Sunflower (2)
Congratulations! You have cleared the field dungeon [Jungle Fortress Tustoska]!
Because this was a solo clear rather than a standard clear, additional rewards have been granted.
Skill proficiency increases as the base reward.
Mind and Body Training [High-class] has been achieved.
Overall physical abilities have risen dramatically. From now on, you can act according to your own will in all actions and can ignore physical laws to a very small extent. You can now fully transmit your strength. You can adjust the flow of your body at will. Your skin thickens and gains resistance to blades. You can slightly offset magic damage. You flinch less when encountering strong enemies. You don't get flustered easily and can make clear judgments. The probability of losing reason decreases.
As the proficiency of Natural Mana [Mid-class] also increases, your mind and body can quickly adapt to the environment. It becomes possible to circulate natural mana as if breathing even in normal times, albeit very slightly.
You acquire the sub-skill [General's Shout].
General's Shout :: Lets out a loud shout to draw attention and gives a sense of belonging to creatures thought to be allies. Also increases stats beneficial to combat such as attack power, stamina, and defense. This skill can be toggled [on/off]. Be careful when using it, as it draws aggro upon activation.
Analyzing your play style for the solo clear reward. Confirmed excellent performance in all areas such as reconnaissance and strategy, but no proper attack technique. Sub-skill [Flash Strike] is granted.
Additionally, since you accurately exploited weaknesses by utilizing the surrounding situation well, you acquire [Weakness Designation].
Flash Strike (Beginner) :: Concentrates strength when attacking and delivers a single strike. Can send the opponent flying in the direction hit. The greater the damage, the farther they fly.
Weakness Designation (Beginner) :: Designates a weakness on the target before attacking, dealing additional damage when hitting the weak point. Currently, only 1 weakness can be designated per target.
Since you cleared the dungeon, you acquire 1 Return Stone.
Amid the flood of rewards, I couldn't contain my joy.
'This is insane.'
Especially skills like Flash Strike and Weakness Designation were exactly what I needed most right now. Designating a weakness and landing Flash Strike could create a ridiculous synergy capable of dealing up to four times the damage. I was finally saying goodbye to the past where I had to resort to cheap tricks because I lacked a finishing move and struggled even against mid-boss monsters.
General's Shout would also make activating United Will much easier thanks to the sense of belonging it granted. In a way, it meant that the moment I used General's Shout, any allies nearby would instantly become killable targets for the skill.
'Mind and Body Training has reached high-class, allowing it to link with Natural Mana... and I've gained environmental adaptation as well.'
It was still weak for now, but in time it would reach the level of a walking solar power generator. Once that happened, Lee Seokhyun's true potential would gradually reveal itself. A trash character who could slaughter everything alone through the synergy of countless hidden skills. The very pinnacle of romance.
'Am I actually ridiculously strong now?'
With this level of power, I might even be able to aim for first place instead of sixth. Entertaining that pleasant thought, I activated the Return Stone.
[Due to an unknown cause, the return location at Mirinae Academy cannot be set.]
[Return location has been fixed to the Mirinae Academy 1st-year training ground.]
'What the hell?'
Had something happened? Filled with questions, the light of return enveloped my body. The moment I arrived at the training ground—
"Kyaaaaaaaah!"
I witnessed hell on earth. A high-class demon leisurely slaughtering students one by one, while the students ran around in panic, unable to even decide which way to flee. A Death Meteor that had fallen in the center of the training ground. And Gainard, locked in combat with Rumrau.
In just a few seconds, I grasped the situation and immediately activated the skill I had obtained from the dungeon clear.
I never expected to use it right after acquiring it.
"Attention, all academy students in the training ground. Move toward my location immediately and regroup!"
The roar spread like a lion's bellow, echoing so loudly across the training ground that it swallowed every scream. The effect was so attention-grabbing that even Rumrau stopped toying with Gainard and turned to look at me. Ignoring that, I continued speaking.
"Students who cannot gather immediately should form groups of at least five and move together while preparing for attacks! Do not think about attacking! This is not a standard formation—focus entirely on defense!"
