Episode 57: Preparation (4)
As Haein grasped the spear, his eyes closed, and his body slowly collapsed.
—Thud.
Sion swiftly reached out and caught him. The warmth of the man, who had fallen entirely into her embrace, spread through her arms.
“…”
Sion silently swallowed.
Jung Haein, utterly drained of strength, had collapsed defenselessly, leaving behind only his warm body heat.
His chest rose and fell steadily, his quiet breathing filling the space.
She carefully laid him down on the coat she had set aside.
Gently brushing aside the strands of hair that had fallen over his forehead, she softly caressed his cheek.
“…Cute.”
To entrust himself to her so completely—Sion took a slow, deep breath.
Her heart felt as if it were floating.
With excitement bubbling within her, she quietly stood up.
It felt like the moment right before unwrapping a Christmas present.
She walked to the training room’s entrance.
Raising her hand, she gazed at the control panel mounted on the wall.
With a firm press of her fingertip, she pushed the button.
—Boom! Boom!
A heavy vibration echoed as the door to the training room slammed shut.
Then, a metal shutter slowly descended.
The glass window connecting to the control room was completely sealed off, cutting off all visibility to the outside.
This was a mechanism used during seclusion training, whether by her grandfather or other team members.
Now, this place was entirely isolated from the outside world.
No matter what happened inside, no one outside would have any idea.
With light, quick steps, Sion walked back toward Jung Haein.
He was still fast asleep on the coat she had spread out for him.
It had been a month since they enrolled at Gaon Academy.
During that time, Sion’s dissatisfaction had steadily built up.
Because of some crazy woman who had completely messed up the class placements, she had been forced into a different class from Haein.
If things had gone as they should have,
She would have been able to spend nearly every moment with him, just as she had before.
Day by day, she felt herself drying up.
“…Hehe.”
It was time to replenish her energy.
Taking a slow breath, she lay down beside him.
This spot, next to him, had always been her place.
She leaned in softly.
The moment their skin touched, his warmth seeped into her.
Sion reached out and gently stroked his cheek.
Warm.
A moment of vulnerability he showed only to her, one he allowed to no one else.
Slowly, she moved even closer. Sion’s eyes grew hazy.
Her nose brushed against the nape of his neck.
That unique scent of his, one that soothed her—it made her mind feel dazed.
Not enough.
Simply inhaling his scent wasn’t enough to quench her thirst.
Without hesitation, she pressed her body against his.
Everywhere their skin met, a subtle heat arose.
Sion felt a dizzying sensation wash over her.
Her leg quietly shifted, naturally wrapping around his.
One hand moved to rest on Jung Haein’s chest.
The other slowly glided down her own body, brushing over her chest, past her stomach, and drifting even lower.
Just before reaching its destination, her heartbeat quickened slightly.
But.
Her fingertips hesitated for a moment.
In the end, they changed direction, sliding away.
As if escaping that tempting heat, she instead let her hand travel along his warm body, gently cupping his cheek.
At that moment, black flames flickered to life at her fingertips.
The faintly glowing fire flowed softly over Haein’s body, enveloping his weapon.
Warm yet foreign, but never harmful.
With this, his trials would become a little easier.
“…Haa.”
A quiet sigh escaped through her slightly parted lips.
Even just sharing body heat, an overwhelming sense of fulfillment washed over her.
For now, this was enough.
The sensations she had been suppressing for the past month, the emptiness she had felt, were gradually being filled.
She closed her eyes.
At this moment—
No one could interrupt them.
***
I opened my eyes.
A massive cave, thick with humidity.
A place I had been before.
Cautiously, I lifted myself up.
That was when something slowly shifted in the darkness.
—Boom…
A deep, resounding vibration echoed from somewhere.
As my vision adjusted to the darkness, I found myself face to face with an enormous figure.
The very air around it seemed to tremble under its presence.
Slowly, I raised my gaze.
It was staring down at me with sharp eyes.
“I’m here.”
I straightened my posture and spoke.
A sense of being crushed by its mere presence.
At that moment—
Kang!
A spear struck the ground.
I tilted my head slightly to avoid the incoming Catastrophe.
“So, have you changed your mind a little?”
I smiled and spoke to the massive dragon before me.
This was the trial to draw out Catastrophe’s power.
I had already passed the first mental trial.
However, the second trial… I had failed.
“Would you consider just lending it to me?”
—That is impossible.
Of course, it had to be this way.
The trial required me to inflict a direct wound on Aldebaran.
The outer shell covering its body wasn’t just a mere defensive barrier—it was a fortress.
Countless heroes in the past had poured their strength against it, yet not a single crack had been left behind.
Not in the past, nor even now.
There had never been a being who could completely kill this entity.
Last time, I had swung my spear at it countless times.
