Rank 0 of the Awakener Special School - Chapter 13

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Awakener Special School Ranking: 0th Position
Chapter 13
‘Another Infected Creature.’
Counting the one he’d encountered on his first day of school, this was already the second time.
No matter how close Narac was, could Infected Creatures really be appearing this frequently at an Awakener school?
“Grrrgh…….”
With a soft thud, as it took a step toward him, the centipedes on the ground were crushed like fallen leaves beneath its feet.
‘Now that I think about it, why are there so many centipedes around here?’
…No, that wasn’t the important thing.
Ji-u positioned himself in front of Im Risa, shielding her.
“Ji… Ji-u……?”
Behind him came a sound of startled breathing.
Ji-u kept his eyes on the Infected Creature before him as he spoke.
“It doesn’t look to be in great condition. Let me drive it off.”
“You can’t. What could you possibly do? It’s too dangerous!”
Im Risa cried out urgently.
She knew that Ji-u’s Core was Regeneration. She also knew that ability wouldn’t be much help in hunting Infected Creatures.
“It’s fine.”
“…What?”
“I’ll win.”
His voice, seemingly meant to reassure, hung in the air for a moment.
“Grrgh, grrrgh!”
The Infected Creature bent its limbs at odd angles and charged at him with incredible speed.
In that instant, Ji-u’s eyes changed.
This speed—he could dodge it easily enough.
‘But…….’
Im Risa was standing right behind him.
If he dodged, the Infected Creature would collide directly with her.
With her sprained ankle, there was no way she could avoid it.
So Ji-u chose to take the creature’s charge head-on.
“Im Risa! Get back!”
“Ji-u!”
Thud!
The Infected Creature’s stone-hard skull drove straight into Ji-u’s body.
Ji-u twisted slightly by reflex.
He was trying to protect his vital organs as much as possible.
Perhaps because of that.
The creature’s head struck his ribs instead.
“Ugh…!”
His ribs sang with a sharp throb, and his breath caught in his throat. It would’ve hurt less to take a soccer ball to the chest.
‘Ah, should’ve just dodged…….’
Belated regret washed over him, but it was too late.
He’d grabbed the creature’s head with both hands to minimize the damage.
But in doing so, his left wrist twisted completely out of alignment.
“Wh, what—”
The moment Im Risa saw Ji-u’s wrist bent like paper, she clapped her hand over her mouth.
Putting distance between himself and the creature, Ji-u calmly gripped his left wrist with his right hand.
Crack!
He snapped the dislocated bone back into place.
As gently as turning the hand of a clock.
The Infected Creature, having rammed into Ji-u once, now stood a short distance away, scratching at its throat with a low grrgh-grrgh sound.
Ji-u stared at the creature’s placid expression and considered.
‘Using the Core would be the most certain way to bring it down.’
With his second Core—Telekinesis—he could dispatch the thing in a heartbeat.
The problem was doing it without Im Risa finding out he could use a Core…….
Then Ji-u slowly closed his eyes.
“Ji, Ji-u?”
Seeing him stand motionless, Im Risa’s voice wavered with unease.
But Ji-u didn’t move, eyes still shut. As if he were concentrating on something else entirely.
Naturally, there was nothing around him.
Only the Infected Creature, Im Risa, Ji-u, and…….
The wind, growing gradually stronger.
‘Yes, the wind.’
The rustling of leaves grew louder and more pronounced.
In the thick forest, he could perceive the wind’s shifts more easily.
Whoooosh—
Suddenly the wind intensified, and both Ji-u’s and Im Risa’s hair whipped in the same direction.
“Kieeeek!”
The Infected Creature charged at Ji-u again, faster and more ferocious than before.
But this time, it didn’t reach him.
Rumble, rumble……!
The ground near the Cliff began to shake as if struck by an earthquake.
As the speeding creature lost its footing and stumbled.
‘Now!’
A massive Boulder suddenly rolled down from the top of the Cliff.
Crack—!!
It struck the creature’s skull with perfect precision.
“…….”
“…….”
Limbs jutted out from beneath the Boulder like broken branches.
Dark blood pooled slowly across the soil in its wake.
‘What just—.’
Im Risa froze.
An earthquake? Was there really such a thing as an earthquake with timing this perfect?
More than that—where did that Boulder come from?
Im Risa looked up at the Cliff above.
Yes, there had been a Boulder there. She’d seen it just before she fell from the Cliff.
‘But… wasn’t it embedded deep beneath the tree?’
No matter how strong the wind blew, could a Boulder really come loose that easily?
No matter how she thought about it, something was wrong.
“See?”
“…Huh?”
At Ji-u’s sudden voice, Im Risa turned her vacant gaze toward him.
Ji-u, who’d been watching the crushed Infected Creature beneath the Boulder, turned back with a slight smile.
“I told you I’d win.”
His breathing hadn’t wavered once.
…How could he smile at a moment like this?
It was only a stroke of luck the Boulder fell toward the creature. What if it had fallen toward Ji-u instead?
The thought alone was horrifying.
“Wait, Ji-u, you’re bleeding…….”
Im Risa’s face went pale as she noticed blood running down his thigh.
It seemed he’d been wounded when the creature attacked him earlier.
“Oh, oh no! What do I do? Ji-u, stay with me!”
“What are you talking about? People will think I’ve passed out.”
Ji-u waved his hand in exasperation.
“There’s no need to panic like this. It’ll heal soon.”
…It really was. He could see the bleeding already stopping in his thigh.
True to form for a Regeneration Core.
Im Risa slowly lowered her trembling hands.
“Then… what about your wrist?”
“It’s fine. I popped it back in.”
“Your ribs got hit too. You’re sure they’re okay? It sounded awful…….”
“Yeah, the ribs are still a bit sore.”
As Ji-u gently rubbed his ribs, Im Risa asked with the face of someone guilty of a crime.
“Can’t you do something about it with your Core?”
“Well, I could, but……”
Ji-u brought his hand to his ribs and spoke with a meaningful expression.
“I think I can put this ‘pain’ to good use later.”
Ji-u had three Cores.
The first was Regeneration.
The second was Telekinesis.
And the third, final Core…….
With that Core, he could plan something quite worthwhile using this pain.
“Put pain to good use? What does that even mean?”
Im Risa tilted her head in confusion.
Ji-u didn’t seem inclined to elaborate, his gaze turning instead to Im Risa’s swollen ankle.
…Before they moved, he should treat Im Risa’s ankle first.
Using the Core, it would certainly be possible.
‘But then I’d definitely expose my Core to Im Risa this time.’
Besides, using the Core consecutively in one go was dangerous.
There was always the risk of Berserk for Ji-u.
Because he was a Byproduct of Forbidden Experiment.
‘…So what do I do?’
An injured Ji-u. Im Risa with a sprained ankle.
He had to figure out how the two of them could safely escape the forest.
Climbing the Cliff was the only way, and it would be the fastest route too.
The Cliff wasn’t impossibly high, but the two injured people couldn’t simply scale it like climbing a rock face.
‘Even with the Regeneration Core, full recovery will take at least an hour or so.’
There was no time to sit here idle.
‘…There’s really only one choice, isn’t there.’
Ji-u turned his body deliberately toward Im Risa, resolved.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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