* * *

    The sun hanging high in the sky began its slow descent towards the west.

    “…That’s it for today’s lesson.”

    As soon as Miss Gemini announced the end of regular class for the day, the atmosphere in the classroom heated up.

    A student sneaking glances at the classroom door, another packing their bag in a hurry, and yet another already had their feet out the side of the desk.

    Watching those students with a faint smile, Miss Gemini ended the class with a clap.

    “Alright, everyone, be careful not to be late for the special class, and I hope you all enjoy it. That’s it, class dismissed!”

    As if the teacher’s clap was a signal, the students rushed out of the classroom.

    Not long after, the sound of footsteps filled the hallway outside the classroom, suggesting that the situation was no different in the other classes.

    The sound of footsteps continued for a while.

    In the now-empty classroom, only two people remained behind: Cheon Yeomyeong and Hong Seti.

    Miss Gemini, who was tidying up after class, briefly considered having a brief conversation with the two but decided against it, simply exchanging a light nod before leaving the classroom.

    After all, it was not appropriate for a teacher to meddle in their students’ romantic affairs.

    …However, contrary to her misunderstanding, there was nothing romantic about the conversation Yeomyeong and Seti were having.

    “Yeomyeong, you’re not seriously planning on making a deal with them, are you?”

    As Yeomyeong stood up leisurely, Seti followed suit and asked.

    “…Well, not a deal per se, but I plan to cooperate with them to some extent. It’s not a bad idea to be cautious.”

    Hearing the worry in her voice, Yeomyeong responded with a faint smile.

    “I disagree. Ava might claim to be a moderate… but in the end, she’s still a terrorist who committed terrorism. And how can you trust someone who dares to threaten us when they should be begging on their knees?”

    From her unusually intense reaction it was clear she was angry because Ava had used Yeomyeong’s past to threaten him.

    Yeomyeong shrugged and replied.

    “That can hardly be called a threat.”

    “…It’s not a threat?”

    Seeing Seti tilt her head in confusion, Yeomyeong held her hand and walked toward the classroom door as he continued.

    “It was an obvious bluff. If she really knew about my past, she would’ve brought up my days as Dung Beetle or as a janitor, not something vague like the black market.” ??Ν??Ё?

    “That’s… true.”

    Walking side by side in the empty hallway, the two of them continued their conversation.

    “Do you remember the unspoken rule of the Incheon black market?”

    “Unspoken rule? Ah… the mask?”

    Seti nodded as if she had just remembered the rule of the Incheon black market.

    A dirty place where neither customer nor seller could reveal their face—That was the Incheon black market.

    “And it wasn’t just the mask. I went there on Mr. Jang Man’s introduction, so it’s not like I revealed my name either.”

    “…”

    “How would she be able to uncover my past in the black market when they didn’t even know my face or name? She was just rambling aimlessly to gauge my reaction.”

    “Then, that dramatic act in front of Ava…”

    Instead of answering, Yeomyeong simply shrugged.

    “…You villain, your acting skills keep getting better by the day.”

    Seti poked his side playfully and Yeomyeong smirked.

    “That’s a compliment, right?”

    “Of course, it’s a compliment! Anyway, for the Society to try to pull such a bluff… They should be ashamed of calling themselves an information guild.”

    “It just shows how desperate they are. They can’t track down the Priest, they don’t know what the black sheep is referring to… and they can’t just make themselves known to the Academy either…”

    As soon as Yeomyeong trailed off, Seti finished assessing the situation.

    “…Hence, the only ones they could try to make a deal with was me, who knew about them… no, us.”

    So, was that the reason she mentioned the Surging Wave technique? A soft laugh escaped her lips as she reached her conclusion.

    “So we have the upperhand, and the Society is at our mercy?”

    “Exactly. And since they’re terrorists, they should be expecting some sort of power play from us.”

    “… I see. Yeomyeong, would it be alright if I took the lead in ‘cooperating’ with Ava from here on?”

    “If that’s what you want.”

