I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City - Chapter 114



113 – Prospective Junior and a Sense of Crisis

[Exclusive Weapon Purchased.]

Rohan reached into the shimmering space.

Nothing to grasp. Only the pulsating, the throbbing reminiscent of a heart, could be felt.

A voice permeated his consciousness.

[Only as two are you one, two for the sake of one.]

The throbbing ceased. Condensed power surged through his hand.

Rohan, acting on instinct, emptied both of his hands.

He returned the longsword, its edge dulled from cleaving through hard things, to its scabbard.

The pistol borrowed from Sion he placed on the ground.

A surge of energy coalesced into form, transcending space.

First, for his right hand, a longsword with a cross guard and pommel.

[Radiance]

◇ Heavenly Sun Judgment Sword: Mana Consumption Reduced

◇ Heavenly Sun Judgment Sword: Power Increased

◇ Repairable by Consuming Points Upon Destruction

◇ Grows When Experience Reaches the Limit

A weight just perfect.

It settled into his grip as if custom-made, from hilt to tip.

The longsword, flushed with the heat it absorbed from the Blazing Mark, held a warmth unlike any blade he’d wielded before.

It was a sensation of the blade loving and embracing flame.

And for his left hand, an automatic pistol.

[Stigma]

◇ Weakness Imposition: Mana Consumption Reduced

◇ Ammunition Inserted Becomes Imbued with a Fire Brand, Increasing Mana Capacity and Hardness

◇ Repairable by Consuming Points Upon Destruction

◇ Grows When Experience Reaches the Limit

A simple form, gleaming with silver. Similarly, its size was a perfect fit, comfortable in the hand.

A full magazine.

‘Overlapping? Growth…? I’ve never seen equipment with these kinds of options before.’

In Abyss City, to truly master a weapon, you had to draw the same one six times, stacking it up to Tier 5.

But what about this weapon?

The attack power and additional effects weren’t written in clear numbers, so it was impossible to know, and instead of overlapping, the description mentioned growth through experience points.

*Click!*

Rohan, feeling a pang of regret at his full hands, clenched the pistol in his mouth and pulled back the slide.

‘Ah, never mind. I don’t care about complicated things.’

He couldn’t afford to get lost in thought like this right now.

One thing remained certain, at least. It was a weapon perfectly suited for me.

That was enough.

“O- Oppa?”

“Rohan… What is…?”

Eyes widened, surprised by the suddenly appearing armaments.

Still, a hesitant understanding would likely form.

Equipment that existed in a compressed state, like Noah’s personal weapon, Fimbulvetr, wasn’t unheard of, however rare.

“I’ll explain later. Let’s take care of this quickly, first.”

I focused mana into the handgun called Brand.

Mana flowed into the bullet like water, and a skill loaded in an instant.

Rohan pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The target: a scorpion of immense bulk. The bullet embedded itself in its thick exoskeleton.

─ *Screeeech!!!*

A cry of pain from the monster.

I could already feel the effect taking hold.

[The target is inflicted with Physical Weakness.]

Physical damage was the common denominator for Rohan’s group.

Rohan, having fired the bullet, darted forward, with Sion and Clara right behind.

*Click!*

I charged another skill as I ran.

One shot for the Huge Beetle boss ramming its head into the shutter of the storage.

─ *Shhhk! Shhhrrk!*

[The target is inflicted with Physical Weakness.]

The one so single-mindedly rubbing against the solid shutter lifted its head.

The boss-class creatures, shot with bullets, turned towards Rohan.

“I’ll take the right! You two, the left!”

I entrusted it to Sion and Clara, tightening my grip.

I swung the sword held in my right hand.

[Single Sword – Flame Severance]

───*Chwaak!* A massive scorpion is cleaved not lengthwise, but horizontally in two.

Its hardened pincers and shell, reminiscent of armor, split with a clean, even break.

Like a bun waiting for its patty, the monster gaped open, top and bottom, *thwack!*

[+5P]

Simultaneously, a signal announcing the monster’s life had been severed.

“!”

Rohan was taken aback by how effortlessly it parted, feeling no resistance.

Even with Weak Point Enhancement active, splitting monsters like this usually required a significant exertion of force.

This was as effortless as tearing through a crisp sheet of paper.

This blade named ‘Radiance’ was undoubtedly a masterpiece.

“He cleaved it like that with one hand, not two? Such skill.”

“As expected of Oppa…!”

The girls, having finished dealing with the giant beetles, stared in pure awe at the cross-section of the scorpion that Rohan had created.

Leaving aside the skills Rohan possessed, the mark left by the slash evoked admiration.

“Looks like we’re mostly done. Good work, you two.”

Rohan returned the pistol he had placed on the ground to Sion and surveyed the scene.

There was no need to force open the shutters and rescue civilians.

The Mummy’s Alpha was already finished off by Ichinose and Noah.

The security officers were rapidly dealing with the remaining monsters, so the situation would stabilize quickly. In fact, there wasn’t a monster in sight.

‘Should I just report to the Instructor?’

If multiple rifts had opened in the Academy City, Juyeon would be incredibly busy.

Just a message saying I’m unharmed and safe.

That would be enough.

“Rohan.”

“Hm?”

“So, what is that weapon?”

“I, I’m curious too…!”

How should he explain?

Somehow he felt like he could get away with it, but he didn’t want to build lies in this relationship.

