chapter 23
episode 23
Mosquito murdered for his own pleasure. He felt a sense of superiority in the victim’s fear of himself, as well as the ecstasy and overflowing power of drinking blood.
To him, his victims were toys to play with and drugs to make him feel good.
Kang Tae-min was able to find out his disgusting intentions through the confessional. He put forward the reason that he would not hide it for repentance, but the record of his confession was like the diary of a narcissistic psychopath.
‘This time, I won’t kill them obediently.’
Before returning, he was escorted by security hunters, so he was killed instantly. Considering Mosquito’s misdeeds, it was a very generous death.
Mosquito needed to know how the victims felt. Because of this, Kang Tae-min did not immediately take Mosquito’s life.
“profit···!”
Mosquito, who regained his breath and regained his strength, bit his teeth.
The lies didn’t work. If so, I had no choice but to dismantle it. Perhaps he was careless, his restraints were also released.
‘I’ll make you regret it…!’
The opponent was definitely strong. But Mosquito didn’t think he would lose.
All he needed was a tiny wound, one that would bleed a drop of blood.
“Go, thank you! Thank you very much…”
Mosquito groveled servilely and kicked the floor. At the same time, he took out the dagger hidden in his boots and swung it.
Kang Tae-min could not escape the attack. No, I didn’t avoid it.
‘done···!’
Mosquito twisted the corner of his mouth at the sensation transmitted by his hand. The carotid artery was cut. Now, all I had to do was drain the blood that was gushing out.
Obviously it was
“···uh?”
The opponent’s blood, which should have been felt, was not detected. The red blood fountain was not visible to the naked eye.
However, there was a deep cut on Kang Tae-min’s neck.
The problem was that blood did not flow from the wound and that the wound and flesh were stained silver.
“What, what…”
Mosquito could not understand the situation. The silver-colored wound began to fill up quickly.
Anxiety engulfed my mind in an instant. Mosquito hurriedly cut his arm with the dagger.
If he could not use the opponent’s blood, he intended to use the blood he had absorbed.
“Keah!”
But it was strange. Pain invaded his whole body. He trembled and moved his eyes.
Iron spikes protruding from all sides pierced his body.
This was a dungeon made entirely of metal. In other words, the dungeon itself was a weapon for Kang Tae-min.
“Puke it up.”
Taemin Kang said in a dry voice. Mosquito let out a scream at the strange feeling felt in his body.
“Quaaa!”
Something else squeezed through the blood that was flowing in his veins. The unbearable pain stimulated his brain.
From the pierced wound, blood began to pour out like a collapsed dam. Mosquito shuddered with pain and fear.
“Kkeukreuk… buy, save… keuheuk…”
I couldn’t even beg for my life properly. Blood flowed up his esophagus and gushed out of his nose. Tears of blood flowed from the red blood vessels in his eyes.
‘That’s difficult.’
Kang Tae-min taught students. It’s hard to save someone’s life.
It was the same whether the target was a good person or a bad person.
Mosquito’s blood filled the secret room and covered him up to his ankles, but Mosquito was still breathing.
It meant that he had many victims. Mosquito rolled his eyes at the fading consciousness.
Taemin Kang couldn’t let it go like that.
The ceiling shook with a crackling sound.
“Keep it off…”
Mosquito, who rolled his eyes, could see an iron pillar falling from the ceiling.
His body was compressed with a crackling sound. It was an end worthy of annihilation.
“It’s better.”
Taemin Kang took out a cigarette, lit it.
* * *
“It’s like this again.”
“what?”
At Ko Min-soo’s words, Ju Da-hyun asked with a spear blade inserted into the automaton’s body.
As she unleashed her ability, a gust of wind coiled around the blade. The swept away automaton spun like a pinwheel and fell out.
“These movements are too sloppy compared to training.”
“Isn’t that just because you’re used to it?”
