Fated to Die in an Academy Novel – Chapter 117

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

I cut off a piece of my innate qi without hesitation.

As the price for severing my life force, my child body transcended its limits and entered the superhuman realm.

A pain too intense for a child to bear coursed through my body, but ‘I’ assumed a stance while ignoring it and looked at the beast that had lost its mind.

As if reacting to me, it looked back.

The beast, consumed by its instinct for the first time in its life, smiled as if pleased by the appearance of a new toy that was more interesting than the ones it had been playing with.

“Hey, Cheon Yoo-hak. You’re not this kind of guy.”

It was something I would say.

The beast lunged at me with all its might.

It was a brutish punch, but its power wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

It was only natural.

A beast with claws that could tear apart enemies and fangs that could take down prey wouldn’t question their use.

Technique was something created by those who couldn’t win just by wielding their power, something devised by the weak to resist the strong.

It probably felt unnecessary to him, who had lost his mind and thought he was a predator.

But I was different from the toys you were playing with just now, though.

You couldn’t catch me with such straightforward movements.

“Why are you throwing a punch from so far away? Your movements are too big, I can see everything.”

The moment I dodged his fist, he seemed flustered and backed away.

The growling beast lunged at me again, as if determined not to miss this time, but dodging him was easy.

I tripped him, and he fell. Unable to control his own strength, his face crumpled in frustration.

“That’s why you shouldn’t do that. You learned martial arts. What are you going to do with them?”

…No, hey, just subdue him. Why are you provoking him?

“U-Ah…!!!”

Little Yoo-hak assumed a stance.

He who could easily crush his enemies without thinking was now forced to think as he faced an opponent he couldn’t handle so easily for the first time.

His punch was much stronger than before.

That was only natural since the beast in human form was now using technique.

“Oh, not bad. Do it again.”

Another piece of my innate qi flowed out, and my stats increased, making the world even slower.

“Do you think you can save the world like that? Learn to control yourself better if you don’t want to lose everything and regret it later.”

…Huh?

“…Uaaaaaaaaah!!!”

His wild punches turned into proper strikes, and his previously unused feet started to form crude kicks.

The one-sided play was gradually becoming a balanced fight.

“Yes, it’s better to throw each punch accurately, even if it’s troublesome. Strikes should be concise and swift, with a clear target.”

Hmm? I looked behind Cheon Yoo-hak and saw a terrified man taking out some kind of switch.

I could have stopped him, but ‘I’ just watched and smirked.

“Die, you monsters…!”

The explosion of the magical bomb shook the building.

Yes, shook, that’s all.

“…Huh?”

…In this day and age, did they think that the Cheon-hwa Group hotel wouldn’t have anti-terror measures?

Idiot.

He must have worked hard to infiltrate and plant the bomb, but it wasn’t a major threat.

Cheon Yoo-hak and I weren’t so lucky, though. Perhaps because there were more bombs on the second floor, we were caught in the blast and thrown out the window.

Well, being thrown out by an explosion didn’t mean we would be injured since we were superhumans.

The problem was that all eyes were on us after we landed.

“…Ah.”

“…Grrr!”

“This is a bit problematic.”

The beast, suddenly exposed to all the attention, started acting up.

“Hey! You crazy bastard, calm down!”

I had avoided direct confrontation so far, but I couldn’t let him attack other people.

*Bang…!*

As superhuman clashed with superhuman, a loud boom echoed that didn’t sound like it came from two small children colliding.

Would trucks colliding make this kind of sound?

I was pushed back.

It seemed that even with Enhancement, my unhealthy body couldn’t become stronger than Cheon Yoo-hak, who was consumed by his talent.

And I probably didn’t have as much innate qi in the past.

“Ah, you little brat, you pack quite a punch.”

He continued to rampage as he attacked the other people, and I blocked every single attack with my body.

Screams echoed as the surroundings turned into chaos.

He seemed puzzled that the prey he couldn’t catch before was now throwing itself at him, but perhaps thinking that a good result was a good result…

He started laughing.

