Academy's Genius Extra Chapter 20

The crow professor’s office was cozy.

Warm yet filled with flashy items, it felt like a crow’s nest of sorts….

“Here it is.”

The crow professor smoothly held out an ammunition case.

“It’s cold.”

An icy chill billowed out of the ammunition case. Exactly as I had requested.

When I touched it with my finger, frost immediately formed on my nail, so I quickly pulled back.

“Caaaw! That’s not all there is to it! At the point of impact, it induces an endothermic reaction, and the amount of absorbed heat our team is estimating is about….”

Rustle rustle.

Several kilojoules, condensation saturation, a flood of difficult terms and English followed.

…I temporarily shut my ears.

The crow professor and Wrangler.

The field these two proud genius professors had recently clashed over was <temporary attribute application>.

Put simply, the popularization of enchantments.

Mass producing factory-grade enchantments.

The targets were likewise factory-produced weapons. Mass-produced firearms.

The idea was to let not only superhumans, but ordinary people use attribute-type weapons as well….

Getting straight to the point.

About three years later.

The winner of this duel would be Wrangler. I did not know the detailed circumstances. Wrangler must have simply done better in research and development.

That was all I thought, but….

“Professor, about this ammunition…. The quality is kind of….”

“Caaaw….”

The crow beastman bitterly stroked his beak.

“It’s too high, isn’t it?”

“Isn’t it?”

Too high. Not just well-made, but overspec.

And that was the problem.

“At this level, it doesn’t seem usable with ordinary firearms.”

“Caaaw! Correct, student Kim Seungtae. If you used this ammunition, the trigger would freeze solid….”

As a test, I fed the ammunition to Lucy.

The cold that had been flowing like dry ice vanished without a trace.

Hoo….

The crow professor observed Lucy closely.

Overspec as it was, it fit Lucy perfectly. Lucy was not an ordinary firearm, after all.

An evil revolver.

[Lucy… a cold-blooded evil spirit!]

[Lucy… knows no cold… shiver!]

“Somehow I’m worried…. You’re not going to get a stomachache, right? If it’s too much, you should say so beforehand.”

At least she wasn’t complaining….

“Student Kim Seungtae. The cold attribute should dissipate in about a week.”

“Ah, that’s not a problem. I plan to use all of it within a day or two anyway.”

Stare.

The crow professor quietly looked at me.

Because there was something he wanted from me.

“Of course, I will be sure to leave detailed usage feedback.”

“Caaaw! Thank you! Leave as much data as possible! We have far too few means of field testing….”

No means of testing because it was overspec….

I think I finally understand where this project went wrong for the two professors.

“An archetypal scholar type, full of ideals and enthusiasm….”

“Caaaw? Did you say something?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

So overspec that it cannot be used.

As a scholar, he passes.

As a practical operator, he fails.

As a winner, too.

“Anyway, professor. I will make good use of this… ah, it’s cold!”

“Be careful carrying it~ You don’t have feathers like I do! Caaaw!”

Still, the quality itself was top-notch.

Since I had properly received it, I should diligently leave a review.

If I survive.

***

Sunday.

Worldwide, it is the day people go to church.

The island where the Superhuman Academy is located. Alpha Nest follows this unspoken rule as well.

That Sunday morning.

Restless.

I paced back and forth at the meeting spot.

Oblivious to my feelings, a glowing bastard approached from afar.

The face gap between us irritated me for no good reason.

“Hey! Han Taepyeong! Why are you so late!”

“Ah, sorry…. But Seungtae, the appointment was until ten, right? It’s 9:59 right now….”

“So what! Are cadets supposed to make excuses!”

“…? You’re energetic…. Something good happen?”

Hoo. Calm down.

Relax….

Must be pre–boss-fight nerves.. Then, from far away, another person came shambling over.

“Hey. Yoo Eunha. Can’t you hurry up? You’re actually late.”

“It’s just one minute…. I’m sleepy…. Hungry…. Lazy…. Hey, Kim Pirate. Can we cancel today’s plan? Want to go to the convenience store instead?”

“Absolutely not!”

I got fired up again.

The convenience store can wait.

We have to save the world starting now.

After transferring buses twice, we arrived at the Hope and Grace Church.

“Wow…. There are really a lot of people.”

Yoo Eunha exclaimed. As soon as we entered the church lobby, it was packed.

Most of these people were devout Christians, but some were devout fanatics.

First, as promised, I introduced them to famous paintings.

“Here. Take a look. Can you feel the philosophy contained in this painting?”

“No?”

“Not at all?”

Hah. Ignorant brutes.

I clicked my tongue, then explained the painting’s true value to the two lackeys. Their mouths fell open.

“…It’s a circle, you see. How is it? Can you feel the philosophy now?”

“I think I kind of do!”

“Me too…! I think I feel it!”

While I was at it, I curated a few more paintings for them.

“Wow~”

“Wow~”

They seemed reasonably entertained, but also looked like they had no idea why we were doing this on a Sunday. I gradually steered the conversation toward practical matters.

