Magic Academy’s Genius Blinker

[Episode 4 ‘The Necromancer’s Attack’ begins.]

As the notification sound rang, an eerie mana presence scattered in all directions. Immediately after, something rustled the ground before Baek Yu-Seol and reached out.

It was a skeleton hand.

In the next second, a skeleton oozing with unpleasant mana sprang up.

Judging by the enormous mana, this was not an ordinary skeleton but a skeleton general.

It was a skeleton that had been given command authority directly from the necromancer, and it was a sub-boss level skeleton. Only three appeared in this episode.

If he attacked it normally, he would die in a matter of seconds, but he had no intention of dealing with it normally.

Kad-dack! Knock!

As the skeleton general popped his head out, he activated the Teripon Sword.

It was an unwritten rule not to touch magical beings and heroes when transforming and to watch quietly when boss-level monsters were summoned.

‘What if I ignore the rule sometimes? After all, my life is way more important than my pride.’

Kuuu!!

The skeleton general suddenly raised its head and stretched out its arms. Then it twisted its head before trying to pull out the lower half of its body.

It was at that moment that Baek Yu-Seol struck its head with the Teripon sword.

“Go back in. Go back!”

Whack, whack! Thwack!

When a game has lasted long, its fans would inevitably start rehashing old content.

It was bound to happen.

After all, Aether World was a 10-year-old game with many old players.

There was a time when content that revealed faster ways to clear the main episodes and the details of sub-characters were very popular in the community and internet broadcasts.

He was more interested in PvP than that, so he had never raised a sub-character, but thanks to the players struggling to find faster and easier routes, he kept a record of the hidden pieces in all kinds of maps in his specs. 

Defeating this Skeleton general before it was fully summoned was also a kind of hidden route.

The skeleton general, who could manipulate the skeleton soldiers and had the ability to receive and transmit the skeleton’s senses to the necromancer, was a threat in itself, so hunting them in advance like this would be a great loss for the necromancer.

Crack…!

After completely cutting off the limbs of the skeleton general, it was helplessly half-stuck in the ground. He forcefully lifted the skeleton, his actions breaking off the buried parts and leaving only its spine and skull in his hands.

“Spine blade complete.”

Crackle!

It tried to resist somehow with its remaining teeth, but its struggles were futile.

Baek Yu-Seol had no intention of killing it like this.

This strategy exploited the necromancer’s weakness. To reclaim the command authority granted to a general, physical contact was necessary. Additionally, carrying this general immobilized other nearby skeletons, making it significantly helpful.

That was the player’s way.

Baek Yu-Seol had no intention of ignorantly navigating between the skeletons.

So he used his head to make the most of the information he had.

“Then, let’s go now.”

As the skeletons burst from the ground, Flame was greatly surprised to see Eisel.

‘Now, wait a minute… Why is she hanging out with them? What about Ma Yu-Seong?’

She knew this episode because she had read it in the original romance novel.

In this episode, Ma Yu-Seong almost solved the incident by himself, but after that, he was fatally injured and was going to collapse. However, after thorough preparation, which included the usage of sacred potions, along with a strong support force called Hae Won-Ryang, he somehow solved that episode after a lot of struggles.

However, Eisel, who was supposed to bring Ma Yu-Seong, was instead here with some strange seniors.

‘Where the hell is Ma Yu-Seong?’

They had already reached the depths of the forest. This world was great, but the long-distance communication methods were inconvenient compared to modern times. It was impossible to summon Ma Yu-Seong now.

‘Don’t tell me… Do I have to solve it with these few people?’

She thought about it while biting her nails, but in the end, she had no answer.

The reason Ma Yu-Seong was able to successfully block the necromancer’s attack was because of one of his overpowered traits: [Battle Frenzy Syndrome].

The more he fought and enjoyed the fight, the stronger he became.

He constantly slaughtered skeletons and demonstrated a strength that was one step higher than his level. Even though the necromancer was at Class 5, he was defeated by Ma Yu-Seong due to the fact that his strength dropped when he was alone.

‘What about seeking cooperation from other mercenaries?’

Impossible. They never undertook uncommissioned tasks. They were probably too busy running away by now.

‘How should…!’

Thud!

Hae Won-Ryang incinerated a skeleton that had sprung from the ground and placed a hand on Flame’s shoulder.

“Calm down. There’s nothing to be afraid of. You learned enough about skeletons in class, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“I’ve already sent a distress signal to Stella Academy.”

Stella’s pocket watch had numerous functions, one of which was a rescue request in emergency situations.

‘Okay. If we wait a little bit, Stella’s professors will come.’

Flame cleared her mind. Although it would be impossible to defeat the necromancer, it would be possible to escape if one tried.

“F-Flame…? What’s this all of a sudden?”

She looked at the anxious Jecky.

In the first place, she and Hae Won-Ryang decided to go hunting alone, but Jecky forced her way into their group, so she had no choice but to allow her to join them.

‘I thought she wouldn’t be in much danger, so I decided to bring her…’

‘It’s my responsibility. I have to save Jecky and take her out.’

She smiled as much as she could as if to reassure her.

