Gathering Squad 7: That Crazy Bastard
"That crazy fucker..."
Hado-myeol had seen it clearly. Hadojin knew Lucilia was collapsing toward him.
"Reflexes aren't bad."
In that split second, he'd dodged at tremendous speed. Like evading a master assassin's strike.
Meanwhile, Lucilia had gone limp on purpose, emphasizing her fragility. Naturally expecting Hadojin to catch her. Instead, the impact of her weight and gravity slammed into her head.
"......"
Class came to a halt. Lucilia's head had a massive lump.
Drip— Drip—
Like someone squirting blood from a syringe, it kept gushing from the swollen spot on her head.
Was she dead?
"Call the infirmary! Hurry!!"
Lucilia seemed to have passed out. Or rather, she was faking it. Her body trembled with humiliation. Tears streamed down her cheeks—it was pitiful.
Hado-myeol's gaze shifted back to Hadojin. Dodging aside to avoid her blood.
Self-absorbed sociopath...
Hado-myeol could tell what kind of person Hadojin was.
That guy's... just like me? Creepy as hell.
He shuddered. The guy was his kind—a hunter who used any means for his goals, cunning and meticulous.
But just a lucky bastard who got everything without effort... He decided to avoid clashing until the life-or-death duel. Another strike from the Cult Leader would mean getting cast out.
His mother's warning, delivered in crow form, wasn't something to ignore. It wasn't just banishment—it was a death sentence from the Cult Leader.
He was already on two strikes. Two outs.
Lucilia. I sighed as she walked back after her presentation. Golden hair like Marlin's, porcelain skin. Sharp jawline, big eyes—she was undeniably the academy's top beauty.
"Phew..."
She was the heroine. Owner of my Dragon Repelling Shield in The Dragon Repelling Shield. And one of the three heroines who died early in the original story.
Just like described... she was fucking gorgeous.
Originally, she'd meet the late-enrolling Hadojin in a month.
- "I... need a shield... Oppa! Can I have that one?"
Just lines replaying from my memory, but her lispy voice echoed in my ears.
No thanks. The Dragon Repelling Shield is mine.
Slurp. Slurp.
Post-presentation, Lucilia walked while sucking on something. Her cheeks hollowed in and out.
Everyone thought it was a big candy, but I knew the truth.
Diane de Poitiers. The training for the oral technique she was mastering.
A method to vacuum the mouth with mana for suction. Saintess candidates practicing Diane de Poitiers always carried lollipops. Pretending to suck candy while training.
And there's a hidden truth here. Lucilia and the saintesses were under reality-warping mesmer magic. They believed pussy-training techniques were mana practice.
Not wrong, but... not that kind of mana.
"Turns out it's a fun connection."
Diane de Poitiers came from U Jeong's mother, former princess Kim Min-jeong, a professor of entrance-denial arts.
In the original, Harina became a saintess and learned it too.
- The ultimate killer of Diane de Poitiers: stuff a dick in the mouth and mummify the balls' semen in seconds. Dark Vacuum Fellatio.
Sip. Kinda wanna try it once.
Lost in thought, Lucilia stumbled in front of me. Breathing messed up mid-Diane de Poitiers practice. Too much inhalation hollowing her cheeks, mana focus disrupted by something.
"Oh?"
She collapsed toward me. Perfect angle to land in my arms.
Shit. The original's lucky perv moment.
Originally, a street bump leading to a rolling kiss. Early enrollment changed things!
Kissing her like this would start the heroine romance.
No way. My shield!
My body moved faster than my thoughts.
Thud!
"Kyaa!"
Her crown hit the desk corner, punching a hole. Blood dripped.
Ears red. Neck flushed.
She was faking a faint now that she'd fucked up. No wonder she couldn't lift her head.
Looking around, everyone glared like I was a traitor.
No... I didn't wanna kiss Lucilia, okay? Even in smut, not in front of everyone!
"Lucilia! You okay?"
"Step aside, let me heal..."
The old professor cast healing, stopping the blood, but she kept faking.
Finally, as the infirmary carried her on a stretcher, she cracked one eye and glared at me. Murderous intent brewing.
What the... she tripped herself and it's my fault?
"Huh? Hyungnim. That girl faked fainting but now she's glaring at you?"
Answering Harin, I felt intense killing intent. From two directions at once.
Who the fuck?
Tracing it to the hunter class, a familiar face.
He startled at eye contact and turned away.
