How to Take Revenge as an Academy Scoundrel

Chapter 20. Devour

“Da-hee?”

Im So-hee called out into the dimly lit corridor.

“……”

But no response came from anywhere in the hallway.

“I’m sure she said it was the left side on the 3rd floor…”

Im So-hee raised her smartphone again, dialing Yu Da-hee’s number, but—

– Drrrrrr… Drrrrrr…

Still, there was no answer.

“What could she be doing?”

Muttering to herself, Im So-hee decided she had no choice but to cross the dark corridor, illuminated only by the soft glow of moonlight.

Though the thought of walking alone was frightening, the promise of Kim Do-jin’s puppy gave her the courage to press on.

“Ugh…”

It stung anew to realize that even with her light-generating powers, she couldn’t summon them when it mattered most.

“Da-hee?”

After calling out a few more times, she found herself at the end of the corridor.

—

This was the very place where Yoo Da-hee had texted.

Indeed, a presence seemed to linger just beyond the door beside her.

“Da-hee.”

It was the moment Im So-hee, filled with the thought that she had finally found her, flung the door open.

– Thud!

Suddenly, a hand shot out from the darkness, clamping over her mouth.

In that hand was a neatly folded handkerchief, stained with a sedative.

And so—

“……”

Im So-hee lost consciousness in an instant, collapsing to the ground.

* * *

How much time had passed since then?

“Ugh…”

At last, as her awareness returned, Im So-hee struggled to lift her head and survey her surroundings.

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“……!”

To her bewilderment, her friend Yoo Da-hee lay slumped in a corner, bound tightly to a chair, unconscious, and her own situation was no different.

“Ugh!”

Terrified, Im So-hee tried to scream, but the tape sealing her mouth rendered it impossible.

– Thud, thud, thud!

In a frenzy, she thrashed about, desperate to escape.

– Click!

Suddenly, the door swung open, and a man strolled in leisurely.

“Cough, cough.”

Bathed in the pale blue light of the moon, the man revealed himself to be none other than Woo Tae-sung.

“Awake at last?”

With a wicked grin, Woo Tae-sung watched Im So-hee’s struggles with delight.

– Thud!

He stomped on the chair, halting her frantic movements.

Then, looking down at the trembling Im So-hee with a thoroughly satisfied expression, he asked, “Do you understand what’s happening?”

—

Im So-hee wept, her tears of fear mingling with muffled sobs, while Woo Tae-seong, for reasons unknown, flared up and continued speaking.

“Yeah, you little b*tch. If you had just listened to me, things wouldn’t have escalated this far. Huh? This is all your fault.”

As expected, he spewed nonsensical rationalizations and ripped the tape that had been silencing Im So-hee from her mouth.

– Rrip!

The tape tore away roughly, ripping flesh and drawing blood, but Im So-hee had no time to feel the pain.

“Please, help me! There are people here!”

Desperately, Im So-hee cried out for help, yet Woo Tae-seong’s demeanor remained disturbingly relaxed as he regarded her.

“Heh! It’s useless. Don’t you know what my powers are? I just finished building a soundproof barrier, so what now?”

Woo Tae-seong sneered, mocking Im So-hee, before finally making his move to assault her.

– Thud.

Soon, his brutish hand grasped Im So-hee’s face, and she shuddered, letting out a scream.

“Ahhh!”

But just then.

– Crash!

Suddenly, the wall beside Im So-hee crumbled, revealing a small puppy.

“What the—!”

Startled by the unexpected explosion, Woo Tae-seong jumped back, but his shock turned to disbelief as he saw it was merely a little dog that had emerged from the hole in the wall.

“What the hell, damn it?”

He scanned the surroundings, bewildered, trying to figure out who had broken the wall, but found nothing but the puppy.

And rightly so, for it was indeed the puppy that had caused the destruction.

“Grrowl…”

Winter, the puppy, surveyed the scene, and upon recognizing the threat, began to glare at Woo Tae-seong with fierce intent.

“Who the hell do you think you are, you little shit…”

Woo Tae-seong’s face twisted into a grotesque mask of rage.

“Die, you little b*stard.”

Furious, Woo Tae-seong drew a dagger from his coat and lunged at Winter.

* * *

‘What if I encounter an enemy I can’t handle?’

As Kim Do-jin approached the abandoned building where the screams echoed, his heart raced faster.

‘Am I going to get caught up in this and die for nothing?’

—

Such ominous thoughts flickered through my mind, tempting me to simply call for help and flee.

– Thud!

When I regained my senses, I found myself already at the crumbling building’s threshold.

‘I don’t know, damn it.’

In the end, I confirmed whether the distress signal had been properly sent and leaped against the building’s wall.

– Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Using my rock manipulation powers, I crafted footholds on the flat exterior, propelling myself upward several more times.

– Clatter!

At last, I shattered a window and slipped into the third floor of the building.

“Ugh!”

