30 Years Have Passed Since the Prologue

6 – 3. There will always be a terror attack on the Academy Entrance Train. (4)

*

Commander ‘Hugo’ had been silently watching the signal device flashing brightly from earlier.

“Is this thing broken?”

It was an expensive magic signal device they’d prepared in case of trouble at the Igorvich Station, meant for escape.

Right now, it was blinking regularly. Roughly once every minute.

The distress signal was to press it three times in a row. It wouldn’t send such a signal by accident.

But the signal blinked consistently just once. It seemed to be malfunctioning.

“Hey, this was really expensive!”

“Oh, Commander, don’t worry. It’s money that can be reimbursed anyway.”

“The guys?”

“They’re in position and have already planted the explosives. Once the train arrives, they’ll detonate it, raid the cargo, and be done in a jiffy! Even with some buffer, it’ll be over in 15 minutes!”

“Good. Oh, here comes the train. Everyone, get ready!”

“Yes!”

In the distance, the train billowed steam as it rushed forward. About 30 minutes away from the Igorvich Station. A walk of about an hour from here.

Even if the train derails, there’s at least a two-hour buffer until the support forces arrive.

“Blast it!!”

Hugo turned and shouted.

-Kwaaang!

The explosives planted on the tracks detonated, shaking the ground.

Clanging noises accompanied the train screeching to a halt and slowly tilting off the tracks from the outside.

“Go! Sweep them all!”

“Wow! We’re rich now!”

I heard that the cargo compartment of that train is loaded with gold bars. If we roughly melt them down, erase the royal stamps, and distribute them in the black market, how much could we make?

Hugo chuckled as he pocketed the broken signal lamp, the last thing he saw before it flickered out.

Thinking about how to interrogate the young wizard selling these goods.

—

-Kwaaah!!

-Kiiiiiiik- Quadddduk!!

The train derailed, twisting and crashing.

Ivan climbed onto a tree, looked down from a distance, and turned his gaze.

One guy looked like a commander, and another seemed like a lieutenant.

Around three others.

‘About ten people heading towards the train.’

If there were around fifteen people, the estimate seems about right.

Ivan jumped off the tree, grabbed his gun, and landed straight on the ground.

-Taang-!

“!!!”

“!!?”

Along with the distant roaring sound, the thieves all either fell down or hid behind trees.

Including one guy hit in the head by a bullet, none of the five sensed ‘line of sight detection.’

To those who reached a certain level, ‘projectile weapons’ don’t work.

That’s why there are no ‘archers’ in the hero party. The moment a firearm is discharged, the ‘aura’ entwined with the bullets is detected by the ‘strong,’ preventing them from hitting.

Infusing magic into a weapon to eliminate such a thing is fundamental. However, once projectiles like bullets or arrows leave the hand, such manipulation is impossible.

Therefore, the strong never take cover. Instead, they move their bodies towards the direction of the gunshot sound during that time to deal with their opponents. Startling at the gunshot is exclusive to the weak.

Hence, the extermination unit carries guns. Not only can they gauge the opponent’s strength, but it’s also a superior weapon for dealing with the weak in small skirmishes.

“Who the hell is over there!!”

The guy shouting loudly is the commander. He must be kept alive. There’s value in extracting information from him.

Therefore, there’s no need to spare the remaining guys.

Ivan stepped forward toward the guys from behind the tree.

“Shoot! Shoot!!”

-Tatadah!!

The battle lines were intricately entwined. In the midst of it, Ivan leisurely loaded his ammunition while strolling through the chaos.

Click. The sound of bullets hitting the floor echoed through the room as soon as the sound of ammunition being loaded in the chamber was confirmed.

“Bang!”

One.

Again, click. The sound of bullets bouncing off the magazine.

“Bang!”

One.

Once more, click, bang. Click, tang!

With each shot fired, one enemy line vanished.

Even if the trained agents hadn’t mastered ‘line detection,’ they never exposed themselves while shooting.

However, as soon as Ivan realized that these guys hadn’t even undergone such training, he sprang into action, firing bullets indiscriminately.

The result was this. The difference in training, experience, and talent.

Four corpses with bullets embedded in their foreheads and a large man trembling violently.

“You, you…!!”

The man grimaced, dropped his gun, and drew a knife.

Not a bad choice. If the bullets don’t hit, the gun becomes useless.

“Who sent you? Where did you get these damn…!”

“Bang!”

“Thud!”

As soon as he pulled out the knife, Ivan shot the blade out of his hand. Shocked, the man dropped the handle, clutching his wrist and staggered backward.

Feeling the overwhelming gap in skill, he turned pale and began to tremble uncontrollably.

“Do you have a good memory for faces?”

“Huh…? Y-Yes! I, I remember you clearly! Just watch! I…”

“Good to hear. You’ll need to remember well from now on.”

Ivan didn’t even bother expecting to find the ones behind the train terror from this guy. An organization capable of such actions wouldn’t have left such an easy trail.

Therefore, he started with the impression. Anything, no matter how trivial, that could serve as a clue.

Gait, posture, the clothes he wore at that moment.

And just in case, any noticeable tattoos or accessories.

“Even in your tone and intonation.”

“If something comes to mind, answer.”

Ivan spoke softly, raising the axe.

There’s no intention to kill. This guy is probably the tutorial boss, and that’s the protagonist’s job.

