Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Hope's Torment
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"If you tell me the hostages' location, I'll specially let you live."
Park In-hwan's eyes widened round.
He looked like he might spill his team's info any second.
"...Really?"
"Yeah. If things end like this, you'll be dead last, and you don't want that."
"How can I trust you?"
"Whether you believe me or not is up to you."
I shrugged.
Park In-hwan pretended to think it over for a moment before opening his mouth.
"...Base A, 4th floor. Base B, 6th floor."
"And?"
"They're in rooms on those floors. I can't explain the exact room locations. But there aren't many rooms, so you can find them quick."
Ugh. This trash. Selling out his team right away.
It was exactly as expected, so I couldn't help but chuckle.
Anyway, Base A 4th floor and Base B 6th floor.
That matched the original story.
Good. No hitches in my plan.
"Where are Lee Seo-jun and Shin Young-jun?"
"...Both at Base B—uh, no, Base A. Base A 4th floor."
"Hmm."
With the hostage locations matching the original, this was probably a lie.
In the original and before my regression, Lee Seo-jun and Shin Young-jun were at Base B.
And from his stuttering, the guy really can't lie.
"Anyway, I told you everything. So you'll let me live now?"
Park In-hwan forced an awkward smile as he spoke.
"Nope, that was a lie."
"What? You bastard, you son of a—
KABOOM!
Park In-hwan's form vanished completely.
He's probably cursing me out like crazy in reality right now.
Whatever. I don't care what feelings that guy harbors toward me.
He's destined to become a villain someday anyway.
['Hope's Torment' achievement unlocked.]
[Reward: 2,000 points acquired.]
[Character 'Park In-hwan' now extremely loathes you.]
[Reward: 1,000 points acquired.]
3,000 points.
Wasn't expecting much, but it's pretty decent.
Bzzz.
Then my pocket smart student handbook vibrated.
[Elimination score: 10 points acquired.]
[Personal score: 10]
Oh, right, elimination scores too.
Now I've earned some personal points. Every little bit counts for me.
Anyway, he said 6th floor?
"Let's go."
Jeong Hyeon was watching the training via monitors. And he'd just seen quite the surprising scene.
Park In-hwan, 5th overall in 2nd year, had lost to Kim Sun-woo, ranked 20th.
"Who the hell is that guy?"
He'd still had some doubts about Kim Sun-woo's skills, but this confirmed it.
Kim Sun-woo was a key protagonist figure.
One on the level of Lee Seo-jun or Yoo Ah-ra.
But no matter how he thought about it, something was off.
How had someone with that skill stayed so low in the rankings until now?
He'd crushed Park In-hwan—who had top 2nd-year skills—so easily. Kim Sun-woo's true power had to be at least 1st or 2nd place.
Plus, the fight he'd just seen wasn't just exceptional in his specialty, manifestation magic, but also in enhancement magic.
In all his time as a magic consultant, seeing countless students, this was a first.
"What is it?"
It was hard to comprehend logically.
That he'd been 150th just six months ago.
There had to be some mistake...
That was when.
A new fight broke out on another screen.
Base A.
A clash between 2nd place Yoo Ah-ra and 4th place Lee Hyun-joo.
Behind them, 10 terrorists tangled with 15 special ops agents.
And a powerful barrier—likely set up by the terror team—enveloped the area.
"Did they fall into a trap?"
Seemed like it. The special ops team looked panicked, suggesting the enemy had been lying in ambush.
Numbers favored the special ops, but raw power was overwhelmingly on the terrorists' side.
If it went down like this, the special ops team would probably get wiped out.
...Still, something felt sloppy.
No need for all 15 to clump together like that.
Were they planning to secure one base quick?
Then Yoo Ah-ra and Lee Hyun-joo's duel began.
Jeong Hyeon fixed his gaze on the screen, eyes gleaming.
A matchup between 2nd and 4th in 2nd year.
Could yield key intel for future plans.
Like fighting styles.
Or the strength of their mana.
Couldn't miss this.
Jeong Hyeon started jotting notes while watching the screen.
Meanwhile, at Base A, a brutal fight raged on.
Yoo Ah-ra and Lee Hyun-joo traded spells in combat.
Water wolves summoned as spirits lunged at Yoo Ah-ra. Massive fire orbs swallowed the water wolves whole.
Their duel looked even on the surface, but the tide was turning in Yoo Ah-ra's favor.
Lee Hyun-joo couldn't match Yoo Ah-ra's innate mana reserves.
"Tch."
Lee Hyun-joo narrowed her eyes.
As expected of Yoo Ah-ra. Area blasts like those fire orbs rendered summons pointless.
Yoo Ah-ra, with her prowess in wide attacks, was Lee Hyun-joo's natural counter.
"...This isn't looking good."
Lee Hyun-joo slowly scanned her surroundings.
The 10 terrorists and 15 special ops agents were locked in a group brawl.
They held the numerical edge, but the power gap between terror team and special ops was clear.
The longer this dragged, the worse it'd get.
Proof: three of her 15 allies already eliminated.
"Ah, gotta do something quick."
Of course, this was part of the plan.
But more enemies had been hidden than expected.
