Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Academy Collapse Event (4)

"Building C area is more or less done. We found six professors and 213 students."

"Good work."

There were more people hiding in the small building than expected.

With those numbers, they should've had the ability to escape on their own without waiting for rescue.

The problem was that everyone in Building C was from the Magical Research Department.

Most researchers had zero dungeon raiding experience and no opportunity for real combat against monsters.

So it seemed they'd failed to manage their mental state when the sudden attack hit.

The people here would be hard to use as combatants.

"Wounded and non-combatants, fall back to this side. Those who can fight, follow me."

"Yes!"

Among Building C's personnel, I sent all wounded and non-combatants to the rear, then picked out those capable of fighting and formed new parties.

As expected, the ratio of usable personnel was low, but the total headcount was large enough that the number of combatants extracted wasn't small.

Among them was a familiar face.

"Professor Jeong, you were here too."

"P-Professor Cha......"

Professor Jeong Gitae, who could be called the current number one of the Magical Research Department.

Figuring he had some ability, I called on him to put him in charge of leading the C-building parties.

"Would you be willing to take command of the Building C parties?"

"Y-yes? No, well... ahem! My condition today is really not... fighting monsters might be a bit much......"

Jeong Gitae, trying to worm his way out with a pathetic excuse.

What kind of man was this?

Students were risking their lives to fight, and this professor—

"Understood. The Chancellor must be worried about you too, Professor Jeong. I'll be sure to let her know."

"Wh-what?"

The moment Ryu Jeonga's name came up, Jeong Gitae flinched as if struck by lightning.

He immediately began correcting his words.

"No, w-wait! You have to hear Korean out to the end! What I was about to say is that even though it's tough on me personally, for the Academy's sake! I will give my very bones and blood!"

"That's the spirit."

When I gave him a warm smile, Jeong Gitae returned an awkward one.

Seeing his lip corners quiver gave me a deep sense of satisfaction.

"Combat-capable department students can hold out or escape on their own, so we'll prioritize areas with more non-combatants. Follow me."

We needed to rescue as many people as possible within our limited time.

If there was a place like Building C — full of people but low on fighters—

"Let's head for Building D."

Building D housed the alchemists' research labs.

The Magical Research Department at least had people who'd transferred in from combat tracks or held dual majors, but most alchemists were pure Theory-types, meaning conditions in Building D were likely far worse than Building C.

We set off toward Building D.

***

─GROOAR!

Every path we took was swarming with monsters.

The number of those goddamn lumps of meat was growing by the minute.

The longer a Gate stayed open, the more monsters spilled out, which meant that dragging our feet would only make things harder later.

Picking them off one by one would take too long.

There was no time to deal with every monster right now.

"Just clear a path. Don't chase the monsters deep."

Showing just enough force was sufficient to make the monsters back off.

Fortunately, while the monsters were numerous, each one was fodder, making it easy to open a path.

"Building D. We've arrived."

"Breach through the main entrance."

SHING—!

I drew Jeivult from my waist and swung it wide.

Blue Aura shot out like a sword gale, sweeping through the monsters.

"Ooh!"

Everyone watching let out sounds of admiration.

Satisfied with the result, I let the corner of my mouth rise.

【When I first saw you, you looked like a fledgling without a single hair on his chin — and look at you now! Master, you've become quite the man.】

"Shut up. Say one more word and you'll regret it."

【Oh? Is master really in a position to say that to me~? Looks like you need me right now.】

This damn Magic Sword.

I wanted nothing more than to throw it away, but I needed Jeivult right now.

All I could do was grit my teeth and vow revenge later.

"...We'll settle this another time."

【If we're settling things, let's do it in bed~.】

The coy tone was revolting beyond measure.

The fact that a mental transmission — which conveyed will rather than voice — could be this disgusting was a talent in itself.

I set aside my bickering with Jeivult and got to work.

"Let's see......"

My eyes glowed blue.

A detection skill.

And not just any — an advanced skill obtained from S-rank archers.

My proficiency was still low, but the results were impressive nonetheless.

"Eleven people on the first floor. Quite a lot of monsters. Second floor is......"

After assessing the situation, I split the forces appropriately and sent them to each floor.

Then I stationed myself at the bottom.

【Master, let's go play too! With such a delicious scent wafting around, having to sit still is pure torture.】

"I'm better off staying here. Jeivult, I'm using that ability."

【Ooh? You don't mean 'that one,' do you?】

Jeivult, the Magic Sword.

Because of that title, Jeivult was known as a Magic Sword — but strictly speaking, she wasn't.

As a pure sword, there were actually better ones than Jeivult.

An ordinary person couldn't acquire them, but with my current wealth and prestige, switching swords was absolutely possible.

The reason I still couldn't discard the ceaselessly blathering Jeivult.

It was because of "that ability" that only Jeivult could use.

"You can transform into whatever weapon your wielder wants."

【...Even Seongung doesn't know about that.】

I could feel Jeivult's shock through the mental link.

Jo Seongung only knew that Jeivult could change her length and ornaments, but that wasn't the extent of her capabilities.

"As your master, I command you. Become a bow."

Just as Jeivult wasn't merely a sword, I wasn't merely a swordsman.

I'd started out aiming for Magic Swordsman, but I'd moved beyond that now.

My stats weren't specialized in any one area, and my skills were extraordinarily diverse.

Having absorbed every kind of experience from hundreds of S-rank Heroes, my class was effectively an All-Master.

【N-no! I like being a sword! Bows don't have the satisfaction of cutting!】

"Are you refusing your master's command?"

A tool had no right of refusal.

I gripped Jeivult tight and pushed my will through, and her form began to slowly change.

