Chapter 322
Chapter Title: The Spider's Web
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322
The Noble dormitory’s base.
Karl, who was in charge of defending the base, wore a stunned expression.
“What? The Glory kids are all just defending?”
For Karl, who had been in charge of gathering information through various routes and formulating a strategy, this was baffling news.
‘Did Chloe figure it out?’
If it was Chloe, she was more than capable of changing plans in anticipation of an information leak.
Karl’s face was a mask of frustration.
“Hey, how about we send the siege weapons to support the strike team?”
“Yeah, if all the Glory kids are just defending, it’ll be hard to break through with our current forces.”
The Noble students remaining at the base discussed among themselves.
Most of the students left to defend the base were from the Magic Division.
They specialized in support and base defense rather than direct combat.
Just as the Noble students were laying out their defense plans.
*Thwip—!*
“Huh?”
Something flew through the air and embedded itself in a student’s back.
The light on the bracelet indicating their life force instantly went out.
The Noble student, judged as defeated, was forcibly teleported to the revival point.
The faces of the other Noble students hardened in an instant.
“Wh-what’s going on?”
A female student from Noble’s Magic Division frantically looked around.
“Hello?”
A soft voice drifted to them.
Karl’s face went pale with fright.
“Chen Xia? How did you get in here?!”
“I snuck in, of course.”
A faint, beautiful smile graced Chen Xia’s lips.
But that smile was like that of a grim reaper.
*Swish—!*
Chen Xia raised her hand.
In it was a throwing dagger.
“Run!”
“Aaaahhh!”
“Get away from meeee!”
For a mage.
Especially for mages who specialized in rear support or base defense, close-quarters combat against a knight was a highly disadvantageous fight.
It was an even more terrifying situation when the opponent’s skill was vastly superior.
And their opponent was Chen Xia, a member of the Shadow clan.
A woman who specialized in hunting Hero Hunters.
Smiling faintly at the scattering Noble students, Chen Xia pursued Karl.
“There are plenty of other people, so why are you chasing the weakest one?!”
“Karl. Do you know the basics of hunting?”
“How would I know that?!”
“It’s to eliminate the weakest prey first!”
“You’re from the Knight Division, don’t you have any chivalry?!”
“I’m from the Shadow clan.”
“Kyaaaaaah!”
Karl let out a scream filled with terror.
Indeed, this situation of being chased by Chen Xia was fear itself.
Just as Chen Xia was rapidly closing the distance on the fleeing Karl.
*Fwoosh! Ruumble!*
A massive sphere of fire flew toward Chen Xia.
Effortlessly dodging the attack, Chen Xia tilted her head.
“You dare barge into the heart of an enemy camp all by yourself?”
“Emio!”
“Emio’s back!”
The Noble students’ faces lit up.
Although he wasn’t considered among the strongest of the second-years, Emio was still in the upper echelons and capable of stopping Chen Xia.
“Insolent whelp.”
As Emio’s cold words fell, the ground beneath Chen Xia’s feet began to shake.
“Earth’s Bind.”
The moment the spell was complete, hands made of earth shot up from the ground and seized Chen Xia.
As Emio irritably clenched his fist, immense pressure was applied to the earthen prison surrounding Chen Xia.
*Crr-rack—!*
A ghastly sound echoed.
Seeing this, Emio scoffed.
It might have seemed like he appeared suddenly and cast a spell, but in reality, it was a powerful magic he had been preparing for a long time since confirming Chen Xia’s presence.
‘Chen Xia isn’t like Celia or Duran, who possess overwhelming destructive power.’
Within the Knight Division, she was considered to be on par with Celia and Duran, but their areas of expertise were strictly different.
‘In close combat, a mage is certainly weak against a knight. But with this much distance, the mage has a far greater advantage!’
Especially against someone like Celia or Duran.
Those two, despite being knights, possessed overwhelming firepower, making them capable of wide-area attacks and thus extremely tricky opponents for mages.
But Chen Xia was different.
As long as she wasn’t allowed to get close, one could maintain distance and attack her.
‘Leo Flove!’
*Grind—!*
Emio ground his teeth.
Though he admitted he’d been careless, the fact that he, a top-tier student of the Magic Division, had been so helplessly defeated in front of so many people from all over the world was enough to make him feel immense shame.
