Chapter 76
Immediately after the first checkpoint, Ha-Yeon tore up the note and came out of the illusion. The students swept away by Min-Seo's avalanche had already left the ark and returned to the academy by bus.
Thus, the ark was empty. Only Min-Seo, Su-Ryeon, Jun-Hyuk, and Sun-Woo were still inside.
"Ah... Ouch, my head hurts. Damn."
"Oh! We really came out? Awesome."
Ha-Yeon, Min-Seo, and Su-Ryeon also woke up from the illusion and soon followed. Min-Seo tidied up her messy hair while Su-Ryeon walked alongside her without even brushing off the dust on her head.
Min-Seo was about to leave the ship, when she turned her head briefly and asked, "Hey, aren't you coming out?"
Her gaze was fixed on Ha-Yeon. Instead of leaving the ship, Ha-Yeon sat beside Sun-Woo, who was still intoxicated by the illusion. It seemed like she had no intention of leaving the ark.
"I have something to ask him. You can go first."
"Oh, sure. Take your time coming out," Min-Seo replied mockingly, imitating Ha-Yeon's tone [1].
"Oh, what's this? You’re pretty good at mimicking people’s voices."
Su-Ryeon looked at Min-Seo with surprised eyes and reacted flippantly. Just like that, the two of them left the ship. In the quiet ship, only three people remained: Jun-Hyuk, Sun-Woo, and Ha-Yeon.
Ha-Yeon compared the relaxed face of Sun-Woo, still intoxicated by the illusion, and the face of Sun-Woo, covered in blood, struggling up the waterfall. Despite the fact that they were the same person, they seemed like completely different people.
"..."
However, what surprised Ha-Yeon the most was Sun-Woo's ability to utilize blessings. Sun-Woo's physique was by no means impressive. Perhaps due to exercising a lot, there were faint signs of his musculature through his clothes. However, he didn’t seem to possess the incredible strength needed to overcome the avalanche with just his bare body.
Despite this, he cut through the avalanche and climbed up the mountain to pass the first checkpoint. Sun-Woo most likely had used a blessing and greatly enhanced his physical strength. However, if that was the case, there was something that was strange.
‘...I couldn’t see the light of blessing.’
There was no light of blessing emanating from Sun-Woo’s body. Thus, there were only two hypotheses. The first hypothesis was that Sun-Woo did not use a blessing and had used his pure physical strength to cut through the avalanche.
“That makes absolutely no sense.”
In the process of verifying the first hypothesis, Ha-Yeon shook her head and let out a dry laugh. It was impossible to cut through an avalanche with a body that was not enhanced with a blessing. No matter how much she thought about it, it was a hypothesis that had a probability that was way too low.
In that case, the second hypothesis was probably correct. The second hypothesis was that Sun-Woo had acquired the method of using Adonai’s Grace. Adonai’s Grace was a concept that was created by her father, Sung Yu-Da. It combined the properties of miracle replication and blessings.
By mastering it, one could replicate the power of Samson, a figure recorded in the Holy Book, through a replication spell and embody it in the form of a blessing. It allowed them to wield Samson's extraordinary power. Unlike blessings, the Grace of Adonai did not manifest the light of blessing around the body.
The second hypothesis seemed more plausible. In that case, how did Sun-Woo learn Adonai’s Grace? What method did he use to attain such an advanced skill?
Ha-Yeon was curious about that. "Excuse me, when will you wake up?"
Ha-Yeon poked Sun-Woo's head with her fingertips. There was no sign of him waking up. It didn't seem like he would wake up anytime soon. Ha-Yeon sat there like a puppy, endlessly waiting for Sun-Woo to wake up.
After dozing off and fiddling with Sun-Woo’s hair, Ha-Yeon was able to wait for three hours. Although she normally avoided contact with others, strangely, she felt fine with Sun-Woo. She believed that the reason might be because Sun-Woo was a person born with the same Blood of Purification as her.
