Alleyway Showdown
I was originally a student who didn't particularly enjoy academy classes. The reason was simple: I was weak.
More than weak, I had no abilities at all, so showing myself to others felt embarrassing. It was fortunate that, as a man, I was in a position to be protected. If this were the original world…
'I would've suffered every kind of humiliation imaginable.'
But things were different now. My strength and agility had clearly improved compared to last time, and I could wield excellent weapon techniques.
"Today we'll conduct combat training based on urban warfare."
"Urban area?"
"Yeah, urban area. You never know where a gate might open."
With Yerin's added explanation while we took the class together, the academy's curriculum turned out to be far more meticulously structured than I'd expected.
Training to prepare for every contingency, including urban warfare scenarios—the budget alone must have been enormous, so my expectations rose.
"However, this time it'll proceed as PvP without monsters. We'll split into Team A and Team B, so line up in numerical order."
"PvP… We won't get seriously hurt, right?"
"It'll be a bit tougher than fighting monsters. Still, Sihyun, I'll protect you, so just relax."
"Aw~ Thanks. Should I give you some kind of service later?"
The moment I said "service," she blew a puff of air into my ear. Yerin revealed her emotions with flushed cheeks and slightly lowered eyes.
"If you're offering…"
"Come to my room when I contact you later. I'll give you a special service."
"I'll definitely go."
It was time to show off the techniques I'd honed while traveling between the Yakuza world and the NTR world.
A special breeding press reserved only for Yerin, who had spent the most money.
And along with the uterine massages I'd occasionally given Detective Shinoda, I planned to give her plenty of motivation to keep earning.
'I wonder what kind of reaction she'll show.'
Watching her reactions to the uterine pressing was genuinely entertaining.
Then the teams were divided by number order, and as expected, Yerin and I ended up on the same team.
Since we could arm ourselves freely, I prepared by bringing my familiar pistol and one-handed sword.
"Sihyun uses both, huh?"
"Yeah. This feels more comfortable."
Raising the gun in one hand and settling into a stance, a familiar sensation washed over me—the same feeling I'd known for so long during my Yakuza days.
When the barrel tried to droop from its weight, I forced it back up and swung the sword to the side.
'Heavy. My strength really has weakened.'
After wielding far greater power in another world, adapting to this weakened state felt somewhat difficult.
What mattered was that I was definitely in better shape than last time.
Rejoicing in my growth, I watched Yerin preparing beside me.
'She's focusing on cold weapons instead of guns.'
Unlike me and Jaehee, Yerin seemed to be a martial artist type, handling a massive spear.
A huge crescent-bladed spear. Imagining her swinging it rather than thrusting made me dizzy.
"Oh, hi… Did you get in okay yesterday?"
"Who are you again?"
"Ah, hi Jaehee~."
While I was talking with Yerin, Jaehee—presumably our teammate—approached.
Unlike last time, she was loaded with a rifle and grenades and waved cheerfully.
"Sihyun, don't tell me…"
"Hmm? What. Oh right, Jaehee's on the same team too. Lucky, having a good shooter on our side."
"Yeah. I'll keep you safe, so just say the word if it gets dangerous."
"..."
The two women were coldly glaring at each other. It was like a female rivalry circling around a male.
This wasn't a catfight—it was a tiger fight. They stared each other down, eyes scanning faces, then slowly drifting lower…
"Hmph."
"Shi…bal."
Jaehee's slight sneer decided the winner.
'Jaehee's breasts are definitely bigger.'
Yerin's weren't small, but the visible size outside her clothes—Jaehee overwhelmingly dominated.
Volume that couldn't be grabbed with one hand.
Knowing this well, Yerin stood up abruptly as if her pride had been wounded and grabbed her spear.
"You don't have to help. I can protect Sihyun myself. Over there~ They look like they need long-range support, so shouldn't you go?"
"Rather, since you're using cold weapons, isn't it more dangerous because you have to get close? If it were me, I'd snipe from a distance and end it."
"Over there."
"So! I'm saying I'll stay right by his side and protect him…"
Watching the two bicker was amusing, but the urban combat seemed to be starting. If I just stood there, I had a feeling I'd end up in serious trouble.
Since they weren't listening to me anyway, I decided to slip away alone.
'Might as well test my skills while I'm at it.'
I wasn't aiming for the top rank anyway, so grades didn't matter much. I planned to live in a way that just avoided failing.
