The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 46

Graaaah!

As time passed, the once peaceful cityscape began to fill with noise. Distant screams and cries, sounds of things breaking and collapsing.

【Case 11: Named Monster Appearance.】

With the alert’s announcement, piercing screams echoed through the streets.

“Ahhh, it’s a monster, a monster!”

Crash!

A massive scorpion burst through a building, chasing the students.

‘An Ironclad Scorpion, a B-rank monster.’

It’s quite a high hurdle for monsters wandering the streets. Some students attacked the scorpion, but its tough exoskeleton rendered their efforts useless.

“Help, save me!”

Finding themselves cornered, the students could do nothing but scream and run.

“Good, good.”

And there I was, observing from a distance.

[For someone who likes to play the savior, you’re quite cunning, aren’t you?]

“Can we call it strategic?”

I quietly hid, waiting for the students to lead the monster away.

‘If I don’t do this, I won’t even make it to the top 30.’

Unlike mock subjugations, there were no points or incentives for subduing monsters in this practical exam. In other words, taking them down was a waste of time and effort.

If I attempted to deal with each of them, I’d be exhausted before I made any significant progress. Besides, Yomi was right; I wasn’t some champion of justice.

“The finishing line is just around the corner.”

The transmission tower was getting closer. Thanks to my Spirit Sight, I could avoid the monsters and students, so I only needed to watch out for booby traps.

‘I haven’t even started yet.’

The difficulty of collapsing buildings right from the start was already high. I had managed to overcome multiple hurdles, but the main event hadn’t even begun.

“Well, I have another stop before continuing…”

【Case 36: Fall Accident.】

Crash—Thud!

A metal signboard suddenly fell from above, shattering into jagged pieces as it hit the ground.

I narrowly dodged it by jumping back, but it was a dangerous situation that could have instantly killed an unprotected person.

“Damn it.”

I carefully continued my way. Before heading to the transmission tower, there was a place I needed to visit.

[Oh, that building over there? Its color is quite peculiar.]

“That’s a convenience store.”

[Convenience store? What’s so convenient about it?]

“They sell all sorts of daily necessities and various foods inside.”

[Food!?]

Yomi licked her lips.

[Well, then, how about taking a look? There might even be an exit inside.]

“Stop dreaming.”

Faust’s comparison of this practical exam to an “escape room” was quite apt. This city wasn’t just filled with threats.

There were also helpful items hidden all over the place.

That convenience store wasn’t just for show; it would likely have useful items. Anyone who was thirsty or needed basic medical supplies could always pop in.

‘Of course, I have to deal with the associated risks.’

Gamers know it well. Where there are items, there are always threats lurking around.

Especially in obvious locations like convenience stores, other students would also gather, so it’s best to avoid them if possible.

‘There should be a kerosene storage nearby.’

My decision to not go straight to the transmission tower was to farm items. Moreover, the kerosene storage would be less crowded.

“Found it.”

From the spot where the sign had fallen, I followed the alley and spotted a warehouse with a skull graffiti hastily scrawled on it.

Confirming there was no one outside, I placed my hand on the door handle of the storage.

Creak.

I cautiously stepped inside. The moment I opened the door, the characteristic smell of oil in the drums stung my nose.

[What do you plan to find in this oil-soaked place?]

“Well… Ah, there it is.”

Between the drums, something caught my eye. Lying on the floor, it looked like a pile of trash to anyone else.

“Ugh… Except for the smell, it’s useful.”

It was a rubber protective gear, typically worn by workers handling chemicals.

[Ugh, are you seriously going to wear that? Can’t you skip it? My nose is way more sensitive than yours, you know!]

Yomi pinched her nose. Even if she’s not in her manifested form, she shared some of my senses, so the foul smell hit her fully.

“You think I want to wear this?”

I didn’t want to wear it either. This was preparation for the upcoming battles.

‘Ugh, it’s sticky.’

In the game, you don’t really feel it, but the texture is pretty disgusting. It’s like rubbing tissue soaked in snot all over your body.

“Just hang in there. Once this exam is over, we can eat to our heart’s content—.”

And then,

Clack-clack!

The sound of a percussion instrument echoed from somewhere. Just as the sound hit my eardrums and reached my frontal lobe,

Boom!

An enormous explosion obliterated the storage. The storage was blown apart, with debris scattering everywhere along with the fire that ignited the kerosene in the drums.

“Cough, cough.”

I managed to push myself up from the pile of rubble. There was no sign of anyone nearby.

“Thank you, Baek-ah.”

[This was nothing.]

Water poured out from the protective suit I was wearing. If Baek-ah hadn’t wrapped me in water just before the explosion, I would have been in serious trouble.

‘I almost died.’

I couldn’t sense any presence around.

Even though I couldn’t read mana, there was no spiritual energy felt within a certain range. Moreover, if it was an unexpected situation, there would have been an announcement.

‘An ambush?’

It seemed logical to think that someone had seen me entering the storage and launched the attack from afar.

‘Did they know I was coming here?’

