Chapter 41

Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner

Chapter 41

Slaaash!

The spear that Simon thrust scraped past the Cyclops’ cheek by the width of a hair.

‘That was so close!’

Holding down his frustration, Simon came down to the ground. The infuriated Cyclops swung its club like crazy.

Thummp! Thummp! Thuuuuuuump!

Every time the club hit the ground and wall, the dungeon shook. Simon’s movements in responding and avoiding these attacks looked truly amazing, but in reality, he was in a very precarious state.

‘Th-Thank you, Professor Hong Feng……!’

If it wasn’t for the jet-black operation that she taught him. He would’ve been knocked out a while ago. The Cyclops made a huge step forward and struck with the club.

Baaaaaaaaaaaam!

“Simon!”

Shouted Camibarez.

At that moment, you could see Simon coming out through the hazy clouds of dust on the ground.

[Barrier Gauge: 72%]

Simon wiped his sleeve across his mouth.

‘There was no single clean hit. It was all grazes, but what in the world……?!’

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Cyclops approached with its gleaming eyes.

Simon felt a strong sense of difference. 

Even though three Exhausts hit it, it moved almost as if it hadn’t been cursed

* * *

The control room on the upper level of the underground dungeon. 

Jane was sitting in front of the screen where the battle scenes of Group 7 could be seen from various angles. She had a scoring sheet in her hand, and even at this moment, she was moving her quill quickly.

“Professor Jane! I think there’s something wrong with the Cyclops!”

Said the assistant teacher standing right next to her with a hardened face.

“It far exceeds the stats of the Cyclopes that other groups faced!! It’s enraged and doesn’t even get affected with Curses that well! We should stop the test immediately and get a new Cyclo—!”

“Let’s observe first.”

“……What?”

Jane didn’t say anything else and focused on scoring.

‘……’

The assistant teacher had never opposed a Professor of Kizen until now, but he thought that this wasn’t right.

“Professor! Isn’t this unfair! This is an accident—the enraged Cyclops is out of control! We need to stop the exam immediately!”

“……Fairness.”

Jane, who was shaking her quill, took off her glasses and placed them on the table.

“It’s not that important of a virtue in Kizen.”

“……Professor?”

“Do you, assistant teacher, choose only weak opponents in a real battle? Do you turn your tail and stop the mission whenever your opponent exceeds expectations or something unexpected happens?”

“I-It’s not like that, but……!”

The teaching assistant bit his lip as though he was speechless for a moment, then quickly continued the conversation.

“But this isn’t a real fight! Besides, these students are too young!”

“Age doesn’t matter. What’s important is the fact that they’re Kizen.”

“Professor!”

“Let’s trust in them and watch.”

Said Jane while her eyes shone. What was important wasn’t the numerical values such as tests or scores, but what a student could learn from a particular experience.

“They seem to have realized that they now need a change.”

* * *

“Guys.”

Simon, who retreated far away from the Cyclops’ attack, looked back at his group members and said,

“Let’s give up with the cursing. I don’t think it’s working well.”

“Th-That can’t be!”

Shouted Meilyn.

“Didn’t you see the other groups doing it? Everyone succeeded in hunting with Exhaust, but why are we the only ones—!”

“I don’t really know why either.”

Simon raised his head and observed the Cyclops carefully.

Bloodshot eyes, explosive muscles, and strangely bulging tendons. 

Was it that we were unlucky to meet the one in good shape?

“I also agree with Simon. It’s a matter of the fact that the Exhausts aren’t working right now.”

Rick also put in a word. Meilyn was only one reluctant to give up with the Exhaust strategy, but it was hard to deny that the Cyclops wasn’t affected.

Simon spoke again..

“So we have to hunt it down in a different way.”

“……How?”

Meilyn looked like she was about to cry.

Honestly, it even felt a little unfair. Everything was getting screwed up too much.

The participating member, the drawing of attention with the undead, and even the cursing didn’t work.

Everything they had planned was in vain. What more were they supposed to do here?

“Just, do whatever you want.”

Swiiiing!

Simon, who had avoided the Cyclops’ club falling on him diagonally, continued.

“Cancel all the strategies we’ve made up until now, and just help me as you please.”

“What do you mean by that?!”

Thump!

Simon slightly lost his posture after dodging the third attack. As the Cyclops, who seized the chance, was about to swing the club again…

Slide!

A red wave with a strong scent of blood passed by in front of the Cyclops’ face. As his vision suddenly turned red, the bewildered monster took a step back.

“Got it!”

Camibarez, who had cast the blood magic ‘Blood Silk’, winked.

“I just have to help you as I want, right?”

“Simon!”

Rick enchanted the sword he took out of the subspace and threw it.

“Use this!”

The sword that Rick threw was flying behind the Cyclops’ back. When everyone who saw this realized where he threw it, a skeleton appeared like a wind and grabbed the sword.