“Don’t worry, calm down. I’ll do something about it.”

“Who said that? I am not scared at all?”

Seeing the smug Flame, Jecky gritted her teeth and poured mana into her staff.

‘I can do it too.’

Soon, after completing a magic circle, the icicles froze the feet of three skeletons to the ground.

‘Good! That’s enough…’

Suddenly, Flame spun her staff skillfully and thumped it on the ground.

Crack!!!

Vines rose from the ground and bound at least ten skeletons, lifting them up into the air.

Then she twirled the staff one more time.

Crash! Crack! Crack!!!

In an instant, all of the skeletons’ skulls were shattered.

‘What?’ The overwhelming sight shocked Jecky.

‘This… is absurd…’

Even though they were the same age, the difference in their magic power was so enormous.

Did Jecky know? To get through the dark future, Flame had been training to sharpen her skills every day. Jecky, unaware of her struggles, simply bit her lips, blaming the absurdity of the world.

“Everyone knows how to kill a skeleton, right?”

“Of course.”

“Even an elementary school student knows that!”

There was only one way to kill a skeleton!!

Among the dark mages, necromancy was the strongest magic, and the mages were taught its countermeasures from elementary school, so even though this was their first real fight, they weren’t completely caught off guard.

However, the fear and disgust that came from their instincts could not be completely erased.

The fact that something made of bones was roaming around made them instinctively afraid of it. Some skeletons were especially repulsive because they were not completely restored to pure white.

“Secure the retreat this way!”

“Okay!”

Deok Cheol-Gwang hit the floor with his fist.

The ground caved in and a few skeletons were instantly buried. But even then, for a while, the skeletons dug up the soil and forced their palms out of the ground.

They looked grotesque, but Flame tried not to look at them as she ran on the path made by Deok Cheol-Gwang.

“This is a cemetery, so the more time we take, the more skeletons will come! We must hurry back to base camp!”

The basics of a necromancer were territory control. You must completely dye a certain area with your own mana to summon a skeleton in that area. It was that simple.

In other words, it was similar to acquiring territory.

As the necromancer slowly expanded their territory, the odds of winning decreased for the opponent.

“They’re all over the place!”

“Ha! It’s fun!”

“What fun! Try to understand our grim situation!” Ban Di-Yeon yelled, scolding Deok Cheol-Gwang. However, Deok Cheol-Gwang’s confident and powerful strikes at the vanguard quickly put her mind at ease.

Eisel said with a firm expression, “Looks like a necromancer who came prepared. Their level isn’t that high, but… it’s highly likely that he made a force vessel.

“Yeah, it seems that way. This is a real headache.”

The force vessel was a technique in which necromancers continuously injected and stored their mana for as long as several days to several years.

Even for a necromancer, there was a limit to mana. A dozen or so was the summoning limit for a 3rd or 4th-class necromancer.

“The level of a skeleton isn’t that high, but to have taken over such a wide area… they must’ve gathered an enormous amount of mana into the force vessel.”

In other words, this current situation was not an impromptu performance but a planned event.

Creak! Clatter! Clatter!

The number of skeletons grew more and more. Somehow, it appeared that the skeletons were converging around them.

“…It looks like they’re trying to capture us.”

Stella’s students would fetch a high ransom. Or they could forcibly be converted into undead to create mage skeletons with high potential.

“Just because I put myself on a hard diet doesn’t mean I want to become a skeleton!” 

As Ban Di-Yeon shouted and beckoned, a fierce gust of wind blew and swept the skeletons away. Although it didn’t kill them instantly, Eisel then shattered their skull by summoning a lightning blast.

The group of students encountered skeletons for the first time, and it could be said to be their first real battle, but they were breaking through the challenges brilliantly.

However, there was always one variable.

“AAAHHH!”

Kashif Derek, frightened by a skeleton rising from the ground, screamed and fell down.

He was a priest, meaning he normally cast spells for large-scale attacks.

However, what would happen if it was canceled midway?

“It’s a rebound explosion! Keep your head down!”

“…!”

Hong Bi-Yeon quickly noticed it and shouted, but Eisel and Deok Cheol-Gwang, who were standing close by, were swept away.

Boom!

At the level of a gunpowder bomb, the explosion wasn’t much of a big deal. However, the most frightening thing about the rebound phenomenon within a group battle was that the rebound happened in a chain. 

“Kyaaak!”

“Keugh!”

Eisel’s magic, along with the others, was swept away by Kashif’s explosion and canceled, causing rebound after rebound.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Explosions occurred in succession, and their perfect formation was disrupted in an instant. Flame, who retreated quickly, was not swept away, but several members of Hong Bi-Yeon’s group were sent flying.

Fortunately, they didn’t faint, but due to the mana reflux, they wouldn’t be able to use magic for a while.

‘That idiot!’

Hong Bi-Yeon raised the group members who were deadly pale due to the rebound phenomenon.

“P-Princess, I’m sorry…”

Unfortunately, one of those caught in the rebound was Arshuang, who had the highest accuracy rate and had taken down the most skeletons. She had been using a lot of mana to perform better than Hong Bi-Yeon, so her impact was greater.