Without the barrier, a tactical retreat might've been viable. As is, total wipeout loomed.
But Lee Hyun-joo wasn't the only one uneasy.
Yoo Ah-ra felt it too.
Kim Sun-woo had vanished.
From her view, he was the biggest threat on the enemy team.
This ambush was meant to take him out fast.
Yoo Ah-ra gritted her teeth.
Needed to wipe these guys and find Kim Sun-woo quick.
Meanwhile, a weird vibe hung over the terror side at Base B.
"Where's Park In-hwan?"
Baek Doo-eon muttered alone in front of the room hiding the hostages.
"Yeah? He said he'd scout quick and come back, but 20 minutes and nothing."
"Something happen?"
"Nah, no way."
Park In-hwan's overall school rank was 5th.
On the enemy team, only Lee Hyun-joo could've beaten him.
"No way he got ambushed by a group and died?"
"Nope. He'd have bolted if outnumbered."
Even top wizards avoid crowds.
One support mage in the mix tilts it bad.
Park In-hwan was arrogant, not reckless.
"Then maybe Lee Hyun-joo came here?"
"Idiot. She's outside fighting Yoo Ah-ra."
"Oh, right."
Then what?
No one else could handle Park In-hwan.
Suddenly, a name flashed in Baek Doo-eon's mind.
The top protagonist figure Yoo Ah-ra mentioned.
Kim Sun-woo.
"...Nah, no way."
Even if Kim Sun-woo had skills beyond his 20th rank like Yoo Ah-ra said, Park In-hwan was 5th.
And hidden power? Ridiculous.
His skill jump since semester one was insane, sure, but this wasn't a novel or comic. No reason to hide protagonist-level strength like Lee Seo-jun...
That was when.
Mana surged from nearby.
"Mana?"
Before he could react, a glowing magic orb nailed the team member's head beside him.
KABOOOM!
"W-What?!"
One gone in an instant.
Turning toward the spell's origin, a familiar face stood there.
"Kim, Kim Sun-woo?"
"What? How'd he get here?"
No footsteps, no presence.
But more than that, that spell.
Fired the instant mana flared? Implementation and release simultaneous?
And dead-on headshot?
Doubts flooded Baek Doo-eon's mind, but now wasn't the time.
"A-Attack him!"
At his shout, the remaining five snapped to and charged Kim Sun-woo.
Three magic orbs manifested around Kim Sun-woo.
Small ones, minimal mana.
The three orbs shot out fast again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
They struck three heads precisely.
"Argh!"
Three vanished instantly.
Minimal mana, but perfect headshots yielded max results.
Two attackers left. They swung their weapons at Kim Sun-woo.
"Die!"
First, Baek Doo-eon's massive axe swung at Kim Sun-woo.
Kim Sun-woo ducked fluidly, evading.
Next, 32nd-ranked enhancement mage Park Ho-soo stabbed with his sword, exploiting the gap.
But Kim Sun-woo twisted away again. He manifested a new spell and fired at Park Ho-soo's head.
KABOOM!
Head pierced, Park Ho-soo vanished.
Left alone, Baek Doo-eon backed off fast, staring at Kim Sun-woo's face in a daze.
"What...
Cold sweat dripped down Baek Doo-eon's back.
Four down in a blink. Solo.
"Kim Sun-woo..."
Weird situation: 17th-ranked him tensing against 20th-ranked Kim Sun-woo.
Yoo Ah-ra's words from earlier surfaced.
'That's gotta be real, right?'
'It's real.'
'Why? Think I'm clueless about magic too?'
The rumors about Kim Sun-woo were true.
Having seen his combat prowess, Baek Doo-eon had to admit it.
No way that's 20th-rank skill.
At least 5th. No... maybe even Park In-hwan lost to him.
Meaning Kim Sun-woo now held 4th place or higher.
Gulp.
Tense, but not defeated yet. Strong or not, he was a manifestation mage.
Enhancers held matchup advantage over manifestation mages.
Induce close quarters, and victory was possible.
Then Kim Sun-woo manifested and released another spell.
Baek Doo-eon dodged the expected attack.
And charged forward.
Typically, manifestation mages would alter spell forms to block approaches or pepper with checks.
Baek Doo-eon had anticipated that.
But unexpectedly, Kim Sun-woo kicked off the ground and rushed in.
Whoosh!
Baek Doo-eon panicked briefly but calmly swung his axe.
Kim Sun-woo sidestepped, deflecting the strike.
His movements felt incredibly fluid.
Almost like he was used to facing enhancers.
"Urk!"
Then a new spell formed in Kim Sun-woo's hand. Bright light blinded him.
Lee Seo-jun, Shin Young-jun, and four other hostages sat bound in magic-metal cuffs inside the room.
Boring wait.
Just sitting, hoping for rescue. Itchier than ever for Lee Seo-jun and Shin Young-jun.
Felt some mana from downstairs earlier, but quiet now. Probably fine.
Rumble...
Then a massive boom echoed from outside.
Sensing trouble, Lee Seo-jun spoke up.
"Sounds like a real fight broke out."
"Yeah. We good here? Man, this sucks. That spell just now—Yoo Ah-ra's, right?"
"Yeah, Yoo Ah-ra's spell."