Chapter 937
Chapter 937
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 937
Chapter Title: Academy's Savior
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"Sung Ha-ri. You don't need to step in."
Choi Jeong-hwa spoke with an air of practiced leisure as she surveyed the escalating chaos. Ha-ri turned to look at her, finding her friend crossing her legs elegantly, seemingly unfazed by the screams echoing through the hall.
"We’re just guests here," Jeong-hwa continued. "Security breaches are fundamentally the auction house's responsibility. It’s their job to handle the cleanup. You really think the **Baengnyeong Auction House**—an institution that’s survived this long—can’t manage a little riot?"
Most of the other high-profile participants seemed to share her cold logic; hardly anyone was actually fleeing. Instead, they watched the carnage from their private booths as if it were a high-budget theater performance.
From the shadows, a small army of **golems** and **puppets** surged forward to clash with the encroaching undead and magical beasts. The numbers were staggering on both sides, turning the opulent hall into a claustrophobic war zone.
"It feels like we’re in the front row of a blockbuster. Entertaining, isn't it?"
"...It’s dangerous," Ha-ri countered, her voice low.
"What are you talking about? The puppets are holding the line. Honestly, Chairman Baek-oh’s craftsmanship is terrifying. Look at that **B-rank puppet** over there... I wonder if he’d part with it for 100 billion won?"
"No. The auction house has lost control."
"What?"
"The other 'mines' are making their move. They must have been planted in the audience from the start. About twenty of them... they’re small fry compared to the Skeleton Mask, but they aren't negligible. And I know exactly what they’re after." Ha-ri’s eyes locked onto a specific booth. "The clown in **Room 217**."
As Ha-ri analyzed the room with chilling precision, Jeong-hwa finally realized the gravity of the situation. Puppets were being shattered into kindling, and the auction house was desperately throwing its remaining security personnel into the meat grinder.
"This is turning into a complete disaster!" Jeong-hwa hissed.
Panic finally broke the elite's composure. The golem stationed at their door flung it open, its mechanical voice booming:
"An emergency has occurred. Please evacuate the premises immediately."
"Ha-ri! What are you waiting for? Let’s move!" Jeong-hwa was already on her feet. "We don't need to be involved! You definitely don't want your identity exposed in a place like this."
"Too late," Ha-ri replied, her eyes narrowing. "If you wanted to run, the window just slammed shut."
--- ### **The Shadow of Gray Ford**
The glass wall of their booth shattered inward. A hunched figure wearing a featureless blue mask stepped through the shards. Ha-ri didn't flinch; she sensed no demonic aura from him. He wasn't a mine—just a predator seizing an opportunity.
"Who the hell are you?" she asked, her voice dripping with irritation.
"You don't recognize me? Ah, right—the mask."
He reached up and pulled it away, revealing a middle-aged man with a face smeared with ash-gray residue. Ha-ri recognized him instantly. As an active hero, she had memorized the dossiers of every significant threat.
"A-rank villain, **Gray Ford**."
"In the flesh. Or what’s left of it. I don't want to make a scene, little girl. Hand over the **Golden Apple**, and I’ll let you walk out of here alive."
A predatory smile spread across Ha-ri's lips, hidden safely behind her wolf mask.
"Gray Ford. Real name: Dolte. **Bounty: 23 billion won**. I just blew a fortune on that apple... but it looks like I just hit the jackpot."
"Jackpot?" Ford felt a sudden chill. Usually, A-rank heroes tensed up when they heard his name. He was a heavyweight in the villain world, yet this woman showed absolutely no fear.
His instincts screamed at him to retreat, but greed won out. He lunged for the Golden Apple in her left hand. A thick, suffocating gray mist erupted from Ford’s body—a neurotoxin designed to blind and slowly rot the opponent's mana from the inside out.
Pzzt!
Blue lightning sparked around Ha-ri’s feet. She swung her leg in a wide arc, the current tearing through the mist like a hot knife through silk. Her heel slammed directly into Gray Ford’s temple.
The villain staggered, his head snapping back. "...Not bad."
He thrust his hand forward, nails extending into jagged claws aimed at her throat. Ha-ri tilted her head with millimeter precision. Suddenly, blue currents surged through her entire frame, accelerating her speed to an incomprehensible level.
Her feet became a blur, battering Gray Ford with a relentless barrage of strikes. His knee shattered; his shoulder dislocated. By the time her feet touched the ground again, Ford was nothing more than a crumpled heap on the floor.
"You... you can't be..." Ford wheezed, his eyes wide with realization. There was only one hero known for that specific brand of lightning-based acceleration. "**The Flash Thunder**..."
He never finished the sentence. A sharp blade of sword aura, launched from her leg, cleanly severed his head. Ha-ri pulled out her phone and snapped a photo of the corpse. Normally, the Association required the physical head, but with her standing and Choi Jeong-hwa as a witness, a digital record would suffice.
"You realize the Association will know you were at an illegal auction when you claim that bounty, right?" Jeong-hwa asked.
"Doesn't matter."
"...True. I suppose no one in Korea is brave enough to lecture you."
