Episode 675
Episode 675
As Lee Han's magic unfolded once more, a lightning bolt thicker than before pierced through the black shadow.
Crack!
The curse immediately rebounded toward Lee Han, but it dissipated without having any effect.
Only after being struck three more times did Docheol realize that Lee Han was not an opponent who could be subdued by curses. After retracting the Curse of Retribution wrapped around its hide, Docheol let out a vicious cry.
-■■■■■■!
"Well done. I'll handle the rest!"
Professor Bendozol didn't miss the opening as Docheol shifted its stance.
In an instant, he flung himself off the cliff, transforming into a massive White Wyrm before savagely biting into Docheol.
Among the lesser dragonkin infused with draconic blood, the White Wyrm stood out for its ferocity and brutality, unleashing a fearsome offensive that dealt damage to Docheol.
-Die, you damned rock creature!
Docheol let out a pained shriek as it thrashed violently. The black shadow shifted form, attempting to intercept the White Wyrm.
But Professor Bendozol paid no heed to whether Docheol tore into him or not—he simply kept biting and ripping into the creature.
As the white frost poison imbued in the White Wyrm's fangs began to take effect, Docheol's movements slowed.
Watching this, Lee Han felt a chill run down his spine. That was a combat style closer to a berserker than a mage.
'I should avoid provoking the professor too much in the future...'
Docheol seemed to feel similarly. Realizing that wrestling with this mad mage would only leave it at a disadvantage, it changed its strategy.
-Block it! The intruder is breaking through!
"!"
Lee Han was startled as he saw the ominous shadow burrowing through the mist enveloping the mountain peak.
"Wait—you said we shouldn't show any openings, but what happens if you go outside, Professor?!"
He had literally just said, "Docheol is cunning and will only target the unicorn, so we mustn't reveal any gaps!"—and yet here he was, rushing out to fight!
-Because I can kill it! Just hold it off somehow!
Lee Han was speechless.
'That's not even an excuse...'
At that moment, the injured unicorn staggered and looked at Lee Han. The desperation in its eyes as it glanced between him and its foal was unmistakable.
"...Don't worry! I'll stop it no matter what!"
Prepared to resort to desperate measures if necessary, Lee Han began chanting a spell.
"Fog, spread!"
The moment his defensive incantation ended, Docheol took form within the mist.
Unlike the massive figure outside, it was no larger than a wild dog—but the ominous aura radiating from it was anything but ordinary.
Trusting in Bagrak's Instant Foresight, Lee Han initiated the first strike.
Whoosh!
His staff, transformed into a Lightning Spear, and the lightning imbued in his cloak unleashed a storm of thunderbolts around him.
Docheol opened its maw and spat out a viscous darkness. The inky blackness clashed with the lightning before creeping up the staff like a living thing.
Dark Element—an energy that corroded the very vitality of any living being.
Docheol, capable of wielding this Dark Element freely, was truly a troublesome monster.
The problem was that its opponent was also a truly troublesome mage.
Lee Han casually flicked away the creeping darkness before reciting another spell.
"Darkness, gather here."
As an immense surge of mana erupted, control over the Dark Element Docheol had spewed shifted to Lee Han.
While control over elements in elemental magic could change hands depending on the situation, stealing an element so effortlessly from an opponent was an entirely different matter.
Docheol seemed just as stunned, its malevolent eyes blinking rapidly as it glared at Lee Han.
Of course, Lee Han had no intention of waiting.
"Darkness, sweep forth!"
Gnashing its teeth, Docheol shifted back into shadow form to evade the attack.
'...'
Not an easy foe.'
Lee Han narrowed his eyes at Docheol, likely thinking the same thing as the monster.
The enemy's movements were fluid and swift, making it difficult for Lee Han to land a hit.
At the same time, Docheol's special abilities had no effect on him. Attacks like curses and Dark Element, which relied on simple principles and brute force, couldn't breach the immense wall of his mana.
Crunch!
From afar, the sound of Docheol's spine shattering echoed.
Professor Bendozol, now fully transformed into a massive White Wyrm, roared ferociously as blood streamed from his body.
"Just hold on a little longer! Once I tear this bastard apart, I'll come help you!"
