Chapter 229 – Subject (2)
Fbd[Eeek— Geom-Ma— krrkk— yes…]nZL
5rVHA voice distorted by interference. On the other end of the damaged phone, Media was urgently calling for me.m1Z7
s7WQI regained my composure after the shock. This wasn’t the time to freeze. I quickly picked up the phone to resume the call, but…6hn
QBOkNhF[Shhhkkk——]4Ow2o0u
YOCThe phone was completely unusable. With the screen shattered the way it was, there was no way it would work.hjXDJ4
40I1I headed straight to the director’s office. Either way, a matter of this magnitude wasn’t something to be resolved over a phone call. This was a moment that required gathered heads and collective intelligence.ILeJ4r
do7“Director, it’s Kang Geom-Ma.”Fz3JQab
aqYO1XkI called out to Media with a knock on the door. It creaked open weakly. Through the gap, I saw Media with bags under her eyes down to her chin.Cip2
HnGuO“G-Geom-Ma. The call suddenly got cut off, and I thought something happened.”Myex6MH
rE6y“I’m sorry. My phone slipped and dropped it.”qv47uvu
pBI“No, no… I understand… When I first heard the news, I destroyed mine. Compared to that, yours is nothing.”yDPDL
aTH“I see…”D48I
euequn1We exchanged a brief moment of concern. Still, the situation needed to be understood properly, so I took the initiative.yQso6
jIe“Please explain exactly what happened. About Senior, with as many details as possible.”U3Uh
soEM“Agh, my head! I dropped that bomb and didn’t tell you the rest, haha…”ikMqv
PxF5Media laughed half-deliriously.7wjG
WvZsgDIWhy the person who agreed to be the Heavenly Class’s teacher had left the Prime Minister of Japan half-paralyzed—even if indirectly involved—was something I had to know. The class’s inaugural ceremony was tomorrow. We had barely managed to adjust the entire schedule after several sleepless nights.Nqd
ur6ZUiAnd now, out of nowhere, a warrant was being issued against the teacher. Even if it didn’t mean canceling the class, it could complicate everything. It would cut my sleep down even more and likely delay the schedule.esDt
mgS4‘If that happens, my plan goes off track.’bhI10Jh
pDtZiHIAnd why did it matter so much if things got delayed by even a day? Because soon, the Fourth Corps Commander of the Demon Army, Fermush, would attack the real world. Not as a spiritual manifestation, but by crossing through a real portal. We couldn’t afford to lose time.E0xf
SSUcThat’s why I scheduled everything so urgently, even at the expense of my own health. Also, Meain wasn’t just hired as a teacher. I brought her in so she could cover for me if I had to face off against Fermush or any other major incident.MpfKJ
wr9‘Unless there’s someone else on Meain’s level—and I can’t dump it all on the director, she has her own responsibilities.’YCQX
waxZIf the situation could be contained, then it had to be. On a large scale, it was for the good of humanity. I didn’t intend to fully exonerate her, but first, the context had to be understood.DtsxA
9S8KF3After sighing several times, Media finally started explaining what happened. She was sitting with her legs crossed and her forehead resting on one hand.ToZSlXG
AOhW“Looks like Kojima arrived in Korea secretly yesterday afternoon. No one knew he was coming. Ugh, now that I think about it, it pisses me off even more! That bastard lives right next door, so it was easy for him to just fly over.”HNdoS
i33NtpYou could see how much she was holding back her anger. The cross-shaped veins on her temples, the grinding of her teeth—it was all obvious.ZjLwxc
vElpfE“Anyway, Kojima went to wait for my sister in the mountains behind the academy last night and… they talked… though calling it ‘talking’ is generous. More like, he provoked her.”JbmLRa
ReM“And how exactly did he provoke her?”9yG5Fg
WcIO“I don’t know for sure. But that bastard’s a master at getting under people’s skin with his words. And he’s got no filter. I’m sure he said something stupid and that’s why this happened.”BOb3bCX
l5UjfacHer mint-colored pupils trembled between her slender fingers.aSh6JKW
oWMDU2“There’s something I don’t get. If Meain really fought Kojima, shouldn’t there have been some sign of it? I was awake all night, and I didn’t sense anything unusual.”FtqCEX
3oiB“My sister deployed a subspace barrier.”Psz
abw“But that kind of barrier can’t just be deployed anywhere, right?”DaJ5hG5
YZY“Yeah… but ‘just so happens’ my sister is the former director. And she’s one of the few who can deploy it anywhere. Ha…”qvmG
46l“But then, if she put up a barrier, how did Kojima end up like that?”yPbT2R
fzKkEm“That’s…”JRf
