Chapter 118
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Devil's Contract (2)
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"Hoo."
U Yun-hak let out a weary breath as he returned to his private instructor's office after handling the pile of accumulated work today as well.
While he'd been away on the uninhabited island, the Villain Alliance had launched two raids, leaving him with an insane backlog of tasks.
"Fucking villain bastards."
Because of that, even the workers who'd come to repair the building demanded hazard pay in case of another attack.
And not only that—various factions were subtly trying to muscle in, questioning whether there were problems with the Hero Officer Academy's security systems.
"This is gonna take days to clear."
That said, aside from his Doomsday Cultist ties, U Yun-hak's administrative skills were exceptional.
He handled 30 to 40 percent of the academy's workload single-handedly.
Of course, no matter how outstanding his skills, he didn't enjoy slogging through backlog.
"If only that bastard had died to the Destroyer..."
"You talking about me?"
"...!?"
In an instant, U Yun-hak jumped in shock at the voice that came from beside him without any warning.
As he turned, he saw a man matching the description of Instructor Kang Ju-young's account.
"No way... Lucas?"
Gray hair like ash, emotionless eyes.
A refreshing face, but those eyes made him feel only coldness.
"You know me."
In response, Lucas... or rather, Lee Seongmin disguised as Lucas, nodded as if it were obvious.
"Didn't you run away?"
"I just pretended to."
Hearing that, U Yun-hak quickly pieced it together.
'I see. He was said to have fled after losing to the Destroyer. He must've faked it to send the Destroyer away.'
This Villain Alliance raid wasn't something they could brush off lightly.
So Kang Ju-young had given the instructors a brief explanation and asked them to keep it secret.
Thanks to that, U Yun-hak recognized him as Lucas the moment he spotted the intruder, but the situation wasn't good.
"What do you plan to do with me?"
U Yun-hak's mind raced: If he kills me, will the Healer revive me?
But Lucas knew about the Healer too, so revival was unlikely.
'If he kills me, he won't even leave a body.'
He wasn't certain, but that's what he'd do in his shoes.
Meanwhile, contrary to U Yun-hak's thoughts, Lee Seongmin was lost in his own calculations.
'While I keep this guy occupied here...'
He'd decided to deal with the contractor in the empty lecture hall.
And he hadn't forgotten to steer the conversation to avoid suspicion.
"First, tell me everything you know about the Healer."
While the clone disguised as Lucas handled U Yun-hak,
another clone, transformed into an ordinary female student, headed to the lecture hall.
-Mr. Lee Seongmin. Planning to kill her and revive her again this time?
"Gotta. Have to kill her first to break the demon's contract."
That didn't mean he'd kill her outright.
He planned to knock her out painlessly first, then finish it.
-How's it going with U Yun-hak?
"Talking. More importantly, she's here, I think."
Thud, thud—
'Hm?'
That's when I heard footsteps approaching from the opposite direction and focused there.
It turned out to be one of the two guys I'd chatted with on the way to the clubroom.
"Huh? You going into this lecture hall?"
Forget asking—he was actually coming here, which I hadn't expected, so I decided to chase him off first.
"Whatever you're thinking, just go home quietly."
"No, I heard the rumor too. Is it really true?"
"It's bullshit, so go home. Or should I make you?"
"......"
As I snapped irritably, the male student sighed softly with a disappointed look.
"Figures. Wasted trip."
Luckily, he'd only half-believed it.
After sending him off, I immediately opened the lecture hall door and entered.
Clank—
'Someone's here, alright.'
Inside, a female student sat primly in a chair.
But glancing at her face, no clear image formed in my mind.
'Artifact?'
My guess: something interfering with facial recognition.
Meanwhile, Lee Seojun, watching the girl with me, identified her instantly.
-It's Kim Seul-a. Ranked 285th, sword user. She'll awaken an innate ability later that creates wind bombs.
