I Became A Third-Rate Villain In The Hero Academy
chapter-324

A massive tree a short distance from the mansion.

Jang Geon was hiding in a large branch of the tree, keeping watch over the surroundings.

'...Still nothing unusual.'

Jang Geon lowered the mask that covered most of his face and took a bite of the rice ball he had pulled out from his pocket.

Perhaps it was due to his habit, now turned into a character trait, of being secretive and swift.

Jang Geon ate the rice ball in an instant without making a sound.

After that, Jang Geon resumed his vigilance.

Anyone ordinary would have their concentration falter after hours of continuous watch.

But not a single moment of weakness was shown by Jang Geon.

He hardly blinked.

Even when he swallowed saliva it wasn't audible.

His breathing was quiet, primarily through his nose.

Jang Geon, mechanically and stealthily, continued with his top priority: keeping watch over the surroundings.

Then.

'...!'

For the first time, Jang Geon's eyes widened.

He felt the flow of a tremendous force not far from where he was.

It was clear what this meant.

'...A significant force. Could it be David?'

It seemed sooner than expected, but no one else with such an aura came to mind.

Jang Geon started to check his readiness for battle right away.

He began by confirming the position of his dagger and throwing stars, then checked his various equipment and his current physical condition.

It took less than five seconds to complete all checks.

Even though a battle was imminent, Jang Geon was rather pleased.

Qi is a mystical power that only a very few among those born with talent can wield.

The opportunity to face off against a strong opponent who utilizes qi was extremely valuable.

After completing his checks, Jang Geon jumped off the branch he was on without delay.

Swoosh—

Jang Geon spun several times in the air and landed lightly on the ground.

'...This is going to be fun for the first time in a while.'

Jang Geon ran towards the place where he felt the flow of qi.

─Wake up, child! A being with tremendous qi is approaching this place!

Nay's urgent voice did not reach Theo.

Right now, Theo was trapped in his inner world.

'...Damn, just a bit more push.'

Isn't it said that enlightenment comes unexpectedly at any moment?

During his usual practice of circulating qi, a vision suddenly appeared.

A space of nothingness filled with the soft light of the moon.

Theo's soul was trapped in that place right now.

'...I feel dizzy.'

Just standing still, not moving, made his head spin, and he felt nauseous.

So, against what his body considered dignified, he sat down on the bare ground and closed his eyes.

But it was the same.

Even with his eyes closed, the moonlight flickered before him.

The once gentle moonlight transformed into various shapes.

It became as thin and sharp as a needle, as heavy as a mace, and took on the intense form of an explosion.

No two forms were the same. Countless moonlights each bore a different appearance.

If they had one thing in common, it was that they all fiercely agitated the mind and induced nausea.

'...What the hell are these things tormenting me for?'

Theo tried to get up and open his eyes.

But he almost immediately collapsed again.

The moonlights did more than agitate his mind; they impaired his fundamental cognitive functions.

Gritting his teeth hard, Theo barely managed to stand up.

'F*ck it, sh*t. I really hate this kind of thing.'

Sitting still and doing nothing, simply accepting one's fate, was not in his nature.

"Ghh...ugh."

It's not over until it's over. There must be a way out.

Thinking this, Theo wandered around, holding back his nausea.

The colorful moonlight brutally assaulted his senses.

'...I need to get out of here fast.'

His instincts warned him.

It was dangerous.

Would it feel like this to learn calculus right after mastering addition and subtraction?

It's the sensation of vast knowledge entering one's brain, something far beyond current intelligence.

Staying any longer, he felt an intuition that he might cross a point of no return.

After wandering for quite some time.

"...Could that be it?"

A particular moonlight caught Theo's eye.

Although all the moonlights had different shapes, the one he saw had a presence that stood out from the rest.

It felt as though all the moonlights in this space were condensed into this one, emanating an intense energy.

"...Beautiful."

Theo was drawn to that moonlight, walking towards it as if enchanted.

While looking at this moonlight, he didn't feel dizzy.

The nausea stopped.

He even thought that this one moonlight alone might be purifying this wildly chaotic inner space.

Though no one had asked him to, Theo instinctively reached out his hand towards the moonlight.

Then, vast information flooded into his head like a tidal wave.

Overwhelmed by the intense shock, Theo let out a groan he had been suppressing without realizing it.

"...Stop. Stop, ugh."

Techniques like embedding faint qi at the tip of a sword blade, imbuing a shot arrow with qi, efficiently subduing beings from the demon world, etc.

Even amidst this, Theo's brain and body were interpreting the massive influx of information in real-time.

But he couldn't last more than 10 seconds. His brain and body reached their limits.

Even Theo, who was now considered skilled, could only endure so much.

The wave of vast information was so overwhelming, he feared it might drive him insane.

Despite his internal cries to stop, the influx of information didn't cease.

As Theo struggled not to faint,

"...Gh, ah."

Thud.

Theo's body collapsed forward onto the moonlight, unconscious. He looked like a child cradled in his mother's arms.

Soon after, the moonlight itself transformed, taking on the appearance of a human. It looked like a girl around 10 years old.

The moonlight looked down at Theo's unconscious body.

"It's time."

The moonlight spoke in a blunt tone.

"The new moon is rising."

Theo opened his eyes.

He was expressionless.

While he usually was expressionless, this was different. His current expression was empty, devoid of emotion.

'...It doesn't hurt?'

Just moments ago, his head had been throbbing with pain.

But now, he felt perfectly fine.

Realizing this, Theo's expression started to return to normal.

'What exactly was that moonlight...'

As Theo was piecing together his memories up to the point he fainted, Nay spoke.

─You've finally woken up, child! This is no time to daze off. Grab your sword quickly! A being with tremendous qi is approaching!

There was no time for Theo to grab his sword.

He felt the presence of someone behind him right after Nay finished speaking.

'Did they find me because of my qi?'

Theo realized the man's identity was Jang Geon, the leader of Equilibrium, and pinpointed his location.

It felt like playing Starcraft with a cheat code that illuminates the dark parts of the map.

'About 6 meters behind, on the fourth branch of the old tree...'

He was right.

Jang Geon, a skilled individual capable of hiding his qi, couldn't hide it completely.

Thus, he couldn't evade Theo's senses.

Without turning around, Theo spoke.

"Leader. It must be tough on the tree branch. Would you like to come down?"

Jang Geon silently kicked off the branch and landed in front of Theo.

Jang Geon cleared his throat and said,

"...Was it obvious?"

Theo nodded.

"Yes."

"...I still have a long way to go."

Jang Geon was outwardly calm, but he was quite surprised.

That's because he couldn't remember the last time someone had detected his presence.

Jang Geon said,

"You didn't seem ordinary, but I didn't expect this much. How long have you been practicing qi?"

"I haven't been counting, but it seems to be about three months."

A small crack appeared on Jang Geon's stoic face.

"Quite the talent you have there."

To him, no amount of adjectives could sufficiently describe Theo's talent.

From the moment they start to walk, members of the 'Jang' family, the most renowned assassins of the Kyren Zena continent, begin to learn qi.

By the age of twenty, Jang Geon could not only emit qi but also fine-tune it to hide his presence, among other things.

He has been hailed as the most talented in the history of the Jang family, a family with a legendary reputation across the continent.

But this boy, having practiced qi for just three months, not only unleashed powerful qi but also detected his hidden presence.

Compared to the boy's talent, his own seemed merely a drop in the ocean.

Jang Geon looked at Theo calmly.

"Let's settle the mission fee now."

Despite feeling overshadowed, Jang Geon had lived his life leading from the front.

He was a man who faced chaos head-on without avoidance.

"Let's have a match."