I Possessed a Broken Academy Instructor - Chapter 83



Chapter 83

The distance from the black market to the headquarters of the Mer Corporation was considerable, so Jin Crow left behind the writhing Viper, who was struggling with a hefty deposit, and moved his now lighter body onto the main road.

Swoosh!

A liquid, whether blood or sweat, splattered across his head, mingling with the blood of another creature.

The droplet of brackish liquid brushed against his cheek.

It could have entered his eyes, yet Jin Crow never closed them.

-Krrrrrrrr!

In a corner of the city, Fon, hunched over as he devoured a person, rose his massive form and scattered his gaze toward Jin.

But Jin Crow, having applied a pain patch that dulled his senses, swung his sword without hesitation, lighting a cigarette as he did.

“National Army Swordsmanship, Vertical Cut No. 2.”

The slash, drawn along the cracked asphalt, shimmered like a flash of light, swiftly etching a red line across the creature’s flesh.

Then, leaping toward the staggering beast, he aimed the muzzle precisely at its brow and murmured softly.

“Annoying.”

Had it been any other time, he would have spat out such a line in disgust, but at least now, it was a genuine whisper.

It was only natural.

Having emerged from the black market, he could not count the number of creatures he had felled on his way to the Mer Corporation’s headquarters, where something was undoubtedly amiss.

Thanks to the stimulant, his body, which usually creaked endlessly, held up reasonably well, but the problem lay in his mental fatigue.

‘This is its own torment.’

At the slightest sound, he felt his nerves fraying, and he would dream nightmares from the horrific images that flickered by in a war-related documentary.

Let alone the buildings crumbling all around him.

What splashed beneath his boots was a mud mixed with blood and entrails.

Amidst the debris, human flesh and creature flesh tumbled together, while dying humans were gnawed upon by creatures that savored their flesh. Facing such a scene directly, rather than through photographs or videos, was far more stressful than he had anticipated.

-Kuuu!

Moreover, the wretched creatures that multiplied like weeds whenever one was slain were equally irksome.

It was then.

Kugugugugugung!

A faint shadow loomed overhead, and as he looked up, he couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

Indeed, who wouldn’t burst into laughter at the sight of a black ship slowly tilting right above their head?

‘Why is it bursting apart so easily?’

He simply could not comprehend it.

In the original tale, they had held out quite well, but as he continued to fight, he counted at least ten wrecked ships in his immediate view.

From noble mtl dot com

Considering the economic and military capabilities of a single vessel, it was hard to fathom how the Queen’s appearance could explain this.

Typically, one would engage with a defensive field against creatures… but not now.

“Damn it.”

He stifled the curse that almost slipped from his lips, and with a heavy heart, he severed the neck of an unnamed creature charging at him.

The questions were answered, yet what surged forth was a sense of suffocation.

After the threat of the creatures had escalated, the ships would have added a defensive field against them, separate from the anti-ship defenses.

But what about now?

They might be conducting research, but it was unlikely that such measures had been implemented.

In other words, while the ship might excel in fleet battles, it was utterly inadequate against the massive, hollow turtles that could easily push through.

‘It’s a blessing that only ten have been shot down.’

If he had been unaware, at least his mind would have been at ease.

Ptooey.

After spitting out the mingled blood and saliva of a creature that had splattered him, he turned to the following Bulk.

“Communications?”

“Ah, still the same.”

He still appeared as a cold-blooded killer clad in black techwear and a military cap, yet he approached with the amiability of a friendly mutt, minus only the tail and ears.

Of course, the sight of him wiping the blood from his mask with one hand while clutching a dagger was far from comforting.

The reason he was panting, contrary to his name Bulk, was simply that he had decided to pay him a consulting fee of one hundred million dollars, thanks to the surprisingly low price of the stimulant.

‘It would be a lie to say I’m not regretting it.’

In truth, there was an urgent need to employ him.

Right after receiving a call from Tita Zenolua, all communications connected to him and the other Watchers had been severed.

The reason was not hard to deduce.

“Is it the creatures that have shattered the communications, or the doing of Stero Mer, or perhaps the sinister elf, Geumganghyeok? Or is it simply the chaos of the rioters…?”

No, the real problem lies in the utter disarray, making it impossible to discern the cause.

“Ha.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t worry about the cadets.

In fact, he pondered whether he should have sought an escape from the very beginning, right there beside them.

Yet, the conclusion he reached was that “escape is impossible anyway.”

It wasn’t particularly pessimistic thinking.

After all, when he looked up at the ships bursting in the sky like festival fireworks, the desire to board one of those grand coffins vanished instantly.

“Uh, Instructor?”

It was then.

Jin Crow fixed his indifferent gaze on the tip of Volk’s pointing finger, and soon they beheld a series of creatures standing arrogantly atop a space half-collapsed, debris piled like mountains.

—uuu.

It murmured, echoing like a dreamlike sound reverberating within a cave.

The violet glow shone like a cross, and the skin draped over its form exuded a noble appearance reminiscent of a monk.