But causing harm is acceptable. Ivan knew countless ways to inflict injury without damaging the “function” of a person.

9:35 AM.

It had been 10 minutes since the train terror began.

Train terrorist thwarted successfully!

*

“Ouch…!!”

Ecdysis clutched her forehead and groaned. She couldn’t gather her thoughts.

With her father’s attendants having overturned the entire first-class cabin, there was no one to ask what had happened.

She shook her head vigorously and staggered to her feet.

“Ugh?”

She was standing by the window now. The chair she had been dozing off in a moment ago was sprawled elongatedly next to her.

This is a train. Train seats cannot lie sideways. Therefore, she just realized with difficulty that the train had flipped.

“Ugh, it hurts… Hello? Is anyone there?”

She whimpered and looked around. She could hear the rushing and bustling sounds, but the screams of people terrified by the train accident were not audible.

So, this is… this is.

“Bandits!”

Ecdysis gasped, covering her mouth. Bandits attacking trains were heard of occasionally, but it wasn’t a common occurrence. What could one gain from robbing such a train in the first place?

“No, wait! I’m here!”

Ecdysis said, surprised, covering her mouth.

In most situations, this would be just a bluff, but surprisingly, in this case, Ecdysis was telling the truth.

“What should I do, what should I do…!”

No agents around because she had shouted not to follow her, and now she regretted it.

Ecdysis felt her hair turning white as she hastily embraced her instrument bag.

Fortunately, the violin was intact even in this overturned train situation.

“Thank goodness! Ah, what if you were damaged…”

She gently opened the bag and carefully stroked the violin with a soft gesture.

And soon, he tightly gripped the neck of the violin and held it upside down.

As if it were a pipe. No, like an ‘axe.’

There’s a saying among musicians that instruments are like their lives.

From this, it can be understood that Essidis was prepared to fight, wielding his own life.

Risking his life as the ‘strongest music student in history,’ he now enters the train terror situation resolution!

*

Before the unification of the Droan Kingdom by King Aynar.

And before the demon king awakened, threatening all of humanity.

Until then, the Droan Kingdom had passed through an era of chaos with tribal leaders called ‘Yar’ proliferating throughout the country.

Among the mad slaughter groups that created blood-soaked fields with axes, knives, and tongues (mostly used for polite greetings to the opponent’s parents), there was a peculiar class.

The Yar’s ghost. Huskal.

The Huskal class is often equated with the ‘knight’ class of other countries, but in detail, it is different.

Unlike knights who establish a dual contractual relationship with lords and ghosts, Huskal only considers loyalty and ability as conditions.

Knights receive wages and land as compensation, but Huskal receives only ‘loyalty.’ They neither receive nor ask for rewards, except for small spoils and provisions.

Regardless of blood ties, they are considered ‘brothers’ and share the same meal and use the same bed in the same house (it does not necessarily mean sharing the bed at night).

And there were many such ‘brothers’ even for King Aynar.

“Ugh… Ugh…!!”

A middle-aged man was gasping at the edge of the forest.

The man glared at the overturned train in the distance with naked eyes.

“Those damn bastards took my nephew!!”

His nephew, who wouldn’t hurt even if you put dirt in your eyes, is riding over there!

The man screamed furiously and started retching again.

*

‘If someone follows me, I’ll really lose my mind!’

When Essidis said that to Aynar, Aynar, as a great warrior of Droan, could figure out the answer to this riddle.

‘Ah, I just need to not stand out!’

Since trustworthy individuals considered Essidis their nephew and cherished him, even if he disguised himself, he would still stand out on the same train.

However, sending him on the next train is worrisome, as going alone across the border on a train is a risky situation.

Once again, King Aynar brilliantly solved the riddle as a great warrior of Droan.

‘Ah, I just need to follow the train!’

Therefore, King Aynar solemnly gathered his ‘siblings’ and inquired.

“Who will be the one to protect our Esy?”

“Brooother!!! Please send me!!!”

“Who is the true warrior who can follow the train with two legs?”

“I am here, sir!”

The great Huscarls of Dron raised their hands in unison, shouting with enthusiasm.

In their 40s, muscular and robust, they opened their mouths like hungry chicks, making loud sounds.

King Aynar, observing this peculiar scene with satisfaction, inquired solemnly.

“Then, let only those who can enter the Janzak University raise their hands.”

“…!!”

Janzak University has a tough entrance exam. The Huscarls, even if confident in practical or interview skills, reluctantly lowered their hands at the thought of the written test. (They didn’t feel ashamed; after all, knowledge was not considered a virtue of warriors.)

Amidst this, one man kept his hand raised.

“From now on, you are a freshman in the Physical Education Department.”

“Yes, sir!! I will protect Esy with my life!!”

“Good. Go, my brothers.”

“Yes, sir!!!”

That was two months ago. The man who had secretly infiltrated the Krasyloph without others knowing, astonishingly passed the entrance exam with confidence and was admitted to the Physical Education Department. (It means he barely passed with the minimum grade and set a new record in the practical evaluation.)

Sadly, Yanzak University had no age limit for admission….

And now, one day in January, a man who had been running alongside the train without rest or sleep for two days staggered to a stop.

The man, who confirmed the train derailment with his naked eyes 2 km away, began to rush, uprooting all the trees in a straight line.

To save the strongest physical education student of the era, the current strongest music student rushes to the scene of the train terror incident!