* * *

* * *

Slaaaash!

It turned its back and swung the sword. A long scar formed on the thick skin near the Cyclops’ waist, and blood gushed out. The Cyclops looked at the skeleton in anger.

“Rick! Nice enchant!”

While skeletons lured the Cyclops’ attack, Simon gave it a little more distance.

Rick pulled out a bunch of weapons from the subspace and started throwing them with enchants, and Camibarez annoyed the Cyclops by obscuring its vision with the Blood Silk.

‘Now, focus.’

There were still too many miscellaneous thoughts. As the fierce battle continued… It might’ve been insane, but Simon closed his eyes. The noise in the field subsided in an instant.

His consciousness expanded and his spirit was enhanced.

‘Phewwwwwww.’

The sound disappeared, and time slowed. It was the world that Bahil showed him in the Curses class.

With one experience, Simon was able to partially reproduce the image.

‘Thank you, Professor Bahil!’

Simon opened his eyes. Twenty skeletons burst out at once from the subspace on the ground.

‘Thank you, Pier!’

He sent three skeletons at a time to the Cyclops through cross operation. Soon, the skeletons densely surrounded the Cyclops.

The enraged Cyclops swung its club. In one blow, several skeletons were broken and scattered on the ground. Bones flew in all directions and rolled around on the ground.

Of course, it didn’t really matter.

‘Restore!”

In an instant, a skeleton that returned to its original shape picked up a sword that had fallen to the ground and swung it.

Slaaaash!

Cyclops’ heel was slashed, and a chunk of flesh was sliced off.

Clink!

A skeleton on the ground raised its spear and stabbed the Cyclops, who staggered as its heels were cut.

Slash!

Another skeleton swung his sword and left a long gash on the Cyclops’ back.

“Here comes two more spears!”

Rick placed jet-black enchantments on the weapons and scattered them randomly around the Cyclops. Simon then moved the skeletons.

The remains of the skeletons scattered on the ground were restored, and they attacked the Cyclops with the dropped weapons.

No matter how fast and strong it was, it couldn’t block attacks coming from all sides.

The Cyclops could hardly come to its senses. When it looked to its front, its back was slashed. When it looked back, a spear came up from the ground. When it stomped the ground, its sides were suddenly attacked.

The Cyclops was like a beast caught in a trap. Its body started to get covered with wounds as it struggled.

“Wooooooaaaaaah!”

“Go for it!”

The students of Class A, who were watching from upstairs, stuck themselves against the transparent wall and burst into cheers. It was a different, out-of-the-box kind of strategy, unlike the ones that had been monotonously conducted so far. Engulfed in exaltation, Simon swung his arms like a conductor and controlled the skeletons.

Still, it wasn’t enough. The tip of his nose was itchy.

Something was lacking. It felt like he could do better than this.

[Do you now understand, Boy?! The stronger your determination is, the higher you can raise the potential power and initiative of the undead!]

Determination.

A determination stronger than anything.

Simon opened his eyes wide.

‘Kill it!’

The restoration speed of damaged skeletons became faster.

‘Kill it!’

The skeletons’ limbs flew around chaotically and slashed the Cyclops.

‘Kill it!!!’

The undead roared. The weapons danced.

At this moment, under Simon’s Absolute Order, the Legion existed to destroy the Cyclops.

A tireless offense.

A striking route without a pattern.

A mixture of irregular and regular. 

It was a scene that really showed the essence of a Necromancer.

[Kyaaaaaaaaagh!]

The Cyclops burst into anger from the countless wounds all over its body, pierced through the skeletons, and rushed at Simon.

“Dodge it! Simon!”

Simon was now in a state of complete immersion beyond concentration. His reaction was late. Before Simon could be ready, the Cyclops’ club was falling on his head.

Pooow!

The black ice wall that rose from the magic circle on the ground deflected the Cyclops’ club. Startled, Simon looked back.

“Go on, Simon!”

Meilyn clenched her teeth and shouted,

“Since it came to this, don’t lose!”

The ice wall continued to rise, obstructing the movement of the Cyclops. It tried to break out of the wall, and the blood from his wounds soaked the black glacier.

Simon, who could take a breath thanks to this, stared at the Cyclops breaking the ice wall and prepared for the next dark spell.

Slaaaaaam!

In the end, the enraged Cyclops broke down all the walls and jumped at Simon.

‘……This is dangerous.’

Safety Guard Andrew, who had been watching in silence, stretched out his arm.

That attack was strong enough to pierce the barrier of Simon’s vest with one blow. He could get crippled if he received a direct hit.

‘For goodness sake. This professor and these students……!’

I need to stop this insanity right now.

The moment Andrew decided to shoot down the Cyclops, he saw a magic circle.

A blood-red magic circle was drawn in the middle of the Cyclops’ abdomen.

