I Became the Academy’s Heroine Stalker – Chapter 71

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“Ah! Yoo Su-ah!”

Na-yeon, who had been scouring the area, spotted Su-ah and rushed towards her.

Su-ah, who had been running towards the gymnasium, stopped, and Hye-seo, running beside her, also stopped.

Na-yeon glanced at Hye-seo quizzically.

She seemed to recognize Hye-seo as a Diamond-rank Holder and the head of the Monster Management Bureau’s investigation team.

“Ah, Professor Park Na-yeon…!”

However, Su-ah’s response drew her attention back.

She could question Hye-seo later. Finding her student was her priority.

“Have you seen that brat Han Tae-jin?”

Her tone was sharp but laced with anxiety for her student.

Su-ah’s gaze shifted towards the gymnasium.

Her eyes were filled with unease.

Na-yeon followed her gaze and saw the gymnasium.

“The gymnasium…? There shouldn’t be anyone…?”

Na-yeon trailed off, her statement turning into a question.

‘No one should be there, which means anyone could be there.’

With that thought, Na-yeon dashed towards the gymnasium.

Su-ah and Hye-seo trailed closely behind her.

‘Please… be safe!’

By now, whatever had happened, it would be over.

Whether the outcome was positive or negative, even a multi-time regressor couldn’t know for sure.

Su-ah ran, praying for the safety of the 52nd agent; Na-yeon ran, hoping her student was alright;

And Hye-seo ran, praying for the safety of her senior, Han Chang-ho.

The three of them, each with their own thoughts and worries, finally reached the gymnasium.

They burst through the doors.

– Creak!

“…!”

“…?”

“…!?”

The gymnasium was deathly silent, filled with a chilling coldness.

A frigid air and an unfamiliar mana pressed down on them.

Inside, Han Tae-jin, Choi Do-han, and a villain lay on the floor.

Su-ah’s eyes were drawn to Choi Do-han, who was bleeding profusely; Na-yeon’s gaze was fixed on Han Tae-jin, who was using the Lightning Blade Arts, a technique he hadn’t mastered yet;

And Hye-seo’s eyes locked onto De Roque, sprawled on the ground.

“What…”

“How…”

It was a scene they couldn’t believe even with their own eyes.

Su-ah was shocked to see Han Tae-jin seemingly killing Choi Do-han; Na-yeon was stunned to witness Tae-jin using the ultimate technique, Lightning Blade Arts; and Hye-seo was speechless, seeing what appeared to be Han Chang-ho’s lifeless body.

“S-Senior—!!”

Hye-seo was the first to break free from the shock.

She didn’t see Han Tae-jin with his glowing red eyes and surging mana, nor Choi Do-han collapsing in a pool of blood.

She sprang towards De Roque.

Her scream-like cry drew confused looks from Su-ah and Na-yeon.

“…Senior?”

“What?”

The only person a Diamond-rank Holder would call ‘Senior’ was the fallen villain.

And she was running in that direction.

But,

-Clang!

Tae-jin swung his dagger and blocked her path, sending her flying back.

“Gah?!”

-Thud!

Hye-seo crashed into the wall next to the entrance.

The impact was so strong that it left a dent in the wall.

She hadn’t even seen Han Tae-jin coming.

It was a purely instinctive, animalistic reaction that allowed her to block the dagger.

A fraction of a second later, and her throat would have been slit.

Hye-seo clutched her neck and scrambled to her feet.

“A-are you alright?”

Su-ah rushed to her side and quickly cast [Heal].

Even to her, Tae-jin’s attack had been terrifying.

Fortunately, there were no major external injuries.

Only her mana gun, which she had used to block the dagger, was dented.

“Damn it…! That bastard!!”

“Stay back.”

Hye-seo discarded the mana gun and drew her sword, but Na-yeon stepped in front of her.

Na-yeon had also drawn her sword.

She understood the gravity of the situation.

‘Is he in the Overheat state again?’

Her gaze was fixed on Tae-jin.

She had clearly seen him use [Lightning Blade Arts] to kill Choi Do-han.

However, judging by the unpleasant mana emanating from Choi Do-han and his completely black eyes, he seemed to be corrupted by Dark Mana, so she decided to put that aside for now.

The problem was Han Tae-jin’s condition.

It seemed like more than just a simple Overheat state.

Normally, when someone entered the Overheat state, only the whites of their eyes were visible.

But Tae-jin’s eyes were completely red.

Moreover, the red mana blazing around him sent chills down her spine, even as an S-rank Hunter.

It was common knowledge among Hunters that stats only slightly increased when entering the Overheat state.

But Tae-jin’s increase wasn’t slight, nor was it substantial. It was as if he had gone berserk.

It was unbelievable.

Na-yeon knew that Holder Kim Hye-seo was Diamond-rank.

Even if it was a surprise attack, it was impossible for her to be sent flying like a ragdoll and crashing into a wall.

At least, not by any attack Han Tae-jin was capable of, as far as she knew.

A Diamond-rank Holder possessed combat power equivalent to or exceeding an A-rank Hunter.

For her to be tossed around like a sandbag was impossible, even for Tae-jin in the Overheat state.

Something unusual was happening to her student.

‘Dangerous.’

It wasn’t a warning for herself.

It was a warning for Tae-jin.

If he was in a state beyond the known Overheat state, something not yet reported in academia, it was definitely dangerous.

