As I ran, I suddenly noticed a [Trap] symbol pop up on the minimap. I stopped immediately.
The statue standing in the middle of the hallway moved and swung its sword down.
‘......!’
No sound. No impact on the floor. It was [Illusion].
But... was that the trap?
Then—
Click—
My foot snagged on a light resistance on the floor. It snapped.
FWISH!!
Arrows shot from a ceiling trap.
‘Tch!’
I twisted my waist just in time to dodge.
Daily physical training had boosted my stats and movement, and I'd already suspected a trap was nearby. That’s what saved me.
So they’d layered a [Trap] and an [Illusion]? These cadets were using illusion techniques fairly well.
It had even fooled the minimap into showing it as a single structure. A pretty effective way to mislead me.
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Derik: <It’s the hallway! The trap in the hallway’s been triggered!> 】
The cadet tracking mana signals with the “Remote Control Ring” shouted.
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Derik: <Run! Kill the professor!> 】
I started sprinting down the hallway again, watching the minimap as two red dots came rushing toward me.
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Derik: <Damn. He actually triggered a basic trap. He could’ve easily avoided it... Is he just playing with us!?> 】
No, really—I didn’t know. That wasn’t on purpose...
My heart was still pounding from it.
“He’s over there!”
“Ambush! Use stealth!”
I heard frantic voices echoing from the far bend of the corridor.
At the same time—I threw open a window and leapt out.
『World Forgery: Form Forgery – [Dante]』
I left a fake version of myself still sprinting at the spot I’d just jumped from.
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Derik: <This time, we got him—!> 】
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Hwaru: <Ugh! It’s fake!> 】
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Derik: <What!?> 】
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Hwaru: <I stabbed his neck and he vanished! It was an illusion!> 】
Good god.
They didn’t even hesitate to stab me in the neck. These maniacs.
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Derik: <Outside! Professor Dante went out the window!> 】
How the hell did they figure that out?
I didn’t even trigger a trap this time.
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, John: <Which direction?> 】
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Derik: <South! There’s a shoeprint on the southern window frame!> 】
Damn. I didn’t think of that.
The sole of my shoe wasn’t even dirty—it would’ve left a faint print at best. And they found that within 20 seconds of sprinting?
‘Got it. That Remote Control Ring must have a detection function too...’
Which means it’s even more expensive.
Well—whatever. That’s not the issue now.
‘...It’s going to be hard to lose them.’
The real problem is that my footwork skills are worse than the cadets’. I’m literally slower than the people chasing me.
Still, I managed to keep running—ducked in and out of two buildings to throw them off.
They tried messing with my equilibrium remotely using [Illusion], but I cut off the interference with a mana burst.
They launched a dozen fake shuriken to hide the real one, but it hit a decoy I’d already set up.
They used illusion-camouflaged dogs to track by scent, so I ditched my jacket and kept running.
‘Seriously... just give it a rest already.’
Sadly, this was my best.
The cadets were unpredictable. I’d actually stand a better chance fighting Hakon head-on.
But with these kids? Their assassinations aren’t 100% survivable.
Maybe if I burned all the “Stardust Fragments” I’d stored up, I could manage.
But that would hurt my odds of surviving long-term—especially against the Dormant Dragon Institute cadets. Their growth rate could match or exceed mine.
To beat [Hell Difficulty], I had to stay balanced on this tightrope—and this is what that looked like.
In other words, professor assassination in [Hell Difficulty]... is just straight-up unfair.
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Derik: <Damn it... damn it...!!> 】
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, John: <What’s wrong?> 】
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Derik: <Look here! Another footprint!> 】
Ah, crap. What mistake did I make this time...
Then—
A new script window popped up. More emotional than before.
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, John: <Don’t freak out.> 】
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Derik: <Screw that...! How can’t I freak out?! Why would a shitty footprint like this even be here!? He left it for us to see! Professor Dante’s been toying with us this whole time...!!> 】
What the hell are you talking about? I left that footprint because I suck.
