Chapter 1403 – 1403. Savior Of The Academy
The day after the 1-on-1 sparring practical exam, the 1-on-1 combat exam against large monsters began.
Some students expressed dissatisfaction with the public exam format and formally protested to the academy. The academy responded in 10 minutes.
Maruhan Academy wants students to learn even a little. There are things to learn just by watching other students’ battles, so all practical exams are conducted publicly.
The academy’s response was firm. Some students, worried about exposing their power to others, protested to the academy again, but it was no use. And to make it public outside the academy? Impossible. The academy’s justification and reasons were perfect.
However, this was an exam. If the exam proceeded in order and was made public to the students taking the exam, the students who competed later would have an advantage.
This was an obvious fact that the academy could not refute.
The academy was brazen. They started the 1-on-1 monster combat exam based on the 1-on-1 sparring rankings. In other words, I, who was ranked 1st in the 1-on-1 sparring, would be the first to take the 1-on-1 monster combat exam.
‘Good, I can get it over with quickly.’
I had no complaints about this exam format. I actually welcomed it. There was no need to wait unnecessarily. Unlike the written exam, if you finished the practical exam quickly, the academy schedule for that day was over.
‘It’s 9 a.m. now. If I finish the exam quickly, I can relax and play.’
Thud, thud.
A stern-faced supervisor walked towards the arena.
“Sung Yujin. The combat time is a maximum of 2 minutes, and the large monster you will face is randomly selected. The randomness of the large monster is guaranteed by the Hero Association and government agencies. Anything else you’re curious about?”
I glanced at the arena control room. Officials from the Hero Association and government agencies were gathered there. The contents of this exam would be exposed to the outside world, whether they knew it or not.
“No, sir.”
“Good. We have a tight schedule, so let’s start right away.”
Whistle!
The supervisor blew the whistle.
The Aurora System activates. The space flickered for a moment, and a Twin Head Ogre was created from it. It was a large monster more than twice the size of a normal ogre. The two heads attached to its neck glared at Sung Yujin.
“A Twin Head Ogre…!”
“A Twin Head Ogre that even an A-class hero would have difficulty facing alone… Is Sung Yujin’s luck running out?”
“Yujin, fighting!”
“I hope a regular ogre comes out when it’s my turn.”
The surroundings were noisy.
Everyone expected my failure. The Twin Head Ogre was the strongest of the large monsters that could be summoned.
I ignored the reactions of the onlookers and used the Moment.
[Using Moment. Remaining stacks: 6]
The ogre’s steps towards me slowed down. I thought in the slowed world.
‘I didn’t really expect this guy to show up.’
What should I do?
Should I show my full power? Or should I fight casually and finish it so that my evaluation doesn’t drop? Even if it’s a Twin Head Ogre, it basically fights like a mindless ogre, so it’s not difficult to drag out the 2 minutes. Unlike the kids here, I have a lot of experience fighting monsters.
『Name: Sung Yujin
Strength: B Stamina: B Agility: B Durability: C+ Mana: A+
Traits: Spirit Eye (S) Demon Hunter (S)
Skills: Spirit Contract (A) Spirit Possession (A) Barrier (C+) Swordsmanship (B+)
Karma: Good 34』
I assessed my abilities while checking my stats. Overall, my stats were well-balanced. In particular, my mana stat was at a level that even active A-class heroes would envy.
‘Let’s go all out. But, I won’t use a sword.’
Having made my decision, I summoned the Thunder Owl Moka.
Boom!
Moka appeared with a thunderous sound, spreading its pure white wings. Blue currents flowed around it like flower petals. As it became a high-grade spirit, it became flashy in appearance.
“Koo, koo!”
And it possessed power that was more than just flashy.
“Moka, Spirit Possession. Take that pig’s head off in one go.”
“Koo!”
Moka descended towards me at high speed. It entered my chest and possessed me.
Spirit Possession.
My skin turned white, and wings made of electricity crackled menacingly on my back. I spread my thunder wings and leaped into the sky. The wings flapped as I flew. The Twin Head Ogre was left looking like a dog chasing a chicken, staring at me.
‘I’m overflowing with power.’
High-grade spirit.
If a top-grade spirit can be said to be a natural disaster itself, a high-grade spirit possesses the power of a local deity that rules over an area. In fact, most spirits that act as local deities are high-grade spirits or higher.
It hadn’t been long since Moka became a high-grade spirit, so its power couldn’t be said to be complete. Nevertheless, having accepted Moka’s power, I felt like I could easily defeat a Twin Head Ogre.
Crackling.
The thunder wings emitted power. The power gathered in my hand, forming the shape of a spear.
I was recalling a past memory.
The lightning of the ‘Master of the Sky’ that I briefly saw in the God’s Atlantis. I was recreating Astrape.
‘I can’t perfectly replicate that power. But Astrape was also my skill.’
I recalled the sensation of using Astrape and condensed lightning into the shape of a spear. I used mana imbued with will to give the lightning substance and fix it. Hundreds of lightning bolts were used in this process.
‘The efficiency is garbage.’
It couldn’t be helped. In the world of ‘God’s Atlantis,’ using skills was easy with the system’s correction, but here, there was almost no system assistance.
‘But I’m confident in my mana pool.’