Sin Jaeyul. The guy whose vampire girlfriend I saved.
What? An extra showing presence?
The other intent was stronger. Brazen as hell...
Special class. Pale skin, handsome guy. Features vaguely like mine.
"??"
Sixth brother. Hado-myeol.
No dodging eye contact.
If you can't avoid, enjoy. I grinned wide and waved.
"Hi!"
He'd just been glaring, but whipped his head away at my greeting.
Why I was sure he was my immediate older brother, sixth prince Hado-myeol: Hado-mong was training separately for awakening, other brothers skipped class.
Hado-myeol wasn't a freshman but a first-year powerhouse with first awakening done.
Plus, he'd tipped me off about Amagi Souma and the Fresh Golem human bomb.
In the original novel, overpowered necro hated by readers for corpse-fucking, killed off by author in rage via Cult Leader.
Effort type, tetoman. Similar personality to old me, likable character.
Antithesis to protagonist Hadojin, rival growing together.
Why corpse-fuck? Dumbass.
"Thanks for the Fresh Golem gift. Awakening as necro? Not bad."
A quiet mutter. But Hado-myeol whipped around in shock.
Oh shit. He'd cast shaman spell Listen!
Amplifies nearby sounds—whispers unsafe around him.
Since he heard, might as well spill the water. If he hates me, give him real reason. My style.
"To kill someone... be prepared to die. First lesson from your ninth bro. Next time, I'll show my mana level personally. Corpse. Fucker. Sixth bro."
Then.
"You fucking shit!!!"
Eyes rolled back at "corpse-fuck," Hado-myeol charged. Index finger drawing runes in air.
Weak to taunts, as expected. I smirked, leaped back, shielding with Dragon Repelling Shield.
Reached for Broken Dragon Slayer Sword—
"Hah!!!"
Fierce aura froze me. Hado-myeol halted mid-rune, nailed in place.
"Daring a life-or-death duel in the learning hall auditorium?!"
Furious Amagi Souma. His mana shocked me. Sealed our movements, deployed domain isolating space.
Amagi Souma's red domain. Semicircle containing me, Hado-myeol, and him.
Size shocked me. With mana traps... proved insane magic on top of martial arts.
Amagi Souma's cold gaze hit me.
"Hadojin... what the hell are you doing."
"Hado-myeol suddenly cast fire shaman spell, so I leaped to block with shield. To protect students."
I hadn't drawn the sword yet. Shield-only response favored me circumstantially.
"Hm..."
But Hado-myeol's reaction surprised. Trembling at Amagi Souma, then prostrating like a grave sinner.
"Teacher... I lost my mind briefly. Sorry. Forgive me!"
"Hado-myeol, why attack your brother Hadojin with lethal magic?"
Hado-myeol's pupils shook, excuses flying.
"Rage at him mocking saintess Lucilia..."
"Ha.do.myeol. You truly pitied someone and raged for them?"
Amagi Souma removed one monocle, pocketing it. Sign of massive anger.
"Amagi Souma teacher. Hado-myeol's bullshitting. Lies every time he opens his mouth."
"Hadojin. You ain't innocent. Could've stopped her hitting the desk even without catching."
Watching how long? I scratched my head.
No excuses.
"Sorry. Lucilia's too pretty, body froze."
"...She is pretty."
Amagi Souma nodded faintly, gaze to Hado-myeol.
"Turning your little sister into Fresh Golem pre-enrollment, irrelevant. But using that soft, young, cute... girl as human bomb to kill Hadojin? What's the reason? Can't wait for heir duel?"
Veins bulging—he'd fallen for Hado-myeol's sister.
Pity for pretty Fresh Golem?
"Didn't want an effortless, lucky bastard as rival."
No effort? Me? Just luck? Luck part true, but...
Reason Hado-myeol hated Hadojin? Seemed right recalling novel.
Ultimate hard worker. I entered via Cult Leader's blood privilege, loafed in gathering squad.
Now via edict again—understandable grudge.
"You tried killing Hadojin twice. I witnessed both, stopped both. I'll tell Cult Leader."
"Please no, teacher. I was wrong! Don't tell Cult Leader..."
Hado-myeol banged head on floor, tears flowing.
What the? Crying, begging not to tell Cult Leader?
Ah!! That's how he falls out of favor and gets killed!
Everything clicked. Hado-myeol sobbing, clutching Amagi Souma's feet.
Seems his life-or-death now in my hands.