Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Chapter 9
--
EP4 - World Fabrication (2)
Dante Hiacapo thought,
Mastering 『World Fabrication』 as his first ability was a stroke of genius.
It was because of his other class, 'Assassination Practice.'
"Chase him!"
"He's over there!"
During class, the Students were running. To kill the professor.
"Where is he?!"
"He went that way!"
They could find Professor Dante in a specific area and attempt to assassinate him for 30 minutes. And for the latter 30 minutes, they could receive instruction from him.
It was also the class Dante Hiacapo hated the most. He'd heard from other professors that 'Assassination Practice' was the most dangerous class... and that was the truth.
"Damn it, he avoided the Trap!"
"It's okay! Corner him a little more!"
In a closed commercial district, now used as a stage for 'Urban Assassination Training,' the Students desperately moved, searching for Dante, jumping through windows, and climbing buildings.
"There! It's Professor Dante!"
One Student spotted the professor and shouted.
"Gideon! Shoot!"
"Got it!"
Shushushushuk-
The Student threw a throwing star. As if he could use a [Throwing-type] ability, one throwing star split into fifteen, surging through the air.
"The professor is disappearing!"
But just as Professor Dante seemed to blur, he had already vanished from that spot.
Puffpuffpuff!
The throwing stars embedded in the wall. The Student stepped on them, climbed the wall, and turned his head to search. Where was Professor Dante?
"Ah! The rooftop!"
The Students clicked their tongues. The professor was standing on the edge of the 4-story building's rooftop, looking down at them, without even a leaping motion.
Bang! Tatatang!
Amidst a few gunshots, Dante merely tilted his head to evade them. Then, he turned his body towards the other side of the rooftop.
"Don't miss him! It's an open space, he'll be visible even if he runs away."
"Chase him!"
Some Students utilized [Footwork-type] abilities, stepping on the wall to climb up to the rooftop and chase Dante, but when they got there, only a dusty rooftop was spread out before them.
"Damn it. Where did he bounce off to? We barely found him after 10 minutes."
"Hey. Hey…."
"What?"
"Look at that. I'm getting goosebumps."
"Why."
At his friend's words, the Student looked at the dusty floor of the building's rooftop. But what was so goosebump-inducing about it...?
"No, man! Professor Dante was standing there!"
"So what? …Ah!"
The place where Professor Dante had climbed up. The place where he had walked. There were no footprints left anywhere.
The bewildered Student looked behind him. There were so many footprints there that it was messy.
"Huh……. His [Footwork] is different."
"This is crazy. How do you assassinate someone like that?"
…In fact, the Dante who was walking was also a [Phantasm]. And the Dante standing on the rooftop was also a [Phantasm]. Because it was a Phantasm that didn't carry weight, no footprints were left, and because it could be created and erased anywhere within the range of the illusion, it looked like teleportation.
But even if a professor-level assassin came, they wouldn't be able to tell the difference. In the eyes of the Students, it looked exactly like a super high-level Footwork.
[Lv.9]'s [Taboo] ability was in that realm.
The current Dante couldn't win against any Student in pure combat, but in terms of [Illusion], he was at the highest level on the entire continent. Wasn't it a very bizarre growth state? But that was Dante's goal.
To grow precariously on a tightrope.
-
Bbiririririk!
Immediately after the whistle sounded. The 15 Students taking the class gathered in one place. It was time for the evaluation of the practical exercise.
"First, Gideon. Your [Throwing Skill] seems like it would be sought after everywhere if you went out into society."
"Ah, thank you…!"
"By morons trying to use dog poop as medicine."
"……."
"It was utterly disappointing. You're all flash with a flawed foundation."
The Student inwardly seethed.
"Professor. I…. I know I'm lacking, but honestly, I don't think it's that bad."
Professor Dante tilted his head.
"Isn't it?"
