“Ha....”
A deep breath escaped.
My shoulders trembled slightly, my palms were damp with sweat, and the mana I had forcefully summoned was stirring inside .
I lowered the spear and took a step back.
The erald glow surrounding the spear gradually faded.
The energy of the Fragnt.
It was Destruction of Evil, Manifestation of Truth.
“Ah...”
I groaned and slumped down.
With nothing to do—well, until the exchange tournant began—I had been enjoying a sowhat relaxed ti lately.
Instead of offering sothing to the people around , I tried to spend more ti reflecting on myself.
I had been training hard in the training hall just now.
It was the weekend, and the training hall was completely empty. Since it was early, no one was around.
The lights were dim, and the only sound filling the space was mine.
As I ntioned, not everyone participated in the exchange tournant, so it could be seen as a break for the students right now.
What I wanted to focus on was simple.
====
[Authority: Fragnt of Harmony]
① Destruction of Evil, Manifestation of Truth
— Break what has been broken.
② ???
③ ???
====
Mine. Jeong Haein's, the Fragnt.
"It’s difficult."
I said it sincerely.
It really was so difficult.
I wanted to open the second expansion of my authority.
Fragnt.
The most alien yet essential force in this world.
A fundantal ans of resistance that could stand against high-ranking demons or evil gods.
Yu Hana's Fragnt of Order.
Kang Arin's Fragnt of Emptiness.
Cheon Yeoul's Fragnt of Desire.
And Sung Siwoo... no, my own, Jeong Haein's Fragnt of Harmony.
There are exactly four Fragnts in this world.
No more, no less. Exactly four.
Each has a different origin, but their commonality was clear.
Fragnts grant the power to resist demons.
My first expansion authority, Destruction of Evil, Manifestation of Truth, was no different.
But the issue was that the potential of this Fragnt didn’t end there.
The expansion authority of a Fragnt grows differently depending on how the target develops.
This allowed for the fun of experiencing the variations depending on how you raised the original protagonist, Sung Siwoo...
‘...What about ?’
I had no idea.
Sung Siwoo's route was familiar, but my own route was new to as well.
The path of the Fragnt that started with "Destruction of Evil, Manifestation of Truth"—I had no idea how it would unfold from here.
I had never even seen "Destruction of Evil, Manifestation of Truth" before.
Sung Siwoo’s was Anti-Demon.
Yu Hana's was Evil Slaughter Butterfly.
Kang Arin's was Dominance Over Evil.
Cheon Yeoul's was Holy Fire.
Their nas, their directions, their natures—all different.
But the first expansion authority universally grants resistance against demons.
And when the second expansion authority is unlocked, that power leaps into an entirely different dinsion.
Thus, having obtained my Fragnt early, I also wanted to quickly unlock the second expansion.
So I had been repeating all kinds of attempts lately...
"Am I still far off?"
Honestly, it was greedy.
It was still too early to knock on that door.
“I’m going to die.”
Having tried everything, squeezing out my mana and throwing my body into training, sweat poured down like rain.
Even though I was only pretending to knock on the second door.
Breathing heavily, I was taking a short break when—
Clink.
The sound of the training hall door opening.
Soone entered the training hall.
Thinking that my ti here was coming to an end, I relaxed my posture, sitting down, and slowly turned my head.
‘Hm?’
There was a face I recognized.
Ju Seojun. And beside him, a cute girl.
I couldn’t recall her na, but it was clear that she was a Gaon student. I think I had seen her a few tis as she passed by.
The two of them entered, unaware that I was inside, chatting happily with each other.
Their conversation and actions were naturally shared.
The casual looks and gestures.
Sothing about the whole scene...
‘Are they... together?’
It was exactly that feeling.
I had no intention of getting involved in other people's love lives, so I stood up from my seat.
“Seriously, I don’t think there’s anyone here? This is the secret spot I heard about from my senior...”
The girl spoke in an excited voice.
Ju Seojun quickly glanced inside, then his eyes t mine.
He let out a small laugh before speaking to the girl next to him.
“There’s soone. A person.”
I corrected his statent.
“No, there isn’t. I’m leaving.”
Having done what I needed to, I decided it was ti to slip away.
Just as I was about to pass by them...
“Hey... Haein, was it?”
At Ju Seojun’s call, I stopped and turned around.
His face ca into view. With striking looks and an air of confidence.
He nodded as if prompting to continue, and he spoke again.
