No. 50 Transference Maze (5)
Kim Gap-du surged forward in an instant, closing the distance to the Oubleck Knight.
As if swatting away an annoying insect, the creature swung its five arms in a frenzied flurry. Gap-du slipped past the chaotic barrage by a hair's breadth, slipping deep inside its guard until he was practically breathing down its neck, then unleashed a lightning-fast fist.
Boom!
An explosive impact rang out, staggering the Oubleck's massive bulk.
Sensing it stood no chance in a direct slugfest, the fiend reverted to the same tactic it had used against Jegal So-so—rapidly opening distance while flinging volleys of sword aura.
Swish-swish-swish-swish!
Keeping up the pursuit alongside Kim Gap-du, Jegal So-so cast a swift, assessing glance over the reinforcements before barking out an order.
"Jeong Chong-myeong, you're the artillery."
"Understood."
Entrusting the artillery role to whoever packed the heaviest punch was always the best call. As president of the White Magic Club, Chong-myeong was likely capable of landing a blast even more destructive than my Inferno Fist. Besides, I had every reason to keep my true identity concealed. Although I had already revealed Inferno Fist before a select few, there was zero benefit to adding more witnesses to the list.
A forbidden skill is still a forbidden skill, after all.
Unless things went completely sideways, blending into the background was by far the wisest choice.
Jeong Chong-myeong took up a position in the corner and began chanting an incantation. Overhead, a short distance away, a massive magic circle illuminated the ceiling with an intense radiance. Judging by how the academy staff member backed him up, he appeared to be a support specialist. He deflected the occasional stray blast of sword aura while amplifying the spell's potency. With each passing syllable of their dual chant, the glowing array etched across the ceiling burned with growing clarity.
Jegal So-so pointed toward the designated radius with her next directive.
"Herd it over there."
"Right."
Gap-du gave a curt nod, kicked violently off the flagstones, and rocketed forward. Once more penetrating the Oubleck Knight's guard, he drove his fist forward in a savage punch.
Crack!
The monster skidded back toward the magic circle, then backpedaled furiously in an attempt to widen the gap. But just as its frantic retreat was about to carry it past the circle's boundary, a thick wall of ice erupted from the earth right behind its back.
I had cast Ice Wall.
Caught completely flat-footed, the creature slammed spine-first into the barrier.
Thud!
The impact spiderwebbed the ice with fractures, threatening to shatter at any second. One more solid hit probably would have brought it down, but the Oubleck Knight clearly judged that even a second wasted was a second too long. It spun on its heel to sprint in another direction.
Naturally, Jegal So-so was already standing in its path. Rather than dodging the longswords slashing down at her, she parried every single one away. While taking them head-on might have seemed like an unnecessary drain on stamina, it kept the fiend's surplus arms occupied and stopped it from launching sword aura elsewhere. To top it off, shadow spikes erupted from the ground beneath its feet, piercing its flesh and anchoring its movements even further.
Dang Gyu-young flashed a satisfied smirk.
"Trapped it nice and proper."
Herding always works best with a crowd.
With so many hands on deck, not a single escape route was left open. Kim Gap-du, Dang Gyu-young, Jegal So-so, and I sealed off every avenue of retreat, forcibly pinning the creature directly beneath the magic circle. Before long, Jeong Chong-myeong completed his spell, and a colossal pillar of azure light cascaded down from the ceiling.
KABOOOOOM!
The Oubleck Knight was crushed flat under the incandescent column before disintegrating without leaving a trace of its form behind. Even so, Jegal So-so kept her eyes fixed on the spot for a long moment, only letting the tip of her blade dip once she had verified its complete demise.
"Let us regroup and recover."
Everyone complied without argument, an unspoken consensus that she was in command. While the staff member cast light restorative magic on the group, Kim Gap-du swept his gaze across the three of us.
"None of you seem to be... injured."
Gap-du's trio had accumulated plenty of minor wounds and deep exhaustion over continuous skirmishes. In contrast, our trio didn't bear so much as a scratch, having recharged in a hidden room.
Dang Gyu-young waved it off nonchalantly. "We've been sneaking around in the shadows, mostly."
"Well, if it's you, that certainly makes sense."
Gap-du accepted the explanation immediately. But then, as another question crossed his mind, he gestured toward me with his chin.
"...And who might this be?"
I was still disguised under the Totem of Mimicry. To Kim Gap-du and Jeong Chong-myeong, I was merely someone they had caught a passing glimpse of during the strategy briefing. Not everyone possessed Jegal So-so's razor-sharp intuition. Naturally, having anticipated this very inquiry, we had rehearsed our story in advance. Knowing it was best for me to keep my mouth shut, Dang Gyu-young fielded the question for me.
"I wasn't told all the specifics either, but I heard this person plays a critical role in the subjugation. You saw Instructor Lee Sudok guarding them earlier, right?"
"I did."
"So while the instructor is away, we have to protect them."
"I see. Fair enough."
Gap-du nodded in understanding. A sharp glint flickered in Jeong Chong-myeong's eyes for a fraction of a second, but he, too, seemed to table his questions for now and refocus on the subjugation force's objective. In any case, my abilities would be laid bare once we reached the boss chamber.
Having completed our recovery, our party resumed traversing the labyrinth.
As before, Dang Gyu-young cast stealth with her shadow magic, but the frequency of our detection steadily climbed. With a larger group, the stealth veil thinned, and spellcaster variants appeared among the Oublecks more frequently. After weathering several more skirmishes, we paused for another brief respite.
