*
Starting from where the Mana touched, light began to spread in all directions.
The moment I lost my mind to the sparkling circuits, I began to feel a foreign sensation.
It was similar to moving through space, like when crossing a Gate, but it felt like my body was still while only my mind was moving.
While I was distracted by my body turning transparent, a strangely shaped space appeared.
A bizarre feeling, as if looking down on everything; the ëª¨ìµ of the Academy's exam hall I had been in just a moment ago suddenly began to appear.
The place where the traces of the battle that had taken place remained intact.
The surroundings were filled with traces of battle.
At the center, there was a space that was neatly empty, as if it had been carved out with a knife.
'Is that the space the cube enveloped back then?'
A day had passed, so the exam must have already ended. The Death Knights and the Cult Leader were nowhere to be seen, and the instructors and professors were investigating the surroundings.
A familiar face was seen among the investigators.
'Seo-ah and Min-ji... I'm glad they both seem safe.'
They both seemed unharmed, with no major injuries.
Since I was the target, it seems the Cult Leader also left right after that.
The expressions of the two answering the professor's questions about yesterday's events were darkness itself.
Seeing them looking so gloomy and about to cry for a moment made me feel guilty for no reason.
Min-ah's face was also visible in a corner.
She was muttering while looking at the data gathered inside a makeshift tent.
"How is this possible...? It's not like they used magic or Mana... It's not just transcending dimensions..."
Min-ah slammed the desk with a frustrated look.
Since Min-ah was the one who repaired the Academy's security magic circle, it seems she is blaming herself.
I wonder if she thinks this incident is her fault.
"How did they get in? My husband-nim... *heu-euk*..."
Min-ah looked like she was about to burst into tears any second.
I wish I could tell her I'm safe, but I couldn't do anything but look down like this.
Still, I'm relieved to see that everyone is safe.
[You do not have permission to use the system.]
Suddenly, an alarm sound popped up, and I felt like I was bounced off somewhere.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back in my original body.
"Where the hell is this..."
Perhaps because it was a series of difficult-to-understand moments, I felt like my head couldn't keep up.
What was that ëª¨ìµ I just saw?
It felt too vivid to simply call it a dream.
"Si-woo-ya, where are you? Si-woo-ya?"
It seems Da-eun has woken up. I could feel her voice trembling, probably because she was surprised that I wasn't visible when she opened her eyes.
"You're awake?"
"You scared me... *hehe*"
Seeing her smile brightly after íì¸ my face, I lightly hugged Da-eun too.
"Aren't you hungry? Should I make breakfast?"
"Just a moment..."
I went back to the circuit and raised my Mana again.
The circuit that emits light like before, but the result was different from before.
[You do not have permission.]
'It doesn't work...'
"Si-woo-ya?"
"It's nothing. I must be hungry because I used my strength yesterday."
"..."
*
Da-eun was humming and cooking with her hair still damp.
Fortunately, there was a bathroom, so I took a clean shower.
We briefly mingled in the bathroom, but she firmly cut it off, saying that breakfast came first, so it really ended lightly.
Seeing her cooking with a fluffy ëª¨ìµ and moving to the rhythm appropriately made me feel like we were newlyweds.
It was a ëª¨ìµ I saw when I slept at Min-ji's house, but it felt new because the person was Da-eun.
'Is it okay to be this relaxed...?'
It's true that there's nothing I can do anyway, but is it okay to be this carefree?
As if ominous premonitions never fail, I felt a dark power.
"Da-eun-ah."
"Yeah..."
Da-eun, who was cooking, also turned off the stove and put down the knife.
__*Kung!!!*
"Kyaa!!"
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Si-woo-ya. I guess there's no time to eat now."
The space suddenly shook, and I grabbed Da-eun, who was staggering.
The food ingredients she was preparing with care fell to the floor.
I guess eating the food Da-eun made will have to be postponed.
__*Kung!! Kung!! Kung!!*
The space shook non-stop, as if being attacked by something.
The furniture around us threatened us, but we were able to protect ourselves with a shield magic.
When we went to a place where the power felt particularly strong, there was a crack that looked ominous at first glance.
"Da-eun-ah, stay here. I'll check first... Ah."
When I turned my head at the stinging feeling, Da-eun was glaring at me with a fierce expression like in the evaluation exam.
"I'm not so weak that Si-woo has to protect me."
I forgot that she was the vice-chairman of the Academy.
"..."
"Rather, I should be protecting Si-woo."
Da-eun was raising her arm as if to tell me to trust only her.
Of course, I couldn't see any muscles.
"Okay. I got it."
