The Genius Summoner — Chapter 41
Shaaaaak!
Simon's spear brushed past the Cyclops's cheek by a hair's breadth.
Damn, so close!
Simon swallowed his disappointment as he touched down on the ground. Enraged down to its very core, the Cyclops began swinging its club like a madman.
BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOOOM!
Every time the club struck the floor and the walls, the whole dungeon shuddered. Simon's movements as he reacted and dodged the onslaught looked nothing short of miraculous, but in truth, he was in an extremely precarious state.
Th-Thank you, Professor Hong Peng...!
If it hadn't been for the Internal Jet-Black Operation she'd taught him, he would have been done for ages ago. The Cyclops leapt forward in a massive bound and brought its club crashing down.
KWAAAAAANG!
"Simon!"
Camibarez screamed.
Just then, through the hazy clouds of dust kicked up from the floor, Simon could be seen stumbling out.
Barrier Gauge: 72%
Simon wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
Not a single direct hit. They've all been glancing blows — so why is this...?!
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The Cyclops advanced, eyes blazing.
Simon felt a strong sense of wrongness. Even after three casts of Exhaust, the creature was moving almost perfectly fine, as if the curse had never touched it at all.
Dick seemed to be thinking the same thing, cold sweat dripping down his face.
Three direct hits and it's still like this — how many stacks would it take to actually stop that thing?
Upper control room of the Underground Dungeon.
Jane sat before a bank of screens showing Group 7's battle from multiple angles. She held a scoring sheet in her hand, her quill moving rapidly even at this very moment.
"Professor Jane! Something really does seem to be wrong with this Cyclops!"
The TA standing beside her spoke with a stiff face.
"Its specs far exceed those of the Cyclopses the other groups are facing! It's gone berserk, and curses barely take hold on it! We should halt the exam right now and swap in a new Cyclops—!"
"Let's observe for now."
"...I beg your pardon?"
Jane said nothing more, focusing on her scoring.
.......
She was a TA who had never once pushed back against a Kizen professor in her entire career, but she couldn't help feeling that this was going too far.
"Professor! This throws all fairness out the window! This is an accident — a berserk Cyclops is uncontrollable! You must stop the exam immediately!"
"...Fairness."
Jane, who had been moving her quill, removed her glasses and set them down on the table.
"Not a particularly valued virtue at Kizen, I'm afraid."
"...Professor?"
"Do you TAs only face weak opponents in the field? Do you curl up and abandon your mission every time an enemy exceeds your expectations, every time a variable crops up?"
"Th-That's not...!"
The TA faltered, biting her lip for a moment, before hurrying to continue.
"But this isn't the field, is it! Besides, these students are far too young!"
"Age is irrelevant. What matters is that they are at Kizen."
"Professor!"
"Let's trust them and watch."
Jane said, her eyes glinting.
What mattered wasn't the exam, the grades, or any such numerical measure — it was what the students could learn through a particular, singular experience.
"It seems they've realized a change is needed."
"Everyone."
Simon, having retreated far away after dodging another swing of the Cyclops's club, turned to his teammates.
"Let's give up on the curses. They're clearly not working."
"Th-There's no way that's true!"
Meilin cried out.
"Did you not see what the other groups did? They all took it down with Exhaust — why is it only us...!"
"I don't know the reason either."
Simon raised his head and studied the Cyclops closely.
Bloodshot eyes, bulging muscles, tendons swelling abnormally tight.
Had they simply been unlucky enough to run into one that was in peak condition?
"I agree with Simon. The fact is, Exhaust just isn't landing right now."
Dick chimed in. Meilin wasn't thrilled about abandoning the curse strategy either, but she found it hard to deny that the Cyclops looked perfectly healthy.
Simon spoke again.
"So we have to take it down a different way."
"...How?"
Meilin made a face like she was about to cry.
Honestly, she even felt a little wronged. Everything was going so badly that it seemed almost absurd.
Her deployment was blocked, luring the undead was blocked, even the curses were blocked.
