Chapter 236 – Genius (2)
286yXThe members of the class were still dazed when I pulled the senior out into the hallway.Jv2NxM
J23b4yUBefore stepping out fully, I briefly turned my head to see their faces. Fortunately, some of their eyes were starting to show signs of life again. They were beginning to come out of the shock.fyBm
yqcR8gI let out a faint sigh. Though it would still take time for them to recover completely.6BU
HNhAP0tI closed the door gently and walked over to her, standing by the window frame.sffgcV
MvXwlS3“Senior.”9u6CCP
1At4jgB“Yes.”q9tKb9
H4YTi5UShe answered with a forced smile. I looked at her for a moment and rubbed my forehead. They say you can’t spit at a smiling face, and with her looking like that, my words caught in my throat. But they had to be said.VVCnDyv
dRRyI spoke.iwocZ5G
NKYp6Z“I was the one who approved you becoming the teacher of the Heavenly Class. Technically, you made the proposal, but in the end, I gave it the green light. And that makes me responsible for the consequences.”TPUhIL7
PE5nI crossed my arms and leaned sideways against the wall. The cold seeped into my shoulder. From that position, I continued.eQluPET
3MzKWUY“That’s why I didn’t want to question your teaching methods. Honestly, I don’t think I’m in any position to lecture you on how to teach. So even when you said that crazy line about ‘dying twenty times a day,’ I let it go.”Qgs
QyJz5bI hardened my tone. From here on, I wouldn’t sugarcoat it.UajdIab
jTM“But if there was a ‘hidden agenda’ disguised as a class, then I can’t stay silent. Even if it’s part of the curriculum. Those kids joined the Heavenly Class solely on my word. If someone uses that trust as a mere ‘resource,’ then as the founder of this class, I have to intervene.”YTi7k5
fEDPe“……”gBxF
nQG“I’m not demanding you tell me everything. In fact, I don’t care what you’re hiding. If I really cared, I’d have asked the moment you called me Demon Lord. And, well—if it truly bothered me, I wouldn’t be talking to you now. I’d have settled it with fists.”PNw
WYQtOI’m the kind of guy who solves things with violence before words.MFD
MXV5o“But the more I think about it, today’s class clearly had a personal agenda. I’m not talking about the ‘dying twenty times’ part. I trust you’ll moderate that. The problem is, you made me draw my sword against them. And you know I don’t do things halfway.”mFmipz
NW8cShe nodded slowly. I went on.fvX7N
f8GYg“See, you knew exactly how I am, and yet you cast me as the butcher. That means you admit that today’s class had another purpose.”k2GS4aI
IMcI pushed off the wall and stepped closer.lHa
AcVJF“So tell me, Senior. What was it you were trying to confirm during today’s class?”edqNU
rETQ“……”2sxy
fiTSShe met my gaze. Though it was winter, her eyes held the color of spring.XcnL36
umv7xSilence lingered in the hallway until she muttered, resigned.sGc
HyW“Kang Geom-Ma, since when did you get so good at reading people? Last semester, you were incapable of empathy. The more I get to know you, the more of a mystery you become. You’re impossible to figure out.”q6Vmg
7jUcMKd“I wasn’t that bad at empathy.”3nTs4t4
xtuShe let out a dry laugh.15TNUt
NUfZ0“Then maybe it was common sense. Either way, you’re right. It was clearly my mistake. Even if it was class-related, I had a personal motive. That’s disgraceful behavior for an educator.”OcNuIgt
fETyWOOHer smile vanished completely. Then she bowed deeply, nearly forming a right angle.wCuLM
fBfHzaS“I’ll apologize to the students later. But first, I had to apologize to you, the one in charge of this class.”RKSjw
S7XQV“There was no need to go that far.”gP9QSZg
yTc8I scratched my head, uncomfortable, and ended up just nodding.duetk1
8DVwRqk“Alright. I get it.”XIcvUQ
1BVeFShe slowly straightened her back. The eyes—those mint-colored eyes—did not lie.8uy9OR
