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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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A-8 Sector, 32km northwest of Seoul.
Since the emergence of mana, with its perpetually frigid climate and mana contamination, A-8 Sector had become known as the “Land of Death.”
Due to the mana contamination, normal mana manipulation was impossible without specialized purification equipment, but the villains adapted to the contaminated atmosphere could still use mana.
If Hunters or mercenaries tried to use mana without the purification equipment, corrupted mana would enter their bodies, slowly destroying them.
They would lose consciousness, their minds would break, and their bodies would deteriorate.
The corrupted mana that entered their bloodstream would paralyze both their physical and mental functions.
Therefore, this place was uninhabited.
However, there were those who had made their nest there.
Naturally, they were the villains of Illusion.
“Attention, everyone.”
In front of a cave on a snowy mountainside, nearly 100 villains were gathered in a wide-open space, standing in formation.
Two men stood before them.
A middle-aged man clad entirely in black, and a somewhat youthful-looking man in his early twenties.
Between them, a single floating object hovered in the air.
A dark purple, oval-shaped orb emitted wisps of smoke, its surface pulsating with a slitted eye.
It was an avatar of God R’hell, the leader of Illusion.
Different from his true form.
《Today, we demonstrate the might of Illusion.》
《Show the world the power we possess and instill fear in their hearts.》
《Through this magnificent portal, we will show them that there is nowhere beyond our reach.》
《Do you understand?》
““Yes-!!””
A roar that shook the very ground of the snowy mountain echoed in response to God R’hell’s command, reverberating through the winding mountain valleys.
God R’hell’s avatar turned towards the man standing beside him.
It was Han Chang-ho, the high-ranking executive leading this [Seoul National Academy Terror Attack], and a spy infiltrated within the Monster Management Bureau.
Han Chang-ho bowed his head in submission.
《Remember. You must capture Cadet Choi Do-han alive.》
“I will keep that in mind.”
《Good. I expect favorable results.》
“You can count on me.”
He had to achieve favorable results.
If he successfully carried out this operation and captured Choi Do-han, he could uncover the location of God R’hell, a secret even the other high-ranking executives didn’t know.
God R’hell had promised him.
If he succeeded in capturing Choi Do-han, he would open the path to [Gaikan], where he resided.
He was supposed to personally bring Choi Do-han there.
Therefore, this operation had to succeed, no matter what.
Even if it meant sacrificing Cadet Choi Do-han and the other students of Seoul National Academy.
Sacrifices for the greater good had always been a part of history, and the students’ sacrifice would be recorded as a noble one.
Great achievements were always built upon a foundation of spilled blood.
It was regrettable, but if it meant uncovering God R’hell’s location and eradicating Illusion, the threat to humanity, the sacrifice was unavoidable.
A moment later, God R’hell’s avatar disappeared.
Han Chang-ho looked at the youthful boy standing beside him.
A boy who had been injected with a B-rank monster serum, the only one among 77 subjects who had successfully assimilated it.
“Rokta.”
“Yes, De Roque-nim.”
“Don’t deviate from the plan.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Good.”
Despite his reply, distrust lingered in Han Chang-ho’s eyes.
It was because of Rokta’s impulsive and hot-headed nature.
Rokta, aware of the distrust in Han Chang-ho’s gaze, smiled.
He seemed to enjoy the important task entrusted to him.
Rokta was tasked with leading the vanguard in this terror attack and planting the [Super Mana Bomb] in the building.
Han Chang-ho, suppressing his distrust, ordered,
“Then depart at once.”
“Yes, sir!”
A moment later, a giant portal appeared in the open space, and following Rokta, the villains carrying small Super Mana Bombs began entering the portal.
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“Kyaaa-!”
“What!? Illusion? No way, really?!”
“I’m telling you!”
“Holy shit-!”
“Hehehe, bullshit! I’m Illusion, you bastards~!”
Barely a minute after the explosion, the festival grounds descended into chaos.
Just like in elementary school, where news of a fight would spread like wildfire, “Hey! Chun-sik and Doo-pal are fighting!”, even before the echoes of the explosion faded, the news of the attack spread throughout the academy.
Students screamed and ran, some prepared to fight back, while others, still drunk, laughed.
The festival grounds became a chaotic mess, like a marketplace in an uproar.
I looked at Han-na and Mi-jin, their faces were frozen in shock.
“I’ll go check out what’s happening. Can you look after Renia?”
Fortunately(?), Renia, succumbing to the alcohol, was slumped over the table, mumbling incoherently.
In this situation, she probably wouldn’t throw a tantrum and demand a “wish coupon” even if I disappeared without a word.
“Uh… okay.”
Mi-jin replied with a bewildered look, and I turned to head toward the gymnasium.
However…
“B-Brother Tae-jin?”
Su-ah grabbed my sleeve.
Her grip was urgent.
“Where… are you going?”
She looked up at me with anxious eyes.
I understood.
Her desperation probably stemmed from her desire to see this newly rewritten history succeed, after 52 regressions.
She probably wanted me to get through this incident safely and plan for the future.
