Chapter 122
After finishing a long, heavy conversation with Heavenly Demon, I returned to my room.
Perhaps because the tension had finally eased, my back was drenched in sweat.
Fortunately, she hadn’t directly used violence or physical punishment on me.
However… it was my first time seeing Heavenly Demon express her emotions like that, so it felt unfamiliar—and honestly, a bit overwhelming.
Her anger wasn’t simply because I disobeyed her.
After all, the exact moment her emotions exploded wasn’t when she noticed my change.
It was when I explained what had happened with Lord Biden.
That was when she erupted.
For Heavenly Demon, it was an extremely rare display of emotion.
It might not seem like a big change, but in my memories, her expression barely ever shifted.
Yet she openly revealed her displeasure.
Then, still furious, she strode outside.
…Nothing strange would happen, right?
Like going to confront Lord Biden.
Honestly, if she kept him in check, I’d be grateful.
I returned to my room, sat at the desk, and took out Lia’s Heart Fragment from the drawer.
That matter was separate from this—I needed to keep in contact with this side regularly whenever I had time.
A few days had passed, so the Academy’s break should be over by now.
Park Siwoo, Helena, and Dan Chun-woo should have returned as well.
I was curious about their condition—and more importantly, I needed to return to the Academy briefly.
If I wanted to stand against Lord Biden, I had to prepare something to counter him.
As I infused mana into the Heart Fragment, Lia’s voice flowed into my mind.
[Husband? Why are you contacting me so soon?]
‘Why does that sound so sarcastic?’
[Well, someone who promises to stay in touch and then disappears for a whole month suddenly reaches out first.]
‘I said I was sorry about that.’
[Sure you are.]
She was starting to sound more and more like a moody teenager.
Was it because she had experienced social life at the Academy?
Her emotional expressions had definitely become more varied.
[So why did you contact me?]
‘I figured the Academy’s closure should be ending soon.’
Being at Heavenly Demon’s residence made it hard to know what was happening outside.
My phone was destroyed, and her residence was somewhere on Mount Baekdu.
My sense of time had dulled, and information came slowly.
[Classes are still suspended until this week. Starting next week, things will return to normal.]
‘Have the others returned?’
[Helena and Dan Chun-woo are back. Park Siwoo is still missing.]
‘What?’
It had been three days since I last contacted him.
Inside the Fragment of the Gate, three days could feel like months.
And he still hadn’t come out of the dungeon?
‘The dungeon is still inaccessible?’
[Yeah.]
That’s insane.
It seemed Park Siwoo was doing far better inside than expected.
‘Did you ask Helena and Dan Chun-woo about joining the Student Council?’
[Yeah.]
‘Did they accept?’
[Well… kind of?]
‘What kind of vague answer is that?’
[Dan Chun-woo refused, but the Sword Empress forced him in. Helena accepted, but… um… was she always that rude?]
That unexpected question made me tilt my head.
Not Dan Chun-woo, but Helena?
Rude?
Helena was the furthest person from that word.
She always valued etiquette and carried herself with the dignity of a noble family.
[She’s been clashing hard with Yoo Iseo. She even picked a fight with Joo Sarang, asking if she was a Demon.]
‘Seriously?’
[I’m telling you. Both Joo Sarang and Yoo Iseo are like that too—do you only get close to people who treat you harshly, Husband?]
‘You’ve really got a mouth on you.’
If she were here, I would’ve flicked her forehead.
Still… Helena acting out of character.
I had never considered a situation like this.
Well, the cause was probably me.
But if she changed because of me, that also meant she trusted and cared about me deeply.
That made things… complicated.
Still, there was nothing I could do right now.
Since I was the cause, interfering clumsily might only make things worse.
All I could do was hope she overcame it herself.
A bitter taste lingered in my mouth.
‘You and Seo Da-hee keep an eye on her. She’s just confused for now.’
[Got it.]
‘At least it seems like nothing major has happened at the Academy.’
[Major? Oh.]
‘What is it?’
The Demons shouldn’t be making any moves right now.
[It’s not exactly major, but a special class was created.]
‘A special class?’
That was new.
There was no such thing in Become a Hero.
[It’s a class that gathers outstanding cadets regardless of grade. They said it was created after the Hell Manifestation to prevent students from leaving. Chun Ga-eun is personally leading it.]
I see.
Originally, after Berid’s Hell Manifestation in Become a Hero, the Academy’s reputation collapsed.
The most noticeable effect was the decrease in NPC students.
As the scenario progressed, the number of student NPCs dropped sharply.
Fewer new students enrolled, and existing ones either fell into corruption, got expelled, or dropped out.
With fewer students, the Academy’s budget shrank, and instructors were reduced.
Back when this was just a game, I didn’t think much of it.
