Great Teacher in a Defense Game

#30 What were you even looking at, seriously?

The two were apprehended soon after.

“Understood? What I said before was just a slip of the tongue. Absolutely not meant in that way.”

“…”

“Won’t you answer? In the first place, isn’t the problem with the one who heard it strangely? Because your heart is full of lewd thoughts, you disregarded my intent and interpreted it in such a way—”

“I understand. I understand. Just stop now.”

Enoch said, a weariness etched onto his face.

A full thirty minutes.

The time Jane had held Enoch and lectured him.

Jane, in her anger, was venomous and relentless.

One’s ears would start to bleed soon enough.

Please, just make it stop.

“Time to cease already. Even I, spectating, am growing tired.”

“Old Man Nordilla is no exception, you know?!”

“No, why me all of a sudden…”

The arrow flew in an undeserving direction.

Nordilla, scolded out of nowhere, turned his head in bewilderment.

Around them lay scattered the corpses of monsters.

“In any case. Enoch, why did you want to come to this place? All that surrounds us are monster cadavers.”

“There was something I wanted to test for a moment.”

“Hey, Enoch! I haven’t finished talking yet—”

“Enough now.”

Enoch shook off Jane and moved.

He walked to Nordilla’s side, then examined the corpse lying at his feet.

‘Golden-Blood Fusion.’

-Srrrk…

A golden gleam settled upon his monocle.

The worth of dead corpses manifested before him.

[Remains of a Rotodon]

[1.38 Million Krones]

‘Its value is considerable, as expected.’

The carcasses of beasts find use in myriad ways.

Their blood for alchemy, their bones for the forge, their flesh for livestock feed.

Naturally, specialized hunters preying on these beasts arose.

In the common tongue, they are called mercenaries.

‘However, that is not what matters now.’

Enoch surveyed the scattered corpses.

At a glance, there were over thirty.

Having fought the battle moments ago, he had gathered only those in the best condition.

‘Even in death, their essence remains. This too can be put to use as material.’

Enoch reached out a hand.

A blinding radiance coalesced within his palm.

The essence of the beasts, beginning to converge into one.

Jane and Nordilla watched with what seemed like amusement.

“What is he intending to do?”

“That, is it not like what he did with Pankratos last time?”

“Ah. That… amalgamation magic? I recall now.”

-Kra-ack!

A great crack spider-webbed across the blinding orb.

Soon after, it exploded, spreading outwards.

Golden Fusion.

The flashing brilliance seeped into the beasts’ corpses.

In an instant, they merged as one.

-Srrrk…

-Thump!

The conjoined corpse writhed, heaving upwards.

As a butterfly bursts forth, escaping its chrysalis, it tore through skin, a new monstrosity blinking into existence.

-Uooo!!

The beast roared.

Three heads, each bellowing its own separate fury.

What emerged was a three-headed dragon, vast wings unfurling.

‘Hmm…’

Enoch observed the three-headed dragon with a leisurely gaze.

Then, he clicked his tongue.

The result was, to him, deeply unsatisfactory.

‘Mediocre. For the cost, it’s far behind the End Dragon line in terms of efficiency.’

The raw power itself was considerable.

But lacking, when measured against the materials invested.

If forced to assign a number, perhaps an attack power of 2500?

He’d have been better off fusing two enhanced mechanical serpents.

“Hoh… So it’s finally complete, is it?”

In the meantime, Nordilla had approached.

Jane, too, was ambling towards Enoch, observing the three-headed dragon.

Enoch sighed, lamenting in their direction.

“In a manner of speaking. But I am not satisfied.”

“Is that so? Seems quite powerful for something you’re not satisfied with.”

“It’s merely brute strength. Simply being sturdy isn’t particularly useful.”

Enoch’s expectations weren’t fixated on physical power.

No, it was skills, magic, he sought.

Monstrosities each possessed unique abilities.

And Enoch had used the corpses of monsters as materials.

He’d hoped that the dead monsters’ abilities might be inherited by the finished creation.

But, as it turned out, that didn’t seem to be the case.

‘What a pity. I was hoping to utilize the mutated boss that appears every five stages as a material.’

A disappointing outcome in many respects.

Enoch smacked his lips for no particular reason.

Nordilla, who had been watching, stepped forward belatedly.

“Enoch, if you don’t mind, could I lend a hand?”

“Lend a hand? What do you mean?”

“That three-headed dragon over there. Its physique seems quite robust, and if we’re lucky, we might be able to cast an Enhancement spell on it.”

“Enhancement spell?”

“Indeed. I was wondering if you’d be willing to give it a try. Perhaps a collaboration between Perimeter-Class mages?”

A collaboration.

Nordilla proposed with a smile.

It was quite an enticing proposal.

Enoch couldn’t find a good reason to refuse.

“Very well. Let’s have the three of us – myself, Nordilla-nim, and Jane – play together as if we were performing a concerto.”

“What? Hey! Why me all of a sudden?!”

“Why else? If we’re doing it anyway, it’s better if we all participate, isn’t it?”

Otherwise, it might seem like we’re excluding you.

Enoch added, extending his hand.

Following suit, Nordilla also offered hers.

“Honestly.”

Jane sighed and raised a finger.

Three mages faced the three-headed dragon.

