Seok's body was covered in blood, and his skin was marked with tattoos of various shapes. He fixed a cold, piercing gaze upon Tao and his followers.
"What is happening? How could an infant possess such power?" the leader of the followers muttered, staring at the baby, who was wreathed in an aura as black as coal.
Several minutes passed in absolute silence—time seemed to vanish entirely. It was nearly impossible to fathom: a newborn, radiating the aura of a curse.
Curses typically manifest from an accumulation of negative emotions, not through natural birth. Moreover, both of Seok's parents were pure-blooded humans. How, then, could Seok have been born a "half-curse"? While this question raced through the minds of Tao's followers, Seok's parents and the midwife stood by, completely bewildered, unable to comprehend what was unfolding before them.
Seok extended his hand toward the leader of the group. The man's body began to levitate, his bones snapping and his internal organs twisting and deforming. Cold sweat broke out across his forehead.
"Aghhhhhhh!"
The leader let out a cry of unbearable agony as blood gushed from every part of his body.
Then, his body began to collapse inward, shrinking down until it was no smaller than a child's palm—before, suddenly, it exploded.
The house was left splattered with the blood, flesh, and shattered bones of the man who had served under Zinhai Ri. The surviving followers of Zinhai Ri, along with Seok Shinhai's mother, the village midwife, and Seok's father, stared in utter, unimaginable shock.
Their gazes were fixed upon Seok—a newborn infant hovering in mid-air, his coal-black hair fluttering, his eyes glowing with a brilliant white light.
With a single, swift motion of his hand, Seok erased the Tao followers from existence, leaving only splatters of blood across the walls of the small bedroom.
He then drifted toward Shinhai; the dark, ominous aura dissipated, and his body returned to its original state, allowing him to settle back into his mother's arms.
For several seconds, Shinhai remained dazed, staring at the spot where Tao and his followers had stood, before shifting her gaze back to her blood-stained child.
She sensed that something was not quite right—Kyung's injuries had completely healed, and she felt no pain from the childbirth; it was as if she had never given birth at all.
Looking down at her son, who was clutching her tattered clothing with a firm grip, she offered a warm, gentle smile.
"Did you do all this on your very first day, Seok—you little rascal?"
Shinhai felt no hostility toward her son; her maternal instinct proved stronger than any other emotion—be it fear or the sorrow that might have come from bearing a hybrid child.
Even Kyung said nothing. After all, it is impossible for a human to conceive a child with a curse, as curses are, by their very nature, non-corporeal entities. Thus, the notion of betrayal made no sense whatsoever.
Several hours later—at precisely 3:13 AM—Shinhye's bedroom had been cleared of blood. Every trace of those individuals had been erased; Seok had obliterated them entirely, leaving behind not a single fragment of bone nor a shred of clothing.
Shinhye gently patted the belly of the infant resting in her lap, a faint smile playing on her lips—a fragile attempt to mask the shock she still felt.
"How is it that, just hours ago, you were a terrifying entity—a being forged solely as an instrument of slaughter—yet now, you are nothing more than an infant who cannot bear to leave his mother's embrace?"
Seok reached out, took Shinhye's arm, and pulled it against his chest.
He held her arm firmly with both of his tiny hands, refusing to let go. His expression carried a hint of mild agitation, a reaction that drew a soft laugh from his mother.
"I wish you a happy life, my son, Seok."
Her voice was warm, brimming with love and a genuine, deep-seated concern for her child—a child whose very first glimpse of this world had been one of death and bloodshed.
.......................
.......................
In the city of Shibuya, Japan, an eighteen-year-old young man—with light, white hair and blue eyes—stood dressed in the uniform of a student at the Academy for Curse-Slayers. Standing before him was a cursed entity resembling Seok—with short black hair and crimson eyes instead of black ones—clad in Japanese-style combat attire, his face marked by faint, line-like tattoos.
Both fighters had sustained severe injuries; yet, a mocking expression crossed Seok's face as he gazed at the young man with an arrogant smirk.
"A special-grade curse, dying at the hands of a human? How truly pathetic, Gojo."
Gojo, despite his grave wounds, looked toward Seok, musing to himself:
"A special-grade curse, shackled by a sealing curse and unable to wield its full power—and yet, it's still this incredibly strong! I'm genuinely thrilled to be fighting such a worthy opponent!"