Every plan they'd made had been reduced to foam — what more could they possibly do from here?
"Just... do whatever you want."
FWOOOOOOM!
Simon, having dodged the Cyclops's club as it fell diagonally, continued.
"Scrap every tactic we've drawn up so far. Just help me however you feel like helping."
"What is that supposed to—!"
BOOOM!
Simon's footing wavered slightly as he evaded the third swing. The Cyclops seized the chance and raised its club to strike again —
Shaaaaararararak!
A red wave, thick with the scent of blood, swept across the Cyclops's face. When its vision suddenly flooded crimson, the startled monster staggered backward.
"Got it!"
Camibarez, who had cast the Blood Flow magic Blood Silk, winked one eye.
"I just help you however I want, right, Simon?"
"Simon!"
Dick pulled a sword from his subspace, enchanted it, and hurled it.
"Catch!"
The sword Dick had thrown was flying toward the Cyclops's back. As everyone watching wondered where on earth it was headed, a skeleton appeared like the wind and snatched the blade out of the air.
Shaaaak!
Spinning around, it swung the sword. A long gash tore open across the thick hide near the Cyclops's waist, and a fountain of blood erupted skyward. The Cyclops whirled around in fury to face the skeleton.
"Dick! Nice enchant!"
While the skeleton drew the Cyclops's attacks, Simon put more distance between them.
Dick started pulling a whole arsenal out of his subspace, enchanting weapon after weapon and hurling them across the field, while Camibarez controlled her Blood Silk to block the Cyclops's vision and keep it harried and off-balance.
Now — focus.
There were still far too many stray thoughts in his head.
Amid the ferocious, unrelenting battle — even though it might be madness — Simon slowly closed his eyes. The roar of the battlefield fell silent in an instant.
His consciousness expanded. His spirit soared.
Hoooooo...
Sound vanished. Time slowed.
The world Bahil had shown him during Curse Studies class.
Having experienced it once, Simon could now partially recreate that mental image.
Thank you, Professor Bahil!
Simon's eyes snapped open.
Twenty skeletons burst up out of the subspace on the floor all at once.
Thank you, Pier!
Through staggered rotation, he sent three skeletons at a time against the Cyclops. Before anyone realized it, the creature was completely surrounded by a dense ring of skeletons.
The frenzied Cyclops swung its club. Multiple skeletons shattered in a single blow and scattered across the ground. Bones flew, rolling and clattering across the floor.
It didn't matter in the slightest.
Restoration!
In an instant, one skeleton snapped back to its original form, scooped up a fallen sword, and swung.
Shaaaak!
The Cyclops's heel was cleaved, a chunk of flesh sheared away.
Crack!
As the Cyclops staggered from the severed heel, a skeleton on the ground drove a spear into it.
Shak!
Another skeleton on the Cyclops's back swung its sword, leaving a long gash across the monster's shoulders.
"Two more spears!"
Dick enchanted the weapons with Jet-Black and scattered them randomly around the Cyclops. Then Simon moved the skeletons.
The skeletal remains strewn across the floor restored themselves, grasped the fallen weapons, and attacked.
No matter how fast or strong, no one could block attacks coming from all 360 degrees.
The Cyclops couldn't collect itself. Look forward, and its back was cut; turn around, and spearpoints rose from the floor; stomp its feet, and its flank was already being sliced open.
The Cyclops was like a beast caught in a trap. With every struggle, its whole body was being carved to ribbons.
"WAAAAAAAH!"
"PUSH IT!"
The Class A students watching from above pressed themselves against the transparent wall, erupting in cheers. This was on a completely different level from the monotonous strategies and tactics they'd seen so far.
Caught up in the exhilaration, Simon swung both arms like a conductor, controlling his skeletons.
Not enough. The tip of his nose tingled.
Something was still missing. Something more — he felt like he could do even better than this.
-Now do you understand, boy! The stronger the will, the more it draws out the latent power and aggression of the undead!
Will.
A will stronger than anything else.
Simon's eyes snapped open.
KILL IT!
The shattered skeletons began restoring faster.
