“So, how did you block my attack earlier, Shinwoo?”
The guild’s internal repairs didn’t take long.
As if this was basic.
It’s the Heavenly Demon, who just destroys everything!
Thus, instead of restricting the actions of the Heavenly Demon, this twisted solution arose.
Both the Heavenly Demon and I were barely standing, clutching our wobbly legs due to the punishment that cut off blood flow.
“The Cheonma Repulsor? I just gathered magical power in my palm and exploded it.”
“Ugh! Stop saying such unholy names. I will allow you to call it the ‘Mara Break Heaven Palm.’”
“No thanks. I’ll stick with Cheonma Repulsor.”
[Must you insist on English?]
‘It’s still a Repulsor! My dream is to join the Avengers!’
I want to be Iron Man’s second apprentice.
The first being Spider-Man, obviously.
“Ahem… I see. With that level, you must have something that fits well.”
“Heavenly Grandpa! I mean, Santa! I trusted you!”
“Shut up!! Don’t utter that cursed name!!”
“So, what gift are you giving me, Santa?”
“Huh? I never said I was giving anything.”
‘Turns out, he’s not Santa, but a Satan bastard.’
[Still, aren’t those words quite similar?]
‘…The difference is extreme just by the position of that ‘ㄴ’.’
The Heavenly Demon, who throws bait but won’t actually give a gift, was indeed a Satan bastard.
I had no choice but to whip out a negotiation card to entice him.
“Hey, Santa. Do you remember Ryu Kang-hyuk?”
“You little punk are getting more casual by the day.”
“What do you think about that photo of him being stomped?”
“…Show me.”
I opened the photo album on my phone and presented the selfie I took while stepping on Kang-hyuk’s head.
The Heavenly Demon scrutinized it, then suddenly tried to send the picture to his phone using mine, so I quickly snatched it back.
‘That old fart is trying to eat me out.’
[The Heavenly Demon I know wasn’t this petty…]
The Heavenly Demon, in a frenzy, shouted at me, spraying spit everywhere.
“Hand over that photo now!!!”
“Gift first, Santa.”
“…Alright… I’ll contact you later about the gift. Come back then.”
We exchanged contact information.
In the midst of it, as soon as he received my number, I suddenly received a voice phishing call from a number I had never seen before.
This time, they weren’t asking for gift cards but requesting all my photos.
‘Seriously, these martial artists are acting tough with burner phones.’
[There really isn’t a single human among real martial artists, huh?]
‘I can’t help it. I’ll send some photos.’
I told each of the voice scammers that I would send photos, then delayed a bit before sending a halrbumbah.
As soon as it was sent, I could see several martial artists in the distance, screaming and lamenting.
Seeing that, the Heavenly Demon realized his last attempt had failed and licked his lips.
‘Where do those bastards think they’re going?’
[Such photos shouldn’t exist, but since I’ve seen them, everyone must know.]
Curiosity suddenly got the better of me, and I asked the Heavenly Demon.
“But why do you need that photo so badly?”
“I’ll blend it into my figure and display it prominently here!”
“…Such is the fate of the sad, twisted one.”
“Shut up!!!!”
Anyway, with everything settled, it was time to head back to the guild for our request.
I took Hyeji and Jeong Ahyeon, who were standing beside me like henchmen, and headed to the reception desk.
However.
“We’re here to proceed with our request.”
“I’m sorry, but you are no longer allowed to conduct requests.”
The receptionist only coldly stated that we couldn’t proceed with the request.
“Where’s the damage? Isn’t it all fixed now?”
“Actually, your access to our guild has been restricted as of today.”
“What for?”
“The Guild Master has restricted your access.”
And that was the situation.
Due to excessive internal damage, we, the cause, were restricted from entering.
Hyeji angrily shouted, “Why are you being so sensitive when I said I did it weaker than usual?!” but the Guild Master had already run off somewhere else.
In the end, we resigned to returning to the academy.
Suddenly, Jeong Ahyeon anxiously exclaimed, “This is nonsense! All of us are banned from entry!!”
A ban on entry to a guild that wished to join.
This must have been a severe blow for Jeong Ahyeon.
“To be exact, only Shinwoo is banned.”
“Oh, then it’s fine.”
“Shut it, you mocker.”
