I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner – Chapter 183

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖𝟑

「𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙤𝙣 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣?」

It looked exactly like me, not just in appearance but also in the way it fought and its attack patterns.

What was even more surprising was that it used the same Future Magic as me.

「𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙇𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜? 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.」

While I was speechless from the shocking sight, one of the enforcers who had been interrogating me snorted and opened his mouth.

“Why? Do you have nothing to say now that you’re confronted with such clear evidence?”

“. . . I don’t know what you’re talking about, but it wasn’t me.”

“Nonsense. Are you saying that someone else disguised themselves, used your spell, and committed a crime serious enough to kill several exorcists?”

It certainly didn’t make sense. Even I had to agree that the man’s words were reasonable.

But it wasn’t untrue. In fact, I had no memory of doing any of those things.

“The investigation has already been completed. And the conclusion is clear.”

“When was the footage taken?”

“You should know that better than anyone.”

But as if he couldn’t resist telling me, the man quickly checked the records and gave me the information.

“The 17th. . . . . . . That was 5 days ago.”

5 days ago, I was definitely moving from the temple to participate in the subjugation of Yusu-bi. However, the crime scene, Seomyeon, was in the completely opposite direction from my path of travel.

“At that time, I was moving from the temple in Jeonnam to Hwasun. I’m sure the CCTV along the road or the civilians who helped me can attest to my alibi.”

If a proper investigation was conducted, there was bound to be at least one piece of evidence that I was there.

However, as I thought about it, I frowned as I realized something strange.

「. . . 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩, 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚?」

If that was the case, they would have been able to obtain an alibi for me, but there had been no mention of it until now.

The implication was simple.

Kwaang!

“I told you the investigation was complete. I won’t tolerate any more stalling. Confess your crimes and follow our orders.”

“. . . . . . .”

It meant that someone had already gotten to them, or rather, to their superiors.

「𝘿𝙖𝙢𝙣, 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙚?」

There weren’t many factions that would be desperate enough to target me at this time.

And if there was anyone in the Enforcement Bureau of the headquarters who had that much authority.

「𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝘿𝙤-𝙮𝙤𝙤𝙡?」

I wasn’t sure, but that seemed like the most likely possibility. But I still had questions about the method.

No matter how much Cheong Do-yool planned, how could he create a double of me?

And it wasn’t just a simple imitation; it seemed to be a perfect copy of me.

That was what bothered me the most.

At that moment, a thought crossed my mind.

「. . . 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙑𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙤𝙤 𝙎𝙚𝙚𝙙?」

During the Voodoo Seed incident involving Hektel and Yoo Hye-yeon, Sophia, who had visited me in the hospital, had said this.

There was a shadow of an academy student who had given even the current exorcists a hard time.

The base was male, but strangely enough, there were no guesses as to who it might be.

「𝙃𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙅𝙞-𝙝𝙖𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨.」

And in the end, it seemed that no one had ever found out his true identity.

「𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙬?」

And if it still existed and was walking around in this world?

Then the sight on the screen now wouldn’t be so incomprehensible.

「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙗𝙪𝙩. . . . . . .」

My Shadow Assimilation trait also originates from a shadow. Perhaps it had created some kind of synergy with the Voodoo Seed.

The fact that it was using Future Magic, which I had never used before, supported this hypothesis.

「𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝘿𝙤-𝙮𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.」

It was an opportunity to get rid of a troublesome enemy without lifting a finger, so there was no reason to hesitate.

And the fate of an exorcist who had killed his colleagues was all too clear.

“You will now be taken to the Yangcheolgung.”

The special prison, Yangcheolgung.

The final destination for exorcists who had committed heinous crimes beyond a certain level.

It seemed that I was going to be sent there.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

「𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙢 𝙄 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤?」

Gulp.

Gulp, gulp.

Inside the transport vehicle heading to the Yangcheolgung, I sighed repeatedly, lost in endless contemplation.

I was being guarded by two 1st-grade exorcists, so it was impossible to escape in my current physical condition.

「𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙜𝙤 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙔𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙡𝙜𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮. . . . . . .」

The situation would become even more serious. The Yangcheolgung wasn’t called a special prison for nothing.

「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙡 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮.」

The descendants of a special bloodline that had been passed down in Korea for many years inherited their positions from their ancestors when they were ready and became the masters of the Yangcheolgung, managing the prisoners held within.

And of course, their abilities were formidable.

Beyond their level, they had the ability to control even the most heinous criminals in prison.

「𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚. . . . . . .」

It was possible that one of the five special-grade exorcists in Korea was in charge of it.

