Chapter 150

It happened during the vacation.

While Iri was receiving private lessons at the newly established CQB Training Ground, Lexus suddenly said this.

-“Do you know what your biggest problem is?”

-“That I don’t have a means of long-range attack.”

-“That’s your second problem, and it’s not such a big one. Once you reach a certain level of skill, offensive methods don’t matter that much.”

Then Lexus tapped his own eyes.

-“You rely too much on your ‘eyes.’”

-“Huh?”

-“Figure out the rest yourself.”

After muttering bluntly like that, Lexus resumed the training.

He hid behind corners out of sight and fired his gun, while Iri struggled to dodge or block the attacks, frantically searching for him.

To be honest, that training didn’t seem all that helpful.

I couldn’t quite understand what Lexus meant by those words, and I was starting to resent Aaron a little for choosing such an irresponsible man as my tutor.

But now.

As I was dueling Donovan, I finally realized.

Why Lexus had said those words to me, and what the true meaning behind them was.

“Haa… haa…”

I gasped for breath.

Forcing a shield onto my barely movable arm, I barely managed to block the fierce incoming strikes.

Tatatatatatata—!

Donovan’s submachine gun spat fire without pause. I raised my shield and couldn’t even lift my head, just desperately blocking the hail of bullets.

In other words, my vision was blocked.

The shield had a small viewport made of special acrylic for looking ahead, but it was woefully insufficient.

The result—

Kuuuuung—!

I failed to properly confirm Donovan’s movements, and didn’t notice him closing in. By the time I realized it, Donovan’s massive frame was already right in front of me.

“Khuhk…!”

I barely managed to twist my shield to deflect the impact. Donovan’s strength had long since surpassed that of an ordinary Gunner, and I slid nearly ten meters backward.

‘Damn it…!’

Just as I tried to confirm Donovan’s position to look for a counterattack, another barrage rained down. I could only curl up like a turtle again.

My vision was restricted.

I couldn’t see Donovan’s movements.

With my sight sealed, no way of responding came to mind.

‘So this is what he meant…!’

-You rely too much on your eyes.

Just like Lexus had said.

I had always relied on my senses—especially sight—in battle. I watched my opponent’s movements, predicted their next move, and drew out the optimized result.

Even without any special training, I had instinctively followed this process. My gifted eyes had naturally elevated my vision to the level of a “sixth sense,” allowing me to evade bullets before they were even fired.

But when that sight was cut off, I couldn’t do anything.

As long as I captured the enemy in my vision, the path to the “correct answer” instinctively appeared. But once that vision was blocked, my mind went blank. On top of that, crushing fatigue set in, and I was cornered even further.

But still—

‘I can’t just stay here and take it.’

Instinct was only instinct, nothing more.

The training I had received hadn’t been in vain.

Even while busy as the new Student Council President, I had steadily trained my body and skills in every spare moment.

And that effort—

Finally bore fruit in the midst of crisis.

“[Thousand Pound Weight].”

Even with restricted vision, it didn’t matter.

In that special training, Lexus had struck me from out of sight with relentless attacks. Compared to his, Donovan’s attacks were far lighter and easier to penetrate.

Clack.

When Donovan’s SMG briefly stopped firing to reload, I activated the module and sprang into motion.

But the step I took didn’t land on the ground. Using the gravity of [Thousand Pound Weight], I began running along the “wall.”

“Haaaaaaat!”

By turning the “wall” into a new foothold, my options expanded dramatically. Caught off guard by my unexpected movements, Donovan’s responsive fire was just slightly delayed.

I didn’t miss that momentary gap. In an instant, I succeeded in closing the distance between us, leaping high toward Donovan.

Of course, Donovan didn’t just stand still.

Clack!

Having reloaded in a flash, the barrel of Donovan’s gun was aimed squarely at me.

As if saying such movements could be tracked at any time, his [Auto-Aim] module fixed the SMG’s barrel directly at the space between my eyebrows. The module was still active.

The trigger was about to be pulled.

‘Not yet!’

Even as I saw it, I didn’t dodge right away.

Just before the bullet pierced my forehead—

I activated [Thousand Pound Weight] again.

My body suddenly veered sharply in midair. The 9mm rounds cut through nothing but empty space.

Boom!

I landed on the wall again.

Failing slightly in controlling [Thousand Pound Weight], my knee joints screamed in protest. But I had no time to whine about something that small.

‘Faster!’

Kicking off the wall again, I soared upward. This time, I used the ceiling as a foothold and hung upside down. Then, just before Donovan’s fire struck that spot, I launched myself once more.

Wall. Ground. Wall. Wall. Ceiling, then ground again.

With irregular aerial maneuvers, I escaped his line of fire and forced him to waste ammunition. Instead of relying on “sight” to react to my opponent’s moves, I was making him attack on my terms.

‘Faster—before he realizes what I’m doing!’

I repeated movements too unpredictable for him to read, throwing him into confusion. Then, when he mistook a deliberate trap for an “opportunity,” I would strike back.

That was my strategy.

‘Still far too slow! At this rate, it won’t fool him!’

It was still an incomplete technique.

