Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: It's Okay Because I'm a Genius with a Time Limit
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[Remaining Time: 27 days 11 hours 53 minutes]
Civilian support is a long-standing tradition and duty of Taehak.
They exterminate low-level demonic beasts near civilian areas, assist the Extermination Squad with minor incidents, and cooperate by collecting and providing information.
"Everyone's here, so let's head out."
The next morning.
Everyone from Class A, excluding the injured Cheon Seo-yoon, passed through the portal to Wonju and boarded the bus.
Since their first civilian support mission happened to be a disappearance case, the atmosphere was somewhat tense.
Everyone stared silently out the window, taking in the ever-changing scenery.
The bus, carrying that silence, soon arrived at the pension designated as their temporary lodging.
Class A unpacked their bags briefly and headed straight to their assigned patrol zones.
Team 4 also scoured the surroundings of their assigned area under Joo Ah-rin's lead.
The result was...
"Not a single damn ant in sight."
"This isn't a disappearance; it's like they vanished into thin air."
As Kang Cheol-min and Lee Min-ha said, it was an obvious bust.
There was no way they'd run into the culprits when their base wasn't even around here to begin with.
On top of that, all the demonic beasts in the vicinity had been swept clean by them, so proper combat was out of the question.
And so, the first day passed without any gains, and the second morning dawned.
"We've received additional orders. We're expanding the patrol range."
Kim Mi-young, who was accompanying them as the supervisor, called everyone from Class A early in the morning.
"The newly designated area is the border zone adjacent to the 'Forbidden Zone'..."
It was just as in the original story, so I stayed nonchalant, but those around me couldn't hide their shock at the mere word 'Forbidden Zone.'
And for good reason.
The Forbidden Zone was an officially government-designated no-entry area where dense demonic energy caused various anomalies.
Even the Extermination Squad avoided it, and as expected of such an unknown space, the students buzzed with all sorts of bizarre rumors as if they were facts.
"They say just getting near it makes it hard to breathe because of the mana waves?"
"There are tons of weird demonic spaces created by the mana too. Step wrong and..."
Most of it was nonsense, but there was some accurate info too.
The demons' secret realm was one of those weird demonic spaces.
As the commotion died down, Kim Mi-young continued.
"Given the high risk, we'll form a team with your support, cadets. Five members. Any volunteers?"
This was the so-called Special Patrol Team.
The true curtain was rising on the fourth episode.
As the main game began, my forward vision suddenly wavered.
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[Main Quest #4]
[Objective: Thwart the demons' forbidden ritual (Contribute 50% or more to resolving the incident).]
[Reward: +18 days to remaining time, 25 SP]
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The objective was as expected, and the reward was...
Wow.
A whopping 18 days.
Enough time to permanently boost my mana ability by a solid 0.6.
"Let's recap one last time."
It was an opportunity I couldn't miss, so I reviewed the original story once more.
First off, during the patrols, Baek Sa-young discovers the demons' secret realm.
While patrolling alone, he senses something ominous and reports it immediately. Kim Mi-young then requests backup from the Extermination Squad.
But as always, adversity follows.
With the curt notice that backup would arrive at the earliest tomorrow morning, Kim Mi-young ultimately decides to rescue the missing person.
She leads the Special Patrol Team into the secret realm for a showdown with the demons.
After a fierce battle, Class A emerges victorious. Baek Sa-young gets a hint about a new trait, and the Special Patrol Team receives store vouchers and an overseas vacation as rewards.
So, to clear the quest, I needed to join the Special Patrol Team first.
That was the easiest and most orthodox strategy.
...But.
It wasn't as simple as it sounded.
"I'll go."
Out of the five spots, one was predictably snatched by the fastest hand—Baek Sa-young's.
"Me too."
"I volunteer."
You couldn't leave out Lee Dae-ho and Seol Yun-gi, who wouldn't let their friend or rival go alone.
Would Joo Ah-rin just sit still?
"We can't send just three superhumans. We need to consider the team composition, so I'll go too."
She naturally volunteered, seeing the high chance of success.
Just like that, the once-open spots dwindled to one in an instant.
No one could challenge the qualifications of these four, whose skills spoke for themselves.
In the end, nobodies like me had to compete for that last spot...
And it wasn't easy.
"Only one spot left. A long-range support type would be ideal."
As Kim Mi-young asked again, those who had been hesitating started raising their hands one after another.
"Rescuing the missing persons means store vouchers for sure, right?"
"Obviously. Even finding traces would get you one? With that lineup, it's a lock."
Their greed for rewards and the impressive roster of prior volunteers overshadowed even the weight of the Forbidden Zone.
"Ha-yul, you should volunteer too. If you're shy, I can recommend you instead?"
Just then, Lee Min-ha beside me urged me on.
"Me? Nah."
But I stayed silent.
No, I had no intention of volunteering from the start.
It was pointless anyway.
"More popularity than expected. For fairness, we'll have to go by combined rankings..."
As anticipated, Kim Mi-young brought out an objective standard.
There was never a spot for a lowly 700th-ranker like me to begin with.
In the end, the last spot went to some 100-rank mage named Kim-something, just like in the original.
Does that mean I struck out?
"Pfft, as if."
Silence didn't mean giving up—I was definitely planning to join the demon extermination battle.
Using a method different from the others, one only I could pull off...
Time to make my move.
"Instructor!"
I called out to Kim Mi-young, who was about to leave, and hurried over.