Finally, someone stirred and stood up, mumbling, "Ah, I feel like crap. Shit..."
It wasn't Sun-Woo but Jun-Hyuk who had risen. Jun-Hyuk cursed, and without even glancing at Ha-Yeon, he immediately left the ship. He had a slightly angry expression on his face.
"..."
What was happening inside the ship?
She had her doubts, but it wasn't the most important thing right now. Jun-Hyuk had woken up, so Sun-Woo would wake up soon too. With an optimistic mindset, Ha-Yeon silently endured.
Soon, Sun-Woo woke up. He sat there, looking around his surroundings and stared into the distance as if dazed. His face looked idiotic as if he was out of his mind.
Tap, tap.
"I have a proposal for you."
Ha-Yeon tapped Sun-Woo's shoulder. Sun-Woo turned around in surprise, but upon realizing it was Ha-Yeon, he frowned and walked away angrily without saying a word. Momentarily taken aback by his reaction, Ha-Yeon stared at Sun-Woo's back and hurriedly followed him.
"Wait a second. A proposal. Haa, ha, ha, phew, um. I have just one proposal. Please don't ignore me."
Ha-Yeon chased after him while gasping for breath. Sun-Woo looked at her with a clearly displeased expression. His gaze was empty and chilly. Whenever Sun-Woo looked at her, he always had that cold and distant look in his eyes. Ha-Yeon found Sun-Woo's attitude toward her somewhat uncomfortable, but she swallowed her pride one last time and spoke up.
"You want to become a prelate, right?"
"What?"
"What about joining the International Theological Association?"
There were two objectives for this proposal.
The first objective was the technique Sun-Woo had mastered, Adonai Grace. It was a skill that even the recognized divine power prodigy, Ha-Yeon, hadn’t acquired yet. Ha-Yeon couldn't accept the fact that someone like Sun-Woo possessed a higher level of skill than her. Therefore, she intended to bring Sun-Woo into the Theological Association to take his skill for herself.
Secondly, Ha-Yeon was already a member of the International Theological Association and held a relatively high position. Moreover, her father, Sung Yu-Da, was the chairman of the International Theological Association.
Ha-Yeon had no choice but to get closer to Sun-Woo, according to her father's orders. If they were going to get closer anyway, it would be more advantageous to have a hierarchical relationship rather than an equal one.
By enlisting Sun-Woo in the Theological Association, Ha-Yeon could establish an absolute relationship where Sun-Woo was 'below,' and she was 'above.' In other words, enlisting Sun-Woo in the Theological Association would kill two birds with one stone.
"What do you think?" Ha-Yeon asked again with a confident smile.
Sun-Woo tilted his head slightly and stared blankly into space. It looked like a contemplative expression. However, Ha-Yeon wasn’t impatient at all because she knew that Sun-Woo wouldn't be able to refuse the proposal. The International Theological Association held a unique position among theological associations. Joining it would give an unmatched boost to one's credentials. There was no one that was foolish enough to pass up the opportunity to join the International Theological Association.
Eventually, Sun-Woo finished contemplating and slowly answered, "I don't want to. Now move aside. Let me pass."
“So I’ll consider you a member... Huh? You don’t want to?”
"That's right."
Sun-Woo confirmed it nonchalantly, as if it wasn’t a big deal, and tried to walk past Ha-Yeon. Ha-Yeon, momentarily stunned, stared blankly at Sun-Woo but quickly regained her composure and hurriedly blocked his path. Sun-Woo furrowed his eyebrows upon seeing Ha-Yeon block his way.
"What is it again?"
"Why do you keep rushing? You should at least hear the conditions. I’ll give you really good conditions–"
"Why do I have to hear the conditions if I'm not going to join anyway?"
Ha-Yeon tilted her head involuntarily at Sun-Woo's incomprehensible attitude. As a clergyman, getting the opportunity to join the International Theological Association was an unparalleled stroke of luck. Yet, Sun-Woo was casually throwing away that opportunity.
