Chapter 88

Iron-Backed Boar’s abnormal ability.

One of the superior members of a terrorist organization, with a body akin to steel, was chasing two women who were fleeing from him, leaving him at his wits’ end.

Though his body and fur were heavy due to their near-steel durability, he was by no means slow compared to other supernatural ability users.

The Iron-Backed Boar’s charge was so powerful that it could destroy obstacles like buildings, and his speed barely diminished during his charge.

However, the taller of the two women was causing problems.

At first, she tried to make a break for it, but once she regained her composure, she started leading the smaller woman in their escape, leaving powerful magnets in their wake, which gradually began to impede his movements.

The magnets seemed far more potent than ordinary ones, as they possessed some peculiar strength that disrupted his charge.

He shattered some magnets into tiny pieces so they couldn’t affect him, while others he simply carried with him as he kept charging.

Despite this, each time he encountered a magnet, he lost precious seconds, which was enough to prevent him from catching up with them.

Certainly, they couldn’t have known he would attack, so they must have anticipated his pursuit and set up magnets along the route to lure him into these traps.

“d*mn. I thought this would be easy.”

Even with several magnets attached to him, he gritted his teeth and kept charging after them.

It was easy for Iron-Backed Boar to sh**t out steel-like fur that induced tetanus upon contact, unleashing an immediate and potent effect. This was his one ranged ability, which he had honed to perfection, to combat opponents who might wield firearms or similar weapons in an urban area.

Still, the distance between him and the women was just out of reach, no matter how hard he tried.

While the Iron-Backed Boar’s skin could withstand bullets, it couldn’t stop projectiles like cannons or missiles, which could still damage him. He would need support from his comrades to defend against anti-tank rocket launchers or tanks without sustaining any injury.

Of course, unless they went somewhere secluded, the state would never bomb an urban area, so this strength of his remained unused…

Even though he wasn’t stopping their escape, his powers were still quite useful. Especially when you consider the sustained power of his charge.

“But it won’t be long now.”

The smaller woman’s movements were gradually slowing down. There wouldn’t be endless magnets in the ruined area, and there were other team members preventing reinforcements from reaching the women.

Time was on his side. Knowing this, he did not stop his charge, as giving his targets even a moment to catch their breath would only make the chase longer.

However, the advantage of this situation belonged not only to him, but also to the women.

“I see, one hit should do the trick.”

Erica was feeling the weight of her physical exertion and was also growing conscious of the perilous situation.

Unlike the Student Council President, whose physical prowess was far above average for someone with intellect-related powers, Erica’s body was fragile compared to other supernatural ability users. Her legs were growing heavier by the moment.

Furthermore, knowing that she couldn’t escape much further due to fatigue, she was hoping they’d encounter other students soon. But judging by the noise of clashes from other areas, battles were probably unfolding elsewhere as well.

It would be preferable to take a gamble before being caught rather than waiting to be captured later. But in order to execute such a gamble, Erica would need the activation of her Protection ability.

“Stop there! You bastards! I’ll k*ll you both!!!”

The adversary kept charging without stopping, determined to k*ll them. Given this, the plan to initiate her Protection ability by taking a lethal blow from the man’s fists was far from ideal.

“…If I buy some time, can you escape?”

“Give me a moment.”

In the situation where they were about to be caught, the Student Council President’s suggestion to sacrifice herself for the greater good wasn’t an attractive option. Erica needed to first discuss it with the true owner of this very body.

“Come to think of it, you mentioned you would teach me how to use Protection, right? Could it possibly work even under circumstances where I’m attacked, just to activate Protection?”

Anticipating the strange techniques of using Protection — like pulling future injuries into the present to activate it — Erica’s dimming eyes sparkled with hope.

“Yes, I promised I’d teach you, didn’t I? Incidentally, perhaps this meeting has been so ongoing precisely because I never taught you this method. With what I’m about to tell you now, it will continue even longer. Let me give you a choice first: will you figure it out on your own, or will I help you overcome this crisis?”

Erica’s knowledge was useful. She could easily see through a junior’s acting and also knew about the Student Council President’s memories and even Kim Ha-neul’s secrets, which had once driven her mad with frustration.

Even having her present and simply advising was beneficial to Erica. But thinking things through on her own would be the better choice, wouldn’t it?

“Teach me. If I learn this once, I’ll think on my own afterward, but I believe there will be more people coming after me after this fight. I can’t waste all my stamina here.”

While using Protection felt like her stamina was recovering, it was ultimately an illusion.

