NOVEL NEXT chapter 98
98 – Duel Season (4)
As soon as the match began, all eyes were drawn in.
From those gazes, I could read the intent: ‘Eliminate the top contender first.’
“Yeah, this is what a brawl is all about.”
Everyone, except for oneself, is an enemy?
No, that’s not the case if everyone has equal skill.
But if there’s someone among them who is stronger than the rest, it’s a different story.
– Even if I knock out the others, I’ll just end up being eliminated by them.
– Anyway, they’re going to take first place, so fighting the others will only be a loss for me.
– Ah, I don’t care about the last place, but I can’t stand seeing that guy take first.
That’s what I thought.
“This feels less like a brawl and more like a boss raid.”
My peers are the players.
The boss monster is me.
That was exactly the situation in the arena right now.
……
A stillness hung over the arena.
Even the audience, looking down at the scene, was silent.
It felt as if all sound had vanished from the world.
But that feeling was short-lived.
Huff, huff…
Someone, unable to contain their tension, let out a breath filled with tremors.
And at that breath, my peers, who had been watching me like statues, raised their weapons.
In response, I took the initiative before they could attack.
Boom─!
I leaped upward, stomping down hard enough to leave footprints on the ground.
“……!”
The peers, who had been gathering their magical energy and waiting for the right moment to strike, looked up at me in surprise.
Then, in a rush to attack, they lifted their weapons high.
But my grenades (non-lethal) were already sent flying in front of them.
Clank.
“Ah, damn….”
Boom—!
Before someone’s curse could finish, the Thunderbolt in my hand unleashed a thunderclap.
And right after that.
Fwooosh—!
The grenades sent flying in front of my classmates exploded in unison, creating a shockwave.
“…aaah!”
“Kyahhh!”
My classmates screamed as they were sent flying out of the arena.
But most of those flying away were from Class B and Class C.
Not a single member of Class A, to which I belonged and whose combat style I was accustomed to, was missing from the arena.
‘So now, they can handle this much without a hitch.’
I felt the reward of the intense villain response training we had undergone.
With a proud expression, I nodded and activated my Atlas Armor.
“I can increase the training intensity.”
At that, most of Class A, who hadn’t been sent flying by the grenades, shouted with pale faces.
“What!”
“No way!”
Why, you ask?
Because you did well.
“Everyone, look forward to it after the duel season ends.”
I’ll make sure to give you a proper challenge.
“Damn it!”
“…At this rate, I won’t let you come in first!”
“Let’s take down the top student!”
Before my words could even settle, attacks came flying at me.
In response, I pulled Aegis from my inventory. I switched to shield mode and blocked all incoming attacks—sword strikes, magic, arrows, and more.
“If you react so intensely…, it just makes me want to do it even more.”
As I said this, descending from the air.
“I don’t want to! Your training is intense right now!”
“How many times do we have to roll you to feel satisfied?!”
“Down with the top student! Down with the top student─!”
Everyone in Class A, except for the star students, charged at me.
I let out a short sigh at their antics and said,
“Who told you to attack like that?”
The instructor and I had never trained them to do so.
I shook my head and pulled out 33 Thunderbolts in a rush. Then, just like we did at the outpost, I lifted them with telekinesis and continued speaking.
“Didn’t I emphasize every time we practiced villain response training? To act calmly in any situation.”
No matter how strong the enemy is, maintaining composure is essential.
That is the foundation of being a hero, as Villain Cro… no, I’ve said it before.
Clack!
I aimed at the mindless rush of students charging at me, loading rubber bullets into all the Thunderbolts.
“This won’t do. I need to talk to the instructor after the duel season ends.”
Let’s make the first class of the second semester villain response training.
As I said this, I pulled the trigger of the Thunderbolts with my telekinesis.
Boom, rumble, crackle─!
A loud thunderclap echoed throughout the arena.
Following that, a storm of lightning poured down on my classmates.
And just as the lightning was about to strike them,
“I’ve been waiting for this moment!”
With Park Garam’s shout, a gray shield appeared around my classmates.
At the same time, countless gray vines surged up from beneath, wrapping around my hands, legs, and the Thunderbolts.
‘Oh…, Park Garam.’
He’s really fulfilling his role as a supporter, isn’t he?
I couldn’t help but admire Park Garam’s timely assistance.
But at the same time, I felt a twinge of disappointment.
‘He used support magic effectively, but… he should have used attack magic instead.’
The gray magic of the Gray Witch, Kirke, is far more effective for offense than support.
Thus, what Park Garam should have done just now was not to shield the classmates but to cast an attack spell on me.
Of course, I have no intention of accepting it.
‘And it seems they thought they could just bind my hands and feet, my weapons.’
I want to say that’s a grave misjudgment.
It’s understandable, considering that the effect of the evolved A-rank teleportation has changed from ‘items in possession’ to ‘items with ownership.’
“Ugh.”
Park Garam stared blankly at the Thunderbolts that had appeared around me.
“”Huh?””
My peers, who had charged in confidently thinking I was incapacitated, wore expressions of confusion.
Seeing their bewildered faces, I couldn’t help but chuckle. To snap them back to reality, I decided to give them a little jolt with a Thunderbolt shock.
Clang!
The shields surrounding them shattered.
At the same time, the rubber bullets that followed struck their bodies.
Thud—crackle!
“Ughhh!”
The charging kids screamed as they fell.
Since it was rubber bullets, they wouldn’t be pierced through, but the impact would surely have broken some bones.
And with the lightning wrapped around the bullets, it must have been quite a shock as well.
Crack, crack.
I tore away the vines that had bound my hands and feet.
“Eh, huh?”