“Ah, sorry. I was just heading out to rest, but I caught you.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s nothing serious, just... Could you tell Chaehwa sothing? She’s been keeping to herself lately, and I haven’t been able to see her. But I think you two et often, so...”
Lately, Yoon Chaehwa had been busy refining the new powers she had gained.
After class, she didn’t co out of her room at all.
ssages kept coming, though.
But recently, she’d been asking strange questions in the morning, and I hadn’t been answering them.
“Uh, what is it?”
“Hmm... It’s about the upcoming individual tournant. Eventually, we’ll face off, right? I’ve changed a lot since back then. Just wanted to let you know that.”
He said with a smile.
His eyes were full of confidence, and I watched him carefully.
Naturally, I nodded.
Ju Seojun was indeed growing steadily. And at quite a fast pace.
“I’ll pass it along.”
“Oh, thanks.”
I gave a brief response and turned to leave.
From behind , I heard the girl’s voice.
“...Who’s Chaehwa?”
“She’s a friend.”
Ju Seojun replied simply.
I couldn’t help but smile at his answer.
For a mont, I imagined them facing off in the individual tournant.
Lately, Yoon Chaehwa had been focusing more on refining her inner energy than her magic training.
anwhile, Ju Seojun was noticeably growing stronger both physically and ntally.
‘I’m not sure.’
For a mont, I had that thought.
Honestly, if it were like before, I wouldn’t have considered the possibility that Yoon Chaehwa might be outclassed.
It ant that Ju Seojun had really grown.
Of course, Yoon Chaehwa was no weak opponent either.
‘This will be interesting.’
We’d have to wait and see.
***
Inside the dorm room, filled with the scent of lavender.
“Why isn’t she answering?”
Yoon Chaehwa rested her arms on her knees, staring absentmindedly at her watch.
A mont ago, she had sent this ssage:
[sumr]: Who would win in a fight, a Tyrannosaurus or a Carcharodontosaurus?
It was an odd, completely out-of-character question for her.
In fact, after sending it, she herself had been taken aback.
‘I can’t believe I sent that.’
...And now, she was being ignored.
It had been 29 minutes. Well, now it was 30 minutes.
Her face was expressionless, but her eyes looked almost a little wronged.
Next to her watch, on the desk, a thick magazine lay open.
[Even the Recluse Wizard Wonders About Relationship Laws~ The /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Ultimate 199 Flirting Techniques!]
It was sothing she’d found in the corner of the academy bookstore, a place no one usually visited.
At first, she had thought, ‘What is this?’ with an odd expression, but then...
‘What’s harder than magic? The heart of a person ♥’
‘The intimacy graph based on the average number of contacts per day!’
‘aningful vs. Habitual Skinship! How to tell the difference!’
These ridiculous lines made her laugh in disbelief, but strangely, her hands hadn’t let go of the magazine.
[Try asking the person you’re interested in an unusual question you wouldn’t usually ask! A smart image gives you a reversal charm! Innocence!]
She had been convinced by that one line, and eventually, she had chosen one of the "Ultimate 199 Flirting Techniques" and sent it as a ssage.
Yoon Chaehwa rested her chin in her hand and opened the ssage again.
“...”
Still no reply.
She pressed her lips together and shifted her gaze toward the bookshelf.
The title of the book on her desk caught her eye again.
Even the Recluse Wizard Wonders About Relationship Laws~
“Ah, damn.”
I’m an idiot.
She’d been blinded by the “Recluse Wizard” keyword.
After all, she was very much a recluse, and also a wizard.
If the magazine’s creators had done this on purpose, it was a very successful marketing strategy.
“...I’ll burn this...”
She muttered softly to herself, about to sigh.
Ding!
“!”
Her ears perked up. Her eyes widened.
Yoon Chaehwa instinctively grabbed her watch.
[belief_]: Sorry, I was training and didn’t get to reply.
[belief_]: But what’s with all these weird questions? What’s a saurous??
[belief_]: Do I have to answer? Let think about it for a bit.
“Hehe...”
A smile spread across her face.
Her fingertips lightly grasped the hem of her clothes.
She’d been feeling this emotion more and more lately.
It was completely unfamiliar to Yoon Chaehwa, but also so new, and that made it even more interesting.
An oddly soft feeling filled her chest.
‘...Could it be real?’
Yoon Chaehwa glanced at the desk again.
“......”
Thud.
She carefully closed the magazine.
As if handling a precious magical book, she gently closed it.
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