Acquired the Scam Rune in the Academy

Chapter 37 Awakening (2)

Ha Do-kwon’s axe, which was swung relentlessly towards Kim Chae-eun, came to an abrupt halt.

Thank goodness. With this, there’s enough time for the safe zone.

If the timing had been slightly off, Kim Chae-eun could have been seriously hurt.

[Declaration of Domination] is affected by the willpower attribute.

It seems Ha Do-kwon’s willpower attribute is much lower compared to mine.

Even with [Oppression] at level 1, it took effect immediately.

Using [Declaration of Domination] of [Oppression], I immediately threw the daggers, giving him a taste of [Quarter Knives].

“Groan…!!”

Four daggers pierced through his wrists holding the axe.

One of them contained a deep power.

Ha Do-kwon let out a pained groan.

But that wasn’t enough to completely drive him away.

About three seconds have passed, and the fear should start to wear off.

I needed to inflict more damage during that time.

Without realizing it, I had moved closer to him and Kim Chae-eun.

Utilizing [Sprint] and [Agile Agility]…

I had prepared to be in this position.

“Who are you trying to kill?”

“K-Kuh, Kuaaaah-!!”

After pushing away the axe with my sword,

I then slashed at his wrists.

This time, Ha Do-kwon screamed in agony.

Although his wrists didn’t get deep cut due to his strong endurance, I still dealt a significant blow.

Three consecutive slashes, [Combo].

Energy overflowed from Park Jin-woo’s sword.

This should maximize the short duration of fear.

“……”

I turned my head and looked at the supervisor.

Many professors had already gathered at the scene.

Including the supervisor, there were four reserve professors in the exam room.

They all pointed their weapons at Ha Do-kwon.

It was evident to everyone that he had attempted to murder a fellow student.

No professor present failed to notice that intention.

“Holder Ha Do-kwon. You are being taken into custody on suspicion of violating the Academy’s practical duel rules and attempted murder. Kneel down.”

The supervisor in the center spoke in a stern voice.

I suddenly felt relieved that Professor Kim Myeong-hyun wasn’t present.

If he had witnessed this scene, he might have simply killed Ha Do-kwon without considering any investigation or interrogation.

I hadn’t known him for long, but even I could tell he cherished Kim Chae-eun more than anyone, being a father to her.

“Chae-eun, are you okay?”

“Jae-hyun…”

I reached out my hand to Kim Chae-eun, who was on the ground.

Her eyes were slightly moist with tears.

Though she didn’t witness how I dealt with Ha Do-kwon’s attack, she seemed to have grasped the situation from my subsequent actions and the commotion in the exam room.

The feeling of being in danger, even if only for a moment, must have been quite terrifying.

“Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine. Thanks for your help. If it weren’t for you…”

“Don’t think about strange things. Hold my hand.”

“Okay…”

Kim Chae-eun held my hand and stood up.

Her hands were still trembling, showing that the uneasiness hadn’t completely faded.

However, the real duel experience gained in the dungeon, which wasn’t present in the original story, seemed to have made her stronger.

Blocking the first attack with [Field Freezing] and evading Ha Do-kwon’s axe attack.

Given the multitude of variables in the duel, even with my knowledge of the situation, I wouldn’t have been able to find many opportunities to intervene effectively.

Various situations, experiences, and skills, combined with the crucial fear effect of [Declaration of Domination], allowed me to save Kim Chae-eun from the crisis.

“Holder Ha Do-kwon. Kneel down and put your hands above your head. If you refuse, we’ll respond with force.”

The supervisor’s voice was rigid and it made me feel somewhat frustrated.

Why couldn’t we just use force from the beginning?

Everyone witnessed that guy was trying to kill Kim Chae-eun, so I don’t understand why we’re adhering to the rules in this situation.

Ha Do-kwon held onto his bleeding wrist. He was breathing like a maniac.

“Heh, heh… .”

“Heh heh. It’s a really funny situation. uh… .”

“The hall…”

“Oh, fuck. It’s terribly noisy.”

“What, what?”

“Noisy. Mr. Overseer.”

Ha Do-kwon slowly stood up.

As he did, the movements of the professors around him changed.

Clang- Clang-

Accompanied by the sounds of swords being drawn…

The supervisor and the professors held their weapons up.

One professor, seemingly from the mage class, was gathering magic.

The situation was now completely surrounded by multiple professors.

Just a single step and they would be ready to respond immediately.

However, Ha Do-kwon didn’t seem to be bothered by such a threat.

He continued to laugh maniacally…

With his red eyes fixed on me.

“It’s amusing… I never expected my plan to go so awry… Huh…”

Something about this seemed slightly dangerous…

In his young, spirited eyes…

I could feel Kim Chae-eun grabbing the tip of my clothes from behind.

I also felt a sense of tension.

Despite the distance between us and the presence of the professors ahead, an unknown sense of danger crept up on me.

‘Was he always like this?’

I had never encountered him before.

In the original story, Ha Do-kwon killed a mage-class Holder, which was revealed to be a part of the <Villain> clan’s plan.

He was merely a connecting link for the events to unfold.

I had absolutely no knowledge of what kind of person Ha Do-kwon was or how he killed the Holder, not even the name of the one he killed…

From the beginning, I didn’t know anything about him.

That’s why when I interfered with his plan, I had no idea how he would react.

“Ugh- Ugh…!!”

