Chapter 82

Chapter 82: Counterattack (2)

I was watching the situation through a screen enchanted with Video Magic inside the Main Auditorium, with Zhuge Soyon at my side.

We had finally reached Kultung.

The Gate visible on screen was particularly larger than any other dungeon's.

Evil God Kultung's dungeon.

The place radiated the unmistakable feel of a boss room.

From in front of the boss room, Lie Xiao reported.

─We have a problem. Something seems to be blocking us—we can't enter the Gate.

Ryu Jeonga offered her opinion.

"Hmm, it is rare, but there are dungeons that only those who meet certain qualifications may enter. For instance, one might need to possess a key to gain entry."

─...A key? Then the key would be in one of the other Gates?

Ryu Jeonga, ever the most experienced Hero, offered an answer close to the mark.

As she said, that bastard Kultung had rigged something in front of the boss room.

But what was needed wasn't something like a key.

Kultung had set up something far more devious and cunning than a mere key.

"Try sending someone other than Lie Xiao in."

─Someone else? Then perhaps Master Jo could......

"No. Not Professor Jo—try sending one of the students, for instance."

That's right.

The condition for entering that room was—

─Understood. Huh? They—they got in!

"It seems that's the answer."

Those above professor-level strength couldn't enter.

The only ones who could enter the boss room where Kultung was hiding were students.

─It seems this dungeon......
─...prevents anyone above a certain strength level from entering?
─Then we'll need to have students lead the dungeon raid......

That was precisely why the player was the key to this event.

Following Lie Xiao's instructions, several more students went in and came back before the exact conditions could be identified.

After multiple attempts, Lie Xiao's raid team determined the boss room's clear entry requirements.

No one above B-rank Hero.

Only six people.

However, since such conditions were imposed, the dungeon's difficulty was at a level those who met the conditions could handle.

Kultung's special ability to open Gates was a nuisance, but its actual combat capability was only around that level.

Murmurs spread among the professors.

No one was happy about having to send a party composed entirely of students—who still had so much to learn—into a dungeon where anything could be waiting.

─This is quite the predicament.
─Who should we entrust this to......

Everyone dreaded the situation, but I was confident.

The students I'd raised were all fully prepared as Heroes in their own right.

The sharp daggers I'd been honing to strike at the Evil God were finally about to prove their worth.

"I have students to recommend."

─Professor Cha's recommendation?

"Yes. If it's those kids, they can definitely clear the dungeon."

This time, murmurs rippled through the students.

Contrary to the professors' concerns, the students were quite excited.

It was essentially picking the Academy's all-stars, so the anticipation was only natural.

The top-performing fourth-years in particular were staring this way eagerly.

"As archer and party leader—first-year An Seri."

─Yes.

The first girl whose name was called, An Seri, answered.

Her face, brimming with confidence as always, seemed to say that being chosen was only natural.

"Two front-liners—first-years Park Seohu and Baek Seolhwa."

─Yes.

The two from the Sword Department looked slightly displeased.

Both had strong pride and surely wanted the leader position, but when it came to leadership ability alone, An Seri was a cut above. There was no helping it.

"Mage—first-year Seo Dayun. Assassin—first-year Na Jinsu."

─Yes.

The next two answered in slightly dazed voices.

Their expressions said they didn't even know why they'd been picked.

The three named before them had pride and skill that didn't just match the upperclassmen's—they were overwhelming. But these two were different.

Among the upperclassmen, there were plenty of students with better ability than Seo Dayun and Na Jinsu.

But it had to be them.

There was no upperclassman who understood the content of my lectures and could mesh with the other party members.

Besides, these kids held more potential than anyone.

"And finally, the healer......"

The healer was, needless to say, an essential element of any party.

But among the Playable Characters, there was no healer, and no healer in my lectures had particularly stood out either.

Naturally, my thoughts drifted toward picking a healer from the upperclassmen.

But no—that wouldn't work either.

If an upperclassman who hadn't taken my lectures joined, it could ruin the party's harmony.

It'd be better to slot in any random priest from the first-years.

"First-year Lee Bongnam."

─In the Lord's name, I shall fulfill the mission bestowed upon me.

The self-proclaimed Abraham—the priest from An Seri's party.

The healers taking my lectures were all similar in skill, but by a narrow margin, this one was the best.

After the announcement, the reaction was mixed.

Some cheered them on, but more than that, suspicious gazes followed.

─An all-first-year party?
─Even so, this is......

A party composed entirely of first-year students taking my lectures.

Outsiders wouldn't view it favorably.

─Ha, the arrogance of youth.
─I get that Professor Cha is impressive. But his students?
─Isn't his faith in his own students a bit excessive?

Some professors believed I'd made a misjudgment out of affection for my students.

Those were the gentler ones.

Some fourth-years started mouthing off on their own.

─If the first-years succeed it's a jackpot, and if they fail they've got the excuse of being freshmen, right?
─For crying out loud. This is pure nepotism. Shouldn't the lineup be based on ability?

The flood of negative assessments was deafening.

The only way to erase those doubtful gazes was to prove it through skill.

That part was on the kids.

Now I had my own work to do.

"Soyon, I want you to lead those kids."

"You're not doing it yourself?"

Zhuge Soyon looked surprised.

It would've been most reliable if I commanded directly, but Zhuge Soyon was someone I could trust with the task.

"I have something I need to do."

***

Evil God Bonibatus and Evil God Kultung.

The fact that two Evil Gods—each capable of throwing the world into chaos on their own—had gathered at Florian Academy was no coincidence.

