Episode 491

“Members of the Wardanaz family do indeed all have something astonishing about them.”

“They’re all pretty unique as well.”

As the Meikin family members nodded in understanding, Professor Thunderstep felt a little sorry.

He’d lied just to make his own job easier, but seeing his student misunderstood as a mad workaholic wasn’t exactly pleasant either.

“Wardanaz isn’t obsessed with magic like some people from other families…”

“I heard he’s taking every school of magic available to first-years simultaneously.”

“That’s truly remarkable.”

“…Yes. He’s a real magic fanatic.”

Professor Thunderstep quickly gave up trying to make excuses and changed the subject.

‘He brought it on himself.’

No matter how you looked at it, taking all of those courses was definitely his own doing.

• * *

“He’s coming!”

On the far side of the harbor, bright as broad daylight, waves crashed as huge tentacles writhed.

The Shadow Patrol hunters, who had gone out on fast boats, bit their fingers, smeared their blood on arrows, and sharply aimed at the sea serpent.

“Your servant, who began the pursuit in the shadows, now starts the hunt. Master of the mountains, please have mercy on us.”

The Shadow Patrol hunters briefly pledged and built up their fighting spirit.

There was no need for such a pledge when facing an easy target that could be felled with a single arrow, but before a formidable foe their instincts warned against, such pledges often served as the signal for battle.

The bloodied arrows of the patrol did not break or bend, like a curse that could never be undone.

They lodged deep into the prey’s body and remained like a symbol until the long hunt was over.

Thunk!

“……”

“……”

A bow and arrow empowered by magic.

On top of that, the Shadow Patrol member’s strength, further enhanced by potions and additional magic.

Even their focused determination, drawing on all their magical power to pierce through the sea serpent’s thick and tough hide.

All of these combined to pierce right through the sea serpent’s massive body.

The hunters, seeing the sea serpent’s tentacle burst and severed in an unreal fashion, were taken aback for the first time in a while.

“Uh… why didn’t it get stuck and just went right through…?”

“How hard did you pull that string?!”

“Commence firing! Commence firing! Begin the hunt!”

The Shadow Patrol hunters were traditionalists, but they weren’t so foolish as to stop moving because tradition was thrown aside in such a situation.

A savage volley erupted instantly. Dozens of arrows flew from the fast boats into the sea serpent’s body as if launched by ballistae.

Pop pop pop pop pop pop!

“……”

“…Wh-What is this…?”

Even the Shadow Patrol hunters were bewildered after firing.

The sea serpent began to writhe in agony, full of holes like a stuffed doll filled with cotton.

“Who made the pledge?! Isn’t this just at the level of a regular fish?! Don’t you know the mountain spirit gets angry if you make oaths carelessly!?”

“Hey, you all agreed, so why talk nonsense now! Who could be a fierce foe if a monster of that size isn’t?!”

“Just finish it off, you idiots!”

Fortunately, the conversation among the hunters on the fast boats was not heard by those on the harbor.

The soldiers on the harbor could only marvel.

“My gosh, I’d heard the name Shadow Patrol many times but never imagined this level…!”

“Huh? Isn’t it just gonna be finished over there then?”

Lee Han, who was enchanting the soldiers’ equipment, was surprised by the spectacle unfolding at sea.

The soldiers were still receiving potions and Lee Han’s magic, but wasn’t it just going to be taken down over there?

‘Did we go through all that trouble for nothing…?’

As he wondered whether to feel grateful or resentful if it ended like this, a giant column of water erupted far out at sea, much farther than the current battle.

“One more! There’s another one, mage sir!”

A soldier who’d drunk vision-enhancing potion screamed from the harbor watchtower.

Lee Han focused magic in his eyes and confirmed the movement. A sea serpent, looking like a giant blue marlin, was twisting its body toward them, flashing blade-like jaws.

“…!”

“It’s coming!!”

Swooooosh!

With a sound tearing through the air, the sea serpent shot toward them like an arrow.

None of the soldiers knew it would come flying through the air instead of swimming up through the sea, so they screamed in fright.

“Damn it, by the beard of my ancestors!”

Professor Thunderstep shouted curses, pulled a potion bottle from his coat, and hurled it swiftly at the sea.

Craaaaack!

The seawater in the harbor suddenly surged up and turned into a thick wall of ice.

“By Article 3, Section 1 of our contract, I summon the following demons: Betreg, the iron-armed demon gladiator; Ihil, the swift demon spearman…”

Professor Lightningstep also pulled a scroll from his belt, tore it up, and summoned contracted familiars.

The demons, exuding crimson smoke, charged at the sea serpent that crashed into the ice wall.

Slaaash!

The sea serpent swung its huge, sword-like upper jaw as if with a master blade.

With one swing, a sailing ship and some harbor facilities along the path were cleaved in two. Though the demon familiar dodged, it howled in pain, seemingly having suffered severe injuries.

“Useless creature! After all that advance payment!”

-S…Sorry.

At Professor Lightningstep’s scolding, the demon responded with a face full of humiliation.

“Open fire.”

“Open fire!”

As the sea serpent’s movement was hampered by the ice-covered harbor, the city guards opened fire.

As flaming arrows and the prepared siege engines launched, a sharp sound rang out on the sea serpent’s scales.

■■■■■!

This creature making a mess of the harbor was much more intelligent than the one hunted by the Shadow Patrol in the distance.

