No Dark Secrets In This Book

Episode 16

By the way, our marriage scandal or whatever…

When we said we used a room, it grew bigger once more, but when both sides pressured us to shut up, it quieted down. Yeah. As expected, media oppression is the nobles’ area of expertise.  

Anyway, in my third week of only studying theory, I visited the practice room for the first time in the fourth week.

The practice room, where Ryuseong spends time until dawn every day, to the point it could be called his living space, had a structure that seemed like it would appear in a fantasy movie. It felt like saying, “If you put Alice in Wonderland material on the nameplate, this is how it turns out.” First of all, there were doors on all four sides.

‘An atmosphere like there might be a cake that shrinks your body if you eat it wrong…’

The sizes and colors were all different. Some were as big as an elephant, while others were as small as a mouse hole.

And the tired-looking senior cadets were crouching and waiting in front of the doors according to the “Occupied” signs, muttering things like, “Ah, how inconsiderate.”, “When are they coming out?”, “Are they using the practice room alone?”

‘Ah, this is the spirit of K-cadets…’

Perhaps for safety, dozens of screens were attached to the pillar in the center, broadcasting what was happening inside the practice rooms in real-time, and Ryuseong was among them. The sight of him coolly slashing giant monsters was truly the protagonist.

‘Ugh. I definitely shouldn’t get on his bad side.’

While I was clearly taking in this bizarrely modern yet fairy tale-like scene, the surroundings slowly began to recognize me.

“It-it’s Demillang…”

At this point, the first-year practice room hasn’t officially opened yet. These days, the majority of first-year cadets are devoting themselves to social activities rather than joining the seniors’ practice rooms to hone their practical skills.

The cadets in the practice room were all in a position to be called “senior” by the first-years, but I didn’t even give them a glance.  

There’s only a need for that with famous professors, but what are mere cadets to me?

‘If we really get into it, those seniors should be the ones fawning over me and building connections.’

Just as the “seniors” were watching to see who would rush over first, a staff member who didn’t need to worry about saving face quickly attached himself.

“Which field of practice have you come for?”

Judging by the way he was almost squinting his eyes, he seemed to want to reveal that he was on Demillang’s side somehow.

However, just because he rolls over and exposes his belly doesn’t mean I can favor just anyone. Cassice said there were far too many people who would crawl and beg if given the chance. As such, I needed to carefully select those with whom to share my affection.

“It seems the first-year practice room hasn’t opened yet, is that correct?”

“Yes, but you can also flexibly use practice rooms of other years, so if you tell me the field you want, I will clear a spot for you…”

Ugh. Is there a need to get cursed at?

The theory professors and cadets don’t dare curse at me, but the practical professors are a bit different. We need to look out for each other to an appropriate degree, so there was no need to unnecessarily get on the bad side of the supervising professor in charge of the practice rooms.

“It’s fine. I’ll enter an empty one, so guide me.”

“Pardon? But currently, the only vacant room is the blood magic practice room…”

Bingo.

“Since I just so happen to have gained interest in it, let’s give it a try.”

“Pardon? Um, well, surely, if it’s your first time practicing in that field…”

At that moment, along with the feeling of heat gushing from somewhere, the sound of someone’s footsteps pierced my ears. A hot wind blew, smoke billowed out, and a man appeared.

‘How many days has it been since I’ve seen that face?’

I glared at my future roommate for a moment and then smiled brightly.

“Do you think I can’t do it?”

Of course, if it’s the first attempt, you naturally can’t do it well. Blood magic is a particularly minor field, so there are few who have mastered it and few who are good at it. I also secretly practiced it in my room.

The important thing is to give others the impression that I’m exceptionally good even in a field I’m attempting for the first time. And for the time being, I need to make this my main magic.

‘That way, even if my clumsy parts are exposed, I’ll have something to cover it up…!’

If I become clumsy in a field I always do and slip from 1st place, I’ll hear people say, “That kid is washed up.” But maintaining 1st place in a field I’m challenging for the first time?

This is seriously the best way to prove you’re a talented monster.

‘How about it, my grand plan!’

I had a plan for everything. For some reason, Ryuseong contorted his face, but that wasn’t my concern. For the first time, I turned my back on him first.

‘Well, he probably won’t care anyway.’

One of the strengths of Alea Academy is the quality of the practice rooms. Cadets can choose a practice room according to their main field, and once inside, after setting the security level, options for [Easy Mode] and [Hard Mode] appear.

