Chapter 124
After a brief reunion with Seo Da-hee and Joo Sarang, I headed straight for the Observatory.
I absentmindedly rubbed my aching back.
To think I’d get rolled up in a mat the moment we met after a month…
They must’ve had a lot pent up.
Well, I was their center and leader, so I couldn’t exactly complain even if they got angry…
Still, it was nice seeing them again.
After parting ways following lunch, I walked for a while before spotting a hemispherical building standing alone on the outskirts of the Academy.
That was the Observatory where the fragment ‘Purgatory’—which held Solis—was located.
The place looked as though it hadn’t been touched for a long time.
It seemed it hadn’t been properly maintained even before the Hell Manifestation.
Most cadets probably didn’t even know this place existed.
It was far from the main campus, and teenagers full of energy wouldn’t care much about stargazing anyway.
Occasionally, it was used as a secret dating spot, but since it was class time, no one would be here.
I quietly opened the door and stepped inside.
Not even a single caretaker in sight.
While most of the Academy had been restored, this place still felt neglected—probably because it was on the outskirts.
That worked in my favor.
I had no intention of doing anything other than quietly obtaining Solis and leaving.
I headed to the celestial simulation room where the fragment would be.
A massive dome-shaped screen and a complex machine at its center.
The machine was still operational, projecting beautiful celestial bodies onto the dome.
For a moment, I was captivated.
“Wow.”
Even though it was artificial, it felt like I was looking at a real sky.
If I had known, I would’ve visited before leaving the Academy.
Honestly, I felt like lying down on one of the chairs and just watching forever.
Maybe when everything was over, I’d come back here in peace.
With that thought, I approached the machine.
This machine was the Fragment of the Gate.
As I placed my hand on it, a familiar notification appeared.
【Warning. You have approached an unnamed Fragment of the Gate.】
【Enter Dungeon: Purgatory?】
【Y / N】
Without hesitation, I selected Y.
My vision darkened, and it felt like my body was being pulled somewhere.
When I opened my eyes—
The scenery had completely changed.
I scanned my surroundings.
The entire world was dyed in ash-gray.
This was Purgatory.
A place where souls endured suffering to cleanse their sins.
“Grrr…”
“Ughhh…”
Groans of agony echoed from somewhere.
Turning my head, I saw the dead—carrying massive boulders on their backs as they trudged forward.
I took a steady breath and prepared for battle.
They might look pitiful—
But appearances were deceiving.
They chose this suffering, and I was an intruder in their domain.
In other words—
They were enemies.
At that moment, a blue window appeared.
【‘Purgatory’ imposes a restriction upon you.】
【The sins you have committed weigh down your body.】
Boom.
The ground sank as if something massive had dropped from above.
At the same time—
An overwhelming weight pressed down on me.
It felt like the Giant’s Spear was crushing my body.
So the first restriction is reduced movement speed.
I expected heavy restrictions given my strength—
But this was worse than I thought.
And there were six more to come.
This was going to be rough.
Still—
A smile formed on my face.
Compared to monsters like Heavenly Demon or Lord Biden, these boulder-carrying souls looked almost cute.
I slowly began circulating the Asura Divine Art, warming up my body.
At some point, the souls stopped walking and turned to stare at me.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
They dropped their boulders.
Each impact made the ground tremble.
Looking closer, all of them had heavily muscular bodies.
Intimidating, sure—
But I had no intention of fighting them head-on.
I had cleared this dungeon many times.
I knew exactly how it worked.
The goal was to find the staircase leading to the next layer within this vast field.
The staircase’s location changed every time—
But there was a way to find it.
The boulders.
For these souls, the boulders represented their sins.
Destroy them, and the freed souls would run toward the staircase.
In other words—
They became guides.
Of course, breaking the boulders was difficult, and even if you did, surviving the swarm was another issue.
But for me—
That wasn’t a problem.
At that moment, the souls charged toward me.
Without the boulders, they moved incredibly fast.
Meanwhile, my body was weighed down.
Flames of Infernal Fire gathered in my hand.
Asura Divine Art
Discipline Through Punishment
Flames split and surged outward in all directions.
Not toward the souls—
But toward the boulders.