Why on earth would he do that?
"...Aha."
Soon, her question was answered. Ha-Yeon nodded as if she understood Sun-Woo's intentions.
He was trying to bargain.
He was purposely being uncooperative because he didn’t want to join the association with half-arsed conditions. She thought for a second that he was an idiot for rejecting the opportunity, but he had a ?cunning side that she didn’t expect. Ha-Yeon inwardly expressed admiration for Sun-Woo, who had considered negotiating even in this situation.
"I'll waive the entrance fee and membership fees and ensure that you can't easily be kicked out even if you don't participate actively–"
"Hey."
"...Yes, yes?"
Ha-Yeon was about to continue her explanation when Sun-Woo interrupted her. She took a step back, feeling a chill run down her spine. Sun-Woo's gaze, as usual, was cold and empty. Every time Sun-Woo looked at her like that, Ha-Yeon felt like a cornered mouse that was facing a cat.
Sun-Woo continued to stare at Ha-Yeon with a piercing gaze and growled, "Can you not understand what I’m saying? I said I’m not joining. Now get lost."
"Ah..."
"Tsk."
Sun-Woo looked at Ha-Yeon with disdain, clicked his tongue, and quickly walked away. After returning the registration form to the teacher, he boarded the bus.
Ha-Yeon’s usual stubbornness seemed to have disappeared, and she blankly watched the retreating figure of Sun-Woo with her trembling eyes. She couldn't understand how the situation had turned out like this.
Maybe he wasn’t bargaining, and maybe Sun-Woo genuinely didn't want to join? No, was this also an act in order to gain an advantage in the bargaining process? There was no way that was possible. But why did he click his tongue at the end? What an unsightly person. Did he have something he could rely on?
In a matter of seconds, these fleeting questions crossed Ha-Yeon's mind. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't come to a conclusion. The questions swirled around in her head and remained unanswered. Then, suddenly, Ha-Yeon realized a new fact.
"..."
His gaze, tone, and attitude. Considering all the clues, it seemed that Sun-Woo disliked her. No, she was certain that he disliked her. The word dislike was not enough of a strong word. It was more accurate to say that he hated her.
Ha-Yeon realized this only now.
‘...But why does he hate me?’
However, no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't find a reason. Ha-Yeon felt a mix of discomfort and curiosity as she walked absentmindedly toward the bus.
***
"After discussing the results, we will hold an appointment ceremony for the Holy Name of Charity–"
The teacher who had taken our registration forms spoke. Most the students who had waited until we arrived did not listen to the teacher’s words and instead trudged home with blank and weak faces. Some students even had tears in their eyes.
The reason was simple. Except for Jun-Hyuk and me, all the other students had been eliminated during the first round. It was highly unlikely that someone who couldn't even pass the first round would be chosen as the Holy Name of Charity.
"—That concludes the announcement. Thank you all for your hard work during the test."
When the teacher finished the announcement, the students had already gone home. Only Jun-Hyuk, Ha-Yeon, and I remained.
Ha-Yeon had a somewhat downcast expression. It seemed that she was quite shocked by my rejection of her proposal.
When Ha-Yeon made the offer, I honestly considered it. Joining the International Theological Association would greatly increase the chances of becoming a prelate. However, no matter how much I wanted to become a prelate, I didn't want Ha-Yeon's help. It would undermine all my aspirations up to this point.
Ha-Yeon was standing there staring blankly into the air. Leaving her behind, I headed toward my house.
"Hey!"
Someone called out to me as I walked through the alleyway towards home. It was Jun-Hyuk. He approached me with a bright smile and started walking beside me. He seemed to be in a very good mood, which was natural since he was the winner of the second round and, ultimately, the entire exam.
Just like that, we walked for a while without exchanging words. The silence was so deep that it was difficult to just chalk it up as ‘because there was no In-Ah.’
"Hey, by the way, I'm sorry about that."
