episode_0058

058.

“Wow, damn!”

Flames.

A blazing mass of flames is flying towards me.

The human-sized fireball, emitting intense heat, was rapidly rushing towards me, prompting me to quickly try to dodge.

But what’s this?

My body felt as heavy as lead.

I couldn’t move as smoothly as a soaked cotton ball in water.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar sense of lethargy took over my body, and my legs were trembling weakly, like a bamboo in the wind.

What, what’s happening?

Why all of a sudden!

“Oh, right.”

I had used the maximum output of my sword energy, exhausting both my stamina and mana. I remembered that I had almost depleted my stamina and mana by using the full-power sword energy just moments ago.

It felt like trying to move urgently after exercising for a long time without stretching your muscles.

While I could still move if forced to, it seemed like my muscles were protesting, refusing to work any further when I tried to move urgently.

Of course, I could still move if I pushed myself.

But it was already too late.

In the moment of hesitation, the sharp flames had almost reached me. There was no way to avoid it now.

“Oh, damn, what do I do…?”

As I was thinking that,

“Hoo.”

Ishiwoon reached out his hand like a beam of light and swung his broken sword.

As he did, the fierce mass of flames bent softly along Ishiwoon’s sword path, flowing gently past him in a different direction.

It looked like water flowing along a river.

It seemed to be a skill called Flowing Water.

A defensive skill that appeared in the game.

It was said to be one of the skills Ishiwoon had learned directly from the sword master, who was known as the best swordsman in the world…

“To think he could do that with a broken sword. Truly amazing, Ishiwoon.”

I silently admired him in my mind.

Of course, he didn’t do it to protect me.

He simply moved to deflect the approaching fireball. But still, it was reassuring. It was daunting to fight alone, but now that Ishiwoon was on our side, I felt more secure.

“Hey, kid, you sure you’re up for this?”

“….”

The man with a distorted rabbit mask responded slightly surprised, and I quietly gazed at his face.

His name was Kim Hwaseung.

A typical pyrokinetic.

He could create flames even without fuel and control them freely. Due to its high lethality, caution was needed when using his ability.

But Kim Hwaseung felt no hesitation in using his pyrokinetic abilities.

Since childhood, he had been fascinated by his own power and flames, feeling an indescribable pleasure and excitement watching things burn.

As an adult, Kim Hwaseung satisfied his pleasure by setting fire to cultural assets, forests, buildings, and more dozens of times.

Until he was caught by a hero and sent to prison.

But was he already released?

“Kim Hwaseung… He may have a threatening supernatural ability, but according to the setting, he’s just an arsonist.”

An arsonist is an arsonist.

He never received training for combat against humans or giant monsters.

Due to the lack of specialized training, his actual combat abilities were quite low compared to his abilities. He was just a pleasure-seeking arsonist.

Calling him an evil person was an understatement; he was more like an ordinary person who caused some fires with his supernatural abilities. He never engaged in direct combat with heroes. Instead, he was adept at avoiding them and CCTV cameras. The rabbit mask he wore was a kind of mark left at the scene of his arson.

Therefore, he was someone who could be easily dealt with as long as one paid attention to his fiery abilities.

“…I’ve taken him down a few times in the game. That’s why I know quite a bit about him.”

Thinking back, the evil NPC among gamers had been quite popular.

But why was Kim Hwaseung appearing now?

Why suddenly show up at the midterm survival test site?

As far as I knew, he was supposed to appear after a few more main story progressions…

“Anyway, for now, let’s focus on the others besides Kim Hwaseung. The others…”

I glanced briefly at the two men behind Kim Hwaseung.

They also seemed like villains, but honestly, they reminded me of third-rate thugs lurking in alleys.

Would it be too harsh to say they felt like small-time crooks?

Moreover, I was a bit taken aback when I saw the two men, Lee Siwoon, effortlessly deflecting the fireballs with his swordsmanship.

“Hey, didn’t he just mention Lee Siwoon?”

“Lee Siwoon…? Is he that swordsman’s disciple?”

“He’s the Union’s top student. Shouldn’t we just contact them and wait?”

“W-Well, yeah.”

The name Lee Siwoon seemed to weigh heavily on them.

They seemed flustered because they didn’t expect to encounter someone with the same name value as Lee Siwoon. Unlike Kim Hwaseung, there was no information on these two. However…

“If they find Lee Siwoon’s name burdensome, they might not be that threatening of villains.”

If they were villains who had fought actively against heroes, they wouldn’t have been so flustered even if they heard Lee Siwoon’s name.

After all, Lee Siwoon was just a student at the Union Academy, despite being a genius.

But their reaction indicated that they were capable to some extent.

“Contact them, you say. Could this be the doing of the Rebellion?”

Rebellion.

An organization of villains that would threaten the main characters.

Composed of a small number of elites, they were so powerful that the current main characters couldn’t dare to oppose them.

“This situation seems similar to the main episode of the dormitory training assault. Could it be?”

The dormitory training assault episode was when the Rebellion members attacked the Union Academy’s dormitory training ground, gaining notoriety worldwide for the first time.