    Yeomyeong bowed in an exaggerated manner, and Seti let out a small laugh.

    Then, a short silence ensued.

    It was the perfect time to bring up the topic of the black sheep, but as if by mutual agreement, neither of them spoke about it.

    Yeomyeong felt there was no need to bring it up because if the Skinwalker Priest really came after Seti… he would just kill him.

    As for Seti, she held herself back to avoid placing unnecessary pressure on Yeomyeong.

    And so, they continued walking towards the location of the special class in silence.

    By the time they could see the southern rest area designated as the special class location by Corvus, Seti spoke up.

    “Come to think of it, you were wearing the sun mask… at the black market, right?”

    “Yeah. And you had a black dog mask.”

    She stared blankly into the air for a moment as if reminiscing about the past, then smiled slightly on remembering something.

    “Now that I think about it, that was our first meeting, wasn’t it? We encountered at the black market and fought.”

    “…Fought, you say?”

    “Hm?”

    “It wasn’t a fight. I was just attacked unilaterally.”

    Seeing Yeomyeong answer with a serious expression, Seti averted her gaze awkwardly, recalling belatedly that she was the one who launched a preemptive attack on Yeomyeong and Mr. Jang Man.

    Unable to find the right words, Seti scratched her cheek and Yeomyeong let out a small laugh, nudging her side with his elbow.

    Or rather, he was about to nudge her.

    However, just as he subtly raised his arm, they heard the sound of someone running from behind.

    …They were familiar footsteps.

    * * *

    Seti and Yeomyeong turned their heads simultaneously. But there was no one in sight.

    To be precise, while they weren’t visible, the sound of someone running and grass bending from being stepped on gave them away.

    Seeing the person in question making no effort to hide the fact that she was using the Invisibility Cloak, Yeomyeong sighed.

    “Could it be…”

    The moment Seti sensed something and tried to step back…

    “Seti!”

    A frivolous shout rang out as someone invisible hugged Seti.

    Soon, the Invisibility Cloak fell off, and from beneath it, a girl in a school uniform emerged—the Saintess.

    “I finally found you… , Seti, you’ve been avoiding me lately… Ah, this feeling… I missed you so much…”

    Yeomyeong looked away, not knowing how to describe the sight of a grown girl burying her face in a classmate’s arms and rubbing her cheek against them.

    However, Seti, who was trapped in the Saintess’ embrace, remained calm.

    After glancing between the Saintess and Yeomyeong, she asked in a soft voice.

    “…Cheon Yeomyeong-ssi?”

    “…”

    “Weren’t the two of us supposed to be the only ones in this special class?”

    “…As you can see, we aren’t.”

    Yeomyeong answered with a wry smile. As Seti’s delicate eyebrows furrowed, the Saintess added.

    “Seti, don’t be too harsh on Yeomyeong. I know everything now.”

    “…Know what? About what?”

    “Dung Beetle!”

    At the Saintess’ abrupt confession, Yeomyeong massaged his forehead.

    That damned mouth of hers! She first needed to explain about her Foresight and the future she saw so that Seti could understand better.

    Whether she perceived what Yeomyeong was feeling or not, the Saintess hugged Seti even tighter and spoke.

    “I’ll help with your revenge… Money, influence, whatever you need, I can give it all. I’m the Saintess, you know, the !”

    “…”

    “Hehe, we’re not just friends anymore; we’re now accomplic—!”

    Before she could complete her sentence, Seti struck the Saintess on the back of her neck without any warning.

    The crisp sound of the impact echoed, and the Saintess went limp.

    It was a clean blow, the kind you’d see in an action movie.

    Perhaps it was fortunate that she didn’t just drop the limp Saintess onto the ground, Seti turned to Yeomyeong and spoke, still holding the unconscious Saintess.

    “Yeomyeong.”

    “…”

    “What is… No, never mind. It’s obvious. You somehow ended up getting tangled with her again, didn’t you?”

