Chapter 235
Chapter 235
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 235
Chapter Title: Combat Simulation (5)
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Shirone took the words to heart. Regardless of their future profession, a mage had to be able to protect themselves and their comrades. This was because they were only ever assigned missions that ordinary people couldn't handle. If a mage was just going to sit at a desk and shuffle papers, it was far more efficient to simply hire a scholar.
“Then let’s begin in earnest. Testing with a succubus is a bit much, so this time, please summon a Dragon Tooth Warrior.”
As if he had been waiting for those very words, Thadd immediately dispelled the succubus. When he input the code for a Dragon Tooth Warrior, a steel-colored skeleton was projected into the Icheonbeon.
The students erupted in cheers once again. Dragon Tooth Warriors were magical creatures made from a dragon's fangs. They were so durable that physical attacks were almost useless, making them powerful monsters that were said to be better to flee from unless one had a divine mage who knew Turn Undead.
“For this demonstration, I'd like to call up one of the teachers.”
“I’ll do it.”
Thadd stepped forward. Honestly, he didn't want to, but he couldn't let Shina or Etella go. He had no desire to see a woman get beaten up by a Dragon Tooth Warrior.
“Although this is a simulation, the information you receive is based on a real Dragon Tooth Warrior, so you can consider it actual combat. Let’s start lightly with a 50 percent sync rate. Is that all right?”
“Haha! Of course. 50 percent is nothing.”
In truth, it wasn't all right at all. Even for a certified Grade 6 mage, a Dragon Tooth Warrior was a formidable monster. No matter if the impact was halved, he couldn't guarantee his mind could withstand it.
“Now, Teacher Thadd will receive an attack from the Dragon Tooth Warrior.”
The Dragon Tooth Warrior approached with heavy, thudding footsteps.
*Scary. Dammit.*
Thadd waited with a grim expression. As the massive skeleton drew near and raised its ancient-looking sword, the students’ eyes widened.
The presence it gave off was incredible.
“Huh? Wh-what?”
The Dragon Tooth Warrior’s arm descended with terrifying speed.
As the virtual sword passed through Thadd’s body, the percentage gauge floating above his head dropped by 50 percent.
Thadd struggled to maintain a composed expression.
“As you can see, Teacher Thadd’s mental energy has been halved. This is because being struck by the sword means death. Since the current sync rate is 50 percent, only half was depleted. When a mage is judged to be dead, the hologram passes through them. We call this ‘being consumed.’ Now, I will demonstrate a defensive judgment. Teacher Thadd.”
Like a seasoned assistant, Thadd immediately cast a spell. He used Air Skin, and as a barrier of compressed air formed around his body, the percentage gauge decreased by 1 percent.
Since the gauge quantified mental energy, it decreased not only when one was attacked, but also when one cast a spell.
“Now, let’s have him take the Dragon Tooth Warrior’s attack.”
The Dragon Tooth Warrior raised its arm and swung its sword down. This time, the judgment was different from being consumed. The blade stopped as if it had slammed squarely into the crown of Thadd’s head. The percentage gauge dropped by 1.8 percent.
Olivia nodded in satisfaction.
“Impressive, as expected. For the cost of 1 percent to cast Air Skin, you gained 48.2 percent in defensive power. In a real battle, this would mean his mind was barely shaken even after taking a full-power blow from a Dragon Tooth Warrior. You all see how strong Teacher Thadd is, don’t you?”
All the students answered with a loud yes. If the attack was powerful enough to deplete 1.8 percent of a certified Grade 6 mage’s mental energy, the advanced class students would die instantly from a mere graze.
Thadd puffed out his chest proudly. There was no need to reveal the fact that he had frantically deployed a numerical formula right before being hit.
“When the hologram does not pass through, it is called ‘blocking.’ Being consumed and blocking. When these two judgments occur, mental energy is drained through Anti-magic and mana control techniques.”
Mana control was a technique that blocked specific circuits in the brain, making it impossible to concentrate.