Outside their booth, a group of opportunistic villains saw their chance to steal the apple and began charging toward them. Ha-ri felt a dull ache in her muscles—the price of pushing her body through the **Spirit King’s Shackles**.
'It’s fine. I’ll eat the apple later to fix the backlash. I can’t pass up a chance to make this much money.'
She had a son to support. For Yu-jin, she would amass every won possible. Blue lightning began to writhe around her body like hungry snakes.
--- ### **Red Light Unbound**
The moment I awakened the **Devil Hunter (S)** trait, the twin swords in my hands crumbled into fine dust and vanished. In that same heartbeat, the skeleton-masked mine unleashed his horde.
"Yu-jin. I have to step in. I can't just watch a mine rampage," Kim Cheon-woo said, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and resolve.
I nodded. He had the **Black Rosary**, so he was durable enough to survive. I pulled a massive greatsword from my inventory and tossed it to him.
"What about you? They’re clearly targeting you," Cheon-woo noted. "Running might be the smartest play."
He wasn't wrong. The mines knew I had become a Devil Hunter. They aimed to nip their natural predator in the bud. I looked at Cheon-woo. He was a man of his word; he never snitched in the original story, and I knew I could trust him with the truth.
"Cheon-woo, everything you’re about to see is a secret."
"I already gave you my word."
"It’s more than just the auction."
I summoned **Stormbreaker** and **Makina** simultaneously. The weapon formed a sleek suit of armor that latched onto my body, and Makina possessed it instantly.
"Th-that form...! You're **Red Light**?!"
"In the metal. I’ve been operating as Red Light to slaughter devils and villains. Details later..."
Kaboom!
A crocodile-like beast lunged through the glass. I caught it by the snout mid-air and smashed its head into the floor.
"I’ll take the Skeleton Mask. Handle the rest. Don't die."
"Got it. You too."
Cheon-woo activated **Sanctuary (S)** and charged into the fray.
-Whoa... what the hell is this mess all of a sudden?!
'Makina. Mom is a bit away. You won't get spotted, right?'
-Ajumma is here?! Why aren't we fighting with her? She’s a beast! Let’s just ride her coattails!
'No. If she finds out I’m Red Light, she’ll ground me for life. Just answer the question.'
-Hmm. She has the **Spirit Devourer (S)** trait, so she’d usually spot me in a heartbeat... but since I’m currently possessing the suit, my energy is masked. Unless she’s a world-class spiritist, we’re safe.
'Good enough for me.'
I engaged my jet engines, a roar of blue flame propelling me toward the Skeleton Mask. My heart was pounding, fueled by the primal urge of my new trait. The **Devil Hunter (S)** skill hungered for the mine's life.
I landed in front of him, my arms shifting into twin blades. I cleaved through a swarm of undead with a single rotation.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?" the Skeleton Mask hissed. "By taking that power, you’ve made yourself an enemy of the **Kryzen**... and every mine in the world."
"The Kryzen? You guys are a joke. And as for the rest of the world... good. I’ve already sworn to slaughter every mine and devil bastard on this planet."
"Arrogant whelp. You'll die here."
He crooked a finger. The floor beneath me turned into a murky swamp, and a massive crocodile beast lunged from the depths.
'Moment.'
I shot into the air, dodging the ambush, and delivered a mid-air punch toward the Skeleton Mask.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art: Dragon Fist.
The impact caved in his chest, his frame crumbling. It felt too easy. I opened my palm, incinerating the remains with a burst of flame.
-Burn it all!
Whoosh.
From the center of the inferno, the Skeleton Mask began to rise again.
-What?! Why is he fine?!
'Demon contract power. My trait is working full force, slowing his recovery, but he’s at least A-rank.'
"Think you can escape?"
The Skeleton Mask pursued, his mask burning away to reveal a gaunt, skeletal face.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art: Heavenly Demon Divine Palm.
I swung my palm, slamming it into the ground.
"Gather! Become one with me!" the demon echoed. The remaining undead and beasts converged on him, merging into a grotesque, ten-meter-tall monstrosity. It was a mountain of violence covered in crocodile scales and dozens of arms.
"Come here, little hunter. I'll cut your sprout before you grow further...!"
It approached. I didn't even think about retreating.
'Acceleration. Moment. Heavenly Heart. Heavenly Eye.'
I circulated my internal energy. Black flames—**Heavenly Demon Qi**—erupted from my suit, coalescing into the form of a massive dragon.
Black Flame Demon Dragon
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (Finality)
I charged head-on, looking like a dark comet streaking toward the beast. The amalgamated flesh tried to envelop me. *Crunch, rip, smash!* Jagged teeth scraped against my armor as I tore my way through its layers.
'Makina! Max output!'
-I can only hold this for 30 seconds! Don't mess this up!
'Without Devil Hunter (S), I wouldn't last 10 seconds.'
Using hands and feet, I burrowed into the center of the mound of flesh. My **Heavenly Eye** spotted it: the pulsing, blackened core hidden deep within.
'Got it.'
My hand, wreathed in black flames, seized the heart. It pulsed frantically; I crushed it.
"GRAAAAAAAARGH!"
With a colossal scream, the amalgamated flesh began melting away into putrid sludge.