I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 47 : Ma-in Attack (1)

While the Class 2 cadets were warming up at the field waiting for their turn after Class 1, the ground suddenly transformed into a swamp, causing their lower bodies to sink instantly.

"What the hell is this!"

"Instructor!"

"Don't thrash around! You'll sink faster that way!"

The one laughing at the helpless cadets was a Ma-in called "Ant Lion," Gong Jin-tae.

"Just like flies struggling on flypaper! Thank you for gathering at the field—that's really helpful!"

"Who are you!"

"Tsk tsk, asking who I am? An Execution Force veteran who claims information is life shouldn't ask the enemy such things."

Gong Jin-tae clicked his tongue mockingly.

"This unparalleled ability and this handsome face. You should recognize me at a glance, don't you think?"

"My, what bullshit."

The woman standing next to him snorted.

"Looking like a half-blended tomato and all."

"That's fucking harsh. I'm way better looking than you, you know?"

"You little shit, you wanna die?"

The woman who had been snickering flashed her eyes.

"Oh my, did you think I'd let someone escape?"

When a cadet tried to escape by firing shockwaves with both hands, wax covered his hands, creating restraints.

"Kuk!"

"Stay still, all of you. If you resist, I'll block your airways too, got it?"

"...!"

'Damn it. This attack was completely unexpected.'

Class 2 homeroom instructor Choi Seung-wook bit his lip.

'How the hell did the Ma-in bastards attack this place? This is unprecedented.'

It wasn't his fault that he hadn't expected such a precise surprise attack by Ma-in inside the academy.

But the incident had already occurred, and the situation was nothing short of worst-case.

'To be defeated so easily. Damn it. This is my fault.'

Instructor Choi Seung-wook's expression contorted.

'Reinforcements? Is everyone under attack?'

There was too little information to make a judgment.

"Hehehe. In about 15 minutes at most, you'll all be submerged to the tops of your heads and die by drowning."

The ability to turn the ground within his range into swampland.

That was the characteristic possessed by Gong Jin-tae, known as Ant Lion.

"Once you're properly stuck in the swamp, you can never get out by yourself. Once swallowed, it's over. You'll die slowly by suffocation. That's your death."

At Gong Jin-tae's declaration, the Class 2 cadets fell into panic.

"No way!"

"How is this possible!"

"Damn, you cowardly bastards!"

But the more they struggled, the faster they sank into the swamp.

"My, my. You'd be better off staying still."

"Argh! I'm sunk to my waist!"

Gong Jin-tae cackled watching the struggling cadets.

"You sons of bitches, you think we'll just take this?"

Bang!

A cadet fired a powerful energy blast from his arm, but.

"How cute they are."

The sticky swamp rose like a wall and swallowed the energy blast.

Instead.

"Aaaack!"

The swamp surrounding him covered him completely from the head down.

"Hyun-su!"

"Just listen, will you? You went first by acting smart."

Gong Jin-tae blew on his finger that he had used to clean his ear.

"Kids always need to be shown to believe. No intelligence, no intelligence at all."

"Uuuugh."

Terrified moans flowed from the cadets' mouths.

The Ma-in they had seen or faced in classes until now were mostly inferior Ma-in who stuttered or just screamed.

But the two Ma-in before them had faces identical to humans, spoke and acted the same way, and their abilities were far more intelligent and powerful than their own.

The only differences were their lifeless grayish-white faces and the intense killing intent felt in every look and every word.

And that made the cadets fall into extreme fear.

"But seriously, this is too much. You guys are supposed to become the Execution Force later?"

Gong Jin-tae shook his head.

"Idiot. These kids are Class 2. Did you come without even knowing that?"

"Ah~ you're Class 2? The class with the mediocre kids gathered together? No wonder you all seem pathetic."

Gong Jin-tae laughed.

"With skills like these, even if you act like you're part of the Execution Force later, all you'll do is die. Just go comfortably now."

The target of mockery shifted to homeroom instructor Choi Seung-wook, who was silently sinking into the swamp.

"What's our instructor doing? Just sucking his thumb while his kids are dying?"

He restored only the ground where he stood and sauntered over.

"No. That can't be right."

Choi Seung-wook, who had been waiting for him to get close enough, smiled.

