Hunter Bank [Illustration]
Tuesday, 8th and 9th periods: Villain Response Training.
On this day, the students taking the class had to take turns switching between the roles of hunter and villain and carry out the assigned missions.
With a makeshift abandoned building as the setting, the hunters had to rescue the hostage imprisoned on the top floor and escape, while the villains had to stop them.
“Gyeonu, a message came from downstairs. They say the hunters broke through the entrance.”
“…They’ll be flooding up soon.”
“My body’s itching to fight already! Do Gyeonu! Can’t I just go down there too!?”
“No. A villain who looks important doesn’t show himself first. If you go out now, you won’t be any different from the villains downstairs. So wait until I give the signal. Haerang, you want to get a good score too, don’t you?”
“Tch, fine. But I really will get a chance to shine, right?”
“Yeah, I guarantee it.”
Kang Hanbyeol and Bak Sagun took the role of hunters, while Yong Haerang and I took the role of villains.
Appointed as the boss of the villains, I waited for the hunters on the top floor with Yong Haerang and the others.
According to the report, the hunters, led by Kang Hanbyeol, had defeated the villains stationed at the entrance and were rapidly making their way up.
Some time passed after that.
Kwa-kwa-kwang!
A violent explosion erupted below.
It was strong enough to shake the abandoned building.
Sitting in a chair with my legs crossed, I caught my balance so I wouldn’t topple over.
The villain from the floor below came up after the aftershock of the explosion subsided.
His face was covered in soot.
“Th-the hunters caused an explosion! Because of that, the 7th floor was wiped out, and they’ve reached the 8th floor!”
“Are they the villains or what!? What are they going to do if the building collapses after setting off an explosion like that!? Do they not know we have a hostage right now!?”
The villains who received the report with me were dumbfounded and clicked their tongues.
Sharing their feelings, I quietly sank into thought.
‘Did Hanbyeol plan this?’
Among the hunters currently making their way up, the only one I could think of who would use a tactic that defied common sense was Kang Hanbyeol.
If he was the one leading the hunters, he would certainly consider something like this.
I let out a chuckle and calmed the villains down.
“If they’ve reached the 8th floor, they’ll be fighting the underlings now.”
“The twins’ teamwork is pretty famous. Won’t they buy us some time?”
“No, even then, they won’t be a match for Hanbyeol.”
I shook my head at the villains’ optimistic expectations.
I had entrusted the 8th floor to the triplets, but to be honest, if they were among the Four Heavenly Kings, they were nothing more than the weakest.
It was obvious we would soon receive a report that they had been defeated by Kang Hanbyeol.
And sure enough.
“C-Cerberus has been defeated! The hunters are advancing to the 9th floor with unstoppable momentum!”
“Don’t they rest!? Don’t they regroup!? Why are they coming up right away!?”
The triplets failed to hold out for long and fell to Kang Hanbyeol.
The villains could not hide their bewilderment at Kang Hanbyeol’s skill, which seemed to mock their expectations.
As an aside, Cerberus was the alias the triplets had been pushing ever since they entered the academy.
Since this was a class where acting in a manner fitting one’s role could earn extra points, they had happily put it forward.
“Judging by how fast the underlings were broken through, the 9th floor will fall in no time too. Looks like the time has come for you to go down and face them, Haerang. Hide your presence, and as soon as the hunters defeat the 9th-floor boss, barge in immediately.”
“So my turn has finally come! Interrupting midway is not righteous, but since I am a villain right now, I shall act wickedly!”
Yong Haerang, who had been itching to move all this time, could no longer suppress his excitement and immediately dashed down to the floor below.
If he joined the fight, the hunters’ losses would be no small matter.
I sent down additional forces and decided to wait and see how many hunters could reach the top floor.
‘Until then, I should keep watch over the hostage.’
In preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, I ordered the villains remaining on the top floor to guard the entrance.
Then I walked over to the hostage locked behind the iron bars.
“You’ve noticed too, haven’t you? That’s right. The hunters are coming to save you. Without even knowing they’re stepping into their graves.”
To earn extra points, I had to act like a villain.
Displaying the dignity of a final boss, I spoke to the hostage.
Kyuuung?
An adorably small white rabbit.
Truly, it was a cute rabbit that had no choice but to become a hostage.
The rabbit, which had been busily munching on grass, perked up its ears when it saw me.
At the same time, perhaps frightened by my dignity, it began dropping bead-like pellets.
“They don’t know, do they?”
Kyuung?
“That you’ve already fallen to me. I wonder what faces they’ll make when they see that you’ve submitted to me.”
Kyuung, kyuung! Crunch, crunch…
I pushed the carrot in my hand between the bars.
The hostage seemed to forget all dignity, unable to resist the carrot.
It even started acting cute.
