I Became a Troublemaker at the Academy

“Isn’t that guy inhumanly fast?”

Kim Baram muttered to himself as he glanced at Lee Dohyeok, who was chasing him at a terrifying speed from afar. 

At that moment, Ko Jooyeon, who had been running alongside Kim Baram, stopped in her tracks with a determined expression on her face, as if she had made up her mind about something.

When Ko Jooyeon suddenly stopped, turning her body fully toward Lee Dohyeok, Kim Baram also halted in confusion and asked her in a questioning tone.

“What’s going on?”

“Go ahead.”

“… Do you have a plan?”

Ko Jooyeon gave a small nod in response to his question, pointing a finger at Lee Dohyeok, who was closing the distance between them rapidly.

“I’ll hold him off.”

“You know we can’t make physical contact as attackers, right?”

“I have a way.”

With those words, Ko Jooyeon crouched down and started packing snow into her small hands. The snow had already reached up to their calves. In no time at all, she formed a snowball about the size of a baseball.

And then —

Crackle!

Ko Jooyeon infused the snowball with her lightning attribute mana and hurled it at Lee Dohyeok with all her strength.

Whoosh!

Despite the considerable distance, the snowball flew with the speed of a lightning bolt, aimed directly at Lee Dohyeok’s head. 

Watching its trajectory, Kim Baram suddenly remembered Ko Jooyeon’s unique ability.

[Perfect Aim].

An ability that guaranteed a hit on any designated target.

Ko Jooyeon was using her unique skill, [Perfect Aim], to target Lee Dohyeok not with arrows, but with a snowball.

Smack!

“Ugh…”

Lee Dohyeok raised his arm just in time to block the snowball infused with lightning mana. However, the paralyzing nature and destructive force of the lightning attribute caused him to stop in his tracks, unable to advance a step further.

Crunch, crunch.

“…”

With Lee Dohyeok momentarily immobilized, Kim Baram looked back at Ko Jooyeon, who was crouched down again, silently forming another snowball. Her small hands, now reddened from the cold, alternated between shaping the snow and the harsh winter air.

Watching her work so hard, even though she spoke little and expressed even less, Kim Baram gently brushed the snow off her head and thanked her.

“Thank you, Jooyeon. I’m counting on you.”

It might have been Kim Baram’s sincere gratitude that moved her, but as Ko Jooyeon paused, she looked up at him and flashed a bright smile, something that he hadn’t seen from her before.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Lee Jiha! Hurry and catch that guy!”

“I’m on it, Dohyeok!”

In the meantime, Lee Jiha, who had been following behind Lee Dohyeok at a slower pace, passed by the paralyzed Lee Dohyeok and closed in on them.

Unfortunately, Ko Jooyeon’s [Perfect Aim] ability had a cooldown after each target was set, so she couldn’t use it to stop the approaching Lee Jiha.

‘No, it’s better to keep holding Lee Dohyeok off. I can handle Lee Jiha on my own.’

Leaving Ko Jooyeon behind as she packed more snowballs, Kim Baram started running again, this time evading Lee Jiha, who was getting closer and closer. Fortunately, Lee Jiha wasn’t particularly fast, so she wasn’t able to close the gap between them.

“Huff… huff… stop right there, you jerk!”

Kim Baram glanced back at the desperate voice coming from behind him. Lee Jiha, pale from the relentless cold and exhaustion, was clearly struggling as she ran.

‘Should I just take her out now and conserve my stamina and mana for later?’

Thanks to his skill, the freezing temperature didn’t bother him, but after running non-stop since the game began, Kim Baram was starting to feel the limits of his stamina.

After a quick moment of deliberation, he decided to execute a plan that had come to mind after watching Ko Jooyeon throw snowballs earlier.

Kim Baram immediately came to a halt, just as Lee Jiha had hoped.

‘One chance. Wait until she gets as close as possible.’

“Heh… heh, looks like you’re tired too.”

Seeing Kim Baram stop, Lee Jiha, likely assuming he was exhausted, smirked and lifted the corner of her mouth as she dragged her tired body toward him, getting ready to catch him.

Tap, tap.

“[Summon].”

But Kim Baram remained calm, unshaken by her approach, and activated Aegis’s [Summon] ability. In that instant, Aegis, which had been stuck in the snow earlier, reappeared in his left hand. Kim Baram waited for Lee Jiha to get closer.

“Hehe! We’ve won!”

Just as the distance between them shrank to about 7 meters, Kim Baram grabbed the side of the shield with his right hand and hurled Aegis toward Lee Jiha.

Whoosh!

Aegis flew like a disc, heading straight for Lee Jiha’s legs with considerable speed.

“You think that’ll work?”

Lee Jiha sneered as she leaped into the air, easily dodging the flying Aegis. But then…

Smack!

“Oof!”

Distracted by Aegis, Lee Jiha didn’t see the snowball Kim Baram had thrown right after — packed with wind attribute mana — which hit her squarely on the head, knocking her backward onto the snow.