If he kept muddling through like this, there would come a point of no return.

“One of my skills lets me procure things like drinking water. Remember?”

He recalls the time the two girls were dragged to the monolith.

They exclaim, “Ah!” already seemingly understanding.

“It wasn’t just food you could get. That’s incredible power.”

“But these kinds of weapons require tremendous resources. Nothing like bottled water or rations.”

“Oppa…so the gun store…?”

“Even with a pistol, we need a holster, so we have to go, right? And stock up on ammo.”

Clara’s expression brightens at the mention of the itinerary.

She must really want to go.

“I could just cut up and tie the old leather scabbard in the meantime for the sword.”

“It’s not a bad fix, but shouldn’t we order a proper scabbard today?”

“If we see a shop that can do it, we will. But in this situation, I don’t know if anyone’s even bothering to run their business properly.”

“Oh, maybe weapon shops are doing good business on days like these…?”

“Actually, Clara has a point.”

It’s time to say goodbye to the longsword he still has installments to pay on.

He’s been rough with it, and after cleaving through a few Beetles and Scorpions without applying Weakness, the blade is chipped and uneven.

Considering the repair costs, it’s best to part ways here.

*You suffered under a terrible master.*

The longsword, violently swung until this day, achieved renown by being plunged deep into a boss-level creature.

Rohan bid farewell to his weapon.

Meanwhile, Sion and Clara look upwards.

Their wistful gazes follow.

“I hope we can retrieve the things we already bought.”

“Ah…”

They recall the packaged underwear and pajamas they had paid for were still at the store.

The girls remembered.

And so, while Rohan’s group was cooperating with the constables’ investigation in the cleared-out mall…

Ichinose and Noah finished talking to the other constables and rejoined them.

“Is everyone alright?”

“Ughya! Using my body has made me hungry!”

The two of them were, by all appearances, unharmed.

Noah seemed subtly elated, a faint intoxication from the heat of battle. Truly, he possessed the combative blood of his beastfolk lineage.

“We’re fine. I already reported to the instructor.”

“Y-yeah, we’re okay…”

Ichinose let out a long, relieved breath.

Noah, as if he expected as much, wagged his tail idly.

“What a disaster this is… We’ve received word that small rifts have appeared in multiple locations, not just in the Academy City, but in the Samhwa Federation as well.”

“Tigrova too! But they quickly suppressed it! It seems other countries are experiencing the same?”

“The signs are ominous.”

Rohan, adjusting the scabbard strapped awkwardly to his back, continued his train of thought.

They couldn’t afford complacency over the miracle of no casualties inside the mall.

‘Sudden quests weren’t like this.’

Dimensional rifts and monoliths appearing abruptly were common enough in Abyss City.

But this simultaneous, uncontrolled outbreak was unprecedented.

‘That was a game mechanic, and this is reality…’

Could the broken main storyline be related?

Regardless, he had a feeling the road ahead wouldn’t be easy.

“Students, we’ve released the emergency shutters, so you can retrieve your belongings now.”

From noble mtl dot com

“Ah! Thank you.”

The peacekeeper, as if they were more grateful, busily moved away with his radio.

Rohan gazed up at the impossibly high ceiling of the mall.

“Let’s just grab our things and get out of here.”

As he moved to leave, a hand gripped his collar.

The grip wasn’t Shion’s or Clara’s, and his head turned reflexively.

“Hm?”

A youthful girl came into view.

She wasn’t wearing the academy uniform. Her casual attire made it hard to tell if she was an academy student or not.

Shion and Clara, who were heading to retrieve their belongings, froze.

Even Ichinose held his breath, watching Rohan and the girl.

Only Noah blinked languidly, displaying his usual nonchalance.

“U-um, excuse me!”

“Who is it?”

Her hair was so short, you might mistake her for a boy from the back.

But head-on, she was unmistakably a tomboyish beauty.

“Thank you for saving me… I am grateful!”

A booming voice.

It helped Rohan remember.

“Ah!”

Amidst swiftly crushing the monsters and passing through,

She was the girl protecting people in front of the vending machine, fighting the monsters. A blurry image of her using fists and feet floated back to him.

“You were fighting well, too. You did good work.”

“I will strive to improve…I pledge!”

A unique and interesting way of speaking. Even her posture was something you’d see in a dojo.

“A-and…”

“And?”

“I’m also graduating high school next year… and I am aiming to enroll in Orion Academy!”

The girl’s gaze toward Rohan was kind and unwavering.

Her eyes, filled with a clear goal, sparkled brightly.

“Then I’ll be your senior when you get in. Work hard.”

“…Senior-nim! I will do my best to enter, I swear!”

At the same moment, the girl moved her hand, which trembled as if she had the shakes.

She pulled out her phone and held it out to Rohan.

“Th-th-th-thank… Academy-related… I have… questions I wish… to ask!”

“Is this you trying to get my number?”

She nodded very slowly, with an attitude that suggested she had absolutely no experience with this, and a bright red face.

Rohan, amused by this long-unseen experience, smiled and punched in his number.

The girl bowed deeply, as if her head would touch the ground, and then ran away into the crowd of girls who seemed to be her friends.

Squeals! Squeals! A burst of their particular cheerful sound erupted from the group.

“”…””

The women who had been watching the situation closely without going upstairs began to become steeped in all kinds of emotions.