Episode 491
Episode 491
"The Wardanaz family members all have something rather astonishing about them."
"Each one is quite unique indeed."
When the Maykin family members readily accepted the explanation, Professor Thunderstep felt slightly guilty.
He had lied to make his job easier, but seeing his student being misunderstood as a crazed workaholic wasn't exactly comforting either.
"The Wardanaz aren't as obsessed with magic as people from other families—"
"I heard he's simultaneously taking every school of magic available to first-years."
"That's truly remarkable."
"—Yeah. He's completely insane about magic."
Professor Thunderstep quickly abandoned his attempt at an excuse and changed the subject.
'This is what I deserve.'
No matter how he looked at it, getting caught like this was entirely his own fault.
"It's coming!"
From beyond the unnaturally bright harbor, waves surged as a massive tentacle writhed into view.
The hunters of the Shadow Patrol, aboard their speedboat, bit their fingers to smear blood on their arrows before sharply aiming at the Sea Serpent.
"Your servant, who began the pursuit from the shadows, now commences the hunt. May the Lord of the Mountain Range look upon us with favor."
The Shadow Patrol hunters recited a brief oath, steeling their resolve.
Against prey that could be taken down with a single arrow, such an oath would be unnecessary—but when facing a formidable foe that set their instincts on edge, this oath served as the first signal of battle.
The blood-marked arrows of the Patrol were like unbreakable curses—neither bending nor snapping.
They would lodge deep into the prey's flesh, remaining as symbols until the long hunt reached its end.
Thunk!
"......"
"......"
A bow and arrows enhanced by magic.
The physical strength of the Shadow Patrol members, further amplified by potions and additional spells.
And the sheer determination to focus every ounce of mana in their bodies to pierce the Sea Serpent's thick, tough hide.
All of it combined resulted in the arrows tearing clean through the Sea Serpent's massive torso.
The hunters were stunned for the first time in a long while as they watched the Sea Serpent's tentacles burst apart and shear off unrealistically.
"H-how... why didn't it just stick in? It went straight through—"
"How hard did you even pull that?!"
"Commence firing! Commence firing! Begin the hunt!"
Though the Shadow Patrol hunters were traditionalists, they weren't foolish enough to freeze up just because tradition had been thrown out the window in this situation.
In an instant, a deadly barrage began. Like bolts from a ballista, dozens of arrows rained down from the speedboat onto the Sea Serpent's body.
Thwip-thwip-thwip-thwip-thwip-thunk!
"......"
"...W-what the...?"
Even after firing, the Shadow Patrol hunters remained bewildered.
The Sea Serpent thrashed wildly, its body riddled with holes as if it were a stuffed doll filled with cotton.
"Who the hell made that oath?! This thing's just a glorified fish! Don't you know the Mountain Spirit gets angry if you swear oaths carelessly?!"
"Hey, we all agreed on this! Why are you spouting nonsense now?! If that giant monster isn't a worthy foe, then what the hell is?!"
"Just finish it off already, you idiots!"
Fortunately, the hunters' bickering aboard the speedboat didn't reach the people on the harbor.
The soldiers stationed above could only watch in awe.
"By the heavens, I've heard much about the Shadow Patrol's reputation, but this is beyond anything I imagined...!"
"Huh? At this rate, isn't it just going to end right there?"
Lee Han, who had been casting spells on the soldiers, was startled by the spectacle unfolding over the sea.
The soldiers were busy distributing potions and receiving his magic, but wasn't the Sea Serpent about to be taken down right then and there?
'Did we just go through all this trouble for nothing...?'
As he debated whether to be grateful or resentful if this was how it ended, a massive pillar of water erupted in the distance.
Far beyond where the current battle raged, another colossal geyser burst forth.
"Another one! There's another one, Mage!"
A soldier who had drunk a vision-enhancing potion screamed from atop the harbor's watchtower.
Lee Han also focused mana into his eyes to track the creature's movements. A Sea Serpent resembling a gigantic swordfish was twisting its body toward them, flashing its blade-like jaws.
"...!"
"It's charging!!"
Whoooosh!
With a sound that tore through the air, the Sea Serpent shot toward them like an arrow.
The soldiers, who had never imagined it would dart through the air instead of swimming underwater, screamed in terror.
"Damn these ancestors' beard-like bastards!"
Professor Thunderstep roared curses as he pulled a potion bottle from his robes and hurled it swiftly toward the sea.
Craaack!
Instantly, the seawater in the harbor surged upward and transformed into a thick wall of ice.
"By Clause 3, Section 1 of the Contract, I summon the following demons: the Iron-Armed Demon Gladiator Vetrug, the Swift Demon Spear-Wielder Ihil..."
Professor Lightning Step also drew a scroll from his waist, tore it apart, and called forth his contracted summons.
The demons emerged, spewing crimson smoke, and lunged at the Sea Serpent that had crashed into the ice wall.
Slaaash!
The Sea Serpent swung its massive, blade-like upper jaw like a legendary sword.
With a single slash, a merchant ship and harbor facilities along its trajectory were cleanly severed. The demon summons dodged the attack but let out agonized cries, deeply wounded.
"Useless bastards! Taking the contract fee and doing nothing!"
-So... sorry.
Under Professor Lightning Step's scolding, the demon replied with a face full of humiliation.
"Commence firing."
"Commence firing!"
As the Sea Serpent's movements were momentarily restrained by the frozen harbor front, the city guards opened fire.
With flaming arrows and siege weapons pre-positioned for this moment, sharp impacts rang against the Sea Serpent's scales.
■■■■■!
The creature wreaking havoc in the harbor now was far more intelligent than the one being hunted by the Shadow Hunters in the distance.