“You bewitching thing. You wanted my carrot that badly? Then let’s see you act cute for it.”
I felt a sense of conquest toward the hostage, who had completely become subordinate to me.
The corners of my mouth rose on their own.
Just then, the ground shook violently, and a moment later, I heard people coming up the stairs.
It seemed even Yong Haerang had finally been broken through.
“Is it my turn now?”
Soon, I turned away from the hostage and fixed my eyes on the stairwell entrance.
Around me, villains stood by, ready to follow my orders at any moment.
I felt sorry for the hunters, but I intended to attack them before they reached the top floor.
At last, when they entered range, I gave the order to attack.
‘They must be worn out from climbing up, so I’ll make them lose even more strength here.’
Exposed to attacks on the stairs, the hunters screamed with no way to respond.
Their formation collapsed in an instant.
Even so, there were some who stubbornly blocked the attacks and tried to force a path through.
I ordered the villains to concentrate their attacks on them while searching for Kang Hanbyeol and Bak Sagun, who should have been somewhere nearby.
‘Where are they?’
No matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t find the two of them.
Bak Sagun might have stayed behind on another floor to clear out the remnants, but it made no sense that Kang Hanbyeol was nowhere to be seen.
It was then that I heard a sound.
[10th floor.]
“…”
It was the sound of the elevator doors opening.
Stunned by the tactic that had caught me off guard, I turned around.
From the elevator in the corner of the 10th floor, Kang Hanbyeol was walking out with the hunters.
I could only let out a hollow laugh.
“…You got me. I never thought you’d show up riding that.”
“Master told me to use anything I could use.”
Kang Hanbyeol giggled.
Immediately after.
As if by unspoken agreement, we closed the distance and swung our swords.
* * *
Do Gyeonu was one thing, and Kang Hanbyeol was another.
Not only was their skill at wielding a sword exceptional, but their ability to read and respond to their opponent’s intentions was also anything but ordinary.
Moreover, they were searching for the next move in order to get ahead of their opponent.
Their constantly shifting eyes and the way their movements briefly hesitated for an instant were proof of it.
As the two clashed swords, they were waging a battle of moves in a world of their own, invisible to the eye.
Both of them seemed as if they would not fall short even when compared to hunters currently active in the field.
In fact, even the second- and third-year students taking the class with them could not move a muscle.
‘…Impressive.’
A realm known as the cognitive world.
Though still rough around the edges, the two had set foot into a realm one could only reach after achieving a certain level of accomplishment.
Watching through the monitors in the control room, Su Hoguk was purely impressed.
Among the first-year students belonging to the swordsmanship track, their talent could be called unmatched.
‘And they still have room to grow from there. Youth really is the ultimate cheat. The kids living in the same era as them must feel quite a bit of inferiority.’
Su Hoguk did not even glance at the other students, focusing his gaze solely on them.
He left the evaluations to the assistants helping with the class.
In the midst of that, his eyes, which had been busily following the battle between the two, gleamed.
‘…Is he left-handed?’
Su Hoguk paid attention to Kang Hanbyeol’s line of sight and direction of movement.
He had not noticed when he was not consciously watching, but while Kang Hanbyeol used his sword with his right hand, he showed left-handed tendencies.
Whenever he took something into his sight, his gaze always moved from right to left, and when changing direction, he mainly placed his center of gravity to the left.
‘Why is he using his right hand?’
Naturally, the question arose.
Was it to create a strange disharmony and irregularity, catching his opponent off guard?
Su Hoguk could not easily come to a conclusion.
Meanwhile, his doubts shifted to Do Gyeonu.
[This is a bit dangerous, isn’t it?]
“And yet your mouth is smiling.”
The villains, who had needed to deploy their personnel appropriately on each floor, were at a numerical disadvantage against the hunters.
Because of that, each person had to face several opponents.
In particular, Do Gyeonu, who had been assigned as the boss of the villains, had to fight even more hunters than the others.
Kang Hanbyeol was not the only one he had to deal with.
Even so…
‘He really is good at dodging.’
Do Gyeonu was showing that he would not be pushed back even by multiple opponents.
His ability to react to and evade attacks coming from every direction was truly astonishing.
What was even more shocking was that he dodged attacks outside his field of vision as if it were nothing.
It made one wonder just how sensitive he was to presences.
No, even if he were sensitive, it would be meaningless if his body could not keep up.
And it was not only his body.
To dodge a barrage of attacks, the time needed to judge would inevitably grow longer.
Yet in every movement he had displayed, there was no delay whatsoever.
In conclusion, that meant he was moving reflexively.
‘How is that possible…?’
It could only be explained as the realm of talent, something effort alone could do nothing about.
No matter how high a realm someone had reached, they would envy Do Gyeonu’s talent.
In other words, if he were to attain the same godlike realm as them, then an unprecedented swordsman would surely be born.
