How to Take Revenge as an Academy Scoundrel

Chapter 64. Operation

‘What is this?’

The cunning Karasuma Ryota quickly grasped the situation unfolding around him.

Despite having succeeded in the ambush, the reason they were avoiding his vital spots became clear.

‘Could it be…?’

If the sniper’s target was not the body of Karasuma Seishiro, but rather the mind of Karasuma Ryota, then everything fell into place.

Yet, that was the worst-case scenario that Karasuma Ryota had desperately wanted to avoid.

‘Damn it! How did they find out?’

Having suppressed his desires so thoroughly, hidden them away, what kind of person could unravel that conspiracy and attempt to thwart him?

‘Shit…’

The fact that he had no clue who it could be was an even greater problem.

Karasuma Ryota clenched his teeth in fury, but he did not forget what needed to be done right now.

“How dare that wretched girl deceive me!?”

Finally revealing his ugly true nature, Karasuma Ryota began to stride forward to seize Misaki Ai.

– Bang!

In the meantime, the sniper rifle fired again and again, but it could not stop Karasuma Ryota.

“Ah!”

Having evaded all the magical bullets, Karasuma Ryota finally reached out to grab Misaki Ai.

But at that very moment.

– Bang!

Another magical bullet flew in, halting Karasuma Ryota. This time, the bullet was fired not from the window, but from the opposite side.

“What the—!”

Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, Karasuma Ryota could not react in time.

– Boom!

With a desperate stretch of his arm, he managed to deflect the magical bullet, but the force of the explosion sent him stumbling back a few steps.

“What the hell is this!?”

As he regained his balance, what caught Karasuma Ryota’s eye was none other than Jin Seohyun, holding a pistol.

“Stand behind me!”

Jin Seohyun protected Misaki Ai as per Kim Dojin’s orders, while Karasuma Ryota ground his teeth, unleashing his fury.

“These things are truly….”

Though Jin Seohyun was an Awakener remarkable enough to earn Kim Dojin’s recognition, he was not at a level where he could defeat the heir of the Karasuma clan in a one-on-one battle.

Karasuma Ryota soon radiated his terrifying magical power, a threat that should have cast despair across Jin Seohyun’s face.

Yet, for reasons unknown, Jin Seohyun displayed a confident demeanor, even as he felt the overwhelming magic coursing through his skin.

“…What is this?”

Karasuma Ryota paused his assault, bewildered by the incomprehensible reaction.

“Where does your confidence come from?”

In response, Jin Seohyun smirked, as if to taunt him.

“Isn’t it you who should be asking where your confidence comes from?”

“…What?”

“This isn’t the time for you to be facing me, is it?”

At that moment, Karasuma Ryota, momentarily flustered, furrowed his brow, about to speak.

– Whooom!

Just then, an emergency alert blared from the smartwatch on his wrist, and the relaxed expression on Karasuma Ryota’s face began to drain of color.

* * *

“Here they come.”

Kim Dojin narrowed his eyes, leaning back against the passenger seat.

With Misaki Ai having successfully lured Karasuma Ryota out as planned, it was now their turn to follow discreetly.

– Vroom……

Indeed, the car carrying Misaki Ai and Karasuma Ryota soon set off, and when they had gained sufficient distance, Kim Dojin spoke.

“Let’s go.”

Jin Seohyun, seated in the driver’s seat, nodded in agreement.

“Yes.”

Jin Seohyun quickly started the engine and began to drive.

And beside him, Kim Dojin.

“…….”

He closed his eyes, slipping into a state of magical detection.

The magical sigil etched into Karasuma Seishiro’s body was connected to Karasuma Ryota, who was dominating his mind with mana, allowing him to trace that flow and locate Karasuma Ryota’s true form.

Of course, the very act of sensing the flow of mana was nearly impossible, but for a ‘Devourer’ with a special sensitivity to mana, the tale was different.

“…It’s not far from the Karasuma Building after all.”

Kim Do-jin maintained his focus, undeterred by the swaying of the car, continuing his mana detection until he finally pinpointed the location of Karasuma Ryota’s true form.

“Got it.”

The moment Kim Do-jin spoke, the car carrying Misaki Ai and Karasuma Ryota came to a halt.

Soon, the two stepped out and walked toward the Karasuma Building, while Kim Do-jin turned to Jin Seo-hyun beside him and Astrid Lindell behind him.

“Let’s go.”

Astrid Lindell nodded in response and exited the vehicle.

Jin Seo-hyun, glancing back and forth between Astrid Lindell and Kim Do-jin with a puzzled expression, followed behind.

Time passed.

The three arrived at the rooftop of a building quite distant from the Karasuma Building.

There, a sniper point had already been secured by one of Jin Seo-hyun’s clones, and Kim Do-jin instructed him to prepare immediately.

“Yes. Don’t worry.”

The one who replied was, in fact, not the original but another clone of Jin Seo-hyun.

Yet, Kim Do-jin couldn’t help but feel the stark realization that it was impossible to distinguish them by sight alone, nodding in acknowledgment.

“Alright.”

Now, the remaining task was for Kim Do-jin and Astrid Lindell to move.

To the hideout of Karasuma Ryota, which he had just discovered through mana detection.

“Ready… to go?”

At Kim Do-jin’s question, Astrid Lindell nodded awkwardly.

“Uh.”

Meanwhile, Jin Seo-hyun’s clone watched them with a suspicious expression, but now was not the time to dwell on such things.

“Let’s depart.”

Kim Do-jin prepared the hoverboard and called for Astrid Lindell.

