Chapter 50
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 050
Chapter Title: The Hero Appears in the Academy Raid Incident
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"What are you doing here?!"
I had explicitly told Erina to stay put in the dorm today and avoid going outside if at all possible.
Her classes were held in Building 1, which was quite a distance away,
but since Erina was already dead in the original story by this point, there was no guarantee of her safety—so I had impressed upon her the need to be extra careful.
So why the hell was she here?
"Then what are you doing here, Si-woo? You always nag me not to skip class, so if you're saying that, of course something's up!"
"More importantly, how did you even know to come here? Were you spying on me or something?"
"Fate, obviously. Fate."
Erina smirked at my words.
The Purity Faction thugs swarming this place like this, and Erina showing up here too—it was all deviations from the plan.
The Purity Faction group seemed momentarily thrown off by Erina's sudden appearance.
"Got yourself a new friend, huh? Doesn't matter—she's just another student. Kill them all and let's regroup fast."
With that, they dropped into combat stances.
No, kill? Such brutal words.
That's scary.
Erina was the one who got even angrier at their words.
"Ha! Did you just say you're gonna kill Si-woo?! You've got some nerve. You can badmouth my dog, but only I get to badmouth him."
"Wait..."
They said they're killing you too, included with me.
And what's this about a dog?
There were a ton of things I wanted to nitpick, but given the situation, I let them slide.
"Anyway, looks like you were in a tight spot. This time, I'll save you."
I really had been cornered. Three against one, head-on fight. Definitely not in my favor.
Then the super tank Erina showed up.
2 vs. 3.
But now we had a proper tank on our side.
'Talk about turning the tables.'
The standoff ended with Erina's words as we eyed each other.
"Si-woo, attack the moment I count to three."
"You're saying that loud enough for them to hear?"
A conversation at a volume they could easily overhear.
The enemies reacted instinctively to her words, it seemed.
"One!"
At "one," Erina charged the frontmost Purity thug, slamming her massive shield right into his face.
-Clang!
'That one landed solid.'
"Urk...!"
The Purity thug clutched his nose, his balance shaken.
During our previous training session back at the dorm, Erina had bragged about a technique she'd invented herself—one that was guaranteed to work if you timed the attack right on the count.
I'd dismissed it as her usual nonsense at the time.
'But damn if it doesn't actually work.'
"You pathetic SHITHEADS. No wonder you're wandering around in those idiotic outfits—you fall for crap like this."
"You little bitch...! You dare humiliate us?! Don't expect an easy death just 'cause you're a kid."
The moment she struck, Erina unleashed a taunt. Textbook tank play.
'Though in her case, she probably just said whatever she felt like.'
Innate talent, I suppose.
Erina quickly put distance between us, surrounding herself with the enemies.
"What the hell are you banking on, stepping up alone?"
What guts.
'Can't waste the opening Erina made for me.'
I eyed the Purity thugs lunging at her.
Roughly three meters away, slightly to the right.
Perfect angle for Flash Strike.
[Bunny Hop]
In the instant the skill activated, I brushed past Erina's front.
"What the—when did that guy get there...!"
"What did that kid just do?"
"Wait, my body... my body..."
I grinned at the Purity thugs.
"Can't let your guard down just 'cause I'm far away."
As I passed them, I gave each a shallow slash with Psyche's Blade.
It wouldn't last long, but it'd restrict their movements for a moment.
'Of course, they'll shake it off soon.'
That's where Erina comes in.
"Erina."
"Got it."
-Clang!
-Clang!
-Clang!
Only after three satisfying rings echoed from Erina's shield did the situation settle.
"Phew... Got 'em all tied up."
Since these guys were Purity Faction, killing them here wouldn't be an issue,
but
'With Erina watching, no need to get bloody.'
So I bound them all and, just to be safe, severed their ankle tendons.
'Flash Strike came in handy after all.'
I turned to Erina, who looked like her legs had given out from the tension as she sat there.
"What were you thinking, charging in alone? Nice guts, though."
"I trusted you."
"Me?"
I hadn't expected those words from Erina's mouth...
"I trusted your whoosh-whoosh. You showed it off in the dorm training room last time, right? And it worked out in the end, didn't it?"
"Well, yeah, but..."
Whoosh-whoosh? How embarrassing.
"No, and I told you to stay holed up in the dorm."
"Nag time's over. Keep bitching, and I'll smash your head with this shield too."
Seeing her shield stained with the blood of three people triggered an automatic apology.