On the other side, Song Dae-beom, who exploded the remaining automaton, approached and said. Ko Min-soo rolled his eyes for a moment, then shrugged.
“Maybe.”
“Oh, another dead end.”
In the meantime, Min So-yul glanced around the corner and spoke in a rough voice.
The entrance was at least monotonous, but the deeper you go, the more fitting the name ‘maze’ is.
Thanks to this, Team 2 was looking for a switch while checking each fork in the road.
“Soyul, think positively. It’s not a dead end, it’s a better chance of going the right way.”
“mmm… that’s right too.”
Team 2 returned to the crossroads. Kang Tae-min, still blunt, was waiting for them.
By the way.
“Do not be impatient because strategy practice is not about competing with other teams.”
Kang Tae-min, who had been quiet until now, said a word. Team 2 shook their heads in shock at the words.
“Ah yes!”
Joo Da-hyun again burned his will and went ahead. It was because she knew the trap best.
Min So-yul glanced at Kang Tae-min.
‘Smell of cigarettes?’
A faint but faint scent remained. When was the last time you smoked?
“Hey Minso. what are you doing?”
“Ugh.”
At Song Dae-beom’s call, she immediately gave up her thoughts. What does it mean for a smoker to smoke?
It took a long time to go through the maze like that.
“It’s here···!”
“finally!”
Team 2 found a room with a switch. It was a red button built on a small square pillar.
Song Dae-beom smiled and was about to move forward.
“for a moment.”
“Why?”
“It’s a trap.”
Ju Da-hyun stopped him and quickly rolled his eyes. At those words, Song Dae-beom flinched and took a step back.
“There are densely drilled holes all around the switch. Maybe a projectile will fly.”
“Then you can press it from a distance.”
Saying that, Song Dae-beom held up the throwing dagger upside down. I was thinking of pressing the switch with the handle so that I wouldn’t break it.
The switch clicked in as he shook and threw the dagger.
“what?”
“There was no response.”
Suddenly, the dagger fell to the floor. Contrary to Dahyun Ju’s words, the projectile did not fly.
“Oh, there’s a little bit of floor floating in front of the switch.”
“Surely, do I have to press the pressure-sensitive footrest at the same time?”
In the end, it was a structure where someone had to stand and press a switch. Song Dae-beom wrinkled his nose.
“Then let’s destroy the trap first.”
“You want to explode? Then what if the switch explodes too?”
“Just on a small scale…”
“Will the trap be dismantled with that much explosive power?”
“Ah, once you do it, you will know.”
When Min So-yul kept arguing, Song Dae-beom answered bluntly.
“And what if something goes wrong?”
“Ah, then what shall we do?”
“stop.”
As his voice began to rise, Ko Min-soo briefly intervened. And he pointed backwards with a wink.
Only then did the two realize that Kang Tae-min was watching them. Of course, Taemin Kang had no intention of intervening.
“What, do you have all these switches? Aren’t they not able to use it too?”
“It’s an automaton, so it won’t matter since it’s a machine.”
When Song Dae-beom returned his words, Joo Da-hyeon accepted. She surveyed the traps for a moment, then raised her hand.
“I will press it.”
“how?”
“It’s fine. Because I have an idea.”
Joo Da-hyun cautiously approached the switch. I touched the scaffolding with the spear and it went down smoothly.
But again, the trap did not trigger.
‘Looks like I have to press both at the same time.’
Dahyun Joo climbed onto the scaffolding with a faint smile. And at the same time as pressing the switch, the ability was manifested.
The air around her spun with a whooshing sound.
The flying projectile was caught in a sudden gust of wind and lodged in the ceiling.
“Hmm.”
“Hey, was it a bit dangerous?”
“Dahyeon-ah, are you okay?!”
Ju Da-hyun smiled brightly and turned around. A red lamp flashed on the wall beyond the button. The switch worked properly.
“Sure.”
