Chapter 87
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Declaration of War
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(6)
11.
All seven heroes put together could not match it.
Ullan's concentration was remarkably impressive. Not only in battle, but in other areas too—once he locked in, he never looked away.
This time was no exception.
Kaboom!
Shockwaves ravaged the exam hall.
Soon after, Professor Direk transformed into a monster.
Grotesque tentacles writhed outward, but Ullan's gaze stayed fixed on his exam paper.
"If I approach it like this..."
Eyes locked in terrifying focus.
Students' screams and all sorts of chaos erupted from every direction, but nothing could disrupt Ullan's concentration.
Drip! Drop!
Blood poured from his nose.
But he didn't wipe it away.
No—he didn't even register the nosebleed. He was that deep in his own private war.
In the midst of that solitary bloodbath,
his frantically scribbling pencil suddenly halted. His scarlet eyes sparkled like stars.
"...Done."
He could see the path to the answer.
An uncharted realm he had never reached in his past life or this one. He climbed the steps toward it, one by one.
And at last—
"Yes, the answer is...!"
A number burned crystal-clear into his mind.
The instant his dozens of minutes of fierce struggle ended in victory, Ullan's body moved on instinct.
He had sensed the threat.
Right then.
KABOOM!
A massive tentacle slammed down onto the floor.
Right where Ullan had been sitting moments before.
The desk and chair were pulverized beyond recognition. The answer sheet atop them shredded into powder.
"...!"
Ullan’s eyes flew wide.
Dozens of minutes pushing his brain to the brink—the entire solution process—gone to dust in a heartbeat.
His ironclad focus crumbled to dust too. His mind blanked white, a dazed look settling over his face.
"The answer, the answer..."
No matter how he grasped for it.
It wouldn’t come back.
Every painstaking step he’d built evaporated with the answer sheet. All that effort, turned to nothing.
Snap!
Deep inside him.
Something broke. And that was Ullan’s last memory.
12.
Deafening roars shook the hall.
The monster’s torso—neatly bisected by Ullan’s axe—hit the ground.
A blow that would kill any ordinary creature outright. But the monster thrashed its tentacles wildly, as if utterly unfazed.
This time, though, it had chosen poorly.
Slash! Crunch! Thud!
Dozens of tentacles severed mid-air.
Within twenty paces of Ullan.
The toll for entering a Master’s domain. Ullan carved through every last one, then closed in on the monster without pause.
The gap vanished in a flash.
Up in its face, he unleashed savage axe strikes. Each one shredding flesh, splintering bone.
Whoa, he’s incredible as always.
Noa marveled inwardly.
With his Berserker trait active, Ullan was far more brutal and destructive than usual.
Crazier than in the original story.
Dominating an 8-star Magic Beast.
The monster wasn’t helpless, of course. It regenerated endlessly, plotting counterattacks.
But it never landed one.
Every new tentacle met the raging axe—like octopus legs lopped off.
Not a fight. Pure, one-sided violence.
As Noa watched in a daze, mana surged nearby.
"Hm? That’s..."
The source: Dilia.
She was channeling mana into a spell completed in seconds. Once finished, it would fire off.
The moment Noa realized,
she jumped.
"W-Wait!"
She threw herself in front, blocking it.
To stop the spell.
Dilia pulled back her mana at Noa’s sudden intrusion. Noa whirled on her, still wide-eyed.
"What do you think you’re doing?!"
"That’s my line."
Dilia scowled.
She flicked her hands dismissively.
"Out of the way. I need to help Ullan."
"Not right now!"
"...What?"
Her brow twitched.
She couldn’t make sense of it.
The explanation followed.
"Ullan can’t tell friend from foe right now. If we poke him and catch his eye, we’re dead!"
The Berserker trait came with real drawbacks.
Sure, upsides too.
Fight fine even poisoned or stamina-empty.
But...
Fatal flaws.
Couldn’t distinguish enemies from allies—just smashed anything alive nearby. Hence the "penalty."
The original mentioned this too.
Playing as one of the seven heroes,
if Ullan went Berserker, retreat a hundred paces for safety.
