Chapter 82: The Butterfly Effect For The Author (2)

* * *Although it was called an academy for Superhumans, not all of its staff were Superhuman.Contrary to the image portrayed by the media, most of the staff at Lord Howe Academy were regular civilians.Unless they were staff who dealt with Superhumans personally, it wasn’t a requirement for the facilities management staff or outside researchers to be Superhuman.So, when the alarm blared throughout the academy, most of the staff headed to the shelters instead of the frontlines.Of course, there were brave staff members who stepped forward and volunteered to save the students, but the Principal shot them down immediately.After all, there was a difference between courage and recklessness.And among the non-Superhuman staff, only medical workers, priests, ex-soldiers, and mercenaries were permitted to fight the terrorists.At least, that was the academy’s stance.However, keeping a check on all the staff while dealing with an emergency was no easy task. There were quite a few who defied the Principal’s orders and joined the fray.Energetic staff like Gulzar, the first-year cafeteria chef, and Ava, the janitor, even opened the shelter doors to join the fight outside.It was an act that could potentially endanger the staff shelter if something went wrong, but no one blamed them.This was an academy and everyone cared about the students.But of course… there were always people with other motives.And Reporter Park Sungyeok was one of those people.Although he wasn’t a Superhuman, he argued that all Korean men served in the military, then slipped out among the staff and headed to save the students.Was it because he genuinely wanted to save the students? No, in the first place, he was not an academy staff member but a special correspondent for the Goryeo Times assigned to the academy. Hence, his motives were more aligned with those of a reporter.A scoop. One so sensational that it would attract the attention of the entire world.Although the attack on the academy itself could be considered as the scoop of all scoops… wasn’t it something that reporters from various media outlets present at the academy could write about as well?Park Sungyeok wanted more than that.He was seeking hidden secrets of the attack that the academy had failed to censor or sensational truths.If he could find a story like that…Anyway, he headed to the battlefield with a rather resolute determination while hiding a camera in his sleeve.However, perhaps because he had joined the battle late, he didn’t even get to witness the fierce fights against the terrorists.All that he captured in the northern island city were gunpowder stains, bullet holes, and ice shards left behind by Mages.Although this was not the sight he was expecting to see, Park Sungyeok was not disappointed. The battle was yet to conclude.He moved along with the staff, following the communications about zombies and rescuing students.The path leading to the main academy building was horrific.The luxurious walkway, originally prepared for the students, was now filled with the decaying, bloated flesh of dead zombies.- Zombie limbs were piled up carelessly, and staff members with injuries were being carried to the rear.The once beautiful learning hall was now a shell of its former self, but it was still in better shape when compared to the area right in front of the first-year main building.The scene unfolding before his eyes could literally be mistaken for a battlefield.To stop the zombies from swarming towards the main building, the few Superhumans and armed staff members fought desperately, while frantic calls for support continued in the background.Park Sungyeok filmed the scene in complete silence.Not missing the opportunity, he carefully recorded the conversation about the academy’s decision to abandon the first-year students and rescue the second and third years first.The academy was selectively rescuing students?This wasn’t something even the renowned principal of the academy could simply overlook. Given the value of the current batch of freshmen… ensuring their survival would be the best outcome.Park Sungyeok continued filming for a while, suppressing the smile that was trying to creep onto his lips. Suddenly, he heard a voice over someone’s radio.- As soon as the transmission ended, everyone’s expressions hardened. They had thought they had some time, thanks to the shelter… but was it already breached?The students’ desperation must have hit the ceiling, right? No, would there even be any survivors left?There were two distinct reactions on hearing the despairing news.