Chapter 65
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Academy (16)
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One hour earlier.
A few academy professors were observing the inside of the artificial rift. In a room filled with dozens of screens, they evaluated the cadets.
"Cadet Kang Su-ho. They said his innate mana is four stars... Impressive."
"He's taking out the zombies before they even get close. Just like his sister, Cadet Kang Hyun-ah. Excellent."
On the screen, Kang Su-ho was blasting the head of a zombie chimera with a mana bullet.
The middle-aged professor with the bald head clicked his tongue.
"I don't like him."
"Pardon? Why not?"
"His mana control is clean, but his attitude is rotten... Tch, tsk."
The burly woman was wiping the sweat from Kang Su-ho's brow. He gave an awkward smile as she tended to him.
"Hahaha... He's young, it happens."
Whenever they moved, she hooked her arm through his, and seeing that made the middle-aged professor click his tongue again.
"We should've raised the difficulty. That kind of attitude inside a rift? We should have at least set it to two-star monsters."
"What if an accident happens?"
The grumbling middle-aged professor checked another screen.
Among the groups, one stood out particularly. The cadets including the Northern Archduchess. They were skillfully dealing with the zombies.
One cadet was killing zombies by throwing hidden weapons.
"That cadet..."
"In the same group as Archduchess Helena? Ah...! The one who contributed to hunting monsters at the old school building?"
"Nah, Cadet Kang Hyun-ah probably took them all out. That guy's innate mana is barely one star."
The professor rifled through some papers. It was a file on a cadet named Choi Si-woo.
"Rated F-class, but he's fighting better than expected? Who assigned that grade?"
"The entrance exam supervisor... Probably Professor Park. But what's that?"
"Iron chopsticks? No, a needle...? Hey, Professor Park. Is the barrier working properly?"
Professor Park was in charge of this exam too, so all eyes turned to him. A barrier pierced by mere spit?
"It's working fine. You can tell by looking at the other cadets."
"Hmm... Looks like a trait. Not bad. His grade will go up next semester."
"Still, his mana capacity is abysmal."
"Come on, he's that skilled, a little low mana isn't..."
They were watching Si-woo's group head toward the rubble of a collapsed building when the screen suddenly went black.
Not just that one—all dozens of screens at once.
"What the?"
"Hey, Professor Park. What's going on?"
"...Just a moment. It's nothing serious."
Bang!
The observation room door burst open as an assistant professor came rushing in.
"Professors!! Um... I have something to say..."
Professor Park glanced around and dragged him out into the hall.
"What's all this commotion? Didn't I say absolutely no accidents?"
"Well... A barrier suddenly appeared in the rift. Communications are down too."
Professor Park's face darkened as he scolded the assistant.
"Didn't I put you in charge of the safety checks?"
"Pardon?! W-When...?"
"Heavens... If things go wrong, it's all on you. Got it? Fix it quick."
The assistant left with a panicked look, and Professor Park's expression flipped. He smirked faintly.
'Heh... No dean around, no way it'll get fixed. At least half a day.'
But then his face darkened again.
'This identity's on its last legs too. Guess... I gotta bail?'
Being an academy professor was the best identity he'd ever had. It let him bully people in all sorts of ways, which was fun.
That reluctance had made him hesitate to ditch it and run so far. He should've bolted the moment the training started.
'With an accident this big... Firing's the least of it.'
Half a day was more than enough time for all the cadets inside the barrier to die.
This intake had an unusual number of highborn kids, including the Northern Duke's daughter. He'd gone all out to take them down.
'Gotta bounce soon.'
He was about to slip away when someone grabbed him. The muscle-bound professor approached, face grim.
"Professor Park. What are you doing here? No comms with the inside?"
"It's nothing. It'll be resolved soon."
"Doesn't look like nothing to me."
"...Don't worry. I'll handle it."
"Aren't you being too casual? Go pound on that barrier yourself. I'll request backup."
"No, that's..."
After a brief argument, Professor Park headed to the artificial rift with a sullen face.
The muscular professor eyed him suspiciously. It was because of the note on his desk that morning.
「Professor Park Sang-hoon is a spy. And...」
The note started with nonsense. He'd dismissed it as bullshit, but today Park was acting extra shady. He spoke to the nearby guards.
