Chapter 125…
“……”
The entrance to the Tower was as quiet as ever.
Standing before the massive stone gate, I watched a bus approaching from afar.
It was carrying Academy students.
Inside it would be countless young sprouts dreaming of the future.
…I knew it. It felt too quiet lately.
I pulled out my phone and checked the call log.
Just ten minutes earlier, I had called Kim Pyeong-on and Rebecca.
The first call had been to Kim Pyeong-on.
— Hyung! The Academy is—!
Explosions and screams mixed together through the receiver.
Even amid the chaos, Kim Pyeong-on’s voice was clear.
— It’s the Reverse Heaven Cult! They’ve launched a surprise attack on the Academy!
“Got it. Calm down and listen.”
I gave my orders calmly.
To be honest, I was anxious too. But if I wavered at a moment like this, everyone else would collapse.
More than anyone, I had to stay composed.
So I spoke firmly once more.
“Focus only on protecting the students. Ignore the enemy.”
— But—
“It’ll be over soon. Don’t think about anything else. Just make sure the students are safe.”
— ……
Kim Pyeong-on fell silent for a moment.
Even his breathing quieted, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
Then his voice rang out again—this time filled with certainty rather than hesitation.
— Understood, hyung!
As soon as that call ended, Rebecca called me.
The situation was similar, but her reaction was different.
— Guild Master, an unexpected incident has occurred. Our Class A has been evacuated safely.
“……Good job. Stay there until the fighting is over.”
— Understood. Be careful too, Guild Master.
“Yeah. Let’s both make it out safely.”
Rebecca’s voice carried calm resolve rather than tension.
She sounded a bit startled, but at the same time, it was clear she was keeping herself under strict control.
With her abilities—proven back at the guild headquarters—she would protect the students just fine.
No need to worry about Ark Academy.
Madam and Miyamoto Daichi were there.
Those two alone were more than enough to crush the Reverse Heaven Cult in no time.
Madam would never tolerate anyone being hurt within her domain.
And as I had already learned in China, Daichi never let anything threatening Earth live.
Before long, the cultists would be pounding the ground in regret, wondering why they had ever touched that place.
The real problem is here.
Crader’s warning had been only a single sentence.
— Hurry to the Tower!
That was all.
But it was more than enough.
For Crader—who had infiltrated the Reverse Heaven Cult—to contact me in such urgency could only mean one thing: the cult had made a move.
And right after that, Ark Academy was attacked.
Putting the two together, there was only one answer.
Their real target is somewhere else…
They were pretending to strike the Academy while aiming for something else.
And that target was almost certainly me.
They’re probably planning to take the visiting students hostage, or come after me amid the chaos.
A shallow plan.
But that was exactly what made it dangerous.
The simpler the plan, the less hesitation there would be in sacrificing everything else to make it succeed.
Let’s see if things go the way you want.
Screeeech—
The bus approaching from afar came to a stop.
The doors opened, and students began getting off one by one.
Excited faces. Voices filled with anticipation.
Pure exclamations of awe from children seeing the Tower for the first time.
“Whoa! It’s huge!”
“I’ve only seen it in pictures, but it’s on a whole different level in person.”
“Hey, look at that entrance. Isn’t it insanely cool?”
Among them, one girl in particular caught my eye.
The same student who had kept bothering my thoughts even before we went to clear the Red Gate.
Lina Angelova.
…A coincidence?
No.
My instincts were sounding an alarm.
And I trusted my instincts quite a lot.
They were the sum total of countless experiences and carefully accumulated knowledge.
Then let’s give you a little push.
Enough to make her lose her patience and tear off that disgusting mask.
I walked toward the students.
“Welcome, Ark Academy students.”
All eyes turned to me at once.
My sudden appearance—unmentioned in the prior briefing—clearly surprised them.
“I’m Professor Kang Si-woo. I’ll be overseeing today’s tour.”
“Huh? Professor Kang Si-woo?!”
“No way, isn’t he the one who recently cleared the Red Gate?”
