Correcting the Villainess of the Academy - Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Dream’s Boundary (18)
Thi s wa s c o p ied fro m k i n gmt l . or g

“How did you really know? I drained all the dark magic, so it shouldn’t have shown up on any filters.”

“I just took a chance. If you hadn’t reacted, I’d never have known.”

“Damn it…”

The dark mage cursed under his breath, realizing he had been outsmarted. Swiftly, he moved behind the barricade, putting distance between himself and Lee Hyun before any additional attacks could land.

Lee Hyun observed him. The intense dark magic emanating from the man made it clear he was at least at the level of a red-ranked wanted criminal.

This meant he was likely a high-ranking officer within the rebels. Dealing with him using the initial escape plan was out of the question.

“What… What does this mean? Then the original supervisor…?”

Yeon Minha’s face was filled with shock as the truth dawned on her. The person who had presented themselves as Manager Chun Hwaseong was indeed listed in the database.

T h i s w as co pi e d f r om k i ngm t l . or g
There were only two possibilities: either the real Chun Hwaseong had been killed and replaced, or the identity had been fabricated from the start.

“He’s dead. He resisted a lot, so it took some effort to handle him. By now, he’s been digested in a beast’s stomach.”
Thi s w a s c o p ied f r o m kin g m t l . o r g

The man smirked through his glasses, causing Yeon Minha to grit her teeth and glare at him.

“You bastard… How dare you deceive me?”

“Ha, for someone from one of the Five Families, you have quite a foul mouth, don’t you?”

He snapped his fingers, the sound echoing loudly. Soon, figures clad in dark clothing began to gather around him, as if responding to a signal.

“What… What is this…?”

“Are they all dark mages…?”

Despair filled the students’ faces as they realized they were surrounded.

The figures encircling them were fully developed dark mages, their bodies significantly altered. Each one was far superior to the bait they had encountered earlier.

[Laugh… Young wizards from the Cradle… It’s been a while since I’ve tasted something sweet…]

[Look at their frightened faces… Hilarious, absolutely hilarious!]

Ominous laughter and flicking tongues filled the air, mixed with the low growls and claw sharpening of their summoned beasts.

“…I guess you didn’t lose after all.”

“Lose? Don’t make me laugh.”

The dark mage who had impersonated Manager Chun sneered at Lee Hyun’s murmur.

T h i s w a s c o p ie d f r om k in g mtl . o r g
“We chose to infiltrate rather than engage in futile battles. Times have changed. It was a long wait… A very long wait…”

“Did you also kill the Governor Yang?”

“Yes. The old man was too careless. After three years of effort, how could he have known?”

The man bragged, making the group shrink back even more.

Their leader, Governor Yang, was dead. The city was filled with the smell of blood and screams.

Just counting the enemies around them, there were over 200. That was enough to form an entire battalion, and most were not rejects or mutants but actual dark mages.

The manager guiding them had been a rebel infiltrator from the start. The city walls could no longer protect them. Jinryeong, the city of bread, had fallen.

Even students from the Cradle knew that fighting in such a situation would only lead to meaningless deaths. Many were injured and had lost their fighting spirit, while others trembled at their impending doom.

Lee Hyun quickly assessed the situation. He leaned closer to Yeon Minha, who was glaring at the enemy, and whispered quietly.

“Senior. We need to retreat.”

Yeon Minha shook her head slightly.

“…There’s no way. You saw… There’s no way to break through them… We might as well die with honor…”

“I’ll hold them off.”

“What…?”
T h i s wa s c o p i e d fr o m k i ng m t l .or g

Yeon Minha looked at him in disbelief.

“Senior, take the others and head to the North Gate. The gate cities are directly managed by the central government, so there shouldn’t be any infiltrators there. Go and report the situation to request reinforcements.”

T h i s w a s c o p ie d f r o m k i n g m tl . o r g
“…That’s absurd. Even with your skills, you can’t hold them off alone. Even if Lady Hae Wolhwa were here…”

“I know. But someone has to stay and hold them off. We can’t all die here.”

