Chapter 65: Ballroom of Temptation (4)
Silence.
Jecky, who had been silent for a while, suddenly turned her head unnaturally.
And then.
"Wh-What is this? Disgusting. Disgusting! Disgusting!!! Ahhh! No, no, no, no, no, no, no. This is not meeeeee! Ahhhhh!!"
She tore at her hair with her arms and vomited blood while screaming.
However, no matter where she looked, her arms and legs kept appearing in her field of vision.
"Turn my arms back! Please! This is too disgusting! I hate it! I don't want to live like this!!"
While screaming, she suddenly looked at Flame.
Crying tears of blood, she crawled towards Flame with terrifying speed.
‘Just a bit…’
"Flame... Please... Save me... I'm begging you..."
However, there was no way.
She had completely been consumed by darkness, and there was no way to undo it.
The NPCs hesitated and stepped back, expressions of disgust on their faces.
Both noble NPCs and students distanced themselves from her.
'This… This is... not real...'
Jecky trembled and stuttered in despair. She wanted to cover her face with her hands, but her hands had become sharp and wouldn't allow such a simple gesture.
"Please, please... Flame, please. You... You can do anything."
Incomplete corruption could have been purified. She could have been saved just moments prior.
But now it was impossible.
Flame closed her lips tightly and lowered her head.
"... I'm sorry, Jecky."
With that, the final verdict was pronounced.
"Hahaha. Hehehehe. Hehe, hehe... hehehe. Hihihihi...." Realizing the real culprit behind her condition, Jecky began to cackle.
"That's right."
‘If it weren't for Flame…’
"It's all because of you."
"What...?"
"It's because of you. You, you, you! It's because of you!! If it weren't for you! If you didn't exist at all!"
Screaming, she swung her blade-like arm at Flame, but…
Whoosh! Sizzle...!
Fiery flames and chilling icebergs shot out from the sides, piercing through Jecky’s body.
"Gah... Ugh...!"
Her main ability lay in manipulating her opponent's mind. How could she exert her power when her mental state was in turmoil?
She was already severely wounded and weakened by the fading barrier. She had lost most of her strength, making even such an attack fatal.
“No... Why... me…?”
Whoosh! Boom!!
Relentless, Hong Bi-Yeon shot another fireball.
She stepped forward as if she couldn't stand it anymore.
"Wait, hold on. It's dangerous..."
"You should be quiet now. You've done what you needed to do." Brushing off Flame’s attempt to stop her, she stood coldly before Jecky.
Hong Bi-Yeon examined Jecky’s face and spoke with an emotionless expression. "How pathetic."
"You...!"
"Your inner ugliness is even worse than your outward appearance."
For her, the exterior didn’t matter. Hong Bi-Yeon, who had once lived in an equally hideous form, knew this well.
“What do you know? Kyahhh!!”
Whoosh!!!
Before Jecky could say anything, Hong Bi-Yeon used her flames to burn her.
"Don't you dare speak informally to a princess. You're no longer my equal, so there's no reason for me to tolerate informality."
“W-Wait! Stop! She still has her sanity! If we find a way somehow...!"
“A way?”
"... Huh?"
As Eisel hurriedly shouted, Hong Bi-Yeon turned her head and locked eyes with her.
Unlike when looking at Jecky... there was a mixture of pity and indescribable anguish in her gaze.
That was right.
Her cold gaze directed at Jecky was just an act.
Realizing this, Eisel stopped in her tracks.
“Even if we desperately looked, would there be one?”
Once completely consumed by dark magic, there was no way out. There was no solution other than overcoming the dark magic before it completely took hold.
"Well, even so..."
"Ha, your kindness surprises me. Fine, I'll give your friend a chance."
Hong Bi-Yeon spoke as if showing compassion.
"If you repent sincerely and apologize for your mistakes, I'll spare your life. Kneel and kiss my feet."
“What?!"
It was an incredibly humiliating and disgraceful situation.
However, no one, including Flame, tried to stop her.
No one could.
If the situation had gone wrong... everyone here might have died at Jecky’s hands.
The crime of trying to kill fifteen students was by no means trivial.
Still, it could be said that Hong Bi-Yeon’s generosity in offering a chance to repent was significant.
“Grr...!”
Jecky gritted her teeth, knelt down, and slowly approached Hong Bi-Yeon while bowing her head.
However…
No matter how she thought about it.
Even if she apologized and was forgiven.
She couldn’t imagine living a proper life from now on. With her appearance transformed so horribly and grotesquely, there was no way she could live a normal life as a girl.
