Chapter 86
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Berserker Awakens
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(5)
10.
Scratch, scratch!
The sound of pencils busily scratching away.
It was the noise of countless students filling out their answer sheets. Most of them had performed poorly in the first and second exams, so they seemed determined to make up for it here in the written test.
Noa was the exception.
She couldn't focus on the exam.
No, she couldn't focus.
Something far more important than this lousy test was at stake.
...Just when the hell is he going to transform?
She was watching Professor Direk Orminu.
He'd had his head bowed low earlier, but now he was staring blankly into space, his eyes devoid of focus, as if entranced by something.
'In the original story...'
During the exam at the Mana Spring, he gets caught in some incident and comes into contact with Abyss mana. Things had unfolded similarly to the original plot so far.
The ashen Abyss mana coiling around Professor Direk Orminu was proof of that.
'Next, the Abyss mana clashes with his original mana, triggering a mana rampage, and he transforms into an Abyss monster.'
A full-fledged 7-star Magic Beast.
A monster impossible to face unless you were at the Expert or Archmage level.
'...That's how it was supposed to go.'
But there was a discrepancy from the original.
The unease she'd felt earlier.
It was the sheer volume of mana Professor Direk Orminu possessed.
In the original, he only came into contact with a handful of Abyss mana—barely a tenth of his original mana.
'But now, it's completely different.'
The situation itself was entirely changed.
He wasn't just touching it; he'd been outright swallowed whole by the Abyss mana.
Five to ten times more than his existing mana. This realization sparked a twinge of anxiety in Noa.
'No way... he's not going to turn into an even stronger monster, is he?'
It wasn't impossible.
The expanding Abyss mana made that clear.
Noa bit her lip anxiously. Then, her eyes suddenly widened.
'Right! I need to tip off Ullan too.'
He couldn't see mana, so he'd think Professor Direk Orminu was fine.
But he was too far away to whisper a warning.
What to do? Should she abandon the exam and go over to subtly tell him? As she turned to look at Ullan with that thought—
'Huh?'
Noa's eyes went wide.
He was the same as her.
Ullan had tossed his answer sheet aside and was glaring solely at Professor Direk Orminu. Noa blinked her widened eyes at the sight.
'No way... did Ullan notice too?'
There was no other explanation.
His sharp gaze, and above all, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the professor—that was the evidence.
'I don't know how he figured it out, but...'
If he was on guard, there was no need to warn him.
In his current state, the moment Professor Direk Orminu turned into a monster, Ullan would leap up and swing his axe.
'Somehow, I feel relieved.'
Ullan was a powerhouse who'd reached the Master realm.
With someone like him watching the professor, her worst fears wouldn't come to pass.
As Noa let out a sigh of relief, the anxiety washing away—
"Mm."
Ullan let out a low groan.
His gaze was fixed on Professor Direk Orminu—or rather, on the blackboard beside him, where the written exam questions were written.
'I don't have a clue about any of this.'
There were twenty questions in total.
All essay-style, with the last five requiring calculations based on mana formulas.
The lack of multiple choice was shocking enough, but what truly stunned him was something else.
'None of this was in the books.'
Nothing from the past ten days of nosebleed-inducing study appeared here. And yet, it didn't seem like the questions were misprinted.
The other students were filling out their sheets.
'Did Noa give me the wrong study range?'
The most plausible guess.
Ullan glanced at Noa.
She happened to be looking his way too, so their eyes met instantly in midair.
And in that moment—
Noa nodded with a stiff expression.
'That means...'
Is she confirming it?
As he wore a puzzled look, his eyes caught Noa's answer sheet in front of her.
A blank page, not a single answer written.
The moment he saw it, Ullan understood.
'We're screwed.'
Noa had clearly gotten the exam scope wrong too.
So she'd given up without solving a single one, just like him. That's what Ullan concluded.
But he was different from Noa.
Even if it was all unknown territory, he had no intention of fleeing the battle right in front of him.
As he turned back to the questions—
Suddenly, his crimson eyes flashed.
'Wait, that's definitely...'
Upon closer inspection, it was something from the books.
A problem solvable by applying a specific formula and doing some basic arithmetic.
But only briefly—Ullan spotted the fatal catch.
'...Three-digit addition.'
Territory he hadn't reached yet.
His crimson eyes trembled faintly. But he didn't hesitate long.
'I've grown a lot these past days.'
Since enrolling in the academy.
He'd studied almost daily without fail, and over the last ten days, he'd even bled from the nose in his pursuit of knowledge.
And the result?
He could proudly say he'd become far more learned than in his previous life.
'So I'll take it on.'
Even if it was uncharted ground.
Shaking off the tension gripping his body—
Ullan gripped his pencil with a resolute face.
He transcribed the problem onto his answer sheet and poured all his focus into it.
To tackle three-digit addition.
"Five minutes until the exam ends!"
"Wrap it up now!"
The proctors' shouts rang out.
The ones announcing the end of the exam approached Professor Direk Orminu to report it.
"P-Professor?"
"The exam's almost over..."
"Are you okay?"
The proctors spoke with concern.
They had good reason.
Professor Direk Orminu looked ghastly.
It had only been thirty minutes since returning to Zone 2, yet his body was gaunt to the bone.
Anyone could see he wasn't normal.
"If you're not feeling well, you can head back first."
"Yeah, we'll handle the cleanup."
"......"
No response despite their repeated calls. Professor Direk Orminu just stared blankly into space with unfocused eyes.
"Professor?"
Then one proctor reached out.
The moment he grabbed the professor's shoulder, the proctor's face twisted in shock.
"My god, what is all this sweat..."
His clothes were soaked through.
The proctor continued in astonishment—but his words didn't finish.
Whoosh! Thwack!
The sound of air slicing.
