Chapter 96: Final Exam (6)

Boom!

An explosive sound resonated in my ears, leaving me with an annoying echo.

“Ugh…”

Saki opened her eyes with difficulty.

The blood pouring from her torn forehead dyed her vision a deep red. Everything was blurry and covered in that crimson hue.

She tried to wipe the blood from her eyes, but her arms didn’t respond.

Slowly, she tried to rise.

“Ah…”

A faint groan escaped her lips.

The pain searing through her body was so intense that she had no choice but to fall back down.

If it hadn’t been for the weakness in her voice, she would have probably screamed.

What happened? What’s going on?

Sometimes, humans lose their memory after a sudden shock.

Saki decided to focus first on regaining control of her body and mind.

Using her natural intuition, she tried to recover the lost fragments of memories.

But the more she tried, the stronger the pressure on her eyes and the pain in her head became. Her breathing grew more difficult.

By instinct, she knew something.

She didn’t have much time left.

Slowly, she organized her thoughts, reviewing what had happened as her consciousness gradually faded.

She looked down, and there it was: a curved knife deeply embedded in her collarbone, breaking the bone.

The moment she saw it, the blurry pieces of her memories took form.

Crash.

Another loud bang shattered the silence and echoed in her ears.

Saki turned her head toward the source of the sound.

‘…Leon?’

There he was, covered in blood, struggling desperately.

With his teeth clenched and his body upright, Leon threw punches that shook the air with each hit.

Although he hadn’t fully mastered the miraculous blessing, his destructive power was undeniable.

However, his desperate attacks slammed against an invisible magical barrier.

Saki watched the intense fight, widening her field of vision to analyze the situation.

The place was scarred, with shattered walls and cracked floors. It was evident that Leon had given everything he had.

But his enemy was in perfect condition, while Leon didn’t even have a weapon.

The outcome was clear—Leon was losing.

“¡Aaaaargh!”

“Hehe, no matter how much of a hero candidate you are, in the end, Leon, you’re just human. How disappointing… Seems like you won’t be enough to be a vessel for Lord Fermush. And even more so, are you telling me you killed Lord Agor? The professor must’ve made that up, right? What do you think, Paul?”

Erio tore a chunk of flesh from Leon’s side while directing the question at Instructor Paul.

Paul narrowed his eyes and looked at Leon before responding.

“Hm… Well, he managed to withstand Erio-nim’s attacks for over 20 minutes in this place that mimics the Gehenna ecosystem, and that without weapons. It’s hard to believe he killed Lord Agor… but perhaps Lord Fermush had trouble adapting to his vessel at that time. Also, from what I heard, the Sword Master was present. Maybe the professor wasn’t entirely wrong.”

“Maybe I had too high expectations. Still, resisting with bare hands proves he’s not completely useless. If Lord Fermush manages to adapt to him well, things will go as planned.”

“The new master will surely be satisfied.”

“I hope so. After all, he was the one who took us in after the death of our true master, Lord Agor. We can’t disappoint him.”

Suddenly, Erio stopped talking and looked around the place, as if noticing something.

Her gaze stopped on Saki.

“Wow, looks like you’re awake.”

Erio’s eyes gleamed with a sinister light.

That strange gleam sent a chill down Saki’s spine.

“…”

“Paul, I’m going to have a little chat with Saki. Make sure Leon doesn’t die in the meantime.”

“Understood.”

With a light step, Erio began walking toward Saki, her movements full of dangerous grace.

With each step she took, the air around her grew heavier, saturated with the essence of death.

‘Is this how it ends?’

Saki reflected as she watched her life flash before her eyes.

Until recently, her life had been nothing but endless tedium, an empty cycle of purposeless days and an oppressive, familiar environment.

She knew that heroes, those at the frontlines, were the first to die.

She had entered Joaquin Academy not out of devotion to humanity, but to find a worthy reason for her death.

But now Saki didn’t want to die anymore.

Because someone had appeared in her life, someone for whom she was grateful, who helped her create attachment and regret.

Erio stopped in front of Saki, staring at her intently.

Then she crouched down, tilting her head as she spoke.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

Erio’s tone and gaze were tinged with cold indifference.

With one hand, she gently tapped the hilt of the knife embedded in Saki’s collarbone.

The excruciating pain made Saki’s lips part in a groan.

