Chapter 31: Where Prohibited Items Are Gathered (3)

Chapter 31: Where Prohibited Items Are Gathered (3)

(TN: It seems I made quite the mistake in mixing disciplinary committee with student council. I never came across the term disciplinary committee before, so I assumed the author meant student council. I forgot that in anime there is actually mention of the disciplinary committee with student council. Very very sorry; now it has been corrected in every chapter.)

******

If you were to think of a fire fist, the first thing that might come to mind was the [Fire Punch] used by fire mages.

It was a magic attack that surrounded the fist with flames, but its destructive power was not particularly impressive.

This was especially true considering the generally poor physical abilities of mages.

Using this skill didnt require much beyond mana.

It was a case of a low-risk, low-return attack.

On the other hand, [Inferno Fist] was an extremely high-risk, high-return spell.

Instead of merely surrounding the fist with flames, it infused the flames into it.

In the process, everything that constituted the fistthe flesh, muscles, blood vessels, bones, and even the magic circuitwas burned.

And since it causes massive burns to your fist every time you use it, you can only use it once in a while when accompanied by a powerful recovery item.

Ignoring this and casting it four or five times in succession would turn your fist into black charcoal and then crumble away.

The payoff for this risk was overwhelming destructive power which would make [Fire Punch] seem like a mere matchstick flame in comparison.

If one could neutralize the risks of this formidable skill and harness its benefitsVisit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

That would be a jackpot.

I decided to learn it right away since there was no need to carry it around with me.

Handling a prohibited skill book always required caution, but I was an exception.

Elemental penalties couldnt harm me after all.

[Using Skill Book Inferno Fist.]

[Acquired Inferno Fist (C).]

As expected, it was a C-rank from the start.

It must have been a skill book confiscated from the third years.

Dang Gyu-young asked her club members.

Did you get everything?

Yes, noonim.

The temporary storage had become noticeably emptier than before.

This was because many prohibited items had been moved to the inventory of the thieves club member.

However, these items couldnt yet be considered fully stolen.

Its not over until they safely escape.

Lets go.

We used the same route they had infiltrated as their escape route.

And we returned to Practice Room A passing through the corridor.

Before we quickly descended the circular staircase outside the window of Practice Room A.

Geum Jo-hans clone was still patrolling the same spot with a dazed expression.

Now, we just needed to get out of this place.

Although I couldnt see their facial expressions as they were covered by masks, everyone seemed more alert.

But then,

Kukukuku

Just as everyone started to pick up speed, a wooden door suddenly sprung up in front of us.

The door opened and a male student walked out.

Where are you hurrying off to?

!

He wore a second-year tie pin and a disciplinary committee armband.

In one hand, he held a large emerald crystal ball.

He was a wood mage who was skilled in both wood and earth magic.

The twins seemed to be familiar with him as they took turns speaking.

Kwak Seung-jae

Its you again

You always pop up wherever we go.

I keep dreaming about that wooden door, you know?

This old school building isnt your private room; you cant just come and go as you please.

As the wood mage manipulated a small transmitter, the girl with the tablet immediately jammed its signal.

Next, he raised his free hand above his shoulder.

A bright light shot up, only to be swallowed by an encroaching shadow.

!

The mages eyes sparkled as he spotted Dang Gyu-young, who had sent the shadow.

Perhaps deciding it was pointless to hide her face any longer, Dang Gyu-young threw off her mask and waved her hand.

Good to see you, Seung-jae?

Good to see you too.

The wood mage whose name was Kwak Seung-jae immediately bowed.

Cant you just let us go?

I will let you go, but,

He gestured toward the wooden door he had just opened.

Before that, would you mind accompanying me to the disciplinary committee room for a moment?

To spit out everything weve eaten?

It was never the property of the thieves club in the first place, was it?

Dang Gyu-youngs smile deepened.

Then I guess well have to break through.

If you think you can.

Are you that confident?

How could I confidently claim to win against a senior like you?

Thats right. It would take a third year to match me. The axe guy is out of the picture, and the others are likely occupied with external requests. And Slit-eyes is not in sight, is he?

It seems thats how things have turned out.

I wondered why everything was resolving so easily. Just then, it occurred to me that there werent many third-year disciplinary committee members left in Dragon Slayer Academy at the moment.

The axe guy must be referring to the guy with the Hell Axe that was blocking the entrance to the temporary storage.

And Slit-eyes would be the disciplinary committee president, Oh Se-hoon.

Kwak Seung-jae responded in a calm tone.

The president is momentarily occupied with other matters. He should be back shortly.

Can you hold us off until then?

Although the shadows swirled menacingly, Kwak Seung-jae was not intimidated in the slightest.

The unshaken belief in his eyes caused Dang Gyu-youngs expression to grow more serious.

This time, given the circumstances, we had to seek external help.

Kwak Seung-jae stepped aside, and through the open wooden door, another person walked out.

He was a handsome man with light brown hair slicked back.

