Chapter 133…
When my blurred vision returned, the first thing that came into view was the tower’s plaza, still vivid with the traces of battle.
“……”
Chunks of shattered asphalt were scattered everywhere, and the lawn had been blackened by explosions.
Yet amid all that horrific scenery, the expressions on people’s faces alone were bright.
“We lived! We really lived! Fuck, we survived!!”
“This isn’t a dream, right? Hahaha! Please tell me it’s not.”
“I’m so glad we all made it out alive……”
The students hugged one another, crying and laughing in relief at having survived.
Medical staff were rushed in, moving busily as they tended to the wounded, while the security teams secured the surrounding area.
‘Looks like it wrapped up safely, at least.’
Standing at the entrance to the tower, I silently watched the scene.
Pain throbbed all over my body.
The fight against the followers, the quest on the 101st floor, and even the confrontation with Falsfera summoned by Lin—00.
It had been a short time, but it was anything but a light battle.
Still, it was a relief.
‘The damage didn’t spread too far…….’
The most important thing right now was that every student had been saved.
Click—click—
Beyond the barricades in the distance, I could see reporters.
Flashes went off, and the sound of camera shutters rang out continuously.
This incident was probably being broadcast nationwide in real time.
“Mr. Siwoo.”
At that moment, a familiar voice called out.
When I turned my head, I saw Seo Gyeoul approaching, her face full of exhaustion.
Beside her, Kim Pyeong-on and Rebecca were walking together.
Seeing their faces, the last of my lingering worries faded away.
The fact that those two were here meant that things at Ark Academy had also been settled properly.
“As expected, you made it back safely. You’ve been through a lot.”
“You too, Gyeoul. Looks like you had your hands full cleaning up the scene. As you can see, I’m perfectly fine. But……”
I shifted my gaze to Kim Pyeong-on.
Catching on to what I was thinking, he scratched the itch for me.
“Crader is lying in the academy infirmary right now.”
“……Phew, that’s a relief. What exactly happened?”
“He came to me covered in wounds. Thanks to that, we were able to reduce the damage at least a little. Of course, we couldn’t stop everything…….”
I had expected as much.
The academy was simply too large to completely block the followers’ attack.
Still, it was fortunate that the damage had been minimized.
At Kim Pyeong-on’s explanation, Seo Gyeoul lightly raised the tablet she was holding and added,
“Still, all the students who were here on a field trip are safe. Except for that spy…… ‘Lina Angelova,’ that is.”
“I killed her myself, so there’s no need to worry. What about the damage on the academy’s side?”
“One professor dead, twenty-six students dead. The rest were injured, but none of them are in life-threatening condition.”
“……At least that’s something.”
The academy alone had well over a thousand students.
Considering that, the damage could be considered minor.
Of course, it was still tragic when you thought about the deaths.
At my words, Seo Gyeoul turned her gaze toward two people standing far away.
“It’s all thanks to President Anne Laila and Mr. Miyamoto Daichi.”
I followed her gaze.
There stood Madam and Miyamoto Daichi together.
The two were talking about something, occasionally glancing in our direction.
“Their contributions were incredible.”
Thankfully, things seemed to have gone according to my expectations.
Madam and Daichi’s overwhelming combat power and swift response.
Because I trusted that those two would protect the academy, I had been able to focus solely on the tower.
‘Seeing the two of them standing side by side brings back memories.’
Before the regression, when Daichi was climbing the tower as the vanguard from Earth.
I had chased after him as a rising newcomer.
Because of that, we often clashed.
I had grown rapidly, catching up to right beneath his chin.
‘Back then, it was so fun I could even forget, for a while, the grief of losing my mother…….’
We acknowledged each other, yet competed relentlessly.
That description fit perfectly.
‘I met Madam through his introduction too…….’
Thanks to that, I knew about the deal between Madam and Daichi.
But was it around the 350th floor?
One day, I heard the news that he had suddenly “disappeared.”
‘Missing, dead, in hiding…… everyone said something different.’
His trail was unclear, and evidence, traces, and memories were all twisted here and there.
At the time, I just thought it was strange and didn’t dig deeper.
Not long after, I naturally became involved with those “traitors.”
‘Looking back now, it really was strange.’
That someone so strong could vanish so suddenly, without leaving a single trace.
And that series of events resembled the story I had heard from my mother not long ago.
That her biological parents and father had been forgotten by people.
‘Erasure of existence…….’
Of course, it was only speculation.
In any case, Daichi, who had been challenging the 300th floor, was destined to disappear soon, and Madam was searching for a vessel.
‘I only had one choice.’
Use that vessel—no, more precisely, the relic—as an excuse to bring Daichi down to Earth.
That way, I could complete the “Three Venerables,” including Julie Pearson and Joo Geon-ryul.
“By the way, hyung.”
While I was lost in thought, Kim Pyeong-on spoke cautiously.
His tone suggested he didn’t want to interrupt my contemplation, but had to ask anyway.
“I heard from Gyeoul. We’re entering the tower now…… is that right?”
“Yeah, that’s the plan.”
At my answer, Kim Pyeong-on’s eyes sparkled.
“Finally……! Hyung, I’ve been preparing for this for a long time! I even kept telling my little brother that we could head to the tower anytime.”
“I’m ready too! Are we going right now?!”
Rebecca, too, showed rare enthusiasm.
I shook my head as I looked at the two of them.
“Hold on. There’s something I need to wrap up before that.”
I turned my gaze toward where Madam and Daichi were standing.
By now, the two of them were completely focused on us.
Especially in Daichi’s eyes, there was a clear demand for an explanation.
‘It’s time to clear up the misunderstanding.’
I spoke to the three of them.
“Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“Guild leader, take your time.”
“Then I’ll go make a call to the commissioner.”