After it wore off, her stamina would be far lower than prior to activating it, because the act of activating it consumed her physical energy.

And since the urgent quest revolved around the Busan Girl, she couldn’t waste all her stamina on someone else.

Whatever Erica’s response might have felt to her ‘self,’ it was entrusted to her. With that, Erica resolved to wholeheartedly answer the questions.

“Protection is the power to give the strength needed to overcome a crisis. But what do you think is the basis for judging the extent of that crisis?”

If someone unfamiliar with Erica’s character had been in this situation, they’d likely have reacted angrily to such questioning while fleeing from an enemy. They’d be telling her not to procrastinate.

But Erica knew her counterpart wouldn’t waste time on unnecessary actions. With her rapidly racing heart, she stayed calm, reflecting before responding.

“My mind?”

“Correct. More precisely, the size of the crisis as you perceive it—but your instinct of ‘mind’ was a good guess. The crisis must genuinely register as real to you. Thinking of a fake crisis offers no help in activating the ability.”

So thinking earnestly of this situation as a crisis would aid the activation of her power. Though Erica expected to learn a method to twist the ability’s activation condition, this answer from ‘Erica’ was more profound than she thought, since Erica had been trying to convince herself of the crisis from earlier.

“Just thinking that you’re in a crisis isn’t enough to activate the power easily, because the crisis needs to be something you perceive directly. You’re still not familiar with activating the ability.”

“Thus, I never activated Protection based solely on perceived crises. I saw every event as a crisis, and because I viewed this world as dangerous, I gained the strength to overcome such situations, despite suffering from the harm they caused.”

Is this just prolonging the situation?

No, that’s not it. The fleeing Erica suddenly let go of the Student Council President’s hand and faced the charging boar-man.

Regardless of her physical training, it wasn’t enough to call her athletic. The exhausted girl stared at the boar-man coming at her with lethal intent.

At this moment, she began recalling and reliving the injuries she had endured.

The most significant injury came since she had gained this body. It was beautiful and frail to the point that even the protagonist might attempt to take advantage of it. Her previously earned qualification certificates and school records had been reset.

Even if she somehow escaped from this world, in the previous one, this body would be treated no differently than a foreign laborer.

In other words, not only the physical harm but also these circumstances could be counted as direct injuries.

Had her mindset changed? A strange energy began coursing through Erica’s body, neither fully activating Protection nor being typical of her usual self.

“Eventually, I didn’t want to inconvenience you.”

The Student Council President’s subdued voice was unheard by others as the magnet-clad boar-man and the girl cloaked in Protection collided.

Naturally, the smaller Erica was pushed back significantly. However, the boar-man’s charging speed began to decline, and he stopped only after being pushed back 20 meters from the initial point of impact.

“You thought it’d be over just by stopping my charge? How amusing.”

The boar-man immediately exerted force on Erica’s hand, which had grabbed his.

A strength capable of crushing walnuts was now attempting to break Erica’s hand.

Yet Erica’s hand, despite the pain, held firm.

Although her hand initially seemed close to breaking, as the pain increased, the strength to overcome the situation began flowing into Erica’s body, allowing her to gradually push back the pain and begin wrestling with the man.

The girl’s abdomen, accustomed to gaining strength incrementally, was suddenly kicked by the man’s sneakers.

—It made sense for the man not to give her time to grow stronger.

“Ugh!”

Caught by his hands, Erica could not be hurled away, despite her belly feeling as if it were being rattled. She did not lose consciousness, however.

Protection’s power shielded her but left the pain completely intact.

“Ouch! I nearly did something insane.”

She had fought, but against someone skilled in techniques, she was destined to lose.

In the days when she was ostracized, she was powerless against overwhelming numbers,

and now, Erica, a mere student, found herself equally powerless against a terrorist.

Her lack of combat experience and knowledge meant even the strength she’d managed to summon was not enough to keep up.

Defeat.

Or,

d*ath.

‘Erica’ had already used up her chances to intervene the previous night.

‘Erica’ had already imparted her wisdom.

Even after expending all the opportunities given by ‘Erica,’

even with someone possessing what was considered the strongest power,

Erica’s unfamiliarity with her own supernatural ability prevented her Protection power from blooming to its fullest potential…

Amidst the darkening prospects, as Erica readied herself to try everything within her grasp and prepare for a bad ending, a calm voice came from behind.

“Wisdom isn’t something one possesses alone. Knowledge becomes wisdom only when it’s shared with others.”