"?!"

"Idiot, get away!"

Splash!

A wall of wax instantly blocked the space between the two.

"Damn it, this bastard!"

Gong Jin-tae, who fell backward in surprise, ground his teeth.

"How did you get out! You shouldn't have that ability!"

As he said.

It was impossible for Choi Seung-wook to escape that swamp with his characteristic.

'It was sheer luck.'

Fortunately, his foot had caught on a piece of granite bedrock that hadn't fully dissolved yet.

He had been pretending to be helpless while waiting for the right timing.

"Tch!"

"You owe me one?"

"Shut up!"

Choi Seung-wook narrowed his brows as he looked at the Ma-in who had blocked his surprise attack with wax.

'That one might be more dangerous than the loud-mouthed one.'

The Ma-in called "Taxidermist," Go Yu-min.

She possessed the characteristic of transforming her mana into wax and had the sick hobby of taxidermizing people into wax figures.

"Instructor Choi Seung-wook. The ability to spray powerful paralyzing poison through the sweat glands of the skin that acts on the nervous system."

She recited her opponent's information fluently.

"You're strong. In terms of rank, I'm no match for you."

But.

"How will your paralyzing poison affect my wax?"

"......"

Choi Seung-wook had just clearly witnessed his palm, filled with paralyzing poison, being blocked by the wax.

"Unfortunately, our compatibility is bad. That's why you'll die by my hand."

Splash!

Waves of wax rushed at Choi Seung-wook from all directions, and there was no ground for him to step on.

"Damn it!"

He first needed to jump far away using the wax as footing to get out of the field.

"Oh my. Will you be okay? Abandoning your kids and running away."

"Shut up. Even at the cost of my life, I won't abandon my cadets."

"My, revealing your weakness with your own mouth. Are you really an instructor?"

Go Yu-min crossed her arms and smiled in a pretentiously cultured manner.

'Damn it to hell.'

Choi Seung-wook's gums trembled as his jaw clenched too hard.

If he went in, his feet would be trapped in the swamp and he couldn't fight; if he went out, he had no means to attack.

Moreover, the one marking him was Go Yu-min, whose compatibility with him was poor.

'If only I had fire, this kind of wax would be nothing!'

The attack had come at such an unfavorable time.

"You bastards."

Seeing his cadets, all with excellent abilities, helplessly being defeated filled the homeroom instructor with tremendous anger and self-blame.

"Just watch your students die crying from there! You'll be next!"

At Gong Jin-tae's flippant provocation, Choi Seung-wook's eyes became bloodshot.

"You sons of bitches! How dare you do this to my cadets!"

"Instructor......"

The tiger instructor who used to push them, saying they should do better than Class 1, asking if they had no pride.

Even in their fear, the cadets' eyes grew teary at his passionate outburst.

"Kahahaha! Your looks are so pitiful, I can't bear to watch!"

Of course, to the Ma-in, this was just enjoyable entertainment.

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At the same time.

The situation for Class 3 was even worse.

"Uuugh, what are all these things!"

"They look disgusting."

"Fall back and stick together! Give us some support!"

"Heal! Give me a heal quickly! My ankle is shredded!"

The army of familiars controlled by "Spirit Master" Shin Ha-young was surrounding and attacking each cadet.

Goblins, dokkaebi, dogs and goats, vicious chimeras resembling giant lizards...

The cadets were petrified and at a loss against the surrounding attacks of familiars resembling all sorts of grotesque creatures.

"Killing them doesn't end it!"

"These bastards even self-destruct!"

"Ah, still so weak, so weak. It's convenient for me though."

The Ma-in hummed a tune as she combed her coarsely grown long hair with the withered hand of a familiar.

"Everyone, hang on a little longer! Reinforcements will come soon!"

As the homeroom instructor waved his hand, a warm light enveloped the cadets, giving them tremendous vitality.

"What? How annoying. Are you the homeroom instructor?"

"That's right, you vicious Ma-in scum! I don't know how trash like you got here, but don't expect to leave in one piece!"

Bang Woo-gil.

At his declaration—he was a top-tier supporter with the area-of-effect buff skill called "Battlefield Blessing"—courage returned to the cadets' expressions.

"What? You're just a weakling who can't even fight?"

