<h4>Chapter 183</h4>


    The small artificial mountain next to the Department of Martial Magic’s main building was a ce specially designed for education. It had numerous features for practical training, such as oxygen or mana adjustment and terrain alteration.


    And with such useful features, the Department of Martial Magic could easily train and test the students’ practical abilities, leading to the department exam ending up being held there every semester—including the current one.


    <i>Boom!! AHH-</i>


    Hearing the loud explosion followed by the faint sound of a student’s scream from somewhere on the mountain, a silver-haired girl, Luize, sharpened her senses and propelled herself toward the peak of the mountain.


    <i>Whoosh!</i>


    The higher she climbed, the stronger the winds roared. Attempting to block her ascent, the surrounding tree roots burst forth and the ground sank. However, instead of slowing, Luize increased her speed further and unleashed a prepared spell.


    <strong>“Gale Cape.”</strong>


    Heading her call, the wind that had been pushing against her transformed into a whirlwind that wrapped around her body. Boosted by it, she leaped into the air, effortlessly bypassing the treacherous terrain.


    <i>Thud-thud-thud!</i>


    As if waiting for her, dozens of arrows suddenly shot toward her from the ground. Previously, she would have destroyed them with magic, but she changed her approach for the exam.


    <strong>“Impact Stairs.”</strong>


    <i>Boom!</i>


    Each time Luize''s foot collided with an arrow, the impact spread out and created semi-transparent steps. Pushing off of them, she traversed through the air and eventually reached the mountain''s summit.


    <i>Found it...!</i>


    Noticing the red g at the summit, Luize leaped toward it. At that moment, the ground around the g shook, and five mechanical tentacles shot out.


    <i>nk!</i>


    The mechanical tentacles, encircling the g, spotted Luize in midair. Locking onto her, they began to glow with a red lens-like eye, gathering their mana. Before they could fire theirsers, however, Luize acted.


    <strong>“Set-”</strong>


    A red magic array, like a cor, appeared around the tentacles'' bodies.


    <strong>“Death Bite.”</strong>


    <i>CRUNCH-</i>


    Five sharp metallic sounds rang in unison, echoing at the peak of the artificial mountain. Then, when it became quiet again, the five tentacles fell to the ground.


    Checking for more obstacles, Luize lightlynded at the peak and pulled out the red g.


    “The exam is over!”


    Having been watching at a distance, the professor immediately dered the end.


    “Aagh! They''re all broken again!


    “Stop yelling and fix them quickly!!”


    Distraught, technicians in overalls rushed over, picking up the neatly severed mechanical tentacles and starting the repairs.


    Seeing the pitiful sight, Luize made an awkward expression.


    <i>Maybe I should have gone a bit easier.</i>


    She had gone all out since it was the evaluation exam, but she couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the technicians who were grimly fixing things.


    “Ha ha! Excellent! You''ve improved immensely in just a few months!”


    Hearing the speaker, a middle-aged woman with a face full of scars—Taylor, the professor of the Department of Martial Magicughing heartily, Luize turned. Because of her words, she was curious.


    “Really?”


    “Absolutely. Look. The other teams took over ten minutes toplete the course. And yet you alone took only two minutes.”


    Examining the panel Taylor handed her, Luize''s lips curled up slightly.


    Like she had said, no other team had finished in less than ten minutes, let alone her overwhelming record of two minutes and thirty-nine seconds.


    “Honestly, even I was surprised while watching. I thought those tentacles would be tricky to deal with...”


    The tentacles were hextech devices called Destroyer, which were often used to block monstersing from contaminated areas. On the field, they had impressive results, so Taylor had them custom-made for the test. Yet, Luize dismantled all of them without letting a singleser fire.


    <i>Well, the engineers probably didn’t expect a student to use such magic.</i>


    Luize had cast such powerful magic with just two incantations. Normally, magic with so few incantations wouldn’t have such a powerful effect, but her Incantation Magic was special enough to cut through the Destroyer''s body that was made out of a special alloy.


    <i>If she’s this strong without full mastery of her array of spells, I wonder how powerful she’ll beter...</i>


    At first, people thought Luize''s Incantation Magic was just an unusual form of magic, but as time passed, it became apparent how powerful she would be with it.


    Looking forward to the day, Taylor felt full of satisfaction, due to her contribution to Luize''s growth.


