Chapter 25
“How could I buy something like that when I don’t have money?”
“What…?”
At Iri’s words, the surroundings stirred once more.
It wasn’t just her opponent, Donovan von Delay, who was caught off guard—corporate representatives in the spectator seats also showed clear signs of bewilderment.
-Is… is that true? She’s saying she’s not wearing any module at all?
-Is that why the detected energy output was abnormally low? No, but still…
-Damn it, I can’t confirm with the naked eye! Get a better scanner module! At least Lv.4 grade!
Some people rushed off to fetch a new scanner module, while others hurriedly made phone calls to somewhere.
Still others glanced back and forth between me and Vladimir Kharitonov, desperately calculating which side they should align themselves with.
‘This is the power of the Showcase.’
The Showcase was a demonstration event for human weapons.
Because of the [Arcane]—the monsters outside the city—in this world, expanding one’s business inevitably required having military power to match.
Only then could one maintain or expand the production colonies outside the city.
Even companies that operated solely within the city needed outstanding Adaptee private soldiers to fend off rival corporate terrorism, anti-corporate gangsters, or rampaging Tech Wizards.
‘In places like this, the existence of a prodigy Adaptee shines all the brighter.’
That’s why they were all making such a fuss over Iri.
A human weapon representing the Stingray Conglomerate was fighting in a near pure-spec state with no modules equipped. And in that state, she was completely overwhelming Militech’s side.
‘Their heads must be spinning.’
Watching the chaos among the corporate representatives, I could almost hear their thoughts.
-Pure spec? Why would Stingray send her into the Showcase without giving her any module?
-Buy Stingray subsidiary stocks! Start with Stingray Electronics and Stingray Security!
-Where did that guy, who was bedridden until not long ago, find someone like her?
-We need to readjust our module trade volume with Militech. By the time that girl graduates, we should be completely done with them.
-Is she really pure spec? I’m skeptical. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions. The two sides might be colluding.
It was chaos, pure and simple.
The appearance of just one prodigy had the mega-corporations of New Valhalla City—entities that usually acted like untouchable predators—standing on edge.
I found it all rather amusing.
Unlike me, quietly smirking, Maria beside me wore a look of utter disbelief.
“Y-young master… this is…”
“I told you already, didn’t I? She’s a genius.”
I couldn’t hold back, and the corners of my mouth lifted slightly.
“Iri Elisbell. As you can see for yourself, she’s in a near pure-spec state.”
“By ‘near,’ you mean…”
“Yes, you saw it too, right? She’s got one broken module equipped.”
“Yes. There was a module with errors so severe its name couldn’t even be read.”
Something seemed to click in Maria’s mind, and she spoke in shock.
“C-could that module be…”
“The secret behind her ability? No, it’s quite the opposite. That broken module is nothing more than a keepsake from her older brother.”
If anything, it hindered Iri’s combat rather than helped it.
In other words, she was essentially fighting with a sandbag tied to her—yet she was still performing like this.
“It’s entirely innate. A naturally exceptional foundation that became even stronger after she became an Adaptee.”
“But even if pure spec is strong… is it possible to dodge bullets with just dynamic vision?”
“You can see it yourself.”
Others might not be able to—but Iri could.
Why?
Because she’s the main heroine.
She was born as someone more special than anyone else, favored by the very world itself. A character brimming with the author’s affection.
“She’s a monster of instinct. From her opponent’s gaze, muscle movements, breathing… she instantly judges when and where they’ll shoot.”
“You mean she reads their thoughts?”
“Not their thoughts. And it’s not 100% accurate either. That’s why I call it instinct.”
“...!”
Maria didn’t need me to explain how extraordinary that talent was—she clearly understood.
‘Animal-like senses.’
That was the talent Iri had back when she was known as the Stray Dog of the Fallen. And it was something no combat module could ever replicate.
Instinct, and talent.
If those weren’t important, corporations wouldn’t be so desperate for exceptional talents at Trinity Academy.