If it weren’t for the fact that it was likely swallowing people through the tentacles sprawling in all directions, as if they were mere blood bags, it would almost seem deceptively sacred.

“Ugh, ugh, ah. Ugh.”

“Ah, it hurts… Hah.”

Dangling from the tentacles, the elongated body was drained of life force along with the blood that was firmly embedded at the tip of its spine.

The creature, evoking the image of a monk, greedily gulped down their blood as if it were the sweetest nectar, scattering its glowing gaze in satisfaction.

“…This is a bit disgusting.”

The sight was repulsive even to Volk, who had never flinched at the sight of blood and flesh, as he stared at no less than ten humans.

And then.

Standing just a step ahead, Instructor Jin Crow quietly took a drag from his awakening cigarette and murmured softly.

“…The presence of a Bishop.”

Upon hearing his words, Volk unconsciously glanced back at that repulsive creature.

Bishop.

A chess piece modeled after a Catholic cleric.

Just as he said, the creature bore a resemblance that fit the name perfectly, and at that moment, Volk nodded absentmindedly.

“It’s too late.”

“What?”

Jin Crow, as if sensing something, turned to Bolk who stood behind him.

“Run.”

He threw himself sideways, leaving the bishop behind, embodying the very words he had just spoken.

“Eh? What, what is it?”

Just as Bolk was about to be stunned by the cowardice displayed before him, he too felt the faint tremor beneath the earth and instinctively followed Jin Crow.

Kugugugugugugugung!

As expected.

With a vibration that radiated outwards from the spot they stood, the bishop, as if it had known all along, scattered its gaze and flew low toward the epicenter.

In an instant, the ground tilted, and all manner of debris, flesh, blood, and even corpses were swallowed into the earth as if it had opened like a sinkhole.

“Khuk!”

Thanks to Jin Crow’s warning, Bolk barely managed to throw himself toward the rooftop of a building that had collapsed less severely. He crouched down, staring at Jin Crow, who was drinking, and then murmured softly as he caught sight of something massive slowly revealing itself.

“…Holy shit.”

Truly, it was a sight that surpassed anything he had ever seen, fitting for such a rich exclamation.

Yet, Jin Crow, who had anticipated the creature’s arrival, merely trusted in his pain patches, simultaneously doping himself with alcohol and cigarettes, his gaze heavy-lidded as he stared at the beast.

-Guooo!

Soon, the colossal giant rose from the earth, its massive form gleaming with a purplish hue.

The scattered debris swirled like clouds, and its writhing exterior evoked the image of a giant clad in armor.

Was this how it felt to face a titan from myth?

Perhaps, it wouldn’t be too different.

Jin Crow gazed at the creature, towering at the height of a twenty-story building, and murmured softly.

“Even the Rook. It’s safe to say that all the mass-produced ones have come out.”

Bolk couldn’t help but feel a sense of certainty in response to that indifferent muttering, as if he cared little whether anyone around him heard.

‘…This isn’t the first time, is it?’

Despite the clumsy and sometimes foolish demeanor he had shown outwardly, Bolk was also a team leader of a violent organization known as the Murder Company.

He had personally cut down hundreds of superhumans, and by external standards, he was a force comparable to a quad gear.

Yet, facing these creatures, he couldn’t help but feel a deep-seated bewilderment.

It was only natural.

Unlike the human foes he had faced until now, the creatures were something unknown, driven solely by malice.

‘It’s not just me.’

What they encountered on their way to the headquarters of the Mer Corporation was not just the creatures.

In the industry, there were mercenaries who had rolled and tumbled through the years, and there were the infamous, renowned superhumans of Black Mer.

Especially the latter were of a qualitatively different breed.

Though I hated to admit it, their individual personalities and private lives might be ugly and filthy, yet their skills could rival those of the team leaders in the murder company.

However, their fates were mostly similar.

In the beginning, they might have endured somehow through sheer force, but they were mercilessly slaughtered by the overwhelming tide of numbers and the occasional presence of those mid-bosses lurking within.

But Jin Crow was different.

Even he, who made a living slicing through bone and flesh, had stumbled for a while when first facing the monsters, yet he effortlessly carved out the weaknesses of the creatures, acting as if he knew the traits of every foe he encountered.

‘…Instructor Jin Crow. There might be a need to recognize him.’

All that was known was that Jin Crow hailed from the United Synthesis of Humanity and was an associate of Tita Xenolua.

His instincts, honed in the shadows, screamed at him.

He could not be referred to by such trivial titles.

Crack-.

It was then. Jin Crow unfastened the button that clasped his coat at the wrist, soon placing a foot on the railing, addressing Volk.

“The rook may appear as a massive wall, but the truth is, it’s the bishop.”

At his words, Volk finally gazed up at the bishop standing regally atop the colossal rook, and Jin Crow, roughly sweeping back his sweat-soaked, blood-stained hair, added,

“What are you doing?”

“…Huh?”

“Ask it.”

That was a remark so utterly calm and dignified.