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150th Chapter. Human or Insect? (1)

Currently, the combat-capable students were all fighting against monsters.

Due to the sudden change in the barrier, they had no choice but to dig in their heels and prepare for a final stand.

In such a situation, the professors weren’t just sitting around twiddling their thumbs.

Even without mana, their accumulated life experiences far surpassed that of the students, and it was possible for them to fight the monsters solely with their transcendent skills.

The students, exhausted by the endless onslaught of monsters, admired their abilities.

However, it wasn’t just the lowly creatures that were coming at them.

Lava Golems and Metal Golems, capable of handling hundreds of lesser monsters, began to swarm as well.

It would take a long time for the faculty to take down even a single one of those golems, and during that time, an unprecedented situation could occur where they couldn’t protect the students.

Their capabilities were still as immature as that of an unfertilized egg. Of course, not everyone was like that.

“Haah!”

Swaaaash!—

The body of the heavy, solid Metal Golem split in half.

The one who had cleaved through that overwhelming mass was none other than this year’s new student and the Divine Empire’s princess, Mirona.

With a battle cry, she began to slice through the oncoming golems, and already, a mountain of monster corpses stacked up at her feet.

“I must protect them.”

The faculty couldn’t put their full strength to use, and the students were too busy dealing with other monsters.

Of course, there were some students who were said to be strong besides herself.

But even they were busy in their own right.

Especially among them were Jenny Chain Silver, Luska Mad Eye, and Mary Ryudshiel.

The three of them were facing off against the Royal Guard members.

In other words, it meant that she was the only one capable of handling these monsters.

“There’s no one else but me…!”

But something was truly strange.

With neither the principal nor the vice principal around, the barrier couldn’t just act on its own.

Moreover, these golems weren’t monsters that normally wandered near the academy.

It was clear that someone had artificially created this situation, including the barrier, from within the Dantia Pavilion.

But who could possibly be behind this?

“We must not have any sacrifices.”

Mirona had a sort of obsession.

Her innate kindness and the responsibility that came with her royal position created a powerful sense of duty. And the moment she grabbed a sword, she possessed enough might to change the world.

Understanding that strength and responsibility are proportional better than anyone else, Mirona had little regard for her own safety.

Even if the opponent boasted a tremendous amount of power compared to her, she could charge forward.

“It must be the Dantia Pavilion.”

Considering the involvement of the Royal Guard and Instructor Jason, as well as the mastermind behind this commotion, how strong must they be?

Yet still, Mirona had to go to the Dantia Pavilion.

With the chaos erupting in a school attended by the princess, there was a risk of being scrutinized.

‘It’s all my fault…’

She despised the idea of anyone suffering due to her own doing.

With that thought, Mirona unleashed a powerful slash, sweeping away the approaching golems.

The explosive wave of the blade tore through the sky.

*

“Kraaaah!! Get away!!”

The woman he had loved from afar was clinging to another man.

Moreover, that man was someone he despised so much he felt murderous impulses.

It was the first time his heart had raced throughout his life.

He was ready to sacrifice anything to ‘own’ her.

But then he discovered the truth. She wouldn’t choose him.

Still, he couldn’t give up. That woman was the only one who didn’t see him as a pest.

– Absolutely cannot lose her.

– Cannot allow her to be taken away.

He couldn’t let anyone have her.

To settle this excited heart, he had to ‘own’ her!

If she wouldn’t come to him, he would have to ‘possess’ her!

Owning is a word that is hardly suitable for a being called a ‘human.’

But if it was not a ‘human,’ the word ‘own’ could still stand.

There’s no need to strictly ‘own’ a person.

“What the hell is that guy saying?”

Radian found it odd as he saw Jason screaming wildly.

Unlike the battered Adela, this guy had just healed all his wounds.

This was clearly a situation where he had the upper hand, yet he was screeching in hysteria.

He was someone who found satisfaction in killing, and when things didn’t go well, he would explode in rage.

If he related that nature to the current situation, it meant something bad was happening to him.

