chapter 14
14 – True Education
[You have warped into a different novel. Magic usage is restricted for 24 hours.]
As soon as I landed in the unfamiliar novel, a message echoed, but I didn’t panic and assessed the current situation.
I tried to use magic, but my mana was completely blocked. It’s okay. I can just use my sword.
Thinking that way, I moved my arm.
Hwoong
The sound of cleanly cutting through the air indicated the strength of my powerlessness.
I looked around to find Choi Ye-bin. But she wasn’t with me, and instead, a strange man slowly approached and shouted.
“What the hell is this bastard? Don’t you know this is our territory?”
Judging by his appearance, he seemed like a beggar or a vagrant. He spat curses at me, someone he had never seen before. Stay calm and assess the situation. Should I kill him? Or should I just ignore him?
Killing someone before even meeting Choi Ye-bin is a risky business. It’s frustrating, but it’s better to ignore and move on for now. That’s what I thought as I tried to leave the alley. But…
“Hey. Wait a minute, stand right there.”
The man who looked like a beggar squinted his eyes and started tapping my shoulder.
“I told you to f*ck off, but you’re strolling leisurely? Have you ever seen such a useless bastard?”
He started insulting me with baseless excuses. But I didn’t pay attention to these provocations. Finding Choi Ye-bin is my priority.
“Sorry, I have to go quickly.”
“What? Sorry, I have to go quickly? Is this guy insane? Hey, are you out of your mind?”
The man swung the club he had on his waist without mercy, trying to beat me. But I easily grabbed it and threw him away.
“Oof!”
The man screamed horribly as he crashed onto the ground.
“That bastard… luckily pushed me away, huh?”
He took out a knife that was hidden. As soon as I saw it, I knew. This guy is more likely to be a member of some organization rather than just a beggar.
It was strange that he had a well-sharpened knife while dressed like a beggar. It meant that someone was supplying him with weapons.
“It could become quite bothersome.”
I have no idea what kind of organization this guy belongs to. Currently, magic is restricted, so I can’t use any destructive spells. What should I do?
“I’ll f*cking kill you.”
While pondering how to save him, the guy continued to test my patience. In the end, I couldn’t hold back any longer and started a fight.
Thud!
I dodged the guy’s charging sword, grabbed his head, and slammed it against the wall. Then, I mercilessly struck his helpless skull with my fist.
The guy started bleeding, and I whispered without any emotion as I watched him.
“I’m trying to spare you, so why are you so desperate to die?”
“I… I made a mistake…”
After a few more strikes to his head, a white object flew out of the guy’s mouth. I didn’t need to see what it was. It was because the guy’s pronunciation had become strange.
“I… apologize… please… spare me…”
“Spare you? Nah, I’d rather watch you die.”
Just as I was about to stab the guy’s throat with my sword…
“What’s this?”
A strong vibration began in my head.
[The warp target is located nearby. The warp target is located nearby.]
The repetitive sound. The warp target referred to as Love Peace. I quickly surveyed my surroundings.
“He must think I’m insane.”
The guy in front of me had lost all his teeth and was covered in blood. If I were to meet Love Peace like this, my first impression would be severely damaged. I didn’t want that.
“Hey, get up.”
After lifting the man up, I tore my robe and wiped away the blood on his face. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do anything about his swollen face.
“Do you have any potions or something?”
When I asked, the man rummaged through his belongings and handed me a low-grade potion. I immediately splashed the potion on the man’s face. Then, his swollen face returned to normal.
[The target of the warp is in very close proximity.]
As the system’s voice echoed, I commanded the man.
“Hit me.”
“H-How dare you…”
“If you don’t want to die, pretend to hit me.”
“Uh… understood.”
The man, with a pale face, started hitting me. However, his attacks lacked strength, which was to be expected. He had just beaten me to death a moment ago, so it was impossible for him to genuinely beat me up just because I told him to.
“aaah!”
I screamed in agony, pretending to be in pain. And just as expected, I soon received the reward for this act.
“Stop it!”
A girl, who appeared to be wearing elegant clothes, shouted.
Upon seeing the girl, I almost shouted out loud. Because above her head, it said “love peace”.
“As expected, she was nearby.”
More importantly, love peace. She was a girl.
When I looked behind the girl, Choi Ye-bin was approaching me with a dagger that I didn’t know where she got it from. However, I raised my hand to stop Choi Ye-bin. She looked at me with a puzzled expression, then lowered her dagger and stepped back to observe the situation.
“Stop it! Why are you tormenting innocent people!”
As the ruffian continued to hit me, Love Peace shouted. Unfortunately, the ruffian looked at me with a sense of injustice, but that was none of my concern.
The delinquent shouted at Love Peace as if venting his anger.
“Why the hell are you bothering me, you b*tch!”
He immediately rushed towards the girl, but her reaction was faster.
“Aqua!”
At the same time, a water spell was shot at the guy in an instant. He fell to the ground, his teeth falling out and only a few molars left.
“Are you okay?”
Love Peace asked, and I nodded.
“I think my bone is broken.”
The reason I lied was simple. Just like her name suggests, Love Peace seems to love peace. I’ve always been curious. What kind of person is she really?
The easiest way to see someone’s true nature is to disguise yourself as a weakling. Because anyone will show their true selves to those they consider inferior.
