Chapter 9

Baesunghyun and I walked confidently to the front of the classroom. Haejin greeted us with a broad smile.

"Both of you know how to use blessings, right?"

Although we weren't particularly close, Baesunghyun and I nodded.

"Can you use the 'Intermediate Strength Enhancement Blessing' then?"

"Ah."

"What? Do Seonwoo, why are you hesitating?"

"Ah, no, it's not that."

Oh no.

Intermediate blessing. The only blessings I know how to use are the basic ones.

My vision went dark. Cold sweat trickled down my forehead from the tension, and my fingertips trembled.

While I was in this state, Baesunghyun skillfully drew a blessing array.

It was a flawless 'Intermediate Strength Enhancement Blessing Array,' without a single flaw. A brilliant light poured out from the blessing array Baesunghyun drew, as if boasting of its success.

"Baesunghyun did a great job. Next, Do Seonwoo, please draw a blessing array."

Haejin urged me. With trembling fingers, I drew the Intermediate Strength Enhancement Blessing Array.

Naturally, I failed.

The blessing array lost its light and crumbled into ashes. My heart felt as if it were collapsing along with it.

Haejin looked at me, seemingly confused and puzzled.

"Um, are you nervous? Try again."

"I can't."

I gave up. My body was shaking, and my heart was shattered; I didn't have the courage to try again.

Haejin's face hardened.

"Why not?"

"Actually, I don't know how to use intermediate or higher-level blessings."

Hearing my honest confession, Haejin's stiff expression softened slightly.

"Hmm~ I think I understand. We could call another student, but how about one last attempt?"

Last night, I stayed up all night trying to draw an intermediate blessing array. I never succeeded once. If I tried again, the result would be the same.

Still, Haejin told me to try one more time. There was a glimmer of hope in her eyes, as if she had seen some potential in me.

"Alright."

I decided to meet Haejin's expectations. Even though I knew I wouldn't succeed, I simply decided to trust her blindly.

I calmed my trembling heart and began to draw the blessing array calmly. At the center of the complex array, where curves and lines intersected, I placed a 'core' formed by divine energy.

Then, a brilliant and mesmerizing light began to pour out from the blessing array.

The light of the blessing.

The fact that the light of the blessing poured out meant that I had successfully drawn a complete blessing array.

"Got it, got it—!"

But it was only for a moment. The brilliant light of the blessing eventually faded. The blessing array, now devoid of light, floated in the air, leaving only a faint afterimage.

Another failure.

"…I'm sorry."

I bowed my head deeply. I felt ashamed. I was embarrassed by my brief moment of joy, thinking I had succeeded. It was utterly hopeless.

However, Haejin was not disappointed. She was, in fact, surprised.

"Do Seonwoo, where did you learn to draw blessing arrays? At the academy? Or from your parents?"

"Ah, I watched videos."

"Videos? Online courses?"

"No, …YouTube videos."

The children laughed, some mockingly, others genuinely amused.

They thought I was joking, but it was the absolute truth.

I learned how to draw blessing arrays from YouTube because there was no one around who could teach me how to handle divine energy. I had never even attended a popular divine energy academy.

"You've never been to an academy? And your parents never taught you?"

"Yes. The situation wasn't ideal."

"I see. Do Seonwoo, you have some bad habits. Try to release divine energy from your fingertips."

Following her instructions, I released divine energy from my fingertips. Haejin suddenly grabbed my hand and used my finger as a brush to draw a blessing array in the air.

Unlike mine, it was a perfect blessing array, without a single flaw.

"The first habit is direction. Do Seonwoo, you draw the blessing array counterclockwise. Most people draw it clockwise."

"Really? Ah."

In voodoo rituals, drawing the array counterclockwise is standard. That habit must have stuck with me.

"And the second habit is about the process of forming the core. Do Seonwoo, you have a very bad habit—"

Ding dong dong—

Before Haejin could conclude her explanation, the bell rang.

"Ah, we'll continue what we didn't finish today. It was my first class, so I didn't manage the time well. Sorry!"

Haejin smiled apologetically. The children, as if they had been waiting, stood up and stretched.

Baesunghyun, who had been overshadowed by my attention, left the classroom with a disgruntled look, clicking his tongue.

Haejin smiled at the children and then turned her head toward me.

"Continuing from earlier, the way Do Seonwoo forms the core is fundamentally wrong. To be precise, it's not wrong, but there's a problem with the approach."

"Really? I don't understand."

"Think about it carefully."

Haejin left the classroom, leaving behind a mysterious statement.

* * *

On the way back to the staff room, Haejin reflected on the class content.

The charity class she was in charge of had many talented students. Three stood out.

First, Baesunghyun. He has an undeniable overwhelming talent. He drew the Intermediate Strength Enhancement Blessing Array in less than 10 seconds. He had already surpassed the student level.

Second, Jeong Ina. Her ability to analyze blessing arrays is exceptional. In terms of analytical skills, she can match any average teacher. However, her practical skills are somewhat lacking compared to her theoretical knowledge. It's a bit disappointing, but she will grow over time.

Lastly, Do Seonwoo. Perfect score on the diagnostic test. He has an unparalleled, overwhelming intellect, especially in religious studies and history. However, he seems to be unfamiliar with handling divine energy.

'No, not unfamiliar. Something...'

In fact, Haejin couldn't evaluate Do Seonwoo's skills. There were too many strange points in the blessing array he drew. It was questionable whether this was even possible.