If you select [Easy Mode], enemies appear that you can destroy with that field, and if you select [Hard Mode], enemies appear that try to destroy you in that field.

Once you choose one of the two, another selection window appears. It’s about sensory synchronization.

‘The enemies in the practice room are all illusions.’

Of course, it’s natural that there’s no pain even if you get injured fighting against illusions. Since the opponent you’re sparring with is an illusion. However, this method cannot cultivate real-life senses. It cannot give a sense of urgency that your life is truly at stake. It’s not desperate.  

If it’s not desperate, the blade’s edge becomes dull. The system created to sharpen the cadets’ blades is none other than sensory synchronization.

‘It allows you to feel pain whenever you get hurt, but you come out without a single wound.’

Of course, if you’re not careful, you may have to feel the pain of death, so sensory synchronization can only be set up to a maximum of 50 percent, and if you want to raise the synchronization percentage further, you have to practice accompanied by a professor. So I boldly pressed [Hard Mode] and entered [50 percent].  

In short, I exerted the maximum level of bravado I could show off as a cadet.

In the blood magic practice room I entered for the first time.

‘…Hm.’

Blood magic, which draws physical power by offering blood as a sacrifice, is closer to sorcery than modern magic, and is a faction that branched off from black magic that is now almost extinct, but it differs from black magic in that it only uses oneself as a sacrifice.

However, the user of blood magic must exert extreme control to avoid being devoured by the physical power summoned by offering oneself as a sacrifice. It means I have to handle the blood I’ve drawn out as if it were newly grown limbs. Usually, people can’t do that, so they lose an arm or a leg or two.

You need to meet a good teacher to reattach your limbs with potions, but there have been many blood magic successors who became disabled after learning from some street rabble as a teacher.  

As such, my performance was groundbreaking.

But what can I do?

‘This too is labor to maintain the aura of the world’s top-ranked young master!’

Before I knew it, the program activated and a grotesque illusion stood before my eyes. Unable to take on a proper form, it repeatedly flowed down like pond mud, splattering with a splat.

The natural enemy of blood magic that activates through blood as a medium, a monster that swallows liquids, was summoned. It was indeed a difficulty worthy of [Hard Mode].

But it was just as I expected.

And if it can’t disrupt my prediction, it can’t defeat me.

Chwaaaak!

I squeezed out the medium of blood magic. For a moment, my head felt dizzy due to excessive bleeding, but soon the blood that enveloped and swirled around me, the ruby-like blood, I wielded it as a weapon and glared at the enemy. The mud monster that appeared as a match would swallow my weapon to offset the physical power.

‘So before it’s swallowed, let’s ‘transform’ the ‘form’.’

With blood-soaked fingertips, I drew a line under my eyes. A red line continued as if I wore makeup.

This is a kind of ritual. A declaration of transformation.

A spell to summon the physical power to interfere with the world by offering myself as a sacrifice.

“I offer my blood as a sacrifice.”

And so, I summoned the most destructive attribute among the five elements here.

“Become fire.”

The reason I resolutely decided to perform blood magic was because Cassice Demillang’s body had already taken the form of a perfect strategist. In other words, it was preceded by the judgment that since the level of his body was high, his blood could also be valued highly as a sacrifice.

And now, I offered all the dignity I squeezed out of my flesh as a sacrifice for physical power. I used every last drop of blood I shed as the price for the fire I would summon.

‘This much should be enough to deal with the mud monster, right?’

Before the thought even finished,

―Jijik!

The moment the fire I shot touched the mud monster, an explosion occurred. No, it wasn’t an explosion, but a distortion. All the illusions that unfolded before my eyes were swaying dizzily like a broken hologram.

The practice room presents the enemy as an illusion and absorbs the cadets’ attacks. The practice room is a room made on the premise that strategists will use it. I thought it would be different from a hotel that uses the phrase “it can withstand even bombs” for promotional purposes.

So I tried pouring out all the power I could muster now, but.

“…Hm, did I make a mistake?”

[Warning! The formation cannot absorb the impact! Urgent need to correct security level…!]

[The autonomous security system is paralyzed!]

[Requesting evacuation! Forcibly opening all entrances!]

Fushuuuk…!

“Wha-what!”

“What’s going on! Is it an attack?!”

It seems I broke the system governing the entire practice room.