—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Gasp… Gasp…”
Han Min-ha breathed heavily as she watched Professor Kyo and Hee-won collapse in the blink of an eye.
The professor, a circular saw blade embedded in his chest, and Hee-won, a stinger lodged in her shoulder, lay sprawled on the ground, motionless.
A-are they… dead…? Both of them…?
Han Min-ha frantically looked around.
But the training ground staff were nowhere to be seen.
She instinctively checked her pockets, but her phone, which should always be there, was missing.
Oh…! She had left it at the management office…
She looked back at the door leading to the office; it was a solid metal door, firmly shut.
She ran over and banged on it, but there was no response.
There must be… an emergency phone somewhere…!
The Death Hunger, having neutralized its two targets, rolled its bowling ball-like eyes, searching for its next victim.
Click- Click- Click-
Although the practice area was large, it was still enclosed, and the Death Hunger soon spotted Han Min-ha, frantically searching for an emergency button along the walls.
Its eight legs moved quickly, turning towards her.
“Ugh…”
Han Min-ha almost collapsed as the Death Hunger turned to face her.
Click-click- Screech-
The Death Hunger’s eyes rotated as it clicked its pincers, then locked onto Han Min-ha.
A red laser shot out from between its eyes and hit her squarely in the chest.
The Death Hunger had acquired its target.
Han Min-ha knew that being targeted by a laser couldn’t be good.
So, the moment the Death Hunger lunged forward, she ran.
The Death Hunger was fast.
Like most arthropods, it moved with incredible speed on its eight legs and chased after her.
Rumble, Rumble, Rumble…!!!
Han Min-ha desperately fled from the Death Hunger, which was kicking up a small sandstorm as it pursued her.
Although she couldn’t use her Aura, she had inherited the blood of heroes, and thanks to Hee-won’s rigorous training, her physical abilities had improved drastically since she entered the academy.
Surprisingly, she was faster than the Death Hunger.
If it weren’t for Hee-won, Han Min-ha would have collapsed from exhaustion by now, trampled to death.
But the practice area was circular; if she kept running like this, she would just be running in circles, with nowhere to escape.
Besides…
As she ran, Han Min-ha glanced back at Professor Kyo and Hee-won lying on the ground.
They hadn’t moved an inch.
She couldn’t just leave them there.
But if she went back, the Death Hunger might trample them…
“Gasp…! Gasp…!”
Breathing heavily, Han Min-ha racked her brain.
The Death Hunger was tough.
Without using Aura, she couldn’t break its shell and attack its insides.
She looked around for something to use as a weapon, but the practice area was frustratingly clean; there wasn’t even a metal pipe in sight.
What should she do…?
If she could just buy some time…
Just then, a shadow fell over Han Min-ha.
Sensing danger, she threw herself to the side just as the Death Hunger’s stinger plunged into the spot where she had been standing.
Unfazed by the missed attack, the Death Hunger retracted its stinger and resumed its pursuit.
At that moment, Han Min-ha had an idea.
She might not be able to use her Aura, but her physical abilities were still superior to those of ordinary high school students.
Maybe… if she did that…
She just needed a brief moment…
Han Min-ha stopped running and turned around.
She ran towards the oncoming Death Hunger and jumped onto its back.
Click-click- Screech-screech-
The Death Hunger’s eyes swiveled, trying to see Han Min-ha on its back, and its eight legs moved frantically, trying to shake her off.
Han Min-ha clung on, keeping a close eye on the stinger.
The Death Hunger tried to raise its pincers above its head but failed due to its joint limitations.
It finally arched its tail.
Just as the stinger was about to strike, Han Min-ha leaped with all her might.
The stinger, aimed at her, plunged deep into the Death Hunger’s own back.
As if its power had been cut off, the Death Hunger froze, all movement ceasing.
Her desperate gamble, relying on her enhanced physical abilities, had worked!
Seizing the opportunity, Han Min-ha ran towards Professor Kyo and Hee-won.
“Professor!”
Fortunately, Professor Kyo, though impaled by the circular saw blade, wasn’t bleeding.
