Academy’s Villain Professor

Chapter 73: Practical Training (3)

The car’s roof was completely crumpled, beyond repair this time, reduced to a wreck unlike the last incident.

The hood, forced open by the impact, looked like a gaping mouth, and the creaking kigik sounds were like a dying scream.

Poor Bung-bung.

The culprit, a man, stood atop the car, slowly scanning his surroundings.

His gaze started with me, passed over Ye-jin, lingered on Da-yeon, and stopped on So-hee.

“Ugh.”

Before he could say a word, I moved first.

Crack!

Charging forward, I kicked him square in the gut.

Boom!

He slammed into a distant wall, collapsing it, debris raining over him.

“Professor!”

“Wait a sec!”

Ye-jin and Da-yeon shouted, startled by the sudden shift.

Sure, his entrance was bizarre, but to kick him without knowing who he was?

Perched on what was left of Bung-bung, I turned my head.

“This is a key real-world tip.”

Pointing my thumb at the rubble, I added.

“In situations like this, assume they’re a villain and act.”

To their bewildered looks, I continued.

“And if they’re not? They still smashed someone’s car. Let them take a hit.”

“Exactly! Bung-bung’s avenger!”

So-hee’s anguished cry was a bonus.

“Besides, I felt hostility before he even spoke. That’s pure instinct or experience—you’ll get there.”

As I explained, I tilted my head slightly.

A sharp blade shot from the ground, grazing my cheek.

“Don’t rush it.”

Dodging effortlessly, I turned back.

“See? Villain.”

I flicked the blade with the back of my hand, and it crumbled like sand.

It was sand, shaped into a blade.

The villain, buried in the wall’s debris, slowly rose, sand moving like a living thing to lift him.

Watching, I clicked my tongue.

“Advertising his Trait—Emission or Manipulation.”

The advantage of an unknown trait can be massive.

Hiding your hand in a game, then flashing two cards?

I couldn’t fathom the mindset.

Classic narcissistic villain.

“No one taught you not to do that? Brain not keeping up with your Trait?”

His face twisted at the insult.

“Got none, huh?”

Tough luck not having a teacher like me.

Dozens of sand spikes flew at me.

I snatched the lead one, swatting the rest away.

“Hm.”

Staring at the sand grains scattering in my hand, I ripped off my wristwatch.

The LED on its side flashed red, but that wasn’t the priority.

Considering the spikes’ power, number, and speed, the total output was—

“Didn’t peg you for S-rank.”

Not a borderline S-rank, but solid average.

Not someone to subdue half-heartedly.

Killing would be easier, but as an educator, I had to play nice.

Hearing “S-rank,” someone—probably Da-yeon—gasped behind me.

The villain laughed.

“How’d you know? That was a light toss, and you felt it?”

He twisted his wrist mockingly.

“Then you’re screwed. I’d let you go since you’re not the target, but you hit first. Ten holes in you—good ventilation.”

His taunt didn’t faze me.

Instead, I caught something.

“So there’s a specific target.”

I wrapped the watch around my finger.

He bragged about its durability—good enough for now.

“Yeah. Except the glasses kid, the other two. Hand them over, you live. Or die.”

Larger, deadlier sand blades shot toward me.

I punched their sides, each hit dispersing them into sand with a clear shockwave.

The villain laughed again.

“Pathetic! What, bodyguard? More like a nanny!”

“Nanny?”

“It’s obvious! Blocking everything to protect those burdens! What a nuisance!”

At that, the three behind me tried to flee but stopped when I spoke low.

“Stay here.”

“But…”

“I will protect you behind me. Splitting us up might be his goal. Don’t trust a villain’s words, no matter how plausible.”

Convinced, they stayed put.

“Such devotion!” the villain sneered.

“And inside the Academy, they’re my students to watch. Outside, they’re my comrades.”

That was for him, not them.

I grabbed a blade flying at my face and hurled it back.

Swish—

It turned to sand before hitting, but he got a faceful.

I smirked.

“Shut your mouth, huh?”

“Oh yeah?”

He raised his hand, forming a gun shape with his thumb and index finger, aiming past me at So-hee’s group.

“Protect them then!”

As he unleashed a barrage of sand bullets—

Whoosh—

A chill ran down my spine, my blood freezing.

I’d felt this before, right before and after gaining my power—the terror of facing death.

I touched my neck, relieved it was intact.

If he’d aimed at them instead of me…

I was certain.

They’d be dead, split above and below the neck.

This was a warning.

And the one who sent it—

“Focus on your opponent.”

The villain’s face turned serious, shedding his flippant attitude, crouching lower.

He’d been drunk on his newfound power, ready to dominate.

But I wasn’t prey or weak—I was a predator like him.

That idiot doctor.

“Play and kill for data”?

This was no test.

“Fine. You’re a corpse first, then them.”

Playtime, testing, probing—over.

Vowing to raise hell later, he gathered his power.

Scattered sand rushed toward him, forming a long, snake-like stream that circled me.

“Getting serious now?”

I dismissed his earlier attacks as child’s play.

Fuming but restrained, he spread his hands, curling his fingers from pinky to thumb into fists.

The sand snake became a whirlwind, encircling me.

“Huh.”

I looked around.

A sandstorm, with me at its eye.

It tightened slowly but steadily.

I tried brushing it aside, but my fingers were repelled with force.

Compared to typical Manipulation S-ranks, its range was narrow but densely packed.

