Unusual phenomena occurred with striking frequency along Fantasy Road in District 23 of Academy City.
It was even worse on weekends, when foot traffic surged.
The mana people unconsciously released, blended together, creating fluctuations in the ambient mana and turning the air itself unstable.
[Yes, this is the Shield Patrol Bureau.]
“Speaking. This is Kwon Bo-ram. My current patrol sector is clear and stable.”
Naturally, that meant the workload of those responsible for Academy City’s security could only increase.
The girl in the yellow armband, stamped with a shield emblem, belonged to that group.
What set her apart, however, was that she had chosen weekend patrols of her own accord.
She moved through the crowded streets, communicating through an earpiece as she went.
[Good. That’s a relief. It’s almost lunchtime. You are eating, right?]
“I plan to eat as soon as I finish patrolling the next sector.”
A girl in a brown uniform from Geumseong Academy, the academy said to rival Geumgang Academy. She had long hair with a violet sheen and eyes the color of polished gold.
Anyone who had spent even a year living in Academy City would recognize her.
She was that famous.
[And don’t you dare skip lunch like last time because you get absorbed in work. You know I’m scary when I’m angry.]
“Yes, I know. I have no intention of skipping lunch. You don’t need to worry, sunbae.”
Kwon Bo-ram.
A direct descendant of the Iron Bastion Kwon family.
Yet people remembered her nickname more than her lineage.
The Sheriff of Academy City.
It fit her temperament and her record too well to be anything else.
“Sunbae, shouldn’t you also be taking a break? It’s lunchtime for you as well.”
[Yeah, yeah! I’m about to eat too. I just have to check in with the kids first, then—]
“You’re working hard.”
[No, you are. You’re the one out there patrolling. I’m just sitting in the office.]
The voice beyond the earpiece was lively, almost too bright for the situation.
Kwon Bo-ram smiled at the encouragement from the senior who had mentored her.
Then she stopped mid-step.
“…A rift?”
[Huh? Bo-ram, what did you say?]
“I think a rift has formed nearby. Sunbae, has any information come in on your side?”
[Oh—wait. Let me check.]
Her detection net, maintained as naturally as breathing, carried the signs of a rift.
It was large enough that she could feel it clearly even without focusing.
A moment later, screams rose from the direction she’d sensed, followed by the unmistakable cries of monsters.
[…Information just came in from Surveillance. Multiple rifts have been detected at the scramble intersection in District 23. They’re still identifying the scale and the monsters that have appeared. Orders have also been issued for nearby Shield members to support the scene immediately.]
“I’m close by. I’ll respond at once.”
[Ha… so much for lunch. I’ll back you up as your navigator.]
“Yes, sunbae. Thank you.”
Kwon Bo-ram pulled two devices from where they were clipped at her pocket.
They transformed into tonfas, specialized for suppression.
Then she sprinted straight toward the site of the rift.
“Move aside! Now!”
“Don’t block the way, go!”
“Aaah! Don’t step on me! Please, don’t—ugh…!”
The scramble intersection where Romantic Road and Fantasy Road crossed.
But as she neared, what filled her vision was not order or discipline, but people consumed by panic, crushed under fear and instinct.
The press of the crowd made it nearly impossible to push forward.
In the end, she scaled a building wall, leapt across rooftops, and cut straight toward the center.
And then—
Boom!
“….”
An explosion sounded from somewhere.
Landing on a rooftop, Kwon Bo-ram narrowed her eyes.
Where did that come from?
The blast felt like it had taken advantage of the chaos, timed too neatly to be coincidence.
Worse, the direction it came from was an area dense with jewelry stores.
“Sunbae.”
[Yeah, Bo-ram. Did you arrive?]
Too perfect to dismiss.
Having made her judgment, she spoke into her earpiece.
“Villains may be using the disturbance to move freely.”
[What!?]
“I just heard an explosion. It may have been caused by them. Please gather any related information as quickly as possible. I’m going to confirm the situation.”
[No, Bo-ram! Focus on rescuing civilians first—]
“From what I can see, Shield members and nearby Hunters are arriving. It looks like support is forming even without me. Wouldn’t it be better for me to move toward an area where security has thinned?”
[So you’re going to the explosion site? Where there could be villains!?]
“Someone has to stop them.”
[And why does that someone have to be you? Bo-ram, arresting villains isn’t even our job. Officially, that’s—]
“Then please back me up.”
[Ah, seriously! Can we live a little easier, just once?]
Ignoring her sunbae’s grumbling, Kwon Bo-ram immediately headed toward the source of the explosion.
She was the sort of person who put Academy City’s safety first.
Sometimes, she even interpreted Shield’s role more broadly than intended.
