...
"Wow! You two really aren't afraid of the consequences."
Yeonha, who was witnessing this intimate moment, commented with a slightly sarcastic tone and her arms crossed.
"Bleh! You're just jealous."
Nayun turned and made a face at Yeonha.
"Me? Why would I be jealous?"
Yeonha replied, tossing her long strands of hair back with an air of superiority.
"Do you think I can't do the same as you?"
"Oh, really?"
Nayun taunted, taking a step toward her.
"Would the dignified Yoo Yeonha, who likes to maintain a good image for others, really do that when there are surveillance cameras nearby?"
Theo, who was in the middle of the small argument, pretended to cough to get Nayun's attention.
"Ahem! Nayun, your prey is trying to escape."
Turning abruptly to where Yoon Hyun should have been, Nayun realized that the Djinn, taking advantage of the distraction, was about to start running away.
"What? He's running away, Theo! We have to stop him!"
Theo just smiled, showing no concern whatsoever. Why would he chase after Hyun when he was the one who let him go?
"Heh, who says he'll be able to get out of here?"
"Huh?"
"Snap!"
With a slight snap of his fingers, the Djinn, who was already running at full speed, crashed into something invisible, being thrown backwards as if he had collided with a concrete wall. Theo had just erected magical barriers around them, creating a makeshift 100-square-meter .
"Now you can go."
Theo repeated, with a nod.
Seeing that her prey had nowhere to run, Nayun smiled predatorily. She removed the coat she was wearing, rolled up the sleeves of her blouse, and checked that the clip in her hair was secure.
"Hold this for me."
After handing the coat to Theo, she began to walk slowly toward the Djinn. Yoon Hyun, realizing he was trapped, turned around, the look of panic replaced by the fury of a cornered animal. He had no choice but to face the three cadets in front of him.
"You... you'll regret this!"
He growled, red energy pulsing violently around him.
Nayun just laughed, twirling the heavy claymore in her hand with surprising ease.
"No. You're the one who's going to regret this."
As Nayun slowly approached the Djinn, circling him like a lioness about to pounce on her prey, Theo and Yeonha stepped back and sat down on a nearby bench, as if they were spectators of a great show.
Yeonha watched the scene with apprehension, her fingers drumming nervously on her lap.
Yoon Hyun's aura was evil and powerful, and although Nayun was better with that sword, the risk of something going wrong was high.
"Hey, Theo."
Yeonha asked in a worried voice.
"Is it okay to let her deal with him alone? Aren't you afraid that this could get out of control?"
Instead of answering immediately, Theo settled himself on the bench and, with immeasurable naturalness, lay down, resting his head comfortably on Yeonha's thigh.
She stiffened for a moment, surprised by the intimacy of the gesture, but did not push him away. A slight blush rose to her cheeks as her hand began to stroke her boyfriend's white hair.
Looking ahead, he replied calmly, his voice devoid of any concern:
"Oh, no, don't worry. There are several magical barriers protecting Nayun. They will activate on their own as soon as an attack too strong for her to handle is detected."
Yeonha blinked, processing the information. Then, a soft sound escaped her lips.
"Pff!"
A slight smile graced her face as she continued to stroke his hair.
'Yes. It's so obvious.'
She thought.
'Of course my boyfriend would never let anyone threaten our lives like that. After all, he's very possessive of our safety.'
Not only had he created an arena and an artifact-level weapon to replace her training weapon, but he had also already placed automatic protection spells on Nayun without anyone noticing. His level of preparation and power was simply fascinating.
"Besides..."
Theo continued, staring intently at Nayun's back as she prepared for her first real confrontation.
"She needs this. It's a good opportunity for her to test her limits, gain experience, and release some stress."
He paused briefly before adding the most important detail, a secret that only he and now Yeonha would know.
"And that sword doesn't just cut five times better. It's also amplifying Nayun's mana threefold. She's much stronger than she realizes."