I ignored all efficiency and focused on recreating Astrape. At least the form was plausible.
‘…If I throw this, will it have the same power as the lightning I saw back then? And this is just lightning compressed into the shape of a spear. Zeus’s lightning back then was different.’
My talent was insufficient to recreate Zeus’s Astrape. I already knew I lacked talent, so I wasn’t moved by it.
‘If I don’t have talent, I can use someone else’s talent.’
The Play Life app made that impossible thing possible.
[Activating Genius Time for 10 seconds.]
Yuria’s overwhelming talent was unlocked. All senses were opened, and spirituality awakened. I trembled and felt exhilaration. As my senses opened, I instinctively knew how to handle lightning.
I imbued the lightning with will, combined the lightning into one, and refined the shape of the lightning. I finished all those processes in 5 seconds.
‘I don’t think I could do it without Genius Time. Not right now, anyway.’
I made eye contact with the Twin Head Ogre. The ogre swung both fists at me. The two heads were roaring with all their might, their faces angry. The sound of the lightning in my hand was so loud that the Twin Head Ogre’s roar was faint.
“Don’t be impatient. I’ll kill you now.”
[Using Moment. Remaining stacks: 5]
I used Moment, aimed at the Twin Head Ogre, and threw the lightning spear.
Astrape flashed and fell to the ground. Astrape cut through the space between the Twin Head Ogre’s heads and fell to the ground, exploding. A lightning storm swept through the arena. The loud thunderclap echoed a beat later.
I looked down at the ground from the sky. The arena floor was completely overturned, and the Twin Head Ogre had disappeared without a trace.
“Tsk.”
Even if others didn’t, I perfectly witnessed the moment the Twin Head Ogre died with the power of the Spirit Eye. Astrape didn’t completely cut through the Twin Head Ogre’s body. It lost its power and exploded after cutting about 70% of the Twin Head Ogre’s body.
‘I did one-shot the Twin Head Ogre… but I’m not completely satisfied.’
I descended to the ground. Moka came out of my body, flew high into the sky, and disappeared somewhere.
My body staggered.
‘…Did I use too much mana? I even feel anemic.’
I put strength into my trembling legs. I couldn’t fall here pathetically. If I showed overwhelming power, I had to maintain an overwhelming posture and atmosphere.
“Sung Yujin. Good work. Go outside the arena. Your score will be announced tomorrow morning.”
The supervisor spoke to me, trying to hide his surprise. I slowly walked out of the arena according to the supervisor’s instructions.
I could hear the voices of the admiring academy students.
“…Did you see that? The Twin Head Ogre was taken down in one hit.”
“Wow, the lightning swept through the arena. It was a lightning storm. A lightning storm.”
“Is he really an academy student? He’s too strong. Even if he merged with a spirit… he’s on a different level than us.”
“He’s the son of thunder. He’s different from us from birth.”
“Can’t he just skip a grade? Thinking about attending the academy with him… Ugh. I shouldn’t even dream of getting first place.”
“You wouldn’t get first place even if Sung Yujin wasn’t here. Where does a 200th place dare to…”
“A 250th place is picking a fight. Want to spar after this?”
“Call. If I hadn’t made that mistake, I would have beaten you.”
Everyone was amazed by my skills. I was satisfied and left for the arena waiting room. I was thinking of watching Lee Sieun’s exam once.
***
My next turn was Ryu Hana. Her opponent was an ogre, and she defeated it in 1 minute and 12 seconds. As if she was stimulated by me, she charged at the ogre and fought with reckless movements. It was fortunate that she managed to grab it; if she hadn’t, she would have received a penalty and her score would have dropped.
Kim Chunwoo and Choi Dayeon also defeated large monsters. There were quite a few other students who defeated large monsters as well. The top-ranked students were on a different level from the average students.
‘Lee Sieun is 19th. She got a good score in the 1-on-1 sparring. If she does well on this exam, she’ll be in the top 10.’
The type of large monster that was randomly selected was important.
‘If it’s a large monster like an ogre… she might have to give up on the top 10.’
I chuckled when I saw the large monster that appeared in front of Lee Sieun. Her opponent was a Phantom Horse. It was the best opponent for Lee Sieun.
The battle began. The Phantom Horse flew in the sky and used magic. That’s why many academy students, more than the Twin Head Ogre, were wary of the Phantom Horse. Especially the warriors who fought in the front lines, they hated the Phantom Horse to the point of disgust.
‘But for Lee Sieun, it’s an easier opponent than a mage.’
Lee Sieun absorbed the Phantom Horse’s magic and energy with Energy Drain. The magic disappeared, and the Phantom Horse was enraged. The enraged Phantom Horse ran on the ground with the intention of trampling Lee Sieun with physical force. The distance had closed. It was a miscalculation.
Boom!
The Phantom Horse’s body exploded.
It was Lee Sieun’s Feedback. The Phantom Horse, whose body was made of energy, was an easier opponent for Lee Sieun, who could use Feedback, than an orc.
‘Did it end in 15 seconds? She’s faster than me. As expected, compatibility is important.’
The arena became noisy. The smart academy students roughly grasped Lee Sieun’s abilities. Of course, that included the mages. The mages looked at Lee Sieun with fear-filled eyes.
And soon after, Lee Sieun was given the nickname Mage Genocider.
