Chapter 739
Chapter 739
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 739
Chapter Title: Academy Savior
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"Cut! Cut! Cut! Actor Sung! That was a masterful performance! Masterful!"
Makina came flying over, making a huge fuss.
I got to my feet and brushed the dust off my clothes. I held off on using Complete Recovery for now. There might be more attackers coming later.
"Did you get it all on film?"
"I filmed it with three cameras at once! Wanna see? Your face came out great, and those losers' pathetic faces are crystal clear too. Should I upload it to NewTube? It'll easily hit a million views!"
Makina, who was obsessed with NewTube lately, transferred the footage to my smartphone. Just as she said, it was perfectly shot. The audio was clear without any noise.
"Makina. Can you edit this? Make me look like an even more pitiful victim."
"Of course! That's a piece of cake for me! But you're not thinking of using a high-class talent like me for free, are you?"
"What more could you want, freeloading at my place?"
"Spirit Orbs! Give me some Spirit Orbs! You haven't given me any lately!"
"Those are precious. I can't just hand them over for editing a video. I'll give you some when the time is right, so be good in the meantime."
"Ugh..."
She shot me a dissatisfied glare. When I stared right back, Makina turned her head away. After years together, she knew exactly how much of a pain I could be. And thanks to our contract, she couldn't defy me anyway.
"Now all that's left is the cleanup."
The area was littered with corpses. They were electrocuted, so there wasn't much mess or noise. Who knows what might happen once time passes, though.
Calling the police would be a last resort. This was a battle between Awakeners. The cops wouldn't help much. I could ask Han So-hee to handle it cleanly, but that might tip off Sung Ha-ri.
'If Sung Ha-ri finds out, she'll go berserk with rage. That might not play out the way I want. Better...'
The phone rang. Exactly on the fifth ring, the other side picked up.
"...I'll say this upfront, but I'm busy. I don't have time for dinner with you."
Academy Dean Kang Ji-young spoke firmly. I'd been persistently inviting her to dinner lately to boost her favorability.
"Auntie. It's not about that today..."
"Don't call me Auntie. Call me Dean. You're an Academy student now. Don't forget that."
"It's not even office hours right now."
"...Can't argue with that. What's the call about?"
"I got attacked by a villain group called Mebius."
"...Where? Did you contact Sung Ha-ri?"
"I didn't tell Mom. You know she wouldn't let it slide. You're the first one I called."
"...Good call. Calling me first means... you don't want this publicized?"
"Exactly."
"Got it."
Kang Ji-young was eager to help because of the parents' association. They could use this as leverage to wield influence, especially with Sung Ha-ri making a fuss.
"I need the rough details, so tell me over the phone."
I couldn't tell the whole truth, so I mixed in some lies about loan sharks. It was a clever fib—even if she investigated, it wouldn't unravel easily. Besides, now that I'd been attacked by villains, the cause hardly mattered.
"Causing trouble right after enrollment... Like mother, like son, huh? I'm already dreading what accidents you'll pull next."
"They jumped me first, not the other way around. Mebius or whatever came at me."
"You have proof, I assume?"
"Solid evidence. Enough to shake up Korea at least a little, even if it doesn't flip it upside down."
I held up my smartphone and grinned.
???
A week passed.
In the meantime, whenever I had free time, I'd been wiping out loan sharks under the Hero Union. Rumors about me were spreading in the underworld. I only targeted those tied to the Hero Union, so most loan sharks quietly cheered me on. From their perspective, I was eliminating annoying rivals.
Cash Road.
Today's target. They occupied an entire five-story building in Gangwon Province—a massive office for a bunch of loan sharks.
As always, I kicked the door open and strode in.
I expected the staff to reflexively greet me, but the scene inside was beyond my expectations.
No staff. Just armed men. About ten of them, positioned to make things tricky for me.
These weren't like the ragtag Mebius goons who attacked me a week ago. These guys were professionally trained. Each one around E to D-rank. If they rushed me all at once, even I couldn't guarantee an easy win.
"You've arrived. We've been waiting."
A man stepped forward from the center. He was about my height but skinny as a rail. The word "lanky" came to mind.
Standing boldly within arm's reach, he adjusted his rimless glasses with a smug air.
"Hello. Sung Yu-jin. Not thrilled to meet you, but I suppose I should say nice to meet you."
"And who the hell are you?"
"Shin Jong-cheol, from upstairs. My title's section chief, so call me Chief Shin."
"Upstairs, huh..."
"Yes. Exactly as you hoped—upstairs has made their move."
His "upstairs" was obviously the Hero Union. He deliberately avoided naming them. They wanted this handled quietly.
"We're a hunter unit specializing in cleanup."
"Hunters? More like hunting dogs."
"Sure, that's one way to put it. Normally, we'd go straight for your neck. But here I am, stepping up to greet you. You know what that means, right?"
"You wanna end this nicely."
"Yes. Nicely. Very nicely. Upstairs doesn't want trouble with you, Sung Yu-jin. They've decided clashing with you brings no gain, only loss. They want to compromise before things get worse."
"Doesn't feel like a compromising atmosphere."
