Episode 267. We Agreed to Dance (5)

A restroom located in a corner of the party venue.

Despite the chaos outside, Baek Ahyoung and Im Sol were fast asleep, slumped over the desk as if they’d fainted.

Drip-

Just then, Im Sol felt the sensation of a mana connection severing from the back of her neck and stirred, sitting up groggily. It was the mana Lee Hoyeon had placed there.

“Ughh….”

Not fully awake yet, she couldn’t grasp the situation accurately. Im Sol looked around, unaware of what the sensation she’d just felt was. Beside her, Baek Ahyoung was still face-down on the table, collapsed.

“….”

She slowly began to retrace her memories. She had definitely been drinking with Baek Ahyoung… then Lee Hoyeon arrived and stopped their drinking contest. She vaguely recalled being a bit embarrassed during that, but couldn’t remember clearly. Then, the two of them entered the restroom, rested for a bit, and started drinking again…. That was all she remembered.

“I guess I drank too much….”

Ugh.

Im Sol stretched and roused herself. It had been a while since she drank for so long. She hadn’t been detoxifying as she drank, and she’d been tired, so pushing it might have been too much. Im Sol placed a hand on Baek Ahyoung’s shoulder, who was still out of it, and gave her a gentle shake.

“Ahyoung-ah. Wake up.”

“Nnngh, nnnngh….”

Baek Ahyoung resisted, shaking her head back and forth. Even though they were the same age, she looked quite cute like this.

“Someone might tease you, saying a professor got drunk and passed out.”

“Ughh, I told you I’m not a professor….”

Seeing Baek Ahyoung wake up with a yawn, Im Sol checked her smartwatch for the time. And then she saw hundreds of messages, calls, and even emergency alerts.

“… What the hell.”

Im Sol’s mind went cold instantly, and she quickly checked the contents.

[ Attack Terror by Minions Occurs During Final Exam Celebration. All professors not participating in the party are requested to gather immediately for terror suppression. ]

This was the first message. Below it, urgent situation updates were listed one after another. Skimming through, it stated that large-scale minions had appeared in the main area.

“Ah, Ahyoung-ah. Hurry, wake up. Wake up!”

Im Sol immediately woke her friend, who was still half-asleep. Just moments ago, they had been locked in a prideful drinking contest over a student, but this was no time for that.

“What’s wrong? My head still….”

“It’s a Pandemic terror! Wake up, now!”

“T-terror?!”

The word “terror” jolted Baek Ahyoung awake, and she snapped her head up. Seeing Im Sol’s serious expression, she realized this wasn’t a joke.

“Let’s go. We need to join the fight immediately.”

“Nn, nngh.”

Still not fully coherent, Baek Ahyoung hastily tidied her clothes and followed Im Sol.

*

Meanwhile, Nam Daeun, who had been searching the party venue for Lee Hoyeon, spotted some familiar faces. It was the twins, Lucy and Lumi. She had expected them to be with Lee Hoyeon, as they usually were, but they were pressed right up against a strange, opaque barrier.

“Ho-Hoyeon-ssi!”

“What is this…!”

‘Lee Hoyeon?’

Nam Daeun, who had been about to pass by without greeting them, sped up upon hearing Lee Hoyeon’s name and approached. The barrier looked even stranger up close; it barely radiated any mana. It was slightly more opaque than glass, allowing a blurry view of the inside. And inside, she saw the man she had been searching for. Along with a giant minion.

Inside the sphere, Lee Hoyeon and the minion were engaged in combat. It was a highly unusual fight. They were fighting solely with physical blows, without using mana, and Lee Hoyeon seemed to have the upper hand in terms of positioning. The difference in speed and skill was significant. While the minion swung its arm once, Lee Hoyeon could move three times, striking and retreating.

‘But… he looks disadvantaged.’

The problem was the difference in size. Lee Hoyeon was controlling the fight with his innate combat sense, but it didn’t seem like the minion was accumulating damage. Instead, Lee Hoyeon, the one attacking, looked more exhausted. From Nam Daeun’s perspective, Lee Hoyeon’s speed was visibly decreasing.

After a few more exchanges, the feared outcome finally occurred. Lee Hoyeon, low on stamina, was slightly late in retreating, and the minion, grabbing his ankle with a slow hand, threw him straight towards the barrier.

CRASH-!

After hitting the barrier and falling to the ground, Lee Hoyeon’s body looked battered and bruised to anyone’s eyes. With just one attack, the situation that had persisted until now was completely reversed.

“N-Nngh. Open. Open up…!”

“Lu-Lucy. Stop…!”

Nam Daeun watched Lucy start punching and kicking the solid barrier. Judging by the numerous scorch marks on the barrier, she had already tried magic, seemingly without success.

“Open… open quickly. Please….”

“Lucy…! Don’t do this too….”

Lumi held Lucy’s waist, trying to pull her away from hitting the barrier. However, Lucy’s resistance was so strong that even Lumi’s attempts to stop her couldn’t prevent Lucy’s fists from continuously striking the barrier. Of course, a barrier that withstood magic wasn’t going to break from the fists of a frail young girl.

Seeing Lucy’s fists getting scraped and starting to bleed, Nam Daeun frowned and intervened.

“… Stop it. Step back for a moment. I’ll try.”

“W-what is it, Nam Daeun?”

“Nam Daeun-ssi…?”