Chaos breeds more chaos.
The mana people unconsciously release acts as a conduit for fear, and fear, in turn, tears open more rifts.
That was why the intersection we had entered had become pure disorder.
Monsters rampaged everywhere, weaving through crowds of fleeing people who had lost all sense of direction.
…Where do you even start?
But hesitation lasted only a heartbeat.
This was Academy City, where Hunters were granted authority to act.
Whether reports had reached nearby clans and Hunters or not, reinforcements began to appear one after another.
Academy students who had come out for the weekend, just like us, joined in as well.
That yellow armband… Shield’s support made it in time.
All we had to do was cooperate and stabilize the situation.
There was no need to worry about every role as if it were mine alone.
First, save whoever was in front of us. Then focus on exterminating monsters.
I issued quick instructions.
“Ri-sa, prioritize treating the injured instead of supporting us directly.”
“Okay! I will!”
“Yong Hae-rang, cover Ri-sa.”
“Got it! Leave it to me!”
“Cha Eun-sol, use spirit arts to move the most critical patients.”
“So annoying…”
There were plenty of people who hadn’t escaped in time and collapsed on the asphalt with injuries.
Some were in immediate danger.
I entrusted rescue and support to Ri-sa, Yong Hae-rang, and Cha Eun-sol.
Cha Eun-sol grumbled, but she couldn’t ignore the situation. She used spirit arts anyway.
Stone erupted from the road to shield civilians about to be attacked. The rising rock blocked monster routes, buying precious seconds.
She even stirred the wind to carry the injured safely to Ri-sa.
Good. The rear is covered.
Trial participants and club seniors were still nearby as well.
If they held the back line, we wouldn’t collapse easily.
“And Yu-ri…”
“So all we have to do is kill every monster we can see, right? It’s been a while since anything felt this fun!”
“…Do whatever you want.”
Nam Yu-ri didn’t wait for my words. She charged straight into the monsters.
From the beginning, asking, ordering, or even suggesting anything to her was practically taboo.
If you tried to use her carelessly, you risked provoking her resentment.
Until we passed the story’s turning point where she could switch sides and become a villain, I had to handle her with caution.
So I let her go, without expecting anything.
Even if she had a mad streak, she understood ethics and rules well enough not to cross the line.
At least, not until that turning point.
And considering her ability, there was little reason to worry.
[Personal Information]
Name: Nam Yu-ri (Female · 17)
Alias: Artificial Girl
Affiliation: Geumgang Academy
[Gift]
Homunculus
[Physical Stats]
Stamina: 56
Strength: 49
Durability: 47
Agility: 61
Mana: 72
Luck: 40
Remaining Points: 0
In reality, you wouldn’t see monster data floating helpfully in messages.
But I could use the player’s function, which let me check their information roughly.
The monsters that had appeared here ranged only from Rank 1 to Rank 3.
With Nam Yu-ri’s skill, she could handle Rank 2 without difficulty.
Even Rank 3 was within reach if she pushed.
I tightened my grip.
“Let’s go.”
I left her behind as she flung side dishes like boomerangs, and I joined the others in earnest.
The fight fell into a clear rhythm: Park Sa-gun swung his axe to draw the monsters’ attention, and Kang Han-byeol and I finished them off.
Having a guardian on our side really did make things easier.
They were Rank 1 monsters, identifiable by their pointed ears, long fangs, and razorlike claws.
Park Sa-gun plunged straight into the pack of bipedal creatures without hesitation.
He swung an axe larger than his own height with all his strength.
The ones closest to him were knocked away or cleaved down so cleanly it almost looked effortless.
The rest recoiled, scrambling backwards to create distance.
Kang Han-byeol and I didn’t waste the opening.
Tap. Slash.
Thwip.
With a quick exchange of glances, we split left and right.
Right on cue, Go Eun-bi covered us from behind, loosing arrows in a steady stream.
With their eyes fixed on Park Sa-gun, it must have looked like we appeared out of nowhere.
“Kiiik?!”
The creatures flinched when they finally noticed us.
But their bodies didn’t react fast enough.
I wasn’t in the mood to wait.
The moment my navy-blue sword came down, I followed with a rapid chain of strikes.
The first monster split and collapsed with a dull thud. After that, heads began to lift from shoulders as if gravity had briefly forgotten what to do.
Every so often, arrows formed of mana hissed past my cheek and buried themselves in the monsters’ faces.
Eun-bi’s doing great.
I glanced back.
Go Eun-bi kept relocating, firing as she moved.
She wasn’t shooting just to hit targets.
She plugged the gaps that opened the instant our blades swung, caught monsters off guard, harassed them, and forced them to hesitate.