"Professor, save yourself first!"
"That wasn't for you—it was for the unicorn!"
"......"
Lee Han regretted worrying needlessly and moved again.
"Freeze solid in obedience to your master's command!"
From within the blizzard, Lee Han's ice clone sprang forward. Dochul instinctively lunged at the ice clone, aiming for its vitals.
"Become swift as the wind."
Gonadaltes' agility magic settled upon Lee Han.
Not stopping there, Lee Han even cast <Limited Time Acceleration>.
'This will definitely deal damage!'
Thwack!
With every enhancement spell and ounce of mana poured into his physical abilities—and now time acceleration added to the mix—Lee Han's charge reached speeds comparable to those displayed by the Empire's Swordmasters.
Realizing too late that it was a clone, Dochul tried to pull back, but his reaction was a beat slow. As Morning Star sliced deep into his body, Dochul let out a shriek of agony.
"■■!"
A sword made of Black Magnetite, which absorbed mana just like Morning Star, was a fatal weakness against a mana-constructed clone.
Seeming to realize he could no longer maintain the clone, Dochul's eyes gleamed with vicious bloodlust as he began splitting his body apart.
Bzzzzzzz—
With a sound like a swarm of bees, black insects burst into the air, targeting the baby unicorn behind them. The foal, frozen in fear, couldn't even dodge.
"!"
Lee Han was once again struck by just how ruthless evil-aligned monsters could be, clicking his tongue in dismay.
Even though Einrogard's professors and demons might seem like lunatics, they still valued order and compliance to some degree.
In contrast, wild monsters with wicked dispositions would try to bite others even as their own limbs were being torn off.
'I'll block it with my body!'
Lee Han moved, trusting in his mana. With little time left, physically intercepting the attack was the safest option.
Thudthudthudthudthud—!
Dochul, now transformed into a swarm of black insects, clashed fiercely with Lee Han, attempting to burrow inside.
Yet, despite the menacing momentum and noise, nothing happened—so anticlimactically that it was almost embarrassing.
From afar, Dochul's main body, still being mauled, glared at Lee Han with a mix of frustration and disbelief.
What kind of brat was this?!
"Die already—!"
With one final, bone-crunching sound, Professor Bendozol finally severed Dochul's life.
Reverting to human form as he landed, the blood-soaked professor shouted,
"Is the unicorn unharmed?!"
"Yes. It's fine."
Lee Han checked the foal. Fortunately, since he had blocked the entire swarm, there wasn't a single scratch on it.
"Are you alright, Professor?"
"This? Just a few scratches!"
Though a pool of blood was forming beneath Professor Bendozol's feet, Lee Han pretended not to notice.
"Well blocked. Well blocked! That bastard Dochul's attacks aren't easy to stop, but you caught him like a rat in a trap! You've got the makings of a Shepherd..."
Professor Bendozol, unusually pleased by how Lee Han had physically intercepted the attack, abandoned his usual cantankerous demeanor and praised him.
But as he approached, the baby unicorn let out a frightened whimper—the professor's current appearance was far too gruesome.
"Ah, damn it. I scared it! Sorry, sorry!"
Professor Bendozol pressed a hand to his bleeding forehead and frantically tried to soothe the foal. It didn't seem like it would help much in easing its fear.
"Wouldn't it be better to treat your wounds first?"
"Who doesn't know that!? The wounds from that bastard's curses and Dark Element won't heal easily. It'll take time."
"Is that so?"
Lee Han, who hadn't suffered any wounds from curses or Dark Element, nodded in understanding.
Professor Bendozol gritted his teeth, holding back a curse. Partly because of the kid's earlier contribution, but mostly because he didn't want to scare the unicorn foal any further.
The foal slowly hid behind Lee Han, peeking out timidly. Professor Bendozol spoke in a doting voice.
"Look at that clever little move. Isn't it adorable?"
"Understood, so please focus on healing yourself, Professor."
"Take better care of it for me!"
At the professor's shout, the foal flinched in fright. Professor Bendozol punched his own mouth in frustration.
"Damn mouth, you useless damn mouth!"
"...Professor. Just... go away for a bit."
