I Became the Academy's Kibitz Villain-Chapter 378: Sniper Elite (2)

From a position where the opponent was unaware, the shot landed accurately.

With perfect aim and a fatal blow, the enemy was subdued.

[Wouldn’t it be better to use a different term than ‘sniping’?]

While Yumir was pondering over the dictionary definition of “sniping,” I gathered the unconscious ninjas into one spot.

[Since it’s about subduing villains, it doesn’t matter how we do it as long as the result is good.]

[But we’re not even sure if they’re villains yet, are we?]

[There’s no way people dressed as ninjas aren’t villains.]

Bang—

I swung my Goblin Bat wide at the row of ninjas laid out in a line.

Instead of rolling out a straw mat or building a flogging frame, simply lining them up on the grass and striking down with my elongated Goblin Bat was enough to drain their magic power in real time.

[Do you know what ninjas are?]

[You mean people who breathe fire by doing this with their hands? Or those who run with their arms back like this?]

As expected of a Canadian.

If they were Korean, they’d have a diverse understanding of the ninja image, but Yumir identified only the most famous depiction without any bias.

[Oh, wait. Isn’t it “Cowabunga!”?]

[No. Well, yes, but also no.]

Even if the weapons they used were similar, these ninjas were quite different from the four pizza-loving turtles.

[If those are “Wapanese”-style ninjas, these Japanese ones are more traditional. You’ve heard of Iga ninjas, right?]

[No. By the way, oppa, should I help too?]

[Just be careful with your strength. If their backs give out, they might get disc issues.]

[I’ll be as cautious as I can.]

Slap, slap.

Yumir swung her crimson whip wide, striking the ninjas.

Naturally, since they were unconscious, their mana drained with every hit they took.

With my strikes and Yumir’s whip, the ninjas’ mana gradually depleted, and none of them regained consciousness during our continued blows.

“Ugh, where am I…?”

[Uh-oh.]

Thud.

Right.

None regained consciousness.

[Wasn’t this the first person you shot earlier? They seem to recover faster than expected.]

[It’s not that they recovered quickly. It’s because I was too heavy-handed. Knocking someone out without killing them isn’t easy.]

Though my shots were perfectly accurate, I wasn’t killing anyone with a single hit.

Since I hadn’t confirmed whether they deserved to die, outright killing them would have made Yumir refuse to work with me in the first place.

[By opening a dimensional gate and teleporting the magic bullets, I had to lower the power more than usual. Yumir, how’s your mana consumption?]

[Not much. Using only the bullets without crossing over myself consumes less. It’s like traveling from Sejong Island to Daejeon once.]

[Considering the mana it took to subdue multiple ninjas, it’s pretty economical.]

Bang—

Finishing the punishment, I spread the ninjas out in a line.

Rumble.

The ground began to shake, and massive sand snakes, thick as a human’s waist, emerged and started swallowing the ninjas.

Gulp, gulp.

Like an anaconda or boa swallowing its prey, the sand snakes began consuming the ninjas from their feet, then raised their heads high into the air.

[They’re towering, just like you, oppa.]

[…]

[Wow, that’s mean. You’re not even reacting anymore?]

[Let’s tone it down while we work. It’s fine if others hear it, but I’m worried about your image.]

I lightly flicked the back of Yumir’s head. She scratched her head and shrugged.

Thud, rumble.

The sand snakes began to morph as their heads melted away. The ninjas they had consumed spilled out from their midsections and became encased within the snakes’ bodies. R̃𝖆ＮỌ𝖇Ěs

Soon, the snakes transformed into a familiar form often seen on Jeju Island—Dolharubang.

The number engraved on their backs showed that this was already the 31st Dolharubang created.

[Chaos-unnie really has it tough. She has to manually turn every single person spread across Jeju Island into a Dolharubang.]

[It’s fine. She only responds to our signals to create Dolharubang in designated spots. Plus, she’s nocturnal.]

Dolharubang-making.

Based on the intel secured by the Secret Society, Goblin sniped down illegal ability users entering the area, and Chaos turned them into Dolharubang.

The rest would be handled by the Association in the morning when they checked the Dolharubang.

Waaaang.

A distant horn blared.

Perhaps someone reported our racket, or maybe the loud thunderclaps from the bullets intentionally drew attention. The Association’s agents were approaching in their cars.

[Let’s go.]

I left the area with Yumir and hopped onto a nearby bike, letting her ride pillion.

Rumble.

Hovering slightly off the ground, the hoverbike moved slowly as we observed the Association agents surrounding the Dolharubang.

“Amazing. A-grade Iga ninjas, they say…?”

