novelraw Chapter 10 : Chapter 10
Chapter 10 : Chapter 10
Chapter 10. Cooperative Training (1)
"...Did I hear that right? You're going to kill me?"
"I think you heard it properly."
"Ku, kuhahaha!!! You fucking bastard!"
The villain burst into laughter as if my words were absurd.
After cracking up for a moment like that, he soon hardened his expression coldly and shouted at me.
"How dare a mere brat look down on me!!"
A state of extreme excitement.
Of course he would be, since from his perspective, it would look like a wet-behind-the-ears novice acting up without knowing how the world works.
That was also what I was aiming for.
'I can avoid a troublesome situation.'
There was a high probability that villain possessed a talent proficient in stealth and camouflage.
If not, it would have been near impossible to slip out of that exhibition hall while avoiding Shin Yu-hwan's eyes.
If a guy like that made up his mind and ran away, things could have gotten difficult.
Seeing the bastard charging at me like crazy, it doesn't seem like that will happen anymore.
"Black Spear Summon."
I activated my talent while staring at the charging villain.
The unique talent that made Shin Yu-hwan be called a Spearman.
Then, a pitch-black spear that seemed to bring death to mind was grasped in my hand.
"T-that's! How!!"
The villain stopped his charging steps and looked at the black spear grasped in my hand.
He must know too.
That what I just summoned is the talent of the villain hunter, Shin Yu-hwan.
"T-this fucking!!"
The villain, who had been charging as if to kill me just a moment ago, suddenly turned his back and started to run away.
He looked much more terrified than I thought.
It's a natural reaction.
Because among villains, Shin Yu-hwan was a being no different from a grim reaper.
"But it's already too late."
If he was going to choose to run away, he should have done it from the moment we first met.
Now that the black spear is summoned, it's already a predetermined fate that that villain dies.
I immediately activated Shin Yu-hwan's second talent.
"Mach Strike."
If 'Black Spear Summon' was the talent that made him be called a Spearman, 'Mach Strike' was the talent that made Shin Yu-hwan the Spear God.
I immediately breathed all my Mana into my right hand.
Then, unlike my pathetic Mana, Mana boasting a sharp momentum began to gather.
Lightning gathering while creating sparks centered around my hand.
At the same time, the surrounding air that sank heavily moment by moment.
Seeing that, the villain gave up on running away and spoke to me with a pale, frightened face.
"W-wait! L-let's talk this out, yeah? I-I didn't do something wrong enough to die!"
The sight of the villain desperately stuttering and babbling felt incredibly ugly.
Anyway, not doing something wrong enough to die... Yeah. From that villain's perspective, that might be true.
It was other villains who killed the guards, and he only stole an Artifact from the exhibition hall and ran away.
But that's not the case for me.
"You."
"H-huh? A-are you finally willing to talk?"
"Do you know what it feels like when the pillar you trusted and leaned on collapses?"
"W-what does that mean. Explain it so I can understand..."
"You wouldn't know."
How could he know.
If he knew that feeling, he wouldn't be doing villain acts.
"That's the reason you die."
I didn't want to mix words anymore.
My emotions aren't abundant enough to spare on a mere villain like this.
Thinking that, I freely released the black spear that was boasting a sharp momentum in my right hand.
Then, the black spear that left my hand began a violent charge like a wild beast chasing its prey.
Seeing that, the villain felt something was wrong and started to run away again, but nothing changed.
"T-this fucking... Keuhaaaak!!!"
Because in the end, the black spear flew accurately toward the villain and succeeded in tearing into him.
Still, was his desire to live that great?
Because he succeeded in wriggling for a moment even though the spear took a direct hit to his heart.
Unfortunately, there was no such thrilling story where he pulled out the spear and counterattacked.
If he could do that in the first place, he would have been a famous guy even among villains, not a petty thief.
"Anyway, it's fascinating."
Even though it was a villain, I didn't feel much emotion even after killing a person.
Is it thanks to the talent of adapting to the world, or is my personality originally like this?
I don't really know. It could be both in the first place.
Anyway, this aspect is good.
If I get shaken for no reason, I might ruin things in future incidents.
Thinking that, I decided to finish what I had to do.
"I should just grab the blade and leave quickly."
I blankly stared at the villain who was growing coldly stiff.
It was a villain I killed, but still, getting involved makes things unnecessarily annoying.
