Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Overprotective Committee Chairs
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Thanks to the overprotective committee chairs watching over me, the rift closure operation proceeded without a shred of tension.
It had been one hour since I drove in the [Rift Closure Device].
Tssst, tzzt zzzt!
The gaping rift began to shrink.
“Fi-finally…!”
Thud.
The soldiers who had been desperately holding off the horde alongside us collapsed in place.
They must have squeezed out every last drop of strength, knowing it was the final push.
Pushing aside a swell of pride, I approached the committee chairs.
“Now we have to pass this to the next rift…”
I pointed at one of them and continued.
“Could you deliver it for me?”
“What? Me?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm…”
The committee chair in the conical hat stroked his chin, clearly reluctant.
I couldn’t fathom why he was even hesitating.
“Then I’ll go, and you stay here?”
The rift was closed, but demons still lingered in the area.
One side had to clean them up, while the other delivered the [Rift Closure Device] to another rift.
Either task was fine, but if I had to pick, I preferred staying.
I could verify the closure, mop up the remaining demons, and rack up some experience points.
Sure, I could hunt demons at the other rift too, but the chairs would undoubtedly sweep them away before I even got a chance.
“Hmm, no. I’d better go. That way, the student stays safer.”
The conical-hat chair, who had been scanning the surroundings, spoke up.
He must have judged there’d be no further dangers here.
About time.
“Here.”
Swallowing my inner grumble, I handed the [Rift Closure Device] to the chair.
“Don’t get hurt. If anything dangerous pops up, just dodge. Don’t engage.”
Flash!
The conical-hat chair vanished after leaving those worry-drenched words.
Only three of four had left, but it already felt like I could breathe easier.
“Planning to interfere this time too?”
I asked the remaining three chairs.
They stared back as if I’d spoken nonsense.
“When have we ever interfered?”
“Yeah, talk like that and we’ll feel hurt.”
From their reactions, they genuinely had no clue what the issue was.
“No, you keep snatching kills every time I try to fight. I even joined the war to gain some real combat experience…”
“Oh, that’s what you meant?”
The chairs nodded as if it finally clicked.
“Why didn’t you say so earlier! If it’s about that, we’re happy to help.”
“Help?”
“We can’t block a student from gaining experience, right? Of course, just letting you fight freely would be awkward for us too…”
Swoosh.
One chair paused and pointed at a distant lingering demon.
“Try it. Cast a spell.”
“Huh?”
Out of nowhere, cast a spell? What were they thinking?
To my question, the chair replied.
“We’ll fix any mistakes directly, so go ahead. Posture, application, judgment, whatever.”
“Oh.”
So that’s what they meant.
I got the intent now.
‘If it’s like that, sure.’
Shing!
Thinking these chairs might actually be helpful, I immediately formed a sword of light.
But.
“No, not that.”
The chair waved his hand, signaling me to put the sword away.
“Just snipe it from afar.”
“…This is my main spell, though?”
“We’ve heard all about it. A mage is scariest from a distance.”
“Hmm…”
Not thrilled, but.
“Got it.”
I decided to follow his advice.
This was a chance to refine my textbook spells too.
Even with theory whiz Ani Person, there were limits.
Srrk.
Whoooong!
I dismissed the sword and summoned orbs of light.
Refined orbs, far more controlled than before, thanks to training with Ani Person.
“The spell itself is solid.”
Even the chair praised it—they were stable now.
Pride flickered briefly as I shaped the orbs into beams.
Along with that.
‘Pre-map the path with mana.’
I incorporated the insight from my fight with Dershion.
Srrk.
Mana fluttered ahead, tracing the beam’s trajectory.
The moment the path locked in, I unleashed the beams.
Pew!
Kweeeek!
The beam instantly blew off the demon’s head.
A mid-tier demon by my gauge, gone with a dying screech.
I turned back.
Clap clap clap.
The chair was applauding with a satisfied grin.
“Impressive. Cleaner cast and stronger output than most mages at your level.”
“Really?”
“But.”
Clap.
He stopped clapping, face turning impassive.
“It’s stale.”
“…Stale?”
“Yeah, light magic has two big strengths. One is speed. The other…”
Flash!
A brilliant orb of light floated above the chair’s staff.
It drifted toward a cluster of prowling demons, then erupted in beams of light.
Ratatatata!
Like a downpour of light.
Gruk!
Kweeeeeek!
Struck demons shrieked in agony.
One spell, dozens dead.
Dazed by the sight, I asked.
“…You know light magic too?”
“A little, back in the day.”
“That’s more than a little…”
“Once you reach our level, it’s basic.”
Basic…
With my two circles and [Holy Staff], it was just one circle’s difference, but it felt worlds away.
Lost in thought, the chair continued.
“Well, get anything from that?”
“Hmm… The form changed instantly?”
It looked like the orb burst and residual mana rained down as droplets, but that wasn’t it.
The orb was just a mana carrier—the real magic came after.
‘He shaped every bit individually.’
Every fragment from the burst got a sharp edge.
The result was what I’d just seen.
“Right. That’s light’s second strength. No form restrictions.”
Spot-on, apparently—the chair looked mildly surprised before continuing.
“Meaning you can adapt to any variable. No form limits.”
Wung! Wung! Wung!
Fresh orbs rose above his staff, wriggling into new shapes.
I stared blankly until—flash!—they vanished.
Looking up, the chair eyed me.
“But your light magic’s too predictable. Beams, swords… Doesn’t suit light. Might as well learn another element.”
“…I see.”
His bone-chilling advice stung.
My spells had indeed been predictable.
Time for change.
Though I couldn’t ditch the sword.
‘Not just from a mage’s view.’
Purely as magic, sword forms might seem stale.
But my goal was slaying demons.
Magical critique wasn’t priority.
From that angle.
‘Nothing’s more efficient for me.’
I had to stick with this path.
Especially with [Former Owner of Sword Saint] on my side.
Grab every edge I could.
So, what changes to make?
“Max out your imagination. That’s a mage’s top trait.”
Following his words, I closed my eyes and envisioned.
The most effective light form.
Something no one could predict.
It didn’t take long.
A shape came to mind right away.
-Magic learning rate increases by 300%.
“Hup!”
Bloop-!
Shwaaaaack!
Light mana left my hand, slicing through the air.
Elongated like a serpent.
Kiek?
Kieeeek!
It slithered leisurely through the demons.
Shick! Shick shick!
One, two, three…
More and more got tagged with my mana.
I clenched my fist then.
Tadadadak!
Kweeeeeek!
Any demon touched by my mana convulsed wildly.
White smoke rose from their bodies, faces twisted in pain.
At the sight, the chair said, visibly impressed.
“…Using light’s holy power?”
As expected of an expert—he saw right through it.
“Yes. Light’s biggest edge is how effective it is against demons.”
As I said, light was lethal to demons.
It channeled holy power, and the element itself carried some innate holiness.
I’d tagged them in advance, then triggered the holiness all at once.
A technique I’d never tried before.
‘Better than expected?’
Not quite beam-level, but the pooled holy power punched above expectations.
Demons hadn’t resisted the tagging much either.
Still rough for emergencies, but worth developing.
The chair agreed.
“Not bad. Keep refining it—we’ll watch.”
No criticism, just encouragement to practice.
I nodded without refusing.
“Yes. Point out fixes as you see them.”
“Will do.”
Whoooong!
I drew up mana and scanned around.
‘About a hundred demons left.’
I’d perfect this new spell on them.
***
Asteron Academy’s vice president, Antrio Tener, turned around.
There stood the research committee chair and audit committee chair, who’d been observing.
Antrio spoke to them in a hushed, tense voice.
“…Hey, research chair, audit chair. Did you see that?”
His tone betrayed what was coming.
The other two were just as tense.
“…Yeah. Heard the rumors, but he’s a real monster.”
“I thought the president unearthed a hidden gem… but no. That skill can’t stay hidden.”
Vice president, research chair, audit chair.
All three were in awe of Yoo Han’s magic.
And rightly so—his prowess far exceeded the rumors, as they’d witnessed firsthand.
“That first orb he summoned already surpassed me.”
Antrio still couldn’t shake the image.
The restrained light orb he’d floated right after dismissing his sword.
It was so brilliant, even he couldn’t fully appraise it.
Perfect control too.
He’d praised it lightly as “solid magic to build good habits,” but the awe was rare for him.
And that wasn’t all.
“…Nearly got humiliated by a student.”
When he’d demonstrated an orb to teach, his heart had nearly burst from nerves.
His own orb looked pathetic next to Yoo Han’s.
Luckily, Yoo Han hadn’t minded, assuming control, but Antrio’s back was still soaked in cold sweat.
But was that the end?
No—the kid crafted a brand-new spell from a few pointers.
A fresh path, and quite effective.
Having seen it up close, Antrio had just one thing to say.
“A monster’s joined our academy.”
The research and audit chairs nodded.