Chapter 380
Chapter 380
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 381
Chapter Title: Suppressing the Drowsiness Rampage
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The magic academy is incredibly vast.
Including the main building, countless training and convenience facilities line up one after another, with the sports field and park nestled between them. Finding a specific person in this place takes an enormous amount of time.
But I don't need to go running around unnecessarily to search.
After all, I possess a special ability that others lack.
['Third Eye' has been activated.]
A sphere of pure white light manifested in my palm, then floated up into the sky.
At the same time, a broad field of view, as if looking down on the ground from above, filled my mind.
I slowly scanned the surroundings using the Third Eye.
Where is the law professor...?
It didn't take long to find him.
Just as a beast leaves footprints in a field of pristine white snow, the path the law professor had taken was marked by people who had fallen asleep under the influence of his drowsiness induction.
And so, I turned my gaze to the law professor.
"...What? Am I too late?"
The law professor walked with drowsy, intoxicated steps.
About 20 meters behind him stood Lee Seo-jun's group, along with mages and teachers from the association.
And there were ordinary citizens who had gathered due to the sudden commotion.
Lee Seo-jun's arrival at the scene meant the incident would soon be resolved.
After all, he possessed the same mental fortitude trait that allowed him to withstand drowsiness induction as I did: [Silver Moon Cycle].
Of course, 'drowsiness induction' wasn't hypnosis per se, but merely a latent trait, so putting someone with mental fortitude as strong as Lee Seo-jun or the association mages to sleep would be difficult.
"...Hmph. What a shame."
My goal had been to resolve it before Lee Seo-jun stepped in and claim the points for myself.
Well, not everything always goes my way, so it can't be helped.
Right then.
—Tricky. It seems like a trait that puts people to sleep... Even getting close makes me dizzy, so I can't approach.
....Yes, even just getting a little closer makes the dizziness worse.
Through the Third Eye, I heard Lee Seo-jun's voice conversing with the association mages.
And at those words, I felt a pang of doubt.
Dizziness gets worse even just getting a little closer?
That shouldn't happen to Lee Seo-jun.
—Team leader, how about knocking him out with an attack?
—No way. Applying external shock could cause an even bigger rampage.
—We can't just leave him like this. Before more damage occurs...
"...What?"
It seemed they couldn't even get close to the law professor.
But why?
Even if his latent trait had strengthened due to berserk state, it shouldn't be impossible for pro mages to approach.
"Tch..."
Regardless of the cause, Lee Seo-jun appeared unable to rashly resolve the incident.
I couldn't just stand by, so I immediately headed toward the law professor.
Upon arriving at my destination, the law professor came into view from the opposite direction. And behind him was Lee Seo-jun, who had spotted me.
_...Kim Sun-woo?
I glanced at Lee Seo-jun, then turned my eyes to the association mages standing beside him.
Unable to block the law professor's movements, they had magic manifested in their hands, ready to knock him out.
"Stop!"
At my shout, the association mages halted their casting and looked at me.
"Don't apply any shock. I'll handle stopping him."
—...That's Kim Sun-woo, right?
—Yeah. He says he'll try to stop him—what do we do?
—...It's Kim Sun-woo of all people, so let's watch and see what he does.
With that, I slowly advanced toward the law professor.
—Kim Sun-woo! Be careful!
I hesitated briefly at Lee Seo-jun's shout, but soon yelled loudly at the law professor.
"Professor!"
Even at my call, the law professor showed no reaction.
That meant he was currently in an unconscious state.
Having confirmed that, there was only one way to wake him.
I needed to make physical contact with his berserk body, control the disrupted mana, and awaken his mind.
I activated Silver Moon Cycle and slowly approached him.
Right then.
"Ugh..."
A powerful dizziness hit me. Staggering back a step from the sudden headache, I pressed my hand to my forehead.
"...What is this?"
This level of power definitely wasn't described in the original story.
Why is this happening?
The situation was confusing, but I needed to find a solution quickly.
As I pondered, a new method came to mind.
The power of the law professor's drowsiness induction was, after all, not about knocking people out through physical 'shock' but inducing dizziness via a special force to make them sleep.
So, if I armored my mind anew to prevent sleep, that should work.
And one method came to mind.
A way to re-arm my mind without using mana.
"...Hoo."
I let out a short breath and closed my eyes.
[Latent trait 'Overimmersion' has been activated.]
Upon activating Overimmersion, I set a single goal.
Making physical contact with the law professor's body.
Once the goal was set, my mind filled completely with the thought of approaching the law professor.
At the same time, an incomprehensible energy emanating from him enveloped my body.
I felt something strange, but thanks to Overimmersion, it didn't affect me directly.
It was a clash between latent traits.
Step by step.
And so, I advanced toward the law professor one step at a time.
—...What? How is he approaching?
Voices of astonishment from the surrounding people.
But the closer I got to the law professor, the more it felt like an intangible force was pushing my body away.
No, not even intangible—my hair fluttered in the air as if blown by wind.
Yet I pushed through that force and reached right in front of the law professor's nose.
"Professor."
At my call, the law professor showed no response. He merely stared blankly at the ground with unfocused eyes.
As expected from his deep unconscious state, even calling out up close wasn't enough to rouse him.
I concentrated mana at my fingertips. Then, I extended my hand and injected mana toward his head.
The law professor's mana was tangled in complex knots.
It seemed that as his latent trait rampaged, the mana flow had twisted, causing some abnormality in his brain.
I slowly injected mana, untangling the knotted mana inside his body one by one.
...After about 30 seconds had passed.