"…W-Well, still, isn't it pretty good? Even if it's a bit lacking in your eyes…. It's my pride, in a way. There are guys who fire 『Throwing Blade Barrage』 with 5 or 10 blades, but honestly, not just anyone can fire it with 15 like me…."
"Does that help with assassination?"
"…Yes? Of course!"
He seemed a bit worked up, his voice growing louder.
"Of course it does! At least it's more lethal as the range widens!"
At that moment. Professor Dante greatly rotated his arm and threw something.
A throwing star flew.
"Ugh!!"
Surprised, Gideon jumped up and leaped far away.
Fortunately, the attack didn't reach him.
Then what was that?
Looking closely, the throwing star was fragmented into 15 pieces at the spot where he had been standing, flying and then frozen in the air as if it were taxidermied.
'Wow.' Exclamations burst out from among the Students. 'The thing that was flying stopped in mid-air!' It was a [Throwing Skill] that was unbelievable even while watching it.
"Evaluate. Gideon. Was my attack just now lethal?"
"……."
Gideon shut his mouth tightly and thought.
15 throwing stars had flown. But it wasn't lethal.
Because he had dodged it, and it seemed like he could dodge it.
Confusion surged.
15 throwing stars are stronger than 1 throwing star. This is an obvious statement.
And yet, it seemed like he could dodge it.
What's the problem?
"The answer."
"Ah, no…. It was avoidable."
"So it was. Even though there were 15. It was clumsy."
Professor Dante said, retrieving the 15 throwing stars.
"The foundation of [Throwing-type] abilities is stealth."
"…Stealth?"
"[Projectiles] don't need to be faster than bullets. They don't need to be as strong as cannons. They don't need to be as flashy as magic. But there are advantages unique to [Throwing-type] compared to being fast."
"…Is that stealth? But what is the stealth of throwing? Does it mean the thing flying shouldn't be visible?"
"There are many methods. Whether the trajectory is stealthy. Or the motion is stealthy."
"When you say the motion is stealthy…."
The Student recalled Professor Dante throwing the throwing star like a baseball player. Ah, the motion was so big that it was too easily avoided.
In the midst of that, the professor narrowed his eyes.
"All [Throwing-type] abilities have ultimately evolved in the direction of concealing the throw. For example. Like so."
The next moment, all the Students were horrified.
A dagger was rotating right under Gideon's neck.
"Huh!?"
When did he…? No one saw it. As he said, the motion was stealthy. There was no preliminary motion at all.
"……!"
But if Dante hadn't stopped, the throwing star would have pierced Gideon's neck and crushed his cervical vertebrae. None of the Students would have known that Dante had killed him.
It was assassination. Even though the perpetrator and the victim were all in front of them, it was clearly 'assassination.'
'No way….'
'So that's why [Throwing-type] assassins are said to be the most dangerous among the 12 ability types….'
The Students were in shock.
"Ah……."
Only then did Dante's teachings sink into Gideon's heart.
A truly different dimension of assassination. The Students were all shocked.
That was the class.
"……That will be all for today's class."
┃ Schedule completed: [Class]
┃ Reward: Star Fragment × 1
I finished class and went outside.
This was already the fourth class. After learning 『World Fabrication』, it was still bearable. I was no longer being swayed by mere children.
The rewards that came with it weren't bad either.
< Star Fragments held: 4 >
'Gathering Star Fragments as quickly and as much as possible is the way to survive [Hell Difficulty].'
How to gather Star Fragments?
There are a total of four methods.
── Star Fragment Acquisition Routes ──
1. Assassination requests, spy missions as a member of Hiaka Academy.
2. Research, papers. Actions as a Hiaka Academy professor, such as classes.
3. Killing demons.
4. Increasing relationship with the Hidden Dragon Society.
──────────
Among these, 1 and 3 were impossible to do right now.
I was doing 2.
And 4, increasing the relationship with the Hidden Dragon Society, was something to slowly try.
'There were dangerous moments from time to time.'
The class just now was like that.
