Chapter 74
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Role (3)
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Splash.
─Squish.
As he set foot in the cursed sea domain, what greeted Protagonist was a sea that blurred the line between water and slime.
The space adjoining the beach of the island visible ahead.
Protagonist furrowed his brow at the slime beneath his feet.
"What is this?"
It felt just like one of those polluted oceans he'd seen in documentaries before.
There was a foul stench, but worse was the sticky gunk climbing up his shoes.
He wanted nothing more than to unleash his presence and shake it all off.
But that would cause problems for the cadets' exam.
Biting back his disgust, he circulated his energy to protect his shoes and body. The clinging slime finally peeled away.
Mi-na Hwang did the same... no, wait, she was walking on water?
'What the heck is that?'
The sea was weird, but that was even more astonishing.
When Protagonist approached and asked, she explained that by using spiritual power to pull her entire body's weight upward while generating suction-like force underfoot, it was possible.
"Oh."
Protagonist mimicked it right away and soon found himself walking on water as well.
'Grandmaster paired with Mimicry... this is broken, isn't it?'
Mimicry allowed him to comprehend others' techniques and replicate them.
It might sound simple at first glance, but the key was "comprehension."
'The degree of comprehension determines Mimicry's fidelity.'
Take Professor Shin-hu's Plum Blossom Grafting from before.
He'd only managed to comprehend and use the "Solitary Zenith Scripture" part of it.
No matter how amazing a technique, without full understanding, he couldn't replicate its true power.
...And it was still a low-rank bloodline ability, after all.
'In that sense, Grandmaster—tied to talent—lets me reap these benefits together. Totally busted.'
This was only possible because it had merged with Mi-na Hwang.
Protagonist nodded in satisfaction, while Mi-na Hwang—having overheard—blushed up to her earlobes for some reason.
Anyway!
The cursed sea domain looked quite the spectacle from atop the water.
"An island?"
There, smack in the center of the domain, stood an uninhabited isle. Inside were mountains, palm trees, cadets frolicking on the beach... and something the size of a house chasing after them...
Uh... wait... not frolicking, huh?
'Survival mode.'
He'd thought they'd stumbled on a place like this and gotten excited, exam be damned.
'But why's that crab so huge?'
Its body was house-sized, and those claws looked sturdy enough to crush boulders in one snap.
Still, whatever.
'They panicked for a sec, but they'll figure it out soon.'
Sure enough, some cadets unleashed earth arts to manipulate the beach sand, halting the crab's advance.
They followed up with a barrage of fire arts, eventually turning the house-sized beast into a tantalizing crab roast.
Protagonist looked mildly surprised at the sight.
Their skill level?
No.
'They're actually gonna eat it.'
He was just astonished watching them tear into the hunting spoils, sharing bites one by one.
Their adaptability was truly GOAT-level.
'They said no supplies except drinking water for two weeks, right?'
Self-sufficiency.
To truly grasp the mindset of exorcists trapped in a domain, the cadets now had to "survive."
'No action needed from me yet.'
Looking up, he saw a blue sky.
Not "night" yet.
'Yokai role's at night, they said.'
So, this was wait-and-see time.
Time for the cadets to adapt to the island and make minimal preparations.
Thus, Protagonist watched them a moment longer before turning away.
"Huh? Not watching anymore?"
Protagonist shrugged at Mi-na Hwang's question.
"Any longer, and I'll feel bad."
"...Ah."
Mi-na Hwang gave a wry smile of understanding and followed behind.
And well, she would.
"Heading back."
Activating the embedded spell in his robe's lining, his vision flipped, revealing a hotel-suite-like space.
And the buffet-style spread inside it.
"...Yeah. Seeing this does make me feel a bit guilty."
But right then.
"This is proof of your superiority. If the others matched you, they'd be here instead. Right?"
The professor approached with those consoling words.
Their supervising professor, as always.
"......"
"......"
But Protagonist froze at the sight of him.
So this is what being speechless feels like.
"...What the hell is that getup?"
"Hm? What's wrong with it?"
"Hawaiian shirt and shorts... and sunglasses? You on vacation?"
One hand clutched a drumstick, the other... no way that's booze, right?
Protagonist eyed the item suspiciously, and Professor Shin-hu grinned, offering it.
"Wanna sip? Liquor’s best learned from adults."
"...It is booze. You sure that's okay?"
"What's not okay? Even if I black out drunk, the whole class could rush me and I'd still suppress 'em!"
Protagonist shook his head at the professor's brazen declaration.