    “So, what’s my score?” Wanting confirmation, Luize looked at Taylor expectantly.


    “Do you really need to ask? Of course, it’s a perfect grade.”


    “<i>Hmm.</i> That’s good.”


    Though she tried to y it cool, Luize''s lips uncontrobly curved upward. Noticing, Taylor grinned.


    “Does thinking about bragging to your boyfriend make you <i>that</i> happy?”


    “Huh? What do you mean... oh.”


    Though initially not understanding, Luize instinctively thought of someone. And Taylor could immediately tell when by how Luize’s eyes widened.


    Squirting her eyes, Luize denied it with a shout, “Don’t say such weird things! Why would Se-Hoon...”


    “Lee Se-Hoon? That’s strange. I didn’t specify anyone, though~”


    “...”


    Falling for Taylor’s trap, Luize could only bite her lip and re at the slylyughing Taylor. Amused, Taylor watched Luize’s blue eyes glow fiercely in response to her heightened emotions. Noticing Luize was about to blow, Taylor pointed downward with a chuckle.


    “Okay, you should head down now. Someone’s been waiting for you.”


    “...Who?”


    “Lee Se-Hoon.”


    Surprised by Taylor’s answer, Luize quickly frowned and grumbled, “He should be preparing for his own exams, not looking for me...”


    But while she seemed annoyed outwardly, her zing blue eyes had calmed down and were now shining softly like jewels. The sight of her wearing her heart on her sleeve, whether due to her skills or not, made Taylor smile gently.


    “Go quickly.”


    “Okay.”


    “Kids these days are asking their boyfriends toe visit their department exams—”


    “I''ll be going now.”


    Cutting off Taylor''s words, Luize bowed her head slightly and hurried down the artificial mountain.


    <i>He''s there.</i>


    With just one scan of the area, Luize spotted Se-Hoon sitting on a bench. He looked deep in thought with his arms crossed and eyes closed, and he had a slight frown that made his already stern expression look even harsher.


    <i>Whoa. His expression is unsettling enough as it is; he should rx a bit.</i>


    Sighing at Se-Hoon’s appearance, Luize walked straight up to him.


    “What are you doing here?”


    At the sound of Luize’s voice, Se-Hoon opened his eyes.


    “What else besides wanting to see you?”


    Luize paused. She hadn’t expected such a straightforward answer. But she regained herposure quickly.


    “I mean, why did youe to see me? I''m busy preparing for another test, so make it quick.”


    “<i>Hmm...</i>”


    Urged on by Luize, Se-Hoon cautiously asked her a question after a bit of hesitation.


    “Do you happen to believe in divination or foresight?”


    “...What?”


    Luize furrowed her brow. It was such an out-of-the-blue topic, and, more importantly, it didn’t suit the Se-Hoon she knew at all.


    “Do <i>you </i>believe in that kind of stuff?” she asked back.


    “No, I don’t. At least most of the time...”


    Se-Hoon rubbed his eyes. Just recently, he would have considered it all nonsense, but now he found himself pondering whether he was a believer or not.


    He really wanted to write it off as nonsense, but he kept thinking about the image on the seventh andst card.


    <i>The surroundings, the posture, and even the dagger stuck in my heart... myst moment before I regressed.</i>


    Thest card showed a scene known only to him, both before and after the regression. So the fact that it appeared on the card suggested several possibilities.


    The most usible of them was that divination magic reflected his own subconscious, depicting his past death as an image of doom. However, if that were indeed the case, the troubling aspect then was that the Pilgrimage Church worshipped a god who was not an ordinary being.


    On the flip side, the most unpleasant possibility was that everything here and now was actually...


    <strong>[Activating Awakening Dream]</strong>


    <i>Swoosh!</i>


    A familiar chilling sensation, akin to soaking his brain in cold water, swept over him and sharpened his slightly dazed mind.


    “...<i>Phew.</i>”


    Se-Hoon let out a breath, realizing he had be more sensitive than usual because of the connection between his pre-regression self and death.


    “Dude.”


    At some point, Luize had ended up right in front of him, leaning down to meet his eyes up close.


    “Whatever it is, you came to discuss it with me, right? So stop stalling and just say it.”


    “Well...”


    “Or are you saying you don''t trust me?” Luize said with a re, clearly annoyed that he hadn’t immediately shared his concerns.