The Spirit Zone was a phenomenon where the entire brain became active; therefore, blocking even a small part of the cerebral network would make concentration impossible.
When one circuit was blocked, the brain would immediately reroute to transmit information through another path.
However, the mana control device also changed its blocking path at a rate of 20 times per second, creating a state where one could think but could not enter the Spirit Zone.
Of course, it was possible to enter the Spirit Zone if one could surpass the blocking speed of 20 times per second and even bypass the irregular patterns.
But the Association’s official stance was that this was impossible for anyone less than a certified Grade 2 Archmage.
While it was an incredible technology, the students had little interest in mana control.
It didn't harm the mind and was originally developed for use on criminals, so it was natural that only those dreaming of becoming engineers would find it interesting.
However, they couldn't help but be frightened by the term Anti-magic.
“Headmaster, Anti-magic seems a bit…”
“Yes, I know what you’re worried about. It’s a magic that damages the mind. But as long as the sync rate isn’t over 80 percent, there’s no significant danger, so don’t worry.”
Olivia concluded firmly and moved on to the next topic.
“Now, let’s move on to the attack judgment. This is called ‘pushback.’ Teacher Thadd.”
This time, it was his turn to attack the Dragon Tooth Warrior. But Thadd could only smack his lips.
Without the ability to use divine magic, he would need enough physical force to shatter a dragon’s tooth or enough firepower to melt it.
It wasn't impossible if he went all out, but he didn't want to show himself struggling in front of the students.
“Um, the Dragon Tooth Warrior is…”
“Ah, I see. I’ll take care of it.”
Thadd stepped back, and Olivia took his place.
Facing the Dragon Tooth Warrior, she lightly raised her hand and cast the divine magic, Holy Cross.
As a brilliant light erupted from her palm, a large cross of light exploded in the center of the Dragon Tooth Warrior’s chest.
Staggered by the impact, the warrior stumbled backward.
“This is pushback. While virtual information cannot physically push your bodies, it is entirely possible for the hologram. The judgment for a monster’s death also falls under pushback. Let me demonstrate.”
Olivia gently pursed her lips. A high-frequency sound, a sharp *ping*, escaped from between her sensuously parted lips.
When she cast Holy Cross again, a cross four times larger than before shattered the Dragon Tooth Warrior.
The students’ eyes went wide at the sight of bones dancing in the air.
The teachers were just as shocked.
As the foremost authority on verbal magic, she had effortlessly executed Single-Sound Art, an advanced super-sonic technique.
Shina watched her with a complex expression. She had tried her best to hold out until Alpheas returned, but she couldn't stop the welling sense of admiration.
“Incredible. Judging by the amplification, that must have been over two thousand syllables.”
“I think it took 0.82 seconds. That’s like reading five pages of a novel in less than a second.”
Etella’s vivid analogy sent a shiver down their spines.
They couldn't even begin to grasp that kind of speed, no matter how they tried to imagine it.
“The foundation of verbal magic is to internalize and then vocalize. Her pronunciation is one thing, but the speed of her thought is terrifying.”
“Yes, that’s why they use a Mind Prison on S-rank criminals instead of a mana control device, to stop them from thinking at all. Of course, the Headmaster isn’t a criminal.”
What was most astonishing was that the gauge displaying Olivia’s mental energy hadn't decreased at all after she cast the spell.
The reduction must have been within 0.1 percent. To her, destroying a Dragon Tooth Warrior seemed easier than breathing.
“This concludes the basic explanation of the Icheonbeon. Classes will alternate between the Image Zone and the Icheonbeon, so please check your schedules carefully. Class Seven will set their sync rate to 20 percent, and it will increase by 10 percent for each subsequent class, up to 50 percent for Class Four. For your reference, the graduating class is currently training at 80 percent, and it will be 100 percent for the graduation exam. If you have any further questions, please ask them now.”
A student from Class Four raised his hand.
“What happens if the gauge is completely depleted?”
“A good question. Please look at Teacher Thadd’s gauge.”
The students’ gazes turned to Thadd. His gauge was already fully replenished.
