The Academy's Ace (2)
That night, a full moon hung in the dim sky, casting a soft silver glow. The chilly night air slipped through the open window into my room.
I slipped on a pair of leather gloves and flexed my fingers, clenching and unclenching my fists repeatedly. Once I was satisfied with the fit, I finally tightened them into solid fists.
“Perfect.”
It had been a while since I’d worn civilian clothes. All that remained was to pull on a cap and mask, and I’d be fully prepared. I perched on the windowsill railing. No way was I going out through the dorm entrance and risking getting caught by the dorm supervisor.
The current time was 9 PM. Raven Academy’s nights were always quiet. I glanced toward the main gate where the security guard stood watch. That route was definitely off-limits. Curfew had already passed, so students weren’t allowed in or out.
But that didn’t mean there were no options.
I shifted my gaze to the tall wall surrounding the campus.
“Hmm…”
My eyes narrowed. If I could just distract the guard’s attention for a moment, clearing that wall would be more than doable. I looked down at the ground below the railing. Before jumping, I thought back to those delinquents I’d run into.
When I first met them, I’d written them off as nothing more than trash. But after seeing them again two days ago, I realized my initial judgment had been slightly off. There was one common detail that stood out.
A tattoo of a snake with its head cut off. It marked them as members of the criminal syndicate known as the Sabyeong-pa.
There were two notorious criminal organizations currently dominating South Korea. The Sabyeong-pa, one of them, operated nationwide except for Seoul—or so I’d heard. Of course, that was just secondhand information…
But one thing was certain: I had personally witnessed them harassing innocent civilians.
I pulled my mask up over my nose.
If I have to use violence, I’ll only use it against true evil.
That was my own personal rule. Not out of some noble hero complex, but simply the bare minimum conscience a human being should have.
“Well then… shall we go?”
With that thought, I leaped down from the railing.
A small walking path had been built in front of the academy’s three dormitories. Thanks to the beautiful landscaping, it was a popular spot for students who wanted to get some fresh air. Benches were placed here and there along the path for people to sit and rest.
During the day it was filled with laughter, but at night it became peacefully quiet.
And there, illuminated by a streetlamp, was the silhouette of a woman.
Wearing comfortable clothes and staring down at her smartphone was none other than class vice-president Kim Jeong-a.
She was currently waiting for someone.
Twenty minutes earlier, while lying in bed, a message had arrived on her phone. A red notification dot appeared on the Talk & Talk messenger app.
In the end, Kim Jeong-a had no choice but to quickly change into comfortable clothes and head outside. She drew the line at going out in her pajamas. No matter how much of a normal “guy friend” Lee Dae-han was, girls never wanted to look sloppy in front of the opposite sex.
She had been waiting for him for five minutes now.
“Why isn’t he coming?”
Kim Jeong-a placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her cheeks. Anyone would get annoyed if the person who asked them to come out first ended up being late.
She typed out an angry message.
Kim Jeong-a let out a small smile. She could clearly picture his flustered face as he rushed over.
With that thought, she lifted her head.
That was exactly when her eyes narrowed.
“…What’s that?”
Someone was sprinting across the walking path, heading somewhere. Even though the person wore a cap and mask to hide their face, Kim Jeong-a immediately recognized who it was.
She tilted her head in confusion.
Ha Yeonjun? Where is he going at this hour…?
It could have been a normal outing, but something about the outfit felt suspicious. And seeing him deliberately climb over the wall instead of using the main gate only deepened her doubts.
She quickly picked up her smartphone again. Since this was her first time sending him a message, she hesitated for a second. But hesitation wasn’t in her nature.
The “1” next to the message didn’t disappear immediately. The reply came right after “that guy” had finished climbing over the wall.
A spark of interest flashed in Kim Jeong-a’s eyes.
“Jeong-a!”
That was when Lee Dae-han finally appeared. In his right hand were two cans of her favorite drink.
“Sorry I’m late. I got these for you.”
He held out the drink as he spoke. But Kim Jeong-a’s attention was already elsewhere.
Ha Yeonjun, what the hell are you…!