"It's mid-exam. What if something happens?"
Professor Shin-hu caught the concern for the cadets in his tone.
Seemed he hadn't fully opened up to anyone but runner-up Mi-na Hwang and committee chair Eun-ha.
But his warm nature couldn't be hidden.
The professor's lips curved into a smile.
"You think I drink for fun? This is dungeon necessity."
"Dungeon?"
"Yeah. The dungeon I'm hitting today has a sensory transfer spell. If I get smashed, it passes straight to the cadets."
Yokai domains varied wildly.
Among them, ones disrupting senses were countless.
"It's training for that, kiddo."
Professor Shin-hu said, chugging the booze.
Then he smoothly tucked the drumstick into Protagonist's hand.
"Kuh. Man, that's bitter."
Shaking out the glass, Professor Shin-hu turned to him.
"You look like you've got a question. Spill."
Protagonist asked right away.
"You called this the cursed sea domain, right?"
"Yeah? So?"
"Why's there an uninhabited island in a sea domain?"
Cursed sea domain.
It had appeared once in the game too.
'Back then, definitely no island.'
Just ocean. No, the deep sea.
Its origin: Bermuda Triangle vibes.
Entrants got basic oxygen tanks; once depleted, yokai chow.
'Wrecked airships and ships scattered about for opportunities and oxygen refills.'
That's why the island puzzled him earlier.
So he asked what was up.
By his memory, the cursed sea domain was an old yokai; safe to act informed.
And the professor's answer:
"Island? Association President made it."
"...Pardon?"
One person created an artificial island.
"Lifted the seabed with earth arts, compacted the foundation with alchemy, added natural scenery with wood and water arts. Boom, island."
Casual as ever, but Protagonist half-expected it.
Well, he was the Association President!
'Old-timers call him humanity's strongest.'
Setting-wise, he showed up when Korea nearly fell to a "Great Omen" yokai, saving the nation.
Never appeared in-game either; shrouded in mystery.
'Only proof he exists: items tagged "made by Association President."'
Usually, crafting below proficiency yields lower hierarchy ranks.
Yet his were all 9th hierarchy.
Meaning his crafting proficiency maxed too.
'How's that possible?'
Spells, artifact forging, even pill refinement.
All 9th hierarchy certified.
Even long-lived yokai couldn't match that.
'Take those two billion-year-olds; their skill proficiencies grow unevenly.'
But no answer came no matter how he pondered.
And it wasn't worth fretting now anyway.
'Not like I'm meeting the President anytime soon.'
No Association ties for a while.
Real entanglement? Probably third year or so.
'...Grow strong enough to defend myself by then.'
Goal: high hierarchy.
Laughable to some, but Protagonist was confident.
'Fully assimilate Fiery Eye Golden Mirror heritage, master the Eight Trigrams, achieve Mind-Body Unity.'
That alone would overflow past mid-hierarchy.
'Mind-Body Unity needs the body; heritage, mental fortitude... Eight Trigrams happens internally too, so blood vitality to withstand shocks?'
He knew one fix for mental fortitude.
Academy top-student perk: semester-long spirit pill use.
Perfect for tempering mind.
'From that, snag the hidden piece... Unshakable Heart.'
Conclusion: bolster body-related stuff.
'Hmm.'
Body, body...
'Huh?'
Then it hit him.
Something in this "cursed sea domain."
'Definitely... treasure slumbering in that pirate ship at sea bottom?'
And that deep sea floor? Association President's spells turned it into that uninhabited island.
'...Oh?'
So,
'Take the exam <and> snag an opportunity? Killing two birds with one stone?'
Dim room.
Illuminated solely by a single candle, figures huddled there.
All in dark-red robes, heads bowed to avoid faces.
At their center.
The man kneeling foremost pulled a vial from his bosom, setting it by the candle.
"We beseech thee... we beseech thee... descend and right the false order of this world..."
As the lead man chanted, the room echoed his syllables.
"We beseech thee..."
"We beseech thee..."
The chant coalesced into power, morphing into a spell.
Faces paled beneath hoods.
Blood draining away.
But blind reverence ignored it.
...Clink.
The vial twitched on its own.
Mad glee twisted the lead man's lips.
"The oracle has come. Move out."
"High Priest, where to?"
"Cursed sea domain. What we seek lies there."
His blood-red eyes gleamed as he declared.
"Prepare the pollution. Clash a yokai into the cursed sea domain."
"Yes!"
And so,
one yokai's movement began toward the cursed domain.