“Damn, what’s with all these guys?!”

“Amelia! Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine. Just focus on protecting the senior!”

“Si, Siwoo! Above!”

“!”

Amelia looked to be in danger, and the moment Siwoo glanced away, a villain silently approached from behind and swung his sword.

The senior, wounded in the leg trying to protect Amelia from the surprise attack, cried out a warning. But it was too late for Siwoo to react to the sound.

It was a perfect ambush.

He had already known before hearing the sound, so naturally, he would have had enough time to react.

“How did you…?!”

“That kind of thing doesn’t work on me.”

The villain who had snuck up behind him, thinking he couldn’t be dodged, attacked with all his might.

 If the ambush had succeeded, it would have been a powerful blow.

But the moment it failed, they were especially vulnerable.

Naturally, he did not miss the chance.

Using centrifugal force, he delivered a kick like when he subdued the Chameleon villain, putting his weight into it.

…But more gently than that time.

Once was enough.

Thanks to that experience, it felt like he had realized how much force a human needs to be struck with to be incapacitated without serious injury.

“Ugh…?!”

The villain writhed in pain on the ground.

His life wasn’t in danger.

Even with internal injuries, after a few months of treatment, he would recover.

There was no need to worry about that in a situation where he could have died instantly.

A few months was getting off easy.

Amelia cautiously looked around.

“Phew, phew… How many more are there?”

“Not sure. I think I’ve taken down about five so far.”

“Ha, only five? I’ve got seven, including the one I just caught.”

“I-I see.”

Her personality doesn’t seem to falter even in this kind of situation.

She was totally caught off guard, but now she’s unfazed like this?

“…By the way, where did Arte run off to again?”

“Who knows? I’m worried about that too.”

Of course, he wasn’t actually worried about Arte herself.

No matter what trouble she stirs up, she doesn’t seem like the type to get caught up in it.

What worries him is what kind of trouble she’s causing.

“It’s suspicious. For her to disappear right before something like this happens?”

“…Yeah, I agree.”

“There’s definitely something going on.”

It had already been several hours since Arte said she was going to the bathroom during our meal and disappeared.

And conveniently, that’s when these villains attacked while she was gone.

In this remote area?

The timing is just too perfect.

“D, damn it… How are we supposed to beat bastards like these?!”

“We, we have to run away. There’s no way we can win!”

They’ve lost their fighting spirit.

The mob that rushed us is now diminished, and they seem to have given up after realizing they’re the only ones left.

Amelia gripped her spear tightly as they tried to slink away.

“What should we do?”

“We could just let them go. We have too much else to deal with.”

“Okay…Hey, you all can scram. We’ve got no business with you anymore.”

A considerable amount of time had passed since the fighting started.

Even without worrying about Arte, there was too much else to handle.

First, they needed to report this to the Association and the police.

These guys are Übermensch.

They each had parts of animal bodies integrated into their own–that was clear.

Something’s footpads, wings of some unknown bird, sharp claws, and so on.

Even the one who launched the destructive attack had strange protrusions on his feet that looked like hooves.

That’s probably why he didn’t hear his footsteps approaching.

It was similar to Lyla’s condition.

They had animal-like characteristics, just like her.

…But what exactly are they?

The Association would be the one to investigate.

And that wasn’t all.

They had to detain the villain they incapacitated and call an ambulance for the injured senior.

There was no time to capture those who had lost the will to fight.

His only concern with letting them go was the possibility of them harming civilians, but that could be mentioned when reporting the situation.

That’s how Siwwo judged it, deciding to let them go as long as they didn’t display any further strange behavior.

“Ugh…?!”

“Siwoo… Something’s not right here.”

“Yeah. I felt it too.”

An eerie sense of dread washed over them.

Just moments ago, those guys were hell-bent on escaping.

They immediately tried to flee when they saw that we wouldn’t apprehend them.

…But now, there was something off about their faces as they turned to face them again.

“Something’s wrong.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Amelia accelerated in an instant.

Just as he prefers close-quarters combat, relying on his instinct, Amelia fully utilized her ability’s strengths.

“Hah!”

Shunk.

An inhuman sound rang out through the forest.

Two of the three who had tried to flee were felled, their chests deeply gashed. The third’s neck cleanly twisted with just a light graze from Amelia’s spear shaft–one breath was all it took.

Feats made possible by Amelia physically enhancing her acceleration to the limits.

But he couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling.

Those attacks should have been avoidable for them.

There was no reason for them to simply accept such attacks without trying to evade.

“Looks like…this isn’t over yet.”

“Yeah. After seeing that creepy scene…”

While she wouldn’t admire that grisly display, Amelia didn’t boast as she usually would.

The thought crossed his mind that those villains would still die if left alone. But why would they want to avoid that?

“… There’s definitely something going on.”

Their expressions right before Amelia struck resurface in my mind.

Tears streaming down faces twisted in sheer terror. But they didn’t try to flee.

They had clearly been trying to escape just moments prior.

“It was like they were being forced to stay put.”

“Right? Siwoo, you saw it that way too, didn’t you? So creepy.”

Undoubtedly, if they hadn’t already overwhelmed them, they would have fought back by any means necessary.

