I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 254 : Awakening (1)

'Sky Knight' Ma Seunggeon.

He was one of only three Pegasus Riders in the world, a knight who wielded halberds and sabers like his own limbs.

And 'Fist King' Jin Seong-geun.

Boxing, kickboxing, and Muay Thai.

He was a man called the best striker who had trained striking arts to the extreme.

The two Captains had rushed to the hospital at maximum speed, leaving their members behind, as soon as the situation erupted.

'Damn it! Even coming like this, were we too late!'

Since they had received the contact at the point when the massacre had already begun, it was impossible to arrive within the golden time no matter how much they hurried.

'I don't know why these two are being chased in this state.'

Ma Seunggeon thought.

'Fortunately, neither of them died, so saving them first is the top priority.'

"...Instructor Lee Ho-seung?"

As Ma Seunggeon surveyed the battle situation, he saw Lee Ho-seung lying collapsed in tatters.

'...Impossible.'

Skin drained of blood.

A face that was stiff, unmoving, with eyes open.

'...He's dead? Instructor Lee Ho-seung?'

As the unbelievable reality sank in, astonishment turned to anger.

"Damn, I didn't expect them to send two Captains so quickly."

Ha Jin-su clicked his tongue.

Ma Seunggeon and Jin Seong-geun.

If they had fought in perfect condition, they would have been opponents that he and Lee Cheong-myeong could have beaten by half a step.

But now, with their physical strength greatly depleted after the fierce battle, it would be difficult to hope for a result beyond a draw.

'Moreover, if follow-up troops arrive, we'll eventually be overwhelmed by superior numbers.'

"It will be difficult like this."

[Retreat.]

Hwang Won-jae's telepathy was transmitted directly into the heads of the two.

"Okay."

Ha Jin-su nodded.

"Retreat? That's impossible! I must kill those bastards no matter what! Especially Jeong Su-hyeon, that one must be killed right now!"

Lee Cheong-myeong, who felt extreme jealousy toward Su-hyeon, cried out like that.

[Calm down.]

Gugugu.

Like Sun Wukong's headband, the pain that tightened around his head finally allowed Lee Cheong-myeong to grasp the thread of reason.

"...Damn it."

Lee Cheong-myeong gritted his teeth at the fact that he couldn't go against Hwang Won-jae's will.

"You fucking bastards, are you running away now?"

Ma Seunggeon erupted with an angry voice.

"That won't do! Leave your heads behind before you go!"

"I doubt it."

Kaaang!

The flying strike that Ha Jin-su released was blocked right in front of Lee Yu-jin.

"You bastard."

Ma Seunggeon, who had blocked the flying strike by a hair's breadth, glared at him.

"Can you catch us while protecting those kids and the wounded who still have breath? I don't think so. Not if we're determined to kill them first."

"...!"

"Captain Ma, that's correct."

Jin Seong-geun, who had returned carrying Su-hyeon who had been thrown to Lee Yu-jin, said.

"I think we should save people first."

"...I know."

Ma Seunggeon nodded.

"Is the conversation over?"

Ha Jin-su snickered.

"Jeong Su-hyeon. I failed to kill you this time too."

Ha Jin-su said, looking at Su-hyeon who was already unconscious.

"It's frustrating, but I'll withdraw for today. I've dragged the name of Sword Warrior through the mud, made him my comrade, and killed Lee Ho-seung. The regret of not killing you is nothing compared to that."

He also turned his gaze to Lee Yu-jin.

"You saved your life. Your strength is admirable, but you're still far too early to fight on the same battlefield as us."

"......."

Unable to find words due to overwhelming emotions, Lee Yu-jin just bit her lip.

"Tell your grandfather. Say I'll come to cut off his head next."

"Let's go."

Bang Seung-su with 'Ultra-Flight,' who had brought Ha Jin-su and the recovery team, stepped forward.

"Well then, take care."

Ha Jin-su placed his hand on Lee Cheong-myeong's shoulder.

"Let's go."

About half of the recovery team members who had survived the engagement gathered around Ha Jin-su and Lee Cheong-myeong.

Kwaaang!

