Chapter 110

Loud gunshots rang out. The blue mana orbs summoned by the girl with twin ponytails shook violently as dozens of bullets smashed into them. Soon, the trembling orbs settled down while the dozens of arcane bullets landed at the girl’s feet. She stared at the roof of a nearby building. “...The Shooting Club.” There stood a group of people armed with bows and guns. They were the Shooting Club of Lion’s Castle, and their skills excelled at targeting other players. She said, “With how well you've been doing lately, I didn’t expect you to have the time to follow around a couple of freshmen.” “Don’t you know anything? You clearly know we’re close to them, but still you decided to act up.” “I knew you were close, but I didn’t expect you to stoop so low as to be their lackeys. You’re humans, not dogs, right?” The girl with twin ponytails spoke provocatively. However, the Shooting Club members didn’t blink an eye. They endured daily physical and verbal torment from Kang Jae-Hyeok, who was also a first-year student. What were a few harsh words? They hadn’t realized it before, but Jae-Hyeok’s training had greatly tempered their composure and patience. So he was teaching us even this. The members of the Shooting Club trembled slightly after realizing they had improved in the most important virtue for marksmen. They had indeed grown in many ways after meeting Kang Jae-Hyeok. Smiling in satisfaction, the Club members pointed their weapons at the girl with twin ponytails. “Talk all you want. You must be angry that all your careful planning went to waste, so mocking us is all you have left.” Shooting Club members had learned from their experience with Noble; as soon as they’d heard news of emergency construction happening near the shooting range, they had immediately become suspicious and started patrolling the area. Thanks to their decision, they came across Chae Da-Hee and Park Hae-Rin in time and were able to lend a helping hand. There were eight of them, while the girl with the twin ponytail only had four people. Moreover, the Shooting Club members even occupied high ground, overlooking Da-Hee and Hae-Rin.. No matter who saw it, the girl with the twin ponytails was at a disadvantage. “What do you mean by ‘plans going to waste’? A small variable like you guys can be overcome with strength,” the girl with twin ponytails said. She didn’t perceive the situation as a crisis. Sonic Boom was already complete. Bang! The two blue mana orbs, which had been pierced by dozens of bullets, exploded. A huge explosion pushed the air out and created a pressure wave. “Ugh!” The wave reached the members of the Shooting Club at the speed of sound and forced them to squat down and cover their ears. As soon as their weapons lost their aim, the girl didn’t miss the opportunity and used the remnants of the dispersed mana balls as a springboard, leaping to the roof. “The Shooting Club is just Roh Jun-Yeop’s one-man club. What’s the point of all of you besieging me?” She charged in, and soon the members of the Shooting Club were all covered with bruises and blood. Their limbs would’ve been torn off if her nail covers had been real weapons and not arcane ones. Na Ga-Eun, the girl with twin ponytails, was someone who had been assigned to Class A in the second year. She was one of the top second-year students. Moreover, the mana technique she honed possessed the characteristic of creating pressure disturbances in the air. Those struck by the pressure waves would suffer both external and internal wounds. “Cough!” “Aaack!” Na Ga-Eun’s companions soon joined her on the roof, worsening the Shooting Club members' predicament. Now that the enemy had closed the distance, the Shooting Club members’ combat power weakened significantly as their accuracy plummeted. The Skull team stuck close and ensured they had hardly any time to aim. Bang! A water tank exploded after being hit by someone’s misfire, turning the rooftop into chaos. The Shooting Club members were swept away by the water and fired even more erratically. Fortunately— "Kyaaak!” Na Ga-Eun’s group was also swept away by the torrent. The distance between the groups once again widened. Some of Na Ga-Eun’s team members were caught off guard by the sudden change and were in disarray. Tatatatang! The girls were struck by the bullets and arrows fired blindly and fell backward. Why aren’t the Shooting Club members collapsing? Na Ga-Eun was a bit confused as she used a nearby Shooting Club member as a shield to protect herself. Her attack power was great, even considering that she was using a sparring arcane weapon. Her mana had the same concussive effect as an explosion whenever she landed a hit, so her opponents usually ended up collapsing. However, the members of the Shooting Club weren’t going down at all. Blood gushed from their mouth and noses, but they kept getting up. Some even dodged her attacks like loaches. She wondered, “You guys are surprisingly fast and tough?” “Maybe you’re just slow and weak.” “Tsk. Listen to you’re delusions. Did you all take medicine as a group?” Na Ga-Eun’s breathing was somewhat rough as veins bulged at her temples. For some reason, the person attacking was more tired than the people being hit. Na Ga-Eun’s group lay on the ground, gasping for breath, while the members of the Shooting Club had already gotten back on their feet. “Did you really do some type of doping?” Buff potions existed. However, they were so rare that active players wouldn’t use them casually, even on boss raids. Was it possible for a group of students to be doping? There was no way. “How can that be? Didn’t you hear what I said? You’re just weak.” The Shooting Club member’s eyes were teary even as he mocked his opponents. He and the rest of the Shooting Club members realized the value of Kang Jae-Hyeok's acursed