A guy named Gideon threw 15 throwing stars, but because his accuracy was so terrible, some of them flew to ridiculous places. And one of them happened to pierce the window of the 3rd floor of the abandoned building where I was hiding.
Clang-!
A throwing star pierced the pillar, passing 3cm to the right of my head.
I almost fainted. That must be why generals die from stray arrows on the battlefield.
'It's a funny thing.'
Clumsy assassination has a chance of killing you because it's clumsy, so you don't know where it will bounce.
If it were someone attempting a much more precise assassination, I could crush them now.
For example, that guy over there.
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st year Kendrake: '…That professor?' 】
The place was Central Park. Kendrake was puffing away on a cigarette with his gang (probably Black Path) in the distance.
Then, as soon as he saw me, he started walking towards me at a fast pace.
【 Moon Shadow Scholar 1st year Marina: "Where are you going? Kendrake?" 】
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st year Kendrake: "Wait here." 】
Long red hair. Narrow, slit eyes. A huge height of 2.2 meters. A monstrous physique that would have been great even if he had become a warrior instead of an assassin.
He was the most threatening guy in the Hidden Dragon Society. Because he was combative. Belligerent. And the type that wasn't swayed by bluster. In fact, he was a guy who already had a graduation certificate for assassinating a professor.
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st year Kendrake: 'I don't like that professor.' 】
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st year Kendrake: 'I tried to assassinate him last time, but he suddenly disappeared.' 】
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st year Kendrake: 'I don't know if he's avoiding me or ignoring me. I don't know what he's thinking. Instead of just butting heads, should I try talking to him?' 】
The guy came up and slightly bowed his head.
"Hello."
I didn't respond.
To be exact, I couldn't respond.
Until now, I thought I was acting like I was strong, but that wasn't the case.
The instincts of 'Dante Hiacapo,' who was <synchronized> with me, were helping me.
Dante,
Considered himself an endless strongman and adult, so I also couldn't stand receiving impudent greetings.
"……."
So I ignored him and walked away diagonally, and Kendrake said behind my back.
"Hey, what are you doing? I just greeted you."
"……."
"Hey. Seriously, you're totally ignoring me. Let's have an Assassination Skirmish. If you're confident."
He was parroting what I had said. I still ignored him and walked. Slowly. Then Kendrake said a little louder.
"Hey! Seriously, is it okay to ignore someone so blatantly in front of their face? That doesn't make me feel good either. Huh?"
I stopped.
"Student."
"Yeah. What."
I turned around and looked at him. A slightly reddened face, as if he was embarrassed and disgraced.
He was probably a monster on the level of a senior professor, but to me, he was just a child.
"Manners."
And a rude child needs an adult to point out their attitude.
"Show respect in front of a professor."
The guy's face hardened.
Silence fell. I turned around without saying anything more.
As I walked away, the 【Script】 started to get noisy.
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st year Kendrake: 'What. Why do I have to hear those words? This sucks.' 】
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st year Kendrake: 'I can kill him if we fight. I was needlessly embarrassed…….' 】
Kendrake seemed to have lost his will to assassinate after feeling a bit of shame.
"Hey. Then that…."
"I will not do an Assassination Skirmish."
"…Why. Are you scared? That I'll beat you?"
I walked away without answering.
"……Professor!"
As the distance grew, the guy finally called me professor.
Even so, I didn't respond.
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st year Kendrake: 'Damn it, he's putting on a hell of a show…. Does he mean I don't meet his standards?' 】
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st year Kendrake: 'Ah, this sucks……. Who does he think he is to ignore me?' 】
There was a reason why I had this conversation with the guy.
The four methods of obtaining Star Fragments mentioned earlier. One of them was building [Relationship].
As a seasoned player, I know the diversity of [Relationship].
And I know that 'inferiority complex' is also part of [Relationship].
┃ Relationship increased: Kendrake [3] (▲3)
┃ Reward: Star Fragment × 3
Just like this.
EP4
World Fabrication
END