Chapter 354: Nightmare (1)
priAccording to the original schedule, the exchange program was supposed to end with a festival, organized under the direction of Parsy Academy.p7q2
5TrTFrom the very beginning, this event had been an exchange where Parsy tricked Joaquin into participating.iK4Eq
CrzbzCAlthough it all started due to some impulsive actions by Abel and me…3W3
stmXIn any case, the absolute influence was Joaquin’s, but the official perspective was Parsy’s.Bn5n
FOwablThat’s why the opening of the festival also belonged to Parsy Academy.2Tg
2YpKFZLStrictly speaking, Joaquin had merely agreed to take part in that “entertainment” that brought him no benefit.LcXY0HZ
zXAAV7But in the end.37LB
ADj92CThe festival was canceled. Parsy Academy didn’t even get to launch the fireworks.VQUR3in
MadA golem suddenly appeared—but that was the least of it.5bwej
H3dwjAn unknown enemy that enraged both heaven and earth, Ragnarok, announced the end of the world.PCg
CVD9th4Very few beings can bring about such an end. But what everyone had to acknowledge was that this power far surpassed that of the former “Corps Commanders.”3mUV
Uel0AThat was thanks to the TV channels capturing the entire beginning and end of the incident with their cameras.rzTC
O0U0QTheir professionalism went beyond admirable duty.tgANo
Zx83dI don’t know how they ended up in that disaster, but there they were.rCHoz
D6nNR‘Of course, even after becoming the Heavenly Sword, the media and reporters kept chasing me like hyenas.’97bY
kZIoIIn any case, thanks to that journalistic spirit, the whole world came to understand the gravity of the situation.IxBJ
INqXFuTEveryone saw just how disastrous things were at Parsy Academy.051Dx
L332PTHAnd even though the final festival was canceled, no one dared to complain.JLeyk
TqqXOStill, the hype of the event needed to be released somehow.9G9cv0
3EdAnd there was no better place for that than online communities.TngNs8d
mbkTvLThere, a different kind of festival was taking place—a more toned-down one, given Parsy’s tragedy.a7eI
gBoRek***5xd
0Aii6VTitle: Why those giants are stronger than the Second Corps Commander Kuarnee2Iy5HP
W9wKQc4– First of all, I think everything was over the moment the Heavenly Sword barely managed to last twenty seconds. No doubt about it.b64ovXE
2l1vBut the real issue in this “Parsy Tragedy” was that, if not for the help of other heroes, even the Heavenly Sword wouldn’t have been able to stop Parsy from becoming a shattered, forgotten academy in just ten years.uu2
elxHAt this point, anyone who doesn’t know he’s the only one capable of suppressing the entire magic sword system is either playing dumb or downright ignorant.Ahv
jJrlHeavenly Sword carefully controls what he reveals and what he doesn’t, holding back just in case of emergencies.6Le5ofC
lbObrgIn the end, it’s thanks to that one existence called “Heavenly Sword” that the academy system doesn’t collapse.kTjH
cgrPooWhich means that unless you’re him, nothing else works against those monsters.trRrX
1rUkIVDamn, just summarize it.c7oFnRE
PVo3ㄴ1. Basically, a guy who matches the Heavenly Sword showed up and took on the entire hero community solo.zwxqvvH
j8bTpㄴ2. And it looks like he’s not the only one.XcTEK6q
nrlㄴ3. So, what the hell do we do?6A48K
a08VDFㄴWe’re screwed. Thanks.u5BG
2I1ㄴㄴThanks.7qpXT
iLVI agree with the author. This isn’t something to be taken lightly.PeFm
KezFXWㄴBut what can we even do?4Ou8M
3djYBMㄴI guess trust the heroes and support them.YuF
