How to Take Revenge as an Academy Scoundrel

Chapter 38. The Counter-Resistance

From noble mtl dot com

Nine years ago.

An incident unfolded when Maximilian Lavant, one of the world’s strongest awakened ones, united villains from across the globe to ignite a war for world domination.

That war, which dragged on for three years, plunged the world into crisis, but thanks to the efforts of heroes like Cheon Sang-seok, it ultimately concluded in victory for the heroes’ faction.

To prevent such a tragedy from ever occurring again, the UN established an organization called ‘Order’ to manage awakened ones.

‘Order’ was granted formidable control over awakened individuals to curb the machinations of villains.

The issue lay in the debate over whether such power was not too overwhelming, yet, as a result, the surge of awakened criminal activity had plummeted, allowing the world’s order to remain firmly under the control of the ‘Order.’

However, villains still lurked in the shadows, evading the ‘Order’s’ watchful gaze, and thus, a formidable villain organization was born, akin to the one crafted by Maximilian Lavant—this organization was known as ‘Levatain.’

‘Levatain’ took great care to conceal its existence, determined not to repeat the mistakes of ‘Revelation,’ operating solely in the underbelly of society to achieve its goals.

Their fundamental strategy revolved around espionage, embedding spies within major institutions worldwide.

Of course, the ‘Arc,’ the world’s premier institution for awakened training, was no exception, and currently, the instructor Tak Jun-woo, who filled Astrid Lindell’s position, was one of those spies.

“Everyone knows, right?”

Tak Jun-woo had secretly siphoned crucial internal information from the ‘Arc’ for ‘Levatain’s’ clandestine operations.

Thus, he was acutely aware that the upcoming exam would put the students in danger due to an impending villain incursion.

Yet.

“Today is the day of the inter-class competition exam. Given the stakes, it will be a fierce test, but above all, safety is paramount, so everyone must be cautious. Understood?”

He spoke to the students with a face full of concern.

“Yes~!”

Unaware of Tak Jun-woo’s true nature, the students responded with apparent admiration, while he inwardly smirked with a sinister glee, continuing his speech.

“Oh! By the way, this exam will be observed by guild representatives, and I’ve heard that Chairwoman Kate will also be in attendance, so keep that in mind.”

After sharing basic information, including that this exam would be an expanded version of last week’s conquest involving all ten first-year classes, Tak Jun-woo concluded the briefing.

“Ah, I’m so nervous…”

Once Tak Jun-woo exited, the students began their preparations for the exam, each displaying signs of tension.

Time passed.

Finally, all first-year students of the ‘Arc’ gathered in the examination hall, clad in combat uniforms.

A massive exam with nearly 1,000 participants.

The heat in the examination hall was more intense than ever, and soon the supervising instructor stepped up to the podium to begin the proceedings.

“Everyone, attention! Before we explain the rules, we will have a speech from the Chairwoman.”

Kate Lawrence, the Chairwoman of the ‘Arc,’ rarely revealed herself due to her status as a key protective target of the South Korean government.

As she appeared, the students fixed their gazes on the podium with keen interest.

“How have you been, first-year students of the True Hero High School?”

Knowing well that this moment was not for her own display, Chairwoman Kate kept her words brief.

“This place serves as a venue for education, competition, and social interaction. What you take away from here depends entirely on each of you. I sincerely hope you all complete the exam safely.”

With her characteristic gentle tone, Chairwoman Kate concluded her speech, receiving applause as she stepped down from the podium.

“…….”

Meanwhile, Kim Do-jin gazed at Kate Lawrence, suddenly recalling her history.

Kate Lawrence.

A widow who lost her husband to the EX-class demon beast ‘Tiamat,’ she was the one who established this private Jinseong Hero High School ‘Ark’ in accordance with her late husband Ha Jin-seong’s wishes.

Though she could not fight on the front lines like her husband, her superpower of ‘Permanent Magic Enhancement’ had greatly contributed to the peace of humanity, and people around the world hailed her as a great hero.

However, her ‘Permanent Magic Enhancement’ ability, due to its immense potential, had also made her a target for many villains. Still, it was an undeniable fact that she was a figure of goodness.

‘If her permanent buff ability fell into the hands of villains, it would indeed be a grave issue…’

As Kim Do-jin pondered this, Director Kate stepped down from the podium and soon moved to the audience seats on one side of the examination hall.

“Now, I will begin explaining the rules.”

The instructor, having taken the microphone again, finally started to outline the rules.

This examination was, quite literally, an expanded version of the conquest battle held last week.

While last week’s conquest battle had teams of five, this time, a single team would consist of a staggering 100 members, the full capacity of one class.

Thus, ten teams formed in this manner would simultaneously fight over eleven conquest points, and the team with the most conquest points at the end would claim victory as per the basic rules.

“Alright, then move to the waiting room.”

With the rules explained, the instructor dismissed the students.

The students moved to the prepared tents according to their classes, and Kim Do-jin trudged into the tent marked ‘1st Year, Class 1.’

“Is everyone gathered?”

It seemed that Kim Do-jin was the last to arrive.

Inside the tent, the students of 1st Year, Class 1 were gathered, and on one wall, a large screen displayed the map of the examination area.

“Then let’s begin the strategy meeting.”

