The Academy's Savior
The car driven by Seong Ha-ri arrived at a village in Pyongan Province. The village was named Jingu Village—a small place with fewer than 70 residents.
Our destination wasn't the village itself, but the area right beside it. It was a fenced-off zone bearing the logos of the Korean Hero Association and the police. Armed E-class heroes stood guard, preventing anyone from entering.
We rented a house in the village, originally belonging to an elderly couple, paying to use it for two days. After settling in, we gathered in the yard under Seong Ha-ri's leadership.
"Listen up. The place we're entering is a B-class contaminated zone. Since all of you can use mana, you won't be affected by the contamination... but never let your guard down."
Seong Ha-ri repeated this several times.
A contaminated zone. As the name suggests, it's an area polluted by dungeon destruction, curses, battle aftermath, or demons. The mana becomes corrupted, negatively affecting ordinary people and animals. Such zones exist all over South Korea. C-class and below can be purified with time, but from B-class upward, you must find and eliminate the contamination medium. The most serious problem is that if left unchecked, the zone will keep expanding—which is why the Association prioritizes handling B-class and above zones quickly.
'But this Jingu Village is a bit different.'
The contaminated zone around Jingu Village hadn't changed size even after several years. The contamination wasn't spreading. 'The contamination is B-class, so the Association tried to handle it several times... but all attempts failed.' Contaminated zone expeditions differ from dungeons, which is why they've struggled. Since this zone is B-class but the contamination isn't spreading, the Association has kind of left it alone—there are plenty of more urgent zones to deal with.
The atmosphere in the yard grew heavy. Academy students were elites among hero aspirants, and none were unfamiliar with contaminated zones.
"Hmm. You all look serious. No need to be so tense. This B-class zone just has a hidden medium, which is why they couldn't purify it. In terms of danger level, it's more like a C to D-class dungeon. So no need to be so on edge."
Seong Ha-ri smiled faintly, lightening the mood.
"I'm here, so don't worry too much. Or should we rest a bit more before starting?"
Ryu Hana shook her head, already radiating the sharp aura of a warrior ready for battle.
"No. I want to enter the contaminated zone right now."
Choi Dayeon stepped forward, a vintage bow in her hand.
"I've participated in dungeon expeditions a few times, but this is my first time in a contaminated zone. It'll be a good experience."
Kim Cheonwoo swung his greatsword, its blade humming. Unlike Ryu Hana and Choi Dayeon, who brought personal gear, he wielded academy-issued weapons. His shoulders tensed with overzealous energy as his eyes gleamed.
"Seong Ha-ri-nim... Ah, no, Auntie. I'll show you the strength I've built up."
He brimmed with enthusiasm. Ma Jin-bae clenched his fists, his face set with battle-ready intensity. Lee Kang-hoo focused solely on protecting Choi Dayeon. Lee Si-eun stayed close to me, unwilling to stray.
I calmly prepared my gear: the Fire Lotus Flying Dagger and Stormbreaker in spear form.
"As expected of future heroes. Alright, let's go."
We followed Seong Ha-ri toward the contaminated zone. The heroes guarding it recognized her status and stood at rigid attention.
"We heard from above, Seong Ha-ri-nim. You're allowed to enter the Jingu Village B-class contaminated zone. If you need our support, we'll do our best to help."
"That's enough. You do your job."
Her words granted us free passage. That was why I'd asked Seong Ha-ri for help. As first-year academy students, the Association or faculty would never permit us to enter. But with her as the leader, the story changed. An SS-class hero entering a B-class zone—she alone could handle it, and the contaminated zone's peculiarities meant nothing before her.
"Ugh!"
Kim Cheonwoo's knees buckled as the contaminated mana pressed against his body. Others reacted similarly, though less severely, while Seong Ha-ri, me, and Lee Si-eun remained unaffected. My experiences in other worlds shielded me from the corrupted mana, and Lee Si-eun possessed energy-related traits and skills.
"You're not used to contaminated mana. Activate your mana, and you'll be fine. And don't be too scared—just because the mana is contaminated doesn't mean it's completely corrupted."
The spirit Mokka could be affected, but as a high-tier spirit, she was unaffected by this level of contamination.
The contaminated zone was eerie. The ground was greenish, and the plants growing atop it looked melted. The trees were the same. It felt like entering a dungeon, though we hadn't. Rustle, rustle. A snow-white rabbit hopped out from the bushes, doll-like in appearance. Yet no one was charmed by its cuteness.