Since it was bound to have flaws, I tried to make up for them with sheer “speed.” I pushed the module to its limits, outputting more than my body could handle, accelerating my aerial maneuvers further and further.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

I also didn’t forget to mix in attacks here and there. Even if they didn’t inflict meaningful damage, I intended to keep scratching at his focus, shaking his judgment.

A ceaseless exchange of offense and defense continued.

As gunfire, wounds, and the heat of battle gradually filled the battlefield—

At last.

Iri made her final move.

‘…Now!’

Flinch.

I pretended to lose my balance mid-landing, as if I had misstepped. To make it seem like an irresistibly tempting opportunity for the opponent.

And Donovan took the bait.

“Module Online, [Incinerator Cannon].”

Donovan’s wrist once again transformed into the shape of an energy cannon. From deep inside the hole in his wrist, a crimson light so bright it was hard to look at began to gather.

Even without a special scanner module, it was clear massive amounts of energy were concentrating there.

Watching it,

Iri smiled lightly.

“…Got you.”

She immediately regained her stance.

She had never truly lost her balance to begin with.

She stomped down so hard the ground quaked, threw aside her shield to gain even a little more speed, and drew out a long spiked lance from the back of her hand using [Thorn Armor].

And she thrust.

Toward the muzzle of Donovan’s [Incinerator Cannon], she drove the thin, long spike deep inside.

For a moment, time seemed to stop.

Donovan’s expression filled with terror,

And in that instant, Iri swiftly retrieved her shield and raised it.

At the end, she muttered.

“…Once again, I win.”

The next moment.

Donovan’s arm erupted in a massive explosion.

[Achievement Unlocked]

You have begun Main Story Part 2.

Achievement Points +1000

[Achievement Unlocked]

You have revived the ‘Student Council.’

Achievement Points +500

[Notice]

*Part 2, Act 1 has ended.

*Rewards will be distributed.

[Achievement Unlocked]

You have neutralized the ‘Motherboard.’

Achievement Points +3000

[Notice]

*Part 2, Act 2 has ended.

*Rewards will be distributed.

I casually withdrew the sword that had cleaved through Motherboard’s AI Core. At the same time, countless notification windows filled my vision.

‘The scenario has really been cleared.’

Motherboard had once said—

That when it replicated the scenario’s conductor within the simulator world, the progression of the main story in reality halted.

‘At the time, the urgency made me let it slide, but what exactly is its true nature?’

Forcing the scenario to progress.

Dragging Titans into the city.

Synchronizing the personalities of Transmigrators with their characters.

An author. Or someone’s will.

‘Why did the scenario cease to progress while Motherboard existed? And why are the items obtained in hunting grounds always connected to those who oppose me?’

What principle allows Tickets to instantly alter a module’s performance so drastically? And how exactly do they enable us to move into the world of hunting grounds?

And most importantly—

‘For what purpose did that being bring us here?’

It had only been half a year since I crossed into this world.

Yet already, because of the presence of the Transmigrators, the butterfly effect had spiraled out of control. The “author” of this world seemed intent on pushing the scenario forward no matter what, but one day, thanks to the holes caused by the Transmigrators, the story could just as easily veer into catastrophe far from the original.

‘That’s why I need to understand the system of this world in greater detail.’

I couldn’t let myself be endlessly manipulated by the “author.” This world had already diverged from the original storyline beyond recognition, but I had no desire to abandon the world I intended to keep living in.

‘Above all, the ending.’

If what Motherboard had said was true—

Even if I somehow prevented the city’s destruction at the hands of Drake Stingray or the Dragonkin, what awaited beyond that was nothing but a predetermined apocalypse.

That was not what I wanted.

I wanted the world after the ending.

In this rusted but beautiful neon-lit city, I wished to live my entire life with the ones I cherished.

‘I have to find a way to prevent the ending.’

With that renewed resolve, I stepped outside the building. Once again, the “Motherboard AI Core Storage Key” had become nothing more than a useless item.

‘I’ll have to sell this off too.’

It was still raining outside.

The flames clinging to the sports car I had crashed into had already died out, and with Motherboard destroyed, the security drones and turrets seemed to have ceased functioning as well.

Soaking in the rain, I began walking toward the exit of the Omega Investment premises.

That was when a call came in.

The caller was Lexus Bane.

[Ah, Crown Prince. You done over there?]

“Yeah.”

[It’s wrapped up here too. Man, like I said before, the guys you dug up were the real deal.]

From the way he spoke, it seemed the [Showcase] underway at the Academy had concluded successfully as well.

That was a great relief. With things already rough at headquarters due to the stock skirmishes, if we had lost the [Showcase] too, the situation would truly have gone downhill fast.

“That’s good to hear.”

[So when are you coming back? Our Lady Iri was asking for you right after her duel ended. Seems she wants your praise.]

“…I see. But I can’t return right away.”

[Guess you’re busy.]

“Yeah.”

And then—

“Aaron Stingray.”

At the sound of someone calling my name, I turned my head to see a man holding an umbrella.

On either side of him stood men armed in Lv.4 Police-Issue Powered Armor, and in his hand was an official ID card. Below his photo and name were the letters VCPD.

A detective.

“Would you come with us, please?”

“Sure.”

I nodded.

Well, it was only natural.

I had made quite a mess.

Now, it was time for cleanup.

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