KILL IT!
The skeletons' limbs whirled chaotically through the air, carving the Cyclops to pieces.
KILL IT!!!
The dead howled. Weapons whirled as if dancing.
By Simon's Absolute Order, in this very moment, the Legion existed for one purpose alone — to destroy that Cyclops.
A relentless offensive that never tired.
Striking routes with no pattern at all.
A mixture of improvisation and fundamentals.
It was, truly, a picture-perfect display of what necromancy was meant to be.
-GRAAAAAAGH!
The Cyclops, its body now covered in countless wounds, exploded with rage and charged straight through the skeletons at Simon.
"Dodge! Simon!"
Simon was past mere focus now — he was in a state of total immersion. His reaction came late. Before he could even prepare himself, the Cyclops's club was already falling toward his head.
⟨ Jet-Black Elemental Magic — Ice Discipline: Wall of Ice ⟩
KRAAAAAAANG!
A black ice wall surged up from the magic circle on the floor and knocked the Cyclops's club aside. Startled, Simon spun around.
"Keep going! Simon!"
Meilin shouted through gritted teeth.
"Now that it's come to this, do NOT lose!"
The ice walls kept rising, hampering the Cyclops's movements. The creature tried smashing its way through them, and the blood pouring from its wounds soaked the black glacier deep red.
Thanks to the reprieve, Simon caught his breath and quietly stared at the Cyclops as it demolished the ice walls, preparing his next dark spell.
KWAAAAAANG!
Eventually the frenzied beast smashed through every wall and leapt at Simon.
...This is bad.
Andrew, the safety officer who had been quietly lurking and observing, extended his arm.
The Cyclops's current attack was powerful enough to punch straight through Simon's vest barrier in a single blow. If it landed clean, the boy could be crippled for life.
Professors and students alike, honestly...!
He had to stop this madness right now.
The moment Andrew resolved to shoot down the Cyclops, his eyes caught sight of a magic circle.
A blood-red circle, painted across the dead center of the Cyclops's abdomen.
"NOW, CAMI!"
At Simon's shout, Andrew hastily drew his arm back.
FWAAAAAAH!
Jet-black energy erupted like flame from Camibarez's entire body as she stood in her set position. Her hair bristled upward, and tears of jet-black, like tears of blood, streamed down from both her eyes.
Blood Flow magic usable only by the vampires of the Ursula family.
The finest flower of all Blood Flow magic.
⟨ Massive Hemorrhage — Overflow ⟩
SHAAAAAAAAAK!
Forearms, chest, shoulders, thighs, heels — from every one of the countless wounds Simon's skeletons had carved, fountains of blood erupted all at once.
Hemorrhage combined with poison magic was the most powerful support tool a set-position teammate could provide.
"Whoa...!!"
The sight of the enormous monster spewing blood from every wound across its body was both chilling and awe-inspiring. In moments, the dungeon interior had been dyed scarlet. Even Simon, watching from behind, couldn't hold back a gasp of admiration.
So this is Massive Hemorrhage!
Everyone in Group 7 had known that Camibarez could cast it, from the time they'd all shared their full capabilities with each other.
But it was unstable for practical use, and it required a massive buildup — opening enough wounds on the Cyclops's body first — so it had only ever been Plan B.
Now, with Meilin's Dark Flare sealed away, it was undeniably the main plan.
Camibarez was the core damage dealer of this entire battle.
"...Hhk!"
Having poured out far too much power, Camibarez swayed from anemia and collapsed where she stood. Her role was over now.
"Please! Simon!"
"Leave it to me."
This time, Simon raised both arms high.
A trump card he had drilled over and over — one that, in all honesty, no other first-year in all of Kizen possessed.
The scattered skeletal bones strewn chaotically across the dungeon floor surged up into the air.
Thank you, Professor Aaron!
Everything he had learned at Kizen became his strength.
Simon clenched his fist.
The countless bones floating in the air shot forward, burrowing into the wounds the Cyclops carried — the wounds Camibarez's hemorrhage magic had torn wide open.
