26 Chapter 26 - The Appearance of the Great Sage

"What the hell happened here?!"

The loud voice of a man echoed all throughout the battle arena. Everyone looked up and saw a figure standing on top of a dragon's head as he looked at the students below him.

The figure commanded his dragon to go down and they both slowly descended from the sky.

Upon reaching the ground below, Mi Young can now clearly see the man's features.

He was an old man wearing a robe that was embroidered with gold and silver. He looks about a millennium old but he still carried a strong and powerful aura around him. The staff he was holding also helps in making him even more intimidating.

When he steps closer towards the crowd of students, everyone around Mi Young starts kneeling, except for Jeon Shi Yun who was still carrying the black haired girl in his arms.

Mi Young instructed the boy to put her down, as she can now feel some of her energy regenerating, enough that it can keep her from falling down. Jeon Shi Yun looks reluctant at first but he finally settles her on her feet and he proceeds to bend his knee and bow down to the old man.

Only Mi Young and the old man were left standing.

Everyone looked at her and expected her to do the same but Mi Young looked like she was thinking hard about something.

"Mi Young…" Jong In whispers beside her. He gulps a huge lump of saliva as he glances at the seemingly calm man. "Get on your knees."

A few seconds later, Mi Young finally snaps her fingers and points at the old man, completely ignoring Jong In's warning. "I know you! You were that suspicious man who gave me the red stone during the entrance exam!"

Everyone's eyes turned white as they stared at Mi Young who was casually pointing a finger at the person standing in front of them.

While everyone was gawking and exchanging worried glances at how nonchalant Mi Young was acting, the old man seemed pretty calm. In fact, he has a small smile dancing on his lips.

"We met again."

"Yes! I never got to thank you before! The stone you gave me really helped a lot you know. Without it I would have been sleeping on the grounds." Mi Young says. She seemed to forget that everyone around her was still kneeling on the ground. "Right, what's your name again old man so we can finally be friends."

"Friends?"

"Is she stupid?"

"I hope the Great Sage would not incinerate her right now."

"I pray for her soul."

"To act so casually in front of a great being…how stupid can she be?"

The sight of Mi Young casually asking the Great Sage his name is making everyone want to spurt blood. They never knew someone as thick skinned and oblivious as Mi Young could exist. All of them hoped that the man would spare the girl this time.

However, all of their heads wanted to explode upon hearing the Great Sage's reply.

"Me? I am Jung Si Woon. And I'm glad to be friends with you." The man replied as he extended his hands towards Mi Young, asking her for a handshake which the latter gratefully accepted.

All of the people watching the scene unfold in front of them couldn't stop their mouths from hanging open.

Mi Young was about to say something once more but Jeon Shi Yun couldn't help it anymore so he gripped Mi Young's left arm and made her bend her knees.

"Get down and address the Great Sage."

"T-The Great Sage? He's the Great Sage?" Mi Young asked in disbelief.

Jeon Shi Yun didn't answer her at all but he never missed to send her a glare. Mi Young nodded her head and bowed towards the old man, who chuckled at the two students.

"Calm down, the girl doesn't have any knowledge about my face, it's okay." The Great Sage says as he tells Jeon Shi Yun to spare the girl.

The black haired boy apologizes and turns to look at Mi Young, only to be met by her silly face and the tongue she stuck out at him. Shi Yun rolled his eyes at the girl's childishness.

But every retort he was about to say to Mi Young stopped when the Great Sage spoke once more. "Now, while I was relaxing in my Jade Chamber, I felt a huge killing intent coming from here . May I know what happened?"

Everyone shifted their gaze towards Lee Dong Soo who was shaking and sweating on where he was kneeling. The Great Sage followed their eyes and he looked at Dong Soo.

"Were you the cause of it, boy?"

Lee Dong Soo managed to lift his head but he couldn't stop himself from shaking. Everybody thinks he's going to piss himself any minute now, "I..I didn't intend to do i-it, Great Sage."

"But you were the source of it, am I right?"

"Y-Yes Great Sage!"

"Hm." The Great Sage looked like he was thinking for a second before he glanced at the ring on Dong Soo's pinky finger. "Lift your hands child."

Lee Dong Soo immediately followed what the Great Sage instructed as he lifted his hands in the air.

