Bora. At times like this, you should go, ‘Yongyongyong!’”
“Th-that’s not a sound I make on purpose?!”

The female professor laughed and continued speaking.

“With this, all exams are concluded. Now, since <Vacation> is approaching, have you all planned what you’ll do~?”

“Yes!”

Vacation, huh…
I had just been thinking about it.
The group immediately erupted into cheers.

‘First, I need to raise my Hunter grade.’

I can’t remain a D-grade hunter forever.
On top of that, I planned to increase my ★ (Star Rating).

‘…But more importantly…’

I gazed absentmindedly at the summoning circle the professor had inspected.

If she was checking it so casually, it must have meant there was nothing wrong with it.

But if I wasn’t mistaken…

‘There was demonic energy…’

“Meow~ Seha, let’s go eat! Food!”
“Fried rice, right?”
“Of course!”
“Hey, Yu Seha~ Hurry up and come.”

“Oh, oh…”

Once more, I glanced at the summoning circle with a furrowed brow.

At the same time.

While Yu Seha and the other first-year cadets were undergoing their <Monster Summoning> exam.

The B building exam hall, a bit further from the C building mainly used by first-years.

Paaah!!!

A holy light spread in all directions.
Each was manifested through various <Divine Laws>.

“[Mace of Light]!”
“[Barrier of Protection]!”
“[Blessing]!”

The sacred spells spread out as if in perfect harmony.

Attack, defense, and support—all were executed in precise order, reminiscent of soldiers who had undergone extensive training.

Unlike first-years, the students in this area were second-years.

And they, too, were taking part in the <Monster Summoning> exam.

However, as they were in a different grade, the exam was conducted in a slightly more difficult and intricate manner.

“Squad 1! Raise the barrier! An attack is incoming!”

Roarrrr!

The first distinguishing factor was that two bosses appeared simultaneously.

This meant there were more participants involved.

Additionally…

“Everyone, stay focused. We can win.”

There was the added factor of a leader from the third year guiding the second-year cadets.

A team composed solely of nine nuns.
Among them, a nun with exceptionally radiant beauty clasped her hands together in prayer.

Sisterhood’s Mother Superior, Divine Light Garam.

As the leader of the third-years, she stepped forward to aid the second-year sisters taking the exam.

“We will proceed again. Sister Maria, please provide support buffs.”

“Yes…!”

Roarrrr!

The light emanating from the nuns’ bodies caused the summoned bosses to begin emitting light.

Yet, Divine Light Garam didn’t blink an eye.

Calmly, with cold precision, she issued commands and managed the skills adeptly.

Under her directives, the bosses were being methodically defeated.

Boom!

In the end, one of the bosses, unable to withstand, fell.

The remaining boss rampaged, but it was nothing more than a final struggle.

“Sister Mari.”
“Yes!”

At Divine Light Garam’s request, Choi Mari cast a total of three support buffs on her.

“[Six Flames], [Red Bull], [Monster’s Strength]!”

Blue, red, green.
It was the manifestation of high-energy buffs, commonly referred to as the traffic light trio among the nuns.

The precise management of all three indicated how much Choi Mari’s divine law had grown compared to before.

“Excellent.”
“Meep!”

Divine Light Garam smiled warmly at the growth of her beloved junior.

Soon, she drew the mace from her waist, displaying a sharp gleam in her eyes.

Whack!

With a single step.

In no time, Divine Light Garam leapt high above the head of the last boss mob.

“[Mace of Judgment]!”

As she recited the divine law, light swirled around the mace, transforming it into a massive holy hammer over three meters long.

Divine Light Garam’s technique, <The 13th Mace of the Lord>, worthy of its name, descended.

Crash!

Screeeech!

The boss let out a final, agonized shriek.

With that, the remaining boss also fell with a thud!

“Great work.”
“Well done.”
“May blessings be upon everyone…”
“It’s vacation soon. What are your plans, Sister Mu Yul-mu?”
“Oh, I’m planning to visit my hometown…”

After the battle, the nuns smiled at each other.

Their faces bloomed with smiles.

This meant that most of the second-year sisters would advance to the third year without issue.

‘…I hope she did well.’

However, what slightly worried Divine Light Garam…
Was Sister Jing Daram.

At this very moment, she was likely taking her own exam somewhere else.

Recently, Divine Light Garam felt a slight unease at Jing Daram’s lack of activity.

As if it were the calm before the storm.

‘…No, I shouldn’t doubt her.’

She was also a sister following the Lord.

Perhaps, she had genuinely come to accept her place.

If that were the case, even if she ended up held back, Divine Light Garam—and Choi Mari—would support her.

‘Anyway, I’ll be staying here for a few years even after graduation.’

From then on, she would maintain her activities not as a cadet, but as the Mother Superior.

At the same time, she would frequently go out on <Crusades> as well.

“You’ve worked hard, Mother Superior.”

It was then.
She turned her gaze to the voice she heard.
A nun with a plain appearance approached and handed her a towel.

She didn’t recall ever seeing this woman before.

But she didn’t dwell on it.

After all, nuns from other branches had also come to participate in the exam.

This woman was likely one of them.

“Thank you.”

Divine Light Garam smiled and wiped her face.
The towel was slightly damp, as if it had been wet with water.

Hmm, but…
Why…

‘…Why hasn’t the evaluator arrived yet?’

A slight puzzlement arose.

This puzzlement was soon amplified by Choi Mari’s approach.

“…M-Meep? Meep? Senior?”
“What’s the matter?”

Choi Mari pointed forward instead of answering.
She pointed to the corpses of two fallen monsters.

“…All of those are fake illusions, right?”
“Yes, made by the <Mage>’s phantasma–”
“Then, why…?”

Why aren’t they disappearing?

“……”

At those words, Divine Light Garam’s face hardened.

She turned her head swiftly like lightning.

The blood flowing on the ground and the unique smell wafting up her nose.

‘No way…?’

These weren’t illusions.

They were real.

As anxiety surged, Divine Light Garam hurriedly tried to say something to the nuns.

“Huh?”

But suddenly, she was brought to her knees by a sudden dizziness.

Choi Mari, who was watching, was startled and supported her.

“S-Senior?!”
“Wh-what is… suddenly…?”

She couldn’t muster any strength.

Divine Light Garam realized something was wrong and urgently shouted.

“Junior Choi Mari! Something’s off. Leave me be for now and contact the professor immediately–”

-That won’t do, you know?

A voice from behind.
Then, a piercing sound echoed near her ear.

Thwack!

A mace slammed directly into Divine Light Garam’s forehead.
Blood burst from the wound, streaking down her face.

“Ugh!”
“Senior!!!”

Thud!

Divine Light Garam, who had fallen to the ground, looked at the opponent with trembling eyes.

It was the nameless sister who had handed over the towel just moments ago.

There wasn’t even a chance to ask, “What…?”

The opponent, seemingly frustrated, scratched the back of her neck and soon tore off something like leather.

The torn leather quickly turned into slime.

Choi Mari’s complexion turned pale.
There was no doubt.

“…No way…”

The ‘illegal item’ used by the Sword Ghost who caused the <Gyeongbok District Disaster> in the past.

It was a criminal artifact, commonly used by <Villains>, and banned from being brought in along with potions.

And then…

Both looked incredulously at the face that appeared underneath.

“Hello there.”

She smiled.

“Did you miss me, Choi Mari?”

A woman with seemingly bleached pink hair smiled brightly.

She was none other than…

Jing Daram.