I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎𝟕

Since the exit of the Black Forest opened up,

Although everyone entered together, only Han Seo-ah and I returned to the Sahwanjae’s nest. Of course, the reason for that was easy to figure out.

「𝙄𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙩.」

The rest of the people must be searching for their own places and reuniting with their loved ones.

It was a week full of unexpected events and crises, but it was also a week where we gained a lot.

The greatest achievement among them was this.

「𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.」

Ring!

【Eve’s Remains】

▶It is currently in a state of suspension due to the loss of its power source.

The remains of Eve, the witch Verdi’s voodoo doll, which was located at the last gate.

After bringing it out through the Formless Box, I conducted a detailed analysis for a whole night and came up with an optimistic observation.

「𝙄𝙛 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩, 𝙬𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩.」

Eve is a voodoo doll made from a witch’s secret technique, which means it’s similar to a shikigami or familiar in the West.

If we can revive it, I will be able to borrow her power through a contract.

「. . .𝙊𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩, 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙨.」

I think we can restore it to a level close to 50. I had high hopes for this ancient artifact.

「𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩, 𝙄 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙎𝙚𝙤 𝙅𝙞-𝙖𝙣.」

It seemed like I could already see the trial and error that I would face in the future, but it was too much of a waste to give up now.

After all, it was a shikigami that appeared in the 4th installment of the series, which takes place dozens of years later. If it’s at the beginning of the series like now, we would be able to utilize its power more effectively.

「𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙨 𝙙𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙜-𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙢 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙘 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩, 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙬𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙪𝙥 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙬𝙤.」

I shrugged my shoulders and called up my status window.

【Han Kang-yoon】

▶Level 39

▶Ability Scores

【Stamina: C+】

【Spiritual power: B】

【Spellcraft: B-】

【Mental Strength: A-】

▶Traits (6/10)

【Shadow Assimilation(S)】

【Witch’s Echo(A+)】

【Spirit Absorption(A)】

【Challenger(B+)】

【Mental Spellbook(B)】

【Revived Person(B-)】

Originally, it wasn’t easy to level up after the late 30s, but thanks to sticking with Han Seo-ah inside the Eternal Labyrinth and facing strong enemies, I leveled up faster than I thought.

Now, no matter where I look, I’m at the top level, even among Class A.

At this rate, at the very least, I won’t be dragged around by the situation without being able to do anything in the upcoming incidents.

「. . . . . . .」

And, separately, I also gained a trait that bothered me a little.

「𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝’𝙨 𝙀𝙘𝙝𝙤, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣.」

【Witch’s Echo(A+)】

▶The scent of the ancient witch, Verdi, haunts the owner.

There’s also a backstory to this trait.

At the time, in response to the request from the higher-ups that they needed something to differentiate them from ordinary yokai, they tried to give the monsters of the Black Forest a common trait, and that was the Witch’s Echo trait.

「𝙃𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡.」

At most, the monsters of the Black Forest have a slight resistance to forbidden art?

Honestly, I have no idea what’s going on beyond that.

And in the first place, I don’t understand why I have this trait at all.

「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙞𝙣𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚, 𝙨𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙄 𝙙𝙤?」

Han Seo-ah, who actually inherited it, gained the S-rank trait Lunar Witch instead of Witch’s Echo.

It was something that I couldn’t help but find questionable.

「. . .𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨, 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙩.」

As I mentioned before, there was a way to erase traits, so I wrapped up my thoughts with that in mind.

And so, the night after I returned to the academy passed by.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

The next day, I once again welcomed the weekend, filled out the entry log and headed somewhere in the morning.

It was the facility where Seo Ji-an and her younger sister Seo Ji-ha were staying.

“. . .You remembered to come. Thank you.”

“I have something to ask of you, and it’s also because of the promise I made last time.”

“How’s your body? I heard that a lot happened.”

Seo Ji-an didn’t participate in the Do-hwa-won field trip due to personal reasons, so it seemed like she heard about the Sahwanjae incident a bit late.

“It wasn’t a big deal. In the end, it wasn’t bad either.”

“It feels strangely different for something like that to happen. . . . . . .”

Seo Ji-an took a step closer to me, rolled her emerald-colored eyes, and began to carefully examine my body here and there.

Perhaps it was because my level increased all at once, or maybe it was because I gained the Witch’s Echo trait.

「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙑𝙚𝙧𝙙𝙞’𝙨 𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩.」

Anyway, it wasn’t that noticeable, so Seo Ji-an soon lost interest and beckoned me.

“Come in, the basement is waiting.”

To be honest, when I saw Seo Ji-ha again after all this time, I was a bit surprised.

“Oh, it’s Oppa. Hello!”

Her thin body had regained its health and returned to its original form, and her eyes were full of life. Above all, Seo Ji-ha was now walking around the facility on her own without the help of any medical devices.

“You’ve gotten a lot better?”

“My sister spent all her money, so it would be troublesome if I didn’t get better.”

Seo Ji-ha put down the book she was reading and gently scolded Seo Ji-an.

It seemed like worrying about family finances was the same for both sides.

Seo Ji-ha carefully got up from her chair, approached me, and grabbed my hand.

“Sister, I’m going for a short walk.”

“. . .Don’t go too far.”

“Okay.”

