Chapter 78
“We’ve arrived. Here it is.”
Liam, who was fiddling with the wall, confirmed that a Unique Multi-layered Spell was cast in a specific area.
“So if you解除 the spell, it opens, right?”
“Yep, I’ve memorized the dispelling spell, so it should be quick.”
In response to Ophelia’s question, Liam answered calmly.
It wasn’t a space tightly sealed, but rather a device designed for the Staff Members to come and go.
Even if it wasn’t a simple spell, as long as Liam knew its type and content, he could open and enter.
Nikela placed her hand on that wall just like Liam.
Even when whispering through her spirit, she couldn’t grasp what lay beyond. Although she tried just in case, it was indeed a spell prepared by the Academia.
“Tsk. You’ve really found it.”
Lucaiel clicked his tongue as if he was displeased with the fact of the discovery and grabbed Haliana’s wrist, pulling her along. They had to follow the previous exam route before her mind changed.
“As I mentioned earlier, Haliana and I are heading to the mock altar. If others come, we’ll say we got separated due to the nest’s traps.”
“Thanks, Lucaiel.”
“Thanks my foot.”
Lucaiel maintained his cold demeanor and headed down another path.
Haliana, getting pulled along, nodded lightly as she conveyed apologies to Liam and everyone.
Liam finally asked Nikela and Ophelia one last time.
“Are you really planning to follow us to the end? It would definitely be better to follow Lucaiel and Haliana…”
“Liam… so persistent.”
“If Nikela’s getting mad, no need to say more, right? Now, let’s not waste time and move on.”
Pushed by Nikela, who puffed out her cheeks, and Ophelia, who had made up her mind, Liam continued to dispel the spell.
Although he had read the novel, he hadn’t memorized all the information, and only the type of spell was mentioned without detailed explanations.
If he hadn’t obtained information from the Academia’s lessons or library materials, finding the answer would have been impossible.
Drawing out mana, he carefully filled in the empty parts of the spell. Fortunately, there were no modified spells, and the process went smoothly.
About a minute passed.
“Done.”
As soon as Liam uttered those words, the object forming the wall crumbled like an afterimage, revealing a hidden passage behind it.
At last, the path stretched forward into two, fitting the name of a crossroads.
Both were shrouded in dark smoke, obstructing clear visibility.
Nikela extinguished the flaming orb that had been floating in the air for the flash.
Even if moving forward wasn’t easy, there were surely staff members of the Academia inside.
If they got spotted by them, it would be troublesome, so they had to act as stealthily as possible.
The three of them exchanged glances for a moment, as if they had steeled their resolve, and then they stepped into another passage. As they entered, a sticky inner wall formed, sealing behind them like a door.
Carefully navigating the passage, Liam and his team kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings.
Perhaps because it was a hidden passage, there wasn’t a single Altife inside. The traps of the Nest didn’t get triggered either, allowing them to focus solely on lurking.
A corner appeared before them, turning at a 90-degree angle.
Ophelia, the Archer, expanded her senses to predict what lay ahead.
Her senses detected absolutely no vibrations. There were no tiny bugs or the twitching of the inner walls; it was silent.
Ophelia nodded, signaling that it was fine, and Liam took the lead.
In his newly expanded field of vision, there weren’t any obstacles at all. Despite having been here for quite some time, he couldn’t see a professor or any other staff members, not even a shadow of a person.
Although it was easy to move, as time passed, an uneasy feeling began to creep in. The situation was unfolding far too smoothly, which was oddly worrisome.
Creeeak.
Suppressing that feeling as much as possible, they did not stop advancing.
They had already come this far.
Being unsure when things were going well and pulling back would be the silliest thing.
‘Once we reach the room with the altar, let’s bust in and smash the core.’
Even if it felt forced, they had to act quickly before the staff members could intervene. Soon, Alicia would encounter an Altife.
While his mind raced with those thoughts, they arrived at the room with the altar.
In the Nest, the concept of a ‘door’ didn’t exist.
Because it was a renovated Nest, they sometimes saw tools that bore traces of humans, but there was no door.
Hiding his body, he carefully scanned inside, and in the darkness, the altar and shadowy figures around it briefly came into view.
No more hesitation.
He just had to charge in and smash that core on the altar!
Boom?!
Liam signaled Nikela and Ophelia quickly before stepping onto the ground.
Ignoring everyone in his peripheral vision, he rushed straight towards the altar.
His sword had been drawn long ago.
An aura tinged with lightning surrounded his sword as he prepared to destroy the core in one strike.
Crackle.
In the blink of an eye, the situation escalated, and Liam, picking up speed, faced the core right in front of him.
With that momentum, he plunged his sword down. The core of the Nest was supposed to be destroyed, but—
Clunk.
“Huh… what?”
All he heard was the sound of electricity crackling; his sword couldn’t even leave a scratch on the core.
It was as though striking steel with a twig; the very nature of their respective objects seemed to differ.
In a panic, Liam quickly increased his mana output and attempted another strike.
…Perhaps it was due to his tension.
According to the information from the novel, the core of an ownerless Nest was supposed to be soft and would easily break with a slight impact.
But—
“Over here, are you okay? Over here??!”
“Is anyone here???!”
Liam’s sword got stuck again, and Ophelia’s urgent voice hit his ears from behind.
