19 – Rule 11. The Vice Head of Discipline Eliminates the Villain Group (2)
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Anomia’s objective is retaliation.
I can’t be certain if they have other goals, but it was clear that their target is ultimately An Woojin.
That’s probably why they kidnapped the secretary, using him as bait.
Woojin reviewed his knowledge of the game.
Anomia is a villain group less dangerous than the Six Sinners.
However, they are considerably large, and they have their own formidable strength.
The person to be most wary of is their top executive, AQ.
Still, the chances of AQ being at Grey Star were virtually zero.
Because that cowardly leader always sticks closely to his bodyguards.
It was likely that Anomia’s leader would be far from any danger zone, watching the situation unfold as if a visitor to the zoo.
Thanks to this, Woojin could infer the leader’s location.
The building known as Grey Star was the site in the original game where an operation to eliminate Anomia took place during the second year, first semester segment.
There, Anomia’s leader had orchestrated his orders to the subordinates, battling the protagonists like playing chess.
Woojin remembered precisely where this had taken place.
The original story was easy to recall.
Thus, Woojin entrusted the top executive AQ and the leader of Anomia to Oh Baek-Seo, the vice head of the strongest at Ahseong High – the Discipline Division.
As for the rest of Anomia’s forces.
Woojin was confident that they would be able to overtake whatever force Anomia could gather at Grey Star, even without Oh Baek-Seo.
Ultimately, the moment Woojin would rescue the Discipline Division’s secretary Park Minhyuk.
Anomia was destined to face imminent defeat.
With every step, the sound of iron clacked, and rainwater was crushed underfoot. The night sky, laden with dark clouds, continued to pour heavy rain.
Woojin plugged a wireless earbud into his right ear and spoke calmly.
“We’ve reached our destination. The Rescue of the Secretary and Elimination of Anomia Operation begins now.”
─ Okay.
─ Yes!
─ Understood.
Vice Chief Woojin, charged with the crackdown on lewd behavior, tightened his jaws as the response from Ha Ye-song, the officer in charge, and Yoo Do-ha, the accountant, rang in his ears.
Woojin arrived unassumingly at the main entrance of the Gray Star building.
Whirring. Several combat turrets and a swarm of drones flying in the sky recognized Woojin.
The armed Anomia forces also took up their weapons, wrapping their magic around them as they stood vigilant against Woojin.
“He’s here. It’s the guidance director from Asung High.”
“That’s the guy…?”
“Wait. He’s entering through the main gate?”
“Is he coming here to die alone? What a joker.”
“There’s something unsettling about this…”
Even the relatively stronger soldiers stationed at the main gate found themselves swallowing dryly without realizing it.
An indefinable sense of oppression emanated from Woojin.
Suddenly, their instincts screamed out.
Despite their clear numerical advantage, despite having combat robots.
They felt as though they would not be able to defeat this black-clad man advancing through the darkness of the night.
Zzzt.
Woojin’s eyes pierced the darkness, emitting a turquoise sheen and sparking with electricity—a sign of activated magic.
From holsters fixed to his waist, he drew the handles of two weapons. Clank! As he crossed and swung them down, iron rods sprung from each handle.
One was a black three-section staff.
Equipment that had once quelled all the Anomia forces lined up on the subway.
Fzzzt! Turquoise patterns etched along the magic circuit on the surface as Woojin’s lightning magic surged.
The other was an exploding staff capable of emitting powerful lightning energy.
It sparked a faint turquoise current, ready to unleash the stored magic at any moment.
Finally, as Woojin entered the main gate, all the lights converged on him, as if highlighting the target for a concentrated attack.
Standing still, Woojin glared at his enemies like a frigid block of ice.
The air tensed to its limits, and the Anomia forces all gripped by tension.
The squad leader of the main gate forces shouted.
“Attack, all of you!!”
With that command as a flare, the turrets and drones turned red, switching to combat mode.
Boom! Combat robots condensed magic to shoot beams and fire small missiles. Woojin kicked off the ground and accelerated instantly, evading the volley of gunfire.
Kwaang! An indiscriminate explosion carpeted the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Turrets and drones collectively traced Woo Jin’s biometric responses as the armed forces of Anomia charged toward the single enemy named Woo Jin. Every one of them had augmented their bodies with magical power.
Fajik!
