I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner – Chapter 295

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟗𝟓

Everyone remained silent, unable to answer. Hong Lin continued speaking.

“It may be a misconception, but. . . I originally thought that Ho-chung sent you to this era for that reason.”

“. . .Are you saying that Ho-chung’s solution is to sacrifice someone to send Polar Night of the illusory world outside?”

“I can’t think of any other reason. If they try to control the yokai outside and eliminate each other, their power will naturally be divided and diminished, and that may be the only way to defeat Polar Night.”

It definitely didn’t sound like a baseless argument.

I could tell from Hong Lin’s words that she had sincerely pondered and come up with this solution.

However, I couldn’t say for sure that it was the truth.

“Polar Night is an existence that can be revived even if it dies. Are you saying that the act of confronting it can break that law?”

“. . .I can’t be sure about that. However, it may be possible to seal the weakened Polar Night for a long time or to kill it once and pass the task on to future generations.”

“In the end, it’s all just speculation. Even Hong Lin-nim can’t say for sure that it’s the right answer.”

At those words, Hong Lin nodded briefly after a moment of silence. However, she didn’t stop talking.

“The choice is not mine to make. But keep this in mind. If sending Polar Night here was Ho-chung’s intention, you will be crossing a river you can’t turn back from.”

It was a cold statement, but it was also one that hit the nail on the head.

There was no time to hesitate. I had to make a choice right here and now.

And in fact, the answer had already been decided long ago.

“I appreciate your honesty, but I’m not going to do it.”

“. . . . . . . . .”

“Even if that was really Ho-chung’s intention. It’s just Ho-chung’s answer, not the answer I’ve chosen for myself.”

Hong Lin nodded reluctantly as she listened to me, and only then did her calm smile return.

“If you have that much conviction, then it doesn’t matter. Do as you wish.”

“Hong Lin-nim. . .”

“The table is set before you. Why don’t you feast with your family one last time? And give my regards to that child outside.”

With those words, Hong Lin called out to the Satou-pai members and headed toward the battlefield where Polar Night was.

The youki fading from the bodies of the yokai who had already accepted their end lit up the void like a small Milky Way.

As the group stood there, mesmerized by the sight, I felt a strange sense of admiration as I once again picked up Sancheon’s broken horn and retraced the traces of magic.

“. . .Everyone, are you ready?”

The group nodded one by one at my grim words.

And following my instructions, they formed a circle, just like when we first traveled to this era.

There had been all sorts of ups and downs, but now it was time to leave all that behind and return to the original battlefield.

However, I would never forget those memories. As I looked around, I could tell that the group felt the same way.

“Then, let’s go.”

As I chanted the mantra, the fragments of Sancheon’s broken horn began to emit their last light.

And the moment that light formed a circle and enveloped everyone, we felt a strange sensation, as if our very existence was being sucked somewhere.

5 seconds, 10 seconds, and then another 10 seconds passed. We gradually saw the light fading and realized that we were standing in a completely different place.

“We’re. . . back. . .”

It was a 21st-century city with broken buildings and dust flying everywhere. It was our hometown, Korea.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

“Ha-on!”

“Did you finish everything and come back?”

We were the first to return to the Eight-Star Formation barrier formation spread out in Korea, and we were greeted by our colleagues.

Echinacea Lianqi also appeared and looked at us with a nervous expression. I took her aside for a moment and briefly told her what had happened.

“. . .I didn’t know that such things had happened. The era when Ho-chung existed as a young man.”

“When did Echinacea Lianqi-nim meet Ho-chung-nim in the original history?”

“It must have been when Satou-pai disbanded and I was wandering the world alone. I don’t know his exact age, but Ho-chung at that time was already called Heavenly Taoist and looked like he was somewhere between middle-aged and elderly.”

It seemed that the history we had intervened in and the original history had taken on quite different forms.

I also asked about Seo Cheon-ye and the five great yokai, but the ends that Echinacea Lianqi told me were either completely unexpected or there was no information at all.

When I told her about what had happened with Hong Lin, Echinacea Lianqi smiled faintly as if recalling a memory and expressed her gratitude.

“. . .I see. Well, at that point, she would have still been alive. It seems that her nature didn’t change, even in the illusory world.”

“He was a great person. She also helped us a lot in unraveling the secrets of Polar Night.”

So now, it was time to get back to the more fundamental issues.

When I told her the information I had found out and guessed about Polar Night, Echinacea Lianqi was surprised and shocked, and then she told me her opinion.

