After finishing her silent war of nerves with Chief Instructor Maxim, Iris watched the transport helicopter disappear into the distance before retrieving the wooden carrier and leaving the area without hesitation.
She had already chosen a resting place for the night as the first day of the school trip transitioned into the second.
With confident strides, she reached the entrance of a cave—one that seemed fit for a bear to hibernate in.
After briefly inspecting the interior, she set down the carrier and spoke.
“You can come out now, Kim Sunghoon.
We’ll be staying here for the night.
I’m sure you’ve had a rough time, even if you didn’t show it.
Being confined in that cramped wooden box, tossed around without knowing what was happening outside—you must be sore all over.”
“Not at all. If anything, it must have been much harder on you, Iris. Carrying that heavy carrier while dashing in all directions—you must be exhausted. Please allow me to at least gather firewood.”
“No.
If you go out to gather firewood and become a target, all our efforts so far will be for nothing.
I’ll be back soon.
From what I observed earlier, the only thing inside this cave is an abandoned shrine—it’s been left alone for a long time, and there’s nothing particularly dangerous.”
Iris, who seemed to treat me like a helpless child left near a riverbank, stepped outside.
Before long, she returned—carrying an entire tree the size of a utility pole.
“…I knew Iris was beyond human, but sometimes she was so terrifying that it left me speechless.”
And considering the various elixirs she had consumed recently, her inhuman transformation was only accelerating.
After gathering firewood, she single-handedly set up and lit the fire.
Then, she quietly took out her portion of rations and began eating in silence.
I sat on the other side of the campfire, soaking a piece of hardtack in water before forcing it down.
Not a single word of small talk passed between us during the meal—or even after it.
There was a psychological barrier between Iris, the academy’s eternal first place, and Kim Sunghoon, the perennial last place, one so massive that any genuine conversation felt impossible.
Asking if I had any difficulties in academy life or inquiring about my dreams—it all seemed pointless.
“Then, I’ll head inside and get some sleep. Should I take turns standing guard?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. I’ll handle it. I’m used to staying up all night.”
Well, she was someone who balanced Moonlight Divine Art training with squat workouts all night long and still attended morning classes.
Of course, she’d be used to it.
But no matter how monstrous Iris’s stamina was, she still needed some time to recover.
Watching her carefully, I quickly lay down on the cave floor, pretending to curl up and sleep.
Just as I was about to activate my consciousness on the Constellation side, a chilling wail echoed from outside the cave, creeping in along with the encroaching twilight.
“Kkiiiieeeeeeeek!”
‘Nameless King, what is that sound? Kim Sunghoon isn’t reacting at all—am I the only one who can hear it?’
Don’t panic.
This is just a natural phenomenon that happens when night falls in the Hermit’s Flooded Forest.
As the night deepens and yin energy thickens, stray ghosts gather in droves.
There’s a reason why Headmaster Dragos called this place a haunted hotspot.
For students with weak minds, it could be a problem—but for you, Iris, it’s nothing.
Just think of it like a few pesky gnats buzzing around.
More importantly, I’ll stand guard tonight, so you should at least get three—no, even just one hour of sleep.
You need to be ready for any battles that might come tomorrow.
You’re not expecting to take down Constellation-bound top-ranked students as easily as you did today, are you?
‘Then I’ll take your advice and rest for exactly one hour.’
Iris closed her eyes and, in a bizarre display, fell asleep while sitting cross-legged.
Wouldn’t that hurt her back?
Anyway, activating my consciousness as a Constellation allowed my field of vision to expand like a third-person game POV.
It also freed me from normal human fatigue and the need for sleep, meaning I could technically keep watch all night if I wanted to.
However, knowing Iris’s personality, if I told her to relax and sleep through the night, she wouldn’t truly rest.
So, I had proposed a compromise.
As I hovered around her, keeping an eye on the situation outside the cave, something shocking happened.
Without any warning, my physical body—Kim Sunghoon’s body—suddenly got up on its own and began walking deeper into the cave.
This had never happened before—not once in all the times I had switched between my Constellation and physical consciousness.
Alarmed, I immediately rushed to chase after my body.
“Ah, f*, give me back my body! I know it’s a worthless piece of trash with all F-rank talents, but without it, I’m just a wandering ghost, not a Constellation!”
