Chapter 204

Darkness is a familiar environment for me.

The night in the Chaos Forest was as dark as pitch, and it felt like I had stepped into a cave.

I could gradually adapt to the darkness enough to discern silhouettes, but it wasn’t quite enough.

I’ve adjusted to such environments perfectly, allowing me to navigate through the gloom much more easily.

Even during my final exam, I did sneak into a castle with not a single light.

Back then, I could at least see some silhouettes thanks to the moonlight; however, that’s not the case now.

What’s ahead is pure darkness, and I can’t even properly identify my surroundings.

That’s because the monster I’m chasing has fled into the forest to shake off my pursuit.

‘It’s a bad move, though.’

For me, the forest is like home turf.

It’s likely that the monster will find it difficult to see ahead. Isn’t it wandering around right now?

At least it seems accustomed to darkness, as it hasn’t ventured further inside. It’s clearly trying to dodge my chase.

‘Why is it running so fast?’

The fleeing monster is surprisingly quick. Every step it takes is as light as a feather.

If I borrow the Language of the Eastern Empire, it must be using light-footed techniques. But I’m not exactly a slouch myself.

To chase wounded prey or to flee from predators, you need quick feet.

Although it’s not displayed on my status screen, I’m confident that I can outrun anyone in a footrace.

Ah, of course, Rize and Rod, who use spatial techniques, are exceptions. They quite literally ignore dimensions.

“Haah, haah, haah.”

As I pushed through the trees and underbrush, I suddenly found myself right behind the monster. I could even hear its breathing.

It was dressed in all black to blend into the darkness, like an assassin’s outfit.

Its slender yet curvaceous figure indicated it was female.

Though its entire face was masked, making it impossible to see even the hair.

Well, time to take that off. I tightened the muscles in my legs and lunged forward with my arms wide open.

In an instant, the distance between us evaporated. Now all that was left was to pounce on the monster with my outstretched arms.

“Ugh!”

The monster seemed to notice my approach, letting out a hiss as it sprang into action.

As a result, my arms landed empty, embracing only the air. Pretty impressive reflexes.

But surely, it can’t escape any longer. I charged forward before the monster could get away.

First, I decided I needed to remove the mask that obscured its face and reached out with my arm.

Thump—

Perhaps realizing it had no way to retreat, the monster went on the offensive.

It grabbed my outstretched arm with both of its hands and easily shoved my head sideways.

Whack!

Then it delivered a powerful roundhouse kick aimed directly at my knee.

Despite my sturdy build, as a human, I have my vulnerabilities.

So getting hit in the knee meant my leg would buckle for a moment.

Snap!

Next, the monster kicked my side with a front kick.

Instead of trying to inflict damage, it used the kick to distance itself from me.

Had I been an average person, I’d have likely lost my balance and fallen flat. But not me.

I stayed solid like a rock and straightened my bent knee. I could sense the monster’s slight surprise.

Bam!

Seizing that instant, I grabbed the monster by the collar. I aimed for its throat, but being pushed back, all I could grab was the collar.

Whoosh!

As soon as I grabbed its collar, the monster kicked into action. It spun around, wrapping its legs around my neck.

As I reflexively reached for my throat, the monster spun its body around, destabilizing me once more.

It moved like a performer in a circus. If I hadn’t forced myself to endure, I would’ve ended up face-first in the dirt.

But I held my ground. My body wobbled a bit, but I refused to fall.

“Ugh.”

Noticing that I showed no sign of losing my balance, the monster ramped up its offensive. It focused primarily on knocking me off balance.

It attacked my legs and displayed martial arts moves close to acrobatics. Chaotic yet powerful attacks.

It felt like it was compensating for lacking strength with skill. That said, it’s not weak either.

Bam! Whack!

No matter how hard I tried to retaliate, all my efforts were thwarted. I was met with furious punches and kicks.

Of course, part of the reason I was going easy was that I aimed to subdue it. After all, not many can move as well as I can in the dark.

Right now, I’m just taking hits, but I’m biding my time for the perfect opportunity. First goal—remove that mask.

Whoosh!

The monster twisted its body with remarkable agility, wrapping its legs around my neck. It seemed to be planning to use rotational force for an attack.

I saw my opening. As soon as it coiled its legs around my neck, I gripped tightly.

Having its legs wrapped around my neck meant it was off the ground. In other words, it was the perfect counterattack opportunity.

The flashy moves meant to disorient me didn’t work. So I immediately forced my way out.

Smack!

“Ugh!”

But in that moment, it got me in the groin. It seemed to know precisely how to exploit a guy’s weak spots.

I scowled for just a moment but didn’t let go of the leg I was holding and slammed it down to the ground.

Somehow, I ended up pulling off a technique straight out of pro wrestling, but it was fine. My goal was to subdue it.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

The impact of hitting the ground took the spark out of the monster. It’d probably struggle to even breathe for a while.

Now all that was left was to remove that mask. I kept a grip on its neck to ensure it didn’t escape.

The monster flailed desperately, trying to break free, but it was meaningless. The difference in our physical specs was too great.

I may have just been hit with a technique I had never seen before, but thanks to my steadily improving combat skills, I was no slouch either.

“Who are you?”

“… …”

The monster didn’t respond to my question. Only its black eyes peeked out from the mask.

Zzzzt!

Without further ado, I used my empty hand to yank the mask off. I pulled so hard that the mask tore apart.

At last, a cascade of rich black hair fell down, revealing the beauty hidden beneath the mask.

She had delicate features and a tear mark under her left eye. A blend of cuteness and maturity in her expression.