As I rolled over the shards of glass and stood up, the scene unfolded before me.

“Winter!?”

Was it a stroke of luck? There stood Winter, now twice the size of a tiger, looming over the scene, while nearby were Im Sohee and Yu Dahui, bound to chairs, along with Woo Taesung.

“Shit… so that’s what happened?”

I could now vaguely piece together the events that had transpired in this forsaken building.

Woo Taesung, having set a trap, must have intended to assault Im Sohee and Yu Dahui, disguising the act as an accident to eliminate them all.

“What a scumbag… I never thought he could be this vile…”

Taking down Woo Taesung was the priority, but fortunately, it seemed unnecessary.

His right arm had already been severed by Winter, and he was kneeling on the floor, blood pooling around him.

“No, how did you get here!”

Woo Taesung, clutching his bleeding forearm, groaned.

“Help me, Dojin! Kill this b*stard quickly!”

Upon spotting Kim Dojin, he shouted as if he had found a savior.

“b*stard?”

Of course, Kim Dojin could only scoff at that remark.

“That’s you, you piece of trash.”

“…What?”

“No, you’re worse than a dog, really.”

Though Kim Dojin felt a surge of disgust and wanted to kick Woo Taesung, he held back.

The crime of forcibly assaulting and attempting to kill others could not simply be settled with a few punches.

—

—

If left alive here, he would only become another piece of human refuse to harm others.

“Winter.”

“Woof!”

“Tear off the other arm too.”

As if waiting for the command, Winter immediately obeyed.

– Crack!

“Gah!”

Now, with both arms severed, Woo Tae-seong could not even staunch the bleeding.

– Thud!

Unable to endure the pain any longer, Woo Tae-seong collapsed to the ground, slowly succumbing to the loss of blood.

“……”

Kim Do-jin stared coldly at the growing pool of blood, then turned his body to speak to Winter.

“The guards will arrive soon. Return to your original size.”

“Woof.”

Winter quickly shrank back to his usual small form, and Kim Do-jin walked over to the frozen Im So-hee.

“Are you okay?”

Kneeling to meet her gaze, he asked, and suddenly, tears burst forth from Im So-hee’s eyes.

“Sniff! Thank you for saving me again… hic…”

Im So-hee wept bitterly, seemingly blaming herself for her complacent actions, and Kim Do-jin offered a wry smile as he untied her bindings.

But in that moment.

“Hmm?”

Im So-hee sprang up and threw her arms around Kim Do-jin.

“Umm…”

Is she scared?

Regardless, Im So-hee buried her face in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably, while Kim Do-jin turned his head in bewilderment.

“……”

Should he feel relieved? Yu Da-hee was still slumped over, unconscious, and Kim Do-jin gently patted Im So-hee’s back to soothe her.

“It’s okay now, just calm down.”

As some time passed.

“My God!”

The guards of ‘Arc’ finally arrived at the scene of the report, their faces twisted in horror.

“He’s dead…”

Upon confirming the body of Woo Tae-seong, a subordinate guard reported, and the team leader pressed his forehead with a hand, asking,

“What was the cause?”

“It seems he was killed by a beast. Judging by the bite marks… it looks like it was a medium-sized beast, larger than a tiger.”

“What? But where is that beast now? Damn it! Sound the alarm and mobilize all available forces! We need to catch it before there are more victims!”

“Yes!”

Kim Do-jin, who knew full well that they would never catch the beast, felt a twinge of guilt, but there was nothing to be done.

“Damn. An incident of death at Arc…”

Muttering such words in despair, the team leader finally approached Kim Do-jin and spoke.

“Are you the one who reported this?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

The team leader seemed not to fully dismiss his suspicions about Kim Do-jin, scanning him with sharp eyes before continuing.

“First, can you explain everything you know in chronological order?”

“Sure.”

Kim Do-jin began his prepared explanation.

He spoke the truth about Woo Tae-seong’s scheme to assault Im So-hee and Yoo Da-hee, but fabricated the rest.

He claimed that a beast had suddenly appeared and attacked Woo Tae-seong, and that he had just happened to be walking his dog nearby when he rushed over to find the scene as it was.

“……”

Even Kim Do-jin thought it was an absurdly coincidental story.

The team leader mulled over Kim Do-jin’s statement for a while, searching for any inconsistencies, but ultimately found no grounds for suspicion and let him go without further ado.

Woo Tae-seong’s body bore wounds that could never be attributed to a human, let alone a small dog, and he had already asked Im So-hee to corroborate his story, so there should be no issues.

“Haah…”

Exiting the scene, Kim Do-jin let out a deep sigh and locked eyes with Winter, who stood beside him.

“Woof…”

Winter, too, seemed exhausted from the sudden incident, appearing droopy, and Kim Do-jin turned his gaze back down to his hands.

At the moment Woo Tae-seong died, two unusual streams of energy had slipped from that body and entered his own.

He hadn’t confirmed it yet, but he could already guess what they were.