I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City-Chapter 106: Weakness Infliction Lv.3

Omega stepped on the sticky flesh of the fragmented Worm as he retrieved the items he had stored.

Syringes, prepared specifically for this decisive battle. He gripped a handful in one hand.

With a deep thud, he plunged them into his neck, injecting every last drop of the drug concocted by Hekes.

"Ahh, this is exhilarating."

His entire body surged with vitality. A strength worthy of being called omnipotent. He felt absolutely invincible.

Now was the perfect moment to shake off the nightmares.

Seeing Juyeon voluntarily approaching, putting distance between herself and the cadets, Omega twisted his lips into a sneering smile.

"Wasting an ambush like this just to save a snot-nosed brat? Are you out of your mind?"

"Killing after saving is more than enough."

"Kuhaha! The great Grand Marshal has rusted after spending time with rookies."

The chaotic battlefield on this uninhabited island—who had orchestrated this entire mess?

Juyeon immediately grasped the situation.

‘...’

Rohan was in shambles, Corinne lay unconscious, and Ichinose and Noah were paralyzed with fear.

The scene pricked at a deeply buried part of her memory.

Juyeon took a deep breath, sharpening her focus.

Her anger had already surpassed its threshold. Even so, she forced herself to remain calm.

She reminded herself that, at least, none of the cadets had died.

‘I have to stay composed. This isn’t an opponent I can defeat in a heated state.’

Beyond the mere development of his abilities compared to their last encounter, his appearance had become even more grotesque.

Yet, there was no fear.

What Juyeon truly feared had not come to pass—by the slimmest of margins.

"This time, I won’t let you escape."

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As she spread her hand, flames erupted.

──Whoosh!

Blazing flames surged and condensed, summoning forth a massive sword.

A blade larger than her own stature. A weapon that had severed the head of the dragon that invaded Samhwa Nation.

The oversized greatsword moved in her grasp as lightly as a twig.

And Omega, too, immediately prepared for battle.

"That sword will make a fine trophy."

Crack! Crunch!

Omega’s right arm began to squirm, undergoing a sticky, grotesque transformation.

Seeing its altered form, Juyeon’s brow twitched.

Though its color was different, she could never forget that shape.

"So it was you who infiltrated Samhwa Nation and stole the dragon’s head."

"Khhuhu, be grateful. I revealed the secret to you before you died."

A long, thin blade shot out from the dragon’s maw, dripping with ominous liquid.

Yet, Juyeon showed no particular reaction.

She simply stated the facts.

"Are you too stupid to realize? That monster only fell asleep because I hunted it down."

"It’s because that monster lacked the intelligence to properly wield its power."

"...Pitiful. If that’s what you want to believe, suit yourself."

There was no further need for conversation between Juyeon and Omega.

Omega’s entire body was now fully revealed, littered with the remnants of various fused monsters.

The tips of Juyeon’s hair flickered with fire.

"..."

Silence.

As Omega subtly shifted his weight forward—

Juyeon vanished from her spot without even a preparatory movement.

And then she appeared.

A relentless slash aimed straight at his life. Flames that sought to burn him to ash.

Omega traced an arc with his sword to parry the greatsword.

"Hahaha! Now this is what I’m talking about! Let’s kill each other!"

"..."

Omega felt the drug dull his fear of fire while heightening his senses.

A manic laugh burst out from him.

The remaining seven tentacle-like appendages on his back shot toward Juyeon.

Swish!

The greatsword moved at an unbelievable speed, carving them apart as if they were nothing.

Realizing Juyeon’s prowess remained unchanged, Omega decided not to hold back any longer.

[Bio Trickster]

As he activated the skill, the black mechanical components covering his jaw injected another dose before detaching.

Hekes’ ambitious creations were revealed.

Poison sacs filled with lethal venom, chimera muscles selected for each limb.

A carapace resistant to flames, regenerative tissues, and adaptive genetic factors.

His external transformation was grotesque.

But within, countless changes were occurring.

"...You’ve abandoned your humanity."

"I have no attachment to a weak species. Soon, you will become a part of me."

The dragon’s maw, clamping onto Omega’s sword, let out a deep, guttural growl as if it had come to life.

"You disgrace humanity by merely existing. I’ll put you down before you become even more repulsive."

Juyeon’s greatsword drew the flames.

[Fire Wheel]

Flames filled Omega’s entire vision.

The scorching heat was unbearable, making it impossible to keep his eyes open.

Yet Juyeon pushed her blade through the searing inferno.

──Clang!

Blocking Juyeon’s strike, Omega trembled with excitement.

Last time, facing this heat had ruined his eyes, but now he could endure it.

As long as he wasn’t directly struck, he could withstand the fire with his newly modified body and the drugs in his system. The situation was clearly different from before.

[Inferno Blade]

Juyeon’s crimson slashes rained down like a landslide.

[Echo Mirror]

Omega’s hastily deployed barrier absorbed the heat before bursting apart.

"Die! Become my sustenance!"

Juyeon’s cold composure and Omega’s madness clashed, as blades and skills erupted in an uncontrollable storm.

Slashing, detonating, stabbing, dodging, countering.

Their relentless exchange shook the very ground of the island.

And yet—the battle remained in perfect balance.

