CHAPTER 126

Is this really a first-year student?

The boy with thick eyebrows trembled.

That fox beastman had dared to raid the Student Council president’s office, and she wasn’t arrogant; considering her ability to grow stronger the more she fought, she indeed had the skills to face the president.

However, the Yaksha’s son had killed her before she could reach her full potential.

-Bloom.

Kang Jae-Hyeok had chanted ‘bloom’, and before he knew it, a glassy red sword had appeared and sliced clean through the fox beastman’s neck. The blood spurting from her twirling, near-headless corpse had looked like a rose. It was awe-inspiring.

A transformation weapon.

The boy assumed Jae-Hyeok’s red sword was a legendary item. However, he didn’t have much interest in it. The power of any item was ultimately determined by the user’s capabilities; what the boy truly admired was Jae-Hyeok’s skill.

Using the difference between a hwando and a sword to defeat an enemy stronger than himself.

It was clever and bold.

He feels like he has gone through all types of battles.

From the moment he had lost his scabbard and could no longer bring out his sword-drawing technique, Jae-Hyeok had endured the fox beastman’s fierce assault in order to take advantage of the hwando’s one-edged design.

During this time, the fox beastman had gradually awakened her Berserker’s constitution and became extremely powerful. Every strike of hers was overwhelming.

If Jae-Hyeok had casually confronted her head-on, he would’ve broken his wrist and dropped his sword. But instead of retreating, Jae-Hyeok had reinforced the back of his hwando with either his palm or elbow to support the impact of the fox beastman’s blows.

By maintaining a direct confrontation, the fox beastman was forced to follow his pace, cautious of a sudden counterattack. Then, Jae-Hyeok had transformed his hwando into a longsword at the critical moment when she believed she was safe.

His skill in combat stood out.

He is so comfortable with battle.Is this the true power of a prestigious family? The thick-eyebrowed boy was shocked.

The story of Jae-Hyeok being confined to the mansion for eight years was famous. In addition, Jae-Hyeok’s level had been low at the time of admission, so he couldn’t have had much combat experience. In the thick-eyebrowed boy’s eyes, Jae-Hyeok’s ability, which was like that of a veteran warrior’s, seemed innate.

“Are you okay?”

The boy suddenly came to his senses. Jae-Hyeok had come close and was staring at him. The emotion in his eyes was probably worry.

The boy sighed. “Do we know each other?”

“No? I’ve never seen you before.”

And yet Jae-Hyeok was looking at his wounds with a worried gaze? The boy gained a sense of Jae-Hyeok’s personality and slowly nodded. “I’m fine, thanks to you.’

“I’m glad.”

Jae-Hyeok was relieved and started searching the fox beastman’s body, but her sword. He found nothing, and her sword and her thin dress were all ordinary items.

Too bad there’s nothing worth taking.

Still, Jae-Hyeok had no reason to be disappointed.

[Your level has risen by 4.]

[Amazing achievement!]

[You have fought against an opponent stronger than you and won.]

[All stats increased by 2.]

After killing the tamed monsters and reaching level 40, the low-level monsters he hunted during class training no longer provided enough experience for Jae-Hyeok. He had thought his level would stagnate for a while, but the fox beastman was kind enough to deliver 4 levels all at once.

Not to mention the achievements.

If this trend continued, wouldn’t he soon have enough points to buy information about Reinhardt?

Just as Jae-Hyeok was feeling excited, the boy with thick eyebrows handed him something.

“Take this.”

It was the red tie Jae-Hyeok had thrown off earlier.

“I’m Mun Jong-Pil, the secretary of the Student Council. Kang Jae-Hyeok, I’m alive thanks to you. I want to repay you properly next time.”

“I will remember that. By the way, where are Jang Yeon-Ju and Roh Jun-Yeop?”

The first thing Jae-Hyeok had done after arriving at the Student Council president’s office was to look for Jang Yeon-Ju and Roh Jun-Yeop.

Fortunately, they weren’t there.

“They are being protected in a prison cell on the tenth floor.”

“Prison cell?”

“Apparently, it is a place where problem children are locked up, so it’s well defended.”

“I see.” Jae-Hyeok didn’t question it. He felt such a place naturally suited Roh Jun-Yeop.

Jae-Hyeok approached the collapsed staircase, only for Mun Jong-Pil to suddenly stop him.

“Wait. There is a risk of collapse.”

Due to the explosion that the fox beastman had unleashed earlier, most of the framework of the thirteenth floor had been smashed.

The thick-eyebrowed boy worried Jae-Hyeok could be buried alive if the ceiling collapsed.

“You stay here,” Jae-Hyeok said before continuing down the stairs.

He couldn’t just sit by, knowing that multiple beastmen had shown up. Most importantly, he needed to make sure that Jang Yeon-Ju and Roh Jun-Yeop were safe.

“This... ”

Mun Jong-Pil stared blankly at Jae-Hyeok’s back as he disappeared into the darkness.

This was someone who had thrown himself into danger several times already to save his friends. Mun Jong-Pil was deeply impressed by his sense of justice.

The boy arched one thick brow. If such a kid came from the Kang family, then the Kang family couldn’t be bad, right?

***

Mudal coughed out a mouthful of blood and laughed. “It’s harder than you thought, huh?”

Blood flowed from Lee So-Yeong’s nose and eyes. Unlike Mudal, she had no visible external injuries, but her breathing was already rough.

“This is the price of being overconfident in your skills. Did you think I was easy? Did you think just because they call you Great Master, you are one? Soon, you won’t be much of anything.”

Lee So-Yeong had spread her mana all over the Student Council building, attempting to know where and what was happening in real-time in order to coordinate the battlefield and watch over the students.

But it was too much.

Enduring Mudal’s onslaught while observing the entire Student Council building was too great a burden.

