I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 124 : Hostage Rescue (4)

The stiffened nameless cloth writhed like tentacles as it rushed toward Su-hyeon.

'He's aiming for my head!'

Watching the nameless cloth in slow motion, Su-hyeon utilized the finely divided time to narrowly avoid it while diving toward Kwak Mu-jin.

"Hmph!"

However, Kwak Mu-jin, who had wrapped the long nameless cloth around both his arms and fists, charged forward fearlessly, as if undaunted by Su-hyeon's dash.

Kwak Mu-jin in front, and behind him the annihilating nameless cloth that could send one's very existence into a two-dimensional plane with just a touch.

Despite his move potentially becoming a self-defeating one, Su-hyeon chose to force his way through without hesitation.

"You have no capacity to learn!"

The Ma-in sneered as he took a boxer's stance, but.

"We'll see."

The tip of Su-hyeon's sword, enveloped in sword energy, swayed violently like a willow in the wind.

Swish swish swish!

It thrust toward Kwak Mu-jin in an instant along an irregular trajectory.

'Little brat, brutally fast!'

However, Kwak Mu-jin, with his mighty power of estimated B+ rank, was a Ma-in with considerable physical capability even without special abilities.

'Hmph. I would be caught if I were enticed by that. Do you think I don't know that?'

Therefore, he chose to evade Su-hyeon's attack simply by taking a quick backstep to retreat out of the sword's range.

'Experienced.'

Su-hyeon's eyebrow twitched.

But it's a rule that the speed of retreating with a backstep cannot be faster than the speed of dashing forward.

"Hmm!"

Once again within definite range, Su-hyeon slashed at the Ma-in's thigh with his hwando.

Kwak Mu-jin lowered his left arm to block that trajectory.

Shwik!

Having drawn out the Ma-in's left arm, Su-hyeon extended his left hand in a straight punch, causing the right arm to react as well.

In the end, he had successfully drawn out both arms, which should be the most guarded, according to his intention.

'What?!'

Su-hyeon slowly observed the bewilderment appearing on the Ma-in's face as he realized his intent, then created a foothold in mid-air with a Mana Shield, jumped up, and landed a lightning-fast spinning kick to his chin.

Whack!

"Kuhek!"

Su-hyeon, who avoided even the pursuing nameless cloth by throwing his body to the right as if falling simultaneously with the kick, quickly escaped from the range of the nameless cloth.

"Little rat."

The immensely enhanced physical abilities from Liberation, and a perfectly executed powerful attack.

Nevertheless, Kwak Mu-jin's body, which staggered and endured the damage without going down, was indeed of a surprisingly high level even to Su-hyeon.

'For an ordinary opponent, that one blow would have been the end.'

But if the enemy could be finished so easily, he wouldn't have been this tense.

"Yes, you know how to fight somewhat."

Cracking his stiff neck, Kwak Mu-jin exuded killing intent.

"I won't kill you gently."

"If you can."

Overheating neural circuits, muscles throughout the body ready to scream.

Suppressing deeply the signals they were sending with willpower alone, Su-hyeon took his stance again.

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Extreme heat itself becomes a weight that destroys everything.

Those hit by the fist of Ma-in Lim Jeong-yeol, who could raise his body temperature to the extreme, would feel severe burns and pain as their bodies melted away.

Until now, there had been no enemy who thought of confronting Lim Jeong-yeol head-on in a fistfight.

Hisssss!

"Kuuuuugh!"

But the boy before him, Go Do-il, was different.

'This bastard, how is he enduring this?!'

Even as blood vessels stood out all over his body, and the parts that were hit melted and oozed with pus.

Go Do-il, who had grabbed Lim Jeong-yeol's arm, planted an iron-like fist into his face.

Whack!

"Kaaagh!"

Feeling pain as if hit in the face with a mace, Lim Jeong-yeol finally retreated first.

But.

"Now I'll never let go again."

Even amidst the excruciating pain of all his nerves melting away, Go Do-il's eyes burned with manic determination.

Whack! Crack!

A fighting style like that of a child—simply grabbing the arm with one hand and recklessly pounding the opponent with the other.

This meant that Go Do-il's mind was that intensely focused.

'How dare, how dare!'

With each punch from Go Do-il that broke bones and tore flesh, Lim Jeong-yeol's body was steadily being destroyed.

And finally.

Woosh!

Go Do-il, missing the spot where Lim Jeong-yeol's face had been as he fell unconscious, staggered and fell.

Thud!

"Huh. Huh."

Only then realizing that he had won, Go Do-il smiled faintly.

"I won."

Victory achieved through stubbornness bordering on madness.

It was the moment when the boy took one more step forward.

At the point when Go Do-il defeated Lim Jeong-yeol and collapsed from exhaustion, Su-hyeon's Team 2 was still in a situation with a numerical disadvantage of one person.

However, excluding the matchup between Su-hyeon and Kwak Mu-jin, it was clearly the Ma-in who were at a disadvantage.

And finally.

Zzzzzzzp!

"Kraaaagh!"

