Chapter 723 – 723. Savior Of The Academy
723. Savior of the Academy
I raised my right hand and slapped Ryu Hana across the face.
*Slap!*
Ryu Hana slumped to the floor, staring at me with trembling eyes. Blood trickled from her nose.
‘Damn it. I hit her too hard.’
I concealed my embarrassment and recited one of the original player’s dialogue options verbatim.
“Ryu Hana! Get a grip! You’re not like this!”
“……”
[Ryu Hana’s Favorability: 5]
Things seemed to have taken a wrong turn.
Ryu Hana’s dark blue eyes, glaring at me, were fierce. I could even feel a murderous intent.
Favorability 5.
Ryu Hana was clearly hostile towards me. Blood continued to trickle from her nose.
It was water under the bridge.
It was impossible to salvage the situation now. No matter what I said, it wouldn’t be taken seriously. And Kang Ji-young, pretending to be an Orc Lord, was heading this way.
‘In times like this….’
I quickly racked my brain.
Fortunately, I found an answer. I would apologize later, saying it was unavoidable in that urgent moment. As time passed, her anger would subside, increasing the chance of my excuse working. Besides, Ryu Hana hadn’t acted correctly either.
I grabbed Ryu Hana’s shoulder, who was still slumped on the ground. Before she could open her mouth, I threw her towards Oh Yu-mi.
“Ugh… you…!”
“W-what the… ?!”
Oh Yu-mi caught Ryu Hana, who had been suddenly thrown at her.
“Oh Yu-mi! Take the fallen Bae Hyun-sung and run!”
Even though Oh Yu-mi was a mage and had lower physical abilities, she was still an Awakened. She could easily carry two people.
“O-okay. What about you, Sung Yu-jin?”
“Someone has to stop the Orc Lord. If we leave it, it’ll follow us and we’ll all be wiped out.”
Fortunately, Kang Ji-young was slowly approaching me. She was deliberately giving me time. If she were a real Orc Lord, there wouldn’t be time for leisurely conversation. Though, if she were a real Orc Lord, things wouldn’t have gotten this far in the first place.
Oh Yu-mi hurriedly grabbed one of Bae Hyun-sung’s arms and dragged him away. It was different from how she carefully held Ryu Hana in her arms.
“Let go! I can fight!”
Ryu Hana shouted. But the reality was that she was too exhausted to even shake off Oh Yu-mi’s arm.
“Yu-jin! Don’t push yourself too hard and run away!”
“I just need to buy three minutes. Then the supervisors will come.”
Oh Yu-mi went down the building.
I drew my sword and aimed it at the Orc Lord. *Whoosh.* The sword trembled, and a blue aura enveloped the blade. It was a sword aura that even Ryu Hana couldn’t use at this point.
The Orc Lord stopped walking and stared intently at me. The Orc Lord raised its axe.
‘I wasn’t originally planning to show my sword aura… but if my opponent is Kang Ji-young, it’s a different story. It’s a good opportunity to leave an impact on Kang Ji-young.’
I kicked off the ground and leaped forward.
‘Moka!’
Moka, who had been watching the situation from the sky, materialized and dropped lightning on the Orc Lord. I didn’t miss the chance to strike while the Orc Lord was faltering from the lightning.
Shadow Heaven Style (影天流) Lightning Flash (雷光).
The extreme quick sword cut through the Orc Lord’s upper body. The Orc Lord reacted. No, Kang Ji-young reacted. If it were a real Orc Lord, it wouldn’t have even reacted.
Still, the tip of my sword made contact. The clothes on the protruding, ample chest area tore, revealing part of her chest and a wine-colored bra. A drop of blood flowed from the wound on her chest. The wound healed in a second. It was the effect of her Natural Recovery (S) skill.
The Orc Lord swung its axe. I dodged by angling my sword and punched towards the Orc Lord’s abs. The Orc Lord raised its palm and blocked my punch.
Fueled by momentum, I didn’t stop attacking. Each time the sword and axe, fist and palm collided, shockwaves rippled, cracking the floor. I pressed on even harder.
•••
“Haa… hah! Hah!”
Oh Yu-mi gasped for breath as she hurried down the stairs. As a mage, she wasn’t as physically capable as other Awakened, and just carrying two people was rapidly draining her stamina.