__*Kung!! Kung!! Kung!!*
I wanted to stay here, but I didn't think we could hold out any longer.
Before the space was shattered, we simultaneously threw ourselves over the crack.
*
The moment we entered the crack, a bizarre space appeared.
As if several spaces were mixed together, completely mismatched spaces were intertwined.
Along with a lush field where green trees grew, there was a desolate stone temple, and buildings that seemed to have not withstood the ravages of time.
And the strangest thing was the architecture built upside down, as if defying gravity.
Even the circuits connected between spaces that didn't seem like they would mix.
'It looks similar to the circuit I saw earlier.'
Da-eun and I had no choice but to be on edge in a space that didn't look normal on the outside.
"This seems like a strange space. It's like a space where dungeons are mixed up. Be careful, Si-woo-ya."
"I just have to trust Da-eun, right?"
"Don't joke around here!"
Da-eun spoke as if she were a teacher talking to children, and I felt a little relieved because we had a light conversation.
A circuit that continued straight to the center, I felt like I had to walk along the circuit.
"There doesn't seem to be a way out there, does there?"
"Yeah... but I'm uneasy because it's all so undisguised."
I couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling, but I couldn't stay here.
I have to go back quickly so our kids can relax.
I brought the equipment I used in the exam hall, but I didn't feel the same strong power as before.
Maybe it's a weapon that's only enhanced inside the artificial dungeon, and it didn't seem much different from the basic ì§ê¸ weapons.
When I opened the inventory, I saw the Blue Star Blade that I had carefully stored.
It would be nice if there was a weapon that Da-eun could use, but it was a misstep that I only put in sword types.
When I took out the Blue Star Blade, I felt it fit snugly in my hand.
"How did you do that...?"
Da-eun was looking at me with curious eyes as I took out the weapon from the air.
I naturally raised my arm and showed her the interdimensional bracelet.
I was glad I had already taken it out this morning.
Well, it doesn't seem like there would be a big problem even if Da-eun found out.
"Si-woo-ya... what were you going to do if you got caught in the exam hall?"
"You never know when and where an incident will happen."
I can't stop you anyway.
While listening to Da-eun's answer as she muttered that, familiar faces appeared as we moved forward.
"It's those guys again."
The Death Knights I faced before being dragged here.
The guys who kept spewing out black smoke-like energy between their armor were glaring at us with bloodshot eyes.
The guys who were densely í¬ì§ in the narrow alleyway slowly increased their speed and started walking towards us.
'I can handle that much easily.'
The moment I was about to deal with the guys by spinning the Blue Star Blade around, a small hand grabbed my shoulder from behind.
"Stay behind me, Si-woo-ya."
A charismatic voice unlike the cute hand.
Da-eun, who was already emitting a purple aura, walked forward.
"Do you have something like a coin? Anything metallic is fine."
"Metal? Just a moment..."
I took out a useless piece of scrap metal from the inventory and handed it to Da-eun.
"Stay behind me, it's dangerous."
I couldn't help but step back naturally at her serious voice.
Da-eun's Mana began to gather around the scrap metal she was holding.
It began to emit a fierce aura, electrifying the surrounding air as if something was about to happen.
Purple lightning bolts gathered around the scrap metal, as if it was about to explode any second.
__*Kung Kung Kung Kung!*
As expected of the Death Knight, the guys didn't stop and walked forward even after seeing that 모ìµ.
Da-eun raised her hand and adjusted the direction of the intense lightning mass.
Da-eun's attack was launched in the time it took to close and open her eyes once.
__*Pa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwangg!!!!!*
With a tremendous roar, the enemy in front of me had disappeared.
The Death Knights whose upper bodies were melted as if they had been torn apart by something.
The Death Knight had simply turned into a tin can.
'I wouldn't even be able to react to that...'
Unless I predicted the direction before she shot it, it seemed impossible to avoid.
Because I couldn't see it flying at all.
"It's still difficult..."
Da-eun was Da-eun, smiling brightly after making such a terrifying attack.
__*Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.*
Suddenly, a dry applause was heard from the end of the road.
I pulled up my Mana and entered a battle stance.
"Amazing."
A dry voice, when I turned my head, the Cult Leader, who was the one who dragged us here, was standing there.
"It was difficult because she tried to protect you until the end. To hide you in her hideout."
Despite íì¸ that tremendous power, the Cult Leader didn't seem scared at all.
"I almost couldn't find you if the location hadn't changed. You're always consistent in this regard. Hahaha."
"Her?"
The name that came out of his mouth was beyond my expectations.
"Would you understand if I said Machina?"
"...?"