-KIEEEEEEEE!
A secret technique striking over a hundred wounds simultaneously.
The Cyclops went berserk with agony. It shrieked, toppled over, and began slamming its head wildly against the walls.
Sorry, but this still isn't over. Fist clenched, Simon twisted his right arm sideways.
Restoration!
The bones that had burrowed into the wounds gathered toward the center of the Cyclops's body, carrying out the Restoration command from within. They severed blood vessels, tore organs, and bored deep into muscle.
-GRAAAAAAAAAAAGH!
The Cyclops was being destroyed from the inside.
"...Unbelievable."
In the waiting room, a male student watching through the glass wall let his mouth hang open.
Losing Meilin had been a crippling blow. No one had imagined Group 7 could produce such an overwhelming display.
And yet.
"Hell yeah! That's INSANE!"
"Go get 'em, Simon!"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Everyone's expectations were being trampled flat before their eyes.
Those who had sneered, those who had clicked their tongues, those who had pitied them — every last one of them pounded the wall and roared with delight.
They forgot entirely that they were rivals. Simon and Group 7's performance stirred something in their chests — the burning pride of fellow necromancers.
"Hahk! Hahk!"
Simon's right arm went limp. He'd exhausted every last residue of jet-black left in his bones — no more Restoration commands were possible.
In the meantime, Dick and Meilin were pulling narvie potions from their packs and hurling them at the blood-soaked Cyclops. As the potion seeped into the wounds, the creature's muscles could be seen twisting and contracting.
"That's it!"
"It's working!"
Simon knelt on one knee, gasping for air.
He had truly done everything he could do.
Just stay down, please.
BOOOM!
But no.
The blood-drenched Cyclops finally began pushing itself up off the floor. Camibarez, still on the ground, went pale with terror.
"I-It can still... get up?"
Its bones twisted, its blood drained, its organs ruptured — and still the Cyclops came shambling toward Simon like a walking corpse. In its burning eyes, he could feel a vicious, desperate will to kill.
So nothing short of instant death means anything, huh?
Meeting that gaze head-on, Simon said flatly:
"Dick."
"Ready when you are! Catch!"
Dick hurled the fully enchanted claymore in front of Simon. The blade was dyed jet-black from tip to hilt.
"I packed every drop of jet-black I had into this one! It lasts exactly ten minutes!"
"Thanks."
Simon took the claymore's grip and set his stance. The physical activation he'd learned from Hong Peng was no longer available either.
Monster and summoner alike — both were running on fumes. From here on out, it was a battle of willpower.
THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
The half-dead Cyclops came charging.
Ta-dad!
Simon charged right back, claymore in hand, refusing to yield. The Cyclops swung its club first.
WHOOOM!
Simon twisted his body sideways and dodged.
The Cyclops's movements were slower and clumsier than before — beyond all comparison. Just as Simon moved to exploit the opening—
Huh?
The world spun. He'd been so focused on pushing the Cyclops that he hadn't even registered that his own strength and focus were at their limits.
His drained right leg buckled and slid out from under him, and Simon's body hit the ground rolling.
"Simon!"
"GET UP!!"
Simon gritted his teeth and forced himself upright. The Cyclops charged again and swung; Simon dropped low and dodged.
"Win this, Simon!"
"DODGE IT!!"
The Class A students pressed against the glass wall, screaming at the top of their lungs.
By now even Hector, who had roughly shoved his way through the crowd of students, was glaring down at Simon, snorting hard.
This is insane.
The TA in the monitor room was stunned.
Of course, Simon's exploits were astonishing enough on their own — but—
Professor Jane... she's standing?
Having risen from her seat, she had even dropped the scoring sheet she'd been holding, staring fixedly at the screen.
Five years serving under her, and she had never once looked like this.
And inside the dungeon—
Andrew, hidden and on standby, looked down at his own palm.
It was slick with sweat.
How embarrassing.
A seasoned professional, getting worked up over a student's fight. Andrew rubbed the sweat from his palm onto his trousers, thinking he really was getting old.
