Villain Takes Over The Academy

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[Translator - Peptobismal]

[Proofreader - Max]

Chapter 24

Before Nam Kang-ik's group attacked Do Jin-hak.

On the way to the movie theater, Okamoto was lost in thought.

'Why is she following us?'

Arche was walking arm in arm with Shin A-sol, making no effort to hide it.

Okamoto, envious of their closeness, wanted to take Arche's place.

'I need to get rid of that thing somehow...'

Arche, who had already become "that thing" in Okamoto's eyes, showed no intention of leaving Shin A-sol's side.

As Okamoto was deep in thought, trying to come up with a plan, he overheard a conversation between students on the street.

"Is there something happening at Yongmun Mountain today?"

"Why there?"

"I saw a bunch of Emission Department kids heading there earlier."

"But that mountain is a no-entry zone because of the fog, isn't it?"

"That's what I'm saying. But they were all carrying weapons, like they were going to catch a villain or something..."

Emission Department, weapons, Yongmun Mountain.

These three keywords brought only one thought to Okamoto's mind.

'Did Seo Su-kyung really mobilize the Emission Department kids? To deal with Professor D?'

As if to confirm his suspicions, Arche's expression suddenly darkened as she seemed to overhear the conversation.

This was his chance.

Okamoto casually said, loud enough for Arche to hear, "Ahem, did you hear that? They said the Emission Department kids went to Yongmun Mountain with weapons. Could Professor D be there?"

Arche's face grew darker and darker. Sensing this, Okamoto quickly added fuel to the fire.

"Well, with Seo Su-kyung's personality, she wouldn't just let it go after being humiliated like that. Could Professor D be in trouble today? In the worst case, there might even be a murder..."

"No way...!"

In the end, Arche's face turned pale, and she ran off towards Yongmun Mountain.

Okamoto, having finally succeeded in getting rid of the obstacle, inwardly rejoiced.

But things didn't go exactly as he planned.

"Sorry, Okamoto. I'll watch the movie with you next time."

"W-what?"

Leaving only those words behind, Shin A-sol quickly followed Arche.

Okamoto Daichi was left all alone.

As his dream of a date with Shin A-sol, which he had imagined countless times, shattered, a scream erupted from deep within him.

"Aaaagh! Seo Su-kyung! That useless... BITCH! Uwaaagh!"

Okamoto, screaming, beat the ground as if he was about to cry.

Passersby simply avoided him, whispering about the crazy guy.

***

'No, it can't be. There's no way Su-kyung would go that far...'

When Shin A-sol decided to follow Arche to Yongmun Mountain, she had thought that way.

Even though Seo Su-kyung sometimes did things beyond imagination, she wouldn't go as far as to lay a hand on a professor.

However, when Shin A-sol arrived at Yongmun Mountain with Arche, she had to admit that she was wrong.

"I-it's Iron Wall Shin A-sol...!"

"And even Arche...!"

"Why are those two here...?"

The masked strangers surrounding Professor D were murmuring amongst themselves.

Judging from their physique and the weapons they were carrying, they were clearly Emission Department students.

Shin A-sol's head throbbed as she saw the clear traces of battle.

'Seo Su-kyung! What is she trying to do?!'

If this incident became known to the school, it would be a huge problem. The Emission Department students would be expelled, and it was obvious that Seo Su-kyung, the ringleader, would receive an even harsher punishment.

"You guys, you're from the Emission Department, aren't you?"

While Shin A-sol was lost in thought, Arche stepped forward and spoke.

"Attacking a professor of the school, are you out of your minds?"

"Attack? I don't know what you're talking about."

The largest man among the masked strangers replied nonchalantly.

"We were simply giving the sinful professor a chance to reflect."

"What?"

"You all must have heard the rumors about Professor D, right? About how wicked he is."

"Even so, to do this...!"

"It would be best if you didn't interfere. Otherwise, you'll be joining the professor in his time of reflection."

Nam Kang-ik spoke confidently in front of the two. There was no way his identity would be revealed with the mask and voice modifier, and they had the advantage in numbers.

'More importantly, I don't like Shin A-sol.'

Nam Kang-ik had been displeased from the moment Shin A-sol appeared.

The two departments that formed the fiercest rivalry in Masterclass.

The rivalry between the Emission Department and the Defence Department was as old as the school's tradition.

The Emission Department taught that attack was the best defense, and the Defence Department often mocked the Emission Department, calling them ignorant fools who didn't know how to protect themselves.

'If it weren't for us, you'd be stuck holding shields and getting beaten up by villains all your life!'

For Nam Kang-ik, who had been with the Emission Department for a long time, the Defence Department students were an unpleasant presence, just by being in the same academy.

And among them, Shin A-sol was the ultimate trigger for his displeasure.

A woman from the damn Defence Department, ranked 3rd, and a core member of the student council...!

