How to Take Revenge as an Academy Scoundrel

Chapter 24. Levitation

“Ugh, aaah!”

Im So-hee began to flail her feet, which no longer touched the ground, and let out a wild scream.

“……”

Kim Do-jin immediately tried to grab Im So-hee and bring her back down, but he could not.

‘She awakened her levitation ability?’

Though it paled in comparison to Cheon Sang-seok’s ‘flight’ ability, ‘levitation’ was still a remarkable power, depending on its potential for development.

Yet, it lay dormant within Im So-hee’s body, unbeknownst to her, and for some reason, it had blossomed at this very moment.

‘Why now, of all times?’

He didn’t know what had triggered the awakening, but it was clear she could not yet control it properly.

In truth, Im So-hee’s ‘light generation’ ability activated when she felt embarrassed, while her ‘levitation’ ability emerged when she was in an extremely good mood.

The phrase ‘feeling like I’m flying’ was not a metaphor for Im So-hee; when she felt that way, she truly soared into the sky…

In any case, startled, Kim Do-jin lost his timing while distracted by other thoughts.

“Ah!”

By the time he regained his senses, she had already risen too high to catch.

“Whoa! What’s happening!?”

“A balloon?”

Soon, students gathered around, rushing to capture the sight of Im So-hee floating in the air with their smartphones, and in her embarrassment, she began to glow even more brightly.

“Help me! Please!”

In the midst of it all, she clutched her school uniform skirt tightly with both hands, fearing her underwear might be seen.

Normally, she would have hidden her flushed face, but that was impossible now.

In any case, to be floating in the sky, radiating light like some sun…

It felt as if she were drawing the gaze of thousands, almost like being the center of attention in an ‘Arc’ gathering.

‘If this goes on, she might even rise to the cosmos… what should I do?’

If it were his original body, he would have flown up immediately to catch her, but in his current form, that was out of the question.

Kim Do-jin looked around, wondering if there was any way to help, and fortunately, there was a ten-story building right next to him.

If I climb that building, I can catch Im Sohee in time.

– Bang!

Kim Dojin swiftly began to scale the building’s exterior before Im Sohee could drift further away.

– Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

What did it matter if the structure was damaged?

With his rock manipulation powers, he created footholds on the wall, launching himself into the air in a frenzy.

– Thwack!

At last, he reached the rooftop of the tenth floor.

“Is it done?”

Fortunately, he had caught up to Im Sohee’s height.

Now, all that remained was to wait for the right moment and leap to snatch her away.

“……”

Kim Dojin carefully calculated his trajectory, and when Im Sohee drew near, he launched himself.

– Bang!

First, he kicked off the rooftop railing and soared, securely wrapping his arms around Im Sohee’s body.

Now, the only thing left was to land from this height of ten floors.

– Crash!

As planned, he lifted three rocks to different heights, creating a platform in midair.

– Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thud!

He stepped on them in succession, successfully landing without a hitch.

“Haah……”

Kim Dojin let out a sigh of relief, looking down at Im Sohee’s face.

“……”

Im Sohee, cradled in his arms, gazed up at him with a flushed face, her levitation powers still active.

Unless Kim Dojin held her tightly, adding his weight, she could float away into the sky at any moment.

“Hold on tight until your powers fade.”

He said this, waiting for her levitation to cease.

Of course, it felt strange to maintain eye contact with her during that time, so he slowly turned to survey the surroundings.

“Ah……”

Before he knew it, a crowd of students had gathered, whispering as they surrounded them.

—

Perhaps due to his notorious reputation, no student dared to openly brandish a camera, yet upon witnessing Kim Do-jin cradling Im So-hee like a princess, silence was a luxury none could afford.

“…Is it time yet?”

With the weight of gazes pressing down on him, Kim Do-jin lowered his head once more to ask, and Im So-hee, seemingly embarrassed, covered her face with her hands.

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I don’t even know why this is happening to me…”

As they spoke, more and more people began to gather, leaving Kim Do-jin with no choice but to make a decision.

“Let’s get out of here for now. Climb on my back.”

With that, he hoisted Im So-hee onto his back and hurriedly made his way from the crowd.

“…Is it working now?”

Three minutes had passed since they settled on a bench in a secluded corner of the park, away from prying eyes.

At last, Im So-hee’s levitation powers began to wane.

“…Yeah. It seems so.”

She replied, her shoulders slumping, and Kim Do-jin finally released the grip he had on her shoulder.

“Phew.”

As he plopped down beside her, Im So-hee bowed her head slightly and murmured,

“Thank you for helping me again…”

Kim Do-jin raised a hand, signaling that it was no trouble, and asked,

“Anytime. But what about that power…?”

“I don’t know either. I just… suddenly started floating, and I have no idea why…”

Im So-hee was just as perplexed about the awakening of her levitation abilities, and as Kim Do-jin stroked his chin in thought, he said,

“Anyway, it seems you’ve awakened this power, but can’t control it. What could the trigger possibly be?”

Im So-hee wrapped her arms around her head, pondering the question deeply, then suddenly shook her head vigorously.

“I… I don’t know. Why did it happen? Haha…”

Kim Do-jin watched her awkward laughter for a moment before responding.

“What are you going to do now? You never know when that power might activate again. Unlike a fit of rage, it could put you in real danger.”

Had he not been there, if her levitation had spiraled out of control in a deserted place…

She could have truly suffocated in the sky or plummeted to her death.

“Right… What should we do…?”

Im So-hee’s expression turned serious as she fell into thought, but Kim Do-jin already had an idea.

“What if you carry a talisman with you?”

At his words, Im So-hee clapped her hands, her eyes widening in surprise.

—

“Ah!”