The way he was laughing, like a child boasting about winning, made me chuckle.

I couldn’t help it.

Should I use my trump card?

“Here…!”

But before I could even think about it…

All eyes turned to a single point.

A child, held in her parents’ arms, awakened her talent at that moment.

Kim Ga-eul.

Her talent was insignificant. C-rank, Agitation.

A talent that allowed her to speak eloquently and attract attention with magical power.

It might seem decent, but it was a bottom-tier talent among attention-grabbing talents. It wasn’t difficult to resist, and even if it attracted attention, it was useless without defensive abilities.

But at this moment…

The monster that overwhelmed me and reveled in its victory was a beast that had lost its mind, consumed by instinct to the point of being distracted by such a talent.

Even a moment was enough.

The moment he was distracted by Kim Ga-eul, I focused all of my Enhancement on a single point.

From my foot to my ankle, from my ankle to my leg, from my leg to my waist, from my rotating waist to my shoulder, and from my shoulder to my fist.

He seemed to notice the fist approaching him, but it was too late.

Who told you to get distracted in the middle of a fight, you idiot?

To forcibly stop his talent, he needed to either lose consciousness or have it reset with a holy spell.

“Clench your teeth.”

No, wait, he still had baby teeth, so it would be okay even if they fell out.

“You little troublemaker.”

With a sickening crunch, Cheon Yoo-hak’s jaw and my fist shattered simultaneously.

Ah, damn it, that hurt like hell… His jaw was so hard…!

But since I punched him in the jaw, he inevitably received more impact and was sent flying.

What happened afterward was a bit hazy, perhaps because Cheon Yoo-hak’s memories were unclear.

Someone, probably Cheon Mu-jin, rushed over with a worried expression and picked up Yoo-hak. He approached me and started saying something.

-Reward, friend, please.

“It’s okay.”

-Thank you. First, treatment.

“Ah, I’m really okay. I’m not seriously injured.”

Perhaps because I said that while hiding my shattered fist, he bowed his head and disappeared with Cheon Yoo-hak.

And ‘I,’ who was smiling, took out a shining necklace from my pocket and infused it with magical power.

“Ah, really. Being a transmigrator is exhausting.”

‘I’ muttered that after instantly recovering my innate qi with the artifact, and the scenery changed again.

This time, little Cheon Yoo-hak was standing alone.

He was alone and on the verge of tears in a white space where there was no one else, and he couldn’t even tell which way was up or down. He looked more frustrated than sad.

Something black swirled around him, distorting the space.

My body walked towards him instinctively.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“…Is that you? Don’t come any closer. I’m not worthy of having subordinates.”

“Oh, why are you suddenly so dejected?”

“I was incompetent. A fool who couldn’t even control what was given to me. I even heard that you, whom I considered my subordinate, and the one I deemed useless helped me.”

“I was right, wasn’t I? Sometimes, there are jewels hidden among stones.”

“…Maybe. It’s none of my business now.”

“Why is it none of your business? So what if you failed? You can just do better next time. No one was even hurt, so why are you so serious?”

“…Weren’t you hurt? Father, Mother, and even the house staff are avoiding me now. They’re disappointed in me. Or maybe they’re scared of me. I showed them my monstrous form.”

“Haha, bullshit. You? A monster?”

“…Aren’t you scared of me?”

Here, it would be easy to offer a hand to the little boy who seemed to see a sliver of hope.

But I couldn’t. He had to become a hero.

“What are you talking about! You got your ass kicked by me! Hehehe.”

“…What?”

“You were completely defeated by me and passed out. Why would I be scared of you?”

“Don’t joke around. I lost because I wasn’t thinking straight. I wouldn’t lose if I was serious.”

“Oh, I don’t think so. I think I’d win again.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Father said I had talent! He said I could be anything! He said that I could become a hero stronger than him…!”

Yes, I said this before, but to a child, parents were gods.

Even if they were anxious, even if they thought they were hated, they couldn’t help but believe in their parents.