“This type of reckless mana use will damage your dantian and overload your brain.”

Mudal laughed at Lee So-Yeong, who was visibly trembling.

He might’ve received serious injuries due to her demonic hands, but a beastman’s greatest strength lay in their recovery power. His condition was actually improving, whereas Lee So-Yeong was beginning to suffer internal injuries.

I was too greedy.It would have been barely enough if I had fought with my full strength against this villain from South Korea’s golden age, but I actually thought I could spare my mana and focus for the others.

Lee So-Yeong readily admitted her misjudgment.

Her title of Great Master hadn’t been earned because of her strength. Rather, others had given her that name out of admiration for her achievements in creating various mana control techniques and raising the overall level of the players across the world.

Still, she wouldn’t have been stuck in A-class had she been truly powerful. Of course, Mudal was also only an A-class player.

But... I spread myself too thin, so I couldn’t handle him. Ultimately, Lee So-Yeong was held back by her position as a professor. Concerned about the students, she’d expended significant mana to observe their movements, ready to run over at any time.

And this was the result.

Bang! Mudal’s foot sank into her abdomen, and she was sent flying into a wall. Everything turned fuzzy, and Lee So-Yeong lost control. Her mana, which had been filling the Student Council building, dispersed.

“You cheeky jerk. I was the one who confronted the Yaksha before you pursued him.”

Mudal knew that Lee So-Yeong was quite old, unlike her teenage girl-like appearance. However, Mudal was even older, despite his current boyish appearance. His relationship with the Yaksha went back far.

Why are the others procrastinating?If we miss this opportunity, we won’t have another opportunity to infiltrate Lion’s Castle.

The reason Mudal and his companions had been able to perfectly disguise themselves as humans was thanks to the sacrifice of the chameleon beastmen.

To be precise, they were forcibly offered up as sacrifices by the white tiger beastman.

“Tsk.”

If they failed this mission, what would the white tiger beastman do to them? Just imagining it sent a chill down Mudal’s spine. He shook his head and tried to regain his composure as he appeared before Lee So-Yeong.

Heavenly Transformation, a gauntlet made from the teeth of a famous wolf beast in the past, changed its shape once again, long blades stretching from his fingers.

He didn’t give Lee So-Yeong time to adjust and mercilessly clawed at her.

However, Lee So-Yeong was persistent. She jumped back while condensing demonic hands that wrapped around Mudal’s neck and ankles.

But that was all.

Her internal injuries had weakened her mana and her demonic hands. Mudal easily shook them off.

In the end, Heavenly Transformation dug deep into Lee So-Yeong’s chest.

She fell to her knees.

Mudal looked down at her in disdain and smashed her chin with a kick.

Well, that took annoyingly long. Although Mudal was surprised that the other beastmen hadn’t joined him by now, things were still going well on his end. All he had to do now was grab the two kids hiding in the room at the end of the hallway and escape the school using the path dug by the mole beastman.

Mudal staggered forward. He looked so ragged that it wouldn’t be strange if he collapsed right then.

He heard footsteps coming down the stairs and growled. “...You are late. Damn fox woman, you’re really slow to gain momentum, huh?” The fox beastman had a level of strength and skill that even Mudal acknowledged. How could any student stand a chance? Naturally, the moment he’d heard footsteps coming downstairs, he assumed it was the fox beastman.

So...

“Yes. She was slow.”

Who was this kid?

A boy arrived in the hallway, assessed the condition of Mudal and Lee So-Yeong, then stated plainly, “If it were you on the thirteenth floor, I would’ve lost.”

His dark eyes were very intense. They were pure black without a speck of brown, a trait rare even in East Asia.

“You... Who are you?”

Mudal reacted with extreme caution.

He was reflexively caught up in old memories the moment he met the eyes of this unknown boy—memories of the day he had been trampled like a bug by a man with an emotionless look.

The Yaksha?Does this guy really resemble the Yaksha?

Mudal doubted his eyes and wondered if he was seeing things. Maybe he was; perhaps he had lost too much blood after fighting Lee So-Yeong.

“I am a friend of the people you’re targeting.”

Had Jae-Hyeok been wearing his green scabbard, Mudal would’ve instinctively thought of the Kang family’s sword-drawing technique. However, Jae-Hyeok had lost his scabbard. And the weapon in his hand was not the black hwando that symbolized the Kang family, but a red, glassy longsword.

Thump!

Jae-Hyeok took out Heavy Moon and jammed it into a wall before resting Iyagurt on top. Then, he advanced a step; leaned forward; and reached back, grabbing Iyagurt’s handle with both hands.

Oddly, the boy had yet to move his sword, but metal screeched and sparks flew as if under friction.

“The hell?” Mudal was confused. What type of strange nonsense was this? Suddenly, Mudal froze.

A figure overlapped with the boy in Mudal’s wide eyes—the figure of a monster who released his sword-drawing technique without restriction in all directions. No, the boy before him really was performing the sword-drawing technique, Mudal realized.

But it was too late

At the end of the hall, the boy’s red sword disappeared from Jae-Hyeok’s hands with a whistle, tearing through the air and arriving at Mudal's forehead—and then through—before he could even blink.

“You... ”

As the boy approached, Mudal fixed his trembling gaze on that face.

He saw it clearly: the boy’s face was like a younger, more delicate version of the Yaksha’s. Could this boy really be him?

No, it couldn’t be. The boy’s presence was different.

They were different, but...

“The same... monster... ”

Thump!

The wraith of the past fell—killed not by Lee So-Yeong, who was his contemporary, but by a boy born in a completely new era.

Lee So-Yeong watched Jae-Hyeok with blurry eyes. She had a feeling that the history of South Korea, which had stopped after the Yaksha’s departure, was about to turn a new chapter.