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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Indeed.
“…Found him!”
“Catch him! Hurry!”
“Signal flare! So the others can see!”
…the difference between having a reward and not having one was clear.
But perhaps because the reward was a box of elixirs…
“Die, Top Student! No, Villain!”
“Surrender the elixirs! No, surrender yourself!”
“Gasp… Elixirs! Give me the elixirs!”
…most of my classmates, except for the main characters and those who had tasted the Golden Apples in the coliseum, were overly motivated.
Well, it was better than having no motivation at all.
Anyway, it was satisfying to see them so enthusiastic about training.
Of course, I wasn’t going to go easy on them just because I was pleased.
On the contrary…
『I told you, you’ll have to work hard if you want the elixirs.』
Click.
『But if this is all you’ve got…』
…I was going to push them even harder than I had initially planned.
『…you’ll have to give up on the elixirs.』
I finished speaking and pulled the triggers.
Bang, bang, bang—!
Gunshots echoed as I fired the two pistols in my hands.
Rubber bullets, propelled by the muzzle flash, flew towards my charging classmates.
“Ugh!”
“Kyaa!”
“Ouch!”
The classmates who were hit in the forehead with the rubber bullets cried out and fell backwards.
But they were only the ones who were blinded by the promise of elixirs, focused solely on reaching me.
The classmates who were eager for the elixirs, but still focused on catching me, reacted just before the bullets reached them.
They unleashed mana, deflected the bullets with their weapons, or defended themselves with skills.
Pleased with their resourcefulness, I…
『Transfer.』
…transferred a large number of non-lethal grenades.
And among them…
Boom—, splat!
“Kyaa! What is this?!”
…concussive adhesive grenades, which exploded and released sticky goo upon impact or contact with mana.
Beep!
“…Agh! My eyes! My eyes!!”
…modified flashbang grenades, effective even against superhumans, which I had often used in the past.
Whirr!
“What?! I can’t hear anything! I can’t hear!”
…sonic grenades, a modified, grenade version of the sonic bombs I had used against Lee Seo-yeon, Arthur, and Asuka during the first Villain Response Training.
And various other special grenades.
And my classmates who were hit by these special grenades…
Boom—!
…were either embedded in the ground or sent flying by the shockwave of the non-lethal grenades.
It was like watching leaves falling in autumn.
But I wasn’t disappointed.
Because…
“Grenade spam pattern over!”
“Charge before the next pattern!”
“Anyone with ranged attack skills or magic, attack now!”
…not all of my classmates were down.
‘…There’s definitely a difference.’
The classmates who hadn’t been affected by the grenades, those who were treating me like a raid boss in a game were the veterans of Operation Mad Max.
‘This is why real-world experience is important.’
Of course, not all real-world experiences were equal.
The level of experience gained depended on the situation.
So, the classmates who were charging towards me, blocking my attacks…
…those who were disrupting my vision with magic and attack skills…
…were all highly skilled.
‘When else would they have the opportunity to experience breaking through a wave of Fallen and monsters?’
And since they had consumed Golden Apples, the divine medicine, as a reward for staying behind and helping me, they were naturally stronger than the classmates who had been eliminated.
But even so…
『If you’re going to treat me like a raid boss…』
Click, click.
『…it’s only polite for me to act accordingly.』
…unless Lee Seo-yeon, Arthur, Asuka, or Noah awakened… they had no chance of defeating me.
“Hey, that’s cheating!”
“Lee Yu-jin! You weren’t supposed to use that!”
“Airstrike alert! Airstrike alert! Everyone, defend… no, run!”
As I retrieved miniguns (modified for training), my charging classmates stopped in their tracks, horrified.
They scrambled for cover among the ruined buildings, but…
『Not so fast.』
Boom, boom, boom—!!
I transferred grenades to all the buildings within my sight and destroyed them.
I eliminated all their potential cover.
And then…
“Everyone, gather here!”
…Arthur gathered everyone in one place.
And she activated “Natural Fortress.”
“I-I’ll help too!”
“Everyone, use your defensive skills!”
Park Ga-ram and the other classmates assisted Arthur.
And a dome-shaped barrier, formed from their combined mana and defensive skills, materialized.
‘Oh.’
That was a quick reaction.
I chuckled inwardly, pleased with their resourcefulness.
I spun the barrels of the miniguns.
Whirr.
And as I prepared to unleash a barrage of rubber bullets…
『Two boxes. I’ll only use two boxes. So, try and endure without breaking the barrier.』
…I gave them a warning, an advantage of sorts, and opened fire.
────────!!
A deafening roar, and flashes of light erupted from the miniguns.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat—!