Since I couldn't gather everyone at once, I set the minimum number for the fastest possible groups. At the same time, I gave them a formation that would let them prepare for attacks. Of course, if the high-class demons went all out, they would be snuffed out like candles in the wind, but the demons hadn't revealed their true intentions yet.
'This is the only chance to escape.'
The best timing was right now, while the high-class demons had stopped their slaughter and were looking at me.
"Do not turn around and run. Move slowly toward the exit! Move together! Think of it as moving in a clump! There will be students who are only injured—those who were originally in tank positions should look after them!"
In the game, professors were normally absent in this kind of situation, but since Gainard was here, things weren't completely hopeless.
"Who are you?"
"..."
The moment my words about escaping ended, Garan and Chaitus reacted sharply. Garan questioned my existence in an overbearing tone, while Chaitus, as always, stared at me silently from beneath his large hood. This was the moment the aggro-drawing penalty of General's Shout worked in my favor.
'Now the problem is not dying here.'
The only reason I had been able to take control of the situation was because I had shouted commands and taken the lead. If I died, everything would likely return to how it was before.
The moment the condition-met indicator appeared, I immediately activated United Will to boost my stats. If Garan seriously tried to kill me, I probably wouldn't even be able to react before dying.
"You don't answer when asked a question. Thanks to you, the screams have stopped. And you've gone and set up these annoying spider webs."
With a look that said he knew everything, Garan waved his hand a few times in the air and severed all the spider webs I had secretly laid. The fact that the spider webs, now reinforced with a second leg, could be cut with just a few waves of his hand proved that high-class demons were truly monsters. There were differences even among high-class demons, but the three demons currently in the training ground were around the middle tier. Even so, they were not to be underestimated. The fact that Gainard was struggling because he wasn't in perfect condition was proof enough of their strength.
So the only thing I could do was buy as much time as possible and wait for the rest of the students to escape. Having gone through a similar situation when helping the orphans escape the Ant Cave, I maintained my composure.
"Chaitus, go after them. I'll play with this one for a while."
"..."
Chaitus said nothing in response to Garan's words and slowly began moving toward the students.
"Run now! Don't look back—just run! Get as far away as you can!"
"Uwaaaaaaaaah!!!"
At that moment, I shouted again to urge the students to evacuate quickly. The moment they confirmed Chaitus moving, they scattered once more with terrified screams. Earlier, I had told them to move carefully because Garan hadn't made a decision yet. Now that the target was clear, it was time to move fast.
'With this, Professor Gainard will handle Rumrau, and I'll be left with Garan.'
Now that his worries were gone, Gainard would quickly pressure Rumrau, so the outcome was only a matter of time. The question was whether I could survive against Garan in that time.
"You're no ordinary fellow. At an age when everyone only looks out for themselves, you can give commands like this. You have real talent."
Garan clapped his hands with a genuinely impressed expression and slowly approached me. Step by step. With each step closer, my breath caught and my limbs began to tremble. If Mind and Body Training hadn't reached high-class, I might have collapsed to the floor like the other students.
"Even now, you're staying calm while I get this close. I like that. Perhaps instead of killing a promising sprout like you, recruiting you would be the better option."
Would you like to become a demon? Garan stopped in front of me as he said that. Looking up at a face I could only see by craning my neck straight up, I nodded.
"Yes, I'll do it."
"Really……"
Garan had the flaw of letting his guard down when things went the way he wanted because of his authoritarian and overbearing nature. And right now, at this moment, when he was intoxicated by his own competence at having discovered and successfully recruited a capable talent, I immediately sprang into action.
Wrapping spider webs around my left hand and spinning them like a drill, I drove it straight into Garan's abdomen. The gap created by his carelessness, thinking that no matter how strong I was, I couldn't possibly be that strong after killing only students. Bang! As a result of properly exploiting that opening, I managed to slam Garan into the wall.
"Of course that was a lie, you idiot. Say something that makes sense."
If you're going to draw aggro, do it properly. The real fight started now.