Chapter 99: The Middle School of Storms (2)

 

“Kim Sojin, what did she say?”

 

“She said she wants to attend school.”

 

On the day of Jamsuni’s dazzling fire show in Louisville’s underground, Jamsuni, with her eyes swollen from crying, had thrown a tantrum at Park Il.

 

“School? What school? Don’t tell me one of those school-related anomalies has turned into a major supernatural event? Do you need my help?”

 

Park Il asked again.

 

But Jamsuni only shook her head.

 

“I just want to go to school.”

 

Just go to school?

 

Was she talking about one of the middle schools in Seoul?

 

Why on earth would she want to go there?

 

“Why?”

 

“Just… because.”

 

When Park Il made a dumbfounded expression, Jamsuni blushed in embarrassment. A being considered one of the world’s strongest monsters, wanting to attend school like an ordinary person? How absurd was that?

 

But Yoo Hajin had wished for it.

 

Jamsuni wanted to fulfill that wish.

 

‘Go to school, hang out with friends like someone who doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary, and just live happily. If you can do that, I won’t ask for anything more.’

 

The warmth of someone holding her tightly, afraid she might get hurt, and the face of someone shedding tears out of worry when she was injured—a memory too precious to forget, even in death.

 

It was a moment she cherished deeply.

 

The girl hugged herself as she thought about it.

 

“Kim Sojin…”

 

In front of Park Il, the girl shed tears. They weren’t tears of sadness. Nor were they tears of joy. But they were undeniably human tears.

 

‘How could someone like her…’

 

Human tears.

 

How could someone like her shed such tears?

 

‘Living as a human means embracing imperfection. That’s why she has always been closer to purity than anyone else.’

 

She didn’t know how to live as a human.

 

She didn’t know how to feel emotions as a human.

 

She was more familiar with the celestial realm, where one lived beyond humanity, than with the mundane world where humans thrived.

That was Kim Sojin.

 

Psychics avoided imperfection. The more they trained, the further they strayed from humanity. Once that line was crossed, there was no turning back—at least according to Park Il’s understanding.

 

And that Kim Sojin stood at the pinnacle of that training.

 

‘But to see her like this…’

 

Looking at the sniffling girl, Park Il spoke.

 

“Living an ordinary life isn’t easy.”

 

“…”

 

“Once someone steps off the path of normalcy, the past clings to them, and the future looms over them. Kim Sojin, can you handle that?”

 

Kim Sojin nodded.

 

Seeing that, Park Il continued.

 

“There’s only one school where neither the Sets nor the Cheonji can interfere. But to attend, you’ll need to sign a contract.”

 

****

 

A little over a month had passed since Kim Sojin started attending school.

 

Park Il thought she had lasted surprisingly long for her personality and braced himself for the inevitable backlash.

 

‘I must conceal my soul as much as possible. I can’t reveal my identity.’

 

How many forces must be watching this situation unfold? There was no way the master of Ilwol-Oakmoon Sect could reveal his true self under these circumstances. This was a political matter.

 

‘The only school Kim Sojin could attend—Changseong Middle School. It became possible because of the tangled web of contracts between the Three Honered ones, the Cheonji, the Sects, the Orthodox Factions, and the Sect alliance again. The complexity of those relationships made admission feasible.’

 

And yet, for Kim Sojinto cause trouble in such a place…

 

Everyone must be racking their brains.

 

And so was he.

 

‘It was the right choice to send her to Changseong Middle School.’

 

Park Il thought as he used negation energy.

 

As the negation energy descended, the radiant spirit form dimmed and condensed into a physical shape.

 

He added a layer of disguise using his subordinate’s assistance.

 

He couldn’t hide the fact that he was a flame.

 

In that case, he would simply disguise himself as a being that emitted flames.

 

The most common spirit form that emitted flames was the fire lizard. Ilwol-Oakmoon Sect’s leader, Park Il, wore what looked like a jacket made from black alligator leather and matching shoes.

 

This jacket and shoes were actually artifacts crafted from the hide of a mystical beast known as a Western Dragon. These expensive artifacts had only one function:

 

To imbue a spirit form with the appearance and presence of a reptile.

 

By controlling his spiritual energy with near-supernatural precision, Park Il made the flames his spirit form constantly emitted look like the fire a lizard would breathe out.

 

Thus, he became the very embodiment of a fire lizard.

 

Looking at himself in the mirror, Park Il nodded in approval.

 

He then stepped outside. When disguised like this, not even his closest subordinates could recognize him. Yoo Hajin likely wouldn’t, either.

 

‘Hajin, I’m sorry, but I need to deceive you. In this situation, I can’t go by the name Park Il…’

 

With that, Park Il walked past Yoo Hajin, who was waiting for a taxi by the roadside. As he passed, Yoo Hajin spoke up.

 

“Hey, mister. Don’t tell me you’re planning to walk there. Aren’t you also going to Changseong Middle School to see Jamsuni?”

 

“…Uh, yeah. That’s right.”

 

“I already called a taxi, so let’s go together.”

 

And so, Park Il, whose disguise had been immediately exposed, ended up sharing a taxi with Yoo Hajin, heading to Changseong Middle School—a school under immense scrutiny.

 

****

 

“Driver, please get us to Changseong Middle School quickly.”

 

“Quickly? I’ll do my best.”

 

As soon as I got into the taxi, I let out a deep sigh.

 

“Could it be… is Jamsuni being bullied?”