Shing. Ryu Hana drew her swords, gripping one in each hand as she glared at the rabbit with lethal intent. A merciless woman.
The rabbit tilted its head cutely and hopped toward her.
"Mom, is that okay?"
She asked Seong Ha-ri, who watched silently.
"It's fine. Hana isn't letting her guard down. Though she's gripping her swords a bit too tightly."
Before the rabbit could approach fully, Ryu Hana moved first. Her two swords crossed in an X, slashing through the air with such force that the afterimage lingered.
"Screaming loudly!"
The rabbit suddenly let out a sharp scream, its body swelling. It launched itself at Ryu Hana, kicking off the ground. Her blades sliced its hide, but not deeply. The rabbit's form distorted—its four legs vanished, its long ears hardened like blades, and its cute face twisted into a demonic visage.
Ryu Hana maintained her expressionless face, swinging her swords.
The fight lasted longer than expected.
"Ryu Hana, should I help?"
Kim Cheonwoo asked.
"No. This is my fight."
Her cold voice warned him not to interfere. Kim Cheonwoo backed away, intimidated by her aura.
Seong Ha-ri, watching, smiled bitterly. She casually tossed her spear. The result was anything but casual. The spear tore through the air, piercing the rabbit and embedding itself in the ground, creating a small crater with a thunderous impact.
"……"
Ryu Hana's mouth hung open in shock as she turned to stare at Seong Ha-ri.
"Hana. I understand how you feel. You want to fight? Prove your strength? I was like that too, so I know. But right now, your strength isn't what's important. We're here to tackle the contaminated zone, not to test your skills. Don't forget what our main objective is."
"...Yes. Auntie is right. Right now... we're on an expedition. I'll focus on that."
"Good."
Seong Ha-ri extended her hand forward. A crackle of electricity surged as the spear lifted from the ground and flew into her palm, retrieved via magnetic force.
The group resumed moving. Another rabbit appeared. Ryu Hana stepped forward, followed by Kim Cheonwoo and Ma Jin-bae.
"Like Auntie Seong Ha-ri said, this is an expedition. We need to kill monsters efficiently."
"Don't tell me you're going to complain again?"
"...Just don't hold me back."
The three moved in unison, dispatching the rabbit monster in under ten seconds.
Kim Cheonwoo slit open the rabbit's corpse, searching for a mana stone. Ryu Hana's words left him awkwardly scratching the back of his head.
"Monsters in contaminated zones don't have mana stones. They're made from corrupted mana influenced by primal will."
The space lurched violently. Ground, sky, and trees swayed like waves, inducing nausea and sensory distortion. All the academy students stumbled, except Seong Ha-ri.
I caught Lee Si-eun as she nearly collapsed beside me. The spatial shift ended as quickly as it began, depositing us in a damp cave. Sighs echoed around us—all looked unwell.
"This contaminated zone is quite unique. The deeper you go, the more the space shifts unpredictably. That's why the Association couldn't purify it."
Seong Ha-ri raised her hand toward the ceiling. Her palm glowed, erasing the cave's ceiling with her Purification (D+) skill, temporarily cleansing the corrupted space. But as the light faded, the purified area wavered, and the cave ceiling reformed.
"Our goal is to find the hidden medium. Don't forget that. This time, Hana and Cheonwoo will take the rear, Jin-bae and Kang-hoo the front. Dayeon, stay alert. Let's advance."
Another rabbit appeared. Ma Jin-bae and Lee Kang-hoo charged simultaneously, crushing it to pulp.
"...Not bad."
"You too."
The two men exchanged glances, equally matched. I faced forward, absently caressing Lee Si-eun's body as she rested against me. She didn't resist, blushing as she accepted my touch.
She had a well-kept figure. As I touched her chest, Choi Dayeon glanced over. Her eyes widened. After a moment's hesitation, I squeezed Lee Si-eun's breast firmly.
"Ugh…"
She let out a soft moan. Her F-cup breasts clung to my hand, each finger movement pressing lewdly. The sensation was so good I regretted touching her through her clothes. Her face flushed deeper—she knew Choi Dayeon was watching, which only heightened her arousal.
Choi Dayeon turned away, her face crimson. I withdrew my hand; too many eyes were on us. Lee Si-eun looked at me with longing, but I shook my head firmly. Her expression fell.
Regardless, the group pressed forward.