Excellent Prey
“Hmm……”
Between people and monsters, the one with generally higher value was always the human. Monsters were, after all, natural enemies that emerged from gates. Humans, regardless of the planet they were born on, were still human. From a humanitarian perspective, monsters were inevitably inferior to people. When assessing value based on a human’s abilities and potential, if there wasn’t a significant difference, it was always the human who came out on top.
“A High Sword Expert, huh.”
In other words, when the sum of their values differed greatly from the norm, the story could change. Depending on the circumstances, a person’s value could fall below that of a monster. While modern society had developed a strong awareness of human rights, that didn’t mean all humans were equal. Some humans were more deserving of those rights than others. In this twisted intersection of hunters and capitalism, sadly, it was people like Cheon Mari who held that advantage. Good family, wealthy, exceptionally beautiful, highly capable, good at making friends, and a pleasant personality—
“Sian. I don’t like that bastard’s face. Can I just kill him?”
“……”
Personality aside, everything else about her was outstanding, so how could anyone claim she wasn’t superior to others? Compared to murderers, she held a clear advantage in terms of value. Of course, from the perspective of a friend whose life was being dragged into a deep, dark swamp because of her, even a neighborhood mutt seemed more valuable. But even that friend would, after about thirty minutes of deliberation, pull her out if she were drowning. Likewise, the Sword Expert standing before them had his own worth. One thing was certain—he was better than the monsters they’d caught so far.
“Wouldn’t it be better to capture and take him rather than kill him?”
“Huh?”
“If we turn him in, we’ll probably make it into the rankings without any trouble.”
“Ugh, now that you mention it, that does seem right…… You’re not seriously saying we shouldn’t kill him, are you?”
“If we kill him and bring him back, I feel like we’ll hear complaints about how we only filled the Expert branch quota or something. Plus, his value would probably drop a bit.”
“Ah…… Then I guess we have no choice.”
They couldn’t carelessly kill such excellent prey. If Ines were to put it in her own Dixie-flavored way, it would be: ‘Wouldn’t it be perfect if we caught and handed him over?’ He had the makings of a fine Chun-sik. The judges would assign him a high value, and forced labor could be arranged quickly. He was on an entirely different level from the monsters they’d caught after that chaotic, storm-summoning hunt. He could even be called premium slave material. That was why the scales tipped so quickly.
Then, rising from his seat, he looked the man over from head to toe as if inspecting the quality of a slave. After a moment of thought, he turned to the side.
“What do you think, Shannon?”
“Huh……? Even so, he’s an Expert. Wouldn’t it be better to just back off here—?”
“You’re saying we shouldn’t back off? Got it.”
The distance was too ambiguous for escape anyway. Ignoring him and pushing forward was the next best option, so any dissenting opinion was immediately crushed. Naturally, Shannon, who hated rough fights, made a miserable face. She wanted to run away, but she was frozen in shock and had no way to do so. In the end, trembling, she began preparing her magic. The price of making the wrong friend at the academy was truly unfortunate.
Shring—
While she did that, a sword was drawn. Kang Sian and the Sword Expert, the two men, quickly assumed their stances. Cheon Mari simply stood there blankly throughout. Kang Sian poked her in the side.
“Hey, what are you doing not drawing your sword?”
“I don’t know if he’s from the Hero Academy or not, but a High Expert is only a little stronger than us anyway. We’ve got numbers and a barrier, so there’s no need to—”
Thud. The sound of footsteps echoed in his ears. Rolling his eyes, he saw the opponent charging forward at high speed. Kang Sian pushed his senses to their limit. Just as he was about to twist his sword for a preemptive strike like always—
“Wait! Your sword is too dangerous! If we’re going to capture him, use your fists instead!”
Cheon Mari moved as well. However, instead of staying in place, she shot forward with a warning. It was as if she intended to casually receive the opponent’s attack. The Sword Expert frowned, seemingly displeased by the way she looked at him like he was weak. In the end, he snapped his fingers and activated a spell.
“Flames! Burn with brilliance!”
A massive magic circle formed behind him as he dashed forward.
“And swallow the ashes!”
From the green magic circle emerged the head of a giant wolf made of fire. The wolf’s head lunged to swallow Cheon Mari head-on. She should have dodged, but she showed no sign of doing so and kept running. She was swallowed by the flames, and even her breathing seemed to stop. The Sword Expert kicked off the ground even harder at the sight and charged forward. The wooden floorboards warped and shattered beneath him.
