The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 28



27 – This was not intended

Her head buzzed.

Strength began to return to her fingertips.

Suddenly, something rose from her stomach, and she spat it out in a handful.

“Ugh.”

She opened her eyes with the black smoke that escaped from her mouth.

Then she saw unfamiliar faces.

Isabel, Ban, and her team members.

“Senior!”

She heard Aisha calling her.

She furrowed her brows as she finished exhaling the smoke.

Why do they look like that?

They all looked like they had seen a corpse.

‘More than that.’

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Did I faint?

Her gaze fell on her body.

At the same time, she saw Sirmiel, who was just lowering his hand.

She quickly retraced her memory.

She remembered throwing herself while activating the magic seal towards the forest keeper.

She lost consciousness for a moment after the explosion magic seal was activated.

The problem was the power of the explosion magic seal.

‘It was much stronger than I thought.’

The magic seal engraved on her steel skin was done with Sharin’s assistance.

As such, the power of the magic seal was expected to be considerable, but this was beyond expectations.

‘…Could it be that there was a synergy between the magic seal and the steel skin under certain conditions?’

The steel skin holds a mysterious power.

Using it with the magic engraving embedded in it might have led to this result.

‘I didn’t expect to lose consciousness because of the scale of the explosion I caused.’

I didn’t mean to go this far.

I made the kids worry for no reason.

“Thank you, Saint.”

“It’s nothing. I just did what I had to do.”

Sirmiel smiled kindly.

As expected of a saint.

“Shall I help you up?”

When Aisha approached, I gestured.

“It’s okay. I’m fine now.”

The saint personally healed me.

My body moves much more comfortably than before I fainted.

‘It seems the forest keeper has been dealt with safely.’

There should be no problem with the students’ return.

What puzzled me more was Isabel and her group.

“Isabel.”

When I called her, Isabel flinched and looked this way.

Her reaction was somewhat strange.

“It seems you came up much faster than expected.”

Isabel looked at me silently.

Her eyes were shaking violently.

Normally, she would have grumbled.

Today, her reaction was different.

“It’s because I’m cursed. It’s not the other kids’ fault.”

Then a student of sacred studies stepped forward.

He was Gaison Jeruski, with impressively short-cropped hair.

‘The party composition is good.’

It’s a stable composition.

If it’s that structure, we should be able to move around the lower floors without any issues.

“Really? If that’s the case.”

If the recovery team is cursed, retreating is the right choice.

I didn’t ask further and stood up.

“Hanlon team, let’s return.”

We used a lot of strength to deal with the forest keeper.

Since we achieved the goal of Act 3, Scene 3 safely, returning was the right decision.

Somehow, our team returned together with Isabel’s team.

Isabel followed us with her lips tightly sealed.

I don’t know what kind of change in her mind caused this, but…

I hope it doesn’t lean in a bad direction.

Upon our safe return, I informed Professor Beganon, who was waiting in front, about the situation.

She hardened her face and then told us to rest before running to another professor.

With this, they will inform the students entering the labyrinth about the additional dangers.

‘The transformation of the labyrinth is not yet a topic of discussion due to its many uncertainties.’

The timing of entering the labyrinth is divided into four times based on the four seasons.

Each time, the environment of the labyrinth changes.

So, even during the investigation process, it’s hard to recognize that a transformation is coming when the appearance frequency of the labyrinth reaches a hundred times.

This was purely a privilege that only the player could know.

The only reason I didn’t inform this fact earlier was simple.

Since the protagonist Lucas is missing, I wanted to lead the story to the canon as much as possible.

The transformation of the labyrinth becomes a major focus after Act 3, Scene 3.

I let it proceed as closely to the original as possible.

‘With this, it has almost flowed according to the canon.’

Only the characters have changed a bit.

“…Hanlon, you.”

At that moment, Isabel spoke to me.

When I turned to her, Isabel was quietly staring at me.

The atmosphere felt more subdued than usual.

“If the apostle hadn’t appeared in the Gray Forest, what were you planning to do?”

She asked, as if she already knew the answer but wanted to confirm.

The appearance of the forest keeper was a predetermined event.

But this was from the player’s perspective, not something they could know.

“They must have waited. Or perhaps they stayed until all the students returned.”

So, when I made up an appropriate excuse, Isabel replied, “Yes,” and left.

Today, it’s particularly hard to read Isabel’s intentions.

Why is she acting like this?

But I can’t ask because of the image I’ve built up with Isabel.

In the end, without asking Isabel, she left with her group.

In the distance, I could see the professors chatting.

Our team members seemed exhausted and were sitting down.

Act 3, Scene 3.

The transformation of the demon palace, the forest keeper event.

We had safely passed this point.

At the same time, the final boss of Act 3, the dragon of disaster.

Nikita Cynthia.

The time had come for her brother, Nia Cynthia, whose death would trigger her descent into darkness, to be assassinated.

* * *

The first quarter demon palace event ended safely afterward.

All the students returned.

There were injuries, but no fatalities.

The students proudly boasted of their achievements.

But among those achievements, there are always some that stand out.

That was Isabel’s group.

The apostle they faced on the third floor was a named apostle who had survived for quite a long time.

