Ch.108108. You Dare Touch Me?

Min Kangsu’s face was brighter than ever before. That’s because Yu Deokmin was laughing excitedly beside him.

“Did you see Doh Jonghyun’s expression?”

“Yeah. He looked completely deflated, didn’t he?”

“Serves him right for showing off. He must clearly understand now that someone without a summoning spirit shouldn’t be acting so high and mighty.”

Min Kangsu couldn’t help but feel good. Doh Jonghyun was the one who had knocked him off his pedestal in the lower class.

But now, Jonghyun seemed to be transforming into a complete outcast throughout the entire school.

“You were right, senior. Once you make someone bow once, it becomes easier to make them bow again. He has no choice but to be wary of us now.”

“We need to keep the pressure on. Now the middle and upper classes know it too. They know we’re more impressive.”

What Yu Deokmin wanted was Jonghyun’s position. To become friendly with the upper class and gain their recognition.

And of course, the attention of Aerial and other girls.

He wanted to be able to converse naturally with them, just like Jonghyun did.

Min Kangsu, more simply, just wanted to prove that he was strong.

‘Now I can finally…’

He recalled when Geum Dohyun had ignored him and shown interest in Doh Jonghyun instead.

Now it was time to restore everything with the power of the drug.

They packed their bags to attend the “special class” after school.

“Yu Deokmin, let me fight Doh Jonghyun next time. I think I can win.”

“Right. We need to show him he’s at rock bottom.”

Yu Deokmin nodded with satisfaction. He wasn’t content with just this. They needed to push harder.

As they were packing their things…

“Huh?”

Min Kangsu suddenly looked flustered.

“What’s wrong?”

“The ‘ramen’… it’s gone.”

When Min Kangsu mentioned the code word, Yu Deokmin hastily looked around to see if anyone was nearby.

“Ramen? Didn’t you keep it at home?”

“No, you told me to use it sparingly in small amounts. But the ‘noodles get soggy’ quickly. So I need to replenish it.”

“So… you brought it? Until now?”

Yu Deokmin’s face turned pale.

They hurriedly sought out a place where no one else was around.

“What were you thinking, you idiot! Why would you bring the ramen and then lose it?”

“But… the effects wear off quickly. The duration keeps getting shorter.”

“Do you have the cooler?”

Min Kangsu nodded. No, that wasn’t the important part of this conversation. The problem was that the powder had disappeared.

Yu Deokmin felt rage boiling up inside him.

“You fucking moron!”

His fist flew out, and Min Kangsu was knocked down.

“What if we get caught? That stuff is illegal.”

“I’m sorry. But as you know, the effects keep getting shorter, and I need it for the special class and times like this!”

But there was a major flaw here. The amount of red powder Min Kangsu took was half of what Yu Deokmin used.

Naturally, the duration and effectiveness would be shorter.

The reason for this was obvious—Yu Deokmin feared that if Min Kangsu, who was already stronger than him, took the full dose, he might surpass him.

So he had taught him to use less than half the dose.

Because of this, Min Kangsu always had to bring and take the drug if he ended up in the last practice group.

Today was no different, with the special class scheduled.

But today, that powder had disappeared.

“I definitely hid it with multiple locks. It couldn’t have been taken…”

“Must be a skilled thief. Someone like Ye Geojeong could do it with their ability…”

“Finding stolen goods is…”

“Obviously impossible! How could you even mention it?”

They felt the dilemma that illegal merchants face when robbed.

They couldn’t report it because it mustn’t be revealed.

Min Kangsu felt wronged. Moreover, without the powder, he couldn’t outperform others in the special class.

“I’ll say I’m sick for now.”

“…Tch. If you get caught, you’re on your own. Got it?”

“I understand.”

Min Kangsu hurriedly left the classroom.

*

Eun Serin was smiling in front of me.

“You’ve seen this powder before, right? This noona ‘accidentally’ found it.”

“Of course. I got beaten up and humiliated by kids who took this.”

“Right? Want to know what happened to those kids?”

Eun Serin showed me something saved on her phone screen.

On the screen, people who looked as old as elderly men were struggling to eat porridge.

