Beep.
Beep.
I woke up to the sound of an alarm ringing from my smartphone.
It was 11:00.
The ceiling was unfamiliar.
“Ah, that’s right.”
I had pretended I needed to talk to Fake Hitomi and sent the other students off first.
Then we booked a room at a nearby luxury hotel and had an in-depth conversation.
I told my homeroom teacher I’d be going to Incheon for one night and two days after receiving a call from the Red Knight. He got excited, saying “If the Red Knight calls, of course you should go.” Not only did he not mark me absent, but he even said he’d count it as an experiential learning activity.
“Really, it’s all about balance.”
Turning my head, I looked to the side and saw a woman.
Her hair was dyed in a combination of black and white highlights.
Her sharp facial features were complemented by porcelain-white skin.
S-curved contours showed under the blanket.
She would fit the description of Hitomi’s older sister. The round line from her jaw to her neck and collarbone was truly an artwork.
“Mmm.”
It seemed Hosokawa, uncomfortable due to me, was murmuring softly in her sleep while tossing and turning.
She had serious mental health issues, to the point of harming herself and attempting suicide habitually.
Therefore, I had to take drastic measures to help her lead a normal life.
First, I devised a plan to overwrite the memories Fake Hitomi had of Shinnoda with her memories of me.
She had strong feelings of affection and guilt toward “Shinnoda,” so she accepted it more easily than expected.
‘I need a shower.’
I got out of bed and took a light shower. After that, I quickly put on some clothes, went to a nearby café, and bought two cups of coffee.
Sigh…
When I returned to the room, Fake Hitomi was in the shower.
I sat at the small table and waited briefly when, suddenly, an entirely unclothed Fake Hitomi came out of the bathroom.
“Kyaa! Ah, when did you come back?”
“Just now. Why are you so surprised? We’ve already seen everything there is to see.”
I said this while calmly looking at her.
“Well, still…”
Hosokawa quickly ran to the wardrobe and pulled out a white silk gown.
She put it on, then sat opposite me and picked up her coffee.
“You brought coffee! Thank you…”
“Yeah. Let’s discuss our future plans while we drink coffee.”
“Plans?”
She asked, eyes wide with curiosity.
“Yeah. The main culprit behind the state of your country: the Gospel of Salvation. We need to take them down.”
“The Gospel of Salvation…”
Hosokawa stared at me silently, clearly eager to hear the plan.
“You know that the leader of the Gospel of Salvation is quite strong. While in his current state, he’d crush the country, but I alone don’t have enough firepower.”
“So, should I…?”
Fake Hitomi seemed to misunderstand greatly. Her abilities aren’t effective against monsters.
“I’ll bring in Park Hayeon. She has a skill that multiplies damage. If we can at least get her to A-rank during this vacation, she’ll be able to hold her own against the leader.”
“What do I do then?”
“I want you to assassinate the officials of the Gospel of Salvation. You’re effective in combat against people.”
I handed her some pre-prepared documents. It was a list of external roles of the Gospel of Salvation’s officials mentioned in the original story, including businessmen, legislators, doctors, and lawyers.
“They’re all wizards. Do I need to explain magic?”
“No. I’ve had enough dealing with the hunters from the Gospel of Salvation.”
It seemed no further explanation was necessary. I had thought about bringing Laura too.
“As awakened individuals, they should be around B-rank to A-rank level, but be careful since magic is powerful utility-wise.”
“Okay. You can count on me.”
Hosokawa replied with a resolute expression.
“By the way, didn’t you originally use a katana? Hitomi doesn’t use a spear.”
“Yeah. This is your relic—no, his… Anyway, I use it to never forget.”
“That guy is in the past. Moreover, no matter how good an item is, it’s useless if you don’t know how to use it. I’ll get you a good sword.”
And I meant it.
I planned to sell all my assets if necessary to procure the best sword for her. After all, I had little other use for money.
“Alright… then, I’ll let you use this spear. It originally belonged to you.”
“Alright. Thank you. He’d be satisfied.”
I smiled as I took the spear.
<< Item Acquired >>
——————<Item>—————–
◦ Name
Gungnir
◦ Grade
374 SS
◦ Stats
Strength: 400
Agility: 200
Intelligence: 200
Luck: 500
◦ Description
A legendary spear imbued with divinity.
◦ Effects
Always hits the target when thrown.
Automatically returns to the user.
XXX.
—————————————–
My lips almost curled in excitement but I managed to hold back.
‘Getting the final item now!’
This was an incredible stroke of luck. Moreover, the item proficiency was almost at its peak.