“The mental energy gauge reflects a mage’s mind in real time. It decreases when you are attacked and when you cast magic. Of course, it replenishes when you rest. If it reaches 0 percent, the two bracelets will light up, and the Icheonbeon’s effect will disappear. Any other questions?”
“Uh… is that really all?”
Olivia smiled with her eyes.
“Yes, that’s all. Through the Icheonbeon practical training, you will be able to vastly improve your tactical and strategic understanding. Most importantly, the core function of the Icheonbeon hasn't even been introduced yet, so there’s no need to be nervous already.”
The teachers’ expressions darkened.
While they acknowledged the Icheonbeon’s effectiveness, the reason it had been restricted to the graduating class was because of problems like this.
“No matter how strong a monster is, it’s nothing more than artificially collected, dead information. The existence of a pattern means a method to conquer it can also be found. The true strength of the Icheonbeon lies elsewhere. In the clash between unpredictable information—between living information.”
The students began to murmur. Having understood the Icheonbeon’s system, they could guess the meaning behind Olivia’s words.
“The highlight of the Icheonbeon: player-versus-player combat.”
@
The integrated advanced classes were divided into Image Zone and Icheonbeon sessions. The students, having quickly adapted to Olivia’s policies, no longer felt any resistance toward the Icheonbeon.
“Hey, over there! Get it!”
“No, we need to herd it this way!”
The Class Seven students were hunting a Taikon.
It was a featherless, reddish-brown monstrous bird with a long beak and sharp talons. It wasn't very large, and with the sync rate at only 10 percent, it was a monster they could hunt fearlessly.
As dozens of students cast their spells into the sky, a web of anti-air fire spread out. Caught in the concentrated barrage, the Taikon was battered by all sorts of magic before plummeting to the ground.
“We got it! It was hit by my Ice Sword!”
“No, you idiot! It went down because of the Wind Cutter I threw!”
“Whatever, we won! We caught a monster!”
The standard tactic for hunting flying monsters was to create a barrage of fire in their path. The Class Seven students were learning firsthand just how effective an anti-air barrage was in a real fight.
Shirone could feel the change in the students.
Ever since the Icheonbeon classes began, all the students had become more dedicated to their magic training. It was the effect of the practical-minded approach Olivia championed.
After the younger students’ practice ended, it was Class Four’s turn, and the level of the monsters rose significantly.
The Ulks they had met in the slash-and-burn village were now basic fare, with giant scorpions and Harpies that used sound magic running rampant.
The troll with its regenerative abilities was the trickiest. They had heard it was weak to magic, but mediocre attacks didn't even seem to faze it.
“Come forth, Merses.”
Boyle summoned a Merses, a creature that inhabited the arctic seas.
It was a creature from the monster kingdom's phylum Echino-monstrum, sea urchin class, a sphere 50 centimeters in diameter covered in hard, spine-like cilia.
It had no intelligence, but once it latched onto a target, it had a habit of cooling its surroundings to match its native environment, making it a choice for summoners in need of ice-based abilities.
Unable to survive for even a minute at room temperature, the Merses that attached itself to the troll’s back instinctively radiated cold.
As the troll began to freeze, its regenerative ability slowed, and its movements became sluggish. Seizing the opportunity, the students unleashed a concentrated attack and shattered the troll.
“We did it! We defeated a troll!”
“Boyle, that was amazing! To learn to summon a Merses, you have to live in a sub-zero environment for at least two months, right? When did you go to the North Pole?”
“Haha! The North Pole? What are you talking about? I practically lived in a cold storage warehouse every day.”
With the introduction of the Icheonbeon, Boyle’s reputation had soared. In traditional classes, there weren't many opportunities to prove the utility of summoning magic, but in practical combat, his summoned creatures, possessing extreme abilities that mages of his age couldn't replicate, were shining.
On the other hand, Pandora, who had been ranked second in Class Four, was growing increasingly anxious.
Her desire to stand out was strong, but it was impossible to overwhelm monsters with her scent magic.