“Instructor, what is this?”

“These are the kids who attacked you.”

“What? These old men?”

I was shocked. Those guys were at most in their late teens!

“This is what the drug does?”

“They became like this in just three months. It’s as if all the energy was drained from their bodies.”

“…This is the effect of the red powder? It’s basically poison!”

Eun Serin picked up the bag containing the powder with tweezers.

“Unfortunately, there were no fingerprints. But the fact that it was found at school… you know what that means, right? Someone is taking this.”

At that moment, a specific person came to mind.

“Do you have someone in mind?”

“…Well, a few people come to mind, but I can’t tell if their improvement is from their own skill or from the powder. Rapid growth isn’t unheard of.”

“True, it’s hard to suspect people carelessly. But we need to investigate.”

“An investigation is needed. How about conducting an official full inspection?”

“For now, we don’t have a pretext. Besides, the association wants to keep this drug confidential. If it’s revealed through a public inspection, its existence would leak out. We need to keep this quiet for now.”

Eun Serin lowered her voice.

“True, there’s just a door between us and the outside.”

Eun Serin handed me a voice recorder and a small camera.

“This is…”

“That’s why I’m asking you. I think it would be faster to find them from the inside rather than us searching.”

So this means…

“You want me to find the culprit? The kids using this red powder??”

“Yes. Whoever is using this will certainly end up unhappy. Shouldn’t we prevent such incidents at the academy before they happen?”

“True, the academy’s credibility could plummet. But how did you know exactly what I was thinking? I needed these for something else, though not for this case.”

At that moment, Eun Serin’s hand rested on my forehead.

“It’s been tough, hasn’t it? How you use them is up to you.”

“That’s nice, but I’m not the one.”

“I know you feel wronged. In this teacher’s eyes, our Jonghyun is already seen clearly enough to understand.”

“I appreciate that.”

Having someone who believes in you is a great support.

However, recovering an already damaged image is a separate issue.

“If you’re truly innocent, wouldn’t one solid piece of evidence be enough?”

“That’s easier said than done. The second-years don’t touch me directly. That’s the problem. It’s hard to gather evidence. Simple insults or anger won’t help in the current situation. I need evidence that no one can deny.”

“There are various methods. Making the opponent let their guard down is good, or finding someone to help you.”

There was a peculiar atmosphere in Eun Serin’s words.

“Someone to help… you mean you, Instructor?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have much time. But Jonghyun, if you look around, you have many people who can help you. Don’t you?”

I need to understand what she means. Someone to help me?

At that moment, I thought of those who always watch over me.

“The security team! Right, I have several people who can help!”

“Finally remembered, huh? They’re assigned to protect you 24 hours, so you’re already familiar with them. Use everything at your disposal.”

Yes, if I can catch them in the act with clear evidence?

The situation could be reversed.

As soon as I left the faculty office, I called the security team members.

“Brother Hwibin, can you help me just while I’m at school?”

Right, I don’t need to go myself. There are people who are much better at infiltration and hiding.

“Sister Minjeong! Yes, you know I’m not that kind of person, right? That’s why I need solid evidence. Yes, you’ve seen it too. They keep pressuring me. But the second-years don’t directly discipline me, so it’s hard with just this. I need something more definitive.”

After pleading with them, I managed to get help from Hwibin and Minjeong.

“Just in case, please collect evidence multiple times. What about the seniors involved? Of course they should be held accountable. I plan to get rid of all of them.”

Being responsible for one’s actions is what makes a person. The same goes for the second-year seniors.

I spoke firmly and secured the cooperation of the security team.

It feels like I’m using them for personal matters, but I’m past the point of being considerate.

They backstabbed me using friendship and applied pressure? The second-years are the ones who crossed the line. I’ll make sure they pay the price.

After doing this, I felt somewhat relieved from the frustration.

Good. So what’s left is just the red powder and the Monster Report?

I can observe Yu Deokmin carefully, but the urgent matter is the Monster Report.

[Monster Report]

-Mission: Capture the monster, Mutuga.

