Chapter 125

Chapter 125

— Clang!

Elena blocked the thug’s dagger and shouted.

“Brother! It’s a muscle ghost!”Alll latest novels at novelhall.com

“How is that a ghost!”

“But look!”

Ian turned his head as per Elena’s instructions.

There was another blonde thug who looked identical to the one who had shot a dagger at Elena.

“... A duplicate?”

Ian was bewildered.

He had never heard of a duplication spell before.

Meanwhile, the thug threw another dagger.

— Clang!

Elena quickly charged forward and knocked the dagger away with her shield.

“Brother Ian! Get a grip!”

“Elena, maybe it’s because you’re small, but you’re fast.”

“Stop joking and get a grip, Brother! It’s a ghost...! It’s a ghost, aaaaah!”

“... I think you’re the one who needs to get a grip.”

Ian mumbled as he watched Elena stamping her feet with the shield in hand.

“Exterminate the ghost!”

Elena clung to one of the blonde thug’s duplicates and started smashing it with her shield.

Seeing her berserk-like behavior, Ian sighed softly.

Still.

“This is strange. I’ve never heard of a duplication spell.”

As far as Ian knew, there had never been a duplication spell mentioned at Lichten Academy.

Of course, that didn’t prove the spell didn’t exist.

‘In any case, it must be a very high-level spell.’

Would someone with such a skill really just come to extort money from a club?

Something felt off.

“What are you so deep in thought about!”

Suddenly, the image of the blonde thug appeared before him. And then.

— Thud!

His vision darkened abruptly.

His head felt fuzzy.

Did he get hit?

When he opened his eyes, he saw the thug smirking wickedly.

“Ian! Is that all you’ve got? You’re much weaker than I heard!”

The thug wiggled his fist tauntingly, and Ian stared at him in disbelief.

‘... Who the hell is this guy?’

That movement just now was faster than any opponent he had faced so far.

No.

It was more accurate to say he didn’t even sense the punch.

‘Was Elena right calling him a ghost?’

Literally ghost-like movements.

The blonde thug sneered.

“Surprised, Ian Blackangers.”

“A bit. Who are you, really?”

“What do you think? I’m here to collect the club dues.”

“With your abilities, you could collect dues from royalty, not just some club.”

“It’s too late to kiss up, b*stard!”

— Thud, thud. Thud!

A barrage of attacks came at a tremendous speed.

Ian barely managed to block them with his Lunar.

“Hahaha! This is fun! You should be my punching bag!”

Ian’s whole body ached from the few effective hits he took.

Who the hell is this guy?

With this level of skill and insanity, he could easily be a named villain.

Ian couldn’t figure it out.

“I’ll hit you for every copper you owe, you bastard.”

As the thug prepared his next move, Ian used [Leap] to quickly retreat to the window.

The candle flickered belatedly. Shadows danced in the wavering light.

Ian quickly scanned his surroundings.

One side of the room. Under the clock.

“Ahhh!”

Elena was being attacked by another duplicate. However,

— Clang! Clang!

Having crawled completely under her shield, she seemed unharmed despite the thug’s relentless strikes.

‘... Is she a hedgehog?’

“Where do you think you’re going!”

A own blonde duplicate pursued him immediately.

Even as he raised his arms to block, the questions remained.

Why would someone with this ability just beat people up to extort money from a club?

The suspicion didn’t stop there. Above all, this space. It felt off.

Ian quickly raised his hand.

Lupina attempted to slip away quietly.

“Wait.” “Uh... yes?”

“Your name.”

“I’m Lupina, president of the Occult Research Club downstairs.”

“Alright, Lupina. I’m planning to use this club room. No objections, right?”

Lupina nodded hurriedly.

“Of course. This kind of thing will never happen again.”

“Good.”

“Then...”

As Lupina bowed her head and tried to leave the room.

“Oh, one more thing.”

Ian snapped his fingers.

“The fee. And the development fund.”

Ian approached with his hand in his pocket, and Lupina trembled, stepping back.

— Thud!

But soon, she was against the wall.

“I really don’t have any money. I couldn’t even pay for the club certification fee, which is why I did that!”

— Step, step.

But Ian’s footsteps didn’t stop.

This was the student with the fearsome reputation of even taking down the Grand Duke of the North!

“Eek!”

Lupina, eyes tightly shut, shouted.

“T-Then! I’ll pay with my body!”

Only after shouting this did Lupina manage to slip away.

◆

“What’s with her?”

Ian, who had been taking out his wallet, scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

“It’s probably because Brother Ian’s face looks scary. You looked like you were trying to extort money.”

“I was actually going to give her some. For the development fund and fee. Aren’t those necessary?”

Ian shook the wallet in his hand.

“... All club rooms are managed by the Student Council. There’s no such thing, Brother Ian.”

Ian was somewhat shocked.

He had assumed that, just like in rural areas where development funds were collected, there would be a similar culture for maintaining this somewhat rundown building.

Or some kind of premium for using the room.

Even so, experiencing a hallucination like that was worth paying for.

Honestly, the fight with the blonde thug was something Ian wanted to try again someday.

Those overwhelming movements.

Extortion and paying for an experience were entirely different matters.

‘She might have a talent for dark magic.’

It would be interesting to learn if given the chance.

Anyway.

Ian looked around the club room with a satisfied smile.

“This place is the best. It seems comfortable enough to live in.”

The room was reasonably spacious.

The plumbing was already connected, and with just a stove, cooking wouldn’t be a problem.

“You’re really going to live here?”

“Yeah. There’s also a deposit for using the club room, right?”

“Yes... about 50 silver.”

“Living here will save money. Plus, it’s convenient being inside the Academy.”

“But what if ghosts appear...!”

At Elena’s words, Ian responded,

“In that case, our devoted sister Elena will handle it.”

“I-I’ll do my best!”

Ian chuckled and walked over to a shelf.

Fortunately, it was there.

Number 777. Mystery Box.

“I was worried it might be a hallucination.”

With the promotion test just days away, this item was perfect for securing resources.

The problem was the golden, dazzling lock.

... He had to find the key to open it.

Ian smirked.

‘Luckily, I know where it is.’

It’s not even hard to obtain.

Ian knew about this item because, in the game, the key was found before discovering the box.

“Elena, are you free tomorrow?”

“... Yes? I think I can make time.”

“Great. Gather the party members, we’re going on a trip.”

“Where to?”

“A dungeon.”

“A dun...geon? But most dungeons are dangerous...”

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

He already knew the strategy for conquering it.