The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 35

‘No way?’

At first, I thought it was just a stray cat, but it had a name tag on its collar.

【Darkssini】

‘I knew it.’

The naming sense suddenly reminded me of someone. Sure enough, there was a small cylinder attached to the collar, meant to hold a note.

“Meow~.”

I carefully opened the window and reached for the cylinder hanging around the cat’s neck. As expected, there was a small note inside.

Covered in skull stickers, the note was written in terribly messy handwriting.

– Ta-da! Jin So-yul makes an appearance!

Of course.

This cat, Darkssini, belonged to Jin So-yul. Though I had a rough idea of its contents, I decided to read it further.

– Time and place: 3 AM, on the third-year campus! Plus, our esteemed junior has a special mission!

I frowned.

I had forgotten about the Occult Club quest, having barely dealt with it a few times before.

– Recruit one companion for a ghost story exploration!

Crunch

Reflexively, I crumpled the note in my hand.

‘Should I quit?’

The second ghost story involved the number 3.

At 3:33 AM, on the third floor of the third-year campus, in the third music room, when three people gather, the sound of the third movement of Beethoven’s “Für Elise” will be heard on the piano. It was said that if you hear it, you will vomit blood three times and die.

‘Who should I take with me?’

This sudden dilemma kept me from focusing properly until class ended.

* * *

Bubbling

In an unknown room.

Steam rose from dozens of cauldrons, filling the air with a variety of odors similar yet alien to what one would smell in Faust’s office.

“Let’s see.”

A Rabbit in a neat suit approached the cauldron with the foulest smell, ladled some of its contents, and brought it close to sniff.

“Sniff, sniff. Indeed, the curse created by our client is on another level.”

Satisfied with the mysterious green liquid, the Rabbit set down the ladle and extended its hand over the cauldron.

“If I infuse this with my thick spiritual energy—”

The Rabbit then used a protruding nail on its thumb to press against its index finger. Soon, a drop of purple blood fell from the wound into the cauldron.

Aaaaaaahh

Shrieking voices emanated from the cauldron. The blood-tinged green liquid quickly turned purple.

“Humming a little tune, la la la.”

The Rabbit, humming a tune, pulled out a mysterious syringe from its garments. Finally, it pushed the plunger to release the liquid into the cauldron.

Fwooosh

With a tremendous amount of steam, the volume of the liquid in the cauldron decreased. As a result, the large amount of liquid in the cauldron transformed into small orbs.

“Excellent, excellent.”

The Rabbit picked up the orb from the cauldron and inspected its shape closely. Satisfied, it carried the orb to a corner of the room.

“Please, spare me. My children are waiting for me at home…”

Beyond the metal cage was a gaunt man, his arms and legs bound and suspended against the wall. The Rabbit opened the cage and stepped in front of the emaciated man.

“Congratulations, test subject 7-A. You’re finally free.”

“What do you-”

“Now, open your mouth.”

Without warning, the Rabbit shoved the orb into the man’s mouth.

“Gah-cough!”

“Persistent, aren’t you? Swallow it.”

The Rabbit strangled the man, forcing him to swallow the orb. As the orb painfully traveled down his throat to his stomach—

“What the hell- Aaaaagh! Ghuuuh! Agh, guuuh, guuh…”

The man’s body grotesquely swelled.

Clang!

The chains binding him snapped.

Writhing in pain on the floor, the man banged his head against the wall. The red blood splattered on the wall quickly turned purple, and his swollen body rapidly returned to its original size.

“Haaah…”

The man, who had been thrashing wildly, finally calmed his breathing. The Rabbit approached the prone man and lowered its gaze.

“7-A, how do you feel? Do you still think about the children waiting at home?”

“…No.”

His eyes now bloodshot with a purple hue, the man looked down at his hands. His nails had grown sharp, and purple veins pulsed beneath his skin.

“I, I want to—kill something alive…”

He cast a sidelong glance at the Rabbit, who smirked and raised both hands in a placating gesture.

“Well, then, I have just the right target for you.”

The Rabbit pulled out a photograph from its pocket and handed it over. It showed a boy with hollow eyes.

“Your first target, 7-A. While I don’t usually operate outside the plan, I need you to check on this kid. If you succeed, I promise you’ll taste something far better than what you have now.”

“Check on him? You mean…”

The man’s eyes lost focus as they spun wildly. Only one desire remained in the mind of the now-insane man.

“Whether I tear him to shreds, or bite him to death, that’s… fine?”

The Rabbit looked down at its experimental subject with a proud expression.

“Of course. You’re free to kill him.”

* * *

Back in the backyard, I sprawled on a bench and looked up.

‘Will it appear again this time?’

I got up and approached the monument. The mock subjugation was over, so the cooldown should be almost up.

I placed the artificial flowers I had bought from a stationery shop in front of the monument and bowed my head. After a brief moment of silent prayer, the hidden quest window appeared just like before.

Hidden Quest Clear (2/4)!

– An unknown power has blessed you! : Skill Points +30

Immediately, I looked in the direction where the old man had appeared previously, near the monument’s side.

[Uhh…]

But the voice came from the exact opposite direction I was looking at.

“He’s here, Yomi.”

[Understood. I just need to see through that old man’s identity, correct?]

Yomi puffed out its chest with a confident, theatrical cough. My Spirit Conjuration skill had leveled up, unlocking some of Yomi’s abilities as well.

Due to this, Yomi was more confident than usual.

[Uhh, it’s still so noisy. My ears hurt so much…]

The mysterious old man appeared.

His semi-transparent form and shabby running attire remained unchanged.

[Mysterious Old Man]

– Rank: C

– This old man still cannot find rest.

However, the description had subtly changed.

