Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Mana Beast (6)
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"It's not... falling?"
"No way...!"
It's not crashing down.
No, quite the opposite. The cockatrice was glaring at Noah with even fiercer momentum.
💥 CRITICAL HIT! 💥 Kiyoooooot!
'The cry changed!?'
A cockatrice marked with a sword wound on one wing.
In place of its useless wing, the Named beast wrapped itself in wind and flapped furiously, unleashing a savage screech.
"Urk!"
"Dodge, Xanthos!"
As thick light-green blades erupted from its wings, Camella yanked hard on the reins, steering Xanthos away.
"Gah! Its wing's injured! Flying like that is against the rules!"
"Camella! At this rate, it'll hit the ground!"
"I know!"
Right now, its eyes were fixed on us, targeting only our side. But there was no telling when a stray attack might veer toward the streets below.
And with people still scrambling to evacuate from the roads, we had to keep the beast pinned down.
'Buy time until everyone's clear!'
No need to clash head-on.
Just hold its attention long enough to stop it from wandering off, and nearby instructors would handle the rest.
But...
'That'll take too long. No clue how much damage the ground'll take in the meantime.'
The instructors were already locked in battles with their own mana beasts.
Reinforcements would take a while to reach us.
'Can't count on the Student Council President yet... she doesn't seem ready to jump in.'
She wasn't stepping forward, but she was deflecting any attacks aimed at the ground—bare minimum support.
Which left only one option.
"No choice."
"Noah! That's dangerous!"
Decision made, Noah rose to her feet atop Xanthos.
Fierce winds battered her body over and over, and Xanthos's wild maneuvers made her vision lurch endlessly.
Yet her eyes never once strayed from the beast.
"We need to draw its gaze!"
"You'll be in danger alone!"
"Paul or Eric couldn't pull it off anyway!"
If Paul or Eric had floating skills, maybe. But they were pure vanguards and scouts.
No ordinary vanguard or scout would bother learning a mage's levitation spell.
In reality, keeping its attention from the ground was their limit.
'Aura-based floating exists, but it's even trickier than mana versions.'
The classic Arts Skill "Air Treading" was for post-academy active heroes at best.
No matter how skilled, you couldn't expect it from anyone short of an irregular like an executor.
Which left only Noah and Camella on Xanthos.
Thoughts settled, Noah quickly scanned her surroundings.
'President still holding back. She's intercepting stray shots, but that's it. Minimal intervention, like that's her line in the sand.'
Ignoring the arms-crossed figure behind her, Noah checked Camella's face.
"Camella, your mana holding up?"
"Still got plenty! Got a plan?!"
"Not guaranteed, but it's worth a shot!"
With Camella's status confirmed, Noah continued.
"Dad mentioned it once."
"Your dad? Wait, your father?"
"Yeah. Cockatrices are dumber than your average mana beast."
Maybe it's the chicken head.
Chickens were supposed to be smart, but mana beasts were another story.
Unlike clever ones, cockatrices had simple instincts.
"Its temperament's so basic that once you hook its aggro, it sticks hard."
Easy aggro control meant easy DPS windows!
No risk of aggro shifting no matter how hard you hit, so burst away.
"But it's airborne. We're the only ones who can fight in the air here—how do we even DPS?"
Sub-DPS? Nonexistent. Main DPS? Firepower lacking.
Stationary DPS while holding aggro in this setup?
Camella's doubt hung in the air. Noah, eyes locked on the cockatrice, finally spoke.
"Like this..."
.
.
.
"Hmm."
Meanwhile, as the cockatrice unleashed a piercing cry and whipped up the winds in earnest...
Slaine Student Council President Yeon Ji-eun stood with arms crossed, watching the fight unfold.
She casually batted away the occasional stray blast with the sword at her hip, her observation unbroken.
After a long watch, her expression soured.
"Why..."
The freshman her revered older brother had taken an interest in.
Brother had unerring judgment in people to match his overwhelming strength—and he'd never shown blatant interest in any student before.
So it was only natural for his sister, Yeon Ji-eun, to take notice too.
'This is the one Oppa...'
A boy with delicate, almost girlish features.
A slight, fragile build to match.
Platinum hair gleaming in the sunlight.
The first time they'd met, the kid had a warmth like the sun itself.
'...I don't like it.'
Harboring that subtle unease toward Noah, she'd half-forced herself into tagging along.
Blending faint curiosity with hefty jealousy, she'd watched the battle kick off...
