275 – Nymphs, Teacher, and Students #1
Youth who have realized their superhuman abilities are like bombs with a switch pressed.
There were many rebellious kids and many caught up in self-absorption.
I was somewhat like that too.
After all, it felt like becoming the protagonist of the world I had seen in novels or games.
The reason we, who were like that, were deployed to break the cracks without any complaints was relatively simple.
We were overwhelmed and suppressed by greater power.
In her mid to late thirties, she referred to herself as an instructor.
“Under the pretext of increasing the survival rate of the Awakened, I conducted bizarre training, like making them shoot their comrades in bulletproof vests. To me, a teacher is quite eccentric.”
There wasn’t much known about our instructor besides the fact that she was a woman.
She was certainly an ordinary person, but stronger than us Awakened, and both the hot-blooded me and Kang Cheol-Min could easily be captured and thrown down onto the dirt floor.
Undoubtedly, it was a time when her physical strength and speed were several times greater than ours.
For some reason, we couldn’t defeat her, and it was also the moment we learned that ‘being strong isn’t everything.’
“Is that instructor here?”
Swoosh-.
I sat in front of the computer and plugged the USB into the port.
In the storage space of the USB, which was over 1 terabyte, there was just a simple note that was only a few Kb.
When I opened it, I saw an address located in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, and the name of an apartment. After searching the address online and checking the road view, it appeared to be an ordinary residential complex.
It was a neighborhood where kids might suddenly pop out while chasing a soccer ball.
To think my old acquaintance was in a place like this felt very strange.
I made sure to remember the address well and went to sleep.
The next morning.
I woke up earlier than expected and noticed that Seo Ye-rim hadn’t returned home last night and that the Nymphs were up early, rummaging through the refrigerator.
“Inoi, what are you doing?”
“Muhuhu, this Inoi will take out some delicious drinks from the refrigerator to drink…! Drinking from the morning really seeps into the bones and soul…!”
I see.
After we had a simple breakfast of cereal and salad, we got into Illinois’ car and headed to the address.
Illinois drove surprisingly skillfully, allowing us to reach our destination easily.
It was a villa with a lot of trash thrown in front of the utility pole.
The slightly rundown and neglected feeling was common for houses found everywhere, so I felt a bit surprised.
I thought a trainer who taught the first generation students would be living in a nicer place.
Knock knock knock-.
I went up to the third floor and knocked on the door of room 302.
There was no response from inside.
“Is anyone there?”
Knock knock knock-.
I knocked again.
Still, there was no sign of life from inside.
Nymph Inoi looked at the quiet door without any response and said.
“It seems like nobody is here…! Perhaps they went out for an early morning walk or haven’t returned from somewhere last night…!”
That makes sense.
Pop-.
At that moment, Kkungkkungi, who had been sitting on my shoulder, jumped down to the floor.
On the door of room 302, there was a small hole at the bottom left for milk or newspapers, which was common in older buildings.
Kkungkkungi dashed inside before I could stop it.
Clank-.
Click-.
About five seconds after Kkungkkungi went in, I heard the sound of the door lock being released.
Kkungkkungi must have pulled the doorknob from the inside, unlocking it.
Swoosh-.
Eventually, the door opened.
Kkungkkungi burst out of the open door and climbed back onto my shoulder.
“Muhuhu, Kkungkkungi is indeed a very special intruder…! It is very easy to sneak into someone else’s house and unlock the door…!”
So what should we do now?
Normally, I wouldn’t have entered the house just because the door was open, but I had a personal interest in the ‘instructor.’
So, I slowly stepped inside and saw a rather ordinary interior, about 25 pyeong in size, consisting of three regular rooms and one bathroom.
It looked relatively lived-in, and I could hear something bubbling.
“The owner of the house is using that…! This house uses gas and not magical flame induction…! Leaving the gas on and disappearing is extremely dangerous…!”
Just as Inoi said, it was very dangerous to leave the gas on while going somewhere. The smell of boiling doenjang stew pierced my nose.
Soon, Kkungkkungi also vented out, “Krrr…!!!” as its fur puffed up.
It probably thought there were too many green chili peppers in the stew.
Kkungkkungi doesn’t really like spicy food.
“Someone who wouldn’t leave the flame on. It seems like the instructor is somewhere in this house.”
I decided to check the rooms slowly.
In the bedroom I entered, I saw a lump on the bed that looked like a person was lying under the blanket.
As I slowly pulled back the blanket, I realized it was a trick to make pillows appear like a person was lying there.
Swoosh-.
Suddenly, something sharp touched the back of my neck.
“Falling for such an obvious trap. It’s like running 10 laps around a training ground with full gear, Haildo. You’ve just lost a life to me.”
Turning my head back, I saw a woman in her mid-thirties wearing an apron.
A large scar, unfit for a woman’s face, ran from her forehead over her left eye to her cheek, and her hair was tied back with something resembling a net that looked quite familiar.
“Instructor, it’s been a while.”
“It has been. It’s been such a long time that you guys seem to have forgotten everything I taught you in this era of peace. Haildo, I’m disappointed in you. To have been simply caught off guard by me.”
“I knew you were hiding behind the bedroom door. However, it didn’t feel like you were in danger, and I just let it be out of curiosity about what you were doing. And I’ll return this to you.”
