Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Bad Guys Need to Meet a Crazy Bastard Once in a While
“So, a psychopath... Professor, do you think I attacked and injured them for absolutely no reason?”
Jihoon’s dry tone was directed at Professor Jin.
A moment ago, he had only asked with doubt in his voice. But now was the time for reproach.
Especially toward this bastard who came back after causing trouble yet somehow still sounded confident.
“No, I don’t think that. There must have been some reason, but—”
“Hahaha... I was wondering when it would come out. That damn ‘but’...”
Professor Jin felt quite irritated seeing Jihoon cut him off and burst into laughter.
“Why is that fucking ‘but’ only ever used to shield cowardly and pathetic bastards?”
“W-What are you talking about? I called you here to investigate the things you’ve done. You don’t need convictions or beliefs, just facts.”
“Yes, so I’ll tell you the facts. While I was waiting for a hotdog, a skill attack infused with mana came flying at me from a blind spot. After dodging it, I opened two holes in the culprit’s stomach and split open his right thigh.”
Professor Jin Seokhyun was left speechless by Jihoon’s proud and unhesitating answer.
“N-No, but that was a cadet from the same academy—”
“Yes, it turns out that terrifying criminal was a fellow academy cadet. I don’t know if he’s from Class 5 or 6, but his name is Seong Changhoon. Please summon him for questioning, and if possible, send him to prison too.”
“...”
Professor Jin could barely keep up with Jihoon’s relentless words.
“Oh, and regarding the incident earlier where I smashed the jaws of those four thugs, I believe I deserve proper compensation for that as well.”
“What are you talking about now...”
“While I, an innocent academy cadet, was waiting for class, four men surrounded and threatened me.”
“W-Wait just a moment...”
“Do you know why they surrounded and harassed me?”
“That’s...”
“Don’t be surprised.”
“...?”
“The reason they surrounded and threatened me was...”
The bewildered expression on Professor Jin’s face gradually disappeared. Before he realized it, he had become genuinely curious about Jihoon’s next words.
“It was because!!!”
“...Enough already and just say it.”
Having noticed the playful look on Jihoon’s face, Professor Jin deliberately put on a stern expression and muttered in a low voice.
“It was because... drumroll drumroll drumroll drumroll—”
Whatever expression Professor Jin was making or whatever feelings he had, Jihoon couldn’t care less.
To Jihoon, it didn’t matter whether the person in front of him was a professor or the grandfather of professors.
At this point, Jihoon was simply starting to enjoy the situation.
“There was absolutely no reason!!!”
After creating such grand suspense and forcing anticipation with all that buildup, Jihoon’s final answer caused Professor Jin to finally explode in anger.
“What is this now... Are you joking around in front of me? You dare mock me!!!”
Unable to control his emotions, Professor Jin released a fierce aura.
Mana surged out from him, creating a suffocating pressure throughout the office air.
Professor Jin knew that even an E-rank Hunter from Class 11—or rather, even Hunters far above that level—would struggle to withstand this kind of pressure.
Bookshelves shook and books tumbled down, while the glass on the desk trembled violently as though it might shatter.
“What are you doing?”
“...?”
Professor Jin’s eyes caught Jihoon looking around with wide, curious eyes.
Was this ignorant bastard unable to even feel pressure?
No... Even someone completely ignorant shouldn’t be able to remain this calm before this amount of mana.
“Do you not know basic conversational etiquette?”
Behind Jihoon’s remark—whether it was criticism or mockery—came a strange sensation.
Professor Jin suddenly found it hard to breathe, feeling tension so intense that cold sweat drenched his entire body.
Mana? No.
There wasn’t even the slightest trace of mana within the energy coming from Jihoon.
Bloodlust.
Unlike Professor Jin’s mana that dominated the entire space, Jihoon’s bloodlust was directed solely at one target—Professor Jin himself.
A force that pressured only the opponent without wasting even the slightest unnecessary energy.
“K-Kgh... What in the world is this...”
Professor Jin had no choice but to admit it.
This had been a battle of intimidation he started himself, yet he had lost miserably.
“K-Khm... I got a little worked up, so my power must’ve leaked out without me realizing it. My apologies.”
As the office air stabilized and Professor Jin withdrew his mana, Jihoon also retracted his menacing aura.
“Oh dear... You should be careful with that. If you go around leaking it everywhere like that, something terrible might happen to you. Not everyone in the world is as kind as me.”