Yeonha's eyes widened slightly. A threefold amplification of mana. That was too absurd. A weapon that could do that wasn't just an artifact; it was a treasure that any guild would fight to have.
And Theo had created it out of thin air, as if it were no big deal.
While Yeonha was still absorbing this shocking revelation, Theo clicked his tongue, as if he had remembered a mundane task.
"Ah, I almost forgot."
He raised his arm, his face still resting on Yeonha's thigh, and activated his smartwatch. With a few quick taps, he initiated a call.
Yeonha, seeing this, assumed he was just calling to report that the culprit had been found and was being dealt with.
The call was answered almost instantly.
[Instructor Park: Cadet Theo?]
The instructor's voice sounded on the other end.
[Theo: Yes, it's me... Instructor, I called to let you know that I've found the culprit.]
As he spoke, Theo watched Nayun dodge a claw attack with impressive agility, responding with a powerful blow that forced Yoon Hyun to retreat several steps.
[Instructor Park: Already?! Where are you? Do you need backup?]
[Theo: Send a team to room 34 of the Academic Club. There's a secret basement under the floor. The two missing cadets are there... I'm currently in the main garden of the Cube, dealing with the Djinn.]
There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line. Yeonha, who was listening to the conversation, was speechless. Not only did he know who the culprit was, but he also knew where the victims had been hiding all along?
Instructor Park's voice returned, now laden with urgency and disbelief.
[Instructor Park: How did you... Never mind! I'm on my way with a strike team! Hang in there!]
[Theo: No need to rush, instructor,]
Theo said, his voice still perfectly calm, as Nayun and Yoon Hyun exchanged another series of violent blows.
[Theo: The situation is under control. Just take care of the rescued cadets.]
He ended the call before the instructor could protest.
Yeonha stared at him, her mouth open in astonishment.
"Eh! Are they alive?"
"Yes, they are..."
"You... you knew where they were all this time? Why didn't you say anything before?"
Theo turned his face to look at her, his expression calm, but the words that followed completely shook Yeonha's understanding of the events.
"Actually, what I said is kind of a lie."
He admitted bluntly.
"The cadets are indeed in a basement, but it was Cappie and I who put them there."
As he was about to leave the club room, he sent a telepathic message to Cappie, telling her to bring the girls, as the secret basement was ready.
Yeonha's face was completely confused.
"Uh? Cappie? What...?"
Theo sighed and explained to her.
"...Simply put, before Yoon Hyun could do anything to the girls, I had Cappie take them and store them in her pocket dimension. Time passes very differently there than in real life. While days have passed out here, for them it was only a few minutes. So, since we're dealing with Hyun now, this is the perfect time to 'rescue' them."
Yeonha was silent, trying to process the enormity of what he had just said.
He not only predicted the incident, but acted proactively, "kidnapping" the victims to protect them before the villain could even act. He created a disappearance scenario, let Cube investigate, used the investigation as a pretext to deal with the culprit, and now he was orchestrating the "rescue" of the girls he himself had hidden.
Every step, every event, everything was manipulated by him.
She looked at her boyfriend lying on her lap, watching Nayun's fight without blinking.
A shiver ran down her spine, but it wasn't from fear, it was from admiration.
"You're unbelievable."
She whispered, her voice filled with unparalleled fascination.
Theo shrugged, the gesture minimizing the complexity of everything he had done.
"It was nothing... I made a mountain out of a molehill..."
Yes, that was the truth. Theo could have, from the first disappearance, resolved the situation with Yoon Hyun quietly and efficiently.
But, out of sheer convenience, without realizing it, he had created this whole plot.
Yeonha shook her head slowly, a resigned and enchanted smile on her lips. Dating someone so strong and incredible was truly great.
She leaned in slightly, placing a soft kiss on his forehead.
"I love you, my pudding!"
Theo smiled at her affectionate manner, his eyes still fixed on the battle that was taking place, enjoying Nayun's performance.
...