She understood her role perfectly and supported Kang Han-byeol and me without getting in our way.
It made the whole battle smoother.
Screee!
There were monsters in the air as well.
The ones with flight circled above, waiting for an opening to strike.
For us, who weren’t built for aerial combat, they were a nuisance.
But that limitation didn’t apply to Yeon-ha-neul and Min A-rin.
“Geon-woo, leave the ones above to us.”
“They’ve been screeching nonstop. And more than anything, don’t look down on me.”
Yeon-ha-neul spread her thumb and index finger, mimicking the stance of firing a gun.
A magic circle blossomed at the tip of her pointing finger as she aimed.
It rotated like the cylinder of a revolver and discharged a black bullet.
A spell laced with darkness.
Fwoosh!
At the same time, Min A-rin swept her staff through the air.
Flames surged around her, rolling like waves.
At her command, the burning fire shrieked and shot toward the flyers.
Screee—thud!
The airborne monsters were punctured by dark bullets or swallowed by fire and dropped to the ground.
There was no need to check whether they were alive.
A monster that had lost its ability to fly could be killed at any time.
Even if Ha-neul and A-rin didn’t get along, their coordination wasn’t bad.
The triplets circled the two of them, knocking down anything that slipped through.
They were guarding them so they could keep casting without interruption.
Little by little, the situation began to settle.
After finishing a sequence of fights, I looked over at Kang Han-byeol as he quietly caught his breath.
According to the game’s story, this was about the time Han-byeol would run into the villains.
I knew the broad outline of what came next, but not the specifics.
The game never said exactly when or where it would happen.
The only one who could truly know was Kang Han-byeol himself, the one destined to live it.
All I could do was wait for him to move.
And finally—
“Geon-woo, do you remember that explosion earlier?” Kang Han-byeol asked, his face serious, as if he’d finished sorting through his thoughts. “Doesn’t it feel strange? The monsters showed up, and then not long after, something exploded.”
I nodded.
“I was thinking the same thing. The timing feels too perfect, doesn’t it?”
“So it wasn’t just me.” He exhaled. “As you said, it’s too perfect to write off as a coincidence. And I’ve got a bad feeling. You might not believe me, but I’ve always had a good sense for things like this. When it happens…”
“You’ve got good instincts?” I said, genuinely surprised. “Yeah, I’ve met people like that. So you’re one of them.”
“…You believe me?”
Kang Han-byeol blinked, brown eyes wide.
His reaction made me laugh softly. I lifted a shoulder.
“Why wouldn’t I? You’re my friend. If you say it, I believe it.”
“….”
“Wait. Was it a lie?”
“No. It’s just… I didn’t think you’d believe me that quickly. Thanks.”
“Don’t get all mushy.” I tapped his shoulder. “Next time you get a feeling, don’t keep it to yourself. Say it right away. Then I can decide how to help.”
“Yeah! I won’t hide it from you!”
There was no reason for me to doubt his instincts.
He was the game’s protagonist. If anything, I should treat his intuition like scripture.
Besides, his Luck stat was a staggering sixty.
Good fortune practically clung to him.
He looked oddly moved, so I gave his shoulder another firm pat.
“Alright then, Han-byeol. You know where to go, right? Lead the way.”
“Yeah. Leave it to me. Just follow.”
“I’m counting on you.”
He nodded as if accepting a vow.
I gathered a few people and moved with him, letting his instincts pull us forward.
Before long, the scenery shifted. We entered a street lined with jewelry stores.
And in one of those stores—
“…Who are you?”
“A Hunter? You look way too young for that, so don’t tell me…”
“Academy students?”
“We tensed up thinking someone serious showed up. What, I was scared of kids like you?”
“This is ridiculous.” The sneer widened. “We’re in a good mood, so we’ll let you go. Get lost. Now.”
We had found the villains.
Five adults, men and women. The moment they figured out who we were, they laughed at us like we were something they’d scraped off their shoes.
The others, except for me, couldn’t hide their shock at the sudden confrontation.
The villains noticed instantly and laughed again, even more openly.
I decided to cut through the rhythm before they could keep feeding off it.
“How much did you steal?”
“What?”
“I asked how much. Did you get a lot?”
I stepped forward, placing myself in front of my friends.
Under the villains’ collective gaze, I spoke with deliberate contempt.
“If you don’t want to get hurt, hand over everything you’re wearing, everything you’re carrying, everything you’ve got. I’ll be generous and let you keep your underwear.”
“…What the hell are you saying?”
“Then I’ll spare your lives. Probably.”
Their faces twisted into something ugly.
“…Geon-woo,” someone whispered behind me, stunned. “Are you robbing them?”
“Rawr.”
“Unbelievable….”
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