The Rebellion members all had unique supernatural abilities and great strength, but they were severely outnumbered.

That’s why one of the Rebellion members, a villain named Hero Mania, used his abilities to brainwash third-rate villains roaming the streets to attack the dormitory training ground.

Originally, this would have been an episode that occurred after the final exams, but it happened so quickly. Could it be because of me?

The actions I had taken so far might have caused a butterfly effect. It might not have been the case, but I was worried.

“If this twisted story is because of me… damn it.”

“Anyway, let’s focus on subduing those guys first.”

There was no time to think about the villains in front of me.

It would be better to put out the urgent fire in front of me first and then think about it.

I clenched the bow tightly, swallowing nervously.

“~Idiots. Scare the kids.”

“What?”

Kim Hwaseung sneered at the two hesitant villains in front of him.

“You cowards, I’ll take care of Ishiwoon, so you guys deal with that kid. He may be somewhat famous these days, but he’s just a regular person without any special abilities. Surely that kid won’t be a match for you guys, right?”

“Well, if it’s just that kid…”

“I saw him on TV. They call him the archer, but his skills are just average.”

The villains suddenly turned towards Ishiwoon, assuming a fighting stance.

And then, I swiftly threw the sword that was hanging from my waist towards Ishiwoon. He reflexively caught the sword.

“Why me?”

“Your sword is broken, you need something to fight with.”

“What about you?”

“I have this.”

I casually waved the bow.

“Will that be okay?”

“Probably?”

“…”

“Your sword would be more useful in your hands than mine.”

“Alright… I see. Thank you, Ishin.”

Ishiwoon hesitated for a moment, looking at me, then nodded.

Oh, Ishiwoon, do you really think I’m a swordsman and not an archer?

I mean, using a sword is more natural after using the bow, but am I really an archer?

I even learned archery in my past life.

So, please don’t look at me with that apologetic look for giving you the sword.

“Ishiwoon, that fire guy seems to have his eye on you.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll take care of the other two, so can you handle that fire guy for me?”

“Got it.”

Ishiwoon glanced briefly and then said, “I’ll take him down quickly and help you, Ejinhyuk.”

“Yeah, sure. That would be great.”

Sorry, Ishiwoon.

I’m counting on you.

Wouldn’t it have been better if Kim Hwaseung had taken me instead of those two?

Maybe I should take down the enemies quickly and help you instead.

“Hehe. I wonder if girls would still like that handsome face even if it’s burned to a crisp.”

“…”

Kim Hwaseung threatened Ishiwoon by suddenly spewing flames, and Ishiwoon quickly wielded his sword and advanced towards him.

And me and the other two villains…

“Hey kid, you’re famous these days? Even without any special abilities.”

“Poor thing. He worked hard to get into places like the Union with his good grades, but ended up like this.”

They were boasting as if they had already won.

Well, I’m powerless, and the bow and arrows I’m holding are just training items, so they must think they have the upper hand.

But do they know?

I have a ton of items in my spatial ring.

Special arrows for giant monsters, various enchanted scrolls, explosive talismans, paralysis gas bombs…

In a fight like this, it’s all about the items.

It might be difficult to fight barehanded, but with so many items, it’s unlikely that I’ll lose.

I’m not sure about their skills, but at best, they’re third-rate villains, right?

In the training assault episode, they couldn’t even give the main characters proper experience points.

Even though I may be an underachiever, I’m an elite hero trainee who confidently entered the Union.

With all these items in hand, I didn’t think I would lose to them.

Probably.

***

In a certain area of the forest.

The once quiet forest was now filled with the sounds of people.

Moans of pain and the metallic scent of blood lingered in the air.

“Ugh, ugh. You, you bastard, go!”

“Ah, what is this? Is this the hope of South Korea? It’s more pathetic than I thought.”

Yudahee extended her arms gracefully, with her snow-white hair flowing down, as she lifted one of the trainees by the neck.

The trainee whose neck was caught in her hand was Kang Daehan.

Once the best swordsman alongside Lee Siwoon, he now dangled helplessly in Yudahee’s grip.

As Kang Daehan’s consciousness began to fade, he thought to himself.

That woman, she’s a monster.

She toyed with Kang Daehan as if he were a child.

But it wasn’t just Kang Daehan. Kang Daehan slowly scanned his surroundings. Around Yudahee, many people lay sprawled weakly.

They were security agents and Union trainees.

No one seemed to be dead, but they all appeared to be in serious condition. Most of them had broken legs, dislocated shoulders, or were coughing up blood.

The security agents, mostly former heroes, boasted considerable skills, but they were helpless against the white-haired girl.

At best, they appeared to be on par with academy students.

How could she possess such skills?

It’s as if we’re witnessing the childhood of legendary figures who once held Korea in their grasp. No, perhaps it’s even more than that. Even the legendary figures like Geumja and Gangcheolwoon wouldn’t have had this level of ability at that age. Why does such talent fall into the hands of such a villain…