He could suffer severe aftereffects, or even lose his life.

Therefore, Na-yeon unleashed her mana to its fullest extent.

She had to stop Tae-jin, even if it meant breaking his limbs.

If he left the gymnasium in this state, a massacre would ensue.

To prevent that tragedy, she had to take down her own student.

-Growl…

He had completely lost his reason and animalistic growls escaped his lips.

His red eyes gleamed like a beast’s, fixated on its prey.

It was a truly chilling gaze.

A gaze she had never seen before, even as an S-rank Hunter.

It reminded her of the first time she encountered a giant monster as a rookie.

A terrifying memory.

Na-yeon tensed her muscles and lowered her stance.

She pointed her sword.

At her student.

“Come at me, you little brat.”

A powerful blue flame erupted from Na-yeon.

And a powerful red flame erupted from Tae-jin.

“Grrr…!”

The standoff didn’t last long. The blue and red flames collided head-on.

-BOOM!

-WHOOSH-!

*-Crackle-!*

Upon impact, powerful electrical currents, generated by the friction, ignited the air, and a destructive mana wind swept through the surroundings.

It was a massive mana wind, blinding even Diamond-rank Holder Hye-seo and planet savior Su-ah.

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‘What…’

‘Why is it so noisy…?’

“Ugh…”

I forced my eyes open, roused by the constant ‘dinging’ sound of system notifications.

But my vision was blurry.

Like I was trapped in a thick fog.

All I could see was a white ceiling.

An unfamiliar ceiling.

No, it seemed somewhat familiar.

I didn’t know.

Right now, I felt groggy and disoriented, like I had just woken up from a long dream.

My body was stiff, as if I had been lying down for a long time.

I couldn’t remember anything after activating the [Overheat Max] trait.

Not a single thing.

If I was alive, it meant he was dead.

Or at least crippled.

Even though I couldn’t remember, faint afterimages, like those after a night of heavy drinking, lingered in my mind.

I saw a geyser of blood in those afterimages.

The blurry afterimages ended with that bloody spray.

And I had no idea what happened after that.

‘Please… I hope I didn’t do anything stupid…’

The same anxiety I felt after waking up from the sleep endoscope washed over me.

No, it was even stronger this time.

During the sleep endoscope, I only talked nonsense, but this time, I would have acted on those impulses.

“Ugh…”

I groaned again and blinked.

My vision gradually cleared.

I couldn’t move my body.

So, I turned my head.

“Huh…?”

‘What?’

I blinked again.

Was I hallucinating?

No, that was definitely…

“Master…?”

My Master, Park Na-yeon.

Her sharp, black bob and her fierce, cat-like profile.

It was definitely Park Na-yeon.

‘Why is Park Na-yeon lying down…?’

I could tell at a glance that she wasn’t asleep.

She was wearing a hospital gown.

And she seemed to be injured, an IV drip attached to the back of her hand.

The strongest being in the Illusion terror incident was only ‘De Roque.’

There were no villains strong enough to incapacitate an S-rank Hunter and put her in a hospital bed.

But how…?

“Ugh.”

As I tried to think deeper, my brain immediately rejected the effort.

There had been a [Mental Contamination] penalty, so it was probably an aftereffect.

‘Well, at least I’m not seriously injured.’

She didn’t seem to have any major external wounds.

I decided to ask her about what happened after she woke up.

Right now, I could barely speak, and even moving a finger was difficult.

And besides, it couldn’t have been me, right?

‘…Could it?’

It didn’t make sense that activating Overheat Max could put an S-rank Hunter in a hospital bed.

‘Then I must have taken down God R’hell too.’

Of course, one S-rank Hunter wasn’t enough to match God R’hell.

Anyway,

‘Status window.’

I decided to check my status window first.

‘Wow… it said that the stat decrease penalty was mitigated in my sleep, but I didn’t think it would be this much.’

All my stats, except Luck, were halved.

Of course, they would fully recover over time, but to have my stats temporarily halved by activating Overhead Max just once…

They would return to normal soon, but it definitely wasn’t a trait to use frequently.

There wasn’t anything special in the traits and skills window…

‘Wait, what’s this?’

A new skill had appeared in the skills window.

‘When did I…?’

Of course, I couldn’t remember.

I didn’t even remember using Lightning Blade Arts in the first place.

I could ask Master about it later.

Anyway, the most important thing was,

‘Yes!’

The hidden information was finally unlocked.

I had worked so hard to unlock this.

The [Level Up as a Harem!] hidden information, obtained after a fierce battle with the original protagonist, almost brought tears to my eyes.

But then,

Perhaps triggered by opening the status window, another system notification rang out.

-Ding.

‘Is there another penalty that hasn’t been lifted yet?’

But my guess was quickly dismissed.

The system announced,

‘What?’

An unexpected reward selection system.

‘Of course!’

‘Wait, there’s a reward I have to choose?’

This wasn’t in the original story.

‘Huh?’

Wasn’t that… something I muttered to myself on the day I transmigrated…?

I remembered it clearly.

Word for word.

I said it right before falling asleep and transmigrating.

But that was a Hidden Piece?

‘Wait a minute.’

It was giving me one Rune, one Trait, and one Skill possessed by the original protagonist?

He must have had some amazing Runes, Traits, and Skills.

‘What the… Choi Do-han…’

‘I’m sorry, but you were a golden goblin all along…?’

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