Right after Noa finished,
Dilia eyed her dubiously.
"...How do you know?"
From the original game.
Couldn’t say that.
Noa shrugged, mustering her best excuse.
"I’m from the same tribe as Ullan."
"... "
Dilia went quiet.
No comeback.
Moments later, she dismissed her spell. Acceptance.
"Know how long he’ll stay like that?"
"Yeah. Once the urge to destroy fades, he’ll snap back."
Berserker mode was brief.
Varies, but averages five minutes. And they’d just passed that mark.
Halt!
The frenzied swings stopped.
Ullan staggered.
"Ugh."
A low groan.
Pounding headache, dizziness crashing in. He stumbled a few times, senses slowly returning.
"What was I just..."
Looking around to piece it together, he spotted the wrecked desk and answer sheet.
"Ah."
It hit him. Everything.
Solving the test, found the answer—then interrupted, reason gone.
Anger boiled up again, but he tamped it down.
Guess I rampaged a little.
Ullan took it in stride.
Happened now and then in his past life. Details during blackout? Forgotten.
Good no one was around.
He knew rampages hit friends and foes alike. Alone? Relief.
Strictly speaking—
not quite.
The monster groaned in agony.
Hacked to unrecognizable pulp by the axe.
Looked like it tanked his whole rampage.
Judgment and calm returning,
familiar presences neared.
"Senses back now?"
"Ullan, you okay?"
Two girls approaching warily.
Noa and Dilia.
Ullan nodded, scanned around.
"Other students?"
"All fled, looks like. But..."
Noa’s face darkened.
The pulp-state monster regenerating fast. Not fully, though.
Thud! Splatter! Crunch!
Ullan’s axe.
Lightning-fast, all tentacles gone. Monster still ballooned, regenerating.
Stubborn life force.
Ullan frowned. Only one beast fit this profile.
"Magic Beast?"
"Yeah. 8-star."
Noa tense.
Ullan nonchalant.
Reasonable.
First in this life, but past-life fights? Routine, no sweat.
Not a real threat on its own.
Master realm now.
1-star complete.
That alone? Shaky 1v1 vs. 8-star. But past experience...
No issue.
Save one.
...Mana Core.
All Magic Beasts have one.
Up to 6-star only. 7-plus? Two minimum.
And...
The catch.
Multiple cores? Smash all at once. Or endless regen.
Past memories surfacing,
Ullan muttered, puzzled.
"Where’d this thing even come from?"
"No memory?"
"Of what?"
"That’s Professor Direk."
"...What?"
Ullan blinked, stunned.
Not the human-to-beast shock. Seen it before.
Timing issue.
Humans turn Magic Beast post-Abyss Gate.
Why now?
Gate not open?
Happened before too.
Abyss Worshippers’ raid.
They dragged a ‘Vampiric Plant, Candira’—Abyss breed. Memory hit; Ullan’s gaze chilled.
...What the hell’s happening?
Not in past life.
Face hardening. Needs looking into.
Pulp monster roared.
Regen kicked off again.
Axe swung—but monster tougher now. Tentacles sprouting way faster.
Won’t end at this rate.
Monster first.
Goal set, gripped axe, called out.
"Noa."
"Yes?"
"Vital points again."
"Head, waist, and butt!"
Morning intel repeated. Ullan mapped them out.
Head? Obvious.
But...
"Waist and butt where?"
No humanoid shape.
Like a giant head on sea anemone. No waist, no butt visible.
"Uh, well..."
Noa faltered.
Made sense. Regen monster looked nothing like original game’s.
As she hesitated,
"Mana clumps the vitals?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
"Then I’ll mark ’em."
Dilia advanced.
Spell done in a blink. Magic fired—sparkling star-dust sank into the beast.
Shortly after,
Flash!
Beast body glowed.
"Those are vitals."
Three spots.
One: head center, crown. Others: lower down.
Mana Cores.
Lower doable...
Waist/butt cores—solo simultaneous smashable. Under twenty paces.
Crown’s the issue.
