Chapter 14
The magical beasts closed in right up to my face. I drew my sword aura out to its maximum length and swung it horizontally.
Schwick! Through the hand gripping the blade, I could feel the satisfying impact of slicing through several of them.
No matter that they were fakes conjured by illusion magic. A fake more real than the real thing had a way of fooling every sense and becoming the genuine article.
A small wolf beast I hadn't managed to cut slipped past and raked my side.
I know it's fake!
Blood sprayed, and agony tore through my flank like flesh ripping open. I whipped my sword around in a flash, decapitating the wolf that had slashed me.
That's why it's gotta feel a little scary.
Another beast lunged from the side, aiming for my throat. I'd let my guard slip just a fraction, so my reaction was sluggish…
"Raaah!"
Schwick. The beast's torso split in two and tumbled away. I glanced back to see Scarlett wielding a zweihänder I hadn't even noticed her holding.
She cleaved another charging beast in half, and I impaled the avian-type monster diving at her.
It had only been a few seconds at the front lines facing down the horde. But that was enough.
This was Astel Academy. The gathering place for the nation's most talented Awakeners. So if Scarlett and I bought even those few seconds up front, the quick-thinking students could snap to and get their bearings.
A quick glance back showed students already geared up and charging at the beasts.
"Focus!"
Scarlett's shout rang out as the arm of a bear beast lunging at me flew into the air.
"Thanks!"
I drove my mana-infused sword into the now-armless bear's neck and detonated the power inside.
Boom! The bear's head vanished in a burst, its body toppling backward. Countless more beasts still barreled toward us.
Damn, there sure are a lot.
From four-legged ones sprinting like the wind to the bipedal riders on their backs, and even those soaring through the sky. The academy must've mixed it up so we wouldn't get bored with just one flavor.
And of course, with such a diverse lineup of beasts…
"Kyaaak!"
A scream pierced from behind. A quick glance revealed students who'd collapsed at the sight of beasts bursting from the ground.
Sweeping my eyes around, the battlefield was already a chaotic melee of students and beasts tangled together. No more reason for Scarlett and me to hold the front.
I dashed to rescue the non-combat types, stabbing the emerging beasts dead. Scarlett caught on quick and joined me, swinging her blade to block more from rising.
Plenty were frozen in panic, so we bounced around, helping out and slaughtering beasts left and right.
Then—thud!—a massive crash drew my eyes to an unbelievable sight smack in the middle of the students.
A colossal golem had appeared out of nowhere. Not some weak-ass one like the ones from The Young Mage's Dungeon, but the real deal.
And that golem was currently…
What the fuck is that?
Locked in a two-handed test of strength with the tall handsome guy.
No way he's not even using aura?
Mutated beasts from rifts were one thing, but monsters that crossed over were on another level entirely. For him to go toe-to-toe with a magical construct like a golem using raw physical prowess…
"Rooooar!"
The tall handsome guy bellowed, shoving forward a step. The golem started giving ground.
He's even winning!
That direction didn't need my help. Turning elsewhere, I spotted more students still panicking. I neutralized the beasts lunging at them, and Scarlett followed up, severing their necks with her zweihänder.
After aiding a few more, no one else seemed to need saving.
Then a few figures caught my eye.
Stia—hiding her hero status by holding back her full power—was slicing through beasts with her black hair whipping in the wind.
The tall handsome guy, having already smashed the golem, was pounding more beasts into paste.
A girl with horns sprouting from her head spewed fire at the horde, while a blond guy blasted them away with magic. Plenty of students were shining bright.
But where's Dina?
From what I'd seen in Hero Become, she should've been the one having the time of her life carving up beasts.
Did blocking that car she was supposed to stop change the story?
As the thought crossed my mind, a black spear pierced a beast from somewhere.
The impaled beast writhed in agony, its body turning black and crumbling to dust.
Dozens more black spears lanced out, skewering beasts everywhere.
I knew it was Dina's power the instant I saw it.
Beneath the spot summoning the most spears stood a woman. Half her face was masked by a black veil over her lower half, but…
She's fucking gorgeous.