* * *
The Special Patrol Team, with a long way to go, set off for the Forbidden Zone border under Joo Ah-rin's leadership as team leader.
The remaining students were assigned surrounding patrols like yesterday, and with key members gone, teams and routes were reorganized in a hectic morning.
"Ha-yul, don't push yourself and rest."
"Yeah. You go on ahead."
Everyone except me, who got the day off under the excuse of mana exhaustion...
Once Lee Min-ha, who'd stuck by me till the end, left, I stealthily began my actions.
Taking advantage of everyone being busy, I stood in front of the door Kim Mi-young used as her office.
I heightened my senses—especially hearing—activated Manifestation, crafted a key, and swiftly unlocked the door.
Creak—
No time to waste, I quickly checked the desk.
It was well-organized, so it didn't take long to find what I wanted.
"Found it. Class A civilian support patrol route status board..."
This info was essential for joining the demon extermination battle as planned, so I activated my trait without hesitation.
[Trait: Perusal activated.]
Soon, a satellite view popped up in my mind.
Chiaksan foothills, team patrol routes, and scattered paths in between—the surrounding terrain was visible at a glance.
Now I could pinpoint the demons' secret realm even more precisely.
I returned to the lodging as if nothing had happened.
After firmly locking the door, I bought the most important item first.
[Decent Human-Face Mask]
[Description: An ordinary face that's neither handsome nor ugly. Automatically alters voice to a familiar, average tone. Effect lasts up to 6 hours.]
[Price: 8 SP]
I considered repurchasing the one from the pawnshop but went with a new persona just in case.
[Trait: Manifestation activated.]
I pulled up a memory and created a disguise ID.
With the pre-prepared black suit and black cap, the mirror showed a man in his early thirties who looked like he had plenty of secrets.
"Now all that's left is to execute."
The plan was simple.
Take a shortcut to catch up to Baek Sa-young, who's ahead, and intervene when he discovers the secret realm.
Pretend it's a chance encounter, pry a bit, and egg him on.
Convince him to enter together...
Odds were good.
One demon would be away procuring demonic beasts, so no issues with forces.
And convincing Baek Sa-young? This guy in the mirror would handle it.
"If Park Ha-yul doesn't work, I'll bet on another identity."
Extermination Squad Special Forces.
Time to summon that short but intense connection once more.
With all members shrouded in secrecy, good acting would make fooling them a breeze.
* * *
The Forbidden Zone border wasn't the Forbidden Zone itself, but it reeked of dense mana influence, boasting a thoroughly eerie environment.
Green leaves mixed with pale blue, giving off a heavy teal hue, while abnormally tall trees blocked half the sky.
The Special Patrol Team, pushing forward relentlessly and clearing a path, encountered an unexpected fork and had no choice but to stop.
"Split up here?"
"I'm for it."
"You know that means it's that much more dangerous, right?"
Opinions were split, but they eventually agreed.
Either way, to make efficient use of the limited time, individual patrols were the only answer.
Thus, the Special Patrol Team headed down their chosen paths.
"Shall we?"
Baek Sa-young also turned into the second path, thick with underbrush.
He'd chosen it because it felt right, and the entrance seemed manageable enough to raise some hopes.
But what do you know.
A bit further in, he started doubting if this was correct.
The path was funneling narrower the deeper he went, like a trap.
"This damn luck of the draw..."
Eventually, it narrowed to a trail only small game could use. Baek Sa-young paused, wiping sweat as he pondered.
At a glance—total dud—this path was really a no-go.
"Hmm..."
But his hesitation didn't last long.
Baek Sa-young drew his sword, hacked through the brush, and pressed on.
At best, it was just proving the obvious.
Some might call it stubborn or frustrating...
But giving his all to the mission.
That was the driving force and foundation that made Baek Sa-young who he was.
Moved by his stubborn diligence, the goddess of luck finally extended her hand.
Thump—
A sudden prickling sensation made his heart race, followed by a sticky ominousness.
"...What is it."
Baek Sa-young walked on, seeking the source.
Relying solely on instinct, he kept advancing.
Step by step—
How far had he gone?
When he looked up, there was a vast field, and in its center stood a colossal tree like a pillar.
Whoooosh—
The giant tree, hung with colorful silk banners, swayed eerily in the wind, scattering a thick, musty aura.
In that instant, he knew intuitively.
"This tree..."
Something was there.
Baek Sa-young took a step closer.
"Who's there?"
That's when an unfamiliar voice rang out.
A sharp yet full-bodied, resonant tone. A presence right behind him—he hadn't noticed the approach...
Instinctive alarm surged; he spun around to face the voice's owner.
A man in a black suit and black cap.
"You're..."
But the other's reaction was unexpected.
As their eyes met, the man's sharply arched brows shot up.
Who is this guy?
Baek Sa-young, hand on his sword hilt, tilted his head for a moment.
The man seemed to recognize him, but this was definitely a face he'd never seen.
"To think we'd meet here again. Our timing's always been off."
Yet, unlike his average looks, the somewhat arrogant tone and twisted smirk felt oddly familiar.
"From before"—that phrase especially rang with meaning.
"Ah..."
In that moment, a memory flashed through his mind.
Yeah, that vibe.
Sharp as a honed blade, yet with unyielding dignity.
Arrogant and aloof, but charismatic for it.
The wolf-like aura was unique among everyone Baek Sa-young had met...
His eyes widened as he shouted.
"S-Senior?"