And what about its location?

It was built somewhere on the west coast, making it difficult for outsiders to infiltrate, and escape was even more remote.

Even before considering all of that, breaking through the powerful barrier formation that surrounded the prison was nearly impossible.

In short, once you went in, it was over. You might never see the light of day again.

「𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬?」

I had defeated Yusu-bi, but soon the clutches of Jin-myeong would descend upon this land of Korea.

The time I had been most worried about and preparing for had arrived, but I was in a crisis where I couldn’t even go outside because I was trapped in the Yangcheolgung.

It was truly the worst possible situation.

「𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙨.」

I hadn’t thought of it before, but perhaps Cheong Do-yool wasn’t the one responsible for putting me here.

「𝙅𝙞𝙣-𝙢𝙮𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚.」

He had set his sights on Cheong Juhwa before, and since I had used Cheong So-ha, who was like his right-hand woman, in various ways, he must have known about me.

And what if Jin-myeong had already contacted Cheong So-ha and established himself within the Cheong family?

It would make sense for him to get rid of me, an annoying obstacle.

「𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙.」

I had faced many life-threatening situations in the past, but this was the first time I had been in a situation with no answers.

Even as I thought about it, the transport vehicle continued to drive along the road, and eventually, it boarded a designated ship and headed towards the Yangcheolgung, which was located at sea.

And finally, the moment I had dreaded most had arrived.

“Get out. We’re moving.”

Gulp.

Gulp, gulp.

Before me lay the massive, floating prison.

To be honest, it was too grand to be called a prison, and it was even beautiful.

But I could see it. The sinister barrier formation that surrounded it, and the lingering souls of the countless prisoners who had died in the prison.

I swallowed nervously and slowly followed the enforcer’s lead into it.

A prison of death from which you could never escape once you entered.

I had finally become a part of it.

“. . . Han Kang-yoon, you’re here. Second floor, Room 7.”

“Follow me from now on.”

The enforcers who had completed their mission left after the handover and I was left alone, following the guard.

As I walked, I observed my surroundings, which were truly impenetrable.

「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣.」

There was no way to escape, not even a glimmer of possibility.

This place was completely cut off from the world. It was a place where one could only wait for their own death.

“The warden will give you the details. If you cause any trouble, you will be solely responsible for the consequences.”

The guard said only what he had to say and left me in the room without hesitation.

His indifferent expression sent shivers down my spine.

「. . . . . . .」

As I entered the room, I saw several pairs of eyes looking at me with various meanings.

Indifference, mild curiosity, or even malicious anticipation as if they had found a new toy.

However, after checking their information, I sighed and spoke first.

“I’m not in a good mood right now.”

“What? This crazy. . . . . . .”

“So if you touch me, be prepared to lose a limb or two.”

At those words, a heavily tattooed man rose from his seat with a grin.

In this place, there were many restrictions on the use of spells, so naturally, unless one had a high level of skill, one’s own physical strength was their only value.

Thud.

Thud, thud.

“A wet-behind-the-ears kid doesn’t know how scary the world can be.”

All of these people were exorcists who had committed serious crimes outside.

Each and every one of them was dangerous and malicious.

However, that also meant that I didn’t have to bother with unnecessary provocation.

Kwadeudeudeuk!

“Keuk, keughhh!”

“Didn’t I tell you? I’d break you.”

I snapped the man’s arm like a twig without mercy and ignored him as he cowered in fear, sending a warning to everyone in the room.

“I would appreciate it if no one else interfered with me from now on.”

No one dared to argue.

My current appearance was clearly that of someone using a body strengthening spell.

And being able to use that level of spell in this prison meant.

“A-A high-ranking exorcist.”

“Holy shit. At that age. . . . . .?”

In an instant, the hierarchy within the room had changed.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

Of course, I was thrown into solitary confinement for using a spell without permission.

But it didn’t matter. It was much better for me to organize my thoughts for the time being.

「𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚.」

Just like when I cleared one of the Eternal Labyrinths last time, this was originally a task given to the protagonist of a much later generation.

But it couldn’t be helped. I was living in this world right now, and I didn’t have the luxury of worrying about people from the distant future.

「𝙀𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙔𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙡𝙜𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣.」

But there was someone who had broken that common sense. It was the protagonist of the fifth installment of the Exorcism series.

「𝙎𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮. . . . . . .」

It was time to borrow a little bit of his experience and knowledge.

From now on, I will be the first person to successfully escape from this impregnable fortress.

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