Chapter 157 – The Sword Lake (1)

…The morning of the election day.

I leaned against the windowsill, gazing at the sky.

Dawn had yet to break, but the sky was unusually dark.

Rumble.

The deafening sound of thunder rumbled incessantly.

That was why I had woken up so early.

The storm’s roar in the early morning had automatically pulled me out of my sleep.

“Is a storm coming?”

However, this felt like something more than just a simple weather phenomenon.

“This doesn’t seem like just an election matter anymore.”

Something was about to happen. My intuition warned me clearly.

I didn’t know exactly what, but one thing was certain.

It had nothing to do with today’s election. The cadets only had to cast their votes and wait for the count.

No matter how much I worried, the result wouldn’t change.

Besides, throughout the entire campaign, my peers and I had done everything we could.

Ryozo and Speedweapon had burned their fingers typing non-stop, promoting my candidacy online.

Apparently, their work had a great impact on the web.

Speedweapon mentioned something about a special event that had been a huge success.

But he never told me what it was. He only insisted that I see it for myself on election day.

I was a little worried about how they had promoted my campaign,

but at least the reception had been positive, so I let it slide.

“If Ryozo was involved, I’m sure they did a good job.”

From what I had heard, my support level had risen so much that I was now neck and neck with Leon.

I pressed my temples with my fingers.

I couldn’t shake off the feeling of impending catastrophe.

If the [Blessing of the Sword God] was reacting, it meant that, sooner or later, something was going to explode.

But worrying was useless. I couldn’t be scared of something that hadn’t happened yet.

As always, I would simply react immediately when the situation required it.

After all, I had the power necessary to face most dangers.

Moreover, I had a mind forged in absolute calm. I had sacrificed my humanity in exchange for unshakable reason.

Unless a true disaster occurred, I could handle it with a single sashimi knife.

But then…

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The thunder rumbled as if they were war drums announcing the start of a battle.

The white curtains flapped like ghosts in the dim light.

Feeling the full force of the wind, I finally closed the window.

A fine drizzle began to soak the earth.

* * *

The annex located in the northwest of the academy was being used as the election venue today.

It was one of the few buildings spacious enough to accommodate thousands of cadets.

The interior was no different from any other voting center—multiple booths with awnings and a crowd of cadets lined up.

The only difference was the screen hanging from the ceiling. On it, the vote count results were intermittently updated.

Speedweapon stood still, staring at the screen with a satisfied smile on his face.

‘The president’s vote percentage isn’t bad at all.’

He looked around. Several cadets had Daiso sashimi knives tied to their waists.

His smile widened.

To an outsider, this might seem insane.

But it was all part of a plan devised by him and Saki.

Both had designed a clear election strategy—selection and focus.

Kang Geom-Ma was a special admission cadet.

It made no sense to try convincing the students blinded by the academy’s elitism.

Trying to reason with those idiots would be like reciting sutras to a pig.

It was better to completely ignore the stubborn ones and instead strengthen Kang Geom-Ma’s support base.

Most of his followers belonged to the Common, Tiger, and Dragon classes—almost all of them male.

With the target audience defined, the next step was how to mobilize them.

That was where Saki truly shined.

With her extensive knowledge of the internet, she found a group of Kang Geom-Ma fans within the academy’s online community called “Sashimi-dan.”

Without wasting time, she started spreading the following message among them:

“How about all of us voting for Kang Geom-Ma wear a sashimi knife on our waist on election day? It’d be a great way to intimidate those arrogant nobles, don’t you think? LOL”

The idea was ridiculous and childish.

Tying a Daiso knife around their waist just to intimidate the academy’s elites.

But teenagers often find a sense of brotherhood in the most absurd things.

Saki had hit the mark.

At first, the cadets laughed at the idea, but with each new post, the movement grew.

One by one, more students joined the initiative.

Until finally, the campaign took shape.

“If you support Kang Geom-Ma, wear a Daiso sashimi knife.”

It was like bringing a lightstick to an idol concert. Except instead of a neon baton, they were using kitchen knives.

“If this keeps up, we have a real chance of beating Leon.”

Speedweapon kept watching until his gaze landed on the window.

The rain was falling like a waterfall.

The downpour was brutal.

With an uneasy feeling, he turned away and prayed that nothing bad would happen today.

***

SHAAAAA!

The drizzle turned into a downpour in the blink of an eye.

The fallen leaves on the ground were soaked, producing a squelching sound with every step.

“Damn it! Did the sky just rip open or what?”

Chief Sung quickened his pace.

The umbrella was barely useful against the torrential rain, but the real problem was the wind.

The gusts were so strong that the metal spokes of the umbrella bent, and the fabric flipped inside out.

Within seconds, it was completely useless.

His clothes were soaked, his appearance a mess.

Even so, he managed to reach the entrance of the voting center.

Taking advantage of the roof’s protection, Sung shook his jacket to wring it out.

But all he managed to do was drench his hands even more. The jacket remained completely wet.

The cold wind chilled him to the bone. If he didn’t do something, he’d end up catching a cold.

Tch.

He clicked his tongue in frustration.

For days, the weather had been strange.

The cloudy sky persisted without respite, something unusual for autumn.

And after days of threatening rain…

Just today, on election day, this downpour erupted as if it had been waiting for the perfect moment.

“Of all the possible days…”

He sighed and threw his jacket over his shoulder.

Looking around, the disaster was total.

This wasn’t just a simple storm.

It was a flood.

The scattered puddles had merged into a single, vast body of water.

It looked like a lake.

If the voting had started any later, many cadets wouldn’t have been able to make it.

The only good thing was that the only one who seemed to have been delayed was him.