“And these guys subdued them so easily. Who on earth are they…?”

[It’s a relief we refrained from killing.]

[Do you know them?]

[They’re body-enhancing ability users with a ninja concept. Not heroes, though.]

In Korea, ability users are strictly divided into heroes and villains, but other countries include a third category.

[Those guys—they’re hunters.]

[Oh, hunters?]

Unlike those registered with the Hero Association who used their abilities for societal benefit, hunters used their abilities for personal gain.

In Korea, they were universally labeled as villains, but other countries firmly rejected this binary categorization.

Problem-solvers who would do anything for money using their abilities.

Their typical tasks included hunting bounty-marked villains, exorcising demons, or freelancing their abilities for hire.

Globally (excluding Korea), they were called hunters.

Depending on their target, they might be bounty hunters, villain hunters, or demon hunters.

Beep-beep-beep.

A message came through on the Taeguk Watch.

To be precise, it was a summons.

[Yumir. I’ll drop you off at the pension. I’ve got to handle some unsavory business.]

[…Just don’t overdo it.]

Knowing what I was about to do, Yumir didn’t insist and agreed to my suggestion.

[I won’t go overboard. I’m just testing a ‘hypothesis.’ Even if the opponent is an S-class.]

[It’s not a woman, right?]

[It’s a man.]

[…Is he a villain dangerous enough to eliminate all possible outcomes, even infinite ones?]

[If he’s an ability user who spreads plagues wherever he goes, wouldn’t that make him an execution target?]

[Hmm….]

Yumir hugged me tightly from behind, patting my back before leaning back.

[I trust you.]

Whish.

Using momentum, Yumir flung herself backward, opened a dimensional gate, and disappeared.

Her way of sparing me the task of escorting her to the pension and subtly urging me to head directly to the scene.

At the same time, it could be an unspoken plea not to kill anyone.

That was just my guess.

‘I won’t kill.’

Not kill.

Screech!

I turned the bike’s handlebars sharply, heading to the summoned location.

“Hey, Irin-chan.”

“Don’t call me that disgusting name.”

Swish!

When Baridegi Tae Irin raised her hands skyward, the mana bursting from her hands formed light-pink arrows that shot forward.

“So harsh! We haven’t seen each other in ages!”

“Shut up, you traitor!”

“Hidoi!!”

With an inexplicable shout, the young man with a shaved head punched away every mana arrow flying at him.

“Back then, Irin-chan, you said you’d marry onii-chan!”

“That was your delusion. Do you think women will fall for you if you spout nonsense like that?”

“But sushi can be eaten in so many varieties!”

“What…? You’re really garbage.”

Tae Irin bit her lip, focusing mana into her hands.

“Maito Saiko. Whether you’re Japan’s S-class ability user or whatever, to us, you’re just a villain. A traitor who abandoned your country and defected to Japan!”

“Huh? What’s that? I just got a job at a company that pays well.”

“At a war-criminal corporation…!”

“The past is the past. We weren’t even directly involved, so why harp on events from a hundred years ago? It’s just brainwashing disguised as patriotism.”

“Shut up!!”

Bang!

Baridegi’s arrow pierced Maito Saiko’s shoulder.

Though a hole the size of the arrow formed, causing blood to trickle down, Maito Saiko merely grinned, casually touching the wound.

“Now it’s self-defense, right?”

“Bullshit…! This is Korean soil! You entered Jeju Island without a visa!”

“I’m Korean too! You’re the ones who stripped me of my nationality!”

Bang.

A gunshot suddenly echoed from somewhere.

Both combatants momentarily froze.

“You, you are….”

“Oni?!”

[The Goblin.]

Emerging from the shadows, a man in a black suit, Goblin, rested a sniper rifle as long as his torso on his shoulder.

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[Maito Saiko. Alias ‘Fist God’… Genshin, is it? Korean name: Ma Yubin. S-class villain.]

“Not true! That’s not the international standard! I’m an S-class ability user and a villain hunter!”

Maito Saiko smirked, raising his fists.

“Irin-chan. There’s an international S-class villain here. Why don’t you and onii-chan—”

[Enough noise. Let me be brief. You.]

Goblin tapped his sniper rifle, pointing its muzzle at Maito Saiko’s lower body.

[You’re already blown apart.]

“…Nani?”

At that moment.

[I fired before I appeared. Though I just arrived now.]

Boom!!

With a sound like an explosion, a black streak zipped past Maito Saiko.

“W-What…!”

[From the shadows of the abyss comes the calamity bullet.]

Click.

[It’s called Deep Shadow Bullet (Simyeongtan).]