Cave Frog
The Cave Frog. A frog-type monster that primarily inhabits the stagnant pools of groundwater deep within caves. On average, these creatures measured around 40 centimeters in length—quite large compared to most frog-type monsters. Their most distinctive trait was their rough, stone-like skin. Croooooak……
Yet the Cave Frog possessed another, far more notable characteristic than its unique hide: a potent neurotoxin expelled in gaseous form from its calcareous skin. The invisible, mana-infused particles of lime dust would enter the body, cling to nerves and blood vessels, and induce paralysis—a type of mana poison frequently employed by assassins of the underworld. Of course, as a monster deployed for the maze escape match, its toxicity had been heavily nerfed, but it remained a far more troublesome opponent than the trolls they had faced thus far.
Parararararack.
Yet for Zeon, this monster was actually easier to handle. He had already grown thoroughly sick of dealing with poisons over the past month. "Hmph."
Strictly speaking, the Cave Frog’s toxin was a form of fine dust—the residue left after digesting its staple diet of rocks and expelled through its skin. It was akin to human sweat or urine, and in truth, it existed as solid powder rather than liquid or gas. Watching the thick cloud of stone dust billow out and obscure his vision, Zeon waved his hand. A small cluster of crackling electricity gathered between his fingers before he hurled it forward.
Boom!
The projectile became a spark that triggered a massive explosion around the Cave Frog. The sudden pressure surge caused by heat applied between the condensed particles followed the principle of a dust explosion, blasting the toxin away. However, in the enclosed space of a cave, this was closer to a blunder. A dust explosion worked by rapidly expanding the spaces between molecules; the Cave Frog’s poison wouldn’t vanish just because of an explosion. If anything, it would spread even farther.
Instead of avoiding the toxin, he was essentially filling the entire room with it. Nevertheless, Zeon had a simple reason for triggering the blast: he needed to disperse the thickly gathered poison. Thud!
Zeon charged straight through the spreading explosion. By accelerating the current within his body, he shortened the gap between thought and action to its absolute limit. With electricity gathered at his fingertips, he carved a path through the approaching toxin using the smallest possible movements. This maneuver would have been impossible without the prior dust explosion. Had he charged in directly, the current around his fingers would have been the least of his worries—his entire body would have been caught in the blast.
‘Professor Karlsen’s training really comes in handy at times like this.’
The method of countering threats that could come from anywhere had been drilled into him so thoroughly that his body remembered it instinctively. Especially when the attack involved poison. He hadn’t been dragging his bloated, swollen face to the academy every day just for show.
Parararararack!
Before the toxin could even touch him, electricity generated from his fingertips surged outward in all directions. Having forcibly carved out space, Zeon rushed straight toward the Cave Frog, which was flicking its long tongue in the center of the explosion.
Because it lived deep within caves, the Cave Frog’s eyes had atrophied, but its other senses—particularly hearing—had grown extremely sharp. Sensing Zeon’s approach, it lashed out with its elongated tongue like a whip. Swish!
The Cave Frog’s tongue wrapped around a stalactite hanging from the ceiling behind Zeon. Reflexively dodging it, Zeon simultaneously grabbed the stretched-out tongue. Feeling the unpleasant, clammy moisture against his palm, he grinned and generated crackling electricity.
“Nicely soaked. Electricity should conduct well.”
The Cave Frog’s skin was so hard that it hadn’t suffered a single scratch even in the dust explosion. But what about its insides? Could its tongue withstand his magic?
CROOOOOOO!!!
The answer was, of course, no. The current Zeon generated traveled rapidly along the Cave Frog’s saliva. With a acrid smell, the monster’s insides began to burn. After a brief convulsion, its body went limp and collapsed onto the ground.
“……”
As the Cave Frog died, the toxin it had scattered into the air gradually dissipated. Since it was a virtually created monster, the poison had vanished completely along with its death. Staring down at the dissolving polygonal remains, Zeon exhaled roughly.
‘Did I get hit a bit?’
His fingertips tingled faintly. He had tried his best to avoid everything, but it seemed he hadn’t completely escaped the Cave Frog’s toxin.
‘My concentration must have slipped.’
Since the match began, Zeon had been racing through the maze without a single moment of rest. The repeated battles against numerous monsters had drained his stamina to the limit.
‘That makes seven.’
Still, the results were satisfying. He had single-handedly eliminated more than half of the monsters in the maze. Even looking back through the entire history of the Academy Tournament, few had hunted this many monsters in such a short time.
Clench.
Zeon tightened his fist. Perhaps because of the various poisons he had endured under Professor Karlsen, the poison specialist, his body had developed a resistance that helped him shake off the Cave Frog’s toxin more quickly. As he had said earlier, no matter how potent the Cave Frog’s poison was, the one here was a heavily nerfed version of the original.
