Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: The Cocoon Barrier
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"Of all times!"
Valkyrie let out a scream of "Aaaah!" as she flew toward the Hero Academy.
Villains had caused a massive disturbance around Suwon.
Even worse, there were reports of one of the Seven Evils' subordinates being sighted.
For now, only Highest Danger Class villains were active, but who knew what might happen.
In the worst case, one of the Seven Evils themselves could show up, so a response was needed here too.
If Holy Knight had been available, sending him would have settled it.
But by now, he was probably having a chat with the King of Hell down in the underworld.
So the Union Korea Branch decided to dispatch Valkyrie.
'A bunch of useless idiots anyway.'
She was already debating whether to expose the Union's dirty underbelly.
They sent her on assignment to the academy, and now they were ordering her on an outing.
She'd gone despite her nagging doubts, and now the academy was in chaos.
"Hero Valkyrie!"
As she neared the Hero Academy, police controlling the perimeter approached.
She gave them a perfunctory greeting and tried to head in, but they blocked her.
"What are you doing?"
"You can't go in."
"What's that supposed to mean all of a sudden? Oh, is it because of that?"
Valkyrie snorted, pointing at the translucent barrier visible before her eyes.
It looked like something the monster had created, likely to block intruders.
It would deal physical and mental damage, but she felt no fear whatsoever.
A hero always put others before themselves.
Cadets and instructors were waiting inside for her—she couldn't afford to hesitate.
"It's fine. I've dealt with barriers like this plenty of times. I'll take some damage, but..."
"That's not it. You will take damage, but that damage will go to the cadets trapped inside instead."
"What?"
As Valkyrie looked stunned, the police hurriedly shared the intel.
When the monster appeared, instructors had stepped up for a fierce battle.
Then reports came in of another monster on the opposite side.
The odd detail: strange threads floating in the air, wrapping people up like cocoons.
Those cocooned screamed whenever certain conditions triggered.
And most likely, the barrier was feeding off their life force as nutrients.
"...So you're saying if I smash the barrier recklessly, the cadets are the ones in danger?"
"It's not just destruction. Even passing through seems to trigger damage reactions. Heroes who tried entering first got word that the cadets inside were reacting badly and pulled back."
Valkyrie gritted her teeth. They called it an Apocalypse-Class monster, and sure enough, a nightmare had appeared.
It captured people, drained them for energy to form a barrier, and used the cocoons as part of it.
Forcibly ripping those cocoons open could cause massive casualties.
There was almost nothing they could do from outside. No, practically nothing.
Communication was possible, but that alone wouldn't count as real help.
'In the end, the answer lies inside—either take down the monster or create a gap in the barrier. One or the other has to happen...'
Of all times, the skilled instructors had gone to the rear gate to hunt the monster.
But reports from inside suggested the monster had nested near the main building.
That was quite a distance. There might even be another barrier in between.
It was hard to assume a monster smart enough for one wouldn't manage two.
Most of their reliable forces were too far from the monster now.
There was no telling what effect time would have on the cadets.
"..."
After a moment's thought, Valkyrie pulled out her phone and started a call.
Pick up. Please pick up. Come on, pick up! You have to pick up!
[Hey, sis!]
"Seo-ah."
Someone she could contact personally, a cadet rather than an instructor.
And despite being a cadet, her skills were trustworthy—only one such person came to mind.
Valkyrie gave a rough rundown of the situation and got an update in return.
"Near the main building? That's bad. Most instructors headed to the rear gate. Your side must be short on combat personnel. Seo-ah, listen carefully. From now on..."
[Don't worry. We'll do our best until you find a way in from outside. Or should we just take out the monster ourselves? Just say the word. I-Instructor!]
Even though she couldn't help them, they were burning with fighting spirit.
That attitude wasn't that of a cadet—it was already a full-fledged hero.
"You're not alone, right?"
[No! I've got Cadet Louise and Cadet Seo Ha-eun with me. And Cadet Kang Yuna too! I don't know the details, but the other cadets are probably thinking and moving the same way. So don't worry.]
Jin Seo-ah laughed as she said it. We're all heroes.
Heroes never despair, no matter the situation. They fight for hope.
So don't worry. You do what you need to do there.
[They're coming from behind!]
[I'll call again! Cadet Kang Yuna! Help that guy first and go! The rest...]
The call cut off there. They were probably approaching the monster's lair.
Valkyrie pocketed her phone, exhaled deeply, and stared down the barrier.
She had to find something she could do. And somehow provide aid.
Just like Jin Seo-ah said—they were heroes. They had to protect people.
'...That guy? Did she rescue some staff member in the middle of all this?'
Impressive. Protecting themselves was hard enough, but pulling off a rescue too?
