Chapter 120. How Dare You

Kim Do-Joon left the academy grounds and entered the forest. He walked at a steady pace, scanning every inch.

There were three things he needed to figure out: an escape route, locations where he could find food and water, and lastly, about whether any dangerous monsters lurked nearby. None of these could be overlooked.

With these objectives in mind, Kim Do-Joon pressed forward.

Alright, there’s nothing too unusual so far.

Two hours had passed since he began exploring. He traced a spiral pattern outward from the academy, making sure not to miss anything significant. He chose this path specifically so that if anything happened at the academy, he could run back in a straight line. However, after circling the area multiple times, he hadn’t found anything noteworthy.

Does this mean there are no monsters around here?

It was fortunate, at least. Not all dungeons were crawling with monsters, and the same seemed to apply to this part of the Stem. Not having to worry about an immediate threat from monsters was a relief.

Although he felt a tinge of relief, he didn’t let his guard down. There were still two other pieces of information he had to uncover.

There’s a stream. That should take care of the water problem.

And these fruits... Can I eat them?

Still no signs of an exit...

He sketched a rough map of the forest on a piece of paper, marking the locations he had discovered—the stream and the trees bearing fruit. He pocketed a few of the fruits, planning to test them later. If they turned out to be safe, he could come back for more.

Though he had not found an exit, things seemed relatively calm, just as the instructors had anticipated. Most of the students and instructors were skilled, and even those with a single stat point were much more adaptable than the average person in such situations.

Still, I should keep looking for an exit...

With that in mind, Kim Do-Joon moved briskly through the forest, never stopping, covering ground faster than most people. Three hours later, he noticed something odd.

This is really weird... There’s no traces at all... not even a hint.

At first, he had chalked it up to there simply being no monsters around, but now it became strange. It wasn’t a barren wasteland, either. There were streams and fruit-bearing trees.

Suddenly, a new possibility crept into his mind. Perhaps, this forest was being controlled by some sort of entity. But if that were the case, there would’ve been signs. Yet there was none, not even a hint of whoever might be managing this place.

...

Kim Do-Joon suddenly stopped in his tracks. A troubling thought began to form in his mind. He knew of only one being who could not only control the forest but also move through it without leaving a trace.

— Bzzz...

Hunter, Kim Do-Joon!

At that moment, the walkie talkie on his left shoulder buzzed. Without a second thought, Kim Do-Joon spun around and started sprinting toward the academy.

Boom!

At that moment, he saw a red plume of smoke shot into the sky from the direction of the academy. It was a signal flare.

— Please hurry! We’re under attack!

A panicked voice came through the walkie talkie.

“Damn it.”

Kim Do-Joon gritted his teeth, his expression darkening as a murderous aura flared up around him.

He used his Sky Thunder skill, causing a sharp burst of energy. The air around him seemed to explode as he propelled himself toward the academy at breakneck speed.

***

“Hold them back! Protect the kids!” yelled Park Do-Yeol.

His voice strained as arrows crashed through the windows with a sharp

ping

, filling the building. Most of the arrows were aimed at the teachers and security guards, but a few veered dangerously close to the children.

Whoosh! Thud!

Park Do-Yeol swatted away the arrows heading toward the students in a desperate move. Once trained as a C-rank Hunter, he handled it without much trouble, deflecting the attacks.

“

Urgh!

” Park Do-Yeol groaned.

“Mr. Park!” one of the students cried out.

In his haste to protect the kids, one arrow grazed his thigh. The wound was deep, causing searing pain to shoot up his leg.

“Kang Tae-Won! Take the students and protect the kids!” Park Do-Yeol shouted.

Although his instruction was brief, his message was clearly understood. He wanted Kang Tae-Won to gather students with good grades to protect the younger children.

“Ah, y-yes, yes! Hey, get up, now!” Kang Tae-Won hurriedly commanded the others.

“O-okay,” they replied shakily.