"But he can't manifest his Domain Expansion because it's incomplete. Ah, I need to get stronger! After all, I'm only eighteen years old—hahaha! Those scumbags, forcing a kid to fight in their stead. What absolute trash!"
Energy began to coalesce around Gojo's body, manifesting as a sacred blue aura imbued with a vast amount of positive energy—a stark contrast to the negative energy of Seok and the other entities in this world.
Seok narrowed his eyes at Gojo, an overwhelming, ominous black aura erupting from his own form.
The two lunged toward each other, unleashing powerful punches and kicks, both wearing the same arrogant, mocking grins. Seok stepped back a few paces from Gojo, then unleashed an attack of concentrated energy toward him—but Gojo deflected it using his own pure energy.
Seok narrowed his eyes as he studied him.
"His entire body is composed of pure energy—to the point that his hair has turned a stark, pale white. Something isn't right here; he isn't entirely human—he's only half-human. But why?"
"Has the Nortai family sunk to such a depraved level that they've brought in another girl from the ordinary world to marry their son? How truly pathetic. No... there's something deeper going on here, though I can't quite put my finger on it."
Seok dodged Gojo's assault, an arrogant smirk remaining fixed upon his face.
Gojo spoke, all the while raining down a series of punches, each one bolstered by his own energy: "What? Are you thinking of running away? Impossible! The most powerful curse in two thousand years—deciding to flee from an eighteen-year-old kid? Seriously?"
Seok stared at him for a few seconds before bursting into loud laughter, his energy surging and intensifying.
"Hahahaha! You're incredibly arrogant, Gojo Nortai! But remember, you're nothing more than a cocky, immature fool. I know my end is near, but mark my words: who are you, really? I don't see a 'Gojo Nortai'—I see an empty shell that has no idea who it actually is."
Shock flickered across Gojo's face as he listened to Seok's words. He took a few steps back and dropped into a combat stance.
"You're not the first person to say that to me, and you won't be the last. Regardless, it doesn't matter who I am. Why must I be human, a hybrid, or something even greater? My name is Gojo Nortai. My mother gave me this name, inspired by a famous figure named Gojo Satoru."
Seok watched him for a few moments, then threw a punch—but Gojo dodged it, continuing as he moved:
"And you—who are you? Just a curse born from the traumas of others, aren't you, Seok?"
Seok gazed at him for a few seconds before replying:
"In truth, I wasn't always a curse. I was once an ordinary human living a normal life, but I perished under the weight of the countless traumas and tragedies I endured—only to be reborn as a curse that embodies psychological trauma. Hahaha!" "I was pathetic back then.
My mother died trying to prevent me from being kidnapped when I was born; later, my sister was abducted by my father's second wife, and my father, too, met his end. Then, while I was far from home, my friend died—I found his body, horribly mutilated, beside a tree trunk in the midst of a war."
"Why are you telling me this?" Gojo's tone carried a hint of mockery.
".............."
Seok remained silent, a faint smile touching his lips as he watched his own body begin to fade into the horizon—the energy from Gojo and the seal were slowly unraveling his physical form.
"I suppose I just didn't want to be forgotten—I wanted to remain in someone's memory. Never mind."
Gojo's expression shifted, becoming unreadable, before he plunged his hand into Seok's core and shattered it.
"I won't forget you, Mr. Seok."
Gojo's voice sounded almost gentle—or at least, that is how Seok perceived it—before he dissolved into gray dust, drifting away toward the distant horizon.
.......................
Seok opened his eyes to find himself in a beautiful, traditional Japanese-style garden. He glanced at his reflection in the pond and saw that he was dressed in black trousers and a matching jacket, cinched by a belt whose style seemed entirely out of place for the era.
His eyes were a deep crimson, and his face—adorned with several tattoos—was the most striking feature. Yet, he paid it little mind.
Seok let out a deep sigh as he sat down on a bench beside the pond—a bench large enough for three people. He raised his head and gazed at the sky with a vacant expression. Having recovered his lost memories—recollecting his past life, the chaotic period that followed, and his subsequent existence as a special-grade curse—he felt a profound sense of emptiness.
It is nearly impossible to forget the experience of not knowing one's own identity, of drowning in a psychological void born from utter confusion. For fifteen long years, Seok had lived without the slightest inkling of who he truly was.
Then, without any warning, the truth of his origins came to light: he had lived a pathetic life, transformed into a curse, and ultimately met a trivial, meaningless end.
