The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 27

My head is buzzing.

Strength started to return to my fingertips.

Suddenly, something rose from my stomach, and I spat it out in a handful.

“Ugh.”

With black smoke escaping from my mouth, I opened my eyes.

Then, I saw faces I hadn’t seen before.

Isabel, Van, and her team members were there.

“Senior!”

I heard Aisha calling me. I furrowed my brow as I exhaled the remaining smoke.

Why do they all look like that?

Everyone looked as if they’d just seen a corpse.

‘More importantly.’

Did I pass out?

My gaze fell on my body.

At the same time, I saw Sirmiel lowering his hand.

I quickly searched my memory.

I definitely remember activating the magic imprint and throwing myself at the forest guardian.

I lost consciousness briefly after the explosion magic imprint was activated.

The problem was the power of that explosion magic imprint.

‘It was much stronger than I thought.’

The magic imprint engraved on my Skin of Steel was created with Sharin’s assistance.

As such, I expected it to be powerful, but this went beyond that.

‘…Could there have been a synergy between the magic imprint and the Skin of Steel under certain conditions?’

Skin of Steel holds mystical power.

Perhaps embedding the magic imprint into it led to this outcome.

‘I didn’t expect the explosion I created to be so large that I’d lose consciousness.’

I hadn’t intended for it to go this far.

I made them worry for no reason.

“Thank you, Saint.”

“I just did what needed to be done.”

Sirmiel smiled kindly.

As expected of a saintly figure.

“Should I help you?”

As Aisha approached, I gestured with my hand.

“I’m fine. I’m completely okay now.”

The saint healed me directly.

In fact, my body moves even more freely than before I passed out.

‘Looks like the forest guardian was successfully dealt with.’

The students’ return should go smoothly.

But what puzzled me was Isabel and her team.

“Isabel.”

When I called her, Isabel flinched and looked my way.

For some reason, her reaction seemed a bit off.

“You came up much faster than expected.”

Isabel looked at me silently.

Her eyes trembled wildly.

Normally, she would grumble about something.

But today, her response was different.

“I was affected by a curse, that’s all. It’s not the others’ fault.”

Then, a student from the Divine Studies stepped forward.

With his very short-cropped hair, he was Geisen Zeruski.

‘The party setup is solid.’

It’s a stable lineup.

With that setup, they should be able to navigate the lower floors without issue.

“Is that so? Then that makes sense.”

If the healer got cursed, retreating is the right call.

Without asking further, I got to my feet.

“Everyone, let’s head back.”

I had used a lot of energy dealing with the forest guardian.

Since we’d accomplished the goal of Act 3, Chapter 3 without incident, returning was the wise choice.

Somehow, our team ended up returning with Isabel’s team.

Isabel followed us back, keeping her mouth tightly shut.

I wasn’t sure if something had changed in her mindset, but I hoped it wasn’t leaning in a negative direction.

Upon our safe return, I reported the situation to Professor Beganon, who had been waiting for us.

Her face hardened, and after telling us to rest, she quickly headed over to inform the other professors.

With this, they would likely add warnings about the additional dangers to students entering the Palace in the future.

‘The Palace’s transformations are still a subject full of uncertainty and haven’t been fully addressed.’

The Palace can be entered four times a year, divided by the seasons.

Each time, the Palace’s environment changes.

Thus, even after reaching a hundred recorded entries, recognizing the occurrence of transformations is challenging during investigations.

This is knowledge that only a player would know.

The one reason I hadn’t disclosed this information earlier was simple.

With the protagonist, Lucas, now absent, I wanted to guide the story as close to the original canon as possible.

The Palace’s transformations don’t come into the spotlight until after Act 3, Chapter 3.

So, I had kept things progressing as in the original.

‘This should mean it has followed the storyline almost exactly.’

Only some of the characters have changed.

“…Hey, you.”

At that moment, Isabel spoke to me.

When I looked back at her, she was staring at me quietly.

There was a calmer atmosphere about her than usual.

“If the Apostle hadn’t appeared in the Gray Forest, what were you planning to do?”

She asked as if confirming something she already knew.

The appearance of the forest guardian was a fixed event.

But that’s only from a player’s perspective; they couldn’t know that.

“I would have waited. Or perhaps stood by until all the students returned.”

I gave her a convenient excuse, and Isabel replied, “I see,” before walking away.

Today, it’s especially hard to read Isabel’s intentions.

What’s really going on with her?

But because of the image I’d built with Isabel, I couldn’t just ask.

In the end, without asking her, she left with her group.

In the distance, I saw professors talking amongst themselves.

Our teammates looked exhausted, some even sitting down in relief.

Act 3, Chapter 3.

The Palace transformation, and the forest guardian event.

We’d managed to get through it all safely.

At the same time, the final boss of Act 3, the Dragon Girl of Calamity—

Nikita Cynthia.

The time had come for her brother, Nia Cynthia, whose assassination marks the beginning of her descent into darkness.

* * *

The first quarter’s Palace event ended safely afterward.

All the students returned.

Some were injured, but thankfully, there were no casualties.

The students each proudly showcased their individual achievements.

However, some achievements naturally garnered more attention than others.

That would be Isabel and her team.

The Apostle they encountered on the third floor was a named Apostle who had managed to survive for quite some time.

He was a vicious one, waiting for skilled students to descend the floors, only to climb up and ambush them.

