Why Do They Always Attack Only the Academy? - 2

Explosions erupted from every direction, soon followed by raging crimson flames that shot skyward. Amid the fire, smoke, and flying debris, the screams of students rang out.

The event that opened the first chapter of the novel: the villains’ raid on the Academy. If my memory served, two Elders were among them. The Academy’s defenses were supposedly near-perfect, yet they meant nothing in front of an Elder. That was only natural when the opponents were former S-rank ability users. Their combat sense, their powers—every aspect was overwhelming. No matter how many faculty members and security personnel stood in their way, they simply couldn’t compete.

Even with Han Jiyun here… she can only hold back one Elder at most.

Honestly, I wanted to turn tail and run without looking back. After all, I was just a dispatched examiner. I had no obligation to protect the students like the faculty or security officers did. No one would blame me if I abandoned my post.

Yeah. So running was fine. I should just do it without hesitation…

“Fuck.”

My principle of never doing anything that would prick my conscience had ended up chaining my ankles. I was a public servant living off taxes paid by the citizens. When those same citizens were in danger, it was only right that I earned my keep. Besides, with people screaming right in front of me, helping them was the obvious thing to do.

“Students! This way! Everyone, come this way!”

Flames were bursting up everywhere, but the worst of it was concentrated near the main building. Something terrifying was probably advancing from that direction. I guided the students in the opposite direction, toward the theoretical education building.

We just had to hold out a little longer. This commotion must have already been reported outside. Reinforcements would arrive soon. Han Jiyun and Ma Hakjun were here too. They would eventually repel the villains, so all we had to do was endure until then.

“Kyaaaaah!!”

“Uwaaaa!!”

While evacuating people, urgent screams erupted from one side. Several students staggered into view, covered in blood. I was about to shout for them to come this way so I could get them to safety when—

A tingling sensation shot through me, as if needles were piercing every inch of my body. Far off in the distance, someone was cutting through the flames and smoke, coming straight toward us.

At first I thought it was an injured person. Their appearance was wretched and they were limping badly. But the moment I sensed the aura rolling off them and saw the blood-drenched spear in their hand, I understood.

We’re fucked.

I remembered him. The ghost who looked like he’d drowned, limping along while swinging a spear. Almost nothing was known about him for certain. Some said he had been betrayed; others claimed he was an experimental subject who had escaped. The truth was a mystery. Whether he had truly been betrayed or experimented on—nobody knew.

One thing was certain: the man approaching was an Elder. Unless you were an S-rank ability user, you couldn’t beat him even if you died and came back to life.

“Save me!”

Maybe I could still survive if I ran without looking back. The thought had just crossed my mind when a strangely familiar voice reached my ears.

Right in front of the Elder, a female student was crawling desperately, trying to escape. Her face looked familiar. She was the same student who had apologized to me earlier, saying she was sorry.

For a moment I hesitated. If she had been a complete stranger, I might have turned away and pretended not to see. But because I had met her today, even briefly, I found myself wavering.

What do I do? How do I handle this?

There was still some distance between the Elder and the girl. It was shrinking by the second, but if I sprinted with everything I had, I might be able to save her. That single moment of indecision felt like an eternity.

The Elder advanced toward the girl without sparing a glance anywhere else. She screamed for help. While I stood there torn—

At first I had no idea what it meant. Not until one hypothesis flashed through my mind.

…No way.

This was the exact spot where the Silver promotion exam had been taking place just moments ago. The incident had exploded right as I was about to begin Lee Hyunwoo’s evaluation. In other words, the Elder approaching had intruded into the examination area without any qualifications.

Step— One step at a time, he moved forward.

The urge to run away gradually faded. The fear that I might die here flickered for a second before vanishing. I didn’t know where this confidence was coming from. I didn’t know what kind of mindset would make me do something so insane. Yeah, I didn’t know… but I was starting to worry that I might actually be crazy.

Still, the thought of pretending not to know someone I had met, even briefly, felt wrong.

“Move aside.”

When I came to my senses, I was already standing between the girl and the Elder.

An average ability user who hadn’t even been admitted to the Academy was blocking an Elder. It was something that could never happen unless the person was suicidally insane.

A quick glance at the Elder was enough to make cold sweat pour down my back. His appearance was horrific, and the aura radiating from his body was anything but ordinary. Crimson blood carrying the screams of his victims dripped from the spear in his hand. So this was what it felt like to be stared at like you were about to be torn apart.

“Move aside.”

The Elder spoke without even glancing at me. His eyes were fixed solely on the female student behind me—Kim Suhyun.