It was a reality almost too heavy to bear or comprehend.
Seok was half-curse, half-human—a being straddling two worlds that were, in almost every respect, entirely different from one another.
"Seok... Hahaha! How strange. It's a name that has followed me through every phase—from ordinary human to curse, and now to a hybrid of both. Hahahaha!" Seok remarked with a cold, mocking laugh, his eyes fixed on the lake.
He became aware of someone sitting beside him—the very same curse that had once fought Gojo Nortai.
Seok felt no sense of unease; after all, he was sitting with himself—or rather, with the darkest aspect of his own being.
For several minutes, Seok and his other half remained silent, staring out at the lake, until the "curse" version of Seok finally broke the stillness:
"So, what do you think?" "I know who you are: nothing more than a fool who lived in degradation and died in degradation—spending two thousand years as a 'curse' amidst blood and slaughter—only to die in disgrace, be reborn as a hybrid of curse and human, live in degradation once more, and go on killing people, all while forgetting that he was the one who did it."
Seok remained silent, offering no rebuttal to the words of his 'cursed' counterpart; every syllable was a reflection of the reality he had lived. In just forty-three words, his entire life had been laid bare—a harsh, blunt summary.
The cursed version of Seok rose and gestured for him to follow. They walked together for a while, eventually leaving the area and wandering into a small village—a place filled with structures dating back to the era when Seok had existed as a curse.
"Do you recognize this place, Seok? And do you know who lies in these two graves?" the cursed Seok asked, breaking the silence as he gazed at a bouquet of flowers resting beside the headstones.
Seok stared at the graves with an empty, vacant expression before speaking in a quiet, steady tone:
"They are my parents'. We are in the town where we were first born—the place where the story of our pathetic lives began."
The cursed Seok continued to look at the graves in silence. He found no fault in Seok's words; this had been their life, and it was a reality they simply had to accept.
A faint, cold smile touched the lips of the cursed Seok as he looked back at Seok.
"And yet, your life was better. Your mother was there, your sister was alive, and your father... well, your father passed away just a few months ago." Seok's gaze remained calm, which took his "curse" manifestation by surprise. A faint smile then spread across Seok's face as he looked at this cursed version of himself.
"Have you forgotten the promise made by Ruichi de Moliar? They possess healers and magic capable of bringing the dead back to life. So, why should I be sad? The time they spent dead could simply be seen as a paid vacation from a harsh life—wouldn't you agree?"
A flicker of astonishment crossed the face of the "curse"—it seemed that Seok had lost the capacity to feel shock, even though the "curse" itself was a manifestation born from psychological trauma.
"Strange... it seems I've become even more dangerous than I once was."
These thoughts swirled through the mind of the "curse" as he watched Seok. He then rose from his spot and headed toward a grave just a few paces away،The name "Seok" was inscribed upon it.
Seok-the-Curse gazed at the grave with a mocking expression—the very same grave that had once belonged to Seok back when he was a pure human.
Seok-the-Curse was a manifestation of all the tragedies that had befallen Seok; the current Seok, meanwhile, was a fusion of his original self and those tragedies—half-human, half-curse, bound within a single body.
He served as a bridge between two worlds: the realm of the Cursed Masters and the original, primordial world.
Perhaps Seok was far more extraordinary than he appeared. For a mere background character to possess such a trait—it was something no one could have anticipated, whether they were someone who had broken the fourth wall or an ordinary reader.
"My work here is done..." Seok-the-Curse said, watching his own hand begin to fade away. "In the end, I was the embodiment of the side you never wanted anyone else to see—yet, you eventually embraced it, allowing it to become a part of you."
Seok watched as the figure dissolved into the air like charred black dust, then wrapped his arms around himself, a warm smile spreading across his face.
"Yes... I never wanted you to surface, but in the end, you are a part of me—a part I have carried within me all along."
"How pathetic you are, Seok!" Seok-the-Curse remarked with a sneer, before vanishing completely. He had been nothing more than an embodiment of a dark side, and now, his purpose had been fulfilled.
Seok looked around at his surroundings, a faint, detached smile on his lips.
"It seems that the expansion of my own domain has, in the end, become a land of tragedies."
Immediately afterward, Seok's own body began to fade away, a small, gentle smile still lingering on his face. He had finally discovered who he was—an achievement that surpassed any new power or ability he might have attained.
