"W-What are you planning to do?!"
"...What else? Stop them, of course."
"A-Are you crazy?! You expect *us* to stop *that*?! We should’ve called the teachers!"
Dorothy started scolding me.
Realizing it was too late to run, her face had gone pale.
"I *told* you to run."
"Who actually runs when someone tells them to?! B-But I never expected *this*!"
"And the teachers will be here soon."
"Huh?"
I looked at the Academy’s main building, now in chaos.
The loud noises we’d heard while chasing that villain toward the Academy—
I didn’t need to think hard to figure out what they were.
"With this much of a commotion, someone will come here soon. We just need to hold out."
There was no need to go looking for a teacher.
At this level of noise, it’d be faster for someone to come help us than for me to find a teacher and bring them here.
"That’s a fun theory. Sure, those people are probably strong, but can *you* even last until they arrive?"
"...Probably not."
"And yet you’re still here? What’s your intention?"
Objectively, running away right now would’ve been the far more rational choice.
Judging by their appearance, they’d invaded the Academy with some purpose, and given how leisurely they were acting, they’d either already succeeded or were about to.
And since one of the women with dog ears had gone inside, that assumption was probably right.
So even if I stood in their way, it wouldn’t have made a difference.
On top of that, I’d already taken attacks meant for Dorothy, and honestly, I was struggling.
With invisible projectiles flying at us, I was the only one around who could protect her.
Not coming here and keeping myself safe would’ve been the best move.
...So why *was* I here?
"It’s simple. I came to stop *you*."
"That doesn’t make sense."
"You look smart, but you’re dumber than I thought. Can’t even figure this out?"
I answered her as she stared at me in confusion.
"Can a guy who runs from villains ever become a hero? Don’t be stupid."
"...So you’re just some hero-wannabe kid drunk on the idea. Right, this *is* the Academy."
"Think whatever you want. I’ve decided I won’t run in situations like this."
Like Amelia had once done.
When the rational decision would’ve been to use her Ability to escape and warn others, she’d stood her ground against the villain because she couldn’t abandon her friend.
In a way, that was an irrational act.
But heroes couldn’t always act rationally. That’s what I’d learned from Amelia.
Sometimes, to protect someone—or even to capture someone—
you had to make irrational decisions without hesitation.
So I’d decided to tie up that villain somehow.
Because now was the time for an irrational choice.
"Dorothy. Since we’re in this mess, lend me a hand."
"I don’t have a choice, do I? If I don’t help, I’ll die. ...But just reinforcement, right? I can’t even withstand attacks."
"That’s enough. Thanks."
As the wind began to howl and my instincts screamed a warning, I fixed my gaze on the enemy before me.
"It’ll be fun to teach these kids the harsh truth."
"Well, lady, it’s not that they don’t know reality—it’s that they’re stronger than you think. I’ll show you."
"…You’ve got a sharp tongue. Fine, let’s begin."
"The scarecrow said, I want a brain. The magician granted his wish."
Dorothy’s voice echoed, and with it came a twisting sensation in the world, followed by searing pain.
Then, the wind unleashed by the villain, now freed from her grip, began to rage wildly.
Anyone else would’ve been torn apart by the invisible attack before they even realized it.
…But I can see it.
Thanks to Dorothy’s enhancement, hidden from others, the invisible blades were crystal clear to me.
Fast. But not as fast as Amelia.
Sharp. But not as sharp as Arte’s threads.
An attack like this couldn’t even scratch me.
"…You dodged. So you’re not just all talk. I thought you were just some weakling since you were hurt."
"Of course. I’m… ugh. Pretty capable."
"Doesn’t seem like your usual strength, though… Enhancement? Looks like there are some side effects… And the duration isn’t long. Guess I’ll have fun until Annie gets here."
"…Damn it."
She even noticed the nausea from my brief retching. The dizziness in my vision wasn’t just from Dorothy’s enhancement—it was from something else entirely.
Could I really hold on?
…No, I shouldn’t think like that.
I should fight with the determination to take her down.
Because this much doesn’t scare me.
There was a time when Amelia and I talked about the fear of Mije.
We said people fear death because they don’t know what comes after.