In the end, she decided to follow him. Turning to Lee Dae-han, she said,
“Sorry! I have to head back first. My stomach suddenly hurts really bad. I’ll listen to what you wanted to say later! See you tomorrow!”
“Huh…? Uh…?”
After saying that, Kim Jeong-a started running off somewhere. Definitely not in the direction of the dorms.
Left alone, Lee Dae-han let out a deep sigh. The drinks hadn’t really meant much. After all, in his left hand—hidden behind his back—was a bouquet of flowers he had secretly prepared.
“What the…?”
Sometimes timing just doesn’t work out in relationships, but young students still don’t fully understand that yet. Lee Dae-han stared blankly up at the sky.
District 6 of Unlimited was quiet tonight as usual. Every time I came here, I noticed the same thing—the air always smelled faintly of something burning.
I slipped into the back alley next to an abandoned bar. Tracking them down had been easy for me. By activating Insight, I could pick up the traces they’d left behind everywhere.
Before long, I arrived at an empty lot behind the bar. That was when my eyes met the group of guys huddled together.
“Who the hell is that guy…?”
The one glaring at me the hardest was the big brute sitting in the middle. He was probably the “big brother” of the group.
He narrowed his eyes and spoke.
“You a cop?”
Cop? As if. Honestly, I’d be grateful if they thought that.
I walked toward them silently and activated a skill. My target was the big guy.
Unique Skill 'Insight lv.4' has been activated.
Perception stat is influencing Insight.
Perfect Insight achieved!
This guy’s nothing but a muscle-brained pig with nothing but strength. And he didn’t even have any clear weaknesses…
The big guy smirked.
“Boys! Looks like this punk wants to get stomped on!”
“Yes, boss!”
In the underworld, a single glance was often enough to start a fight. At that moment, four or five men beside him grabbed weapons and started moving toward me.
I, on the other hand, didn’t pick up a weapon.
…It would have been a waste.
One of them charged at me swinging a baseball bat.
“You son of a bitch!”
I fought them using only my fists. First, I dodged the bat and countered with a solid punch to the man’s face.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Taking advantage of the opening, a second man tried to smash a brick into the back of my head. I spun and kicked him hard in the stomach.
“Gah!”
That wasn’t the end. I regained my stance and glared at the three men behind me. The moment our eyes met, their expressions froze.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
While they were still stunned, I threw rapid punches. That was when a heavy voice rang out.
“You fucking bastard!”
The big guy who had been watching finally charged in!
“Die, you piece of shit!”
He swung the baseball bat downward with all his might.
Whoosh—!
But it was pointless. His agility was far below mine.
The Constellation 'Maestro of Beating' is watching the fight with great interest.
I lightly dodged the bat and drove my fist straight into his face.
Bam!
His jaw twisted completely. Yet the big guy slowly turned his bloodied face back toward me. He had more endurance than I expected.
“You fucking bastard!”
At that moment, he roared and threw a punch at me! His fist glowed with a golden light.
Target has activated Unique Skill 'Knuckle lv.4'.
The speed of the punch was so fast it was almost invisible. But even so, my agility was superior.
Whoosh—!
I ducked under the punch and immediately countered with my left fist!
Bam!
It landed cleanly!
“Ugh… fuck.”
He staggered, clutching his jaw. But the big guy still refused to fall. I had to give him credit for his toughness.
However…!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
After taking several more consecutive punches, the big guy finally collapsed to the ground. His face was completely covered in blood.
That was when the messages appeared.
Daily Mission completed.
You have earned 300 points as a reward.
You have earned an additional 500 points as bonus reward!
The Constellation 'Maestro of Beating' has sponsored 300 points as thanks for the genuine fight.
I looked around the neatly organized empty lot. The guys were groaning, desperately trying to crawl away from me. Eventually they all passed out.
“Ugh…”
I approached one of them and reached into his pocket.
Unique Skill 'Insight lv.4' has been activated.
These are white crystals with a cold chemical scent.
It was a drug. All the substances currently circulating in South Korea were distributed by these guys. The Sabyeong-pa had grown their power by peddling this filth—enough that even the nation’s public authority couldn’t touch them.
That was when I heard the sound of clapping.
Clap, clap, clap—!
At the sudden presence, I turned around. My eyes narrowed.