‘Damn it! That cowardly sneak attack…!’
Just as Emio was about to curse Leo and summon his mana.
*Thump—!*
The earthen prison that had enveloped Chen Xia distorted as if it were mud.
Seeing this, Emio’s face froze for a moment.
*Booooom—!*
The solid prison exploded.
Chen Xia, in a punching stance, met Emio’s eyes.
Stepping out with light footsteps, Chen Xia casually dusted off her clothes and smiled faintly.
“Your finishing touch was lacking, Emio.”
Emio’s face contorted violently.
But soon, the corners of his lips curled up.
“Escaping that spell was certainly impressive, but the situation is still in my favor.”
Emio didn’t think his combat power was significantly inferior to the top students.
Coming from a military family, he had learned magic specialized for combat.
A versatile mage armed with all sorts of practical attack spells.
He was currently fully prepared for battle.
“The place where a mage can exert their greatest combat power is none other than their base.”
Emio shouted confidently.
In fact, the dormitory bases were plastered with all sorts of magical formulas to enhance the power of defensive spells.
“On top of that, with the specific condition of ‘distance’ being met, I have an even greater advantage.”
Emio took out a mana sphere from his pocket.
The palm-sized mana sphere circled around him.
“Besides, my family has been punishing lowly creatures like you for generations.”
As a military family that had fought in countless wars, Emio’s family naturally made many enemies.
As a result, they had long been plagued by threats from the ‘Shadows,’ who made assassination their profession.
“I’m sick and tired of the Shadow clan’s fighting style.”
Emio spat out the words.
At his remark, Chen Xia’s eyes widened.
“So?”
“What?”
“I understand that the situation is advantageous for you, Emio. But…”
Chen Xia tilted her head, genuinely confused.
“Is that supposed to be a problem? I’m going to win anyway, right?”
Emio’s face twisted in anger.
“Do you think you’re Leo Flove?”
“Even if I’m not Young Master Leo, I think I can take down someone like you quite easily.”
“Nonsense.”
Emio summoned his mana.
“I’ll crush you!”
A massive amount of mana writhed irritably.
‘I never liked it in the first place, a lowly Shadow who couldn’t even gain the gods’ acknowledgment, pretending to be a hero candidate.’
A look of disgust filled Emio’s eyes.
Even under his gaze, Chen Xia smiled faintly.
The story about Chen Xia had already spread among the students.
Many students, regardless of their year, held hostility and disgust towards the Shadow clan.
That’s why such gazes were familiar to her.
But… Chen Xia didn’t care.
Because the person she considered the most heroic in the world had acknowledged her.
‘You will surely become a hero loved by the people.’
From the moment she took the hand he extended with a mature smile.
She vowed never to stop dreaming of becoming a hero.
The light Leo had shown her was too bright and radiant for her to worry about the opinions of others.
Remembering the boy who had affirmed her while holding the Book of Shadows, Chen Xia summoned her aura.
*Woooong—!*
Chen Xia used Aura Step to charge toward Emio.
Emio scoffed at the fierce charge and lightly used Fly magic to evade.
“A brutish attack.”
After that, Chen Xia’s attacks continued.
Emio dodged her attacks while continuously launching spells.
‘I have superior mobility, Chen Xia!’
The corners of Emio’s mouth curled up.
‘There’s no prey easier to hunt than a reckless knight!’
Thinking so, Emio continued to pour on the attack spells.
“Fire Bolt.”
*Fwoosh—!*
“Wind Cutter.”
*Whoooosh—!*
“Magic Missile.”
Emio fused the three spells, enhancing their power and setting their targeting, then unleashed the magic.
*K-k-k-k-k-k-k-crack—!*
Dozens of flaming blades that caused explosions rushed toward Chen Xia.
Seeing this, Chen Xia moved her body with fluid grace.
As if performing a beautiful dance.
She dodged all of Emio’s spells.
Watching Chen Xia evade his attacks like flowing water, Emio’s face contorted.
“You bastard!”
Just as Emio was about to use a more powerful spell.
Chen Xia leaped into the air and threw a single dagger.
“Hmph, as if I’d be hit by such a crude att—.”
*Flick—!*
In that moment.