The scales had yet to tip in either direction.

***

[Quest Completed.]

A notification window displaying the rewards appeared before Rohan’s eyes.

But he couldn’t read it. His vision blurred, and the words refused to register.

‘...’

Rohan could feel the pain that had been disrupting his focus gradually fading.

Even so, his vision remained hazy.

He could breathe better now, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) but the realization that Juyeon had arrived was lulling his consciousness into sleep.

Yet, he bit his tongue, forcing himself awake.

He could not fall asleep. He must not lose consciousness.

‘There must be something. Something I can still do...’

The established flow of Abyss City had already been disrupted.

Juyeon’s victory or at least a stalemate seemed overwhelmingly likely—but nothing was absolute.

If there was still something he could do, he had to do it.

‘Rewards. I need to check the rewards...’

Out of the fleeting notifications he had glimpsed, he at least caught sight of points.

Without hesitation, he opened the shop and poured his remaining resources into anything that could turn the tide.

[Purchased Unique Skill Level-Up.]

His skills evolved, and complex explanations filled his vision.

But his exhausted body and overwhelming pain made it impossible to fully grasp the details.

However—

Even if he couldn’t read through the explanations properly, there was something his body instinctively understood.

‘...!’

Had his desperation and resolve reached the heavens?

As his Unique Skill reached Level 3, a new talent bloomed.

An ability rooted in Weakness Infliction—now allowing him to imbue projectiles with specific skills and mana.

“Rohan! Are you okay?!”

“Hey! Snap out of it!”

Noah carried an unconscious Corinne, her body dangling over his side.

Seeing his friends safe eased the pain in Rohan’s body. He felt proud of himself.

“Can you stand?”

“Grab my hand!”

Ichinose and Noah lifted him up, supporting his weight.

And the moment Rohan stood, he wrapped his arms tightly around both of them.

““!!!””

“...I’m so glad. Really... I’m just so glad you’re safe.”

There was a rare emotion in his voice.

Ichinose and Noah froze, staring at him in shock.

“Rohan...”

“You...?”

As they looked at him, they realized—

His eyes were closed.

Ichinose pulled him closer, worried he had lost consciousness.

“Noah, I’ll take care of Rohan. Let’s each handle one person.”

“Got it. Let’s move.”

Noah shook off his hesitation, steadied his grip on Corinne, and sprinted forward.

Ichinose followed suit, gripping Rohan tightly as she prepared to run—

Until he muttered something in a small voice.

“...Ichinose. Wait.”

“W-What? You’re awake? Are you okay...?”

“I’m fine. I didn’t pass out.”

That was a lie.

He had blacked out for a brief moment.

If he let his grip on consciousness weaken even slightly, it would slip away entirely.

“...Haa, let me borrow your shoulder properly. So I can stand on my own.”

“...What are you planning to do?”

“It’s for the instructor.”

“We’ll just get in the way if we interfere!”

“I know. But... just this once, trust me.”

“...”

Ichinose hesitated.

But only for a moment.

Then, without a word, she gripped his arm firmly, securing him against her shoulder.

“...Thanks.”

Rohan moved swiftly.

Before his consciousness faded again, he had to do something.

‘Ichinose is right. That’s the best option.’

No matter what he tried, at his current level, he couldn’t even perceive the full-speed battle between Juyeon and Omega.

All he could see were flashes of unnatural colors, streaking past like lightning.

The shockwaves from their clash let him feel the sheer magnitude of their power.

But—

There was one moment when their movements became visible.

Whenever they locked blades and clashed head-on, they remained stationary for a few seconds.

‘If I can time it just once... It’s worth trying.’

His shaking hands slipped into his coat.

Inside was the Tigrova-made handgun, Gangsul-75, he had obtained from supplies.

His legs were too weak—he couldn’t pull his arm away from Ichinose for balance.

So he bit down on the gun’s barrel.

With one hand on the grip and his teeth clamping down on the slide—

Click! He forcibly loaded the pistol.

‘I’ll imbue this with a skill.’

There was no time to hesitate. He immediately tested his new ability.

Focusing every last drop of mana into the bullet.

Ichinose gaped, watching the gun absorb a strange, distinct energy.

Rohan was ready.

‘Trust it. This will land. He’s the type to take the hit, even knowing it’s coming.’

Omega had never dodged any of the cadets’ attacks.

He prided himself on his durability and took every hit on purpose.

“...Ugh...!”

“Rohan!”

A warning sign of mana exhaustion.

Rohan laughed bitterly at the familiar sensation.

“...The moment I shoot, run. No hesitation.”

“...I understand.”

He couldn’t even offer Ichinose words of reassurance.

Splitting his focus even slightly felt impossible right now.

Rumble—!!!

The very air shook from the clash of forces.

The immense shockwave sharpened Rohan’s awareness for an instant.

‘This is it!’

In his vision—Omega’s back was exposed.

The monstrous mutations sprouting from him made his target area enormous.

“...Haa.”

Exhaling, Rohan scraped together his last ounce of strength.

He focused everything into his sight and trigger finger.

‘Even if I can’t apply Weakness Infliction completely...’

Even the smallest positive deviation could change the tide.

With desperate conviction—

Rohan pulled the trigger.

TANG!