The S-Rank Character Is My Alt

Chapter 23: Absolute Proposition (4)

“The situation is very bad.”

In front of the guild leader’s office at Sanctuary, Kang Sujin sat at a table with her hands clasped under her chin, staring at Lude and Ihyun. She was always strict, but today her expression was even sharper.

“It’s an erosion-type gate in an educational facility. And every single person inside that school is unawakened! You know what that means, right?”

“Yes.”

Both Lude and Ihyun nodded. Erosion-types were among the most troublesome gates to deal with.

An erosion-type began when the monsters that emerged outside the gate dissolved into a slimy liquid state.

Sometimes they naturally dissipated, but other times they seeped into the framework of buildings, feeding off the life force of those inside. Because they infiltrated structures like parasites and caused damage, they were called erosion-type gates.

Since they occurred in real, existing buildings, they always created complications, like later lawsuits for damages from the building’s owners. On top of that, the mobs inside dropped no items, so few Hunters wanted to bother with such gates.

“But how does an erosion-type appear in a public institution? Schools are usually especially careful with mana-stone management.”

“It’s not impossible. Besides, that school was rated low in safety. I heard there were plans to rebuild it.”

Answering Lude’s question, Kang Sujin pressed her throbbing forehead and frowned. After letting out a sigh, she smoothed her expression again and looked back at the two.

“By the usual unspoken rules, Sanctuary wouldn’t be allowed to clear this gate. But this time, the state has specifically designated us. Which means…!”

Bang. She lifted her hand from her brow and struck the table lightly with her fist, fixing them with a serious gaze.

“There must be no loss of life. Not even one! Not a single student is allowed to die! Do you understand!?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, understood.”

The two nodded and, following Kang Sujin’s hand signal, left the guild leader’s office.

Maybe it was the weight of her words. Their faces, especially Ihyun’s, were set grimly.

* * *

“It’s incredible.”

Lude and Ihyun looked ahead with hardened expressions. The entire school was wrapped in a barrier made from mana-stones, and rescue workers in protective suits bustled about the playground.

“Sir, please step back! It’s an erosion-type. Contact is extremely dangerous!”

“My Siyoung is in there! What are you saying? Then go save her! Please, bring her out, quickly! Please… I’m begging you, I can’t live without my child, please…”

The area was crowded with parents and officials. Watching one parent, who after shouting in rage finally collapsed to his knees before a government worker pleading desperately, Lude turned his head aside.

‘So this is how terrible a daytime gate is…’

At night, when no one was around, things never became this extreme. He recalled the way some people accused him of treating gates like playgrounds and despising him for it.

From the perspective of ordinary people, gates were disaster zones. For Hunters to handle them with a light attitude might easily look like arrogance, even mockery.

“Lude. Let’s go inside first.”

“Ah… right.”

At Ihyun’s words, Lude finally collected himself and headed toward the school. The moment they passed through the blue barrier, a poisonous stench stung their noses.

A government worker wearing a gas mask and directing the scene spotted them, startled, and hurried over.

“Ah, hello! Y-You’re… Lude and Kang Ihyun…!”

“Yes. We’re Hunters dispatched from Sanctuary. What’s the current situation?”

“Ah, yes! One moment!”

The worker fumbled out a tablet and displayed the screen. It showed the school building’s blueprint, with markers indicating the interior conditions.

Most of the map was already shaded with purple stripes, marking areas that had been eroded.

“As you can see, all floors except the library have been eroded. The safety systems were outdated, so the erosion spread incredibly fast.”

He zoomed in on the eastern corridor of the school, pointing at the area marked as a mana-stone storage room.

“The origin point is here. Mana-stones are placed in several locations throughout the building, and their balanced output provides protection. If one has a problem, the defense weakens. It seems something went wrong with this one.”

Anxiously, the worker clenched and opened his fist. Lude scowled and asked,

“What about survivors?”

“Only the first floor has been cleared. Rescuers can’t enter the upper floors. Unawakened ones under D-rank can’t even endure long with gas masks.”

He added that, if anything, the only relief was that college entrance exams had ended a week earlier, so many third-years weren’t at school. He reset the map to its original scale.

“The rescued students are being treated in the annex, which hasn’t been eroded yet, but the condition isn’t good.”

The situation was dire. Lude and Ihyun exchanged glances. Without hesitation, Ihyun spoke first.

“I’ll go to the healers.”

“Right. I’ll head into the school. Clear the rescue workers out. They’ll only get in the way.”

Every second mattered. As Ihyun sprinted to the annex, the worker nodded and relayed the orders through his earpiece. Once Lude confirmed the rescue teams had withdrawn, he stepped inside the main building.

“Ugh! This is…”

[It’s worse than expected, the Lord of Chaos sighs.]

From the entrance, thick purple fumes made Lude grimace and cover his nose. Looking around, he let out a low breath.

The school’s interior was filled with purple poison, its walls covered in vein-like growths.

