Determination Against The Threats

The rampage and evolution of the [Stone Troll].
Hospitalization and discharge.
And even the Academy’s treasure vault.

’…Phew.’

It was a series of incredibly hectic and dangerous events, but I had no time to rest.

A single-person dormitory was provided before moving to the official dormitory.

I opened the window and adjusted the angle so that the moonlight could shine well into the room.

‘Good.’

Next, I placed the newly obtained sword in its sheath.

[Nameless Sword].

It looked like a typical Western longsword, but despite its luxurious appearance, it was a rare item with no special effects.

Even in GAL, there were often posts like ‘What is this even for?’ And the Supervisors, with nothing better to do, eventually succeeded in uncovering the sword’s hidden secret after numerous experiments.

Creak.

I took out the [Dagger of the Pilgrim] that I had kept in the drawer.
Of course, it had done its job and broken, having long since lost its shine.

‘Another weapon used by the Saint was the Dagger of the Pilgrim.’

[Nameless Sword] and [Dagger of the Pilgrim].

And if you sacrifice a Rare-grade weapon, the true form of this sword would reveal itself.

Originally, I would have to travel to various places to uncover the secrets of the Saint.

But there was no need to complicate things when I already knew the answer.

Although it wasn’t intentional…

I had the material to sacrifice right on hand.

‘…Anyone watching would think this is a rigged game of Go-Stop.’

First, I decided to obtain the divinity contained within the sword.

I drew the [Nameless Sword] and gripped it with both hands.

[Divinity] was the most noble attribute.
That was a fact.

It was especially renowned for being incredibly difficult to obtain initially.
However, once you acquire even 1, raising it becomes quite manageable.
This was because various items compatible with divinity existed.

It made sense…
Without such items, growth for divinity-specialized job classes would be impossible.
Therefore, it seemed logical to arrange it this way.

Anyway, after completing the absorption, I placed the [Nameless Sword] beside the [Dagger of the Pilgrim].

And I also put the [Turtle’s Longsword] there.

The [Turtle’s Longsword] could hardly be considered good, even as a compliment.

It was cracked and shattered in various places, with the handle melted from high heat, leaving clear handprints.

I asked Hyeja unnie, and she said, ‘This one can’t be saved.’

‘…Thank you.’

Thanks to you, I was able to protect my Meowi.

Ziiing!

The [Nameless Sword] bathed in moonlight began to glow softly.

Surely, the synthesis process must be underway.

I decided to check the information window that I had pushed aside while it was being completed.

Maybe it was because I’d been beaten so much.
The level of [Endurance], which hardly ever rose, had shot up.
The increase in stats for [Pain Resistance] was a bonus.

‘And…’

The real main dish was separate.

This was another interesting development.
First and foremost, the change in acquisition level stood out.
Originally, it would have been acquired at Level 1, but it was obtained at Level 2.
Thanks to this, the increase in mana was also 2, not 1.

The skill acquired was also good.

‘Wow… I never expected to get [Crack of Rough Stone].’

This, too, was an ‘elemental’ skill like [Burning Flame].

As the name suggests, it dealt with the earth and had particularly excellent defensive effects.

‘Usually, mages who lack durability prefer to learn it.’

In fact, unlike [Burning Flame], [Crack of Rough Stone] couldn’t do much on its own.

A derived skill was essential for gaining experience points.

Perhaps that was why the [Stone Hardening] skill was additionally acquired.

The practicality of [Stone Hardening] was…
I could understand it well since I fought the myself.

Good.

A typical description of a defense and survival skill.

With a bit of an experimental mindset, I clenched my fist and used [Stone Hardening].

Crack!
Crunch!

The magic in my hand transformed into hard soil and rock, covering my arm.
There was no significant increase in weight or any discomfort.
After a while, the pile of dirt fell off and disappeared, turning back into magic.

‘The duration is about one minute.’

If I used it on my whole body, the duration would likely be even shorter.

The cooldown was ten minutes, so I should use it wisely.

That aside…

“…I feel like I’m unintentionally becoming a magic swordsman?”

I’d already gained control over fire and earth.
At this rate, I might end up controlling wind, water, and lightning too.

Anyway, it was when I was diligently packing for the starting tomorrow.

The intense moonlight fell behind me.

I thought it had come as I waited.

Beyond the gathered light, I saw the completely changed [Nameless Sword].

It was still a plain, simple longsword.
But it had a brilliance that couldn’t be treated lightly.
It felt like a state of some sacred radiance.

‘Ah, indeed, a holy weapon.’

It sure looked impressive.

I carefully picked it up and drew the blade.

Unusually, a crescent moon-like pattern was engraved along the blade.
Its sharpness cast a form as if it were alive.

“…Wow.”

I don’t know how many times I’ve said ‘Wow!’ today.

But it really couldn’t be helped with such a performance.

‘Even though I knew…’

‘GAL’ becoming a reality now felt different in my hands.

The performance made me think, ‘This is a hero…’

I felt genuinely sorry to Hyeja noona.
It had to be at this level to be commonly referred to as ‘Gacha-Grade’ hero.

Its inherent effects increase strength and divinity.
Additionally, it also had the unique permanent divinity increase of .
The extra power against demons was good too.

Especially impressive was the [Innate Skill] section.
[Holy Slash] was a mid-range technique that delivered a powerful ‘holy’ attribute slash to a designated target.

