Chapter 16
As soon as class ended, Park Siwoo came running toward me.
Was it because he had passed the Student Council interview?
His expression looked noticeably brighter than usual.
“Are you going straight to the interview?”
“I still have a bit of time left, so I thought I’d rest for a while in the dorm before going.”
“If you’re nervous, want me to come with you?”
I frowned at his words.
What was he, some girl who needed a friend to go to the bathroom with? Why go together for an interview?
Seeing my sour expression, he scratched his head awkwardly.
“Well, who knows? Maybe if I go with you, the president might look more favorably on you.”
“More like she’ll think worse of me.”
Considering Yoo Iseo’s personality, trying to appeal through personal connections would only backfire.
At my words, he gave me that friendly smile of his.
“Come on, the president and the others are all really nice people. Besides, she already knows we’re friends.”
“Idiot. Being nice and keeping things professional are two different matters. You’ve got to separate public and private.”
At that, he nodded as if he understood.
“Well, if you put it that way. Then good luck with the interview. You remember everything I told you yesterday, right?”
“Yeah.”
Leaving Park Siwoo behind, I exited the classroom.
I spent the remaining time doing some light exercise in the gym.
Since the interview was coming up, I at least needed to get my body warmed up.
After a round of training, I caught my breath.
A faint heat rose from my body, and beads of sweat formed on my forehead.
That pleasant, tingling sensation told me my condition was at its peak.
When I checked the time, only thirty minutes remained before the interview.
I returned to the dorm, washed up, and headed straight for the Student Council room.
Knock, knock.
After a light tap on the door, the massive double doors of the Student Council room slowly swung open.
“Cadet Yoo Sung-woo, here for today’s interview? You’re early.”
“Yes, thank you for having me.”
The one who greeted me as the doors opened was a girl who didn’t look eighteen in the slightest.
Her height barely reached my chest—just lowering my head a little let me see the crown of her head.
If not for the academy uniform and the black nametag symbolizing her position in the Student Council, I would’ve mistaken her for a middle schooler who had just graduated elementary school.
She looked up at me with a pleased smile.
“You look way more handsome in person than in the picture. I heard you’re friends with Siwoo, who had his interview yesterday? I thought you’d come together.”
“It’s an interview, after all.”
“Siwoo told me about you. You’re more mature than I expected. Iseo’s going to like you.”
‘She heard that from Siwoo?’
That comment caught my attention, but I simply nodded at her words.
“I hope so.”
She had a very bright personality.
Even though we’d only exchanged a few words, I could sense from her light tone that she was considerate and trying to ease any tension I might have had.
No wonder Yoo Iseo trusted her the most.
Which also meant—she would be the first to be eliminated by Berid.
That’s right.
The girl standing before me, Seo Da-hee, was the signal flare that would ignite Yoo Iseo’s corruption.
I followed her into the Student Council room.
Soon, familiar faces came into view.
Yoo Iseo, in her neat uniform and short black hair.
The vice president standing quietly a step behind her.
And Park Siwoo, who clearly didn’t know how to handle the solemn atmosphere here.
When he saw me, he waved awkwardly with a stiff smile.
So much for “good luck with the interview.” Yeah, right.
He must’ve blabbed all about me despite my warnings.
I couldn’t help but think—maybe his earlier suggestion to come together wasn’t his own idea.
Perhaps the Student Council had used him to gauge my attitude in advance.
From the most prominent seat on the sofa, she crossed her legs elegantly and spoke.
“Welcome. You’re early for the interview.”
“Hello. I’m freshman Yoo Sung-woo.”
I bowed politely to her.
Maybe it seemed excessive, but it was my way of showing respect.
She wasn’t just the president in the setting—she was also an active hero who had entered the field far earlier than any other cadet.
Her hero rank was mid-high, equivalent to the Academy’s instructors.
So for a normal cadet, this level of formality was only natural.
“There’s no need to be so stiff. We’re only a year apart, after all.”
Though her words sounded kind, her expression remained cold and unreadable.
“I’ve been hearing a lot about you lately.”
“What kind of things?”
“They say you injured an instructor during orientation and had an argument with Instructor Kang Jae-seok during the weapon selection.”
“That was…”
Before I could finish, she rose from her seat and walked toward me.
Click, click.
Her high heels struck the floor, producing a clear, crisp sound.
“I didn’t bring that up to scold you. Honestly, I don’t care what kind of rumors surround you or what your past is. As long as you’re not a Demon, isn’t that what really matters?”
Her cold blue eyes pierced right through me.
Was she trying to provoke me?
I hid my thoughts behind a wry smile.
“That’s a relief to hear.”
“Isn’t it? Well, let’s call that our icebreaker. Shall we begin the interview properly?”
That was supposed to be an icebreaker?
If anything, the atmosphere had just gotten even stiffer.
“Do you know what kind of work our Student Council does?”
“Managing academy operations and cadet affairs, right?”
Of course I knew the real answer, but I pretended ignorance.
Yoo Iseo nodded and began to explain in detail what I already knew—
That the Student Council’s hidden role was the eradication of Demons, and that their selection process was therefore extremely strict.
I pretended to be surprised at her words, putting on an appropriate reaction.
Yoo Iseo, still wearing that cold expression, continued speaking.
“Could you risk your life to fight against Demons for the sake of the cadets? Demons are like a virus. The day may come when you’ll have to kill your own friends and teachers with your own hands.”
“That doesn’t matter to me.”
“Is that so? Then let’s begin the interview. You must already know the format from Siwoo, right?”
So she not only knew that we were friends but also what he told me.
In truth, it wasn’t just Berid who had informed me about the interview yesterday.
