Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Episode 18
Baekyang, slammed headfirst into the ground by Oz, spent a long time in a daze.
"The weather's nice."
The sky looked beautiful from where she lay. She was escaping reality.
"Ow, my head..."
She wasn't sure if her headache was from the hangover or the injury. She knew Oz was strong. She had heard that he was on par with the [Goblin King], whom she served. Even so, she had been confident. Oz was prohibited from using advanced magic as a penalty. Then he was nothing special. She could block intermediate-level magic. And if she got close enough, she could win. Mages, whose bodies were as fragile as glass without a vanguard to protect them, were weak.
—Or so she thought.
"Ugh..."
Her head felt like it was splitting open. Baekyang broke out in a cold sweat, remembering the moment her head was slammed into the ground. 8% of the protective magic on her cloak was gone in a single blow. It was a frightening number, considering she was physically attacked by a mage.
'Was he really a pure mage...?'
She knew there was magic that enhanced physical abilities. She had even seen it before. But there was a limit. It was mostly used by lazy mages who had trouble moving or warriors who used magic as support.
"I'm sobering up..."
But Oz was different. He was a pure mage, but he had no limits. The powerful blow that pierced through her magically reinforced cloak was enough to sober her up.
"Hmm..."
Baekyang wondered what would have happened if she hadn't backed down. She might have won. Even if his physical abilities were outstanding, Oz's movements were still at the beginner level. If she had taken him seriously from the start, she wouldn't be lying on the ground like this.
'But that...'
However, she couldn't resist the chilling gaze she met the moment her head was slammed down. That gaze alone was enough to rob her of her fighting spirit.
'I couldn't resist.'
It was just a test, but the thought that she might have died if they had actually fought wouldn't leave her mind. Fear was etched into her, robbing her of rational judgment.
"Phew..."
Baekyang got up. The practical training wasn't over yet. If she just lay here, she would get a terrible score. She didn't usually care about grades, but wouldn't it be a blow to her pride as a member of the hobgoblins to end like this? She sensed a prey who couldn't even conceal their presence.
"At least one person..."
She immediately created a weapon out of ice and charged towards her opponent. She was hidden in the backlight, and there was a height difference between them. It was a perfect ambush.
"Uh oh..."
"Hmm?"
Bang!
But her ambush was thwarted effortlessly. Of course, her attack power wasn't that high, since she was a guardian. But her opponent blocked her weapon with their bare hand. She couldn't believe it was blocked so easily.
"I thought it was Oz, but who are you?"
Blazing red hair and sharp, bird-like yellow eyes glared at Baekyang irritably. At that moment, Baekyang realized who her opponent was. It wasn't that her opponent couldn't conceal their presence. She wasn't the hunter. The person before her was the flame itself, luring in the moth.
'...My practical training score is doomed.'
Crack-
The [Fist King] who came after Oz.
Alexios's fist shattered Baekyang's ice shield like glass.
"Gah?!"
And then, his merciless fist slammed into her abdomen.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I was surrounded, even though I was meticulously concealing my mana. Oz's luck stat was definitely low. I was discovered already.
[Erosion Rate 20%]
Even so, it seemed I was greatly underestimated. There were too many idiots trying to attack me, not just Baekyang. Was the prejudice I instilled too perfect? Sharpshooters and mages tried to snipe me from afar, while warriors and guardians charged at me. Sniping was meaningless since my location was already exposed to me, who had activated [Contemplation]. Moreover, the idiots rushing at me were steeped in the foolish elitist notion that they could defeat a mage as long as they got close enough.
"How amusing."
"Ugh!"
I twisted the arm of the warrior who seemed to be around R-rank and repeatedly fired [Mana Bullet] into his torso. The student, having lost 50% of his protective magic in an instant, was teleported to the nearest professor.
"Phew..."
I challenged and lost to Gerard repeatedly, exposing my weakness, for this plan. The repercussions were already showing. Idiots, who wouldn't have even dared to approach me before, now underestimated me after seeing my weak side. Even though it was intentional, it didn't feel good. Being treated like a joke wasn't enjoyable.
Intermediate Magic:
[Pharma Shield]
Bang!
[Pharma Shield], which created a small circular shield, blocked the sniping attacks aimed at me. I initially thought it was useless because of its small area of effect, but after learning it, it was more useful than I thought. For me, who already knew the opponent's location through [Contemplation], it was more efficient to block attacks precisely rather than creating an unnecessarily large barrier.
