Kim Hyeji was glaring at the slime that had just flung her earlier.
Even though she hit it with all her might, it looked like there was absolutely no damage, and she felt utterly drained.
‘This really is an unfair matchup.’
Because of its massive amorphous body, bullets didn’t have much of an effect.
Without any effective strikes, they just lodged uselessly into its body.
Of course, trying to stab at it with a razor-sharp blade would just lead to it melting away.
Moreover, the hammer used to bash the slime was slowly corroding where it made contact.
With the current means at her disposal, it was hard to make any significant impact.
And no matter how many times she regressed, there had never been a future where she could pull off an effective counterattack.
‘Sigh. Why did I go all in? At this rate, I really will have to contact home.’
Kim Hyeji tightened her trembling grip around the hammer.
She let her hand drop back, taking a stance while mulling over her current situation.
‘At most, I can manifest objects five times.’
She couldn’t just use them carelessly.
She couldn’t even decide what to manifest confidently.
So, she experienced the future once more to regress.
To find a new hope.
What she would experience now was a future of about three minutes.
However, even in that future, she couldn’t win, and her consciousness returned once more.
‘Damn it, how is it that I can’t find a way to grab it?’
The preceding future she’d experienced wasn’t exactly filled with hope either.
In that one, the slime opened its body wide to engulf the swinging hammer, then swallowed Hyeji whole.
But even if the future was hopeless, she had to win.
Thus, Hyeji began crafting a new plan.
‘Since it’s amorphous, it must have properties of water. It would react to alkali metals then.’
She shook off the thought that followed, ‘Maybe…’
Now was the time to struggle, even just a little.
She laid out a simple plan.
The moment she swung the hammer, when the slime opened up to grab it, she would generate a chunk of lithium at that spot to trigger a reaction.
For the massive slime, the lithium’s size should be as large as possible.
Normally, she wouldn’t have made such a choice knowing her ability’s limits.
However, being pushed to the extreme made such judgment blurry.
After formulating her plan, Hyeji focused on the incoming slime.
Then, suddenly, she thought of the source of the current situation.
Kim Shinwoo.
That crazy bastard who dared to use her as a tool.
‘Damn it, the more I think about it, the angrier I get.’
Suddenly, vitality returned to her weary body.
The conviction to smash him made her momentarily forget her exhaustion.
It was temporary, but there was nothing quite like needing it at that moment.
Before she knew it, the slime was rushing towards Hyeji.
Hyeji planted her left foot down, twisted her waist, and swung the hammer down at the slime at a diagonal angle to the right.
In that moment, the slime’s body split open, and it opened its mouth wide, trying to devour the hammer.
It was alright. Up to this point, it mirrored the future before her regression.
Now was the time to make a change.
Before the hammer could be swallowed, she generated the maximum-sized chunk of lithium at the tip of the hammer.
And she didn’t reduce the speed of the descending hammer—on the contrary, she added more force.
‘That should be enough, right?’
A slightly different scene than the future before her regression.
The lithium metal was reacting inside the slime’s body.
Perhaps it was quite painful because the slime started emitting smoke and violently wriggling its form.
‘I did it!’
Just to be safe, she stepped back about three paces and viewed the future.
However, the future unfolded differently than Hyeji had hoped.
Before she knew it, the slime returned to normal and opened its mouth wide right before swallowing Hyeji.
‘…What?’
Even when she regressed, the situation hadn’t changed much.
The discomfort of the slime earlier was nowhere to be found, and it stood calmly before Hyeji again.
She didn’t want to believe it, but in the face of the cruel reality she had to accept, Hyeji sighed.
“Is… that thing… alive?”
“The attempt was good, but since it’s based on Qi energy, it won’t react much,” said Jeong Ahyeon without a hint of sympathy.
“What do you mean it’s about magical power and Qi energy!!!”
“It’s called Qi energy because it’s used by those who wield it.”