If my memory was correct, this old man’s original rank was D. Though he appeared the same, his rank had mysteriously changed.

“What do you think, Yomi?”

[Hmm.]

Yomi’s tail, which had been standing erect, dropped. Though I felt I already knew the answer, I waited for Yomi to speak.

[Something strange is afoot. The spiritual energy he possesses has grown stronger since before. However, beyond that, even I…]

“It’s okay. He doesn’t seem to pose any harm.”

I examined the old man’s trembling face, his bald head, and his bushy beard. The problem was that among all the characters in the game, the old man’s face was the only one I didn’t recognize.

[It’s too noisy…]

The old man, chattering his teeth, pointed somewhere just like last time.

[It’s so noisy I can’t sleep.]

“Don’t tell me, again…”

The direction the old man pointed was the third-floor hallway of the third-year campus. Based on the location, it was the position of the third classroom up the stairs.

‘Is this old man a hidden NPC connected to school ghost stories?’

Previously, he had indicated the location of Baek-ah’s bathroom. This time, it was the second ghost story on the third-year campus. There were too many coincidences for this to be random.

“He’s gone again.”

He had disappeared while I momentarily turned my head. I sat back on the bench and looked up at the sky.

‘Time really flies.’

A lot had happened, but the most noticeable change was in my body. The feeling of my abdomen when I touched it was significantly different from before.

[Seo Ha-baek]

– Strength: 4

– Agility: 6

– Magic Power: 0

– Intelligence: 3

– Luck: 1

– Spiritual Power: 12

My achievements up till now have not only transformed my body but were also reflected in my stats. Strength, which had been only 2, and Agility, which had been 4, had each increased by 2.

This brought my total stats to 26. Considering that the average total stats for a typical adult male are 20, I had become significantly stronger in terms of stats.

‘That’s the good thing about having things represented in numbers.’

Having quantifiable stats made all the effort in training feel worthwhile.

‘But what do I do about this?’

There was still plenty of time until the hour Jin So-yul mentioned. The key issue now was finding a volunteer to join me…

‘This situation isn’t looking good.’

The only people who came to mind were Shin Seo-ha, Seo Geum-bi, and Han Yu-seong. The problem was that asking any of them for help at the moment would be tricky.

Seo Geum-bi was busy with her disciplinary duties and wouldn’t condone Jin So-yul sneaking into school at 3 AM.

Shin Seo-ha and Han Yu-seong, though possible, had just fought, making it awkward to ask them.

“Hmm…”

Taking teachers like Faust or Choi Tae-min with me was out of the question, and dragging along any extras wasn’t feasible either.

[Yawn. The day makes me feel drowsy, sleep is beckoning.]

Yomi yawned extravagantly from atop my shoulder. It seemed that even with an upgraded level, his need for sleep was still the same.

‘Perhaps.’

Just then, an idea flashed through my mind.

“Yomi.”

[What is it? I was just about to fall asleep.]

“I have something to ask.”

It wasn’t anything from the game, but more out of pure curiosity.

“But first…”

I extended both of my hands forward, intertwining my middle and index fingers in a zigzag pattern. This was the ‘Seal of Manifestation’ (顯現). The triangular space formed beneath the crossed fingers symbolized the boundary between life and death, much like a Shinto shrine’s torii gate.

Whoosh!

Yomi’s body dispersed into a blue spiritual energy. The scattered spiritual energy gathered below my intertwined fingers.

Spirit Conjuration (A)

– Consumption of spiritual energy allows the temporary manifestation of a spirit.

This technique temporarily grants physical form to a spirit. It’s a new ability unlocked as my Spirit Conjuring skill rank increased.

Pop

The gathered blue spiritual energy soon molded into a distinct form.

[Hmph, what do you need to ask that you had to manifest me for it?]

A small furball appeared on my lap. It looked just like Yomi when perched on my shoulder, but its colors and weight felt more tangible.

“You know the folklore about foxes transforming into humans to deceive merchants?”

[So, what’s your point?]

“Can you transform into a human?”

I didn’t have any solid reason for asking; it was just out of curiosity. Foxes have long been associated with shapeshifting in stories.

[Is that all? You disturbed my sleep for such a trivial question. Release the manifestation; I need to sleep.]

Yomi yawned widely. Clearly, Yomi was very sleepy, but I had no intention of letting Yomi off that easily.

“What’s this? Are you putting up a front because you can’t actually shapeshift?”

[What did you say?]

With that single sentence, Yomi’s half-lidded eyes widened.

[Are you doubting my abilities? Do you think this great yokai can’t mimic the form of a mere human?]

“Aren’t you just trying to avoid it because you can’t?”

[Eek!]

Yomi’s tail lashed energetically.

‘Such a small and simple creature.’

It’s not that hard to trick Yomi, who has a lot of pride. Yomi, clearly caught in the trap, shouted angrily.

[Fine! I will show you my shapeshifting powers! Watch with both eyes wide open!]

Yomi’s body dispersed into blue spiritual energy again, and soon a new form materialized in front of me.

Shuaaah!

The elongating spiritual power eventually formed a silhouette.

“Behold, the transformation is complete! How do you find it?”

Before me stood a girl in a traditional Korean hanbok, who appeared to be around my age.

Her hair was snowy white, her limbs pale, and her striking red eyes (赤眼) were reminiscent of her fox form. With every smile, her not-fully-grown fangs were subtly visible.

“Yomi, you…”

“Hehe, are you enchanted by the beautiful form I’ve taken as a human?”

Yomi, placing her hand coyly under her chin, saw my flabbergasted expression. I trembled as I faced this completely altered Yomi.

“Were you female?”

–
(T/N) LOL I was shocked too (; ꒪ö꒪)