Even from afar, her beauty was undeniable. Deep violet eyes sparkled, and silver hair cascading to her hips swayed gently in the breeze, wavy only at the tips.
Knowing some dude was possessing that body made my head spin.
She looked like a noble lady out for a stroll, but with a flick of her wrist, black spears pierced beasts clean through.
The spears shifted forms—swords to slice them, shields to protect students from threats.
Dina was stealing the show here, but one question nagged at me.
She's going easier than in Hero Become.
This display was plenty impressive, but in the novel, she was on another plane.
There, Dina had summoned black rain across the entire beast-infested zone. The rain avoided students but hammered the beasts, turning them black before they dissolved into powder.
She'd wiped them solo, forcing a retake of the test for the other students.
She conjured a few more spears and hurled them at the beasts. Definitely handling her powers more conservatively than in Hero Become.
Did I steal her spotlight and piss her off?
Couldn't be helped. My goal was Class A.
I'd reacted first and helped students, but I wasn't guaranteed a spot yet.
To lock in Class A…
I'd have to face the test's boss.
But boss was boss, even in a test. Unlike cheat characters like Dina, a normie like me couldn't solo it.
So my job wasn't to beat it.
Just survive as long as I can.
That's what I had to do. Hold out till Stia or Dina came to help, or until time ran out.
Right on cue, something emerged from where the beasts had first appeared.
A frame dwarfing even the tall handsome guy, who already looked like he had two extra heads. Pitch-black skin over rippling muscle. Red eyes devoid of focus, like it'd lost its mind, and razor fangs peeking from its maw.
A demon.
For the record, this one wasn't a pure illusion fake. A student's illusion powers couldn't handle a real demon's might for this test.
So the academy's clever fix: overlay a teacher's form with a demon illusion.
The guy inside was the PE teacher, Im Sang-hyeok. His beast transformation ability was perfect for mimicking a demon.
Obviously, he wasn't going all-out. Even if he did, monsters like Stia or Dina could take him.
But against other students, casualties would pile up.
To avoid accidents, he was holding back.
Still, most students couldn't touch him.
Kroooaaarrr—!
The demon's roar drew every eye from the beast fights. Saliva dripping from its gleaming, madness-filled gaze instilled terror in the students.
Even I, knowing it was fake, felt my legs tremble.
Damn, he acts the part well.
Scarlett's sword tip scraped the ground beside me. A peek showed her face taut with tension.
I nudged her side. She turned, still stiff, meeting my eyes.
Loosen up, dummy.
I flashed a grin without a word. She blinked in surprise, then smirked and regripped her blade.
In that instant, the demon's red eyes flashed. It charged.
Even from afar, it closed the gap in a blink. Scarlett and I thrust our swords without flinching.
The demon thrust out both palms. Our blade tips clashed against them and we were flung back.
"Ugh!"
I rolled across the ground several times and looked up—to a demon fist filling my vision.
"Fuck!"
Crash! A brain-rattling impact sent me flying far before I slammed into the dirt.
Ow, my head.
Clutching my spinning skull, I staggered to my feet.
Scarlett was holding her own against it, but each claw swipe added more wounds to her body.
I wanted to infuse my blade with mana properties like Park Se-rin—turn it into an axe or hammer for blunt force—but my level wasn't there yet.
Against this thing, even hurling a car like before and bashing wouldn't cut it.
Couldn't just watch, though. At this rate, Scarlett wouldn't last seconds.
I flooded my body with mana, reinforcing every muscle fiber. Tension coiled through my limbs.
I'd planned to hide the dark runes on my Shin'am Sword as much as possible.
But acceleration magic? No need.
Pouring every ounce of mana into max aura activation, I rocketed at the demon.
"Scarlett!"
I hadn't even yelled to move, but she dodged aside sharp as ever.
At the demon's flank in a heartbeat, I swung the Shin'am Sword.
Dumping all five charged acceleration spells into one strike.
Pain exploded in my shoulder as I soared through the air.
I rolled on the ground, blacking out for about three seconds before snapping back. My shoulder was dislocated, dangling loose.
Where's the boss?
Squeezing out my last strength, I looked up. There stood the demon—with the Shin'am Sword buried in its back.