FWOOOOOONG!
Simon, having leaned back to dodge the club, staggered and retreated.
He could close the distance, but thrusting Dick's claymore precisely into the thing's heart or skull was nearly impossible — the enemy was simply too tall.
"Simon!"
Then Meilin shouted.
"I'll raise an ice wall under your feet! Step on it and slash in one motion! You can do that, right?!"
Good call! Simon nodded quickly.
The Cyclops, incapable of understanding human speech, swung its club in a horizontal arc.
Simon didn't dodge. He dropped to his knees against the floor, and from the magic circle beneath him, Meilin's ice wall erupted skyward.
Shaaaararak!
The club crashed into the ice wall. Rising a full two meters in an instant, Simon used the wall as a stepping stone and launched himself upward.
Got it.
Time was still crawling, and his focus had not broken. Right before his eyes — the nape of the Cyclops's neck.
Simon drove power into his arm. Just as the unshaking blade was about to carry cleanly into the Cyclops's neck—
CRACK!
"...Agh!"
Someone's scream tore through the air.
The Cyclops had hammered Simon with its opposite fist. Simon's body flew back dozens of meters and slammed into the wall.
"SIMON!!"
"Are you okay?! Simon!"
Pained cries burst from the set position. Simon opened his eyes through searing pain.
Barrier Gauge: 7%
Still.
Time was slow.
Above the Cyclops, frozen mid-punch with its fist extended, Simon could see the claymore he'd lost grip of — tumbling end over end through the air in a wide circle, descending.
Of course.
Simon raised the corner of his mouth and stretched out his arm.
Finishing it like this wouldn't be befitting of a necromancer, now would it.
The final move he'd been saving until the very end.
Simon issued the Restoration command.
ZHA-ZHAK!
Onto the wound gouged in the Cyclops's chest — onto the skeleton's shoulder blade already wedged inside it — the arm bones on the floor flew in like lightning, snapping into place to form an arm.
TUP!
In the next instant, the skeleton's new arm snatched the tumbling claymore out of its arc.
And then—
THOOOONK!
Without a moment's hesitation, it punched straight through the Cyclops's neck.
"Ah......!"
A colossal silence descended upon the dungeon.
Simon rose to his feet on trembling legs.
And at the same moment—
BOOOOOM!
The Cyclops crashed to the ground.
"......Hahk! Phew! Hah!"
Exhaling ragged breaths, Simon laboriously tilted his head back.
Finally!
His chest was so full he felt like he might go mad. Simon raised his right arm and thrust his blood-soaked fist into the air.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Thunderous cheers erupted from every direction.
Hector turned his back. In the monitor room, Jane only then returned to her seat. Andrew materialized out of thin air, wiping the sweat streaming down his forehead, and spoke.
"Group 7. Successful hunt of the Cyclops."
"WE DID IIIIIIT!"
The three at the set position erupted into screams and threw themselves at Simon.
"SIMOOOOON!"
Camibarez, the first to reach him, flung her arms around him with all her strength.
"Yeah! Yeah! You're seriously the best!"
Dick came sprinting up right behind her, ruffling Simon's hair into a total mess, hoarse from shouting.
"You did it! You really did it! BAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Thank goodness! Oh, thank goodness!"
Simon was coughing, out of breath, but smiling all the same — as Meilin, having stepped away from the set position, was walking toward him.
Her face was a tangle of emotions. She brushed a hand across it once, returned to her usual prim expression, and held out her palm.
"...Hmph. W-Well done! I'll call it even that I owe you one this time."
Her voice trembled at the very end as she said it. Simon walked over with a grin and gave her a high five.
"You did great too, Meilin."
"...Simon."
"Yeah?"
"About yesterday, I'm sor—"
Before he could hear the rest, Dick and Camibarez wrapped the two of them up in a group hug from both sides. Once more, everyone erupted in cheers, basking in the joy of the moment.
"Somebody make me sincere too, you dumb rice balls!"
Meilin yelled it, smiling brighter than she ever had.