"Immature."
Sloppy. Crude.
Movements stiff and awkward.
Sword swings rigid, like wielding a wooden stick.
Not impressive to Oppa's eyes—or her own.
Maybe she'd misjudged? But years of honed instinct insisted otherwise.
Her tenacity in not giving up was at least respectable, but fleeting.
Floundering in the face of unexpected twists from poor strategy? Experience lacking too.
'Can't make sense of it.'
Oppa interested in a kid like this?
'I can't fully read Oppa's intentions, but still... this...'
Not questioning his judgment, of course.
As one of the golden generation, he'd seen more talent than anyone.
She didn't doubt he'd misread anyone.
'There has to be something more.'
So she figured she'd overlooked something.
'Hidden potential above average? Or masking her strength?'
As her eyes darted faster than ever before...
Noah, mid-conversation with Camella, suddenly sharpened her gaze.
"Looks like she found her answer."
A way to pierce that storm and strike the cockatrice?
Yeon Ji-eun uncrossed her arms and glanced upward toward it.
Because she'd taken a sword hit to the wing?
It soared high into the sky, birthing a massive storm cloud before vanishing inside.
'Taking it down in that state will be a nightmare.'
Standard playbook was out.
Normally, bait its sharp nose with a strong scent to daze it, then strike safely.
Rushing the wings to cripple mobility—like Noah just did—risked enraging it into berserk mode.
Manageable now with her confidence, but she'd need to warn them after.
Mid-thought, a flash caught her eye for a split second.
"...?"
In that instant, her dynamic vision tracked the light—and her eyes flew wide in shock.
"What the— what is that!?"
Noah was inside the storm.
No—correction.
Noah was floating inside the storm.
Without a single foothold!
Swept up in the gales!
"What? How'd she do that?"
No ki fluctuations detected.
No Aura. No mana flow at all.
So what was this!?
Too composed for someone just caught in the winds.
Exuding confidence with a grin, sword gripped tight.
Clearly levitating through some method!
Hand on her sword hilt, Yeon Ji-eun's mind raced through calculations.
'That Named's winds are brutal. Inside the storm? Mana wind-blades spinning at lethal speeds.'
The core was a blender shredding anything in reach.
Get caught wrong, and you'd be ground meat in seconds.
Yeah, but...
"Why's she unscathed?"
And now she was venturing deeper, inch by inch.
Approaching with utmost caution, Noah plunged into the heart—and vanished.
"Tch...!"
Witnessing it all, Yeon Ji-eun—who'd only watched till now—sprang into motion.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Blink—
Blink— blink —
Hard to pry her eyes open.
Noise everywhere.
Sharp blades raking her body.
'Still alive.'
That meant her gamble paid off.
And the system's words were true.
'Nailed it!'
Faint jolts from the blades— she secretly balled her fist in triumph.
Having gotten the Student Council President's plan in advance saved her hide.
Without knowing about the Control AI, she'd never have risked it.
Forcing her eyes open, she "stepped" on empty air.
'Good.'
Cautious. One solid step at a time on nothing.
A shrill voice screeched in her ear.
⚙ SYSTEM ALERT ⚙ {You're insane-ho! Out of your mind-ho! What were you thinking diving in there-ho!} "Knew you were watching."
Confirmation of her hunch.
⚙ SYSTEM ALERT ⚙ {That's not the point right now-ho! Keep this up and you're dead-ho!} To the frantic chirping, she flashed a wide grin.
"I'm good. Got the perfect helper right here."
⚙ SYSTEM ALERT ⚙ {...Ho?} "Heard all about you from the President. You're helping with the floating right now, yeah?"
⚙ SYSTEM ALERT ⚙ {…Ho?} "You're already here—might as well lend a little more power."
⚙ SYSTEM ALERT ⚙ {……Ho?} It would've looked like a shark's grin to anyone else.
At the same moment, the message floating in her vision flashed brightly.
📜 EMERGENCY QUEST 📜 Subjugate the Named Mana Beast!
Type: Emergency
Rank: B
Mana beasts have invaded Academy City! Named beasts in particular are powerful foes even instructors struggle against. Eliminate the Named beast disrupting the city. The Control AI will assist the player.
Condition: Defeat 1+ Named Mana Beast (0/1)
- Player death: Failure
- Academy City invasion reaches 100%: Failure (12%)
- Control AI disabled: Failure
Success: Large amount of EXP
Failure: Related quests vanish