Nana's lips were still trembling, a visual manifestation of the cosmic terror she had just barely escaped. The sight of the Nine-Headed Dragon and the Empress Hanabi was still scorched into her mind, yet here was her ridiculous student, asking if she "polished his nose."
She swallowed hard, managing to regain a sliver of her professional composure. "It... it was for emergency medical evaluation, Lee! Standard academy protocol for prolonged unconsciousness!" Her voice was brittle, a pathetic attempt at the usual authoritative snap. She avoided his gaze entirely, knowing that the "protocol" included checking for the exact kind of forbidden magical marks he had just displayed.
Lee, however, didn't poke the wound. A small, knowing smile played on his lips—a smile that communicated, 'We both know you're lying, Principal, but I'll let it slide.'
"Right, 'emergency'," Lee said lightly, dusting an imaginary speck off his shoulder. "Emergency averted, then. So, Principle Nana, what exactly are you doing in this deep, dark, and utterly un-educational jungle? Did you get lost looking for a decent coffee shop?"
Hanabi, though unseen, fixed her invisible stare on Nana. This was the true test. The Empress watched, waiting to see what kind of answer the teacher would give her student now—a lie of comfort, or a glimmer of the terrifying truth.
Nana, instinctively seeking safer ground, immediately switched the interrogation back to Lee. "I'm doing my job, young man! A job which includes finding students who have completely vanished! You have been absent for weeks! Why are you staying on this mountain? What are you up to? Have you dropped out? Are you selling enchanted trinkets to trolls?!"
Lee's playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a gaze that was suddenly sharp, intense, and older than his years. He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a low, powerful register.
"You already know the reason, Principal. You just talked to the reason," he stated simply. "I have to be here. I have no option. When you know what is going to happen—a storm that will shatter worlds, not just classrooms—will you change to adapt, or will you stand there like a ghost and wait for the regretful end?"
He clenched his fists, determination radiating from him like a palpable heat. "I will change my own fate by my hands. No matter the cost, I have to do my best. So, as of now, I've been training my physical body, pushing it beyond breaking point, and increasing my magical capabilities. I don't have time to attend an academy when I know its current curriculum won't help me survive the coming slaughter."
He gave Nana a look of deep, weary sincerity. "If you need anything regarding this matter, please leave, Nana. I know what will happen if I can't prepare. And also, since you have contacted Hanabi, you also know what is happening, right?"
Lee took a breath, the question hanging heavy between them. "So what are you going to do? Will you play the sacrifice game, hoping others handle the threat, or the attacker's game, seizing control?"
He looked away, staring into the dense, silent trees. "I know what kind of game I am going to play with my life on the line. It's a death game. But you may choose your own path. Neither I nor Hanabi will force you to walk ours. But you must know, the path we all walk now is filled with blood. Even you or I cannot guarantee our life beyond tomorrow. So please, choose what you truly want. If you want to play the attacker's game, then you must improve yourself. If not... just leave. Go back to the academy and tell yourself this was a terrible, stress-induced nightmare."
Nana didn't flinch. Her fear was still present, a cold knot in her stomach, but Lee's stark determination ignited a deeper, fiercely protective fire within her. She was a teacher, and this boy, her student, was walking into hell.
"Lee," she said, her voice shaking slightly but resolving into a fierce declaration. "Let's go for a death game."
She then murmured, almost to herself, a terrifying promise: "When my child is going to hell, what use is heaven to me? I will either break the hell or destroy the heaven, even if it costs me my life."
Lee's stern expression softened into a look of genuine respect and a dark, mischievous grin. "Welcome to the club, Principal. But you should know: you have to go through hell for the next week."
Nana's face crumpled in confusion. "Wait, why? Did I do something wrong already?"
"No, you know why I am in this state, right? I am currently doing a quest given by Hanabi: 'Survive Hell Now.' You just said you'll play the death game, so congratulations! You've joined the starting phase. Let's survive hell for the upcoming week." Lee started scanning the jungle with a predatory intensity, clearly looking for their first challenge.
Just then, Hanabi's voice echoed in Nana's mind, a sultry, ancient whisper. ("A worthy spirit. I will teach you Blood Magic in the meantime, or once in a while, depending on your improvement. Acceptable?")