Swoosh-.
I handed the object I was holding in my hand to the woman.
She looked greatly surprised.
“That’s my eye patch. It was something I had in my pocket! When did you take it?”
Kkwang!
“My ghost spider Kkungkkungi likes to move stealthily. Let’s call this even, instructor.”
Hioooooo…!
Swoosh-.
As I returned the eye patch that Kkungkkungi had obtained, the instructor put the black eye patch on her left eye.
Now, she was exactly the same face I remembered.
“It’s been ten years since we met, and you haven’t aged at all.”
“Meanwhile, you look a bit older. You’ve got those strange creatures hanging around you. And these are the Nymphs?”
“This Inoi is the Nymph Inoi of the creeks…! Although I am a Nymph of the creek water, I am recognized as the leading Nymph in this rabbit-shaped land…!”
“Muhuhu, Illinois is a very good Nymph and the initiator of the New Nymph Policy, which was the precursor to the New Deal Policy that solved the Great Depression…!”
The Nymphs introduced themselves to the instructor.
It was a very peaceful scene and a somewhat reassuring sight.
The Nymphs could differentiate between villains and heroes through their unique senses and feelings.
Seeing the Nymphs introduce themselves like this, I could tell that our first-generation instructor wasn’t a bad person.
# # #
“So, what brings you here? You have never shown your face before.”
After finishing her meal of doenjang stew, the instructor asked me while skillfully washing the dishes.
As I remembered, the instructor was straightforward and didn’t really like embellishing or dragging things out.
So, I decided to get straight to the point.
“You know about the incident where former government officials who went into exile in South America are being attacked and going missing, right? Especially the cases of those involved in experiments are numerous. You must have a lot to do with it, instructor?”
“Are you talking about the ‘Super Soldier’ project? I know well about that plan. I also supported the experiment and did my best to assist.”
“You’re aware that the former S-Ranker, Gumihee, has escaped and joined hands with villains, causing chaos? Can you tell me in detail about Gumihee or what happened back then?”
Swoosh swoosh-.
After finishing the dishes, the instructor wiped her hands on her apron.
“Before that, how about showing me some of your skills? Haildo, you’ve been climbing up to A rank and doing quite well, right? Don’t you think you can score a point off me now?”
“It’s true that I couldn’t score even a point from you, but I’m completely a different person compared to then. If you underestimate me─Go, Kkungkkungi!”
Kkungkkungi…!
I launched a surprise attack.
Kkungkkungi, who had been sitting calmly on my shoulder, suddenly jumped out.
With a species value of 650, Kkungkkungi, the top Squirrel Beast, had a momentary acceleration ability that boasted an incredible speed, able to cover 100 meters in 2 seconds, far surpassing most sports cars.
Bam-!
Kkungkkungi’s body slammed into the instructor.
“Ugh!”
The instructor fell flat on the floor.
I easily scored a point and shrugged my shoulders.
“See? I told you, I’m different now. You are just an ordinary person, not even Awakened. It’s difficult for you to stand in the same ring as me, who has become an A-Ranker and the legendary Haildo.”
“Ow, ow….”
Seeing the instructor touching her waist and groaning was quite pitiful. However, this was likely a ruse.
The instructor is a master of traps and deception.
“Kkungkkungi, do a body slam again!”
Kkungkkungi…!
Bam-!
Kkungkkungi charged again towards the fallen instructor and landed another body slam.
The instructor screamed, “Gah!” and fell flat again.
“It’s my victory. I won. Muhahaha.”
I celebrated my victory over the instructor, from whom I had never scored a point before. I felt a strong sense of growth.
However, Kkungkkungi, witnessing the scene, spoke to me.
Hiooooo….
“Was I too harsh?”
Jiji…!
Ahn Ahn, who was clinging to my back, seemed to be blaming me for “sneaking up on an ordinary person who isn’t even Awakened.”
Only then did I feel a tinge of guilt as I reached out my hand towards the instructor.
“Are you okay?”
It was just at that moment.
The instructor suddenly yanked my arm, and before I knew it, I was caught in a chokehold like an octopus.
Gwaaaak-.
“There’s a weapon for the weak. I’ve told you countless times that it’s not over until I cut off my opponent’s breath. What exactly did you learn from me?”
“…….”
I felt angry, realizing I had been tricked.
So, I thought that I could easily break free from such a civilian’s chokehold, but the instructor’s strength was stronger than I had anticipated.
This wasn’t an ordinary person level.
I was feeling breathless, and while trying to collect my dizzying thoughts, I called out to Ahn Ahn.
“Ahn Ahn!”
Jiji…!
Whoosh-.
Ahn Ahn flew towards me.
As Ahn Ahn landed on my forehead, I absorbed its magical power into my body.
Pah-!
“Transformation!”
A light of evolution burst from my body, and I instantly evolved into “Haildo Man of Justice – Honey Ant.ver.”
I never thought I would use this transformation against the instructor, who wasn’t even a villain like Gumihee or the villain organization.
Illinois gasped in admiration.
“The golden color shining is indeed a very capitalism-friendly transform…! Truly, a guardian of capitalism and a hero…!”
