Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: How to Destroy the Fortress (1)
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On the way to the Alchemy Workshop.
Right now, I was chatting amiably with the taxi driver.
Of course, it wasn't me who started the conversation—it was the driver's one-sided barrage of questions.
"...So, the exam next year might be easier?"
"That could be. Seeing as you're asking, it looks like someone's planning to take it next year?"
"Ah, my daughter's turning twenty next year, and she has no idea which academy to apply to. That's why I asked."
"Ah."
Honestly, I wanted to say, Arena Academy is off-limits.
And for good reason—Arena Academy was about to face incidents far worse than this rift terrorism incident.
How could I possibly tell him to apply there?
For the sake of someone who might end up as my underclassman, I decided to hold my tongue.
But contrary to my intentions...
"...Hey, student. By any chance."
The driver seemed to have already made up his mind about where to direct his daughter.
"If my daughter gets into Arena Academy, could you look after her a bit? She's really shy around strangers."
Hmm... I don't think I can.
Considering all the events ahead, even if I wanted to, it'd be hard to even lay eyes on someone who could become my underclassman.
Still, I couldn't say no outright...
"Sure, of course."
"Oh, really? Thank you, thank you so much."
And though it was an empty promise, if we did cross paths, I genuinely planned to watch out for her.
Making it into the academy and running into me amid all those events would mean she was main cast level—or damn close to it.
"So, what's your daughter's name?"
"My daughter's name is......"
But it looks like fate had other plans for us.
...Wheeeeeeng—!
A sudden blaring alarm siren.
The taxi driver, mid-sentence on his daughter's name, jolted in surprise and slammed on the brakes.
Screeeeech!
The ear-splitting screech of sudden stops echoed from all directions.
It wasn't just my taxi—every vehicle around had ground to a halt.
Sure, there were fender-benders here and there from the abrupt stops, but no one had time to worry about that.
In this world, a siren meant a life-or-death crisis.
Wheeeeeeng!
Wheeeeeeeng!
- Disaster alert! Disaster alert!
- A rift is currently occurring in the Alchemy Workshop district! Citizens, evacuate immediately following rift protocols! Repeating: A rift is currently occurring in the Alchemy Workshop district...
Ah, I was almost at the Alchemy Workshop!
A rift there, of all places!
Frustration surged, and I wanted to yell...
But right now, I needed to shout for an entirely different reason.
"Driver! Get out of here, fast!"
"W-what about you, kid?"
"What do you mean, what?"
I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened my inventory.
Starting with the tactical vest, I began pulling out and donning my gear.
"I've gotta go save people."
Arena Academy Iron Rule #1.
From the moment of enrollment, students hold the status of 'Reserve Hero'.
Thus, in the event of a disaster, any students nearby must fulfill their 'duty' as heroes.
Which meant I had to head straight for the rift.
"...Be careful out there."
In the end, the driver never got to say his daughter's name. He floored it in the opposite direction of the rift zone.
"Whew."
I watched him go, then stepped out of the taxi with a heavy sigh.
"Shouldn't have tried cramming everything into today?"
I could've rested tomorrow too—why get greedy?
I'd figured it'd get a little hectic.
But not this hectic.
Still, the situation was here, and as the nearest student—no, as a hero—I had to act.
So, enough regrets.
Click.
I chambered a live round into the rifle.
Yesterday had been real combat, but today was real combat on another level entirely.
And with actual bullets instead of rubber ones, I needed my focus razor-sharp.
Mind set, I pushed against the tide of fleeing crowds.
"Kyaaak!"
"It's a rift! Run!"
"Save me! Sa—!"
I stepped into the rift.
&
Random encounter.
A phenomenon where chance events trigger at random.
Just like in many games, where that mechanic spawned countless variables.
The Arena Academy I'd played adopted the same system to generate its own chaos.
Of course, random encounters aren't exclusive to games—they can happen in real life just fine.
But the mess I was in right now? Impossible without Arena Academy's vicious twist on random encounters.
For starters, demonic energy permeated this place.