    Her guess was astonishingly accurate. Yeomyeong nodded.

    “It’s a complicated story that requires a long explanation… but yes, I got involved.”

    “I see, it’s complicated… By any chance, is it a, well, problem with the Saintess?”

    “…What?”

    “Ah, judging by your reaction, I guess not. Alright, then I demand an explanation right now.”

    Following Seti’s words, which might have been either a joke to lighten the mood or a genuine question, Yeomyeong began his explanation.

    Starting with the Foresight, the Saintess, and the future the two of them had seen together.

    Other than looking a bit surprised on hearing that the Saintess had used her Foresight on her every morning, Seti’s expression didn’t change much throughout the explanation.

    Thanks to her calm demeanor, Yeomyeong had an easier time explaining the circumstances…

    And by the time the long explanation came to an end, the two of them wore similar expressions.

    “This is…”

    “Ridiculous, isn’t it?”

    They exchanged a wry smile, a sigh, and finally, snuck a subtle glance at the Saintess.

    Without the need for words, the two of them began to drag the unconscious Saintess toward the rest area.

    After a while, they arrived at the rest area, laid the Saintess on a table, and each pulled up a chair to sit.

    They stared at the Saintess, who seemed to be fast asleep—though in reality, she was unconscious—for a moment.

    Seti was the first to break the silence.

    “Hey, Yeomyeong…?”

    “Hm?”

    “…You know it as well, right?”

    Seeing Seti’s gaze directed at the Saintess, Yeomyeong didn’t need to ask her what she meant.

    “Although she’s a bit of an airhead, she’s a good kid.”

    “…A bit?”

    “Okay, a big airhead. So… I’d rather you not take advantage of her feelings.”

    “…”

    “…And, it goes without saying, don’t use her body either.”

    The latter half seemed to be a more honest reflection of feelings. Yeomyeong swallowed the response rising up his throat and simply nodded.

    Seeing this, Seti finally smiled and said.

    “And if, by any chance, your heart wavers… remember, I’m first, okay?”

    She stretched out and touched Yeomyeong’s ear. Her slender fingers sliding through his hair as she gently rubbed his earlobe.

    “…What are you talking about?”

    “Don’t play dumb; you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

    “…”

    “…Together until the end.”

    Although it sounded more like a promise to herself than to him.

    Just as the atmosphere began to grow unbearably tense, Yeomyeong opened his mouth to speak when the door to the rest area suddenly burst open, and a familiar blonde girl stepped in.

    “…Soe Miri?” Sёarch* The ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    “Uh… am I the last one to arrive?”

    The moment they saw her, Seti added more strength to her hand that was rubbing Yeomyeong’s earlobe.

    —pain shot through his earlobe.

    Yeomyeong couldn’t help but feel wronged by the situation.

    * * *

    If you were to ask the students to name the busiest place on Lord Howe, every student would undoubtedly point to the Northern Island.

    This was only natural. Unlike the other islands, which were designed solely for students, the Northern Island was intended to resemble an artificial city from the very start.

    It had a harbor, an airport, accommodation facilities for visitors, and even a commercial area for students.

    Although it was still undergoing reconstruction due to the recent terror attack, the Northern Island had long since regained its former vitality with the start of the special classes.

    Students passing by to meet special teachers, faculty members enjoyed their brief free time, and reporters bustled around to capture the special classes taking place in the auditorium…

    The scene made it seem like the terror attack had occurred long ago, and most students had already forgotten about it.

    At least on the surface.

    However, the atmosphere of the sewer beneath the bustling Northern Island,, as tangled as the number of times the island had been rebuilt and expanded, was quite different.

    The sewers, still without electricity due to the attack, were filled with darkness.

    Even the rats and insects roaming the sewers as if they owned the place held their breath, shrinking back from the deep, profound darkness.

    And it was in that darkness the Skinwalker Priest made his hideout.

    Utilizing the maze-like structure of the sewer, he created a secret space and set up all sorts of booby traps along the paths leading to it.