“Holy crap, it really is Professor Kang Si-woo.”
The students began murmuring excitedly.
Ignoring their reactions, I nodded to the supervising professor.
She was a middle-aged woman from the Cleric Department.
『Ark Academy is currently under attack by the Reverse Heaven Cult.』
Her face twisted slightly at my telepathic message.
She immediately made a call.
But judging by how her expression worsened as she repeatedly checked the screen, it seemed the other side wasn’t responding.
Only then did her face harden.
She had grasped the seriousness of the situation.
『There’s a high chance something will happen here as well. I’ll handle what I can—please focus on protecting the students no matter what happens.』
After a brief hesitation, she nodded.
『…Understood. If you need help, let me know anytime.』
『Thank you.』
Ending the transmission, I addressed the students again.
The cultists had likely planned to use the very act of approaching the Tower as part of their scheme.
I intended to ruin that plan from the very start.
“Today’s tour will proceed differently from the original schedule.”
“What do you mean, differently?”
The students looked puzzled.
It was only natural—they hadn’t expected a sudden change.
“We’ll be touring at a distance from the Tower. Close observation will be done later, in smaller groups.”
“Aw, I really wanted to take a proof shot today…”
“Ugh… at this rate, I’ll just pick up a rock from the ground instead of a piece of the Tower.”
They sighed in disappointment, but I pushed ahead with the revised plan.
Leading the students, I began walking slowly.
The farther we moved from the Tower entrance, the more subtly the air began to change.
It’s about to start.
And my prediction was spot on.
KWA-BOOOOM?!
A sudden explosion erupted from all directions.
Students screamed and collapsed to the ground.
Smoke billowed up, and black shadows burst forth from within.
“HAHAHA! Our flesh and bones shall complete the Altar of Hope!”
“O god! The screams of these children shall become the spark of hope, offered unto you!”
The Reverse Heaven Cult.
They had rushed out before their plan could be distorted any further.
I knew it.
There were nearly two hundred of them.
It was a fairly large-scale attack.
The corner of my mouth lifted slightly.
I didn’t like the situation—but seeing them appear all at once was welcome.
I was wondering how to stack the madness for [Talent Plunder]. At least that problem’s solved.
Until now, I’d been absorbing them as discreetly as possible.
But there was no need for that anymore.
To use Blood Echo like Blood Covenant, madness was essential.
And now I could suppress being completely consumed by Blood Echo as well.
With that being the case, there was no reason not to take advantage of this opportunity.
“Gary. Freki.”
At my call, space tore open and two magical beasts emerged.
Gary and Freki bared their fangs, growling.
“Gather the students in one place. Don’t let a single one get hurt.”
“Grrrr!”
“Woof! Woof!”
The two wolves moved immediately.
Terrified, the students followed their guidance and began gathering together.
Like sheepdogs herding a flock, the beasts perfectly drove the students into a protected zone.
The moment I confirmed that, my decision to fight triggered a dormant title.
Ding!
[Title ‘Lone Voyager’ has been activated.]
[You are fighting without party members.]
[All stats +30%]
[Minimap detection radius +100%]
My body suddenly felt lighter.
The flow of mana became clearer, and every movement around me was sharply perceived.
Rumble—
Space tore open once more, and a gigantic centaur appeared.
It was Roar of the Red Spear, the summon I had called forth.
“Hahaha! Finally time to fight! I’ve been itching all this time!”
I mounted the Red Spear’s back and took out the Bow of Judgment.
The moment the sleek, curved bow settled into my hands, it naturally leapt out from my Rage Reservoir.
This is the most efficient way to deal with trash mobs.
The Red Spear was fast and sturdy.
Riding it while firing arrows was the quickest and most efficient way to wipe out weaklings.
“Let’s go.”
Hiiiii-neigh!
The Red Spear charged forward.
I pulled the bowstring taut.
The first arrow flew.
Leaving a long trail behind it, the arrow pierced straight through an enemy’s forehead.
“……?!”
Ding!
