I Became a Murderer in the Academy. - Chapter 6

I was transported into a novel I didn’t even know.

It was about 1 year and 3 months ago, perhaps. I didn’t remember exactly.

In fact, even my memories of being human were hazy.

The longer I lived as a monster, the more my memories of my previous life faded away.

It seemed that as I became more accustomed to the sensations of being a monster, the ones I felt as a human became duller.

Memories that were once there scattered and disappeared.

My emotions were shallower than before. That’s why I always felt empty inside.

If they had never existed in the first place, it might have been different. But losing things that were originally there made the emptiness feel even greater.

That’s why I was in a hurry to return to my original world.

Because I didn’t have much time left.

If time continues to flow like this, if the things inside me continue to disappear…

“……”

I might not want to return to being human anymore.

***

Surprisingly, the security in the underground prison wasn’t as strict as Iria had thought.

Perhaps it was because the mercenaries who sold her to the slave trader were acting as guards.

Either way, they weren’t very strong opponents. Most of them fell to her lightly swung strikes.

Silver hair swayed in the dark, damp corridor of the underground prison.

She moved with leisurely steps, holding a small dagger in one hand.

Iria didn’t bother to hide herself as she walked because she was confident in her strength. After all, once today passed, they wouldn’t remember her anyway.

“……”

“……”

Silence fell in the corridor that had been briefly noisy with Iria’s escape from prison.

Even though quite a few people were still staying here, there were several reasons for this strange phenomenon.

Firstly, some mercenaries who didn’t know their place rushed at the back alley monster and fainted.

Secondly, those who witnessed this scene all lost their will to fight.

She was clearly a girl with a smaller build than them, but that figure felt enormous. The mercenaries had to tremble in fear at her sharp spirit.

The fortunate thing, if anything, was that Iria didn’t attack them first.

The monster who had crushed all the humans who rushed at her with force seemed to have little interest in the remaining rabble.

She scanned the humans collapsed on the floor with her eyes. Her expressionless face, where it was hard to find any change in expression, seemed to exude a slight chill.

The gaze looking down from above was extremely cold.

It was like eyes looking at insignificant beings that couldn’t harm her in any way.

“Nothing special.”

She watched them intently for a while, then left.

It seemed the person she was looking for wasn’t there either.

And there was a human who reached out towards Iria as she was leaving with her back turned.

It was Evelyn, a 2nd-rank mercenary who had been the first to be knocked out by her and had just regained consciousness.

She was a well-known magician in the group.

She’d built an impressive track record in a short period and was the de facto number two in the organization.

To be outclassed and outmaneuvered by a woman so much younger and smaller than her was hardly something to be proud of.

Finally, unable to contain her anger, she aimed a spell at Iria’s back.

“Monstrous bitch…”

A monster, but also a child who didn’t understand the world.

There was something arrogant about showing her back on the battlefield, especially in front of a mage of her caliber.

While it was true that she possessed overwhelming force, her actual combat experience would be far inferior.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made such a rookie mistake.

Mercenaries, on the other hand, are always risking their lives for money. That’s the difference between the two in the first place.

‘So, close your eyes in regret at your past actions, for that sky-high pride is your undoing.’

With that thought, Evelyn drew mana into her hands. A high-level military magic was carved into the air.

-Whoosh!

A blue glow of mana flared up, igniting the spell formula. This spell has been modified to maximize mana consumption to increase its lethality.

No monster would survive such a powerful strike.

When Evelyn finished preparing the spell, Iria stopped in her tracks.

“If you fire that, you will die.”

She said, turning her head only slightly. Her tone was as cold as ever.

Raising the dagger in her hand, she warned coldly. It was as if she were telling her to stop if she didn’t want to die.

But Evelyn snorted at the sight.

She’d already deployed the spell, and she was far, far away from Iria’s sword.

Breaking through a high-level magic spell with no magic of her own, traveling a long distance, and swinging a sword? That’s ridiculous.

It’s a realm that is impossible for humans. So her words were a bluff.

“Stupid, you’re the one who’s going to die!”

Evelyn unleashed the magic she had prepared.

-Rrrrrrr!

A great blue flame erupted, engulfing the corridors of the dungeon.

It was impossible to dodge. The corridor was narrow.

The magical power of a second-rate mercenary burning all the mana in her body was enough to cover the narrow corridor.

Thus, Evelyn was certain of victory.

The flames of high-level magic burned the human body and melted the bones. With her body covered in such flames, she should have vanished without a trace by now.

And just as she’d expected, there was no Iria in the hallway after the flames had died down.

There was only the hallway, clean and organized as if it had never been there in the first place.