    Mines made from corpses, illusion magic circles, chlorine gas sprayers, etc

    Even if the entire faculty of the academy descended to the sewers to track him down, he would be able to hold out for at least a day.

    With this hideout in place, the Skinwalker Priest was confident that nothing in the sewers could kill him.

    However, despite his confidence… the hideout barely managed to last for 30 minutes.

    “Goddammit, that motherfucker just keeps running like a rat.”

    The ‘intruder’ who suddenly invaded the hideout began speaking like that right away.

    “What the hell’s with you? You’re supposed to be Chapter 1 boss, dammit. You’re not summoning anything… and you’re not dropping anything useful either.”

    No matter what the intruder said, the Skinwalker Priest couldn’t respond. The wound on his side was still healing.

    And it wasn‘t like the intruder was expecting an answer either, rambling endlessly as he surveyed the Skinwalker Priest’s hideout.

    “Why do you even have so much corpse skin? Is this a skin factory or something? What a waste… huh? A Dimensional Portal?”

    Was he perhaps skilled in magic? A single glance was all it took for him to identify the partially completed altar as a Dimensional Portal.

    “The coordinates are… the Northwestern Great Mountains? , the level-up event for Chapter 5 has already shown up. Did the hunting ground in Manchuria disappear or something?”

    “What should I do with this… It’ll be a waste of the favorability I’ve built up with the prince if I take it…”

    His words, which sounded half-joking, carried no coherence or logic.

    His voice, interspersed with chuckles, sounded like the ramblings of a madman you might find in a mental hospital.

    A voice that was ominous yet unsettling.

    At that point, the Skinwalker Priest, who had been panting, couldn’t help but speak up.

    “, what… exactly are you?”

    The intruder chuckled at the priest’s question, a laugh bordering on mockery.

    “Me? Can’t you tell? I’m just a law-abiding academy student.”

    “D-Don’t make me laugh. , how could a student… be that strong…”

    “Right? Even you can tell I’m not at a student level, right?”

    “…What?”

    That was an absurd answer. Ignoring the dumbfounded priest, the intruder kept rambling on.

    “Damn it, I should have been able to dominate the academy route at level 34. But , how are there two bastards with a higher level than me?”

    “…”

    “, one of them is definitely the protagonist, no doubt.”

    Protagonist? The Skinwalker Priest involuntarily thought of two first-year male students—the boys who emitted such a terrifying aura that he had no choice but to flee with his tail tucked.

    Perhaps the intruder was also lost in thought seeing how they both fell silent at the same time.

    However, the silence didn’t last long. Just as the Skinwalker Priest was almost done healing his wounds, the intruder spoke up.

    “Hey, should I help you complete the Dimensional Portal?”

    “…”

    The Skinwalker Priest looked up, dumbfounded.

    He wanted to reprimand the intruder and tell him how precious the sacrifices required for opening a Dimensional Portal in such harsh conditions were, how much preparation was needed…

    However, before he even opened his mouth, the intruder abruptly pulled something out from his chest.

    It was a black gemstone emanating an eerie red light.

    “That is…”

    “What? Is this your first time seeing such a large corruption stone?”

    The intruder chuckled as he waved the fist-sized gemstone. Unable to pry his eyes off the stone, the priest moved his head in sync with the intruder’s hand.

    “How about this? You shouldn’t have any problem opening the Dimensional Portal with this, right? So, are you interested in making a deal?”

    “…”

    The Skinwalker Priest nodded. He had neither the strength nor a reason to refuse the offer.

    “W-what do you want from me?”

    “It’s nothing too difficult… well, I’d like you to help me with some fishing.”

    “…Fishing?”

    “To be precise, I’d like you to be the bait—human bait… to catch the real protagonist.”

    Even though he didn’t fully comprehend what the intruder was saying, the Skinwalker Priest nodded frantically.

    Because with a corruption stone of that size and the blood of the Black Sheep—with just those two—he could burn the entire academy to the ground.