I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 107 : Aftermath (1)

"Now I understand a bit better."

Hwang Won-jae, who had been silently sitting with his eyes closed, opened his mouth.

"Among the academy's chicks, the one who will become the most troublesome to 'Him' in the future is probably Jeong Su-hyeon."

"He seems quite bothersome."

"Extremely bothersome."

The Vampire Queen chuckled.

"But that boy is handsome, isn't he?"

Jang Su-il let out a hollow laugh at the Vampire Queen's joke.

"You're crazy."

"Oh why? You guys like pretty girls too, don't you?"

"What good is being pretty if you're rotten to the core like you?"

"My, my, such innocent talk. Are you going to eat hearts for a living? Looks are everything."

The Vampire Queen giggled as she poked the boy's side.

"Hey, you remember that too."

"Hmm. Is that so?"

"...Enough with the jokes."

Hwang Won-jae folded his arms.

"Have you ever imagined a 17-year-old academy cadet who could stop Chu Jinhong?"

"No."

The Ma-in seated around the round table shrugged their shoulders.

"Couldn't Seo Jun-seong stop him?"

"You have a point. With his psychokinesis controlling the battlefield, it might be difficult to approach him."

"Well, if you surprise attack him, he'd have no answer, right?"

"A successful surprise attack always flips the power balance, so that kind of assumption isn't very meaningful. I'm talking about a frontal combat scenario."

Amid the back and forth debate:

"Seo Jun-seong. I want to eat that bastard. Crunch, crunch. Starting with his bones."

Asura, who had been silently drooling while staring blankly at the wall, muttered.

"Shut up, he'd taste terrible. His blood is too vicious."

"I-it might be a delicacy."

"Sigh."

The Vampire Queen sighed and said.

"Since Seo Jun-seong was always a bit of an outlier, let's put him aside. It would be difficult for the others, right?"

"Hmm."

Hwang Won-jae unfolded his arms and declared.

"What's certain is that the current Lee Yu-jin couldn't do it. Yu-jin still has no way to deal with Chu Jinhong's speed."

"Hwang Ji-su too, if it weren't for Jeong Su-hyeon, would have been subdued immediately."

"That's true."

"This Jeong Su-hyeon is quite an interesting guy."

As the skinhead Jang Su-il clenched and unclenched his fist, the muscles in his ancient tree-like forearm rippled.

"You might find kids with cheat-like characteristics if you look hard enough, but it's difficult to find kids with fighting skills on the level of going toe-to-toe with Chu Jinhong. That's created by combining talent and experience."

"Yes, you're right."

"That kid really fights well. I shouldn't have yielded to Hong Byeong-gwon."

"Hong Byeong-gwon? Isn't he the one who got beaten to a pulp by Kang Jun-man?"

"Yes."

Hwang Won-jae, who had forced Hong Byeong-gwon to commit suicide with his own hands, said.

"Besides Kim Cheol-han and Lee Ho-seung, I thought no one could defeat Chu Jinhong. But Jeong Su-hyeon exceeded everyone's expectations."

"How did he do it?"

"What is his characteristic anyway? Didn't you ask Jo Jin-myeong?"

"He said only the Instructors know."

"Hmm. They're keeping it tightly wrapped."

"I'm thinking of using Jo Jin-myeong to find out. It's becoming difficult to just stand by and watch now."

"That guy is suspicious."

Jang Su-il said.

"He keeps getting stronger every time I see him. After using some strange doping technique, now he can even respond to Chu Jinhong's speed."

"Hmm."

At those words, Hwang Won-jae fell into thought.

'How did he do it?'

He kept up with Chu Jinhong's speed.

He even completely overwhelmed him in strength.

And he was clearly ahead of Chu Jinhong in skill and technique.

A mere 17-year-old boy.

"Isn't he stronger than you?"

The boy snorted at the Queen's question.

"Are you serious?"

"Well, if you fought him now, you'd win, right?"

"Hmph."

"It's a shame Chu Jinhong died though. He could have been a useful talent if he had joined our combat unit."

"If we had trained him well, couldn't he have been worthy of a minor executive position later?"

"Those are all meaningless words. After all, he's a guy who died failing to catch a mere first-year cadet."