Of course, it was weaker than during its era as the World-Ender, but still, every single one of my attacks had been deflected.
In the end, I was mercilessly cast out from the inner world ruled by this creature.
I had been banished, and I kept wondering why.
How could I pierce its outer shell?
***
[Authority: Fragment of Harmony]
① Pasa Hyeonjeong (破邪顯正)
— Shatter the wicked.
② ???
③ ???
***
Pasa Hyeonjeong (破邪顯正).
The essence of this ability was to destroy the wicked.
Then, even if Aldebaran was an ancient dragon, its very nature still made it a demonic entity.
In other words, wasn’t it essentially a wicked being?
I tightly gripped the spear embedded in the ground.
The solid weight of metal pressed against my fingertips.
Slowly, I exerted my strength and pulled the spear free with force.
I raised my hand.
Closing my eyes, I drew forth the power buried deep within me.
The energy of Demon Annihilation (滅魔).
Cold, yet foreign, a jade-green mana surged forth.
That energy wrapped around my spear, sharp waves swirling violently around it.
“Here I come.”
I threw myself at Aldebaran with everything I had.
—Boom!
A massive impact.
My vision twisted.
***
“Ah, fuck.”
I gasped for breath.
Lying on the cold ground, I stared at the glowing blue ceiling of the cave.
I had failed.
But I had found a clue.
The direction itself wasn’t wrong.
It was different from before.
This time, it hadn’t felt completely ineffective.
And yet, I still couldn’t break through.
Aldebaran’s outer shell remained unscathed.
Even though my spear had made contact, it hadn’t left a single mark.
Why?
Having clashed head-on, I finally understood the reason.
I lacked absolute power.
It was a difference of just a hair—a mere 2% short.
It had worked.
But just barely not enough.
Well, there was only one solution—more training.
I smirked bitterly, getting back up and gripping my spear tightly.
“Hah…”
As I began to summon Pasa Hyeonjeong again—
At that moment.
A new energy surged through my body.
It was black flames.
The flames flickered as if alive, rising like crashing waves before gradually blending into my jade-green mana.
The black flames moved obediently.
The jade-green mana willingly accepted them.
And then, the two forces completely merged into one.
The spear began to tremble.
A heavy pressure transmitted through my fingertips.
—Wooong…
The two forces achieved perfect harmony, finally creating a new wave.
The black flames and jade-colored mana intertwined, forming a massive current.
I grasped the spear.
The pressure surging from my fingertips was far more intense than before.
—Hoo…
Aldebaran narrowed his eyes as if intrigued.
His deep gaze sank even further.
I took a slow breath in.
And then—
“I’m really going now.”
I pushed off the ground with all my strength, soaring into the air.
The strongest technique I possessed—
‘Cadenaccio.’
However—
Cadenaccio was a technique where conjured clones attacked multiple weak points simultaneously.
If the attacks dispersed, it would be meaningless against Aldebaran’s outer shell.
What I needed was—
‘Focused Strike.’
A single, powerful blow aimed at one point.
While airborne, I began weaving multiple clones.
Each of them appeared, wielding a spear.
Black flames and jade-colored mana enveloped their bodies.
The clones all pointed their spears at Aldebaran.
But this wasn’t enough.
I had to strike—
Just one spot.
I gathered all the clones into one formation.
They lined up perfectly behind me in a straight row.
At that moment—
All of their energy compressed into a single point.
Numerous spears merged into a single, colossal spear.
‘Phalanx (Φάλαγγα).’
A massive spear floated in the air.
Jade-colored mana swirled, and black flames raged like a turbulent storm.
This spear existed solely to shatter a single target.
I—
Thrust it downward.
—KWAANG!!!
The spear’s tip collided with the outer shell.
A deafening metallic crash shook the entire cavern.
The recoil from the impact traveled through my fingers, up my arms, and into my whole body.
An overwhelming pressure bore down on me.
—Crack…
“!”
A fissure began to form.
I gritted my teeth. I couldn’t stop now.
I raised my spear once more.
The blade of the halberd gleamed as the black flames and jade-colored mana blazed even brighter.
Then, I struck down again.
—Bang!
—Bang!
—Bang!
The shockwaves reverberated through my bones, making my joints tremble.
But I didn’t stop.
“Just break already!!”
—KWAANG!
With the final strike, a thunderous explosion shook the entire cavern.
The fissure grew wider.
No—
It had pierced through.
A deep crack spread across the core of the outer shell, and finally—
—Creeeak.
A massive gap was torn open.
The once-impenetrable barrier shattered, leaving a clear wound on Aldebaran’s body.
The second trial.
Leaving a wound on his body.
I caught my breath as I confirmed the fractured outer shell.
“Success….”
Exhausted from pouring every ounce of strength into that last attack,
My body lost all energy—
And I plummeted from the air.