What was obstructing his ‘satisfaction’? It seemed to have something to do with him yelling, “Get away!!”

“It’s dangerous!”

At that moment, Adela blocked Jason’s charge with her sword.

Crash!—

The clash with the Holy Sword he wielded resonated loudly.

Jason had fully healed all his serious wounds with some unknown flower. Adela gnashed her teeth at the completely overturned situation.

‘If things keep going like this, Adela is at risk. I really can’t just stand by…!’

But she couldn’t confront Jason in a body without mana.

Trying to intervene would only be a hindrance to Adela.

Just as Radian was lamenting his powerlessness,

Zing!—

Suddenly, Radian’s faculty badge vibrated.

It was an object that contained the same function as the students’ ID cards.

On the back side, a single character was written on the mirror archive, and seeing that, Radian came up with a certain plan.

Meanwhile, thanks to his body healing, Jason’s gaze no longer held any fear.

Something filled with madness was being transmitted from Jason’s sword.

“I’ll ask you one last time, Adela Merhenna.”

While struggling to keep him at bay, Jason spoke.

He had an expression on his face that seemed to say, “You can’t stop me with that body anymore.”

“Don’t you remember me?”

“What do you and I have to do with each other? Are you saying we’re long-lost siblings or something?”

His arms were trembling, and Jason’s question annoyed him quite a bit.

Jason had asked that question every time they crossed paths.

So he always answered that he didn’t know, but Jason’s face always expressed disappointment.

Even if they did know each other, so what?

“Siblings? Hehe… We’re much more special than that. Because….”

A wicked smile began to curve on Jason’s lips.

At that moment, a blade surged from another direction, aiming for Jason’s neck.

Swish!—

“Ugh!”

Jason narrowly dodged the surprise attack aimed at him.

The one wielding that blade was none other than Radian.

“Enough with the nonsense. Jason.”

“Are you really trying to confront me one-on-one in that condition?”

If it had been before, Jason would have instinctively feared Radian.

But he wasn’t foolish enough to fear him now that he had lost his powers.

“Seems the academy’s environment has made you even weaker than before. Captain, back then, I at least considered you someone capable of satisfying me.”

“Then let me ask you, Jason.”

Radian cut straight to the chase, causing Jason’s brows to twitch.

“What is your standard of ‘satisfaction.'”

“….”

“How satisfied must you be to feel happiness?”

During his time as a member of the Black Squad, Radian had observed Jason like a patient.

Although it was a unit made up of criminals, most had been wrongly accused or committed crimes due to circumstances.

Of course, there were also those who were bloodthirsty, and Jason was one of them.

Such members were always a target for caution in the organization.

Radian was able to see through what kind of standards Jason had for his thirst for blood.

“When others acknowledge your talent? When someone you dislike ends up in the infirmary? When I praise you for doing well?”

Jason undoubtedly felt satisfaction during those times. However, he had never truly cherished the happiness he obtained then.

Relationships with others are determined by the happiness rooted deep within the heart. Not knowing how to retain that in his heart, Jason could only feel a sense of lacking.

“Even while you experience good things, you only feel ‘satisfaction,’ but you’ve never felt that so-called ‘reward.’ Then how satisfied must you be for happiness to pile up for you?”

Did the entire world have to treat him with favoritism before he could be satisfied?

No, even for Jason, he would still voice complaints.

What he kept in his heart was ‘pleasure,’ not ‘happiness.’

“You blame others for not being able to feel happiness. As a result, you treat others like insects.”

With no happiness to sustain his relationships, nobody approaches him.

Eventually, Jason, who had become a recluse of his own volition, thought the world was wrong.

A world that didn’t favor him, blessed with talent, was filled with fools, all a bunch of pests, he thought.

“Satisfaction? What a ridiculous notion. The moment you can’t feel happiness, ‘satisfaction’ should never have existed in the first place! Just unwarranted pests seeking blood and pleasure! That is your essence!!”

“Shut your mouth!!”

As Radian’s lengthy shout ended, Jason shot back with a brief exclamation. His eyes were visibly bloodshot from the speech he couldn’t possibly accept.

