novelraw Chapter 117 : Chapter 117
Chapter 117 : Chapter 117
Chapter 117: Midterm Evaluation (4)
A mountain path blanketed in thick fog.
A girl was trudging through it.
With her gaze fixed on her smartphone screen, she was moving her feet thoughtlessly.
It was Do Haru.
In front of her, a unicorn with shining white fur was quietly leading the way.
As if guiding the path.
The two were climbing the mountain as casually as taking a stroll, when suddenly, the unicorn stopped.
As Do Haru tried to pass by, the unicorn gently bit the back hem of its owner's clothes.
“Huh? Ah, is there something over there?”
When Do Haru asked, the unicorn nodded lightly.
Then, its feet naturally turned to the right.
WHEEE-
A faint whistling sound was heard from the direction they had turned away from.
The chilly tone produced by the Guardian of the Mountain, that sound gradually faded away.
Aside from the whistling, rough sounds occasionally drifted from afar, as if intense battles were taking place.
It seemed like someone was fighting with all their might beyond the fog.
But all of that was a distant story for her.
Because the unicorn was detecting the opponent's presence first and avoiding them on its own.
Thanks to that, Do Haru hadn't encountered a single guardian so far.
The unicorn sniffed the air occasionally while looking around, then left a small mark on the tree bark with the tip of its horn.
Matching that pace, Do Haru carefully turned the comic page on her smartphone with her fingertip.
It was then.
Do Haru's steps came to an abrupt halt.
Her expression stiffened, and after standing blankly as if speechless, her lips soon moved.
“……I’m screwed.”
Do Haru’s gaze anxiously scanned the surroundings.
NEIGH-?
The unicorn looked back at its owner as if asking what was wrong.
“We’re in big trouble, Yuni.”
Looking down at the unicorn with trembling eyes, Do Haru lowered her head.
The unicorn approached her with a worried expression.
It rubbed its cheek against the back of Do Haru's hand as if saying not to worry about whatever the problem was.
“Thanks, Yuni, but it’s already too late…….”
Do Haru looked down at the unicorn and smiled bitterly.
A crisis of a lifetime had arrived.
“I finished reading it. The comic.”
A deep sigh escaped Do Haru’s lips.
The condensed breath added to the thick fog surrounding them.
“Data doesn’t work here! Does this make sense? How can this be in this day and age……. If I knew this would happen, I would have downloaded a ton of dramas, I let my guard down.”
She finished reading the comic she had downloaded in advance.
Since there was no smartphone signal, she couldn't check social media, look for other comics, or watch OTT services.
That meant she had to climb the mountain without feeling any fun from now on.
For Do Haru, whose breathing stops the moment her dopamine supply is cut off, this was turning into an impossible challenge.
Do Haru's vision went dark with despair.
“It can’t be like this. It can’t be. What do I do? Tell me the answer.”
Do Haru collapsed into an embrace with the unicorn.
The unicorn glared at Do Haru with a look that said she was pathetic.
“Don’t look at me like that. It’s really hard.”
Do Haru mumbled while averting her gaze slightly.
While Do Haru was whining and rubbing her face against the unicorn's soft mane for a moment.
TUG-!
The unicorn suddenly bit Do Haru’s collar roughly.
“Ow, it hurts! What’s wrong? Ouch! Okay. I’m sorry. I won’t say strange things. Let go……!”
But the unicorn didn't stop.
It kept pulling and then tapped the ground with its front hoof as if frustrated.
Turning its head to one side, the same action was repeated.
“Huh?”
Do Haru listened carefully in the direction the unicorn’s head had turned.
WHIIISH-
It was a whistling sound.
It was resonating.
‘This time it’s pretty loud.’
Do Haru instinctively gripped her smartphone tight.
The unicorn kept pulling her clothes as if sensing danger, but it wasn't enough to stop Do Haru’s curiosity.
As soon as Do Haru spotted a rock, she quickly hid her body behind it.
She carefully peeked beyond the fog through the gaps in the rocks.
It wasn’t clearly visible.
Blurred figures were constantly moving within the fog.
SLICE-!
It was the sound of a sword cutting.
‘Who is it?’
Soon, a cadet swinging a sword revealed himself through the fog.
Dark red hair stood out.
‘Oh, it’s him.’
Two phrases immediately popped up in Do Haru's mind consecutively.
The Sword Emperor’s son.
And the kid close with Ryu Jinwoo.
Lee Junhyeok, he was engaging in combat with nearly 20 guardians.
What on earth do you have to do for guardians to cling to you like that?
Do Haru watched that scene with eyes full of disbelief.
What was even more absurd was Lee Junhyeok’s expression.
He looked somewhat happy. A face as if he was glad to be able to fight with so many enemies.
“Come at me stronger! The spear tip is dull!”
He was giving instructions to the confronting guardians as if he had fallen into his own world completely.
Anyone watching would think he was conducting a sparring training.
“……Is he a total idiot? How many did he eliminate?”
NEIGH-
When Do Haru spoke in a low voice, the unicorn also responded with a low cry.
It was a tone of agreement.
“If he keeps going like that, later on, over a hundred will chase him.”
Shake, shake, Do Haru shook her head.
“Our goal is not to encounter a single one. Not just guardians, but other demonic beasts too.”
When she clenched her fist tightly, the unicorn also shone its eyes resolutely.
Determination to keep its owner safe was felt.
Do Haru also stood up with her smartphone in her pocket.
“Let’s go. Before we get involved for no reason.”
She quickly turned her steps to the opposite side.
The unicorn also changed direction together, matching its pace beside her.
