Chapter 64: Chapter 64

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: Temporary Awakening

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"W-What are you going to do...?!"

"...What else? We stop them."

"A-Are you crazy?! You expect *us* to stop that?! We should've called the teachers!"

Dorothy began to reprimand me.

Realizing there was no escaping now, her face had turned pale.

"I told you to run, didn't I?"

"Who actually runs away when told to run?! A-And I never imagined it would be *this*!"

"And the teachers, they'll be here soon."

"Huh?"

I gazed at the main academy building, now a chaotic mess.

The loud noise I'd heard while chasing that villain approaching the main academy building.

I didn't need to ponder to know the source of the noise.

"With this much commotion, someone will come here soon. We just need to hold out."

There was no need to specifically go looking for teachers.

With this level of noise, it would be faster for someone to come here to help than for me to go find the teachers and bring them back.

"Interesting words. Those people are certainly strong, but can *you* hold out until they arrive?"

"...Well. It'll be tough."

"And yet you came here? What exactly is your intention?"

Objectively speaking, running away right now would be a far more rational choice than fighting.

Judging by their appearance, they must have invaded the academy with some objective in mind, and their relaxed demeanor suggested they were either close to success or had already achieved it.

Given that a woman with dog ears, who was beside them, had entered inside, my guess was probably accurate.

If that were the case, there was no point in me trying to stop them in this situation.

Besides, I had already taken attacks scattered like shrapnel in Dorothy's place, so I was honestly struggling.

When invisible attacks were flying around, I was the only one nearby who could protect Dorothy.

In the first place, avoiding this place and playing it safe would have been the best option.

...So why did I come here?

"It's simple. I came to stop you."

"I don't understand."

"You seem smart, but you're surprisingly dull-witted. To not even understand something like this."

I told her, as she looked at me with a questioning expression.

"What kind of fool runs away from a villain and expects to be a hero? How idiotic."

"...So you're a rookie drunk on heroic ideals. Right, this is an academy after all."

"It doesn't matter what you think. I've decided not to run away in this situation."

Just as Amelia had done before.

Back then, in those mountains, she made an irrational decision.

When the rational choice would have been to use her abilities to escape and warn others of the danger, she chose to fight the villain because she couldn't abandon her friend.

In a way, that was an irrational action.

But heroes can't always act rationally. I realized that from watching Amelia.

To protect someone, and sometimes, to capture someone.

I'd decided that when irrational judgment was required, I wouldn't hesitate to act.

Therefore, I decided to somehow tie down that villain.

Because now was the time for irrational judgment.

"Dorothy. Since it's come to this, please help me out."

"I guess I have no choice. If I don't help, I'll obviously die. ...But only enhancement? I won't be able to withstand any attacks."

"That's enough. Thank you."

Feeling my intuition ringing an alarm as the wind began to rage more fiercely, I looked at the enemy before me.

"It'll be fun to show reality to children who haven't realized it yet."

"Well, ma'am. It's not that we haven't realized reality, it's that I'll make you realize how strong kids these days are."

"...You've got a sharp tongue. Fine, let's begin."

"The Scarecrow said, 'I want a brain.' The wizard decided to grant his wish."

As Dorothy's voice echoed, I felt a sensation of the world twisting, accompanied by intense pain.

And the wind unleashed from the villain's hand began to rage wildly.

If it were anyone else, their body would have been torn apart by the invisible attacks.

...But I can see them.

To me, enhanced by Dorothy who had already hidden herself, the invisible blades were clearly visible.

They're fast. But not as fast as Amelia.

They're sharp. But not as sharp as Arte's threads.

Attacks of this level couldn't wound me.

"...You dodged. So you're not just all talk. I thought you were just some ordinary guy because you were injured."

"Of course. I'm, *ugh*. I'm quite capable."

"That doesn't seem like your original skill... An enhancement? With some side effects, it seems... And the duration doesn't appear to be very long. I can have some fun until Annie arrives."

"...Hah, damn it."

To figure all that out just because I briefly gagged from nausea.

It felt dizzying in a different sense than the side effects of Dorothy's enhancement.

Can I really endure this?

...No, let's discard the thought of not being able to endure.

Instead, I'll fight with the momentum to defeat them.

This much isn't frightening.

When was it? Amelia and I once talked about the fear of the unknown.

It was the idea that people fear death because they don't know what happens after they die.