- There were those who were angry. One staff member even threw their radio in frustration and shouted.And there were those who were praying for a miracle. Especially the priests who had rushed over to save the Saintess, were desperately seeking divine intervention.Park Sungyeok’s hidden camera captured this entire scene as well.Thoughts like ‘What if the Saintess and the students die?’ no longer crossed his mind. Instead, as soon as the thought ‘What if the Saintess dies?’ appeared, he began to wonder if he could take a photo of her dead body…If things turned out that way, forget about the future head of the news department but an executive position at Goryeo Times would be guaranteed…And then something happened.A woman’s voice came through the radio.The voice was far too lighthearted for the current situation.Most people here frowned at the sudden orders, but a few staff members reacted differently. Especially the administrative office staff, who had been bothered by the owner of that voice as of late, cheered with joy.- The Holy Sword? Could it be Freya Cahn? Dreaming of another scoop, Park Sungyeok aimed his hidden wrist camera to the sky.And the next moment, a giant light descended to the ground from above, a bit quicker than the promised 10 seconds.A white light, made tangible by holy mana, illuminated the entire main building.The light, as warm as sunlight, engulfed the zombies. The zombies turned into sparkling dust and scattered one making contact with the light.It was such a surreal and divine sight, revealing the reason why faith from beyond the Dimensional Portal had replaced the faith of Earth.- Everyone who witnessed the appearance of the sudden hero into their radios.However, this time, they were not shouts of joy.Did she perhaps not hear the desperate pleas of the staff begging her to save the children as quickly as possible?The Holy Sword in hand, Freya Cahn was walking down from the sky. Her pace as slow as a feather falling.Pleas, suspicion, anger. The staff could only watch her, shifting their feet anxiously. When she finally set foot on the ground, her first words were:“Oi, is there a journo here, eh?”Everyone looked baffled, even dumbfounded, but she ignored them and scanned the staff gathered around the main building.“There should be at least one here ….”Saying that, Freya Cahn snapped her fingers. The staff members who knew how to handle mana realized that she had spread her mana to scan the bodies of the people around her.“Ah, found him. There were four or five of them at the third-year main buildin’—no way there’s not at least one here.”However, as he was not a Superhuman, Park Sungyeok felt nothing and continued pointing his camera at Freya Cahn obliviously.“Oi, ya over there, come on up, mate!”“Huh? M-me?”Freya Cahn pointed her finger at Park Sungyeok, who was unable to hide his surprise.“Get ya camera and recorder out, mate.”“W-wait! Holy Sword, I’m a reporter…”Park Sungyeok tried to protest, but he was unable to avoid the Holy Sword’s hand. In an instant, she pulled out the hidden camera and recorder from his clothes.“So what if you’re a journo, aye?”“…”The surrounding gazes turned toward Park Sungyeok. Not only had he hidden his identity and snuck into a battlefield, but he’d also been filming them freely.The face of the staff member who had given him a gun in particular twisted into a vicious scowl. If it weren’t for the presence of the Holy Sword, he might have shot him on the spot.“I’m gonna delete all the recordings and photos… Any objections, eh?”“H-Holy Sword, but… the right of the public to know…”“Are ya serious? Ya wanna talk about the right to know here, mate?”Freya Cahn’s single eye curved into a half-moon. It was only then that Park Sungyeok became aware of the intense stares directed at him and shut his mouth.He suddenly recalled a well-known saying among war correspondents.Rights are far, but fists are close.As soon as Park Sungyeok shut his mouth, the staff resumed pleading with Freya Cahn for help. Some priests even got on their knees.However, the Holy Sword still did not respond to their pleas. She slung an arm around Park Sungyeok’s shoulders and handed him the camera after formatting the data.“Oi, ya want help gettin’ a scoop?”“…”“Ya got no say in this, so zip it and follow me.”Her high-handed attitude didn’t give Park Sungyeok room to refuse. The other staff members sighed in relief when they saw her heading towards the shelter.However, Freya Cahn was heading towards the shelter’s main entrance instead of the underground hole.Zombies that had managed to avoid the Holy Sword’s light were swarming inside the main building.When she took the lead, the zombies posed no threat. The same zombies the staff fought with their lives on the line turned to dust with just a few swings of the Holy Sword.After quickly heading toward the main building’s underground, the staff finally reached the shelter’s entrance. However, upon discovering a problem with the lock, they began attempting to forcefully unlock the door together.- Amidst the staff’s shouts and the clanking of metal, Freya Cahn turned to Park Sungyeok and said:“Oi, get a good pic, will ya?”“…W-what picture are you talking about?”Could it be that all the students inside were already dead due to the delay? Or was she telling him to take a picture of the dead Saintess?As Park Sungyeok rolled his eyes, pondering, Freya Cahn wore a grin.“You’ll suss it out when ya see it.” Sёarch* The Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.