I Possessed a Broken Academy Instructor

Chapter 16

The place Jin Crow headed after leaving the central training hall was none other than the dormitory.

“…”

Perhaps because it was still too early for classes to end, the only ones he encountered on the way back were a few soldiers and androids.

Even they showed little interest in him, allowing Jin Crow to return to the dormitory without any friction or detainment.

“Haah…!”

He flung the door of the dormitory open, and as it closed behind him, he exhaled the breath he had been holding.

Ripping off his outer garment, he even unbuttoned his white shirt, clutching his heart as he sank down helplessly.

“…Guh. Hahh!”

His heart raced like a mad beast, and his fingertips felt numb.

Gripping the hair that fell over his eyes, he bit down hard and cast his gaze downward.

Blood dripped from his nose, soaking the floor.

‘Damn it. Shit.’

All he could do was grit his teeth and swallow his curses.

‘It wasn’t this bad in the training grounds…!’

Every training session, I’d at least bleed from my nose.

It seemed that the accumulated strain of training and the psychological pressure had taken a heavier toll this time.

If not that, perhaps the stimulants I had been consuming were to blame.

“Cough! Cough!”

Whatever the cause, in my current state, I felt I could easily lose to a soldier on duty at the instructor’s quarters.

How long had I been slumped like this?

Finally able to regain some semblance of control over my body, I forced my creaking limbs to rise and shuffled over to the sofa.

Squeak, squish—

I pulled a cigarette from the table and lit it.

The heavy smoke pressed down on my lungs, intensifying the dizziness in my head, yet paradoxically, that pain seemed to sharpen my mind.

‘There’s no loss here. If anything, I’ve gained.’

The side effects of the stimulant are temporary, and pain fades when forgotten.

But the other things I’ve gained might not have been possible if not for today.

‘I’ve quelled the cadets’ suspicions to some degree, and I can see my situation more clearly now.’

The psychics might be oblivious, but judging by how the martial arts cadets have been quietly observing, I can be certain of the former.

Indeed, most martial arts cadets have a tendency to charge in when something feels off; it’s part of the department’s culture.

The fact that they were watching quietly proves that, at least for now, there’s no major issue.

“Phew.”

I hadn’t anticipated this kind of situation from the start of training, but I was relieved nonetheless.

Yet, the situation wasn’t entirely hopeful.

There were still daunting problems looming.

As if to prove that, the fleeting glimpse of my reflection in the mirror was truly a sight to behold.

“…Two bottles.”

When I had returned the liquor to the military police, I had left four bottles behind, and by today, I had emptied about two of them.

‘I can’t rely on alcohol forever.’

For now, the cadets and instructors might just think of me as an instructor who enjoys a drink, but if this pattern continues, someone might catch on eventually.

Or perhaps someone already has.

‘A solution, I need a solution.’

I can’t depend on stimulants indefinitely.

Even if he could endure for days, even months, as an instructor at the Combat Department, there would surely come a time when he had to prove himself by skill alone.

Moreover, wasn’t the Central Special Officer Academy the Empire’s number one target for terror?

Chiiik…

He crushed the cigarette he had been holding in his mouth against the ashtray and wiped the cold sweat from his brow with a careless hand.

At that moment, his gaze caught a glimpse of a white shirt stained with blood.

“Ah, damn.”

Bloodstains are notoriously hard to remove.

He unbuttoned the stained shirt, tossing it along with the rest of his clothes into the basket of laundry.

Then he opened the shower door and stepped inside, immediately dousing himself with cold water.

Shwaaa…

The blood and sweat he hadn’t managed to wash away slipped down to the floor, mingling with the cold water, and as Jin Crow wiped the moisture from the mirror, he stared at his own reflection, now even paler, and muttered softly.

“OOPArts.”

Among the alternatives he could think of, there was only one that seemed remotely plausible.

“OOPArts.”

Originally interpreted as Out-Of-Place Artifacts, it’s a term used in various occult, conspiracy, and pseudo-historical contexts.

But in this world, it was a bit different.

There existed tangible ‘artifacts out of time’ that could not be explained by the laws of science or physics.

‘During the transitional period when Earth was expanding its countless colonies in the galaxy, and the artifacts that existed within the histories of various races.’

Of course, there were a few other ideas that came to mind, but most were so far-fetched that he didn’t even bother to think deeply about them.

In fact, the very plan of ‘acquiring OOPArts’ was not an easy task by any means.

‘The only ones that might suit me are the Holy Galactic Empire, and the other is the Free Planet Alliance. Even then, I’m not sure if the latter even exists.’

The damage inflicted on both the Synthesized Nation and the Empire due to the ongoing war with the Holy Galactic Empire had already reached astronomical levels.

Moreover, who was Jin Crow?

Though he had no memories, he was a veteran special officer who had rolled through battlefields for a full twenty years.

His career could be summed up by counting how many elves of the Holy Galactic Empire he had cut down.

The choices were effectively forced towards the latter.

‘The Free Planet Alliance… They’re tough cookies, but is there no way?’

They were the kind of people who would do anything for money, so perhaps it would make things easier.

It seemed he would have to pay them a visit soon.

After all, if he wanted to procure alcohol with awakening agent components, he would need to stop by at least once.

