Chapter 44
Chapter 44
44
[Main Story] No.1 Treason and Collapse (1)
An alien monster appeared in the sky. And Airships flying towards the monster.
As if watching Icarus fly towards the sun. All the Students in Zone 0 watched the Airship heading towards the huge and magnificent monster with bated breath.
In moments of crisis, the divided unite. So did the Students of Zone 0.
The Professors suddenly became restless. Numerous neutral Professors began to skip classes. And then, suddenly, an unidentified, gigantic monster popped up. All the Students felt uneasy.
Black Path, White Path, all alike. They hoped that the Airship would resolve this unease.
As the battle began, they clenched their fists tightly.
And when it finally crashed, everyone was shocked.
"It's falling! Damn it!"
"No, no...!"
For a moment, something seemed to resist the fall. But when it broke, a sigh escaped.
With less than 500m left to the ground. At that moment, when the faint-hearted Students closed their eyes.
Suddenly, wings unfolded.
Wings so huge that they defied perspective slowed the Airship with a single, heavy flap.
"Huh!?"
"It's stopping!!"
The Students were mesmerized by the miraculous sight.
⋮
At the same time, the Hidden Dragon Society was also in shock.
Balmung, having received the signal, gaped.
"Huh!"
"What is it!?"
"...No, the location tracking just came up. Gray's inside that Airship!"
"What!? Then did Lord Gray do that!?"
"Ha! Crazy.... Was he that good?"
It was an enormous output of [Illusion Magic], enough to surprise Quan, as well as Kendrake, who was usually stingy with praise.
"Wow.... He's been training hard these days...."
Elise, next to him, was also impressed and admiring.
One Student's expression remained stiff.
None other than Kaiser.
'......No way.'
Apart from the fact that his expression was always stiff, Kaiser was inwardly horrified right now.
'This, it's definitely Professor Dante. Definitely.'
There was only one basis.
Dante was the only one in Zone 0 who could construct [Illusion Magic] to that level.
'No way.... This is really impossible...!!'
It goes without saying that Professor Dante's level is high. It's getting tiring to even say it.
But now it was becoming a level that he could not grasp with his understanding or perception.
What is that?
What is [Illusion Magic]? In the end, it is merely a Superpower system for shallow deception of the senses. If the level is high, it is possible to interfere with the material world to some extent.
But in the end, the interference is so superficial... that it is called [Illusion Magic].
Then what is 'that'?
Can that be described as mere [Illusion Magic]?
Just a trick of the eye?
No. Kaiser couldn't convince himself at all.
'If the interference with the material world is at that level, then that is….'
……Isn't it a kind of [Creation]…?
Kaiser shuddered, but he regretted that revealing this fact was a word that should not be uttered at this point.
At this time, another person's expression was also a little stiff.
"……."
It was Rebecca.
She could see Mana.
Therefore, she was certain that it was not Gray's Mana.
Rebecca's gaze was similar to seeing the particles of flowing matter (fluid).
Even when [Illusion Magic] is unfolded, the process of Mana particles unfolding, its path, is drawn before her eyes.
For example, Rebecca was the type who could see the circuit diagram when she looked at a computer. She was the type who could see the recipe when she looked at bread. She herself didn't know how that was possible, but it was.
From that point of view……. The Mana particles of the [Wings] supporting the Airship in the distance.
It was refined to a shocking level.
'……But, some of it isn't.'
So, Rebecca's thought is this.
Another being's [Illusion Magic] was overlaid on Gray's [Illusion Magic].
"Lord Reim."
"Yes, Princess."
"Go and find out who is on board the Airship."
She, who usually doesn't lose her composure, is operating Mana so skillfully that she is getting impatient. She needs to know who did it.
"Yes. I understand."
Meanwhile, Rebecca's crystal ball rang.
Her eyes narrowed.
The big event was originally scheduled for three days later…….
-
Brothel: Battalion's rebellion has begun.
Her decadent red eyes reached the monster outside the window.
Did that speed it up?
There wasn't much Rebecca could do at this point, but that didn't mean there was nothing at all.
"Elise."
"Yes, Princess."
"Come with me."
"Yes."
On the way, Elise asked.
