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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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Ah, this was what they called “strength.”
Although my internal organs were twisting and popping, I was very satisfied with the situation.
Judging by the shocked expressions of our psychopath Jin Kyung-tae and the kidnapped students, he wouldn’t be attacking again so easily.
Actually, I was a little surprised by the result myself.
I didn’t expect the monsters to die just from me enhancing a bug repellent with magic.
I sometimes called it a near-omnipotent ability, but I now finally understood what that meant.
It deserved its A-rank status.
“Impressive. I don’t know exactly what your talent is, but judging by the output you just showed, it’s comparable to this year’s joint top scorers.”
He was pretending to have regained his composure, but he was still clearly shaken.
“But the fact that you didn’t wipe out all my tamed monsters at once means there’s some kind of restriction on your power.”
To that, I slightly furrowed my brows.
“That must be why you provoked me. Perhaps your talent is a powerful enhancement type, but with the penalty of only being able to react to an opponent’s attacks.”
Now, I had to put on a slightly surprised expression.
The point was to do it only for a brief moment since doing it for too long would make him suspicious.
“You really are a child. You’re quite skilled at managing your expression, but at this level, even the smallest changes are noticeable.”
Yeah~ no. I did it on purpose~.
It was always easier to fool those who thought they were smart but weren’t actually that smart.
The more they thought they were smart, the more easily they became convinced of their own deductions.
“This is tricky. I don’t think it’s impossible to break through since I have the numerical advantage, but it’ll be over for me if the backup you called arrives before that.”
“Why don’t you just surrender? It’s still just attempted murder, so you won’t be in jail for long.”
“Haha, I’ve finally decided to be honest with myself, so I can’t do that. I might have considered it if I wanted to save even just one student here, but as expected, I don’t want to leave with regrets.”
“Really? Then just get beaten up and captured.”
He chuckled and extended his hand towards me.
“Cadet So-hyun, how about a deal? I’m a professor, so I have a last resort, but I don’t really want to use it on you.”
With me knowing the settings book like the back of my hand, I knew he wasn’t bluffing.
The last resort which he hadn’t used in the original story even as he mocked Lilac with, “I have no regrets,” was probably still with him.
“A deal?”
“I’ll let everyone else live if you just hand over Kim Ga-eul, the one you probably hate the most. How about it?”
I wasn’t going to accept that crazy deal.
“Hey, that kind of offer only works when you have the advantage. What are you even so afraid of after deducing so much about my ability?”
Actually, up until just now, those cowering behind me had already lost hope, but after seeing me slaughter the insects, their eyes were now filled with trust.
“Because I can guarantee the safety of the other hostages if you accept my deal. And honestly, don’t you want revenge on Kim Ga-eul, who bullied you? No one would blame you now.”
“No, I don’t want revenge.”
“Even if you say that honestly…”
“Not everyone in the world has gloomy and depressing hobbies like you.”
“That tactic won’t work on me anymore.”
What tactic, you bastard? I didn’t have any tactics now. I would die if I had to do that again.
“So it doesn’t work.”
Of course, I only thought that.
“That’s a shame. Then I have no choice but to use this.”
He said that, smiled without a hint of regret, and took out a small gourd-like bottle from his pocket.
“You’re talking so carelessly because you don’t know what this is. Even you would be a bit…”
“It’s Loneliness, right? Not a finished product, but an experimental creation made by making the poisonous insects you tamed fight each other.”
His feigned composure crumbled again when I spoke as if I knew everything.
You pathetic fool, there was nothing within the important settings that I didn’t know.
Loneliness.
It was originally a Chinese sorcery where you made small animals or poisonous insects fight in a jar and used the last survivor to cast a curse or a seal. But like in most other novels, Loneliness in this novel was closer to a chimera creation technique than a curse.
Inside that small gourd lived a poisonous insect he had painstakingly raised, and its venom was potent enough to knock out even seasoned heroes with a single blow.