A sharp pain shot through her waist.
“Ah!”
She let out a short scream and unconsciously loosened her grip on her right arm. Ryu Hana didn’t miss the opportunity and broke free from her grasp, heading back up the stairs.
“Ryu Hana! We have to run now! Let’s not make Sung Yu-jin’s sacrifice in vain!”
“……I never asked for that guy’s sacrifice. You go down.”
Ryu Hana, having recovered some stamina from the brief rest, went up the stairs.
“Hey! Ryu Hana!”
Oh Yu-mi shouted after Ryu Hana. Ryu Hana didn’t even pretend to hear. Oh Yu-mi hesitated for a moment before giving up on chasing after her.
‘We only met today, so who cares what happens to her. I don’t want to get hurt. Running away is the right answer here.’
Oh Yu-mi dragged Bae Hyun-sung down the stairs.
Ryu Hana dragged her heavy legs upwards. She knew her decision was foolish. But she couldn’t accept this way of doing things. Sacrificing someone and running away? She’d rather die fighting. It wasn’t honorable.
‘I don’t like that guy, but I can’t just leave him to die.’
That Orc Lord wasn’t an ordinary Orc Lord. It felt like her attacks weren’t working, like she was fighting a giant mountain. She couldn’t do anything about it, so how could Sung Yu-jin possibly handle it? Buy time by fighting? She doubted he could last even 30 seconds.
‘Maybe it’s already too late, and the worst has happened….’
She reached the rooftop.
Ryu Hana’s eyes widened. The scene before her was completely different from what she had feared.
Sung Yu-jin was fighting the Orc Lord on equal terms. Ryu Hana’s eyes, following his movements, shook violently.
‘…Sword aura. He’s already using sword aura…?’
And his movements were incredible. She couldn’t even keep up with the speed of his swordplay.
‘Is he really a Spirit User?!’
It was unbelievable, but Sung Yu-jin was indeed a Spirit User. He was fighting alongside the Thunder Owl. Despite knowing that, it was hard to believe his incredible movements and swordsmanship.
‘Unbelievable…. He’s on a different level….’
Ryu Hana clenched her fists tightly. She thought she was the best among her peers. It wasn’t arrogance. Those around her said so, and she was indeed the most outstanding among her peers.
But now. She realized she was a frog in a well.
‘Sung Yu-jin using sword aura is one thing, but… what is that Orc Lord fighting on equal terms with Sung Yu-jin?’
The incomprehensible situation made her head spin. But only for a moment. Ryu Hana cleared her mind and focused on the battle.
‘I see. He’s using his lower body to deflect the Orc Lord’s power.’
Ryu Hana’s talent was shining.
‘Such movements are possible… why did the speed of the sword suddenly… ah. It’s a feint to mislead the opponent.’
*Clang!*
The collision of sword and axe sent out a deafening shockwave. Ryu Hana grabbed the doorframe to brace herself against the wind.
The rooftop floor, which had reached its limit, shattered like a broken plate and began to collapse.
Sung Yu-jin’s foot slipped. His body flew out of the building, not onto the floor below. There was nothing for Sung Yu-jin to grab onto. His spirit, the Thunder Owl, was far away.
“Sung Yu-jin!!”
Ryu Hana shouted Sung Yu-jin’s name. It was all she could do.
The Orc Lord leaped from the collapsing floor and reached out towards Sung Yu-jin. Ryu Hana doubted her eyes. It looked like the Orc Lord was trying to save Sung Yu-jin.
Just before the Orc Lord grabbed Sung Yu-jin’s ankle, Sung Yu-jin stood upright in mid-air. A transparent barrier shimmered under his feet, reflecting the sunlight. Sung Yu-jin swung his sword from that position. The Orc Lord’s upper body was cut, and red blood splattered.
The Orc Lord grabbed Sung Yu-jin tightly with both arms and fell downwards.
“No…!”
Ryu Hana ran down the stairs, but her legs gave out, and she collapsed. Her exhausted legs wouldn’t move as she wanted.
“Coo. Coo.”
The Thunder Owl stood in front of her, flapping its wings. It was as if it was telling her not to worry.
•••
S-Class Hero, Kang Ji-young, was strong.