“Yes, anything that doesn’t favor me is just a bug! Is that enough?”

“Then among them, was there not a special existence that was not a bug?”

“What…?”

There was someone. That person stood before him even now.

Once, she had appeared as the only angel who wasn’t a bug. Yet now, she was merely a decorative object he wished to ‘own.’

But he couldn’t precisely tell whether she was an angel or not. For Jason, even now, Stella was not a ‘living angel.’

“Just… one person….”

“Then was that one person at least a ‘human’?”

Not a bug, not an angel, just a pure human.

To that question, Jason couldn’t hastily answer.

Had he ever viewed a person as a person?

“Back when you were in the processing unit, I asked you if you didn’t feel disturbed. I remember what you answered that time.”

– I’m glad I can exterminate the pests.

That response revealed Jason’s true nature easily.

It meant that to him, a human life was even less than that of a bug.

“You, who consider human life so insignificant, will not achieve anything. The plans you painstakingly made, the bonds between comrades, and…”

There, Radian gestured toward Stella.

“Love.”

“…!!”

Once again, Jason’s eyes turned bloodshot.

That’s right. Radian had just caught on slightly earlier when he shrieked. To be honest, the name of Professor Stella felt suspicious from the outset.

“The ‘joy’ of joy and sorrow is missing in you; you, who have lost the ‘qualification’ of a human, will not bring us down!!”

“Ugh…!”

With Radian’s spirited shout, Jason suddenly froze.

He not only couldn’t refute his words, but a tremendous fear also overwhelmed him.

It felt as if he had returned to the days when he couldn’t stand his past superior.

But even so, he couldn’t use mana. The one with the advantage here was undoubtedly himself.

“You’re nothing but mouth!!”

That one thought alone allowed him to forcibly move legs that had been paralyzed by his beast-like aura.

Aura sprang forth from Jason’s feet. It was akin to a mirage resulting from the intense mana that was compressed in his lower half.

And like an explosion, the mana propelled Jason forward. Given his role as the captain of the knights, his speed in closing the distance was astonishing.

Whoosh!—

With a spring-like push, Jason aimed to decapitate Radian.

But instead of dodging, Radian was smiling.

While he wondered what could be causing that, he was already in the situation of swinging his Holy Sword. At that moment, he finally recalled.

– We will not crumble under a guy like you!!

It was Radian fighting individually, so why was he using the term ‘we’? Of course there was Adela beside him, but it was too late for her to intervene.

At that distance, he wouldn’t be able to deflect the sword aimed at Radian’s neck.

“…!!”

In that instant, Jason saw it.

Radian, not dodging but merely tilting his head to the side. A sparkling mace flew in from behind him.

And it struck his face with a powerful impact.

Wham!—

A mace that flew like an arrow hit between Jason’s forehead and nose.

With a sound like bones breaking, Jason was jolted back, losing his acceleration. Of course, the sword aimed at his neck halted as well.

‘How…’

He hadn’t expected something to fly in due to Radian’s head blocking his view.

Who had thrown the mace? From the uncovered blind spot, he could see.

Kent Egist. The one who had been standing far behind Radian, had thrown it infused with mana.

The reason Radian was able to read it in advance and dodge was that Kent had notified him ahead of time.

The message he had received just before when the faculty badge vibrated was precisely that.

“Now is the time!”

“Yes!”

While pointing at Jason, who was wobbling from the hit, Radian shouted.

Adela moved to seize that opportunity.

Zing!—

She maximized the aura contained in her sword. The pale pink sword turned into a deep crimson hue in that moment.

The horn on her head shone brightly. For some reason, as a factor race, her instincts were craving that creature’s blood.

The excruciating pain of her torn body was pushed back by the surging instinct.

[Blood Demon Sword – Dark Wave]

The red blade released from the sword engulfed Jason.

The blow converted from the mana squeezed to the limit spread all the way to the forests across from him.

It was the moment when part of the academy’s map changed.

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.

 

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