.......................
Seok opened his crimson eyes and surveyed the arena, which was packed with students and professors. Nearby, the "Scorpion of Shadow and Light" watched him with indifference, yet made no move to intervene.
There were several reasons for this inaction.
First, an inexplicable sensation warned him against it; his intuition—honed through hundreds of battles—was never wrong.
Second, he sensed the presence of several individuals capable of defeating him—among them Yuta and Jia, empowered by the "Wing of Blessing," as well as a few others concealed within the ranks of the students.
Third, Reinhardt was present, having arrived with reinforcements an hour before the war began. Yet, he merely observed the unfolding events, allowing students and professors to perish—knowing full well that he could easily resurrect them, as they were currently within the Academy's grounds, where the resurrection process was in effect.
"Time to go," the Scorpion of Shadow and Light remarked, vanishing from the spot.
Ruichi, frustrated by the Scorpion's escape, shifted his gaze back to Seok, who hovered in the sky.
As for Seok, his eyes were fixed upon a sphere of dark, reddish energy that had begun to manifest. It soon flooded the area with an intense light, leaving everyone present in a state of bewilderment.
Seok felt a surge of joy; after fifteen long years, he had finally reclaimed his essence and began drawing it back into his own body. A powerful pillar of energy erupted in the middle of the battlefield, unleashing a fierce gale that sent everyone flying several meters back—with the exception of a few individuals.
"What's happening? Wasn't the battle over? The final attack was shocking enough, but what is he doing now?"
"Is he evolving again? He's breaking through to the Saint rank. Since he's a 'curse' that has slaughtered a vast number of people in a short span of time—reclaiming his essence in the process—it makes sense for him to ascend to a new rank. After all, he is a 'half-curse'."
Tom spoke, his gaze fixed sharply on the pillar of energy. In one of his past lives, he had existed within the realm of the 'Masters of Curses'—specifically, world GH7586886887—so it was only natural that he would be familiar with such phenomena.
Curses grow stronger by killing humans and absorbing their essence, a process that grants them a massive surge in power. Thus, such a breakthrough was entirely expected.
After several minutes, the pillar of energy began to dissipate, revealing Seok—his appearance now noticeably altered. His body was covered in tattoos representing the sins he had committed, such as theft, deception, and forgery.
"He's broken through to a new rank, and in the process, he's unlocked a hidden rank—much like Armin, who became a 'Warrior Saint'," Lucy remarked, watching as Seok descended toward the ground.
There are several such hidden ranks scattered across the various tiers of the 'Rulers'—ranging from the 'Legend' rank all the way up to the 'Master of Rulers'. Among these is the "Worthy" rank, attained by Armin after he transcended a "heavenly endowment," and the "Struggler" rank, earned by Seok through his arduous battle against his own discontented self—a process that required him to finally embrace the side of his nature he had long sought to conceal. Other such ranks include the "Perseverer," the "Gambler," and the "Legend."
Attaining these hidden ranks is exceptionally difficult—nigh impossible—as they elevate an individual's power to a level that allows them to challenge opponents who are an entire rank above them.
Furthermore, the very nature of the "desire" required to unlock them makes the feat incredibly challenging; the desire must be entirely pure. Moreover, an individual can typically unlock only one hidden rank, save for rare, exceptional cases.
A faint smile played on Seok's lips as he moved through the crowd—a crowd that parted before him, recoiling from the overwhelming, dark-crimson aura radiating from his person.
Just months earlier, he had held an "SSS" rank, having relied on *Qi* as his primary source of power for years—a choice driven by its ease of development and the fact that it required no external resources.
Yet, on May 24th, year 675, he ascended to the "Saint" rank and unlocked the hidden "Struggler" rank. He had evolved tremendously, climbing three full ranks in the span of just four months.
This signified one thing: the resources granted to him as a student in the elite class were of immense value. The refined medicinal pills—crafted from rare, impurity-free materials and ranging from the seventh to the eighth grade—were potent enough to make a pig take flight! If one were to look at everything Seok had done over the past ten hours, it could be argued that his greatest achievement was being a student in the elite class at Versalkin Academy; ninety percent of the benefits he currently enjoys—and those he will gain in the future—stem solely from his presence in that class.
As Seok moved through the crowd, his eyes met those of Yuta Caseral, who was wiping the blood from his sword.