A chill ran down my spine at the scene unfolding like something straight out of a horror movie, but my desperation to reclaim my body overpowered my fear.
Following my possessed body to the deepest part of the cave, I came across the abandoned shrine that Iris had mentioned.
The terrain was somewhat familiar to me, but as far as I knew, this shrine had no events or gimmicks associated with it.
It was nothing more than a decorative structure.
Yet, my body, moving like a zombie, approached a half-broken Buddha statue and reached inside it.
For about ten minutes, it fumbled around, searching for something.
Then, with a distinct click, the Buddha’s eyes suddenly began to glow.
I could no longer afford to waste time—I immediately deactivated my Constellation consciousness.
“Where… am I?”
I blinked, taking in my surroundings.
No, wait—I knew this place.
Those butterflies… I had seen them before.
Dozens of vibrantly colored butterflies, as if from another world, fluttered through a tranquil estate.
It wasn’t just familiar—I knew this place.
This was the House of Paper, one of the fated encounter locations for mage-type characters.
Normally, this estate was sealed behind multiple layers of restrictions, requiring one to break through enchantments to gain entry.
So how the hell was it connected to some nameless cave?
“Ugh, my head hurts… This isn’t just some ‘butterfly effect’ nonsense. Guess I should try meeting the master of this place.”
Compared to this, the switch from a solo battle royale to a duo format in the school trip event felt like a minor detail.
Pushing aside my confusion, I stepped forward into the estate.
But the moment I crossed the threshold, the sliding paper doors suddenly opened.
A group of women in revealing kimonos appeared, beckoning me seductively.
“Oh my, a handsome young master has wandered into our estate. Why don’t you rest here for a while?”
“We’ll give you a taste of ultimate pleasure.”
“Ahh, my body is getting so hot… Please, young master, use your big and beautiful ‘thing’ to cool us down.”
‘Oh… I know this trial.’
These women weren’t real. They were shikigami, crafted from paper.
The only reason they seemed so lifelike was because of their astonishing craftsmanship—and the powerful charm spell woven into them.
Most characters with low mental fortitude would find it impossible to resist.
“…So why wasn’t I affected at all?”
Wait—was it because of that Vitality Sealing Elixir that Stella Darkbane forced me to drink?
If that was the case, then this was one hell of an irony.
Stella had tried to cripple me, but in the end, she had unintentionally given me a huge advantage.
Ignoring the women—who were now almost completely naked—I made my way deeper into the estate.
Finally, I reached the master of the House of Paper—the one known as the Hermit of the Hermit’s Flooded Forest.
Byakuya—a genius onmyoji.
They had an extraordinarily beautiful face, exuding a delicate and androgynous charm that made it impossible to tell if they were male or female.
Sitting there, elegantly strumming a biwa, Byakuya noticed my presence and smiled.
“So, the fated guest from the outside world has arrived, just as the divination foretold. I apologize for the rather unfriendly method of invitation—I had too many eyes watching me.
“Soya, return.”
At their command, a searing pain—like an acupuncture needle stabbing into my temple—shot through my head.
Then, a pale ghost in a white funeral robe emerged from my body.
Byakuya handed the biwa to Soya, then rose from the pavilion and approached me.
“A harbinger of fate’s upheaval? Or perhaps an irregularity? Seeing you in person, I can’t quite decide what to call you. Let’s get straight to the point—I have a few questions for you. Do you know who I am?”
“Byakuya, isn’t it? The genius onmyoji who once caused a stir in the Chungcheon Realm, only to sever all ties with the mortal world and retreat to this forest—where you eventually met your end.”
“You know my name… and that I am dead. Truly, you are a remarkable guest. Then, do you know why I failed to become a Constellation after my death?”
“That’s simple. No matter how exceptional your skills were, you lacked the karma needed to ascend. You deliberately erased your disciples’ memories and severed your own lineage—yet you still expected to become a Constellation?”
Byakuya let out a small chuckle at my bluntness.
“Then, tell me—what must I do to become a Constellation now?”
“The answer is in my previous statement. If you failed to ascend because you lacked karma in life, then you must start over and accumulate it from the beginning.”
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