The ‘Heavy Mana Stone’ is a type of magical stone that becomes weighty when infused with mana; with it, one could surely counteract the buoyancy of floating abilities.

Normally, it isn’t too heavy, so one carries it around, infusing mana only when the need arises to increase its weight.

“What a brilliant idea!”

Im Sohee clapped her hands like a seal, her joy palpable, but suddenly her expression hardened, and silence enveloped her.

“…….”

Kim Dojin soon understood the reason.

She had just realized that the Heavy Mana Stone was an expensive item far beyond her meager means.

So he made a proposal without hesitation.

“Shall I get it for you?”

Im Sohee flinched at his words, then twisted her body awkwardly, as if caught in a dilemma.

“Uh? Ah, that’s… it’s fine. I’ll just try to manage it somehow…”

“No, I’m not fine with it.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, I want to invest in your floating ability.”

“W-what do you mean…?”

“I’ll lend you the Heavy Mana Stone until you can control it properly, and in return, just use that ability for me once, whenever I need it.”

That was a fair exchange, one of equal standing.

Im Sohee’s expression brightened, as if she hadn’t considered that there was a way for her not to spend any money.

“Really!?”

“Yes. So, is the deal struck?”

At his question, Im Sohee nodded eagerly, her joy evident.

But perhaps it was a bit too much.

“…Where else?”

It seemed she might need to carry around some weights for a while.

* * *

Before long, the afternoon classes had ended, and evening descended.

As darkness began to settle in that hour, Kim Dojin was preparing to go out from his dorm room.

“Woof!”

Winter had been pleading to be taken along for some time now, but that was not possible.

The place they were heading to was the workplace of Yoon Yuna’s mother, Jeong Ye-eun, located in Yongsan.

“No. Today, you play alone.”

Before being Yoon Yuna’s mother, Jeong Ye-eun was the wife of Yoon Si-heon, the benefactor of Kim Do-jin.

Kim Do-jin had come to see for himself that she was alive and well, pondering if there was anything he could do to help.

‘I hope the wound of losing her husband isn’t too deep…’

With such heavy thoughts, Kim Do-jin finished his preparations and finally stepped out of the dormitory room.

* * *

A restaurant in Itaewon, Yongsan District.

Yoon Yuna had come to visit her mother, Jeong Ye-eun, and they were enjoying a meal together after a long time apart.

“Are you really okay living alone in the Ark? I miss my daughter so much it hurts. If he were here, it might be different, but the house feels so empty.”

At seventeen, Yoon Yuna found her mother’s excessive affection a bit burdensome.

So, she shook her head defiantly, responding with a smile.

“I’m fine. I’m actually having a lot of fun!”

“Ugh…”

The two of them shared trivial conversations, savoring their delicious dinner for a while.

But then, in the blink of an eye, everything changed.

– KABOOM!

Suddenly, an explosion and screams echoed from the building across the street.

“Ahhh!”

The once peaceful area turned into chaos in an instant, and Yoon Yuna quickly checked the sword at her waist, speaking firmly.

“Stay hidden here, Mom.”

“What!? No! Yuna, you stay here too! The Special Operations Unit will be here soon to handle everything!”

“I’m fine!”

Yoon Yuna brushed aside her mother’s pleas and dashed out of the restaurant, sword in hand.

“Help! Please, someone!”

Just then, a man burst out from the building where the explosion had occurred, chasing after a woman.

“Shut up, you b*tch!”

With a look of vengeance, the man seemed ready to kill the woman, and Yoon Yuna quickly threw herself in front of her.

“Stop!”

The sudden appearance of Yoon Yuna made the man spit in disdain.

“What the hell is this girl?”

His face twisted into a lewd grin as he scanned Yoon Yuna from head to toe, and she clenched her fists in disgust.

“You’d better drop your weapon and surrender now.”

The man smirked, his gaze returning to her attire.

“…….”

Yoon Yuna was clad in the uniform of ‘Arc,’ a place where students were the elite among elites, each boasting significant backgrounds.

In other words, to lay a hand on her could invite retribution from organizations like guilds or clans, perhaps even worse than the law could deliver.

Thus, Yoon Yuna considered the possibility that the man might abandon his intentions and retreat.

But.

“Hah!”

The man snorted, revealing even more malice.

“Do you think you’re some daughter of a celestial stone? I don’t know who you’re so confident in, but look at you now—alone, aren’t you? Just wait, and I’ll make sure to have my fun with you once I’m done here.”

With that, he attempted to chase after the woman behind Yoon Yuna.

– Clang!

Of course, Yoon Yuna wouldn’t let that happen.

“You b*stard!”

With a lightning-fast swing, she deflected the man’s sword, and he ground his teeth in fury.

“I was going to let you off easy because you’re cute, you know.”

As he spoke, the man launched his attack, and coincidentally, his skill was anything but ordinary.

‘What!?’

Yoon Yuna was among the top students at ‘Arc,’ a place where only the world’s best gathered.

She was quite confident in her abilities, having superior control over mana and magical power compared to her peers.

Yet, this man’s supernatural abilities were absurdly overpowered.

‘Speedster!?’

As she barely managed to block the man’s sword, which moved as if he were twice as fast, fear began to creep into Yoon Yuna’s heart.

“Heh heh. Why did you have to stick your nose in? It’s a shame, but I don’t have time to waste; you’re just going to die.”

– Clang clang clang clang!

The man cornered Yoon Yuna, unleashing a chilling intent to kill.

‘How… how can this be…!’

For the first time in her life, Yoon Yuna felt the icy grip of fear that death instilled, her body frozen, even the thought of retaliation slipping away.

‘Is this how I die here?’

In perhaps three seconds, it would come to pass.

But then, at that very moment.

– Kwoong!

Suddenly, someone dropped from above, blocking Yoon Yuna’s path.