Their bravados, boasting that they could easily reach A or even B rank, had vanished. Now, in the chaos of real battle with blood and flesh flying around them, all they could do was freeze. However, despite their fear, their training kicked in, and they quickly gathered themselves to help the teachers however they could.

"Stay focused, everyone!" Park Do-Yeol barked. "Hunter Kim Do-Joon will be here to save us any minute now!"

“Yes, sir!” the students shouted back, some regaining a sliver of hope.

“Understood, Teacher!” one of the security guards added.

No one knew exactly who had launched the sudden barrage of arrows, but one thing was clear—whoever they were, they wouldn’t stand a chance against Kim Do-Joon. That hope was enough to keep them going and wait for him to arrive.

Suddenly, the volley of arrows came to an unsettling halt. Soon, a voice echoed through the hall.

“If our younger ones can make this much impact, these humans are definitely not as strong...”

A group of figures entered the auditorium. They were armed with small blades and compact bows slung over their shoulders. The leader, who stood at the front, had a total of twenty small daggers floating around him, hovering mid-air like sentinels.

“Who are you! And why are you attacking us!” Park Do-Yeol shouted, stepping forward.

He gawked at the attackers' appearance. Instead of monsters, they looked almost human, dressed like members of an indigenous tribe.

“There’s no need to answer him,” the leader said, tilting his head with a cruel smirk.

At that moment, something else caught Park Do-Yeol’s eyes. They all had long, slender ears, far longer than any human’s.

Elves!

The elves were a race that had emerged with the appearance of the World Tree, throwing the entire world into chaos. They worshiped the tree that birthed monsters and held a deep-seated hatred for humanity.

Damn it!

After realizing they were elves, Park Do-Yeol gritted his teeth. He knew all too well about elves! As a teacher at the academy, he had studied them extensively. Elves had appeared even during the infamous Hwaseong disaster, the same day they made their first appearance here at the academy.

That day, a terrifying elf named Eldora barged into the underground shelter with sheer force. The one who had fought and stopped him back then was Kim Do-Joon.

Park Do-Yeol had also witnessed the man’s heroic stand that day in the shelter. Ever since, he had been an avid fan, even before the subjugation of the Giant Woodland.

When will he get here?

Park Do-Yeol wondered anxiously, gulping nervously. It had been five hours since Kim Do-Joon left to explore the forest, but they had only sent out the distress call a few minutes ago. No matter how fast he was, even Kim Do-Joon could not possibly cover a five-hour distance in five minutes?

We need to buy time...

Park Do-Yeol realized, stepping forward once more with resolve.

“I am Park Do-Yeol, a teacher from the high school division of this academy. Are you elves from these lands?”

The elf leader raised an eyebrow, seemingly intrigued.

“Oh? You know about us?” asked the elf captain.

"Did you forget, Captain? Elsar and Eldora once ventured into their world, didn’t they?" one of the elves asked.

"Ah, that’s right," the captain nodded, as if reminded of something trivial.

Hearing the name Eldora sent a chill down Park Do-Yeol’s spine.

Could these elves really be connected to that Eldora? In that case, we have to hide the fact that we witnessed his death.

"W-we were dragged into this place by forces beyond our control!" Park Do-Yeol blurted out, trying desperately to avoid provoking them. "We have no intention of being your enemies!"

Park Do-Yeol kept talking to the elf. The fact that they were conscious beings, allowing him to communicate with them, brought him some relief.

“You said Eldora was killed by humans, right? Then we’ll have to hold them accountable for that,” the captain said.

“What...?” Park Do-Yeol muttered.

Despite everything that was said and done, it became clear that negotiation was not an option.

“Leave a few of them alive, but kill the rest. That one, the noisy one—spare him. He looks like he knows something,” the captain ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

Thud!

Following the captain’s command, the elf soldiers charged forward all at once. Teachers and security guards scrambled to hold them back.

Clang! Clang!

In terms of sheer numbers, humans should’ve had the advantage since they could gang up on a single elf. Even so, the fight was completely one-sided.

“

Aaagh!

”

“Mr. Kim!”

