Chapter 17

‘Black, you say?’

I had a rough idea about the Stone of Forbidden Karma.

From what I remembered, black was theoretically the highest value.

‘……’

It was startling, but honestly, there were too many suspicious points in this matter.

First and foremost, attempting to glimpse the future in the Exorcism Academy worldview was one of the greatest Forbidden Techniques.

And I knew most of the future. That alone was enough to exceed the permissible limit.

Second, I knew numerous Cursed Techniques that were called Forbidden Arts in the world. And I had even used some of them.

‘Considering the case of the Intracranial Spell Repository Trait, it’s not certain, but this probably counts too.’

Third, fundamentally, to me, the people of this world were ‘people in a game.’

Even if it had become reality now, deep in my mind, that perception hadn’t completely disappeared.

Then, wouldn’t the actions I took toward the game characters and the actions I take toward the people here be judged as the same by the system?

‘Maybe so.’

I had enjoyed playing the Exorcism Academy Series games, eliminating numerous hostile factions and engaging in PK.

I had also done an enormous amount of PVP. Enough to climb up to the world rankings.

‘Not to mention all the things during the development of the sequels…’

There were a lot of things that made me feel guilty. There was a good chance all of that could be judged as Forbidden Karma by the system.

From that perspective, I was practically the embodiment of a Forbidden Technique.

‘No wonder Cheong Haram went down so easily.’

It wasn’t an exact figure, but at this level, Cheong Haram must have taken nearly double the damage within the Phantom Wood Hungry Ghost’s Curse back then.

‘Conversely, the damage I took was probably around 0.5 times?’

No matter how efficiently I was defending, I thought I was surprisingly fine within the Curse, but who knew there was such a hidden reason.

Anyway, I had to hide it. If anyone saw this, something I couldn’t laugh off would surely happen.

I quickly covered the bead with my body and summoned a part of Earth Rat, the Colony Shikigami, to hold the Stone of Forbidden Karma.

Click?

Earth Rat was the Shikigami among my possessions with a relatively pure nature. Therefore, the bead influenced by Earth Rat slowly began to regain its original elegant color.

Just then, Ko Dahye, the Forbidden Arts Studies professor, approached. I canceled the Summoning of Earth Rat and, the moment she reached out her hand, very swiftly picked up the stone and handed it over.

A very faint black color began to seep from where my finger touched, but compared to yellow or red, it wasn’t very noticeable.

It would definitely be fine.

“The color is a bit murky…?”

Ko Dahye, who had been scrutinizing it intently, soon smiled slyly and praised me.

“Huhu. Good. Good. You’ve been diligently attending classes all this time? I’ll give you extra points.”

Phew.

I let out a sigh of relief, and the professor, pocketing the bead, moved on to the other students.

Because the professor’s reaction drew quite a lot of attention, I was worried that someone might have noticed something strange.

Clap.

Clap.

Ko Dahye, who gathered everyone’s attention with the clapping sound, recited the instructions.

“Alright, everyone seems to have no problems, so let’s conclude today’s class. You all remember the content of the midterm evaluation in three days, right? Since we have to go outside the school, we’ll leave anyone who’s late behind~”

Since the midterm evaluations for other subjects were all over, in order, Forbidden Arts Studies was the last.

‘……’

The endpoint of Story Chapter 1. Not much time remained until the first semester comprehensive exam, which would be the backdrop for the Yeongwoldo Incident.

My image spread throughout the school was subtly improving bit by bit.

Although suspicious reactions were the majority, I had beaten Cheong Haram, and after that, I maintained good grades in the midterm evaluations of various subjects, so rumors spread quietly.

‘Some who remembered Han Kangyoon from the early days in A-Rank probably think this by now.

That Han Kangyoon, who stayed in place alone while others moved ahead, has finally begun to grow.

Therefore, unlike the beginning of the semester when no one paid me any attention, now I could feel eyes gathering on me whenever I attended classes for each subject.

And beyond that, people even began to start conversations with me.

However, still, in Forbidden Arts Studies class, no one approached me.

The reason was simple.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

It was because of Seo Jian, who was taking Forbidden Arts Studies with me.

To her, who for some reason was making trivial small talk, I answered as if it were nothing.

“Just the usual thoughts.”

“I asked you nicely, and that’s boring.”

The Cheonghwa Academy transport vehicle moving to the exam site for the Forbidden Arts Studies class. Seo Jian, sitting in the seat next to me, turned her gaze back to the book she was reading.

‘She really doesn’t have any friends either, does she?’

Seo Jian, who had returned to attending regular classes at the Academy due to the deal she made with me,

However, since she had originally been following a one-on-one curriculum with the professor during elective class hours, she didn’t seem to have much connection with other students.

‘Well, she does give off an unapproachable vibe.’

