Chapter 32: Where Prohibited Items Are Gathered (4)

Chapter 32: Where Prohibited Items Are Gathered (4)

Crackle, crackle!

Damn it Ah!

With each spark, the masked man twisted in pain.

His entire body was tightly bound by wires carrying electric current.

With even the slightest movement causing an electric shock, his only option was to be meekly dragged along.

Really unfair Ah! Damn. Whats with the first-year students this year?

Song Cheon-hye did not respond to the masked mans question but silently infused mana into the wire.

The wire would continue to paralyze its target until its energy was depleted.

Having completely subdued her opponent, all she had to do now was drag this thief her senior, to the disciplinary room according to the manual.

But then,

Boom, boom, boom!

Hiic.

A tremendous noise startled Song Cheon-hye.

She hiccupped involuntarily, but fortunately for her, the thief club senior was too busy wrestling with the wire to notice her reaction.

Song Cheon-hye calmed her startled heart and estimated the distance between the source of the noise and her current location.

Even though it was quite a distance away, the fact that the sound was so clearly audible suggested it was no ordinary occurrence.

I need to go check it out.

Song Cheon-hye injected more mana into the wire.

She was somewhat concerned about leaving the guy behind, but checking out the source of the noise was more pressing at the moment.

She could always return soon to retrieve him.

Song Cheon-hye launched herself off the ground before casting a spell.

Electricity surged through her legs, transforming her into a streak of lightning as she sped off.

The moment she arrived at the source of the loud noise,

Ugh!

Song Cheon-hye felt her breath catch in her throat from the intense heat.

Surveying the area, she saw a thick triple-layered stone wall with a huge hole in it while the remaining debris melted away like butter.

And little distance away, she spotted Kwak Seung-jae lying unconscious.

Senior!

Song Cheon-hye rushed to Kwak Seung-jae and then quickly checked his condition.

Since he was stuck by a blow that left such trembling aftereffects, it wouldnt have been surprising if he had died instantly.

Even if he hadnt died, there was a high chance that parts of his body were severely burned or his internal organs turned to mush.

But,

?

Strangely, Kwak Seung-jae seemed to be unharmed.

He had only minor burns, some scrapes from rolling on the ground, and a slightly twisted mana circuit.

Just a few days of rest would be enough for his recovery.Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

Such minor injuries didnt match the level of destruction in this place at all.

Song Cheon-hye!

A second-year student from the disciplinary committee landed nearby.

His reaction was similar.

He grimaced at the wave of heat hitting his face upon arrival, hastily checked Kwak Seung-jaes condition, and was puzzled to find him relatively unharmed.

He asked Song Cheon-hye,

What on earth happened here?

Im not sure. I just arrived myself.

Lets head back for now.

Though Kwak Seung-jae was unconscious, he wasnt seriously injured.

Considering the possibility of the assailant returning, it seemed wiser to discuss further in a safer location.

The second-year student lifted Kwak Seung-jae and carried him on his back.

***

I rotated my wrists, each in turn.

The hand that had cast [Inferno Fist] was not only free from burns but it also lacked even the slightest burn mark.

This was clear evidence that I had completely nullified the elemental penalty.

However, there remained a slight tingling sensation as if my fist was burning from the inside.

I continued to relax my fists and walked towards the dormitory.

That was quite the effort this time.

It was all due to the need to control my strength.

If I had struck with maximum firepower, Kwak Seung-jae probably wouldnt have even left a corpse behind.

Even a moderate output would have blown off a limb.

It was indeed a struggle to adjust my strength precisely enough to render him just incapable of fighting, not more, not less.

Whats this about?

Gyu-young, lets not waste time. You know what this is.

No? This is the first time Im seeing it.

Pretending ignorance will just make things more tiring for both of us.

Yeah, like I care~

Her brazen attitude wasnt new.

The thieves club. Once they had taken something, they rarely ever gave it back.

Especially today, since they had taken a particularly big bite, they were determined not to let go.

Whenever Gyu-young brazenly confronted him in such shameless way, Oh Se-hoon had a set response.

Gyu-young, I cant let this slide this time. I dont know how you did it, but many items have gone missing. You all have to take full responsibility for the shortfall.

What happens if we take full responsibility?

He started to tally up all the school rules they had broken today

And added to that the missing items

3% demerit points, a cut in the clubs budget, two weeks of cleaning the underground sewers and clearing out the monsters inside, one week of building maintenance work and the seniors will have to take on two external requests.

Thats a hell of a lot. So, youre about to make an offer, right?

She knew that showing the carrot after the stick was the next step for this guy.

Oh Se-hoon continued speaking with a bitter smile.

If you come clean and return all the items, Ill reduce it to 1% demerit points and only three days of sewer cleaning. And nothing else.

It was an unconventional offer.

Such a significant reduction was a bit beyond the authority of the disciplinary committee president, but Oh Se-hoon had the capability to make it happen.

However, he already anticipated the kind of response he would receive.

Though he always made offers, he could count on one hand the amount of times they were accepted.

As expected, Dang Gyu-young chose the first option without much hesitation.

Ill just take the punishment for three weeks, whatever.

I knew you would say that.

Sure enough, Dang Gyu-young had no real hesitation in choosing to face the consequences.

The prohibited items entrusted to Kim Ho were all of high value.

Considering the immense profit they could make by selling them, this level of punishment was bearable.

Dang Gyu-young got up from her seat and asked.

Is that it?

Yes, the punishment starts tomorrow. Let the others know in advance.

Alright. Im off.

Go and rest.

As Dang Gyu-young left the room of truth, five members of the thieves club who had been crouching in a corner crowded around her.

Noonim, is it over?

How many weeks of punishment?

What about the demerit points?

Theres no external request, right?

Wait, its only the five of them?

There were supposed to be seven participants in this operation including Dang Gyu-young.

One member was missing.

When she checked the members of the club she discovered that the absent one was Kim Ho.

She had assumed at first that everyone was caught, but it seemed that junior had managed to escape the pursuit and flee.

But how?

It was possible to shake off other disciplinary members with some luck, but evading Kwak Seung-jaes attention was extremely difficult.

And then she noticed that Kwak Seung-jae himself was nowhere to be seen.

Dang Gyu-young stopped a passing disciplinary member to ask him.

Hey, where did Seung-jae go?

To the infirmary.

The infirmary?

The expression of the disciplinary member changed subtly.

It was almost as if they were asking why Dang Gyu-young didnt know.

He got taken down by someone from your side, didnt you know?

!

But who is that?

He actually didnt resort to some clever trickery; he confronted Kwak Seung-jae and defeated him head-on before he calmly made his escape.

This was impressive in its own right.

A freshman, not even a week into school, had taken down a second-year disciplinary committee member?

Dang Gyu-young chuckled.

Haha

Boy, youre quite capable.