"Is it a mission?"
Rebecca nodded.
"It's a mission. Let's go kill a few more neutral Professors."
* * *
"Are you leaving already? I thought it was in three days?"
The location was the outskirts of Hiaka Academy. Battalion nodded at the question from the Head Professor of Magic.
"I was going to postpone it for three days because the cold wave is starting. But it's better now."
"Because you don't know how long that palm will be floating there?"
"Yeah. So get ready."
Today.
Right now.
The 'rebellion' that has been secretly planned for the past 10 years will begin.
A total of 6 Head Professors, including warriors, magicians, and assassins. 39 Senior Professors will abandon Hiaka Academy and leave for the hostile Kreutz Academy.
This is like removing one of the largest pillars supporting the Royal Martial Arts Training Institute, which is the only one in each country.
Taking advantage of the gap created by the power vacuum, Kreutz's assassins will strike key Magic facilities.
This rebellion will have a major impact on the delicate balance of power between countries.
"……I guess if they felt wronged, they should have paid well."
The magician scoffed at Battalion's muttering.
"Are you kidding me? You were already treated better than the other Heads."
"Of course they should have given me more. How many years have I been loyal to Hiaka, you bastards."
"That's true. Me too."
Battalion grinned, revealing his fangs.
"It's all the fault of the Royal Family and the Faculty who tried to save money."
Meanwhile, the 8-level space-time Magic 『Mirage Gate』 was nearing completion.
There was something that slightly soured his mood.
"...I don't like that."
"That? Ah."
In the distance, the landed Airship could be seen.
It still had wings attached.
"...I agree. Who did that? It looks like at least a Head-level."
"A magician?"
"What are you talking about? Didn't you see the speed at which the wings unfolded? That's [Assassination-type Illusion Magic]. We can make bigger ones than that, but we can't unfold them that fast."
"……."
"In the first place, Hiaka has a narrow and shallow pool of Illusion Magic users, so there's no one with that kind of skill. They all died during the Habanero incident."
"I heard there was one before?"
"There is."
"Who is it?"
"Ah. You must not know yet because you heard it through someone else?"
The Head Professor of Magic laughed, tapping her cloud-like hair.
"It's me."
Her name is Gloomy, Head Professor of Illusion Magic.
"And I stole all the core data of Illusion Magic."
"……."
"Originally, Hiaka's Illusion Magic should have ended here.... I'm also bothered by that. What is that?"
Battalion frowned.
Then he feels a little worse.
Those wings.
He had naturally assumed that the Assassination Faculty had brought in a magician.
'……Was it a real assassin…?'
Even if he pulled out everyone he knew, there was no one who fit the bill.
It meant that there was a monster he didn't know in the land he had abandoned.
"I have a bad feeling…."
"Why?"
"I don't know, I just do…. The guy who made that…."
He didn't know who it was.
He had a feeling that it would be a hindrance for a long time to come.
'Damn it. One of the goals was to lower the level of Hiaka's Illusion Magic research in the first place….'
Then the magician chuckled.
"You've already become a Kreutzian."
"...What? Ah, that's right…. It has become so now……."
In any case, his family and like-minded people had already been moved, the language was understood, and the culture and lifestyle were slightly different, but there was nothing to regret.
Being pointed at as a traitor is similar to being pointed at as neutral.
All that remains is a future flowing with milk and honey.
Around that time, the Magic circle was completed.
So Battalion gave a signal to those sitting beyond the clock tower, a dozen or so remaining Head Professors and Senior Professors.
"Okay, everyone, let's go. To a new world!"
"Let's go."
『Mirage Gate』
Soon, a desert unfolded inside the clock tower.
As they took a step, the clock tower began to disappear instead.
This was the Kreutz Kingdom.
The last piece of the 'rebellion' was completed in that way.
Next was the turn of 'collapse'.
* * *
As soon as they came down to the ground, the medical team and Faculty assistants who had been waiting rushed to deal with the situation.
"P, Professor Dante…!"
"I'm fine, so evacuate Gray and the captain first."
"B, but…! Professor, your eyes right now…!"
Eyes?
