Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Villain Response Training (3)
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Villains below mid-to-high rank often relied on explosives, unlike the Fallen who just bulldozed everything with brute force.
Of course, not every Fallen did that.
Some intelligent ones—like the Fallen who'd terrorized Pension Workshop Street last time—used bombs or even implanted them in their own bodies.
Anyway, the reason villains bothered with bombs that barely scratched superhumans was simple.
They were still plenty threatening and effective against normal buildings or powerless civilians.
That was why Instructor Kang Cheol-su had cast me as the villain for this practical exercise.
To live up to his expectations, I'd settled on a concept.
"H-Hey, top rank... This is just practice, right? Why are you taking it so seriously...?"
My concept was this.
"I'm not the top student you know."
"What stands before you now is Crow."
"A villain who hunts fake heroes like you."
A romantic villain (in pretense) who killed phony heroes but spared the real ones.
"And you seem to think practice isn't the real deal."
"Pathetic fool."
Click.
"T-Top rank, w-wait...!"
As I aimed my gun at him, my classmate flailed his hands desperately, trying to say something.
But
"You're disqualified."
"As a hero."
"And as a student."
True to the convictions of my fictional villain "Crow,"
"So die."
Bang—!
I pulled the trigger without hesitation at the non-hero.
Thud.
He flipped his eyes back and collapsed after taking a rubber bullet to the forehead.
Knocked out cold.
I recited a cringey line to my unconscious classmate, even though he couldn't hear it, staying in character.
"Reflect deeply as your consciousness fades."
"Hoo...."
I let out a weary breath and scanned my surroundings.
Classmates littered the rubble between shattered, crumbling buildings.
'At least thirty down.'
Adding the ten I'd dropped right at the start, that made forty.
'Still fifty-nine left, huh.'
I rolled up my sleeve to check my smartwatch as I thought that.
'Plenty of time left, and the hostages... unchanged.'
I scratched my head with the gun barrel and clicked my tongue.
How had they not found the hostages yet?
'Did I hide them in spots that were too tricky?'
No... no.
I shook off the sudden thought.
Because I'd placed the hostages in
the tallest building, a mostly intact one, and a structure with a basement.
Anyone with half a brain should've found them easily.
'Assuming they search thoroughly, of course.'
That was basic for a hostage rescue, so whatever.
It was disappointing that not a single hostage had been saved while I'd taken down forty.
Especially the main cast.
'What the hell are they doing?'
I kicked off the ground and leaped onto a rooftop.
Then bounded between buildings, hunting for more classmates.
&
"Where could the hostages be?"
Park Sung-woo — rank 7 at enrollment — a man whose naive romantic notions were broken by Lee Yoo-jin’s teasing (or not).
He tapped his shoulder with the back of his sword and looked around.
"Hmm... If I were that top-rank bastard, where would I stash the hostages?"
That tall building in the distance?
"Nah, he's too smart for something that obvious."
Or the intact one nearby?
"Probably not there either."
Then this one with a likely basement?
"Bet it's rigged with traps."
Yeah, even he'd have booby-trapped the basement.
...After that bit of deduction(?), Park Sung-woo lowered his sword from his shoulder.
And just as he started moving again,
...please.
"Huh?"
...save me.
A voice echoed from somewhere.
Park Sung-woo perked up his ears.
...save me.
It was a woman's voice, not a man's.
So not Lee Yoo-jin.
With that, Park Sung-woo slowly advanced toward the voice.
It led to the very building he'd been about to pass.
He entered.
A staircase led down to the basement inside.
Save me....
The voice came from below.
"Sss... Feels like a trap."
Lee Yoo-jin would've definitely rigged the hostage spots.
He was bold and cunning.
"Gotta check it out anyway..."
But first.
Park Sung-woo picked up a loose pebble and flung it down the stairs.
Tap, tap-tap.
The stone bounced down.
No mine, from the sound.
Still, better safe.
Mines aside, there could be other traps.
He hesitated.
Should he really go down?
But the doubt didn't last.
- Save me....
The voice called again.
Decision made: descend.
"Hoo..."
Park Sung-woo took a deep breath to steady his rising tension.
Swallowed dryly, and began descending slowly, sword extended ahead.
Step.
Silence as the voice cut off.
Step.
His footsteps echoing in his ears.
Step.
Darkness creeping in.
As light faded, tension surged back.
"H-Hoo..."
Trembling breaths, but steady steps downward.
Some ways down,
...snag.
Something caught his outstretched sword.
A chill ran through him; he stepped back one.
Raised the sword, infused a bit of mana.
Fwoosh...
Blue mana lit the blade, brightening the stairs faintly.
He lowered it to inspect.
"This is... wire?"
A wire, linked to grenades on the wall.
"...Knew there'd be traps."
Relief sighed out as he cut the wire.