“Um… What should I do… Should I… Should I take you to the hospital?”
“I don’t have any money.”
Love Peace started to think for a moment. I pretended to be in pain, clutching my body.
“Let’s go to my place. I’ll treat you.”
I didn’t refuse her favor. It’s an opportunity to get to know her a little better.
“After all, I came here to see her.”
As I followed Love Peace, Choi Ye-bin, who was behind me, gestured to me.
“Should I kill that guy?”
That’s what she seemed to be saying from her mouth shape. The direction was towards the delinquent who hit me earlier. There’s no intention of letting him live anyway. Since the incident has already happened, I have to get rid of any evidence and leave.
“Kill him.”
Choi Ye Bin discreetly communicated with Lovepeace, the one supporting her, using only her mouth shape, and quietly entered the alleyway.
After about five seconds of entering the alley, Choi Ye Bin came out again.
Although no screams were heard, the bloodstains on her dagger visually demonstrated that a man’s life had been taken.
“It seems Choi Ye Bin doesn’t have any penalties.”
For some reason, it seemed like only I had received penalties. Well, since it was only magic that was restricted, I was able to use my swordsmanship as it was.
I don’t know why the penalties were different, or why we were warped to different locations, but the important thing now is not about those details.
“Follow me slowly from behind.”
When I said that to Choi Ye Bin with my mouth shape, she skillfully took cover and started to follow me from behind. The reason I asked her to do this was simple. I couldn’t determine whether Lovepeace was a good guy or a bad guy yet.
In a situation where strength was not limited, it would be more advantageous for me to fight in the front line and for Choi Ye Bin to provide support from the rear, so I maintained this position.
“What happened between you and that person?”
For a moment, I thought Lovepeace was talking about Choi Ye Bin, but I was relieved when I heard Lovepeace’s next words.
“That scumbag…what kind of grudge did he hold against you to beat you like that?”
“I don’t know…he just beat me up randomly because I took the wrong path.”
“He’s really a bad person. Please bear with it a little longer since our house is nearby.”
Lovepeace looked at me with a pitiful expression, and I suddenly had one question.
“Why are you helping me?”
In response, Lovepeace tilted her head and asked back.
“Do you need a reason to help someone in need?”
I smirked. It was because I hadn’t heard such words in a long time. Needing a reasonable reason to help someone in need. It was only natural to require a rational reason when helping someone, even though it didn’t require a reason to kill someone. The former required enduring various inconveniences for the sake of the other person.
Even with Lovepeace, it’s the same. If she had just passed by without noticing me, I wouldn’t have wasted magic on an attack by some thug-like guy, or gotten blood on my fancy clothes, or bothered bringing some unknown guy home.
“Why are you laughing?”
When Lovepeace asked with a puzzled expression, I replied.
“Because hearing your answer makes me think you’re a good person.”
Upon hearing that, Lovepeace’s face twisted and she flicked me.
“Why… why are you saying something so embarrassing so casually!”
Lovepeace’s cheeks were flushed as she bounced around the room.
After carefully observing her reaction, it seemed that Lovepeace didn’t know that I was the administrator. For now, I decided to keep it that way. It seemed that I was the only one who could see the nickname above my head.
As I was checking the surrounding information for a moment, Lovepeace spoke.
“We’ve arrived.”
When we arrived in front of the house, a huge door came into view. A mansion boasting an enormous scale. As Lovepeace infused mana into the door, it made a creaking sound and opened.
As I started to enter, the people who looked like servants started greeting one by one. However, they regarded me with suspicious expressions. Then, a middle-aged woman with various extravagant accessories approached.
“Liena, the academy exam is coming up. Why are you wandering around like that?”
“I’m sorry, Mother. I just wanted to clear my head and went for a walk…”
“I see. A walk, huh… But what’s that thing you’re carrying?”
The middle-aged woman pointed at me with a puzzled expression.
“I think I got hurt outside, so I brought it to get it treated.”
“You? Why? Isn’t that someone you know?”
“…”
“If it’s not someone you know, then throw it away and come back. Bringing something like that into the house will only make it dirty.”
Riena remained silent for a moment before speaking quietly.
“Yes… The person who helped me before.”
It was a lie. Lovepeace and I had only just met. The middle-aged woman stared at me, then spoke.
“Why did you bring along such a lowly person who doesn’t even possess a trace of mana?”
The middle-aged woman looked down at me and added.
“Stay crushed as you should, and disappear. If you make a fuss, you won’t be able to return gracefully.”
I restrained a laugh that almost escaped and asked the middle-aged woman.
“Are you saying you want to kill me? We just met, didn’t we?”
I positioned my hand on the hilt of the dagger strapped to my waist. Ready to draw the sword at any moment. But Lovepeace hastily intervened.
“Oh please, Mother, don’t say that… She’s the first person I brought… So please… Just for today…”
The woman responded, glaring at me as if annoyed.
“You’re lucky, little one. I’m busy today, so I’ll let it go.”
I merely sneered.
You’re the lucky one, not me. If you weren’t Lovepeace’s mother, I would have killed you long ago. I spoke loud enough for only the middle-aged woman to hear.
“It would be best if you refrain from disregarding people as you please.”
She turned around to look at me after hearing my words.