“…”
As an instructor who pursued the sword and taught swordsmanship.
Thinking that he could guide a student who possessed innate talent for the sword made his heart swell.
However, Do Gyeonu also had a problem.
“He didn’t need to dodge that just now. What a pity.”
He had felt this during the Extreme Mountain March class too, but…
Because Do Gyeonu focused on dodging, he seemed unable to think in a complex manner.
Dodging was not always the answer.
At times, one had to know how to block an attack and use that as an opportunity to create a move.
His consummate skill at evasion was currently far from efficient.
‘How should I fix that…?’
Su Hoguk sank into thought.
Meanwhile, even if Do Gyeonu remained in good shape, the point of the class was to complete the mission assigned to each role.
“…The hunters have won.”
With little time left.
The hunters providing support from the rear were secretly approaching the hostage.
They took out the rabbit trapped in the cage.
[Hanbyeol! We rescued the hostage!]
[We won! Everyone, let’s escape!]
[Keep Gyeonu pinned down so we can escape with the rabbit!]
[…They got me.]
Only one minute remained now.
Realistically, it was impossible for Do Gyeonu to take the rabbit back.
As if he thought the same, the him on the screen was wearing a bitter smile.
But he did not give up.
Out of nowhere, he called to the rabbit in the supporter’s arms.
[Rabbit! I’ll give you a carrot, come here.]
Immediately after, the tide turned.
Upon hearing Do Gyeonu’s words, the rabbit suddenly kicked off from the supporter’s arms.
[Wh-what the!?]
[How can something like this happen!?]
[H-hurry and catch it! Catch it!]
The hunters panicked and fell into confusion.
Reading the situation, the villains rushed at them with all their might.
In the meantime, the rabbit nimbly bounded and leapt into Do Gyeonu’s arms.
At that very moment, the time limit ran out.
[Beep—!]
[Looks like we won, doesn’t it?]
[…]
[It says it likes me more than you guys. You should have treated it well from the start.]
With the hostage having returned to the villain, the hunters were left speechless.
Kang Hanbyeol seemed just as unable to foresee this situation, for he merely blinked in a daze.
“Well, now….”
Su Hoguk was the same.
It was so absurd that he clicked his tongue and shrugged his shoulders.
Then he burst into hearty laughter.
“Well, I’ve seen everything now.”
It was something he had not anticipated, and above all, not a case he particularly preferred, but winning over a hostage was also a suitably villainous method.
After some deliberation, Su Hoguk decided to raise his hand for the villains rather than the Hunters.
Thus, Kang Hanbyeol and Do Gyeonu’s evaluations were as follows.
Kang Hanbyeol (Hunter)
—Commanded the hostage rescue operation, bonus 3 points
—Ingenious ideas (use of the elevator, etc.), bonus 2 points
—Behavior unbecoming of a Hunter (explosion on the 7th floor), penalty 2 points
—Behavior unbecoming of a Hunter (torturing villains), penalty 1 point
—Behavior unbecoming of a Hunter (looting weapons), penalty 1 point
—Behavior unbecoming….
—Defeated floor bosses 6 times, bonus 6 points
—Combat ability, bonus 1 point
—Total: 6 points
Do Gyeonu (Villain)
—Commanded the operation to repel the Hunters, bonus 3 points
—Acting suited to his role, bonus 1 point
—Character that treats comrades like expendable goods, bonus 1 point
—Combat ability, bonus 1 point
—Hostage management, bonus 1 point
—Hostage surveillance, bonus 1 point
—Winning over a hostage, bonus 1 point
—Villain team victory, bonus 1 point
—Total: 10 points
“Hmm….”
After looking at the two evaluations,
Su Hoguk’s expression darkened.
He muttered uneasily.
“And they say they want to become Hunters after this?”
He could only pray earnestly.
He simply hoped that when the two graduated from the Academy, they would not become villains.
* * *
Most of the animals used in class were raised in the breeding grounds on campus.
After class ended, Do Gyeonu voluntarily went to the breeding grounds to return the rabbit that had been used as a hostage.
Kang Hanbyeol, Bak Sagun, and Yong Haerang had other classes afterward, so they could not accompany him.
Instead, Yeon Haneul and Cha Eunsol, who had finished all their Tuesday classes, came along belatedly.
“So you’re saying your team won because of that rabbit?”
“That’s right. I told you, this guy was the number one contributor. Rabbit, eat lots.”
Inside the rabbit pen.
Do Gyeonu stroked the rabbit he had grown rather close to during class and doted on it.
There was a feed box nearby.
So he took a carrot from the box and fed it to the rabbit.
“This guy’s surprisingly smart. Watch, it can do this too. Rabbit, roll.”
Do Gyeonu took away the carrot.
The rabbit, which had been crunching away at the carrot, was startled and perked up its long ears.