The men around held weapons but restrained their auras. Their eyes, though, were lethal. If talks soured, they'd swarm and kill me in an instant.
"I'm not an Awakener. They're here to protect me. And... to handle things if they go south."
Shin Jong-cheol smiled at me. A blatant threat: screw up the negotiation, and they'd kill me here. I smiled back.
"Sung Yu-jin. What do you want? Doesn't seem like money. Well, with your background, you don't need it. Got a grudge against someone upstairs? Name them, and we'll hand them over."
"Playing it that way? Fine, if we can talk, it suits me too. Hand over Park Sung-gu."
"...Hm. You mean the Park Sung-gu I know?"
"Probably."
Shin Jong-cheol's face hardened. His smile vanished, sharpening his features into those of a ruthless killer.
"You crazy bastard. Treating you nice went to your head. Do you even know who he is?"
Park Sung-gu.
Gangwon Province branch chief of the Hero Union. One of their top five power players.
"That's why I named him."
"You don't just meet him because you want to. Cocky punk. We'll handle you right here... Gurk?!"
I shot out my right hand and grabbed his throat. My nails dug into his neck, drawing blood.
"You've been pissing me off since earlier... Did you think you were the boss and I was the underling? Is this who the Hero Union sends at me?"
"Gah! Kkh! Grk!"
Shin Jong-cheol thrashed. He slapped at my right arm and kicked my body. I twisted his arm with my left, snapping it.
"...!!"
Strength drained from his body, eyes rolling back. I released my grip just before he died. The unconscious Shin Jong-cheol slumped to the floor.
Right then, a man appeared behind me. Silent and swift, swinging a kukri in his hand. Aiming for my nape.
The world slowed. I spun, seized his wrist, and yanked the kukri away. His eyes widened in shock. But only for a moment—he tried to back off.
'Slower than Ryu Hana.'
Slash.
His head rolled across the floor, severed from his neck.
The enemies moved in unison.
"Groooar!"
The summoned Moka materialized and unleashed lightning in all directions. The enemies charging at me flinched, legs buckling. I seized the opening, swinging the kukri at the nearest ones. Blue sword aura rippled along the blade.
"Sword aura...! He's at least D-rank. Proceed with caution!"
"Activate the barrier!"
The man farthest back, most distant from me, deployed a barrier.
My body grew over ten times heavier. My legs wouldn't move easily. Moka, zipping around the building spewing bolts, hit harder—crashing to the floor, immobilized.
'This barrier's no joke. They prepared it to kill me for sure.'
The enemies closed in. Their steps were light.
"Not your average fresh Academy student."
"Doesn't matter—he's done for. The mid-heat barrier is insane, as always."
"No time for chit-chat. Finish him quick. You know how much it costs to maintain this."
"Got it, boss."
They drew near.
The crushing pressure vanished. My body felt light.
Shadow Heaven Style: Thunder Light.
The lightning-infused blade cleaved through the enemies. I didn't stop there. Heavenly Heart lasted a minute, boosting my physical abilities. I rampaged even fiercer, unleashing thunderbolts.
"...Damn. This mission was a nightmare."
The last one's boss charged at me, knowing he'd die. I bisected him cleanly.
"......"
Battle over, I caught my breath and approached Shin Jong-cheol, still sprawled on the floor.
"Stop faking it. I know you woke up earlier."
"...P-Please spare me."
"I'll let you live. You need to relay this upstairs, and clean up here."
"Gaaaaah!"
I swung the kukri, severing his limbs. I used acupressure points and potions to keep him from bleeding out.
"Can't wait to see when Park Sung-gu contacts me."
"Sweet."
???
That evening, Park Sung-gu called.
He wanted to meet at the Hero Union Gangwon branch office. No way it was a trap—he'd formally invited me.
"Come in. I'm Park Sung-gu."
Park Sung-gu was a portly middle-aged man. He looked like a friendly uncle, but his true nature was cold and merciless. Otherwise, he wouldn't have risen to branch chief.
"Sung Yu-jin."
I sat across from him.
"Like coffee?"
"I saw some bokbunja juice earlier. Bring that."
"Sure."
His secretary brought coffee and bokbunja juice. I took a sip of the sweet juice.
"I heard from Chief Shin. You singled me out. No time to waste, so straight to it: what do you want?"
"If I say what I want, will you give it? Without trying to kill me like this afternoon?"
"That was Chief Shin's solo act. We didn't order him."
I smirked at the obvious lie. Shin Jong-cheol had name-dropped upstairs. A mere hound like him wouldn't move without orders.
"What happened to him?"
"Chief Shin's dead. Accident—lost his limbs and bled out."
I'd stabilized him with acupressure and potions. Excessive bleeding? Impossible after my first aid. Shin Jong-cheol had been executed by the Hero Union.
"You've been poking the Hero Union gently. If it was revenge, you'd have gone another route. You wanted to reach me from the start."
"You really think so? If I'd wanted to meet you all along, do you think I could?"
"Even if we met, it'd be pointless talk. I wouldn't have seen you like this. Asking again: what do you want?"
"Let me flip it. How far is the Hero Union willing to go?"