And so, Seo Ji-ha pulled me away from Seo Ji-an and started talking about this and that.

“I know how you feel, but sister is always too overprotective. You know that, Oppa?”

“That’s just how families are.”

“Yeah. That’s why we’re family.”

She occasionally stumbled, but that was only because she wasn’t used to using her body yet, and it wasn’t because there was something wrong with her.

I turned my gaze slightly and observed Seo Ji-ha’s information with my emotion function.

Ring!

【Seo Ji-ha】

▶Level 24

▶Ability Scores

【Stamina: C】

【Spiritual power: S】

【Spellcraft: B】

【Mental Strength: A-】

▶Traits (4/10)

【Dragon’s Heart(S)】

【Vitality Absorption(B+)】

【Accelerated Growth(B)】

【Revived Person(B-)】

Her level went up by five whole levels, and her stamina rank also went up by two.

Perhaps as she regained her health, her body grew and the increase in her abilities, which had been delayed until now, happened at the same time.

「𝘼𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚, 𝙨𝙝𝙚’𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙢.」

Of course, she needs to have the corresponding level of knowledge, but Class A Seo Ji-an can teach her that, can’t she?

In particular, the S-rank Spiritual power and the Dragon’s Heart trait, if handled well, will make her the second Sophia Charlotte.

As if she had a similar thought, Seo Ji-ha also brought up the same topic.

“Going to the academy. Oppa said you were in favor of it?”

“. . .That’s right.”

“Sister gave her permission too. I can still see that she’s worried though.”

If that’s the case, then that’s good. The proper knowledge and experiences at the academy will surely give her the strong mind and body she needs to not be swayed by the remnants of Gang Cheol-i’s soul.

Seo Ji-ha, who had been walking through the flowerbeds full of plants, asked me a question as if she was a bit worried.

“I’ve never formally learned sorcery, but do you think I can become a proper exorcist like Oppa or Unnie?”

“That depends on how much effort you put in from now on.”

“Sometimes Oppa’s answers are so old-fashioned that it’s not even funny.”

However, Seo Ji-ha smiled slyly, contradicting her words, and opened her mouth again.

“Still, it’s because Oppa was that kind of person that I was able to live.”

“. . . . . . .”

“Take good care of my sister. I’m against it, to be honest, but she wants to get her hands on Dae-jin Industries no matter what.”

“Is there anything I can do to help in that regard?”

“Just being there for her will make my sister happy.”

Certainly, having a colleague who supports you no matter what becomes a source of strength.

I nodded slightly and walked around the facility with Seo Ji-ha before returning to Seo Ji-an.

Now, it was time to talk about some business.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

“There’s a lot that I haven’t seen. Do you need something completely different from before?”

“The purpose isn’t that different, but it’s a different category.”

I found Seo Ji-an in her office with Seo Ji-ha and asked her for the materials to revive Eve, the shikigami of the witch Verdi.

“. . .It might take a while this time.”

“That’s fine. It’s not something that needs to be dealt with urgently.”

Rather, the fact that I’m able to procure these precious materials is amazing in itself.

As far as I know, the price was quite high, so to be honest, I felt a bit guilty this time.

“Then I’ll try to get them.”

“Thank you.”

“Speaking of which, I have something to tell you as well.”

What Seo Ji-an brought up was none other than information about Seo Tae-hu, the owner of Dae-jin Industries.

「𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨.」

Although he hadn’t appeared in the main story, he was one of the people I was very interested in, so I welcomed the news.

“Recently, I had the chance to meet an aide who worked closely with that man for a long time in the past.”

“An aide?”

“Yeah. He said that he used to be Seo Tae-hu’s bodyguard as a private security guard. He’s a 1st-grade exorcist.”

A 1st-grade exorcist. He was quite a big shot to be assigned as a mere bodyguard.

When I focused my gaze and listened intently, Seo Ji-an continued, recalling that time.

“Now he’s completely separated from Dae-jin Industries as a thing of the past, so I tried to get him to spill his guts. And then. . . . . . .”

“Did he spill any information?”

“No. But I was able to hear some pretty sincere advice.”

The content of that advice was as follows.

“He said that I would never be able to surpass Seo Tae-hu, and that it would be the same for anyone else.”

That was certainly a strange story.

A 1st-grade exorcist is a big shot in his own right, and he must have had many opportunities to witness the special-grade exorcists known as the Transcendents, but despite that, he still rated Seo Tae-hu higher than them.

“That’s pretty suspicious.”

“Yeah. That man still seems to be hiding a secret that I can’t even guess.”

“That secret, could it be something that even a special-grade exorcist wouldn’t be able to handle?”

“That’s what he said.”

Of course, Seo Ji-an said that she had no intention of confronting Seo Tae-hu right away, but since she ultimately aims for the throne of Dae-jin Industries, he is someone she will have to face someday.

「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚.」

It’s too early to say that it’s someone else’s business, because there’s no telling how Seo Tae-hu will affect the story later on.

Furthermore, considering what happened in Spain, Seo Tae-hu might also exert another influence in the new story that was added exclusively for Hell difficulty.

Seo Tae-hu, definitely a person to watch out for.

I engraved the three characters of his name in my heart and returned to the academy with a vague sense of unease.