One 4th-tier Anomia soldier attacked Woo Jin with a sword suffused with electrical power. Fagak! Woo Jin blocked the blade with his three-sectional staff.
Peuh-uck!
“Agh!”
Immediately after, an aquamarine trail cut through the drizzle and knocked the soldier’s hand aside. Kwa-jak! His hand bone broke, forcing him to drop his sword.
Successively, the three-sectional staff was swung heavily, tracing semi-circles.
Peuh-ong!
The forceful strike dealt an electrical shockwave, blasting the enemy away. Instantly, his rib-cage shattered like dust.
Pajik! Because of the after-effects of the shockwave, lightning struck down in several branches.
The surrounding enemies drenched in rainwater were electrocuted en masse.
“Awg!”
“Cough!”
Woo Jin moved swiftly, striking enemies paralyzed by the shockwave with his three-sectional staff.
Peuk!
Peuk!
Peuh-ong!
Including an organization member from the 4th-tier, ten enemies fell in an instant.
Every time Anomia’s forces dropped a weapon, Woo Jin would snatch it mid-air and skillfully throw it at a turret or drone.
Pheung! A spear sliced through the air in a straight line, accurately piercing a turret.
Whirrack! A spinning ax slashed through another turret’s barrel with precision.
Each turret sparked and bowed their heads as their lights flickered out.
Though the drones kept firing, Woo Jin casually strolled as if leisurely dodging their shots. It was as if he had read and reacted to each bullet’s trajectory.
His three-sectional staff kept swinging, creating shockwaves time and time again.
Each time, clear flashes of light were sent in all directions and screams echoed throughout. Enemies collapsed one after another.
But unlike the narrowness of a subway, the battlefield is open on all sides.
“Surround him!”
Gradually, Anomia’s forces from all sides surrounded Woo Jin and continued their assault.
If things continued in this manner, there was sure to be a moment when Woo Jin let his guard down.
Defeating him was just a matter of time.
…it was a misconception.
Whoosh!
“!”
Using the strength of his magic-enhanced legs, Woojin stomped on an Anomia soldier’s head as if he had been waiting for the opportunity and leaped away. His movements were as swift as a squirrel’s.
Woojin broke out of the encirclement and bounded up walls and structures.
In an instant, Woojin hovered at a high point.
He twirled his body and gazed down at the concentrated forces of Anomia.
Crackle and snap!!
Woojin’s other weapon, the Wall Crash Rod, unleashed a storm of lightning.
Streaks of turquoise lightning branched out like tree roots in mid-air, slicing through and churning the atmosphere.
Boom! Clutched in Woojin’s hands, it maintained the intense, unwavering force of a mighty wall.
The high-concentration magic he had refined since his infancy, flowing unfettered through the magic circuits of the Wall Crash Rod and bursting forth.
It was the moment the potential of the Wall Crash Rod was fully unveiled.
“What is that…?”
The Anomia forces couldn’t close their mouths as they watched the spectacle.
They couldn’t even think of a countermeasure.
How could they possibly defend against that?
Soon, Woojin hurled the Wall Crash Rod toward his enemies.
The image of a lightning bolt slicing through the air was etched onto the retinas of everyone in that instant.
A light flashed.
The Wall Crash Rod, in the form of a lightning bolt, struck the ground.
Kaboom!!!
“Arghhh!!”
“Ahhhhh!”
Waves of lightning whirled, driving out the spring rain.
The explosion of concentrated magic and flashes of lightning quickly enveloped the enemies, setting the area ablaze and shattering it.
Crackle. As the lightning subsided, the Anomia forces collapsed, emitting steam and dropping powerlessly.
Thanks to their bodies being magically enhanced, they didn’t lose their lives, but this instead made them feel the searing pain even more intensely as they passed out. Woojin had also controlled his strength on purpose.
The fate of the drone swarm was not much different.
Sparks flew as the mechanism came to a halt and plummeted to the ground.
Thud! Thud! The fallen drone shattered, scattering fragments around.
Sizzling, sizzling. Woojin smoothly landed onto the ground glowing with turquoise currents.
He looked around.
The many enemies guarding the main gate lay fallen, their bodies twitching intermittently.
The main gate forces were annihilated.
Above them stood Woojin alone, towering over the scene.
