Chapter 87

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on January 22, 2025

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Pinterest Telegram

(6)

11.

All seven heroes combined.

Ulan’s focus was something else. Not just in battle, but once he zeroed in on something, his gaze wouldn’t waver from it, not even a little.

This time was no different.

KWA-BOOM!

A shockwave swept through the venue.

Before long, Professor Dirck transformed into a monster.

Twisted tentacles spread all around, but Ulan’s eyes remained glued to the exam paper.

‘If I do it like this…’

His gaze was terrifyingly intense.

Screams and various noises erupted from students nearby, but no ruckus could disrupt Ulan’s concentration.

Drip! Drip!

Just then, blood trickled from his nose.

But he didn’t wipe it away.

Actually, he was so absorbed in his fight that he didn’t even notice the nosebleed.

As he fought this lonely battle, the pencil he was using paused for a brief moment. His scarlet eyes sparkled like stars.

“…It’s done.”

He saw the path to the answer.

An unknown domain he had never reached in all his past lives. He stepped steadily onto the stairs leading to that place.

And finally—

“Right, the answer is…!”

A number carved vividly into his mind.

Just as the struggle that had gone on for dozens of minutes came to a victorious end, suddenly, Ulan’s body moved on its own.

It was an instinctual response to sense a threat.

At that moment—

KWA-BOOM!

A gigantic tentacle smashed the ground.

In the very spot Ulan had just occupied.

The desk and chair were reduced to indistinguishable rubble. The answer sheet resting above was shredded to bits as well.

“…!”

Ulan’s eyes widened.

The process he had exhausted his brain on for dozens of minutes vanished in an instant, reduced to dust.

At this sight, the concentration he had maintained also turned to dust. His mind went blank, and a dazed expression settled on his face.

“The answer, the answer is…”

No matter how hard he tried to recall.

Nothing came to mind.

The painstakingly built process of calculation was stripped away with the answer sheet, leaving his efforts evaporated in an instant.

Drip!

Deep within him.

Something snapped. And that was the last thing Ulan remembered.

12.

A thunderous roar shook the venue.

The sound of the monster’s body being cleanly sliced in half by Ulan’s axe.

An attack so powerful it would have killed an ordinary creature instantly. Yet the monster didn’t seem to feel any impact and furiously swung its tentacles.

But this time, it had chosen the wrong opponent.

Slice! KRA-KOW! THWACK!

Dozens of tentacles were severed mid-air.

It was the price for entering the Master’s Domain. Ulan made sure not to miss a single tentacle as he closed the gap with the monster.

In the blink of an eye, the distance shrank.

Just as he got close to the monster’s face, a fierce barrage of axe strikes was unleashed. Each blow tore through flesh and shattered bone.

‘Whoa, this is insane.’

Noa couldn’t help but admire inwardly.

Ulan, activated with the Berserker Trait, was far more aggressive and destructive than usual.

‘It’s even crazier than the original.’

A sight overwhelming an 8-star demon beast.

Of course, the monster wasn’t just sitting still. It constantly regenerated and sought to counterattack.

Yet, it was all for naught.

Each time it attempted to strike back, its regenerating tentacles were sliced off by the furious axe like legs of an octopus.

Not a battle, but sheer, one-sided violence itself.

As Noa watched in a daze, suddenly, she felt a magic response nearby.

“Hmm? What’s this…?”

The source of the magic response was Delia.

She was channeling magic into a completed formula in a flash. Once she finished, the spell would activate immediately.

The moment she realized it,

Noa gasped in shock.

“W-wait a sec!”

And hurriedly positioned herself in front.

To stop the magic from triggering.

Meanwhile, Delia, not expecting Noa’s sudden interruption, halted her magic. Noa, still with a shocked expression, shouted back.

“What are you doing?!”

“That’s my line,” Delia frowned.

She waved her hands dismissively.

“Get out of the way. I have to help Ulan.”

“Not right now!”

“…What?”

Her eyebrows twitched in confusion.

Delia couldn’t grasp Noa’s words.

Shortly after, a response came.

“Right now, Ulan can’t distinguish between enemies and allies. If he gets even slightly provoked, we’ll be in danger!”