“Gongja? What are you doing? Get out of here since you’re a nuisance.”
Ignoring us, Jeong Ahyeon gleamed her eyes and began the guild request.
But Hyeji just maintained a disinterested expression.
She didn’t want to waste her time on requests from a low-level guild.
Upon hearing those words, some of the members shot fierce glares, but nobody moved.
I wouldn’t either.
I’m scared as hell.
So, Hyeji and I had no choice but to take the gate back to the academy.
*
Upon returning to the academy, the atmosphere felt quite off.
Even though it was the weekend, many people were bustling around, and all we could hear was laughter mingled with tears.
At least one common point: everyone was dressed like clowns.
“…Hyeji, is today Halloween?”
“No, that’s still a ways off.”
They passed by us, standing silly, and began moving in an orderly manner somewhere.
As we followed them, the sight that greeted us was a myriad of clowns gathered in the school’s central plaza.
The clowns huddled together reminded me of the morning rush at Gasan Digital Complex Station.
‘What the hell?’
[Looks like they’re holding the Championship of the Clowns.]
The area was a cacophony of monstrous sounds, conversations, wails, and laughter.
Naturally, the outcome of many people gathering.
In the midst of that commotion, someone stepped onto the stage, and suddenly, that din fell silent.
It was.
‘Huh? Why is Elcia up there?’
[Didn’t the World Tree speech already conclude?]
It was Elcia.
Unlike usual, she was donning a clown outfit and ascending the stage slowly.
Red suit. White face paint. Blue accessories around her eyes. A smiling face painted on her lips.
Even her hair sported a green wig.
However, her gigantic bust was not hidden by this attire.
In fact, the tight dress shirt accentuated her voluptuous figure even more.
“That f*cking girl.”
“…I didn’t say anything this time.”
Ignoring Hyeji, who was suddenly furious, Elcia grabbed the microphone and shouted in a serious voice.
“Everyone!!!! What should we do if it crashes even more!!!”
“”””Respond by killing yourself!!!””””
“And if it crashes and you’re encouraged to do that, what do we do?!!!”
“”””I already did it, you fcking btch!!!””””
“But what happens if you commit suicide?!!!!”
“”””We’ll break through the previous high!!!””””
‘So they were all crypto addicts.’
[But aren’t you half a crypto addict as well?]
‘Damn it, did I want to invest because I wanted to?’
Suddenly, Elcia began pointing someone out from the audience.
“You there, clown! Are you scared right now?!!!”
“I’m not scared!!!”
“Are you not afraid of such a crash?!!!!”
“This money isn’t all mine; it’s the bank’s!!!”
“Awesome!! Over half of mine is my Lord’s money too!!!”
“Hey, you f*cking bastard!!!!!!!”
Fueled by rage, I dashed forward.
However, countless crowd members formed a strong wall around Elcia, blocking my rush.
Instead, without doing me any harm, they led me straight to the front.
As if they understood my fury.
Even when I arrived at the front, Elcia didn’t notice me and continued her boisterous speech.
“Everyone!!! What must we do to surpass the previous high?!!!”
“””Commit suicide!!!”””
“But we can’t let these innocent lambs commit suicide! So do you know what we need?!!!!”
“””Teach us!!!!!”””
“Listen well!!! We must sacrifice our offerings to advance the previous high!!!”
“””Advance Summon!!!”””
‘Advance Summon, huh… Elcia deserves to inherit my “Ra’s Deck.”’
[You should toss aside that idiotic deck and use an Eldritch deck.]
‘No!! Yu-Gi-Oh is about making a “dream” deck!!!’
[Winning is the true dream, fool.]
Shut it.
In that moment, Elcia shouted with a mad voice.
“So, I prepared it!!! The sacrifice for our previous high!!!”
“””Previous high! Previous high! Previous high!”””
Everyone erupted into a frenzy at Elcia’s words.
In that madness, according to Elcia’s gestures, a stout figure was being dragged from behind the stage.
That person was blindfolded, bound, and even placed on a cart, being dragged by numerous clowns in a heavy sweat.
It must have been heavy.
And that person was someone I recognized.
“Let go of me!! I’m the Chief of the Academy!!!”
Yes.
The Chief was being dragged onto the stage, bound, blindfolded, and helpless.
