Chapter 229 – Subject (2)

[Eeek— Geom-Ma— krrkk— yes…]

A voice distorted by interference. On the other end of the damaged phone, Media was urgently calling for me.

I regained my composure after the shock. This wasn’t the time to freeze. I quickly picked up the phone to resume the call, but…

[Shhhkkk——]

The phone was completely unusable. With the screen shattered the way it was, there was no way it would work.

I 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.

“Director, it’s Kang Geom-Ma.”

I 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.

“G-Geom-Ma. The call suddenly got cut off, and I thought something happened.”

“I’m sorry. My phone slipped and dropped it.”

“No, no… I understand… When I first heard the news, I destroyed mine. Compared to that, yours is nothing.”

“I see…”

We exchanged a brief moment of concern. Still, the situation needed to be understood properly, so I took the initiative.

“Please explain exactly what happened. About Senior, with as many details as possible.”

“Agh, my head! I dropped that bomb and didn’t tell you the rest, haha…”

Media laughed half-deliriously.

Why 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.

And 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.

‘If that happens, my plan goes off track.’

And 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.

That’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.

‘Unless there’s someone else on Meain’s level—and I can’t dump it all on the director, she has her own responsibilities.’

If 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.

After sighing several times, Media finally started explaining what happened. She was sitting with her legs crossed and her forehead resting on one hand.

“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.”

You 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.

“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.”

“And how exactly did he provoke her?”

“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.”

Her mint-colored pupils trembled between her slender fingers.

“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.”

“My sister deployed a subspace barrier.”

“But that kind of barrier can’t just be deployed anywhere, right?”

“Yeah… but ‘just so happens’ my sister is the former director. And she’s one of the few who can deploy it anywhere. Ha…”

“But then, if she put up a barrier, how did Kojima end up like that?”

“That’s…”

Media hesitated. She went quiet for about 30 seconds before finally confessing.

“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.”

“A well?”

“Yeah. It’s a well hidden deep in that mountain. They call it the ‘Well of Corruption.’”

I tilted my head. Well of Corruption… the name didn’t fit an academy at all.

As if reading my thoughts, Media smiled faintly.

“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.”

“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.”

Media nodded without hesitation.

“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.”

“I don’t know the details, but you mean Meain, right?”

“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.”

Suddenly, she uncrossed her legs and sat beside me.

“Because Meain Poison is the only living person who has reached the Awakening of the Blessing.”

“……?”

Awakening of the Blessing? What was that? Even I, who had played the game extensively, didn’t remember that concept. Which meant…

‘It’s probably something that only appears near the end of the story.’

Or 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.

That’s when Media started unbuttoning her robe. Little by little, her smooth skin began to show.

“D-D-Director… What are you doing all of a sudden?”

I jumped up and immediately put some distance between Media and me. She blinked as if she didn’t understand what was wrong.

“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.”

“And what does a quick explanation have to do with taking off your clothes?”

At my question, Media narrowed her eyes. She stared at me and smiled.

“I thought you weren’t interested in women at all, but I see you’re definitely a man.”

She said it playfully. Her robe, open in an inverted triangle, was already revealing her upper abdomen.

“……”

“Geom-Ma, I’m honored as a woman to see you blush at the sight of me.”

The white skin of her abdomen came into view. I tried to turn my head away, but something made me look again.

“Director, that scar…”

A sunken mark, as if her skin had been burned. It wasn’t just a simple wound. There was something abnormal about that mark.

“I wanted to show it to you.”

Media gently caressed the scar.

“My sister gave me this.”

“She… Meain did that?”

“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.”

“……”

I 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.

“The Blessing flows from the core, this lower abdominal area, and spreads throughout the body via the circulatory system.”

“So if the core is destroyed…”

“Exactly. Normally, you’d lose the ability to use the Blessing.”

“But you can still use it, Director.”

“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.”

Media leaned in again and rested her head on my right shoulder. She looked tired. Staring ahead, I spoke firmly.

“Honestly, with a name like that, I thought the Awakening was something good.”

“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.”

If 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.

“So that ‘Well of Corruption’… is a way to distance yourself from the gods.”

Media nodded, still resting her head on my shoulder.

“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.”

I listened to her soft breathing so close.

“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.”

“Where’s Meain now?”

“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.”

“Yeah. That sounds like the safest course.”

“I think so.”

A silence fell. The afternoon sun filtered through the curtains. Dust motes floated in the air like suspended buoys.

In that quiet atmosphere, Media spoke again.

“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.”

“Sounds almost like a proposal.”

“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.”

Media lifted her head from my shoulder and smiled as she buttoned up her robe.

“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.”

I thought for a few seconds before replying.

“This feels more like a film noir than a romantic movie.”

“Huh?”

“Director, please go to Meain and ask her directly what happened. I’ll go talk to Kojima.”

Media looked at me like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“You, Geom-Ma…?”

“If we want to resolve this as fast as possible, we need to split up. I’ll head to the hospital right now.”

“Ah… well, yeah, you’re right.”

“There’s no time to lose. They could issue the warrant at any moment. Please go to her.”

“Alright.”

Media nodded, a bit reluctantly. Then she asked in a low voice.

“But… why are you carrying so much sashimi to go to the hospital?”

“Oh, that.”

Because in film noir, sashimi is part of the uniform. But I couldn’t say that, so I replied,

“I’m going to cover one scandal with another.”

***

Hospital affiliated with Joaquin Academy.

Lined 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.

Tap. Tap.

Then the echo of footsteps was heard down the hallway. All eyes turned toward the sound. A familiar boy approached.

‘Heavenly Sword?’

When Kang Geom-Ma stopped in front of them, he spoke.

“I’ve come to see Kojima.”

Kojima…? And this guy? Everyone’s brows furrowed. The burliest of the bunch stepped forward. Even if afraid, he had to do his duty.

“We don’t know how you found out he’s here, but you can’t go in.”

Geom-Ma tilted his neck and responded curtly.

“Move aside.”

“Sorry.”

The refusal was firm. Geom-Ma frowned and subtly counted the number of people.

About fifty men blocked the hallway. A ridiculous obstacle.

“Defying orders and causing a disturbance in a hospital is punishable by law. But I don’t want bloodshed here.”

Kang Geom-Ma said coldly.

“So go to sleep.”

And in that instant, a vast spiritual pressure spread out and engulfed the group.

Thud.

All of them collapsed to the ground like puppets with their strings cut. Without even a chance to resist.