Episode 675

As Lee Han’s magic unfolded again, a thicker lightning bolt pierced the black shadow than before.

Crackle!

Immediately, the curse rebounded onto Lee Han, but it vanished, having no effect at all.

Only after getting struck three more times did Docheol realize that Lee Han was an opponent he could not catch with a curse. Docheol removed the retributive curse enshrouding his hide and let out an evil howl.

-■■■■■■!

“Well done. I’ll handle the rest!”

Professor Bendozol didn’t miss the opening as Docheol changed his stance.

In an instant, he hurled himself off the cliff, transformed into a gigantic white wyvern, and savagely bit into Docheol.

Among the semi-dragon species with dragon blood, the wyvern is notorious for its ferocity and aggression, boasting deadly offensive power and dealing damage to Docheol.

-■!

-Die, you damn rock!

Docheol screamed in pain and thrashed his body. The black shadow morphed, attempting to intercept the white wyvern.

However, Professor Bendozol bit and tore at the fiend, indifferent to whether Docheol ripped him apart or not.

As the white frost poison within the white wyvern’s fangs began to take effect, Docheol’s movements slowed down.

Seeing that, a chill ran down Lee Han’s spine. That fighting style was closer to a berserker than a mage.

‘I should never provoke professor too much in the future…’

Docheol seemed to feel the same. Realizing he’d only come out the loser by brawling with such a mad mage, Docheol switched up his strategy.

-Stop him! He’s breaking in!

“!”

Lee Han was startled as he saw a foreboding shadow pierce through the mountain fog.

“No, you said we mustn’t show an opening, but then professor himself just runs outside?!”

He’d said with his own mouth, ‘Docheol is cunning and will only target the unicorn, so we mustn’t show an opening,’ but then he himself charged out to fight!

-Because I can kill him! Block him, somehow!

Lee Han was dumbfounded.

‘That’s supposed to be an excuse…?’

At that moment, the wounded unicorn staggered and looked at Lee Han. The look darting between him and her foal was full of desperate plea.

“…Don’t worry! I’ll protect you no matter what!”

Resolving to even use his trump cards if all else failed, Lee Han chanted his spell.

“Mist, spread out!”

As soon as the defense spell finished, Docheol, who had slipped through the mist, took on form.

Though unlike the massive form outside, now it was barely the size of a wild dog, its menacing aura was anything but ordinary.

Lee Han trusted in -Baegrek’s Momentary Foresight- and launched the first move.

Swish!

The staff, transformed into a lightning spear, and the lightning infused in his cloak spewed thunderbolts around him.

Docheol opened its jaws and spat sticky darkness. The darkness crashed into the lightning, then started to creep up the staff.

A dark element that deals damage to the very vitality inherent in all living things.

Docheol, who could freely handle such a shadow element, was truly a troublesome monster.

The problem was, Lee Han was just as troublesome a mage.

Lee Han nonchalantly brushed off the sticky shadow that crept up and recited a spell.

“Darkness, gather here.”

With a surge of powerful magic, the control over the darkness spewed by Docheol shifted to Lee Han.

In elemental magic, the dominance over an element can shift depending on the situation, but to seize control of an element the opponent is currently controlling so easily was another matter.

Even Docheol seemed taken aback, glaring at Lee Han with evil eyes, blinking in surprise.

Of course, Lee Han had no intention of waiting.

“Darkness, sweep through!”

Docheol gnashed its teeth, reverted to shadow, and evaded the attack.

‘…Not easy.’

Lee Han glared at Docheol, thinking. Docheol was probably having similar thoughts about Lee Han.

The enemy’s movements were so free and fast that it was hard for Lee Han to land a hit.

At the same time, Docheol’s unique abilities didn’t work on Lee Han. Attacks like curses or the straightforward power of the shadow element couldn’t crash through the wall of massive magical power.

Crack!

From afar, the sound of Docheol’s back breaking could be heard.

Professor Bendozol, transformed into a massive white wyvern, cried out fiercely, blood streaming from his body.