KRAAAASH!
A massive explosion sent them flying into the air.
I frowned.
They didn’t break.
Stronger than expected?
Then the souls swarmed me.
Muscular bodies clung to me—an unpleasant sensation.
I ignited a massive pillar of flames.
The souls melted instantly beneath the Infernal Fire.
That was messy.
I wrapped the pillar’s energy around my body.
The flames compressed and rotated—
Seeping into every part of me.
Asura Divine Art
Asura Descent
My body transformed into pure flame, radiating immense heat.
Let’s see you endure this.
Power surged through my molten form.
I straightened my hand like a blade.
From my fingers to my elbow, it turned blue.
No need for flashy movements.
I simply swung my arm repeatedly toward the scattered boulders.
There were no dazzling flames this time—
Only thin, blue crescent slashes sweeping across the land.
Where they passed, the air expanded violently, creating a raging storm.
KRAAAASH!
The fierce wind scattered my hair.
Fragments of stone flew everywhere.
I smirked.
“Pathetic.”
The countless boulders were gone.
Long scars carved into the ground marked where the blue crescents had passed.
The souls were no different.
But that didn’t mean my guides were gone.
The souls here were immortal.
Even if destroyed, they would regenerate.
That’s why you had to find the staircase quickly—
Or get overwhelmed.
The souls began regenerating.
But instead of attacking—
They looked… relieved.
Then, as if possessed, they began running in one direction.
Perfect.
I followed them.
Since dozens moved at once, there was no chance of losing the path.
Some other souls attacked along the way, but they were no real threat.
Soon enough—
I found the staircase.
A portal emitting white light.
As I touched it, a blue message appeared.
【You have discovered the staircase to the next layer.】
【Proceed to the next layer?】
【Y / N】
Without hesitation, I selected Y.
My vision darkened again.
【Moving to the next layer.】
【Second restriction will be applied.】
---
Inside the Student Council room—
Tension filled the air between two women.
“So let me get this straight. You think your artifact was stolen… and the culprit is Yoo Sung-woo?”
“Yes.”
“And do you have any proof?”
“I saw his silhouette this morning.”
Yoo Iseo let out a deep sigh.
Out of nowhere, this junior came in claiming Yoo Sung-woo had returned.
It was baseless.
And irritating.
“Helena, I’m sorry, but seeing a silhouette isn’t proof. Did you report it to the Dormitory Supervisor?”
“Yeah, Helena. Maybe you just misplaced it? Or another student took it?”
“Theft between cadets happens sometimes.”
Park Siwoo and Seo Da-hee backed Yoo Iseo up.
Frustrated, Helena shot back.
“There’s a door lock on every room. How would anyone get in?”
“You might’ve told someone the password, or they saw you enter it. And if what you’re saying is true, Yoo Sung-woo wouldn’t be able to get in either. Don’t forget about the mana detection system at the entrance.”
“…Or maybe you entered my room, stole it, and handed it to him.”
Joo Sarang’s expression twisted.
“I really don’t like the way you talk.”
“That’s my line.”
The tension between them escalated.
Yoo Iseo’s brow twitched.
“That’s enough. First, report this to the Dormitory Supervisor and file a loss report. The Academy is already unstable—we don’t need rumors about the Devil Knight infiltrating.”
Though she spoke calmly—
She wasn’t entirely dismissing Helena’s claim.
Helena possessed the power of a dragon.
Her instincts weren’t something to ignore.
More importantly—
Seo Da-hee hadn’t eaten lunch with her.
She claimed she ate with Joo Sarang—
But what if she met Yoo Sung-woo instead?
That would line up perfectly with the timing.
‘He knows he’s being hunted nationwide… so why come back?’
Yoo Iseo felt a headache coming on.
Their fragile alliance still existed—thanks to Seo Da-hee.
She hadn’t fully forgiven him—
But she had seen him fight Berid.
She knew he acted for the Academy.
If he had returned, there must be a reason.
At that moment—
The door opened.
“Why is the Student Council so noisy?”
Chun Ga-eun entered the room.
Now acting as the Student Council’s advisor in place of Kang Jae-seok, who had fallen into a coma.