Seok narrowed his eyes slightly As he watched him, he thought to himself:
"He is so incredibly powerful that the 'Shadow and Light Scorpion' looks like a mere insect in comparison."
Having lived for two thousand years, Seok possessed an unerring eye—he knew exactly what he was seeing.
He was certain of his assessment; the aura surrounding Yuta's body was far more potent than that of the Shadow and Light Scorpion.
Seok then continued on his way, searching for a place to rest.
His Dantian roots and mana core were in a state of turmoil following his breakthrough into a "hidden rank"—his body had not yet adapted to such an illogical, sudden surge in power.
Normally, a human body can only contain a finite amount of energy; during a standard breakthrough, the Dantian roots and mana core evolve to accommodate the increased capacity.
However, unlocking a hidden rank pushes power to a level that exceeds the body's natural limits. This was also the case for Armin, whose body was in complete disarray due to the "Twin Manifestation" and the unlocking of a hidden rank.
That is why Yuta rendered him unconscious—to prevent him from exploding and killing everyone nearby. The energy contained within him was vast enough to obliterate the entire fantasy world, even though it remained sealed within his body—a mystery that even Yuta himself had yet to unravel.
After the war, the students returned to their camp to rest. Their expressions were etched with exhaustion and fatigue.
"Amazing—the war is finally over! What a relief."
"Whew, that was a brutal ordeal. I never want to go through a war like this again."
"My whole body aches; I'm absolutely drained." "When is the damn academy going to show up? I just want to go back to my apartment and sleep for a few days straight!"
.......................
The students spoke as they headed toward their temporary camp, their expressions varying—some looked annoyed, others exhausted, and some were cursing without a care for who might be listening.
Upon their arrival, they found a number of professors and healers waiting for them, led by Reinhardt, who watched them with a calm gaze.
"All students who have survived will move on to the final examination. As for those who perished during the attack by the organization's followers—with the exception of the student Suho—they will be expelled from Versalkin Academy. Suho, for his part, was betrayed while fulfilling his duty to treat wounded students and professors so that they could continue to fight in the war."
"There is one more thing. The following students—Yuta Caseral, Ruichi de Moliar, Grey de Moliar, Beatrice Azwasen, Tom Fragelsen, Armin Sigmort, Previka Al-Aslahan Hua, Jian Yi, Christian Yorgam, Nicholas Yorgam, Kazuhiro Kenzayel, Leon Brittain, Inuyasha Brittain, Seok, and Suho—from the Elite Class..."
"...along with Jia Guilford and Louis Galahalid from the Legend Class..."
"...and Claude Yolghed and Peter Buster from the Regular Class—will all become students in a new class, designated as the 'Masters Class,' which will rank even higher than the Legend Class, effective March 1st, 676."
Expressions of shock appeared on the students' faces; It was announced that a new class—surpassing the "Class of Legends" and offering even greater, superior privileges—would be established. For the students and the inhabitants of the five continents who witnessed Reinhardt's declaration, two points stood out above all else: this new class would come with extraordinary perks, and those who had perished would be brought back to life.
Yet, as many students looked toward Seok—who, despite having no backers, had emerged as one of the most brilliant among them—traces of jealousy were clearly visible on their faces.
But no one dared to approach him. The fact that he had wiped out 195 people with a single wave of his hand was impossible to overlook—to say nothing of the stance taken by the Versalkin Academy itself.
The Academy sought to appease him by placing Suho at his side, under the pretext that Suho had been betrayed while fulfilling his duty—treating wounded students and professors so that they might continue to fight in the war.
It was a flimsy excuse, transparent to every student and every inhabitant of the five continents, yet no one dared to voice an objection.
To incur the enmity of Reinhardt de Moliar—the most powerful individual in the world—or to challenge the Versalkin Academy by accusing it of bias, would be an act of madness, a death wish that no one was prepared to entertain.
And so, everyone held their tongues and made their way toward the gates leading to the Versalkin Academy.
Some emerged having gained significant benefits and achievements; others had simply come to enjoy the experience; and some had arrived at a deeper understanding of themselves.
A single war, a single crisis—all had taken part, yet each person emerged with a different outcome. Yet, the world does not rest, nor will it allow people to rest. Jeju Island was merely the beginning of what was to come over the next three years and seven months—a period that would witness a great many events, some good and some bad.
But one thing would remain common to them all:
Who will emerge with the greatest gains?