Chapter 107

After the escape gate of the Black Forest opened.

Everyone entered together, but only Han Seoa and I returned to Sahwanje’s Nest. Of course, the reason wasn’t hard to guess.

‘It must mean everyone returned to the location where they were caught in the spatial rift.’

Surely, the others were now finding their own places and reuniting with their loved ones.

It was truly an unexpected event, full of crises, but it was also a week where I gained just as much.

And among those gains, the greatest achievement was this.

‘Appraisal.’

Ding!

【Eve’s Remnants】

▶The drive has stopped due to loss of power source.

The remnants of Eve, Witch Verdi’s Sorcery Doll, which was at the final gate.

Having retrieved it through the Formless Pouch, I spent an entire night carefully analyzing it and reached a hopeful observation.

‘If I handle it well, I might be able to revive her.’

Eve is a Sorcery Doll created using a witch’s secret technique; essentially, she’s no different from a Western-style Shikigami.

If I can revive her, I should also be able to borrow her power through a contract.

‘…Of course, even if I do, she won’t be as strong as she originally was.’

Couldn’t I restore her to a level close to around 50? I was holding quite high expectations for this ancient artifact.

‘First, I need to figure out how to gather the materials through Seo Jian.’

I could already foresee the trial and error I’d face later, but it would be too much of a waste to give up now.

For one, she was a Shikigami that appeared in Series 4, set decades later. At this early point in the story, I could utilize her combat power even more effectively.

‘Probably due to the influence of the Late Bloomer Trait, my Level even went up by two.’

I stretched my aching shoulders and casually called up my Status Window.

【Han Kangyoon】

▶Level 39

▶Stats

【Stamina : C+】

【Spiritual Power : B】

【Art Formula : B-】

【Mental Power : A-】

▶Traits (6/10)

【Phantom Body (S)】

【Witch’s Resonance (A+)】

【Soul Combustion (A)】

【Challenger (B+)】

【Intracranial Spell Repository (B)】

【Life Returner (B-)】

Raising your Level past the late 30s is usually no easy feat, but thanks to constantly sticking with Han Seoa inside the Eternal Labyrinth and facing powerful foes, I achieved faster growth than expected.

Now, by all accounts, I’ve truly reached a level that ranks high even within the A-Rank.

At this point, at the very least, I won’t be dragged along helplessly by events in the incidents to come.

‘…….’

And separately, I also gained one Trait that was a bit concerning.

‘Witch’s Resonance… what’s this about?’

【Witch’s Resonance (A+)】

▶The scent of the ancient witch, Verdi, follows the owner.

This Trait also has a backstory.

Back then, due to a senior’s request that a distinguishing feature was needed from ordinary Specters, we intended to grant one common Trait to the demons of the Black Forest, and that was this Witch’s Resonance Trait.

‘However, its effects weren’t set in detail.’

At most, gaining a very slight resistance to Cursed Techniques like the demons of the Black Forest?

Honestly, beyond that, I have no idea what it does or how it works.

And fundamentally, I don’t even know why this Trait appeared on me in the first place.

‘I didn’t particularly inherit her knowledge… did I do something else?’

Meanwhile, Han Seoa, who actually received that inheritance, gained the S-Rank Trait ‘Witch of the Moon,’ not Witch’s Resonance.

It was only natural for me to have questions.

‘…Well, if it comes to it, I can just erase it.’

As I said before, there are ways to erase Traits, so I concluded my thoughts with that.

And so, the night passed, marking the second day since returning to the Academy.

The next day, facing another weekend, I filled out the exit log and headed out somewhere from the morning.

It was the facility where Seo Jian and her younger sister, Seo Jiha, were staying.

“…You came without forgetting. Thank you.”

“I have a request, and I promised last time.”

“How’s your body? I heard there were various incidents.”

Seo Jian hadn’t participated in the field training at Dohwawon due to personal circumstances, so it seemed she heard about the Sahwanje incident a step late.

“It wasn’t a big deal. In the end, nothing bad came of it.”

“For something like that, you feel strangely different though……”

Seo Jian took a step closer to me, rolled her emerald-glinting eyes, and began carefully examining various parts of my body.

Maybe it was because my Level rose significantly at once, or perhaps because I gained the Witch’s Resonance Trait.

‘The effect description mentioned something about Verdi’s scent.’

In any case, it probably wasn’t that severe, as Seo Jian soon withdrew her interest and gestured to me.

“Come in, Jiha is waiting.”

The appearance of Seo Jiha, seen again after so long, was honestly a bit astonishing.

“Ah, it’s Oppa. Hello!”

Her once-emaciated body had regained health and its original form, and her eyes were brimming with vitality. Most importantly, Seo Jiha was now walking around the facility interior by herself, without any assistance from medical devices.

“You’ve really improved a lot?”

“Unni spent money like water, so it’d be troublesome if I didn’t get better.”

Seo Jiha put down the book she was reading and lightly scolded Seo Jian.

It seemed worrying about family spending was the same on both sides.

Seo Jiha carefully got up from her chair, approached, and grabbed my hand.

“Unni, I’ll go for a short walk and come back.”

“…Don’t go too far.”

“Okay.”

Pulling me along, Seo Jiha moved away from where Seo Jian was and started chatting about this and that.

