Chapter 10

1.

The night in Kiburatos is long.

This is true in a literal sense, but it also refers to the shadow lurking beneath the surface of Kiburatos.

The paralyzed Sentum Tower transformed the city into the ultimate stage for those who lived in the shadows, protected by the law.

The Black Market served as a meeting point for delinquent students from various academies, minor organizations scattered throughout the region, and countless corporations that feigned ignorance but were deeply entrenched in the underworld.

On normal days, they refrained from activities due to the watchful eyes of the Student Council, Valkyrie, and SRT. However, when the infrastructure collapsed, they indulged in everything profitable: smuggling military supplies, illegal substance trading, weapon modifications, and prohibited item manufacturing.

Despite the infrastructure failure causing pain for the citizens of Kiburatos, the benefits of transactions conducted beyond the reach of surveillance made the inconvenience worthwhile.

The decisive reason Kiburatos slipped into anarchy? It was due to the mindset of these individuals.

Thus, the emergence of a figure known as ‘Silk’ was unwelcome.

The denizens dwelling in the darkness and shadows of Kiburatos did not welcome this new overseer who emerged in the light.

As expected, the new overseer, unlike Valkyrie or the Student Council who remained inactive in the late hours, directly intervened, wielding a hammer of punishment against them.

Carrying the prestigious title of Hero, this figure illuminated and apprehended the evil that hid within the shadows.

Even more significantly, this jurisdiction extended to not just the visible crimes but also those thoroughly hidden ones.

At some point, ‘Silk’ amassed an incredible amount of intelligence, wielding it as a weapon to disrupt the underworld. In the process, countless organizations were destroyed, enterprises went bankrupt, and criminals were captured.

During this time, the Valkyrie showed an even more disgraceful appearance.

By day, they criticized Silk’s private sanctions and activities, but by evening, they eagerly partook in what Silk had prepared like nothing had ever happened.

Even worse, they openly collaborated to dismantle the underworld, a calamity in itself.

Thus, the people of the underworld called Silk the “White Reaper,” the ruthless goddess of death who cut down the necks of those surviving in the shadow of Kiburatos.

2.

Recently, there has been a rare scene visible each morning at Millennium Academy.

Roughly between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., if one inspects the Millennium campus fields, they will find a girl exerting her utmost effort to run laps on the track.

With pure white hair and sapphire-like blue eyes.

Even in her tracksuit, her reliable spirit cannot be concealed.

At first glance, she appears as any ordinary student, perhaps even exceptionally beautiful, but she pays no attention to her looks and instead announces the morning by running dozens of laps with all her power.

One might wonder why this scene is considered rare, but anyone who has witnessed this girl’s morning routine will understand why it’s described as such.

Running, running, and running some more.

After an hour of non-stop running, the girl finally came to a stop, drenched in sweat.

Unbeknownst to her, the students who tried to keep up with her during their morning training sessions always fell behind after about ten laps, utterly exhausted.

“Mi, mi…crazy… Heavens, how many… laps… have you run…?”

“Huff… About thirty laps, I believe.”

“Heavens, this insane… monster of stamina…”

As the training students collapsed, the girl nonchalantly wiped her soaked face with her lifted shirt.

The process revealed sturdy abs, and her striking features as she exhaled fresh breath were enough to make the throats of all the women present go dry.

“Well then, I’ll go to the next exercise,” she announced.

“Hu… Hmm…”

“See you tomorrow…”

“Yes…”

Ignoring the gazes of the students, the girl seemed unfazed by fatigue and immediately headed to the Millennium Fitness Center for her next workout.

What followed was another intense workout.

In addition to muscle building for her back, waist, arms, legs, and abdomen, there was an eccentric training regimen.

Instead of guns, she used clubs or sticks to practice techniques on punching bags, pushing her weapon’s weight to the extreme and using her entire body until it became paralyzed.

“Khuueeeeep…!”

During this process, faint giggles escaped from the corners of her mouth, but none of the onlookers nearby tried to stop her.

They merely observed her from afar, finding her fascinating.

Initially, they tried to intervene out of concern for her health, but now they understand just how unreal and monstrous her physique truly is.

Certainly, during the early stages of her peculiar regimen, the girl suffered numerous injuries – torn muscles, overstretched ligaments, and shredded flesh.

The students panicked, urging her to go to the hospital, but she returned home, claiming she was fine.

And the next day, she was back, her body seemingly healed, exercising as though nothing had happened.

When questioned, she dismissed it, saying she was simply healthy.

Since then, her strange rituals continued without interruption.

Everyone watching has come to realize that what’s truly terrifying isn’t just her physical prowess but her unwavering determination never to quit.

Though bizarre, this spectacle is also awe-inspiring, the reason why people describe her actions as “rare.”

“Haa… Haa…”

After the intense training that paralyzed her entire muscular system, the girl collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily.

Her sweat-soaked clothes clung to her body, revealing her figure, causing the faces of students exercising lightly nearby to flush red. But the girl, confident that as a woman she wouldn’t be judged, paid no heed and simply moved on.

After finishing her daily routine, her destination was the locker room.

Quickly cleaning up, she soon emerged, preparing for the upcoming classes by gathering her books and heading to the next location.

Her clubroom.

“Senior, Amy. I’m here.”

“…”

“Come in.”

After navigating the complex process to arrive at the Phenomenon Special Task Force Clubroom, a single response greeted my greeting.

While it was chilly inside, the senior leader, Himari, was sound asleep in her wheelchair, covered in two blankets, wearing an eyepatch.

Though I considered waking her, fearing the possibility of anger, I silently unpacked my things, choosing not to disturb her.

“Here you go, Amy. Catch!”

“What’s this?”

“Food. I got it from my part-time job yesterday.”

I handed over the leftover food I had collected during my evening part-time work. Given the situation, it was unlikely that they had eaten a proper breakfast or even breakfast at all.

“I’ll share with the senior.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Enjoy.”

When I handed over the food, Amy finally realized she hadn’t eaten breakfast and her stomach growled.

She hesitated over my offerings, eventually choosing to open the seaweed wrapped sushi. When I handed her a drink, Amy’s eyes gleamed with happiness as she looked at me.

“I’d hug you for the thought, but it would get too hot, so I’ll pass.”

“Ah, yes.”

…Shouldn’t I be the one refusing in such situations?

Amy, always eccentric, began eating without further ado, and I leaned back in my chair.

With the morning routine finished, I planned to take a brief nap before classes began.

However, at that moment…

Beep—!

The alarm panel at the front of the Phenomenon Special Task Force clubroom lit up, signaling an incident in the nearby area.

“Seriously, it’s morning…”

Typically, incidents didn’t occur in the morning. Frowning, I slowly rose from my seat.

“I’ll be back…”

“Good luck.”

“…Cool.”

With Amy’s farewell and Himari’s peaceful sleep, I felt I was the only one toiling. I mischievously blew air into Himari’s ear as I left.

The scream from behind was, no doubt, an illusion.

…

---