Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Demon Assault at the Wizard Academy
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"It should resolve the incident soon enough."
—Kwaaaang!
At that moment, powerful demonic energy exploded in the distance. Kim Deok-hyun and Jung Hyun-soo's heads automatically turned toward it.
"That demonic energy that just exploded..."
"Yeah, it's a Demon. At least B-Grade or higher."
"That's the direction of the magic training grounds. Looks like a Demon has appeared over there."
As expected of someone from the Wizard Academy, Jung Hyun-soo immediately pinpointed the location of the explosion. Kim Deok-hyun's expression darkened slightly.
"Aren't there students over there?"
"Probably."
"Let's hurry!"
A massive fireball engulfed the monster. Beside it, countless ice arrows that seemed to overturn the sky rained down on the monster.
From beast-types to humanoid and flying ones. Monsters of various colors collapsed with shrieks.
This was near the magic training grounds inside the Wizard Academy.
Yoo Ara and Yoon Ha-young were locked in battle against monsters that had suddenly burst in.
"Huff... huff..."
Yoo Ara, who had been fighting for a while, was gasping for breath.
The monsters themselves weren't that strong, but there were just too many of them. She couldn't figure out how so many monsters had been summoned right in the middle of the school without anyone noticing.
Yoon Ha-young shot her a worried glance.
"You okay?"
"Huff... Yeah. I'm fine."
Yoo Ara nodded to show she was okay, but she didn't look okay at all.
She had already taken on so many monsters that it felt like she was pushing herself too far. The number she'd defeated already exceeded fifty.
"Whew."
Still, by continuously slaying monsters and thinning their numbers, they finally had a moment to catch their breath.
Yoon Ha-young looked around and muttered.
"By the way, where did all the guild scouts go? And the teachers?"
"Who knows? Probably handling this situation somewhere."
It was at that moment.
A powerful mass of magic hurtled toward them, causing a massive explosion.
—Kwaaaang!
Yoon Ha-young and Yoo Ara barely dodged the magic, but they couldn't avoid the shockwave from the intense mana.
"Urk... What the hell?"
Yoon Ha-young grimaced in pain and lifted her head.
In the distance, a man in a black coat was approaching step by step. Upon closer inspection, his entire eyes were pitch black.
"...A Demon?"
Yoon Ha-young muttered in a trembling voice as she stared at the man.
The man glanced back and forth between Yoo Ara and Yoon Ha-young, his face flushing red.
"Impressive. To think you'd hold out against this."
Then he turned his gaze to Yoo Ara.
"You're Yoo Ara, right? I've been looking for you."
Yoo Ara's face stiffened. The aura emanating from him was, at the very least, that of a B-Grade Demon or higher.
Even someone hailed as a genius like her still found a B-Grade or higher Demon too much to handle.
The Demon looked at Yoo Ara and conjured pitch-black flames atop his hand.
"Then let's see if you're the Child of Prophecy."
The mass of magic shot toward Yoo Ara. She gathered her body's mana and unleashed her own spell in response.
Their magics clashed in midair. The powerful mana wave spread outward, shaking the ground.
After a moment, their spells canceled each other out.
"As expected of the rumors. Incredible."
The Demon muttered in admiration.
For magic cast by an 18-year-old student, its power was on par with a pro wizard—no shortcomings at all.
But no matter how renowned a genius the opponent was, she was still just a student.
There was a clear gap in experience, so if he put his mind to it, he could take her down easily.
"I'd love to play more, but I'm busy, so let's wrap this up."
The Demon charged at Yoo Ara with lightning-fast speed. She reacted a beat too late and couldn't block the agile approach.
Kwaak!
The Demon's hand seized Yoo Ara's throat.
"Kugh!"
Yoo Ara's feet lifted off the ground.
She let out a pained groan from the tightening grip on her windpipe.
She kicked her legs frantically to escape, but she couldn't overcome the Demon's iron grip. In the end, her consciousness faded as she passed out.