"Keep a close eye on Professor Park Sang-hoon. Don't let him go anywhere."
"Pardon...?"
"Just do as I say."
"Understood."
He left, recalling the rest of the note.
Si-woo glanced at Helena.
A small mana bullet formed on her fingertip and shot toward a zombie like a bullet. Now that he looked closely, the elastic mana bullet seemed far from ordinary.
'She's a regressor, huh.'
Once that thought hit, all her actions seemed special.
'Why's she so nice to me...? Because my actions are different?'
Apparently, he hadn't existed before her regression. He shook his head after pondering briefly.
Whether he had or not didn't matter. This was his only life.
'No wonder... There was always this subtle wall.'
She was incredibly kind, but drew a firm line. Especially no physical contact.
He'd chalked it up to noble demeanor, but as a regressor, it looked different.
'Loneliness... Doesn't want to get close because it'll be forgotten after regression.'
He got the gist. Unless they regressed together, crossing that wall would be tough.
Still, she treated him differently from others, so there was hope.
'Hmm... Need to think this over.'
No guarantee they could regress together anyway. He wanted to win her over in this life.
After hiding the alchemist's group in an emergency shelter, Si-woo's party headed for the central clock tower.
The suspected source of the problem.
'What the hell are the professors doing?'
From giving him an F-rank, their incompetence was obvious, but not to this degree.
The monsters they encountered were getting stronger. After slaying dozens of artificial monsters, they reached the central clock tower.
"It's blocked, as expected."
A barrier prevented entry.
Thud. Thud.
He rapped it with a mana-wrapped fist. He could feel the mana flow leading elsewhere through the repulsion.
'Ugh... Such a pain.'
Obviously, he'd have to trace the flow and destroy whatever formed the barrier. Probably artifacts scattered around the artificial rift.
"Hmm... Looks like we need to follow the mana flow and destroy the barrier stones."
Helena seemed itching to explain. Like a dog begging for a walk, urging Si-woo on.
She looked ready to guide him if he just said the word. But first, he wanted to test something.
"Hold on. Let's smash it first."
"That won't... No, try it."
Helena stepped back with a soft smile. An accepting attitude, like do whatever.
He awakened the amplified inner energy from the elixir. Mixed Origin Qi gathered in his fist along his meridians.
'Heavy, strong. And anti-magic.'
Crunch.
He blended the two attributes into the Mixed Origin Qi. His whole body felt heavier, bones creaking as his fist hardened.
He layered in the anti-magic from his trait too.
Hum hum.
An ominous energy converged on his clenched fist. He imagined his fist as a battering ram at his waist.
Krunch!
Stamping down, he amplified the force through his joints. Channeling it fully into his fist, he unleashed.
Craaaash!!
The barrier shook violently.
The brute force cracked the haughty barrier. Mixed Origin Qi burrowed into its flow.
Crack crack!
The infiltrating anti-magic was decisive. The barrier shattered like glass.
"Ah..."
Amelia, who had been following quietly, gaped. Like a startled rabbit.
"Wha...?"
The duchess's mouth hung open at the simple brute-force solution. Even for her, it was a first.
Normally, you'd dismantle the barrier's core before entering the rift. Or smash the hidden barrier stones scattered around.
But a single punch shattered the clock tower's barrier.
First time experiencing this.
'Ah...!'
The unexpected thrill made her heart race. The unfamiliar excitement and surprise stirred her parched emotions.
It reminded her of the entrance sparring, first spotting Si-woo. When her gray world filled with color.
Watching him revived her dying feelings. Like electricity tingling through her body.
A hole opened in the barrier. Big enough for two or three people.
Si-woo peered inside and decided. He'd used less than half his power, and it shattered. Manageable situation.
'Helena's not reacting much, so it should be fine.'
He told the others.
"Let's go in."
"Ah...! Okay."
"Amelia, you good?"
"Yeah."
As they were about to enter the clock tower, Helena suddenly grabbed him.
"Si-woo."
"Yeah?"
"You won't ask me?"
She'd answered first, yet asked anyway. Like a puppy craving attention. But he liked it.
"...Helena, you okay?"
"Of course."
Her bright smile was photo-worthy charming.