“……”
Woojin picked up the wall-destroying rod and calmly recharged it with lightning magic before entering the Gray Star building.
Meanwhile.
‘That’s the wall-destroying rod…?’
The captain of Anomia, who monitored the battle at the main gate through the screen, couldn’t close his mouth in astonishment.
‘We didn’t get any intel that he had the wall-destroying rod. More importantly, is it even possible for it to display such power…?’
No matter how rainy the weather, the rod’s power shouldn’t have been that great.
This was beyond crossing a line.
The fact that the rod’s power was so greatly amplified suggested that the amount of magic filtered through the magic circuit of the rod was extremely little. Either that or the magic wasn’t filtered at all.
This led to the conclusion that the purity of the magic was exceptionally high.
And the purity of magic equated to potential.
It would enable displaying superior abilities in all realms of magic-handling.
Moreover, the higher the purity of the magic, the higher the likelihood of reaching higher realms.
That such a man was still ranked fourth was inconceivable.
“Damn.”
The captain clicked his tongue.
Underestimating Woojin’s combat abilities had been a bitter error.
Still, there was enough reason to keep faith.
‘Even so, he won’t be able to pass through the traps unscathed.’
Several traps had been set up within Gray Star.
They were prepared for contingency, to unfold a battle of attrition if needed.
Mines that exploded with magic or turrets hidden in the darkness.
Various traps, designed with the intent to kill, were aiming for Woojin’s life.
One or two traps here and there would not be enough to defeat Woojin, but accumulated damage could predictably lead to victory.
The leader thought this, a smile flickering across his face.
Ring.
A call came through on his smartphone.
It was the control center of Grey Star.
The leader answered the call.
“What is it?”
“Lea…Leader! The traps…!”
“The traps?”
“The traps…All have been breached!”
“What?”
The leader doubted his own ears.
“It’s as if he knows where all the traps are. They’ve all been breached! I can’t believe it…!”
The voice from the control center trembled.
The leader was thrown into confusion.
‘How could this be?’
All the traps had been breached.
How was such a thing possible?
He would need a complete knowledge of the traps’ locations and types for this….
“!”
The leader had a realization.
The blueprints showing the details about the traps were only given to officers.
If he had even that level of information, it was clear that Woojin was deeply involved in the organization.
‘Something…’
Continuous shocking results, absolutely unexpected, laid out before him and the leader felt a strong sense of dismay.
Initially, he devised a plan to treat Woojin like a hamster trapped in a cage, with Grey Star as the backdrop, to corner him, and then to dispose of him.
The sense of unease became more distinct.
Perhaps he had been the one dancing on the palm of the opponent’s hand instead.
It was an ominous feeling of unease.
I thought he had sufficiently overestimated and watched Woosin.
Perhaps even that had been an underestimation.
The commander’s face turned pale.
He hurriedly made a call to the top executive.
“AQ…! Take care of the head of Asung High School.”
─ That’s right.
Click.
He hung up and threw his cell phone on the desk.
His mind had changed.
Perhaps the troops of Grey Star wouldn’t be able to topple Woosin.
In that case, they had no choice but to send AQ, the strongest power in Anomia.
Only then would he be sure to deal with Woosin.
* * *
Grey Star.
It was a building that Anomia owned through a trust.
Its interior was neat, contrary to its dilapidated exterior.
They were backed by an anonymous, wealthy sponsor.
This building was also obtained through sponsorship.
It wasn’t revealed in the game who the sponsor was, but the community speculated it was one of the six sinners.
Well, that’s that.
Their plan was to completely deal with the bothersome fly called Anomia here.
They would slowly reveal the sponsor afterwards.
This was the building where the protagonist, Lee Tae-Sung, in the original game, assembled his companions and stormed into Anomia.
That is, it was a location that appeared in the original story.
Memories of the original story are vivid.
By focusing on the location of the main traps based on those memories, there won’t be a problem.
Boom!
I aimed my trident at the black turret that had fired a magical bullet at me.
Boom!
A cyan thunderbolt accompanied by a roaring noise blasted the turret, and the light of the machine flickered out.
After recollecting the collapsible baton, I hastened my steps.
Enemies, previously lying in ambush, sprang out to attack, but I subdued them with ease.
In the game, there was a boss on the upper levels of the Grey Star.
I recalled a place that seemed designed for combat.
