Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game

Bang, Bang, Bang!

“Growwwl!”

With immense psychokinetic power, Hong Daye struck the Minotaur repeatedly.

The Minotaur roared as the training ground’s floor cracked, kicking up dirt and stone debris.

In a moment, she focused her intangible power to restrain the Minotaur’s limbs tightly, then mustered all her strength to swing her sword.

However, from a distance, a black hand streaked like an arrow towards Hong Daye’s back.

“Ki-ki-ki-ki!”

“That damn ape.”

The sharp claws of the ape, larger than a grown man by two heads, narrowly grazed Hong Daye’s cheek.

Drip, drip.

Drops of blood trailed down her cheek.

“Kekekeke!”

Excited by the sight of blood, the ape, with hair thick as bristles, stretched its arms like rubber bands, lashing them like whips.

Whoosh, whoosh.

Its movements, too fast for the eyes, pressed on Hong Daye, but such attacks were easily blocked with her psychokinesis.

Yet, every time she used her power, the Minotaur, as if sensing it ghostly, interfered.

With both creatures attacking together, she couldn’t fight properly.

And her supernatural powers were also acting up.

Little by little, very gradually, her psychokinesis became unstable.

Her broken body could no longer withstand the use of her psychokinetic abilities.

Perhaps her body couldn’t keep up after all.

“Ugh, ugh!”

Seizing a slight lapse in her concentration, the Minotaur’s punch broke through and hit her abdomen. Damn it.

Thud!

It felt like being hit by a truck.

She defended herself in the nick of time using psychokinesis, avoiding a fatal injury, but it seemed she had cracked a rib.

“Cough, cough… phew.”

Damn. In the past, she would have taken them down without much difficulty.

To struggle against a mere bull calf, how cruel the passage of time can be.

‘If only that damn ape wasn’t there, it would have been manageable.’

The Dark Hand Long-Armed Ape, consistently nagging and constraining Hong Daye from behind the Minotaur, was particularly troublesome.

Every time she tried to bind the Minotaur with psychokinesis, the ape interrupted her.

‘At this rate, I might not last until the security team arrives.’

Hong Daye wiped away the blood trickling from her lips and summoned her psychokinetic energy again.

She couldn’t show weakness in front of the students.

After all, Hong Daye was a hero.

She had to protect those students at all costs.

“As you can see, the instructor won’t be able to hold out much longer.”

“…”

The students from Teams 1 and 16 remained silent.

They couldn’t just stand by and leave Hong Daye injured.

Yet, if they carelessly jumped in, they would undoubtedly end up as mere lumps of flesh, tumbling across the dirty ground.

“Our task is simple. We need to take on one of the monsters so that the instructor can focus better.”

“Which one, the bull or the ape?”

At Yuliya’s question, Lee Jinhyuk pointed towards the Dark Hand Long-Armed Ape.

“Obviously, the ape.”

It was a clear choice.

The Minotaur was on another level.

“But don’t get me wrong, the ape isn’t easy. It’s just weaker than the Minotaur, not something students can bring down.”

Sure, that seemed plausible.

Yuliya nodded in agreement to his words.

She might not know exactly how powerful the ape was, but just by watching it move a few times, she could tell it was not something the students could handle.

“We don’t have to defeat the Dark Hand Long-Armed Ape; we just need to draw its aggro until the security team arrives.”

“That doesn’t sound easy.”

Draw the aggro of the ape? Easy to say.

But for these students, who had never faced a monster of this level, it was no easy task.

Unlike the practice at the Academy, a slight mistake in real combat could lead to irreparable consequences.

Moreover, their bodies were still stiffened by the murderous aura emanating from the monsters.

Under such circumstances, could they perform well against the monster?

“Like it or not, we have to do it.”

Lee Jinhyuk looked firmly at the students.

They silently met his eyes.

“After all, if the instructor goes down, we’re as good as dead.”

“Ha. Well, that’s true.”

Sunari exhaled deeply, nodding. Though she wanted to deny it, the truth was undeniable. When will the security team ever arrive?

“So, what’s the plan?”

“Do you have a sharp strategy?”

“Hey, we don’t have time, so spill it.”

Understandably, Jin Soyeon, Yoo Seolhyun, and Sunari bombarded him with questions.

Lee Siwoon and Yuliya also focused their attention on Lee Jinhyuk.

Everyone was aware of the tactical capabilities Lee Jinhyuk had demonstrated, as well as his achievements in the round of 16, 8, and 4.

It was only natural to listen to him in this situation.

After all, Lee Jinhyuk was the most suitable as an operator here.

It would be better to trust him with the strategy than any of the others.

“Alright. Instead of a grand plan, I’ll assign positions. As I said earlier, we just need to buy time.”

In a situation where every second counted, Lee Jinhyuk quickly outlined the plan and shared a few characteristics of the Dark Hand Long-Armed Ape with the students.

They all assumed their roles, nodding at his words.

Despite some uncertainty, Lee Jinhyuk’s proven track record throughout the practical assessment had provided them with a semblance of trust.

‘Alright, then.’

Lee Jinhyuk slowly nocked an arrow onto his bowstring.

He was, after all, an archer.

For Lee Jinhyuk, who lacked the talent to be a hero, using a bow as his main weapon was the most sensible choice.

“Let’s go. Everyone, get ready.”

“Okay.”

“Got it.”

Thwack!

A magic-infused arrow flew towards the temple of the Long-Armed Ape.

But…

“Kiik? Kekekeke?”

As if it had eyes on its back, the ape caught the arrow far too easily. A direct shot won’t hit.