As a ghost, Lee Seojun seemed unaffected by the facial recognition artifact.
It disrupted mental image formation, ineffective against someone without a physical form like him.
'I have ways to confirm too.'
I checked the girl's latent potential.
Potential of 62 put her at genius level.
But it wasn't important, so I brushed it off.
"A girl...?"
Kim Seul-a looked surprised, not expecting another girl, then put on a resigned expression as if nothing would change.
"If you came because of the rumor, you get it—just promise me one thing."
"What? That U Yun-hak told you to recruit more contractors?"
"Huh?"
At my revelation of the truth, Kim Seul-a's eyes widened in shock.
I approached her regardless and ensured she wouldn't need to do this nonsense again.
"Sleep for a bit. I'll remove your contract first."
"You... how much do you..."
I placed a hand on Kim Seul-a's shoulder and used the power of [Block] to shut down her consciousness.
She crumpled softly, and I snapped her neck for a quick death.
Crack—
-Ruthless as ever.
"I'll revive her anyway."
Once Kim Seul-a was dead, something drained from her body and vanished, just like with those internet gambling goons.
Confirming the demon's contract gone, I used my resurrection ability to bring her back as before.
Fwaah—
"The demon's contract should be broken now."
-Key is U Yun-hak not noticing.
"He's busy with the other clone right now."
All that remained was to tell her to play along and stall.
"Ugh... ugh."
Soon after, Kim Seul-a groaned softly as the resurrection took hold and she regained consciousness.
I watched her calmly wake, then spoke the prepared words as her eyes widened in shock at me.
"Your contract's broken now."
"Contract? Oh..."
"Contract's gone, so tell me how you made a deal with that bastard U Yun-hak."
Bonus: I wanted to know his approach, so I asked. Kim Seul-a grimaced.
"Do I have to? I don't even know who you are."
"Think of it as payment for freeing you."
Mentioning the contract made her hesitate briefly before she relented.
"He said he'd help me earn points. And teach me what classes to take ahead of time."
"Points and class info? That's enough for a contract?"
"It wasn't much. Just say I'd devote my body to [Melpes] for three years."
Melpes?
-The Demon of Contracts' name is Melpes.
Now I knew the final bosses: Lucas for Villain Alliance, Melpes for Doomsday Cultists.
'Geneva Cult's left.'
As a cult, probably the Pope as final boss.
Geneva handled destruction and regeneration but wasn't the top dog.
'Lee Seojun said Geneva ends the moment it descends.'
So the Pope was likely Geneva Cult's final boss.
Not crucial anyway, so I skimmed over it and asked about the contract details.
"So? U Yun-hak teaches points and class schedules?"
"Huh? Of course, it's a contract."
I'd expected a verbal deal he'd break, but surprisingly, it held.
-It's a contract, after all. Breaking terms auto-cancels it.
'That weakness.'
-But they know, so they pay cash to seal it.
'Cash, huh.'
Like: Here's 10 million won—devote to Melpes.
Made sense; no ongoing hassle.
"Plus, he helps earn points by ripping off incoming students. Contract's legit."
I was curious about the point extortion but had a guess, so no need to ask.
"Wasn't what I wanted, but thanks anyway. I'll tell the other instructors and get that bastard thrown in containment."
"About that—I have something to say."
"What?"
I got to the point: delay U Yun-hak's punishment.
"I'll handle him, so wait a bit."
"You? He's a B-Rank hero, y'know. How?"
"Don't worry, I'll manage. Just pretend to follow his orders for now."
"......"
She looked irritated and conflicted but nodded.
"...Fine. You freed me. But he's sharp—won't last long."
"Two weeks tops. And he won't fixate on you."
Right now, U Yun-hak was getting grilled by my Lucas clone.
With his life on the line, he'd ignore her—that was my bet.
"If you insist... but who the hell are you?"
"Doesn't matter."
I brushed off her curiosity about my identity and left the lecture hall.