Jeong Ahyeon chuckled slightly at Hyeji, who was watching her with eyes shut.
“If you don’t like that term, then try to win.”
“Damn it.”
She wasn’t going to end it quietly.
This time, she would manifest an anti-tank rocket RPG.
Using two of her manifestation chances, she created the warhead and body separately.
She fired it straight at the slime, but the slime adeptly created an opening in its body and let it pass through.
The passing warhead only exploded into an empty blast behind the slime.
“Hah… It isn’t even flinching.”
“You know the odds, right? They’re too stacked against you.”
“Shit.”
“Don’t feel too bad. It’s the original who’s fighting.”
Looking back now, she had been too naïve.
Given that the slime had taken hits before, she had subconsciously thought it might absorb such a powerful attack too.
At that moment, the fatigue she had forgotten about crashed into her like a wave of despair.
It was as if everyone was saying you had lost.
Despondently, Hyeji sat down, watching the approaching slime blankly.
“Ha… damn. This is really frustrating.”
Finally, the slime reached Hyeji, and it opened its mouth wide, as if to swallow her whole without leaving anything behind.
As she felt powerless against such a fate, tears almost sprang to her eyes.
At that moment, Jeong Ahyeon, certain of her imminent victory, grinned widely.
Jeong Ahyeon spoke as if she was offering some mercy to Hyeji.
“Don’t worry. I’ll finish you off quickly—”
– BANG!!!!!!!!
“Ahhhhhhh!!!”
The sudden loud impact interrupted her words.
In surprise, the slime paused and retreated.
Simultaneously, red numbers appeared above Hyeji’s and Jeong Ahyeon’s heads, each rising by one.
*
Watching the slime charge at Hyeji, I thought.
Of course, I was lying down in a good viewing position, obviously.
‘So that’s the power only ability users can sense, huh?’
Magical power generated within one’s body upon awakening an ability.
In the end, Professor Pilyong’s research team must have developed a scanner that reads that magical power.
That meant I, with no magical power, would be deemed a powerless person.
So I recalled the earlier fight.
Initially, the summoned beasts generated in large quantities appeared to swarm toward the two of us.
But that slime was now zeroing in only on Hyeji—the harder target rather than me, who was easier to catch.
In other words, after Jeong Ahyeon closed her eyes, my position became undetectable.
Of course, if I made a sound, she’d catch on immediately.
Jeong Ahyeon had keen hearing, even if her eyes were shut.
I moved slowly, hiding my footsteps against the noise generated every time Hyeji clashed or fought.
Fortunately, Hyeji continued to flail about, reading the future.
‘Don’t break, you tool!’
Thanks to my diligent movements, I managed to sneak behind Jeong Ahyeon just as Hyeji was about to collapse.
Oblivious to the impending events, Jeong Ahyeon was still chattering away.
I was done for.
I steadied my mind and regulated my breathing. Staying calm was crucial to not mess things up.
Then, I carefully retrieved the item I had brought from within my clothes.
‘Ah… this cool, heavy feeling.’
As Jeong Ahyeon spoke, I seized that item with both hands and swung it down with all my might.
“Don’t worry. I’ll finish this quickly—”
“SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!”
– BANG!!!!!!!!
“Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!”
As Jeong Ahyeon screamed, the slime, which was about to swallow Hyeji, hesitated and fell back.
At the same time, the red number above Jeong Ahyeon’s head rose by one.
Hyeji also noticed the sudden turn of events and turned her gaze towards me, her expression dazed.
Then slowly, light returned to her eyes, and she began pointing at me.
Before she knew it, a red number had also appeared above Hyeji’s head.
“Huh? Huh? Hey! When did you get there? No, how??”
“Finally, that noisy little brat is quieted down.”
“What’s that big, thick thing you have??”
Ah.
So you recognized my magnificent—
Dragon Slayer (the book).
Seeing Jeong Ahyeon clutching her head and groaning brought me immense joy.
