The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 47

“Ahhh, what is that?!”

Seo Yun-seop, who had been leaping across rooftops, fell onto his backside at the sudden appearance of the gigantic figure.

It was only natural that the once aggressive guy suddenly lost his composure.

Crack—crunch.

The ground shook once, and then a crystal structure the size of a building appeared before his eyes.

“Is this, like, an unexpected situation?”

Though it seemed like an unexpected situation, no announcement voice was heard. Besides, it was hard to consider a giant crystal erupting from the ground as an unexpected situation. Most importantly—

Crack.

It had body parts that resembled a face and arms.

“What’s got you so shocked?”

From atop the giant’s head, I looked down at Seo Yun-seop. He looked utterly flustered.

“Do you have any idea how much you startled me?”

I nearly got eliminated from an unexpected attack.

Having been caught in the explosion and hit by Kim In-seong, my protector’s mana reserve was nearly depleted. My spiritual energy had also been consumed far more than expected.

‘Allowing any more hits is dangerous.’

Therefore, I will eliminate the variable.

Crack.

As I raised my arm, the giant mirrored my motion. From the manifesting to the action, a massive amount of spiritual energy was being drained from my body.

“W-wait a second!”

Clack-clack, clack-clack!

Seo Yun-seop desperately clanged the castanets he was holding. Each time a note sounded, an explosion occurred on the giant’s forearm, but it was a futile resistance.

“Goodbye.”

With that, the giant’s fist collided with the rooftop,

Boom!

The rooftop crumbled. Seo Yun-seop was swept away by the collapse, unable to put up any resistance.

‘Impressive performance.’

The one time I manifested the Crystal Giant in the special training room, it nearly knocked the wind out of me. However, its ability to demolish an entire floor with a single punch was guaranteed.

“Where did Kim In-seong go?”

[He fled a while ago.]

But he couldn’t have gone far yet. As evidence, I could still faintly sense his spiritual energy. I turned my head in the direction he ran.

[Are you sure it’s okay not to chase him immediately?]

Yomi’s point was valid.

To eliminate variables, it was best to handle them as quickly as possible. Of course, there was also the frustration of being hit.

“Well, it should be fine.”

There didn’t seem to be a need to chase him urgently. Because the direction he fled in…

“Is the same as my destination.”

The transmission tower.

* * *

“Huff, huff, huff. What the hell is that bastard?!”

As he ran with all his might, Kim In-seong recalled the situation from earlier.

‘What the hell just happened?’

The plan to deceive Seo Yun-seop and set up a hunting strategy was initially going well. For some reason, that guy had seen through my invisibility and the plan seemed to be working surprisingly well.

When Seol Ha-baek, who was running away, suddenly stopped, Kim In-seong was confident of his victory.

‘Is he a Materialization Awakener like Cheon Tae-seong?’

But then, the ground shook, and a crystalline structure filled the alley. As he looked back over his shoulder while fleeing, he saw the giant smashing the rooftop with its fist.

“Insane.”

Thus, Kim In-seong had no choice but to run in the opposite direction. He sprinted towards the towering transmission tower.

‘Is he not chasing me?’

Before long, Kim In-seong arrived at the transmission tower he had been using as a beacon. As he looked around, the giant was nowhere to be seen, and there was no sense of someone chasing him.

“Damn it!”

After catching his breath, Kim In-seong kicked a nearby utility pole.

After losing in the mock duel, he couldn’t fully accept the defeat. He was sure there had been some trick involved.

So, in a location with fewer rule-based restrictions, he was certain he could win.

‘Am I worse than that bastard?’

The thing Kim In-seong couldn’t accept most was his own incompetence. The idea that he was weaker than the weakling he had targeted at the beginning of the semester was too much to bear.

The basis for thinking Seol Ha-baek was weak was his appearance and entrance rank, but Kim In-seong wasn’t intelligent enough to realize this.

“Huh?”

At that moment, Kim In-seong noticed something odd. Through the broken gaps in the transmission tower, a mirage-like shimmer rose. As an invisibility adept, Kim In-seong instantly recognized what it was.

‘Invisibility?’

Something long was wrapped around the entire transmission tower.

Splash.

A beat later, Kim In-seong noticed the liquid puddled on the ground.

“Ugh, what is this?”

It looked like water but was a transparent liquid with a sticky consistency. He tried to lift his foot, but the stickiness made it difficult to move.

Hissss—

Eventually, the thing wrapped around the entire transmission tower revealed itself.

“An eel?”

Its face was broad like a catfish, with long whiskers hanging down. Its smooth, sticky body was long enough to wrap around the tower from the base to the top.

With bulging eyes, the monster looked down at Kim In-seong. Mucus dripped from its gaping mouth.

‘No way…’

The liquid covering the floor was the saliva of that long eel.

“Buuuuu.”

“Wait, no, don’t tell me—”

Right after that, the eel’s whiskers flickered, and a massive spark surged. Kim In-seong realized something was wrong and tried to retreat, but,

Crackle!

It was already too late.

High-voltage electricity, enough to fry a whole chicken, flowed through his entire body.

“Ggggggh…!”

Kim In-seong convulsed and collapsed to the ground. Foam formed at his mouth, and his eyes glazed over as he fell.

