By Zephyria 
In the midst of writhing in pain, he noticed Ki Jae-eon’s movements and grabbed him. He misunderstood that he was trying to fight back, that he was trying to sacrifice himself.
In fact, that was even more surprising.
From the beginning, the Evil Divinity wanted Ki Jae-eon. Recalling the laws of the Wish Eater, sending him away was the only way to be freed from hellish pain. Even if the third bell didn’t ring, the existence would disappear if the caster’s wish was fulfilled.
But Ahn Seo-myeong made a different choice.
Whether his skin rotted, he went blind, or he couldn’t hear… he was holding on with all his might.
“…….”
Ki Jae-eon’s gaze turned to Ahn Seo-myeong’s hand. The dark, dangling fingernails must have been painful enough to make him faint. But, why. Why are you stopping me?
“Go, go away. …Ru, un, heue…….”
Run?
That’s crazy.
Knowing that Ki Jae-eon is the only key to overcoming the current situation, how could he say such a thing? Has the pain really messed up his head?
If Ki Jae-eon were to flee alone, they would be as good as dead. The enraged Evil Divinity would end it before the third bell rang.
Ahn Seo-myeong, who is so smart, wouldn’t know that.
Why.
“Heoeok, heok… Ru, un.”
Please run away. Ahn Seo-myeong mouthed, dropping the hand he was holding. Cough! Red blood gushed out from between his lips. He had reached his limit.
At that desperate heart, Ki Jae-eon’s eyes widened.
And then.
“…It’s okay, ah!”
A shout came from somewhere.
The sight that caught his eye when he turned his head was Jo Eun-ha and a few other children. They were suffering greatly with death following their every move, but they were still offering Ki Jae-eon the consideration of ‘it’s okay to run away.’ The child who made eye contact with Ki Jae-eon smiled quietly, covered in blood. Live. He couldn’t take his eyes off the mouthing lips.
It was strange.
Why is everyone telling me to run away?
Ki Jae-eon couldn’t understand it at all with his common sense.
With death right in front of them, shouldn’t they be begging for help? Shouldn’t they be angry that he didn’t step up sooner?
There wasn’t even anyone asking why only Ki Jae-eon wasn’t cursed.
‘Save me!’
‘Exorcist, can we survive?’
‘You can’t give up!’
“O, ppa… go, and… to other people, haa.”
“Go! J, ust, on, ce… if we hold on, it’ll be okay…….”
“Cough, Jae-eon, Jae-eon-ah… even if it’s just you…….”
Same situation.
Different result.
Come to think of it, it was like that earlier too.
[The main office does not abandon its family.]
Despite his dazed mind, the words somehow stuck in his ears.
‘Family.’
Ah, I see.
At some point, I had become their family. I was the one who didn’t notice.
Always one or two steps away with the foolish hesitation that giving affection would only lead to regret… yet unable to reject the kindness they offered, I didn’t know. That I was already mixed in with us.
“……Haha.”
For some reason, laughter flowed out in this absurd situation. Ki Jae-eon smiled weakly with his head bowed. The curly black hair tickled his eyelids. The feeling of his heart being filled made his body hot in a different way. But it wasn’t bad. It was different from a little while ago when he was being consumed by anger.
That’s how Ki Jae-eon thought.
‘I want to repay them.’
He wanted to give the same trust to those who had shown him trust.
The hope that you will not die today.
And that belief will soon become conviction.
“It’s, okay.”
Ki Jae-eon gently stroked the cheek of the collapsed Ahn Seo-myeong and slowly raised his head to scan the crowd.
“The main office does not abandon its fa, mily.”
A pleasant baritone voice filled the gloomy space. He nodded to the few gazes that looked at him in surprise. There were no other words. That was enough of an answer.
Now Ki Jae-eon just had to do what he always did.
What is it that he does best, whether it’s the future or the present?
Victory.
He has endured and won every time.
This will be the same.
“A mere speck of dust makes an earnest request.”
A sacred light began to envelop Ki Jae-eon.
It was a more distinct spirit chant than ever before.
“Ptooey!”
Kim Ja-myeong gathered the blood filling his mouth and spat it out onto the floor. His stuffy breath was now clear and refreshing.
‘…Amazing.’
His gaze turned to a man.
‘Is a Genius really a Genius?’
Kim Ja-myeong secretly clicked his tongue, hiding his agitation in accordance with his position as an ‘Elder.’ He never imagined that he would single-handedly rebuild the Barrier that even the five Elders were struggling with, and save the main office. This must be what they call a diamond in the rough.
‘That guy, is Ki Clan’s second son, Ki Jae-eon.’
