The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 175

After class ended, I followed Veganon and carefully walked down the hallway.

Veganon didn’t say a word the entire time.

The students whispered excitedly as they watched the two of us.

Not long ago, I had confessed to Veganon—twice.

There was no juicier gossip than this.

Why had Veganon called for me?

If she brought up discipline again, I’d have nothing to say.

‘She’s not going to expel me from the academy, is she?’

If that happened, I’d probably have to drop to my knees and beg.

“Come in.”

Veganon stepped into the faculty office.

She ran her fingers through her hair before plopping down into her seat.

“You probably know why I called you here.”

I immediately bowed my head.

“I’m sorry for confessing to you twice!”

Unintentionally, I had attacked Veganon with my confessions.

No response came from her.

When I cautiously raised my head, Veganon was staring at me with an exasperated expression.

Her eyes seemed to say, What nonsense is this?

…Was that not it?

“That’s not why you called me?”

“Ha. Na Won, Hanon.”

Veganon let out a long sigh before pulling a beer from her drawer.

I had no idea why she kept beer in there.

She popped it open and spoke to me.

“How many times do you think I’ve been confessed to by students while working as a professor at Jerion Academy?”

I blinked.

“You’ve been confessed to before?”

“Says the guy who confessed to me?”

The world was full of people with peculiar tastes.

Then again, regardless of her usual behavior, Veganon was undeniably born with striking looks.

Some must have been charmed by that appearance without realizing it.

‘Above all, she’s fundamentally a good person.’

Out of all the professors, Veganon was the one who prioritized students the most.

That alone was reason enough to respect her.

“It hasn’t happened recently, but there was someone like you every year. At this point, I don’t even bat an eye.”

Recently, there hadn’t been any.

Hearing that, I felt strangely solemn.

Well, Veganon had aged to the point where students wouldn’t feel love for her anymore.

“What’s with that look on your face?”

Veganon’s eyebrow twitched.

I beamed brightly.

“I’m just relieved you don’t care at all!”

Veganon looked utterly dumbfounded by my cheerfulness.

“If anything, I’m the one who’s curious. You’ve never shown interest in women, even if there were plenty around. Yet you confessed to me?”

“I must’ve lost my mind for a moment.”

“You certainly seem insane.”

My insanity had been acknowledged by Veganon.

She stared at my shamelessness for a moment before deciding not to press further.

“You seem to have your reasons, so I won’t pry.”

I was nothing but grateful.

“Hanon, the reason I called you is about the traces you found on the 9th floor during the Autumn Demon Palace incident.”

The traces suggesting a door had opened at the entrance of the Demon Palace.

I had consulted Veganon about this before.

“Did you hear something?”

“Yes. After seeking advice, I was told there’s a high probability an Apostle entered the Evil God’s chamber.”

My face froze.

An Apostle entering the Evil God’s chamber.

That meant an Apostle capable of leaping to the surface had emerged.

Now I understood why Veganon had looked so pensive the whole way here.

If an Apostle truly could ascend to the surface, the world would be devastated.

“I’ve already contacted the imperial family. Other kingdoms are also preparing countermeasures at their respective Demon Palace entrances.”

There were multiple entrances to the Demon Palace.

Among them, the ones where Apostles could leap were all under the jurisdiction of the academy.

“Of course, this isn’t confirmed yet. It’s just a precaution based on your findings—other possibilities still exist.”

But even the slightest chance of an Apostle’s leap demanded action.

“That’s why we’re assembling a team to verify this.

We’ll gather suitable personnel from other academies and descend into the Demon Palace as quickly as possible to investigate.”

Now I understood why Veganon had called me.

She had heard through students about my extensive knowledge of the Demon Palace.

During the Autumn Demon Palace incident, my knowledge and judgment had proven incredibly useful.

Even if the source of that knowledge was unclear, its usefulness was undeniable.

The traces I had found.

This team was being formed to gather more detailed information about them.

“Of course, participation is entirely up to you.”

Veganon was someone who respected students’ decisions above all else.

No matter how urgent the investigation, descending so quickly meant unforeseen dangers.

That’s why participation was strictly voluntary.

If things went wrong in the Demon Palace, the only one responsible would be the participant.

Especially someone like me, who had returned from the Demon Palace in shambles.

There was even a chance I might refuse due to trauma.

“I’ll go.”

So I answered without hesitation.

If I didn’t go, who would?

When it came to descending the Demon Palace, no one had more knowledge than me.

Of course I’d go.

Veganon stared at me silently before saying nothing more.

She had probably expected this answer from me.

“You won’t regret it?”