 

“Bullied? By whom?”

 

What kind of personality did Jamsuni have?

 

Honestly, it wasn’t a likable one.

 

She had an attitude that made you want to flick her forehead daily, a smirk and behavior that were borderline annoying, and a habit of delivering blunt truths and criticisms without a second thought.

 

“I told her so many times to fix her tone, but that little rascal never listened.”

 

While I could laugh it off, I doubted girls her age would find it amusing. And Jamsuni didn’t have any powerful connections, making her an easy target for bullying.

 

“Did Jamsuni finally lose it and lash out? Ugh.”

 

But Jamsuni wasn’t the type to sit quietly and endure bullying. That crazy little rascal had the audacity to venture into the DMZ of powerful supernatural phenomena and throw a fire show in an underground parking lot.

 

She likely retaliated the moment she felt she was being bullied. God forbid she used anything more than her fists or feet. If she resorted to school supplies like a cutter knife, compass, metal ruler, or chair to hit someone, it would be a major incident.

 

Could I even afford the damages?

 

The thought made my head spin.

 

No, that wasn’t the issue I should be worrying about right now.

 

“Hey, mister. I don’t know much about schools these days, but…”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Do psychics who’ve achieved enlightenment also attend school?”

 

Park Il, clad in his alligator leather coat, nodded.

 

“Yes. Some of them attend regular schools. If they plan to join a sect or enter a Sect alliance, they prepare by attending specialized training academies. Of course, the truly gifted ones attend the Cheonji Academy instead of regular schools.”

 

Regular schools have enlightened psychics? Allowing such powerful individuals to attend ordinary schools sounded absurd.

 

Enlightened psychics were stronger than fully armed soldiers. That much, I knew. Yet, they were placed in the same classroom as ordinary people?

 

And those psychics might bully someone as vulnerable as Jamsuni? That… that. And I was the one who sent her to school. If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t even be in a situation to be bullied.

 

My fists clenched tightly without me realizing it.

 

“Damn it.”

 

I forced my white-knuckled fists to relax.

 

Then I shouted at the taxi driver.

 

“Please hurry up! It’s urgent!”

 

“I want to hurry too! But I have to follow the law, don’t I?!”

 

I looked out the window at the traffic jam and hung my head in frustration.

 

****

 

As Soon as Park Il Arrived at the Changseong Middle School Gate

 

Park Il immediately recognized the situation as a matter of politics.

 

‘At least ten Celestial Immortals-level individuals are here in disguise.’

 

Due to the complex relationships between the Cheonji and the Sects, the Cheonji and the Three Honered Ones, any interference in this area would violate numerous contracts and unwritten rules.

 

Thus, whoever revealed themselves first or got caught would suffer a significant political disadvantage. With that in mind, Park Il scanned his surroundings for suspicious individuals.

 

Celestial Immortals-level individuals wouldn’t even approach this school. If Kim Sojin got angry at a classmate, any weaker individuals would simply cease to exist, as effortlessly as taking a breath.’

 

Pretending to take a phone call, Park Il discreetly observed the area.

 

No one stood out.

 

‘Hajin arguing with the security guard at the gate, an old man selling herbs by the wall, a man reading a newspaper in the café, a middle-aged woman waiting for a bus at the stop…’

 

It looked like an ordinary neighborhood scene.

 

Seeing this, Park Il couldn’t help but smirk.

 

‘Their disguises are impressive. No wonder they’re old masters.’

 

To uncover the disguises of such masters required an innate sense that surpassed spiritual perception. Park Il referred to this sense as “political intuition”—the ability to detect truth regardless of appearances. It was the most crucial skill for a leader, and one that he valued highly.

 

‘But what should I do? I need to enter the school without revealing my identity.’

 

The entire school was surrounded by a tightly woven barrier.

 

It wasn’t meant for defense but for detection.

 

Of course, if he weren’t restricting his abilities, such a barrier would be easy to dismantle. But with his spiritual power sealed, that wasn’t an option.

 

‘The main gate seems to be the only way in.’

 

Park Il turned his gaze to the gate.

 

There, Yoo Hajin was arguing with the security guard.

 

“I’m telling you, this is a school, so outsiders aren’t allowed inside,” said the guard.

 

“I’m the guardian of a student here! The teacher asked me to come!” Hajin retorted.

 

“Well, you need some paperwork or to bring the teacher here for verification.”

 

“Why isn’t anyone answering their phone?!”

 

Hajin muttered curses under his breath and stuffed his phone back into his pocket after hearing the tone signaling a voicemail. Then, looking frustrated, he stared at the security guard.

 

“Wait a second.”

 

“What now?”

 

“Your voice… and your face. Haven’t we met before?”

 

“That’s… That’s impossible.”

 

Hajin looked at the guard with a baffled expression.

 

“No, seriously, what kind of ridiculous disguise is this?”

 

Suddenly, Hajin reached out toward the guard’s mustache.

 

Startled, the guard stammered, “W-What are you doing?!”

 

“Then what are you doing here? Are you—? Mmmpf!”

 

Before Hajin could finish his sentence, the guard—whom he had almost identified—covered his mouth. The guard sighed deeply, looking exasperated.

 

“Fine. Let’s negotiate.”

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

 

[TL: You can support the translation and read 5 chapters ahead of the release here on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Bill94

 

Join Our Discord for regular updates and have fun with other community members: https://discord.com/invite/SqWtJpPtm9 ]