“It’s a miracle they even managed to call it in.”

Even as an avatar of a star-being infamous for countless sins, Lude could still feel how foul the stench was.

If it was like this for him, ordinary people would collapse unconscious the instant they breathed it in.

Honestly, he couldn’t fathom how they had even managed to rescue the students on the first floor.

He immediately drew out his golden half-scissors and activated a skill. Numbers were what he needed now.

[Incarnation Exclusive Trait :: Fragment of the First Dream]

[Authority of the Constellation ◼◼◼◼ is activated.]

[Borrowing the Queen’s skill.]

[Queen ◼◼◼◼ Exclusive Skill :: Thousand Black Baby Goats]

“…Petite version.”

[Queen ◼◼◼◼ Exclusive Skill :: Thousand Black Baby Goats (Petite Ver.)]

[Why the petite version? the Lord of Chaos asks.]

“Because I can’t handle more than that...”

[Fair enough. Even the full version is troublesome for me, the Lord of Chaos admits, shaking its head.]

“T-They’re not easy to control even like this!”

Nervously, Lude took a deep breath and released his psychic energy. To command them, he needed strength.

Charisma, and benevolence was what was needed! These were beings who understood power dynamics better than anyone and knew exactly whom to follow.

A warp gate opened. And then…

“Baaah—! (Wow, it’s outside! Outside!)”

“Baaah~! (It’s Earth! Earth!)”

Adorable black baby goats poured out, literally a thousand of them, filling the hall.

[Our babies, it’s been so long, the Lord of Chaos chuckles warmly.]

Whether on Earth, in outer space, in heaven, in hell, or on Olympus, handling children was never easy. Covering his ears from the noise, Lude cleared his throat and raised the scissors.

“Attention!”

“Wow! Grandma! Grandma, it’s been so long!”

“Grandma, what happened? Why did you call us?”

“Grandma, we love you!”

The baby goats bounced as they looked at him. At least they liked him. Everything was nice about them except for the “grandma” part.

‘I told them a thousand times not to call me that…’

[By rank, you are a grandmother, the Lord of Chaos says, wiping away tears of laughter.]

“Alright! I called you today because this grandma has an errand for you.”

“Ooh…!”

The baby goats all nodded. Errand. For preschoolers, that word was absolute.

“You’re still too young, so I know your mother doesn’t give you wicked deeds yet, to protect you!”

“Right. Our older brothers destroy other planets, but we’re too weak because we’re still kids.”

The little goats drooped. To a child, being told “you’re too young” was crushing. Be they demon, human, or monster, it was all the same.

Swinging the golden scissors, Lude gave a rousing speech.

“Right. But that’s what adults always say. However… Don't you want to do bad things too!? Like your older brothers! Like your mom!”

Their eyes lit up. Seeing the moment, Lude lifted the scissors.

“From now on, I’m going to give you a very, very bad errand!”

“Yay! A bad thing! Bad thing!”

“Then we’ll finally be able to do a proper bad deed like the adults?”

Of course. When Lude nodded, the baby goats cried out joyfully in unison. He hushed them, then spoke again.

“Your job is to pull people out of this gate and toss them into the dimensional rift I’ll open!”

“Wow! Then what happens? Do they die? Go crazy? Go mad?”

“Hmm, but isn’t this a gate? If people leave here, they survive. That’s good, isn’t it!”

Good deed… Good deed… they said. The little goats that were supposed to do evil things began to doubt.

‘As expected, children aren’t so easy to trick.’

Sweating, Lude folded his arms and said,

“Tsk, you don’t know anything huh. Haven’t you heard? This is a school. And for students, a school is a prison, a living hell.”

“Really?”

“It’s true, no wonder why everyone hates school.”

Because they are guilty of being students, they are locked in a prison called school, and they wait for parole called graduation…

“So the faster you save these people, the longer the students have to suffer in this prison! That’s true wickedness. Dying peacefully in your sleep is the easy way out, right?”

The goats looked at each other. Could it be true? Really? But mom said schools protect kids…

Lude pulled out his trump card. Something he always carried in case he needed to summon them. He whipped open a sticker book.

It was said children never ignored what they wanted to hear.

They might ignore a scolding shouted up close, but if someone far away whispered, “Oh, look, chocolate,” they’d turn their heads.

“T-That’s!”

The goats all stared. In his hands was a sticker book filled with stickers of an octopus giving a thumbs-up.

“If you put everyone from here into the rift… each of you will get this sticker, ‘Baddest Kid in the Universe’!”

Baaahhh! The joyful cries of goats rang through the halls. The black baby goats raced off in orderly packs.

“Don’t forget to get along! No fighting among yourselves!”

Calling after them, Lude opened a massive rift. The survivors would be handled by the goats now.

“It’s settled here.”

He looked through the window toward the annex. The rescue issue was over.

What remained now was Kang Ihyun.