Jecky’s red eyes, lowered in submission, flickered brightly.
Hong Bi-Yeon Adolevit.
Born as a princess with unparalleled beauty. A girl known as the incarnation of flames. She was born with exceptional talent.
Her future would shine more beautifully and brilliantly than any gem, while Jecky would lead a life like filthy sewage.
‘I wanted to live like that too. If I'm going to fall into ruin anyway, it wouldn't be so bad to fall with someone living in the high heavens.’
‘If I can't have that life.’
'If it's going to be like that...'
This is an opportunity.’
An opportunity to end that perfect girl's life with her own hands.
Crawling on her knees, Jecky reached Hong Bi-Yeon’s feet and bowed deeply, hiding her expression.
Without hesitation, Hong Bi-Yeon extended her foot.
‘Foolish girl.’
The opportunity had come.
As if pretending to hold onto her foot, Jecky clenched her fist.
A sinister red gleam emanated from her.
“You're coming down to hell with me, Adolevit!”
She stood up abruptly and stabbed Hong Bi-Yeon with her transformed right arm.
Instant death.
That was how it should have been.
"Ah...?"
Creak...!
She couldn’t move.
Her knees froze, preventing her from standing up properly.
Her arms were entangled in vines, preventing her from swinging them properly.
Even as she saw the sharp spider's blade that had reached her face, Hong Bi-Yeon remained unperturbed and said with a pitiful tone.
“You missed your last chance. They say humans can’t be reformed, and I see it’s true.”
"Just wait...!"
"I hope you repent in death." Hong Bi-Yeon flicked her finger as if there was no worth in hearing any excuses.
Kwaaang!!
A giant cylindrical pillar of fire shot up, engulfing Jecky’s body.
Whoosh!!
She died instantly without even screaming.
With that, the situation came to an end.
"Ah..."
Flame sat on the floor powerlessly.
At the same time, a guideline message appeared.
[You have conquered the Ballroom of Temptation!]
[The story of Duchess Aeron, who wanted to achieve the world’s greatest beauty and popularity, ends here.]
The world began to fold in on itself.
NPCs turned into smoke and scattered. Objects turned into dust and disappeared.
Even amidst that, the players couldn't even think of standing up.
"Ah...Uh...."
Some sat in place, while others blankly stared into empty space.
The transformation of their fellow student into a dark mage and the betrayal.
The shock had not yet subsided.
Amidst all that, only one person moved.
Instead of heading toward the entrance to the clock tower stairs, Hong Bi-Yeon glanced back and said, "How long are you going to sit like that? Pathetic. There will be rewards behind the stage. Make sure to take them with you."
The students suddenly noticed a door located behind the stage.
Since they had cleared the final stage, there would be various rewards, including magic stones, in that place.
Flame, staring blankly at Hong Bi-Yeon’s back, realized something in her mind.
Her legs were trembling as she walked.
‘No way...’
She finally realized.
Unable to recover from the shock, she wanted to sit down in that situation, but she pretended nothing was wrong, as if she didn't crumble, as if she were strong.
She was acting tough.
Someone had to be a support for others to be able to stand up.
‘Was that it...?'
Flame regained her senses and struggled to stand up.
In the end, Hong Bi-Yeon’s words were right.
She never believed that Jecky would ask for forgiveness.
Wasn't she already prepared with magic to restrain her limbs?
Hong Bi-Yeon knew they couldn’t trust Jecky and that Flame would prepare magic, so she deliberately left an opening.
She had a sharp understanding of human psychology and knew how to manipulate and exploit it. It was truly a disgustingly dirty personality.
At the same time, she had a selfish yet altruistic nature, willing to shoulder everything.
Various thoughts swirled in Flame’s mind.
Perhaps relying too much on knowledge from the original novel, she had misunderstood the character named Hong Bi-Yeon.
"Team A-6 has completed their training, and the students have come out."
"Evacuate them."
"Team B-3's practice is also over."
In Stella Dome, there were dozens of persona gates, but since they were all fake, professors could intervene at any time without danger.
Except for one gate.
Out of nowhere, a persona gate of danger level 5 appeared in the heart of Stella Academy. In preparation, all present Stella Knights and professors were firmly armed, ready and waiting.
The professors could handle a level 5 persona gate from their positions, but if the persona synchronization phenomenon were to occur, it could distort the surrounding environment and pose a serious threat.
"What's going on? What happened?"
"I don't know... It seems like an accident occurred."
The students glanced in the direction of the persona gate and followed the assistant's guidance to evacuate.