Surprisingly, the leader, Dokgo-su, took charge of the strategy discussion.

“First, here’s the strategy I’ve devised. As you can see, there are 11 conquest points, and 10 participating teams. Mathematically, even capturing just 2 conquest points gives us a chance at victory. And we have this Lee Jin-ryul in our class, right? So, my suggestion is to split into 2 groups from the start and aim to capture 2 conquest points. What does everyone think?”

Most of the students nodded in agreement with Dokgo-su’s idea.

Dividing into 3 groups posed too great a risk of being picked off individually, but with 2 groups, there was enough synergy to make it worthwhile.

“Alright. Then we’ll start by splitting into 2 groups, and we’ll see what comes next.”

Dokgo-su, with a physique reminiscent of a bear, continued explaining while tapping the screen.

“First, let’s settle on the names. Clearly, if we connect the conquest points, it forms a circle… so I’ll number the conquest points in a clockwise manner. The conquest point at 1 o’clock on the map will be number 1, and the one at 6 o’clock will be number 6. Any objections?”

“None.”

“Good. Now, the question is which of these 11 conquest points to target. I think points 6 and 7 are good choices.”

This examination area was different from the previous one; it was an urban setting.

All 11 conquest points were atop buildings, with the tallest reaching as high as 50 stories.

The highest stronghold, the one that Dokosu spoke of, was the sixth.

“Why the sixth and seventh? Just because they’re tall buildings doesn’t mean they score more points. Besides, the sixth is right in the middle, making it the easiest target for others to raid, isn’t it?”

At the pointed remarks from Nasca and Renya standing before him, Dokosu nodded as if he had been well advised and replied.

“That’s true. But conversely, it’s also easy for us to invade.”

Suddenly, Dokosu pointed to Kalidu Babakar and Lee Jinryul, who stood beside him, continuing his explanation.

“Have you forgotten Kalidu’s special ability? He can send objects flying with the wind. The sixth stronghold, being at a high altitude, is advantageous for reconnaissance and defense, so while we defend the sixth, we can keep an eye on the overall situation and, when the time is right, send Jinryul flying to seize a vulnerable stronghold.”

Indeed, it was a solid strategy that made good use of the team’s strengths.

Most of the students nodded in agreement, and thus the basic strategy for this test was set.

“Alright. Then let’s split into two groups and secure the sixth and seventh strongholds from the start, and afterward, we’ll adapt according to the situation.”

“Wait a minute. I have a question.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Why have you been talking like that since earlier?”

“I’m not really sure myself.”

And so, the task of dividing the 100 students of Class 1 into two groups began.

The first group, targeting the sixth stronghold, was composed mainly of students who excelled in defense, including Lee Jinryul.

The second group, aiming for the seventh stronghold, was made up of students with relatively high mobility and offensive capabilities.

Kim Dojin was included in the second group, and soon after, the team formation and detailed strategy meeting concluded.

“Is it finally starting!?”

At last, the preparation time ended, and the conquest began.

As the students emerged from the tent and gathered behind the starting line, the moment they heard the sharp signal, they bolted forward with all their might.

– Tada-dadadad!

The battle for the strongholds resembled a siege, where the defending side held the advantage, so securing the stronghold first was crucial.

Kim Dojin sprinted with the other students of the second group along the shortest route to the seventh stronghold.

‘As expected, another class is aiming for the seventh.’

He soon found himself face to face with students from another class who were also racing toward the seventh stronghold.

“Whoa!”

Should he consider it fortunate?

The students he encountered were from Class 8, and unlike Class 1, they hadn’t split into two teams.

In other words, they had numerical superiority, and perhaps because of that, they didn’t hesitate to launch the first attack.

“Those are Class 1 kids! Attack!”

—

A hundred students from Class 8 surged forward in a chaotic rush.

Not only was there a numerical advantage, but perhaps sensing the absence of any true fighters among their ranks, their morale soared high.

Yet.

– Clang!

If they couldn’t win this fight, they wouldn’t have split into two teams in the first place.

– Thud!

Kim Do-jin deflected the sword of an oncoming student to the side and swiftly delivered a kick to the abdomen. In that instant, he could see the student’s ‘Mana Coating’ gear, the ‘HP Gauge,’ diminish by a handful.

The ‘Mana Coating’ gear was a recently developed, expensive piece of magical engineering, enveloping the wearer’s body in a layer of mana like a second skin. With each impact it sustained, it weakened progressively until it ultimately vanished.

This invention had been crafted by the ‘Archive,’ where Yoo Eun-ah had once worked, but its defensive capabilities had yet to prove practical in real combat, preventing it from being commercialized.

However, in training like this, it held significant value, which is why ‘Arc’ had recently purchased it in bulk for this examination.

In any case, with a few more strikes, he could strip away the gauge along with the mana coating, leading to disqualification.

– Slash!

At last, with Kim Do-jin’s strike, the mana coating of the student before him completely dissipated.

“Ugh!”

The student, who had failed to land a single blow on Kim Do-jin, sank to the ground in defeat, adhering to the rules.

“Damn…”

It was a fight that starkly revealed the undeniable gap in skill, making it hard to believe they were both first-year students of ‘Arc.’

Yet, with Kim Do-jin and the first-class team outnumbered, the battle was only just beginning.