And why does he sound like he’s crying? He’s a guy.
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, John: <Hey! Derik, you idiot. Snap out of it.> 】
That’s when the red dots on the minimap all stopped.
I stopped too, catching my breath.
【 John slaps Derik across the face. 】
Huh?
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Derik: “Why’d you hit me?!” 】
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, John: “Do you seriously not get it?” 】
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Derik: “What?!” 】
What is this. What’s happening. Are we in a soap opera?
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, John: <I’ll say it over comms. Derik. Did you actually think we’d succeed in this assassination? That we could really kill Professor Dante?> 】
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Derik: <I mean......!> 】
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Derik: <...It’d be hard, sure.> 】
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, John: <No, you dumbass! It’s not hard—it’s impossible! How the hell are we supposed to assassinate the guy who offed Professor Hakon like it was nothing?> 】
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Derik: <......!> 】
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, John: <And yet—Professor Dante keeps playing along with our assassination attempts. Why do you think that is?> 】
Yeah. What is that reason.
Because I sure don’t know.
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, John: <He’s helping us review. That’s why!> 】
...Wow.
They really interpreted that however they wanted.
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Derik: <Ahh... I see...> 】
What do you mean “you see.” You’re totally wrong.
Still, I appreciated the misunderstanding.
But then the script got weirdly dramatic again.
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Hwaru: <Let’s not get discouraged, everyone. Let’s just do our best!> 】
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, Derik: <Yeah. Let’s kill the professor with everything we’ve got!> 】
【 1st-Year, Department of Assassination, John: <Tch. Now that’s the Derik I know.> 】
Stop it.
I’m dying of cringe. I can’t take this...
Anyway, while they were filming their little coming-of-age drama, I made a hard turn in my route and finally managed to shake them off.
‘Did I... lose them?’
But at some point, in this long chase—
I’d ended up deep inside the woods of [Zone 0].
A desolate trail through an abandoned forest.
I’d have to walk quite a bit to make it back to the lecture halls.
***
“Ah, damn... we completely lost him.”
“What about [Whitefang]?”
“Total failure. The scent trail’s gone cold. Looks like Professor Dante scattered it with [Illusion] at this point.”
That was when John, lost in thought, let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
“Wow... Professor is something else.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it. Did Professor Dante use anything other than [Illusion] today?”
“Huh?”
Now that he mentioned it—
Wasn’t Dante also supposed to be skilled in [Magic]? And didn’t rumors say he was also proficient in [Combat System] abilities?
Most [Master] or [Grandmaster]-level assassin monsters can handle all supernatural systems to some degree.
Professor Dante was surely one of them.
‘Insane. He didn’t even use [Footwork]. No [Traps], no [Summons]... Just straight-up [Illusion].’
And he’d even made sure to give them a chance to keep chasing him without sprinting away for good.
Once again, it hit them.
That Professor Dante had been helping them review.
‘What kind of professor would go this far...?’
During assassinations, cadets can’t help but feel nervous. Injuries from counterattacks are common.
But Professor Dante hadn’t retaliated even once. He hadn’t even strayed from the lecture topic.
As if to prove that this was the correct attitude of an assassination professor.
“...We really picked the right course.”
“No kidding. We really did.”
At Derik’s words, the other cadets nodded.
None of them had ever felt this way during the semester before, but in just the past few days, they’d all noticed real growth in themselves.
Thanks to Professor Dante’s lessons.
“...Anyway, where are we?”
“Huh. Good question. I’ve never been here before...”
When they finally looked around, it was dark. The sun had dipped into a red horizon.
A forest without roads, without people. An eerie unease began to creep in.
“Hmm. Let’s get back quickly.”
“Yeah... Let’s grab some pizza on the way.”
“Pizza sounds good. Should we break out that beer we stashed?”
They forced the conversation in a lighter direction. But only a short walk later, the forest was swallowed in complete darkness.
