I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 237 : Caligo (2)

Tap, tap.

Hwang Won-jae was calming his impatience by tapping his fingers in the dark office.

"Hmm."

Despite sipping a cup of tea and sighing once, his heart kept pounding unnaturally loudly, screaming.

"This doesn't feel good."

He muttered.

'It's certain that they're preparing something.'

But he couldn't figure out what it was.

'Chief of Staff Heo Sung-gyeom.'

Though his power wasn't great, his unique insight and cunning couldn't be ignored even by himself.

'I never thought he would just keep falling for my plans.'

In reality, despite the existence of an unpredictable factor like Jeong Su-hyeon.

It was easy to see that his mind was still sharp, evident in how he adjusted the dispatch system to prepare for their attacks, steadily crushing Ma-in organizations, and reaching out to grasp their entity.

'Yet the fact that their response hasn't been as strong as expected means they must be watching for an opportunity to launch a sharp counterattack.'

So the question was when and how that counterattack would come.

Not knowing this fact was making him so anxious.

'Although our tactics have always been to lurk in darkness, waiting for the right moment to bite.'

Hadn't they been the ones hunted for a long time?

'The information control is truly impressive this time. They must be sharing the plan with only a very select few.'

Someone of the Chief of Staff's caliber would surely know about the existence of spies.

It was common sense that two opposing forces would plant spies in each other's ranks.

'Does this mean I won't know until they start their operation?'

He considered borrowing the Queen's power, even if it meant pushing things a bit.

But there was no way to carelessly send a familiar into a place like the Execution Force headquarters.

'And even if I tried to confirm with existing information, the important parts are missing.'

Hwang Won-jae sighed.

'I can tell something is about to begin, but it's difficult to find its reality.'

In this case, there was only one thing to rely on, he thought as he raised the corners of his mouth.

'Jo Jin-myeong. He might have information.'

The cooperation between the academy and Execution Force had been strengthening recently.

Perhaps he would obtain crucial information from that side.

'I've implanted a suggestion for him to report any unusual matters.'

If there was anything, he could hear it from him.

Having organized his thoughts, Hwang Won-jae drank his tea with a much calmer face.

"The aroma is nice."

There was a subtle blood scent, a blend that exactly matched his taste.

"Hahaha."

It was incomprehensible why the smell of blood felt so sweet.......

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Two days before Operation Caligo was set to begin.

Academy faculty members, busy with requests to dispatch nearly half of the instructors and teaching assistants, as well as the early deployment of interning cadets, were rushing around since early morning.

"......Hmm."

I, who had skipped morning classes with my Special First Place privileges, was deep in thought as I observed the contrast between classrooms where various classes were being held and the busy faculty office from afar.

'The mobilization roster is quite impressive.'

According to the encrypted message I received from Jo Sujin, the attack team formed to raid the executives of the Sword of Belphegor included as many as eight Captains.

2nd Unit's "War God" Son Ji-gwang.

3rd Unit's 'Flame Emperor' Seol Ji-yun.

4th Unit's 'Sword Breaker' Ahn Byeong-jun.

8th Unit's 'Sky Knight' Ma Seunggeon.

10th Unit's 'Fist King' Jin Seong-geun.

11th Unit's 'Sword Warrior' Lee Cheong-myeong.

12th Unit's 'Grim Reaper' Kang Ji-min.

And.......

This time, even the Captain of the 1st Unit, who rarely shows himself, would participate.

The instructors participating in this operation from the academy were Kim Cheol-han, Kang Jun-man, and Seok Hong-jae—three in total.

Senior Squad Leader Jo Sujin, Deputy Squad Leader Kim Taesung, and I would also participate.

And Min Hae-na, Seo Jun-seong, Kang Geon-woo, Lee Yu-jin, and Hong In-hyeon were also scheduled to join the fight alongside the Captains.

'They've already proven themselves in the battle against the Liberation Corps, and I guess there's no luxury to spare even cadets.'