The latter was just large but lacked any special ability or cunning, so it was being pounded, but the former reacted to danger the instant it was attacked.

Crash!

It smashed through the frozen surface and dove deep underwater.

“It’s going to leap out again!”

“I know, I know!”

Professor Thunderstep, almost in tears, grabbed the next potion.

He now had to use a second potion worth enough to buy several houses in the capital.

He’d known some sea serpents had peculiar traits, but had no idea he’d meet such a troublesome one.

Tap—

Professor Voladi flew through the air and landed atop the ice wall. Professor Thunderstep nearly wept.

“Professor Baegrek!”

Dozens of light projectiles suddenly formed in the air and bombarded the sea serpent.

The sea serpent, preparing to attack from underwater, screamed and dodged.

‘So shallow.’

Professor Voladi quickly drank a mana recovery potion and tracked the serpent’s movements.

He had attacked as quickly as possible to interrupt its attack, but now that put the serpent on guard.

“Professor!”

Lee Han arrived last, having been enchanting the soldiers’ equipment.

“By the master’s command, freeze!”

The incomplete -Elemental Ice Clone of Pengerine- spell was cast.

He’d have preferred a different clone spell, but recreating movement was difficult for the other versions.

Only the higher -Elemental Ice Clone of Pengerine- could reproduce movement, even if imperfectly.

‘Move!’

Normally, the 4th-circle spell -Elemental Ice Clone of Pengerine- would provide a clone indistinguishable in appearance from the caster, shared vision, and close combat using ice elements if necessary.

Lee Han discarded unnecessary features and selected only appearance and movement. An ice clone in his likeness sped across the sea.

Provoked, the sea serpent let out a furious roar and swung its blade-like jaws.

“Ice, become arrows and rain down!”

The moment the sea serpent surfaced, Lee Han used sharp concentration and fired countless ice arrows.

Only a few penetrated the scales, but that didn’t matter. As ice clung to it, the sea serpent howled in annoyance.

Professor Voladi immediately cast his spell.

“Vaporize!”

“!”

Lee Han was shocked to see the ice clinging to the serpent instantly vaporized, inflicting massive damage.

‘To apply it like that!’

No wonder the battle-maniac Professor Voladi had studied under Yumidihus.

“Are you crazy!?”

“Why are you butting in?!”

The two Dwarf professors yelled in disbelief.

Only then did Lee Han, flustered, ask back.

“Huh? Wasn’t I supposed to join in?”

“You crazy bastard! Is that even a question!?”

Professor Thunderstep cried out in shock.

He had asked for flexible support at the front because Lee Han had so much mana—not for him to take part in the very front lines!

The Meikin family members were so shocked, they toppled over and screamed.

‘Hmm.’

Seeing the mood at the harbor, Lee Han belatedly realized he’d done something pretty crazy.

Seemed his sense of normalcy had been eroded by Einrogard.

‘Damn it. Because of my habits inside school…’

Lee Han shot a resentful look at Professor Voladi, who was primarily to blame for this.

Professor Voladi spoke sternly.

“It’s reckless to participate directly.”

“…No… No…!!”

It’s true that, depending on who says it, the same words can feel different.

Lee Han was so aggrieved that his heart nearly stopped.

But Professor Voladi was very calm.

Inside Einrogard, reckless acts like this were fine, but acting on your own outside could be life-threatening.

‘Should I just bury you along with the sea serpent in the ocean?’

Rumble—

“Summon a clone.”

Despite being wounded, the sea serpent tried to persist, and Professor Voladi shouted.

Lee Han quickly formed an ice clone.

“Add shared vision and elemental attacks.”

“That’s…”

Lee Han wanted to reply, ‘If it were so easy, wouldn’t I have completed this spell a long time ago,’ but the sea serpent, though wounded, was glaring fiercely at Lee Han and Voladi.

Gritting his teeth, Lee Han augmented the spell.

Normally, the clone would not withstand such magic and would dissipate.

However…

‘It worked?!’

Perhaps the sea serpent’s pressure stimulated Lee Han’s instincts, but astonishingly the -Elemental Ice Clone of Pengerine- was completed.

Professor Voladi gave an expressionless command, as if he expected it.

“Send it forward.”

Lee Han’s clone rushed out. The sea serpent, on instinct, lunged to attack the clone.

Crack!

The moment the clone was struck, the power of the ice element burst forth and instantly froze the sea serpent’s upper jaw.

Thunk!

Professor Voladi vaporized the ice immediately, blowing it away. The sea serpent tumbled aside again.

“Hold it off for a moment.”

“Yes? Uh… Uh…”

Leaving the now-enraged sea serpent behind, Professor Voladi turned away defenselessly.

Lee Han panicked, but there was no opportunity to argue.

‘With ice element? No, it’s too late to slow it down now! If I’m going to deliver a blow…’

Instinctively, water orbs rose up around Lee Han and began to whirl.

The spin grew sharper and fiercer, making a savage sound as they shot toward the sea serpent.

‘…Did it work!?’

The heavy sensation at the end of casting was different from the rushed spins he usually did.

Lee Han wondered if it really happened.

Boom!

On impact, the sea serpent’s scales shattered and a deep wound was gouged out. It felt as if it had been struck by a boulder.

Just then, Professor Voladi turned. A surge of red mana flashed and cleaved the sea serpent cleanly in two.

“Your spin has improved.”

“…Actually, it’s always been good.”

Lee Han insisted it had nothing to do with the sea serpent.