Furthermore, what I used was Shin Yu-hwan's talent, so if I underwent an investigation or something, the talk would definitely drag on.
Therefore, I ended the ability reproduction and tried to approach the villain.
However, there was one thing I was missing.
[The descent ends.]
[The corresponding penalty begins.]
The very important fact that a price is paid for easily obtained power.
"Keueueuk!!"
I knew the fact that a penalty would apply, but I never even imagined it would be this level of pain.
An immense pain that made me unable to speak suddenly constricted my whole body.
A raging wave of pain as if my whole body was burning.
In the midst of that, I held onto my consciousness and looked forward with trembling eyes.
Then, what I saw was a System window written all too clearly.
[The penalty duration is 3 hours.]
"...Damn it."
There really is nothing easy.
I thought that and slowly moved my body while clenching my teeth.
It was an agonizing pain, but a result created by the tenacity that I had to finish what I had to do.
In the end, amidst that pain, I succeeded in returning to Glory with the blade retrieved.
Of course, I lost consciousness immediately after arriving at the dormitory, but it could be seen as not bad.
***
A day in March with a clear sky and a gentle breeze blowing.
"...Therefore, starting from C-Rank Gates and above, the properties of the Gates are divided, so the academic world categorizes their types."
After going through an incredibly eventful weekend, I was listening to a class in the midst of peacefulness.
Normally, I would have already fallen asleep in that Professor's class, but because of the incident over the weekend, my mind was spinning complexly.
'It was really dizzying back then.'
I never even thought the penalty would be to that extent.
Pain of a level where it wouldn't have been strange to die of shock if it were an ordinary person's body.
But on the other hand, it wasn't incomprehensible.
No matter how much it was an EX-Class, being able to bring and use the talents of all heroes just by admiring them was a scam.
Is it truly a relief that there were no aftereffects to the pain I received as a penalty?
'I should try moving in a direction where I use the penalty as little as possible from now on.'
If a situation comes where I have to use it, I will, but I wanted to decline that crazy pain if possible.
Because it was truly a pain that was hard to adapt to.
Still, there weren't only bad points.
'I was able to get more Influence Points.'
Perhaps because I secured the Suppressing Blade in my hands, I was able to earn more Influence Points.
An amount of points similar to when I caused an incident at the exhibition hall.
It was still a relief that the amount of points I could earn when intervening in the story was large.
'...Though it is still ambiguous.'
Getting a lot of points wasn't something to just be happy about.
Because if I think about the progression of the original story, there are just as many occasions to use points.
In short, supply and demand are happening appropriately, so even if they give a lot of points, it's impossible to save them; would it be easier to understand if I put it that way?
It was when I was not focusing on the class and thinking of other things.
"...Cadet Choi Yu-seong!"
The Professor, who was passionately conducting the class, called my name in a low voice.
I hurriedly stood up from my seat and answered the Professor's words.
"Yes."
"Then, could you explain what types of Gates the academic world has announced?"
Didn't he only ask me last week too?
I think he's asked me more than 5 times already up to today...
I couldn't understand why he kept asking only me, but as a cadet, I had to answer.
"There are 3 types: the normal type that disappears once the boss is defeated, the annihilation type that disappears only when all monsters inside are killed, and the Dungeon type that remains without disappearing even after clearing."
"Then what is the order of danger among those Gates?"
"They are known to be dangerous in the order of annihilation type, Dungeon type, and normal type Gates."
"A good answer! You may sit down now."
I followed the Professor's words and took my seat again.
Actually, there were other types besides these 3 for the SS-Class Gates that appear later, but I didn't bother mentioning them.
Because I didn't want to be treated as a patient suffering from delusions by talking about Gates that hadn't even appeared yet.
"As Cadet Choi Yu-seong just said..."
After that, the Professor's passionate speech continued.
I feel this every time I hear it, but I thought it would be really nice to record that Professor's voice and give it to insomnia patients.
Anyway, as a result of steadfastly enduring the sleepiness washing over me amidst that boring class.
Ding-dong-daeng-dong~.
"...Then we will end it here for today."
"Thank you for your hard work!!"
In the eternity that seemed like it would never end, I succeeded in enduring without dozing off.
Personally, I think it was harder to endure than the price I received after using my talent, but it must be my imagination, right?
It was when I was harboring such thoughts and packing my bags to return to the dormitory.
"Hey~ Choi Yu-seong!"