Followed by the proctor's head exploding in midair. A stunned silence fell as scarlet blood, brains, and shards rained down.
"...Huh?"
An utterly unforeseen situation.
So sudden that it took time to accept the reality before their eyes.
"W-What?!"
"His head just...!"
And those were their final words.
Thwack! Crunch! Crack!
A barrage of indiscriminate attacks.
Chests pierced, heads burst, bodies torn to shreds. Soon, the culprit revealed itself.
Ashen tentacles.
Moving like cephalopod limbs, tipped with teeth—the things devoured the proctors' corpses voraciously.
At that moment—
Professor Direk Orminu's body burst open.
A violent shockwave engulfed the surroundings.
Kaboom!
Moments later, a massive shadow loomed over the exam hall. The monster Professor Direk Orminu had become. With that, pandemonium erupted.
"A-Arghhh!"
"Monster! It's a monster!"
"Everyone, run!"
The exam hall turned into chaos in an instant.
Students screamed and scattered in all directions.
Desperate to get as far from the monster as possible. But some headed toward it instead.
The girls who had foreseen this very scenario.
Noa and Dilia Arpen.
But they weren't looking at the monster. Their eyes were on the student sitting nearby, too slow to escape.
"Ullan! What are you doing there?!"
"Hurry, over here!"
With Professor Direk Orminu now a monster—
Ullan still hadn't left his desk. No sign of moving. Just scribbling away with insane focus.
Then—
"...Done."
His tense face brightened.
All calculations complete. Reviewed multiple times, so it was solid. Now, just fill in the answers on the blank sheet.
He immediately picked up his pencil.
"The answer is...!"
But in that instant—
Kaboom!
The monster's tentacle slammed down on Ullan.
A blow that shook the ground. As the shockwave hit again, Noa bulged her eyes.
"U-Ullan!"
Noa screamed.
Dilia's reaction differed.
Unlike Noa, who paled and stamped her feet, Dilia had already completed her magic incantation.
And unleashed it on the monster.
Flash! Whoosh!
A massive beam of starlight from the sky.
Noa recognized it instantly.
'Strike of the Aurora!'
A 4-star constellation spell, Strike of the Aurora.
Ideal for single targets over groups, its power rivaled a 7-star elemental attack spell.
'That should definitely...'
Even a 7-star Magic Beast would take heavy damage. Noa was certain.
And then—
The Strike of the Aurora slammed into the monster's head.
Kabooooom!
A fierce shockwave surged up.
It parted some of the dust cloud the monster had kicked up. Ullan's figure came into view, and Noa and Dilia sighed in relief.
Only the desk was shattered.
Ullan was unharmed.
He'd instinctively dodged just before impact. Noa waved frantically, shouting as relief washed over her again.
"Ullan! Hurry over here!"
"......"
"Ullan?"
No reply.
Ullan just stood there blankly, staring at the floor with distraught eyes.
Splintered desk debris.
Answer sheet torn to shreds.
He gazed at them vacantly, like a man who'd lost his kingdom.
Why the hell is he...?
Noa yelled, bewildered.
"Can't you hear me?! It's dangerous there—get over here with us!"
As frustration boiled over—
Whoosh! Whoooosh!
Dozens of tentacles whipped through the air, clearing the remaining dust.
A furious roar echoed.
The bellow shook the exam hall.
Dilia winced at the ear-piercing agony. But that wasn't the only reason.
"...Not even a scratch?"
The Strike of the Aurora had hit dead-on.
Yet the monster's head bore no wound. Meaning the spell hadn't worked.
She wasn't the only shocked one.
Noa's eyes were wide too.
In the original Arsen Continental Saga, a Magic Beast's star rating was determined by the level of magic that could damage it.
For a 7-star Magic Beast, anything below 6-star elemental magic dealt no damage.
'That's why you need an Archmage.'
To face a 7-star, you needed an Archmage with 7-star+ elemental spells or an Expert with comparable mana sword power.
And just now—
Dilia's 'Strike of the Aurora' matched a 7-star elemental spell in power.
'But it didn't work...!'
The monster before them wasn't 7-star. One rank higher.
'...An 8-star Magic Beast!'
Noa's face drained of color.
Her worst fear had come true.
Then—
The monster's head swiveled.
Jet-black eyes like the abyss.
Its hollow gaze locked onto Dilia's direction. Had it marked her as prey? The monster lashed out tentacles immediately.
"Dilia! Run!"
Noa shouted urgently, sensing the danger.
But Dilia couldn't move.
The moment her eyes met the monster's, indescribable terror paralyzed her.
"Uh, ah..."
Her legs trembled.
All she could do was shiver like a frightened rabbit.
Then—
Noa grabbed Dilia's hand.
"Run! Now!"
She yanked her with all her strength.
The forceful pull finally moved Dilia's statue-stiff legs.
They hurried away.
But it was futile. The tentacles closed in faster.
Scraaaape!
Tentacles scraping the floor as they flew.
One reached striking distance and thrust its sharp teeth at Dilia. She squeezed her eyes shut reflexively—
Suddenly, the tentacle halted in midair.
As if grabbed by someone.
And in that instant—
Riiip!
The monster's body split vertically.
"...Huh?"
Its torso cleaved in two.
The tentacles went limp.
Moments later, through the split, a burly man appeared. A barbarian warrior wielding an axe dripping blood from both hands.
"Ullan!"
Noa and Dilia cried out together.
Their faces brightening.
But Ullan's state was off.
Gone was his usual calm rationality—his face twisted like a demon's.
Killing intent wafting off him.
Noa realized upon seeing it.
'I don't know the reason, but...'
It was that expression from the original story.
One of Ullan's traits.
A penalty that triggered when rage overrode reason, granting immense power.
The 'Berserker'.
22. Changing Future