jUofLㄴHmm… to that extent? In the end, they’re just charging a fortune for their work.aKlG0A
29i====================H3w
5YeBut there’s a blind spot all of you are missing.mBSHupB
KgWG9rTㄴ?StOWzU
4Ar0ㄴ22.upJ
F2fxGgZㄴ333.76VTKHi
e0tG7====================laHETri
Bl075– No one doubts that the Heavenly Sword is strong. But listen… what if that guy one day decides to turn his back on humanity?sxbzaB
s0zNjWhat would we do then?dxZAF
qSKㄴNext comment: Mass-report the anti-HeavenlySword post.6Kkx6v
C1ucIㄴThere are always morons like this. Can’t we trace their IP?gwJrlU
7nqㄴSend him to another universe.8eJ62dF
HepqN8ㄴJust the thought gives me chills… Heavenly Sword betraying humanity. I don’t think we could handle it.IExHX
xwFxㄴHonestly, I’ve thought that too. Everyone saw what happened. Even his form completely changed… doesn’t that look a little too familiar?xTFce
5hyTbUㄴYou mean the demon king from those old fairy tales?yizJ
MoIㄴNot fairy tales, I mean mythology, you idiot.Q3F2Q
JJRy0xg====================rgVn0v
LxZ– …This is a bit of a late question, but come to think of it, are we really sure the power Heavenly Sword uses is actually a “Blessing”?K2sPo
2EZ6CㄴHe’s using lightning and all kinds of stuff, it doesn’t even fit the hero category anymore.ILJs
OgNIKㄴHe’s too strong, so we just let it slide.qAQPccM
rD0ㄴThen… what the hell is Heavenly Sword?zypk93b
H5jA====================eML
F8XB“The greatest thief of all time!”nCE
Hnl3ㄴ?W0FLD
zATKㄴThe man who stole it all: the Sword and the Gold.4qNd3B
lvAㄴHeavenly Sword, I wanted to be you!!fNavD
qeLFWZH……End……GMidmH
h66e4====================V1MQ
75JE***jTqnE
m0o“…What… is this…?”pRXo
i3jPBalor Joaquin (real name Ho Ah-Hyun, age 53) was watching YouTube videos of his disciple’s feats.QWTi9
PWNUp until that point, he had managed to stay composed.lYa
uzbWxuBut deep down, his heart had skipped a beat.VHSW
r0VFHe hadn’t imagined his disciple had already mastered that power to such an extent.CCCl1IQ
jNyV3lAnd on top of that, he was using Lycan’s lightning magic at the same time.rwc
bJ8CHe had reached the pinnacle of Mu (武, martial technique).c5H
L0SP70It felt like just yesterday when his disciple was learning to swing a sword while taking hits to the back.B3ZS
Hmki049Now, as a master, he felt a mix of pride and melancholy at that dazzling growth.N9Gwq
o18oTUhIn any case, Kang Geom-Ma’s performance against the “End Ragnarok” was understandable.kVpTW
BCBt‘I had already seen his potential long ago…’xik6Eon
XR2j2bHo Ah-Hyun had sensed it the moment he saw those dark eyes.Xn7
JAd9xaThe fact that Balor Joaquin used the “Ring Eye” to consume both his life and Lycan’s and send them to this world had been the most important decision of his life.gptgy
Y7xHowever—1Wuk
9Nbu“…Something feels off in the air…”dloIwOA
94QtmvkWhile Lycan (full name Ramzy Thunder, age 4,578) was browsing online communities next to him, a hushed murmur slipped from his lips. Lycan, elegantly scrolling with his coiled tail, also furrowed his brow.IaHp43B
m3j(“That sword guy… he used too much power this time. It’s no longer just affecting the timeline or the world’s consistency… the way everyone sees him is going to change drastically.”)4r78oL
xNEThe squeak of the rodent dropped into a serious tone. Ho Ah-Hyun narrowed his eyes with concern.pfWEM
5TOe09“…I don’t mind you being serious, but could you at least change form for this?”Yg3Ch
8It(“Why would I? I like how I am.”)CjM1
cPz09“…Well…”zLZWs
