Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: It's Okay Because I'm a Genius, Even Though I Have a Time Limit
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‘Huh?’ Kim Mi-young echoed, and Lee Tae-jin added,
“I asked if stopping it would change anything.”
“The safety team is entering…….”
“When? It’ll take at least an hour from their standby position to reach the cave.”
“…….”
“Besides, suspicion isn’t evidence. If we halt based solely on the cadets’ words, we’ll just earn mockery from the other professors.”
“Then what…….”
Kim Mi-young still looked uneasy, but Lee Tae-jin continued flatly.
“The evaluation proceeds. The report was dated three years ago, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’s a recent mutant. The team leaders together can handle it. Locate it first.”
“Understood.”
Kim Mi-young’s expression hardened coldly.
She quickly regained her composure and relayed the decision to each team’s leader.
-Everyone. Nothing changes. The evaluation continues. Team leaders, report your approximate locations and situations first.
As a result, Baek Sa-young and Lee Dae-ho were already separated and had each fought once, while Seol Yun-gi and Joo A-rin were battling swarming corpse eaters.
The other team leaders were also reachable, allowing approximate location checks.
Everyone except one……
“Where’s Cadet Cheon Seo-yun?”
“Her radio and video feed are both dead. Something must have happened, right?”
“…….”
Lee Tae-jin fell silent, organizing his thoughts, then grabbed the radio as if resolved.
-To all team leaders. It seems the battle with the queen has already begun. Head downward no matter what. Break through the floor if you have to.
Finishing his message, Lee Tae-jin grabbed his jacket from the chair.
“Professor?”
Kim Mi-young looked puzzled, but he replied indifferently.
“Just in case, I’m going myself. Assistant Kim, monitor from here.”
The corner of Kim Mi-young’s mouth twitched upward slightly.
But by then, thirty minutes had passed since Joo A-rin’s report.
* * *
Uquenchable flames.
The secret of hellfire lies in its brutally cruel wick.
It is the enemy’s soul.
Burning that primal life force over and over……
Until the foundation is laid bare, consuming it to lead to death.
Roarrrrr.
The hellfire left my hand and slammed into the queen and the wall behind her.
The portion that had rooted in her soul extinguished abruptly, like a snuffed flame.
Rumble rumble rumble.
That was the beginning.
The blue flames burned from deep within her body.
Likely no Eight Hells of retribution burned karma for atonement like this.
Kieeeek.
The queen, unable to endure, let out a shriek.
I scooped up the falling Cheon Seo-yun in that gap.
She staggered briefly, but bit her lip hard and moved her legs.
Tadak.
Fortunately, she gained some speed.
The target was a deep recess in the wall behind the queen.
It wasn’t a lucky find by chance.
It was the result of deliberate creation.
Since I couldn’t kill her in one shot anyway, I intentionally manifested the hellfire off-target.
I’d prepared an escape space in advance.
“Hey, snap out of it.”
I entered the crevice and set Cheon Seo-yun down first.
Checking her face as she gasped for breath, as expected……
Just like in the original story, she was poisoned.
“Ugh…….”
The queen’s venom paralyzed nerves. Her face was not just pale but bluish, drenched in cold sweat.
Even if I gave her resistance boosters, it wouldn’t help.
Prevention and treatment were entirely different matters.
Drip.
Moreover, her left shoulder, pierced by spider silk, looked dire.
The wound was narrow, but bright red blood kept flowing.
How long could she hold out?
A question arose.
In the original, Baek Sa-young confronted her immediately, so the poisoning didn’t last long.
He extracted her vital blood and quickly antidoted it.
But now was different.
I wasn’t the unified ranking 1st protagonist, so I lacked the leeway for direct confrontation.
Mana shortage made armament manifestation impossible.
Squeezing desperately might allow ‘Root of Greed,’ but success odds were slim.
Conditions were far from expected.
Approaching alone without a distraction, then engraving a ritual? It was like hanging a bell on a cat’s neck.
“Damn it.”
In the end, no matter how I thought, one answer remained.
Hide and wait……
With hellfire burning her soul, biding time until reinforcements to fight together was best.
Converting time to mana should be saved for if discovered mid-way.
Decision made, I told Cheon Seo-yun,
“Someone will come, so just hold on a bit longer…….”
But the words stuck in my throat, unable to finish.
“Ugh.”
That face, already so similar, twisted in pain, stirring an odd emotion.
Damn.
Probably overlapping with Yoo So-young waiting for me.
“Why’d you move on your own and make things this messy.”
Not a single thing about her, from one to ten, pleased me.
“At least you could’ve not inherited that pretty face…….”
Silence followed for quite a while.
Honestly, rather than finding a method, I was convincing myself it was a carefully considered decision.
……Then.
“Wait!”
A flash hit my mind right then.
I looked at the still-lying Cheon Seo-yun.
Heir to the Cheon family, who’d wield lightning attributes more freely than anyone with her historic mana reserves.
Or a major heroine of [Epic of Salvation]……
But from the moment the alternative dawned, she looked different.
Plump and cushioned……
“…Power bank?”
Was there a better mana source in this situation?
Side effects be damned; that wasn’t important now.
“Sorry, but cooperate. This is the only way to take down the queen.”
I grabbed Cheon Seo-yun’s hand.