The Berserker Trait comes with a definite penalty.

There are good points, of course.

Like fighting even while poisoned or at low stamina.

‘But…’

At the same time, there’s a lethal downside.

As mentioned before, he can’t tell friend from foe and just annihilates any life around him. That’s why it’s called a penalty.

‘There was something about that in the original, too.’

When playing as one of the seven heroes.

If Ulan enters a Berserker state for any reason, he must retreat at least a hundred steps to ensure safety.

Just after Noa finished speaking, Delia asked with a hint of hesitation.

“…How do you know that?”

Because I experienced it in the original game.

But that answer wasn’t something Noa could give openly.

So she shrugged her shoulders, then let out the closest excuse she could muster.

“I’m from the same tribe as Ulan.”

“…”

Delia fell silent.

She must have had nothing to refute that.

Moments later, she broke off her magic, meaning she accepted Noa’s words.

“Do you know how long this will last?”

“Yeah, once the urge to destroy is satisfied, he’ll go back to normal.”

The duration of the Berserker state is short.

It varies by situation, but usually lasts around 5 minutes. And now, they were just about to exceed that 5 minute mark.

Suddenly!

The furious axe blows stopped.

Ulan staggered, swaying.

“Ugh.”

A low groan escaped him.

A sudden strong headache and dizziness hit him. After staggering several more times, Ulan gradually regained his senses.

“What have I been…”

What was I doing?

As he looked around to assess the situation, he spotted the shattered desk and answer sheet.

“Ah.”

He remembered. What had happened.

The moment he had found the answer to the exam, he had been interrupted and lost his reason.

As the memory flooded back, anger surged within him again, but he quickly suppressed it.

‘Looks like I went on a little rampage.’

Ulan silently accepted what had happened.

It was something that had occurred often in his past life. Of course, he couldn’t recall what happened during those rampages.

‘Good thing there’s no one else around.’

Knowing that when he rampaged, he wouldn’t distinguish between allies and enemies, he felt quietly relieved that he was alone.

Well, strictly speaking—

He wasn’t alone, however.

[Graaaah… Gaaah…]

The monster moaned in pain.

It had been cut down so much that it was just a bloody mass, indistinguishable from its shape anymore.

It seemed this monster had taken the full brunt of Ulan’s rampage.

As his judgment and composure returned,

Ulan felt a familiar presence not far off.

“Are you coming to your senses?”

“Ulan, are you okay?”

The two girls approached cautiously.

It was Noa and Delia.

Nodding affirmatively, Ulan looked around and asked.

“What about the other students?”

“It seems like everyone ran away. But more importantly…”

Noa’s complexion hardened mid-sentence.

Because of the monster, now starting to regenerate rapidly despite its bloody state. However, it wasn’t perfectly healed.

WHACK! PLOP! SPLAT!

Because Ulan had swung his axe.

The glimmering axe had severed every tentacle in an instant. Yet the monster continued to inflate, its form increasing in size as it regenerated.

Truly, a tenacious vitality.

Ulan frowned. The only monster he knew to have such traits was one.

“Is it a demon beast?”

“Yeah, an 8-star demon beast.”

Noa’s face was tense with worry.

Conversely, Ulan appeared unfazed.

Considering it, it wasn’t surprising.

Even though it was the first time facing it in this life, it was something he had encountered all too frequently in his past life.

‘It’s not inherently threatening.’

Ulan was in the Master’s Domain now.

Moreover, he had achieved 1-star.

Based on just that, he might be slightly underwhelmed to face an 8-star demon beast, but Ulan had the experience from his past life.

So it wasn’t really a problem.

Except for one thing.

‘…The magic core.’

Every demon beast has one magic core.

But that only applies to those ranked below 6 stars. Starting from the 7-star beasts, they possess at least two magic cores.

‘And one more thing.’

There was a tricky part.

If a demon beast has more than one magic core, all magic cores must be destroyed simultaneously. If not, they will continue to regenerate endlessly.

After recalling the memories from his past life,

Ulan muttered, perplexed.

“Where did that thing come from?”

“Don’t you remember?”

“What memory?”