Joo Da-hyun looked at Kang Tae-min’s expression beyond his friends. It was because of the mindset that he would look good on himself for solving the problem.
However, Kang Tae-min’s expression was still hardened.
“I took a risk for nothing.”
The two teams turned their attention to the voice. Are you at risk? Didn’t you solve it neatly?
Question marks appeared on everyone’s faces.
“You don’t have to have just one person to press the switch.”
It was an unsatisfactory result for Kang Tae-min. Didn’t you demonstrate how to avoid projectile traps when demonstrating?
“One person can lie down and press the pressure-type footrest, and the other person can throw and press it from a distance like Song Dae-beom earlier, or press it from behind to avoid the projectile. There must have been no mana consumption.”
“ah···!”
“Right.”
Only then did Team 2 agree with a sorry face. Joo Da-hyun then blushed in embarrassment.
“Still, the courage was imaginary.”
However, she raised her head at the compliment that followed.
‘Perfect next time…!’
Joo Da-hyun was motivated again.
* * *
how much time has passed
When the beep sounded three times, the two teams that were taking a break jumped to their feet.
Then, there was a click and the sound of gears turning, and the wall beyond the switch began to open.
“I must have pressed everything.”
“Huh, now it’s the boss room.”
“let’s go.”
“Well.”
Team 2 moved quickly through the open aisle. The passage led to a wide space, and a huge iron gate blocked the way.
After waiting for a while, teams 1 and 3 also arrived.
“Is everyone okay?”
“Are there any injured?”
Two supervisors immediately approached Kang Tae-min.
“All of Team 2 are safe.”
“Ah, I’m glad. One team is fine.”
“Team 3 is no problem.”
After checking the injured, the supervisors smiled brightly.
“They are great kids, too.”
“I mean. It’s been a long time since I’ve never intervened.”
“Is it the same for Team 3? Team 1 didn’t need any help at all.”
Teams 1 and 3 safely passed the maze without the need for help from supervisors. The eyes of the two supervisors returned to Kang Tae-min.
“The same goes for Team 2.”
“They say it’s the first climb, and it’s really excellent.”
“It must have been thanks to the hard work of the homeroom teacher.”
“That is also true. I thought I was watching a performance when the students’ sums matched so well.”
The supervisors laughed and trembled. Kang Tae-min had a calm expression.
“You won’t know until you deal with the boss.”
“It’s the same word as the standard.”
“Yes. You can’t relax until the very end.”
The supervisor called back the students who were bragging about each other’s prowess. The students were a little excited, but they didn’t ignore it.
“Now, we will enter the boss room. But before that, self-examination is essential.”
“There is no need to rush. It is safest to be fully prepared and not to notice others.”
“With that in mind, I’m taking a 15-minute break from now.”
Taemin Kang concluded his speech.
They were students who still lacked practical experience. Even if I said this, I could have been overdoing it to look at my friends or pretend to be strong, so I forced myself to take a break.
“Guys, take the potion one by one.”
Min So-yul checked the remaining potion and shouted. Although it was not possible to distribute a large amount because it was not possible to bring in a large amount, it was possible to distribute it to everyone in small portions.
Even if the effect is reduced, everyone should be able to enjoy the effect.
“Oh, thank you.”
“Wait a minute… this smells a bit strange, doesn’t it?”
“Oh, this tastes like grassroots.”
“eww···! Is it complete toothpaste?”
Students who drank the potion showed different reactions. Min So-yul looked at her slightly and opened her mouth.
“Uh, I’ve improved the taste a bit… isn’t it bad?”
“Are you perfectly fine?”
“Uh, do you like this?”
“If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. It is the mind of the person who made it.”
“Who doesn’t eat?”
It was a taste that people liked and disliked, but there was no one who did not drink it. That’s why Min So-yul’s potion was so popular.
When the break was over, the supervisor pressed the buttons on either side of the iron door.
With a dull sound, the iron door began to open on both sides.