The old man in a lab coat said.

"Old man, actually, it was that guy who killed him."

Jang Su-il snickered.

"But isn't he quite cute?"

The Vampire Queen smiled.

"It seems he was planning to stage a hostage situation to secure money and escape means before slipping away safely? Seeing how he tried to subdue rather than kill."

"Ah, that? It was so meaningless a struggle that it was funny."

The boy cackled.

"In any case, we've achieved our primary objective."

Hwang Won-jae said.

"Of course, we could have achieved greater results, but those would have only been secondary."

Therefore:

"Now we need to prepare for the next phase."

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

The morning after the disaster.

The cadets, who should have been happily preparing to return to the academy, gathered in one place in a heavy atmosphere.

Several Assistant Instructors had died, many cadets were injured.

After a fierce battle, some cadets showed remarkable improvement and subdued the Ma-in.

But witnessing those Ma-in commit mass suicide before their eyes made them newly realize just how full of terrible malice the enemies they faced were.

"Next!"

"Seung-yeon, come over here!"

Instructor Jang Jin-won, who had been contacted at dawn, along with cadets in charge of healing, came to the resort to treat the wounded.

"Yu-ha."

Among them was Song Yu-ha, who had the top-tier healer characteristic called 'Healing Pearl'.

"Yu-jin! Is Yu-jin safe?"

Song Yu-ha, who had been unusually silent in the heavy atmosphere, greeted Lee Yu-jin with excitement.

"I'm fine. Just a few scratches here and there."

"Still, we can't let them scar. I'll check on you later when we treat the minor injuries."

"Yes, I'll ask you last."

"It's fortunate that this didn't escalate into a bigger incident."

"It was really close."

"...I hear Yu-jin worked really hard too?"

Song Yu-ha patted Lee Yu-jin's shoulder.

"You did well. Thank you for coming back safely."

"Thanks, Yu-ha."

It was as Song Yu-ha said.

In any case, she and her friends were safe.

That was the most fortunate thing right now.

"Everyone, listen while you rest."

Kim Cheol-han said.

"Yesterday, you all crossed the line between life and death once again."

Kim Cheol-han, after surveying the darkened expressions of the cadets, continued.

"And now, I feel there's no reason for us Instructors to see you only as subjects to be protected."

"!"

"Despite facing the fear of death, your fight was excellent. Even with the cunning and powerful Ma-in's surprise attack, you didn't panic and each performed your roles well to protect your comrades."

Pride rose in the cadets' eyes.

"Unfortunately, 8 Assistant Instructors and security personnel died in the line of duty. But you must painfully remember that the death of colleagues, acquaintances, and comrades is a fate you cannot avoid as long as you walk this path."

"...Yes, sir."

"I, too, am here now after surviving countless deaths. You will also experience many deaths in the future."

Nevertheless:

"You must continue to move forward. Remember what you carry on your shoulders."

A small smile spread across Kim Cheol-han's face, which had been speaking heavily.

"But if you all continue like this, I think I won't have to worry too much."

"Instructor."

"I want to thank you for surviving."

"......"

Seeing the emotional cadets, Instructor Lee Ho-seung added a word.

"You did well, kids. Good job."

Then, he approached Su-hyeon, who was lying weakly among the seriously injured due to the effects of the fierce battle, and patted his shoulder.

"You worked hard too."

"Not at all."

Thanks to his improved physical abilities and the reduced usage time compared to before, Su-hyeon avoided having to sleep for days as during the Ma-in attack.

But his face was haggard from having consumed considerable energy.

"Without you, a greater disaster would have occurred. Like last time, you saved your friends this time too. You really did well."

"That's right!"

Kwon Seung-yeon nodded.

"If it weren't for Su-hyeon, we would've been in real trouble."

Kang Geon-woo also nodded.

"...Many thanks."

Choi Mina, who had been subdued by Chu Jinhong with one strike, also muttered quietly.

"It was my duty."

"Ah, this kid, I wonder whose disciple he is, so cool."

Lee Ho-seung chuckled.

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

The returning bus headed toward the academy with ironclad security from armed police, two Execution Force teams, and additional Instructors who had been dispatched.

'I've earned a tremendous amount of skill points and achievement points.'