Jun-Hyuk's unexpected apology broke the silence.
"What are you sorry about? What do you mean by that?"
"Well, honestly, at the end, it felt like a betrayal, you know? It sort of felt like I was stabbing someone in the back."
Jun-Hyuk scratched the back of his head as if he felt awkward. He had a habit of scratching the back of his neck whenever he felt uneasy.
I raised my head without saying a word. The night sky was visible. The crescent moon, obscured by clouds, emitted a faint moonlight. There were quite a lot of stars that were visible tonight.
"Well, it was an exam anyway. It’s not like this is the first or second time you’ve betrayed me, right?"
"Huh? You bastard, you’re talking kind of strangely. When did I betray you?"
"Whenever there’s an incident, you always run away and try to survive by yourself."
Jun-Hyuk briefly closed his mouth as if I had struck a critical weak point, and his forehead wrinkled up as he narrowed his eyes.
"...Hey, dude, that's not betrayal. What do you call it...? Right, rational judgment. That's how you should see it."
"Isn't it betrayal based on rational judgment?"
"Hey, if I didn't go to call Teacher Do-Jin back then, we would have all died. And instead of being grateful, you treat me like a traitor."
Various conversations went back and forth. As the night grew deeper, the streetlights in the alleyways turned on one by one. When I looked up into the sky, there were no longer any stars. It was because the starlight was obscured by the light from the streetlights.
"Well, anyway, in the end, I'll probably be the one to become the Holy Name of Charity. Sorry, dude."
"What are you saying? Don't you know that the evaluation also takes your usual behavior into account?"
"Well... Still, the exam content is more important," Jun-Hyuk said as if it were obvious.
It was a statement that I couldn't entirely deny. In reality, Florence Academy valued ability, not character. If we only considered the exam content, the probability of me becoming Holy Name of Charity was very slim.
If there were any variables, it would be the fact that they considered the student's usual behavior in the evaluation process and the fact that I met the undisclosed conditions at the first checkpoint. At the moment, it was best to hope that these two variables would make an unexpected difference.
"Well... honestly, I'm not very confident either. The results haven't come out yet."
Jun-Hyuk supported the back of his head with his cupped hand and vaguely looked up at the sky. Complaints were flowing from his mouth. His face reflected in the streetlight was rather dark. Jun-Hyuk seemed to be uncertain, just like me.
"I definitely need to get the Holy Name of Charity. If I can't even achieve this, then I’ll be a complete failure,” Jun-Hyuk muttered as if he was talking to himself.
I nodded. I also felt the same way.
***
The day after the re-election test, after finishing classes, it was after school hours. The teachers gathered in the conference room. As usual, the principal and chairman were absent, and the vice principal led the meeting. There was one agenda. It was about the re-election of the Holy Name of Charity.
"For now, the candidates have been narrowed down to two. Sun-Woo and Jun-Hyuk from the Class of Charity."
The vice-principal held a document sent by Noah in his hand. The document contained the time when Sun-Woo and Jun-Hyuk passed the checkpoint, as well as any special circumstances at the time. The other students had all been eliminated early on at the first checkpoint, so they were not worth considering.
The vice-principal handed out photocopies of the documents to the teachers. After checking the document, the teachers all looked puzzled and shook their heads as if in doubt.
"It's hard to judge based solely on the records..."
"Based on the records alone, Jun-Hyuk seems to have the advantage."
"They said it's possible to film the illusions that happened inside the ark. Did Noah send any footage?"
The teachers expressed their opinions one by one. A bustling noise spread around the round table. The vice-principal lightly tapped the desk twice as if trying to silence the commotion. The noise subsided quickly.
"Indeed, it's difficult to judge based solely on the records. Noah did send us the footage of what happened during that time, but..."
The vice-principal hesitated and let out a sigh, "Um, well, it's probably best to judge after watching the footage. However, it might not be of much help."
