Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: I'm a Superstar
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"Anis, you feeling okay?"
Yoon Na-rin, sitting next to me, asked. Ever since she'd heard about yesterday's incident, she'd been shooting me worried looks nonstop.
Was my expression that bad? Sure, I was a little down, but I didn't think I was the type to wear it so plainly on my face.
Han U-sol and Reisi were reacting the same way.
"I'm fine."
I brushed off the fuss from the three of them with a laugh. Seriously, how much of a simpleton did they think I was?
Betty's betrayal had definitely been a shock, but I wasn't about to mope around like a squirrel who'd lost its acorns.
Practical training class. I pounded away at a straw dummy in the corner while watching Han U-sol and Reisi spar.
Clang! The spear and sword clashed, the sound echoing through the room.
Even with ability use restricted, Han U-sol's physical prowess—boosted by his massive mana pool—far outstripped Reisi's.
It was less a spar and more Han U-sol tanking Reisi's attacks.
"Hah!"
Han U-sol fluidly deflected Reisi's thrusting spear with the flat of his blade.
"You bastard!"
Frustrated at being blocked so easily, Reisi spat a curse and hurled a dagger.
"Die!!"
Five or six daggers flew from Reisi's bosom straight at Han U-sol.
"W-Wait, isn't it just spears!?"
"Like hell it is!"
"T-That's cheating!"
"Cheating's fair game against ranged fighters!"
"I'm holding a sword right now!"
"Shut up!!"
Reisi shot back as Han U-sol deflected the daggers one by one, yelling all the while.
"You're the one attacking from range right now!"
"Spears and daggers aren't ranged!"
Thud! Reisi tossed her spear too after the daggers hit the ground.
"Uwak!"
Han U-sol barely dodged the incoming spear. With no more weapons flying, he grinned and assumed a counterattack stance.
Reisi, facing him with a matching grin, shouted.
"I surrender!"
"W-What?"
"Surrender! Forfeit! You win!"
Han U-sol looked dumbfounded.
Ignoring his mutters of "cowardly" and "dirty," Reisi casually picked up her scattered weapons from the floor.
I watched the scene and nodded in satisfaction.
Hm. Excellent.
Nothing left to teach.
Lunchtime.
In the spare time after eating, Han U-sol, Reisi, and I were glued to our mobile game. Yoon Na-rin, who wasn't much into games, just watched from the side.
Bang! My character collapsed. I'd forced my way through the enemies and taken a bullet.
"Ah, shit!"
My health was draining fast. I needed a teammate to revive me.
"Hang on, Anis! I'll come save you!"
Bang!
"Eek!"
Reisi's character went down too while rushing to help. Only Han U-sol was left.
But Han U-sol didn't come to save us. His character hugged the wall, waiting for enemies to poke out.
"Hey, revive us!"
Reisi and I yelled at him. He ignored us.
In the end, our characters died, and Han U-sol ambushed the enemies farming our corpses, wiping them out.
"Couldn't be helped. Better odds of first place this way than forcing through the enemy pack."
Han U-sol apologized with a laugh. Efficiency freak. Pragmatic bastard. It pissed me off.
I glared at him and muttered.
"Don't you have... any camaraderie?"
Han U-sol flinched. Like a bad memory had surfaced.
"No brotherhood? No romance?"
I snapped at him, and Reisi chimed in with her own barrage.
At our reaction, sweat poured down Han U-sol's face.
"S-Sorry..."
Yoon Na-rin, who'd been watching, added her two cents.
"If you're sorry, buy from the canteen!"
That day, Han U-sol shelled out 35,000 won on snacks for us.
Remedial classes were over. Today was the last day.
The ten-day punishment finally ended.
Leaving Acamedy Academy, I headed to the dorms. Passing the shopping district midway reminded me of Betty.
...Normally, she'd be calling my name and popping out around now.
'...Maybe grab some food first.'
Dinner would be served at the dorms anyway, but I felt like eating out.
I picked a random restaurant, ordered, and dug in.
While eating the cooked meal, I focused on the TV in the corner. I rarely watched TV, but eating alone left me bored with no one to talk to, so I zoned out on the news.
Public opinion was starting to turn against the Hero Association over yesterday's incident.