Then, just as it had been told, the rabbit rolled its body once.
Yeon Haneul looked dumbfounded as she watched him praise it and offer the carrot back to the rabbit.
“Seriously…. Getting close to animals right away, that’s a talent too….”
“You think so? Still, I didn’t know this guy would take to me this much.”
Do Gyeonu shrugged.
Soon, he stroked and petted the rabbit, giggling as if he were having the time of his life.
When the rabbit acted cute, his smile deepened even further.
‘It’s circling him….’
Since she had known Do Gyeonu for a long time, Yeon Haneul was fairly familiar with rabbit habits as well.
There was no way she wouldn’t know that the rabbit was circling around him, performing courtship behavior.
For no reason, her mood sank.
“Ugh….”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
Being jealous of a rabbit was childish.
Even though Yeon Haneul understood that in her head, she could not control her emotions.
Seeing Do Gyeonu smile so brightly at the rabbit made one corner of her heart feel heavy.
‘I can circle around better than that….’
She could not possibly feel competitive toward a rabbit over something like that.
Yeon Haneul forced herself to suppress her true feelings.
“…Should I pet you too?”
“Huh?”
It was then that Do Gyeonu, having noticed that Yeon Haneul was in a bad mood, spoke to her.
Yeon Haneul stared blankly at him as he brushed off his hands and stood up, then came to her senses.
She pouted and sharpened her gaze.
“No. Don’t touch me. Just try touching me with hands that touched another girl.”
“…That’s a rabbit. Not a girl, a female.”
“No, that’s not what I mean… Are you saying you’re going to touch me right now with hands that touched a rabbit? That’s dirty!”
“So I washed them with Clean magic.”
“No. If you don’t wash them properly with soap, I won’t let you touch me.”
“Tch.”
“How long are you going to play with the rabbit? Let’s stop and go out for dinner now. Okay? I’m hungry. Eunsol, you’re hungry too, right?”
“Munch, munch…. Yeah, I’m hungry.”
“Fine, got it. I’ll just feed it one last time and then we’ll go.”
Truly, there was no stopping Do Gyeonu’s love for rabbits.
Yeon Haneul sighed.
“Ah, right. Haneul, are you free Thursday evening?”
“Thursday? Why Thursday?”
“It came up while I was talking with Hanbyeol. He said he’s going to stop by Hunter Bank on Thursday. So since we’ll be going out anyway, he suggested that the ones who have time should go out together and have dinner.”
According to the game’s story,
Kang Hanbyeol, after starting his life at the Academy, visits Hunter Bank, where the weapons collected by the Fighting Ghost Seo Jeongjin are stored.
There, Kang Hanbyeol could be issued a weapon suited to him.
For Do Gyeonu, who was trying to influence the direction of his growth, this was an opportunity he absolutely could not miss.
So Do Gyeonu had readily accepted his invitation.
‘While we’re at it, we can get some fresh air with the others and have dinner.’
Fortunately, Yeon Haneul’s reaction was positive.
After checking her schedule on her smartphone, she nodded.
“I think I’ll be free on Thursday. What about you, Eunsol? Is that day okay?”
“I do have class….”
“Ah… I see. That’s too bad, but then next time we can….”
“You said we’re going to eat something delicious, so I’ll skip class that day.”
“…Is that okay? Are you really sure?”
“Munch. My family will take care of it somehow.”
“Ah….”
“…That’s so like you.”
Chewing and swallowing her sausage thoroughly,
Cha Eunsol confidently declared her absence as if it were none of her concern.
Yeon Haneul and Do Gyeonu gave bitter smiles at her attitude.
Meanwhile, her gaze had been fixed for some time on the carrot Do Gyeonu was feeding to the rabbit.
‘Looks tasty….’
The orange-tinged carrot looked appetizing at a glance.
For Cha Eunsol, who had been eating nothing but sausage, the crisp texture of the carrot was tempting, if only to cleanse her palate.
“....”
There was no way Do Gyeonu had failed to notice Cha Eunsol’s intense gaze.
No longer able to ignore the stare that felt as though it were stabbing into his back, he spoke to her as if playing a prank.
“…Eunsol, do you want to eat some too?”
“Gyeon. U. Ya? What are you saying to Eunsol right now!?”
“It’s a joke, a joke.”
“Even as a joke, still!”
Cha Eunsol loved nature.
Considering her personality, she probably wanted to feed the rabbit.
He had merely tossed out a joke to exchange a few more words with her.
However, she was even more out of this world than Do Gyeonu had expected.
“If I… roll too, will you give me some?”
“....”
Cha Eunsol asked back seriously.
She truly looked as if she would roll on the ground to earn a carrot.
For a moment, Do Gyeonu and Yeon Haneul were left speechless, and then they had to exhaust themselves protecting her dignity.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss