I Became the Academy’s Kibitz Villain

Pssshhh.

On the stormy coastline of Jeju Island, figures wearing hats as black as the dark night began stepping onto the sandy beach one by one.

[Change clothes.]

As soon as the person in the lead spoke, the others trailing behind quickly discarded their wetsuits.

Beneath the wetsuits, they wore what could only be described as outdated or heavily stylized ninja outfits.

One might question the existence of ninjas in an era dominated by supernatural abilities, but if a physical enhancement ability user decided to act like a ninja, there was nothing stopping them from doing so.

If asked about the most important trait for a ninja, the answer would undoubtedly be stealth.

While one might wonder how they could remain stealthy on Jeju Island, they already had a method to move unseen.

[Captain, we’re about to be detected by the Mikang Radar.]

Ahead, the leaves of tangerine trees swayed gently in the wind, and although it was midsummer, the tangerines hanging in clusters swayed as if they were CCTV cameras.

[Should we go around?]

[No. We’ll break through directly. I’ll deploy an EMP.]

[An EMP…?]

[Watch closely, rookie. There’s always a way to counter any ability.]

The ninja captain pulled something out from a black bag strapped to their waist.

Inside a ziplock bag was a squishy, orange object. The captain opened the bag and casually tossed the small orb near the tangerine trees.

Plop.

There was no explosion.

The only thing that spilled out was juice and pulp, leaking from the sagging skin of the squishy tangerine as it hit the asphalt ground.

[Is that… Mikang?]

[Only tangerines from Jeju are under Ji Chun-hyang’s control.]

The ninja captain walked forward nonchalantly.

[Captain, it’s dangerous!]

[It’s fine. There’s no danger at all.]

Ignoring his subordinate’s concerns, the captain approached the tangerine tree.

The tangerines hanging from the branches showed no reaction, and the captain casually stepped on the tangerine he had thrown earlier, scattering its juice with a slight kick. ṘαŊỐ𝔟Ɛș

[By spreading the juice and aroma of Fukushima tangerines, we’ve neutralized the tangerine trees in this area. Before Ji Chun-hyang’s awareness reaches here and her magic flows into these tangerines, we’ve cut off her control.]

[Is that even possible…?]

[If it wasn’t, wouldn’t these tangerines have exploded by now and attacked us?]

The captain tapped his temple lightly while addressing his subordinate.

[Your imagination is severely lacking. You’re not an otaku, are you?]

[Uh, no…?]

[Seriously. If you were an otaku, you’d be more capable of this kind of creative thinking. It’s a pity that today’s youth are all extroverts, lacking the imagination and fantasies otakus or hikikomori conjure up in their rooms… Tsk, tsk.]

The captain continued tossing tangerines from the ziplock bag as he moved forward.

His subordinates followed nervously, wary of the possibility that the tangerines on the trees might suddenly attack or explode.

[Captain, what happens when you run out of those tangerines…?]

[After we infiltrate the shore, finding more won’t be an issue. Jeju Island relies entirely on tangerines for security. As long as we behave normally and stay out of sight of Ji Chun-hyang’s awareness, there’s no problem.]

[I see… By the way, were those boiled?]

[Just the tangerines from a Mikang hot pot. The effect is guaranteed.]

Rustle.

Once they passed the long stretch of tangerine trees lining the coastal road, a regular road devoid of tangerines stretched out before them.

[Amazing. Neutralizing the Tangerine Gate like this…!]

[It’s a new countermeasure discovered at the Ability Research Institute. Keep this method in mind for future mis—]

Bang.

A gunshot rang out in the distance.

The group instinctively ducked and drew their weapons, aiming in the direction of the sound. However, what followed was an unthinkable noise.

Thud.

[Sage?!]

[Idiot! Don’t call me by name!]

A ninja struck by the bullet collapsed onto the sand, a vivid red mark blossoming on his forehead.

[Damn it…! Was it a tangerine?!]

[No, sir! It’s not a tangerine… it’s a bullet!]

[Curses! What about the rookie?!]

[Still alive… for now!]

The ninjas quickly checked their fallen comrade’s condition before retreating behind nearby cover.

[So Korea has snipers stationed on every shoreline now…! Such a powerful ability user?!]

[Impossible! There’s no way an ability user capable of evading the captain’s notice could be stationed at this beach indefinitely—]

[It’s possible…!]

Grinding his teeth, the captain cautiously extended a small dagger from behind a rock.

[If it’s those hunting dogs the Korean government is rumored to secretly train by capturing villains and turning them into its pets—]

Bang.

Another gunshot.

Another ninja collapsed.

One shot, one kill.

Though they weren’t dead, for a ninja squad that relied on stealth and covert movement, being systematically incapacitated by a sniper was no different from death.

“Damn it…!”

The captain cursed, pulling down his mask.

“Wasn’t the plan just to get past Ji Chun-hyang?!”

Bang.

Another gunshot echoed.

The captain turned his gaze toward the source of the gunfire and was soon confronted with an incomprehensible sight.

“Insane…?”

His lieutenant was collapsing.

Despite taking cover behind an obstacle, a bullet seemed to fall vertically from above, striking the lieutenant’s crown and knocking him unconscious.

“How… how could this… this is impossible…!”

The ninja captain began to feel fear creeping in.

This was an ability that defied all logic, leaving him shocked and terrified.

He couldn’t win.

The sound of the gunfire was faint, as though it originated kilometers away. Yet, the invisible bullet didn’t just pierce through cover—it descended from the sky.

“What kind of ability user could possibly exist like this?!”

Bang.

The gunfire rang out again.

Now, only the captain remained.

Knowing that the mysterious bullets were targeting him, he scanned both the front and above, slashing his dagger through the air.

“Bullets like these… I’ll deflect them—!”

Smack!

Something struck the back of his head hard.

The impact made his vision turn blindingly white, and he felt his strength drain away as he gradually lost consciousness.

“This… this irrational…”

In his final moment before losing consciousness, he glimpsed golden stardust dissolving into the air like mist.

Maybe…

It was starlight.

[…Even ninjas are swimming across the sea to get here now.]

Loosening my finger from the trigger of the anti-materiel rifle, I scanned the thermal screens in front of me.

The screens displayed multiple angles simultaneously, like a series of CCTV feeds.

Though some screens had gone black, other distant cameras captured the obscured areas, filling the gaps.

CCTV, although technically, they were tangerines.

[Impressive. Hey, oppa. I didn’t think anyone would cross the barrier like that.]

Yumir grimaced, staring at the scattered remains of boiled tangerines visible on the screens.

[Using Japanese tangerines to block Ji Chun-hyang’s mana from reaching the fruits… is this even valid?]

[It is. If it worked, it’s just as much an ability as any other.]

What might seem like wild imagination was just fantasy if it failed. But if it tangibly affected reality, it became an “ability” and a “law.”

[As expected of the land of otakus. No other country can match their imagination-to-ability conversion.]

[What does that mean…?]

[If Korea has Sejong Academy, Japan has something akin to an Ability Research Institute. They run national-scale OC (original character) workshops, nurturing individuals’ abilities based on the imaginary personas created there. This is one of Japan’s methods for training ability users.]

These ninjas were no different.

Instead of defining their abilities around their personality, they adapted themselves to fit personas that complemented their powers.

It was a method strikingly similar to how the Sephiroth Order selects its knights.

While I based my approach on the cultural content that emerged after the Great Divide, Japan’s Ability Research Institute used the fantasies of otakus to build abilities around imaginative concepts.

[Yumir, remember this: abilities can be countered, no matter how extraordinary they seem. Once you grasp the core of an ability, you can exploit its weaknesses.]

[Like how they neutralized Ji Chun-hyang’s tangerines in a way no one expected?]

[It’s not unexpected. It’s a perfectly logical exploitation of the conditions required for the ability to manifest.]

Ji Chun-hyang could freely control “tangerines grown in Jeju Island.”

So, if you brought tangerines grown outside Jeju, they couldn’t be controlled.

If, for instance, those tangerines were grown in Japan, boiled in hot pots, and exuded a strong aroma that overwhelmed the local fruit’s scent, Ji Chun-hyang’s mana wouldn’t be able to reach the coastal tangerine trees.@@novelbin@@

[Ability combat is all about application. How you use abilities determines how effectively you can defeat your opponent. Yumir, one ninja remains.]

[Opening the gate.]

With a relaxed motion, Yumir stretched her hand toward the anti-materiel rifle and kept her gaze on the thermal screens.

[Get ready.]

Before my barrel, she opened a dimensional gate.

[Fire.]

Bang.

The bullet passed through the dimensional gate, striking the remaining ninja hiding behind cover directly in the crown.

Marksman of the magic bullet.

Hit rate: 100%.

[This is what you call sniping.]