Chapter 147
Chapter 147
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: Cornering the Soul Soldiers
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We exchanged glances with the three who had been protecting Diana without a word.
With this magic, we can do it.
We can block the pouring soul soldiers.
I used "Doom of Fire" to destroy every soul soldier approaching us.
In terms of sheer destructive power, Fire Ball came out on top.
But when it came to effectively destroying moving enemies—especially ones charging straight at us—"Doom of Fire" was far superior to Fire Ball.
Because you could keep attacking without stopping.
The fire energy concentrated at my fingertips was a mass created by combining "Fire Ball," "Fire Enchant," and "Magic Compression."
Once it became a single skill... a spell, it turned into a terrifying magic that destroyed targets even more precisely and effectively.
"Doom of Fire" had no limit to the number of soul soldiers it could block.
At least, it could destroy every enemy in my line of sight.
My levels kept rising without end.
The wave ended.
The destructive power of "Doom" exceeded even Neris's expectations, and she was watching me with keen interest.
"Ugh...!"
Diana staggered.
The moment she realized the wave was over, the backlash from her excessive magic use seemed to hit her.
"Diana!"
Stia and Karen, who were nearby, rushed to support her.
"I'm fine. This much is nothing."
I handed Diana a water bottle.
"Want some?"
"...Sure."
Diana and I decided to recover our mana while waiting for the next wave.
Stia and Karen were discussing how to block the next wave of soul soldiers.
"Now, being near Decal might just get in his way. We should focus on protecting Diana."
"Yeah. And it's not as dangerous as I thought. I got hit a few times, but I can handle it."
Karen said cheerfully.
"I think it's plenty dangerous..."
Aba's face had drained of color, as if she lacked confidence in blocking the next wave.
But Stia and Karen were brimming with composure.
The two of them had been in dangerous fights even before becoming candidates.
I couldn't compare to them, but I had experience fighting monsters too.
The "Room of Trials" forced you to fight more enemies than I'd ever faced, but it differed from real combat in that you could quit anytime if cornered.
Yet, ridiculously, the growth I'd achieved in this room in such a short time overwhelmed the experience I'd gained in actual battles.
"Want to quit, Aba?"
Karen asked with an innocent face.
"Uh, well... not exactly."
Stia spoke to the embarrassed Aba.
"I get how you feel, but you can't avoid danger if you want to get stronger."
"Right. Of course.
...Still, I can't even imagine catching up to Decal."
"Me?"
Stia gave a wry smile.
"I wouldn't recommend Decal as a role model.
His magic skills are solid, but he's such a spoiled brat..."
"Didn't he just look pretty cool?"
"He did. There probably aren't many candidates who can keep up with your brother using magic."
Diana crossed her arms as she listened.
"Ah, Diana, you mad?"
"...I'm not the type to get angry over every little thing.
I acknowledge Decal's skills. But I won't lose to him either."
"Yeah. Diana's magic was amazing."
I praised her sincerely.
Diana seemed inwardly pleased to be recognized—her eyes still looked annoyed, but the corners of her mouth were turned up.
Easy to handle, as always.
"I've got the hang of it now. I'll make sure the next wave doesn't even require you to step in, Decal."
"Really? Then I can take a break?"
"..."
Diana glared at me with a pouty expression.
"Kidding."
"...Hmph. Just make sure the others don't get killed."
Alright, time to sweep up the remaining rewards?
That's when Aba quietly raised her hand.
"Um, I have a suggestion..."
We all turned to look at Aba.
"What suggestion?"
Aba hesitated, fumbling.
Diana, unable to stand the suspense, snapped as if she might devour her.
"Ah, this is frustrating!
Spit it out already. We don't know when the next wave starts!"
"Ah, yes...! What if we move to a corner?"
"A corner?"
"Ah..."
Stia let out an exclamation.
"...Why didn't I think of that? We're relying mostly on Decal and Diana for firepower.
If we go to a corner and lure the soul soldiers from one direction, we can handle them more effectively."
"..."
Aba nodded.
"Stia said it all."
"Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to steal it. If you hadn't pointed it out, Aba, I might not have noticed until the end."
True enough.
We'd come to the center because Neris told us to, but there was no need to stay there.
If we were just fighting off enemies while protecting ourselves, positioning in a corner was better.
Simple, but effective.
Aba had pointed out something we'd all overlooked amid our distractions.
"Good idea. Let's go to the corner like Aba said."
Diana and I backed against the wall, with the sword team protecting us.
Wave 4 began.
"I'll attack first."
I stepped forward, waited for the soul soldiers to gather enough, then cast the spell.
"Doom of Fire."
Shoooo...
The compressed flames sliced through the soul soldier horde like a heat ray.
(Your level has increased.)
(Your level has...)
Much better? Way smoother than before.
"Decal, switch!"
Before the massive soul soldiers leaping from the second floor could close in on me, Stia and Karen jumped in to attack.
No need to use Doom on scattered soul soldiers.
Aba fought while guarding Diana, and Diana used Lightning Square to strike down soul soldiers weaving between our allies.
I watched from the back, stepping in only when the sword team couldn't handle the buildup.
"Fall back!"
Karen and Stia retreated on my signal.
"Doom of Fire."
Shoooo!
I slashed horizontally through the air with my finger, carving through the soul soldiers.
What if those things were people or monsters? Just imagining it sent chills down my spine.
"Oppa! Want to switch?"
"Catch your breath."
I'd cleared them once, but other soul soldiers quickly filled the gaps.
I poured all my remaining mana into overcharging a Fire Ball.
"It might be hot—close your eyes!"
I launched the overcharged Fire Ball at the soul soldier mass.
Even suppressed by the wind barrier, the explosion's shockwave shook the building, pounding the walls.