Van, who has a sharp intuition, noticed his presence and engaged, resulting in the safe defeat of the named Apostle.

Thanks to this, Isabel’s party’s status rose significantly.

‘It was a hidden event, but they handled it well.’

If Isabel hadn’t managed to defeat him, I’d planned to handle it myself next quarter.

The Apostle that Isabel’s team defeated is one that causes more trouble the longer it survives.

So, I was intending to deal with him next time, but Isabel’s party did a good job.

‘Even with the protagonist gone, they’re doing well.’

As expected, they truly live up to being the former protagonist’s party.

“Huh? So, mystic energy and a magic imprint are creating synergy together?”

Just then, a voice beside me spoke up.

A girl with eyes like a star-filled galaxy.

The top of the Magic Studies department.

Sharin Sazaris.

I asked Sharin about the connection between magic imprints and mystic energy.

It seemed she hadn’t expected this outcome either, judging by her intrigued response.

“There’s never been someone who has both mystic energy and a magic imprint, so I had no idea.”

Sharin’s eyes sparkled as she spoke in her usual drawn-out tone.

She might seem indifferent and carefree about most things, but magic is a different story.

“If another explosion like that happens, it could be a problem. I’d like you to look into it.”

“Sure, I’m curious about this too.”

Fortunately, there were no conditions this time.

I was grateful for Sharin’s broad-mindedness.

Setting aside the research into mystic energy and magic imprints with Sharin—before I knew it, summer was approaching.

A warm heat was slowly rising from the ground.

In just a little while, the cicadas would begin their song in earnest.

Thanks to the season, the students’ clothing became lighter.

Even Sharin, right in front of me, was wearing a shirt with exposed arms and shorts.

A bit too revealing.

“Sharin, isn’t your outfit a bit too casual, even if this is the dormitory?”

This is the dormitory’s common room.

While the dress code here is relaxed, Sharin’s outfit seemed a bit too free-spirited.

Sharin smiled lazily, lifting the corner of her mouth.

“Why? Are you gonna act like a hormonal teenager?”

Her face was full of teasing.

But that teasing came from confidence.

No one among her peers could challenge Sharin, the top of the Magic Studies department.

But.

“One day, that overconfidence will come back to bite you.”

A man’s dream is to humble that sort of confidence.

Sharin waved her hand dismissively, as if to say not to worry.

“It’s fine. I don’t dress like this around anyone but you.”

I gulped.

“…Then, why do you show up dressed like that around me?”

Sharin gave a lazy smile.

“Who knows?”

This sly fox.

“More importantly, Sharin, how’s Isabel doing lately?”

Before she could keep teasing, I changed the topic.

Sharin stretched out across the table.

“She’s the same as usual. Though her training has gotten a bit more intense.”

She said this, glancing up at me with her cheek pressed against the table.

“Did something happen between you and Isabel?”

“Not really.”

Recently, whenever I run into Isabel, she just locks eyes with me for a moment and then walks away without a word.

She doesn’t even give me a chance to tease her anymore.

“Oh, by the way, there’s something going around about Isabel.”

“What is it?”

“She’s been hanging around Van a lot recently. There are rumors they might have something going on.”

With Van?

I guess I hadn’t noticed, since Isabel always rushes off whenever I see her.

“Isabel’s been getting some training from Van.”

Not a bad decision.

Van is undeniably a genius when it comes to swordsmanship.

For Isabel, who also wields a sword, it would be helpful.

“People just love making something out of nothing. They did the same thing with Lucas.”

She trailed off as she spoke, her words coming to an abrupt stop.

She was thinking of Lucas’s death.

‘I guess I’ve been hanging out with Sharin enough for her to feel relaxed around me.’

Lately, Sharin’s demeanor around me felt much more open.

Maybe that’s why she mentioned Lucas’s name so casually.

“Honestly, I never got that vibe from the two of them.”

I tilted my head.

“Weren’t Isabel and Lucas into each other?”

“It was more like a sibling bond. Isabel was usually the one pouting and whining.”

Come to think of it, Isabel’s feelings for Lucas developed only after Act 4.

Before that, the story really emphasized their friendship.

The moment Isabel fell for Lucas was an iconic scene.

Not because Lucas showed her some impressive feat.

Lucas, tormented by various incidents, was crying out in hatred toward the world.

Isabel hugged him to comfort him, and it was in that moment that she truly fell in love.

‘But now, I’ll never get to see that scene.’

Lucas is no longer in this world.

All the memorable scenes I recall are now pointless.

The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“Don’t you have anything like that, Hanon?”

“Like what?”

“Someone you like. Someone you’re involved with.”

Ridiculous.

“I’ve only been at the academy for less than half a year.”

How could I have developed feelings for someone in that time?

“Oh, though there is someone who catches my attention.”

“Sorry, Hanon, but I have no intention of dating you.”

“Did I say it was you?”

Rejected before I could even confess.

“Of course, it’s Senior Nikita.”

“Hanon really admires Senior Nikita.”

Sharin was aware of my sincere admiration for Nikita.

It wasn’t a romantic interest.

I purely admired Nikita as a person.

But thinking about the impending appearance of the Dragon Girl of Calamity makes me feel pensive.

“Oh, that reminds me—about Senior Nikita’s older brother.”

My head snapped up.

Could it be? Has some event already started?

“He’s coming to Zeryon Academy as a visiting professor in Magic Studies.”

What?

Why?