And then, at that moment.

His body started turning bright red.

A sudden and unexpected change in his body.

This surprised all the Holders, including the professors surrounding him.

The reason was immediately apparent.

As if an alchemical vial had burst open, an item in his hand shattered.

His body was covered in liquid, and the director exclaimed, “It’s the Berserker Potion! Stop him, everyone!” The supervisor was startled and shouted loudly. The Berserker Potion momentarily makes the Holder lose their sanity but enhances their abilities and grants them powerful strength for a certain period. However, the side effects are severe, leading to its classification as a prohibited substance among current Holders. In its frenzy state, the Holder acts solely according to their initial intentions, and after the frenzy ends, the Holder’s abilities are irreparably damaged, making it more dangerous than drugs in Korea. Currently, the only clan distributing this potion is the criminal organization <Villain>. The fact that student Holder Ha Do-kwon used this Berserker Potion left everyone stunned.

“This is unbelievable…”

“He was affiliated with Villain?”

“Professor Lee Cheol-ho, do something right now…”

The panicked professors couldn’t continue their words. Ha Do-kwon, who had finished his preparation, rushed toward me while impaling one of the professors who was preparing magic.

“Kraaah-!!”

Ha Do-kwon charged at me while under the effect of [Ruthless Charge], a special ability granted by capturing B-grade monster Centaurus’s bodily fluids in the potion. This was the first successful case of researching a monster’s rune, and they could only control it once, apart from the single potion use. In other words, Ha Do-kwon was now charging at me, ignoring all physical attacks using the special ability [Ruthless Charge].

Since the only professor who handled magic had retired, there was no one to stop Ha Do-kwon, who could now ignore physical attacks due to his increased abilities.

“Crazy… He has entered Berserker mode.”

Thump, thump.

I looked at Ha Do-kwon, who was approaching with intense footsteps. Ha Do-kwon, completely red due to the Berserker Potion, looked more like a monster than a human. In that short time, I searched for ways to stop him.

‘Hardening? No, it won’t work.’

The skill [Hardening] instantly doubled my toughness stat. However, Ha Do-kwon’s strength was now more than twice mine. Considering his [Ruthless Charge] ability, blocking him with my body would be suicidal.

‘Dodge? I’m not fast enough.’

Ha Do-kwon’s increased abilities surpassed ours by far. Even if I managed to avoid one attack luckily, what about the next and the one after that? His speed was now more than double ours.

To stop him, I needed a powerful control tool infused with magic. I realized this and shouted in a loud voice, “Kim Chae-eun! Field Freezing!”

“I’m already prepared…!!”

Kim Chae-eun, who had partied with me multiple times before, had already completed her magic preparations. Her powerful [Field Freezing] enveloped the arena. Although Ha Do-kwon avoided the frozen ground with incredible speed, he stumbled slightly in the ice’s hindrance.

“Kuh, aaah…!!”

I didn’t miss that moment. I rushed towards him, raising my sword. Among the skills I could currently use was one that allowed me to infuse magic into my sword for a direct attack. The professors, who had momentarily lost track of Ha Do-kwon, seemed to realize this as well and charged at him with their respective weapons.

‘He’s too fast, damn it.’

Waiting for the professors would likely result in us being defeated first. Although Ha Do-kwon’s consumption of the Berserker Potion was an unexpected development, the professors here seemed slightly inferior in skill. If Professor Tak Won-ho or Professor Kim Myeong-hyun were present, they wouldn’t have been so slow to react.

I quickly approached Ha Do-kwon and stabbed his trapped foot with my sword. For it to be effective, I had to continuously attack where he was hit. Utilizing the mastery of [Wave Sword Technique], I delivered a powerful sword strike to his trapped foot. Although I couldn’t use [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] yet, I could imitate it to some extent.

“Kraaaah–!!”

But it was not enough. My magic stat was too low to fully subdue him. Ha Do-kwon forcefully broke free from both [Field Freezing] and my sword strike and swiped me away.

“Ku…ugh!!”

Damn it. The pain was beyond words. It was even more excruciating than getting hit by Sizzling Salamander or Grizzly Drake. When the difference in abilities exceeded two-fold, even with the [Combat] rune, I still suffered such a blow. Against a physical attack that surpassed my toughness by far, I fell down, unable to move or respond.

“Keuahhhh!!”

There is no more mercy. Ha Do-kwon, who had been shouting in cheers, raised his fist in a posture of trying to knock me down. It’s likely that all the organs in my body will rupture in one blow. A hopeless situation with an end in sight.

… And then.

“Burn up.”

With a short word, an intense flame that is hard to see with the naked eye explodes. A fire that seems to devour everything, surrounds the eyes.

The ultimate skill activator ‘Orations’.

Since I was so immature when I first cast [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword], I could not even express the wonder.

“Kraa, Kraaah–!!”

Ha Do-kwon is vulnerable to fire-type magic because he has no fire resistance, compared to his excessively high toughness value.

Ha Do-kwon roared in agony under the intense flames surrounding him. The searing flames filled the arena with thick smoke. Unable to endure it, Ha Do-kwon let out a scream mixed with pain.

The seemingly unbeatable ‘Berserker Mode’ was collapsing too easily. I slightly lifted my head to look at the woman before me. Her voice was familiar, and so was the silhouette. The top first-year Holder and the strongest mage here. It was Kang Juyeon.