She lay flat on the ground, not moving, clearly knocked out by the snowball. 

The reason Kim Baram waited for her to get closer was so he could ensure the snowball would hit her head accurately. 

Unlike Ko Jooyeon, Kim Baram didn’t have a unique ability like [Perfect Aim].

Still, Kim Baram was relieved that his improvised strategy had worked.

Kim Baram cautiously backed away from Lee Jiha, who remained motionless in the snow, keeping an eye on her.

‘She really looks knocked out. Well, that was pretty easy.’

After dealing with Lee Jiha, Kim Baram turned his attention to Lee Dohyeok, who was struggling under Ko Jooyeon’s relentless snowball attack.

‘[Perfect Aim] is really powerful. Add on her lightning mana, and it’s even harder for him to dodge.’

Lee Dohyeok was trying to close the distance between them, but Ko Jooyeon’s snowballs were so precise and powerful that he was trapped, unable to do anything. 

If Han Suyeon could find Ryu Sungmin soon, it seemed like their team was well on track to winning first place.

‘Right now, all I need is some popcorn.’

Feeling relaxed, Kim Baram folded his arms and stood back, watching the spectacle unfold before him. 

Meanwhile, Lee Dohyeok, who had been entirely focused on avoiding the snowballs, suddenly locked eyes with him as he stood there watching. He came to an abrupt stop.

Smack!

In that moment, as he stood still, a snowball from Ko Jooyeon hit him squarely on the head. But even after being hit, Lee Dohyeok didn’t move. He just kept staring at me.

‘What the… why is he glaring at me like that?’

Sensing something was off, Ko Jooyeon also paused, tilting her head curiously as she looked at Lee Dohyeok. He stood there for a moment, then his lips moved as if he was muttering something under his breath.

And then…

The atmosphere around Lee Dohyeok began to shift, becoming tense and dangerous.

‘… No way.’

Suddenly, Kim Baram realized what was happening. Recalling the unique ability Lee Dohyeok possessed in the novel, Kim Baram immediately turned and bolted as fast as he could.

[Three-Minute Boost]

Lee Dohyeok’s unique ability was Three-Minute Boost, which drastically increased his strength, agility, stamina, and mana for exactly three minutes.

Unlike Ma Jinseok’s [Battle Maniac], which was suited for long, drawn-out battles, Lee Dohyeok’s [Three-Minute Boost] was designed for short, intense bursts. It was a double-edged sword because once the three minutes were up, he would be left completely exhausted, unable to lift a finger.

But despite the heavy penalty, every time Lee Dohyeok used [Three-Minute Boost] in the story, he displayed overwhelming power.

At his current level, using [Three-Minute Boost] would put him around the mid-tier of B-class players, strong enough to hold his own even against Choi Kangho, the strongest first-year cadet.

Of course, as the novel progressed into its later stages, more monstrous characters appeared, and Lee Dohyeok, using [Three-Minute Boost], didn’t have as much of an impact as he did early on.

‘But at this point in the story, he’s basically unstoppable.’

As a side note, because of his unique ability, Lee Dohyeok had quite a few nicknames among the readers: Cup Noodles, Three-Minute Curry, Power Level Tester, Rabbit (?), and many more.

‘Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now.’

Kim Baram glanced behind him as he maintained his speed, and there he was — Lee Dohyeok, closing in on him at a ridiculous pace, already having bypassed Ko Jooyeon. 

She tried to throw a snowball at him in a last-ditch effort, but it wasn’t enough to stop him. With his vastly enhanced stats, Lee Dohyeok didn’t even flinch as he brushed off the lightning-infused snowball, running straight at Kim Baram.

‘At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before he catches me. In that case…’

After a brief moment of thought, Kim Baram stopped running and raised both hands in surrender. 

There was no way he could outrun Lee Dohyuk for the full three minutes while he was using his unique ability. 

So, the only option left was to implement the final strategy he had planned, buying as much time as possible until Han Suyeon could capture Ryu Sungmin.

‘Lee Dohyeok will want to tag me within the three-minute window because of the penalty afterward. My best hope is to stall until Han Suyeon gets Ryu Sungmin.’

Lee Dohyeok, who was charging at Kim Baram with speed on a completely different level from before, came to a halt right in front of him, probably thinking Kim Baram had given up. He stood there, with a smug look on his face.

‘First step, success.’

Stopping in front of Lee Dohyeok instead of continuing to run had been a risky move, but it was the right call in the end. 

If Kim Baram had kept running, he would’ve continued chasing him down, desperate to catch him within his time limit. 

But now that he thought he had some time to spare, he didn’t immediately tag Kim Baram.

Lee Dohyeok, confident in his victory, sneered at Kim Baram, mocking his surrender.