Kim A-yun, who had almost depleted her mana, deliberately feigned exhaustion to induce Choi Min-jun to lower his guard, then barely secured victory by piercing his body with a lightning lance at extremely close range.

"Well done, Kim A-yun!"

At the same time, Yoon Garam, who had shot Han Pyeong-gang in the shoulder, also succeeded in penetrating Won Jeong-hwan's shield and inflicting decisive damage with his last arrow, imbuing it with all his remaining mana as he fired mana bullets and fire bullets from the rear.

"This side is also cleared, Su-hyeon!"

Su-hyeon smiled at Yoon Garam's report.

"Good, everyone just wait a little longer."

Su-hyeon.

Had no intention of finishing this fight with a joint attack with his teammates.

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Woosh!

The nameless cloth that brushed past a few strands of my hair forcefully crashed into the wall, creating a hole in the area.

'What a bug-like scene.'

On second thought.

A cloth that annihilates opponents just by touching them seemed truly excessive.

Even its length, hardness, and manipulation were all freely controllable?

'Originally, this is an ability that wouldn't be strange to be given A-rank or higher.'

The reason he remained at B+.

It was because the Execution Force, having detected his threat early on, carried out a swift eradication operation.

'If he had survived longer and continued to cultivate his power, he would have become a truly formidable adversary.'

The original body of this Kwak Mu-jin, now implemented in virtual reality, had long since ended his life after being subdued before he could further develop his power, then imprisoned.

'Using such Ma-in as teaching material. Is that reasonable or ironic?'

In fact, when viewed from a different perspective, this somewhat strange worldview later becomes a driving force that gives great anger and motivation to characters on the dark side as the story progresses.

'Nam Tae-hoon and Song Yu-ha are also entangled in such situations.'

Anyway, the reason I know these backstories in detail is because there were so many complaints from gamers who retired at the hands of Kwak Mu-jin in this sequence.

'From the start, he wasn't designed as a boss to be taken down alone.'

But isn't it also the instinct of a stagnant waters player to be inflamed by such constraints?

'Of course, at this point, it would have been impossible to properly win no matter what tricks I used.'

Achieving that incomplete challenge at this point was enough to remind me of a forgotten aspiration.

Flap!

The nameless cloth that wrapped around me at once, blocking all escape routes, rushed at me like a net.

'Indeed. This is how he comes at me, huh?'

Seeing my agile evasive movements, it was an attack that showed the intention of driving me to a point where evasion would be impossible.

But.

'Mana Shield.'

I drew on the mana still remaining in my body to create a shield with enough surface area to cover my body.

'The weakness of your nameless cloth is that the more pure the mana body, the more delay occurs in "annihilating" it.'

That was the clue to the attack strategy I had found.

Boom!

While the widely spread nameless cloth momentarily paused in mid-air, I instantly closed the distance with him, exploding the muscles in my thighs that had been enhanced by Liberation.

"You slip away like a loach, don't you!"

Of course, there was still leisure on Kwak Mu-jin's face, who had been prepared even for such a situation.

'So very confident.'

Of course, Kwak Mu-jin had no martial arts background.

However, with strong power, fast speed, the Ma-in's unique sharp senses, plus the penalty of instant death upon contact, martial arts skills were dispensable.

'That's how it's been until now.'

But not for the current me.

'I've already seen through your movements and patterns.'

Woosh!

The slow motion created by my brain's overload precisely analyzed the trajectory of Kwak Mu-jin's extending fist.

'Not yet. Not yet.'

I waited until just before the attack barely reached me.

After a wait that was both instantaneous and eternal.

Whoosh!

I turned my body greatly to avoid the fist, then lowered my body and swept his legs.

Swish!

Then, feigning a slash at his neck through the gap in his crumbling stance.

'He fell for it again.'

I landed a sharp left body blow through the guard he instinctively raised.

"Kuhek!"

Watching Kwak Mu-jin's expression contort with intense pain as he was hit in the moment his abdominal muscles relaxed.

I cut off Kwak Mu-jin's shoulder, which wasn't covered by the nameless cloth, with a single stroke.

Clang!

"Kraaaaaaagh!"

As I cut through the thick bone and muscle in one breath, a tremendous amount of blood gushed up and his left arm was completely severed.

"Does it hurt? Then use that cloth to stop the bleeding."

"You fucking bastard, I'll kill you!"

"That's difficult, since I'm in a position where I can't kill you."

Of course, severing an arm was already in the realm of excessive suppression, but.

'It's better than dying.'

Woosh!

Having dodged the nameless cloth that flailed desperately, I took a stance to dash again, causing him to flinch greatly and hastily retrieve the nameless cloth.

"Getting scared?"

"You fucking bastard!"

It wasn't difficult to verbally provoke the Ma-in who had lost his reason to pain and anger.

"Die! Just die!"

And, with the heart of a matador stabbing the neck of an excited bull.

I walked so freely among Kwak Mu-jin's wild attacks and concluded this match by delivering a body blow with all my might.

"Kuhuk."

Kwak Mu-jin collapsed before me, having lost an arm and vomiting gastric fluid.