thunder-adaptation training, and were both happy and sad. Na Ga-Eun’s group became even more wary when they saw the Shooting Club members laughing with tear-streaked faces. “Their expressions are strange. It looks like they’ve taken some type of cheap drug.” “It looks dangerous, so let’s break their legs so they can’t get up.” A Shooting Club member became angry. “Hey, what do you mean you’re going to break our legs? Then, we’ll shoot real ammunition!” "W-what? Real ammunition?” As vicious words were exchanged, the battle fell into a lull. They were young, but they were still players—they became calm after realizing they could die if they crossed the line. Dammit.I never thought the Shooting Club would be so persistent even without Roh Jun-Yeop. As Na Ga-Eun’s group faltered, the members of the Shooting Club were relieved. I’m glad I held on mentally. The eight members of the Shooting Club were on the verge of fainting. They had twice the number of people, but that didn’t mean much against Na Ga-Eun’s group, who were all in Class A. They had endured purely with the physical and mental strength they’d gained through surviving Jae-Hyeok’s torture. However, even that had its limit. Please leave.Step back now. The members of the Shooting Club prayed as a group as if they were chanting a spell. “I... can’t back down here.” Na Ga-Eun didn’t answer their prayers. She had an opportunity to get hold of both Park Hae-Rin and Chae Da-Hee, two priority targets at once. If she seized this opportunity, she would be dispatched to the Guardian Guild next semester, without needing to wait until the third year. There isn’t much time left. She stroked her throbbing right eye through the eyepatch. Then she summoned a blue orb in her hand, preparing to use her Initial Skill, Sonic Boom, once again. “Shit.” The Shooting Club members had been pretending to be calm, but now they paled, and someone instinctively took a step back. However, no one ran away. All the members of the Shooting Club raised their heavy arms and took a shooting stance. “Why are you going to such lengths to protect freshmen you’ve only known for a few months?” Na Ga-Eun couldn’t understand them; they trembled in fear yet insisted on resisting until the very end. She wasn’t the only one. Most people probably couldn’t understand the attitude of the Shooting Club toward these freshmen. Of course, they had long forgotten that players were those who helped people in trouble. “Is one of them Roh Jun-Yeop’s girlfriend? Well, forget it. This time, you're close enough to get seriously hurt. Be careful.” Bang! The mana orb exploded, causing a sonic boom. Blood streamed steadily from the ears of the ragged Shooting Club members. If not treated quickly, they would suffer permanent damage to their hearing. Tang tang! Tatatatang! Nevertheless, the members of the Shooting Club chose to counterattack rather than take potions. They got up and recklessly fired a barrage of bullets and arrows at Na Ga-Eun, interupting her before she could jump down and approach Da-Hee and Hae-Rin. Na Ga-Eun was hit in the ankle by a bullet and slumped to the ground, her eyes bloodshot. “You idiots! Why go so far?” Worried she might lose her target if she hesitated any longer, she pulled out two skull rings. They were bombs specially made with mana. “This is the choice you made! Don’t blame me if you end up deaf for life!” she cried out angrily as she prepared to throw the rings. Just then, someone climbed onto the roof. It was a girl with big eyes that were reminiscent of a cat. It was Park Hae-Rin—that girl who’d thrown away her shield and collapsed with a white face, that girl who’d held Cha Da-Hee back.. Even now, she had arrived without her shield and only held a sword. Na Ga-Eun gave Park Hae-Rin a disgusted look. “And what do you think you’re doing?” She hated people who couldn’t understand who they were up against. It reminded her of her past self. “Forget it. I’m grateful you delivered yourself... ” Na Ga-Eun’s words died on her tongue as Hae-Rin abruptly started dancing. Her movements were too noble and elegant to be demeaned as the act of a crazy woman. “Link.” -Dance a sword dance that represents memories. Flash! When she’d first awakened her Initial Skill, Hae-Rin had only the memories of her father's faint affection to call upon. As a child with few meaningful memories, she hadn’t been able to sustain the sword dance for long. In addition, she’d stopped midway after hearing her father’s words. -Stop! It’s ugly that someone who should be standing firm with a shield in hand is shaking your body so frivolously! Now, however, her sword dance had changed. As Hae-Rin danced, her mind was filled with all the moments she’d experienced after meeting Kang Jae-Hyeok. “Ah...” The members of the Shooting Club, who were on the verge of fainting, were enveloped by the beams of light streaming from Hae-Rin’s body and were quickly revived. They somehow remembered the moments they had spent with Kang Jae-Hyeok and jumped up in an energized manner. “What? This is ridiculous!” Na Ga-Eun’s eye widened, and she quickly threw out skull rings to stop Hae-Rin. However, the fact that Park Hae-Rin was there meant— “Don’t touch my friend!” —Chae Da-Hee was also there. Her thin sword caught Na Ga-Eun’s rings with precision before flicking them away. Bang! The rings exploded in the sky, casting a thick, poisonous fog. However, the fog couldn’t interfere with Hae-Rin’s light, which scattered in all directions as she danced with her sword. Everyone present couldn’t help recalling the Shinra family. The light coming from Hae-Rin wasn’t ordinary light. It felt scared. Slash! At the end of her sword dance, Hae-Rin arrived at Na Ga-Eun’s side and knocked her down. [Reinhardt’s crown prince, Lord, looks at you warmly. You have taken your first step forward.]