“Ha, ha, ha… That’s what you deserve, Asshole.”

That’s what happens when you talk trash in enemy territory.

Evelyn laughed bitterly and let out a ragged breath.

It wasn’t long before she realized something was wrong.

Her vision spun.

It flew through the air momentarily, then plummeted to the ground.

Evelyn didn’t even realize what had happened; she just closed her eyes once and opened them. The next thing she knew, her head was separated from her body.

Her face was in the dirt. Only then did the dull pain hit her.

‘Was my throat cut? When?’

She didn’t know. She probably never will.

The last thing she saw before she slipped into unconsciousness was silver hair and red eyes.

“Stupid, you’re the one that’s dead.”

I looked down at the severed neck with cold eyes and said, frowning slightly.

Human blood is notoriously difficult to remove from clothing. I wanted to avoid unnecessary killing as much as possible.

Covered in blood, I felt a little unhappy. I didn’t completely avoid the flames either, so my hair and clothes got slightly burnt, which was unpleasant.

Killing the other party would not solve this problem or make me feel better.

It was a lose-lose business. I was offended, and she lost her life.

That’s why I told her not to do it. Humans are both wise and foolish.

With that, I sighed and started walking again, but then I saw something.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror, not knowing why it was there.

“…….”

I look terrible.

My once-white hair was stained half-red with blood, and my red eyes shone brightly in the darkness.

I’m walking down the corridors of a half-collapsed dungeon.

And in my hand, a bloody dagger.

“Monstrous bitch.”

It was literal.

No matter how I looked in the mirror, I didn’t look normal.

But for some reason, I thought it was perfectly fitting.

Maybe it was because I was a man-eating killer. A reflection of her demon blood.

I let out a bitter laugh and continued onward.

***

There hasn’t been a sign of the guards guarding since then.

They must have fled, realizing that regular people couldn’t even grab me by the ankles.

So it was easier to move forward. I wish they would have gotten out of the way earlier.

Contrary to the popular image of demons, I was surprisingly not hostile to humans. Unlike most demons, I was intelligent.

There would have been no bloodshed if they had let me pass quietly.

I guess money is a powerful driving force.

Even as a demon living among humans, I needed money and could understand how they felt.

Though the last woman I killed, Evelyn, was beyond my comprehension.

I stopped, held my chin, and tried to think about it, but eventually gave up.

It wasn’t something I could answer now. Human emotions were something I knew and didn’t know.

With that out of my mind, I climbed the stairs.

This must be the basement, right? It’s just down that hallway to the outside.

I quickly started walking to get out of here. Then, I paused for a moment.

Because I sensed life.

By the time I realized something was wrong and stopped, a blade was already flying towards me.

The attack was aimed squarely at my neck. I raised the dagger in my right hand.

-CLANG!!!

The heavy clash of metal sent a shock through my hand.

I took a step back and countered the sudden blow.

I spun the dagger in my hand and swung with all my might.

-Slash!

But nothing was cut. I quickly stepped back and readied myself.

Maybe I have good instincts. Perhaps I’m just reactive.

“I was blocked?”

The middle-aged man who swung the knife at me smiled a ferocious grin.

I hadn’t felt him move at all as he approached me. At first glance, he didn’t look like the men I’d seen earlier in the basement.

“……”

He was looking at me, so I did the same.

He was a sharp-looking man. His body was covered in scars from countless battles, and his breathing was stable.

That alone told me he was a mercenary of the first rank or higher.

But I had my doubts.

I just wanted to get out of there. I didn’t particularly intend to harm them.

His men were the first to sink their teeth into me, forcing me to kill them, but why would he antagonize me?

Because I ran amok underground? No, not really. Because he was not a part of this slave market.

If the fortune collapsed, it would be the slave owners who would take the hit, not him.

But he didn’t feel alive.

At first, I thought he was angry because I had killed one of his men, but now I realize it wasn’t that.

His face was colored not with anger but with greed.

So I asked him.

“Why?”

He answered my question.

“Money.”

“Aha.”

And I was immediately convinced. It was a more troubling reason than I thought.

Wasn’t his life worth a few bucks? Maybe he genuinely thought he could beat me.

But it didn’t matter. Because after I locked eyes with him, I understood what he was all about.

And from that moment on, I had no intention of letting him live. On the contrary, I was glad to see him here.

He was the one I was looking for.

“Beorn.”

That was his name.

I pointed the sword in my hand at Beorn.

“I’ll play.”

I didn’t like to move my body, but I made an exception for him. He was worth it.

I gave a small laugh.

Today was my lucky day.