“That’s Professor Dirck.”

“…What?”

Ulan responded as if shocked.

His reaction wasn’t because it was surprising that a person turned into a demon beast. He had seen such events often in his past life.

The issue was the timing.

‘A human transforming into a demon beast happens after the Gate of the Abyss opens.’

But why is such a thing happening already?

The gate hasn’t even opened yet?

‘It happened before, too.’

When the Abyss Worshippers attacked.

They were carrying one of the Abyssal Monsters, the “Bloodsucking Plant, Candira.” Remembering that moment, a chilling look crossed Ulan’s face.

‘…What is going on here?’

This was something that didn’t happen in his past life.

Ulan’s expression stiffened. Just as he was considering that thorough investigation was necessary,

[GRAAAAH!]

The blood-soaked monster roared.

Regeneration started again.

Ulan swung his axe, but this time the monster was no push over. Tentacles erupted from it much faster than before.

‘This could go on forever.’

First, he needed to take out the monster.

With a clear goal in mind, Ulan gripped his axe tightly and spoke up.

“Noa.”

“Yes?”

“Tell me again about the vital points you mentioned earlier.”

“Head, waist, and butt!”

The positions of the vital points she had mentioned in the morning flowed once more from Noa’s mouth. Meanwhile, Ulan carefully gauged the locations of each vital point.

He got that the head was there.

But…

“Where’s the waist and butt?”

The monster in front of him was not humanoid.

If anything, it looked like a gigantic anemone with a massive head. Thus, distinguishing its waist and butt was utterly impossible.

“Um, that’s…”

Noa faltered.

It was no wonder. The monster regenerating right before her did not resemble the one she had originally known from the game.

As she hesitated, suddenly Delia jumped in.

“Maybe the place where the mana is concentrated is the vital point?”

“Huh? Oh, you’re right.”

“Then I’ll mark it.”

Delia stepped forward.

In the blink of an eye, she completed a formula and activated the spell. Sparkling starlit particles trickled over the monster’s body.

Moments later.

BOOM!

Suddenly, the monster’s body lit up.

“Those are the vital points.”

Three spots glimmered.

One was the top of the head, at the crown, while the other two were at the base.

They were the monster’s magic cores.

‘The lower ones might be doable…’

But the waist and butt.

It was impossible for Ulan to break both cores simultaneously by himself. Even from a quick glance, they seemed to be over twenty steps away.

‘The problem is the head.’

That one was likely over forty steps away from the closest, at the waist. At that distance, he’d struggle to destroy it alone. While pondering,

Delia casually suggested.

“Let’s each take one.”

There were three magic cores to break.

And there were three people here.

So she figured if they each took one, it would work out. Noa, however, replied with a sheepish face.

“Sorry. I can’t do it.”

“Eh? Why not?”

“I haven’t learned anything above 8-star spells.”

With an awkward expression, Noa scratched her cheek.

Delia frowned.

“…Noa, you’re useless.”

“Ugh! It’s true, but can’t you say it a bit nicer? It hurts my feelings.”

As she whined, Delia immediately adopted a different attitude. For some reason, instead of her usual emotionless face, she smiled widely while saying,

“Noa, you’re worthless.”

“…”

Hearing that while she was smiling hit even harder.

Noa sulked, jutting out her lips. Just then, Ulan suddenly chimed in.

“Delia, can you destroy the vital point?”

“Yeah. I think I can.”

She had heard from Noa earlier.

To inflict effective damage on an 8-star demon beast, one needed to use magic with an equivalent power to an 8-star attribute spell.

And unlike useless Noa, Delia had mastered several spells with that kind of power. So she nodded energetically.

“Then I’ll take care of the head.”

“Got it. But…”

“But what?”

“How do we synchronize our timing?”

The moment Delia noticed the magic flow of the monster,

She belatedly realized. You can’t simply destroy a magic core separately and expect to kill it.

‘We must destroy them all simultaneously.’

That was the only sure way to guarantee a kill. As she voiced her concerns, Ulan promptly replied.

“Don’t worry about that.”

“Eh?”

“I’ll sync with you.”

“…Is that possible?”

“Of course.”