Emio felt a sting on his cheek.
And Chen Xia, who had been falling to the ground, landed gracefully in mid-air as if stepping on an invisible floor.
His face hardening, Emio hastily chanted a spell.
“Search.”
As mana gathered in his eyes, he saw invisible threads spreading out like a spiderweb throughout the area and his face filled with shock.
“When did you…!”
“I told you, didn’t I? No matter how advantageous the battlefield is for you, the outcome won’t change.”
Standing on a thread, Chen Xia smiled faintly.
“Charging in to take you down like Celia or Duran is also possible, but that’s not my preferred style of combat. So I made a trap.”
“You cowardly….”
“You’re saying strange things, Emio. I’m the one who infiltrated the heart of the enemy camp. Is there anyone braver and less cowardly than me?”
With a bright smile, Chen Xia extended her right hand.
*Clench!*
“Keuk!”
An invisible thread wrapped around Emio’s neck.
“A trap like this wouldn’t have worked on Abad or Chelsea, though.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You think you can subdue me with a crude thread like th—.”
For a moment, Emio felt his mind go blank.
“Spiders, you see.”
Chen Xia said in a whisper.
“They bite their captured prey to inject venom before eating them.”
After saying that, Chen Xia mimed a bite in the air and winked one eye.
“Scary, isn’t it?”
It was an incredibly innocent and cute gesture, but in this moment, it was more terrifying than anything.
“Y-you… eek!”
Smiling faintly at the dazed Emio, Chen Xia pulled the thread.
In that instant, the light on his bracelet vanished as if switched off.
Watching Chen Xia subdue Emio in the blink of an eye, the Magic Division students who had been observing the situation shouted.
“We’re ready to fight too!”
*Ruuuumble—!*
Golems made of guardians appeared here and there.
“Get ready!”
“I don’t know why you came all the way here…! But no matter how strong you are, you won’t get out of this unscathed if we all attack at once, Chen Xia!”
Fierce voices came from all around.
Chen Xia scanned the students and smiled brightly.
“Chloe predicted that Noble and Harmony would launch a pincer attack. That’s why Young Master Leo was tasked with intercepting the enemies attacking from the rear.”
Chen Xia retracted her aura.
“I was tasked with infiltrating the other dormitory bases to gather information.”
It was a strategy made possible by Chen Xia, a member of the Shadow clan.
“So, what I’m saying is.”
Chen Xia’s eyes narrowed.
“I don’t see Karl anywhere.”
At those words, the faces of the Noble students momentarily stiffened.
Chen Xia’s gaze sharpened.
“Abad, you had quite an interesting idea.”
At Chen Xia’s words, a female Noble student snapped and shouted.
“N-no, you’re wrong! It’s not what you think…!”
‘You idiot!’
‘How could you say that out loud!’
The Noble students clutched their heads and screamed internally.
***
Celia gripped her sword and charged toward Glory’s walls.
*Fwoooosh—!*
An ominous flame blazed from Celia’s sword.
*Cra-cra-cra-cra-cra-cra-clash—!*
As a red light flashed in her eyes, the blade of fire struck Glory’s walls.
“What kind of knight is that?!”
“She’s a total siege weapon!”
“She’s not even a mage!”
The Glory students defending against Harmony’s attack screamed.
No matter how overwhelmingly advantageous it was to defend from a base, only Chloe was currently defending Glory’s base.
As a result, every time dormitory heads like Celia or Abad launched an assault, the base walls were pushed to their limit.
‘Why hasn’t Woreden returned? According to Chelsea, Duran and Eliza from Noble haven’t returned either.’
Celia narrowed her brow.
‘Are they fighting Leo?’
Just as Celia was lost in thought.
*Fwoosh—! Whoosh—!*
The flames that had been raging around Celia scattered in all directions.
At that, Celia flinched, her shoulders trembling.
*Step— step—*
Someone emerged from within the parting flames.
Recognizing the person’s face, Celia’s expression turned to one of surprise.
“Leo?”
Celia’s expression became guarded.
Looking at his cousin, Leo spoke.
“Come to think of it…”
“……?”
“We’ve never had a serious fight, have we?”
Watching Leo’s mature smile, Celia felt the hair on her entire body stand on end.