That’s what Siwoo thought.

“…Damn, are you serious? My underlings dropping like flies to just three brats?”

A deep voice suddenly rang out.

Whipping our heads towards the source, we saw about ten people shambling towards us.

They all had parts of their bodies transformed into animals–Übermensch, no doubt.

But despite their pitiful appearance, Siwoo’s eyes narrowed at a certain scent wafting from them.

“…The smell of blood.”

“What?”

Amelia questioned him, but Siwoo didn’t respond.

The smell of blood.

The same scent as when he cut into the Chameleon villain.

Suddenly, Siwoo realized that an overwhelming bloody stench was emanating from them.

“Sorry about this. I really didn’t want to involve some kids, but we got orders.”

“…Whose orders are those?”

“S, save us! Right now we’re…guh…! My, my neck…!”

A man desperately trying to say something had his neck abruptly snapped, silencing him instantly.

After a brief pause following that shockingly easy loss of life, the sighing man spoke up.

“Didn’t I tell you not to pull any stupid shit like that? But you just don’t listen.”

Unlike the others, this man’s entire body was coated in gray fur, with large ears and a stubby tail protruding.

Finally, the red eyes and prominent front teeth made it clear what animal he resembled.

“You, you’re a rat, aren’t you? That’s exactly what you look like.”

“Yeah. I’m Marmo, an executive of the Übermensch.”

“…Did you kill that person just now?”

“I wish I had.”

The man who introduced himself as a Übermensch executive sighed heavily.

“I told him to just obey, but he had to go and pull something stupid. You all, don’t try anything foolish–just do as you’re told. ‘They’re’ definitely watching right now.”

“Y, yes sir!”

They’re being watched?

While Siwoo had many questions for him, Marmo didn’t seem inclined to elaborate further.

“Alright, you Academy brats. Looks like you’ve got some skills if only one of you got roughed up against that many of my guys.”

“Some skills? Those losers couldn’t even touch my spear.”

“Is that so? Well, sorry, but it’s about to get a bit tougher for you. Don’t hold it against us. We’re just doing what we gotta to survive. … Let’s go, kids.”

At his signal, the villains began their assault in unison.

With no chance to catch their breath, Siwoo and Amelia were forced into an overwhelmingly disadvantageous battle.

Realizing this, Amelia let out a groan.

“Isn’t ganging up on us a bit cowardly?!”

“It’s a compliment to be called cowardly by the one whose spear couldn’t be touched. And for villains, cowardice is a virtue.”

“Ugggh, so annoying!”

She still can’t control her temper, even in this situation?

Amelia was supposed to be a noble’s daughter, but the term “gentle lady” didn’t seem to suit her at all.

A wildflower would be more fitting.

“But I actually prefer this…! Not giving us a chance to rest will be your downfall!”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“Because my dad could never catch me when I used my powers! You know why?”

“Amelia! What are you saying all of a sudden in the middle of a fight?!”

Siwoo almost lost his grip on his weapon for a moment while fending off the villains before him.

Fortunately, it seemed my opponent was just as distracted, preventing any dangerous situations from arising. But still…

This girl. What is she going on about amid battle?!

“My dad could never keep up with me when I kept using my acceleration ability…! I’d just run away before he could punish me!”

“…Alright, I’ve heard enough. Are those your final words?”

“You should be ready to taste the speed that even A-Rank number 4 Lionel Lindberg couldn’t catch up to–from me, Amelia Lindberg!”

“Wait, what?”

Everyone seemed stunned by her words.

A-Rank number 4…? Lionel Lindberg?

A famous hero, renowned as the “Blazing Lionel” by the people.

So she’s his daughter? No wonder she never mentioned her family before.

No, that’s not the important part right now.

What did she just say about him being unable to keep up with her…?

“Here I go!”

Amelia charged forth like a beam of light.

A speed utterly transcending anything she had shown until now.

Author’s Notes

Ahem Ahem.

GalaxyTL, I hope you have a nice day today.

Translator’s Corner

….Uhhhhhhhhh……Well hello Author-nim! I hope you’re enjoying the translation I’ve been doing…please don’t get bored of writing, the world can’t move without you.

Seriously though, thank you for writing this. It’s truly an enjoyable read. Please keep writing amazing things like this. Fighting!

…Just in case, I’m talking about 화이팅, not actual fighting…

But I almost got a heart-attack when I saw the group being called out. I seriously feel like Arte when the Author(of the story) does something completely random. I feel I’ve become closer to her on some level.

Now some other big news. Viiyen on ko-fi just made a big—no, absolutely massive—donation. 34 Chapters.  If any of you wish to support the series, I’ll put your names ahead because, honestly, we’re going to be seeing Viiyen’s name for a long, long, long time. I’m sure they won’t mind me sharing the spotlight with some of the other supporters.

Again, thank you, Author-nim and Viiyen, for supporting my translation. Also, to the other supporters—Lemur4444, Dragons33, Clone Trooper, Isaac Martinez, Sergrand, Danmaka, and everyone from my previous translations—thank you so much.

I can’t do the bonus chapters now since I have my final exams, but I’ll still do the daily one.

Finally, try not to forget my name, from yours truly,

-Ruminas