    Faced with her usatory gaze, Se-Hoon made a wry smile.


    “Yeah. If it turns out to be nonsense, we can simplyugh it off together.... Have a seat.”


    Feeling her presence by his side, Se-Hoon began to exin the divination magic he cast yesterday, deliberately avoiding any mention of his regression.


    “<i>Hmm...</i>”


    When he finished, Luize fell into thought for quite some time, thinking about Se-Hoon''s story.


    “What about asking the Pilgrimage Church or someone connected to them?” she eventually asked.


    “I thought of that too, but I don''t feelfortable doing it.”


    If he asked for an interpretation of the divination magic, they would surely want to see it firsthand. But if that happened, he might reveal the secret of his regression or his ability to use divine mana during that process.


    Of course, if he were truly in a life-or-death situation, he wouldn''t be so cautious. Divination magic was known to not always be urate, so he just needed to be careful.


    “Ignoring it makes one feel uneasy, but focusing on it makes it ambiguous... It really is like divination.”


    “Exactly.”


    “<i>Hm...</i>”


    “<i>Hmm...</i>”


    Both sat on the bench with their arms crossed, deep in thought. Then, Luize’s eyes suddenly sparkled and she quickly turned to Se-Hoon.


    “Hey. You mentioned one of the cards was ‘Friend,’ right?”


    “Yeah?”


    “Then shouldn’t you start by checking that card? It said a disaster would ur when you''re with them.”


    “...That''s a good idea.”


    While the authenticity of the divination magic was still unknown, for now, it seemed best to act based on its content. If it ended up being true, they would be prepared for the impending disaster. And even if it ended up being false, no real loss was made.


    “Since the cards said you''ll be taking the same exam with them soon, you should start with those in the same year. If you still feel iffy, you can check the others too.”


    “That makes sense. Thanks for the advice.”


    “It''s fine. If you find anything strange, let me know right away. I''ll help.”


    Grinning at Luize, Se-Hoon stood up.


    “Okay. You also let me know if you see anything suspicious.”


    “Got it.”


    Still grinning, Se-Hoon walked away, leaving Luize watching his back with a curious expression.


    <i>That guy... did his eyes turn purple earlier?</i>


    She wondered if she had seen something wrong or if he had learned a new skill. She felt slightly uneasy about his oddly dazed eyes but quickly shook off her worries.


    Although she might be worried if it were anyone else, Se-Hoon was not the type to neglect himself.


    <i>Suspicious ones, huh...? Maybe I should be looking around too.</i>


    It was a vague task, but doable with some specialized Incantation Magic. Still on the bench, Luize was pondering what to do when a thought struck her.


    <i>Wait, why did he ask me to look for anything suspicious around </i>me<i>?</i>


    Mulling over the meaning behind the seemingly meaningless request, Luize bit her lip softly when the realization dawned.


    “Lee Se-Hoon, you just can’t help it, huh...”


    Her whisper was unheard by anyone and her smile was barely hidden.


    ***


    After parting with Luize, Se-Hoon headed to vium. The people on his list were scattered all around, but here, he could check on both Jake and Sung-Ha at the same time.


    <i>It''s convenient they both have tests here today.</i>


    Deciding which to visit first, Se-Hoon took out his phone to check the details of their tests.


    <i>Jake’s test is private, while Sung-Ha’s is public.</i>


    Typically, first and second-year evaluation exams were private, restricting external ess, but from the third year onward, they became public to spectators. Babel considered it educational, treating third-year students as apprentice heroes who needed to interact with external organizations.


    <i>In that case, I should check on Sung-Ha first.</i>


    His destination decided, Se-Hoon made his way directly to the arena inside vium.


    <i>Roar!</i>


    He could hear cheers erupting, audible even from outside. Wondering if something had happened, Se-Hoon quickened his pace. But he soon stopped upon hearing a familiar voice from behind him.


    “Oh, wow.”


    It was a cheerful yet polite voice which naturally made listeners feel at ease. Se-Hoon slowly turned his head.


    “I''ve been wanting to meet you, and here we are by chance.... Oh, I apologize for thete introduction.”


    Standing before his very eyes was an exotic young man with jet-ck hair, brown skin, silver eyes, and an awkward smile. And the moment he appeared, Se-Hoon realized something <i>very </i>important.


    “My name is Amir Singh.”


    If something happened, the Frost Dog would be responsible.