Though I wasn’t the target of her strikes, I followed the saying, “A chicken is better than a quail.”
“I almost died from a hit too, you little brat.”
“Uuhhh…”
“A sister’s fault is also a younger sibling’s fault!”
Then I raised the book high in the air.
A sinister smile bloomed on my face.
“You’re still not dead, right?”
“Ah… no way.”
“No way, Ahyeon!!!!”
“Yes way!!!!!”
With all my wrath, I slammed the book down onto Jeong Ahyeon’s head.
With each exclamation point, it counted as a hit, you bitch.
“I! DAMN! Took a hit! So why! DO YOU! KEEP! CHATTING!!!!”
– BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!!!!!!
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!”
Ultimately, Jeong Ahyeon foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
Meanwhile, the book I used to smack her remained intact.
Yeah.
This isn’t just any Dragon Slayer.
It’s a holy artifact.
Turning my back to Jeong Ahyeon, I walked towards Hyeji, gleefully shouting.
Just then, the sparring ground system was also shutting down.
“Hyeji, it’s over now. Let’s go collect our winnings!”
“Right! Money! Money!”
“Where… are you going?”
“Huh?”
The moment I turned around, Jeong Ahyeon, whom I thought had fainted, was glaring at me with a venomous look.
She was down, but those deadly eyes were fixed on me.
“I’m going to… definitely… kill you!”
Jeong Ahyeon closed her eyes, placing both hands on the ground, injecting white magical power into it.
Suddenly, the slime that had threatened Hyeji reappeared right in front of me.
Of course, its condition didn’t look all that great.
It was small and moving with a strange creak.
“Did you think you could win so desperately to violate my body?”
“I don’t care about your body! We’re going to collect our payment, you bastard!”
“That’s not happening!!!!”
As soon as Jeong Ahyeon finished her sentence, the slime began glowing brightly.
At first, the light was smaller than a lightbulb, but soon it became blindingly bright.
“Damn the light!”
“I’ll blow it up!!”
“Jeong Ahyeon! The sparring is already over! Please stop!”
“I don’t care!!!! Hahahahahaha!!!!”
The moment was imminent before Jeong Ahyeon could detonate the flash bomb.
Just then, a small figure leaped toward me.
It was Hyeji.
She dashed out, generating a thick triple shield, and slammed it down hard on the ground.
With that small frame, she held firm, blocking the immense explosion head-on.
With a tremendous roar, the field started to fill with blinding light.
“DIE!!!!!”
– KABOOM!!!!!!!!
An enormous explosion erupted, but the Hyeji in front of me didn’t take a single step back.
When the explosion finally ended, the colors of the world began to return one by one.
The sturdy triple shield protecting me began cracking and ultimately shattered into pieces.
Hyeji, having taken the brunt of it, gasped for breath as she looked at me.
“I… held the shield.”
“Yeah.”
But then she began to pass out.
I gently caught Hyeji as she collapsed, laying her down carefully.
“Oh, Hyeji. From today on, you are no longer a utility support.”
And then I stepped back towards the ongoing battle.
I tightened my grip on the book and declared.
“I’m a core support.”
Jeong Ahyeon looked at me wide-eyed, unable to accept the current situation.
As she watched me approach her slowly, filled with intent to kill, Jeong Ahyeon finally showed her first expression of fear.
With her unmoving legs, she forced herself to try and distance herself from me.
“Don’t come… don’t come… I told you not to come near me!!!!”
But even at her plea, I continued to advance.
Finally reaching in front of Jeong Ahyeon, I raised the book high and shouted.
“Take this! Three Talents Sword Technique!!!”
“Attack with a sword, at least!!!!”
– BANG!!!!
She crashed down onto the ground.
Perhaps remnants of the explosion lingered because my final attack came along with the shattering of the book.
Shredded pieces of paper fluttered into the sky.
Those floating pieces reached the classmates staring blankly.
The sight resembled paper scraps whimsically dancing in the wind like lottery tickets torn into bits.