“There are really a lot of people here, right? If a terrorist incident happened in a place this crowded, it could get messy.”

The two stared at me blankly. I subtly showed them Lucy and spoke.

“For example, taking hostages with something like this.”

“Oh please. Kim Pirate. Who would carry out a terror attack in the middle of Alpha Nest?”

A reasonable argument.

But you cannot expect reason from fanatics.

“You’re being soft. Do you think terrorists care about that? You’re too complacent. What if the church really gets occupied?”

Han Taepyeong and Yoo Eunha stared at me blankly.

“What would we do? Fight first, then report it later.”

“Yeah. We are cadets, so we should handle the initial response.”

Once again, a reasonable answer.

The school we attend is not just a sports-focused academy.

It is a nurturing institution compared to the past.

A bulwark established to guarantee the future.

“Terrorists, huh….”

“If it’s terrorists, they would probably use firearms, right?”

“Counterterrorism procedures…. I don’t remember any of them.”

Han Taepyeong and Yoo Eunha looked around. For now, it was half joking.

As we were taught at the academy to always be prepared, since I had brought it up, we treated it like an on-site lesson….

“Hey, Han Taepyeong. That person over there. He has been standing there a long time.”

“Yeah. I was thinking the same thing.”

The two singled out a middle-aged man carrying a backpack. Sharp eyes.

The moment I entered the church, I had activated my trait. While curating paintings, I carefully observed.

I picked out those emitting a sharp, knife-like aura. Like that backpack guy.

“You found him too. He really does look like it, doesn’t he?”

I backed them up.

Of course, the truth was unknowable.

It might just be a coincidence, an ordinary person standing there with a large backpack while emitting an ominous aura.

Of course.

There was also a very real chance he might naturally pull out a firearm befitting that ominous aura.

“…But this place does feel a bit strange. Eunha, you’re good at picking up on this kind of thing, right? Try it.”

“Is the land bad? Is there an underground water vein? Or is it really like Kim Pirate says….”

Yoo Eunha moistened her index finger and raised it.

Since it was indoors, there was no wind to read, and no need to read it.

It was just for the mood.

But mood matters. And once Yoo Eunha got into the mood, she began reading the flow.

“Let’s see….”

Yoo Eunha’s unique ability was <Yin and Yang>.

There are flows you can feel even without opening your eyes.

Among Yoo Eunha’s hair, a particularly sharp antenna-like strand began to sway.

This way and that. Back and forth. Gently.

Her antenna pointed here and there like a finger.

A woman pretending to be on a phone call.

A young man staring at a powered-off laptop.

A middle-aged woman pushing a folded stroller.

And so on.

Every one of them looked suspicious.

“Yoo Eunha, Han Taepyeong. You take that one and that one.”

“Yeah.”

“Got it.”

The two of them moved into the crowd.

The situation was a little suspicious.

The moment they realized that, they immediately shifted to response.

They really were geniuses.

Thud.

The two positioned themselves where they could seize control.

A spot where they could easily intercept anyone.

This kind of thing is instinct, in other words, sense.

It is not something you can learn.

It is an intuitive judgment only possible because they are outstanding raw gems, even within a jewel box that gathered only geniuses.

I cannot even imitate it.

I checked the time.

I cannot imitate it.

But on the other hand, this is something I can do.

Cadet Kim Seungtae can do this.

I raised my hand high.

The two geniuses hidden among the people looked at my hand.

I counted down with my fingers.

Three….

Two….

One….

Go.

“Everyone, hands up!”

“Get down! You! You too!”

“Do not scream!”

As if following my signal.

The fanatics put on masks and drew their weapons.

The backpack middle-aged man had hidden two submachine guns in his bag.

The backpack man fired warning shots into the ceiling with gusto….

“Not happening.”

Yoo Eunha was a bit faster than that.

No, much faster.

“Eunha kick!”

Yoo Eunha sprinted forward, jumped, and unleashed a kick.

Crack!

The middle-aged man, his jaw smashed, flew away helplessly.

It looked less like his jaw and more like his neck snapping, but if he was extremely lucky, he might survive.

Meanwhile.

Han Taepyeong was facing the woman who had been holding a powered-off phone.

“I warn you. Drop the assault rifle.”

“What are you, you little punk!”

The fanatic’s arm was severed.

Midway through saying “you” and “what.”

“Aaah… ngh!”

A strike with the flat of the blade knocked her out.

The fanatic collapsed with her face crushed in.

Han Taepyeong.

Yoo Eunha.

Neither showed mercy.

The Superhuman Academy.

A place where the pinnacle gathers.

They were cadets who entered even there with top grades.

They simply moved their bodies naturally, yet fanatics were crushed without resistance.

I am no match for that.

I cannot imitate it.

But.

There is no need to confront geniuses like that head-on.

Because there is something Cadet Kim Seungtae can do.

“Let’s go, Lucy.”

[Lucy… I am not holding back today!]

[Lucy… crash bang!]

Three gunshots rang out.

The three fanatics holding hostages collapsed in pools of blood.

Yoo Eunha and Han Taepyeong finished them off.

“So cold.”