“But…”

“And in this situation, I’m the only one who can stay. Go. If the encirclement tightens, it’ll be even harder to escape.”

“But…”

“Senior. That’s an order.”

“…Ugh.”

At Lee Hyun’s firm words, Yeon Minha flinched and looked at him.

“Hurry. Who knows, if I kill all these bastards, I might even get the Geumseong Martial Honor.”

“What…?”

Yeon Minha’s eyes widened. Lee Hyun was surprised as well. It was the first time he had ever joked with her.

For a moment, Yeon Minha stood silently. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she bit her lower lip and turned to the students.

“…Alright. Suhee, take care of the injured. Leave the baggage and take only anti-particle suits and weapons. Go out the back door. Quickly.”

“What? But…!”

“I said move quickly!”

Yeon Minha shouted at another flustered second-year girl. The sound of everyone leaving filled the air, and someone spoke to Lee Hyun from behind.

“…You. If you dare die here after treating me like that, I’ll never forgive you. Ever.”

The voice was filled with anger and determination. For some reason, Lee Hyun felt strangely comforted by her familiar spitefulness.

T h i s w a s c o p i e d f ro m k in g mtl . or g
“I’ll come back quickly.”

Then, the sound of footsteps faded down the hallway.

“Stupid kid. Did you get inspired by a fairy tale about heroism?”
T hi s wa s c op ie d f r o m k in g mtl . o r g

Lee Hyun stepped forward, raising his blade. The man with the glasses stepped up, mocking him further.

“Kid. Even if you were Hae Wolhwa, you couldn’t overcome this number difference. Didn’t they teach you that in the Cradle? Or did you forget because you’re too dumb?”

The man’s words were met with relaxed laughter and jeers from all around. They seemed to have no intention of chasing the others. They planned to deal with him quickly and then hunt down the rest like rabbits.

T h i s wa s co p i e d f ro m ki ng m t l . or g
Despite being a dark mage, the man’s words were true.

To properly face one dark mage, it took three wizards with equivalent power.

Professor Shin Jae-yu, who taught dueling and magical combat, repeated this every class.

Dark magic, though unstable, possessed devastating destructive power.

Fighting many at once was not Lee Hyun’s forte. His unique magic was designed for one-on-one battles with strong opponents. Moreover, he had a time limit due to the strain on his body.

“…No.”

Nevertheless, he did not lower his blade. He activated a magic circle and spread it through his body, extending his unique magic even further. He then took out and swallowed two pills: a stimulant and an accelerant.

His head spun and his heart pounded, his veins felt like they were being slashed. The aftereffects would be severe, but for now, the pills would make his body more suitable for magic.

He lifted his blade and aimed at the man’s chest. Despite the intensified jeering and laughter, he remained unfazed.
Th is w a s c o pi e d fr om k i ng m tl . o r g

“Two hundred… That’s doable.”

***

“Hah… Hah…”

Lee Hyun panted heavily under his mask. The ground beneath him was soaked with sticky, foul-smelling blood.

He lifted his head and looked around. Severed heads and limbs littered the floor, making it hard to distinguish between human and beast corpses.

In front of him, a man lay in the debris, blood bubbling from his mouth. He was the only other living thing besides Lee Hyun in the vicinity. Missing his lower half and right arm, it was a wonder he was still alive.

Lee Hyun approached him. Each step splashed the blood, and fear filled the man’s red eyes behind his glasses.

“This… This is impossible…”

“I told you… Hah… That two hundred was doable.”

“You monster… Cough… Cough!”

Lee Hyun pressed his blood-soaked blade to the dark mage’s neck.

“That power… Cough…! I’ve never heard of such magic…”

“I haven’t heard of it either. So I can’t answer you.”

Since the man had witnessed his power, Lee Hyun had no intention of letting him live. He was just trying to extract any useful information before killing him.

End of Chapter