Chapter 176 : The Fragment

Chapter 176: The Fragment

The ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍massive explosion of starlight subsided, leaving behind a single silhouette amid the dense smoke.

Even ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍though the smoke had yet to disperse, I could instinctively tell who had won the duel.

“Park ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Siwoo won.”

Dan ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Chun-woo was the first to speak.

It ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍must have stung inside, but he pretended to be composed.

Far ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍in the distance, I could see Park Siwoo barely managing to stand by using his spear as a cane.

Even being generous, he didn’t look particularly intact.

Park Siwoo’s entire body was charred black.

On top of that, one of his arms had vanished to who knew where.

It was proof that the clone hadn’t gone down easily, even at the very end.

Even so, the corners of his lips curled into a grin.

Park Siwoo’s half-dead voice reached us.

“You haven’t forgotten the bet, right?”

At that innocent remark, Helena shook her head.

“This is why men are…….”

“Helena, you’re talking as though you fought with some great dignity. You were more serious about the bet than anyone.”

“You’re one to talk. Who was the one constantly pestering him for sparring matches because you wanted to catch up with Park Siwoo?”

“You’re both the same.”

Eunha, who had remained quiet, joined in as well.

Before I knew it, they had started bickering among themselves.

Ignoring them, I said something to Park Siwoo.

“Got a feel for it now?”

“Honestly, I’m still not sure.”

The method he had used to manifest Origin was fundamentally different from the original method.

To be frank, wasn’t it practically a Self-Destruct Technique?

Of course, its power was correspondingly immense.

The clone had vanished without leaving even a trace.

But it had been a gamble that was only possible because of the Immortality granted by the Fragment’s trial.

“It’d be too risky to use outside.”

Park Siwoo didn’t possess the Authority of Restoration like I did.

“I got lucky.”

“Don’t be too disappointed. Even if you won through luck, a win is still a win. And if you succeeded once, there’s no reason you can’t do it twice.”

He seemed disappointed that he hadn’t truly achieved Origin, but now that he had succeeded in manifesting it once, properly reproducing it wasn’t that far away.

Standing up and taking the first step was the hard part.

After that, all you had to do was keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Besides, their growth had exceeded my expectations as well.

If they all attacked me together now, even I probably wouldn’t be able to withstand them.

At that moment, light flashed beyond the distant horizon.

A wave of light spread outward and enveloped us, healing Park Siwoo’s grievously wounded body.

Eunha pointed toward the distant Beam of Light and shouted.

“There! The Gate!”

The others’ expressions became strange when they saw it.

How should I describe those expressions?

Maybe like soldiers finally being discharged from military service.

It was understandable.

We had spent nearly three years inside the Fragment’s trial.

“You’re practically about to cry.”

Helena snapped at me to shut up.

It seemed that only after seeing the Gate leading to the second trial did it finally sink in that they had cleared this one.

I recalled the contents of the second trial.

The second trial was definitely…….

What was it again?

Had I spent too long in this place?

My memories had become hazy.

I had spent more time here than I had spent at the Academy since possessing this body.

Of course, remembering wasn’t difficult.

I had anticipated something like this and written down all the necessary information in my notes beforehand.

After checking my notes, I grimaced.

I remembered what the second trial was.

Come to think of it, when I was a player, I hated the second trial even more than the first.

The second trial was related to Dan Chun-woo.

Dan Chun-woo’s character concept was reformation.

In other words, proving that he had become a better person than his past self.

The game had implemented that in an incredibly shitty way.

A maze escape and a quiz.

As you wandered through an absurdly complicated maze, memories of the past would surface, followed by questions.

Though honestly, calling them “questions” wasn’t entirely appropriate.

You had to look back on the choices you had made in the past and fully accept the consequences they had caused.

The quiz was essentially a scoreboard reviewing my playthrough.

It showed what happened afterward because of choices I had made during the game or forced me to confront past mistakes.