-Monster Points: 2, Destruction Risk Reduction: 0.1

Mutuga? An S-rank humanoid monster. Uniquely, it attacks enemies with martial arts-like movements. It’s quite strong and tough, but I can definitely catch it after transformation.

Please let it be at night this time.

The problem is that it appears three days later, at 11 AM.

“The timing again…”

That day is Monday. And three days later, Thursday, is the Incheon Airport occupation battle. To minimize damage, it would be best to disrupt them in advance.

I had a plan in mind, but the Monster Report was the issue.

How to catch a monster that appears during the day? But my concern was resolved more easily than expected.

On Monday, we had external learning scheduled, and we were going to the very location where the monster would appear.

At first, I thought it was an incredible coincidence, but it was no coincidence at all.

*

Monday came, and we moved outside like we were going on a picnic.

I don’t know how the timing of the new species’ appearance matched up so perfectly, but it was fortunate for me.

Anyway, when the new species appears, the security team and everyone else will rush in, so I just need to hide and transform.

As my plan was progressing smoothly in my mind, Yu Deokmin suddenly approached me.

“Hey, Doh Jonghyun. I have instructions for you.”

“What instructions?”

“The seniors said that the members who hang out with you shouldn’t buy and eat things freely.”

“Are you crazy? Who controls that?”

In response to my words, Yu Deokmin headbutted my forehead.

“You’re the crazy one. After slandering the seniors, you’re not even listening now? I keep telling you, the more you act like this, the harder it gets for the first-years. You were already disliked, so you should just accept this as the end.”

“Sorry, but everyone buys and eats during external learning? Just us?”

“You shameless bastard might not realize, but what about the kids who hang out with you? It would be better for you to listen well.”

Ah, so that’s how they’re playing it? Good thing the recorder is running well. Instructor Eun Serin, I’ll put this to good use.

But separate from that, their pressure is truly annoying.

Obviously, those who follow me aren’t doing it because they want to either. I could use this to bring them down somehow.

Should I comply with their demands for now?

Would it be better to just stay quiet? I originally planned to stay quiet anyway.

With these thoughts filling my mind, we started moving toward our destination for external learning, the arboretum.

Yeagers don’t just focus on fighting or combat-related activities.

Sometimes we go on external learning trips to explore neighborhoods or visit arboretums, like a picnic.

But this year, perhaps because of the second-years’ control, the first-year lower and middle classes are strictly following instructions.

It’s unnecessary behavior, but I might as well add it to the evidence.

The recorder Eun Serin gave me is truly useful at times like this.

I’ve already recorded what just happened, and we continue to tour the arboretum in order.

Everyone was just expressing admiration as we walked among various flowers and sculptures.

I first apologized to the dormitory members who were with me.

“It seems like you’re being bullied more because of me. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Jonghyun. Honestly, they’re the weird ones.”

“This isn’t right.”

I could cry at how my friends are supporting me. Thank you.

Now the time was approaching.

It was time for Mutuga to appear. I checked the location and tried to stay away from that area.

“Guys, since we’re here, should we go to that far end? There are some people over there too.”

“Jonghyun, the second-years told us not to go far away.”

“We’re still inside the same arboretum, and how would they even know? This is too much. Honestly, this goes too far.”

I was leading the kids around, trying to get as far away as possible.

At 11 o’clock, a monster break began to occur here.

Sirens sounding everywhere, space beginning to collapse.

“Monster!”

I quickly shouted and told everyone to leave this place.

“Let’s retreat for now!”

“Um… according to the manual…”

“Run as far away as possible! If you can’t, then hide!”

I reminded the kids of the protocol.

“I’ll call the instructor, you run first!”

And I called the security team.

“Brothers, a monster has appeared inside the arboretum right now.”

Everything was going according to plan.

I hid in the forest path of the arboretum to assess the situation. As I heard fighting sounds from all around, it was time to pull out my main card.

Suddenly, a frog-shaped monster jumped out near me.

Wait, why is it coming this way instead of staying put?

At first, I thought it was nothing, but the moment I saw the monster’s face, I realized.

The frog had a human face that was smiling at me.

This wasn’t an ordinary monster break.

Goeins. The Goeins had revealed themselves here.