Resumed descent.
After severing several more, he reached the basement door.
Deep breath, gripped the handle.
Wrapped himself in mana, bracing.
Creeeak...
Rusted hinges screamed.
Thud.
Door fully open.
He slipped inside cautiously.
"Save me."
Voice from the dark.
He poured more mana into his sword, banishing shadows.
"Save me."
Now visible: a figure.
He approached warily.
"Found you, hostage."
A doll bound to a chair, mimicking a person.
He knew it was the hostage.
"Save me."
"Hang on, I'll get you out."
Rescue tempted, but he scanned first.
Stairs had traps; room likely did too.
Checking around the hostage,
"Knew it..."
Grenades lined the walls at intervals.
Wires from pins all tied to the hostage.
"Lee Yoo-jin, you ruthless bastard..."
Even as a villain?
Tying bombs to the hostage?
Park Sung-woo shook his head in disgust and cut the wires.
Freed the doll from the chair.
Click.
A button sound in his ear.
"Oh."
💥 TRAP DETONATED! 💥 KABOOM—!
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Kaboom—!
"Hm?"
An explosion?
I froze briefly at the sudden blast in my ears.
Turned toward the source.
"That's... the basement where I hid a hostage."
Someone found it?
I checked the heroes' objective on my smartwatch.
📱 SMARTWATCH UPDATE 📱 [Hostage 1/3] "Oh, finally found one."
Relief washed over me as the objective updated.
"Good thing they figured out the hostages."
I'd worried they were just chasing me blindly.
Thirty minutes in, no saves.
Guess it was just paranoia.
"...But they didn't spot all the traps, huh."
The hostage spot was riddled with layered traps—double, triple even.
No room for complacency till the rescue.
'Two hostages left.'
Basement down (exploded).
Tallest building and intact one remain.
I quit hunting classmates and headed for the nearest: tallest.
Mid-leap between buildings,
Bzzz—.
A red line crossed my vision.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Sharpshooter's Keen Sense (A+) 'Sharpshooter's Keen Sense (A+)' had triggered.
I pinpointed the enemy.
Lee Seo-yeon aiming a pistol at me.
No hesitation—I activated 'Live Focus'.
Flames spat from her gun simultaneously.
Taaaang...
Gunshot lagged in slowed time.
I tracked the incoming bullet amid the report.
Pulled my trigger, ended 'Live Focus'.
Bang—!
Bang—clang—!
Bullets collided; I charged her.
She fired preemptively.
Bang, bang-bang!
But I read trajectories visually.
Twist, twist-twist.
Dodged with minor weaves.
Shing!
She lowered her pistol, drew her waist sword.
Rushed me.
I fired at her.
Bang!
Clang!
Her sword mastery deflected it easily over bullets.
I kept shooting relentlessly.
Bang, bang-bang!
Clang, clang-clang!
As she adapted to parrying,
'Transfer.'
Swapped chamber bullet for inventory 'special round'.
Bang—!
Bullet launched.
She swung at it.
The instant her blade connected,
Clang—boom!
"...Ngh!"
Grenade shockwave hurled her back.
I transferred 'Sticky Grass' to her landing spot, like entrance exam.
But burned once,
Whirl.
She flipped midair, reoriented, slashed the spot.
Blade aura loaded.
Krshhhh—!
Super-speed swing shredded grass and ground.
Thud.
She landed amid wreckage.
I raised my gun.
As I squeezed,
Whiiiish—!
Scalp stung; something screamed from above.
Looked up:
A sword hurtling at me blindingly fast.
Arthur's skill 'Meteor Fall'.
'Shock round?'
No.
Too close; it'd hit me too.
Only one way.
Transferred shock grenade ~5m away.
Fired, crouched, jumped in place.
Kaboom—!
Blast wave slammed me.
"...Urk!"
Guts churning, flung back.
But Arthur's Meteor Fall cratered innocent ground.
Kaboom—!
Exploding earth.
Cold sweat beaded.
'Trying to kill me, Arthur?'
Landed, scanned for him.
No need—he dropped into view.
"Found you, Lee Yoo-jin... no, villain."
Used 'Meteor Fall' to dive with his sword.
Thud!
Plunged it into ground, pointed at me.
"Surrender quietly, villain. I'll capture you painlessly."
I answered by aiming my gun.
"Won't surrender? Then force it is."
Golden mana flared as he spoke.
"Top rank... er, villain! Gotcha!"
Wild Asuka appeared!
"...Ha."
Hollow laugh; surveyed.
Asuka left.
Arthur center.
Lee Seo-yeon right.
Main cast minus Noah had me surrounded.
True four-way siege.
But 'Crow' wouldn't yield.
I smirked, gripped pistols in both hands.
Roared at the 'heroes'.
"Come at me, heroes!"
"Show me your justice!"