Park Siwoo had also called me right after his interview to explain what it was like.
When I nodded cautiously, she nodded as well and continued.
“Then there’s no need to explain it again.”
At that moment, rough mana began to surge from her.
Blue energy flared around Yoo Iseo, and her jet-black hair started to turn pure white.
“Now then, become a hero and protect the citizens.”
As she said that, a spear of lightning formed behind her.
The azure thunderbolt, wrapped in electric energy, fell straight toward Park Siwoo.
“A hero’s duty is to protect civilians. The more one has to protect, the fiercer their battles become.”
Her lightning spear struck, marking the beginning of the interview.
Having already activated the Asura Divine Art to warm up my body, I immediately threw myself toward Park Siwoo.
Yoo Iseo had given me enough time to prepare for combat, so blocking the attack wasn’t difficult.
Park Siwoo was flung back by my shove, and the lightning spear that had targeted him smashed harmlessly into a wall.
But I couldn’t afford to let my guard down just because I blocked one attack.
It was clear she wouldn’t be giving me any more leeway.
I quickly activated the Asura Divine Art again.
Mana began surging through my body in an instant.
Then Yoo Iseo turned into lightning and shot toward the little senior.
Was her next target Seo Da-hee?
To change targets right after aiming for Park Siwoo—cowardly and cunning.
That only meant she wasn’t holding back anymore.
The distance between me and the little senior was quite far.
Even if I ran now, I couldn’t reach her before Yoo Iseo did.
‘But that doesn’t mean I don’t have a way.’
Flames erupted from me and spread out, blocking the space between the two of them.
For a moment, the lightning-clad Yoo Iseo hesitated.
I didn’t miss that opening—I launched myself toward her.
Leaving a trail of fire in my wake, my fist flew straight at her.
Bang!
With a crack of air, a sonic boom exploded.
No impact.
When she turned into lightning, her speed became extreme, and she ignored physical damage entirely.
I feigned confusion and pulled back slightly—but that had been intentional.
I already knew this from playing the game, though the character Yoo Sung-woo wasn’t supposed to know that much.
The test continued.
Lightning spears constantly targeted Park Siwoo and the little senior.
If I lost focus for even a second, she appeared before me, forcing close combat.
The difficulty was far higher than what I had seen while playing.
‘As expected, facing her without the Demon’s Power is rough.’
To think this was her fighting while holding back her strength.
I did my best to fend off her attacks, and soon she released her lightning form, floating in the air with her blue eyes gleaming.
“The rumors about you were so varied I wasn’t sure what to believe, but this level of skill places you among the top of the freshmen.”
“Haa… How long do I have to hold out?”
“Until reinforcements from the heroes arrive, of course.”
So basically, she was planning to toy with me until she felt satisfied.
“But what if I subdue the Demon before they get here? Wouldn’t that make waiting unnecessary?”
I said, catching my breath.
At my audacious question, her eyes finally flickered with emotion.
Her face remained as cold as ever, though.
“You’re right. But do you really think that’s possible?”
Once again, she turned into lightning and appeared right before my eyes.
Even faster than before—her speed had increased dramatically.
My provocation had worked perfectly.
Her lightning-forged sword sliced through the Student Council room again and again.
Yoo Iseo was more susceptible to taunts than I had expected.
I swung my fist, the one strike I had prepared specifically for her.
Her sword of lightning clashed with my fist midair.
Thunder and fire collided, bursting into a dazzling explosion.
A long battle against her would be disadvantageous.
The longer the fight went on, the more the electricity-induced stiffness built up in my body.
Then I saw it—behind her, countless lightning spears gathering together.
The cluster of lightning spears converged into a single orb, like a hedgehog of pure electricity.
“This crazy—”
This attack could be dangerous.
She planned to pin me down in close combat and then finish the test with a wide-area blast.
If that bomb, made from dozens of lightning spears, hit, it would be game over.
I tried to shake her off, but she clung to me relentlessly, refusing to let go.
It was a desperate situation—but I gained one certainty.
If I blocked that attack, I’d pass for sure.
Even if I had to push myself to the limit, I had to stop it here.
Intense heat surged from my body as I drove the Asura Divine Art to its extreme.
“Kh.”
Yoo Iseo groaned at the sudden burst of heat.
Her lightning form could ignore physical attacks, but not the effects of another natural phenomenon.
Then, she was forced to pull away from me.
I instinctively looked up.
The sphere of lightning was descending.
I cursed under my breath and pushed the Asura Divine Art to its absolute limit.
Mana spun through my veins so rapidly it felt like my blood would ignite.
As the mana coursed through my body at incredible speed, infernal flames began to surge and spread outward.
The flames whirled around me, forming a dome.
It was an application of Purgatory, the secret art of the Asura Divine Art, which condensed and rapidly spun the flames.
From nearby came faint groans.
That was a side effect of my imperfect mastery of the technique.
I focused as hard as I could, keeping the heat from harming others.
The overexertion made my head feel like it would burst.
Soon, the sphere of lightning and my infernal barrier collided.
At once, the orb of lightning exploded, launching countless thunderbolts in every direction.
“Ghh—!”
The barrage of electric spears hammered against my barrier.
Lightning poured down like torrential rain, clashing with my flames to create a massive storm of energy.
The impact sent a metallic taste of blood into my mouth.
Still, I clenched my teeth and endured the bombardment.
I didn’t know how much time had passed.
The heat overwhelmed my senses, making my mind hazy.
It became difficult to even think.
Through the ringing in my ears, I barely heard Yoo Iseo’s voice.
Her voice, faint and tinged with disbelief, reached me through the haze.
“This freshman… is a tough one.”