Chapter 223

〈 Chapter 224 〉 Is this considered a power-up too?

*

A successful speech, if I do say so myself.

I’ve managed to firmly establish my image.

Especially with the second-year students of the Academy.

It seems the temptation of early graduation is hard to shake off.

Even if the method is a bit different from what I expected.

[What the hell do you mean “a bit?!”］

‘As long as they graduate, that’s what matters.’

Anyway, now that the speech is over, I can immediately start promoting myself as a candidate.

Though I made a lot of appeals, I can’t afford to slack off either.

Every single vote is precious.

Meanwhile, the research students and other collaborators have a lot on their plates, so it’s tough for them to help.

In the end, my campaign activities were totally taken on by the heroines.

“Vote for Kim Shinwoo, unless you want to die.”

“If you vote for my husband, the coins will go up! I’ve seen it rise every time I cast a vote!”

“If you vote for Kim Shinwoo, I’ll give you a discount coupon to use in [insert store here]!”

“……So, you’re saying to give Shinwoo a vote.”

Excluding the passive promotional activities of Caressy, the heroines were actively promoting in their own ways.

[That’s not passive; that’s called normal!］

‘Campaigns are supposed to be provocative anyway.’

And I was about to say,

“Hey guys, I’m heading out.”

“Stop right there, you jerk!”

As I tried to leave, it was inevitable that the heroines would shoot me sharp glares.

“Are you just leaving everything to your girlfriend and running, you bastard?!”

“Did you even get a mistress? Do you really want to end up as just a torso?”

“Even if I wanted to help, this isn’t right. The Lord is going to smite you.”

“Are you really going to cheat? I’ll make sure to vote against you for that!”

The heroines were all growling at me.

But I have a solid reason.

“Cheonma wants to see me urgently.”

“Speak up.”

Just a little earlier, I had a conversation with Cheonma.

Me [Cheonma, I have a concern.］

Cheonma [Are you worried about fighting me? What a weakling!］

That head of his is filled with nothing but fight.

Yet I simply got to the point without digging deeper.

Me [No, my girlfriends’ libidos are too strong.］

Cheonma [Aigoo! Tsk, tsk! Is that all the worries you have? In my youth, juggling multiple women was nothing!］

He’s already giving off a grandpa vibe.

But my next words were.

Me [The girlfriends in question are Hyeji and Elcia?］

Cheonma [……You have it tough. Come quickly. There’s a way to help you here.］

Even Cheonma couldn’t bring himself to challenge me.

Even his aggressive tone changed dramatically.

“That’s why he told me to come.”

After my explanation, there was a brief moment of silence.

Then the heroines quickly started hounding me again.

“F*ck! What are you doing not leaving yet!!!!”

“Clear the way! Don’t block my beloved’s path!”

“It’s for survival, so the Lord will understand. Come back safely.”

“Hurry back! Then we’ll all vote for you!”

“What’s different from before, you f*cking ear goblin.”

They urgently insisted I leave.

Thanks to the heroines’ support, I was able to use the gate to get to the Martial Artist Guild where Cheonma is.

And leap ahead of the people waiting.

Thus, I arrived at the Martial Artist Guild through the gate.

As soon as I arrived, I saw the martial artists aiming their weapons at me.

It seems they were on standby as soon as they got the news I was coming.

However.

Seeing my transformed self, they all started to panic.

Even when they recognized me, they were too stunned to lift their weapons.

“Who the hell is this? It’s not Kim Shinwoo!”

“Why did a dying corpse come here?”

“……How is he still alive?”

“I can’t do this! I became a martial artist to challenge the strong! Not to look down on the weak!”

“Healers! Get the healers here quickly!”

[They do have human hearts, huh.］

‘……I feel like crying.’

At that moment, a massive figure appeared in front of me.

“Is that really Shinwoo?”

“…I’ve been well.”

It was none other than Cheonma.

As soon as Cheonma saw me, his hands started trembling.

And before I knew it, he rushed in for a hug.

“You’re alive! Thank goodness! You’re alive!”

“…Cheonma.”

The sudden hug from Cheonma.

My thoughts on this were.

“It smells like sweat.”

“You f*cking bastard.”

Pretty blunt, I must say.

As soon as the Cheonma hug ended, someone approached me.

It was someone I had seen before.

“I heard the story.”

“Hello.”

It was the woman who had given me the magical power tattoo.

Her face was expressionless as usual, but somehow her eyes seemed to hold pity and regret.

