<703 – Poor Child (3)>
Those who are justifiably angry possess a clear and unwavering righteousness in their hearts.
A rebellion against the professor.
It’s something everyone has imagined at least once but dares not act upon due to fear of the consequences—a crazy act they can boldly commit.
Kwaang!
The underground mega cemetery known as the [Catacombs], also referred to as Professor Sadako’s laboratory and residence.
At first glance, this facility reminds one of a body storage, but its true nature was a breeding ground for an undead army.
At least, that’s how Arcadia and the classmates of Class 981 felt when they invaded the Catacombs.
“What’s with all these undead?!”
“This skeleton soldier has swordsmanship skills.”
“To possess the capabilities of its living self is no easy feat; it must meet some extremely stringent conditions, right?”
The students belonging to the Adventure Department had gathered some knowledge about necromancy through studying various skills.
Even if a corpse has high levels of capability, if the necromancer’s skills or abilities are lacking, they cannot fully restore their former prowess.
Even if by some stroke of luck, they gain their former power through some catalyst or fortune, they won’t simply follow or acknowledge the necromancer as their master.
━━━
[Skeleton Soldier – Former Swordsman]
[This skeleton soldier must meet two conditions to fully obey its summoner.]
[Obedience Condition 1: Swordsmanship skill must exceed 150.]
[Obedience Condition 2: Total experience points in combat skills must surpass 1500.]
━━━
Undead that select their summoners like a pick-and-choose recruit!
Surprisingly, the Catacombs were home not only to a series of skeleton soldiers, skeleton spearmen, and skeleton archers, but also zombies like zombie dogs, zombie centipedes, and zombie bats, along with a series of degenerate egos, including living armors, living weapons, and living report cards.
One couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer size of this army and wonder how many experiences they had accumulated for such a diverse roster to be in complete obedience.
“Didn’t all the dead from the Academy end up buried here?”
“We’ve barely made it through fifteen doors in the Catacombs, and it’s already this crazy; it’s just too intense.”
“Moreover, the further we go in, the stronger they are.”
Even the members of the Organization that Plays with Oknodie, hailing from a foundation scholarship, wore looks of anxiety.
Especially the cursed grades issued by living report cards, with their effects like curses of knowledge degradation or memory loss, made students reflect on how deeply they must have resented their past grades.
“Uh? Wait a second… what was the lecture I have today?”
“I can’t remember the three principles of induction magic I memorized yesterday…!”
“Unbelievable. It’s a curse on intelligence. Begin point-blank fire!”
One slip-up could lead to failing grades, so whenever the living report card reacted with mana, under Jaku’s command, all students unleashed their attacks to shred it to bits.
“Seriously, why aren’t the numbers decreasing?!”
Even Rosgini, casting flames to incinerate massive hordes of undead, showed signs of exhaustion, but the undead kept coming without end.
“It’s regeneration.”
“Regeneration?!”
“Professor Sadako’s ‘terrain’ has gimmicks. Unless you perfectly adapt to the terrain and attack the hidden gimmicks, you won’t break through using pure force.”
Among them, Arcadia gritted her teeth at the advice from Jiang, the only one who had attended Professor Sadako’s lectures.
“What a cowardly professor! She can torment the poor child with ease, yet she hides behind the undead, too scared to hear the complaints of the other students?!”
“Wow… our lady is on fire today.”
“She truly embodies the warrior spirit that Seoguyeon could never possess.”
With Arcadia’s bravery, the undead parted like the Red Sea.
The retreat of the surging undead was a majestic sight, but the fact that a powerful single entity, rivaling the undead army, was approaching from beyond made the upper-class competent students tense up.
“Oh dear. You have no manners, do you? Invading someone’s home en masse, breaking things, shouting, and causing a ruckus—such noise is nothing short of murder.”
“Bring Sadako or whoever!”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that as her new instructor, mademoiselle. While I don’t mind dancing, I’d appreciate a little decorum regarding time, place, and situation.”
“I see no purpose in being here other than to exterminate!”
As Arcadia’s magic swirled around her chili dress, male students briefly lost their focus on her legs, but the skeleton instructor didn’t even spare a glance.
The dead, devoid of any sexual desire, held no interest in the appearance of the living.