Naturally, answering incorrectly led you down the wrong path, forcing you to wander endlessly through the maze.

I still remembered how bewildered I had been when I first encountered this trial.

The reason I remembered the contents of <Become a Hero> so clearly wasn’t just because I had played it for such a long time.

The questions in this trial had also played a major part.

At least there was one fortunate thing.

These guys had entered the trial much earlier than they did in the original timeline.

In other words, the material covered by the test would be reduced.

I called out to the others as they approached the Gate.

“In the next trial, we’ll be separated. In other words, it’ll be an individual trial. Don’t panic when you get there. Carefully retrace your past.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’ll understand when you get there.”

Then, together with the others, I threw myself into the Gate leading to the second trial.

Yoo Iseo opened her eyes.

A groan escaped her involuntarily from the excruciating pain.

Her body refused to obey her.

She blinked for a moment before retracing her memories.

It had already been two weeks since the war with Pandemonium began.

The fierce battles had continued without pause.

Unlike during the previous Great War, they had changed their tactics.

For the past two weeks, Pandemonium’s High-ranking Executives had repeatedly attacked and withdrawn at all hours.

As though they intended to slowly bleed the Academy dry.

They couldn’t hope for reinforcements from the other Heroes.

That was because Pandemonium had turned the Association and Heroes’ own strategy against them.

To prevent another Great War like the previous one, the Heroes had been suppressing Demon activity itself.

But the Demons had instead taken advantage of that.

Demons carried out sudden terrorist attacks across the world, preventing the Heroes from gathering at the Academy.

That wasn’t all.

Several powerful Demons evaded the Association and Heroes’ surveillance and launched surprise attacks against the Academy.

Suicide squads sent to bring down the enormous fortress known as the Academy.

The Demons’ sudden Assaults were more than enough to push the Academy’s Heroes, who were already exhausted from their continuous battles against the High-ranking Executives, to their limits.

South Korea was facing greater chaos than ever before.

The battles were smaller in scale than the previous Great War, but the damage was considerable.

Turning her head, Yoo Iseo saw Seo Da-hee sleeping with her face buried against the side of her bed.

Her arm was also wrapped in a thick cast.

Yoo Iseo tried to sit up, only to clutch her head as a horrific headache struck her.

“Serpin.”

The ones concentrating their attacks on the Academy were Pandemonium’s High-ranking Executives.

Each time, the Sword Emperor and the other Top-ranking Heroes had stopped them.

But—

They were slowly being pushed back.

They lacked fighting power.

Pandemonium had four High-ranking Executives, while their side only had three Top-ranking Heroes.

Yoo Iseo and Seo Da-hee had at least managed to join forces to hold Serpin back, but that was all they could do.

Endure.

They had yet to find a proper way to deal with her.

Moreover, Serpin had recognized the potential within the unpolished gem known as Yoo Iseo.

She had instinctively realized that if Yoo Iseo wasn’t eliminated quickly, she would grow into an troublesome opponent.

Perhaps that was why Serpin had repeatedly focused her attacks on Yoo Iseo.

‘And that’s why I’m lying here now.’

She had genuinely almost died in their last battle.

Serpin’s abilities grew stronger the longer a battle continued.

The Domain of Dreams exposed the opponent’s subconscious.

In other words, it laid bare everything from their past to their weaknesses.

Serpin, the Empress of Nightmares, exploited those weaknesses with vicious persistence.

Whenever Yoo Iseo tried to destroy the space itself with a wide-area attack, Serpin created illusions of her companions around her, preventing her from using her abilities recklessly.

Whenever she tried to escape the Domain of Dreams, Serpin personally appeared and threatened the life of Seo Da-hee, her weakness.

The absurd part was that whenever Yoo Iseo rushed in to save Seo Da-hee, that Seo Da-hee often turned out to be an illusion.

Even so, Yoo Iseo couldn’t simply ignore Serpin’s actions.

Because sometimes, Serpin really did target Seo Da-hee’s life.