“What a jealous bastard. Some people can’t even date, let alone get married.”

“……I don’t think that’s my fault.”

“Shut up. I’m feeling anxious.”

No, it wasn’t just that.

Looking closely again, her eyes reflected both disdain and envy.

As if declaring her anti-marriage stance was something she regrets now.

“Then why did you declare an anti-marriage stance? That’s basically being left behind.”

“Do you want to die? You f*cking bastard?”

With a sigh, the woman continued.

“Well… Anyway, I’ve got a plan for you here.”

“Another magical power tattoo?”

“Exactly.”

Her explanation was simple.

Since I had already received a magical power tattoo, I could upgrade it again now.

So this time, she’d add a magical power tattoo that transforms magical power into stamina.

This is effectively related to increasing vitality, and it’s exactly what I need.

Juji wouldn’t collapse as long as he ate properly.

『Ahem! Aren’t I impressive?』

‘It’s still not a 19+ episode, so shove off, you bitch.’

“Of course, it’s also possible to convert stamina into magical power.”

“That situation doesn’t come around often, does it?”

“That’s true. Just use it in really dire circumstances.”

Anyway, the woman quickly returned with a glowing branding iron.

Unlike before, this one looked like two snakes biting each other’s tails.

Seeing that made me curious.

“Is this happening publicly this time?”

“Don’t you remember when you got the magical power tattoo from me before?”

“Of course, I remember. It hurt like hell.”

“You wouldn’t believe how many fools want to do it without knowing the topic.”

Back then, getting my magical power tattoo was genuinely excruciating.

That’s when they burnt the branding iron wrong at first, doubling the pain.

[That’s right, back then you nearly died.］

‘I’d rather get beaten by Cheonma than go through this again.’

As the woman’s words ended, some martial artists around cleared their throats.

They were definitely feeling guilty by avoiding eye contact.

But ignoring them, the woman calmly spoke.

“So, I’m going to show you directly how dangerous and painful this is.”

“Shall we start?”

“Yeah. This time, I’m going to brand your solar plexus.”

I took off my shirt to reveal my solar plexus.

Now all that was left was to bring the iron to my bare skin.

No matter how much I prepared myself, just knowing the iron was about to touch my solar plexus made me tense up involuntarily.

Did she notice?

The woman started to tell me to calm down.

“Relax. Inhale deeply and exhale gently while you calm your mind.”

“…Thanks, I feel a bit better now.”

Following her advice definitely helped a bit with my nerves.

As I thanked her,

“No, not you, me.”

“You bitch.”

I heard something I didn’t want to.

Then the woman scratched her head and spoke up.

“…Actually, this is my first time doing this myself.”

“Why is that my problem, you dog?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t charge you.”

“F*ck.”

Anyway, thanks to the woman, I was completely calm.

Instead, I felt ready for the pain that was about to come.

Seeing my oddly calm face, the woman expressed her concern.

“Are you going to be okay? This is going to hurt way more than the one you got before.”

“That pain is no problem.”

I snatched the iron from the hesitant woman.

Then, with the glow of the iron shining ominously, I brought it to my solar plexus, managing a slight smile.

“This pain will only be for a moment.”

­ Szzzzzzz!!!

The sound of flesh burning.

The disgusting smell of protein cooking.

But I didn’t let out a single groan.

I simply closed my eyes and wore a peaceful expression.

Enduring the pain.

In contrast to my calmness, I heard miserable sighs around me.

The sound of someone sniffling indicated that someone was definitely crying.

I even heard Cheonma’s choked voice.

“I… sometimes shed… tears…”

A short while later, the intense pain in my solar plexus faded.

It looked like the woman removed the branding iron from my solar plexus.

Soon after, I felt something carving into the fresh wound a few times with a knife.

Finally, the magical power tattoo procedure was complete.

When I opened my eyes, the first thing that caught my attention was the tattoo engraved on my solar plexus.

Two snakes biting each other’s tails somehow resembled an arrow.

Next, my gaze fell upon.

“Cheonma, are you… crying?”

“……”

Cheonma, with tears streaming down his face, looked less like a god and more like a kind old man.

As I pointed this out, Cheonma’s mouth slowly started to move.

“Looks like… it’s raining.”

“Huh? Where is it raining…”

“No, it’s raining.”

Cheonma muttered solemnly.

Seeing Cheonma like this made me smirk slightly.

“You’re indoors, there’s no way it’s raining. Think a bit.”

“Get out, you son of a bitch.”

*