Shin Ha-young sneered.

"What did you say?"

It was then.

"Kyaaack!"

A giant dokkaebi that suddenly appeared behind Bang Woo-gil's back swung its blade.

Clang!

With strength and speed on a different level from the other familiars, the blade flew and Bang Woo-gil's head was pitifully sent flying.

"Aaaaaaah!"

"Instructor!"

The shocked cadets collapsed, screamed, and fell into panic.

"Hmm? What's this. Is it your first time seeing a person's head cut off?"

Shin Ha-young smiled, saying it was cute.

"My flowers. No need to be shocked over something like this. You'll all end up like that soon anyway."

She smiled sickeningly.

"Children. Kill them while playing cruelly with them. Twenty minutes should be enough time, right?"

"Ah......"

Sounds of terrified victims leaked through the cadets' teeth.

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

After firing the flare, I left my position and jumped up to the top of the highest clock tower to observe the battle situation.

'It's hell on earth.'

Though I'd seen this scene countless times, it was much more horrific when it became reality.

'So many gamers couldn't get past this and either restarted or quit.'

If things went really wrong, everyone would be massacred.

It was an event where many named characters died, making progress impossible.

'The fucked-up thing is that the Ma-in deployed here are just a portion of the executive force's strength.'

The Executioner, Rusty Sword, and Skinhead.

Those three were terribly strong, but there were plenty of Ma-in among "that organization's" executives who were even stronger.

'The Sword of Belphegor.'

They are the most powerful opposing Ma-in group standing even until the late-game scenario.

'Just three executives and nine combat operatives.'

That force alone was enough to turn the academy into a wasteland, especially when most instructors were off duty or outside.

'Ma-in who have regained their reason and formed a group are this threatening.'

Considering that Ma-in like the One-Armed Trainer couldn't completely shed their demonic nature despite their power,

Each of them was undoubtedly a terrifying enemy.

But.

'If they wear masks and don't hesitate to engage, Class 1 cadets should be able to hold out by combining their strength.'

And above all.

With me having achieved the maximum power-up possible at this point, their plan could never succeed.

'First.'

When I closed my eyes, I could clearly see the map of the academy interior and their plan.

'The first thing I need to do is clear.'

I need to find Kim Ho-su.

His characteristic is ultra-acceleration.

In the current situation where communication is impossible, there was no better messenger to deliver hope and instructions to everyone.

'There he is.'

My eyes easily found Kim Ho-su without needing a telescope.

Swoosh!

I jumped down to where he was in one breath.

"Kim Ho-su."

"You scared me!"

Kim Ho-su jumped up in surprise.

"I need your speed."

I cut to the chase.

"S-speed? What do you mean?"

"As you've probably noticed, this commotion is no ordinary incident. It's a planned surprise attack by the Ma-in."

"...!"

I quickly relayed instructions to him.

One was to gather and respond together if possible; the other was that since the flare had been fired, they only needed to hold out for exactly 30 minutes until reinforcements arrived.

"Everyone's probably in panic right now. If we're not careful, everyone will really die. But if there's one word of hope that you deliver, we can save them all."

Light returned to Kim Ho-su's eyes, which had been shaking with fear and bewilderment.

"I got it. Leave it to me."

"Remember. You absolutely don't need to fight. Just run around and deliver the message."

Kim Ho-su beat his chest, saying that was his specialty.

"Hehe. I was going to do that anyway."

"I'm counting on you. Also, see if you can find any instructors still on standby in the academy."

"Okay!"

Guguugu, swoosh!

Kim Ho-su's form shot off like an arrow.

"...Su-hyeon, what the hell is going on here?"

Yoon Ga-ram, who had been watching us, asked.

His characteristic was accuracy.

He was an Awakened with the textbook definition of a simply useful ranged dealer.

"I don't know the details either. What's clear is that we need to gather together."

There was no time for lengthy explanations.

"You should go back to where Instructor Kim Cheol-han and the others are."

"Got it."

After Yoon Ga-ram disappeared, I climbed to a high place again and looked for Seo Jun-seong.

'There he is.'

He was my next target.

"First, I need to change this unfavorably arranged situation."

The time for counterattack had not yet come.

Now was the time to hurriedly rearrange the pieces.