Upon entering, the scenery of the boss room caught my eye.
It looked like the inside of a huge factory, with piles of scrap metal piled up everywhere, and dozens of conveyor belts were installed on both sides of the walls.
“Since this is the first boss fight, I will give you a brief explanation. Please pay attention!”
The supervisor raised his hand to get attention. The students averted their eyes without saying anything.
“If you go beyond this, a warning will sound. There are automatons protruding through the conveyor belt you see on the wall, so you have to break through and destroy the core.”
“More than halfway there, the Machinas will react more aggressively. Automatons combine with each other to transform into a higher entity called Automatron. That’s the boss you’re going to face.”
That’s how the supervisors were in the middle of a heated explanation.
“···yes?”
“what?”
The students’ eyes widened. Beyond the supervisors, inside the boss room, I saw something strange.
“So, before we combine…”
“why?”
The supervisors also turned their heads away from explaining. Soon they could see what the students were looking at.
A wall protrudes forward around the core.
“what···?”
“This phenomenon has not been reported?”
The faces of the supervisors, who had always been bright, stiffened.
Then a clicking sound reached their ears a beat late.
“what···.”
The supervisors’ eyes widened.
The core glowed red, the cog wheel attached to the wall turned, and the protruding metal bodies began to combine with each other.
The combined giant immediately jumped out of the wall and flashed red light.
The supervisors knew what it was.
“Oh, Autoportron?!”
It was Makina’s simple fortress, a monster named ‘Autoportron’. It was an advanced object that was difficult for the students as well as themselves to handle.
True to the name of the fortress, 15 people were recommended as the minimum number of attackers.
Of course, it was the standard for active hunters, and it was not a monster for students who had just started practicing.
“Belt, move the belt too!”
The problem did not end there.
The conveyor belt started working with a gurgling sound. Sooner or later, automatons will pop out.
“evacuation! Everyone evacuate!”
“Go back! hurry!”
The supervisors’ judgment was immediate. At the cry, the students hurriedly ran outside.
It was a very wise decision.
“door! door!”
“run!”
The iron door that had been opened was closing with a roar. The students rushed to the exit with all their might.
Teams 1 and 3 both escaped under the protection of supervisors.
And the 2nd team.
“Whoa, fuck, what the hell?!”
“Is everyone okay?”
“It seems all is well.”
Song Dae-beom, Joo Da-hyeon, and Ko Min-soo said one word at a time.
“Sam…?”
Finally, when Min So-yul raised his voice, the other three people turned their heads.
“Master? Master!”
“What, what happened?”
“no way···?”
The iron door was already firmly shut.
Min So-yul ran towards the door with a frightened expression.
The surprised supervisor grabbed her.
“Sir, Taemin teacher is still…!”
she cried with a bluish face.
“Calm down, calm down!”
“I will call support right away!”
However, Min So-yul did not hear such a voice.
‘It’s because of me…!’
She was non-combatant and slower than the other students. Of course, I had no choice but to fall behind.
Kang Tae-min found her like that and immediately turned around.
Just before the iron door closed completely, Kang Tae-min threw her. She narrowly escaped, but the iron door was immediately closed firmly.
* * *
The iron door was firmly closed. You can open it easily if you use your abilities.
“intruder-!”
“Eradication- annihilation-!”
If I open it, the students will be chased.
Turning around at the loud noise, I saw the Automatron that was merging with the Automatons, and the Autoportron boasting a massive body beyond it was making noise.
I immediately put on the suit and took out the rip-and-tear. The chirping sound delighted my ears.
The automaton rushed at me like a moth to a fire. The spinning saw blade separated their bodies at once.
“It’s recycling time.”
The automaton that had split and rolled in half was restored again according to my will.
Then he immediately turned and charged at his own people.
“error-! error-!”
The Automatron made a noise like a scream as if it didn’t understand the situation.
There were no enemies of mine in this place full of metal.