He was a third-year student and he wore a single emblem on his chest instead of the disciplinary committee armband.

It was the emblem symbolizing the student council president.

In his hand, a pair of dark gloves shimmered with topaz.

Dang Gyu-young frowned.

Song Cheon-gi.

So you start this semester with theft as well.

And what wind brings you here to help the disciplinary committee? Youve always been such a lazy a**.

.

Are you mute?

.

Hes clever.

He had identified all the members of the thieves club, so he could guess their identities even behind the masks.

On the other hand, this person was a complete stranger, so he wondered if he should listen to his voice, but the person quickly realized this and remained silent.

But it didnt matter.

He could just subdue and check directly.

It seems you have no intention of surrendering.

.

The masked person, instead of responding, flicked their fingers.

To Kwak Seung-jae, it came across as this:

Stop wasting time and lets fight already.

It was somewhat unexpected.

All the members of the thieves club were solely focused on creating an opportunity to flee, but this person was openly inviting a fight.

Sometimes things like this are also good.

The two stared at each other for a moment.

Then, the battle commenced.

Boom!

As the orb glowed green, the earth surged up in an attempt to strike the masked person.

The masked person smoothly maneuvered their feet, weaving through the disjointed earth.

The level of their [Thiefs Step] was so exceptional that it appeared as though they were sliding across the ground.

The masked person quickly closed in, attempting to kick Kwak Seung-jae in the face, but,

Thud

A wall of earth rose up, blocking the kick.

In the next moment, a heavy clump of earth fell from behind the masked person.

As if they had eyes on the back of their head, they stepped back just in time.

The retreating masked persons hand flashed brightly and a bolt of lightning shot towards Kwak Seung-jae.

A hummingbird?

[Earth Gatling]

The earth-made gatling gun fired a barrage of densely packed dirt bullets.

It was a clever strategy that simultaneously targeted the hummingbird and the opponent.

However, the masked person again moved smoothly to evade it, and the hummingbird dodged the bullets nimbly before it landed on Kwak Seung-jaes shoulder.

Fzzzt!

!!

Kwak Seung-jae was a bit startled.

How excellent was the control for the hummingbird to exhibit such movement?

Instead of being paralyzed, one of the defensive spells he had set up earlier broke.

In his mind, Kwak Seung-jae sent silent praise to the masked person.

Impressive. But there wont be a second time.

This decisive move would be the end of their battle.

Suddenly, a thin wall of earth surrounded the area.

This was to prevent the masked person from evading the next attack.

[Earth Gatling]

[Earth Gatling]

[Earth Gatling]

Multiple earth-gatling guns emerged from various points at the same time.

They unleashed hundreds of bullets towards the masked person.

[Crossfire]

Tatatatatata!

The area within the earthen walls was engulfed in a thick cloud of dust.

.

When the dust finally settled, Kwak Seung-jae fully expected to find the masked person lying defeated on the ground.

But the masked person just stood there.

Without a single scratch.

This person is beyond my capabilities.

Kwak Seung-jae had a considerable amount of pride in his [Earth Gatling] spell, as it was one of his main attacks.

The fact that he had deployed several of them simultaneously without inflicting any damage meant that this opponent was, in his estimation, someone he couldnt defeat.

He wondered where such a formidable opponent had come from.

Although it seemed highly unlikely that he could win, the course of the battle so far suggested he wouldnt lose either.

His plan, then, was to keep the person engaged while waiting for reinforcements.

Boom

The distant rumble of battle reached his ears.

This signified that someone else from the disciplinary committee was engaged in combat.

The outcome of a fight between the disciplinary committee and the thieves club was predictable.

Soon, they would overpower their opponents and come to assist him.

The masked person momentarily diverted their gaze towards the distant commotion.

It seemed they too realized that their time was running short.

Silently, the masked person then turned to face Kwak Seung-jae directly.

There was a sudden shift in the atmosphere.

As he assumed his stance, the fist he clenched began to glow increasingly red.

Is he about to use a fire-type spell?

However, the color of the heated fist looked to be very ominous.

It was a deep, blood-like red, almost black, with flames flickering fiercely around it.

Chills ran down Kwak Seung-jaes spine.

Could it be!

If his guess was correct, he couldnt afford to take this lightly.

Kwak Seung-jae quickly withdrew all his spells and shifted to a defensive stance.

[Threefold Stone Wall]

[Strong Wall]

Boom!

Three layers of stone walls rose up right in front of him and they thickened and hardened even more.

Feeling that even this was not enough, Kwak Seung-jae was about to cast an additional spell to strengthen the barrier.

Just then, the blood-red fist made contact with the first stone wall.

Crash!

The wall got shattered, sending a tremendous wave of heat and shock toward Kwak Seung-jae.

All the defensive spells he had prepared, along with every piece of protective gear, accessories, and even his uniform, were instantly destroyed.

Kwak Seung-jae thought to himself as he tumbled and lay sprawled on the ground like a rag doll.

His suspicions had been correct.

The name of that skill was

Inferno Fist.