Nana, still reeling from Lee's pronouncement, shot back mentally. Why Blood Magic? If you're teaching me something about forbidden power, why not something cool like Fire or Wind magic? You know, the classics!
Hanabi's reply was swift and dismissive: ("You will know why when you complete this training. It suits your temperament and your current path, little protector. I am not sure whether you can survive it or not... but I think you will.")
Lee didn't waste a second.
"Good," Lee simply stated, pointing to a sheer, near-vertical granite cliff face that loomed behind the trees. "Lesson One: Survival is non-negotiable. You're a civilian, Nana, and you rely on paperwork. That won't work now."
He pointed to the daunting slab of stone. "That cliff is about 500 feet high. You need to be at the top in the next thirty minutes. No tools, no asking for help—only raw effort. Go."
Nana stared at the cliff, then back at Lee, aghast. "Lee, are you utterly mad? I'm wearing a pencil skirt! I have an appointment with the PTA! I haven't done a pull-up since my mandatory gym class in college! This is... unlawful endangerment!"
Lee merely shrugged. "Thirty minutes. Start now. You wanted the death game, Principal. Survival is the entry fee." He began the ascent himself, moving with a terrifying, athletic grace, his body finding purchase in the rock.
Nana groaned, utterly defeated. She kicked off her sensible heels and hiked her pencil skirt up to an indecent level, muttering about her health insurance. She reached the cliff and started to climb, relying on pure, desperate adrenaline.
But her lack of physical training quickly betrayed her. At fifty feet, her fingers were raw, her lungs burned, and her legs shook violently. She scrabbled for a handhold, missed, and her foot slipped on the slick rock.
"Wha—WHOA!"
She plummeted ten feet before desperately grabbing a tiny outcrop, scraping her palm until bright blood immediately welled up. She hung there, hyperventilating, her entire body screaming for a safe return to her comfortable office chair.
("Pathetic.") Hanabi's voice, cold and dry, sliced into her mind. ("You fall like a brick. You need speed, you need adhesion, and you have nothing. Yet you have power, little protector. Your Blood Magic lesson starts now.")
Hanabi! Help! I'm going to die! I don't know magic! I can't even open a jar sometimes! Nana pleaded mentally.
("Observe your wound. The fluid of life, the source of all energy, is wasted on the rock. Gather it. Will it to your muscles. Draw a little deeper—the power needs a toll to answer the call. You require Gore-Grip.")
Nana looked at her bleeding palm. The instruction was horrifying. She didn't understand words like "mana" or "channeling." She only understood the sudden, intense instruction to use her own blood.
This is disgusting! This is an ancient horror film! The thought was repellent, but the fear of falling was greater.
Driven by panic, she pressed her bleeding palm against the rough granite and then, using a sharp, jagged edge of rock, deliberately scraped a thin line across the top of her forearm. A fresh line of deep red instantly beaded and ran down her arm.
She focused on the feeling. Not a spell, but a desperate, visceral command to the hot, sticky substance flowing out of her. A strange, metallic heat shot through her body, and she felt a sudden, thick tackiness bloom beneath her skin. It was awful—a blend of raw pain and unholy stickiness.
She placed her hands on the rock face again. They stuck. Not like glue, but with a horrifying, fleshy adhesion. Her muscles screamed, but they felt temporarily charged, running on this dark, forbidden fuel.
"Oh, sweet heavens," she gasped, using the adhesion to scramble upwards with frantic, terrifying efficiency. She wasn't climbing; she was crawling, powered by an instinctual dark force she didn't know she possessed.
Finally, winded and shaking from the agony of the climb and the psychological trauma of bleeding herself, she pulled herself over the top of the cliff face, collapsing onto the flat stone. Her arms and knees were scraped raw, and she was streaked with her own blood.
Lee was already there, leaning against a boulder. He looked down at the panting, bloody, disheveled heap that was his former principal.
"Thirty-two minutes," Lee noted flatly. "Two minutes over the deadline. But you survived. And you learned your first lesson from Hanabi, I see." He gestured dismissively to her bleeding arm. "That Gore-Grip is messy, but effective. Get used to it. The next challenge starts... in sixty seconds."
Nana stared at him, her eyes wide with terror and righteous indignation. "Sixty seconds?! Lee, I am bleeding! I am in shock! I need to call the police and my lawyer!"