This was truly what you'd call a soul-crushing teamfight.

Above all, the fact that they had appointed the 1st Unit's Captain as the overall commander proved this point.

'1st Unit Captain Gong I-an.'

He could be called the strongest after Commander Ju Taeyang.

'If you lined up awakened ones and Ma-in from around the world, he would definitely be in the top ten.'

If comparing based on prime, the 2nd Unit's Captain Son Ji-gwang wouldn't be lacking.

But as he was already past his prime due to old age, in the current moment, Gong I-an was at least half a step ahead.

'Moreover, if he were to reveal his true ability, he would have already surpassed Son Ji-gwang in his prime.'

His characteristic is simple.

'Sixth Sense.'

He had mastered all martial arts, and among them, he was a warrior who had reached the pinnacle especially with the spear.

Moreover, he had developed his characteristic, Sixth Sense, to the extreme, reaching a level close to short-term future prediction.

With just one spear, he was like a one-man fortress, boasting defensive capabilities that could deflect, block, and evade anything, reaching a divine level.

'With Ju Taeyang's lifespan not having much left, Gong I-an should become the next era's commander and humanity's pillar.'

Of course, his skills were sufficient for that.

But.

He wasn't the type who could cover both long-range and close-range like Ju Taeyang with his dragon abilities.

'He's a type specialized in close-range combat.'

"......Well, at his level, I wonder if that even matters."

I shuddered as I recalled Gong I-an's fighting.

'With a single spear, even ghosts fear him.'

The Spear Devil who fell to me had exceptional martial talent and grew even stronger through Ma-in transformation.

Despite that, the reason he wasn't heard to have reached the pinnacle with the spear.

The reason why, despite the presence of Sword God Lee Un-hak, he was only called the best with the sword, not the best among all martial artists.

All of it was because of Gong I-an's existence.

A monster who surpassed Sword God Lee Un-hak, who had awakened the cheat-level characteristic 'Unity of Sword and Person,' added decades of training, and possessed natural martial bones.

Divine Spear Hwang I-an.

'How much time would I need to surpass him in terms of skill?'

Honestly, even with my current growth rate, I couldn't tell when that would be.

"......The forces are sufficient."

That fact was beyond doubt.

So what was important was.

"Hwang Won-jae must not discover the signs of this operation."

That's right.

Despite Chief of Staff Heo Sung-gyeom's iron-tight precautions, he had one route through which he could acquire this information.

Jo Jin-myeong.

A spy directly planted by Hwang Won-jae.

The only reason I had kept him alive was to leak false information at the most appropriate timing.

Without doubt, now was exactly that time.

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'Damn it.'

Jo Jin-myeong was anxious.

Having woken up early and been running around since morning, he couldn't find time to deliver this information.

'This is bad.'

Cold sweat trickled down.

Although he was completely under Hwang Won-jae's mental control.

It might be different for equal-level Ma-in.

But for him, still human and lacking power, receiving messages from Hwang Won-jae was possible, but sending them was difficult.

Due to the academy's preparedness, which had installed new formations to block telepathy-related abilities and magic after the Ma-in attack in the first semester, he had been using other methods to maintain contact.

That method was to use equipment provided by Hwang Won-jae to write encrypted messages and send information.

To do that, he needed to somehow return to his dormitory.

'Should I say I'm going to the bathroom? If someone catches me going to the dormitory...'

Given the current situation, he couldn't give even the slightest excuse.

'......Don't worry too much. There will definitely be an opportunity.'

Surely they wouldn't make him work overnight.

His belief was soon rewarded.

"Good work everyone. Take some time to eat and rest a bit!"

'Perfect!'

He inwardly rejoiced.

But what he aimed for wasn't that short rest period.

"Ouch, hot!"

Jo Jin-myeong, who deliberately spilled soup on his pants while carrying his meal, made a fuss.

"Assistant Jin-myeong, are you okay?"