'Honestly, this kind of life is more comfortable—doing whatever I want.'
Moving between half-collapsed buildings, I searched for B Team members who might be hiding. They would definitely be wearing red headbands.
After wandering for a while without spotting anyone, I decided to move more boldly.
The moment I stepped onto the second floor of a building, something glinted through a large window in front of me.
"Shit!"
-Crash!!!
The window shattered and a bullet embedded itself right next to my foot. Someone had been waiting inside for anyone to enter.
Realizing I was being sniped, I ducked low and rushed down to the first floor, slipping into an alley.
'Against a sniper, there's nothing I can do.'
Even while fleeing, I fired a few warning shots toward the sniper trying to target me.
But shooting while moving made proper aiming impossible, so it wasn't very threatening.
"Whoa… Looks like I walked into the wrong place."
"No. On the contrary, this might be good?"
"..."
Deep in the alley, I came face-to-face with a woman wearing a red headband.
We couldn't just pretend not to see each other and walk past. I raised my sword in my right hand and aimed the pistol.
'She's using the same one-handed sword.'
Mine was a light katana with a single edge, while hers was a heavier Western bastard sword.
"No need for words!"
"Hup!"
She charged explosively. I widened the distance slightly and checked her with the gun first.
I aimed not for the head, but the legs. I had to slow down an opponent with that kind of speed.
Bullets missed, and she came running with a mad grin.
-Clang!
Eventually the distance closed. We exchanged one clash and sized each other up.
'I'm losing in raw strength. I'll have to win with technique.'
As a man who couldn't use mana well either, I needed to rely on technique and range to survive.
In the brief opening my right hand created, aiming the gun was faster than swinging the sword.
"At this distance, it won't miss."
"Ugh…!"
The special bullet struck her leg, breaking her stance.
A moment of stiffness. I aimed the gun at her head while moving in with the sword for certainty.
'Finish it!'
"Grind."
-Bang!
With the sensation of my body floating, I was slammed straight into the wall.
"Kuh… As expected, it wouldn't be easy."
"I was surprised too. I shouldn't have let my guard down just because you're a man."
I'd momentarily forgotten that if I could use abilities, so could she. A blue aura rippled from her hand—that had to be her power.
In an instant, the wave blew everything around me away, wrecking my body. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries.
"I need to wrap this up quickly and catch the others too, you know?"
"Same here."
I'd only wanted to test my skills roughly, but now I didn't want to lose.
As boiling blood surged through my veins, adrenaline flooded my brain. The pain faded and my vision cleared.
Bang! The second round began with my gunshot. The woman ran while deflecting bullets, but her injured leg hadn't fully recovered—her speed had dropped and her posture was slightly off-balance.
It was definitely an effective tactic. I aimed the gun along her expected path, closed in first, and swung my sword.
Red sparks exploded between the clashing blades.
The shock traveled down the sword into my hand. Somehow, this situation was incredibly exhilarating.
"Poof!"
"Hup…!"
Another blue wave hit me, forcing me back. This time there was no injury, and I recovered my stance faster.
In that brief moment, I lightly dodged the sword aimed at me, then aimed the gun from below.
I swung the blade toward her chest as she tried to dodge at high speed—and this time it connected. Blood spilled from her mouth for a moment before she gripped her sword with both hands.
'A suicide attack?'
She seemed to have given up on quick recovery and was trying to take me down with her in one strike.
A high-speed downward slash aimed at my head. The heavy sword, powered by both hands, was like a mace.
'Remember. The technique the squad leader used.'
I recalled the sophisticated swordsmanship I'd glimpsed while teaching the young lady.
Swordsmanship that naturally received attacks like flowing water and dispersed the impact throughout the body.
Yamasaki-ryu Iai style.
"Whoa?"
Then I continued with a gun-sword technique, blending my own style into that beautiful swordsmanship.
Disable the hands with the gun, then cut the rest with the sword.
Watching her collapse, I finally confirmed my victory.
"Haah… Haah… I won."
Not the me from the Yakuza world—this was my first real victory in this reality.
"Oops, there was one here? You're from the same class, right? First time talking."
"Ah…"
Before the thrill of victory could even fade, a woman stood at the end of the alley, smiling at me.
Red hair and a spine-chilling smile.
'A face that enjoys tormenting others.'
It was the pure smile of a child who had just found a new toy.