With a single slash, the elves cut through humans’ weapons as if they were nothing. On the other hand, none of their attacks even came close to hitting the elves.

Above all, no one could take on the lead elf.

“

Hmmm

.”

After dispatching his subordinates, the captain stood with his arms crossed, watching the fight unfold. Even without his involvement, it was clear that they could wipe everyone out soon enough.

However, something caught his eye. A group of very young children were huddled together, separated from the other students.

“We don’t need kids. They’re of no use whatsoever.”

The elf captain muttered under his breath. Then, in a flash, he launched himself toward the children.

“Stop!”

Several students, including Kang Tae-Won, rushed to block his path.

Swoosh—!

However, with just a few flicks of his hand, the elf captain sent them flying. They weren’t trained Hunters, and most of them had never been in a real fight. They stood no chance against him.

“

Waaaah

—

!

”

“Mommy—! Daddy—!”

The atmosphere had been tense for a while, and now the children were crying uncontrollably. Normally, Kwon Soo-Young would have calmed them down, but this was not the time for that.

I have to...

Kwon Soo-Young, now standing in the elf captain’s way, threw a punch aimed directly at his face. Her fist was glowing faintly with mana.

Despite being a weak skill, Mana Gauntlet had earned her a C-rank. The next moment, the elf captain caught her fist effortlessly.

Smack.

“How annoying,” the elf captain muttered, narrowing his eyes.

As if on cue, one of the swords that floated around him plummeted from the air like a lightning bolt.

Slash!

“

Aaargh!

”

The blade sliced across Kwon Soo-Young, carving a long gash. Blood sprayed from the wound, and she collapsed to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.

As the other children erupted into panicked cries, one of them broke free from the group and ran toward the collapsed Kwon Soo-Young.

“Teacher—!”

The high-pitched scream echoed through the auditorium, and in the next moment, complete, utter silence descended upon them. The elf soldiers, the teachers and security guards battling them, even the elf captain—all came to a halt.

The reason wasn’t because the noise was too loud, but something far more profound. The energy within the child’s voice, something far beyond what anyone in the room could comprehend, made even the elf captain gulp in nervousness. Then, the elf captain glanced down, eyes narrowing in disbelief.

Did I... step back because of a child?

The faint marks on the floor showed that he had subconsciously taken not one, but two steps back. This didn’t make sense to him. The child’s aura wasn’t filled with bloodlust or any deliberate force, nor was she looking at him. She was still clutching the unconscious woman.

W-what the hell is with this kid?

Then, the elf captain saw a shimmering, white mirror manifesting beside the child. The surface of the mirror pulsed with energy, healing Kwon Soo-Young’s deep wound. The injury that should’ve left her bleeding to death was visibly closing, the blood flow slowing to a halt.

This child has to die!

The captain was determined, glaring at the child with bloodshot eyes. The power in that child’s scream, and the ability to heal such severe wounds in seconds—either ability would be a threat on its own. And this child possessed both.

If left to grow, she’d become a monumental threat![1]

Swoosh—!

The next moment, the elf captain’s twenty floating blades began to move in unison, pointing directly at the child. He raised his palm toward her.

I don’t hold anything against you, but for the sake of the greater good, I can’t let you live!

Not that he intended to spare anyone here, anyway.

As he clenched his fist, the blades shot forward, streaking through the air like arrows. They were aimed at a single point—the small child. At that moment, the mirror beside the child flared with an intense mana of its own, clashing against the blades’ mana. The two forces collided, filling the entire auditorium with a blinding white light.

Did I get her?

The elf captain wondered, squinting his eyes against the glow. However, as the light faded, the scene that unfolded left him stunned. The blades had disintegrated without a trace, swallowed by the mirror’s mana.

Then, a deep, growling voice cut through the silence.

“How dare you lay a hand on her?”

Before the elf captain could react, a hand clamped around his throat with crushing force.

“

Aaargh!

”

1. And that’s how you sign your death warrant with Kim Do-Joon, folks. ☜