From a player’s perspective, it simply removed useless NPCs and increased difficulty.
But this was reality.
If the Academy existed to train Heroes, then preventing student loss was essential.
So they used Chun Ga-eun and the special class as bait—to show that one could become the disciple of a top-tier Hero.
Of course, it wasn’t all positive.
Even the name “special class” itself broke the Academy’s principle of equal education and created an elite group.
Still, if it gathered only the most exceptional cadets…
Then Park Siwoo, Dan Chun-woo, and Helena would definitely be included.
Thinking about it that way, it wasn’t entirely bad.
While I was away, they would have a powerful backing in Chun Ga-eun.
Just like I had Heavenly Demon.
‘Oh, and I’ll probably stop by the Academy in a few days.’
[What? Really?]
Her voice rose.
It would be our first meeting in a month.
[How long will you stay?]
‘Not long. Maybe a day at most.’
My notoriety at the Academy must be sky-high by now.
And security had likely tightened.
Even if I used the Mask of the Deceiver, Chun Ga-eun’s presence worried me.
Top-tier Heroes were transcendent beings, on par with the High-ranking Executives of Pandemonium.
Just like Heavenly Demon saw through my mask, I needed to avoid Chun Ga-eun as well.
‘So I need you to open a backdoor for me to enter the Academy.’
[If you tell Yoo Iseo, it’ll be easy.]
‘No… don’t tell her. Only you and Joo Sarang should know I’m coming.’
[Got it.]
I was only retrieving an artifact—no need to stir unnecessary trouble.
‘Then I’ll see you next week.’
After saying goodbye, I cut the connection.
That settled my preparation.
This trip to the Academy had one purpose—
To obtain an item capable of sealing Lord Biden’s Undead.
A final-tier equipment: ‘Punishment of Solis, the Sun God.’
Originally, it only had meaning if Park Siwoo followed the magic build.
But since he had taken the spear path, it was now useless to him.
So taking it wouldn’t disrupt the scenario.
In fact, I always secured it when facing Lord Biden in-game.
The power of the sun was the natural enemy of Undead.
Of course, being final-tier gear, it couldn’t be obtained by simply clearing a dungeon.
It required a hidden piece.
I needed to go through the Fragment of the Gate at the Academy Observatory, reach the altar that granted divine blessings, and bless the item ‘Star of Art’ that I had previously obtained.
That fragment was among the most difficult dungeons in the Academy.
Naturally—it was a linked dungeon after clearing the Chamber of Gu Poison.
But there was an even bigger problem.
I didn’t have the Star of Art.
I had lent it to Helena before the Hell Manifestation—and never got it back.
Who knew “I’ll chase you to the ends of hell if you don’t return it” would become reality?
…Should’ve watched my words.
---
The dormitory stood empty, newly rebuilt and renovated.
Returning after a month, Helena organized her belongings.
Perhaps because she had been gone so long, her own room felt unfamiliar.
She placed her clothes into the wardrobe and arranged items she brought from home.
Then her gaze stopped on the Star of Art.
‘Why do I still have this…?’
Whenever she thought of Yoo Sung-woo, her heart felt like it dropped.
That day—
She saw it.
The Devil Knight in black armor, wielding a sword.
And the truth that the Devil Knight was the only man she could call a friend.
A deep-rooted fear began to creep up from within.
“Haa… haa…”
Her breathing grew rough.
The power of the dragon sleeping inside her body began to stir.
Her pupils slit and shone.
In the past, she would have panicked at the sudden surge—
But now, she calmly subdued it.
‘It’s not time yet.’
Like a well-trained hound, the dragon’s power obeyed her command.
Her eyes returned to normal.
Letting out a deep sigh, she picked up the Star of Art.
It still emitted a faint warmth.
Her mind was in turmoil.
Even Helena herself didn’t know what she wanted.
Even now, Yoo Sung-woo was both hateful and frightening.
To her, Demons were objects of fear—and hatred.
They were the cancer of the world that killed her mother.
All Demons had to disappear.
She should never have opened her heart to anyone.
Never have cared.
But she did.
And because of that, she let her guard down—
And he had taken a place in her heart.
If only she had never paid attention to him.
If only she hadn’t felt sympathy for his scars.
Memories surfaced.
His constant annoying remarks.
Training together after class.
Studying together for exams.
The field trip they all went on.
Life-and-death battles.
The words he gave her, saying he understood her trauma.
All of them were her first experiences.
After her mother’s death, her father—driven by revenge—had locked her inside their estate, afraid of losing her too.
First experiences are powerful.
Unforgettable.
They shape the future.
Just like a terrible first love leaves behind fear—
Her heart had learned to fear relationships and closed itself off.
Helena placed the Star of Art deep inside her desk drawer—
And locked it.
Just like her heart.