episode_0059

059.

I can’t breathe, it feels like my breath is being cut off.

I can’t properly inhale.

“Ugh, ugh, ugh.”

Kang Daehan twisted his face in a menacing manner, glaring viciously at the white-haired girl.

With his throat tightly gripped, Kang Daehan was helpless.

All he could do was squirm helplessly, only to be mocked by Yoo Dahee.

“Damn it. What is this woman?”

Strong.

To the point where he couldn’t even consider her his peer.

Was there ever such a strong individual at a similar age?

Perhaps in Kang Daehan’s mind, there was no one that came to mind.

Even the acclaimed genius of the Academy, Lee Siwoon, would not stand a chance against this damn girl.

She might be close to the level of a High Ranker.

Normally, he would have scoffed at such nonsense, but based on his firsthand experience, she could truly be a formidable opponent at the level of a High Ranker.

This is not going to end well.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry.”

With a gentle touch like a precious gem, Yoo Dahee tightened her grip on Kang Daehan’s jaw, raising the corners of her mouth slyly.

She giggled like a mischievous child.

It was a fairly beautiful smile on the surface, but looking at her blood-stained face, it was nothing but terrifying.

“I have no intention of killing you.”

Yes, that’s right.

It’s not a joke, I really have no intention of killing you.

Yoo Dahee didn’t want a simple death. She just wanted you all to suffer miserably.

“I’ll just make sure you never dream of being a hero again.”

Yoo Dahee raised her hand with a determined smile.

A sinister and ominous magic gathered at her fingertips.

It was a tremendous power.

Kang Daehan swallowed hard.

Is she really going to destroy the magic device…!

“So, I’ll just… huh?”

In an instant.

A shadow in the shape of a blade emerged from the ground.

The shadow blade split into five branches and struck towards Yoo Dahee’s neck, arms, legs, shoulders, and abdomen.

What? That was quite fast.

Yoo Dahee quickly moved her body backwards.

As a result, she missed Kang Daehan, but she was able to completely avoid the shadow blade. Oh, was she trying to save Kang Daehan from the beginning?

“Rescue the injured and students first, hurry.”

“Yes!”

When she glanced around, she saw twenty heroes not far away.

They didn’t notice her approach until now.

Hmm.

They seem quite skilled.

They don’t seem to be security guards.

“Ah… you, you’re alive…”

“Why, why are you coming so late…”

“Oh, it’s Hero Oh Hanyoung, oh, thank goodness.”

Ah, Oh Hanyoung.

I remember him as a high-ranking hero, the Shadow Magician.

I heard he’s working in the Academy’s security team after retirement.

Has he already arrived? That’s surprising.

Did he take too long to get here?

“Surrender peacefully and we’ll show mercy.”

“…”

Yoo Dahee swiftly dealt with the security team members.

There are quite a few of them.

As a specialized security team for villains, their skills are not to be underestimated.

Now, what should I do?

It might take some time to deal with them all individually.

Honestly, I might get injured too.

– Ding.

A message came at the right moment.

It was a message from Isabelle.

She was a surveillance-type psychic.

She could sense and track the movements of individuals she had seen once.

She had asked to be notified whenever she detected the movements of the target individuals.

It seems like Isabelle has detected someone again.

Yoo Dahee quickly checked the message.

And then…

– Zone B-1. North-west direction, detection of one of the targets, Lee Siwoon, completed.

“Hmm.”

Yoo Dahee, Yoo Dahee…

As the former top student of the academy, I really want to take a look at him at least once.

But if I linger here too long, other heroes might gather, so Yoo Dahee reluctantly decided to ask the man for a favor.

“Mr. Ryan. I’m sorry, but can I leave this place to you for a bit? I want to go check on Yoo Siwoon.”

“…Sure.”

The large man who had been sitting quietly until now slowly nodded his head and stood up with a slow, deliberate movement.

His face was not clearly visible as he had his hood pulled down, but his massive muscles and stature that was a head or two taller than an average adult man naturally exuded a sense of intimidation.

His swollen muscles seemed to be alive and breathing, reminiscent of a macho bodybuilder.

“Alright, Mr. Ryan. I’ll go first. See you later.”

“Where… Ugh?!”

As Yoo Dahee moved to leave, a shadowy figure extended towards her, but suddenly a massive fist burst out with a loud boom!

What, what is this? A bare fist?

With just a simple swing of his fist, a deafening sound tore through the air, and the shadow shattered like clay into pieces.