“The biggest regret in life is not doing what you could have.”

“You haven’t lived long enough to say things like that.”

I got scolded for acting like an old man.

“Let me tell you one thing.”

Veganon set down her beer can and pressed her index finger against my forehead.

“No matter how bad the situation gets, prioritize returning alive.

Even if an Apostle leaps, the surface has the strongest forces waiting.”

The adults felt responsible for sending children into the Demon Palace.

Especially Veganon, who carried an immense sense of duty in this regard.

In the past, the Chuncheon Generation had failed to break through the Demon Palace.

If they had succeeded back then, how different would things be?

At the very least, students wouldn’t have to spill their blood descending the Demon Palace like they did now.

Veganon had become a professor out of that sense of responsibility, guiding students so they wouldn’t shoulder the failures of her generation.

‘She’s the kind of person who visits the graves of dead students every vacation.’

Veganon’s alcoholism stemmed from her unresolved regrets.

A drink or two out of guilt for the dead had, before she knew it, become part of her daily life.

Dark shadows lingered under Veganon’s eyes.

She had been bound to the Demon Palace since the day the Chuncheon Generation collapsed.

The reason she had never taken a lover and devoted herself solely to the academy was because of that shackle.

“Professor Veganon, if the Demon Palace disappears, will you be out of a job?”

When I casually tossed out the question, Veganon blinked.

Then, as if finding it absurd, she let out a hollow laugh.

“What do you take professors for? There are plenty of places in this world that would welcome me.”

It was true—Veganon’s skills were still top-tier.

Even now, any organization would eagerly recruit her.

“And the world isn’t that simple. Nations don’t build up their military strength for no reason.”

Even if the Demon Palace vanished, conflicts between people would still exist.

So nations would have no choice but to continue strengthening their forces.

Even without the Demon Palace, the academy would remain.

But at least students wouldn’t have to risk their lives descending into it anymore.

“Then that’s a relief.”

I grinned.

“At least you won’t end up unemployed.”

For the remaining year I had left,

I intended to put an end to the Demon Palace.

Perhaps sensing the resolve in my eyes, Veganon fell silent for a moment.

Then, leaning back in her chair, she smirked.

“Plenty of kids have said things like that before. The Demon Palace is still standing.”

The world was full of overconfident people.

“But Hanon, you might be different.”

Still, Veganon was the kind of professor who believed in her students.

“You’re the least sane person I’ve ever met.”

My mind, not my strength, had earned her acknowledgment.

It seemed brains really were what mattered.

“Give it your best shot. I’ll be watching.”

“Thank you.”

The day the Demon Palace ended,

Veganon’s life, bound since the Chuncheon Generation, would finally be freed.

Then, maybe she could live at ease.

“By the way, how’s the team shaping up?”

The Demon Palace’s fastest descent.

I was sure the list would be full of names I knew.

Professor Veganon rummaged through her drawer and pulled out a list.

Why it was under the beer cans, I had no idea, but she handed it to me.

“As long as we’re not entering the Evil God’s chamber, there’s no strict limit on numbers. A lot of people will be mobilized.”

“Though past the 8th floor, that won’t matter much.”

“From there, it’s up to you. We’ll have to split the team again.”

In the end, it was the students who would advance through the Demon Palace.

The professors could only support them—they couldn’t interfere beyond that.

I took the list and skimmed through it.

All the promising students from Jerion Academy were on it.

‘What a luxurious lineup.’

The Golden Flame Generation.

Lucas wasn’t included, but their strength was more than enough to face an Evil God.

As I scanned the list, something suddenly occurred to me.

Just for a moment—a fleeting thought crossed my mind.

My expression slowly shifted.

This was just a what if—nothing more.

But it felt necessary to confirm.

I looked back at Veganon.

“……Professor, you said personnel will be stationed at the entrance when we descend, right?”

“Yes. Since there’s a chance an Apostle could leap.”

An Apostle’s leap would be a global crisis.

So the forces stationed there would undoubtedly be the world’s strongest.

And what did that mean?

‘The world’s strongest forces would be pulled away from their nations.’

My eyes narrowed.

Was there some ulterior motive behind diverting attention to the Demon Palace?

If so, it would explain why Isabel and I had been dragged to the 9th floor during the Demon Palace shift.

The clear intent of ‘someone.’

Because of this, the news of the Apostle’s leap had spread from me to Veganon, then to the world.

Meaning, this wasn’t part of the original scenario.

‘Just a wild thought, but…’

Could this be the next step in the altered scenario?

The lead-in to Act 7?

I needed to have a serious talk with Baek Mok-gong about this.