"Huh?"
At the voice calling me using folksy speech contrasting with its delicate tone, I turned my head.
Then, a female cadet with soft silver hair was approaching me.
As someone who knew her identity, I was quite flustered.
"Ha Eun-ha?"
"What, are you going straight back to the dormitory?"
"Tomorrow's class is cooperative, so I'm going to wash up and go to the training room. But why all of a sudden?"
Looking around, Kim Su-hyeok wasn't nearby either.
That means she has business with me, but nothing particular comes to mind.
When I was thinking that, Ha Eun-ha spoke with an expression that seemed slightly crestfallen.
"Hmph. Does that mean you're busy too? Is there anyone to play with me. If I stay still, things will constantly go wrong..."
"So you're saying you're bored?"
"Yes! You understand right away, don't you? Kim Su-hyeok also disappears to the training room every day as soon as class ends..."
"Uh..."
She's telling me that?
That means she thinks I'm a guy who is okay to get somewhat close to.
'Does that mean I passed the cutline?'
Ha Eun-ha treats all cadets kindly.
So there are those who mistakenly think it's easy to get close to Ha Eun-ha, but that is never the case.
Unless one surpassed the standard set by Ha Eun-ha, becoming friends with her was something only possible in dreams.
But conversely, it also meant that if one only passed the standard, becoming friends was a piece of cake.
'Of course, she gets burned badly once later because of that personality.'
That is a matter for a bit later; the important thing right now was that I passed that standard.
Thinking that, my mood, which had been a little down because of the training room, got better.
Because being acknowledged by the hero I admired was a pleasant thing.
But...
"Sorry, I think I have to go to the training room too."
For me, training was more important right now than playing.
When I said that, Ha Eun-ha made a face of regret, as if asking when she had ever made a crestfallen expression.
"Tch! Usually, when a girl says this, guys make time!"
"That's why I'm sorry. Let's hang out later when we have time."
"I'm not that petty of a kid, you know? Let's see each other later then!"
Saying that, Ha Eun-ha waved at me and disappeared in an instant.
Should I say she's truly a storm-like kid?
Anyway, I also waved my hand in the direction Ha Eun-ha disappeared.
'It's a shame I can't hang out with Ha Eun-ha.'
Still, what can be done.
Since I have the goal of protecting the heroes, I must train.
I turned my steps toward the dormitory like that.
Still, unlike usual, wouldn't I be able to engage in training in a somewhat good mood today?
...It was a few hours later that the mindset I had thinking that was shattered after seeing Kim Su-hyeok's routine.
***
"Everyone, today we plan to have a cooperative class as I mentioned last time!"
Glory Academy 1st Group Training Ground.
There, Im Seong-cheol maintained a mid-to-low voice tone while continuing to explain the purpose of the class loudly so all cadets could hear.
"Of course, individual skill is also important for a Player. However, this Instructor believes that cooperation is also incredibly important!"
At Im Seong-cheol's firm words, the cadets listened attentively to him as quietly as dead mice.
"Even Hero-Rank Players rarely make the choice to enter a Gate alone. To that extent, it can be said that comrades are an indispensable existence for a Player."
Saying that, Im Seong-cheol took a brief breath and asked the cadets.
"Therefore, I intend to teach you the importance of cooperation today. Are there any cadets who have complaints about this?"
"No, sir!!!"
The resounding voices of the cadets with no intention of refusing.
Perhaps liking that answer, Im Seong-cheol showed a faint smile and spoke.
"Good. Then we will divide into groups from now on. The groups being divided now are formed based on grades and the virtual combat training from last time, so be aware of that!"
Im Seong-cheol wrapped up his explanation like that and floated the groups he had organized on a hologram window.
Then, the cadets who had been sitting still and listening to the explanation also stood up one by one and started moving to find their group members.
'I should also slowly find my group members and go.'
Sitting still and waiting for group members to come is something only top-tier cadets can do; it wasn't a good action for the 899th rank to do so.
I harbored such idle thoughts and checked the hologram window.
And I could not help but be surprised upon seeing the group member information floating on the hologram.
Because...[Group 7: 1st Kim Su-hyeok, 24th Ju Ha-yeon, 216th Oh Jin-eon, 899th Choi Yu-seong.]
Some dream team was situated right in front of my eyes.
Furthermore, one of them was Ju Ha-yeon, whom I had no idea how to get involved with.