w1FLwCMAll of Lycan’s subordinates were part of the Squirrel Legion. Entirely squirrels.GdiC
RFbxp16(“Our sovereign is the commander of the Squirrel Legion!”)oN0Yael
tGUCN(“You insolent human! He’s trying to deceive our Commander with sweet words to trigger a revolution in our squirrel ecosystem!”)L84Xrj
ktFL(“Oh no, this damned human! We must declare Jindo-level alert!”)JA1P
bidnKLycan crossed his arms coquettishly and nodded nonchalantly.Yk9KW
YmJmr“…Do what you want.”91IHj
JZLOnce upon a time, the two had been fierce rivals vying for dominance over various worlds.OoKwLt
zLtwkw3But that terrifying presence as the First Corps Commander now had to be laid to rest.Jxg
kUYk(“Corps Commander, Founder Hero… may I say something?”)IBh
xuEUbwA red squirrel stroking her chin while staring at the screen lifted her head. She was Lycan’s strategist.sGz
rgCXLycan arrogantly gestured with his chin.mmg4eqK
OZu(“You have permission.”)7eFO
jKN(“Thank you. First of all, I believe this isn’t something we can just overlook.”)xr8
Mazv“And your reasoning?”uja
C25(“According to your words, that individual is ‘from another world,’ right?”)9zT1
vd3uK1u“That’s correct.”NHVh
cpJThe Squirrel Legion, led by Ho Ah-Hyun and Lycan, already shared many secrets. While Lycan knew a lot from his time with Kang Geom-Ma, that wasn’t the case for the others.9eM4r
jFBThe secrets Ho Ah-Hyun revealed to the legion about Kang Geom-Ma were a massive shock.oBU
wzIQ3hAs the saying goes, “birds hear by day, rats by night.”uNo
IOVcp0Even if they thought they had keen ears for the world’s secrets, what Ho Ah-Hyun revealed shattered their previous assumptions.jUnKvr
TTk3And he shared it all because he knew that, appearances aside, they were clever.F5RyWjO
2BBFFIf language wasn’t a barrier, they were even more insightful than humans with pens.bwhN
tjnpcF0‘There’s plenty of time to talk.’as58hrG
m4oLbnBalor Joaquin’s body still lingered between the spiritual and human realms.bT3xf8i
4Giqf0UHe had made progress.fYlb0v
GFAoUThanks to camping at the bottom of the crater with the broken egg, he had recovered about two-thirds of his true form.XJKNw
v845C8q‘But it’s still not enough to intervene in the human world.’4dP5
0E5Ho Ah-Hyun was a man deeply grounded in reality.quv6z
NTFfLIf he had only cared about his own time, he wouldn’t have bothered founding the Joaquin Academy.zbtl
3AmHe suppressed his desire to cross over to the demon world and help Kang Geom-Ma.Ox0
6BSInstead, he chose to continue learning about the world while maintaining active communication with the squirrels.WKvSl
n7tqOpzIn this way, through conversations and shared opinions, they had built a bond strong enough to make even important decisions together.DOLk3sd
XeVbThe red squirrel spoke again.YdYyaBT
GoKsik(“Bearer of the Demon King’s fate… an existence sent to end this world with uncontrollable power. That, according to my understanding, is Kang Geom-Ma’s role and reason for being.”)dN0
a3AShe was precise. She continued.yja
pi1(“In that case, Kang Geom-Ma’s true attribute is demonic and evil. But he’s separated that evil through his humanity. What lets him maintain that humanity are the people who believe in and rely on him.”)OpbHwg
x7y“You could say that.”rnYCvI4
WLHad(“But if, unfortunately, people were to define him not as good but as evil… if they all began attacking him and pushing him steadily toward the side of evil… what would happen then?”)s7MDDS4