The future looked bright. She'd surely become a hero who helped countless others.
To keep from losing such promising juniors for nothing, she had to find a way.
"Valkyrie!"
Time passed, and heroes from the Union began arriving one after another.
Not the "cleanup" types like her, but specialists in investigation and countermeasures.
Maybe they could find the monster's weakness. Or a crack in the barrier.
"...Never seen a form like this before."
"Any ideas?"
"Need a closer look. These threads are completely new. No monster's ever operated this way before."
"Hurry. People are really at risk here."
"We'll do our best."
Time slipped away mercilessly, and her gut burned hotter.
Even now, the cadets inside were fighting while waiting for help.
Yet the so-called heroes were stuck outside, helpless.
It wasn't just frustrating anymore—it was humiliating.
Bzzz!—
Her phone buzzed. The screen showed a familiar name.
The academy's treatment room director. An old acquaintance. S-Rank Hero Archangel.
Valkyrie hit the call button.
"Yeah, Senior."
[Still finishing up?]
"No, I got here a bit ago. Was about to go in, but..."
[Absolutely not. I did a quick check—anyone wrapped in those cocoons is steadily losing life force. Breaking the barrier by force in this state would deal them serious damage.]
"But we can't just stand here doing nothing. I talked to Seo-ah earlier. The instructors who can fight went to the rear gate, so the cadets have to handle their side."
They all wielded abilities, and some could commission as heroes right away.
But lack of experience would trip them up at some point, no matter what.
Especially against anything but an ordinary monster. This was an Apocalypse-Class beast.
"This is basically them gearing up to fight the Smiling Man!"
[Hah. Saying it like that just makes me more anxious. What the hell do we do?]
If only she had a combat ability right now.
Listening to Archangel's lament, Valkyrie's impatience grew.
Finding the monster's main body wasn't hard.
The closer they got, the fiercer the resistance. That was its lair.
Even as an Apocalypse-Class, the monster hadn't revealed its true form yet.
Just like they'd learned in class. Consider the possibilities.
Maybe its power focused on mental control and absorption, so it stayed hidden.
Or it needed more time and life force to recover.
"Hah, hah!"
One thing was clear: the closer they got, threads came flying from all directions.
Cadets nearby had already turned into cocoons, steadily drained of life force.
The monster was close. It had nested nearby.
Kang Yuna caught her breath, barely steadying her heaving chest, and scanned the surroundings.
She'd managed to shake off the threads pouring like rain.
"Everyone okay?"
"For now."
Fortunately, those threads didn't have overwhelming physical force.
Jin Seo-ah's sword cut them easily, and even raw strength could tear them off.
The problem: every time they touched skin, unwanted memories flooded back.
No physical harm—instead, pure mental damage.
The recollections messed with their heads, slowing split-second decisions.
That led to repeated bad choices.
They judged coldly: pushing further was impossible.
They ducked into a building to hide, catch their breath, and recover stamina.
"Everyone, rest up a bit. Hope the monster doesn't find us."
"Some seniors must've had the same idea along the way, so it's spread out some. Unsettling that we've lost contact with them, though..."
Jin Seo-ah glanced at her companions.
They'd been running and fighting for over an hour.
Even academy cadets had limits.
Louise bit her lip as she caught her breath and peered outside.
They were surrounded. Threads floated everywhere.
Breaking through that was impossible.
Soon they'd infiltrate here too, and escape would be cut off.
Not that moving now would change anything.
"Hey, since we met like this, wanna be friends?"
Louise's words drew a smile from Jin Seo-ah. "Sure, why not?"
The situation was dire, but keep hearts straight and true.
Recalling the Sword Saint's teachings, she chatted idly on purpose.
Kang Yuna and Seo Ha-eun joined in, flashing small smiles.
Shhh!—
The monster had found them.
Floating threads writhed like snakes, slithering inside.
Thoughts of a last stand flickered.
"...At least that guy got away safe, right?"
Even in this hell, she thought of others first.
The man they'd bumped into earlier. They'd gotten him to safety.
Kang Yuna mentioned it, and Seo Ha-eun picked up.
"Saw him vanish, so he should be fine."
Louise signaled. The monster was reaching out.
Stamina depleted, no retreat, slim odds in a fight.
This might be their last sight.
Fear was natural. They weren't heroes yet.
"...Like heroes."
But at Kang Yuna's murmur, the other three straightened up.
Right. If this was the end, make it heroic.
No tears, no regrets. Proud and brave.
Moments later, the four vanished like swept away by a massive wave.
Just like the others. They began turning into cocoons.
Then suddenly, the threads halted and reversed direction.
"Oh dear."
A man approached, wearing a bizarre smile.
"Will you stop there?"