Each synchronized their breathing.

“…First, let’s do something about that feeble body. Hey, little sister.”

“What is it, big sis?”

“Reconfigure the body structure for now. No, better yet, hollow out the inside. I’ll fill it with magic.”

Jane moved her finger.

A blue wave permeated the massive body.

The three-headed dragon’s body turned blue.

“Next is my turn. Enoch, lighten the head and chest areas for me first. Focus the power elsewhere instead. I’ll fill in any lacking portions.”

Nordilla flicked her finger.

Northern ice sprouted from various parts of the dragon’s body.

It was as though an armor forged of ice had covered all its vitals.

“The estimate’s climbing a bit. Re-adjusting the physique.”

Enoch unleashed skill after skill.

The hydra’s limbs shifted in size according to his will.

“Torso smaller, limbs larger. Let’s increase the tail’s scale, and the wings’ importance.”

“Wouldn’t that throw off the body’s balance?”

“The weight is being calculated separately. And Jane is compensating for any remaining shortcomings.”

Spell after spell was cast in succession.

Reinforcement by Nordilla.

Balance by Jane.

Adjustment by Enoch.

A spectacle, as if three were performing a concert.

Magic danced ceaselessly across the musical score.

Enoch’s hydra was reborn within the melody.

-Kuo-ooo!!!

“Heh, seems good enough for me.”

“It’s much better than before, isn’t it?”

Jane and Nordilla.

The two gazed at the completed hydra, impressed.

Not the feeling of wonder at seeing something foreign, as before.

But an objective assessment, as befit archmages of their caliber.

“Enoch.”

“Yes?”

“Why else? I’m asking the name of this magical creature, naturally.”

Nordilla gestured with her chin towards the hydra.

A subtle anticipation lingered on her face.

“Just asking out of curiosity, but perhaps you’ve already given it a name?”

“Yes. Originally, nothing particularly came to mind, but seeing it now, a few things do occur to me.”

“Really? A pity. If not, I was going to name it myself.”

Nordilla clicked her tongue, seemingly disappointed.

“So. In the end, what’s its name?”

“Trishula. I’ve named it that for now.”

Enoch spoke matter-of-factly.

Ice and a dragon.

Even a three-headed one.

Nothing else really came to mind.

The three-headed dragon seemed to agree, nodding silently.

-Grrr…

@

A short while later.

Enoch reshaped Trishula’s form.

Using Gold Fusion, he shrunk it down, transforming it into a lizard of sorts.

The reason was simple.

It was too big to bring along.

-Gurrr…

‘A pity I can’t turn it into a watch or a ring.’

Enoch clicked his tongue, seemingly regretful.

He couldn’t quite bring himself to transform Trishula into a timepiece.

The feeling was somehow different from that of the End Dragon.

Unlike the mechanical, cybernetic dragon, this one truly felt like a living creature.

-Gurk?

‘…Looks like I’ve suddenly gained a pet.’

Enoch locked eyes with the lizard.

Jane asked, sounding like he’d lost his mind.

“What are you doing?”

“Imprinting.”

“Why would you do that with a magical creature…”

Jane stared with a strange look.

Enoch averted his gaze and placed the lizard on his shoulder.

-Gurk.

“…Anyway, is the work all finished now, then?”

“Who knows? Why don’t you ask old man Nordilla, not me.”

Jane shrugged.

Then pointed behind her with a finger.

Nordilla, glancing around, belatedly approached.

“Apologies for the wait. I believe we are free to-“

At that instant, a sudden gust of wind arose.

-Swish

In the wind’s wake, a new figure materialized.

A woman with an air of listless languor.

Seveck, the Wind Mage Tower Master.

“Seveck? What brings you here?”

“Greetings, Nordilla-nim. Jane, and the new recruit, hello as well.”

Seveck waved a hand with a blank expression.

For a greeting, there was little change in her features.

Enoch briefly debated whether he, too, should wave.

In the meantime, Jane stepped forward.

“Seveck, what business do you have way out here? You hardly ever leave the Mage Tower, do you?”

“I didn’t want to come either. But the Guild Master told me to get out for a bit.”

Seveck sighed.

Her gaze then fell upon Enoch.

“I have a message for the new recruit.”

“A message?”

“Yes. A message from Guild Master Rosita. To set a date for receiving your letter of appointment. Apparently, you suddenly became unreachable.”

Enoch understood the situation.

He’d given his original communicator to Lakrina.

The first thing he’d need to do upon returning to the city was set up a new one.

“I apologize, Seveck-nim. It seems I’ve burdened you with a troublesome task.”

“It’s fine. I’m only here to deliver the message, then I’m off.”

Seveck yawned as she approached.

He handed Enoch the personal communicator from his pocket.

“Open it and check. I’ve memoed the Guild Master’s message.”

“Understood.”

-Beep, beep

-Chime

“It’s locked. What’s the passcode?”

“That… I’ll just enter it myself.”

Sebech stepped closer to Enoch.

His fingers pecked at the screen, inputting the password.

-Chime

The lock disengaged with a chime.

Presently, the screen illuminated.

The first thing to appear was, of all things, a community board.

[Title: Hyung… My Goo-choo feels weird…]

“?”

“Ah.”