“Guh…?”

Bang!

When Yoo Eunha kicked the fallen fanatic, his body bounced away like a soccer ball.

Han Taepyeong did the same.

It was a special situation.

Neither of them considered taking prisoners.

Only after five fanatics were neutralized did screams echo through the corridor.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Please remain calm. This is the Superhuman Academy. As of this moment, terrorist activity has been detected within the Hope and Grace Church. I will assume temporary command!”

I took out my Superhuman Academy cadet ID.

The rank of 1111 was clearly printed on it, but from afar, it all looks the same.

To explain the standing of the Superhuman Academy in this society….

Despite being utterly terrified, people looked at me calmly.

No further explanation was necessary.

“A cadet ID really is something.”

Han Taepyeong and Yoo Eunha approached, radiating sharp intent.

“Seungtae… what is all this….”

“Han Taepyeong. Look over there. See inside the corridor? The fork in the path.”

I pointed inside the corridor.

A fork splitting into two paths.

Left, <Lord’s Prayer Room>.

Right, <Interactive Bible Museum>.

“Take one each and run. There are definitely more terrorists. I will handle things here and follow.”

They looked like they had a lot to say, but moved without complaint.

“Hey! I am a necromancer! When I am in good condition, even ghosts get scared and run. So hurry and run! Time is life!”

The two quickly disappeared down the corridors.

“Police, firefighters, and soldiers, please raise your hands.”

A few people raised their hands.

Fortunately, there were also agents, combat personnel just below the superhuman level.

“Please help children and the elderly evacuate first. No, wait.”

While reloading, I pressed myself close to the church entrance.

Fully armed fanatics were rushing in.

Grenades shaped like apples dangled all around their waists.

“Hm.”

So this is why it is destruction difficulty.

Their equipment is flashy.

Still, Han Taepyeong should be able to handle it.

“If it is Han Taepyeong.”

My spirit energy carries my past life.

A unique ability that is mine yet not mine flows through my blood.

[Spirit Energy -0.29]

[Precision +0.29]

Ting!

I fired a single shot through the crack of the door.

Hissss!

A massive cloud of smoke erupted from the point of impact.

I had hit the tear gas grenades dangling from their waists.

Whoosh.

The smoke quickly filled the area and obscured vision.

If that is the case.

Then I definitely have the advantage.

The fanatics’ auras were visible even through the smoke.

Sharp and chilling, like razor blades.

That razor-like intent turned back on them.

Under my one-sided fire, all the fanatics collapsed.

None of them were dead.

“Guh!”

“Is everyone okay?”

“Cough cough… seems like it!”

They had come wearing solid ballistic protection.

But the wounds on their bodies began to freeze over.

Aaaaah!

Screams rang out.

“Agent.”

I called over one agent and pointed out someone who needed special protection.

A pair of twins clinging to each other.

Young, talented.

And knowing nothing.

Exactly the kind of prey the Heavenly Church loves.

Perfect offerings for their cult leader.

Screeeech!

A black SUV drifted in with a violent skid.

Fanatic reinforcements!

[Lucy… sweating buckets! Full concentration!]

[Lucy… reload ready!]

“Shall we try this?”

I grabbed a rough handful of bullets and let them fall in midair.

Lucy’s <Evil Spirit’s Luck> and my <Precision> worked in harmony.

Click click click.

Six bullets slid perfectly into the cylinder.

Up to that point.

Opening and closing the cylinder took less than a second.

I kicked the door open and stepped out.

“I am a necromancer and top-ranked!”

[Lucy… terrifying!]

[Lucy… a scary evil spirit!]

The fanatics who jumped out of the vehicle fell one after another like movie extras.

“Johan… you really scraped together quite a force.”

Father Johan is capable.

But did he really have the power to mobilize this many people.

“This is overstepping.”

After wiping out the SUV unit, I returned to the agent from before.

“Agent, what weapon do you use?”

“Yes! A carbon bow and mana arrows!”

“Perfect. Let us make a deal. Protect these twins. Anyone who approaches them, put a hole between their eyebrows.”

“Understood. I will protect them at all costs.”

“Everyone. Everyone. If someone approaches claiming to be their parent, shoot immediately.”

“Um, that is… with all due respect, is that not excessive?”

“No. Their parents are deceased. They live with their aunt.”

“Is that so? But how would you know that….”

“I am a necromancer. I am busy, so I will be going.”

I ran toward the fork in the corridor.

Only now did my hands begin to shake and my heart pound.

The fork.

Left was the Lord’s Prayer Room.

Right was the Interactive Bible Museum.

<A grand Bible world adventure to see and experience with children>

That was the phrase written at the Bible Museum to the right.

Originally, there is nothing special in the Bible Museum.

Just crudely decorated mannequins of Goliath or Judas standing awkwardly.

So heading to the Lord’s Prayer Room would be the correct answer, but….

Yoo Eunha had gone to the Bible Museum.

She had entrusted herself to the flow.

You could call it intuition.

And her intuition was sometimes sharper than Taepyeong’s.

“Alright.”

I chose one path and sprinted.