8DYpZj8(“I don’t even want to imagine it.”)EXwVi
QbcfaOgLycan’s curled tail gently drooped.5atNgA
MaW(“Evil doesn’t come from nowhere. It’s shaped by its surroundings. If a seed of evil were to grow in his heart, it wouldn’t be his fault—it would be because of everything around him.”)lB70w
KcgHer words were heavy. Lycan was once the leader of the demon world.wk9802c
rBsy6LThe rivalry between Lycan and Balor Joaquin had stemmed from ideological differences.6NuICUP
IEejVIn the first Great Human-Demon War, humanity had narrowly won, and the defeated demons were branded as evil.y6Z82
ZWHYsWFrom a human perspective, it was natural to consider those who devoured people as evil.xoJhu
nZhiz(“But just because a hawk eats a mouse doesn’t make the hawk evil. When the values of species that dictate the natural order clash… humanity, which considers itself the pinnacle of this world, arbitrarily decides what’s good and evil. Perhaps… that’s what Kang Geom-Ma will have to confront in the future…”)4cm
yzhHLycan murmured bitterly.L3LSfX8
23OY“Don’t worry.”12rqN8c
QHOHo Ah-Hyun gently patted his shoulder with his index finger.LNEE
961G(“…Do you have some sort of certainty? Something between you and Kang Geom-Ma that I don’t know about?”)Qy0Gn
jTmp“It’s not about proof. I just believe in him.”jYKODte
mBOHo Ah-Hyun smiled. The warmth of that smile reached even the deepest frozen caverns of the demon world.MFt
KOuctj“He already overcame it once.”SQk
DB1cdVeHe had once said, rather shyly, that it was thanks to having a good master.0NT81ge
rKXBut Ho Ah-Hyun thought very differently—he had overcome it on his own.eFgxV4q
2LNsKang Geom-Ma’s true talent wasn’t his sashimi skills.pBSSVd
Zk7uIt was that he didn’t break, even in the harshest of environments.oTj9UsZ
OTLpbKEven if he lost the world, he would still do what’s right. Fiat justitia, pereat mundus.m8Pg0
VGmi(Let justice be done, though the world perish.)Nv4MgiV
SwGv“…Just hold on a little longer.”lWBJe
esTPgHo Ah-Hyun’s chin tensed with resolve.5FsH
FT8vL‘Soon, I’ll come to see you, my son.’QRXgu6
Q75GQ***4H7P16g
O5mv3B== ==mHaa
GcW6u[Up to the ■■ of □□□ (1/4)]nceasvc
wHo[You have completed the first trial……]zIiN
tnsvxV[Reward obtained: (???) ]4lr3j
DmCz== ==HvAi
V9OsHB***URiMI
D9P8JG“Pfft.”PLHo
jHONAUSticky spit slid down my cheek. I let it fall without a care.fM0X01
9iaKThe edge of my sleeve, which I used to wipe it off, was tattered and ragged.eSgws
RFkThey say the birth of a life is a blessing.ys3dL
cfZdqX“We never should’ve birthed something like you.”QdbvJ6Z
ur8qiaIn my past life, I grew up drinking in the curses of my parents.Jwu
ukJ“You say we’re bad parents? What a joke. Hey, hey.”f1XYUL
1vS4QmEvery time they pressed that thick, filthy thumb into my cheek, I thought about how badly I wanted to break each of their toes, one by one.mn1qv
lO0“Kim ■■. You and your brat were born weak. It’s not how we raised you—you were always like this.”jiEtT
57SUKp“In a way, we’re good people! Because we’re educating you properly!”Bk08
CaURaI…WG8
3zw“I’m not Kim ■■…”u0qkLj
Ys0q“What did this bastard just say? Denying the name we gave him as his parents? He’s hopeless. Honey.”eRNhPZ1
Aljiza“Is it raining? Open the window, let the dust in.”a09Ldd
g3SV9rSAs I watched my father slowly unbuckle his belt, I moved my lips, my mouth bruised.c9k9
S0Qny“I am…”35acD
ticw56In my eyes, a black crow ignited.WmG4z
bx7“I am Geom-Ma, the Heavenly Sword.”o3Ar8Vo
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