[You have single-handedly defeated Ma-in Kwak Mu-jin!]

[Unprecedented achievement! You have accomplished a feat that will be engraved in the history of EFAC!]

[Achievement points 1100 awarded!]

"...More than I thought."

I muttered.

"It was doable."

Effective hits taken from the enemy, 0.

Remaining duration of [Liberation] and [Tachypsychia Mode], 5 minutes.

That was the result I achieved against Kwak Mu-jin.

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"Jeong Su-hyeon. You surprise me again."

"You're too kind."

"You validated your decision, which was full of uncharacteristic competitive spirit, with a perfect victory that no one could dispute. I commend you."

"Thank you."

While Su-hyeon secured victory with a level of strength that even he hadn't anticipated.

The other teams also finished their missions by subduing Kwak Mu-jin one after another.

"Huaaap!"

First, in Team 1, Seo Jun-seong converted all his overflowing mana into telekinesis and completely controlled Kwak Mu-jin with continuous attacks and checks, during which time Kwon Seung-yeon succeeded in subduing him.

"Subjugation complete!"

"Good, surround him all at once!"

Hwang Ji-su's Team 3 first quickly eliminated the enemy, then used a strategy of diverting Kwak Mu-jin's attention.

Crack!

The moment Hwang Ji-su succeeded in freezing his ankles, Nam Tae-hoon, who had been released from freezing, succeeded in incapacitating him by stabbing his limbs with knives.

"Seo Jun-seong and Hwang Ji-su, both of your teams achieved tactical and strategic victories through solid and orthodox coordinated attacks."

Instructor Kim Cheol-han gave his overall assessment.

Meanwhile, Lee Yu-jin of Team 4 had to fight a much more difficult battle than those two, but.

In the end, she steadily penetrated into Kwak Mu-jin's range while receiving cover from Oh Min-seon.

"Nnngh!"

She barely achieved victory by using the extreme move of sacrificing her left arm as bait to cut off the enemy's arm.

"Lee Yu-jin."

"Yes."

Instructor Kim Cheol-han's expression was stern as he looked at her.

"You sacrificed one arm for victory."

"I thought that was the only way to win."

"Yes. But would you have done the same if it had been real combat, not a virtual simulation that ends when you remove the capsule?"

"......"

Lee Yu-jin, who had bitten her lip, soon answered.

"I think it wouldn't have been an easy decision."

"Thank you for your honest answer. I was going to reprimand you if you said it was fine."

"!"

Instructor Kim Cheol-han let out a light laugh.

"Nevertheless, well done. But next time, try to find a way to win without injuring your body."

"......"

"It would be a waste of all the time and effort you've built up to throw it away for a single fight."

Lee Yu-jin bowed her head.

"I will keep that in mind, Instructor."

"Mm."

Su-hyeon offered her praise.

"Well done."

"Su-hyeon."

Lee Yu-jin asked with a complicated expression.

"Did I really do well?"

"It might not have been the best method, but you won based on your own judgment. That's enough."

Only then did Lee Yu-jin smile.

"Yes."

In contrast to the four teams that achieved victory.

Hong In-hyeon and Choi Mina showed considerable good performance but ultimately failed to subdue the Ma-in.

"While you didn't win, I commend you for achieving the highest priority objective by successfully retreating."

Hong In-hyeon and Choi Mina, who had been worried about being reprimanded, let out a shallow sigh of relief.

"Thank you."

Finally.

Park Chang-jun's Team 6 focused solely on retreat from the beginning, receiving the lowest score after suffering the loss of 4 out of 5 members, barely succeeding only in the hostage evacuation.

"Did you focus on evacuating the hostage from the start, prepared for such sacrifices?"

Instructor Kim Cheol-han asked Park Chang-jun, who was visibly intimidated.

"Yes, that's right."

"Well done."

However, Instructor Kim Cheol-han once again spoke differently from his concerns.

"Of course, it would have been good to achieve the best result, but it's praiseworthy that you objectively assessed your own capabilities, set priorities, and achieved the minimum conditions."

"...!"

Park Chang-jun showed a moved expression at what seemed like praise he was hearing for almost the first time from Instructor Kim Cheol-han.

"Why are you looking at me like that? It's creepy."

"No, it's not!"

"Everyone worked hard. Of course, not all of you achieved the results you wanted. But I am in an extremely good mood."

Instructor Kim Cheol-han said, looking at the cadets.

"Your skills have risen to a level completely different from the rookies you were when you first enrolled."

Pride appeared on the cadets' faces.

"Now, make sure to show your skills to the fullest in the final exams that will mark the finale of this semester."

"Yes, sir!"

The cadets responded with voices mixed with heavy responsibility and excitement at the Instructor's praise and expectations.

'Finally, is it?'

Su-hyeon thought.

'Here I will surpass Lee Yu-jin, Hwang Ji-su, and Seo Jun-seong to become the undisputed top student.'

And thereby.

'I will reach the highest position, and next semester, I will earn the right to participate in the intern practicum that will place me at the center of the scenario in earnest.'

Su-hyeon had no intention of giving up anything.