If that's the case, then I'm not afraid of that villain.

The invisible blades that others would fear are visible to me.

I could perceive even the slightest movement, the smallest reaction that others wouldn't notice.

Then I'm not afraid.

If the fear of the unknown is the greatest terror a human can feel, then I will become the most fearless being in the world.

"I don't have much time, so I'll finish this quickly."

The villain unleashed a slash formed from wind.

This time too, it was invisible, but I saw it.

Even the blades prepared to tear me to shreds the moment I dodged.

"?!"

"Sorry, but I see everything. Tricks won't work on me."

"...You're more interesting than I thought. But you can stop bluffing now. You look like you're struggling quite a bit."

"..."

Was I found out?

Yes, my head was definitely throbbing.

It was Dorothy's enhancement, which I couldn't sustain for long even when I was in good condition.

Even when I was fine, my brain couldn't handle the influx of information, let alone now, with my body in tatters.

My head was already starting to throb. It felt like I couldn't last much longer. Signs of the enhancement beginning to wear off were appearing.

...But that doesn't mean there's no way.

"Dorothy. One more time. And this time, please add another enhancement."

I spoke to Dorothy, who was hidden.

She must have heard me, but the enhancement didn't come. That probably meant she was reluctant.

"Dorothy. If things continue like this, I'll die. It'd be better to use it and try something."

The villain was still taking their time. They must have judged that they could kill me at any moment.

I felt their gaze, as if they were curious to see what I would do.

...They'll regret that judgment.

Whether she'd given up trying to dissuade me, Dorothy cast an enhancement on me.

Power surged through my entire body. It felt as if my whole being had recovered. As if I could do anything.

But that feeling of omnipotence was fleeting. Horrific agony pounded through my entire body, making me realize that far from being omnipotent, I was in a dangerous situation.

"*Haaah, huhh, haah...*"

Was it because I forcibly overlaid an enhancement that was about to break, or because I forced my tattered body to move?

Perhaps it was both.

Every step I took brought intense pain, and it felt as if time was flowing slowly.

...I can't endure much longer. My body can't withstand the enhancement.

I tried to forcibly apply the enhancement to my body and hold out, but the after-effects of the enhancement were more brutal than expected, making my body unable to cope.

Therefore, I had to launch the strongest possible attack before collapsing.

With that final thought, my vision went dark.

"Closing your eyes? There's a limit to how much you can disrespect me...!"

...Did I close my eyes?

I hadn't intended to. My eyes must have closed on their own.

But I didn't care. Even if I couldn't see, I could still perceive.

Gradually, the sensations in my body faded, and I no longer felt the strong scent of earth or the smell of blood.

The sweet taste in my mouth also disappeared.

"...! I... you! I'll kill... you!"

Finally, the villain's annoyed voice, as if they felt ignored, also became inaudible.

All sensation in my body vanished.

I couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't smell, couldn't taste, couldn't feel.

It felt as if I was the only one in the darkness.

If I died, would I be left alone in a space like this?

It was so quiet that such thoughts crossed my mind.

I let out a sigh.

No, did I really? With my senses gone, I couldn't be sure.

An ordinary person would feel extreme terror at this point.

With their five senses gone, they wouldn't even be able to move.

...But I had intuition.

In other words, a sixth sense.

The ability to perceive what humans cannot.

The ability to see what cannot be seen, hear what cannot be heard, feel what cannot be felt, smell what cannot be smelled.

Relying on this ability, Shiwoo took a step, and suddenly realized that countless paths lay before him.

On many of these paths, Yoo Shiwoo lay collapsed, his body torn apart by the wind, bleeding profusely.

But some Yoo Shiwoos survived. He decided to take those paths.

As he walked down a path, another fork appeared before Shiwoo.

...Again, most of the Yoo Shiwoos perished, but a few did not.

He decided to walk towards the paths where Yoo Shiwoo had survived.

He repeated this dozens of times.

Before he knew it, only two paths remained before Yoo Shiwoo.

The path where his entire body was torn apart by the wind barrier hastily set up by the villain, and the path where it was not.

Shiwoo walked down the path where he was not torn apart, and swung his sword.

He felt no sensation. Whether he had swung it or not, Shiwoo couldn't be sure through his fading consciousness.

That was the end of it.

Shiwoo's consciousness faded to black, and the world was dyed entirely in darkness.