Rubber bullets (7.62×51mm NATO), crafted specifically for miniguns, pounded against the barrier.
With each impact, thanks to Super Accuracy, the mana forming the barrier chipped away.
“Endure!”
“Don’t conserve your mana!”
“Lee Yu-jin, no, Villain! Just you wait!”
But the barrier regenerated as quickly as it was damaged, thanks to the continuous influx of mana from my classmates.
The barrier, their lifeline, flickered between damage and regeneration.
I muttered,
『You’re enduring well.』
Of course, since they were rubber bullets, not real bullets, the barrier wasn’t easily broken.
Still, since I was using miniguns, and with Super Accuracy’s “Mana Penetration” effect, they must be consuming a tremendous amount of mana to maintain the barrier.
And as if proving my point…
“I… I can’t anymore.”
“I’m sorry, everyone… I’m done.”
“Everyone… survive.”
…my classmates, their faces pale, collapsed one by one, their mana depleted.
And with each collapse, the barrier thinned. The faces of the remaining classmates contorted in despair.
『…….』
…What were they doing?
‘Is it because I’m playing the villain role too well?’
Were they too immersed in the situation?
It was like watching a party sacrificing themselves before the final boss so the hero could proceed.
‘What are they going to do later?’
I clicked my tongue, watching them create a black mark on their history in real-time.
‘Terra.’
[Yes, Master.]
‘Record this.’
[Yes, commencing recording.]
Of course, I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to record their embarrassing moments.
‘I can’t miss this.’
How could I?
I chuckled inwardly and tossed the empty ammo box onto the ground.
I retrieved a new box from my inventory, attached it to the minigun, and resumed firing.
Clank!
Empty cartridges piled up.
And someone inside the barrier, still standing but pale, shouted,
“Just a little longer! Hold out a little longer!”
And then,
“Last box! Just endure this last box!”
“Uwaaa! I’m about to collapse! No, I want to collapse!”
“Villain! You’re not going to break your promise, are you?!”
My classmates, on the verge of collapsing from mana exhaustion, encouraged each other.
I nodded inwardly, watching their desperate, touching display.
‘I wonder how they’ll react later.’
I could already imagine it.
Their embarrassed faces, mortified by the black mark they had created themselves.
I smiled, imagining that enjoyable future, and counted the remaining bullets.
‘…Almost gone.’
Only a few seconds until I ran out of ammo.
So, it was time to exploit their vulnerability.
『Transfer.』
“Wh-what?!”
“No way! Not grenades!”
“You said only two boxes! You promised only two boxes!!”
My classmates, who had been focusing on channeling mana, their faces pale, cried out in alarm at my sudden use of a skill.
I tilted my head and said,
『I never said I wouldn’t use grenades.』
“But you said… only two boxes… Ah.”
They stared at me blankly, realizing what I had actually said.
‘Sigh.’
You should always listen carefully.
I shook my head inwardly and stored the empty minigun in my inventory.
I retrieved the pistols I had used earlier.
Click.
I aimed them at the grenades scattered around their barrier.
『You’ll have to squeeze out every last drop of mana.』
If you don’t want to faint.
‘Of course, you’ll still faint if you use up all your mana.’
I thought, squeezing the triggers.
Bang!
The muzzles flashed and a bullet flew towards a grenade.
And… ting!
…the sound of a grenade pin being pulled echoed through the cityscape.
I could see them gritting their teeth.
Their pale faces turned even paler.
And the thinned barrier thickened once more.
But…
…could they really endure it?
As soon as I had that thought…
Boom—!!
…the grenade exploded.
Dust and debris flew everywhere.
And soon…
…the dust settled.
And the result of the explosion was revealed.
『Hmm, too bad.』
As expected, the barrier shattered, and everyone except for the main characters and Park Ga-ram, who had a large mana pool, was eliminated.
“Cough, cough!”
Park Ga-ram coughed, her face pale.
Tears welled up in her eyes, as if she had inhaled the dust.
She looked around and seeing that everyone except for the main characters had fainted…
“I… I give up…”
…she forfeited.
『…Alright, then go outside.』
I told her to leave the training grounds, so she wouldn’t get hurt, and she nodded weakly.
“G-good luck.”
She said, encouraging the remaining classmates, the main characters.
And she lifted the unconscious classmates with magic and walked out of the training grounds.
I, Lee Seo-yeon, Arthur, Noah, and Asuka stood in silence for a moment, and then…
Click.
…we raised our weapons.
I, my pistols.
Lee Seo-yeon, Arthur, and Asuka, their swords.
Noah, his fists.
And…
Bang!
…we clashed.
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