AwbMedia hesitated. She went quiet for about 30 seconds before finally confessing.S6W78
zko“I think ‘just so happens’ is again the key phrase. The problem was the mountain they fought on. More specifically, a well that’s inside it.”pAd
UVtnj“A well?”DpF
8Ph6O“Yeah. It’s a well hidden deep in that mountain. They call it the ‘Well of Corruption.’”6gqa
Y3ElI tilted my head. Well of Corruption… the name didn’t fit an academy at all.ilWUwVJ
oWXMAs if reading my thoughts, Media smiled faintly.Sve8mE
5ttJuo7“Just hearing the name, it sounds more like something out of the Demon Territory, right? And it’s true. The founder, the Original Hero, brought water from a gorge in the Demon Territory and placed it there. The well acts as a seal. Like in horror movies, where they seal off a well to stop ghosts or curses from coming out. Same thing. And the water in that well is absolutely loaded with demonic energy.”dqZ7a
8i44qb“And why is something like that in the academy? The special building where we did our final exam last semester made sense since it was for training… but this is something else.”rbodTcM
4DkHamMedia nodded without hesitation.2RjtjOG
wYHP44“Yeah. Having such a profane place inside Joaquin, which is supposed to be a bastion of good, sounds absurd. But there’s someone who needs that profanation.”wVfxovf
wGbE“I don’t know the details, but you mean Meain, right?”LEnZX
IgUdM2b“Ooooh! That’s what I like. I love how fast you catch on. My dear Geom-Ma is so brilliant! Yes. It’s my sister.”VJ0gqx
FNI2TXSuddenly, she uncrossed her legs and sat beside me.VInGzZ
VBw“Because Meain Poison is the only living person who has reached the Awakening of the Blessing.”gV7ek
dxSpWSh“……?”IV0W6cQ
ShmB4GeAwakening of the Blessing? What was that? Even I, who had played the game extensively, didn’t remember that concept. Which meant…9EGJ
6g6s‘It’s probably something that only appears near the end of the story.’Fh2G63t
nBsvOr maybe it was one of those elements that exist but are never elaborated on in the game, just background lore. Either way, I had a feeling that this “Awakening” was central to everything.kgd8
7kR3KThat’s when Media started unbuttoning her robe. Little by little, her smooth skin began to show.h6AQ
aVUVwn“D-D-Director… What are you doing all of a sudden?”FDYdB7q
5S3sAHoI jumped up and immediately put some distance between Media and me. She blinked as if she didn’t understand what was wrong.Ni9
C0zzWFe“Geom-Ma, you seemed unaware of the Awakening of the Blessing, so I thought I’d explain it quickly and clearly. Seeing is more effective than hearing, right? Besides, we don’t have time to waste.”kZKP
S9C“And what does a quick explanation have to do with taking off your clothes?”ky6efp
lUNhAt my question, Media narrowed her eyes. She stared at me and smiled.A44PS6
ySYWVvq“I thought you weren’t interested in women at all, but I see you’re definitely a man.”0gRu
coOShe said it playfully. Her robe, open in an inverted triangle, was already revealing her upper abdomen.VpVgu
jG2“……”zWKJulR
3yxz“Geom-Ma, I’m honored as a woman to see you blush at the sight of me.”hb3
d8rnkThe white skin of her abdomen came into view. I tried to turn my head away, but something made me look again.6hMga
Ouje“Director, that scar…”eb7lH2
k3AXA sunken mark, as if her skin had been burned. It wasn’t just a simple wound. There was something abnormal about that mark.rjf4UUG
wm3“I wanted to show it to you.”qqAy
gjGtMedia gently caressed the scar.QUhMuV
hNSa“My sister gave me this.”Xnux
g8Zx4g“She… Meain did that?”o2A
rWe“Don’t misunderstand. It wasn’t to hurt me. Quite the opposite. Decades ago, I was about to enter the state of Awakening. To stop it, my sister destroyed the lower part of my abdomen.”qMv5zJR
jtNUz“……”HkOSj
jrTWqKI didn’t fully understand, but it was clear Media wasn’t just excusing her sister—she was explaining something important. At least that much was evident.CUr
BQBwG4“The Blessing flows from the core, this lower abdominal area, and spreads throughout the body via the circulatory system.”H4e
wIr3“So if the core is destroyed…”ZTu
37v7C“Exactly. Normally, you’d lose the ability to use the Blessing.”bhMo2
b4WYBaf“But you can still use it, Director.”7vrs
uXfluKj“That’s where my sister is incredible. She prevented the Blessing from spreading, but left one channel open so I could still use it. She only pierced the necessary routes.”1Hr
oZPwnQMedia leaned in again and rested her head on my right shoulder. She looked tired. Staring ahead, I spoke firmly.tze3K
xO5Q“Honestly, with a name like that, I thought the Awakening was something good.”J0xx1P