Beep-beep!

The short beep of the protector’s alarm. It signaled Kim In-seong’s official disqualification.

* * *

[What exactly is in that transmission tower that warrants such troublesome efforts?]

Yomi plugged her nose with her paws, her face scrunched up in distaste at the pungent smell.

“You’ll see.”

We finally reached the transmission tower.

The first thing I noticed was the puddle covering the ground and Kim In-seong collapsed on it. A few other fallen students could be seen around the back of the tower as well.

“Just as I expected.”

I looked up at the transmission tower. Though it appeared dented and broken in places, it was still functioning properly.

The problem was that the tower wasn’t built for electrical transmission.

“Buuurrr.”

The air shimmered, and a giant monster with the combined features of an eel and a catfish appeared.

“Spring Eel.”

A monster classified as A-rank, categorized from A- to A.

It can survive in a dry environment as long as electricity is supplied.

In fact, there’s a story where the U.S. Air Force dropped Spring Eels from helicopters onto transmission towers in Afghanistan. The eels drained all the electricity, leading to a successful ambush due to the communication blackout.

Ultimately, the transmission towers in this cityscape were all built to feed this creature.

“How elaborate.”

The liquid on the ground wasn’t saliva but the Spring Eel’s excretion. Spring Eels have a habit of excreting from their mouths and spreading it around their vicinity.

This is because when they feel threatened, they discharge the absorbed electricity through excretion. Approaching without precaution would result in ending up like the others.

“That’s why I brought this.”

I pointed my thumb at the protective gear I was wearing towards Yomi.

“This might look like trash, but it’s made from special material.”

Though it appeared to be just discarded protective gear, it was actually the key to easily passing the eel.

In the current situation, dealing with the eel directly was not feasible.

Causing a commotion could attract other competitors, exposing my position, and there’s no benefit in eliminating the eel when the goal is to find the exit quickly.

Even when I played the game, I was always puzzled by the eel’s presence.

‘Why do other monsters chase you like crazy, but this eel stays put?’

It felt like too much investment for a one-time trap. After several explorations, I discovered the significance of this protective gear and the transmission tower.

“Let’s go.”

Without worry, I stepped onto the excretions.

Squelch, squelch.

Electricity couldn’t penetrate the specially-made rubber protective gear. The eel watched me pass with its bulging eyes.

‘What can you do?’

But as long as it was attached to the tower, the eel could do nothing.

I found a door leading to the basement beneath the tower and yanked the handle with all my strength.

Hiss—

As the door opened, it revealed a staircase leading underground and a low-ceilinged passageway.

‘Seeing it in person feels different.’

A shortcut to the escape route is accessible only from beneath the transmission tower. I wondered who originally thought of building an underground exit beneath a cityscape area.

“Phew, I almost died from that smell.”

Once in the straightforward corridor, I quickly took off the gear. My skin was covered in the sticky, unidentified liquid, but it was something I had to endure.

[Are you planning to drag that trash along with you again?]

“Of course.”

I didn’t discard the protective gear but bunched it up like a ball, pulling out the suspenders separately.

“We’re probably only about 70% of the way there.”

Just because it’s a shortcut doesn’t mean there’s a red carpet leading to the exit. The path ahead is still filled with unexpected situations.

[So, what do you plan to do with that?]

“Like this.”

I grabbed the suspenders and threw the protective gear ahead. The moment it hit the ground,

【Case 06: Fire Trap Activation.】

Whoosh!

Flames erupted from both walls. The fire quickly caught onto the protective gear, which still had kerosene on it, but soon it was extinguished.

“This passageway is lined with various sensors.”

From heat sensors to pressure sensors, even floor tile traps. If you don’t want to get eliminated quickly, you must trigger these traps in advance.

Starting with fire, there will be electric shocks and even arrows. At this point, the protector gear seems like an all-purpose tool.

[Still, it looks like a piece of cake with this.]

For someone who knows the entire set of traps like me, this is indeed a piece of cake. Using the specialty-made protective gear until it’s worn out can help bypass most traps.

‘But there are still unexpected situations that can’t be prevented, even if you know about them.’

Finally, I could see light at the end of the passage. The room at the end has doors in the southeast and west directions, and the shortcut I need is connected to the southern door.

And as soon as I enter that room, the last unforeseen situation begins.

‘Swarms of Splitting Rats.’

The moment I open the door, the room will be filled with the monster “Splitting Rats,” and they’ll pour out into the corridor.

“Yomi, Foxfire.”

Whoosh.

Foxfire ignited in the air. The plan was to burn the Splitting Rats with Foxfire before they could multiply. The moment I turned the doorknob and opened the door,

‘Wait a second.’

A sense of déjà vu.

Among the spiritual energy of numerous rats, there was a massive and sinister presence.

Creak—

The door opened, but the rats didn’t come pouring out. Instead, heaps of rat corpses were burning, emitting dark smoke.

‘Unbelievable.’

In the midst of the burning rat corpses, a boy wielding a flamethrower was setting them ablaze.

“You’re quite late.”

As he dropped the flamethrower, it vanished without a trace.

“Cheon Tae-seong.”

When I called his name, he turned to look at me as well.

“Seol Ha-baek.”