"Time's up," Lee declared, a wicked grin touching his lips as he pointed to the horizon where a column of smoke was rising. "See that fire? We're running there. The first one to reach the smoke gets to sleep indoors tonight. The loser gets fire-ants."
[Character Status: Lee Yun]
Level: 5 [UnAllocated stats :25]
Title: Unawakened Successor of the God of @#$%^&*
Race: Human (?)
Class: ??? (Yet to be determined)
Alignment: Neutral
[Basic Stats]
Strength (STR): 8 → (Slightly above average due to physical endurance)
Dexterity (DEX): 7 → (Decent agility, but not refined)
Constitution (CON): 10 → (Survived hardships, high pain tolerance)
Intelligence (INT): 6 → (Lack of knowledge about the mystical world)
Wisdom (WIS): 9 → (Has a strong will and survival instincts)
Charisma (CHA): 8 → (Socially withdrawn due to past trauma)
Luck (LUK): 3 → (Fate has been cruel, but things are about to change)
[Hidden Stats]
Willpower: 15 → (Developed over years of suffering and loneliness)Mental Resilience: 12 → (Can endure intense fear, trauma, and mental attacks)Mystic Potential: ??? → (Unknown; connected to his dragon tattoo and eye)Corruption Resistance: 30% → (Natural resistance to dark forces, but can still be influenced)
[Abilities]
Iron Will (Passive): Cannot be easily intimidated or mentally broken.Survivor's Instinct (Passive): Increased awareness in life-threatening situations.
Unawakened Eye (Sealed): ??? (Will unlock upon certain conditions)
Dragon's Call (Sealed): The hidden spirit within his tattoo will respond when necessary.
Soul Seal (Passive & Active): A transcendent ability that binds a target's soul to the wielder's will, enforcing absolute suppression regardless of level, rank, or resistance once specific conditions are met.
[Equipment]
School Uniform Clothes: Offers protection Defence+1.
Bare Shoes: Basic footwear Movement +2,
stat bonus Intelligent + 10.
Special information :
Soul Seal (Passive & Active)Description:
A transcendent ability that defies conventional power structures, the Soul Seal grants its wielder dominion over fate itself. This ability allows the user to inscribe an unbreakable seal upon a target's soul, binding their existence to the wielder's will. Unlike ordinary restrictions, the Soul Seal disregards the opponent's level, rank, or power, ensuring absolute enforcement once the conditions are met.
Effects & Conditions:Seal Effect (Active):
Can completely suppress, bind, or restrain a target, rendering them unable to act against the wielder's command.
If fully activated, it can permanently imprison, weaken, or even erase the target's presence from existence.
The seal remains inactive until specific conditions—determined at the time of casting—are fulfilled.
Seal Activation (Passive Trigger):
Once the predetermined condition is met, the seal automatically activates, regardless of the target's awareness, resistance, or power level.
The condition varies depending on the situation and is influenced by the wielder's will. Some examples include:
"If the opponent attempts to kill me, the seal will activate."
"If the opponent betrays me, their power will be sealed."
"If the opponent's heart wavers in loyalty, they will be unable to move."
"If the target's soul harbors malice, their strength will be drained."
No Mana Consumption (Intelligence Stat Exemption):
Unlike most sealing techniques, the Soul Seal does not consume mana and is instead fueled by the user's willpower and dominion over fate.
As a result, even in a mana-deprived state, the user can still activate this ability effortlessly.
Higher-tier Sealing (Unawakened Potential):
Certain high-level beings may resist the initial effects of the seal, but they cannot escape it indefinitely.
If the user fully awakens the Soul Seal, even divine or otherworldly entities will be unable to resist its grasp.
This power can eventually overwrite existing contracts, curses, and divine decrees, bending reality itself.
Flair & Appearance:
When the Soul Seal is activated, the user's eyes turn a piercing blue, glowing with an ethereal light that signifies the absolute enforcement of their will.
A rune-like sigil appears over the target's chest, forehead, or limbs, resembling ancient chains wrapping around their soul.
The intensity of the seal's glow determines its binding strength. Once fully sealed, the target's body may even manifest phantom chains, signifying complete subjugation.
"This is not just a restriction. It is sovereignty over existence itself."