An incredible blast and flash. It felt like my whole body had been punched by invisible fists.
(Your level has increased.)
(Your level has...)
(Strength has increased by one stage.)
(Mana has increased by one stage.)
(Vitality has increased by one stage.)
(Agility has increased by one stage.)
Whoa, for real? It went up again?
Incredible. Even right after squeezing out my mana, I felt no fatigue.
My body felt incredibly light.
The now drastically reduced soul soldiers came in scattered groups.
I could solo them all with my power, but I fell back.
In this situation, likening it to a meal, I was already eating 80% of the food myself.
Stia and Karen charged forward eagerly to fight.
Their movements were far smoother than at the start.
Unrecognizable compared to when they blocked the first wave.
Not just me—everyone was growing. Levels, combat skills.
If we made it to 10 waves like this, wouldn't we have dragon-rank level skills?
"Let's wipe out all the soul soldiers Melbritt prepared!"
"Yeah!"
I cheered on Karen and encouraged the party.
Wave 6.
The limit came suddenly.
I was fine, but the wind spirit had collapsed.
"Damn...!"
Without it, I couldn't use "Doom of Fire."
A painful mistake.
How could I neglect the spirit's condition? What would Esty say if she saw?
It was already tough indoors, and I hadn't noticed the spirit struggling.
"Fire Ball!"
I destroyed the densely packed soul soldiers.
No issue with the spell's power. If anything, it was stronger now that my stats had risen.
That was the problem.
"Ugh...!"
Karen and Stia covered their faces with their arms in agony and fell back.
Probably due to the intense heat stabbing at their skin.
What was just a warm glow to me was incapacitating our allies.
Without the wind spirit, I couldn't contain the heat.
It would spread through the entire Room of Trials in seconds.
The moment Karen and my spirit went down, I knew we couldn't handle more waves.
"No more fire magic...!"
"Thunder Storm!"
Diana cleared the soul soldiers once.
She too looked exhausted, leaning against the wall.
"Haa... Haa..."
The sword team showed clear signs of fatigue.
Aba especially was on the verge of collapse.
I tried buying time grappling with the remaining soul soldiers, but this seemed to be the limit.
"Oppa, we can't anymore...!"
"My sword hand's at its limit too."
"I-I think I'm gonna puke, Decal..."
Karen, Stia, Aba forfeited one by one.
Diana didn't even have the energy to speak.
"Neris! Help us! We're done here!"
The moment I called for help.
A black horse engulfed in black flames suddenly appeared, sweeping through before our eyes.
Neris placed her foot in the stirrup—the footrest on the saddle—and lightly mounted the black horse.
The black horse, carrying its master, rampaged with even fiercer momentum.
Impressive.
Not only was her lower body and core strength keeping her perfectly seated on such a wild beast, but her expression was as serene as if she were out for a stroll.
Without weapons or armor, just lightly steering with the reins, she annihilated the soul soldiers that had given us so much trouble.
The wave ended, and all the open doors closed.
The black horse vanished into its own shadow the moment Neris dismounted.
"Confirming forfeit."
So this is active dragon-rank skill.
Indeed, worthy of being this kingdom's treasure.
What a disaster if a woman like her got pregnant.
"Good work. That was a rare sight these days. Keep up the hard work like this from now on."
Her expression didn't show it, but Neris seemed quite pleased.
We could tell we'd exceeded her expectations in a good way.
"Thank you."
Neris looked at me.
"Especially you..."
Neris started to say something, then closed her mouth.
"Nothing. Praising you would just make you cocky."
...She looked at me like 'talented but rotten personality.'
Spot on. Though, to correct, I don't have talent either.
Being born with a full-erect 23cm dick could count as talent, I suppose.
"But if you fixed your shortcomings..."
Neris trailed off.
"I have work, so I'll be going."
After Neris left,
I checked my status for the first time in a while.
Name: Decal
Lv: 488
Strength 3, Mana 3, Vitality 3, Agility 3
Goddess's Blessing [Fire Immunity, Fire Magic Power UP, All Skill Proficiency UP]
Goddess's Proxy [Skill Acquisition Rate UP, EXP UP, Stat Application Multiplier UP]
Wind Spirit Art [LV 4]
Skills
Fire Arrow [MAX] Fire Ball [MAX] Doom of Fire [LV 1]
Search [LV 4] Magic Compression [LV 2] Space Leap [LV 2] Barrier [LV 2]
Whisper of Fire [LV 1]
Veil of Concealment [LV 0] - Ring of the Innocent
You could tell at a glance that my level had skyrocketed.
'Fire Enchant' changed to 'Whisper of Fire.' What's the difference?
The biggest change was the stats.
Having a body that wouldn't tire during sex made me want to test it right away.
"Decal, wanna go eat?"
Aba called me.
In Melbritt, I couldn't go eat amicably with the girls.
Hmm, what to do...
Right now, girls over food.
I wanted to have sex until the post-battle heat cooled.
Plenty of options, but my decision was firm.
New girl in times like these.
"You guys go ahead.
I have something to do separately."
I hurriedly left the room.
I quickened my pace to catch up to Neris, who had left first.
This was Neris's fault.
Parading those breasts and ass like that—who could hold back until dragon rank?
I drew closer to her back.
Before reaching the student council room, Neris sensed my presence and turned.
Wary eyes at my approach.
"Tell me what my shortcomings are."
"Did you follow me just to hear that?"
"Yes."
Neris blinked, staring at me in utter surprise.
"Hmm... It's work hours, but this time was for you all anyway. I'll hang out a bit longer."
"Thanks."
"Then, just a moment, permission from Sia..."
Snap.
I snapped my fingers.