The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess

“Alright, this morning, we’ll proceed with a simple simulation lesson. Here, we have a young pregnant woman and a man holding a knife. The role of the pregnant woman… Kim Jin! You take it. And the role of the man holding the knife? Class President, you take it.”

In every class, there’s always a student the teacher picks on.

When a teacher has to ask questions or conduct a practical exercise during class, they always end up using that student as a guinea pig.

“And Han Nam-jin! You, come up here! How would you handle this situation? When a pregnant woman is confronting a man with a knife!”

Captain Kang Cheol-min always calls me first for everything.

“Is it Nam-jin again today?”

“Captain really has it out for you.”

“It’s not Captain, it’s Instructor!”

As soon as Captain called my name, the class became lively and noisy.

From everyone’s gaze, I could feel the collective expectation: “What funny thing will Han Nam-jin do today?”

Damn it!

To be honest, I enjoy everyone’s attention!

Maybe it’s because, for years, my only friends were loneliness and Ying-ying, but the attention from everyone feels as sweet as honey!

The problem is that popularity is like a sandcastle before a wave.

The public is easily disappointed and quick to turn away, so I always have to stay on edge.

What if there’s a way to meet everyone’s expectations and solve Captain’s tricky question in this situation?

“I would side with the man.”

“What?”

Captain frowned.

Kim Jin, who was cast as the pregnant woman, and class president Jeong Ui-seon, playing the man with a knife, both furrowed their brows, looking slightly taken aback.

The class was abuzz.

“Ah, are none of you aware of this?”

I have to explain even this?

“A pregnant woman has a baby in her belly, doesn’t she? So, that’s two people. But the man is alone. Therefore, this is a 2-on-1 situation, which puts the man at a disadvantage. Siding with the man makes it fair.”

I stepped beside the man and shouted.

“You cowardly pregnant woman! How dare you use your numerical advantage to pressure an innocent man! But now, it’s 2-on-2!”

Our fight begins now!

My fair judgment and realistic acting left everyone speechless.

Not missing a beat, I karate-chopped the fake ‘knife’ in class president Jeong Ui-seon’s hand, knocking it to the floor.

Clang!

“What?!”

Though the class president was flustered, I kicked the mock knife away, far out of reach.

With the weapon, the biggest threat, gone, the “man threatening the pregnant woman” simulation was effectively resolved.

The kids watching let out a collective “Ooh—” of amazement, while Captain Kang Cheol-min rubbed his face from his forehead to his chin, looking begrudgingly impressed.

“So, Han Nam-jin, you’re saying you would distract the dangerous individual and prioritize eliminating the threat? Your method was unusual, but fine, you pass. I’ll give you 10,000 merit points.”

Oh yes, 10,000 merit points secured!

The thought of using this to buy a cold cola at the cafeteria already made my tailbone tingle with excitement.

Come to think of it, does Seo Ga-eul like cola?

If I buy her a cold one today, I might score some points with her and secure her cooperation.

“Han Nam-jin, your mind’s wandering again. Are you lovestruck?”

Thwack.

Captain smacked me on the head while the kids burst out laughing.

He was right, though.

My mind had been all over the place today because of what happened in the morning.

“Kidnap Yoo Yeoreum and bring her to me,” she said.

What was Seo Ga-eul thinking when she said that?

Her intention was unclear.

When I asked for a reason, she clammed up like an oyster, making me crazy with her mysterious ways.

If she wanted my cooperation, why ask me to kidnap Yoo Yeoreum?

Was it because the basement felt too lonely?

Maybe she needed a roommate down there.

After all, Seo Ga-eul used to throw noisy parties with unwanted guests just to stave off loneliness.

It’s not strange that she’d feel bored and isolated now, stuck alone in the basement.

“Yeah, that must be it.”

So Seo Ga-eul wanted a “kidnapping mate” equal to herself.

Like when an only child asks their mom for a sibling.

Exactly that.

I’m a genius.

…So, Yoo Yeoreum, huh.

The problem was that Yoo Yeoreum was so powerful that even among the elite F-Class, she was called the “darling” for her strength.

She was already active as an explorer, even before graduating.

How the heck am I supposed to kidnap someone like that?

Still, I was lucky that there was an opportunity today.

This afternoon, there will be a group exercise.

I could observe Yoo Yeoreum’s abilities directly and then come up with a plan.

# # #

Group exercises involved exploration.

It was a class where we entered the training 「Great Labyrinth」 and conducted explorations.

“Everyone, let’s do our best again this time.”

“Let’s do it!”

“I… I won’t mess up like last time!”

“……”

Once again, the “No Leftovers Team” was all here.

Unlike last time, when the mood was gloomy due to our status as a team of misfits, there was now a hint of hope on everyone’s faces.

“Han Nam-jin, didn’t you say you’d take first place in this exercise?”

Before entering the Great Labyrinth, Teacher Nose, who was manning the entrance, raised her blindfold slightly and looked at me meaningfully.

I glared right back at her.

“Teacher Nose, you wouldn’t forget your promise to kiss me if I take first place, would you? Don’t go back on your word.”

“I’m not Teacher Nose; I’m Teacher Moon Hyun-ah. Now, give it your best shot. Though Seo Ga-eul is resting due to illness, F-Class still has Yoo Yeoreum.”

I was determined to take first place in this combined D and F-Class exercise.

Though Teacher Nose—or rather, Teacher Moon Hyun-ah—hid her face with a blindfold, she was incredibly beautiful.