“No. There’s nothing to be sorry about, so get on Meradin’s back.”

“But Meradin is a knight—”

“Shut up and get on! Are you trying to be a burden?!”

Now was not the time to argue. She had no intention of abandoning even a single member of the group, so she had to force herself to take care of them.

“Yes…” Arshuang said, biting her lip with a shocked expression and letting the boy named Meradin carry her on his back. Since Meradin was the only knight except for Deok Cheol-Gwang, the situation turned even worse.

That fact made Arshuang’s heart even heavier.

Crack! Snap! Snap!

A larger number of skeletons were coming. Unfortunately, their location was unknown, and their hopeful plans of retreat were shattered.

“Hold them off as long as you can! If you get caught, you’ll all become skeletons!”

“Haha, now this is a challenge! I’ve never fallen in my life!”

“Just shut up for once!”

Fortunately, the second-year seniors Ban Di-Yeon and Deok Cheol-Gwang, whom they had not expected at all, gave a very reassuring lead.

Even though Ban Di-Yeon’s wind magic and Deok Cheol-Gwang’s earth magic didn’t seem to match at all, they boasted perfect cooperation, creating a variable that was more effective than the first-year elites.

However…

It was not enough.

No magic, no plan, and no cooperation could get them out of this deadly situation.

Their opponent was a Class 5 necromancer who was thoroughly prepared.

In comparison, their side only had Class 2 and 3 novice mages with no experience in combat.

‘This is hopeless.’

Flame bit her lip tightly and held Jecky’s hand. Jecky hadn’t even been able to properly use magic, and her body trembled nonstop for a long time.

“We… What’s going on…?”

“…”

As usual, she couldn’t reassure her by saying, “Don’t worry,” because she was also in a situation where she couldn’t do anything properly.

“Haa… Haaa…”

She was already exhausted, so it was difficult to use magic anymore. Given a short amount of time, she would be able to restore her natural mana with her talent, Qi Regulation. There was no time to lose.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

Right next to her, a skeleton barreled towards her with its entire body, but it was blocked by Hae Won-Ryang’s shield that unfurled just in time. However, the shield did not last long and broke three times. His mana reserve was very small and was already reaching the limit.

However, he put his hand on Flame’s head with a firm expression on his face.

“Flame… I’ll protect you no matter what, so even if you have to abandon me, you must escape.”

“Ha. Suddenly talking like a romantic? Didn’t you learn that lines like that mean you’ll die?” she joked. However, Hae Won-Ryang was sincere. She couldn’t sacrifice him, since she was the one who brought him here in the first place.

“Don’t do anything reckless. I know better than anyone that you’re out of mana.”

“No, I—”

When Hae Won-Ryang seemed unwilling to agree, Flame yelled, “Don’t be pretentious! Think of a way to get out of the situation slowly. You’re smart, aren’t you?”

At those words, Hae Won-Ryang lowered his head. No strategist could break through this situation. However, Hae Won-Ryang’s magic was no longer helpful. Therefore, Flame wanted him to live as long as possible and come up with a plan to boost his self-esteem.

He had no choice but to realize the fact that he felt resentful of himself and wanted to die.

He couldn’t protect the one he liked, and the feeling of receiving pity on the contrary was the worst.

Emotions were running high, and his head was turning into a mess as the situation grew worse.

Creak! Snap! Snap! Snap!

“Ugh, there are too many of them!”

“We can’t use magic anymore…”

The skeleton corps, which had already grown to the point of filling all sides, could no longer be controlled by the tired students, and even Deok Cheol-Gwang, who had been a strong support in the front, had no choice but to retreat.

Suddenly, all the skeletons stopped moving.

“Huh?”

Like puppets with their strings cut, the skeletons stopped in unison.

When they stopped, the boys and girls panicked.

Creak…

The skeletons slowly raised their heads and looked somewhere. 

Suddenly.

It was like the parting of the Red Sea by Moses.

Between the skeleton army, someone walked out, slowly paving his way through the undead beings.

That silhouette was so familiar that everyone present was astonished.

“Baek Yu-Seol?”

He held a skeleton with only a spine and skull left in his right hand.

As long as the skull remained, the skeleton was alive, so it constantly made a clicking sound, but it did not do any damage to him.

Belatedly, everyone seemed to have grasped the situation.

“I can’t believe that…”

“A Skeleton General…?”

At first glance, a necromancer might seem to command an army of hundreds or thousands of skeletons by himself, but in fact, they couldn’t do it all themselves.

They had to have a chain of command through a skeleton with command authority and a certain level of intelligence.

Therefore, one of the most effective ways to deal with the necromancer’s army was by finding the skeleton with command authority to hunt or subdue!

A skeleton general was a key element that served as a kind of receiver, control tower, antenna, etc. It became the necromancer’s eyes, ears, and sometimes brains.

Knowing this weakness, a skeleton general was particularly strong and would typically be guarded by elite skeletons.

‘He faced and captured a general-level skeleton alone…?’

A sight that was hard to believe.

But thanks to that…

“If we can use that, we might actually make it out alive…!”

The students’ hopes, although very little, reignited.