The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 40



39 – The Brilliant Move that Defeated the Frenzied Wizard

Another week had passed since the team competition was announced.

I have a reason why I must achieve high marks in the team competition.

It’s to catch the eye of a certain individual.

One of the key figures of the empire and a person who will greatly influence the scenario later on.

‘He will surely come to this team competition.’

So, I must achieve high marks in the team competition at all costs.

“Senior, you’ve gained a lot of stamina recently.”

Early morning.

Aisha, who was jogging alongside me, complimented my stamina.

As Aisha said, my stamina is still growing.

The potential of Bikamon is endless.

The speed at which my stamina is increasing is astonishing, even to myself.

“Thanks to you, Aisha.”

“What did I do? It’s because you’ve been working hard, senior.”

Aisha speaks so beautifully.

“But it’s still not enough.”

Indeed, both my stamina and skills have increased tremendously in a short period.

This is thanks to my efforts.

However, it was still not enough to achieve results in the team competition.

‘Is it time already?’

After the steel skin and magic engraving.

It was time to find a new card to navigate through the scenario.

Lucas could manage with just the flame of determination.

But for me, without the flame of determination, it was impossible.

“Are you deep in thought again?”

Perhaps because I often fell into contemplation in front of Aisha.

She noticed that I was lost in thought while running.

“Senpai, it’s dangerous to be lost in thought while running. Shall we take a break instead?”

“No, it’s fine. Maybe because I’m always running. Now, not running feels more awkward.”

A body that has become accustomed to running.

Even I found it strange.

Aisha smiled.

It seemed she was happy that I had become accustomed to running.

Aisha always wanted someone to run and train with her.

Maybe because I filled that spot, Aisha cherished me a lot.

“Aisha, what do you think are the odds of a person getting struck by lightning in their lifetime?”

So even when I asked her an odd question, she pondered it seriously.

“Hmm, extremely rare, right? At least, I’ve never seen anyone around me who got struck by lightning.”

“That’s right. But there was one person who lived with lightning in their life.”

“Such a person existed?”

“Yes, a person born with a tragic fate in many ways.”

Aisha showed a puzzled reaction.

But for me, that person was essential for the future.

‘The problem is.’

That person had already been struck by lightning and died.

＊＊＊

Lightning.

A discharge phenomenon that occurs between clouds and the earth.

The probability of being struck by lightning is 1 in 280,000.

In life, being struck by lightning is an extremely unfortunate event.

However, there are people in this world who have been struck by lightning.

And there is someone who has been struck by lightning a total of 108 times in their life.

Lightning Rod.

That is the name given to him.

He eventually met his end after being struck by lightning for the 107th time.

The final, 108th lightning strike fell on him.

It struck his grave after he was buried.

A person who doesn’t know whether they are loved or hated by lightning.

That is Lightning Rod.

But he is dead.

So how on earth can one find Lightning Rod?

The answer lies in the Special Studies Department.

Special Studies.

A department established for those who have mastered various disciplines that cannot be categorized into martial arts or magic.

There are cadets in the Special Studies Department who are suited for combat.

But there are also cadets who handle powers unrelated to combat.

Among these Special Studies cadets, there is a second-year student with a peculiar nickname.

He is a person even other Special Studies cadets find unsettling.

His nickname is Little Shrine.

Originally, he carries a skull head instead of a normal head, making him a bizarre figure even in the Firefly series.

One day, he suddenly sets up food on the academy building’s rooftop and talks to something.

Another day, he causes a commotion by lighting a fire in the forest near the academy.

In the Firefly series, his eccentricities often lead to ghost stories.

It turns out that the ghost stories circulating in the academy were because of Little Shrine.

To meet this Little Shrine.

Today, after finishing my classes, I packed a bag and climbed the Special Studies building.

Because of the item in this bag, I get annoyed by Card’s teasing.

“Kingnon, hehe, you are a man after all! I knew you liked older women, but I didn’t know it was to this extent.”

Damn it.

Next time I see him, I’ll have to give him a good smack.

I sighed and lifted my head.

Then, the special studies building came into full view.

The special studies building, perhaps to respect the diversity of students.

It was decorated with various items here and there.

From weapons of a kind I’d never seen before to ornaments and glass crafts.

If you call it miscellaneous, it’s miscellaneous; if you call it unique, it’s unique.

I felt like I had entered an antique shop.

There weren’t many students in the hallway.

Special studies students often stayed behind to study for their respective majors even after classes were over.

Because of that, when I passed by the classrooms, I could see students gathered inside.

Among them, there were some who seemed to be researching dangerous things.

So, I just quietly passed by without making eye contact.

There were many oddballs in the special studies department who were best avoided.

After a while, the hallway started to feel eerie.

For some reason, a chill ran through my body.

It was the kind of chill you feel in a cemetery.

But this was the special studies hallway.

Normally, you shouldn’t feel such a chill here.