Hardly anyone would expect someone to come to this storage unless they were hiding. If not that…

‘Or someone was watching me.’

I quickly got up. Along with an inexplicable feeling of déjà vu, I sensed a presence behind me.

‘An ambush?’

As I twisted my body to the right,

Whoosh—!

A strong gust of wind brushed past my left cheek. Something invisible had grazed my left shoulder.

“Well, well~.”

Then came a familiar voice from the empty air.

“I was trying to knock you down in one fell swoop.”

A casual voice and a translucent silhouette made me conjure up a face I didn’t want to remember.

“You never get tired of showing up, do you, even when you’ve been keeping a low profile lately.”

The air shimmered like a mirage. Soon, a sneering face appeared behind the veil.

“Kim In-seong.”

“Long time no see, Ha-baek.”

He held a dagger, sneering at me with a sinister grin.

“I have a score to settle with you, so I came to do it this time.”

“…That’s desperate. You gave up looking for the exit just to come after me?”

I was so taken aback that I was lost for words.

I didn’t think his obsession with me would be this intense. Well, if I felt sorry for anything, it’d be that he couldn’t lift his head after strutting around following our mock duel.

“By the way, how do you keep finding my location, even this time?”

Kim In-seong scowled.

“Are you using some trick? Like carrying a rare artifact or something?”

“Why don’t you take a guess?”

“Always bluffing.”

Kim In-seong’s figure faded back into the air.

‘Yeah, you’ll probably never figure it out.’

The reason I could see through Kim In-seong’s ability was entirely due to my Spirit Sight. Even now, his spirit was distinctly visible.

“Now, where should I aim?”

He crouched down, holding the dagger horizontally, probably planning to slash across the chest.

‘Finish it in one move.’

Whoosh

“Foxfire ignited along the blade of the Sain-gum.”

I couldn’t afford to waste more time on such insignificant foes. As an attack came, I prepared to counter instantly, tilting my body backward.

Clack-clack!

That same mysterious percussion sound filled the air,

Boom!

“Ugh!”

A small-scale explosion erupted in the direction I had leaned. As before, I felt no presence, but reflexively, my body was thrown forward.

“Okay!”

Kim In-seong’s attack followed immediately. With my body lowered due to the explosion, his strike hit my chest precisely.

Beep-beep!

As the Sain-gum was imbued with spiritual energy, his dagger was saturated with dense mana. At the moment of impact, the protector sounded an alarm as a substantial amount of mana was depleted.

“That’s one!”

Kim In-seong carefully widened the gap between us. I too did not rush in but surveyed the surroundings.

Given that I felt no other presence, it seemed like the support fire was coming from beyond my detection range.

‘Is it Seo Yun-seop?’

The percussion sound and long-range ambush could only point to Seo Yun-seop. He’s one of the infamous lunatics, known for his ability to cause explosions within the range of the sound of the instruments he plays.

A combat enthusiast who treats battles as hunts, he’s a type of battle maniac who becomes a tricky opponent, especially in practical exams.

‘If Kim In-seong is really paired with Seo Yun-seop…’

It’s become quite a troublesome situation. However, the solution is also clear.

“Why don’t you piss yourself on the floor like the last time?”

“Didn’t you piss yourself? And who was dragged to the infirmary?”

“Talking nonsense, you idi—”

Before he could launch a full attack, I turned my body in the opposite direction.

“What the— Are you running away?”

Ignoring Kim In-seong’s taunts, I bolted towards the main road.

“Wait!”

Thinking I was fleeing in fear, Kim In-seong chased after me quickly.

‘I can’t outrun him for long.’

Even though my stamina had improved thanks to Han Yu-seong, I still couldn’t match Kim In-seong’s speed.

Despite having a similar velocity, the sticky protective gear I wore slowed me down considerably.

The reason I chose to turn my back and flee—no, more accurately, pretended to flee—was…

‘I found you.’

A shadow flitting from rooftop to rooftop. I needed to pinpoint Seo Yun-seop’s location.

After all, Seo Yun-seop’s ability relies on proximity. To fix the location where an explosion occurs, he couldn’t be too far from me.

In other words, if I moved, he had to move with me.

“Time to end this.”

Now that I knew the insect’s location, all that remained was to crush him. Clearly, scaling the building wasn’t an option.

I gripped the Sain-gum in a reverse hold and formed a sign with my free hand. Clutching my fist, I brought it to the end of the sword’s hilt.

[You, manifesting that would require a significant amount of spiritual energy-.]

“There’s no other choice right now.”

Spirit Conjuration (A) allows the temporary manifestation of a spirit through the consumption of spiritual energy. However, the spiritual energy consumed varies greatly.

‘To capture him, this is the only way.’

In urban combat, prioritizing the sniper is essential. To catch Seo Yun-seop, who was hopping across rooftops, I needed a way to bridge the gap between the ground and the rooftops in an instant.

Thus, the entity I would manifest is—

Manifest (顯現) Crystal Giant (巨人).

Immediately, the ground trembled.

Just like that day in the cave when the giant had separated us.