They could just gather orphans from the Fallen Sector, hook their brains to computers, erase their personalities, install combat skills, slap on a bunch of body-enhancement modules, and call it a day.
“So that’s why you told them not to give her any modules…”
“She fights relying on senses several times sharper than most. Slapping on random modules would only backfire.”
A case where exceptional talent becomes a double-edged sword.
Because her senses were naturally so sharp, she’d react just as sensitively to any bodily changes.
If you just equipped her with any compatible module, she’d be as restless and uncomfortable as a puppy wearing shoes for the first time.
That’s why Iri needed a custom-made module—or at least one precisely tuned to her specifications.
After explaining that much, I spoke with conviction.
“She’ll definitely win this Showcase.”
“[Report on Corporate and Stock Market Trends & Response Strategies Based on Results]… I’ll have it prepared immediately.”
Maria instantly grasped my intention and bowed her head in response. Truly competent.
She must’ve been shocked in many ways, and still had plenty of questions, yet she maintained the perfect image of a secretary.
I wondered how long that composure would last.
I decided to test her.
“I’ll give you full approval authority for this matter as well. Draft it and hand it to Benedict by today.”
“Will that be alright?”
“I don’t care.”
She had worked hard enough to manage the commotion—this much responsibility could be left to her. And since she liked power, she’d gladly take the lead.
Of course, the biggest reason was that I simply didn’t want to do it myself. But I was also curious to see how Maria and Benedict would move.
Since I had just returned to my position as chairman of the foundation, I currently lacked both justification and authority, so I had to keep a low profile.
But if given enough power, how would Benedict act? And what would Maria do?
The possibility of them joining hands to stab me in the back didn’t seem small.
‘Of course, if that happens, neither of them will be spared…’
Depending on the situation, I might even be able to pull Maria entirely to my side.
No, it had to be that way.
In the original work, since the protagonist was a student at the Academy, most of the appearing characters were also students.
Of course, they were important figures with the ability to solve the crises of the world and humanity…
‘But since I’m Aaron Stingray, I can’t just rely on the main and supporting characters who are still students.’
Following the original scenario, they alone would be enough.
But as they were still only students, there were fields where it was difficult to expect their help.
For example, the Stingray Family’s internal political issues, or relationships with political and business tycoons who never appeared in the original.
‘If only the protagonist hadn’t died, I’d just be living quietly like a dead mouse and geeking out…’
Now that I had decided to act properly as the head of the Stingray Foundation, my sphere of activity would not be limited to internal matters at the Academy.
I would have to face problems that couldn’t be handled with just knowledge of the original work.
And in that sense, Maria was a perfect ally within the group. I had already confirmed her integrity and loyalty plenty.
Now I wanted to turn that loyalty from the family toward me personally.
And as the first step for that…
“It’s about to end.”
I said as I looked down toward the training ground.
The ending of the Showcase was starting to take shape.
‘Come on, finish it already.’
Iri Elisbell.
I had no doubt in your victory.
You will definitely win.
What matters is what you gain here.
Your victory and growth here—
They are directly tied to my success and goals.
So hurry up and finish everything.
Say what you want to say.
I’ll help you here.
***
Donovan von Delay.
He was accustomed to the Gunner style of combat—keeping his distance and pouring out overwhelming firepower to take down the opponent in one strike.
But now that he faced an opponent whom bullets could not affect, there was no way he could win. His magazines would run dry long before his stamina ran out.
“Damn iiiit!”
Cursing viciously, he fired desperately, but Iri dodged with ease and quickly closed the gap.
The timing was perfect.
Click, click.
Just as Donovan’s SMG magazines emptied, Iri reached him. She grabbed his collar in a crushing grip.
“It’s over.”
At the same time she pulled his body toward her, she drove the muzzle into his abdomen.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Six shots.
Donovan’s body bent in half from the impact. Iri used the moment he was frozen in pain to unleash a powerful downward kick.
Thud!