Basic Magic:
[Wind Piercing]
I fired a wind-attribute spell in the direction the sniping attack came from. It was the fastest basic magic spell and had a piercing effect.
"Kyaa?!"
I heard a scream from the person hit by the spell. Naturally, a basic magic spell couldn't take them down in one hit. But I had bought enough time by taking advantage of their momentary confusion.
Intermediate Magic:
[Stalagmite]
Bang!
I slammed the completed formula at my feet into the ground, and giant stalagmites erupted where my opponent was standing. Earth-attribute magic often belonged to Phenomenal Magic, even though it utilized attributes. It seemed to be more efficient to induce phenomena from the surrounding earth rather than creating magic with mana.
"Now!"
At that moment, three students who had been hiding nearby jumped out and swung their weapons at me. I wasn't surprised since I already knew they were hiding. I quickly neutralized two of them with the magic I had prepared, and extended my left hand towards the remaining one who managed to get close, as if to block them.
"Got you...!"
My opponent's eyes lit up as they reached for my left hand.
"I should reconsider exposing my weakness so much."
My opponent knew about the habit I displayed when I was defeated by Professor Gerard. This was quite sneaky. I quickly retracted my extended hand.
"Huh?"
Since I had planned this from the beginning, I was able to retract my hand faster than they could reach it. I then delivered a powerful kick to the bewildered opponent. They seemed to be an aspiring guardian, so this much should be fine.
"No, was that not enough?"
"Huh...? No, it seems sufficient? It hurts a lot."
"No, it's not enough."
Basic Magic:
[Little Bomb]
I finished them off and left nonchalantly. With this, I had defeated all the students ambushing near me. At least there were no enemies nearby.
"Should I target Noah instead?"
Wouldn't it be beneficial to send Eleanor to a location with another professor before Gerard approached?
"No..."
I briefly considered it, but then shook my head. Gerard was a time bomb. Even if I avoided him now, he would eventually unleash his selfish rage on Eleanor. Then it was better to do it now when I knew when he would explode. Gerard would most likely be near Eleanor. Furthermore, students who had depleted more than half of their protective magic were teleported to the nearest professor. But Gerard wasn't a supervising professor. So, he would be waiting for an opportunity with a magical tool that could disable the cloak's magic. It could become more troublesome if I prematurely eliminated Noah.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Eleanor, having luckily joined forces with Lucia, was carefully moving to retrieve the items she had hidden in the training grounds the day before.
"Noah, are you sure this plan will work? I'm getting nervous!"
"It's okay, Lucia. With this, we'll definitely be number one!"
Lucia hugged Eleanor's shoulders and muttered dramatically. This was why timid cats weren't enough. The protagonist of this stage could only be herself. Eleanor didn't hide her blatant self-awareness. Eleanor always had to stand out. She wanted everyone in the crowd to look at her. She wanted to be famous.
Because she was afraid. She didn't want anyone to forget her anymore. So that even if one person forgot about her, there would be someone next to her to remind them of her existence. She played pranks to be acknowledged by everyone.
"Ufufufu! The professors wouldn't know that we stole the cloaks, right? Once we retrieve them, we're invincible!"
That's why Eleanor played pranks. She caused trouble and attracted attention through underhanded methods. This practical training was no different. She had to win. She had to win and make them acknowledge her existence.
'I'll tell them that I'm here, that I exist.'
No, Eleanor didn't actually care about winning. As long as she could make someone remember her, that was enough.
"And if we wear three layers at once, no one will notice."
"But what if someone appears who can destroy the protective magic on all three layers at once? No, what if we get caught?!"
"Come on, who would be able to do that? They won't notice."
"Here."
"..."
"..."
Eleanor and Lucia encountered someone on their way to the place where they hid the items. A person with black hair and chillingly blue eyes, exuding an arrogant aura.
Eleanor's master, Oz.
"You're here."
"M-Master...?"
"So, you were planning to do that? I'm surprised by such a foolish plan."
Eleanor still vividly remembered the insignificant conversation she overheard in the classroom that day. It wouldn't leave her mind.
"How did you get here...?"
"It's the Disciplinary Committee's job to monitor troublemakers."
Oz's words, that he would be watching her, always evoked a strange feeling in her. It felt like the trace of those words was flowing through her bloodstream, embedded in her heart.
"Let's run, Noah!"
"Uh... Okay!"