A rough gust of wind swept through, and leaves and dust flew up. It was truly an immense force.

“What, what is that.”

“What kind of power…”

“If that’s the level of strength, he might be above intermediate rank.”

The security team murmured.

Except for the white-haired girl, most of the intruders were pathetic third-rate villains, but this man’s stature seemed to be something else.

“…Ah. Ryan, his name was Ryan, right? Could it be?”

As he swallowed a dry spit, Oh Hanyeong unconsciously muttered.

“…The Crusher, Ryan Jones?”

The man remained silent, only raising his right arm.

He clenched his fist tightly, exuding an unknown sense of intimidation.

Upon hearing the name Ryan Jones, several members of the security team unconsciously took a few steps back.

“Is he really The Crusher?”

An infamous villain who had been active a few years ago.

A monster who tore apart ten intermediate rank heroes with his bare hands.

As an enhanced ability user, his strength, endurance, and recovery abilities were significantly higher than normal, making him almost impervious to conventional physical attacks.

As ignorant as he was strong, sturdy, and had high recovery abilities.

It was a simple ability, but it was truly powerful.

High rankers had to rush in to capture The Crusher.

About a year ago, a vehicle transporting The Crusher was attacked and he escaped, but who would have thought he would attack Union Academy.

The Crusher didn’t seem to have any grudge against Union, so why.

“Team 2, take the trainees and the injured and retreat. Me and Team 1 will buy some time.”

“Yes!”

“Stay alert. That man, he might really be The Crusher.”

What exactly drove him to attack Union alongside third-rate villains was unknown, but it was clear that this was no ordinary situation.

Union Academy was the cradle of South Korean heroes.

If news of a large-scale attack on this place by villains spread through the media, the reaction was predictable.

Especially if there were casualties…

“Could there be more villains of that level?”

Third-rate villains may not pose a significant threat to the trainees, but if there were more villains like the white-haired girl and The Crusher, the trainees’ lives were in danger.

That’s why they weren’t easy villains for the trainees to resist.

***

“Ugh, hehe… just because they happened to have good parents…”

“…”

“Growing up in a greenhouse, receiving all kinds of benefits, and yet acting like they’re superior beings…?”

“…Answer only the questions and keep quiet.”

We, who had already defeated all the villains, were interrogating Kim Hwaseung, who was tightly bound with wire.

Yi Siwoon finally spoke up.

“The number and purpose of the intruders in the exam hall?”

“Hehe, well? I don’t really know either.”

“What?”

“I didn’t really pay attention to that kind of stuff in the first place.”

Yi Siwoon furrowed his brow.

“I don’t know for sure either, but it seemed like there were over a hundred of them at a glance?”

“…So many villains attacking in an organized manner? What’s their goal?”

“In my case, I just wanted to burn down your hero seedlings. Well, I don’t know about the others.”

Yi Siwoon’s gaze was growing colder by the minute.

“Hehe. Kid, you should run away from here quickly. There are dangerous villains targeting you.”

“…I defeated a third-rate villain like me, but if you get too cocky, you’ll really hurt your pride, kid.”

“…Okay.”

“So, kid, if you don’t want to die, hurry up… guh!”

“Enough, close your mouth now.”

Yi Siwoon, who had finally knocked Kim Hwaseung unconscious by striking his neck, was now looking down at him.

I thought as I looked down at the unconscious Kim Hwaseung.

If the main instigator of this incident is truly the Rebellion, their goal is probably to attack Union Academy, instill fear and helplessness in aspiring heroes, and spread chaos and unrest in society.

Third-rate villains weren’t a big problem, but it was unknown how many members of the Rebellion were participating.

Since the Rebellion members were made up of talented individuals and monsters who could be considered the foils to the main characters, encountering them now was quite unexpected.

‘Ah, damn. Normally, this kind of event should happen after the main characters have grown more. Why now…’

Unlike the main characters who were still growing, they were already complete villains.

How would they fight against such opponents if they encountered them now?

Even in the training camp episode where they were in a more advanced state, they couldn’t handle the Rebellion members head-on.

Most of them were at least mid-boss level, so there was really no way to win if they faced them head-on.

‘Yudahee must have definitely participated… But if that hero hater is there, he will definitely try to trample on the high-profile kids first… In that case…’

I glanced at Yi Siwoon out of the corner of my eye.

“…Hmm.”

Yi Siwoon.

The top student of the academy.

As a descendant of the SL Group, he would be a good prey for Yudahee.

Just like in the game.