Nam Daeun drew her sword. It was the sword he had gifted her. Closing her eyes and concentrating, Nam Daeun channeled mana into the sword, then slowly lowered her hand, slicing through space.

*

CRUNCH-!

The monstrous creatures summoned by the minion fell one by one to the ground under Alice’s magic sword.

‘I can move like this.’

Alice felt a slight thrill from her own swift movements. Due to her congenital mana disorder, she had never truly fought like this before. She had underestimated her own combat prowess because she’d never fought at full strength.

THOOM-

“Alice!”

Reacting instantly to Moon Surin’s voice, Alice pushed aside nearby monsters and charged at the minion. She had seen a magic circle being drawn on the ground beneath the minion’s feet. The minion reacted by immediately retreating, but mana was also gathering behind him. It was a magic circle Alice had anticipated and set up as she approached.

“…!”

The minion’s counter was also swift. Drawing mana in the air, he summoned a monster to use as a stepping stone, kicked off it, and landed on the ground, narrowly dodging an attack that would have blanketed the sky. Although the attack narrowly missed, Alice retreated and said to Moon Surin,

“That was good. President-nim.”

It was perfect teamwork. Alice, satisfied with their surprisingly good synergy, looked forward to keep the minion in check.

“… Yeah. Thanks.”

Moon Surin also thought the recent maneuver was excellent. … If only her opponent wasn’t her biological father, it would have been perfect. Her father, the minion Moon Sungmin, suddenly lowered his hand and gathered his mana. It was as if he had lost the will to fight.

Alice tensed further at the sudden halt in combat, but Moon Sungmin spoke quietly.

“Surin-ah. Do you really want to do this?”

“….”

Before answering, Moon Surin turned her head towards Alice. Alice understood the implication and stepped back slightly. She was signaling that she wouldn’t interfere. Only then did Moon Surin speak with slight relief.

“Father. No, Dad… How long are you going to dwell on revenge?”

Of course, Moon Surin wanted revenge if she could get it. But the pain of watching her father dedicate his life to the uncertain goal of killing intangible minions was indescribable. The living were more important than avenging the dead.

“Just… come back to my side. It’s okay, even now….”

“… You’ve already walked too far down that path.”

Moon Sungmin looked at Moon Surin with sad eyes, smiled bitterly, and then unfolded a magic circle. Seeing the magic circles appearing in a line before him, Alice stood in front of Moon Surin.

“That crazy bastard….”

She had stayed out, assuming it was a private matter between father and daughter, but he suddenly attacked.

“Wait a moment. Alice, it’s not an attack.”

Moon Surin observed the magic circles closely and grabbed Alice’s shoulder. Those were… defensive magic circles. The moment she realized this, dozens of elemental magic spells flew in from behind.

BOOM-! BANG-!

Shocked by the immense power, Moon Surin identified the casters and saw reinforcements approaching. Im Sol and Baek Ahyoung. Im Sol, casting spells with one hand, had mana enveloping the surroundings.

“… Surin-ah.”

“Ah, Dad…!”

The defensive magic circles deployed by the minion Moon Sungmin were holding up well, but being hastily constructed, they were nearing their limit.

“Next time, I definitely….”

KWA-BOOM-!

Moon Surin tried to focus on her father’s words, but the subsequent explosion obscured them. However, catching a glimpse of a teleportation magic circle, Moon Surin let out a sigh of relief. She found it ironic to feel relieved that the minion who attacked the academy had escaped, but she couldn’t help it. He was her only remaining blood relative.

“He ran off. What a cowardly minion. His magic wasn’t half bad, though.”

“Haa… haa… Run slowly….”

Im Sol and Baek Ahyoung approached Alice and Moon Surin.

“Are you two okay? President-nim and… Cadet Alice, right?”

Baek Ahyoung checked on them with practiced ease. It was second nature to her, having worked in the field.

“Yes. We are fine.”

‘Looks like they came unprepared.’

Seeing their disheveled hair, Alice felt a silent gratitude.

“… I’m fine too.”

Moon Surin felt a complex mix of emotions. Clashing with her father after ten years apart was definitely not a pleasant experience. In the end, they couldn’t even have a proper conversation. They met after a whole decade, yet couldn’t ask how the other was doing.

“That’s a relief. Ahyoung-ah, let’s go. There are still many minions over there. There might be injured people too.”

“R-right. The battle must still be ongoing.”

Moon Surin snapped back to attention at Im Sol’s words. She had left her post in a hurry and needed to return quickly.

But just then.

CLANG! CLANG! KAGAGAGANG! KAAANG!

A strange metallic sound echoed from nearby. It sounded like a hard sword striking rock.

“… Sol-ah. Did you hear that?”

“It might be an ongoing battle.”

Moon Surin knew that some minions had escaped earlier. Hearing this, Im Sol quickly made a judgment.

“You two go check it out.”

The minion who just teleported away was likely a key figure in the terror. They had already received reports of a powerful minion in the main area. That made two powerful minions already. It was illogical for more than three minions of that caliber to be here. Weaker minions could be handled by the President-nim and Alice.

“Ahyoung-ah and I will handle the front.”

“… Yes. Thank you, Professor-nim.”

Moon Surin nodded. She wanted to go herself, but the front line would need the strength of those two. Moon Surin looked at Alice, and Alice, who had been watching quietly, nodded as well. Alice was also curious about what was happening over there.

Moon Surin and Alice ran towards the source of the strange sound, and seeing them move, Im Sol and Baek Ahyoung headed towards the front line to join the battle.