'Why are you so successful?'

He acknowledged Seo Su-kyung because he had witnessed her genius since childhood.

But not Shin A-sol.

Until Prime Class, the preliminary stage of Masterclass, Shin A-sol was at best a mid-tier student.

The turtle-like girl, who had been at the bottom of the rankings since childhood, had crawled tirelessly day and night, and while he had been momentarily distracted, she had overtaken the rabbit.

Nam Kang-ik couldn't understand why he couldn't surpass that turtle again.

"Why don't you get out of here? If you don't want to get seriously hurt!"

As Nam Kang-ik shouted triumphantly, the other strangers also growled, emboldened.

"So you want to play it that way?"

Shin A-sol glared at the strangers. She didn't speak for long.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Shin A-sol silently equipped her shield on her right arm, took a deep breath, and then...

Bang-!

With a short shout, she struck the large rock beside her with her shield.

"Ugh!"

With a loud boom like a cannon firing, the strangers all covered their ears.

However, despite the loud noise, the rock was intact. There wasn't a single crack on the rock that Shin A-sol had struck with all her might.

"Tsk, what was that? Trying to scare us with such clumsiness..."

Nam Kang-ik and the strangers looked at each other and snickered. It seemed like the moment Shin A-sol's bluff, backed by the student council, was finally called.

But in the next instant, their expressions hardened.

The even larger rock behind the one she struck began to shatter.

Crack, boom...!

The rock that Shin A-sol had struck with her shield was fine, but for some reason, the one next to it was smashed beyond recognition.

The strangers were all dumbfounded.

"T-that huge rock was shattered in one blow...!"

"But the shield didn't even touch the broken rock?"

"Is that some kind of spell too...?"

A phenomenon incomprehensible even to those who had spent their entire lives learning only attack spells.

Only Nam Kang-ik, who was close to 4 stars in the Emission Department, could understand the phenomenon.

'A wave-type spell that transmits damage through obstacles...? How can she use such a spell?'

He had heard of it before.

Among the elite Military who reached 5 stars in certain schools, there were those who reached the level of manipulating waves.

The fact that Shin A-sol could cast such a spell meant that she had also reached 5 stars in the Defence Department. It meant that she was skilled enough to be a first-class Military on the battlefield right now.

'When did that girl reach that level? She definitely wasn't that good last semester...!'

It was something Nam Kang-ik couldn't understand.

Shin A-sol had gotten a hint of the wave-type spell during the previous Phantom Thief pursuit mission.

The new spell, theorized with the help of Okamoto and named "Wave Penetration", was leading Shin A-sol to the next level of the Defence Department.

Although Nam Kang-ik couldn't know the details, one thing was clear.

He was no match for Shin A-sol now...

***

'As expected, she has already mastered Wave Penetration.'

Watching Shin A-sol's spell shatter the rock, I couldn't help but recall an old memory.

One of the issues that had set the early Military Chronicle community ablaze.

'The complaints about why Shin A-sol was set as a Defence Department character.'

Strictly speaking, Shin A-sol's specs were more suited to the Emission Department than the Defence Department.

Her Strength stat, which reached the human limit, wasn't really necessary in the Defence Department, and there was much debate that her specs were wasted on just being a tanker on the battlefield.

'But that controversy arose because they didn't truly understand Shin A-sol.'

Shin A-sol, true to her nickname, was the possessor of the "Iron Fortress" trait.

Many players thought that based on the name of the trait, she would specialize in spells suitable for the Defence Department, but... that was only half right.

'Shin A-sol's defense actually originated from the power of "waves".'

This was a secret that could only be known by successfully completing her personal quest, which was not available to other students and required deep exploration of Shin A-sol, the main character.

Shin A-sol, who had the very rare ability to manipulate waves.

But for a long time, she didn't realize the power she possessed and unknowingly used the power of waves.

'Then, at the point where she meets the player, she realizes the power of waves.'

The player can help Shin A-sol and gradually build up their favorability, leading her to unravel the secrets of her power.

Wave Penetration is her only attack spell that can be awakened through her personal quest.

Once mastered, it's safe to say that there's no companion as versatile as Shin A-sol on the battlefield...

'The problem is that it's difficult to master.'

The process of Shin A-sol fully mastering Wave Penetration takes place over several chapters of the story, and even that changes depending on the player's choices.

In the early stages, Shin A-sol's success rate with Wave Penetration was about 10%.

Right now, Shin A-sol has only managed to successfully cast a spell that she can barely succeed with once in ten attempts.

Of course, there's no way Nam Kang-ik would realize that.

"Ugh..."

Nam Kang-ik and the strangers froze like statues after witnessing the sight of a rock the size of a mid-size car shattering into pieces.

