Chapter 107

Chapter 107

“You think Charlotte is a regressor?”

[Yeah, it seems they’ve assumed that for now.]

As the results of the first part of the exam were about to be announced,

Kraush heard the entire conversation between Mary and Sigrid through the voice of Crimson Garden from his brooch.

‘Indeed, Charlotte’s actions are very different from before.’

Kraush thought that if the roles were reversed, Charlotte would be the first person he’d keep in mind too.

She was a variable in herself.

The most likely candidate.

“More importantly, you said the Arthur there was a fake?”

Kraush’s eyes narrowed.

A fake Arthur?

Someone he had never heard of suddenly appeared.

Judging by Sigrid and Mary’s reactions, it seemed they didn’t know him either.

Was there really such a person?Upstodatee from n(0)/ve/lbIn/.(co/m

‘Is this another one of Arthur’s tricks?’

At the same time, Kraush wondered.

What benefit could Arthur gain from this?

Arthur’s actions seemed overly passive, even considering the many variables this time.

To the extent that he was hiding his appearance.

Kraush crossed his arms and organized his thoughts.

‘I haven’t confirmed which iteration of Arthur we are in.’

The Arthur from the previous regression had clearly failed.

Arthur, as Kraush knew him, did not return after Kraush stole his skill.

The current Arthur was undoubtedly someone else.

Someone who was overly passive and cautious.

‘But would Arthur really be this passive?’

The three women didn’t know that Kraush had stolen Arthur’s regression.

So they probably thought Arthur was being cautious this time.

But Kraush, knowing the truth, thought differently.

Arthur, with no information, being this passive led to many thoughts.

‘Wait.’

At that moment, Kraush’s pupils began to dilate.

A thought crossed his mind.

‘...I assumed the current Arthur lacks only the memories of the iteration he spent with me.’

Since Kraush had stolen Arthur’s regression,

he assumed the current Arthur lacked only the memories of the iteration spent with him.

But what if that wasn’t the case?

What if regression wasn’t about inheriting memories from his future self,

but about retaining his own memories and returning to the past?

‘The hint is in the memory inheritance Arthur mentioned.’

Kraush had been pondering how Arthur managed to pass on his memories.

And when he got the information today, he became certain.

Arthur had involved three women, Sigrid, Mary, and Abella, in his regression.

Arthur must have found some way.

But Arthur lost his regression to Kraush.

As a result, the Arthur who should have returned with all his memories died in the world of destruction.

So who is the Arthur in this world?

8th iteration? 6th iteration? 5th iteration? 2nd iteration?

No.

‘The current Arthur might be the 0th iteration.’

The Arthur with memories had died.

The Arthur without any continuing memories is an Arthur without the concept of iterations.

Kraush’s face hardened.

He slowly swept his front hair back with his hand.

Sweat formed and trickled down his exposed forehead.

It was just a hypothesis.

He hadn’t seen Arthur directly, and it was a conjecture based on the oddity of the situation.

But as the pieces began to fit, cold sweat flowed.

It was the thought that he might have completely erased the existence of the regressor Arthur.

‘Damn it.’

Kraush didn’t expect much from Arthur, but now that it had come to this, his feelings were complicated.

Ironically, if this were true, Kraush himself could be the reason the women’s memories continued.

They were almost parasitic to the regression.

‘It’s still just a hypothesis.’

More importantly, the current Arthur had realized that three women had inherited memories.

And Kraush figured out who had informed him.

‘It must be Abella.’

Abella, who Kraush had tried to find but had hidden herself.

Kraush determined that the current Arthur’s actions were definitely related to Abella.

Mary and Sigrid’s information would also have been gathered through Abella.

The situation might have become more complicated.

‘...If Arthur sent the fake to hide his lack of memories from Sigrid and Mary, it’s manageable. But if Abella noticed Arthur’s lack of memories and acted independently,’

Abella’s motive was simple.

Arthur had an unusually strong possessiveness.

Kraush cracked his neck.

If things went wrong, a three-way battle among the regressors could erupt.

‘A fake Arthur, huh.’

Kraush glanced at the fake Arthur walking out with Mary.

The person wasn’t in his memories.

‘I don’t know who he is.’

Whether it’s Arthur or Abella, he would be a key to one of them.

“Then for now, I should let them stay misled.”

[It’s your sister. Will it be alright? Didn’t you say those guys were also regressors?]

Before coming to the academy, Kraush had informed her that there were other regressors besides him.

Crimson Garden was the most suitable to gather information on those four at the academy.

She wasn’t surprised.

She seemed very accustomed to the concept of regressors.

“It’s fine. It’s Charlotte, after all.”

Kraush spoke nonchalantly.

“And didn’t we hear enough of their purpose?”

A chilling smile formed on Kraush’s lips.