“…Do you really know everything? No, if you did, how can you still act like that?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you open that gourd and find out? But are you sure? You can’t fully control it.”
That’s right.
He was talking as if that gourd was his trump card, but in reality, he couldn’t control the monster inside, which had grown far beyond what his talent could handle. So he had to seal it in the end.
“I guarantee that if you open that, it’ll devour your insects first because of its ingrained cannibalistic instincts. And after that, it’ll break the restrictions you placed on it and try to evolve into its complete form.”
It wasn’t a lie.
It was written that way in the settings book, and there was even an episode in the story where the confiscated Loneliness fell into the hands of another villain and evolved into its complete form.
If he released the Loneliness in that gourd now, he would only lose his trump card.
I would welcome it since it was easier to deal with a single powerful monster than multiple weaker ones attacking from all directions.
Lilac, who would have to fight it directly, would have a hard time, but the protagonist needed trials and tribulations. In possession stories, if the original protagonist had it too easy, they wouldn’t be able to handle things later on.
“…There’s been a lot of talk about whether Cadet Cheon Yoo-hak or Cadet Lilac is the most outstanding freshman at Reilan Academy, but I think we should add another candidate to that title.”
Well, I, a transmigrator, might seem outstanding now, but I doubt anyone would say that after a year.
Even if I stole the abandoned settings and the villains’ opportunities, it would be difficult for me to catch up to the two protagonists in the later parts of the story.
But for now, I needed to maintain this evaluation to increase his wariness.
“You know, So-hyun.”
So-hyun? No “Cadet” this time?
“If you don’t like the deal, how about working with me?”
What was he talking about…? Was he crazy…?
“No, I mean, after thinking about it, I think this side suits you better. Actually, I was scouted recently. I refused because it seemed hopeless, but I feel like it might be possible with you.”
By the way, the organization he supposedly refused was the same one that would soon try to recruit our Basic Magic Control professor, Park Ah-ram.
“This might be a stretch, but do you also know about the organization that contacted me?”
“I don’t know, what do you think?”
“Logically, you shouldn’t know. But my gut tells me you do. What’s the truth?”
“I’m not going to answer you, bastard. Think whatever you want.”
“Seriously, don’t take the Provocation class next year. It’s a waste of time.”
He raised the gourd.
“Are you really going to do it?”
“Yes, I’m a professor. What would the students think of the other professors if I just took this lying down?”
“Alright, try it.”
“Cadet Kang So-hyun, I think you’re quick-witted and talented. You’re a great student overall. But perhaps because you’re still a student, you lack experience.”
“…What?”
“You’re right. My Loneliness has grown beyond my control, so I can’t handle it. But there’s more than one way to control a monster.”
He looked behind me.
“For example, what if I sprayed a scent similar to Loneliness’ favorite food on the unconscious students? And sprayed a scent it hates on my insects? I mentioned this during class, but insect and beast-type monsters have a hard time resisting scents they’re instinctively drawn to.”
It was an effective strategy.
And it was a strategy that didn’t appear in the original story because there were no hostages when he fought Lilac.
If what he said was true, it wasn’t a checkmate yet, but it was a dangerous situation nonetheless.
“Cadet Kang So-hyun is strong, so you might survive, but the other students should just give up. You can’t all die, can you?”
But unfortunately for him, I wasn’t scared at all.
I even wanted to show him how calm I was.
He was acting all smug, confident of his victory like the third-rate villain he was.
“Hey, did you know?”
“What?”
I intentionally stalled for time and spoke as slowly as possible.
“When is a person most vulnerable?”
“…Well, when they’re arrogant and think they’ve won? Is that what you’re trying to say?”
“You know it well.”
I could hear it.
Although the others couldn’t hear it, I, who had secretly enhanced my senses, could clearly hear his footsteps running towards us.
“There’s no such thing as a villain who rambles on during a fight and turns out to be competent, you idiot.”