[You have slain Warrior Dran-07 (Lv.73).]
[Skill ‘Talent Plunder’ activates.]
[Absorb F-rank talent? (Y/N)]
Accept.
Shoo— Shoo— Shoo—
I didn’t stop firing.
As the Red Spear raced across the battlefield, arrows continuously flew from my fingertips.
[You have slain Thief Karon-18 (Lv.51).]
[You have slain Monk Belta-29 (Lv.78).]
[You have slain Archer Rion-44 (Lv.65).]
Enemies fell like autumn leaves in a gust of wind.
Some tried to dodge the arrows but couldn’t keep up with the Red Spear’s speed.
Others attempted to counterattack, only to have their blows blocked by its thick hide.
“Hahaha! These guys are nothing but an itch!”
Laughing boisterously, the Red Spear tanked the attacks head-on with overwhelming power.
Swords bounced away. Magic scattered.
[You have slain Necromancer Zerk-12 (Lv.101).]
[You have slain Tamer Grant-03 (Lv.69).]
[You have slain Warrior Hamon-32 (Lv.103).]
Even second-job cultists turned into cold corpses in an instant under our combined assault.
System messages flooded my vision.
And then, simultaneously—
Ding!
[F-rank talent acquired.]
[D-rank talent acquired.]
[C-rank talent acquired.]
[D-rank talent acquired…]
[…]
Talents of all kinds poured in—from trash-tier F-rank to barely usable C-rank.
As long as the conditions were met, I accepted them all.
Talents I would never have taken before my regression.
But now, things were different.
[The number of absorbed talents has exceeded the limit!]
[The user is beginning to be consumed by madness!]
Ding!
[Skill ‘Blood Echo’ anchors the user’s mind.]
My vision flashed white for a moment, then I felt my blood turn cold.
That chill cooled the boiling emotions inside me.
Blood Echo was suppressing the surging madness.
I’m still fine.
I kept drawing the bowstring.
[Skill ‘Talent Devourer’ consumes talents. (263/500)]
[Skill ‘Talent Devourer’ consumes talents. (285/500)]
[Skill ‘Talent Devourer’ consumes talents. (299/500)]
The numbers climbed rapidly.
The cultists—once over two hundred—dropped to 180, then 160, and now around 150.
“That’s not human…”
“Ah… so that is the holy vessel of hope…”
“Do not run! Only through pain can salvation be found!”
Some fled in terror.
Some smiled as if enlightened, surrendering their lives.
Others charged recklessly, disregarding death entirely.
It was utter chaos.
But—
Their morale is broken.
There was no longer any organized assault.
Only individuals desperately struggling to survive remained.
Shoo— Shoo—
I didn’t stop.
Arrows pierced even the backs of those trying to escape.
[You have slain Thief Neron-06 (Lv.95).]
[You have slain Warlock Kelon-22 (Lv.88).]
[Skill ‘Talent Devourer’ consumes talents. (307/500)]
And there were witnesses to all this.
The students—and the supervising professor.
“I’d heard rumors that he could use many weapons well, but…”
“Is that even possible without skill support?”
I could feel the students staring, mouths agape.
Eyes filled with awe and admiration.
Moments ago, these enemies had threatened their lives—now they were being swept away by a single person.
The supervising professor wore a similar expression.
“This is impossible…”
Precisely because she was a specialist, she seemed even more shocked to see someone crossing class boundaries so freely.
After all, she knew better than anyone how much grueling effort it took to reach such a state.
And within that crowd—
Lina Angelova was staring at me with a pale face.
Her eyes clearly showed agitation.
As expected, there’s something going on.
She looked flustered by a situation completely different from what she had anticipated.
I fixed my gaze on her for a moment.
Her pupils trembled slightly.
And you’re still holding back…
Without taking my attention off her, I continued drawing my bow at the fleeing enemies.
There was no way these madmen would let things end so meaninglessly.
They would reveal their true nature.
And just as I expected, it wasn’t long before they exposed their grotesque true selves.