Minhyuk Park would probably be there as well.
Deciding the elevator could be risky, I swiftly ascended the stairs.
Reaching the upper floors, a dark expanse filled my vision.
A flurry of annoying sounds, akin to the fluttering of Parisian wings, reached my ears in clusters.
As I stepped inside, numerous drones lurking in the darkness buzzed alive, their red eyes glaring menacingly.
And then…
Whoosh!
A sonic boom accompanied a forceful blow to my head.
I realized a huge fist had lodged into my skull.
An empowered, magical punch.
It was the kind of fist a combatant of at least the fifth tier would throw.
Boom! My body was hurled across the void, slamming violently into the wall.
Debris from the wall crumbled over me, covering my body.
Perhaps because it was a battleground by design, the walls were sturdy.
The cushioning wasn’t too bad.
“Ptui.”
I spat out the dust that filled my mouth and lightly brushed off the debris covering my face.
A faint light from a bulb came on, allowing me to discern objects.
The landscape was filled with various structures.
In the center, a bulky man with magic coursing through his fists stood – he was wearing Maehyun High’s uniform.
Beside him, a pillar was a petite female student in a hooded cloak, hunkered down hugging her knees. Under the hooded coat, the black uniform of Aseong High was visible.
“Bo… Boss…”
In front of another pillar.
The secretary of the disciplinary committee, Minhyuk Park, was slumped, drained of strength.
He had more injuries than before, suggesting he’d been hit again. He looked like he was struggling even to stay upright.
“…”
Indeed, it seemed I had grown fond of my fellow Student Guidance Council members.
My chest began to burn in a maddening way.
“Grrr…”
The giant who had punched me in the head let out a beast-like growl.
I knew him well.
One of the bosses of the Gray Star.
The third-ranked leader of Anomia.
A dropout from Ma-Hyeon High School, Jang Ha-Mun.
“Hello, Student Council President.”
The hooded girl who greeted me was laid back as usual. She was another boss of the Gray Star.
She was the second-ranked leader of Anomia.
Another dropout from our academy, Lee Ji-Soo.
Both were part of the powerful fifth rank.
Click.
Battle drones whirled around them, pointing their muzzles at me.
It was a scene I had seen before in games.
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Obviously, they must have been plotting to show off this very spectacle.
It was quite a sight to see, even in reality.
“Sorry for the ambush. It must have been tough to withstand that attack for someone of the fourth rank.”
Ji-Soo’s voice resonated through the space.
“Please understand, even if it’s mean. We had no choice; it was an order from our boss. We were commanded to deal with any nuisances… Huh?”
Swoosh.
I effortlessly pushed myself up, causing Ji-Soo to fluster.
There was no pain.
It just felt like I had been playfully hit with a rubber mallet.
“What the? Why are you unharmed?”
Ignoring the bewilderment in Ji-Soo’s voice, I got up and dusted the dirt off my clothes.
“My outfit’s gotten dirty.”
Jisu narrowed her eyes.
The look of ease on her face just moments ago was now tinged with vigilance.
The hulking brute, Hamun, who had thrown a punch at me, let out a laugh with a loud, clumsy voice, “Khuh, huh…! He’s up!”
He was nothing but a mentally challenged man who knew only the cries of a beast.
On the other hand, Minhyuk, thinking I was safe, started wailing like a waterfall of tears, crying out in a mess.
“Huuung! Chief! Please save meee!!”
“If you don’t want to get hit, shut your mouth!”
“eeek!”
Jisu snapped irritably, and Minhyuk shrieked in shock.
He was always like this.
Just like last year, on the day he was captured by thugs holding a grudge against the Discipline Committee.
He saw me coming to help, despite having no choice, and started wailing and screaming just like that.
It was so ridiculous that it made me laugh instead.
I shifted my gaze to the enemies.
Involuntarily, my eyes turned cold as I looked at them.
“I trust you know the consequences of messing with the Discipline Committee.”
I spoke calmly as I pulled on the tip of the black glove I was wearing to straighten it out.
“On-site detention and severe punishment for lawbreakers.”
I recited the official declaration of the Discipline Committee with a solemn tone.
“However.”
Crackle!
I ignited the lightning magic in my expandable baton again.
“For you, it’s aggravated punishment.”
I could never forgive them.