In her eyes, I was still a newbie, far from being ready.
‘Well… she wasn’t wrong, but I wasn’t so weak that I’d avoid an opportunity just because it was dangerous.’
And to defeat God R’hell, unlocking the [Level Up as a Harem!] hidden information was absolutely essential.
No, without it, it would be near impossible.
That’s why I had to go.
And it was better for Su-ah not to know what I was about to do.
I would inevitably clash with Choi Do-han, and that could lead to unnecessary complications.
More importantly, seeking out the villain De Roque would definitely arouse the 52-time regressor’s suspicion.
Without the perk of Hidden Pieces, there was no reason to go after De Roque like a salmon swimming upstream to spawn.
If I saw her later, I could just make an excuse, “Oh, I happened to see Choi Do-han in danger, so I went to help.”
But I had to go to the gymnasium now, and that would surely raise questions about my motives.
So,
“I’m leaving Renia in your care. I’ll just check what’s going on and be right back. Okay?”
I gently removed Su-ah’s hand from my sleeve and said.
“Th-then I’ll come with you…!”
Having Su-ah with me would be reassuring, but I thought it was too early to reveal everything.
I couldn’t tell her, after she had struggled through 52 regressions for the sake of Earth’s salvation, that this world was actually a novel and she was just a character in it.
I didn’t want her to feel disillusioned and powerless.
I hadn’t come up with another excuse yet, and I didn’t want to lie to her after she had regressed 52 times.
So, I firmly shook my head.
“If it’s really Illusion, your help will be absolutely necessary here.”
“B-but…!”
“It’ll be alright. Don’t you trust me?”
I asked with a smile.
As the chosen agent, it was the greatest trust I could offer her.
“….”
“There are a lot of drunk students here. If it’s really an Illusion attack, we’ll need your help, even if Renia is here.”
Su-ah’s role was a ‘Healer.’
Knowing how crucial healers were in emergencies, she couldn’t refute my argument.
Of course, to her, I was more important than all the students here combined, but there was nothing I could do about that.
I knew she wouldn’t refuse my request.
I was the ‘agent’ she had chosen, after all.
I knew she always respected the agent’s decisions.
And it was true.
Ercia was the best person to ensure the safety of this place.
“Then… please be careful, brother.”
Su-ah had experienced the \[Illusion Terror Incident] countless times.
Even excluding the high-ranking executive De Roque, several mid-rank villains would be involved, so her anxiety was understandable.
I patted her shoulder reassuringly and left.
“I’ll be back.”
Leaving behind a brief farewell, I moved on.
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*KABOOM!*
*BOOM!*
They said villain attacks on the academy were common.
Or rather, it wouldn’t be an academy novel without one, but experiencing it firsthand was an entirely different story… it was pure chaos.
Students and civilians who had come for the festival screamed and ran.
Buildings collapsed with loud booms.
Amidst the cacophony of screams and explosions, I ran towards the fleeing crowd.
De Roque would have infiltrated through a portal as soon as the explosions started.
His subordinate, Rokta, would have joined him after completing his bombing mission.
I had to hurry.
In the original story, the time between the explosion and De Roque’s defeat was very short.
“Kyaa! Run!”
“Villains! There are so many of them!”
“What are the guards doing?!”
After about three minutes of navigating the chaos, I finally reached the gymnasium.
The gymnasium wasn’t being used for the festival, so it was empty inside, with only a few villains lurking outside.
I killed a few low-rank villains and peeked inside the gymnasium from outside.
As expected,
Choi Do-han and Rokta were already fighting.
De Roque was standing behind them.
Even if Choi Do-han had lost some Hidden Pieces, he wouldn’t lose to Rokta.
He wasn’t that weak.
I quickly retrieved my equipment from my mana pocket and put it on.
After equipping the dagger, greaves, and gauntlets I had received from my master, I surveyed the scene once more.
Rokta was starting to lose ground.
He didn’t have much combat experience, so he was no match for Choi Do-han, who was skilled in one-on-one battles.
And soon,
-Ugh!
Rokta finally collapsed from Choi Do-han’s attack.
At the same time, I conjured a magic arrow and drew my bowstring.
I waited, ready to fire.
Waiting for Rokta to detonate the Super Mana Bomb, defying the order to capture Choi Do-han alive.
“-Aaaaagh! Shit! I’ll kill you, bastard-!!”
Rokta rose to his feet and roared.
As in the original story, he held the Super Mana Bomb in his hand.
It was the size of a hand grenade, but it had enough destructive power to obliterate the surrounding area.
“Rokta! What are you doing!!”
“Fuck!! I’ll kill you all!!”
Then,
Rokta, having lost his mind, pressed the detonation button.
I pulled my bowstring to its limit and activated my skill.
“Multi-Shot.”
Then, I aimed at De Roque.
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Yeah..
She tried to stop him from encountering the dad.
Let’s see what mc’s reaction is, if he did kill him and learn about his identity after that. Because, so far, he still seem to see this world as a novel and doesn’t seem to care about other’s well being unless it was the main cast or his close friend.