Lee Han-Wol gazed at the gate with a troubled expression.
There had been cases where Stella students died during practice.
However, no death was easily forgotten. It was most sorrowful and regrettable to see young minds who had entered Stella with dreams of a bright future wither away before they could bloom.
He didn't show it, but he remembered the faces and names of all the students.
In particular, Baek Yu-Seol’s name would not be forgotten for a long time.
Though he grew up in a poor environment, he entered Stella Academy dreaming of chivalric ideals.
He had proven to the world with his skills that his dream was not empty rhetoric. If he continued to work a little harder, he could surely achieve the most rewarding results in the world.
But to die so meaninglessly in a place like this...
"The resonance is fluctuating! The inside is changing!"
"Let's get ready."
When Knight Commander Arien gave a slight nod, the magic knights confidently drew their swords.
Arien didn't need to intervene personally. They were an elite force, so stepping forward to face a mere level 5 persona synchronization was considered remarkable.
Crackle. Creak...!!
The gate shook to the point where it was visible to the naked eye, and finally, something inside contracted as if it were exploding.
Flash!
A moment later, the gate completely disappeared, and fifteen students wearing Stella uniforms appeared.
"Ah..."
Someone exhaled slowly, a sign of relief.
The tension was released.
Such sounds echoed from various places.
Someone let out a sigh, someone laughed, someone else quickly made a call, and someone turned away.
“The ants defeated the tiger."
Arien's expression, surprisingly, showed a hint of astonishment. Then he turned around, mocking himself for making the joke.
"Withdraw!"
"Yes!"
As the disciplined knights turned around without hesitation, the mages and faculty members who were waiting let out cheers.
"They really conquered a level 5 persona gate themselves?"
"I can't believe it..."
"Well, they are Stella students after all."
"Even so, they’re just students."
"Even experienced veterans would find a level 5 fate challenging..."
Lee Han-Wol signaled to a nearby mage who closed his eyes, spun a magic circle, and then announced, "Wave pattern termination. Mission accomplished. Complete victory."
After confirming that, Lee Han-Wol walked briskly toward the students.
However, when Baek Yu-Seol stepped forward first, Lee Han-Wol widened his eyes and tightened his grip.
Magic warriors who conquered persona gates were obligated to report to the supervising mage according to the manual.
So right now, Baek Yu-Seol was determined to fulfill his duty and protect the command chain, even if it was a matter of life and death.
"That kid... Is he the leader?"
"I recognize his face."
“He’s been famous for his chivalry since the beginning of the term.”
While the mages were cheering, Baek Yu-Seol, wrapped all over in bandages, somehow managed to stand upright with the staff held vertically against his chest.
It was the salute of a magical warrior.
After Lee Han-Wol acknowledged the salute, Baek Yu-Seol reported. "Reporting completion of the persona gate mission. Total of 16 personnel with one casualty. Fifteen personnel have successfully returned."
Lee Han-Wol’s expression turned bitter upon hearing his words.
In the end, one student was sacrificed. It was a relief that they had returned alive, but there was no reason to celebrate blindly.
So without showing any expression, Lee Han-Wol maintained a stoic face and nodded his head.
"Well done. Each and every one of you, as magical warriors, has achieved remarkable results without any shortcomings. I'm proud of you. I'll immediately assign a healing mage. So all of you should get some rest."
Regardless of the circumstances, it was true that they had achieved a remarkable accomplishment.
One casualty? It was undoubtedly a regrettable event, but the fact that 15 students survived the mission was even more miraculous.
At the center of it all was probably Baek Yu-Seol.
Even though no leader had been officially designated, the fact that Baek Yu-Seol, ranked 1141st, stepped forward and reported meant that all the other students recognized him as their leader.
Lee Han-Wol approached Baek Yu-Seol to offer some encouragement. However, for some reason, he had a distressed expression Lee Han-Wol couldn't quite understand.
‘Hmm, was there a major incident inside?’
He wanted to say something comforting to Baek Yu-Seol, thinking that he needed to pay more attention to him.
"Haha, what's all this about?"
Lee Han-Wol’s chest sank with a startle. It was the voice of a rebellious teenage boy, but the determination and heavy pressure contained in it made it difficult even to utter a word.
Elthman Elwin, the principal of Stella Academy and a Class 9 mage, had personally come here.
Elthman Elwin looked around the students slowly and finally turned his gaze toward Baek Yu-Seol, his eyes flashing with interest.
"Well, it seems like something interesting happened while I was away?"