Fake Hitomi seemed so endearing right then.
The spear was immediately placed in a subspace pocket.
“Continue to use the Leather of the Sage. The people may mistake you for the Dark Knight, but let them. Avoid S-rank individuals as much as possible.”
I gave this advice out of concern for Hosokawa. Having the ‘Leather of the Sage’ would be advantageous in environments overflowing with CCTV and dashcams.
“Okay. Is it because you’re worried I might get caught?”
“Yeah. It’d be inconvenient if you did. It’s going to be a tough path. You’ll become a villain, after all.”
There were more S-ranks in Japan than in Korea due to the larger population—about double.
“I’ve done some research on the Dark Knight. I’ll make sure it doesn’t harm your reputation.”
“Reputation… What research did you do?”
I couldn’t help but ask.
“I found communities like Hero Korea and The Knights where they discussed the Dark Knight.”
“Ah…”
Hero Korea and The Knights.
‘Hero Korea’ was a community that had long been supportive of the Dark Knight.
‘The Knights’ was a site I discovered recently, but I was shocked by the banner image and never went back.
‘So, she researched those things?’
Despite feeling uneasy, I simply nodded. I shouldn’t ruin the mood by picking at such trivial details now.
I gathered my things and stood up.
Suddenly.
A warmth at my back.
Fake Hitomi had embraced me from behind.
“If I do as you say well, will you hug me like last night?”
“…Yeah. Whenever you want.”
After packing everything, I left the room.
“I’ll wish you good luck.”
“Yeah!”
I felt a slight sense of guilt.
*
The next day.
I went to school.
After parting ways with Park Hayeon and entering the classroom, a big commotion erupted.
“Shinnoda is here!”
“Shinno!”
I didn’t know what it was about, but I tried to walk past the teacher’s desk while ignoring them, only to be blocked in my path. All the students were crowding around me.
“What?”
I frowned sharply as I spoke, which caused them to shrink back, though their strange fervor remained.
“You defeated an S-rank monster, right?”
“Wow, is it true?”
They showed me their smartphones, the screens displaying a community post.
———————————–
<Academy Tournament Champion's Latest Update>
「OO Newspaper
(S-rank monster ‘Shaks’, who burned Yeoui Island, has been eliminated by a first-year Academy student.)」
That knight who defeated the Chinese guy back then seems to be this kid lol. This time he took down Shaks.
The article says he only landed the final blow, but it’s still the first time in the world that a high school first-year took out an S-rank monster. 😂😂😂
M, this is K-Hero.
Let’s enjoy a cup of national pride today. Cheers!
Recommendations – 12,447 Unrecommendations – 81
(Comments)-2,769
<Damn, I'm drunk on national pride lol>
<Cheers!>
<Shinnoda is at the top tier of B-ranked>
<Hmm... Isn't Shinnoda the Dark Knight? Can there really be two such powerful figures at the same time? Hmm...>
n<Is this guy mocking the Dark Knight? Comparing an S-rank and a lowly B-rank lol>
n<There are experts predicting Shinnoda is at the beginning of A-rank though>
n<Still, why compare with the Dark Knight? Aren't historical figures all from different worlds?>
<Ah~ Just be happy that the academy has produced good talent, Dark Knight fans. Why all the comparisons?>
n<Lol>
<Nah, this is really something. Isn't this a reason for a cup of national pride with China trembling and Japan fearing?>
…
————————————
This had already spread far and wide.
As expected, it spread quickly in an IT power nation.
Since Hitomi had reported herself missing and Park Hayeon had wanted to, we adjusted our story for the police. Park Hayoen discovered the fleeing Shaks and started tracking him, while we, searching for Park Hayoen, joined her and ended up finishing Shaks.
It seems that this version of events already made it to the news.
“Truthfully, last time the Dark Knight and other heroes already dealt with it. I just happened to come across it and delivered the final blow.”
I fended off the sparkling gaze directed at me with a vague explanation.
Then the students erupted in cheers.
“Wowww– It’s true!”
“Shinnoda is amazing! Truly the pride of Class B!”
Clap clap clap!
The cheers turned quickly into applause.
“Nah nah! Stop it. I’m embarrassed. You bastards.”
I couldn’t bring myself to raise my head, feeling so embarrassed.
Won’t other classes hear this?
“Honestly, No-da deserves the applause!”
“Our year group defeated an S-rank monster!”
Why do they get so excited?
I didn’t understand the sentiment of my classmates.
The commotion only subsided when the teacher entered and mentioned the “Shaks takedown” again.
