Dispersion (3)

A low, groaning rumble resonated through the earth as the summoned wooden door sank into the floor, vanishing without a trace.

Kwak Seung-jae watched it disappear, his jaw clenched tight. Having his magic interfered with was hardly a novel experience. Spatial magic was potent enough to dictate the entire tide of a battle, which made him an enemy's highest-priority target on any battlefield. Foes routinely poured everything into disrupting his casting, and more than a few had shattered his wooden doors the instant they materialized.

But what on earth was that?

The spell had finished cleanly. The door had suffered not a scratch. Yet the doorknob had simply refused to turn. It was infinitely more baffling and unnerving than outright destruction.

Before he could even begin to process what had happened, frantic transmissions flooded in from the other depots.

All four sites were being assaulted simultaneously.

As Kwak Seung-jae stood frozen in place, a hand came to rest gently on his shoulder. He turned to find a third-year Disciplinary Committee member looking at him calmly.

"No luck, Seung-jae?"

"I'm sorry, Senior."

"So it failed." Rather than displaying disappointment, the senior merely gave a sober nod. "We can dissect the cause later. Right now, we need to move."

Kwak Seung-jae looked around. Every disciplinary officer in the room had their eyes fixed on him, awaiting his command. Like the senior beside him, none showed resentment; their gazes held only steady trust. He forced the turmoil in his mind to subside.

He's right. Blame comes later.

Right now, his duty was to act as their commander and minimize casualties as much as humanly possible.

"Divide into squads and move to each depot on foot," Kwak Seung-jae ordered crisply. "Move with maximum haste!"

As if waiting for that very command, the disciplinary officers sprang into action with practiced precision. In the midst of the scramble, another third-year suddenly raised a puzzled question.

"...Wait, where did Oh Se-hoon run off to?"

Watching the wooden door sink back into the earth with a low rumble, Tang Gyu-young caught on to the situation immediately and broke into a grin.

"Looks like your backup isn't coming?"

"..."

The Disciplinary Committee members stiffened. The tables had turned completely. Even so, the veterans among them did not lose their composure. Senior Hell Axe and the armored knight exchanged dry remarks.

"All the better. It would've felt cheap to end it so quickly anyway."

"Just means we have to hold out a little longer, that's all."

Tang Gyu-young rested her shadow bat across her shoulder and chuckled. "That's the spirit. It wouldn't be any fun if you threw in the towel already."

As fighting spirit flared on both sides, the tension in the air coiled tighter and tighter until, in a single explosive breath, everyone surged forward.

Senior Hell Axe swung his weapon with terrifying speed, cleaving the air in a blur of crimson light. The sharp whistle of the blade sheared cleanly through Tang Gyu-young's shadow bat, but the dark construct reformed in the blink of an eye, swinging back around to retaliate. With her Ggyurimja Undead launching coordinated strikes from both flanks, Hell Axe was instantly forced onto the defensive.

When Kim Gab-du moved to assist her, Tang Gyu-young pointed her chin toward the armored knight.

"Go crack that tin can first!"

"Understood."

Kim Gab-du and a fellow third-year from the Martial Arts Club closed in on the knight, driving him into a corner. Meanwhile, the twin brothers clashed with the second-year disciplinary officers, while Chae Da-bin coordinated radio transmissions with the other strike teams before jumping in to support the twins.

As for me, I chose to take a step back and watch.

No point in exhausting myself here.

Relying on my wind spells or Ice White Bullet wouldn't deal decisive damage against second- and third-year elites anyway, and using them would only make it easier for the academy to identify me. Neutralizing Kwak Seung-jae's wooden door was already more than enough work for one night.

Despite their bravado, the disciplinary officers couldn't hold out long. The first to crumble was, predictably, the knight senior. He had already sustained heavy damage from taking my Inferno Fist head-on; pressed under the relentless, simultaneous assault of two seasoned martial artists, his guard steadily unraveled.

Sensing the opening, the two martial artists locked eyes.

"Now."

They flanked the knight from front and rear, unleashing a barrage of lightning-fast punches. A storm of impacts detonated against his armor.

"Ugh...!" With a muffled groan, the knight dropped to one knee before slumping sideways onto the pavement.

Kim Gab-du directed his junior to help finish off the remaining second-years while he joined Tang Gyu-young against Senior Hell Axe. Tang Gyu-young already held the upper hand. Every time Hell Axe unleashed a burst of axe qi, the Research Director ballooned its limbs like grotesque cushions, soaking up the brunt of the kinetic force—a terrifying display of Flesh Golem durability.

Meanwhile, another Ggyurimja Undead—a slender female summon—lashed out with elongated shadow tendrils, whipping and ensnaring Hell Axe from every angle.

The Vine Queen.

It was the boss monster of the C-rank dungeon Tang Gyu-young had cleared the previous week. While its raw attack power was modest, its utility—particularly its crowd control—was exceptional. Tangled in a web of writhing shadow vines, Hell Axe found his mobility severely crippled.

Desperately parrying with his axe, he grunted, "The rumors of your growth weren't exaggerated, I see."

"My, what's gotten into you? Handing out compliments?" Tang Gyu-young teased.

"Personal feelings aside, I give credit where it's due."

"Is that right? Thanks for the kind review."

"I clearly can't drag this out," Hell Axe muttered, his aura flaring fiercely. "I'll have to force the issue—"

Before he could unleash his counterattack, a heavy fist struck him square in the ribs from his blind spot. The impact bent his spine sideways with a sickening crunch. Twisting his head around in agony, he met Kim Gab-du's steady gaze.

"Kim... Gab-du...!"

"My apologies. A sucker punch is hardly my style, but circumstances demand it."

Right on cue, Tang Gyu-young closed the distance and brought her shadow bat down with everything she had.