Its inherent damage was high, but it could significantly reduce the recovery and regeneration of the hit target.
It was very good for smashing the heads of those who relied on regeneration, like the .

‘…But the cooldown is 24 hours.’

In fact, it could be seen as a concept of a finishing move that could be used once a day.

Alright, with this, I had securely acquired the main weapon.

“…Phew.”

Carefully placing down the Saint’s Sword, I leaned back in the chair for a moment.

It was late at night, so I should go to sleep right away, but…
The thoughts that had been swirling around made my mind complicated.

‘… huh…’

Right after choosing an item from the Treasure Vault.

Peng Jin-ah took me to the Chairman’s office.

There, I met a young, pretty woman with heavy, dark circles.

Her name was Yu Neung-hae.
She was the chairman of the [Gonis Hunter Academy].

Among the Supervisors, she was openly mocked as ‘Incompetent~’ as a play on her name.¹

However, as if her name wasn’t just for show, she was actually quite competent if you looked into it.

‘She is upright and incorruptible, takes great care of the cadets’ welfare… and manages to coordinate well even with the temperamental …’

Without her, the would have fallen into chaos long ago, according to the Supervisors.

Unfortunately.
It was a typical cliché of the Academy.

There was always some crisis unfolding at the Academy.
Unable to escape from this cliché.
She was such an unfortunate person who struggled.

Anyway, the first thing was an apology.

She bowed her head and said she was sorry, which made things a bit awkward.

*―*It’s alright. Chairwoman. This isn’t your fault, is it?
*―*Sob, sob, thank you, Yu Seha. Not many people understand, but you’re kind, aren’t you? Would you like to date me? I’ll treat you well. I may not look it, but I’m a capable woman.
*―*I’ll take that as an honor.
*―*Sniff…

Next, I could hear a rather detailed explanation.

*―*Then, is it a partial success?
*―*Yes, the ringleader behind this operation has been disrupting information between the association and the government for a long time. He has been slipping away for quite some time, but we managed to catch him as he tried to escape this time.

Moreover, the majority of the [Villains] spreading like cancer.

Among them, the [Demons] who served as soldiers were also subdued.

The rebels were killed, and their number exceeded 150.

―In addition, we were able to completely wipe out some criminal clans like [Class Hunted] and [Hellhound].
*―*[Class Hunted]… you mean that group of class hunters?
―Yes, they were responsible for supplying the fake artifacts with [Demon Dtone]. Thanks to them, we were able to capture them all. However, as Cadet Yu Seha mentioned, it was only a partial success.
―The real mastermind.
―…Yeah, sorry. We couldn’t catch the ones behind the two factions. But we didn’t just sit around and take it like fools. Thanks to that, we managed to significantly reduce their influence… and we were able to come up with a plan.

I didn’t bother asking what the plan was.
Because I already knew.

‘…<Villain, Demon> hunting.’

In the main storyline, Yu Seha demonstrated his competence by catching the enemies off guard and launching a swift extermination operation.

He was only known as a pushover because he had been beaten up until then.
It meant he was someone trustworthy.

‘…Thank goodness.’

Thanks to that, I could be relieved that Yu Seha wasn’t truly incompetent.

Additionally, I noticed she deliberately didn’t mention the mastermind’s identity.

‘Well, of course…’

I knew most of the main story.

It would be stranger if I didn’t know whose trick this was.

‘…She couldn’t possibly tell the cadet everything.’

At the same time.
The Chairman’s office.
Peng Jin-ah and Chairman Yu Neung-hae.

The two were conversing right after Yu Seha had left.

“Chairman. What about the fugitive…?”
“Sorry. We couldn’t catch them.”

The fugitive.

Referred to a traitor who had secretly collaborated within the Academy for this incident.

A middle-aged male professor turning 50 this year.

The Chairman considered him worthless trash, but because of him, they realized it too late despite his actions.

“I heard he fled overseas a while ago.”
“…That’s unfortunate.”

The discussion about the fugitive ended there.
Right now, there was a more serious matter to discuss than that piece of trash.

“Peng Jin-ah. It seems like it’s those guys. No, it definitely is.”

I won’t say anything ambiguous.

“It’s definitely those bastards.”

“…Is it really them?”

The identity of the mastermind that she hadn’t yet told Yu Seha about.

There wasn’t concrete evidence, but everything pointed to ‘those guys.’

“Tartarus.”
“…Yes.”

Tartarus.

One of the three major clans of the underworld, commonly known as .

Purely in terms of scale, it was a large criminal group that even threatened the [Four Great Clans].

They had begun to move in earnest.
This indicated something significant.

They weren’t just some random punks causing incidents as they pleased.

They were infamous criminals genuinely intent on disrupting the social order.

The worst beings formed from the mix of [Villains and Demons] without distinction began to stand out.

“…If that’s the case…”
“Probably, they’ve planted a spy in this entrance exam.”
“…Then, the countermeasure is…”
“Yes, although I couldn’t tell Yu Seha… probably [Semester Exams]. That’s when they’ll appear. There’s no better time to summon the ‘Demon King’ than that.”

Gone was the foolish look, replaced by a competent and serious gaze.

“…I swear. When that time comes, I’ll mobilize everything to crush them.”
“…I’ll do my best to help.”
“Thank you.”

They nodded at each other.

The Chairman and the Professor were said to be the strongest in the Academy’s history.

It was the moment the two seriously joined forces.