Liam’s heart raced. He instinctively felt that something was off.
“L-Liam…! The people… the people here aren’t breathing!”
Nikela’s delicate voice. Only then did Liam turn his head and scan the entire space.
Even though Liam and his friends had burst in, these people showed no reaction at all. They were frozen in place, as if time had stopped.
As he focused properly on them, he noticed some people were collapsed on the floor.
Something… something is going horribly wrong.
Under the altar, Ophelia was casting healing magic while continuously checking the condition of those around.
Nikela was doing the same, frantically moving and employing every method she could think of.
“…What on earth is happening right now?”
Panic hit Liam as a pathetic voice escaped his lips, almost like a breath.
When his words reached his ears, Liam’s brain kicked into high gear.
This is a bizarre situation.
The test was no longer the problem.
What happened to the people who were here?
Did someone attack them?
We need to let everyone know this…! Ophelia stays here with Nikela, helping people recover while sending someone outside to alert everyone?
‘It won’t matter even if you do. They’re already dead.’
A child’s voice whispered in Liam’s ear, choking him as if it wouldn’t allow him to breathe.
Thump, thump, thump. His body relayed the rhythm of his heart. It felt as if he had two hearts, each thump echoing loudly in his ears.
With the slow grace of an angel descending, a cold hand brushed through Liam’s hair, caressed his cheek, and flowed down his neck, arriving near his heart.
A child with a face smaller than Liam’s.
The moment their eyes met, Liam realized instantly this was no ordinary living creature.
The horizontally slit pupils.
Not even a hybrid. The ominous aura and overwhelming intent to kill were far beyond the scope of a human being. The child’s mouth was stretched wide, seemingly joyous.
‘Oh, didn’t expect guests to arrive so soon. I haven’t fully claimed this nest yet.’
Ah, you don’t even know who I am.
The child spoke, a chilling smile spreading across their face, mouth wide open like a corpse, voice hauntingly flowing out.
‘I’m Zagan, the Archbishop of the Goddess Church.’
Liam recognized her.
A being akin to Ami, the twin sister who devoured the soul of the same Archbishop, Helion.
With hair whiter than Alicia’s and pale skin, this girl’s eyes, nails, lips, and eyebrows were all as white as snow.
If Ami hollowed bodies by consuming souls…
‘Let’s have some fun together, little human.’
Zagan devoured the concept of ‘body,’ turning herself into an empty mannequin.
*
Wriggle, wriggle.
The nest began to stir with life. The entrance closed, dispelling all the magical spells that covered the threshold.
This was a clear sign of being claimed by another Altife.
The first-year students panicked at the sudden change, wide-eyed as they tried to comprehend the situation. Some shouted, but a considerable number of students managed to stay relatively calm.
Some yelled, but a significant number of students moved relatively calmly.
“Is this how it all turns out?”
Vargan, the first to grasp the situation, frowned and clicked his tongue. They had ended up on a path he had only considered with low probability.
Helion showed interest in the Academia, which prompted actions from Ami and her sister-like figure, Zagan.
By now, Ami must be busy expanding her forces by methodically obliterating villages from a distance, so by logical possibilities, Zagan must have already occupied the nest.
Vargan unfolded his familiar, White, which served as a pocket dimension, and reached inside.
Soon, his hand emerged with a blue sword, and he called for Alicia.
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Take this.”
Despite throwing the sword somewhat roughly, Alicia caught it gently. She understood Vargan’s intent.
“What should I do?”
Her kind eyes quickly transformed into those of a hunting bird of prey.
Vargan surveyed the surroundings and assessed the necessary personnel. They were struggling to calm their classmates.
“The exam is over. From now on, we must each form our teams and move.”
With the entrance blocked, it would take time for the professors outside to enter the nest.
Moreover, if Zagan had arrived, he would have brought his bishops to prevent external teacher interference.
Waiting idly and relying on their strength would incur too much damage.
“Four teams have set out so far. We need to ensure the safety of the three teams that are wandering around the nest among the first-year students.”
“What about the remaining team?”
“That team….”
The fact that it was triggered before all students even entered the nest means that there are intruders on the side of Zagan, who are presumably controlling the main altar.
Among the students present, the only one who knows where the main altar is and can enter is none other than that dim-witted protagonist.
“We’re going to go directly.”
Even if he seems like a maggot, Liam possesses incredible strength, and his team members are valuable talents with bright futures ahead of them.
For my future as well, their lives are not something to be extinguished lightly.
“From now on, contact the individuals I call. Given the situation, I’ll move directly, so get them inside swiftly.”
“Understood, Young Master.”
Archbishop.
Fifteen beings with power incomparable to that of bishops.
Realistically, I cannot handle them with my current self. The archbishops are genuinely on a different level of monstrosity.
I have already assessed the current power of all first-year students in the Academia. I have calculated which talents are needed and how many.
Except for one person to control everyone at the entrance of the nest, we must only select elites to go. It can’t be too many; the risk of unnecessary sacrifices is too great.
We need to bring the minimum necessary personnel to muster our strength against him.
If only that damn Liam acted independently and stormed the altar alone… but things likely won’t go that smoothly.
I need to move quickly.
Even if it lacks a bit of noble decorum, I have to run. If I delay even a little longer… his teammates will all be.
Annihilated.
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