He checked his wristwatch.

[2:34 P.M.]

“By now, the vote count should be in its final stage.”

At Joaquin Academy’s presidential election, voting and counting happened simultaneously.

The vote percentages were projected in real-time on the screens inside the voting center.

It was a practical system, but visually, it had an unsettling effect.

It made the process feel like a horse race.

“This academy is a truly strange place when you think about it.”

All voters, meaning the cadets, had to remain inside until the process was complete.

No outsiders were allowed in.

Not the Hero Association, not the professors, not even Director Media herself.

It was a day by the cadets, for the cadets.

And that made sense.

But Sung had rushed here specifically to see the results firsthand.

He needed to report to his superiors immediately.

While standing under the roof, trying to avoid the rain, he noticed someone approaching.

A woman in a hospital uniform.

Sung’s eyes widened.

“…Supervisor Ha?”

Despite the distance, he recognized her instantly.

It was Ha Na-eun. She was walking through the torrential rain without an umbrella.

She was completely drenched. Sung’s face reflected deep confusion.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“……”

Despite Sung’s shouting, she didn’t respond.

She just kept walking, crossing through the rain.

After the tournament, she had been hospitalized in the academy’s clinic.

She had no physical injuries, thanks to the subdimensional barrier.

But she had been trembling under the sheets.

As her superior, Sung had felt responsible.

She had lost against a student despite being a Senior-ranked hero.

The emotional blow must have been brutal.

And to be fair, her match against Kim Woo-jin had been unfavorable for her.

She wasn’t a pure combatant.

And her weakness was endurance.

After all, she worked in offices.

Whereas Woo-jin was a street fighter.

The longer the battle dragged on, the more it tilted in his favor.

Not to mention, he was young. His stamina must have been incredible.

But in the end, the result was the same.

Na-eun had lost.

Sung pushed those thoughts aside and refocused. The important thing now was.

Why was she here when she was supposed to still be in the hospital?

Just as he opened his mouth to ask, a chill ran down his spine.

……?

This didn’t make sense. The rain had turned the voting center into an island surrounded by water.

“So… how the hell did she get here?”

His eyes instinctively lowered to Ha Na-eun’s feet.

And then his pupils trembled.

“Ah… no…”

SPLASH.

She was walking on water. Each time she took a step, small ripples formed on the surface.

SPLASH.

And that wasn’t all.

With a storm this intense, she should have been soaked to the bone.

But her hospital gown was completely dry, as if the rain was avoiding her.

SPLASH.

Soon, she was too close.

Sung swallowed hard and spoke cautiously.

“Su-Supervisor Ha… how can you walk on water? And what are you doing here!?”

“……”

Her head was lowered, her face hidden in shadows.

Goosebumps spread across Sung’s skin.

The silence stretched too long.

Losing patience, he raised his voice.

“Hey! Supervisor Ha! Say something!”

Finally, she lifted her head.

Sung froze.

“W-What happened to your face?”

“……”

Her cheeks were sunken, her eyes lifeless. Her usual warmth was gone.

But the most chilling part she was crying.

“…Chief Sung.”

It was the first time she spoke. Sung responded immediately.

“What is it? Explain yourself, Ha Na-eun!”

Suddenly, she sobbed. And in a trembling voice, she said—

“When I was a child… I always wanted to enter Joaquin Academy, you know? It was a place full of dreams and hope. But I was never accepted. And when I found out my job would bring me here, I was so happy…”

“……”

“I never thought I lacked talent. I believed it was just because my family was poor… that if I worked hard enough, I could become someone. And look! I became a Senior-ranked hero at a young age!”

“Yes, of course. Everyone in the Association knows you have talent.”

“No.”

Her sobbing suddenly stopped, and her expression twisted.

“After the tournament a few days ago… I realized something. People are born with a predetermined rank. All this time, I just used my family as an excuse. The truth is… I was simply born without talent.”

Her voice became hollow. Her nails dug into her skin, making her bleed.

“I understand now. No matter how hard I try… I will never be on the level of those born into this academy. And that’s why… I’ve made a decision—I’m going to kill them all. All of you bastards who inherited wealth from good parents and now ignore people like me!”

“Supervisor Ha, what the hell are you talking about?”

“Shut up. You have no idea how it feels. I just wanted to be special.”

“Sung, did you know? When I was in a pit of despair, ‘He’ reached out to me. He said, ‘Let’s kill all those who discriminate against us and create an equal world together.’ He waited patiently for my answer. Unlike those whiny, busy Association chiefs.”

There was madness in Ha Na-eun’s eyes.

“Damn it, get a hold of yourself! And who the hell is this ‘He’ you keep talking about!?”

“Vesna, Commander of the 3rd Army Corps of the Demon King.”

The smile that had spread across her lips suddenly vanished.

She hummed softly.

“Soon, my lord will descend upon this body.”

Hana Eun slowly raised her right hand.

At that moment.

〓 〓 〓 〓 〓 〓 〓 〓 〓 〓

The raindrops suspended in midair. The world froze as if someone had pressed pause on a video.

Sung couldn’t help but tremble like a fish at the unprecedented phenomenon.

Ha Na-eun smiled faintly at him one last time.

Na-eun gave a final smile.

“Chief Sung, thank you for everything. Goodbye.”

“Na-eun!”

Chief Sung reached out with a desperate look on his face.

Toward one of his subordinates—Ha Na-eun.

But it was already too late.

▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶

The world that had stopped was now accelerating. The raindrops fell, quivering.

Then, an enormous whirlwind formed and rose upside down, like a dragon ascending to the sky.

BOOOOOOM!