The Heretic of Cleric Academy-Chapter 25

The next morning, school was buzzing. It was because of the Go Jun-min incident.

"They said there were 2,400 voyeur photos."

"2,400 photos? Isn’t that insane? Wow, so disgusting."

Everything had been revealed in detail: Go Jun-min becoming a demon race, Kim Jin-seo using a miracle to defeat Go Jun-min, and Go Jun-min’s habit of stalking and secretly photographing Kim Jin-seo.

The children were busy discussing the incident.

"But Kim Jin-seo is amazing too."

"Right. She’s probably the only one in our grade who can use miracles, isn’t she?"

Thanks to this, Kim Jin-seo became a celebrity.

It was already remarkable for a mere student to defeat a demon race. But Kim Jin-seo had defeated the demon race using a ’miracle.’ It would have been strange if she hadn’t become famous.

Everyone praised Kim Jin-seo’s talent, envied her, and felt jealous of her.

"There have been a lot of strange incidents lately. The magical beast incident too. And that exposé post being uploaded."

"Hey, hey. He can hear you."

"So what if he hears? Why should we worry about the perpetrator’s feelings?"

Even after the incident, public opinion about me hadn’t changed. It was because of the false exposé post that had been uploaded earlier.

The fact that Go Jun-min had written that post was never revealed, and I still couldn’t shake off the unfair accusation of being a ’school violence perpetrator.’

However, there was no way to clear my name, and even if I did explain, no one would believe me. I could only listen to their chatter and sink into depression.

"Don’t listen to them."

Jeong In-ah, who was sitting in front of me, glared at the group gossiping about rumors and said this. Her eyes were filled with venom.

The group that had been talking about me clicked their tongues in displeasure and left the classroom.

"Who are they to click their tongues? I can’t believe this."

Jeong In-ah muttered quietly. She always took my side. She believed in me without being swayed by that false exposé post. I was grateful.

"But were you really a perpetrator? You don’t look like one at all."

Gu Jun-hyeok tapped my back from behind and asked. He wasn’t really asking because he didn’t know, but purely to tease me.

"Of course not. You call that a question?"

When I answered curtly, Gu Jun-hyeok pointed at my face with his finger.

"Yeah. I don’t think so. No matter how I look at you, you don’t look like a perpetrator."

"What does that mean?"

"I mean, you don’t look like you’d hit anyone. Rather, you look like you’d get beaten up."

I wasn’t sure exactly what "look like you’d get beaten up" meant, but it didn’t seem like a compliment. I was slightly offended.

Still, Gu Jun-hyeok was one of the few people who believed in me, like Jeong In-ah. Even though he was annoying, he had his own sense of loyalty. I was secretly grateful.

"Good morning."

While we were having various conversations, Ha Ye-jin entered. It was already time for morning assembly. Today too, I had hardly studied because I was chatting with Gu Jun-hyeok and Jeong In-ah.

"As you all know, there have been many disturbing incidents lately. Always be careful. If anything happens, call me or other teachers immediately. Understood?"

"Yes!"

The students answered in unison. After that, Ha Ye-jin delivered various minor announcements. There had been kidnapping incidents in the area, and the perpetrator still hadn’t been caught. The perpetrator might not be just one person, but could be a cult organization operating systematically, and so on.

"Everyone really, really! needs to be careful. Don’t just let it go in one ear and out the other!"

Ha Ye-jin raised her voice as she urged us. She was someone who cared deeply for her students.

With that, the assembly ended, and Ha Ye-jin left the classroom. Gu Jun-hyeok approached across the now noisy classroom.

"Only our class has such long assemblies. I heard other classes finish in 10 seconds."

Gu Jun-hyeok stuck out his tongue.

"She’s worried about us."

"Worrying is good, but it’s too excessive. We’re not children."

"From the teacher’s perspective, we probably look like children. We are actually young too."

It’s awkward for me to say this myself, but we are children. Seventeen years old is quite young.

Gu Jun-hyeok frowned after hearing my words.

"You sometimes talk like an old man. Ah, are you that? Regression. Are you a regressor?"

"Stop talking nonsense. And what’s regression? Are you talking about salmon?"

Salmon return to their birthplace during spawning season. That was the only regression I knew.

"Going back to the past. Don’t just study all the time, read some novels or comics too. And why did salmon suddenly come up? What does regression have to do with salmon?"