To recruit him to overthrow Charlotte.

How could he not laugh at that?

All their past misdeeds were still vivid in his memory.

“Let them stay misled; I can use them.”

In the end, they would cough up everything.

“Now, we will announce the list of those who passed the first part.”

At that moment, the entrance examiner Kairan finally announced the list of those who passed the first part.

With a board above her head, the names appeared in the sky, created by magic.

Kraush immediately knew he had passed the first part.

After all, his name was boldly at the top.

A sign that the names were listed in order of scores.

‘The names below are also familiar.’

Kairan controlled her rising mouth corners and moved.

“Fine. Let’s find out soon.”

“In such a hurry.”

“I used to be a pirate, so I’m not good at waiting.”

Seems like she couldn’t hide her true nature anymore.

Seeing Kairan’s fierce smile, Kraush shrugged.

“Let’s go.”

He was now about to take the third part before the second.

***

While the second part was in full swing,

some who barely defeated equal opponents were catching their breath.

At one corner of the arena marked off with boundaries,

two familiar figures stood facing each other.

“Hey, is that...”

“Is that the examiner and Kraush Balheim?”

Children who noticed them belatedly showed bewildered expressions.

They couldn’t understand why Kraush was facing the entrance examiner.

And that was true for those watching the arena as well.

The noise from the children’s fights was so loud that they couldn’t hear the two’s conversation either.

“Professor Kairan’s habit seems to have come out.”

But the current students guessed the situation.

Some of them had suffered from Kairan’s habit.

“Who do you think will win?”

“Of course, Associate Professor Kairan. She was originally meant to be a professor. She became an associate professor only because the principal insisted.”

“But didn’t everyone see Kraush Balheim break the aurora stone earlier? It’s hard to say who will win.”

“Hehe, it’ll be a fun watch, no matter who wins.”

While the current students discussed it,

one woman was visibly annoyed.

‘Why is Kairan intervening?’

It was Sigrid, who had anticipated Mary to crush Kraush.

Now, there was a chance the match with Mary might not happen.

She disliked that man from start to finish.

In the past and now.

He never helped her.

Sigrid took it for granted that Kraush would always take the curses for her.

“Miss Sigrid, is something bothering you?”

“...Nothing.”

At that moment, she adjusted her expression at the soft voice beside her.

To maintain the image she had built.

While Sigrid was busy maintaining her image,

Kraush was facing Kairan.

“You can attack anytime. The third part is to assess the applicant’s full strength.”

Kairan spoke leisurely and smiled.

In her hand, she twirled a dagger with an octopus design.

Despite her relaxed demeanor, Kraush sensed it.

‘No openings.’

She wasn’t set to be a professor for nothing.

The aura emanating from Kairan firmly controlled her space.

‘Giving me the first move.’

Kraush stifled a laugh.

He then drew Rain Thunder Prime from its sheath.

An empty blade.

Seeing that, Kairan’s eyes filled with curiosity.

Clang—

Kraush dropped the sheath to the ground.

Kairan watched curiously.

Meanwhile, Kraush slowly stepped back.

Simultaneously, he drew Rain Thunder Prime to his side, positioning it into an empty hand’s grip.

In the silent stillness,

as Kairan focused her gaze,

Crackle—

A brief spark sounded.

The thunderous sound made Kairan’s ears perk up.

At that moment, she froze.

Kraush’s stance was that of Iai-jutsu.

Before the empty blade,

a strange flow began to gather.

Light seemed to be drawn towards Kraush.

Even his surrounding space seemed distorted.

Crackle!

Another spark flew.

Kairan’s eyes slowly widened.

The blade of Rain Thunder Prime, extending from behind Kraush’s fluttering clothes, was encased in a sheath of lightning.

The problem was the inside of the sheath.

Wild, pitch-black flames were fiercely raging within.

And the power was growing stronger with time.

Goosebumps erupted on Kairan’s skin.

Her instincts screamed danger.

“Huff.”

With Kraush’s inhalation, smoke exhaled from his mouth.

With each tempering of his body, his presence intensified.

Kairan’s hair stood on end.

Simultaneously, she gripped her dagger tightly.

Her body instinctively reacted.

She felt the urge to stop this immediately.

As she thought that, her body leaned forward.

Bang!

In an instant, as her body shot forward like a launching pad,

Kraush’s smile met her eyes.

“You made the first move, Associate Professor.”

Seeing his smile, Kairan bit her lip.

She had been tricked.

What a cunning applicant.

But regardless of Kraush’s smile, his sword shattered the lightning sheath.

From the first move, he gave it his all.

Annihilation Erosion

Third Technique

Sky-Thundering Annihilation

‘That’s just like me.’

Boom!

The academy arena turned into a battlefield.

End of Chapte