The three nodded and stepped back.
I walked toward Madam and Daichi.
My steps felt heavy.
No, it felt as if the very pressure of the air itself was growing heavier.
The looks they directed at me were a mix of suspicion, caution, and curiosity.
When I reached them, Madam spoke first.
“Professor Kang, you really do surpass my expectations every time. It was surprising enough that you noticed the followers’ attack in advance…… but I never imagined that the ‘gift you said you’d prepared’ would be this guy?”
Puffing on her cigarette, Madam glanced at Daichi beside her.
Feeling her gaze, Daichi immediately got to the point.
“Kang Siwoo. It’s about time you explained yourself.”
“Yeah.”
I nodded and looked around.
Students and professors were still scattered across the plaza.
“But this doesn’t seem like the place for it. Let’s move somewhere quiet. Would that be all right, President?”
At my question, Madam nodded and took the lead.
“Then let’s go to the command post. It’s the quietest place.”
We left the plaza and headed for the temporary command post.
A tent-shaped provisional structure.
As soon as we went inside, Madam silently waved her hand.
“……”
Swoooosh—
I felt an invisible curtain of mana surround us on all sides.
Now, no matter what was said inside, it wouldn’t leak outside.
Considering her skill, that much was certain.
“Alright, now shall we talk comfortably?”
Madam said as she sat down.
Daichi remained standing, staring straight at me.
“Kang Siwoo. How did you know about the deal between Madam and me?”
His voice was filled with suspicion and wariness.
Madam, too, dropped her playful expression for once and looked at me with serious eyes.
I slowly opened my mouth, looking not at Daichi, but at Madam.
The one I needed to persuade wasn’t Daichi, who had asked the question, but Madam.
If she decided, he would follow.
“I’m very interested in relics.”
“……”
“……”
At my shameless answer, the two fell silent.
But it was true.
Only half true, of course—but Madam had no choice but to believe it. Because—
“Thanks to Madam’s ‘Red Thread,’ I was able to acquire some excellent relics.”
“So you knew everything from the start……?”
“Thank you. I’ve received a lot of help.”
Madam’s eyes wavered slightly.
Only now did she realize that back then, I had tricked her.
And once things reached this point, what I said next carried credibility.
“While selecting items back then, I discovered a relic in the form of a blade.”
In an instant, Daichi’s gaze sharpened.
Madam also leaned forward slightly.
I continued calmly.
“The name of that relic is ‘Arcana.’ A vessel—and a sword—that has the ability to reveal secrets while also concealing them.”
Daichi’s hand moved toward the hilt of his sword.
But he didn’t draw it.
“Go on.”
Madam spoke quietly.
I nodded and continued.
“That relic, true to its ability, holds two ‘secrets’ within itself. The first is that it was originally a paired relic.”
“……”
“And the second is that if the two are separated for a long period of time, they permanently lose their power.”
That was right.
Arcana possessed two effects—revealing and concealing secrets—because it itself was made of two parts.
And only when together were the two whole.
“But in the shop, there was only one ‘half’ on display. So I thought about it. Who on Earth would be the swordsman best able to wield such a powerful relic—especially one in the form of a blade……?”
“……”
“No matter how much I thought about it, only one person came to mind.”
I looked at Miyamoto Daichi.
The player known by the epithet “Earth’s Greatest Sword.”
“I don’t know the detailed reason why you lent him that vessel. But I simply guessed that he was the only player capable of wielding Arcana properly.”
Everything I had said so far was true.
Even the part about not knowing why it had been lent out.
Because before the regression, neither Madam nor Daichi had ever told me.
“As I said earlier, I’m very interested in relics. I love them, in fact.”
“……”
“And thanks to Madam, I was able to obtain the things I love at a ‘good price.’ I wanted to repay that kindness. If that was me overstepping, I apologize. Also for using Madam’s name without permission.”
It was a sincere apology.
Using Madam’s name so freely really had been disrespectful.
Especially to someone who, before the regression, had genuinely cared for me like her own child.
At my words, Madam exhaled smoke and chuckled.
“It was meddlesome…… but in the end, it’s true that we recovered Arcana before its effect completely disappeared, so I’ll let it slide. Besides, thanks to Professor Kang, the academy was protected as well.”
“Thank you.”
“Instead, you’ll have to pay the price for tricking me back then.”
She sent me a wink as she said something frightening that completely contradicted her playful gesture.
‘Of course she wouldn’t just let it go.’
But this much was within my expectations.
No—considering that I could settle it at this level, I should count myself lucky.
As Madam finished speaking, Daichi uncrossed his arms and opened his mouth.
“……Your insight is more impressive than I expected.”
There was a tone of reluctant acknowledgment in his voice.
“Very few people know that much about relics.”
“I just have a lot of interest.”
“……Then why do you keep speaking casually to me? You use honorifics with Madam and with Joo Geon-ryul.”
Nothing’s changed about him since back then.
Picking fights again.
“That’s because you speak casually to me.”
“Then Madam—”
“I’m a professor at the academy, and Madam is the president. Do I need to explain more?”
“……Alright, I understand for now.”
Tsk. He can’t even win, yet he always insists on starting fights.
I had explained the doubts held by these key players well enough, so the biggest hurdle was cleared.
Now all that remained was to step down from my professor position smoothly.
Just like in a company, quitting was always the most important part.
‘The player world is small, after all…….’
So I was about to cautiously bring up the main point to Madam when—
Madam spoke first, cutting me off.
“Since Professor Kang brought up academy matters, I’ll say this now.”
“……?”
“You’re no longer a professor at the academy.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean by that……?”
“As the price for tricking me, the academy president, it means you’re dismissed from your professorship as of today.”
Hmm…… things were resolved faster than I’d worried.
Of course, whether that was good or bad would depend on what she said next.