A top-notch guy even among the high-flying Exorcists.
‘This is really going to ruin my reputation.’
Isn’t it against the rules for a young guy to be so good that it’s overwhelming? Kim Ja-myeong smiled wryly. Look at that calm face. Is that the face that just created the Barrier and unraveled the Evil Divinity’s curse? Kim Ja-myeong raised his chin and looked at the sky. The divinity that cuts through the unpleasant dark clouds and pours down is spreading throughout the main office. That light was so clear and beautiful. It was truly divinity.
‘I guess you need another monster to catch a monster.’
He’s an amazing guy. It even occurred to him that it was fortunate that Ki Jae-eon was a good person. What would have happened if he had walked a path of corruption? …Hmm, Kim Ja-myeong, who had been imagining it for a moment, shook his head.
‘Even if I don’t know, he would have become an existence even greater than that Evil Divinity.’
Oh my, that’s a headache. Just thinking about it made him shudder.
Whether he knew Kim Ja-myeong’s complicated thoughts or not, Ki Jae-eon approached him.
“…E, Elder.”
His gaze naturally turned to Ki Jae-eon’s face. It was the first time he was looking at him in detail. Since he was studying physiognomy as a hobby, Kim Ja-myeong habitually evaluated his appearance. Hmm, oh? Overall, he has a strong Yin Energy appearance. Features that could easily lead to the misunderstanding that he is cynical stand out. However, his unique gloominess made him seem not cool, but negative and gloomy.
For example, the sunken under his eyes were shaded like someone suffering from insomnia, making his impression itself dark and gloomy. And his skinny body made his tall frame look small.
Tsk, the shell itself isn’t ugly.
‘There’s quite a distance from the description I’ve heard so far?’
I thought his appearance was as famous as his skills.
‘Well, if he looks like Teacher Ryu instead of the grumpy one, it’s natural that his appearance is neat.’
But it’s not good now? Especially when you look at the way he was half-lost in the beginning, or the way he’s stuttering now without even making eye contact with people. Who in the world would expect this guy to be Heavenly Land’s Ki Jae-eon!
‘If I hadn’t heard various stories about him from Yeong-i, maybe…….’
I might have judged Ki Jae-eon arbitrarily based on his appearance.
“F, irst, I have to, get away, so…….”
‘Is he a wolf in sheep’s clothing, or a celestial being in human form?’
“Until then, I’ll continue the Barrier instead……. E, Elder?”
‘Tsk- this guy.’
No matter how he looked at it, it was a truly mysterious physiognomy. He was destined to live as a celestial dragon for the rest of his life, so why did he become so broken? Is he trying to abandon the disposition he was born with and live as a ground snake? That’s ridiculous. Everyone has a subject. Their own subject. As if they can change their fate and live as they please? Absolutely not. From the beginning, the people around him wouldn’t let him do that.
‘In a way, he was born with a truly eerie fate, that’s how I should see it….’
Hmm, well, usually these guys have a fate that is divided into either a fool or a Genius.
‘If the situation was okay, I would have grabbed him and observed him all day. It’s a shame in many ways.’
Kim Ja-myeong laughed briefly. It was an extremely disrespectful attitude for someone who was being helped. But it wasn’t a sincere disregard. It was only about his ‘appearance.’ The important thing is the content. And Ki Jae-eon had just proven enough with his ability why he was the next owner of Heavenly Land.
Regardless of his physiognomy, he spoke only with his skills.
And one more thing.
“…It’s, done.”
‘He’s really made up his mind!’
Kim Ja-myeong looked at the blood marks engraved on both of his arms. Ki Jae-eon bit his own thumb to draw blood and wrote it down because there was no ink or brush.
It was for [Spirit Art Transfer].
Here, Spirit Art Transfer is a technique that transfers the Art of Magic cast by [A] to [B] ‘as it is.’ That’s simply put. But you’ll know if you do it yourself. Spirit Art Transfer is a damn X-like Art of Magic that’s perfect for getting a mental illness. Maybe nine out of ten people would give up, shaking their heads. Because there were too many rules to follow. 1) The inherited [B] must have the same spiritual power as the inherited [A]. 2) They must have a high understanding of the Art of Magic. 3) Even delicate controls such as posture, breathing, and concentration must be the same as the transferred opponent.
In summary, it’s like baking. Even a difference of 0.1g will make you say ‘Huh?’ and ‘I’ll just die.’ In other words, it’s a difficult technique that doesn’t allow even small differences… that’s the accepted theory.
‘But he…….’
Is it possible to suppress it with physicality?