He was a vicious one who waited for skilled students to come down the floors and then climbed up to ambush them.

A perceptive half noticed his presence and engaged in combat, and as a result, they successfully defeated the named apostle.

Thanks to this, Isabel’s party’s prestige greatly increased.

“It was a hidden event, but they handled it well.”

If Isabel hadn’t been able to defeat him, I would have taken care of it in the next quarter.

The apostle that Isabel’s party dealt with is one that causes more problems the longer it survives.

So, I was planning to deal with it next time, but Isabel’s party did well.

‘They do well even without the protagonist.’

As expected, they are the former protagonist’s party.

“uuuh? You say that mystery and magic engravings create synergy?”

At that moment, a voice came from beside me.

A girl with eyes like the Milky Way.

The top student in magical studies.

Sharin Sazarith.

I asked Sharin about the connection between magic engravings and mystery.

Then Sharin, who didn’t expect this, showed an interesting reaction.

“Since no one has both mystery and magic engravings at the same time. I had no idea.”

Sharin’s eyes sparkled as she spoke in a dragging voice.

Even though Sharin seems to live life without much interest, she is different when it comes to magic.

“If it explodes again like this time, it will be troublesome. I’d like to ask you to research it.”

“Yes, sure. I’m curious about this too.”

Fortunately, there are no special conditions this time.

I was grateful for Sharin’s generosity.

Putting aside the research on mystery and magic engravings with Sharin.

Before I knew it, the season was moving towards summer.

The humid heat was slowly rising from the ground.

In a little while, the cicadas would start to cry in earnest.

Thanks to that, the students’ clothing became lighter.

Even Sharin, who was right in front of me, was wearing a shirt with all her arms exposed and shorts.

The exposure was excessive.

“Sharin, no matter how much it’s the dormitory, isn’t your outfit too light?”

This is the dormitory common room.

As such, the dress code is free, but Sharin’s outfit was too free-spirited.

Then Sharin raised the corners of her mouth with a languid face.

“Why? Do you think you’ll become a teenage boy?”

His face is full of mockery.

But that mockery comes from confidence.

Among his peers, no one can handle Sharin, the top student in magical studies.

But.

“One day, you’ll get your comeuppance.”

Breaking that confidence is a man’s dream.

Then Sharin waved her hand as if to say not to worry.

“It’s okay. I don’t show up in such attire except in front of Hanon.”

I swallowed hard.

“…Then, why do you appear like that in front of me?”

Sharin smiled languidly.

“Who knows?”

What a sly fox.

“By the way, Sharin, how’s Isabel lately?”

I changed the subject before Sharin could toy with me any further.

Then Sharin stretched her body long on the table.

“The same as usual. The intensity of her training has increased a bit.”

She said that and looked up at me with her cheek pressed against the table.

“Did something happen with Belle?”

“Not really.”

Recently, whenever I run into Isabel, she just meets my eyes and then quickly leaves without a word.

She doesn’t even give me a chance to provoke her anymore.

“Oh, by the way, there’s a story related to Belle.”

“What is it?”

“She’s been hanging out with Ban a lot lately. There’s a rumor that there’s something going on between them.”

With Ban?

Is it because Isabel keeps leaving whenever we meet?

I didn’t know that.

“Belle is being trained by Ban.”

It’s not a bad decision.

Ban is undoubtedly a genius when it comes to swordsmanship.

It would also be very helpful for Isabel, who handles the same sword.

“Everyone seems to be so eager to pair things up. They did the same with Lucas.”

She stopped speaking.

She was reminded of Lucas’s death.

‘I must have been hanging out with Sharin quite a lot.’

Recently, I felt that Sharin’s attitude had relaxed a lot in front of me.

That’s probably why Lucas’s name slipped out.

“I didn’t feel that way from the two of them.”

I tilted my head.

“Didn’t Isabel and Lucas like each other?”

“They were more like siblings. Belle used to whine a lot.”

Well, Isabel starts to fall for Lucas after Act 4.

Until then, the story emphasized their friendship a lot.

Isabel falling for Lucas is a famous scene.

It’s not because Lucas showed a cool side.

Lucas cries out in hatred of the world due to various incidents.

Isabel hugs him to comfort him and genuinely falls in love.

‘It’s a scene I can no longer see.’

Lucas is no longer in this world.

All the memorable scenes I remember have become meaningless.

That fact left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“Don’t you have something like that, Hanon?”

“Something like what?”

“Someone you like. Someone you’re involved with.”

Ridiculous.

“I haven’t even been at the academy for half a year yet.”

How could I have someone I like in this short time?

“Oh, there is someone who catches my attention.”

“Sorry, I’m not interested in dating you, Hanon.”

“Who said it was you?”

I got rejected without even confessing.

“Of course, it’s Nikita-senpai.”

“Hanon really likes Nikita-senpai.”

Sharin also knows my true feelings for Nikita.

This is not a romantic interest.

I purely like Nikita as a person.

That’s why, when I think of the approaching disaster, my thoughts deepen.

“Oh, by the way, Nikita-senpai’s brother.”

My head turned sharply.

Could it be that some event is happening?

“He is coming to Zerion Academy as an assistant professor of magic.”

What?

Why?