So, when he slowly checked his senses, he really had lost his eyesight in his left eye. Blood had also soaked all over his cheeks and chin.
Was his eyeball damaged?
He didn't know because he was dizzy from the severe [Overload].
"The two of them first, it's okay."
"A, yes!!"
The situation was quickly sorted out.
Head Toy was under the 『Curse of Domination』, but the Hand of Domination was broken, and the distance increased as he fell, so it was released. He lost consciousness and was hospitalized.
Collider, who was stabbed by Head Toy, survived by narrowly missing his heart. However, Head Toy's Mana was so monstrous that his internal organs were shattered.
Head Angela, who wielded the Grim Reaper's scythe, had her lower body and the left half of her upper body [Petrified]. If I hadn't switched places with her, she would have died like a fly.
Vaiper and Leo were relatively fine. In Vaiper's case, one hand was [Petrified], and Leo had a broken rib from a piece of stone.
The captain's [Petrification] was severe, but he didn't die.
Gray also had severe [Petrification] on one arm, but the bigger problem was that he had the flu, was drunk, overworked, and [Overloaded], so his physical damage was enormous.
In the midst of all this, he came out to use Illusion Magic to try to survive… This guy.
"……."
He remained in the sickroom and looked at Gray.
Was it because he was also a user of [Illusion Magic]? He was strangely drawn to him. What was the [Relationship Stat] that suddenly came to mind?
Even though it rose by 30, I didn't know what it was a Relationship Stat for.
The Script does not capture deep psychology.
This is because it is a Game System device created for the player's interest. Hiding and revealing is up to the developer, Systematicity⧉.
Because blood-soaked hair was in his mouth, he carefully tried to remove it with his hand.
But. As soon as his hand touched him, Gray turned his head away even while asleep.
So, when he tried to remove his hair again, he ran away again. Even turning his body over.
"……Like a cat."
He covered him with a blanket and came out.
Thus, fortunately, there were no deaths.
The [Petrification] can be undone by the Holy Magic users of the medical team.
So, he succeeded in minimizing the damage.
In the end, it was neither a victory nor a defeat.
High in the sky…… Jinxite was still wriggling.
Next to the one remaining 'Petrified arm', another arm crawled out.
At this time, I felt a small sense of despair.
The appearance rate was much faster than I thought.
'If it's already the fourth arm. That means all the other arms will be summoned within a day or two.'
He destroyed two arms.
There are 5 arms left.
And the main body, the one-horned head. (This one has no special abilities)
They will be fully summoned while the main story is in progress.
Even in a situation where the power vacuum is severe, we have to fight that monster again, which has become stronger.
"...The damage will be too great."
This game is not about taking down enemies with a knife while wearing only underwear.
It is a game where you find the best efficiency and make choices within a strictly set balance.
When I was a cancer patient. I was fascinated by this complex and vast Game System.
I couldn't break my old habits, and even while struggling with my sickbed life, I researched the game like I was in a lab.
Based on that research, I wrote game strategies like theses and posted them on overseas websites such as Reddit, and many foreigners waited for my strategies to be uploaded.
Because of this, it is no exaggeration to say that I almost perfectly understand the subtle and complex balance within the game.
Looking at it again from my point of view.
When manpower is lost due to 'rebellion and collapse', fighting Jinxite with five arms again was hopeless no matter how I thought about it.
More than half of the remaining Faculty will die.
Even if I miraculously perform well.
"……."
As I was feeling serious alone.
An unexpected message popped up.
───
⧉ Hotfix Scheduled Notice
Hello. This is Systematicity⧉.
Regarding the early appearance of the One-Horned Demon [Jinxite], we have identified an [Error] within the world, and we will be conducting a hotfix accordingly.
We apologize for the difficulty in normal gameplay due to the [Error]. Through this hotfix, we will ensure that [Jinxite] appears at the normal timing, and some of the elements affected by the Demon will be *adjusted*.
-
Hotfix Details:
a. Review and correction of [Jinxite]'s appearance timing and related additional errors
b. Some *adjustments* to affected elements
c. Compensation payment
We will notify you again as soon as the hotfix is completed.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the use of the game, and we will do our best to provide a smoother playing environment.
Thank you.