Having reached the limits of his patience, Lee Han began pushing Professor Bendozol away.
He'd initially kept the professor nearby to learn from his knowledge, but seeing how he was acting now, it seemed better to just shove him aside and communicate directly with the unicorn himself.
"Lee Han!"
Just then, his friends arrived from below.
They all looked exhausted and covered in dust, suggesting the battle at the campsite had been quite intense.
"The monsters swarmed down below!"
"I know. We got attacked by a Jiangshi up here too."
Gainando spoke in an indignant voice.
"What the hell was Professor Lightning Steps doing anyway?!"
"My thoughts exactly!"
"Eek! A talking corpse!"
"......"
Professor Bendozol barely restrained himself from yelling at Gainando and continued wrapping bandages instead.
Shhk
The adult unicorn glanced at the arriving students before approaching Nilia.
When the same unicorn that had rejected her earlier now approached, Nilia looked bewildered.
"Why... uh, uhh. What?! Why?!"
As the unicorn tugged at her sleeve, Nilia panicked and shouted.
Watching this, Professor Bendozol slapped his knee in realization.
"I've got it!"
"What do you mean?"
"The unicorn didn't chase away the other spirits out of jealousy! Unicorns aren't so petty as to envy mere spirits! It was keeping reliable protectors nearby because of the dangerous situation!"
Earlier, it had kept Lee Han close because he seemed dependable in a crisis, and now that the jiangshi was defeated and things were safe, it had brought Nilia over.
Professor Bendozol laughed mockingly at Lee Han.
"It didn't like you! Yeah, as if that was possible! It was just using you!"
"Uh... doesn't that mean there's a problem with choosing Lee Han over you, Professor? That implies the unicorn didn't trust you..."
Cough-hack!
Professor Bendozol choked in shock, spitting out blood that had pooled in his mouth.
"I-it probably just wanted as many people around as possible."
Meanwhile, the baby unicorn had curled up on Lee Han's lap and was dozing peacefully.
The students opened their mouths to point this out but stopped themselves.
If Professor Bendozol coughed up any more blood, he might actually collapse.
Professor Lightning Steps and the hunters returned about an hour later.
"Where were you wandering around to be this late?!"
"...Was there a jiangshi attack?"
"There was!"
"I thought so."
After hearing the situation, Professor Lightning Steps let out a heavy sigh.
"You knew? If you knew, you should've rushed back! What if the unicorn had gotten hurt? How would you have taken responsibility?!"
"Professor Bendozol. You seem injured right now..."
"I can still criticize you even while injured!"
"That's not what I meant. I meant—in your current injured state, do you really want to get beaten up by me?"
"......"
Professor Bendozol's anger faltered slightly. Professor Lightning Steps spoke slowly.
"We were on our way back after killing one jiangshi. But there was another one."
"!"
Professor Bendozol was shocked.
Those troublesome creatures were appearing in numbers?
"That's impossible!"
"I thought so too. Jiangshi don't normally travel in groups. But exceptions exist. Let's send the others away and hunt them ourselves. Multiple jiangshi could be dangerous for the students."
"No."
"?"
When Professor Bendozol refused firmly, Professor Lightning Steps looked puzzled.
"Do you have a better idea?"
"If there are multiple jiangshi, we need to evacuate the unicorn first. The rest can buy time. If the baby gets ambushed during the move, it'll be too dangerous."
Professor Lightning Steps stared at him incredulously.
"Hey. Two jiangshi are already dead. Can't you imagine how pissed off the rest must be? Just take them down together. Be satisfied with that."
"No! The unicorn must be evacuated first."
"Guess you really want to get beaten to death..."
Professor Lightning Steps, already tired from hunting one jiangshi, began radiating killing intent.
Professor Bendozol wasn't in great shape either, but he wasn't the type to back down in such situations.
As the two professors prepared to clash in earnest, the students watched with fascinated eyes.
Yoner, the only one still thinking straight, whispered to Lee Han.
"Shouldn't we stop them?"
"Yeah. That's why I called someone."
"...Who?"
"The Headmaster."
Lee Han shook the bronze ring.
It was the emergency signal ring used to summon the Skeleton Principal.