The Ma-in, who were shot in all directions like rockets, disappeared from sight in an instant.

"...To have to let enemies go so openly like this. There's no greater humiliation."

Ma Seunggeon spat on the floor.

"There's no need to think that way."

Jin Seong-geun consoled Ma Seunggeon.

"If we hadn't been here, the wounded, our members, and the two cadets would not have escaped death. It would have been impossible without Captain Ma's presence making them retreat."

"...I know, but."

"Come on. Raise your head. We have much to do."

Jin Seong-geun placed his hand on Ma Seunggeon's shoulder.

"Just as the victory in Operation Caligo didn't end this fight, today's failure won't end it either."

"Yes. Captain Jin is right."

Ma Seunggeon forced a smile.

"Thank you."

"The day will come when we can wipe away the anger of this day."

"Yes. It must."

A firm resolve rose in Ma Seunggeon's eyes.

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"Why do you look so unhappy? It's a victory created by your plan."

Looking at the Vampire Queen sitting across from him, raising her wine glass, Hwang Won-jae sighed.

"Again, Jeong Su-hyeon became a stumbling block to my plan."

"Ah, that child. He really is splendid."

The Queen smiled brightly.

"Don't show such pleasure. It's twisting my insides."

"Oh my, don't be like that."

Always. Every time. This time too.

The one who ultimately interfered with his plans was Jeong Su-hyeon.

If not for Su-hyeon, he could have killed both Lee Ho-seung and Lee Yu-jin, turned the entire hospital into a massive graveyard, and escaped the Execution Force's pursuit one step ahead.

'No, perhaps Lee Ho-seung's movement that day was also because of Jeong Su-hyeon.'

What was the reality?

Nearly half of the wounded and medical staff survived, and Lee Yu-jin also survived.

Moreover, in the final moment, didn't he even feel a shudder at the sight of Su-hyeon exchanging blows equally with Sword Warrior Lee Cheong-myeong, who had gained even stronger power?

'That guy, he must have reached some realm again.'

Since they couldn't kill him there, it was his responsibility to worry about future troubles.

'If Jeong Su-hyeon can reach that momentary realm again?'

Then he would clearly become an even more annoying and troublesome enemy.

"A thorn in my side."

'Why does "He" not want to kill him directly?'

As if...

'As if He wants to keep him alive to confront him.'

Yet even today, when Su-hyeon was in danger of dying, He didn't show any special movement to save him.

'No, no. How can I fathom "His" will?'

The Vampire Queen chuckled as she looked at Hwang Won-jae, who seemed to be finding his own conclusion after much deliberation.

"You're so serious about everything."

"That's what a mission is."

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The rampage of the Sword Warrior.

The tragic deaths of the wounded and medical staff.

The death of Lee Ho-seung who tried to stop him.

Even the entangled story between the Ma-in Ha Jin-su and the Sword God, Sword Warrior, and Lee Ho-seung.

All these were too big a story for the Execution Force to cover up.

The public criticism upon learning the truth could only be directed at the Execution Force, which had been the object of praise until recently, and at the Sword God, a name that remained a legend.

The honor of the Sword Warrior was dragged through the mud.

Even the victory in Operation Caligo lost half its luster.

But what made people even more bitter was, paradoxically, that the repercussions of this incident weren't all that great.

"Everyone's gotten used to it now."

Seo Jun-seong said.

They had seen too many deaths to get angry and sad about each one or two tragedies.

Too many deaths had been around them.

Just like decades ago, when disasters caused by demonic beasts began.

Just like when a new wave of confusion followed from Ma-in who had been yesterday's comrades and friends.

"...I wonder if Su-hyeon and Yu-jin are okay."

"I still can't believe it. Instructor Lee Ho-seung..."

Kwon Seung-yeon and Kim A-yun muttered with gloomy faces.

The death of Instructor Lee Ho-seung.

Jeong Su-hyeon in a coma.

Lee Yu-jin, who survived a life-or-death moment, but nearly died at her uncle's hands and lost Instructor Lee Ho-seung, who had been her elder master, before her eyes.

Depression and worry were weighing heavily on the cadets.