He has arrived.
Yes, even though countless misfortunes befell him in the original story, and he sometimes faced seemingly insurmountable odds, he always appeared before the villains.
And no matter how strong the enemy was, he would always defeat them, albeit covered in wounds.
Academy protagonist specialty: Pretending to be late, but never actually being late for the important moments.
Now, even the others should be able to hear his footsteps.
An unknown strategy? That became meaningless the moment he arrived.
The reason Lilac despaired against Jin Kyung-tae in the original story was simply because the incident had already occurred, and those who could have become his friends were dead. Neither his crude Loneliness nor his tamed insects were a match for the protagonist.
He finally reached the door.
Jin Kyung-tae’s expression crumbled, and just as he was about to unleash Loneliness, it was too late.
The newcomer’s kick, breaking through the door…?
Yes, the flashy kick sent the bottle flying from his hand.
But a kick?
Lilac?
“Is everyone alright…!?”
The voice wasn’t Lilac’s, but a woman’s. It was too high-pitched to be his.
Surprisingly, it was our secret friend who saved us.
Cathy-noona, why were you here…?
Where was Lilac…?
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The reason Cathy was able to arrive at the scene faster than anyone else Kang So-hyun contacted was simple.
She was already in the Chairman’s office inside the academy when she received the message.
But the moment she received the message, her mind went blank, and her body moved on its own.
Calming her pounding heart and assessing the situation, she was relieved, or perhaps not, to find that there were no casualties yet.
It couldn’t be called a fortunate situation, considering that a professor inside the academy had done this, but it was better than having casualties.
Even then, she anxiously looked for the one who sent her the message.
The fact that everyone else was restrained meant he had faced the professor alone, and judging by the broken devices scattered on the floor, seemingly overloaded, and his slightly exhausted appearance, he must have used his talent again.
She unconsciously clenched her fists.
She had been trying to prevent him from using it, but this cadet, who just barely recovered, had used his power again.
And why did he have to stand in the villain’s way when he could have just run away or called for help?
His wavering gaze as he looked at her meant he must have been very scared.
“It’s alright now, students. You’re safe.”
“Professor Cathy!”
The students’ faces brightened, relieved that they were about to be saved.
“Hmm, Cadet Kang So-hyun, I’m disappointed. Of all people, you called Professor Cathy as your backup? She’s a bad match against me. She’s a specialist in one-on-one combat, and she’s not suited for fighting multiple opponents. You know that, right?”
Jin Kyung-tae, who had created some distance while she was protecting the students, spoke.
The students’ expressions darkened slightly at his words, but she smiled to reassure them.
“Professor Jin Kyung-tae. No, criminal Jin Kyung-tae. If you surrender now, I’ll make sure you can hire a lawyer.”
“Professor Cathy, you don’t seem to remember that you lost to me before? I don’t go easy on adults. You’re a bit better than most adults, but I still don’t like you.”
“You’ll regret it if you think I’m the same as before.”
“You’re a hero who’s already reached her limit. You’re good at fighting a single strong opponent, but you’re barely an A-rank hero who can’t even handle multiple weaker opponents. Isn’t that right?”
“If that’s what you think, then come at me.”
She assumed a stance and clenched her fists. Her movements didn’t look much different from before, at least to others.
A hero who had already reached her limit.
It wasn’t entirely wrong.
Just a month ago, she would have agreed.
But now, remembering the glimpse of the level she had reached that day, and having practiced those movements rigorously, she had improved, albeit slightly, compared to when she fought Jin Kyung-tae before.
Even the slightest improvement at her level meant she was a completely different person.
Her fist shot out, accompanied by a gust of wind, and the heads of five centipedes exploded simultaneously.
“Is that all?”
She was experiencing a belated growth spurt.
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T/N – Go Professor Cathy! Show him what you’ve got! Also, all this talking the MC is doing is really reminding me of an MC in another novel. I just can’t remember what…
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