“Ah, um…”

Astrid Lindell gently climbed onto Kim Do-jin’s back as he stood on the hoverboard.

The hoverboard was originally designed for one person, not particularly large in size or mana capacity.

But Astrid Lindell, one could say fortunately, was no bigger than a ten-year-old girl.

Kim Do-jin soon took off, flying with Astrid Lindell securely on his back.

Their destination was the hideout of Karasuma Ryota, located roughly 3 kilometers from the Karasuma Building.

—

To approach stealthily, they had to ascend in altitude, but it did not take long.

“Are you ready?”

At Kim Do-jin’s relaxed words, Astrid Lindell responded with ease.

“Yes. I’m ready.”

Then there was no reason to delay.

“Let’s go.”

Kim Do-jin slowly lowered the altitude of the hoverboard, keeping his gaze fixed on the hidden lair of Karasuma Ryota, a lavish mansion sprawled below.

– Ziiiiiing…….

As expected, the security around Karasuma Ryota’s mansion was not as impenetrable as one might think.

After all, the very fact that Karasuma Ryota was alive was shrouded in secrecy.

Of course, there was a formidable security system in place, but it was not enough to thwart the disabling device crafted by Dr. Yoo Eun-ah.

“…Good.”

Finally, the hoverboard discreetly landed in a corner of the vast estate of Karasuma Ryota’s grand mansion.

Kim Do-jin and Astrid Lindell concealed themselves behind the foliage, taking a moment to assess the internal security systems in greater detail.

“Hmm…….”

Yet, as the eldest son of Karasuma Tenshin, the former heir of the ‘Karasuma Clan,’ the caliber of the awakened forces stationed here was not to be underestimated.

Over twenty A-class awakened individuals could be armed and ready at any moment, and in case of emergency, a support system from the Karasuma building’s security forces could be activated within three minutes.

“This will be tough.”

Kim Do-jin and Astrid Lindell attempted to infiltrate, but it was indeed no easy feat.

They couldn’t even ascertain which room Karasuma Ryota occupied.

However, Kim Do-jin did not falter.

He had anticipated and prepared for such variables.

– Tick.

Suddenly, Kim Do-jin pressed the button on the device he had tucked away in his inner pocket.

After a brief wait,

“……!”

He could indeed sense the intense wave of mana.

Moments ago, Jin Seo-hyun, having received the signal through the device, initiated the sniping, prompting a reaction from Karasuma Ryota.

‘So there was a secret space after all.’

Thanks to the sudden fluctuation of the mana wave, Kim Do-jin was able to pinpoint Karasuma Ryota’s location even amidst the interference of the disruption device.

—

“Found him.”

Now that Kim Do-jin had pinpointed the exact location of Karasuma Ryota, he turned to Astrid Lindell and spoke.

“Let’s go.”

Thus, Kim Do-jin and Astrid Lindell attempted to infiltrate the secret chamber where Karasuma Ryota’s true form resided, but midway, an emergency alarm blared.

“What the hell! How were we detected?”

It wasn’t that they had tripped a surveillance device, nor had they been discovered by the guards.

Astrid Lindell quickly glanced around, her face betraying her confusion, but Kim Do-jin remained unfazed.

“Did he catch on after all?”

The possibility that Karasuma Ryota realized the true target of Jin Seo-hyun’s sniper shot was not him, but his own core.

Kim Do-jin had kept that possibility firmly in mind, and indeed, Karasuma Ryota had sounded the alarm to protect his true self.

“Let’s go!”

Kim Do-jin and Astrid Lindell quickened their pace, aiming for the secret chamber at the heart of the mansion.

However, the mansion’s defenses were no trifling matter.

“Who goes there!”

Before long, awakened members of the ‘Karasuma Clan’ began to swarm into the corridor.

‘About 20 A-ranks, and perhaps over 50 B-ranks and below?’

Both Kim Do-jin and Astrid Lindell were formidable Awakened, surpassing even S-rank.

Thus, the thought of losing against such a multitude of foes never crossed their minds.

Yet, their objective was not to win this battle.

Their top priority was to swiftly eliminate Karasuma Ryota and escape; wasting time in this skirmish would only invite reinforcements from the Karasuma building, making their goal even harder to achieve.

So, the method Kim Do-jin chose was… to split from Astrid Lindell.

“I’m counting on you, Astrid.”

As he spoke those words, he launched himself in search of an alternate route, while Astrid Lindell pressed her mask down tighter, responding.

“Got it.”

Of course, the guards of the ‘Karasuma Clan’ would not simply stand by and watch the two.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Immediately, some of the guards leaped to pursue Kim Do-jin.

However, passing through the corridor guarded by Astrid Lindell was impossible.

– Ting!

In an instant, Astrid Lindell drew her sword like a flash of lightning, and four guards fell like autumn leaves, cut down in unison.

“What’s this!”

The guards gaped in horror, their mouths agape at the strength that far exceeded their expectations.

She was a woman of such small stature that one could easily mistake her for a ten-year-old girl, and perhaps that led them to underestimate her without realizing it.

They knew that the true power of an Awakened did not stem from their physical form, but from their magical prowess.

“Ev-everyone, stay alert! She’s an S-rank powerhouse!”

Now, the guards attempted to muster their resolve, but it was too late; nothing would change the outcome.

Astrid Lindell, the world’s foremost ‘Regenerator,’ bore the ominous title of ‘Undead.’

Even if hundreds of A-rank or lower Awakened gathered, they could never hope to slay such a monster.