As the vice-principal signaled, a teacher who had been waiting played a video on their laptop. The laptop was connected to a beam projector and projected the footage onto a large screen.
The first video was from the second checkpoint. However, its content was very incomplete. After the scene of Sun-Woo climbing the tower, it immediately transitioned to the scene of him descending, and at that time, the construction had already stopped. There was no information on how Sun-Woo stopped the construction.
Shortly after that, Sun-Woo was killed by Jun-Hyuk's surprise attack and disqualified. Based on the second checkpoint alone, it seemed undeniable that Jun-Hyuk would be chosen as the Holy Name of Charity.
After the video ended, a teacher who suddenly felt puzzled raised his hand and asked, "Um, why is the footage of the second checkpoint shown first instead of the first checkpoint...?"
He was the teacher of Sacred Dynamics who taught four classes, including the Class of Charity.
"Noah insisted that we ‘must’ watch the second checkpoint video first, without fail. I don't know the reason either. Anyway, let's move on to the next video."
With that statement, the vice-principal cut off the questions and immediately played the next video. The second video was from the first checkpoint. It showed Jun-Hyuk entering the ark first, followed by Sun-Woo.
However, unlike Jun-Hyuk, Sun-Woo was covered in blood and had a girl on his back as he entered the ark. Just as he entered, an unidentified voice stating that he had fulfilled the undisclosed condition could be heard.
However, Jun-Hyuk's record was 1:02:32.72, while Sun-Woo's record was 1:09:12.67. Based on the records alone, Jun-Hyuk was seven minutes ahead.
"Jun-Hyuk was faster in both the first and second checkpoints."
"Yes, if we go by the test results, it seems that Jun-Hyuk should be chosen as the Holy Name of Charity—"
"But if we consider their conduct, Sun-Woo's is better, right?"
"Well, Sun-Woo is not exactly exemplary in that regard either. That aspect needs further discussion..."
The teachers had mixed opinions. There were many arguments for choosing either Jun-Hyuk or Sun-Woo. However, considering only the results, it was a fact that Jun-Hyuk performed better in the test, so the decision to choose Jun-Hyuk as Holy Name of Charity had the upper hand.
"...But what was the undisclosed condition?" A teacher suddenly cut through the commotion with a question.
The innocent question came from a teacher that had been newly assigned to teaching the Understanding the Holy Book subject this year. Perhaps the other teachers also had the same doubt, as the conference room quickly fell silent.
"Do-Jin, didn't you do that before?" Ye-Jin asked Do-Jin, referring to a previous incident. Do-Jin furrowed his brows as if trying to recall and then widened his eyes and nodded as if he suddenly remembered.
"Ah, when I joined the Crusader Order, there was a test inside the ark... Yeah, going up the mountain and entering the ark."
Do-Jin naturally started using casual language but quickly realized that he was in the middle of a meeting and corrected his tone.
The ark created by Sung Yu-Da was not only used for testing the students but also for entrance tests for crusaders and paladins. Do-Jin had taken the ark test when he joined the Trinitas Crusader Order.
"I guess the undisclosed condition was probably entering the ark with a male and female pair or something like that. And it probably tested the understanding of the Holy Book and camaraderie, or something like that."
"Does fulfilling the condition affect the score?"
Ye-Jin asked Do-Jin, who tilted his head slightly.
"Um... I'm sorry, but I can't remember well. Is there anything written about it in the special rules?"
"The special rules, you say. There's nothing written in particular..."
The vice-principal was scanning through the documents when his face suddenly froze. It seemed like he had seen something. This was the first time anyone had seen the vice-principal this flustered. After being visibly flustered for a while, the vice-principal regained his composure and controlled his facial expression.
"Let me first tell you about the special rules... and then we can discuss. That's what I think," the vice principal said.
What on earth was written there that made the vice-principal so flustered? The teachers’ curious gazes were focused on the vice principal.
1. Ha-Yeon always speaks using honorifics. ?
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m