"At times like this, my position is so frustrating."

Kim Ho-su sighed.

Even though their friends had suffered such a fate, they couldn't even move on their own accord.

"...He went out saying he was visiting the hospital, and this is what happened."

Hwang Ji-su bit her lip.

"I'm really pissed off. Those bastards."

Hong In-hyeon said.

"They're absolutely unforgivable."

Lee Yu-jin was receiving treatment in a double room with Su-hyeon.

"......."

Lee Yu-jin, who had no problem moving, sat in a chair instead of lying in bed, looking down at Su-hyeon's sleeping face.

'...Uncle.'

Lee Cheong-myeong was an uncle she could respect, a senior walking the path of the sword.

Skill, attitude toward the sword, heroic steps.

All of those were role models for her.

Such a person fell from grace as a Ma-in and brutally killed innocent people, even killed Lee Ho-seung who was his disciple, and furthermore tried to kill her.

He had tried to stab her without hesitation when she spread her arms, ready to die.

'...I am too weak.'

She had never felt so bitter about her own weakness.

Her family was completely destroyed.

The dead do not return.

And she lacked the strength to stop that betrayer, that fallen hero.

So what should she do?

Squeeze.

Lee Yu-jin was holding the hand of the sleeping Su-hyeon in silence, lost in long thoughts.

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After waking from a long sleep.

I had to suffer the pain in my heart that ached as if everything had collapsed.

Lee Ho-seung died and I couldn't prevent it.

I ultimately failed to defeat Ma-in Lee Cheong-myeong, who had already reached the ranks of S-rank.

Perhaps I could have won at the last moment.

But that too became a bubble due to Ha Jin-su's interference.

'I know.'

I am still only in my first year.

The time given was far too short.

I also knew well that it didn't make sense for a 17-year-old body in this timeframe to defeat an S-rank Ma-in.

I know that the current strength is not just great, but at a miraculous level.

But so what?

'Lee Ho-seung. You died because of me.'

I was disgusted with my own weakness.

And with my complacency too.

'I didn't think they would show such agile movement, immediately digging into the weak link right after suffering a massive blow from Operation Caligo.'

Hwang Won-jae.

The guy in my memory was a bit more cunning, a bit more cautious, a bit more...

'Yes. Looking back, his actions were always beyond my predictable range.'

Therefore, this was a failure created by my preconception.

Lee Ho-seung died.

That itself had happened many times in my playthroughs.

But this death was irreversible.

This world was no longer the world inside a game.

And I was living in a single timeline that could neither be reversed nor repeated.

And because I realized once again that this was a true farewell.

That's why my heart was so painful.

"...Su-hyeon."

The presence of Lee Yu-jin, who silently shared the sorrow and frustration beside me, could not be more grateful now.

"Su-hyeon?"

I woke from my long contemplation at the voice of Lee Yu-jin, who was grabbing and shaking my arm again.

"...What is it?"

"...The Commander is here to see you."

"What?"

Commander Ju Taeyang.

An unexpected face had come to see me.

"So, how's your body?"

In a private meeting after briefly dismissing Lee Yu-jin, Ju Taeyang asked me.

"As you can see..."

"Yes. You don't look good."

Ju Taeyang nodded and took out a small bottle from his breast pocket.

"Drink this. It's a potion that restores your vitality and greatly improves your natural healing power. I made it myself."

'As expected of a dragon.'

He could do everything.

"Thank you."

I obediently accepted the potion.

"Before you drink that, Su-hyeon."

"Yes."

"First, may I speak informally to you?"

"Please do so."

"Yes, Su-hyeon."

Ju Taeyang nodded.

"As you know, I don't have much life left."

"......."

"And through this incident, I've made one decision."

"What are you referring to?"

"Before the moment of a dying flame's last flicker."

Ju Taeyang's eyes peered into my abyss.

"I want to impart teachings to you."

"Teachings?"

"Yes. You need to become stronger."

Ju Taeyang said solemnly.

"I will guide you to the realm beyond where you have reached."

At the end of despair and frustration.

The greatest fortuitous encounter was coming to me.