A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 78

It wasn’t as if there were no connections at all. Gulak and I are indirectly quite intertwined.

It all started with Porori. After losing to me, Porori, determined to make a comeback, sought Gulak’s blessing.

Gulak, perhaps finding Porori’s resolve appealing, granted him the blessing. From then on, he became the true Ramji Thunder and fought me on equal footing.

Next came Kara and Hector, the father and daughter. Kara was just a sparring partner, so it was easy to move past, but Hector pushed me to the brink of death.

However, this too was a situation caused by Hector picking a fight first. I was just standing there when he attacked me.

For me, it was a ‘justified’ counterattack, and the father and daughter were the first to bow their heads and apologize.

So, if they have any conscience, they wouldn’t strike me down with lightning over something like this.

‘This is baffling.’

In the Soul World, Gulak is as reliable as a hearty soup. When it comes to faith-based gameplay, there’s no god as effective as Gulak.

Gaia, on the other hand, leans more toward utility and support, making her a polarizing choice. Human relationships take precedence over personal growth.

In any case, both gods are generally favorable toward players, so their reputations among users aren’t bad.

Although they later receive criticism based on the ‘truth’ that gets revealed, even that tends to be turned into a meme.

‘Could it be that he heard all the profanities I shouted in the forest?’

I stood at the entrance of the altar, deep in thought. Lee Yeonju was standing beside me.

Perhaps sensing the foreboding caused by the sudden lightning strike, the priest had forbidden entry.

They said it was like a bolt from the blue, something that almost never happens. Usually, such phenomena only occur when ‘divine punishment’ is being delivered.

‘If it’s not divine punishment, then it must be someone else’s prayer causing this······’

Could it be that Porori prayed for me to be struck down? If so, it’s quite plausible.

But if that were the case, I would’ve been struck by lightning several times already. I had a truce with Porori, not a peace treaty.

I’m genuinely curious about the reason behind this lightning strike, especially since it hit me so precisely. Though I’ve been struck so many times that I’m fine, the tingling sensation lingered.

“You got hit by lightning directly, but you’re fine······ Are you really okay······?”

Lee Yeonju, who had been waiting outside with me, muttered softly. Though it was a quiet mumble, I heard it clearly.

Normally, being struck by lightning properly would leave you unable to move for a while, and if you’re unlucky, it could even cause cardiac arrest.

However, I was relatively fine. My hair was slightly singed, but that was manageable.

“Yeonju.”

“Huh, yes?”

I called Lee Yeonju out of boredom, and she looked flustered. That wasn’t an act; she was genuinely startled.

Soon, a new entrant from the Hwan Empire is expected to arrive. Not just any ordinary person, but someone of high status.

From that point on, an event related to Lee Yeonju will unfold. And while we’re at it, her older sister, Yi Yeonhwa, will likely get involved too.

The web of relationships is so intricately tangled that the key will be whether it can be unraveled properly. If it’s handled well, it could lead to a major ally in the future.

“Why, why are you calling me? Do you have something to say?”

“Hwan Empire. Am I right?”

“··· ···”

When I mentioned her origin in the East, Lee Yeonju’s lower eyelid twitched. It was a very subtle reaction, but I caught it all.

As you can see, she really dislikes being referred to as being from the Hwan Empire. She much prefers being called someone from the East.

The Hwan Empire, as I explained before, is modeled after the Soviet Union. It’s an empire formed by the union of multiple nations.

“······That’s correct, but I’d prefer if you called me someone from the East. The term Hwan Empire is a bit······ uncomfortable.”

“Why?”

“You don’t need to know.”

The sharp response was all I got. Her timid demeanor had completely vanished.

It seems her affinity with me is still lacking. Lee Yeonju is one of those characters who are difficult to get close to, so it’ll take some effort.

In any case, for Lee Yeonju, the Hwan Empire is an object of hatred. It swallowed up her homeland, so it would be strange if she didn’t despise it.

What makes her even angrier is that the Hwan Empire pretends to protect its allied nations, at least on the surface. It acts like a big brother figure.

‘The problem is that they take everything they can get their hands on.’

Just look at the name of the empire—Hwan Empire. It inherently carries the meaning of denying any autonomy.

This contrasts with the Granada Empire, which acknowledges the autonomy of its occupied territories. It’s as if they’re following the Soviet Union’s actions to the letter.

Kurrung-

At that moment, thunder rumbled across the sky. As soon as Lee Yeonju and I heard the sound, we both looked up.

As I felt a sense of foreboding, my entire body bristled, and the sky flashed! It flickered.

Kwa-gwa-gwang!

No way. F*ck, what’s going on again?

Earlier, I couldn’t dodge because it was a surprise attack, but this time was different.