“Now’s the time, Cami!”

Hearing Simon’s shout, Andrew hurriedly withdrew his arm.

Whaaaap!

Jet-black blazed like flames from all over Camibarez’s body, who was standing in the set position. Her hair surged up, and jet-black resembling tears of blood flowed from her eyes.

The blood magic that only vampires of the Ursula family could use.

The flower among flowers in blood magic.

Woooooooosh!

Forearms, chest, shoulders, thighs, and heels. Fountains of blood gushed out all at once from the countless wounds that Simon’s skeletons had inflicted until now.

Bleeding and Poisoning spells were the most powerful means of support that a member in the set position could provide.

“Wow……!!”

The scene where that large monster bled from the wounds all over its body was both terrifying and surprising. In an instant, the inside of the dungeon was dyed red. Simon, who was watching from behind, also showed admiration.

‘So this is Hemorrhage magic!’

While talking about each other’s powers, everyone in Group 7 knew that Camibarez could use Hemorrhage magic.

However, it was nothing but a plan B because it wasn’t stable enough to use in actual battle, and there was a build-up problem where you had to somehow create a lot of wounds on the Cyclops’ body.

But now that Meilyn’s Dark Flare was sealed, it was definitely the main plan.

Camibarez was the main attacker in this fight.

“……Urk!”

Camibarez, who had poured out too much energy, flopped on the ground while staggering with anemia. Her job was now done.

“I’m counting on you, Simon!”

“Leave it to me.”

This time, Simon raised his arms up.

A skill that he had been practicing over and over until now. In fact, it was a secret skill that, across the entirety of Kizen’s first-years, was only known by Simon.

Skeleton bones scattered all over the dungeon ground soared into the air.

‘Thank you, Professor Aaron!’

Everything I learned in Kizen became my strength. 

Simon clenched his fist.

Numerous bones that floated in the air flew forward and dug into the wounds of the Cyclops opened by Camibarez’ Hemorrhage magic.

[Kieeeeeeeeegh!!]

A secret technique to attack over a hundred wounds at once.

The Cyclops went berserk from the pain. It screamed, knocked itself over, and started recklessly banging its head against the wall.

‘I’m sorry, but it’s not over yet.’

Simon clenched his fist and twisted his right arm to the side.

‘Restore!’

The bones penetrated into the wounds and started gathering towards the center to carry out the ‘Restore’ order. It cut off blood vessels, ripped organs, and penetrated through muscles.

[Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!]

The Cyclops was getting destroyed.

“……For real?”

A male student who was watching through the glass wall in the waiting room opened his mouth.

A painful loss called Meilyn’s injury. No one could’ve imagined such an overwhelming scene from Group 7.

But…

“Fuck! That’s amazing!”

“Way to go, Simon!”

“Wooooooaaaaaah!”

Everyone’s expectations were turned upside down.

The people who jeered, the people who clicked their tongues, and the people who showed sympathy. They all cheered while banging on the wall.

There was something that heated up their hearts as Necromancers in the performance that Simon and Group 7 showed, to the point where they completely forgot that they were competing with each other.

“Huff! Huff!”

Simon’s right arm went limp. It was impossible to order further restorations, since he had used up all the remaining jet-black on his bones.

Meanwhile, Rick and Meilyn took out the Nervie potions and threw them at the wounded Cyclops. You could see its muscles twisting and contracting as soon as the potion liquid entered the wound.

“Nice!”

“It’s working!”

Simon was panting while on one knee.

They’d now done everything that they could.

‘Please, just stay like that.’

Thump!

* * *

* * *

But…

The Cyclops, covered in blood, began to lift itself back up. Camibarez, who was flopped on the ground, gave a look of terror on her face.

“I-It can…… still stand?”

Even though the bones of its body were twisted, its blood was drained, and its organs were smashed, the Cyclops was approaching Simon like a living corpse. In its gleaming eyes, he could feel a desperate will to kill him.

‘So it’s meaningless unless it’s instant death, huh?’

Receiving those glares, Simon calmly said,

“Rick.”

“It’s all ready! Take it!”

Rick threw the enchanted claymore in front of Simon. The sword body was dyed in jet-black. 

“I have put all my jet-black in there! The duration is just 10 minutes!”

“Thank you.”

Simon grabbed the handle of the claymore and took a stance. He could no longer use the activation technique that he learned from Hong Feng either.

A situation in which both monster and Simon ran out of strength. From now on, it was a battle of will.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Cyclops, resembling a living corpse, came running.

Dash!

Simon also rushed forward, holding the claymore. The Cyclops swung its club first.

Wooooosh!

Simon twisted his body sideways to dodge it.

The movement of the Cyclops was incomparably slow and sluggish compared to how it was at first. And when Simon was about to catch its weakness…

‘Huh?’