It was then.

Just as he had finished a quick shower and was about to step outside, a sharp pain struck, and his vision plummeted rapidly.

“Oh, no—”

What greeted him was nothing but a darkened sight and a mind that began to blur.

*

“Sir, wake up.”

As he opened his eyes, feeling the biting cold at the tip of his nose, a pair of white eyes shining in the black night stared back at him.

Had he not grown accustomed to it, he would have screamed without thinking.

But now, facing the subordinate he knew all too well, to the point of weariness, Jin Crow spoke softly.

“…Is it them?”

“Yes.”

For some reason, the slightly cracked and youthful voice felt strangely unfamiliar.

Piiiiiing!

Yet before he could dwell on that discomfort, the sound of wind threatening to burst forth, accompanied by flares lighting up the sky, transformed the night into a semblance of morning.

– All troops! Charge!

– Waaah!

– For humanity!

At last, the dust began to settle.

The raucous shouts of officers from behind, mingled with the desperate cries of countless conscripts, filled the now-bright battlefield.

Clank-.

However, the soldiers led by Jin Crow did not immediately leap from the trench; they merely polished the chainsaws, field shovels, and machetes they held.

“Those fools. For humanity, my ass. We’re running because bullets will fly if we don’t.”

“Just wait. Soon, I’ll be supplementing some iron into that officer’s head.”

The blonde corporal who had roused Jin Crow grumbled, and the red-haired sergeant responded.

But Jin Crow paid no mind.

He simply whispered after adjusting his scope, having spotted someone approaching swiftly just beyond the slight curve he had dug between the trenches.

“They’re coming.”

At that, the eyes of the soldiers, which had seemed so relaxed just moments before, sank low, and they twitched their weapons in hand, waiting for Jin Crow’s signal.

– Knights!

– Kyaaah!

– Knights of the Empire! Spare, spare me…!

Even as the screams of countless conscripts echoed not far away, he remained unshaken, holding his breath.

“…Repugnant human scum. As if it were not enough to dare invade the sacred land of the Empire…!”

And finally, just as his steps neared the trench where they lay hidden.

“Stop!”

Jin Crow shouted as if it were second nature, cranking the output of his writhing gear to the maximum, bursting forth from the trench in an instant.

“W-what?!”

Amidst the thick dust and the dreamlike glow of flares, what caught his eye was an Empire ‘knight’ clad in archaic armor, wielding a bloodied sword in each hand.

She was taken aback by the sudden appearance of Jin Crow charging from the trench, but only for a fleeting moment, her face contorting in rage as she swung her sword, shimmering with a green light.

“How dare a mere foot soldier challenge a knight!”

Perhaps it was due to the countless wars she had fought.

She felt insulted by Jin Crow’s rank of mere ‘corporal’ and shouted, while Jin Crow, knowing she was a knight, aimed his railgun at her.

Tatatatatat!

The rapid-fire bullets from the railgun shot forth, seemingly piercing her in an instant, yet a knight could not fall to such trivial projectiles.

“Ridiculous!”

With a single stroke, she cleaved the bullets in two and leaped toward her foe, the earth trembling beneath her.

In that fleeting moment, she surpassed the speed of sound.

When she reappeared in his line of sight, she was already within reach of Jin Crow’s neck.

“Brave, yet blame your inferior kind!”

For a brief moment, she hesitated at the sight of Jin Crow’s youthful face, but soon resolved to strike without leaving any aftermath.

However, at that very moment, an unsettling sensation coursed along her spine, and she inadvertently locked eyes with him.

“…Fools. They always come closer when they think they’re alone.”

“What?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Jin Crow dropped the railgun from his hands and drew a great sword from his waist, swinging it toward the nape of her neck.

Swoosh!

It was a thin but decisive cut.

“Gah!”

Jin Crow, now taking in her bewildered expression, commanded the soldiers who had just been conversing in the trench without a hint of hesitation.

“Attack!”

In response, dozens of soldiers, caked in dust, surged forth from the trench, each wielding crude cold weapons.

“……Ah, ahh.”

Only then did the knight of the Empire recall.

Who those beasts standing before him were.

Hunting dogs of the Human Synthesis Nation, filled only with enmity towards the Empire, nightmares of the battlefield that rise endlessly, no matter how many times they are slain.

Then, this young man before him…….

“You are the one……! Cough!”

Her muted whisper quickly transformed into a desperate scream, and moments later.

Thud!

Jin Crow drove the broken greatsword into her throat, already devoid of breath, and spoke to the surviving comrades.

“Next.”

His eyes were nothing but an endless void.

*

“Gah!”

He gasped, exhaling harshly, and opened his eyes.

How long had he been unconscious?

Rising to his feet, he looked out the window, and soon found himself doubting his own sight.

“……This is.”

Before he knew it, the sun was rising.

With a flicker of hope, he assessed his condition, but the weight that had pressed down on him just moments ago had already vanished.

He lifted his stiff body.

Yet, the fleeting relief of his improved state was short-lived.

“……What did I.”

A single question flickered through his mind, causing his eyes to twitch involuntarily.

“What dream did I have?”

For him now, it was an unfathomable matter.