The latter, though massive, lacked any notable abilities or cunning and was being pummeled—but the former had instantly recognized the danger and reacted the moment it was attacked.
Craaash!
It shattered the frozen surface and plunged deep underwater.
"It'll resurface any moment!"
"I know, I know!"
Professor Thunderstep grimaced as he pulled out another potion.
Using a second bottle of potions worth several mansions in the capital was painful.
He'd known some Sea Serpents had unusual traits, but he hadn't expected one this troublesome.
Thud—
Professor Voladi landed atop the ice wall after flying through the air. Professor Thunderstep nearly wept in relief.
"Professor Bagrak!"
Dozens of instantaneous light projectiles materialized midair and pummeled the Sea Serpent.
The creature, preparing to strike from beneath the surface, shrieked and twisted to evade.
'Too shallow.'
Professor Voladi quickly downed a mana recovery potion and scanned the Sea Serpent's movements.
He had launched the fastest attack to interrupt its strike—but that had only alerted it.
"Professor!"
Lee Han, who had been casting spells on the soldiers, arrived last.
"Freeze solid, as your master commands!"
An incomplete <Pengerin's Frost Element Doppelganger> spell was cast.
Ideally, he would have preferred a different clone spell, but others couldn't replicate movement as effectively.
Even incomplete, only the higher-tier <Pengerin's Frost Element Doppelganger> could mimic motion.
'Move!'
A proper 4th-Circle <Pengerin's Frost Element Doppelganger> should have been indistinguishable from its caster in appearance, capable of shared vision, and able to perform melee attacks using ice elements if needed.
Lee Han discarded unnecessary features, focusing only on appearance and movement. An ice clone resembling him sprinted across the sea.
Provoked, the Sea Serpent swung its razor-sharp jaws in fury.
"Ice, become arrows and strike!"
The moment the Sea Serpent revealed itself, Lee Han began firing a barrage of ice arrows with razor-sharp focus.
Only one or two managed to pierce its scales, but that didn't matter. As the ice clung to its body, the Sea Serpent let out an irritated shriek.
Professor Voladi immediately cast a spell.
"Evaporate!"
"!"
Lee Han was stunned as the ice clinging to the Sea Serpent instantly evaporated, dealing massive damage.
'That kind of application!'
No wonder Professor Voladi, mad for battle, had studied under Yumidihus.
"Are you insane!?"
"Why did you interfere!?"
The two dwarf professors shouted in disbelief.
Only then did Lee Han realize his mistake and asked in confusion.
"Huh? Wasn't I supposed to participate?"
"You damn lunatic! Is that even a question!?"
Professor Thunderstep roared in shock.
He was so flustered that it almost seemed like he was resisting the idea of Lee Han staying in the rear.
They had only asked him to respond flexibly from the front lines due to his overflowing mana—who said anything about directly joining the frontline battle!
The people from the Maykin Family were so shocked they stumbled backward, screaming.
'Hmm.'
Lee Han took in the atmosphere of the harbor and belatedly realized he'd done something utterly insane.
It seemed Einrogard had eroded his common sense a bit.
'Damn it. Because of the habits I picked up at school.'
Lee Han shot a resentful glance at Professor Voladi, the one most responsible for this situation.
Professor Voladi spoke sternly.
"Direct participation is reckless."
"...No... No...!!"
The same words sounded different depending on who said them.
For a moment, Lee Han felt so wronged his heart nearly stopped.
But Professor Voladi remained utterly cold.
Inside Einrogard, such reckless actions might be tolerated, but outside, acting without thinking could cost him his life.
'Should I just bury myself in the sea along with the Sea Serpent?'
Rumble—
"Summon a clone."
As the Sea Serpent stubbornly tried to move despite its injuries, Professor Voladi barked.
Lee Han immediately created an ice clone.
"Add vision-sharing and elemental attacks."
"That's not something I can just—"
Lee Han wanted to retort, 'If it were that easy, I would've perfected this spell long ago,' but the Sea Serpent, despite its wounds, glared at him and Professor Voladi with murderous eyes.
Gritting his teeth, Lee Han added the magic.
Under normal circumstances, the clone should have collapsed from the strain.
But...
'It worked?!'
Perhaps the pressure from the Sea Serpent had triggered Lee Han's instincts—astonishingly, <Pengerin's Frost Element Doppelganger> was completed.
Professor Voladi, as if he had expected this, gave a flat command.
"Advance."
Lee Han's clone immediately charged forward. The Sea Serpent instinctively lunged to slash it apart.
Crack!
The moment its jaws closed around the clone, the power of the ice element exploded, instantly freezing the Sea Serpent's upper jaw solid.
Thud!
Professor Voladi immediately evaporated the ice, blasting it away. The Sea Serpent tumbled sideways once more.
"Buy me some time."
"Huh? Uh... uh..."
Despite the Sea Serpent seething with venomous rage, Professor Voladi turned his back on it, completely unguarded.
Lee Han was stunned, but there was no time to argue.
'With ice elements? No, it's too late to slow it down now! To deal damage... to deal damage...'
Instinctively, Water Orbs surged around Lee Han and began spinning.
The rotation grew sharper, fiercer, until they howled through the air and slammed into the Sea Serpent.
'...Did it work!?'
The heavy sensation at the end of the spell was different from the rushed spins he usually performed.
Lee Han couldn't believe it.
Boom!
Upon impact, the Sea Serpent's scales shattered and caved in deeply, as if struck by a massive boulder.
At that moment, Professor Voladi turned. A crimson line of mana flashed—and the Sea Serpent was cleanly bisected.
"Your rotation has improved."
"...Actually, it's always been decent."
Lee Han firmly emphasized that it wasn't thanks to the Sea Serpent.