Chapter 37: Suddenly? But So What.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 37: Suddenly? But So What.
The moment I opened my eyes in the morning, a cheerful ding! echoed in my ears, instantly souring my mood.
I hurriedly closed my eyes, trying to deny reality, but once you’ve seen it, there’s no point in pretending otherwise.
[9 hours remaining until the start of the Special Quest.]
“…What the fuck?”
“Hm? What’s wrong? Why the sudden swearing?”
Faced with such absurdity, the curse slipped out before I could even remember that Ha-ni was in the same room.
“Ah, sorry. I think I was dreaming. It was such a bad dream that I’m a bit out of it.”
No, I really wished it was a nightmare. What even is a ‘Special Quest’? It’s not even a Main Quest. You’ve never given me anything like this before, have you?
“Are you nervous because you’re getting a commendation today? Aw, that’s actually damn cute. Getting nightmares just because you’re scared of something like that~”
That was right. Today was finally the day of the award ceremony—the one I wanted to run away from so damn badly.
And while I didn’t know if this Special Quest was a good or bad thing, the fact that its timing overlapped perfectly with the ceremony only increased my anxiety.
Seriously, talk about unfriendly.
[A Special Quest refers to a new incident that could not have occurred in the original work, ‘The Academy’s Holy Sword Hero.’]
…Well, aren’t you just the pinnacle of kindness?
I complain a little, and you give me a full explanation.
[I-It’s not like I told you for your sake or anything!]
Are you fucking kidding me?
I could tolerate the shitty quest popping up out of nowhere in the morning, and I could endure having to participate as a lead in that garbage award ceremony, but I could not stand a cringey, outdated meme.
[I am sorry.]
I’d suspected it ever since this quest notification thing started saying shit like “Always be grateful, human,” but it really felt like someone was sending these manually.
At least it seemed to realize its own joke was unfunny. The fact that it apologized meant there was some room for leniency.
If it hadn’t, I would have wasted my time trying to find a way to turn off these damn notifications.
[I am truly sorry. As a token of apology, I will provide additional information regarding the Special Quest.]
Whatever, man. People—wait, is it even a person? Anyway, everyone makes a bad joke once in a while.
It’s not like you can be hilarious every single time, right? We need to look at jokes with a more tolerant gaze.
[…The characters involved in the Special Quest are Choi In-ho and Jin Gyeong-tae.]
Hey, I went out of my way to forgive you, so why are you acting all exasperated?
Wait, no. Putting that aside, what? Choi In-ho and Jin Gyeong-tae?
The moment those two names were mentioned, any possibility of this being a positive quest flew straight out of the galaxy.
If it were just Jin Gyeong-tae, I might have thought it was related to the commendation, but the fact that the crazy Choi In-ho was involved meant those bastards were actually going to show up.
“Han-hee.”
“Yeah?”
“You go on ahead today. I’m not feeling too well.”
I could actually understand the situation.
I’d heard Choi In-ho escaped during transport, and if Jin Gyeong-tae had promised to join them, they would have broken him out by any means necessary.
Yes, I could understand it.
It hadn’t even been a month since the Academy started. Normally, Choi In-ho wouldn’t have even made a proper appearance yet, and Lilac would still be in the middle of a chase with Jin Gyeong-tae.
Since I’d caught them too early, I figured there would be some side effects.
Academy students receiving commendations?
I could see how those perverts, who were obsessed with cadets in their own twisted ways, would find this the perfect event.
Since the Academy was currently hectic with club activities, they probably thought it was the perfect time for a terror attack.
But understanding it and being pissed off about it were two different things.
“Hey, you’re not trying to ditch the ceremony, are you?”
“I’m not running away. I’ll head over as soon as I feel a bit better, so don’t worry and go ahead.”
“Really…? Well, okay. Do you need anything?”
“No, wait. Actually, I do. Tell Lilac and Cheon Yu-hak something for me.”
“What is it?”
“Tell them to brace themselves.”
“…What? Okay, I got it.”
And you two better get ready, too. Choi In-ho, Jin Gyeong-tae. You guys are fucking dead.
What am I going to do?
I’m going to snitch.
This wasn’t an event from the original story, and unlike with Kim Ga-eul, I didn’t need to fix anyone’s personality.