But it was no longer the frail expression I had seen earlier; it now bore a look of resolve.

“Yeon-joo?”

As expected, the unexpected visitor on the moonlit night was Lee Yeon-joo. She must have approached to keep an eye on Danyerin.

I had suspecting this all along, but I had come here deliberately for this. To keep the two in check and prevent any conflict.

Even as I spoke in surprise, Yeon-joo didn’t let her strong expression falter. Though traces of contemplation were evident, she was far from appearing weak.

“I’m not Yeon-joo.”

“?”

But then she said something odd. I cocked my head in confusion.

What she came out with next was utterly absurd.

“I’m her twin sister, Lee Yeon-ah.”

“… …”

Come on, there’s a limit to how ridiculous this can get. I was at a loss for words from the sheer silliness.

‘She didn’t mention this in the Soul World, did she?’

Could it be she’s treating me like an idiot? There’s more than a small chance of that.

However, she let slip one detail. So I quietly opened my mouth.

“I said I’m Yeon-joo, not Lee Yeon-joo.”

“… …”

“I’m not an idiot.”

“… …I’m sorry.”

Looks like she really did think I was an idiot.

******

What a misstep. A colossal misstep at that.

Lee Yeon-joo’s judgment was that she had been completely outmaneuvered by Sivar. Of all people, she was caught by the most troublesome target.

Initially, she had planned to monitor Danyerin while looking for opportunities. However, the problem was that Sivar was staying in the room next door.

Not only that, Danyerin and Sivar had become friendly enough to drink together. Talk about a headache, her plans had seriously derailed.

‘If I could just keep an eye on her…’

Caught by Sivar. She glanced at him, his characteristic vacant expression on his face.

A wild person who had come from the Chaos Forest to the Academy. She had been curious initially, but that was as far as it went.

After all, she carried a huge mission on her shoulders. She must save her war-torn homeland, weary from the Hwan Empire’s tyranny.

Enrolling in the Academy was also a way to gather various information. Moreover, she had to keep an eye on her traitorous sister.

‘Why did I have to get caught by this guy of all people?’

The problem is Sivar, the biggest variable of them all. No one knows what might happen if he gets involved.

Other people can be somewhat predicted due to their backgrounds or connections, but Sivar is different.

Unbelievably powerful? Just raw strength alone won’t liberate her homeland.

What he wants is to throw the Hwan Empire into chaos. Hence, Danyerin was his primary target.

‘I need to come up with some kind of excuse…’

At least it was a relief she had not revealed her objective. Sivar was just following her, that was all.

That left her even more curious. Why on earth would he risk chasing after her?

Though she could hardly say while hiding in the darkness, she was indeed intrigued.

“Why did you follow me? I didn’t do anything?”

“You were bothersome.”

“Bothersome?”

“Yeah. I was watching you. You were bothersome.”

“… …”

Yeon-joo closed her mouth. She never expected the word “bothersome” to come from Sivar.

Having lived in the forest, his senses must be sharpened. At this time, when everything is heightened, she must have gotten in his way.

“So what about you?”

“Uh?”

“Why are you here?”

Well, the moment had come. Yeon-joo fell into contemplation upon hearing Sivar’s question.

If it were someone else, she would have fabricated a plausible reason.

Explaining her situation, her homeland, the connections to the Language of the Eastern Empire, and then naturally linking that to Danyerin.

Then she would ask him to keep it a secret. Even threaten him to death if he blabbed.

‘But that won’t mean anything for this guy.’

The problem is that she’s dealing with Sivar. A wild person who lives according to the flow of the moment.

He had no proper background or connections. Didn’t even know his family. Yet his might was off the charts.

Sometimes he spiraled into bizarre behavior or caused chaos. In many ways, he was one of the most liberated figures in the Academy.

‘What should I say to make him understand?’

Yeon-joo’s mind was racing. She needed to find a way to close Sivar’s mouth while presenting credible reasoning.

Plus, she had to keep her true purpose hidden. If not, Sivar could undermine her plans at any moment.

“Why are you silent?”

“… …”

Time was running out. Yeon-joo wracked her brains.

She needed to say something to send Sivar on his way. The trouble was that was the hardest part.

‘What do I do? What should I… Aha!’

In that instant, a lightning bolt struck Yeon-joo’s mind. A suitable reason had come to her.

Not about Sivar himself, but rather the rumors circulating around him. And they were about women.

Grace, without a doubt, was causing an enormous stir, and Luna’s rumors were also spreading unwittingly.

Kara wasn’t any different. Their combination of wild person and barbarian became popular from the start of the semester.

Additionally, there were rumors about him hanging out with a girl named Eli every weekend. His romantic escapades were rather flamboyant.

‘That well-endowed woman brought Sivar to the Academy, right? Perfect.’

An excuse was prepared. With a determined heart, Yeon-joo looked straight at Sivar.

Sivar still had that vacuous look on his face. From that expression alone, he seemed genuinely foolish.

But he was anything but dumb. In fact, he was quite intelligent.

That’s why she needed to shake his ‘emotions’ rather than his ‘rationale.’ Yeon-joo opened her tightly sealed lips.

“Actually…”

“Actually?”

“I wanted to see you.”

“Me?”

Sivar’s expression turned skeptical. The reaction was somewhere close to ‘What do you mean?’

Yeon-joo didn’t let this chance slip. There was now a crack; she had to exploit it.

“Yeah. I wanted to see you, Sivar.”

“… …Why?”

“Because I like you.”

Though it was a wild gamble by Yeon-joo,

“Uh… uh… uh…”

The effect was tremendous.

“… …Why?”

Sivar had fallen into a state of chaos.

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