"You should read some books, please."

Gu Jun-hyeok blinked his eyes. Somehow we weren’t communicating well. In the first place, my interests were too different from Gu Jun-hyeok’s. Come to think of it, it was a miracle that we had become this close.

"Why are you two playing without me?" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Just as the unproductive conversation with Gu Jun-hyeok was getting boring, Jeong In-ah approached stealthily. She looked somewhat hurt.

"Ah, Jeong In-ah! Perfect timing. What would you do if you regressed?"

"Regression? Are you talking about salmon? Or going to the past?"

"Going to the past. But why does salmon keep coming up?"

Gu Jun-hyeok asked innocently. Jeong In-ah looked at him as if he was pathetic.

"You need to read some books. Anyway, you’re asking what I’d do if I went to the past?"

"Yeah."

Jeong In-ah tilted her head slightly. Even to Gu Jun-hyeok’s thoughtless question, Jeong In-ah gave serious consideration.

"Hmm, I think... I’d play with my younger sibling."

"Ah, right."

Gu Jun-hyeok nodded as if he understood. He seemed to know that Jeong In-ah’s sibling had gone missing.

The atmosphere became gloomy. There was vague regret in Jeong In-ah’s eyes.

"Hey, why did everyone suddenly get quiet? It’s awkward. Anyway, let’s go quickly. We’ll be late."

Jeong In-ah smiled, trying to forcibly revive the dampened mood. Her mouth was smiling, but her eyes were still sad.

We followed Jeong In-ah out of the classroom and walked down the hallway. The next class was training, to be held in the gymnasium.

"What kind of training was it again?"

"Self-defense training, I think. I heard it was suddenly scheduled for today."

Jeong In-ah answered the question. Judging by the sudden addition of self-defense training, the school seemed to be conscious of the Go Jun-min incident.

Since the victim of the incident was none other than Kim Jin-seo, they seemed to have hurriedly inserted self-defense training into the schedule, being mindful of the chairman.

"Hey, but what would you do if you regressed? I mean, if you went back to the past."

While crossing the playground toward the gymnasium, Gu Jun-hyeok asked. I looked up at the clear sky without a single cloud and thought for a moment.

If I could go back to the past, I would make every effort to save my father and mother.

But my father was already dead and my mother was imprisoned. There was no way to go back to the past. It was a meaningless consideration from the start.

"Well. Stocks or cryptocurrency?"

I gave an ordinary answer that anyone could predict.

"Realistic."

"What about you?"

When I asked back, Gu Jun-hyeok stared at the ground endlessly, lost in thought. It was a rare serious expression. His eyes were complex and unreadable. He seemed sad, and also seemed angry.

"Me too, stocks or cryptocurrency. Ah, I should try the lottery too."

The answer that came after much thought was ordinary, contrary to expectations.

Gu Jun-hyeok’s lips trembled slightly as he spoke with a smile. His gaze lowered to the floor was empty.

"I see."

I was a bit puzzled, but I didn’t bother to probe further. It wasn’t an atmosphere where I could ask more questions, and it didn’t seem like he would answer even if I asked.

* * *

Thud!

A dull sound echoed through the gymnasium. The demonstration partner standing in front of Kim Bok-dong tumbled and sprawled on the mat.

"The technique I just showed has a low difficulty level, and most importantly, it’s practical for real situations."

Kim Bok-dong, the self-defense training instructor, showed us how to trip or subdue the demonstration partner using techniques. It was faster to see directly than to explain with words.

Most of the techniques he showed were from judo or jiu-jitsu, or applications of them.

"That concludes the five techniques I’ve taught you. You’ll form pairs, practice in groups, and then demonstrate self-defense techniques in front of me. I’ll grade based on technique proficiency and demonstration completeness."

After finishing his explanation, Kim Bok-dong immediately formed groups.

"Group 2. Jeong In-ah, Seo Ha-rin."

"Group 12. Bae Seong-hyeok, Gu Jun-hyeok."

"Group 35. Do Seon-woo, Oh Byeong-hun."

Those were the names I knew.

I was in the same group as a kid named Oh Byeong-hun. He was a student with distinctive features: eyes that stretched sideways, protruding front teeth, and a buzz cut. He was one of the group that had been spreading malicious gossip about me in the morning.