"What? Not the Child of Prophecy?"
The Demon muttered disinterestedly.
Then he conjured new magic in his other hand. To completely crush Yoo Ara's windpipe.
It was then.
Kwaaang!
A mysterious spell struck the Demon's back.
"Urk!"
The Demon released Yoo Ara's throat from the impact, and her body thudded to the ground, rolling across the floor.
The Demon whirled around, eyes blazing with fury.
Yoon Ha-young was aiming dozens of ice arrows at him with trembling hands.
"You insolent brat. I'll kill you first."
The enraged Demon closed in on Yoon Ha-young with the same swift movement as before. And just like with Yoo Ara, he clamped down on her throat.
"...Kugh!"
Yoon Ha-young let out a pained groan. Tears welled in her eyes. She gritted her teeth in agony.
At that moment, a black bird appeared around him. The bird looked at the Demon and spoke.
—The barrier has been dispelled.
The Demon's eyes widened at the black bird's words.
"What? Why was the barrier dispelled? Wasn't it supposed to hold for over 30 minutes?"
—I don't know. Someone in the exam hall dispelled it. Wizards are coming out now, so get out of here fast.
With that, the black bird vanished somewhere.
"What the...?"
As the Demon stood there dumbfounded.
An unknown, alien mana pulsed from nearby.
He looked up to see something shining brightly hovering over Yoon Ha-young's hand.
In that instant, the Demon sensed an instinctive danger.
'This power is dangerous!'
The Demon moved in panic to crush Yoon Ha-young's windpipe. But a searing pain exploded in his chest.
Yoon Ha-young's spell had pierced right through his chest.
"Kehek!"
Dark red blood sprayed from the Demon's mouth.
He glared wide-eyed at his chest.
It was burning with pure white light. This wasn't a wound from ordinary magic.
The Demon muttered.
"...Demon-slaying power?"
The Demon dropped to his knees.
Yoon Ha-young seized the moment to shove him away. She crawled across the ground, putting distance between them.
"Kaaaak!"
The Demon clutched his chest and gathered regenerative mana.
But regeneration wasn't working. No matter how much mana he poured into it, it wouldn't heal.
"Kuhuhuhu..."
Yet amid the agony, the Demon grinned with a sinister smile. Like he'd discovered treasure.
"Found you. Child of Prophecy!"
The Demon staggered toward Yoon Ha-young step by step. Though the demon-slaying power constricted his body, he still had enough strength left to kill her.
But Yoon Ha-young couldn't flee.
The aftermath of manifesting the demon-slaying power had drained all strength from her body.
Step by step.
As the Demon approached, she resigned herself.
It's all over now. I'd just started to grasp the joy of growing as a wizard. There were so many things I wanted to do...
The Demon reached her, smirked, and conjured magic.
A pitch-black burning mass of mana floated above his hand.
"Now, it's the end..."
Kwaang-!
A powerful magical explosion erupted at the back of the Demon's head.
"Kaaaak!"
The sudden pain sent the Demon rolling on the ground, clutching his head with both hands.
"Which bastard is this!"
The Demon turned, his half-destroyed face twisted.
There stood a male student in uniform, manifesting a pure white glowing magic orb.
The Demon rubbed the back of his head and glared at me.
For now, I ignored the Demon in front of me and surveyed the situation.
In the distance, Yoon Ha-young stared at me in shock, and Yoo Ara lay unconscious on the ground.
...Wait. Is Yoo Ara okay? She's not dead, is she?
I approached Yoo Ara. And shook her.
"Hey! You alright?"
"Ugh..."
Yoo Ara let out a faint groan. She slightly opened her eyes and looked at me.
"...Kim Sun-woo?"
"Phew. You're alive."
"Cough! Cough! ...Ugh!"
Yoo Ara seemed to be suffering severe aftereffects from the Demon; she lay prone on the ground, breathing raggedly.