Florian Academy may have been Korea's premier educational institution, but on a global scale, there were plenty of places comparable or even superior.

The Playable Characters being gathered here, making it the game's setting, was a unique factor—but that wasn't something the in-game monsters cared about.

Yet there was a special reason the Evil Gods had their eyes on it.

"This should be about the spot."

"Yeah. We should be arriving where 'that thing' is soon."

A place deep beneath the Academy—one whose location even most of the Academy's professors didn't know.

Into this secret location stepped SH's agents, Rick and Amy.

"You're sure the gatekeeper can't come?"

"Of course. Lord Kultung said he paralyzed the gatekeeper's 'eyes.' By now, all attention should be drawn to the surface."

"Heh heh... that's a shame. I wanted to fight the gatekeeper."

"Don't get any stupid ideas. Our opponent is a witch who's lived for 150 years. She's got a special talent for making life difficult."

At last, the two reached the end of the underground passage.

Just as Kultung had told them, a massive door stood at the end of the passage.

"So 'that thing' is behind this door?"

"That's right. Heheh, who would've guessed something like this was under the Academy?"

At first, they'd doubted Kultung's claims.

That was how unbelievable the identity of what was sealed inside was.

Rick asked with a worried expression.

"But is it... really okay to open this?"

"What kind of bullshit is that?"

"I mean, think about it. If we unseal this, won't we all die too?"

Amy smirked.

Rick saying dumb things was nothing new, so she understood, but still.

"Idiot. You know Lord Kultung's ability, right? He can open and close space—he'll adjust it to just the right amount."

"No, I mean......"

Can we really trust Kultung?

Rick swallowed those words and kept them inside.

SH's goal was, ultimately, to create a world for the Awakened.

To be honest, such goals didn't matter either way to Rick, who'd joined SH purely for revenge.

However, neither Rick nor SH wanted the world to end.

'That thing' sealed beneath the Academy was dangerous enough to destroy the world.

Rick was worried.

What if Kultung stabbed them in the back and plunged the world into ruin?

"No, it's nothing."

But in the end, he decided to follow Amy's judgment.

He didn't want to miss his chance at revenge because of an uncertain future.

"Boring. Don't doubt Him. Lord Kultung is a god who will save this world in the right direction."

Just as the two were about to approach the door—

A man's voice came from the direction of the door.

"Save? What a joke."

"......!"

Who?

All the Academy's professors should've been preoccupied with the dungeons.

The one who emerged from the darkness was a man they despised—the Hero currently most renowned in the entire world, Cha Eunwoo.

"The organization's enemy......!"

"Oh come on, when you say it like that it makes me sound like the villain. You're the villains here."

Shameless drivel.

A fellow Awakened, a superhuman, yet a worm who'd abandoned his own rights and bowed to an inferior species.

'Why is he here?'

They'd sealed the witch's abilities and drawn attention elsewhere—there was no way anyone could've noticed the approach to the seal.

On top of that, with chaos raging on the surface, there was no way someone as important as Cha Eunwoo could easily leave his post.

"Don't tell me... you abandoned the surface and came down here?"

"No. That's already taken care of."

"What?"

"My students are going to defeat that Evil God."

"Don't make me laugh! SH is invincible and Lord Kultung is a god!"

Amy screamed in fury.

The power Kultung had shown SH was beyond all standards.

There was no way anyone could oppose the ability to open Gates at will.

But Cha Eunwoo denied it.

"A god? What a joke. Gods exist for the sake of humanity."

"Th-that's right! He will grant our wish......!"

"Why would he? He's going to abandon you. If you unseal what's in there, you'll be discarded right along with the Academy."

Cha Eunwoo's eyes held neither anger nor hatred—only pity.

Two eyes that looked upon Amy and Rick as if seeing something pitiful.

Amy vowed to gouge out those goddamn eyes.

"Oh, is that so? Guess we'll find out when we open it."

"No. The seal won't be opened. You can't get past me."

"Ha! Did you bring that precious witch and the Sword Saint to stop us?"

Just as Amy predicted, Ryu Jeonga appeared from behind Cha Eunwoo.

Amy smirked as if to say 'I knew it.'

The Sword Saint, Jo Seongung, had to be with them too.

To face two S-rank Awakened, you'd need two of your own.

But Jo Seongung was nowhere to be seen.

"...Where's the Sword Saint?"

"He is elsewhere. There are three seals in total, so your friends need to be stopped as well."

Amy clicked her tongue.

Well, if they'd anticipated Amy and Rick coming here, it was only natural to prepare for the other locations too.

If the Sword Saint went to one location, the remaining one must have... the Dragon of China, Lie Xiao?

She offered silent condolences to the agent at the location Lie Xiao had headed toward.

In all of SH, the only one who could beat Lie Xiao would've been their late former boss.

That aside—the point was that only the witch was here.

Amy cackled.

"So all we have to do is kill the witch? Rick, let's kill the hag."

"Heh heh... two-on-one ganging up isn't my style, but it's the mission, so what can you do."

Cha Eunwoo asked.

"How cold. Are you ignoring me?"

"Are you braindead? Why don't you go sit behind a desk where you belong, Professor? Actually, what are you even doing crawling all the way down here?"

She'd heard Cha Eunwoo was quite skilled by ordinary Hero standards, but that was all.

He shouldn't be at a level where he could contribute to a fight between S-rank Heroes, so what gave him the confidence to come here?

If it were anyone else, she'd have just laughed him off as a fool, but given who her opponent was, his intentions were worth questioning.

Cha Eunwoo smiled and provoked them.

"S-rank has its tiers. Dealing with the likes of you is nothing special."