HCk“So then.”RmwbBq
8jEWanting to clear the awkward air, I asked directly.avR
hLr“What were you trying to figure out with that class?”dXo
r4WFBn“Hmm…”XE1XqO
dDDDojgShe paused to think. It felt like I could hear her thoughts turning. But soon she sighed, as if she’d made up her mind.uHMaC
0BLtwa“Before I get into that… Kang Geom-Ma, do you know the difference between a blessing and magic?”ybh
SYFZZ3“Blessings strengthen the body. Magic manipulates elements using mana, right?”Hm4r
JYGP5“I’m not talking about textbook definitions.”iWiT
vLYAs5She shook her head and continued.RZkaZbF
YNN“In theory, ‘blessings’ are powers lent to humans by the gods. While magic uses corrupted energy. But after decades wandering the Demon Realm, I’ve come to the conclusion that that’s false.”bnNAy
AqstU1S“…?”uny301T
zeA“A blessing is not power granted by the gods.”ecy
8dlnShe said it without any change in tone, as if shattering an absolute dogma.UYB
pyy“Isn’t it contradictory? The gods supposedly vanished during the mythic age. So how can they be lending us power? I think the power we use doesn’t come from the gods.”lEzml
brjqUIW“Then you’re saying…”JZ6W
WvOwj“Yes. I believe that ‘blessings’ are essentially the same as the ‘magic’ demons use. The reason humans can’t manipulate elements like they can is because something—or someone—is preventing us. That’s why our magic became flawed, degenerating into what we now call ‘blessings.’”bcwM
ih7hBIn short, blessings are leftovers of magic. And the power humans believe to be divine is in fact no different from the demonic power they so despise. If this conversation were made public, it would cause a global scandal—and not a good one.ThI
FK9m3L2I asked her.e91K
EGh“So you’re saying blessings don’t exist?”ypo
iZU“What we use is already established under that name, so they exist. What I mean is, they don’t originate from the gods. Though even my theory has gaps. For example, I still can’t explain the ‘Blessing Awakening.’ But this year, I started to get a clearer idea of what it really is.”AV6Gl
JKGZCSuddenly, she poked me lightly in the abdomen. I stepped back, startled. She gave a faint smile.x9A
7yr“What I wanted to learn from the subdimensional class was about the ‘entity’ you draw your power from. I’ve seen you use it before, but I thought I’d get a clearer picture if you fought Leon, the Hero. And after today, I’m almost certain.”izOa
8QkuThen, she gave her conclusion.OIcds
M5Ch“The only human who truly manifests a ‘blessing’ in its original form is you, Kang Geom-Ma. The one truly chosen by the gods isn’t Leon. It’s you.”999s
w54a***ERXB
znyMeanwhile, in the Heavenly Class.oz3z
ekKoESpeedweapon, who had somewhat regained his strength, was rubbing his temples vigorously. Just minutes earlier, he had experienced death.HApsnm
b3gIvM“Ugh… just thinking about it…”PTAoWSg
3j4NMPThe first thing he did when the fight ended was check between his legs. He was worried it might be yellow and wet. Thankfully, no disaster had occurred. If it had, he would’ve been teased for the rest of his life.hcJNDN
dhQHe sighed in relief and looked around. Though everyone looked shaky, at least they were no longer trapped in the pit of shock.5uWF
jMg57Seeing that left him even more impressed. He felt a renewed respect for Kang Geom-Ma.h2N9v5
3jky‘How the hell did he defeat all of them?’R8lf5oj
JHEQsThe so-called Heavenly Class, a name he himself had come up with, truly lived up to its “heavenly” title.bAiqM
fvfYSEach member was someone who would have stood out above the rest in any other generation. They weren’t just exceptional—they were true prodigies, likely to be celebrated their whole lives.ETg
P1NCI9‘I barely qualify as talented, if that.’Xq1Myl