Perhaps it’s time to move the ape into phase two?

“The aggro’s been taken.”

“Keek? Keek… Keek…”

The Dark Hand Long-Armed Ape’s gaze locked onto Lee Jinhyuk.

Uh… making eye contact suddenly makes me regret my actions a bit, doesn’t it? Lee Jinhyuk surreptitiously swallowed his saliva. Whew. Alright then, let’s do this.

The ape, seemingly amused, snapped the arrow shaft and slowly licked its chops.

At this sight, Hong Daye frowned and shouted. What are those kids doing? Despite her efforts to keep the aggro from shifting!

“What are you kids doing?! I told you not to interfere… ”

“Instructor, you can’t handle this alone! It’s all over if you go down!”

Jin Soyeon shouted back.

“We’ll handle the ape, so please quickly take down the bull and help us!”

“…”

Hong Daye bit her lip slightly.

As Jin Soyeon said, it was difficult for Hong Daye to face the two monsters alone.

If she were to suffer a severe injury and collapse, she couldn’t guarantee the students’ lives.

Their actions were, in a way, a rational choice.

But was it the right decision to entrust one of these powerful monsters to students who were merely Academy trainees?

If something went wrong…

“We’re hero candidates, too! So don’t worry too much, teach!”

Suddenly.

-The trainees are not just kids; they’re hero candidates. You can’t treat them as children forever.

A past conversation surfaced in her mind.

-As hero apprentices, you will bear various responsibilities. In case of an emergency declaration, trainees are mobilized without exception to protect civilians from perpetrators.

These weren’t just students; they were hero candidates.

-Legally, you’re halfway treated as adults. Until now, you’ve been students receiving help, but now it’s different. You’re not the ones receiving help; you’re the ones providing it.

She had said it herself: they aren’t just recipients of help but providers of it.

Yet, was she still going to treat them as mere students?

Even those who had earned their provisional hero licenses?

“Don’t overdo it. The security team will be here soon. No, wait. I’ll make sure to quickly take down this bull and come to your aid.”

For now, Hong Daye decided to relent.

She was worried, but she had to trust the students.

“Yes, teach…! Ah, oh, it’s coming! Jinhyuk, it’s coming!”

The Long-Armed Ape, which had been fixedly staring at Lee Jinhyuk’s party, leaped towards the children in a blink.

As the ape jumped several meters and stretched its arm like a rubber band to aim at Lee Jinhyuk…

“What are you staring at?”

Unbothered by the ape’s murderous aura, Sunari forcefully raised her fist and deflected the ape’s lurching arm.

With a resonant boom, the ape’s hand soared to the ceiling, its arm stretching meters long.

“…”

Lee Siwoon didn’t miss the opportunity, took a deep breath, and slashed horizontally at the ape’s arm, covering his blade with magic.

Slash!

“Kiik! Kekekeke!”

The monster’s flesh split with a crack, and dark red blood sprayed forth.

“…It’s tough.”

The skin was tougher than expected.

The blade hadn’t cut properly.

Even though it was a training sword, he had poured his magic into it and swung with all his might; was it still not enough?

Lee Siwoon bit his lower lip slightly.

“Fall back! Yoo Seolhyun, cover!”

“Already on it!”

As the ape tried to press down on Lee Siwoon with its left hand, Yoo Seolhyun sprang into action to disrupt the attack.

Twang, twang! Ting!

Sharp claws and the sound of practice lance blades echoed around them.

While Yoo Seolhyun kept the ape’s attention, Yuliya finished her incantation in sync with their timing.

“Thunder Spear!”

Yuliya’s electrified spear struck the Long-Armed Ape.

“Kiik! Kekeke!”

A strong electric shock caused the ape’s muscles to seize briefly, giving Lee Siwoon, Yoo Seolhyun, and Sunari an opening to attack together.

Yet, the Dark Hand Long-Armed Ape seemed unbothered by their combined assault and stretched out its long arms, deciding to deal with the annoying mage first.

Swoosh!

The black hand streaked with lightning speed.

Aiming forcefully at the defenseless Yuliya’s abdomen, but Jin Soyeon, prepared in advance, used a shield parry to deflect the ape’s reach.

“Ki-ki-ki-ki!”

Frustrated, the ape withdrew its arm.

The sight of it being consistently nagged by one of them was clearly annoying it.

“Ha, ha… What’s up? That ape wasn’t such a big deal after all.”

“Don’t let your guard down. That thing barely took any damage.”

Lee Jinhyuk sharply corrected Sunari’s assumption.

The six of them had combined forces, but they hadn’t managed to inflict any significant damage. Yet, Lee Jinhyuk thought the flow was better than expected.

For a first-time collaboration with Team 16, they coordinated quite well, and since the priority was simply to buy time, it was working out.

‘Good.’

In the front, Lee Siwoon and Sunari, both with good defense. In the middle, Yoo Seolhyun, with her speed and range. In the back, Lee Jinhyuk as the operator and Yuliya as the mage. And Jin Soyeon, balanced, took on the role of keeper.

‘Not bad at all.’

The capabilities and positions were enough to handle almost any opponent.

The students’ skills were exceptional.

It’s no wonder they are the female protagonist, the male lead, and the young villainess of the story.

***

“Uggh, ugh, damn it…”

“Je-, jeez… cough… cough.”

“Haak, ha, hack.”

Just a few minutes. That’s all it had been.

All we had managed was a few minutes, and now we were coughing up blood and rolling on the filthy ground.

Lee Siwoon, Yoo Seolhyun, Sunari, Jin Soyeon, all without exception.