"Sorry."
"Don't wanna die? Then be careful."
Well, it was true—I'd have been toast without her.
I'd planned to keep Erina out of danger, but somehow she'd ended up saving my ass.
Erina pointed at the bound Purity thugs.
"So what the hell are these guys?"
"Purity Faction."
"Purity Faction?! That K-terrorist group from Korea?"
Erina's eyes widened in shock.
If even she knew about them, they must be pretty infamous internationally.
"Why the hell are dangerous freaks like that in the academy?"
"Beats me."
More like, she jumped in without even knowing who they were.
"Thanks."
At my gratitude, Erina pointed at my face, looking embarrassed.
"If you get it, take off that ragtag mask already."
"Mask?"
Oh, right—I was still wearing it.
"I knew you were a hardcore nationalist, but wearing that?"
Erina shook her head as she spoke.
"What's wrong with the mask? It's cool."
"If you seriously think that, I recommend a hospital. Si-woo."
"Anyway, you spotted me from a glance."
"Well..."
Erina trailed off, then muttered.
"You just stand out differently from everyone else. I could spot you from 10 meters away."
"What was that?"
"Didn't hear? Then shut up."
Erina sighed.
As if I didn't hear. My hearing's fine.
'Means she trusts me that much.'
I'd thought she wasn't one to get swayed by emotions easily, but everything's turning out contrary to my expectations lately.
"So what's that, Si-woo?"
"What?"
Erina pointed at the fallen 'Stone of Growth' box on the floor.
I'd tucked it safely in my waist pouch, but the intense movements must've shaken it loose at some point.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
"Whenever you say that, it's never nothing. Just look at today."
"When'd you get so smart?"
"Ha, isn't it obvious?"
Erina puffed up with pride, grinning. That wasn't praise—it was an insult.
"So what the heck is it? Looks like some super-valuable treasure or something."
Erina picked up the box, inspecting it.
She ain't wrong.
I grabbed her shoulder, putting on a serious face.
"Wh-what is it, all of a sudden?"
"Listen up, Erina. You just saw nothing. That box? One of the other Purity conspirators grabbed it and ran off."
"What kinda nonsense is that?"
"I'll grant you any favor you want."
I had no idea what she might ask for, but I figured promising something was better than nothing—and ended up blurting it out.
Look at that cheeky grin, like she just found her leverage.
'She totally has me now.'
Erina smiled at me.
"Anything at all?"
"If possible...?"
"Fine, I'll hold you to it for now."
"Hold me to what? You're making me nervous."
"My call. Or should I just go spill it right now?!"
"Calm down. Hold it as long as you want."
Should be fine. She's not a bad kid at heart—probably just plans to mess with me a bit.
That's when a small noise came from the Purity thugs.
"Damn it, getting stuck like this in a place like..."
"Kyaaaaah!!! Si-woo! This bastard's coming to!!!"
"Hit him! Knock him out again!!"
"SHIT!! I'm already hitting him!!"
-Clang! Clang! Clang!
"All good now. Don't worry—I took care of the bad guy."
"Good job."
I gave Erina a thumbs-up.
...Wait a sec.
Come to think of it, those guys were talking about Kang Hwa-yeon and Baek A-rin earlier.
'No way...'
Kang Hwa-yeon under attack?
After our duel, while she was consoling herself with her one true friend Baek A-rin, something made Hwa-yeon a Purity target, dragging A-rin into it too.
Is that the storyline?
'Nah, no way.'
...
Fuck, it is.
No, they can't die. Especially not Baek A-rin. If you die, what was the point of everything I've done so far?
"Erina, contact the professors first and tell them to head where I say. The classroom at the top of the fifth floor, end of the hall in the building right next door!"
"Smartwatches aren't working right now."
Right. Everything's down.
Investigator Lee Dok-sa is probably just now piecing things together from her office.
"Go find Instructor Lee Dok-sa first. Tell her it's urgent! You know where?"
"Where are you going, Si-woo?!"
"What else? To make my heroic entrance!"
From what they said earlier, it's a dire situation. No time to wait for professors.
Kang Hwa-yeon and Baek A-rin are definitely in a top-floor classroom in that building. It's the place full of memories with her dad, where she goes whenever she's upset. Gotta be there.
'Passing through here explains why those guys came this way too.'
Erina shouted after me, worried.
"What kinda bullshit is that?!"
"Super hero landing!"
I struck a pose and bolted toward the classroom where Kang Hwa-yeon and Baek A-rin were.