In that instant, several keywords clicked together inside my head.

The trait Genius Fallen into Inferiority Complex. The villain invasion. The female student the Elder was obsessed with.

…I see. Yeah, I understand now. That girl, Kim Suhyun—she’s the Red Witch!

Lee Hyunwoo’s first major showing had been during the villains’ academy raid. The day he fought desperately against the villains despite sustaining injuries, radiating protagonist energy like never before. On that exact day, one female student had been kidnapped, brainwashed, and turned into a villain. Her cruelty and overwhelming power had earned her the codename Red Witch.

After that, the Red Witch had become the worst kind of enemy, tormenting the protagonist and his companions at every turn…

I never knew because her real name was never mentioned… but Kim Suhyun is the Red Witch! It’s definite!

Now that I knew, I had one more reason to step forward. The Red Witch was notorious even among villains for her extreme cruelty. Wherever she appeared, only corpses remained. There were never any survivors. Later she would invade Seoul and cause over five hundred thousand deaths.

That Red ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Witch was Kim Suhyun. And this Elder was trying to take her.

The moment I stepped aside, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I would be personally sacrificing the lives of more than half a million people. If I could walk away knowing that, then I wasn’t human.

“Sorry.”

Yeah. I didn’t know anymore either. The answer had narrowed down to one.

“I don’t think I can move aside.”

I turned my head slightly to look back at Kim Suhyun, then jerked my chin toward the area where the students were gathering—go quickly.

“Ah…”

Kim Suhyun reflexively tried to run, then stopped and stared at me. She wasn’t the Red Witch yet, so some humanity still remained in her eyes. She hesitated. She looked sorry. The thought Is this really okay? was written all over her face.

“Go. Now.”

“Y-yes…!”

When I turned back, my eyes met the ghost’s. The cowardly part of me reared its head again. I should have pretended not to know. Why did I step forward?

“Move aside.”

As if confirming my resolve one last time, the ghost spoke. I instinctively understood—this was the final thing he would say. The only answer I could give was, unfortunately, just one.

“Sorry.”

“Understood.”

The instant he heard my reply, the ghost raised his spear with all his strength. Only then did I fully realize what I had done. To show such audacity in front of an Elder—I had to be completely out of my mind…

“Uwaaaaa!!”

With everything he had, Lee Hyunwoo brought down yet another villain. Breathing hard, he looked around. The Academy was already in ruins. Flames and smoke rose from every direction. It was hard to tell friend from foe. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠students who had barely escaped that hell were now fighting the villains themselves.

“Send the injured to the rear immediately! Weapon and martial arts classes, do not yield an inch!”

“Support types, gather here! We need urgent treatment for the wounded!”

“The fire’s spreading! Fire! Magic department students, we need water magic support right now!”

At first everyone had been in total panic, but they soon regained their senses and began doing what they could. The students had formed a defensive line around the evacuation point. Combat types fought the villains while the rest tended to the injured. When the remaining professors and security personnel joined in, the battle line finally stabilized.

Until the man who looked like he had drowned in water appeared.

Kwaaaaang—!!

The man who had just sent the examiner flying with a single blow approached with a limp. Slowly. He was only moving ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠very slowly. Yet his advance felt like inevitable death itself.

“Students! Retreat immediately!”

The professors urgently ordered the students back. Lee Hyunwoo saw the fear etched on every one of their faces. These were B-rank or even A-rank ability users—veterans with countless real battles under their belts. Yet those same seasoned professors were gritting their teeth, bodies tense with dread.

“Hey! Are you okay?”

One female student was supporting another. The girl had suffered a severe leg wound. Her face was already deathly pale from blood loss.

“I’m sorry… It’s because of me… I’m so sorry…”

The girl who had barely survived kept sobbing and apologizing over and over.

“Critical injury here! Hurry, we need healing!”

Even as she was carried away, she continued muttering apologies without end. Lee Hyunwoo watched for a moment, then turned his gaze forward again.

Even he, a mere Bronze, could feel it. The man approaching was a monster. No—something even worse than a monster. Everyone would die. They would all be slaughtered without even being able to scream.

“….”

But the approaching man suddenly paused, then slowly turned his body. After a brief silence, he let out something between a sigh and a gasp.

“What the hell are you?”

From between the flames and building debris, someone crawled out on all fours. As he slowly rose to his feet, his condition looked dire. His entire body was drenched in blood, and one shoulder dangled loosely, clearly dislocated.

“It’s me.”

Yet his eyes burned brighter than the roaring flames around them.

“I’m the Silver rank examiner.”