Lord Gorushi, are you watching?
Just like you, I’ve wrecked the elite class.
As I approached the still-screaming group of students, I began to collect my payments.
I confirmed that the money I was owed and the money Hyeji made from the betting both hit their respective accounts.
An immense sum.
Once the collection was complete, I gingerly scooped up the unconscious Hyeji.
Before heading to the infirmary, I turned back to give a phrase to the students still struggling to adapt to reality.
A quote from one of my favorite novels.
“Hey, elite class. Are you coming to your senses?”
Once again, the students’ cries erupted louder, but my laughter couldn’t help but grow.
With a big grin, I finally reached the infirmary.
“Yerim, express delivery!”
“Oh! You’re here! You can just lay her down right here.”
…Why’s she reacting so naturally?
Is that experience that comes with age?
“Am I dead?”
“Yep…”
The little brat’s intuition is sharp.
I dodged Yerim’s gaze that was imbued with murderous intent.
And to lighten the mood, I hastily brought up another topic.
“It seems like you have a lot of patients? You’re speaking so cheerfully.”
“Nah. I was actually watching your sparring match.”
????
I’ve never streamed, though.
Seeing my confused expression, Yerim added an explanation.
“Normally, if the scale is big enough to bet on, they’ll broadcast it on the academy channel and allow betting as well.”
“Then why are you so cheerful?”
“I bet three months of salary on you. So I’m super happy right now.”
Is she crazy?
“Are you insane? Why would you bet on me?”
“Because our Yerang taught me, I just assumed you’d win!”
“But you barely reached out to me two weeks ago!”
“How could I have known you’d be this charming~? I’m even looking for a venue right now~.”
“You’re driving me crazy.”
Carefully laying Hyeji down, I gently wiped off the dust from her mouth, neck, and face with a tissue.
She’s definitely cute.
Though when she opens her mouth, it feels different.
“I’m glad to see you’re doing well with Kang-hyuk.”
Suddenly, Yerim’s cheerful expression tightened.
With a serious face, she leaned closer and asked.
“…What’s his name again?”
“We didn’t even introduce ourselves? Didn’t we just exchange contact info two weeks ago?”
“No… it’s just that we seemed to click very well.”
Awkwardly scratching her head, Yerim continued.
“Anyway, that guy’s name is Ryu Kang-hyuk.”
“…Seriously?”
“Why?”
In that moment, Yerim’s expression changed.
She looked like she had just met her long-dreamed idol.
“Oh my! You’re telling me I’ve been talking about Kang-hyuk this entire time?”
“Kang-hyuk…?”
“Thank you so much, Shinwoo. My dream has come true, thank you!”
Yerim’s eyes filled with tears as she grabbed my hand and shook it up and down.
I was left bewildered, struggling to process the current situation.
“Wait, why are you acting like this? Speak slowly.”
“You really don’t know who he is?”
“Just the crazy guy who steals side dishes from my house.”
Yerim’s gaze shifted back to that of a deranged idiot.
Then it returned to seriousness as she spoke.
“You don’t get it.”
“He claimed he used to be quite famous back in the day?”
In that moment, Yerim’s voice rose in pitch, as if saying, “Don’t talk nonsense!”
“A bit??? A BIT??? He was an absolute idol!”
“What the hell are you making such a fuss about like those old fools introducing trot singers?”
But what followed next was something I wasn’t sure I heard correctly.
“He’s the first and youngest Master Class Hunter.”
“Eh?….”
“Ryu Kang-hyuk. The Hunter who first reached Master Class beyond the Diamond rank.”
I simply couldn’t believe the situation unfolding before me.
As for me, whether I believed it or not, Yerim carried on.
“Any Master Class that’s formed after him isn’t as young as he is.”
“…Oh damn.”
Is this a light novel?
My next-door neighbor turned out to be the ultimate Hunter?
Ah, this is definitely a light novel.