As if sensing the stabilization of his mana, the law professor's focus began to return bit by bit.
"...Student Sun-woo?"
He murmured my name in a faint, barely audible voice.
And in that instant, the intense energy that had lulled everyone to sleep vanished from his body.
—...Whoa. Looks like he pulled it off?
—...Yeah, that strange energy is definitely gone. How did he do it?
Afterward, the law professor seemed to feel overwhelming fatigue; his body swayed, and he lost consciousness.
I supported his body and gently laid him on the ground.
"Wahh."
A small burst of admiration erupted from the onlookers toward me.
"Kim Sun-woo!"
Then Lee Seo-jun's group, along with the association and teachers, rushed over. I checked the law professor's face once more and said to them,
"It's just temporary sleep from mana stress."
"Is that so? Good work for now. Leave the rest to us."
"Team leader, I'll call for medical personnel."
And with that, one incident came to a close, and a message appeared before my eyes.
[You have resolved an incident disrupting a festival attended by countless people.]
['Fixer' achievement unlocked.]
[As reward, you acquire 5,000 points.]
[You saved a person in a place watched by countless people.]
['Little Hero' achievement unlocked.]
[As reward, you acquire 5,000 points.]
[You resolved an incident using a 'latent trait.']
[All stats increase by 2.]
[The power of Overimmersion grows stronger.]
A total of 10,000 points acquired, plus stat increases.
I smiled in satisfaction at the sight.
Sirens blared throughout the magic academy.
The law professor, who had thrown the Taehwi Festival site into chaos under the emperor's reign, was loaded into an ambulance and transported to the association's research treatment center.
Fortunately, since 'drowsiness induction' only put people to sleep, there were no casualties.
Deeming it wouldn't greatly impact the Taehwi Festival's proceedings, the magic academy decided to continue the event.
And for the investigation into the incident's truth, Special Forces' Jeong Hyun-soo was dispatched to the Taehwi Festival.
"Yeah, it seems the festival is proceeding as planned. The citizens don't seem too bothered by this morning's events either."
Jeong Hyun-soo, speaking on the phone with Kim Deok-hyun via smartphone, glanced around.
As he said, the festival grounds had returned to an exciting atmosphere with lively music, as if nothing had happened.
It could have turned into quite a serious matter, but Kim Sun-woo's swift action reduced it to a minor mishap.
—Did you meet Kim Sun-woo?
"Kim Sun-woo? Of course, we just talked about it."
As he spoke, he subtly glanced at Kim Sun-woo, who stood a bit away, staring blankly into empty space.
He's been spacing out like that, staring into nothing—what's he thinking about?
—What method did he say he used to approach the law professor?
"Uh, well..."
Jeong Hyun-soo trailed off, recalling his earlier conversation with Kim Sun-woo.
Even thinking back, it was so absurd he let out a hollow laugh.
"...He just said his mental strength is strong?"
—...What?
As expected, Kim Deok-hyun's dumbfounded reaction burst out.
Then, soon after, a low chuckle came from the speaker.
—That's a very Kim Sun-woo answer.
"Huh? That's it?"
He asked in momentary bewilderment.
Normally, Kim Deok-hyun would have all sorts of questions about Kim Sun-woo.
—What else would it be? Anything more?
"...No, not really."
—Don't dig too deep. If the situation's roughly sorted, return.
With that, Kim Deok-hyun hung up.
'This morning around 11 AM, at the magic academy's festival 'Taehwi Festival,' teacher A’s latent trait rampaged, causing citizens to fall asleep. □
9 PM.
After the first day of the Taehwi Festival ended and I returned to the dorm, the news was reporting on today's events.
I stroked Gretel's back as she slept on my lap and watched the news.
「Fortunately, the latent trait rampage was suppressed in less than 30 minutes thanks to one student's heroic efforts. That student is Kim Sun-woo, the promising talent of the magic world who's been drawing everyone's attention with his recent outstanding performances.」
At the same time, footage from this morning at the festival site showed me on the news.
My appearance blinking in front of the reporter's microphone. For some reason, an inexplicable embarrassment washed over me.
「It was a situation where even association mages couldn't easily approach due to the latent trait rampage. Could you explain why you stepped forward first and why you weren't affected by the sleep?」
In response to the reporter's question, I answered in a serious tone (under Overimmersion).
「...Thinking of the citizens' safety, my feet moved on their own before I knew it. As for not falling asleep, I think it was due to my sense of responsibility to protect the citizens.」
Thanks to the Overimmersion state, I spouted that shameless line about responsibility.
Of course, it was nonsense—I had no such sentiment.
I stepped up purely for the points.
Soon the news screen changed to two anchors conversing.
「Did you hear Kim Sun-woo's earnest voice? I've felt it before, but Kim Sun-woo seems to think differently from others. He didn't fall asleep thanks to the power of responsibility.」
「He's a little hero. Even association mages hesitated for their own safety, but he rolled up his sleeves first.」
"Yeah, go on and say all the nice things."
Since it's news watched by countless citizens, positive coverage increases the chance of bonus points.
Showing this heroic side will only heighten interest in me further.
By now, a message should pop up.
Right then. As if reading my thoughts, a message appeared before my eyes.
[Countless people send you respect and admiration. Now, even your smallest actions will be watched closely by people.]
['Emerging Cult' achievement unlocked.]
[As reward, you acquire 10,000 points.]
[Changes in the future have been detected.]
[Karma increases by 1.0.]
Another 10,000 points and +1 karma on top. That makes over 20,000 points earned in just one day. I smiled in satisfaction.
"Kuh. This is it."