Which meant this was a reverse world tampered with by the Fallen.
"Even yesterday could pass as story-mandated BS..."
Another abnormal rift.
Was anyone as cursed with luck as me?
I let out a deep sigh and scanned my surroundings.
First off... the terrain looked like a high plateau: broad, flat expanses with minimal elevation changes.
And that fortress in the distance? Medieval theme.
"Medieval theme... At least folks on the surface should be safer."
Reverse world monsters were usually hostile to humans across the board, but this medieval theme bucked the trend.
Medieval theme.
Like the modern theme, it went by another name.
'Chess' theme.
Why? The monsters here split into black and white camps, chessboard-style.
They took the forms of golems resembling queens, knights, pawns.
True to their divided camps, the two sides were at war.
The black camp was hostile to humans, as per usual reverse world norms.
The white camp was human-friendly.
Attack them first, though, and even white turns hostile.
The theme was infamous enough—and documented in rift manuals—so mishaps like that were rare.
But if some idiot poked the white camp and got wrecked? Tough luck.
Their mess, their cleanup.
No reason for me to babysit.
Anyway, my priority:
Head to that fortress yonder and suss out the camp.
White? Join up, mutual aid.
Black? Wipe 'em.
Granted, this theme packed serious punch.
Golems had sky-high defense and self-repair, making them a nightmare matchup.
And with camp warfare as the core gimmick, they came in droves.
But if my Transfer skill were still F-rank, maybe it'd be dicey. Now at D-rank with 15m range?
I'd flipped from reactive to proactive. Golems were still pushovers for me.
Put simply, this place was prime farming territory.
No room for slacking, though.
My Stamina stat was a measly '3' at best.
Farmable or not, one solid poke and I'd drop dead—fragile as hell.
I had zero plans to eat hits... but better safe.
With that in mind, I ran—and the distant fortress loomed close before I knew it.
Low Stamina aside, Agility was my top physical stat.
Plus the 'Swift Movements' talent boosting my speed, closing in was a breeze.
Up close, I clocked it.
This fortress.
Boom, kwang! Boom!
Was smack in the middle of a battle.
Closer look:
Defenders: black camp. Attackers: white camp.
Which meant... a sub-core was holed up in there.
How could I be sure? Demonic fog blanketing everything since I ported in.
"...Ugh, look at that demonic energy overflowing."
The fortress reeked of it—like some demon king's castle on steroids.
"Sigh... If not for the Fallen, it'd just be queen-slay, main core smash."
But Fallen-tainted abnormal rift? Destruction protocol got messy.
Last time's modern theme had sub-cores scattered north, south, east, west-ish.
This medieval theme? Subs dotted all over the reverse world.
Black camp having one made it easier to pinpoint, at least.
Even after smashing four subs and revealing the main core's spot, though? No cakewalk.
Main cores—abnormal rift or not—sat in the black camp's home base. Queen central.
"...Not like I'm the only one dropping in, though."
Rift in the city? Superhuman Association would've scrambled heroes.
So, handle what I could till they arrived.
- Never retreat!
- Fight to the last, even if we shatter!
- For our queen!
Boom, kwang!
Right now: aid the faltering white camp, seize the fortress.
Smash the sub-core after, rally any survivors lurking around here.
That was step one.
I rose from my prone stealth position.
Kicked off the ground, surged forward—and
Click.
Aimed at the black pawn a heartbeat from pulverizing a white pawn.
Tremble tremble tremble.
Firearm penalty kicked in with the shakes.
Didn't matter.
My gaze was the crosshair.
Bang—!
The gunshot cracked like thunder across the battlefield.
Muzzle flash bloomed as the bullet streaked toward its mark.
Thud!
Headshot. The black pawn's body flew backward.
Golems being stone constructs, no massive damage.
But its head was cracked, at least a little.
Something rubber bullets could've never pulled off.
Worth every penny.
But ironically...
The thing that actually wrecked the black pawn?
Ting!
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Transfer (D) Supply grenade from armory warehouse
Kwaaaang—!
A grenade.