So then, I’m not afraid of this villain.
Invisible blades that would terrify others? I can see them.
Subtle movements, the smallest reactions others wouldn’t notice? I can sense them all.
So there’s nothing to fear.
If the fear of Mije is the greatest terror a human can feel, then I’ll become the being who fears nothing in this world.
"We don’t have much time, so I’ll end this quickly."
The villain unleashed a wind-based slash.
Again, it was invisible—but I could see it.
Even the hidden blades prepared to tear me apart the moment I dodged.
"?!"
"Sorry, but I see everything. Tricks won’t work on me."
"…You’re more interesting than I thought. But you can drop the act. You look like you’re struggling."
"…"
Did she see through me?
Yeah, my head was throbbing.
Even at my best, I couldn’t endure Dorothy’s enhancement for long.
My brain couldn’t handle the information overload when I was in good shape—so in this battered state, it was even worse.
My head was already pounding. I wouldn’t last much longer. The enhancement was starting to fade.
…But that didn’t mean I was out of options.
"Dorothy. One more time. This time, give me a different enhancement."
I spoke to the hidden Dorothy.
She must’ve heard me, but the enhancement didn’t activate. Guess that’s a no.
"Dorothy. If this keeps up, I’m dead. Better try something, anything."
The villain was still toying with me. She probably thought she could kill me anytime she wanted.
I could feel eyes on me, watching to see what I would do.
…You’ll regret that decision.
Dorothy must have given up on convincing me, because she cast a reinforcement spell on me.
Strength surged through my entire body. It felt like I’d been fully restored. Like I could do anything.
But that sense of omnipotence didn’t last. A terrible pain wracked my body, making it painfully clear that I was far from invincible—I was in danger.
"Hngh, huff, haah…"
Was it because I’d forced the reinforcement spell to hold despite my body’s limits? Or because I’d pushed my battered body to move?
Maybe it was both.
Every step sent agony through me, and time seemed to slow to a crawl.
…I couldn’t hold on much longer. My body couldn’t handle the reinforcement.
I’d tried to force the spell to sustain me, but the brutal aftereffects of such a reckless reinforcement were too much for my body to bear.
If that was the case, then I had to land the strongest attack I could before I collapsed.
With that thought, my vision went black.
"Closing your eyes? Ignoring me is going too far…!"
…Had I closed my eyes?
I didn’t remember doing that. Maybe they’d shut on their own.
But it didn’t matter. Even if I couldn’t see, I could still see.
Gradually, sensation faded from my body. The thick scent of earth and blood stopped reaching me.
The sweet smell from my mouth was gone too.
"…! You…! Die…! Die…!"
Finally, even the villain’s furious voice—angry at being ignored—faded away.
All sensation left my body.
I couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, couldn’t smell, couldn’t taste, couldn’t feel.
It was as if only I existed in the darkness.
If I were to die, would I be left alone in a space like this?
The silence was so absolute that the thought crossed my mind.
I sighed.
Or did I? Without sensation, I couldn’t be sure.
An ordinary person would be paralyzed with terror at this point.
Deprived of their five senses, they wouldn’t even be able to move.
…But I had intuition.
Some might call it a sixth sense. The ability to perceive what others couldn’t.
The ability to see the unseen, hear the unheard, feel the unfelt, smell the unsmelled.
Relying on that ability, Yu Siwoo took a step forward—only to realize countless paths stretched out before him.
On most of those paths, Yu Siwoo was torn apart by the wind, his body drenched in blood as he lay broken.
But on a few, he survived. He chose to walk down one of those paths.
As he did, another fork appeared before him.
…Again, most versions of Yu Siwoo died, but a rare few didn’t.
He took the path where he lived.
He repeated this dozens of times.
Before he knew it, only two paths remained before Yu Siwoo.
One where the villain’s hastily erected wind barrier tore him apart, and one where it didn’t.
Yu Siwoo took the latter and swung his sword.
He felt nothing. He couldn’t even tell if he’d actually swung it. His fading consciousness left him uncertain.
That was the end.
Yu Siwoo’s mind went dark, and the world was swallowed by blackness.