The old man only looked at his right hand before the golden ring in Dong Soo's hands levitated into the air and floated towards where the Great Sage was standing.

"This is not just a mere artifact." The Great Sage announces.

Mi Young furrowed her eyebrows and without thinking, she asked the Great Sage, "What happened to it, Great Sage?"

The Great Sage looks like he was contemplating for a second before he answered Mi Young's question. "This artifact is cursed. And to top that, it was filled with black magic that can only be found in the lair of the savage beast, Tartarus."

Upon hearing what the Great Sage said, everyone gasped. They can feel all the hairs all over their body standing up and goosebumps creeping over them.

"Tartarus? The savage beast who was defeated by the Big Four before?" The Great Sage nodded grimly. Mi Young continued asking, "But I thought they killed it before?"

The Great Sage looked at the girl. There was sadness and guilt in his eyes. He stops for a second before he sighs, "I have to tell everyone a secret."

Everyone's ears perked up upon hearing what the Great Sage said.

He looked sad and his voice sounded guilty as well.

The Great Sage looked at every single one of them at first before he finally announced something that struck fear into the hearts of all students, "Tartarus was never killed."

"What?"

"So he's still alive?"

"But why hasn't he attacked us?"

"Everyone, listen!" The Great Sage announces. "It is true. Tartarus was never killed. The Big Four was only able to seal him away but he's still alive and is in hiding for many years."

All of the people present around the arena stopped breathing. They grew up thinking that the celestial beast who once ravaged their kingdom and killed millions of their people was finally gone. Now that they knew that it was still alive and lurking somewhere around them, everyone couldn't stop themselves from shivering out of fear.

"But why haven't you done anything yet?" Mi Young asked in an accusing tone.

Shi Yun was about to scold her for being so rude but the Great Sage stopped him. "I am not the one who is going to stop it."

"What? You're the only one powerful enough to stop a savage beast like that! Who else do you think can kill that strong beast?"

Despite the young girl's cries and protests, the Great Sage remained calm. He shook his head as he placed both his hands around his staff. He waved his staff in the air and a small parchment of paper materialized out of nowhere.

The paper looks old and worn out, and a piece of it was missing, like someone has intentionally shredded it so no one can read the rest of its content.

"This was a page torn from the diary of the first Great Sage, who was present during the time of the attack of the savage beast, Tartarus." The Great Sage explains as he touches the paper. "It was unknown where this page came from but luckily it had the signature of the first Great Sage so everyone was able to know who it belonged to,"

"What's written in there?"

The Great Sage hands the piece of paper to Mi Young, who was just standing up from her kneeling position. "I believe it is your duty to find out about it."

Mi Young took a glance at the paper and it was all written in the language she wasn't able to understand yet, the one written all over the rocks that lead towards the library. However, that wasn't the thing that caught her attention.

When she looks at the handwriting, she instantly knows that the same paper belongs to the red notebook Lady Ning Gwang has given her.

"If you managed to decipher what it meant, it would surely help our people."

"But why me?"

"Why do you ask? I believe you already know the answer to that." the Great Sage says. There was a knowing smile on his lips. Then his expression changes as he looks at Dong Soo again. "I believe that you know that you will get a punishment for causing an event like this to happen inside the academy grounds."

Lee Dong Soo nodded his head. "Yes, Great Sage."

"Good. Follow me then." The Great Sage announces. But before that, he looked at all the students present in front and with a flick of his hands all of them, except Mi Young, shut their eyes. He looked at Mi Young and said, "As soon as me and this young man leaves, they will open their eyes and they will forget everything the moment I arrived. I want you to know that I put all my trust in you with this one. Do not fail me."

The moment the Great Sage and Lee Dong Soo, as well as the dragon, vanished, everyone around Mi Young opened their eyes.

All of them looked confused as to why Mi Young was the only one standing and all of them were kneeling around her.

"What happened?" Jong In asks. He looks up to see Mi Young scratching her head and sheepishly smiling at him.

"Nothing. We were talking about Lee Dong Soo, right?"

Upon hearing Mi Young's words, everyone started looking for the missing Lee Dong Soo but he was nowhere to be seen. Mi Young let out a sigh of relief when the attention shifted from her and towards the missing student.

However, Mi Young stopped her small victory when she felt a pair of eyes looking at her.

She turned around and met eyes with Jeon Shi Yun.