Chapter 152: Abyssal Sea Monster (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 152: Abyssal Sea Monster (2)
❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ 「Act 7, Chapter 3: The Abyssal Sea Monster」.
In the joint practical evaluation, if the player managed to survive for a set amount of time, a demon slumbering in the deep sea in the form of dark mana would awaken. This marked the beginning of Act 7, Chapter 3.
In the original game, Ian Fairytale—who acted as the Predator during the exam—would head toward the Eltra Sea where the Abyssal Sea Monster had appeared. As a wielder of the light element, he felt a personal sense of duty to defeat the demon, driven by a righteous desire to protect the people.
In this world, however, Ian couldn’t become the Predator. I had snatched first place in Class B, effectively pushing him out of the role.
Regardless, the Abyssal Sea Monster could be confronted even without the power of light, so it didn’t truly matter whether Ian was here or not.
The Abyssal Sea Monster’s overwhelming mana devoured the surrounding energy, distorting the atmosphere like static and noise on a television screen. This was the effect of its passive skill, [Mana Drain]—an ability that absorbed any mana weaker than its own. For the record, Ian, with his light element, was naturally immune to such power.
In the original ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, once Ian reached the Eltra coast...
The Abyssal Sea Monster’s minion and mid-boss, the Abyssal Queen, would streak in like a bullet and activate the effect of the ‘Ring of the Abyssal Queen.’
This triggered [Mana Leech], a skill even more potent than the sea monster’s [Mana Drain]. It was an ability that drained the mana and life force of a chosen target, though it could only be used against those weaker than the ring’s wearer. Its range was much more limited than [Mana Drain], meaning only those directly on the Eltra coast suffered its effects.
As a result, the proctors and first-year students who reached the coast would have their mana and stamina drained in an instant. The ring’s power scaled in proportion to how much it devoured. Even then, Ian remained immune to [Mana Leech] due to his light element.
The mission of the abyssal demons was to defeat Ian Fairytale. To fulfill that goal, the Abyssal Queen would absorb the activated ring into her own body, gaining even greater power.
The original scenario dictated that Ian, enraged by the sight of the exhausted students, would stand alone against the Abyssal Queen.
‘And then there’s the hidden condition.’
If the player successfully prevented all first-year students from reaching the Eltra Coast during the evaluation, a new event cutscene would trigger.
When the Abyssal Sea Monster appeared and the proctors confirmed that no students had arrived at the coast, they would immediately retreat to the gathering point, leaving Ian behind. In the final scene of that cutscene, Ian would begin a lonely confrontation against both the Abyssal Sea Monster and the Abyssal Queen. He would have to defend against the enemies as if playing a defense game, all while launching long-range light attacks.
‘It was a reckless act.’
But it was also a brave one.
In that hidden scenario, there was no one at the Eltra Coast for the Abyssal Queen to drain mana from. Therefore, if the player defeated the Abyssal Queen before reinforcements arrived, they could obtain the ‘Ring of the Abyssal Queen’ as loot before the demon could absorb it.
Before the exit leading to the Eltra Coast was sealed, I used [Clairvoyance] to confirm the proctors were retreating, then slipped out of Octovus Hall. Paladins, the Saintess, and the Priestess were also rushing toward the coast, but they didn't matter now.
I soared over the vast, frozen expanse atop the mythical Frost Dragon, Hilde. The Eltra Sea had been frozen solid, creating a landscape that looked like a new island made of ice. The giant demon hesitated, hindered by the sea I had turned to glaciers.
[Igpus the Enlightened]
Lv: 175
Race: Demon
Elements: Dark, Water
Danger: Supreme
Psychology: [Sees you as a threat.]
The Leviathan of demons, Igpus the Enlightened, glared at me with wide, bulbous eyes. It was as tall as a Devil Pillar, but I wasn't intimidated. Having already brought down The Floating Island, a creature of this size seemed almost quaint.
Fish-like demons with wings shaped like human hands fluttered forward to block my path, desperate to defend their lord. They launched joint spells, weaving dark and water mana together, but...
Whoooosh─────!!
4-star ice magic: [Frostfire].
A frigid flame born of ice mana enveloped the area, instantly freezing the dark water magic. The fish demons, frozen to their very marrow, plummeted helplessly from the sky.
As a Demon-Limited Hunter, I could simply use brute force to suppress them. Even contemplating how to deal with them was a luxury I could now afford.
Suddenly, the chest of the Abyssal Sea Monster, Igpus, turned slimy and viscous. A female demon burst through his sticky flesh. It was the mid-boss and Abyssal Queen, Mezilla the Deluge.
[Mezilla the Deluge]
Lv: 140
Race: Demon
Elements: Dark, Water
Danger: High
Psychology: [Wants to dissolve you.]