“I understand her feelings, but Unni is always too overprotective. You know that too, right, Oppa?”

“That’s just how family is.”

“Yeah. I guess that’s what makes them family.”

She occasionally stumbled a bit, but that was just because she wasn’t used to using her body yet, not because of any problem.

I casually shifted my gaze and observed Seo Jiha’s information using the Appraisal function.

Ding!

【Seo Jiha】

▶Level 24

▶Stats

【Stamina : C】

【Spiritual Power : S】

【Art Formula : B】

【Mental Power : A-】

▶Traits (4/10)

【Heart of the Fire Dragon (S)】

【Vitality Drain (B+)】

【Growth Acceleration (B)】

【Life Returner (B-)】

Her Level had risen by a whopping five stages, and her Stamina rank had also increased by two.

It seemed that as her body grew during her recovery, the delayed stat increases had occurred simultaneously.

‘At this rate, getting into the Academy really shouldn’t be a problem.’

Of course, she’d need the corresponding level of knowledge, but isn’t that something A-Rank Seo Jian can teach her?

Especially the S-Rank Spiritual Power and the Heart of the Fire Dragon Trait—if handled well, they could make her a second Sophia Charlotte.

As if having similar thoughts, Seo Jiha also brought up the same matter.

“About going to the Academy… I heard you’re in favor, Oppa?”

“…That’s right.”

“Unni gave permission too, for now. Though you can still see she’s worried.”

Then that’s good. Surely, the proper knowledge and experiences at the Academy will build the strong mind and body she needs to avoid being swayed by the lingering soul of Kang Cheol-i.

After moving our steps to a flowerbed lush with plants for a moment, Seo Jiha, seeming a bit worried inside, asked me a question.

“I’ve never formally learned Cursed Technique… can I become a proper Exorcist like you or Unni?”

“That depends on what you do from now on.”

“Oppa, your answers are sometimes too much like an old man’s, it’s no fun.”

However, contrary to her words, Seo Jiha let out a soft chuckle and spoke again.

“But still, it’s because you’re that kind of person that I could survive.”

“…….”

“Please take good care of Unni. Honestly, I’m against it, but she’s determined to get Daejin Industries by any means necessary.”

“Is there anything I can really help with in that regard?”

“Just being by her side would make Unni happy.”

Certainly, having a comrade who supports your cause, whatever it may be, is a source of strength.

I nodded slightly, and after walking a lap around the facility with Seo Jiha, we returned to where Seo Jian was.

Now, it was time for a slightly more business-like conversation.

“There are a lot of things I haven’t seen before. Do you need completely different things than last time?”

“The purpose isn’t vastly different, but there’s a difference in the type.”

Having left Seo Jiha behind and found the office with Seo Jian, I requested from her the materials needed to revive Eve, who was Witch Verdi’s Shikigami.

“…This time, it might take quite a while.”

“That’s fine. It’s not something that needs to be handled urgently.”

Rather, the fact that these precious materials can even be obtained is impressive enough in itself.

As far as I know, the prices aren’t exactly cheap, so honestly, my conscience pricked a bit this time.

“Then I’ll try to get them.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, right, I had something to talk about on my end too.”

What Seo Jian brought up next was none other than information about Seo Taehoo, the owner of Daejin Industries.

‘Come to think of it, she said she was gathering information in various ways.’

Although he never appeared in the main story, he was one of the figures I was very concerned about as well, so such news was welcome.

“Recently, I had a chance to meet a Retainer who worked closely with that man for a long time in the past.”

“A Retainer?”

“Yeah. He said he protected Seo Taehoo’s side as a private bodyguard before. His level is 1st-Rank.”

A 1st-Rank Exorcist—that’s quite a big shot to be assigned as a mere bodyguard.

As I focused my gaze and listened intently, Seo Jian continued, recalling the events of that time.

“He’s now completely separated from Daejin Industries due to past events, so I openly probed his true feelings. And then…”

“Did he spill some information?”

“No. But I was able to get some very sincere advice.”

The content of that advice was as follows:

“He said I could absolutely never surpass Seo Taehoo, and that would be the same no matter who came, not just me.”

That was certainly quite a peculiar story.

A 1st-Rank Exorcist is a significant figure in their own right, and he must have had many opportunities to observe the Special-Rank Exorcists, known as the ‘Heaven Beyond Heaven,’ from up close. Yet, he rated Seo Taehoo even higher than them.

“That’s quite suspicious.”

“Yeah. It seems that man is still hiding a secret I can’t even begin to guess.”

“Meaning that secret might be at a level even a Special-Rank Exorcist couldn’t handle?”

“Exactly.”

Of course, Seo Jian also said she had no intention of clashing with Seo Taehoo immediately, but ultimately, since she aims for the throne of Daejin Industries, he is someone she must face someday.

‘He’s still on my mind.’

It’s hard to dismiss it as someone else’s problem, not knowing what influence that Seo Taehoo might exert on the future story.

Moreover, considering the events in Spain, Seo Taehoo might also exert another kind of influence in the newly added story exclusive to Hell Difficulty.

Seo Taehoo—definitely a person of interest.

I engraved those three characters in my mind and returned to the Academy, harboring an inexplicable sense of unease.