Despite Jihoon’s rude and arrogant words, Professor Jin couldn’t even get angry.
“Ahem... Yes... I’ll keep that in mind.”
Speaking reluctantly, Professor Jin could feel that none of this situation was going the way he intended.
“If you’re done talking, I’ll be leaving now. In the future, please refrain from summoning me over such trivial matters. I’m not that free of a person.”
“...You may go.”
As Jihoon opened the door and walked out, he suddenly turned around as though he had remembered something important and spoke brightly.
“Oh right, and that cadet named Seong Changhoon with the severed leg. That guy’s probably going to keep getting brought in with parts cut off or holes punched through him. We have a bit of personal resentment between us... Though I won’t kill him... Mm... Mm... I’ll be going now.”
Bang
After the door closed and he was left alone, Professor Jin wondered where exactly everything had gone wrong.
But soon after, he pulled out Kang Jihoon’s academy record file and erased all the demerit points that had piled up.
‘This bastard... I need to send him to a higher class as soon as possible. He’s not someone I can keep around any longer.’
Professor Jin Seokhyun came to a quick and wise decision.
However, whether his wish would actually come true was another matter entirely.
“Aaagh!! Aaaagh!!”
“Seol Yoojung, are you sure you’re using your healing skill properly?”
“Yes! The nerve connections in the leg are almost completely restored!”
“What about the blood? Do we have enough for the transfusion?”
“Yes, it’s nearly finished.”
Seol Yoojung, a B-rank healer Hunter from Class 4, possessed healing skills powerful enough to be unmatched.
Of course, they still couldn’t compare to the skills of A-rank or S-rank Hunters, but people like that were rare unicorn-like existences to begin with.
After receiving an urgent summons and rushing to the treatment room, an awful sight unfolded before her eyes.
Seong Changhoon. She knew him as well.
He had passionately pursued her for a long time.
Unlike that fool Kang Jihoon, who couldn’t even properly confess and only hovered around her, Seong Changhoon had straightforwardly confessed to her since their first year of high school.
At the time, Yoojung hadn’t been very interested in relationships and had tried hard to reject him, but unlike countless other men, Seong Changhoon never gave up and continued expressing his feelings.
Yoojung knew he was popular because of his handsome face and wealthy family background.
And because of that, she had felt genuinely happy and proud that such a good person refused to give up on her.
Ah... Did that bastard Kang Jihoon never give up either?
Regardless, someone she had such a connection with was now lying before her in a horrifying state.
Writhing in agony and screaming.
“The wound treatment and recovery are almost complete. But there’s nothing we can do about the patient’s pain or trauma.”
Yoojung continuously activated her healing skill with both hands overflowing with mana.
Yet even though the severed leg had reattached and the holes in his stomach had closed, Changhoon’s pain didn’t seem to lessen at all.
His desperate screams echoed throughout the treatment room.
“If you’re done, Cadet Seol Yoojung, you may leave now. We’ll take care of the rest.”
At Professor Hyun Jayoung’s words, Yoojung bowed politely before leaving the treatment room.
Even as she walked out, Changhoon’s screams continued ringing in her ears.
Seeing someone she knew—and someone who liked her—writhing in pain filled Yoojung with an indescribable sadness.
Outside the treatment room, she noticed Yoon Jinhee pacing around anxiously.
“Jin...hee, right? We went to the same high school.”
“O-Oh, Yoojung. Hi...”
An awkward silence flowed between them.
“I heard you were the one who carried Changhoon’s severed... leg here. Is that true?”
“Huh?... Ah... Yeah... That’s right.”
“How did Changhoon end up like that? He’s in so much pain. My healing skill can’t remove pain itself... It hurts me to see him like this.”
“Ah, well... Something happened.”
“Hm? Did you actually see what happened to Changhoon? What in the world happened? Did he fight some Gate-escaped monster or something?”
“No, nothing like that. He got into a fight with someone on the way to the academy...”
Yoojung tilted her head at Jinhee’s words.
Did it make any sense for a C-rank Hunter to get injured like that from fighting someone on the street?
A C-rank Hunter who was an actual combat force.
“Did he run into some high-level malicious Black Hunter?”
“No... Um... Kang Jihoon...”
“Hm? What did you say?”
“I said he fought with Kang Jihoon.”
“...”
Yoojung was left speechless while Jinhee looked at her as though she completely understood her reaction.
Behind them, Changhoon’s screams continued leaking out from the treatment room.