His vision flickered. Because he was pushing the Cyclops, he didn’t even realize that his power, both physically and mentally, was at the limit.

His right leg gave up and slipped, making Simon’s body roll on the ground.

“Simon!”

“Get up!!”

Simon clenched his teeth and stood up. The Cyclops ran toward him again and swung its club. Simon lowered his body to avoid it.

“Go Simon!”

“Dodge it!!”

Class A students were sticking to the glass wall and shouting at the top of their lungs.

Even Hector, who had already approached, violently pushing the students away, was fuming while looking down at Simon.

‘No way.’

The assistant teacher who was watching this scene from the monitor room was in shock.

Of course, Simon’s performance was also surprising, but…

‘Professor Jane…… stood up?’

She even dropped the scoring sheet she was holding, staring intently at the screen.

He had her as his boss for five years, but this was his first time seeing her acting like this.

Inside the dungeon, Andrew, who’d been on standby while hiding his body, looked at his palm.

It was brimming with sweat.

‘How lame.’

A pro getting excited with the battle of a student. Andrew thought to himself that he was getting old before wiping the sweat off on his pants.

Wooooosh!

Simon took a step back and leaned out of the way to avoid the club.

Even if he could close the distance, the opponent was too tall to pierce Rick’s claymore precisely into the heart or head.

“Simon!”

At that moment, Meilyn shouted,

“I’ll make a Wall of Ice under your feet! Step on it and thrust your sword at once!! You can do it, right?”

Good decision! Simon nodded quickly.

The Cyclops, unable to understand the human language, swung its club sideways.

Simon kept his knees on the ground without dodging it, and Meilyn’s Wall of Ice rose from the magic circle on the ground. 

Sliide!

The club hit the ice wall. Simon, who had instantly soared 2 meters into the air, stepped on the ice wall and jumped.

‘It worked.’

Time still passed slowly, and he hadn’t lost his concentration yet. The Cyclops’ nape could be seen in front of him.

Simon put strength into his arm. The moment when the firm tip of the claymore went straight toward the Cyclops’ neck…

Whack!

“……Ah!”

Someone’s scream split the air. The Cyclops struck Simon with its opposite fist. Simon’s body flew far and crashed into a wall.

“Simon!!”

“Are you alright? Simon!”

A sad voice broke loose from the set position. Simon opened his eyes in excruciating pain.

[Barrier Gauge: 7%]

But…

Time was still slow. 

Above the punching Cyclops, he saw the claymore, which had slipped out of his fingers, falling in a circular motion.

‘After all…’

Simon raised the corner of his lips and stretched out his arms.

‘Ending it like this wouldn’t feel like a Necromancer.’

A move that he had been saving until the end.

Simon gave a restore order.

Click Click!

Above the shoulder blade of the skeleton that had been pierced between the wounds on Cyclops’ chest, bones on the ground flew like lightning and fit together to form an arm.

Clunk!

Soon, the skeleton arm grabbed the claymore, which was falling through the air in a circle.

And…

Pshhk!

Without a moment of hesitation, it pierced the Cyclops’ neck.

“Ah……!”

A huge silence fell on the dungeon.

Simon stood up with his trembling legs.

And at the same time…

Thuuud!

The Cyclops fell to the floor.

“……Huff! Phew! Haaah!”

Simon let out a rough breath and tilted his head arduously. 

‘Finally!’

His heart felt so full, and it felt like he was going to go insane. Simon raised his right arm and clenched his bloody fist.

“Woooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Thunderous cheers broke loose from everywhere.

Hector turned his back, and Jane in the monitor room sat down. Andrew appeared from the air and said while wiping the sweat from his forehead,

“Group 7. Successfully hunted the Cyclops.”

“We did iiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!”

The three people standing in the set position burst into shouts and rushed to Simon.

“Simooooooon!”

Camibarez, who came to Simon first, hugged Simon with all her might.

“Wow! Wow! You… For real?!”

Shouted Rick in a hoard voice after coming in after her and ruffling Simon’s head.

“You did well! You really did well! Wahahahahahaha!”

“What a relief! It’s a huge relief!”

As Simon was choking and coughing while smiling, Meilyn, who had left the set position, was approaching Simon.

Meilyn had a face containing a lot of emotions passing through her head. After wiping her face once with her hand, she returned to her usual arrogant expression and raised an open hand.

“……Hmph. W-Well done! I guess I owe you for this one.”

As she finished saying that, her voice started trembling. Simon came to her with a smile and gave her a high-five.

“You did well too, Meilyn.”

“……Simon.”

“Hm?”

“I’m sorry for yeste—”

Without having the time to hear her voice, Rick and Camibarez embraced them both from each side. Once again, everyone burst into cheers and rejoiced.

“Let me be serious for once, you idiots!”

While shouting like that, Meilyn had a smile brighter than ever before.

——