qSyS9D“When you awaken, your lifespan and your humanity dissolve simultaneously. It’s the price for receiving the gods’ blessing. Absurd, right? That the gods take the lives of the humans they love most.”zlS
nyOTIf I had heard that before, I would’ve been horrified. But it didn’t surprise me anymore. Losing one’s humanity was too familiar to me. There was a clear parallel between Fusion Rate and Awakening.rRGpq
LP3“So that ‘Well of Corruption’… is a way to distance yourself from the gods.”DbY7p3u
g7HFBMedia nodded, still resting her head on my shoulder.01C
PSKe“You have to drink water with properties opposite to the Blessing for the Awakening to weaken. That’s why my sister visits that well regularly. And why the subspace barrier didn’t work properly that night.”KiQA
u29PDxI listened to her soft breathing so close.nnJnr
luQ“Even if I don’t know the details, I’m sure Kojima brought up the Awakening or something like that. That guy’s always been reckless, and now he’s in the hospital because of it. Not to mock him, but I think he had it coming.”g26Lb
bIJPgub“Where’s Meain now?”mpAVY
e643“I prepared a hiding place for her. No official warrant has been issued yet, but if Kojima files a report, things will get complicated. Best to wait and observe for now.”cNnX8hA
dcJ“Yeah. That sounds like the safest course.”YVMSud
cT3S4“I think so.”uV2
gjJA silence fell. The afternoon sun filtered through the curtains. Dust motes floated in the air like suspended buoys.S9fnJ
MJHIn that quiet atmosphere, Media spoke again.IIGX
C3MRj5“Geom-Ma, what if we said screw it all and ran off to live on a deserted island? Like in a romantic movie. I remember saying this the first time we met, too.”9pYmNxO
rwDLsR“Sounds almost like a proposal.”97ts3r7
yJVHto5“As time passes, you want to lean on someone. It’s hard to explain, but I live longer than most, so I want to be with someone who lasts.”vpR
l661lMedia lifted her head from my shoulder and smiled as she buttoned up her robe.6nl
uMb“But anyway, talking to you calms me down. What I said before was a joke. I’ll take care of all this, so you go rest. It’d be a shame to ruin that handsome face.”XLH
YwxsuBSI thought for a few seconds before replying.63J3
pHM“This feels more like a film noir than a romantic movie.”1G2Lw0h
SqU“Huh?”XRUa
saaKf“Director, please go to Meain and ask her directly what happened. I’ll go talk to Kojima.”9nKW
MDY3ZOMedia looked at me like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.NHzrf
eFIqNKN“You, Geom-Ma…?”uVaH7oR
Bb0E“If we want to resolve this as fast as possible, we need to split up. I’ll head to the hospital right now.”0GN
EL0z26E“Ah… well, yeah, you’re right.”7tn
dGG“There’s no time to lose. They could issue the warrant at any moment. Please go to her.”w7b5X
Lh6“Alright.”Ydf
HFnkllOMedia nodded, a bit reluctantly. Then she asked in a low voice.Z5n8D
5hS“But… why are you carrying so much sashimi to go to the hospital?”rXDkCrS
WUK6“Oh, that.”Eu1
mmRLBecause in film noir, sashimi is part of the uniform. But I couldn’t say that, so I replied,Mhu4
7bWNIeB“I’m going to cover one scandal with another.”HLO
5APgQ8p***1qKE1
4xVHospital affiliated with Joaquin Academy.eBnj
rsaQLined up on both sides of the hallway were men dressed in black. Impeccable suits, but faces covered in scars. Kojima’s bodyguards, their gaze radiating the roughness of the underworld.UJijB2
dBhD5eTap. Tap.lOLqU
zDH3Then the echo of footsteps was heard down the hallway. All eyes turned toward the sound. A familiar boy approached.iBQro
tdGwfv‘Heavenly Sword?’lUs
ZcsUKykWhen Kang Geom-Ma stopped in front of them, he spoke.qva7u0C
tjFB“I’ve come to see Kojima.”L8Djdu
ysKTlKojima…? And this guy? Everyone’s brows furrowed. The burliest of the bunch stepped forward. Even if afraid, he had to do his duty.u42K
XoOj“We don’t know how you found out he’s here, but you can’t go in.”M65
k88Geom-Ma tilted his neck and responded curtly.AQRN
KljczTb“Move aside.”b7s
at5ehL“Sorry.”yT0OB6
RCoduThe refusal was firm. Geom-Ma frowned and subtly counted the number of people.XV1Hh8z
UsqMojcAbout fifty men blocked the hallway. A ridiculous obstacle.aSZ
jMgS5wK“Defying orders and causing a disturbance in a hospital is punishable by law. But I don’t want bloodshed here.”yoZcR
dLDKang Geom-Ma said coldly.aRG3
6MX“So go to sleep.”haRLX
IpkbskAnd in that instant, a vast spiritual pressure spread out and engulfed the group.1Hvgrxt
9D77HThud.mLW
59KbOUeAll of them collapsed to the ground like puppets with their strings cut. Without even a chance to resist.qrnY
What did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaThis ship looks good 👍