Inside the mansion, Lia was washing the dishes.

Su Hong wanted to help, but every time, Lia gently pushed him back.

Feeling helpless, he decided to shower and turn in early. Just as he passed Grandpa Lia’s room, the old man suddenly peeked out sneakily and beckoned him inside.

“Su Hong, don’t hold my earlier harshness against me. Lia is my pride and joy—a brilliant, beautiful girl, though sometimes a little clumsy. Of course this old man worries about her.”

Leaning against the bedside, Grandpa Lia spoke with heartfelt sincerity.

Su Hong was more used to the old man’s suspicious nature. This sudden shift—radiating calm kindness in both expression and tone—left him unsure how to respond.

Before Su Hong could reply, Grandpa Lia stroked his beard twice and continued.

“Su Hong, ho ho ho! The first time I heard your name, it struck me as odd—not exactly promising. And that face? Like a pampered pretty boy living off others… Never thought you’d turn out decent.”

(°ﾛ°٥)

Su Hong rubbed his forehead. *Who was it that called this guy ‘kind’ earlier? Drag them out. Behead them.*

Propping himself up on the pillow, Grandpa Lia’s expression turned serious. “Young man, I have a real question. That day, Lia told you she might skip the Spirit Card Academy. Do you agree?”

Su Hong’s face tightened slightly. “Setting aside agreement… how did you even know what she told me?”

Grandpa Lia smirked, stretching his neck with a playful shake.

“Tch. Nothing escapes my eyes.”

*Does your eyesight come with eavesdropping mode?*

Su Hong shrugged nonchalantly. “Fine. I can see Lia truly wants to go. I’ll help her.”

Grandpa Lia blinked in surprise, then pressed on. “And you? Don’t you want to stay with her?”

“Lia and I are just friends. Attending the Spirit Card Academy isn’t vanishing forever—we’ll still see each other. Besides… I plan to go with her.”

“What? Together?! Ohhh… So that’s why you had her teach you Spirit Card practice! You’ve been training to pass the entrance exam? Excellent! To think you’d go this far… I can entrust Lia to you without worry.”

Grandpa Lia launched into another self-satisfied fantasy. Su Hong didn’t bother correcting him.

True, they’d go together—but if he admitted he practiced Spirit Cards not to pass the test, but to kick the academy doors down? The old man would probably leap straight out of bed.

But… even if he kicked those doors down, would it truly secure Lia’s safe enrollment?

And after she became a student… what then? Wander the world searching for a way to banish this cursed luck?

Su Hong hadn’t settled his path yet. But even if Lia stayed at the academy, he could always visit.

“Anything else? If not, I’ll shower and rest.”

“Hehehe… Go on, go on.”

Grandpa Lia waved him off with an unsettling, mischievous chuckle.

Su Hong was certain the old man was plotting something dubious. But the main misunderstanding was cleared. As long as no fake ambushes came his way, he had nothing to fear.

After a quick wash, Su Hong returned to his room, sat at the bedside table, laid out two blank Spirit Cards, and fell into deep thought.

Grandpa Lia’s staged ambush had backfired comically—but Su Hong saw something deeper.

In physical fights, no one could harm him unless they mastered luck itself. That truth held then… and now.

The difference? Before, he was alone, sealed in his own world. Now, with a chance to banish this cursed luck, he refused to return to that life.

The misfortune clung only to him—others suffered for it. So he needed strength. Real strength. To shield those beside him.

Yes. Use Spirit Glyphsmith techniques to unravel the curse. And wield Spirit Cardmaster power to confront misfortune head-on—for Lia.

Still… it wasn’t lack of talent holding him back with Spirit Cards. It was the Frostlight Blade feeling foreign, and Lia’s rigid, textbook combat style never clicking.

He needed his own rhythm. His own battle Spirit Cards.

Just as this resolve solidified—

A startled cry echoed down the hall.

“Eep! F-Fire! My blanket!”

Hm?