Getting a kiss from such a beauty would be a memory worth keeping as an heirloom.

Swoosh.

Like last time, my guts twisted as we entered the Great Labyrinth, and once again, I found myself on high ground with a clear view.

Was it a cliff?

No, something felt different.

“We’re on top of a building?”

Beneath a dusty sky, we stood atop a building in a city filled with the ruins of shattered structures.

For some reason, it felt like the world had ended.

It was a sight that felt oddly familiar to me.

“Po… Post-apocalypse…”

Oh Deok-soon, who was usually quiet, seemed happy to explain the situation in a small voice, as if she’d found something she knew.

Post-apocalypse.

A world after destruction.

It was the perfect description.

Last time, we had been transported to a “forest-like” place, but now it was a ruined city.

I couldn’t help but wonder—what exactly was this “Great Labyrinth”?

“So, what are we going to do?”

Geum Tae-sung was looking at me.

Chang-sik, Deok-soon, and Pink-haired Baek Yeoul were also watching me.

Kidnapping Yoo Yeoreum aside, maybe I should focus on earning a ton of points first?

If it’s a ruined city, then I’m an expert here.

“I think we should base our strategy on ‘monster hunting’ like last time. There are plenty of places where monsters could be hiding in a downtown area like this. Let’s start by going down the building.”

Fortunately, the stairs in the building were intact, so we were able to descend to the ground level without much trouble.

Now, what should we do next?

I inspected a nearby manhole cover.

Creak—

The cover opened.

“Jackpot.”

The underground of a ruined world could practically be called a separate kingdom.

It was a place filled with rats, bugs, and the monsters that preyed on them.

However, Deok-soon, looking down into the open manhole, gagged and retched.

“Ugh… ugh…”

The stench was overwhelming.

Baek Yeoul and Chang-sik, who had some resistance to strong smells, seemed fine, but Tae-sung and Deok-soon hesitated to enter the sewer.

I figured I’d give them a tip.

“If it smells bad, breathe through your mouth. That’ll help a bit.”

Maybe it was because of the trust I’d built during the last exercise, but Deok-soon followed my advice and began breathing exaggeratedly through her mouth.

Though overdone, she seemed to feel better, and her expression relaxed.

And so, we entered the sewer.

Splash—

The slimy water, rising to our ankles, was thoroughly unpleasant.

What was worse was the endless twists and turns within the sewer.

There were so many branching paths that even leading the way became exhausting.

“Which way should we go?”

I paused for a moment.

That was when Pink-haired Baek Yeoul, who had been unusually quiet all day, stepped up.

“Me! I can figure it out! At times like this, you do it like this!”

Spit.

She spat into her palm, then slapped it with her other hand to make it fly off.

“It flew to the right! Let’s go right!”

What a primitive and superstitious navigation method.

Is she on par with Amazonian tribespeople?

Still, when combined with Baek Yeoul’s concept of “Misfortune”, even such superstitious methods could prove effective.

In a stinky sewer like this, encountering a “monster” would be the worst-case scenario, right?

Which meant following Baek Yeoul, the compass of misfortune, would likely lead us straight to one.

Splash, splash.

We continued walking through the sewer.

“It’s a dead end?”

We reached a blocked path.

Scrape, scrape.

A thick steel plate loomed in front of us.

What is this, a bomb shelter?

“T-There’s no way…”

Baek Yeoul, who had been brimming with unfounded confidence until now, suddenly looked dejected as we found ourselves unable to proceed.

For a moment, I thought this misfortune might be literal as I turned to head back.

Sssss—

A strong strawberry scent, entirely out of place in this sewer, suddenly wafted to my nose.

And from behind us, I heard splashing footsteps approaching.

Grip—

Choi Chang-sik grabbed my wrist.

“Listen, friend. Whatever you do, don’t make any sudden moves. Absolutely not!”

He looked as if he’d seen a starving tyrannosaurus.

Or perhaps something even more terrifying than a dinosaur had appeared.

It was Yoo Yeoreum.

Without sparing us a glance, she stared silently at the thick steel wall, her eyes glowing white.

Bzzzz—

In the dark sewer, her radiant eyes resembled a “supernova” or a “sun”, so much so that I found myself marveling at their beauty.

Bzzzzzzzzz— BOOM!

Beams of light shot out from Yoo Yeoreum’s eyes, punching a hole in the thick steel wall as if struck by some futuristic welding tool.

What the hell is that?!

Shooting lasers from her eyes?

Even for an awakened being, is that even possible for a human?

This astonishing sight left even the usually silent Deok-soon stunned.

“H-Heat vision… It’s firing thermal beams from her eyes. In movies, Superboy uses it, and in some shows, heroes like Homelander…”

Whatever it was, it was impressive.

Even Deok-soon, who rarely spoke, was rambling.

She was muttering something about how Yoo Yeoreum was probably showcasing the skill of F-Class leader “Invincible”, and how her callsign wasn’t an exaggeration.

At that moment, I finally understood what Seo Ga-eul had meant when she told me to “kidnap Yoo Yeoreum” to secure her cooperation.

Yoo Yeoreum was invincible.

She could move faster than me, even with my concept of “Leap”, and she could fire insane laser beams.

Kidnapping her?

That would mean certain death for the kidnapper.

In other words, Seo Ga-eul had essentially told me, “I’ll never cooperate with you, so go die.”

Realizing this, I clenched my fist tightly, crouched low, and—

“Nam-jin Kick!”

Splash!

With a spray of water, I launched myself straight at Yoo Yeoreum.