"Teacher Haejin, what are you thinking so deeply about?"

A colleague teacher called out to Haejin, who was lost in thought. Haejin was startled and looked around.

She was in the staff room.

She had been so deep in thought that she didn't even notice she had arrived at the staff room.

Haejin smiled awkwardly and spoke.

"The class just now was quite impressive."

"Why? Did something happen?"

"No, nothing like that."

Haejin lowered her head and thought for a moment.

"Teacher, is it possible for the core of a blessing array to be anything other than spherical or ellipsoidal?"

"What? I thought it was impossible. Why do you ask?"

"Just a hypothetical. What would happen if it were not spherical or ellipsoidal?"

"Hmm. I've never thought about it, but the blessing array might collapse."

"That's right. That's correct, isn't it?"

Haejin lowered her head with a dark expression.

"But why do you ask? I'm curious."

The colleague teacher asked, and Haejin smiled brightly.

"It's nothing."

"What? Teacher Haejin always leaves people curious and then stops talking."

The colleague teacher pouted playfully. Meanwhile, Haejin was still thinking about Do Seonwoo.

Specifically, about the blessing array he drew.

When drawing a basic blessing array, there's no need to form a core. However, when drawing an intermediate or higher-level blessing array, a core must be formed.

If the core is not spherical or ellipsoidal, the blessing array loses its power and collapses. This is the established theory.

However, the core Do Seonwoo formed was neither spherical nor ellipsoidal. It was closer to a cube or a rectangular prism. This was the reason he failed to draw the intermediate blessing array.

But the question was:

'Why did the light of the blessing still pour out from the array?'

For a brief moment, the light of the blessing poured out from the array Do Seonwoo drew. This meant that, for a brief moment, he had successfully drawn a complete blessing array.

Using a cube-shaped core, he had drawn the blessing array in a way that deviated from the standard.

'What a kid.'

Haejin felt curious about Do Seonwoo. It was a curiosity as a teacher, but also as a researcher of divine energy.

* * *

After Haejin's class, the classroom was unusually noisy. Everyone had a mix of excited anticipation and anxiety on their faces. I couldn't understand what was making them so excited.

"Why are they all so excited?"

"It's the next practical class. It's their first time, so they're excited."

I muttered to myself, but Go Junhyeok appeared and answered.

He would suddenly disappear and then reappear by my side, making him seem both present and absent.

"Really? Where is it?"

As Go Junhyeok and I were talking, Jeong Ina appeared and joined the conversation naturally.

"Go straight back, and there's a hill. It's called Aiden Hill, I think."

"Okay, let's go then."

Jeong Ina, with her characteristic decisiveness, led us out of the classroom.

The three of us headed to 'Aiden Hill,' located behind Florence. The name had a familiar ring to it.

"By the way, why can't you draw blessing arrays, Do Seonwoo?"

While walking, Go Junhyeok teased me, a familiar habit that had become almost comforting.

"You're so good at it. Considering you learned from YouTube, Seonwoo did pretty well."

"No, who learns blessings from YouTube? Does that even make sense? Are you joking?"

"Hey! Be quiet, you."

When Go Junhyeok teased me, Jeong Ina would step in to defend me. I didn't need to say anything. Our conversations always went this way.

After bickering with Go Junhyeok, Jeong Ina turned to me and smiled awkwardly.

"If you have any questions, ask me. I'll tell you."

She seemed to think that my family situation was difficult, and I had no opportunity to learn blessings.

While it wasn't entirely wrong, I felt a sense of guilt, as if I had lied to her. My life was already filled with lies.

"Still, isn't it absurd for the 12th place in the diagnostic test to teach the 1st place?"

"I told you to be quiet."

"Ouch."

Go Junhyeok emphasized the word 'absurd.' Jeong Ina kicked his shin lightly. I just laughed at them.

Suddenly, Rekba spoke, his tone urgent.

But with Go Junhyeok and Jeong Ina beside me, I couldn't answer immediately.

I looked around and saw a public restroom. Florence was so large that public restrooms were installed everywhere.

"Go ahead. I'll be right back. I need to use the restroom."

"Ah, okay."

I sent Go Junhyeok and Jeong Ina ahead and entered the restroom alone. It smelled a bit, but it was the perfect place to talk to Roa.

"That could have waited. I thought it was urgent."

"What? I don't understand."

I swallowed hard. I didn't know I had such a habit.

"Really?"

I tried drawing a blessing array.

The Intermediate Strength Enhancement Blessing Array.

I placed a core formed by divine energy at the center of the drawn array. It briefly emitted light before losing it and collapsing.

Another failure. As expected.

"What? It doesn't work."

No matter how many times I tried, only a cube-shaped core formed in my hands. I didn't know how to form a spherical core.

"What is that?"

"How do you do that?"

Rekba sighed.

After 17 years of drawing voodoo arrays, I couldn't be expected to draw blessing arrays well.

Rekba had been exaggerating and scaring me. I listened carefully to Rekba's words with a serious expression, sitting on the toilet in a corner of the restroom.

"Really?"

I thought it was a trivial matter, but it wasn't. It was a shocking revelation.

Blood and sulfur are the main ingredients used by Satanists in their rituals. Therefore, Satanists have the smell of blood and sulfur on their bodies.

During the class, the smell of blood and sulfur was detected.

The implication was clear.

A Satanist had infiltrated Florence.

(To be continued)