“You know a lot.”

“…Huh?”

“And was the one who said that to you avoiding you? Is he scared of you? Stop talking nonsense and go ask him yourself. Ask him if he’s scared of you. He’ll scold you for saying such nonsense.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I guarantee it.”

“…You act like you know the future. How can you act so confidently?”

I burst out laughing at his questioning eyes.

“That’s right. I’ve seen the future. So go ahead and act spoiled, young master.”

“Who’s acting spoiled?”

“You. Don’t try to act like an adult when you’re still a kid. It doesn’t suit you.”

“…Should I take that as an insult?”

“You even know the word ‘insult,’ huh?”

“…You…”

“Ah, hey, I should get going. It’s almost time.”

“…Remember this. You’re not my subordinate anymore. I’ll definitely repay this humiliation next time we meet.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m not scared~ You got your ass kicked by me, after all~”

“…Unbelievable… You… Mo…ther.”

“Huh? I can’t hear you when you mumble like a loser.”

“I said get lost if you’re busy…!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m going, so don’t worry. See you later.”

The black thing swirling around him disappeared, and the blurry scenery slowly returned to normal.

This seemed to be Cheon Yoo-hak’s room.

Perhaps because he was still a kid here? The wallpaper was cute.

As I turned to leave, I seemed to remember something and turned back to look at Cheon Yoo-hak.

“Ah, right.”

“What now?”

“Don’t mention it~ You don’t have to repay me.”

And after I closed the door and ran away—

“[I heard everything…!!! I won’t let you get away with this next time we meet!]”

Cheon Yoo-hak’s triumphant voice echoed from beyond the door.

Yeah, yeah, I’m not scared of your empty threats!

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“Ugh.”

Ah, I was ejected from the dream.

-The dream world was shaken by contact with a core member’s origin.-

-You have currently interfered with two individuals: ‘Cheon Yoo-hak’ and ‘Kim Ga-eul.’-

The world being shaken seemed like a good sign, but since I was still alone, it seemed like I couldn’t completely wake them up.

-Yes, it seems like the density of this world is too high to wake them up just by contact. But judging by their state, if you continue to interfere like you just did, you’ll be able to wake up the others too.

“Ah, what? You disappeared without saying anything, but you were watching everything?”

-If you had regained control using the Authority in your heart, we would have been able to move more freely. Well, I guess you wanted to see the memories you forgot, but honestly, it was reckless.

“…Huh? You knew?”

-Did you think I was just reading web novels in your head through Assimilation? I know there are gaps in your memory.

“Aha.”

-…Anyway, it seems like another entrance has appeared. Don’t hesitate if you think it’s dangerous.

“Hmm, but isn’t it bad to change things so carelessly?”

-No, it’ll probably distort over time even if you don’t interfere.

“…Huh?”

-Dreams become distorted and turn into nightmares over time. It would be better to wake them up as soon as possible.

“…Yeah, then I’ll try to resolve any dreams that aren’t directly related to me as quickly as possible.”

-Good. And remember, these are dreams, so don’t be swallowed by the emotions within them.

“…Of course.”

Don’t be swallowed by the emotions within the dream.

I would try my best, but I wasn’t sure if I could.

The ‘me’ that I saw in Cheon Yoo-hak’s dream was clearly not a child, nor could he be seen as a simple character.

He even said it himself.

Being a transmigrator was exhausting.

The memories beyond the noise.

The original memories that were too hazy to be just two months old.

And now, he was even saying those kinds of things in a past memory.

Was it because that was ‘me,’ or was that So-hyun’s original character setting?

“Well, maybe I’ll understand better if I see another dream.”

It was time to move on to the next dream.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

T/N – And mass release, start! I hope you guys enjoy the chapters.

Well, that just confirmed it. The original So-hyun seems to be a transmigrator himself. Now whether the MC is the original So-hyun with missing memories or if he’s a different person altogether is still up in the air. His other memories about things yet to happen like with Ha-ni and Yoo-na are also still a mystery.

If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.