Park Garam, who had been preparing to throw a fireball at me, let out a startled sound.
“What’s so surprising? Is it your first time seeing someone tear off vines?”
When I asked, Park Garam nodded, looking flustered.
“I see.”
If it was their first time, it would be quite shocking.
I hummed, nodding my head, and fired the training pistol I had teleported into my hand.
Bang!
“…Cough!”
Park Garam, hit in the forehead by a rubber bullet, rolled his eyes back and collapsed to the floor with a thud.
Watching that scene, I checked the kids standing in the arena.
Lee Seoyeon, Arthur, Asuka, Noah—everyone from the main cast was there.
Along with Park Seongwoo and two others, the supporting cast, and… oh, Lim Dahee.
Lim Dahee hasn’t fallen yet?
“Lim Dahee, you’ve grown.”
Truly commendable.
As I said this with meaning, Lim Dahee’s face flushed slightly.
“…You taught me well. In many ways.”
Wait a minute.
If you make a statement that could be misunderstood like that…
“…What? In many ways?”
“Did you just say ‘in many ways’?”
“What do you mean? In many ways?”
…The three of them were misunderstanding it.
“Uh, uh? Why, why is this happening?”
Lim Dahee was quite flustered by the three who suddenly rushed toward her.
But regardless, Lee Seoyeon, Arthur, and Asuka were radiating a fierce energy as if they were ready to kill, questioning Lim Dahee.
“What do you mean by ‘in many ways’?”
“Explain what you mean by ‘in many ways’ right now.”
“If you don’t tell me immediately, I’ll stain this iron sword with your blood.”
“Ah, ugh… that’s…”
Perhaps because she wasn’t using her powers, Lim Dahee not only struggled to speak but also shrank back like a crumpled ball.
Seeing her pitiful state, I let out a deep sigh and addressed the three who were pressing her for an explanation.
“I don’t know what misunderstanding you have, but what Lim Dahee learned from me in many ways is about skill usage and combat techniques. And isn’t this not the time for that?”
Are you aware that everyone in the audience is watching?
“Ah.”
The three of them simultaneously let out a sound.
Then, with somewhat flushed faces, they quickly distanced themselves from Lim Dahee.
From their expressions, it seemed they had momentarily forgotten where they were.
So I let out a deep sigh, shaking my head in resignation.
Then I pulled out two miniguns from my inventory, gripping one in each hand.
Click.
“It seems like everyone is a bit too relaxed, so I’ll personally inject some tension.”
As I said this, I spun the barrels of the two miniguns.
“Ah, no! I’m full of tension!”
“Hey! We’re so tense we might explode, what do you mean by injecting tension!”
“It’s fine! You don’t need to inject anything!”
Everyone except the main characters shook their heads with pale faces.
But I had no intention of putting the miniguns away, no matter what the others said.
“These are rubber bullets, but… well, no, they’ll hurt a lot.”
Still, you don’t have to worry; they won’t pierce through your body.
“What do you mean, don’t worry!”
“They won’t pierce through! But your bones might shatter!”
“…This isn’t good, everyone run out of the arena!”
Where do you think you’re going?
“Don’t run away! Fight back!”
As I shouted this, I pulled the trigger on the miniguns.
KWA-aaaH──!!
“…aaah!”
“Ughhh!”
“Wind… ughhh!”
The 7.62×51mm rubber bullets struck the bodies of the supporting characters who were trying to escape.
But in the midst of all this, I couldn’t see Lim Da-hee anywhere.
So I looked around to find her.
“I… I’m alive….”
I spotted Lim Da-hee standing outside the arena all by herself.
‘She must have slipped out the moment I pulled out the miniguns.’
I chuckled softly and stopped firing. The supporting characters, who had been relentlessly pelted by the rubber bullets, collapsed helplessly.
They looked as if they were dead, but they weren’t.
I aimed carefully, avoiding the head, heart, and vital spots, knowing that the HP bracelet would absorb some of the damage.
Of course, the bones wouldn’t come out unscathed.
But still… it’s fine.
There are plenty of excellent healers at this academy.
Once this match is over, I’ll receive treatment and recover.
“Looks like it’s just us left, huh?”
Standing in the arena, there were five of us, including me.
Lee So-yeon, Arthur, Asuka, Noah—everyone was a main character.
“Haha, so it comes to this.”
Noah let out a cheerful laugh, summoning flames and holy light in both hands.
“Lee Yoo-jin, this is a competition. So don’t hold it against me if I go all out.”
Arthur drew Excalibur with a serious expression, its golden blade gleaming fiercely.
“Lee Yoo-jin, I’ll fight with all my might.”
Whether his words were sincere or not, the look in Lee So-yeon’s eyes was colder than usual as she gazed at me.
“…Uh, Head, should I go over there?”
No, Asuka.
Everyone is serious about fighting.
“”…….””
See? They’re all glaring at you.
“Ha… haha. Just kidding.”
Receiving the three gazes, Asuka awkwardly chuckled and drew two iron rods.
Then, with a burst of red energy, she took a combat stance.
Starting with Asuka, everyone directed their fierce glares at me.
Hmm, a 1v4.
Just a moment ago, I felt like the boss monster.
Now, I feel like the villain facing off against the heroes.
With that thought, I couldn’t help but smirk and lifted the Thunderbolts I had momentarily set down with my telekinesis.
And, gripping the two mini-guns in my hands, I aimed them at the four.
Vrrrrr…!
The barrels of the two mini-guns began to spin once more.
At the same time, thunderbolts scattered lightning in all directions as if they were about to unleash blue flashes at any moment.
“Then shall we see just how strong everyone has become?”
As I spoke those words, the four of them stomped their feet against the ground.