Eleanor grumbled that he shouldn't be watching her even now, and followed Lucia.
'He ruined my carefully prepared grand entrance!'
She was truly surprised by his sudden appearance. So surprised that she thought her heart would explode.
"S-See you later, Master!"
"Kyaa! Noah, focus! Please focus!"
Yes, her heart was pounding only because she was surprised. Because she was running away at full speed, dodging the incoming magic spells.
'Yes, that's the only reason.'
That's what Eleanor thought.
Chasing away Eleanor and Lucia was easier than I thought. I wondered what kind of trouble they were planning, but it was a ridiculously foolish plan. Eleanor's plan would have been exposed the moment a single cloak without an owner was teleported. Lucia, knowing my plan, skillfully led Eleanor away and escaped.
"It's a relief that she's taking care of her, even if it's in her own way."
She was probably near Eleanor, knowing that I would intervene, for that reason. She was probably preparing for any unexpected situations.
"Now then..."
The problem was Gerard, who was cautiously approaching while watching Eleanor and her group. He was nearby. I checked with [Contemplation] and saw him covered in suspicious magical tools, waiting for an opportunity. Not only tools to disable Tia's magic, but also tools to erase traces and tools for murder. Just bringing those into the training grounds was already a crime. So, I would strike first.
[Mana Dominator Lv. 1]
The battle had already begun. Gerard didn't know that I had discovered him. He was overconfident in his suspicious black robe, a magical tool that concealed his presence. Did he not think I would notice, considering the origin of that tool was Spellerge? Or was he so blinded by rage that he couldn't think straight?
"Well, it doesn't matter now."
My first dagger, signaling the start of the battle, was an advanced lightning-attribute magic spell used by SR-rank characters.
[Thunder Calling]
Rumble!
Dark clouds quickly covered the sky. Was it too fast? Gerard noticed something was off. I didn't know [Mana Dominator] had such a weakness. It couldn't be helped that he noticed. For now, I would be satisfied with the new information I gained.
Crackle!
Lightning rained down from the sky. Lightning swept across the earth as if God was punishing humanity. Gerard's figure was hidden by the dust cloud. But [Contemplation] didn't miss his movements. I hadn't expected to defeat him with the first attack anyway. Moreover, since he had noticed the precursor to the magic, he wouldn't just stand still and take it.
Intermediate Magic:
[Storm Blade]
I deployed [Mana Dominator] and simultaneously fired the intermediate magic I had been preparing in Gerard's direction. A sharp blade of wind blew away the dust cloud and headed towards Gerard.
Bang!
But as expected, Gerard blocked the attack. No, it would be more accurate to say he crushed it with his fist. Gerard was now aware of my clear hostility. He started approaching me, dodging and weaving. To avoid the magic. But I had anticipated that as well. I struck the ground and deployed an earth-attribute Phenomenal Magic spell.
Intermediate Magic:
[Stalagmite]
It didn't matter if it didn't hit Gerard directly. I created stalagmites to obstruct his path, limiting the directions he could move. This would make his movements more predictable.
Basic Magic:
[Wind Piercing]
I repeatedly fired fast magic spells at Gerard. He approached, crushing them with his fists. As expected, it was difficult to inflict significant damage with basic magic. And for a moment, I saw a light emanating from his fist.
[Spatial Barrier Lv. 1]
Gerard's attack, which crushed all the basic magic spells I had cast, was blocked by [Spatial Barrier] and disappeared. A brief lull settled between Professor Gerard and me.
The objective was to buy time. It was a tacit ceasefire because both of us needed time.
"...What is the meaning of this, Oz?"
"Isn't it the Disciplinary Committee's role to apprehend suspicious individuals, Professor Gerard?"
"Haha, I think there's a misunderstanding. This cloak might look suspicious, but it's actually a magical tool prepared for the exam..."
It was a truly natural lie. He spoke as if it were a matter of course, even though it was impossible for supervisors to have such suspicious magical tools. His smile didn't falter even in this sudden situation. He would have made a better actor than a professor.
"It's quite impressive."
But I wasn't planning to let that mask remain. The cooldown for [Spatial Barrier] was already over, so there was n
o need to stall any longer. So, I would skip all the troublesome methods. I didn't even bother trying to sound him out.
"Then how about swearing on mana right here? Say, 'I have no intention of targeting Eleanor von Chrysos.'"
"..."
If he was so confident, he could just swear on mana.