The only desire he felt was laziness.
Just resting like a skeleton.
Mainly being content with that.
Now that desire has been shattered, the instructor was thoroughly enraged.
“Huh? But doesn’t Countess Arcadia usually fire her gun with one hand?”
“Two hands are less powerful and meant for non-magic users.”
“So, Arcadia is preparing a strike that she can’t handle with both hands?”
The students realized what it meant for a gunslinger, who could absorb all recoil with mana, to assume a two-handed shooting stance.
Everyone nearby scrambled to put distance between themselves and Arcadia as a thunderous sound akin to gunfire erupted.
Kaan!
Brilliant sparks exploded from the tip of the new skeleton instructor’s drawn sword.
This instructor’s specialty was swordsmanship.
Moreover, at the formidable level of achieving the dual extremes of [Cleave].
“Instantly accelerating bodily circulation to amplify shot power with a projectile bursting forth—the finishing touch is vaporization and combustion magic. The combination was magnificent, but such behavior is utterly inappropriate for entering someone else’s home. As an instructor, I must correct your misunderstanding.”
As the skeleton instructor moved gracefully yet overwhelmingly fast, shocked melee students stepped forth.
[Hyperspeed Tempest]
[The Step of the Floating Dandelion]
Like a light seed drifting freely in a breeze, the instructor danced between the students’ attacks, poking and prodding them with the sword, unleashing sounds comparable to the gunfire from Arcadia’s rifle.
“Is… that really the instructor?!”
“Come on, you must be joking. I’ve fought a fourth-year upperclassman in the training room once, but he wasn’t anywhere near THIS level. If the instructor is recruiting current students, he shouldn’t be this strong.”
“Are you serious right now?! If the front line collapses, it’ll be our turn next!”
As Rottos and Hestia, strengthened by Darknodi’s special training, rushed in together, the instructor’s previously light footwork instantaneously became heavy.
[Impermeability]
[The Sturdy Posture of Endurance]
As if pressing the stop button, the instructor froze, allowing the two upper-class students to unleash a coordinated attack.
Just one step retreating, would that shoddy sword and armor crumple?! The impact returned with 100% force, sending shockwaves that rattled the students.
Bang!
Unlike Rottos, who vomited blood from the overwhelming pressure, Hestia, who had trained the Mana Flow Technique Manual for Maids and body compression, somehow managed to withstand the pain.
“The greatest despair for one who walks the path of martial arts is the insurmountable wall of skill. You will choke on the wall of talent as the price of your rudeness for days and nights to come.”
A single strike. Even occasionally by sheer luck, they couldn’t bypass the divide.
An overwhelming force that called to mind past battles with Hyeolbiggaek also resided within this instructor.
“Retreat. This instructor is not something we can handle alone. Moreover… Professor Sadako is undeniably stronger than this instructor.”
Bitter but undeniable.
The first expedition corps of the Catacombs swallowed their bitter pills and fell back.
Fortunately for them, a decisive weapon awaited to buy time to fend off the army’s pursuit.
“Titosolar Beam!”
The upgraded lighting magic of Titosso, who could now adjust the output and direction of light!
With the title of saintess, her light grew stronger, intimidating the undead who, sensing the deep-rooted darkness and dark mana, retreated in fear.
As the instructor, cutting through the light, suddenly froze, Jiang’s sneak attack crept into the gap created between his halted steps, will, and action.
[The Step of the Prelude]
[Two Steps of Symphonia]
[Augmented Hit]
Whether it was Irene’s crowd control or Jiang’s sneak attack, both exhibited the same force pushing forward, but the instructor felt the difference.
‘Not deep enough. I read the distance. Did they rise to the threshold of countless experiences, almost like being on the cusp of awakening?’
These two students, despite being second-years of Class 981, were already on the brink of the fourth-year level.
‘If they return, then they shall not rest easy at night.’
But there was still a ways to go.
At least three months.
It would take that long for them to surpass the wall they faced.
[Seoguyeon’s Association of Alumni]
[Class 980 Upper Class Team]
[Student Council Execution Headquarters]
“Do not underestimate the social power of a noble lady!”
“…You really brought a lot with you.”
If it weren’t for Arcadia’s social power, pulling along an entire squad of seniors overnight.