Around the time the chaotic noise Lee Junhyeok was creating became slightly faint.
WHOOOSH-!
WHIIISH-!
Once again, a whistling sound burst out.
Do Haru’s feet stopped immediately.
“……Wait.”
This one was different.
It was on a different level from all the noises heard so far.
The air was shaking beyond the fog.
She even started to feel a vibration inside her ears.
‘What is this, this volume?’
If the previous ones were simple vibrations, this one felt like a fire alarm had gone off.
Do Haru slowly raised her head and looked in the direction the sound was coming from.
Just this once, her instinct told her not to approach.
But curiosity covered over it.
Carefully, very carefully, she approached that way.
‘…….’
Then, at the scene unfolding before her eyes, Do Haru was lost for words.
A massive fight was taking place there.
20 of them? 30?
No, it looked to easily exceed 50.
What Lee Junhyeok was dealing with just before was merely cute in comparison.
NEIGH-
The unicorn warned in a low voice.
That she shouldn’t approach any closer than this.
Do Haru nodded.
“This is really crazy. Who is that now?”
Just as Do Haru mumbled with her mouth half open.
SWISH-!
Wind moved first within the fog.
Then, a shadow reflected in the fog slid smoothly.
“Huh?”
Do Haru’s eyes widened.
A short metallic sound brushed past.
Then, a silhouette appearing to be a guardian split in half in mid-air and collapsed.
Her eyes couldn't follow exactly what had happened.
Just that the silhouette of a man holding a sword did something, and the guardian died.
Only that result entered her eyes.
“…….”
The man’s silhouette flickered again.
Before Do Haru could even shift her gaze, two guardians on the left bent at the waist and collapsed.
Then, as he moved lightly, a guardian’s head fell with a thud.
Every movement was full of certainty.
He was moving exactly as much as necessary.
‘Wait, what was that just now……?’
She couldn't see it at all.
There were too many things that couldn't be explained by just blaming the fog.
Rather, shouldn't the movements be more visible since they are seen as silhouettes within the fog?
But it was the same no matter how many times she watched.
When the man did something, a guardian collapsed.
It was so smooth that one might wonder if they had agreed to do this with the guardians and were putting on a play.
‘I think I’ve seen something similar before.’
What was it.
A comic? Drama? Was it a movie?
While slowly retracing her memories, a word flashed through her mind.
‘……Sword Dance! That thing I watched with Hayun!’
A few years ago, she had gone to an event following Seol Hayun.
It was a festival held once every year by each famous sword family.
The scene she saw there.
Those moments when swordsmen in traditional attire matched their movements and swung swords on stage.
It was truly beautiful.
The light scattering from the sword tips, the rhythm and balance flowing naturally along the body…….
Even Do Haru, a layperson, watched that performance breathlessly, completely mesmerized.
And now, the sensation of that moment was conveyed from the silhouette in the fog before her eyes.
At the same time, it was even more astonishing.
Because the sword dance she saw was strictly a coordinated performance, but the performance she is watching now was thoroughly real combat.
The targets that person is cutting were guardians.
It is the middle of real combat where dozens of guardians are rushing in simultaneously, aiming for his life.
Within that, he was moving like a dancer who didn't miss a single breath.
Every time a movement was completed, a guardian’s body invariably collapsed.
‘Who is it?’
At this point, she becomes curious.
If she goes closer, wouldn't she see the face?
Just as Do Haru took a step forward to approach, the unicorn suddenly pushed against Do Haru’s thigh hard.
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
WHIIISH-!
As if answering instead, another whistling sound was heard.
It was a signal that soon, attracted by the lingering scent of this battle, more guardians would flock in.
Since the mysterious man and Lee Junhyeok, two people, were suddenly staging a guardian slaughter show nearby, it was a natural result.
“Ah, I want to see more.”
Swallowing her regret, Do Haru began to move her steps.
Regret is regret, but moving to a safe place was the priority for now.
Even while leaving the spot following the unicorn, the noise of battle did not cease.
‘Ha, it was really cool. Who is it?’
Is it a cadet from a famous sword family as expected?
I know there are a few such kids among the Zero freshmen.
Because the movement she just saw was enough to immediately remind her of the sword dance she saw at the festival of famous sword families.
Do Haru ended up having a thought she would absolutely never have normally.
‘I want to learn it.’
She was someone who thought moving her body was just annoying.
Even so, an impulse arose.
‘Should I sneak a look even now? If I know who it is, I could at least ask. It wouldn't turn out to be a totally weird kid once revealed, right?’
It was when she was lost in idle thoughts.
‘Wait! I have the watch, right?’
Do Haru’s gaze slowly turned downward.
Towards the watch strapped on her wrist.
During the progress of this exam, approximate coordinate values appear on the watch.
Even if space is distorted because it’s a demonic realm, the structure was such that coordinates of nearby targets appear close.
In other words, she can know who is nearby.
Do Haru turned on the watch and checked the rankings.
Based on the current location, nearby altitudes and coordinates were listed in order.
The names of cadets near her were visible.
The first was Lee Junhyeok.
“Not this guy.”
Before the silhouette man, she confirmed his face first.
The screen scrolled down following Do Haru’s finger.
And at that moment, Do Haru’s eyes widened round.
[Ryu Jinwoo]
“Eh?”
The appearance of the silhouette came to mind again.
Movements like acrobatics, that flow that captivates the eyes.
“……It’s Jinwoo?”
It felt like finding out that the neighborhood ajussi who always walked around looking like a beggar was actually a super famous hero.
Do Haru’s mouth remained open and wouldn’t close for a while.