【If, if you force a command on me that hard...! I, I'm...! Haaaaah......!】

Jeivult cried out theatrically as she transformed into a bow.

I plucked her bowstring with satisfaction.

【I've been... defiled...... I'm a legendary sword... I'm the supreme weapon... how could you turn me, of all things, into a bow — a weapon for cowards......】

I casually ignored Jeivult's nonsense, drew a long strand of Aura, and nocked it on the string.

It was one of the tricks archers used when they had no arrows.

Because of its high mana consumption, it wasn't a technique archers preferred — but I was no ordinary archer.

As a mage hybrid, my mana reserves far exceeded those of archers at the same level, and my fine control over mana was overwhelmingly superior.

FWIP—!

Aura arrows left the bowstring and scattered throughout the building's interior.

Sometimes, the support of an advanced archer was far more effective than a frontline warrior carving through enemies.

─SCREECH!

Monster shrieks echoed from every corner.

The range of battlefield a high-level archer could oversee and cover was beyond imagination.

A single building was nothing.

"Archery's not bad at all."

【Master, what are you? It was already wild that you could handle both sword and magic, but archery too?】

"I'm good at everything. Spears, maces, axes, daggers, staves — you name a weapon, I can use it."

Perhaps thinking I was joking, Jeivult responded lightly.

【Ooh~ Then why not say you can use Holy Power too? You know, a paladin concept — buffing and healing yourself.】

"Oh. That's actually a great idea. Why didn't I think of that?"

Whooom—!

White and blue light swirled around my body.

They were types of buffs that priests and mages could respectively cast.

【Huh? Wait, what?】

"Much better."

Both the bow and the buffs had been awkward at first, but proficiency climbed with use and they quickly became respectable.

Must be the advantage of a solid foundation. As a subclass, this was impeccable.

"All students on the second floor have been rescued!"

"Third floor's done too!"

As time passed, teams finished their missions and came back down one by one.

Things were wrapping up.

My support was no longer needed, right?

Since I was already at the alchemists' headquarters, I headed upstairs to look for useful materials.

【Master, are we finally going to fight?】

"No."

I arrived at the fifth floor.

A storeroom that housed only the finest materials.

"Let's see... lots of good stuff here."

The experience I'd gained from S-rank alchemists apparently included knowledge, because information came to me naturally as I examined the materials.

I picked up a few choice items.

【Aah... how boring.】

Ignoring Jeivult's whining, I went back down.

Shortly after, the rescue on every floor was complete.

The faster-than-expected progress was satisfying.

"Moving to the next zone."

***

"Sword Department, gather here!"

"Magical Research Department, over here please!"

"Combat Magic Department is......"

Rescue operations across every zone of the Academy concluded successfully.

The Main Auditorium was bustling with students.

Each department gathered separately to verify their survivors.

"You've worked hard, Young Cha."

Chancellor Ryu Jeonga.

Her expression was complicated in many ways.

Even in the game, Ryu Jeonga's love for the Academy had been exceptional.

With a disaster like this, she must be crying tears of blood inside.

"It's too early for that. We still have a long way to go."

"Indeed... how did things come to this? The heavens are truly cruel. What do they expect from these young souls that they'd send such a trial?"

Until moments ago, everyone's thoughts had been consumed with surviving and saving others, but now that they had a moment to breathe, they couldn't help but question the fundamental cause.

Why were Gates appearing simultaneously all over the Academy?

There was no easy answer.

Resorting to the unknowable entity called the heavens was the natural course.

"Chancellor, this isn't some divine trial."

"You mean... you have an idea, Professor Cha?"

"I believe this is, once again, the work of those who call themselves Evil Gods."

Evil Gods.

Not yet known to the public, but among those in the know, their existence was an open secret to some degree.

The first Evil God they'd encountered, Bonibatus.

Ryu Jeonga was also aware that the Evil God Bonibatus had joined hands with Professor Jeon Taejin and manipulated Song Seokhwan.

"You called them beings that use unknown powers."

"Yes."

"Even so, is something like this really within their capability? Possessing a person and opening Gates across an entire Academy are on completely different scales."

"But both defy common sense equally. Until now, who would have thought it possible to control a living person?"

Ryu Jeonga nodded, seemingly finding the argument reasonable.

Knowing the enemy was crucial.

They needed to understand that this wasn't some incomprehensible force of unknown origin, but a being like Bonibatus — one we could defeat.

"Haa, I can't make sense of it. First that creature back then, and now this. What could possibly be here at this tiny country's Academy that keeps drawing them in?"

"Who knows."

Ryu Jeonga's exasperated words drew nothing but an awkward smile from me.

Ryu Jeonga didn't know it, but this Academy held a secret worth an Evil God staking its life on.

"Professor!"

The survivor count must have been finalized, because Lee Yeeun came to report the results.

"We successfully rescued over 95% of the Academy's total student body. That's an incredible achievement!"

"Ninety-five percent."

I'd rescued only 95%.

In other words, 5% of the students were still unaccounted for.

Thinking about it that way left a bitter taste.

"Professor?"

If only I'd evacuated everyone in advance......

My head was so muddled that absurd thoughts crept in.

If I had, Kultung's attack itself wouldn't have happened.

Then Kultung would've struck in a different way later on, and without any information, we'd have been blindsided — the damage would've been incomparably worse.

Right. Let's drop the pointless thoughts.

Calling in Lie Xiao was the most I could do.

"It's nothing. Let's get moving."

"Yes!"

When I put on my usual expression, Lee Yeeun answered brightly.

Thinking I could save everyone was arrogant.

Compared to the original story, I'd already saved far more lives.

Everything so far had gone as well as it possibly could.

Now it was time to drive them out for real.