Each strand of her hair resembled an octopus tentacle, writhing unpleasantly like a mass of worms. She looked like a cephalopod version of Medusa. Thick lips covered half of her face, and when her perfectly round mouth opened wide, it revealed rows of needle-sharp teeth.
She was so abhorrent that I felt a pang of sympathy for the actual Medusa.
────────[Gwaaaaaaah─────!!!]
Clad in the [Magic Cloak of Disguise: Berserker], a roar tore from my throat automatically. Even though I wasn't consciously yelling, the cloak translated my emotional state into the terrifying demeanor of a berserker warrior.
As if reacting to me, Mezilla let out a bizarre, twisted scream, her face crumpling as she lashed out with her tentacle hair. The tentacles sliced through the air at incredible speeds, each engulfed in a swirling vortex of dark blue waves. If they touched me, my body would dissolve as if hit by concentrated acid.
I condensed ice mana in my hand and swung my arm violently, detonating the energy.
Kwaaaaaaaah─────!!
5-star ice magic: [Frost Explosion].
With a thunderous boom, a shockwave of frost erupted. The impact shattered Mezilla’s reaching tentacles, and the demon’s body itself cracked under the force of the rapid freezing. Ice spread instantly along her remaining limbs, encasing both Mezilla and the chest of Igpus the Enlightened in a massive glacier.
────────[Groooaaaa────.]
Igpus the Enlightened let out a ghastly scream of frozen agony.
As the ice boulder shattered, Mezilla’s disintegrating body caught my eye amidst the scattering pale blue dust. Her frozen remains fell forlornly onto the ice below.
I leapt from Hilde’s back, lunging toward the monster and grabbing onto the gills on Igpus’s chest. Mezilla, drooping lifelessly, dissolved into grey ash and vanished into nothingness. As a small, sparkling object began to fall from the spot where she disappeared, I snatched it out of the air.
It was a magnificent black ring set with a deep blue mana stone. The ‘Ring of the Abyssal Queen.’
[Congratulations! You have defeated the demon [Mezilla the Deluge (Lv. 140)] and gained EXP!]
[Level Up!! Your level has increased to 111!]
[You have gained 4 stat points due to the effect of the unique trait [Rapid Growth]!]
[You have obtained the loot: [Ring of the Abyssal Queen]!]
‘One task finished.’
Now, only the giant sea monster, Igpus the Enlightened, remained. It twisted its head unnaturally to look down at me, its massive skull casting a wide shadow over the ice. Heavy, damp dark mana settled over the area. It opened its maw, deploying several black magic circles, each twenty meters in diameter, while spitting out globs of purple, caustic saliva.
Still clinging to its gills, I condensed ice mana in my right hand. The formula for the 5-star magic [Frost Explosion] manifested before me.
‘Hilde.’
The moment I conveyed the thought to my familiar, she roared threateningly and deployed a pale blue magic circle toward Igpus.
───────[Gwoooooo─────.]
───────[Gwaaaaaah!!]
The roars of the dragon, the demon, and the Berserker collided in a deafening crescendo.
To the South, Kaya Astrea—the second seat of the second-year Magic Department—had been assigned the role of Predator.
The moment she sensed the Abyssal Sea Monster’s mana, she had exited Octovus Hall and flown toward the southern coast. While fending off the army of fish demons, she simultaneously healed the combat troops using plant magic.
It was exactly as she had arranged with Isaac. Anticipating the academy’s defense system, he had instructed Kaya to head south and defend the campus if a demon appeared.
The soldiers fighting alongside her looked at Kaya with pure admiration. Surrounded by swirling wind and vibrant plant mana, her light green twin-tails fluttering alongside her uniform and cape, she looked like a holy fairy. The reason she was called the ‘Emerald Fairy Wizard’ was clear to everyone present.
To the West, in the direction of the Arkins Sea, a massacre was unfolding to the sound of crystalline ringing. Waves of starlight blanketed the ocean, and brilliant beams of light ruthlessly pierced through both sky and sea. Tremendous mana created a swarm of rainbow-colored stars, annihilating the fish demons without mercy.
At the center of the carnage stood Dorothy Heartnova. The third-year student floated among the stars, her lavender hair peeking out from under her witch’s hat, a carefree expression on her face.
To the North, dazzling sword energy and elemental magic ran rampant. The Imperial Knights skillfully countered every demonic spell, refusing to let the monsters gain even an inch of ground.
And to the East, toward the Eltra Sea...
“Sigh...”
The top student of the first-year Magic Department, a girl with jet-black hair named Miya, stepped out of the shattered exit of Octovus Hall. Since the door had been completely demolished, getting out was easy.
“This is...”
Miya couldn’t help but chuckle when she saw the remnants of ice mana clinging to the broken door.
Kaboom───!!
The sound of clashing magic and the roars of monsters echoed in the distance. Looking up, she saw a giant figure confronting a massive demon on the frozen Eltra Sea, flanked by a mysterious white dragon.