Fortunately, it was just pain—no threat to her life.
As I sighed in relief, the Demon looked at me with baffled eyes.
"Who the hell are you?"
The Demon said to me. I shifted my focus from Yoo Ara to the Demon before me.
That's when I noticed the wound on him burning with pure white light.
From the energy I sensed, it wasn't ordinary mana.
'...Could that be demon-slaying power?'
I glanced at Yoon Ha-young.
She stared at me blankly.
She had no idea what power she'd awakened.
Still, I hadn't expected her to awaken the demon-slaying trait this quickly.
This deviated greatly from the original story. In the original, it was an event months away.
'Enough reminiscing...
For now, focus on the enemy in front of me.
First off, this Demon was someone I didn't recognize.
Of course, I'd rarely encountered Demons in person, but if he were an important one, I'd have recognized him by appearance.
"Whew."
Facing an unknown villain stirred some unease.
It felt like confronting something utterly alien.
Still, judging by the mana I sensed externally, he seemed around A or B-Grade.
If A-Grade, it'd be... well, very dangerous. But B-Grade, I could handle.
Plus, he was gravely wounded by the demon-slaying power.
Now, while weakened, was the perfect timing to take him down.
I gathered mana throughout my body.
[Activating effect: 'Heart of Great Nature.']
[For 1 minute, mana recovery speed increases by 1000%.]
Thump!
My heart began pounding rapidly.
Feeling the surging fullness of mana, I conjured a spell.
With each mana recovery, I continuously infused and compressed it into the manifested magic orb.
"...What are you?"
The Demon's expression hardened.
He seemed to have figured out what magic I was conjuring.
"How can someone your age use that kind of magic?"
"I've got a long track record in magic for my age."
"What?"
His eyes trembled with unease.
Soon, he rapidly conjured pitch-black magic and unleashed it at me in a barrage.
Pew!
The magic masses flew at high speed.
But his spells were blocked by the translucent barrier over my hand.
It was the effect of the Mana Alloy Bracelet's 'Spell Barrier.'
The Demon, not expecting his magic to be blocked, looked flustered.
"Alright, my turn."
I extended my hand toward him. The magic orb brimming with powerful mana flashed with white light as it shot toward him.
Kwaaaang!
"Kaaaak!"
His scream echoed loudly amid the explosion.
White smoke billowed, and through it, I could see the Demon's silhouette with parts of his body missing.
"...Urk! How can you cast magic like this?"
The Demon stared at me in horrified shock.
I immediately conjured a new spell.
With mana overflowing right now.
I could attack anytime.
Pang! Pang! Pang!
Magic orbs poured from my hand.
He blocked them with all his might, but he couldn't fend off every single one.
In the end, holes began piercing his body one by one, twisting it into a gruesome form.
"Kaaaak! You bastard!"
The Demon's eyes turned pitch black.
A sign that 'Demon Berserk' was about to begin.
A crisis.
But I didn't panic. I had to turn this crisis into an opportunity.
Right now, he was defenseless.
This was the chance to definitively blow his head off.
I gathered and compressed mana once more atop my hand. It swirled, gradually forming an orb.
This should be enough.
I thrust my hand out, launching it at his head.
A flash of light.
Soon, his head exploded.
The Wizard Academy Demon assault incident was suppressed faster than expected.
The most decisive reason it resolved so quickly, according to those around, was the rapid dispelling of the barrier set up in the third-year exam hall.
"No, it wasn't me."
"Hoho. Such humility. If not Jung Yoon-seul, who else could dispel the barrier that fast?"
"Ugh! I'm telling you, it wasn't me!"
"Wizard Jung Yoon-seul must be more bashful than I thought. Haha. Anyway, you did a great deed. Thanks to you, few injuries and it ended well."
"No, I... Sigh. Fine, think what you want."
In the Wizard Academy's VIP lounge.
A crowd of people had gathered around Jung Yoon-seul.