Fellow teaching assistants asked with concern.

"Yes, I'm fine, but... these are completely ruined."

Jo Jin-myeong looked down at his pants and sighed.

"I should quickly eat and change."

"Why not just go change first?"

"No, it will get cold if I go."

"We'll cover it for you. We'll get you a plate when you come back."

"Should I do that then?"

Jo Jin-myeong, hiding his smile, said.

"Then let me borrow a cloth to clean up..."

"Don't worry. We'll take care of it. Change your clothes first. It must be uncomfortable."

"You don't have to go that far."

Jo Jin-myeong said apologetically.

"I'll be back soon then."

"Sure. Don't worry."

'Lucky. This shouldn't raise any suspicion.'

Jo Jin-myeong left the dining hall with a sigh of relief.

"......."

The teaching assistants watched his retreating figure with cold eyes.

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Lunchtime.

A few cadets, including myself, gathered in the secret space of the clock tower, observing Jo Jin-myeong's actions through a hologram showing what Choi Min-a's familiar was watching.

'He's as cautious as a cockroach. He shouldn't know he's under suspicion, yet he's so careful.'

Moreover, Jo Jin-myeong would know about the existence of the Caligo phone.

Despite that, he was still using a complicated and cumbersome method to communicate.

'But preparations to catch him are complete.'

The fact that he deliberately spilled soup could only be seen as an attempt to relay information about this operation.

"Is Assistant Jo Jin-myeong really...?"

Lee Yu-jin muttered, shocked.

"I've known for a long time."

I said.

"......!"

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

To Kwon Seung-yeon's question, I answered.

"I thought a known spy would eventually be useful. False information leaked through an informant the enemy firmly believes has tremendous value."

"That makes sense."

Seo Jun-seong agreed.

"Rather, he'll become a sharp knife to stab the enemy."

"And that time is now?"

Hwang Ji-su asked, indicating she understood.

"But what if he uses encryption? Will you threaten him?"

"No."

There was no need for that.

"I know how he writes those encrypted messages."

"What? How did you......"

"I believed this day would come, so I had plenty of time to prepare. I observed the text and passed it to a decryption expert."

"Did you infiltrate? Install cameras? Or a remote camera?"

Hwang Ji-su's conjectures were excellent but all incorrect.

"Nam Tae-hoon helped."

......Of course, it was in another cycle, not this one.

"Ah."

The cadets who knew his abilities easily accepted this.

Anyway, was it fortunate that his grand escape made it easier to sell this explanation?

"What a funny guy. A spy himself."

Hong In-hyeon found it absurd.

"Su-hyeon, you really prepared thoroughly."

Lee Yu-jin said.

"......To prevent the apocalypse."

"Because that's all I can do."

It felt a bit strange that Lee Yu-jin understood this.

"By the way, did the teaching assistants know about this too? It felt like they were deliberately setting him up."

I nodded at Seo Jun-seong's sharp observation.

"That's right."

'The teaching assistants also set up the situation well. Nice.'

"Only a few knew."

Naturally, I had conveyed to Instructor Kim Cheol-han that Jo Jin-myeong was a spy.

He had tipped off the teaching assistants who normally got along with Jo Jin-myeong about this fact.

And this was the result.

"Even without me, the academy side already had strong suspicions about having an informant inside. For a long time."

"That makes sense."

"And it turns out Jo Jin-myeong was one of the suspected candidates."

"Huh."

"So if your tail is long, it gets stepped on?"

"There was some circumstantial evidence, but no hard evidence."

"But you don't have hard evidence either, right?"

"No."

"......Prophecies are convenient."

Everyone nodded at Hwang Ji-su's words.

Of course, I had no intention of denying it.

"Don't worry, I don't plan to misuse it."

"I'm not worried?"

I smiled with a "huh."

All of this was for a single instance of counter-intelligence.

To drive the Sword of Belphegor into a perfect trap.

"Let's move too."