Cries of why no high-rank hero—who could easily handle a magic beast raid—was stationed centrally. The Association remained silent.
Truth was, everyone knew individually: Shifting forces to the center thinned the outskirts' defenses. That's why the Association hesitated.
But crowds formed from individuals just screamed with eyes and ears shut.
'...This is tasty.'
I half-listened to the news anchor while lost in thought.
Who was the enemy? Probably that man Betty mentioned, Kahatel. He'd given her the summon stone and ordered the beasts summoned.
...Definitely a demon.
A demon ordering them to fetch me? Why? Did he already know about me? How?
Was it tied to how I ended up in this world?
No clue.
That's why I'd approached the protagonist, Han U-sol, from the start—to avoid being dragged blindly. But the story wasn't unfolding around him.
I finished eating and left the restaurant.
One thing was clear: Things were changing. The story was moving.
But I remained clueless.
Time kept ticking by.
"Then, I'll be going."
"Alright."
Yeriel replied to Han U-sol. He bowed and left.
Yeriel sat on the bed, recalling their conversation.
'They tried to take that child.'
Worst case. No idea how, but Kahatel had sniffed out Anis Harper's existence.
And possibly Han U-sol's too. Maybe even deduced he was Auriel's son.
If she'd known, she'd have made him keep quiet not just about her identity, but the training itself. Yeriel scolded her past carelessness.
With a sigh, Yeriel stood and gestured at the air. The empty room shifted to the principal's office.
Fergus Dee stood by the window.
"Lady Yeriel."
"Yes."
"Public opinion's worsening. Riots demanding high-rank heroes from the outskirts to the center. Protests at Association HQ. The Chairman's got a headache."
Fergus stroked his beard.
"...Tell the Chairman the enemy might have noticed the barrier weakening."
Thus, no force redeployment to the center.
"Instead, say you and I will handle any central incidents. It's practically next door from here."
"...Understood."
"Doubt it'll quell opinion, though. Can't officially reveal you. Will they be satisfied with just me?"
"...Then say Acamedy students will step up too."
"...The students?"
"Rookie central heroes aren't much different from students, are they?"
"...Understood."
Fergus nodded, and Yeriel returned to her room.
'Annoying.'
That girl Betty's ability was a pain. Summoning beasts on a whim left no preemptive counter.
Versus their side: Han U-sol, still clumsy with his powers, and Anis Harper, barely half-recovered.
Han U-sol's growth was secondary; Anis was the issue.
'Why?'
Stalled. She'd thought half-gone meant quick recovery after, but it halted.
"Hoo..."
Yeriel swept back her hair.
Optimistically, enemies' beasts weren't infinite. Low-tier maybe, but high-tier summons demanded steep costs.
Hold out until Han U-sol grew, and the counterattack chance would come.
Days passed.
Under public fire, the Hero Association announced a drastic measure.
No high-rank heroes from outskirts to center. If anything happened centrally, Acamedy Academy would respond.
Even if students were half-heroes, it was shocking.
Funny part: Opinion calmed a bit post-announcement.
Now split into pro and con camps, bickering.
And in it all, names popping up: Me, Anis Harper, and my rival, Han U-sol.
Our mana pools surpassing most heroes, proven feats—they heated up the comment sections.
I am a superstar.
Acamedy Academy morning.
I pocketed my phone after reading the comments and called out to Han U-sol, already there.
"...I'll Messi, you do Ronaldo."
"Huh?"
I ignored his head tilt and sat.
Class vibe was heavy.
Morning blues? Or tension from possibly deploying against beasts at any moment?
Yoon Na-rin's stiff expression next to me suggested the latter. We'd seen action on the field trip, but we were still rookies.
Plus, the Association's official statement fueled dread of another central beast wave.
"......"
I started tensing up too. Felt like the story was finally kicking off.
'...I am a superstar.'
I repeated inwardly to relax. Superstars don't get tense.
I glanced at Han U-sol.
This guy's the protagonist? Protagonists drive the plot.
But Han U-sol wasn't. Just another clueless sap dragged by the flow. No different from me.
'Useless bastard.'
Noticing my stare, he turned and grinned. What right did he have to smile? Irritating.
'Wanna punch him.'
I flipped him off.