“Ha! Giving up already? Pathetic. Suyeon’s going to regret teaming up with the likes of you. If she had teamed up with me from the start, she wouldn’t have to go through this, and we’d be coasting to first place…”

“Hey, Lee Dohyeok. Do you like Han Suyeon?”

“W-What? You little…! Don’t you dare speak my and Suyeon’s names with that filthy mouth of yours! How dare a low-class scum like you even —”

Kim Baram’s sudden question must have struck a nerve. Lee Dohyuk didn’t answer directly but instead started yelling at him. Ignoring his outburst, Kim Baram continued with phase two of his plan.

“Lee Dohyeok, do you know something?”

“Ha! I know exactly what you’re trying to do. You’re just stalling for time, playing little tricks to drag this out. I’ve been letting you get away with it because it’s amusing, but did you really think I’d fall for it?”

Sniffing out his plan, Lee Dohyeok reached out to grab Kim Baram. But Kim Baram didn’t flinch. Instead, he smirked, putting on the most smug, taunting expression he could manage, and delivered his final line.

“Han Suyeon is really something.”

Ding!

[Aegis’s special ability has been activated. Uses remaining: 2]

Bang!

“What… Did you just say?”

Kim Baram’s words hit their mark. 

Lee Dohyeok’s expression shifted instantly, his eyes filled with a mix of confusion and fury. 

Instead of reaching out with his hand, he now threw a punch at Kim Baram, his anger nearly palpable.

But Kim Baram wasn’t fazed, not in the slightest. 

Keeping his sly grin, Kim Baram shrugged his shoulders and, with an air of complete nonchalance, drove the point home.

“Oh, did you not hear me? I said Han Suyeon is really amazing. She’s so impressive, I couldn’t help but be in awe.”

“You bastard!!!”

Ding!

[Aegis’s special ability has been activated. Uses remaining: 1]

Bang!!!

Now fully enraged, Lee Dohyeok exploded, hurling curses at Kim Baram as he glared daggers at him like he was ready to kill. His bloodshot eyes locked onto Kim Baram’s, seething with fury. 

But despite his lethal intent, Kim Baram’s second-phase plan had worked perfectly.

Phase two had been a strategy Kim Baram had devised even before the game began, specifically to deal with Lee Dohyeok. 

The goal wasn’t to let him catch Kim Baram, but rather to provoke him into attacking, triggering Aegis’s [Protection] ability and buying time.

And, as expected, provoking him by mentioning Han Suyeon had worked wonders. Lee Dohyeok, clearly flustered and furious over his unspoken feelings for her, had completely lost it.

For the record, when Kim said Han Suyeon was ‘amazing,’ he had meant her skills. But it seemed Lee Dohyeok had jumped to his own conclusions.

In any case, with Lee Dohyeok enraged to the point of madness, Kim Baram grinned wickedly, preparing to land his final blow.

“Didn’t you know? Han Suyeon was incredible today too.”

“You bastard!!! I’ll kill you!!! You piece of shit!!!”

Ding!

[Aegis’s special ability has been activated. Remaining uses: 0]

[Player ‘Kim Baram’s unique ability is activated.]

[You have lost affection from the character ‘Lee Dohyeok’. You have earned 50 VP. Lee Dohyeok’s current affection for Kim Baram: “Hatred.”]

Bang!!!!!

Lee Dohyeok’s rage-filled attack was effortlessly blocked by the final use of Aegis’s [Protection] ability.

At the same time, Lee Dohyeok’s affection toward Kim Baram plummeted from ‘Distrust’ to ‘Hatred.’

Even though the plan had been successfully executed as expected, Kim Baram couldn’t help but grow increasingly anxious.

‘Uh… I can’t block anymore… This is bad.’

There was technically a third stage of my plan. Kim Baram had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but if by chance Han Suyeon didn’t manage to catch Ryu Sungmin in time, his last resort was to take a hit from Lee Dohyeok, forcing his team’s disqualification.

‘Surely, one punch won’t kill me, right?’

‘Actually, I might die.’

Seeing the murderous aura Lee Dohyeok was emitting, Kim Baram’s thoughts quickly changed. His killing intent was so intense, it was almost visible, and his fist was overflowing with mana to the point where Kim Baram could see it with his own eyes.

Thud.

Terrified by Lee Dohyeok’s intimidating presence, Kim Baram instinctively took a few steps back. His legs gave out, and Kim Baram ended up collapsing into the snow.

[Stop. That’s enough. Team 3 has successfully captured Team 1’s defender, so Team 1 is eliminated. Well done, everyone. Both teams, please exit the simulation room.]

‘Phew! Saved.’

At that moment, thankfully, Han Suyeon had succeeded, and Kim Baram heard the announcement declaring Team 1’s elimination through the loudspeakers.

However, Lee Dohyeok, blinded by rage, didn’t seem to care about Baek Arin’s announcement. He ignored it completely, his fist still aimed right at Kim Baram.

‘Uh…? Wait, what…? Stop! It’s over! You lunatic!’