During the break, Jeong Chong-myeong let out a soft sigh.
"Still, this is a relief. At least we aren't wandering in circles."
Had we challenged the Transference Maze blind, we likely would have looped back into cleared chambers or strayed further from the boss room, racking up dozens of pointless battles in the process. Instead, by following the walkthrough, we marched steadily onward without straying an inch off course.
Chong-myeong gave his revised guidebook a little wave toward Dang Gyu-young.
"Pass along my thanks to whoever gave this to you."
"Yeah, sure thing."
Dang Gyu-young gave a breezy answer, then shot a sneaky wink in my direction, her eyes practically beaming: Hey, did you hear that?
Progress remained smooth after that. The Oubleck Knights sprouted more limbs, taking on grotesque silhouettes reminiscent of octopuses or centipedes, growing proportionally trickier to handle. Still, thanks to our solid party composition, we pressed forward step by step without suffering significant harm.
By our nth rest period, the group huddled together to review the strategy guide. Jeong Chong-myeong's gaze deepened.
"We're almost at the boss chamber."
We were practically right on top of it on the map. The teleportation portals leading into the boss chamber would soon begin appearing one by one. Yet the party's expressions remained grim.
Because there's still one major hurdle left.
The monsters guarding the perimeter of the boss room were on a completely different tier of power. The guide had highlighted them with stern warnings, and the Witch of Decay was certain to have prepared something far nastier.
Kim Gap-du spoke with unbothered resolve. "It's not as if we have an alternative anyway. Forward is the only way."
"If anything, we need to pick up the pace," Jeong Chong-myeong chimed in. "The others might have already engaged the boss."
Nods of agreement rippled through the group.
Finally, Jegal So-so issued the order.
"We proceed calmly, just as we have done so far. Prepare yourselves."
The party gathered around the teleportation circle. As mana was channeled into the runes, a brilliant flash of light flared up and swallowed us whole.
Flash!
Yet before our vision could even clear, a polite greeting drifted toward us from somewhere up ahead.
"Welcome."
Startled, everyone snapped their gazes forward to find a single knight bowing courteously toward us. Unlike the previous monstrosities with multiple limbs, this one possessed an ordinary humanoid frame of two arms and two legs, and its gear was comparatively modest.
Of course, simpler equipment by no means implied weakness.
Kim Gap-du narrowed his eyes as he glared at the creature. "...It speaks."
"Is there something strange about speaking?"
"No, not strange. Merely surprising."
Intelligence high enough to hold a conversation meant an entity of an entirely different caliber.
"Your surprise is only natural," the Oubleck Knight replied smoothly. "My master reportedly expended a great deal of effort to forge me."
"I imagine so."
Corrupting and assimilating an A-rank monster was no simple feat, even for the Witch of Decay. But given over a month to work her craft, she had evidently pulled it off in the end.
The Oubleck Knight bowed courteously once more.
"Of course, my assigned role is quite straightforward: to stop you, or failing that, to exhaust your strength as much as possible."
"That much was obvious."
"Indeed. Which is why I ask for your understanding."
"...Understanding for what?"
"If my methods prove somewhat cowardly."
With that, it kicked off the ground and rocketed forward at terrifying speed. Its target was the rear guard—where Jeong Chong-myeong, the academy staff member, and I stood.
Cowardly to the bone. I like it.
Wiping out the spellcasters would gut both the offensive firepower and sustain of the party in one fell swoop. From its perspective, it was the optimal move. Inwardly, I gave the bastard credit.
The frontline, however, were no fools, and they had zero intention of letting it bypass them so easily. Kim Gap-du and Jegal So-so lunged to intercept its path with a pincer attack. Yet just as they were about to clash, numerous thick, elongated limbs erupted from the Oubleck's single arm at breakneck speed.
BOOOOM!
"...Damn it!"
"...!"
Gap-du and So-so scrambled into defensive stances. Since their opponent was an ooze-based creature, they had surely anticipated erratic strikes. Yet the raw force behind the blow far exceeded their expectations, hurling both fighters outward to either side.
Seizing the opening, the Oubleck tore past the frontline in a flash, closing in on us. The moment a wall of ice thrust out of the ground before it, the monster brought its arm down in a crushing smash.
Craaack!
The sturdy ice barrier shattered into powder, sending frozen shards billowing through the air. While it had worked well enough against normal foes, this creature was an A-rank mid-boss; the wall could never hold.
Of course, my true aim was never to halt its charge or buy time.
It was to blind everyone.
Not just the monster's line of sight, but my allies' as well.
Inferno Fist
Overheat
The flames kindled in my fist were absorbed inward, surging through every mana circuit and infusing my entire frame with immense power. With my physical capabilities cranked to the absolute ceiling, I plunged into the billowing curtain of ice dust.
Evading the creature's instinctive counter-swing by a razor-thin margin, I thrust my index finger forward in secret—so swiftly and discreetly that no one could possibly notice.
Thwip.
Kicking off the ground instantly, I vaulted backward to open the distance. Casting a sidelong glance downward, I saw that my index finger, which had been frozen solid like an icicle, was already thawing at rapid speed.
With that, the physical evidence was destroyed.
Next, I checked the Oubleck Knight's condition.
This trick works surprisingly well.
Creeeeeak.
The creature's arm was flash-freezing at terrifying speed.