As soon as my vision was covered in sky blue, I quickly threw myself to the side. Lee Yeonju, startled, also flung herself aside.

Kwa-ji-jik!

A blue lightning bolt struck precisely where I had been standing. For some reason, it seemed stronger than before.

It was so intense that there was a charred black mark on the stone floor. I stared at the scorched trace in disbelief.

“······Mr. Sivar.”

“······Yes?”

“Did you offend the Heavenly God in some way? Why does He keep sending divine punishment······?”

I didn’t do anything, you woman. I put on an expression of genuine grievance.

If I knew the reason, I could either accept it or refute it, but being clueless left me frustrated. In the end, there was only one option left.

That was to enter the altar directly. Even though the priest was blocking the entrance, I just needed to sneak in.

Since there was a forest on either side of the altar, I could pass through there. Conveniently, the priest was currently away.

“W-where are you going······?”

“Inside.”

“I-inside? But the Heavenly God’s priest said not to go in······”

Who cares? Right now, satisfying my curiosity takes priority.

Even as Lee Yeonju urgently tried to stop me, I completely ignored her. She rolled her eyes in panic, clearly flustered.

She seemed worried that if she stayed put, I might cause trouble. But contrary to her concerns, I wasn’t planning on causing any accidents.

‘There must be someone inside performing a ritual related to me.’

I began walking toward the forest instead of the entrance, quietly sneaking in.

If lightning struck again from the sky, I’d be discovered immediately, but I just needed to hurry inside before that happened.

Lee Yeonju hesitated for a moment, then, as if resigning herself, followed behind me.

When it comes to stealth, she’s quite capable, so she should be able to follow without much trouble.

“H-hurry back! What if you get struck by divine punishment again?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know······!”

“Quiet.”

At this rate, we’re going to get caught. With a brief response, I continued heading toward the altar.

Although it was a bit annoying to circle around through the dense forest, it wasn’t difficult to reach my destination.

‘As expected of a god closely tied to the sky, the altar is open-air.’

Unlike Gaia’s altar, Gulak’s altar was wide open. There were no buildings, just a lone altar for offerings.

Additionally, being open-air meant there was no forest around it. The altar was practically perched at the edge of a cliff, making it even harder to approach.

Lastly, there wasn’t just one altar; there were several, and among them, familiar faces came into view in the center.

‘Their hair really stands out.’

Golden color. Red color. Purple color. If there were a light green one among them, they’d look like the Teletubbies.

The priest mentioned that Porori was also there, but I didn’t see him. It seemed he had already offered his prayers and left.

“There they are······ I also need to offer my prayers to the Heavenly God······”

Before I knew it, Lee Yeonju, who had been quietly observing beside me, muttered. In the East, Gulak is referred to as the ‘Heavenly God.’

The God of Life, Gaia, is called the Earth God. It’s fitting, as they each govern the sky and the earth.

While I was briefly pondering the Eastern-style names, the group in front of the altar began their ritual.

Hwaruk!

Flames rose, indicating that they had offered their tribute to the altar. If my memory serves me right, this meant Gulak had responded.

The person presumed to have offered the tribute was Kara. When the flames rose, she stepped back from the group momentarily.

A simple bow would have sufficed, but Kara’s faith in Gulak was more sincere than anyone else’s.

“Oh······ a dance?”

As Lee Yeonju muttered, Kara began to dance. She moved with pure devotion, aiming to reach the heavens, paying no attention to others’ gazes.

It’s not unusual for a dancer to perform during a ritual. Ritual dances are common across the world.

Originally, there should have been music as well, but given the circumstances, only the dance was performed. Even so, it was enough.

Whoosh!

Behold. The more Kara’s beautiful dance movements continued, the stronger the flames grew on the altar where the tribute had been offered.

I focused more on her dance movements than the flames. She was of Tatar origin, inspired by Ancient Egypt.

Perhaps that’s why her elegant motions, using her waist and pelvis to sway and twist, were as fluid as those of a belly dance.

Even though she was dressed in a school uniform with hardly any exposed skin, the first thought that came to mind was how beautiful she looked. If she looked this stunning from afar, how mesmerizing would she be up close?

‘If her attire were a dancer’s outfit······’

It would cause an uproar. While I was lost in that thought, Kara’s dance movements came to an end.

Since this wasn’t a national-level ritual but a simple one, it seemed to have concluded quickly.

Soon, she bowed reverently toward the altar. The rest of the group followed her lead and bowed as well.

Typically, when bowing, one conveys their wishes to Gulak in their heart. So Kara must have also expressed her desires to Gulak by now.

Rumble!

And, as if perfectly timed.

Crash!

Another bolt of lightning struck right above my head.

No, seriously, what the hell.

[Faith Increases!]

And who the hell are you?