Despite giving it my all, I failed to draw out Kang Ji-young’s full power and was defeated. If she had gone all out, I would have lost the fight in 10 seconds.
The blow I landed as I fell was only successful because Kang Ji-young was worried about my safety. And now. I was falling down, held in Kang Ji-young’s arms. At the end of my vision, I could see Ryu Hana’s shocked face.
‘The situation isn’t bad.’
I buried my face in Kang Ji-young’s chest. The soft texture of her ample breasts pressed against my cheek. I had torn her top while swinging my sword earlier. Surprisingly, the wound had already healed. However, there was blood on it, giving off a metallic smell.
‘Her nipples are a deep pink.’
I quickly put her nipple in my mouth. As I felt myself falling, I sucked on her nipple. I couldn’t miss this opportunity.
*Crack.* We fell onto a large tree below, and the branches broke. I was safe in Kang Ji-young’s arms. The magic that had disguised Kang Ji-young as an Orc Lord was dispelled.
*Thud!*
Finally, we hit the ground. The impact was transmitted, but it wasn’t as bad as I had expected. I closed my eyes, pretending to be in bad shape, and enjoyed the taste of Kang Ji-young’s nipple.
“Ugh…. I know you’re not unconscious, so get up.”
Kang Ji-young pushed me away. Her voice was firm, so I hurriedly created some distance and lowered my head.
“S-sorry! I was out of it, so I didn’t realize! Auntie, are you okay?!”
“……”
Kang Ji-young quietly got up and used one hand to hold her torn clothes together, covering her chest. It was a shame I couldn’t see her chest.
I looked at Kang Ji-young’s head. Blackish-brown wolf ears, the same color as her hair, twitched and then disappeared. It was the activation effect of one of Kang Ji-young’s traits, Earth Wolf (S).
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No. What about you, Auntie?”
“I’m fine except for the torn clothes.”
“I feel bad for no reason.”
I took off my coat and handed it to Kang Ji-young. Kang Ji-young silently took it and put it on, buttoning it up.
“When did you realize my identity? The Spirit Eye shouldn’t have the ability to see through magic.”
In the past, I thought it was natural for the Spirit Eye to see through magic. But after investigating it in detail, I found out that the Spirit Eye didn’t have such an ability.
‘My Spirit Eye was enhanced after facing the god of the Nine Wood Church. Maybe that’s why my Spirit Eye became a bit special.’
I had no intention of explaining it to Kang Ji-young. I wouldn’t tell Sung Ha-ri either, so there was no way I’d tell her.
“I knew from the middle. I just had a feeling. The Orc Lord’s movements were also a bit awkward. And more than anything, it was too strong for an Orc Lord.”
“…That’s true.”
“Why did you move yourself, Auntie?”
“I wanted to help out and also wanted to find out something.”
Kang Ji-young stared intently at me. It seemed that Kang Ji-young had moved herself because of me.
“When did you learn swordsmanship?”
“It’s been a while.”
“Does Sung Ha-ri know?”
“Yeah. Mom said I’m better with a sword. But I still find javelin throwing fun, so I don’t plan to give it up.”
“……I don’t understand.”
“What do you mean you don’t understand?”
“You. When I look at you and judge, you have no talent except for Spirit Arts. And even your Spirit Arts talent is because of your Spirit Eye.”
“It’s true that I don’t have talent in Spirit Arts. My great-grandfather said so too. But I’m quite good at Spirit Affinity.”
“……What are you hiding?”
I quietly smiled, raising the corners of my mouth. It meant I had no intention of telling her. Kang Ji-young looked at me, then turned and started walking through the forest. I followed closely behind her.
“Auntie. Let’s go together.”
“…Only to the entrance. It would be problematic if someone saw you and me leaving together. There would be talk about fairness.”
“Are you going to leave wearing that coat?”
“I can use magic to hide my appearance. The one I’m worried about is you. Be careful what you say.”
“My lips are sealed, Auntie.”
I subtly raised my hand. I placed my hand on Kang Ji-young’s shoulder, who was still taller than me. Kang Ji-young frowned and looked at me.
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing. It’s been a while since we met. Let’s have dinner together tonight.”
“It’s uncomfortable to walk with your hand there, so take it off. I don’t have time to have dinner with you. I’m busy.”