“. . .Amazing. I never would have thought that Polar Night was such an existence. It seems that you’ve achieved much greater results than I expected.”

“I appreciate the evaluation, but in the end, we just ran away from it at the last moment.”

“No. Nothing you did was meaningless. The information you’ve brought back will definitely help us find a solution in some way.”

Also, as an aside, Echinacea Lianqi said that she thought there was a good chance that we wouldn’t even be able to approach the true nature of Polar Night or that we wouldn’t be able to come back at all.

That just goes to show how difficult and dangerous a task it was.

“What was it like outside?”

Now that I had told her everything, it was my turn to gather information.

According to her, a little over a week had passed since we entered the illusory world, and nothing major had happened during that time.

However, the situation itself was so bad that it was basically a daily crisis.

“. . .It sounds like a difficult situation. If Polar Night appears in this situation, the balance of the world’s defenses will definitely collapse.”

“There are still several great yokai from the past in the Scapula Chamber. To be honest, I don’t think the Korean exorcists will be able to handle it.”

Echinacea Lianqi’s assessment was accurate. That was why I had taken the risk of handing Sancheon’s horn to us a week ago.

And looking back, it was definitely the right decision.

【Han Kang-yoon】

▶Level 76

▶Ability Scores

【Stamina: B+】

【Spiritual power: A+】

【Spellcraft: A-】

【Mental Strength: S-】

▶Traits (9/10)

【Shadow Assimilation (S)】

【Witch’s Echo (A+)】

【Dragon’s Body (A+)】

【Tenacious Struggle (A+)】

【Giant Slayer (A)】

【Spirit Absorption (A)】

【Yonglimse (A)】

【Challenger (B+)】

【Mental Spellbook (B)】

A year may not seem like much, but the density of the battles we fought there was simply indescribable.

We fought yokai every day or two, and we defeated several great yokai with transcendental powers and some giant yokai that were almost S-rank.

In addition, the environment was perfect for training due to the abundance of natural energy, so our growth during that year in the illusory world was impossible to describe in words.

“We will definitely defeat the great yokai remaining in the Scapula Chamber.”

“. . .You sound confident. I will do my best to help when the time comes.”

After finishing my meeting with Echinacea Lianqi, I went up to the roof of a collapsed building and lay down.

The situation had been so urgent that I hadn’t noticed, but I had used up a lot of energy since I fell into the illusory world and returned here.

『Are you okay?』

Verdi’s voice came through, sounding worried. I nodded, and then another voice reached my ears.

『Oppa, I’ve been watching you, and you tend to push yourself too hard. It’s better to rest even when you’re like this.』

I raised my right arm, and blue veins appeared under my skin, and my fingernails became sharp and gave off a strange aura.

It was the result of choosing to have Guimei, who had completely given up on her own body, be absorbed into me. It was called the Ghost Hand.

“Are you really okay with this outcome?”

『It’s nothing special. I actually like it quite a bit. It’ll be easier to watch things unfold from here.』

After my final confrontation with Hong Lin in the illusory world, Guimei asked me to fulfill my promise to her before returning to the present.

And this was the result.

“To think that you had such thoughts. . .”

『I couldn’t help it. I’m a fake existence, after all. So in order to go outside, I had to become a part of something real.』

It made sense that she would be so cooperative. After all, she had basically become a kind of avatar that I could completely control.

In addition, I was able to gain an unexpected benefit from this.

It was the overall increase in my ability scores as her soul and body were absorbed into me.

『Is it easier for you to cast spells now? You must have more power available.』

“That’s right. It’s amazing that there are no side effects.”

『Well. . . I lost a lot of power, so the efficiency itself is pretty bad. It should be stable enough.』

There were several reasons why she made this choice, and one of them was that she wanted to see the end of this story with her own two eyes.

『It’s ironic, since I don’t have eyes anymore.』

I ignored Guimei’s playful banter and lay down on the wreckage of the tilted roof, looking up at the sky.

What should I do next?

Which path is the right one, and which one will truly lead me to the right ending?

To be honest, I was past the point where I could be convinced simply by thinking about it.

I just had to throw everything I had at it and find the right answer as I went along.

Yes, everything I had.

“. . .I’ll have to go take care of some things I’ve been putting off.”

I had already made up my mind.

So from here on out, the future would be an uncertain road where nothing was set in stone.

Of course, I had no way of knowing what lay at the end of that road.

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