-Hold out just a bit longer! Once I rip this guy apart, I’ll come help!

“Professor, please worry about your own life first!”

-I wasn’t talking to you, I was talking to the unicorn!

“……”

Lee Han regretted for a second caring about him and moved again.

“Freeze, in accordance with your master’s orders!”

Within the mist, Lee Han’s ice clone vaulted forward. Docheol instinctively lunged at the clone, aiming for its vital spots.

“Become swift as the wind.”

Gonadaltes’s agility magic settled on Lee Han.

Without stopping there, Lee Han used the -Limited Time Acceleration- spell as well.

‘I’ll land a decisive blow!’

Crack!

Physical abilities empowered by various enhancement spells and magic power. With time acceleration added, Lee Han’s charge reached the swiftness of the imperial swordmasters’ dashes.

By the time Docheol realized it was a clone and tried to escape, it was already too late. As Morningstar slashed deep through its body, Docheol yelped and screamed.

-■■!

For a clone made of magic, a black magnetite sword like Morningstar—capable of absorbing magic—was a fatal weakness.

Perhaps unable to maintain the clone further, Docheol’s eyes glimmered with venom, and it began to split its body.

Vroooooom—

With the buzzing of a swarm, black bugs split from Docheol and flew through the air, targeting the unicorn’s foal behind. The foal was too terrified to even flee.

“!”

Lee Han was reminded, to the bone, of how vicious evil-aligned monsters truly were, and clicked his tongue.

The professors or demons of Einrogard may look insane, but on the whole, valued order and compliance.

By contrast, among wild monsters with evil natures, even when missing limbs, they’d still try to tear others apart.

‘I’ll block it with my body!’

Trusting his magical power, Lee Han acted. With only a little time left, taking the hit himself was the safest course.

Pow pow pow pow pow pow pow!

Docheol, transformed into a swarm of black bugs, violently collided with Lee Han, trying to burrow inside.

Yet, for all their ferocity and noise, absolutely nothing happened.

Far away, Docheol’s real body, still being bitten, glared at Lee Han with a mix of resentment and disbelief.

What kind of damn student is that?!

-Die!

With a final breaking sound, Professor Bendozol ended Docheol’s life for good.

Dispelling his transformation and landing, the professor, covered in blood, shouted,

“Is the unicorn safe?!”

“Yes. It’s all right.”

Lee Han checked the unicorn’s foal. Fortunately, since he’d blocked the swarm of bugs, the little one wasn’t hurt at all.

“Professor, are you okay?”

“This is just a scratch!”

A pool of blood formed at Professor Bendozol’s feet, but Lee Han pretended not to see it.

“Well done. Well done! Docheol’s attack can’t be easy to block, but you took him down like you were catching a rat! You have the talent of a shepherd!”

Perhaps pleased Lee Han had blocked the attack with his body, Professor Bendozol dropped his usual grumpy attitude and praised him.

As he strode forward, the unicorn foal cried out in fright.

At the moment, the professor looked far too monstrous.

“Ah, dear. I scared you! Sorry, sorry!”

Trying to stanch the blood gushing from his forehead, Professor Bendozol hurriedly soothed the foal. But it didn’t look like it would help much with the fear.

“Wouldn’t it be better to treat your wounds first?”

“You think I don’t know!? Wounds caused by that curse and darkness element don’t heal easily. It takes time.”

“Is that so?”

As Lee Han himself hadn’t been hurt by curse or shadow element, he just accepted that.

Professor Bendozol swallowed his temper, having meant to curse at Lee Han. Partly because of Lee Han’s accomplishments, but also because he didn’t want to frighten the unicorn foal.

The foal began to hide behind Lee Han, then peeked out. Professor Bendozol spoke in a satisfied voice.

“Look at that clever movement. Isn’t it cute?”

“Got it, so you focus on healing, professor.”

“Take care of it more!”

At the prof’s outburst, the unicorn foal flinched and shrank back. Professor Bendozol smacked his own mouth with a fist.

“This mouth, this useless mouth!”

“…Professor. Just go over there for a while.”