CRACK!

Following his torso, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Senior Hell Axe's neck snapped violently to the side. His consciousness teetered on the brink of oblivion. Leaning over him, Tang Gyu-young offered an apology of her own.

"Hey, sorry to you too."

"You actually... have the nerve... to feel ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sorry...?"

"Well, you guys were just working hard at your assigned duties. Beating you to a pulp doesn't make me feel entirely comfortable, you know."

"Then... why...?"

Tang Gyu-young puffed out her chest with utter shamelessness. "Because I'm Number One. I have a solemn duty to protect world peace."

"What kind of... absolute horse-shi—..."

Senior Hell Axe lost consciousness before he could finish the sentence.

Despite her words of apology, Tang Gyu-young looked thoroughly vindicated. For three straight years, she had been on the receiving end of a thrashing every time they crossed paths; she had finally repaid the debt in full.

By then, the second-year officers had all been subdued as well. Tang Gyu-young issued orders to her club members before turning to Kim Gab-du.

"Let's head inside, take what we can, and pull out. You guys watch the perimeter."

"Understood."

Leaving the Martial Arts Club stationed outside, our group stepped into the abandoned building. As we walked, Tang Gyu-young sidled up next to me with a beaming smile.

"Little Monarch, if you had a card like that up your sleeve, you should've given me a heads-up. Honestly, I was starting to sweat."

"I kept it hidden to make the reveal more dramatic."

"Always so obsessed with looking cool." Tang Gyu-young gave my arm a playful smack, then pointed at my staff. "Just how far does that thing reach, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anyway?"

"It has far more restrictions than you think."

The window of opportunity to cancel spatial magic with Caw? was extraordinarily narrow. Taking Kwak Seung-jae as an example, I could prevent him from summoning a wooden door in the first place, or seal an existing door so it couldn't open—but once the door was actually flung wide, the skill was utterly useless. Furthermore, its area of effect was so tight it was practically a single-target ability, and the effective range was quite short. If Kwak Seung-jae had realized this, summoned a door completely out of my line of sight, and yanked it open, even I wouldn't have been able to stop him.

Tang Gyu-young tilted her head thoughtfully as she listened. "So it would still work just fine against the other teams?"

"Yes."

"Since we haven't heard any distress calls from them, he probably hasn't figured it out yet."

"He's likely in complete shock."

If Kwak Seung-jae simply summoned another door right now, he could easily warp to any of the other temporary depots. But the psychological blow of his magic failing so inexplicably had paralyzed him from attempting it again. I had anticipated that very mindset, which was why I had made a show of using Inferno Fist—to draw all their attention and paranoia straight toward me.

"What a shame. I'd pay good money to see Seung-jae's face right now," Tang Gyu-young giggled. Catching the rest of the party glancing our way, she instantly wiped the smirk off her face, feigning solemn composure as she took the lead.

Just as Chae Da-bin's reconnaissance had reported, the Disciplinary Committee hadn't stationed a single guard inside the facility. There weren't even basic magical alarms or mechanical traps—a clear testament to how absolute their faith in Kwak Seung-jae's spatial mobility had been. Unfortunately for them, that blind reliance had turned into poison and backfired completely.

That's what happens when you put all your eggs in a wooden door.

Before long, we reached the inner vault, where piles of confiscated contraband were stacked high. Tang Gyu-young gave a slight jerk of her chin.

"Bag everything."

"Right away, Boss!"

The twins and Chae Da-bin grinned ear to ear, sweeping every piece of contraband within reach straight into their inventories. Tang Gyu-young, meanwhile, carefully sifted through the loot, storing only the rarest and most valuable items inside her Cube of Life. Even on the retreat, there remained a slight risk of ambush; extra precautions never hurt.

I took the opportunity to browse for useful materials myself.

First, the toxic herbs.

Thanks to Immunity to Ten Thousand Poisons, I could absorb the potent medicinal essence of lethal plants without suffering any backlash. In my hands, every poisonous herb was functionally identical to a rare spirit elixir. I shoved every toxic plant I could find into my cube.

As I scanned the shelves, a familiar glass vial caught my eye.

It was the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠exact same prize I had once won from the train's slot machine—an item packed with enough chilling energy to propel a novice straight to an E-rank core with bare hands. Now, it served an additional purpose.

It'll be perfect for cultivating ice-affinity techniques.

Whether for Ice White Bullet or the Mystic Yin Jade Demonic Finger, this crystal was pure gold. I pocketed the vial without a second thought.

Nearby, Tang Gyu-young stood staring down at a grimoire bound in pitch-black leather. It lacked a title and bore no system appraisal, but the sinister chill radiating from its pages was unmistakable.

"It's a Necromancer skillbook," I remarked.

"Yeah. Think I should learn it?"

"Take it for now. Most of its spells should translate well enough into your Umbromancer build."

Tang Gyu-young nodded and tucked the tome securely into her cube.

By the time we regrouped, the room had been stripped entirely bare, without so much as a speck of dust left behind. The thieves wore the euphoric expressions of patrons who had just gorged themselves on a royal banquet. Tang Gyu-young smiled with deep satisfaction.

"All right, let's pull out."

We filed out of the abandoned facility. Waiting outside, Kim Gab-du glanced over at us.

"Finished?"

"Yep. All that's left is heading home."

"I doubt anything could go wrong at this stage, but we shouldn't let our guard down until we're clear."

"Love the mindset."

The mood was light and buoyant as our group set off into the night.

We hadn't gone far, however, when a sharp gleam pierced the darkness ahead. A brilliant, blinding light flickered through the trees—a massive warhammer sculpted entirely from radiant white energy.

The hammer traced an arc across the sky, suddenly snapping into a steep trajectory before hurtling directly toward us.