His massive body fell forward, and Iri stepped on his back, twisting his arm behind him to restrain him.
When Donovan tried to forcefully push her off, Iri mercilessly fired point-blank into the shoulder joint connecting his mechanical arm.
The armor was so thick that the bullets didn’t penetrate this time either, but the shock seemed to have damaged some internal parts.
Screeeech—!
Donovan’s left arm trembled and let out strange noises. While stepping on his body, Iri leisurely reloaded.
“Get lost and die!”
After spitting out the venomous curse,
She pressed the muzzle to the back of Donovan’s head and emptied the rest of her bullets into him. Not yet satisfied, she stomped on his head with all her might.
Thud, thud, thud!
Dozens of stomps followed, and just like hammering in a nail, Donovan’s head sank deeper and deeper into the floor.
Only when the ground had swallowed his face did she finally seem satisfied, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
“Haa… haa…”
As she slowly caught her breath,
Iri realized the surroundings were strangely quiet. When she looked toward the spectator seats, countless eyes were fixed on her.
Corporate representatives.
In other words, the upper class.
“…”
Silence.
No one spoke—only her ragged breathing echoed. The bitter scent of gunpowder stung her nose, and like that lingering odor, an odd atmosphere hung over the training ground.
“…What.”
Why were they looking at her with those eyes?
Look properly.
She had won.
She had utterly crushed the one they had boasted about. What was there to be dissatisfied about? Ah, was it because she wasn’t the winner they had wanted?
Grit. She ground her teeth.
Biting her lip, she suppressed the urge to spit out her emotions and simply raised both hands, extending her middle fingers with pride.
Murmur, murmur.
The sudden act stirred the audience once again. The high-ranking spectators seemed slightly displeased.
But she didn’t care.
‘To hell with you all.’
Who did they think they were?
Did they enjoy looking down from above, watching her fight?
Well, she had won.
The one they had so despised—she, who had nothing—had won, right in front of their eyes.
Just wait and see.
‘I’ll climb higher.’
This was only the first step.
For now, she was nothing more than a doll in a miniature garden, but one day she would trample over them and rise above.
She would show them clearly.
Not that she cared if the message reached them.
Whether they understood her feelings or not was irrelevant. As always, they could judge her however they pleased.
Iri snorted lightly, then slowly walked away—leaving behind the training ground and the dumbfounded spectators.
It was then.
-Clap, clap, clap, clap.
The sound of someone’s applause.
I instinctively turned my head toward the source of the sound.
There sat a young man, legs crossed arrogantly, looking down at her while clapping his hands.
The Crown Prince, Aaron Stingray.
The moment she looked into his golden eyes, Iri was seized by an emotion she couldn’t quite describe.
Strange, wasn’t it?
They say some things don’t need to be spoken to be understood.
Out of all those people, it felt as if only Aaron understood the meaning behind her defiant gesture.
‘What the…!’
What gave him the right to look at her like that?
He knew nothing.
The very man who was the cause of everything.
That urge to lash out lasted only a moment.
Then, as if infected by Aaron, more and more people began clapping.
From one to two.
From two to four.
Soon the irregular noise swelled into thunderous applause and cheers surrounding Iri.
Of course, she knew full well this wasn’t sincere. They were merely following the Crown Prince’s lead.
And yet…
Her chest tightened.
Something welled up from deep inside.
‘…I-idiots!’
She barely managed to swallow the feeling, forcing it back down with a curse, and hurriedly left the spot.
But just before she escaped the training ground like she was running away, her gaze—without her realizing—drifted toward the spectator seats.
To be precise…
Toward Aaron, who was watching her.
[Progress Notification]
Relationship change with ‘Iri Elisbell’,
Part 1, Act 1 Progress: 0% → 48%
Current Contribution: 98%
*Mid-term reward will be given.
*Rewards vary based on contribution.
//win_h
【Mid-term Reward】
Achievement Points: +2000
‘Violet Hunting Ground Admission Ticket’ ×1