Reaching the limits of his patience, Lee Han drove Professor Bendozol away.

He had wanted to keep the professor near for his knowledge and guidance, but after seeing what he was doing now, Lee Han decided it was better to just drive him away and communicate with the unicorn himself.

“Lee Han!”

Just then, his friends arrived from below.

Judging by their dusty, exhausted faces, the fight down at camp must have been fierce.

“The monsters swarmed downhill!”

“I know. Docheol attacked up here as well.”

Gainando said furiously,

“Just what is Lightningstep professor even doing?!”

“My thoughts exactly!”

“Ugh! A talking corpse!”

“……”

Professor Bendozol started to yell at Gainando, but instead just rewrapped his bandages.

Shk—

The adult unicorn looked at the students as they came up, then approached Nillia.

Earlier, the unicorn had refused her, so Nillia was puzzled when it now approached again.

“Why…uh, uh, what?! Why?!”

When the unicorn pulled her sleeve, Nillia cried out in surprise.

Watching, Professor Bendozol slapped his knee.

“I see!”

“You see what?”

“The unicorn didn’t chase away the other spirits out of jealousy! Unicorns aren’t so small-minded as to be jealous even of spirits! It was a dangerous situation so it wanted someone trustworthy nearby!”

Earlier, it had kept Lee Han by its side because the situation was dangerous, but now that Docheol was defeated and it felt safe, it brought Nillia over.

Professor Bendozol, triumphant, laughed at Lee Han.

“It didn’t like you! Of course it wouldn’t! It just used you!”

“Uh, but isn’t it a problem it brought Lee Han with you around, professor? That would mean the unicorn didn’t trust you…”

“Gack.”

Professor Bendozol spat out the blood pooling in his mouth, flustered.

“More…more is always better, so that’s why.”

Meanwhile, the unicorn foal was lying on Lee Han’s lap, dozing gently.

The students nearly told him to look there, but stopped.

They thought—if Professor Bendozol coughed up blood once more, he might truly collapse.

• * *

Professor Lightningstep and the hunters only returned an hour later.

“What took you so long to get back?!”

“…Was there a Docheol attack?”

“There was!”

“I suspected as much.”

Hearing the situation, Professor Lightningstep let out a deep sigh.

“Did you know? If you knew, you should have rushed over! What would you have done if the unicorn got injured?!”

“Professor Bendozol. You look hurt right now…”

“Even if I am, I can still criticize plenty!”

“That’s not what I meant. I mean, do you want to get beat up in your current state?”

“……”

Professor Bendozol’s anger was somewhat dampened. Professor Lightningstep spoke calmly.

“We killed one Docheol ourselves on the way. But there was another one.”

“!”

Professor Bendozol was shocked.

As if one of those annoying fiends wasn’t bad enough, now there were more.

“Nonsense!”

“I thought so too. Docheol aren’t the type to group together. But there are always exceptions. Let’s send people outside and go hunting ourselves. If there’s more than one, it could be risky for the students.”

“No.”

“?”

When Professor Bendozol flatly refused, Professor Lightningstep was puzzled.

“Is there any other way to handle this?”

“If there are several Docheol, we need to move the unicorn first. The rest of us will buy time. If we get attacked while moving, the foal will be in too much danger.”

Professor Lightningstep looked at him incredulously.

“Hey. We just killed two Docheol. Can’t you imagine how mad the rest must be? Let’s take them along. That should be enough.”

“No! The unicorn must be moved first, no matter what.”

“You really seem intent on getting beat to a pulp, huh…”

Apparently tired after taking down a Docheol himself, Professor Lightningstep was now radiating killing intent.

Professor Bendozol wasn’t in good condition either, but he wasn’t the type to back down in a situation like this.

As the two professors prepared to seriously face off, the students watched with intense interest.

The only sane one among them, Yoner, whispered to Lee Han,

“Shouldn’t we stop them?”

“Yeah. That’s why I called.”

“…Who?”

“The principal.”

Lee Han held up a copper ring.

It was a rescue signal ring that could summon the skeleton principal.