Shin A-sol loosened her wrist and said, "If you retreat now, nothing will happen. But if you insist on continuing... then you'll be responsible of what's to come."

Her voice was filled with sincerity.

These guys were also Masterclass students, so they should know.

That Shin A-sol wasn't the type to joke about this kind of thing.

'And with Gianluca next to her...'

It's as if I can hear the frantic calculations going on in Nam Kang-ik's head beneath that mask. He must be racking his brains, but the answer is obvious.

"...Tsk, hey Professor, you're lucky."

Nam Kang-ik, finally concluding that he couldn't face both of them at the same time, glared at me as if he wanted to kill me and then turned around and went down the mountain.

The strangers left behind also hesitated and then followed him.

Arche, looking dissatisfied, said to Shin A-sol, "Is it okay to let them go like that? They all deserve to be expelled!"

"But no one was hurt. They won't do this kind of thing again."

"Even so..."

Arche seemed to disagree with Shin A-sol's judgment.

But I know why she let them go, despite her strong sense of justice.

'That's probably why she came here in the first place.'

Because there's no way Shin A-sol would have come all the way here to help me.

"Just in case you're mistaken, don't think I helped you, Professor."

As expected, Shin A-sol turned to me and said firmly.

"I don't care what happens to you. I came here only to..."

"To protect your friend, not me."

Shin A-sol's eyes widened as if hit on a sore spot.

I continued calmly, "You must have some idea who ordered those guys to do this, right? And that person is someone you know well."

Unlike other students who fiercely attacked each other's weaknesses, Shin A-sol had a strong tendency to see her fellow students as comrades.

And among them, Seo Su-kyung was the comrade Shin A-sol had known the longest.

She probably wanted to prevent Seo Su-kyung from being expelled for being the mastermind behind this incident.

"Don't worry. I don't intend to make a fuss about this either."

"Really?" Shin A-sol asked, surprised.

Her eyes were full of suspicion, showing how little trust she had in Do Jin-hak.

"Is there any reason for me to lie to you? Or have you heard rumors that I'm a notorious conman?"

"That's... not what I meant."

Shin A-sol blushed, realizing that she sounded like she was judging him based on rumors.

But I wasn't finished yet.

"But I have a request."

"...A request?"

"It's not something I can tell you now, and there's no need to worry. It's not something unreasonable."

"...Alright. If it's not an unreasonable request..."

Shin A-sol reluctantly nodded.

Seeing that, I laughed inwardly.

'I'm getting the Iron Fortress chance card like this.'

Shin A-sol was a character who couldn't rest until she repaid any debt, no matter what it was.

Even with her distrust of Do Jin-hak, she would definitely grant him one favor.

'Actually, it's difficult to expel Seo Su-kyung with just this incident.'

Shin A-sol was worried that Seo Su-kyung would be expelled from school, but that was because she didn't know Seo Su-kyung's true nature.

In the first place, Seo Su-kyung wasn't careless enough to leave evidence of her involvement when plotting something like this.

Creating a connection with Shin A-sol using the impossible expulsion of Seo Su-kyung was a huge gain.

"Then... I'll be going now."

Shin A-sol, with a dissatisfied expression, went down the mountain first.

I was also about to leave when I noticed that Arche's expression was unusual. She seemed greatly dissatisfied, her lips tightly pursed.

"Gianluca, is there something wrong?"

"...Are you really alright, Professor? To just bury this incident like this?"

"Is that what you're dissatisfied with?"

"Of course! To attack you, they should all be punished! Those guys, and the one behind them!"

Arche seemed unconvinced. Her reaction surprised me. I didn't expect her to be this angry.

'If I leave her alone, she might do something rash.'

Although her nature wasn't apparent now because she was a student, Gianluca the Dragon Mage, was known as the most radical member of the rebel army.

She was the type to see things through to the end once her switch was flipped.

For now, it seemed necessary to convince her of the current situation as much as possible.

"You must have heard the rumors about me, but this is just a minor incident for me. Like tripping over a rock on the road."

"But you almost died because of that rock. If we hadn't come..."

"That's unexpected. I didn't know you cared that much about me. Or did I seem so weak that you thought I would die from tripping over a rock?"

"That's not what I meant..."

"I hope you're not mistaken. I'm your professor. How I handle my students is my prerogative."

I emphasized my words to Arche.

Did she understand?

Arche seemed to be lost in thought after hearing my words, then she reluctantly nodded.

"...I understand. You're saying you have your own way of handling this, Professor?"

"I'm glad you understand. Then..."

"But it's the same for me. Just as you have the right to do as you see fit, I also have the right to do as I see fit."

Leaving only those words behind, Arche quickly descended the mountain.

I was concerned about Arche's demeanor. Her eyes seemed to be filled with fury.

It was as if she was about to do something dangerous.

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[Translator - Peptobismal]

[Proofreader - Max]