I checked the rewards with a complicated and heavy heart, but definitely.

'I need to gather them steadily and become stronger. To break this cycle.'

I couldn't leave the tragedy unfolding in reality as it was.

Rather:

Because the ten years of trial and error were precisely for this one moment.

'The strengthening of my Eye Power was successful, and the combat ability that rose because of it is at an amazing level. Capturing Chu Jinhong means that my actual combat ability is now...'

What awakened me from my quiet contemplation was Lee Yu-jin's careful voice.

"Su-hyeon."

"Hmm?"

"...You really worked hard."

Lee Yu-jin's expression was dark.

"When Su-hyeon was fighting that Ma-in, I couldn't help at all."

"That couldn't be helped. His speed was so difficult to counter."

"......"

"And you also handled your Ma-in opponent excellently, didn't you? Taking down such a Ma-in one-on-one is something you should be proud of."

"...Yes."

Lee Yu-jin nodded with a complicated expression.

"But you know what."

Hwang Ji-su said.

"How the hell did you keep up with that speed?"

"Hmm."

There was only one answer I could give.

"...Through diligent training."

"Come on."

Hwang Ji-su gave a hollow laugh.

"I don't know exactly, but it must be thanks to your characteristic."

Unlimited.

The students were gradually realizing the infinite possibilities of my characteristic.

"Anyway, everyone fought well. This kind of growth rate would be almost unprecedented even among our seniors."

Seo Jun-seong answered my words.

"I agree with that too. If it had been us at the time of admission, could we have won against Ma-in using such cunning tactics and targeting weaknesses?"

"Impossible."

Hong In-hyeon said.

"But you know what? I'm not that happy about it now. I just can't forgive those bastards."

"While not burning yourself with hatred, you should use righteous anger as your guiding light."

I said.

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

Meanwhile, Kim Cheol-han and Lee Ho-seung didn't look happy.

"Ah."

He let out a short sigh, almost like a death rattle.

"How are we going to handle the aftermath when we get back?"

"...You can't just slip away this time."

Kim Cheol-han said with his eyes firmly closed.

"Hey, I'm too directly involved to run away."

Lee Ho-seung sighed.

"Our principal must be absolutely furious."

"He's the type who becomes calmer in such situations."

The next day, as the embargo was lifted, the incident on the island became known to the public.

-Ma-in attack academy cadets again!

-The academy thwarted this with thorough advance preparation.

-The identity of the captured Ma-in is a Ma-in guerrilla group called 'MK-1'.

-All Ma-in committed suicide immediately upon capture!

As this was already the second attack by Ma-in following the Sword of Belphegor's assault:

Fierce debate erupted in various circles over this incident.

-Who is MK-1? Who is behind them?

-The behavior pattern of Ma-in is changing. How should we view this?

-The academy's complacency should be called into question. Did they really need to send young cadets outside at such a time?

-In the end, all attempts by the Ma-in resulted in failure. EFAC has firmly demonstrated its pride and resilience.

-What meaning does that have? Aren't they just unnecessarily creating anxiety? The fact that they failed to identify the mastermind this time is a clear mistake.

In a situation where everyone was looking to the principal to clarify the situation:

Finally, EFAC's Principal Min Jeong-gap, a hero of the old era, personally announced his position before reporters.

"The Ma-in keep failing."

Min Jeong-gap's expression, devoid of his usual benevolence, was solemn and heavy with anger.

The reporters quietly flashed their cameras, waiting for the next words.

"And their failures will continue. Because we will not tolerate their intentions. We will take the best measures to protect our cadets. However."

Min Jeong-gap paused briefly, then stared penetratingly at the camera with sharp eyes.

"Yesterday, our cadets did not need the protection of adults or Instructors. They repelled the Ma-in with their own strength. As you have seen, they are no longer beings in need of our protection, but beings who will become shields for citizens in the future."

"...!"

"We will gladly watch and support their growth. Soon, the Ma-in will realize that their terrorist acts are actually tightening the noose around their own necks, but it's too late. The die has already been cast."

Min Jeong-gap declared.

"We will certainly crush the Ma-in's conspiracy and root them out. And at the forefront will be our young cadets, whose potential the Ma-in so fear."