Enough to shred an A-rank or take down a weaker S-rank, depending on compatibility.

I didn’t care about compatibility, nor was I a weak S-rank.

Blasting it with raw power would level the area.

I had to be clean.

I reached out again.

Scraaape!

A grating noise, like a saw on a violin.

The clash of forces tipped in my favor.

A tiny crack formed in the whirlwind.

I didn’t miss it, twisting my arm to widen the gap.

The villain’s panicked voice came from outside.

He poured more power into the storm, but it was a mistake.

The crack grew, unfixable.

Crunch!

I shattered the sand, stepping out, brushing it off, and staring at him.

His eyes held only shock and fear, sweat pouring down his forehead.

Tilting my head, I evaluated his technique.

“Powerful, but no finesse, poor adaptability, zero imagination. Sand’s so fluid, yet this is all you’ve got? You might overpower a weak S-rank with raw output, but real ones? You’re nothing. In short—”

I straightened my head.

“Lack of effort. Your Trait’s wasted on you. I hoped for something decent, but nope.”

Enraged, he opened his mouth, but I moved first, tripping him with a leg sweep.

As he fell, reaching for the ground, I grabbed his neck.

One hand squeezed tight.

“Now what?”

Panicking, he clawed at my arm.

Sand turned into saws, slashing at me.

The grating sound didn’t faze me—the saws broke instead.

The irritation lingered, though.

I raised my other hand, clenching a fist.

Thud!

My punch slammed his face.

“Urgh!”

“Your Trait’s output is strong, but your technique’s sloppy. This isn’t your trait, is it?”

“It’s—”

Crack!

I cut him off with another punch.

“Not a question. Just take it.”

Smack!

“Think I’m easy?”

Crunch!

“Thought so, huh? That’s why you targeted them first.”

Boom!

My punches grew heavier.

Wasn’t this too much?

Shouldn’t someone stop me?

They thought so, but my grim expression silenced them.

“You picked the wrong target. Targeting my kids? I’m pissed. Don’t pass out.”

Bang!

The sound was unreal for a human getting hit, shaking the alley.

“Pass out, and you’ll never wake up.”

Boom!

The bloodied villain’s breathing weakened.

Fearing he’d die, So-hee opened her mouth, but—

“And one for Bung-bung.”

She waited for that.

Crack!

I finished with a full-body pummeling.

Only breaking sounds came now.

Gesturing, Ye-jin pulled out villain-restraint ropes, binding his legs, arms, mouth, and eyes in a dazzling 20-second display.

Confirming the restraints, I sat on what was once Bung-bung.

“Listen up. Hero manuals say avoid excessive force or cruelty, and professors echo that.”

I nudged the villain with my foot.

“That’s for B-ranks and below. A-ranks and up can use Traits even in restraints. Drugs don’t work well, so you beat them till their stamina and will are gone.”

Even skilled A-ranks are like that—S-ranks, worse.

“If I’d gone easier, he’d recover in prison and bolt.”

Manipulation Traits demand focus.

Pain like fractures disrupts them best.

“Plus, I felt it while hitting—there’s an Enhancement Trait too. Reduces physical damage. Weak compared to his sand, but it needs attention.”

“Oh.”

Da-yeon gasped, then covered her mouth.

“What?”

“So that’s why.”

I stared, incredulous.

Sure, some emotion was involved, but the violence was necessary.

“You thought I beat him just because he’s a villain?”

“…Yes.”

“What do you take me for?”

“Well… uh… I don’t know.”

Blushing, Da-yeon ducked her head.

“By the way, I was supposed to catch the escapees, but got something else.”

Not an escapee.

His targets were So-hee and Da-yeon.

His skill lagged behind his output, lacking the desperate vibe of an escapee.

With these clues, I’d be an idiot if I didn’t figure it out.

Like Breaker and Assassin, he gained Traits artificially but kept his sanity—linked to the Organization.

A chance to save my old crew still being experimented on.

“How many months this time?”

I muttered, mixing anticipation and worry.

* * *

The Legal Department, leisurely arriving for a B-rank pickup, flipped out over an unexpected S-rank.

The head himself showed up, underscoring the gravity.

No bonus or sentence reduction, though.

“C-rank? That was a solid S-rank.”

On paper, he was just a C-rank.

A perfect blind spot.

Neither I nor the Department expected rewards for a C-rank, so it wasn’t discussed.

No time to argue.

Even I stared grimly at the villain’s file.

A nobody C-rank thug with near S-rank power.

Not fully S-rank due to low skill, but experience could fix that.

If the Organization mass-produced these—

I snorted.

“This isn’t my problem. The country’s screwed.”

The Department head’s face grew graver. He considered ditching the Academy to pit me against the Organization full-time.

“What do we do?”

“No fix, but I’ve got a delay tactic.”

His eyes widened.

Anything to buy time was gold.

“What’s that?”

“Outsource to villains.”

“What?”

His hopeful expression froze.

Uncomprehending—or unwilling to—he stared as I gave a simple, firm answer.

“They’ve grown, but compared to all the villains in this country, they’re peanuts.”

I waved the paper.

From lone wolves to countless villains, most are weak, but you can’t ignore them.

Release hundreds of flies in front of a worker—can they focus?

“Track intel, kidnap, attack, hack—whatever. Shake them so they can’t churn out S-ranks.”

The radical idea, unthinkable for a hero, gave the head a headache.