[Trait, Manifestation activates.]
[Consume 2 hours to replenish insufficient mana.]
After filling the shortfall with time, I manifested Root of Greed and transferred it to the back of her hand.
64-stroke 2-star Wood Control Technique, Root of Greed.
[Manifestation Accuracy: 81%]
A green ritual line emerged from the etched pattern on her hand.
The thread-like line crawled up my hand like a living silk snake, followed by a stabbing sensation.
Puk.
Then the system message appeared.
[Host’s level surpasses yours.]
[Normally, connection impossible.]
[Abnormal status fulfills conditions.]
[Talisman, Root of Greed effect activates.]
[Can borrow up to 20% mana.]
Limits on targets……
Then my plan to use the queen as host was doomed from the start.
“Sheesh, who knew it’d come to this.”
Accepting this as best, my mind lightened.
Conversely, mana surged rapidly.
Her 20% alone filled over half my depleted reserves.
“This should do…….”
Not enough to kill the queen, but enough to cripple her halfway.
I dashed out immediately, shouting,
“Hey, feeling better in there?”
Deliberately exposing myself to taunt.
It worked perfectly.
Thud thud thud.
Spotting me, the queen shrieked and scurried her eight legs.
Kikikikikiki—
Even with a sword in her chest and hellfire burning inside, she displayed unchanged might.
But that reckless charge was exactly what I wanted.
[Trait, Manifestation used.]
I swiftly envisioned and materialized one sword.
A small blade, familiar crudeness overlaid with ornate patterns, gripped in my hand.
Crunch—
One Sword once more.
But unlike before, performance at a whopping 40%.
[Yeon Gaesomun’s One Sword (Replica)]
[Performance Limit: 40%]
[Description: One of the five swords said to be owned by Goguryeo’s Great Blockade Commander, Yeon Gaesomun. Used for the Flying Sword Technique, it pierces the designated target with unyielding force.]
[Effect: Agility +30%, Absolute Hit effect activates]
Materialization in just 10 seconds.
With original effects manifested, no issue against the queen.
Flick—
Lightly thrusting my hand, One Sword shot forward.
Swaaaaa—
Not to be outdone, the queen spewed dozens of spider threads.
Sharper than any blade, charging at me.
Before that massive, dense net of lines, One Sword advanced unwavering.
───────────!
Dozens of straight lines soon crossed toward each other.
Threads clung desperately to block One Sword.
But One Sword’s effect was Absolute Hit.
Sssslip—
It suddenly evaded the threads, swimming through the air in elegant curves.
Threads deformed to pursue, whipping sideways.
Swift lines traced paths, paths intersecting, tangling, blending.
Shwa shwa shwa shwa
A dizzying feast of lines, irregular dance dividing space in illusion.
“Where to.”
But ‘absolute’ isn’t easily blocked.
A law and principle holding until greater force intervenes.
So what could be done?
“If you’re weak, you die.”
Puk—
One Sword, like a beam, spun fiercely and pierced the queen’s abdomen.
Boom boom rumble.
Her half-melted maw silenced even groans as she tumbled about.
[All available mana expended.]
[Connection ends.]
I didn’t relax.
Bracing her trembling legs barely, preparing for contingencies.
I’d reached my limit too.
If she miraculously rose or rallied remnants for attack, no counter.
Fsssh.
Strong vibrations hit then.
What?
My already parched mouth dried further.
Kwaaaaang.
The underground sky split. A single beam fell.
Recognizing it, I collapsed unwittingly.
“Ah……. Mana drained.”
As expected of the protagonist.
His entrance timing shamed any hero.
Boom.
Landing perfectly, like a prince on white horse.
No, Baek Sa-young scanned around, face tense, asking me,
“You okay?”
Can’t you tell?
“Does this look okay? I’m right on the verge of passing out, man.”
“Huh? ……Yeah.”
If I’d known he’d arrive this fast, I’d have just hid……
Regret flooded, but I quickly pointed to the wall, speaking.
“Whatever, get the vital blood first. Cheon Seo-yun’s poisoned.”
“Got it. I’ll hurry.”
Baek Sa-young nodded resolutely and leaped at the queen.
As attributes infused his sword, a regrettable sigh escaped.
“Damn, I should’ve landed the finishing blow…….”
But circumstances didn’t allow.
The world spun suddenly.
Borrowed mana didn’t lessen the bodily toll.
Ah, my precious time……
Reaching out desperately, darkness engulfed everything.
* * *
Blink—
Prying heavy-as-lead eyelids, the world was blinding white.
Eyes stinging aside, doubt triggered automatic reaction.
I bolted up, looking around, when a calm voice sounded nearby.
“Awake already? This is the infirmary.”
Baek Sa-young.
……I see.
The single word ‘infirmary’ sketched the situation.
Carried here after pathetically passing out.
“They said mana exhaustion. Good rest fixes it. But isn’t this too soon? Supposed to take half a day…….”
Baek Sa-young eyed me worriedly.
Had he stayed by my side? A thick book tucked under his arm.
“Well…….”
[Trait, Resilient Recovery activates.]
A secret flickered before me, but I didn’t reveal it.
“More importantly, the message…….”
No quest completion message filling my view as expected, anxiety surged.
Swallowing the thick dryness in my mouth, I urgently spoke.