“Ugh…”

“Wow, even so, it’s impressive. You managed to manifest your blessing to slow down the poison and regain consciousness. But in the end, you’ll die anyway. Is that luck or bad luck? Well, either way, I have to admit it’s incredible.”

“…”

“You know? I had to act to fool you. My performance deserves an award, don’t you think?”

Erio laughed as she spoke.

Saki bit her lower lip and gathered the strength to ask.

“Why… are you doing this…?”

At Saki’s question, Erio burst into uncontrollable laughter.

The sinister and dark laughter echoed throughout the tower.

And suddenly, Erio’s expression changed. Her face hardened, and her eyes filled with cold emptiness.

“I thought you were a bit smarter, but it seems you’re still a child. What a typical way of thinking, so old-fashioned. Today’s youth are quick to harden their minds, but their ideas are still as basic as ever.”

Erio leaned in close to Saki’s ear and whispered.

“Want to know the truth? I’m completely crazy.”

Saki clenched her teeth and growled.

“…You’re crazy…”

Erio, resting an arm on her knee and using the other hand to press the knife’s hilt, asked with a sinister smile:

“Does it hurt a lot?”

Saki gritted her teeth, but couldn’t suppress a silent cry of agony. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and she couldn’t even open her eyes because of the pain.

Erio watched her reactions indifferently before murmuring in a low voice.

“You might think I’m a lunatic, but I was just born different. Ah, and as for why I stabbed you, the reason is simple. You disappointed me. Maybe you didn’t know, but I’ve been watching you for a while. I used to think you and I were the same.”

“…”

“I always thought your bored, apathetic eyes were like mine. But, do you know how many times I almost got caught by you? That guy you were with, what was his name? Kang Geom-Ma? He had an eye for detecting things, that’s for sure.”

Drops of blood fell from the knife’s hilt.

“Anyway, I thought, since you seemed to have doubts about humanity too, I could introduce you to Lord Fermush. Our master really appreciates people like you, those who lack emotions. But what happened? Suddenly, you asked me to carry you on my back! That’s when I decided that, in the end, you’re just another simple human.”

Erio shrugged and then stood up, stretching her body with a long yawn.

“Well, I think I’ve talked enough. That way, you won’t be so lonely on your way to the other world. Take care~”

Erio turned sharply, waved her hand, and began to walk away.

Saki watched her as she walked off. Her face lost all color, and her eyes began to fade.

‘I want to live.’

That thought rose urgently, like a desperate plea that even she didn’t realize she was making.

For the first time, she had found pleasure in life. She had met someone with whom she wanted to accomplish something.

‘Please.’

She knew there was no god.

‘Whoever it is, if you’re listening…’

Even so, if someone could hear her.

‘Help me.’

May this plea reach somewhere.

Tap, tap, tap.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps resonated.

Saki barely lifted her head, which seemed to weigh more with each passing second.

At the same time, her eyebrows twitched. Was this what they called the final vision before death?

What appeared before her eyes was the person she had desperately wanted to see once more.

A young man with black hair, some strands streaked with gray.

He was there, breathing heavily as he stared at her.

A warm stream of water ran down Saki’s cheek.

She concentrated the little strength she had left and tried to move her lips.

“…Geom… Ma.”

The blackness began to envelop her vision. Even so, Saki made one final effort to speak.

“…Save… me.”

Kang Geom-Ma nodded.

Only then did Saki surrender to the relief that washed over her and let her consciousness fade away.

***

“Geom-Ma-nim! Wait, I’m coming with you!”

With that shout, Choi Seol-ah reached the fifth floor of the tower, right behind Kang Geom-Ma, who had sprinted up the stairs at full speed.

Gasping for air, she tried to catch her breath.

Her body, accustomed to relying solely on magic, had not even a trace of physical endurance.

Everything looked blurry, and her throat burned from fatigue.

“Hm? Is that… Seol-ah?”

A familiar voice, but tinged with an unsettling tone, reached her ears.

Sweet, yet filled with danger.

Choi Seol-ah lifted her head, still not having fully regained her breath.

With a confused expression, she murmured the name in a low voice.

“…Erio?”

Erio Pine.

Of course, that wasn’t her real name, but it was how she had always introduced herself, and how everyone called her.

A high-ranking villain who had once served directly under a Corps Commander.