gY1uA7VSpeedweapon was quite objective about himself. But here, talking about talent or genius was meaningless. Before the immensity of Kang Geom-Ma, everyone was equally powerless.u9uD
Sft2‘I knew we’d lose, but still…’t1M6z
4iTNyIt was logical. Kang Geom-Ma was one of the Seven Stars. The successor of the Swordmaster, considered humanity’s strongest. Some even said he was stronger than the Swordmaster in his prime—and not without reason.ffm1
yHJIf you looked at the enemies Kang Geom-Ma had faced—top-class magical beasts, demons, corpse commanders… monsters terrifying enough to freeze your blood just imagining them. And he had annihilated them alone. How could anyone beat someone like that? It wasn’t bravery—it was recklessness.D6nYreA
i7y6“…Even so.”SWc4
6vrThey had hoped to at least land a scratch. They were seven from the so-called golden group. It wasn’t that far-fetched to think they could open an opening.vviGw
pq5mThey say not even the best can win against everyone at once. But that too turned out to be an arrogant illusion.cW9iE
AxvXIt wasn’t just that they lost—they couldn’t even touch him. Even though he was clearly holding back, they were just hitting air. And in mere seconds, they were toppled like LEGO blocks.S5Pg
UQnUuTRHe didn’t hate him. He didn’t even resent him. It was simply too overwhelming. He didn’t even feel frustration. On the contrary, his respect for Kang Geom-Ma grew even deeper.dj8aTr
5MpPOcy‘The power he has now doesn’t compare to when he fought the Demonic Sirens or the Bull King.’P31y
ydA6And yet, it was puzzling. Kang Geom-Ma was no longer at a level that could be compared with the strongest humans. He was something else. Something capable of facing even a Corps Commander.81Fe5em
g4w4“Seriously, was that a blessing? What kind of blessing lets you handle a sword like that?”QPKvUz
U3jtIn the hero society, asking about someone’s blessing was one of the greatest taboos.rbOrcC
Su5It was like asking for a bank account number. It was even clearly stated in the hero law, “Avoid revealing your blessing to anyone outside your family.” But he couldn’t help his curiosity anymore.dLJ
FaCWas what he used really a blessing? It didn’t seem like mere physical enhancement.a5nt
WqGwv1eMaybe it was something beyond blessings. A different kind of power?lF4iBUw
McSLkzWhile Speedweapon was lost in those thoughts, he heard Rachel muttering beside him.KchVxn
B05HEw“If I apply Geom-Ma’s movements to the spear, the Mura family’s technique would stop relying so much on brute force…”4IABjP
kBrHaRachel mumbled, motionless as a statue. Her unusually serious face puzzled Speedweapon. What was up with her?SoLbP
SQWHz“The stealth attack from behind was too obvious to Geom-Ma. Maybe if I’d attacked from above or head-on…”6nYR
TAgj7This time, it was Chloe. She took deep breaths as she reviewed the fight. And she wasn’t the only one.8Pq2
JPD7h“The Nibelung family’s swordplay is too rigid. In contrast, Geom-Ma moves his body with complete freedom…”dUpMrA
qICQzmAbel was doing it too, recalling every move. Speedweapon let out a chuckle. How foolish he’d been to underestimate them.Ni7j3Hr
ftJhGAll of them had been born with exceptional talent. And though they were utterly defeated today, they weren’t demoralized. They were analyzing the loss, trying to learn from it. They would get back up and push their limits even further.hQzAdmj
I8dWhat’s more, they wanted to be like him.oZFe9H
Yqs3Even knowing it was an unattainable goal, they were still trying to get closer.h4stb
3MTXgpZThey didn’t just stand there looking up. That’s why they were true geniuses.P2CS
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Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaI can imagine how they are muttering.
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaWell I knew it.