Chapter 10
Chapter 10
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Sniper at the School Gate (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Several arrows whistled through the air.
The recurve bows packed a serious punch, easily reaching from the second-floor windows to the center of the sports field.
Thud thud thud!!
The half-mechanized teachers crumpled to the ground.
They'd been rebuilt as killing machines, but their brains and hearts were still stubbornly human.
The archery club members had coolly aimed for headshots, and a few hit their marks.
Four out of the five were dead. Only the especially sturdy vice principal remained.
"Urgh...! Graaaahhh!!"
Rat-tat-tat-tat!!
He unleashed a barrage of gunfire, but while his rate of fire was impressive, his accuracy was abysmal.
Crash!!
School windows shattered left and right.
The archery club members had already taken cover below the window ledges.
"Tch! He won't go down?"
"The vice principal's particularly tough. We aimed for the head, but he's still kicking, Captain."
The archery club folks were mentally tough by nature, staying ice-cold even under fire as they analyzed the situation.
"Alright. Let's target the heart this time."
"Got it."
"I'll take the finishing shot."
Na Youngho, the ace of the archery club, took a deep breath.
At that moment, a reward message popped up for the snipers they'd already taken out.
"Huh?!"
"Ten of them? That's a lot."
"You guys too?"
The archery club members who'd successfully sniped with gunfire got a generous supply of healing potions.
"I see. So that was the right call."
Na Youngho realized it now.
Instead of half-assedly running away, pooling their strength to take out the sniper.
Even if injuries happened during the teamwork, the multiple healing potions made recovery possible.
But.
'No. Still, only 40 people can clear this.'
Thinking it over coldly, taking out the sniper wasn't the 'answer' to this mission.
'What are these generous potions even for, then?'
"Captain? What're you thinking?"
An archery club member asked Na Youngho.
Their expressions were generally bright.
They seemed more thrilled about scoring precious potions than guilty over killing their once-teachers.
A posture that already seemed adapted to this death game.
"Hm... Nothing."
"Just one vice principal bastard left. No point handing him off—finish him quick?"
"That'd be the smart play."
Na Youngho briefly considered yielding the kill shot to other players.
Hogging it all among themselves might backfire later, painting a target on their backs.
Humans were jealous, envious creatures, after all.
That instant.
"What's that noise?"
Vroooom...!
The principal's SUV engine roared up the ramp from the underground parking lot right by the school gate.
"Wha...!"
The vice principal sniper flinched and tried to swing his aim that way, but.
"Kiyaaah-hoo!!"
Dokgo Hyun floored the accelerator and activated his skill.
[Instant Acceleration]!!
[Time Distortion] special technique activated. Vehicle top speed artificially boosted over 2x.
Thud!!
The vehicle surged forward.
Kaboom!!
The vice principal sniper got flung off by the car body.
Screeech!
Brakes slammed, and the SUV finally skidded to a halt after a long slide.
The archery club members gawked at the sight.
"Th-that car!"
"Isn't that the principal's SUV?"
"How'd he even start it without the keys...?"
"More importantly, didn't it accelerate weirdly right before impact?"
Dokgo Hyun had headed to the principal's office to snag the keys to his SUV.
It was the toughest, fanciest ride in the school—perfect for ambushing complacent snipers.
'Hit 'em with [Instant Acceleration] on the SUV and run 'em all down!'
It was a risky plan that could've turned him into Swiss cheese if it went wrong, but Dokgo Hyun figured it was doable.
'The snipers are clustered near the gate.'
Of course, if they'd been scattered and hidden, it'd have been tough.
But bunched up in open space? He had confidence in bowling them over like pins.
The SUV's front bumper was smashed as a result, but.
'Thanks, Principal. Using your car well.'
The principal had once bragged during a lecture/me-time about his ride.
'People must always prepare. Look at me. I keep a spare car key in my desk drawer. Why? In case I lose the main one. It's an expensive car, after all. Follow my example and always be ready.'
Dokgo Hyun couldn't forget that self-important spiel.
As a top student award-winner summoned for chats in the office multiple times, he'd endured plenty of it.
So he'd raided the desk and swiped the key.
Killing some nameless delinquent on the way was just a bonus.
"Nice."
Even for Dokgo Hyun, who could rewind time in a pinch, it was limited to three uses a day.
More recovery options were always better.
'Two [3-Minute Regressions] left today. Handle minor injuries with potions.'
Satisfied, Dokgo Hyun pocketed a few ginseng-flavored gums from the SUV's stash.
He chewed one, intending to head straight for the portal without looking back.
But.
"Hm."
Rare for him, Dokgo Hyun glanced over his shoulder.
No sign of Baek Seonghui or her followers.
Not among the bodies littering the field, either.
"She said she'd check the warehouse, so why hasn't she shown up?"
The warehouse was behind the main building, combined with the recycling center.
Checking for an exit should've taken five minutes tops.
Her absence this long meant...
"Tch."
Irritated as he was, Dokgo Hyun turned the wheel.
"Might be a team mission later. Might as well save her for now."
She was one of the rare few whose vibe matched his—a female friend he actually clicked with.
Vrooom...!
He gunned it toward the main entrance.
Crunch crunch...!
Up the steps, smashing through the doors.
Crack!
Both side mirrors shattered.
"Damn, good thing it's the principal's ride. Mine, and I'd be crying."
The warehouse came into view.
Three minutes earlier.
The warehouse connected to the recycling depot reeked of rot and decay.