From closest waist: forty-plus paces. Solo tough. Pondering,
Dilia tossed out,
"One each. Done."
Three cores.
Three here.
Simple math. Noa awkward,
"Sorry. Can’t."
"Why?"
"No 8-star spells learned."
Cheek-scratch sheepish.
Dilia scowled.
"...Noa’s useless."
"Ow! True, but nicer? Hurts."
Whiney. Dilia pivoted, smiling bright.
"Noa’s worthless."
"... "
Smiling delivery doubled pain.
Noa pouted. Ullan cut in.
"Dilia, can smash vital?"
"Yeah. Think so."
Heard from Noa: 8-star beast needs 8-star-equivalent hit.
Unlike useless Noa, Dilia had multiples. Nodded easy.
"Head yours then."
"Gotcha. But..."
"But?"
"Timing how?"
Mana flow checked—
Dilia clocked it late. Separate smashes won’t kill.
All simultaneous only.
Sole sure-kill. Voiced worry—Ullan replied.
"No sweat."
"Huh?"
"I’ll sync to you."
"...Possible?"
"Obviously."
No hesitation.
Past life syncs aplenty. Confidence hit? Dilia beamed.
"Okay. Trust you, Ullan."
Done speaking—
Expression shifted. Chant incoming.
Then,
"It’s regening again!"
Noa’s shout as cue.
Ullan launched. Time axe for magic head-strike.
Sensed doom?
Monster twisted, howling.
Regen plus mutation.
Crunch! Grind!
Exoskeleton hardened.
Cores exposed—realized. Star-marks fading fast.
But...
No issue.
Positions locked in.
Eyes gleamed—
world lit up.
Whoom! Kaboom!
Overhead roar. Star shards pierced clouds.
Vs. Abyss Worshippers—
Dilia’s 6-star constellation spell.
8-star attribute power tactical nuke.
Meteor Fall.
Now!
Meteor about to core-head-smash—
Master domain active.
Meteor grazed core—slit-second, axe swung.
Slash! Crack!
Core shattered clean.
Head-view—
Crisp impact.
Crunch! BOOM!
Beyond core-bust—head gone.
Neck-spewing scream.
Final thrash—pointless.
Cores gone. Death embrace only.
Swift arrival.
Splatter! Rumble!
Mush melted.
Candle on flame. Nearby rock/tree? Melted too.
"Eugh, nasty."
Dilia winced.
Gruesome demise.
Soon, all-melter remains slimed into puddle. Acidity null.
End differs from original too.
Original: gray smoke, poof. Clothes/key left.
This? Liquid melt-fest, surroundings included.
Huh? Wait...
Melted? Everything?
Thought peaked—Noa eyes bulged. Forgotten fact screamed.
"My key!"
Transformed-Direk kill reward. Event prize Noa craved.
Key inside.
Dawned—
Noa bolted panicked.
Rummaged slime. Sticky gross-wrap? Ignored.
"Noa, filthy."
Dilia recoiled.
Ignored.
Slime/Dilia irrelevant. Dig-fever—
Hand closed on something.
"This...!"
Direk’s necklace.
Special alloy? Unmelted. End: dreamed key.
"Haaah, thank god."
Unmelted.
Relief-sigh, legs buckled—sat.
Dilia’s disgust afar? Nada. Key joy enough.
Relief redux—
Huge palm loomed.
Ullan’s.
"All clear?"
"...Yeah."
Nod, grabbed to rise.
Tried.
Failed.
Rumble!
Earthquake quake.
"Eek!"
Scream-snip.
Quake ramped.
Balance hell. Ullan prop saved fall-two.
"Wha, sudden..."
Shock-voice prep—
Stuck.
"...Huh?"
Face stone.
Pale quick.
Slime-center, corpse-spot: anomaly bloom.
Crack! Creak! Rippp!
Space warped grotesque.
Air halved.
Gap yawned—mana storm poured.
"Ah, aaah..."
Noa teeth-clack.
Terror-face.
Fitting. Gap-spew: near-black gray mana.
Original finale-only pure Abyss Mana.
Chapter 23. Declaration of War