Hum.
Perhaps sensing the battle’s end—or fearing the spell might break—the spherical magic circle that had been floating high on the ceiling descended slowly toward Zeon. Like a small puppy seeking affection, it nuzzled against his left palm. But unlike a spirit, the sphere possessed no real emotions; it wasn’t actually fawning over him. This was not a positive signal, but a negative one heralding the worst. At the sphere’s ominous, trembling alarm, Zeon frowned and sighed.
‘No time to catch my breath.’
Following the sphere’s guidance, he quickly turned and sprinted forward. It was time to head for the exit. The signal meant Arina had reached her limit.
‘Has that guy shown up?’
Chris. The representative of Sirionella Private Academy and the strongest mage in this match. Given how violently the sphere was trembling, it seemed he had finally appeared before Arina.
‘He arrived faster than expected.’
Was it coincidence? Or did he have some special method of finding the escape room like Arina? Either way, from a results standpoint, it was truly unfortunate.
‘Judging from the faint echoes in the cave, there seems to be one more monster hiding nearby.’
If he had more time, he could have hunted one more. Though tempting, this was a case of excess being as bad as deficiency. Pushing his greed any further would likely leave him with nothing at all.
As he hurried onward, the words Professor Karlsen had spoken during training flashed through Zeon’s mind.
“Zeon’s greatest strength is that his abilities are evenly developed in all directions.”
Unlike Arina, who leaned heavily toward mana; unlike Marily, who focused on spellcraft; unlike Togun, who emphasized physical prowess. Compared to them, he lacked any standout talent, but he was a mage whose every stat had developed evenly. In a sense, this was less a matter of talent and more one of effort. While he might lack the qualities to reach the absolute pinnacle, he possessed the qualities to become a flawless mage whom no one could easily surpass.
“Therefore, in this tournament, Zeon must move the busiest—as the leader and the center of the team.”
He had to cover every teammate’s weaknesses and maximize their strengths. In this team, only Zeon, with his perfect balance, could accomplish that.
“Please become the best supporting actor who helps the other members shine.”
By now, most of the audience was probably stunned by the new magic system Arina had demonstrated. She would pour everything she had into holding Chris back, and everyone would be amazed by her performance. Yet even so, she wouldn’t be able to stop him completely. Between 3-star and 4-star mages lay a far greater gap than most realized.
‘I can’t let Arina’s first public performance end in failure.’
She had struggled desperately but ultimately couldn’t defeat a 4-star mage. Her frantic efforts had bought time against the 4-star mage and played a decisive role in the team’s victory. Which of the two would the public value more highly? Obviously the latter.
In other words, the evaluation of her performance depended on whether Zeon could escape the maze before Chris. Victory for the team mattered, but for Arina’s sake as well, they absolutely could not lose this match.
“Hahahaha! You there, the boy running this way! Judging by your uniform, you’re a student of Benedict Academy!”
At that moment, a man appeared before Zeon. With a triumphant expression and eyes gleaming with eagerness, he extended a hand toward him.
“A first-year participant, I see! First you get retired by a girl, and now you run into a teammate! This must be heaven granting me the perfect chance to avenge my earlier humiliation!”
With that, he clenched his fists confidently and shouted with vigor.
“Very well! I, Leon Nenfil, representative of Dominic Academy, shall be your opponent!”
“I’m busy, so get out of the way. Don’t stand there blocking the path and annoying me.”
In stark contrast to Leon’s blazing enthusiasm, Zeon’s response was as cold as ice, matching his gaze. Electricity gathered at Zeon’s feet. In an instant, he accelerated. The sudden change in speed caused Leon to miss Zeon’s movement for the briefest moment. Closing the distance, Zeon lightly tapped Leon’s shoulder as he passed.
“Gyaaaaaaaah!”
The same high-voltage current that had instantly killed the Cave Frog now mercilessly electrocuted Leon’s body. Having already been caught off guard by Arina, he had once again let his guard down completely and allowed the strike. Before he could even display the skill that had earned him the title of academy representative, Leon was struck by Zeon’s magic. He screamed and writhed in agony.
“Huuuuurgh.”
His eyes vacant as he stared ahead, black smoke pouring from his mouth like a chimney. Leon, roasted from head to toe by electricity, collapsed backward with a thud.
“……”
Without so much as a glance at the man dissolving into polygons, Zeon continued onward. It was unfortunate for Leon, but Zeon’s mind was entirely consumed by worry and concern for Arina. He didn’t even spare a glance for a small fry like this.
‘Please hold on just a little longer.’
I will definitely lead you—and this team—to victory. That was the only way he could repay the children who had trusted him and joined the tournament. With that thought, Zeon’s eyes hardened with resolve.