Ulan answered without a moment’s hesitation.

It was obvious. They had synchronized their attacks countless times in their past lives. Maybe feeling this confidence? Delia broke into a bashful grin.

“Okay, I’ll trust you, Ulan.”

Right after she finished her response,

Delia’s expression changed. As soon as her words ended, she began to chant the spell.

At that moment—

“No, it’s regenerating again!”

Hastily shouted Noa as a cue.

Ulan stomped on the ground. He aimed to crush the magic core just as Delia’s magic was ready to strike its head.

[GRAAAAH! GRAAAAH!]

Did the monster sense something was amiss?

It howled and twisted its body.

Then the regeneration began, and transformation followed.

Crack! Crunch!

Its exterior hardened even further.

It seemed to have realized the locations of the magic cores. Moreover, the starlit particles indicating their positions rapidly diminished.

‘But…’

That wasn’t an issue.

He had committed the locations to memory by now.

As his eyes gleamed with determination,

Suddenly, the surroundings brightened.

WHOOSH! KWA-KWAAAH!

A sound echoed from above. Soon, fragments of starlight fell from the sky.

Once when facing the Abyss Worshippers.

Delia had cast this 6-star Stellar Magic.

When treated as an attribute magic, it boasted an overwhelming 8-star level of power.

It was the ‘Meteor Fall.’

‘Now!’

Just before the meteor struck the monster’s head,

Ulan activated the Master’s Domain.

And the moment the meteor connected with the magic core, he made a lightning-fast swing of his axe in the split second.

Slice! KLA-CLANG!

The magic core shattered cleanly.

And simultaneously as he glanced towards the head,

A satisfying sound echoed.

KA-BOOM! BROOM!

It wasn’t just about breaking the magic core; the monster’s whole head flew off in one go.

[GRAAAAHHHH!]

A scream erupted from the crushed neck.

It struggled violently until the bitter end, but it was all in vain.

With all magic cores gone, the monster had no choice but to calmly accept its fate.

And death was quick to follow.

SPLAT! CRUMBLE!

The once shimmering body melted away.

As if it was a candle set alight. Not to mention, everything around that touched the monster’s remains also melted away.

“Ugh, that’s horrifying.”

Delia frowned.

Truly, it was an atrocious end.

Moments later, the remains of the monster turned into a viscous puddle. It seemed the acidic effects had entirely diminished.

‘The end is also different from the original.’

In the original, the creature simply turned to ash and vanished. Leaving behind only the clothes it wore and the ‘Key’ it was always donning.

But it was different now.

Not only had it turned to liquid and melted, but it was also dissolving everything around it.

‘Huh? Wait a sec…’

It’s dissolving everything?

At that thought, Noa’s eyes widened. She suddenly recalled a forgotten fact and screamed,

“My key!”

A special reward obtainable from defeating the monster that had turned into Professor Dirck, the treasure Noa had been after in this event.

That key must be inside that puddle!

Once she realized this, Noa panicked and sprinted toward the pile of remains.

She began to rummage through the viscous mess. A disgustingly slimy ooze wrapped around her body in the process, but she didn’t care.

“Noa, that’s gross.”

Delia grimaced in shock.

However, she wasn’t deterred at all.

Right now, what mattered wasn’t the slime or Delia’s reactions. As she rummaged through desperately, Noa’s hand finally grasped something.

“This is…!”

Professor Dirck’s necklace.

It appeared unscathed, made from some special material. And at the end of the necklace hung the key Noa had been dreaming of.

“Phew, what a relief.”

It didn’t melt!

With a sigh of relief, Noa’s body sagged and she plopped down on her legs.

She could hear Delia saying something in the distance, horrified, but she didn’t mind. For now, she was simply satisfied to have the key in her hands.

Just as she relaxed once again,

A massive palm stretched out in front of her.

It was Ulan’s hand.

“Is it all over now?”

“…Yeah, it’s over.”

Nodding, Noa took his hand and tried to rise.

Or at least, she meant to.

But she couldn’t.

KRRRRUUUUMBLE!

A loud vibration shook the area.

As if an earthquake had hit.

“Aaaah!”