We were given a total of 15 minutes for practice. Within that time, we had to perfectly master five movements and coordinate with our partner. Time was quite tight.

"We’re in the same group. Let’s do well."

Before starting self-defense practice, Oh Byeong-hun readily offered a handshake. His tone was very kind. Is this the same guy who was badmouthing me this morning? He’s like a completely different person.

"Yeah, let’s do well."

I accepted the handshake. I felt considerable pressure in our clasped hands. Oh Byeong-hun was gripping my hand as if he was going to crush it.

There was a calm smile on his face, but his jaw muscles were tense.

"Should we let go now?"

"Ah, sorry. I’m a bit nervous. Haha."

Only after making his displeasure clear did Oh Byeong-hun release my hand. The hand that had been clasped tingled painfully. There were red marks on the back of my hand.

For a psychological battle, it was excessive. I was worried whether we could practice properly like this.

"The one receiving the technique should relax their body. The one applying the technique should support the back of the head. Let’s do it that way."

"Ah, sounds good."

"The purpose is to show a demonstration, not to fight each other."

However, contrary to my worries, practice went smoothly. Oh Byeong-hun was kinder than I thought, and we worked well together. We finished practicing perfectly with 6 minutes to spare.

Unlike us who finished practice smoothly, Group 12 with Bae Seong-hyeon and Gu Jun-hyeok was still struggling.

Eventually practice time ended. Following Kim Bok-dong’s calls, groups began giving demonstrations.

"Group 2. Jeong In-ah, Seo Ha-rin."

Group 2 with Jeong In-ah successfully completed their demonstration without incident. To put it nicely, it was textbook; to put it badly, it was ordinary. Either way, Jeong In-ah received a high score.

"Group 12. Bae Seong-hyeon, Gu Jun-hyeok."

Group 12 looked like they were sparring rather than demonstrating. Bae Seong-hyeon and Gu Jun-hyeok were seriously trying to take each other down.

Thud, bang, crack. Dull sounds filled the gymnasium. When the demonstration ended, both Bae Seong-hyeon and Gu Jun-hyeok were clutching their waists and groaning in pain.

"Excellent."

Kim Bok-dong applauded, saying it was a demonstration full of excitement. Thanks to this, both of them received high scores.

"Group 35. Do Seon-woo, Oh Byeong-hun."

Finally our turn came. We stood confidently in front of Kim Bok-dong. As we had discussed beforehand, the self-defense demonstration began with Oh Byeong-hun taking me down.

Crash!

However, contrary to plan, Oh Byeong-hun seriously threw me to the floor. The back of my head ached numbly and my lower back stung.

Oh Byeong-hun was looking down at me with a grimacing face as if sorry.

"Whoa, hey, sorry. I was nervous."

"...It’s okay."

Fortunately, it didn’t seem intentional. My head hurt and my consciousness was hazy, but I somehow pulled myself together.

Next was my turn to take down Oh Byeong-hun.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

However, Oh Byeong-hun didn’t fall down.

According to our prior discussion, Oh Byeong-hun should relax his body now. But he absolutely wouldn’t relax. Rather, he was tensing up his body, even trembling with the effort.

[It seems he planned to mess with you from the beginning.]

Legba was right. Oh Byeong-hun seemed to have intended to mess with me from the start. As evidence, Oh Byeong-hun was grinning at me.

"What’s wrong? Do Seon-woo, resume the demonstration."

Kim Bok-dong, who had been watching us with his arms crossed, urged. It made things worse.

Kim Bok-dong was urging me to resume the demonstration. But Oh Byeong-hun had no intention of cooperating with me. I really couldn’t do anything.

Given the situation, there was only one method. I didn’t want to use it if possible, but with things as they were, I had no choice.

"Bosu."

I muttered quietly. So quietly that others couldn’t hear.

[Bosu says that without an altar, 10 seconds is the limit. Is that okay?]

I nodded slightly.

Soon I felt a burning pain in my muscles as if they were on fire. My blood boiled and my whole body was hot. My body was overflo

wing with strength to the point of explosion.

Bosu’s power, ’Monstrous Strength,’ had been activated. In that state, I approached Oh Byeong-hun.

I planned to forcibly take him down using this monstrous strength. I didn’t even hope for 10 seconds.

2 seconds.

2 seconds would be enough.