At that moment, she heard rustling beside her.

“Iseo?”

“You’re awake?”

“How are you feeling? Are you okay? Does anything hurt?”

The instant Seo Da-hee woke up, she hurriedly began checking Yoo Iseo’s condition.

Deep guilt filled her eyes as she looked at Yoo Iseo.

Trying to reassure her, Yoo Iseo deliberately spoke lightly.

“My body isn’t moving the way I want it to, but I’m fine. If I rest for a little while, I’ll be back to normal.”

“…….”

Seo Da-hee fell silent.

She knew just as well as Yoo Iseo how ridiculous those words were.

They were in the middle of a war.

A war where every single fighter mattered.

Losing one of their greatest forces for keeping a High-ranking Executive in check was devastating.

For reference, the Academy’s other Upper-ranking Heroes all had roles of their own.

Instructor Mabel was busy maintaining the Academy’s protective Barrier, while the Sword Empress was stopping Demons outside the Academy.

As for Instructor Kang Je-seok…….

There was no telling how much help he would be as a fighting force, and after he had already sacrificed himself once for a cadet, they couldn’t drag him back onto the battlefield.

Moreover, entrusting him with holding back the High-ranking Executive Serpin while he was still adapting to his new body would be far too risky.

Moisture gathered in Seo Da-hee’s large eyes.

Thick tears trickled. Down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry. You got hurt trying to save me…….”

“Why would you say that? You would’ve done exactly the same thing if our positions were reversed.”

Her sorrowful sobs quietly echoed throughout the infirmary.

‘Husband, when are you finally coming back?’

Feeling Seo Da-hee’s emotions, Lia thought of Yoo Seongwoo.

A faint resentment toward him was beginning to raise its head.

She hated that no matter how long she waited, he didn’t return.

It had already been three weeks since he entered the Fragment.

The people at the Academy were already exhausted.

Not only the instructors and cadets, but the Sword Emperor and the others as well.

Until now, they had managed to maintain an even balance of power, but with Yoo Iseo out of action, there was no telling how long they could hold out.

And yet the Fragment still showed no response.

‘Since the Fragment hasn’t opened again, he must still be alive…….’

Ever since Yoo Seongwoo and the others entered the Fragment, her connection with him had been temporarily severed.

She could tell that the connection between their souls remained intact, but she had no idea what condition he was in or what emotions he was feeling.

At least she no longer felt the anxiety of watching a candle that could go out at any moment, but knowing absolutely nothing was frustrating in its own way.

‘Come back soon.’

At that moment, the Academy grounds trembled with a violent vibration.

The blood instantly drained from both of their faces.

Had Pandemonium invaded again?

Unless an earthquake had suddenly struck, there weren’t many beings capable of making the ground shake like this.

The image of a particular Demon flashed through their minds.

A Giant so enormous he resembled a building, who had fought against the Sword Emperor.

Tamuz, a High-ranking Executive of Pandemonium.

Whenever he stomped his feet or smashed his fists into the earth, the ground shook just like this.

But it hadn’t been long since they had withdrawn.

Even if they were High-ranking Executives, there was no way they wouldn’t be exhausted after fighting the Sword Emperor and the other Top-ranking Heroes.

Seo Da-hee sprang to her feet and rushed toward the window.

If that calamity-like Demon had truly invaded again, there was no way his enormous body wouldn’t be visible.

Unable to move her body, Yoo Iseo asked Seo Da-hee.

“Did he really invade again?”

“No. I can’t see anything.”

Moreover, the vibrations that had shaken the ground had already disappeared.

Bzzzzzz-.

At that moment, both of their phones vibrated simultaneously.

When they checked them, they found a single photo attached to a short message.

The sender was none other than Instructor Mabel.

[Something changed in the Fragment where Yoo Seongwoo disappeared!]

The attached photograph showed the Fragment where Yoo Seongwoo had vanished.

After seeing it, Seo Da-hee quietly muttered.

“The Fragment?!”