Not only did she have experience, but she also wielded fire magic like no other.

After her master’s death, she had vanished without a trace.

And now? Here, disguised as a student?

Choi Seol-ah recognized the man standing next to her.

Was his name Paul?

An instructor whose eyes were always half-closed, exuding the ominous aura typical of his kind.

He was also one of Agor’s subordinates, known for his unwavering loyalty.

‘Why are they together?’

The situation was so absurd that, rather than feeling relieved, Seol-ah felt completely unsettled.

Meanwhile, Erio smiled broadly and clapped her hands in delight.

“Oh my, what a coincidence to see you here! How have you been, dear?”

“Ah… Fine, I guess.”

Choi Seol-ah nodded briefly, her expression distant.

She had never been close to Erio, nor did she intend to be.

Regaining her composure, Seol-ah began analyzing her surroundings.

Leon lay sprawled on the ground, like a broken toy.

In the distance, she could hear the faint breathing of a cadet with light blue hair.

‘Wait a minute… That girl… Wasn’t she always near Geom-Ma-nim in the exploration club?’

She swallowed nervously and shifted her gaze elsewhere.

“…!”

What she saw was Kang Geom-Ma, standing with his back to her.

Showing not even a shred of emotion, he emanated a presence close to absolute void.

Seeing that figure, Choi Seol-ah felt her skin crawl from head to toe.

Don’t they say that when anger reaches its limit, it becomes cold?

Kang Geom-Ma’s state was exactly that.

Choi Seol-ah, as always, wanted to live.

They say it’s better to roll around in a field of manure than to die, right?

There were still so many things she wanted to eat, so many things she wanted to do.

She was someone obsessed with life, and because of that, she understood it clearly.

The indescribable pressure weighing on her shoulders, the thick stench of death.

At least from her perspective, it was something almost tangible, radiating from Kang Geom-Ma.

At that moment, Erio’s voice rang out from the front.

“Ah, Seol-ah! Why don’t you take this opportunity to make a contract with Lord Fermush? Clever people like you always need a new master, you know? I can put in a good word for you with Lord Fermush.”

“……”

Choi Seol-ah took a step back and remained silent.

‘Look who’s talking. Agor barely died, and you already ran to sign a contract with another Corps Commander. Clever? Please.’

Erio tilted her head, as if confused, and then turned slightly toward Kang Geom-Ma.

She spoke to him in an almost friendly tone.

“The black-haired friend standing over there. You were the Saint of Sashimi, right? That genius cadet who defeated Relentless Iron. Truly impressive. But what will you do now? Do you really think you can take on three villains in this environment? And without weapons, at that. Look at how Leon ended up, and they call him a hero candidate. He’s nothing but a rag.”

Erio smirked as she gestured toward Leon with her eyes.

Beside her, Instructor Paul also let out a twisted smile.

“……”

As the mocking laughter filled the air, Kang Geom-Ma silently extended a hand behind him.

Choi Seol-ah flinched at the sight.

“Huh? What?”

Seol-ah looked back and forth between his outstretched hand and the back of his head.

Soon, she understood what that gesture meant.

She swallowed hard, her mind racing at full speed.

Her brain spun like a top, processing thousands of possible scenarios in an instant.

If she analyzed the probabilities, the logical choice would be to betray Kang Geom-Ma here and join the other side.

That would greatly increase her chances of survival.

Besides, wasn’t Kang Geom-Ma the guy who had treated her like a dog? If she had ever wanted revenge, this was the perfect opportunity.

However, what was this chilling sensation creeping up from the tips of her toes?

The air was growing heavier by the second, and the flow was starting to reverse.

Choi Seol-ah slowly closed her eyes and then opened them.

In that instant, a firm determination reflected in her gaze.

She reached into her dimensional storage pocket and began searching for something.

Clink—

A pair of perfectly polished sashimi knives emerged from her pocket, emitting a faint sound as they were drawn.

With both weapons in hand, Choi Seol-ah slowly knelt down and lowered her head.

Holding the knives up high, she deeply bowed her back.

“From this moment forward…”

The villain Choi Seol-ah presented the weapons and solemnly declared,

“I will serve Kang Geom-Ma as my new master.”

“……”

There was no response.

—Instead.

Crunch.

Kang Geom-Ma gripped the sashimi knives tightly.