“It’s clean. Everything except the library has been eroded.”
As Lude ascended the stairs to the fourth floor, he looked around. The path leading to the library, the only way up, had fewer of the vein-like monsters on the walls as he went higher.
Places without people, where the monsters had no life force to consume, were slower to erode.
He had assumed the relatively unpopulated library remained intact due to the erosion happening while all students were in class, but it seemed someone inside the library had been protecting it.
Lude opened the glass door of the school library. Not a single vein monster was in sight, nor was there any stench. It was starkly different from the chaos below, as if nothing had ever happened.
[The way it’s meticulously hidden suggests it’s someone quite capable, observes the Chaos Master, looking around.]“Huh. But even special effects in the Holy War mock battles can’t fool my eyes.”
To him, the library appeared filled with a floor of red magical power, hiding in plain sight.
[Not your average strong guy, huh? chuckles the Chaos Master amusedly.]“A color holder, really?”
Lude chuckled wearily. Only those who have reached a certain level of skill have colors mixed into their manifested power, typically S-class or higher.
Considering that including Lude, only five people in Korea had colors, this was significant.
“Capturing this guy will surely stir up a storm in the hunter community.”
[This flow of magic suggests a wizard’s workshop, tattles the Chaos Master.]“Ah. A wizard? Annoying. An unregistered color holder setting up a workshop in a public institution? All I ever did was forge some public documents.”
[It seems like a similar crime to me, observes the Chaos Master, looking at you.]“…I only did it once, okay?! When registering as an awakened! Do you know how law-abiding I am?”
Grumbling inwardly about having to pay double taxes due to his dual identity, Lude receives a cursory consolation from the Chaos Master.
“Anyway.”
Lude sighed deeply and raised his head again. Holding the black half-scissor in his hand, he adopted a chilling expression.
“Hey, the smell of magic is strong. Come out and talk.”
No response. The library remained silent. Annoyed, Lude raised his eyebrows and thrust the black half-scissor into the library floor.
With a cracking sound, black willpower began to rise like mist from the small hole in the floor. Lude stared straight ahead at the library’s center.
“Hey young fellow, behave like a gentleman. If not, this top-ranked guy will gladly take over your nicely set-up workshop. You do know who I am, right?”
There’s a saying among hunters. When fighting a Ranger, the taboo is entering their designated area, and when fighting a Wizard, it’s entering their workshop.
A Ranger’s area and a Wizard’s workshop are optimized for their owners, so entering them to start a fight is akin to suicide.
Even a high-ranking hunter cannot guarantee victory in a battle within a fully realized wizard’s workshop. But…
“Ah, not coming out? You think you’re too good to listen to me, another color holder? This kid thinks I’m some greenhorn…”
[Special Trait: ‘Natural Lucid Dream’ activates!] [Entering the dream state shortly. Please be cautious during the transition.]“Let’s see how long you can hold out, kiddo.”
Unlike ordinary hunters, Lude was an entity outside the norm.
Boom! His black willpower violently ransacked the library. Finally, the red magic that had been hiding burst forth, mingling with the willpower.
Lude, possibly enjoying this, twinkled his black eyes and smirked mischievously.
Being a color holder himself and knowing that a wizard’s mental barrier is a necessity, Lude understood that using his skills openly wouldn’t impact an ordinary person as much. This realization emboldened him to use his skills freely.
As Lude took out the golden half-scissor from his inventory and crossed it with the black one, the rising black willpower engulfed and devoured the red magic.
“I told you, didn’t I?”
Despite the windows being shut, a wind blew inside the library, rustling Lude’s hair. A massive battle between willpower and magic was underway.
“I said I’d take over your workshop.”
Soon, the black willpower, having consumed the red magic, clung to the library’s walls and shelves like dust, forcibly stripping away the red magic.
The red magic exploded from every corner like powder in the air, and the library began to fade away like a mirage.
As the dim interior of the library was revealed and chairs started rolling on the floor, a voice came from above. It was undoubtedly the informant who had spoken to Lude on the phone earlier – a young, yet mature voice.
“I choose you, Jepar!”
[It might be wise to be cautious this time, suggests the Chaos Master, stroking his chin.]“What?”
Thud! Suddenly, Kang Yi Hyeon fell from the library ceiling. Without a word, he summoned a golden holy sword and, gripping it firmly, charged at Lude.
“Ugh…!”
Clang! Lude reflexively blocked Yi Hyeon’s sword with his half-scissor.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
