The day passed as Baek Woojin’s quest continued, however, the actual results of his investigation were nil.

Aside from Tyler, the only people who’d truly seen Damien in action were Synth and Ash. The Hell Hole geniuses were too secluded from the rest of Hidden Death Valley to even know about Damien’s feats and his Heaven’s List ranking, otherwise, Synth wouldn’t have been so put off when they first met.

‘The academy database is acting strange today. Is someone interfering with my access?’

Baek Woojin frowned as he attempted to find Damien in the academy’s books. It wasn’t his first or second attempt today, but every time he tried, he was locked out by some mysterious force.

‘Is there someone altering the system to aid him…? Do they not understand that they are committing a crime?’

It didn’t matter what level of favoritism a student received. Even if the Gods themselves were interested in a genius, tampering with their profile in the academy database was a heinous crime that wouldn’t be tolerated.

Of course, protecting information wasn’t prohibited, but Damien’s information wasn’t just protected, it was wholly inaccessible and borderline missing.

‘I must contact the Director.’

Baek Woojin had immense respect for the Academy Director. The old Demigod was impartial and dedicated to the universe more than anyone else. He sacrificed his own life to remain in Hidden Death Valley and foster future generations, so how could any sane military man not respect him?

If there was justice in need of serving, the Director would do so without hesitation, regardless of the other party’s identity.

Baek Woojin immediately went to the main control center to open a line with the academy. With the Director’s status, contacting him through a personal line was impossible.

Bzzt!

The line buzzed as the connection was accepted. A holographic panel opened in the air, revealing the Director’s stern appearance.

“Report.”

“Yes, Sir! This is Instructor Baek Woojin reporting. I have found a flaw in the student database. It is evident that someone is tampering with it.”

“Oh?”

The Director’s face turned even colder than it naturally was.

“Indeed, this is a proper reason to contact me. Elaborate on the situation.”

“Yes, sir. Recently, a Higher Nox revealed that one of our deployed students has made contact with a Nox Seed…”

Baek Woojin began reporting everything he knew about Damien’s situation beginning from his deployment and ending with his disappearance.

Despite his demeanor, Baek Woojin wasn’t a selfish person. He had no plans of killing the Seed himself to boost his own reputation or status.!

He simply wanted to kill it because it was a threat.

Therefore, telling the Director everything he knew was par for course. He wasn’t going to disobey military law for the sake of this ambition.

As he continued to speak, the Director’s face rarely changed. Besides the occasional raised eyebrow or mutter, he didn’t show a hint of emotion.

However, inwardly, he was smiling happily.

‘So that little lass was a Nox Seed? And that kid has formed such an unshakeable bond with her…I wonder how far they’ll go together…’

Naturally, the Director wasn’t the least bit worried about the altering of Damien’s information. He was the one who did it, after all!

The Director being Damien’s backer was something only known to the Twelve Zodiacs and a few select individuals. He’d intentionally hidden his support for the young genius so it wouldn’t affect his experience in the field.

Now, however, it’d come back to him in the most unexpected way.

‘Should we see how he handles this situation?’

“Tell me more about that child. You say he’s an unparalleled genius?”

“I am not certain, sir. The reports of those in his squadron testify to his power, and his feats alone are undeniable, but I cannot be certain if these feats are fabricated with the help of outside forces. I do not believe a cadet can be so strong.”

“I understand. I will deal with this matter personally and cleanse the academy of any scourge present. Continue your investigation on the field in the meantime.”

“Yes, sir!”

The Director ended the conversation with those words. The holographic screen disappeared from Baek Woojin’s sight immediately.

pαndα`noνɐ1–сoМ

It only took learning about the situation for him to move into action. Though his apparent disinterest in the situation was offputting, Baek Woojin was confident that this was merely the Director’s facade.

‘Then…should I return to questioning some Nox?’

Baek Woojin continued on his quest with gusto, unaware of the fact that the entire world was against him.

***

Days passed until almost a full week went by after Damien’s disappearance. Aside from Baek Woojin, nobody else raised much of a fuss about it.

The loss of a genius was a regular occasion in war, and even if Damien was a heaven-defying genius, he was still someone who could die in a single moment of carelessness.

Rather than expecting him to be alive and missing, most simply assumed he got overconfident and died at the hands of a powerful Nox being.

Not everyone gave up hope, though.

Tyler sat at the edge of a hospital bed with his head down.

Two people were in this room, both in critical condition.

The wounds on their bodies had yet to close after so long, but luckily, they were still alive.

‘How long are you going to let them treat us like this?’ Tyler lamented inwardly.

He’d only been discharged yesterday, and he immediately went to find Ash and Synth, only to learn that the duo didn’t get the same treatment that he did.

‘They’re being fed Elixir, but at this rate, it’ll take months for them to heal. The damages to their Mana Circuits will only fester in that time, and they might even end up crippled…’

There was nothing he could do alone. Tyler was powerless, and the entirety of the cadet force believed him to be someone who rose by riding Damien’s coattails.

He wouldn’t care in a normal situation, but it was different now. The envy of others was causing his comrades to suffer.

‘Captain, only you can fix things now.’

Terrifying strength, a domineering oppression that shut everyone and everything up, these were the things that described Damien.

‘”f you could just take care of that Baek Woojin bastard, I can handle the rest.”

“Okay, but who’s Baek Woojin?”

A voice responded from behind.

Tyler’s heart skipped a beat.

When he turned around, the visage of a certain purple-eyed genius entered his sight.

“Captain!” Tyler blurted out in surprise.

“What, did you miss me that much?” Damien replied with a smile.

He glanced over at the two bedridden women in the room and frowned.

“Let’s talk later. First, I’ll deal with this situation.”

Pure white essence leaked from his fingertips and coagulated into drops of milky fluid that dripped onto Ash and Synth’s bodies.

The fluid glowed with a dim and mysterious light as it permeated, covering the two in the same light.

And immediately, they began to heal.

Their organs regrew, their bones reconnected, and even their Mana Circuits were fortified.

Against the effects of pure Life Laws backed by the Wheel of Samsara itself, how could Elixir even compare?