I didn’t stop walking despite the chill.

After a while, I saw a classroom.

There was clearly no one standing at the door, but I could sense several presences inside.

Ignoring those presences, I raised my hand and knocked on the door twice.

“Is anyone in there?”

I asked along with the knock and waited.

But no answer came from inside.

With no other choice, I slowly opened the door.

Whoosh!

Then, an even stronger chill swept over my body.

It felt as if something that had been wandering inside had left.

“Ah, it’s gone.”

A voice filled with regret echoed.

In the dark room with blackout curtains drawn.

At the center of such a room, a man with a skull for a head was sitting.

On the desk where he was sitting.

A Ouija board for spiritual communication was placed.

He, who didn’t know who he was talking to, clicked his teeth.

Then he glanced this way.

Inside the skull’s face, his eyes sparkled.

“Isn’t it rude to come in without answering the knock?”

“That’s strange. I heard a response to the knock?”

Of course, it’s a lie.

He tilted his head upon hearing my lie.

Then soon realized my lie and reacted.

“Hehehe, I never thought someone would lie to a ghost like me.”

I thought it would suit his taste.

A small columbarium.

Grantoni, a second-year student in the special department.

He has a job called a spirit medium.

“Second-year, Hanon Airei.”

And before I could explain my name, he mentioned it.

“Hehehe, I’ve heard that name a lot.”

There shouldn’t be any friends to tell him my name.

It’s obvious where he heard it from.

He must have heard it from the ghosts scattered around Jerion Academy.

“What did they introduce me as?”

“Congratulations. They said you’re a rare lunatic! It seems everyone likes you!”

I don’t know what they liked about me.

Fortunately, Grantoni was looking at me positively.

“And I’m grateful for embracing the Empress.”

I know who the Empress refers to.

Mystery, the Empress of Steel.

The Mystery I hold, the original owner of the steel skin.

Mystery is something that failed to become a god.

It has some similarities with ghosts.

Ghosts also remain here due to some power, without disappearing.

Perhaps that’s why, seeing the Empress of Steel leave, I felt something.

“Thank you for seeing it in a good light.”

“Hehehe, that’s why you’re popular with ghosts. If you want, should I introduce you to one?”

“If so, can I designate the one you introduce?”

As I boldly came forward, Grantoni burst into hearty laughter.

Those who faced Grantoni all showed fear and discomfort.

He mingles with the dead, not the living.

At that point, he was walking a path that couldn’t mingle with the living.

From noble mtl dot com

In such a situation, my attitude as a living person was very intriguing to him.

“Hahaha! Alright. Who is it?”

Although I couldn’t see it, I felt Grantoni’s favorability rise.

“Lightning Burumi.”

I rummaged through my pocket and took out a box.

It was an item I had obtained long ago while acquiring the bandages of the veil.

From the frenzied wizard ‘Vinesha’.

It was something I had taken from her, risking my life.

Swoosh-

I opened the lid of the box.

Inside, there was a small pendant.

Stiff-

Grantoni’s skull head began to stiffen as he recognized the contents of the box.

Of course.

The frenzied wizard was an object of resentment for Grantoni.

The Frenzied Sorceress.

She was the one who killed Grantoni’s master.

And now, the box I have taken out is the item Vinesha stole after killing his master.

“You can ask the master directly.”

After all, his deceased master is still lingering around.

Clack-

I closed the lid of the box.

I had prepared everything I could before coming to Jerion Academy to clear the Flaming Butterfly chapter.

This was one of the items prepared for the ending.

Grantoni remained silent.

It was because he was faced with something he had never expected.

After a long silence, Grantoni slowly raised his head.

There was no emotion in his pitch-black eyes.

“Vinesha, how did you get this from that woman? She always kept it close to her, it wouldn’t have been easy.”

Vinesha is a mid-boss.

A boss that appears in Act 4.

An enemy that cannot be handled by ordinary means.

How did I get this pendant from such a woman?

The answer was simple.

“I seduced her.”

I could sense Grantoni, who had no eyes as a skeleton, blinking.

“When I seduced her, she gave me everything.”

Love blinds people.

So I seduced Vinesha.

It wasn’t for nothing that Vickerman, as a host, seduced women in the entertainment district to make a living.

A natural talent for appearance.

I used that talent to the fullest.

Vinesha has a taste for younger men.

Grantoni looked at me with a blank face.

“Heh, heh heh, hahahahah!”

And then he couldn’t hold back his laughter and burst into a hearty laugh.

After laughing for a while, even clapping his hands, he wiped his tearless eyes with his hand.

“That was a really unexpected answer, it was fun. Whether that statement is true or false, I’ll believe it since you brought it in front of me.”

But it is true.

If I had been in Vickerman’s form, he would have understood too.

“Hehehe, alright.”

He lightly lifted his butt and stood up.

“I’ll summon the ghost you want.”

The deal was made.