“...Hey Hwaru. ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) It’s too bad Forte didn’t come.”
“Eh? No way. Forte’s scared of Professor Dante...”
“Yeah, I guess that checks out.”
Their idle talk suddenly stopped.
Someone was standing in the woods.
“....”
“....”
The cadets went silent.
Nobody moved.
The stranger standing across from them in the shadows said nothing either. A heavy silence hovered.
“...Excuse me, who are you?”
They weren’t wearing a cadet uniform. At the question, the figure’s lips curled into a smile.
“What are you kids doing out here?”
Surprisingly, a soft male voice answered. He sounded like a school staff member.
And so, Derik felt a bit relieved inside.
“Ah, we were—kind of—doing a... training exercise with our professor and got lost.”
“I see. Still, you shouldn’t be out here so late in a place like this.”
“Ah, yeah... Sorry. We’ll head back now.”
He seemed like a decent person.
But then the man continued.
“It’s dangerous, you know. It’s way too dark out here. No roads. No people.”
“Right. We just kind of—”
“You could die, you know. And if you die, no one would find you.”
“Sorry...?”
“If you were chopped into pieces and scattered in the woods, who would know who did it? How would they find the bodies?”
“...Sorry?”
It wasn’t just Derik. They all felt the shift.
A subtle wrongness, something deeply off.
Several seconds passed.
Still no change in the stranger’s expression.
It was John who stepped in, sensing the atmosphere.
“...We’re sorry. We’ll head back now.”
“Of course. Let’s go together. Come here.”
“Uh—we can manage on our own, thanks.”
“No, come on. Let’s go together. It’s safer with an adult.”
“No, really, we’re fine. We—”
“Don’t be like that. Come on. What if someone ties your arms and legs to trees and starts sawing off your ankles, dumps your heads deeper into the woods, buries your feet under this tree—what then?”
The man’s eyes began to distort, unfocusing grotesquely.
His speech quickened.
“If all five of you get dismembered and scattered across Zone 0, no one will ever find you. The Department of Assassination would just cover it up, right? Is that what you want? You’re making it awkward, you little shits. Why reject me when I’m offering to take you back to the hall? Why make it weird? Huh? Do you want me to tie your limbs up? You want me to saw your ankles off? Huh? I’m telling you, I’ll walk you back—and you still say no, you fucking brats?”
A chill crawled up Derik’s spine.
His skin prickled. Blood drained from his face.
“These days, you don’t discipline kids. You kill ‘em. Little bastards who don’t respect adults—cut them up and bury the pieces.”
This wasn’t human. That much was clear.
But what could a few cadets do under pressure like this?
Derik looked desperately to John—but he was just as lost.
“...But you’re good kids, right? You listen to adults. So come on now, come here. Or I’ll come to you.”
The “adult” approached, voice now strangely gentle.
Derik’s fingertips started to tremble.
“When an adult speaks, you listen. Understand?”
A single step could trigger something irreversible.
The dread was suffocating. Crushing.
He was drawing closer. That terrifying “adult.”
And just as the cadets froze in place—
He said it.
“Let’s go together.”
And then—
From behind them—
A slow voice called out.
“...This is why I should’ve killed you sooner.”
Instinctively, Derik turned toward the sound—and goosebumps exploded across both arms.
Down the dark forest trail—
A man was walking toward them.
“Still, I suppose it’s a decent burial site, Professor Toxin.”
The dead-eyed stare was gone. In its place, a murderous gleam glinted in his pink eyes.
“Just like you said—no one would know even if the bodies were hacked apart.”
His calm expression, his cold presence—it was unmistakable.
The look of a killer.
And yet, to Derik, there was no sight more comforting.
That he was here—
That he had come—
Meant more than he could say.
“...This is... a bit surprising. What brings you out here? Ah, right. I believe this is our first time formally meeting.”
The monster’s twisted smile returned. And he said the name.
“......Professor Dante Hiakapo.”