‘She’s fallen into confusion! I can finish this right away!’
Throw her into disarray and capture her quickly. Unfortunately, that one-dimensional thought didn’t last long.
“You call this magic?!”
Because Cheon Mari burst out from within the burning head. It was an action made possible by trusting in her barrier, and the Sword Expert, startled, swung his sword in a hurry. However, it wasn’t at the level supported by an esper ability like Kang Sian’s. It was merely reasonably fast.
“Got you—!”
“Not quite.”
Especially to her, who had seen Kang Sian’s sword dance many times, it felt even weaker. She lightly deflected the approaching blade with her forearm. It must have been an attack imbued with considerable mana, as several layers of her barrier were instantly stripped away, but it didn’t matter. After all, the opponent’s mana would have been depleted by the same amount.
The Sword Expert’s body twisted from the force of his deflected sword. In front of him, Cheon Mari lowered her stance. Controlling her mana, she bent her arm. She struck upward from below into his abdomen. Not just striking—but driving upward with all her strength, as if pushing him up.
With a sickening lurch, his organs were helplessly crushed, and his body gradually rose into the air. Cheon Mari put everything into the uppercut and sent him flying completely upward.
Crash!
He collided with the wooden ceiling, sending wood splinters scattering. However, he didn’t stop after the impact. Instead, the Sword Expert smashed through the ceiling and reached the second floor. After experiencing a brief moment of levitation there, he finally fell onto the second-floor floor. Without a barrier, the pain transferred directly. Though his body had been enhanced through relentless training, this level of striking power was beyond anything he had anticipated.
‘W-what is this……? They were clearly just regular cadets……!’
He coughed up blood with difficulty and stood up using his sword as a cane. It was then that the thought of defeating them and protecting the Hero Academy students crossed his mind.
Crash!
The second-floor floor shattered, and a woman shot up from below. It was Cheon Mari, who had followed him to the second floor.
“You…… crazy…… bitch……!”
Spitting out curses, he steadied his sword. Just as he was about to resume the fight with Cheon Mari—an unavoidable, horrific battle—a loud crash echoed once more. Because the sound came from behind, the Sword Expert turned his head, but there was no one there. Only shattered wood splinters and a hole remained. He followed the direction the wood splinters were flying and shifted his gaze upward. There, a man was floating in the air.
“Pierce, spin, and land.”
It was Kang Sian, who had broken through the floor from below. He spun half a turn in midair before lightly landing on the ceiling.
“How can a mere cadet possibly……!”
Rather than a true landing, it was closer to him momentarily sticking to the surface using mana and inertia. Time flowed slowly as Kang Sian sheathed the sword he had drawn.
“Bite your tongue if you don’t want to. Clench your teeth.”
It was a warning spoken quickly to his opponent. The moment those words registered in his mind, Kang Sian’s body began to slowly descend. If left like this, he would crash into the floor. No matter what method he used, gravity would ensure that outcome. That was why he intended to use it in reverse.
A blue light coiled around his legs. Kang Sian kicked off the ceiling as if springing away, pushing it with such force that the wood groaned continuously. His target was the opponent. Only one.
Crash!
It was proven that the reason he had clung to the ceiling was for propulsion. With an explosive leap, Kang Sian shot downward from above. However, he wasn’t charging blindly. He headed straight for his designated target, and the moment he closed in, he grabbed hold.
‘Fast! More dangerous than the previous attack! I have to dodge right now—ugh?!’
The Sword Expert’s face was seized. He was slammed headfirst into the floor at high speed, and the second-floor floor sank with a heavy thud. But the impact didn’t end with a single collision.
“Penetrate!”
A shockwave erupted. Part of the second-floor floor couldn’t withstand it and collapsed. The people at the center of the origin—Kang Sian and the Sword Expert—plummeted straight to the floor below.
Crash!
They were embedded into the ground and rolled across the floor. Along with them, the first and second floors were utterly devastated.
“Ghk, ghhhk……”
Without a barrier, the Sword Expert couldn’t withstand the attack. The impact was severe throughout his body, especially his head, and he let out a pained groan. At minimum, a concussion. At worst, a brain hemorrhage. How long did those death-rattle-like sounds continue?
A dark shadow loomed over his back as he staggered to his feet.
Riiip—
It was the sound of special duct tape.