Miya’s eyes sparkled like shooting stars. Her face flushed with excitement, and her heart hammered uncontrollably against her ribs.
“It has to be...!”
Miya sprinted across the sandy beach. A biting wind blew, but she conjured small flames beneath her feet to keep from slipping on the frozen sand. Standing before the icy sea, she gazed at the man she had been searching for and cried out in a voice thick with emotion.
She was certain. The person who had smashed the entrance to Octovus Hall. The one who had frozen the entire sea. The one standing toe-to-toe with that nightmare of a demon. That immense mana that felt heavy enough to crush someone even from this distance!
He was the protagonist of the heroic tales that had captivated her. He was, without a doubt, the Nameless Hero.
“My Prince...!”
The sight of the Nameless Hero in combat made Miya’s heart beat like a drum. Her mouth hung open in awe.
Near the Eltra Coast, hidden behind a black rock, the Spade Paladin secretly observed the scene. Soon, Saintess Bianca emerged from the exit as well. She caught her breath as she witnessed the Nameless Hero’s battle.
His roars and the biting cold spread fiercely in all directions. The giant humanoid demon unleashed a deluge of dark and water spells, but the Hero—along with the white dragon familiar—unleashed vast ice spells that neutralized everything, repeatedly freezing and shattering the enemy’s attacks.
Every time the Hero swung his fist, the air vibrated, and a fierce pressure surged forward. It was a one-sided slaughter. The massive, powerful demon was helpless against such overwhelming force.
Finally, the Nameless Hero ruthlessly tore apart the demon he had frozen solid.
Graaaaaaaaah───────!!!
[Frost Explosion].
The demon’s massive body shattered into frozen chunks of dark blue flesh. The Nameless Hero let out a roar that sounded more like a monster’s cry than a man’s.
Priestess Miya clutched her chest. Witnessing that brutal, overwhelming fighting style, she let out a deep, shaky sigh.
“Haaa...”
He was the perfect ideal she had always dreamed of. She had never felt her heart tremble like this in her entire life. Her mind was turning fuzzy. It felt as if she had been born specifically to meet him.
This emotion... it had to be love. It was definitely love.
On the other hand, Saintess Bianca remained expressionless. Her eyes were cast in shadow, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.
Soon, the shattered remains of the demon turned into grey dust and scattered into the snowstorm. As if waiting for that exact moment, the white dragon summoned a silver, frost-laden gale—[Frostwind].
“...!”
[Frostwind] surged outward, blanketing the Eltra Coast. Miya protected herself with a shield of flickering red flames, while Saintess Bianca shielded her face with her arms. The mana was as biting as the dead of winter. It didn't seem intended to harm; it was a smokescreen.
And just like that, within the swirling vortex of frost, the Nameless Hero vanished, his mighty mana fading into nothingness.
“Haa... I’m so moved to finally meet you... My Prince...”
Inside her flame shield, Miya clasped her hands over her heart as if in prayer, closing her eyes to savor the moment. She wanted to etch the image of the Nameless Hero’s silhouette into her memory forever.
“...”
Bianca silently sheathed her mace, turned her back, and walked away.
“Haa...”
The Spade Paladin furrowed his brow and let out a soft sigh.
“To think we have to eliminate... someone like him...”
Enemy. The Nameless Hero.
Alice had called him a ‘disruptor,’ but to call him just that was an understatement. He was unbelievably strong.
The people of Märchen Academy who had witnessed the fight were left in a state of stunned awe. A heavy silence fell over the entire island. Most had only heard rumors of the Nameless Hero—stories of him using world-ending magic or single-handedly defeating The Floating Island. Some had even claimed he was a fictional character created for propaganda.
But today, they realized the truth. The Nameless Hero was real, and his strength was beyond anything they had imagined. The fact that Märchen Academy was being protected by such a formidable archwizard was now a fact etched into everyone's minds.
“That’s enough. Let’s get out of here, Hilde!”
[I shall show you the escape skills we practiced. It’s a race, Master!]
She’s certainly adapted well. It’s reassuring.
The ice underfoot was solid. Perfect. I hadn't created this glacier for the fight alone; it was my escape route. I had unleashed [Frostwind] just before [Hunter] deactivated, so the duration should be long enough to cover our tracks.
I didn't need to worry about getting lost. I had [Clairvoyance], and just in case, I had a compass I’d swiped from a student during the exam.
The distance back to the academy was significant, but my stamina was holding up. I still had enough mana to maintain Hilde’s baby dragon form for a while. She was there to trigger [Frostwind] again if an emergency arose.
Since [Frostwind] was technically my own magic, it didn't hinder me. In fact, I was the only one who could move freely within the gale.
Hilde and I cut through the raging cold, running at full speed.
It was the same ending as always.