Infighting had broken out.
"Wh-what the hell?!"
Baek Seonghui's voice trembled, but the situation was obvious.
"Fuck. Didn't you hear the gunfire?"
"We're already dead meat."
By now, out on the field, teachers were massacring students.
Hearing the gunfire, panic shattered the students' reason.
Terror drove varied reactions, but shockingly, they all converged on one target.
"Baek Seonghui! This is all your fault!"
"Why'd you give us hope for escape?! Why!!"
Terror-stricken girls dumped blame on Baek Seonghui.
"If we're dying anyway...!"
"Heh heh..."
The boys who'd followed her leered with ugly lust.
They planned to torment and kill her in the most humiliating way.
"Ah..."
Seeing it, Baek Seonghui realized.
'They never truly believed in me. They just hoped for escape.'
Her plan was: no exit? Arm with warehouse gear and fight back.
But they'd pinned all hope on escape. Now crushed, fear and frustration drove them mad.
'They followed me in the ice game not out of resolve, but because they planned to freeze anyway...!'
It was mere coincidence aligning with her orders.
Not faith in her leadership for 'surviving together.'
Now, knowing they wouldn't make the 40-survivor cut, they'd snapped to blame and base desires.
The boys and girls encircled her.
"Take responsibility! Baek Seonghui!"
"Take responsibility!"
"Can't? Then die!"
"Kill her?"
"Yeah, kill her!!"
Whoosh!
Someone swung a shovel from the warehouse. Baek Seonghui dodged in shock, tumbling aside.
Riiip!
The blade snagged her uniform shirt, tearing it.
"Kyaa...!"
She couldn't even scream loud.
Seeing her pathetic fall ignited their madness with cruel laughter.
Her usual pristine, model-student image made it all the sweeter.
"Kyahaha!"
"Acting all high and mighty, look at you now!"
"What now? Just kill her?"
"Too bad to waste her like that? Hehe!"
"Kekeke! Pathetic."
Boys and girls alike craved her fall into depravity before death.
Then.
Vroooom!
A luxury SUV engine roared.
Boom!!
The vehicle smashed through the recycling depot's wooden wall, barreling into the warehouse.
"Wha?!"
"Wh-what!!"
Those looming over Baek Seonghui scrambled in panic.
Dokgo Hyun, in the SUV, grasped the scene instantly.
"You lot thought you'd find an exit and bail? No luck, so you all lost your minds and turned mob? Picking the nicest one as sacrifice?"
"Ah, ugh...!"
"Mission time's running out—you need to snap out of it, not go brain-dead. Tsk tsk. What a pathetic bunch. Dodged a bullet not teaming with trash like you."
Dokgo Hyun's voice carried through the shattered car window.
"F-fuck!"
His arrival sparked shame in them.
Shame could've led to reflection, but they were lost to despair and frenzy.
Clank!
Click!
They grabbed pipes, tools, whatever, charging the SUV.
"Hit together!!"
"Kill him!!"
Their shouts rang fierce, but.
"Yeah, brain-dead trash. Come get some."
Dokgo Hyun slammed the gas.
No mercy for the deranged.
Just death.
Crunch!
Squish!!
He ran down the aggressors first.
"Gaaah?!"
"Y-you bastard!!"
"M-Mommy!!"
"Crazy hit-and-run psycho! Aaaah!!!"
He flattened half under the tires, pulped the rest.
Using [Time Distortion] applications—[Instant Acceleration] and [Instant Deceleration] smartly—he efficiently crushed them even indoors.
Crack crack...!
Thump!
The car got mangled too; the already-broken passenger door fell off.
"Whew."
Dokgo Hyun hopped out and approached Baek Seonghui.
"Hey, you okay?"
"Ah..."
"Not saving you for free. Pay back the favor later."
Not waiting for her dazed reply, he scooped her up and plopped her in the passenger seat.
The survivors on the floor groaned.
"Ugh. Wait!"
"T-take us to the portal too!"
Even now, clinging to life.
Dokgo Hyun, from the driver's seat, glanced at Baek Seonghui.
A courtesy check: 'What about them?'
Her response was fierce.
"Crush them all!!"
She glared through tear-filled eyes, venom in her voice.
"I'll handle the gas—you steer?"
They teamed up, grinding the betrayers under the wheels.
'Baek Seonghui took a real hit to the heart.'
She'd led them to survive together, only to get betrayed and nearly die horribly. Trauma inevitable.
Especially for someone like her, who'd lived righteously.
Squish!!
The tires pulped the traitors.
Sharing driving kills netted 50 coins apiece each time.
"All dead. Feel better?"
"Sniff... Hic..."
"Stop crying. Let's go."
Dokgo Hyun took the wheel again.
Baek Seonghui wiped her eyes in the rattling car.
"Hey, have some gum."
He offered a ginseng stick from the dash with one hand.
She chewed silently.
Hiding survivors and archery club members were slipping into the portal.
Screech.
Dokgo Hyun parked the SUV a bit from the gate and killed the engine.
No need for a second ride, but he pocketed the keys in his inventory anyway.
"C'mon, in we go."
He tugged Baek Seonghui toward the portal. Before entering, she spoke.
"Hyun."
"Yeah?"
"...Thanks. For saving me."
"Like I said, not free. Pay up later. With interest."
She nodded at his words.
And so, Dokgo Hyun and Baek Seonghui entered the portal as the 8th and 7th from the end.