But Han Min-ha didn’t dare touch the blade; she knew that pulling it out might cause a geyser of blood, like pulling a cork from a bottle.
“Hee-won…! Wake up!”
Hee-won, stung in the shoulder, was also unconscious.
Han Min-ha didn’t know if the mechanical scorpion’s stinger was actually venomous, but thankfully, Hee-won was breathing shallowly.
Relieved that they were both still alive, Han Min-ha let out a sigh.
But her relief was short-lived.
The Death Hunger, which had been motionless, started creaking and moving again.
Han Min-ha couldn’t move both of them alone.
“Professor! Hee-won! You have to wake up!”
She desperately shook them, but they remained unresponsive.
Where the hell were the training ground staff?!
The Death Hunger, meanwhile, was turning its body, rolling its eyes, searching for her.
Han Min-ha bit her lip as it clicked its pincers and turned towards them.
She had to… she had to use her Aura…
The professor, who had dragged her back from the brink of dropping out, and Hee-won…
Her only friends…
To save them… she had to do it…!
‘But how…? How the hell can I use my Aura?’
She didn’t know… she didn’t know…
If she could have figured it out, she would have done it by now…!
I’m sorry, Professor… I’m sorry, Hee-won…
But I really don’t know…
The Death Hunger was almost upon her.
Its emotionless, black, bowling ball-like eyes, its body covered in intricate mechanical parts.
Its chilling pincers and the stinger, still sharp after multiple attacks.
Ahh… Aura…!
If she faltered here, Hee-won and the professor would…!!
I… I want to be like you, Professor…!
Just as the Death Hunger’s stinger was about to pierce the top of her head, Han Min-ha squeezed her eyes shut and thrust her hands forward.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
She heard applause from somewhere.
Han Min-ha thought it was the angels welcoming her to heaven.
Wait… had she been good enough to go to heaven?
Probably not.
Because the one clapping wasn’t an angel.
“Excellent.”
She slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to see Professor Kyo clapping.
“P-Professor…?”
Although the clothes on his chest were torn, he looked as healthy as ever, smiling.
“You could have done that sooner… You took your sweet time…”
Beside him, Hee-won was grumbling, brushing the dirt off her clothes as she got up.
“Hee-won…? What is going on…?”
“Above your head.”
Han Min-ha looked up to where Hee-won was pointing and saw a small, square barrier floating in the air, protecting her head.
“A… barrier…? Uh… then… uh…”
“You didn’t think an academy professor would be taken down by a weak monster like that, did you, idiot?”
“Oh…”
Han Min-ha finally understood.
It was all… an act…
“You did very well, student Min-ha. I apologize for not telling you beforehand, but I judged that it would prevent you from achieving the desired outcome.”
“Oh… okay…”
“Although it was a weakened specimen for training purposes, with its venom removed, you still did well. Especially the way you made the Death Hunger sting itself was ingenious.”
“Weakened… specimen…”
“Well… it would have been a bit much if you couldn’t use your Aura, but… now you can truly think of it as a weak specimen.”
Professor Kyo pointed over Han Min-ha’s shoulder.
She glanced over, too stunned to speak.
Where the Death Hunger had been standing, there was nothing.
Instead, small, mechanical parts, presumably from the Death Hunger’s body, were scattered around her in a fan shape, crumpled and torn.
“When pushed to the edge of a cliff, an ordinary person falls, but a hero takes flight.”
Professor Kyo said, coming to stand beside her.
“You took flight, student Min-ha. So now, realize it for yourself.”
He reached out and took her hand.
“You are fully qualified to become a hero.”
Violet Aura flickered like flames around Han Min-ha’s hand, which Professor Kyo was holding up.
The sun might be the same, but Professor Kyo’s prediction that today’s Han Min-ha would be different from yesterday’s had come true.
“Thank… you…”
With those words, Han Min-ha staggered and nearly collapsed.
Professor Kyo caught her and chuckled softly.
“Let’s go get something to eat.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
a brutal but efficient method