As she said, Seo Jian was a member of Daejin Industries, a major conglomerate.

She was already overseeing many businesses, and even without the Daejin Industries label, she was undoubtedly a considerable Financier.

To ordinary students, she was not someone they could easily approach.

“It’s a bit late to ask now, but why did you decide to take Forbidden Arts Studies?”

Originally, Forbidden Arts Studies was an unpopular subject.

The fact that classes were conducted without distinction of class due to the low number of applicants said it all.

I had no choice thanks to Professor Choi Dowon, but Seo Jian would be different.

“…Just, out of curiosity.”

It wasn’t a particularly strange reason. After all, Seo Jian seemed to be quite the studious type.

‘It wouldn’t hurt to build up some resistance.’

Personally, I believed it was necessary to learn some Forbidden Arts to a certain extent, so I nodded my head without realizing it.

Before I knew it, the vehicle arrived at its destination.

The outwardly old architectural style. It was said to be a place related to land deity faith in the distant past, but now it was school-owned land that no one visited.

“Still, since we’re out after a long time, you all should get some fresh air too, right?”

Ko Dahye, who accompanied as the supervising professor, gave the students free time before starting the evaluation.

I also felt like I wanted to sort out my thoughts a bit, so I intended to stroll around wherever my feet took me.

During that time, I discovered a large lakeside nearby and moved my steps there. There was a visitor there. It was Seo Jian.

‘It’s like a painting.’

Seo Jian was gazing intently at the lakeside with her characteristic expressionless face. I approached her and spoke.

“Practicing Art Formulas again?”

“No. Just looking.”

A brief silence followed. Seo Jian seemed lost in thought, and I also didn’t bother to start a conversation, simply enjoying the scenery.

Tingle. Tingle.

Whoosh.

Just as I felt an unusually strong wind blowing, Seo Jian slightly turned her head and stared at me.

When I met her gaze with a questioning expression, Seo Jian hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly opened her mouth.

“…Why, did you choose me?”

For a moment, regret flashed across her face as she uttered those words. It seemed she thought she had brought up an unnecessary topic.

Guessing the meaning, I answered without difficulty.

“Because you were the closest?”

“…If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to.”

“I’m joking.”

In fact, if it were simply about converting the various knowledge I possessed into assets, there were better counterparts lying around everywhere. That was probably the part Seo Jian was wondering about.

But such things weren’t very important to me. As long as the necessary materials were procured as needed, I didn’t care who the counterpart was, and my goal was simply to find a sponsor.

‘Rather, with Seo Jian’s growth, I’ve gained a new card in my hand, so this is better.’

Finishing my thoughts, I spoke to Seo Jian, who was waiting for an answer.

“Given my circumstances, it’s better that you’re the Collaborator.”

At those words, Seo Jian made a slightly flustered expression, then, averting her gaze subtly, opened her mouth.

“…Is that so?”

That face seemed somehow redder than usual, probably just due to her mood.

“Let’s see…, twenty-three. No one’s missing. Then let’s slowly start the evaluation. Huh. It’ll be very fun, so you can look forward to it.”

Ko Dahye smiled slyly and, using the assistant who came along, handed each of us one straw doll.

And then she said.

“The Forbidden Arts Studies midterm evaluation is a Curse offense-defense battle using straw dolls! It’s an individual match, so you should pay close attention to the distribution of attack and defense, right?”

“You mean attack the opponent’s doll?”

“Exactly. I’ve made it so it ignites after taking a certain amount of damage, so judgment won’t be a problem.”

“Any other rules?”

“Multiple people ganging up on one person is against the rules. Other than that, there aren’t any. However, grades will be given by comprehensively evaluating both the result and the process, so staying too still isn’t good either~”

In short, it meant you had to protect your own doll while Cursing the opponent’s doll to inflict damage.

“Alright, everyone go to your assigned spots. We don’t have time, so let’s start quickly.”

Ko Dahye, with an expectant expression, gathered the students in front of the old wooden building and distributed positions appropriately.

And then, as if she had forgotten to mention something, she added.

“Ah, but since grades are at stake, everyone moves too passively every time, which is no fun. So there’s a special rule. Who was the student who got extra points last time?”

If she meant the Stone of Forbidden Karma incident, it was definitely me.

Feeling an ominous premonition at Ko Dahye’s expectant smile, I braced myself.

“Hmm, found him. Student Han Kangyoon over there. I’ll grant extra points to anyone who catches him. But as I said, ganging up is prohibited. Of course, the first to attack gets the prize, right?”

At those words, the students’ eyes changed 180 degrees.

“This straw doll will start when it touches the ground.”

Fwoosh.

The doll Ko Dahye tossed into the air flailed its thin limbs as it plummeted to the ground.

Thud.

And at that moment, numerous gazes began to shoot toward me.