I opened my smartphone, scrolled through my contacts, and tapped the number saved as ‘Secret Friend 2.’
After a few rings, a voice answered.
[Cadet Kang So-hyun? What is it?]
“Chairperson, it’s nothing major, but I happen to have some useful information that could boost the reputation of Leilan Academy, which has been a bit low lately. Are you interested?”
[What…?]
Why wait for the villains to start their terror attack? It’s better to strike first.
I had a trump card I’d been preparing for just this occasion.
* * *
On a bright spring day, two men were enjoying a drive in a sports car, soaking in the wonderful weather.
“Why the long face on a beautiful day like this?”
“Ah, I just feel nauseous thinking about those cadets smiling.”
The two villains, Jin Gyeong-tae and Choi In-ho, were currently on their way to carry out a new act of terror.
“You and I really don’t agree on anything. Just seeing the students smiling brightly and enjoying their youth makes me feel full.”
“Bullshit. If that’s the case, why the hell do you kill them?”
“Kill? That’s a bit harsh. I’m simply trying to prevent the students from becoming hideous adults like you or me. If there were any other way, I’d stop this instantly.”
“If you asked a hundred people who the bigger psycho was between us, all hundred would say it’s you.”
“I know I’m misunderstood. But isn’t that what conviction is all about?”
“They say a madman with conviction is the scariest thing.”
To an outsider, it was just two lunatics arguing over who was crazier, but even among madmen, there was a hierarchy, and they were busy trying to frame each other as the true maniac.
“Well, whatever. Our goals are the same, so let’s just stay out of each other’s way.”
“Yes. We must give the students the happiest end possible while they are savoring their lives.”
Though their ideologies differed, the end result of their crimes was the same.
Furthermore, both thrill-killers were quite eager, as their previous attempts at terror had been thwarted.
They wanted to go and slaughter the cadets right away without any complicated procedures, but they were moving to follow the orders handed down from above.
“…Hey.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t you think there are a lot of checkpoints today?”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
As long as they had changed their faces with transformation magic, they wouldn’t be caught, but it felt quite strange that the checkpoints were getting stricter the closer they got to the Academy.
Even the heavy traffic around them began to thin out as they approached their destination.
Finally, when no other cars could be seen on the road except theirs, an indescribable sense of dread began to unsettle the two criminals.
They felt something was wrong, but they couldn’t tell what—until that moment.
“Hmm, it’s true. Traveling in a sports car, likely disguised with magic. Very accurate.”
“What the absolute fuck.”
“Turn the car around! Now!”
The vague anxiety manifested into a tangible calamity and descended before them.
Leilan Claudia.
The Chairperson of Leilan Academy and a Transcendent who had never dropped out of the top 30 in the world hero rankings.
The very symbol of fear for villains was walking through the air, approaching them.
Though she wasn’t revealing her true form, the aura she exuded was definitely not that of an ordinary person. Choi In-ho, realizing this, tried to flee from her in haste, but the attempt was naturally in vain.
“Shit…”
A car is a means of transportation that travels on the ground.
In other words, it only has meaning as long as its wheels are touching the earth.
Conversely, if the wheels are not touching the ground for some reason, a car is nothing more than a heavy hunk of scrap metal.
“You shouldn’t try to run. This is a precious opportunity one of our cadets gave me to restore the Academy’s prestige.”
And the sports car they were in was already floating in mid-air, held by her talent.
“Now then, shall we check your faces just in case?”
As she approached and waved her hand, the magic cast on them was forcibly dispelled, revealing their original faces.
“It is you two. It’s good to see you. I’ve been quite stressed lately because of you guys.”
Faced with one of the few S-rank heroes in the world, there was nothing Choi In-ho and Jin Gyeong-tae could do.
“Say something, won’t you?”
With a screeching sound, the car began to crumple.
“What will you do if you die just standing there?”
Heroes of A-rank and above had the right of summary execution, which meant she was dead serious.
It was the moment the two villains, who were supposed to traumatize and torment the protagonist in the early stages, were completely exited from the story.
At the same time, it was the moment the right and left arms of the Academy’s mastermind—who would have committed countless atrocities—were severed.
* * *
The award ceremony was proceeding smoothly.
“Cadet Lilac and Cadet Kang So-hyun. These two have served as role models for others and have contributed to society by fighting against injustice. Therefore, we hereby present them with these commendations.”
It was a bit embarrassing to see the faculty clapping as if they were proud.
Lilac received his certificate first, as his name was called first. Just as I was about to step onto the podium to receive mine—
Suddenly, alarms blared throughout the area, and something fell from the sky.
It was a monster.
It looked like a giant centipede-shaped insect with mantis scythes and the horns of another beast.
The creature, which clearly didn’t look like something born naturally, was a new synthetic organism—a Chimera—born from the fusion of a black mage’s mana and an insect tamer’s solitude.
Most of the cadets were gripped by fear at its hideous appearance and alien aura. The professors immediately tried to respond to the situation, but a sudden barrier cut off the space between them and the students.
In the midst of the sudden chaos, no one thought to wonder why a monster had suddenly dropped from the sky.
It was a scene similar to the entrance ceremony.
— Kishaaaaaa…!
As if the screams were a signal, the monster roared.
Again, no one questioned why the monster had appeared so suddenly.
Most were paralyzed by fear, and those who weren’t…
“Hey, Lilac.”
“Yeah, So-hyun.”
…already knew.
The giant monster tried to lunge at the students, but contrary to its will, its body began to float into the air.
At first, the cadets trembled, thinking the monster had the ability to fly, but they soon tilted their heads as they realized something was off.
“Ah!”
“The Chairperson!?”
“It’s true. He said if I let this monster loose for a bit, the traitor would show their tail. It’s true that there’s another traitor inside the Academy. I’ll have to work the professors a bit harder.”
At the sight of the Chairperson appearing leisurely while walking through the air, both the cadets and the professors breathed a sigh of relief.
I recalled that her forged identity was registered as a fairly decent former hunter, though not a hero.
“This should be enough, right?”
“Yeah, I guess. But man, do you know how shocked I was? Suddenly getting a text in the morning saying there’s going to be a terror attack at the ceremony but not to worry because you’ll stop it… who wouldn’t be worried after getting a text like that?”
“I only did it because I was afraid the Chairperson might make a mistake. Why?”
“I guess so. But the Chairperson really is amazing. How did she know about the terror attack in advance?”
“Who knows? Maybe she was keeping a close eye on things since there have already been two incidents?”
“Is that really all?”
“What, do I look like I’m lying?”
“No~? If it’s not, it’s not. Why are you getting so mad?”
The way Lilac smirked made it feel like he was teasing me, as if saying, ‘I know that’s not it~’ which pissed me off a bit.
This guy has a good intuition for the most useless things.
Anyway, it seemed this terror attack was resolved without any casualties.
The atmosphere among the cadets was already like that of an audience at a hero show watching a monster get defeated, and while the professors were trapped behind the barrier, it wasn’t a major issue.
The only ones sweating right now were probably the mastermind, who must have realized things were going sideways, and the traitor, who couldn’t escape because of the barrier they had set up themselves.
“By the way, why didn’t you catch him yourself and leave it to Yu-hak?”
“If you or I didn’t show up to get our awards, they might have gotten suspicious.”
And one of those two would be caught by our ill-tempered second protagonist.
* * *
“How did this happen! Where the hell did the information leak from…!”
While most of the cadets and professors were gathered, one man was running in the opposite direction of the scene.
“Professor Lee Ho-min, where are you going?”
The sudden, cold voice made his heart drop, but Professor Lee Ho-min forced a calm expression.
“Ah, I realized I left an important item in my lab. I was in a hurry to go get it.”
“Is that so? From where I’m standing, it looks like you’re not trying to get something you left behind, but rather trying to destroy the evidence you have. Am I wrong?”
“What are you talking about…?”
“I’m a bit surprised there’s an artifact that can hide one’s talent. Anyway…”
With a fierce smile, Cheon Yu-hak aimed a spear longer than his own height at the professor.
“I’m going to need you to become my achievement, Professor.”
“What do you think you’re—!”
As if he had no intention of listening to excuses, Cheon Yu-hak’s spear shot toward his heart.
A barrier appeared just before the spear could pierce him, blocking the attack, but Cheon Yu-hak only gave a thin smile.
“This should be enough evidence.”
It didn’t take long for the professor’s face to be dyed with despair.
Following the mastermind’s two arms, his leg had now been severed as well.