Surviving as a Con Artist at the Academy

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21. The Queen of Heavy Snow (4)

The Silver Age sealing technique developed by Mary.

The formless spell materialized in a small capsule shape and slipped down Jenny’s throat.

Although it was possible due to her innate talent, it didn’t go smoothly from the start.

No matter how gifted one was in sealing techniques, if their ability didn’t keep up, it was all for nothing.

Thus, a certain level of teaching was necessary.

And depending on the presence of mana that could neutralize it, there were materials to be prepared. Without them, no matter how talented one might be, they could only produce an incomplete sealing technique.

The remnants of the Silver Age extracted from Radon were exactly those materials. Thanks to his cooperation, it was possible to create it smoothly.

The Silver Age, which had been rampaging roughly, could now be considered to have subsided by about 80%. Although 20% would still be rampant, that was within Jenny’s control range.

While it was good to gain control, it meant that its strength was weaker than before. Consequently, a Lycanthrope that could endure the cold wouldn’t just fall from such a state.

“Auwooo!”

Crack! – The Lycanthrope, frozen by the blue sword wind, broke through the ice and came out again. It escaped more quickly than before, likely due to the weakened output.

And the beast let out a triumphant roar as it unleashed lightning from its mouth. A powerful current flowed but was suddenly blocked by a barrier that appeared.

[Light’s Veil]

The barrier magic that blocked the lightning was Mary. Unlike the others, she seemed to manage without needing a staff.

“Kuoooo!”

Now, leaving behind its beastly form, the Lycanthrope began to howl like a monster. In the end, it seemed to have given up leisurely hunting and switched on its fierce glare.

Crackle! –

However, Mary’s subsequent lightning magic burned its eyes. It would quickly regenerate anyway, but it couldn’t stabilize its body, as its vision was obstructed.

Time should buy us.

“That thing didn’t have a scratch after taking my full power. Can we really take it down?”

“You won’t know unless you try. We have to take down at least one here.”

“Easier said than done. We don’t even know what it’s weak against.”

Crona clicked her tongue and whispered. No matter how seriously she tried to change, Mary’s way of thinking still seemed simple.

It indeed seemed impossible to tear the Lycanthrope’s skin. Even if they inflicted damage, it would just regenerate on the spot.

“I have a good idea.”

However, after regaining her composure, Jenny spoke up enticingly.

Mary, who reacted first, asked what she meant, and Crona activated her ears, even if it was a beat late.

In this emergency, they had long abandoned their principles.

In the course of their discussion, the current situation got arranged.

There were five Lycanthrope invaders. One was theirs, another was a senior, and the remaining three were being restrained with Radon Crawler sacrificing himself.

They couldn’t afford to fail and shift the burden to someone else.

‘Radon Crawler…’

Suddenly looking back, there he was, giving his all despite being electrocuted.

Why he hadn’t kept his promise, why he had concealed his strange powers with a fishing rod, still puzzled them. However, there was no reason to downplay that scene.

‘You must be safe.’

After finishing the operational briefing, Jenny looked straight ahead again.

The Lycan saw them too, with its bloodshot gaze restored.

And once more, the air froze.

“Crona, just once, please. Give me that firepower you showed earlier.”

“Alright. I’ll cooperate with you this time.”

‘But it won’t be just this time.’

Putting aside her coyness, Crona summoned Sun Red again.

Even though its wings were pierced, the power of the phoenix hadn’t cooled enough to stop forming immense heat.

The heat, ready to explode at any moment, waited for Jenny’s signal.

Wshhh!

First aimed at the Lycanthrope was a chilling strike. It didn’t just slice; it cooled the air to create icicles springing up from the ground.

“Now!”

“Explosion!”

And the heat projectile that burst forth rapidly expanded the chilled air. It then transformed into an indescribable shockwave, increasing the speed and destructive power of the heat.

A backblast surged.

A dimensionally different explosion erupted, shattering the training ground into pieces.

For the first time witnessing such destructive power, Crona herself was astonished, yet an even more wondrous outcome awaited.

“Urrrrr…”

Finally, it knelt. The fur that had been fine was now badly burned.

Before it could recover, they had to end it, but the two of them were exhausted from just that one blow.

Flash-

At that moment, a bolt of lightning struck its skull. Lightning magic ‘Blitz’ cast by Mary covered it with dark clouds.

Though it was night, the clash was so vivid. With a tremendous roar, vein-like bolts of lightning surged.

Its regeneration speed was not as fast as lightning.

The lightning continually infiltrated the burnt area, expanding within its body. As the insides burned to ashes, it led to an explosion.

Boom! The flesh splattered, obscuring their view. When they regained sight, they could see its upper body completely obliterated.

For a moment, they wondered if it would resurrect like an undead, but soon it fell like a puppet.

“We won…”

Exhausted from the heavy expenditure of mana, they slumped down with dull expressions. Looking around, they found the situation was nearly concluded.

One of the other four Lycanthrope was completely burnt by the seniors working together on its head and chest, while the other three also exploded from within, losing their heads and hearts, collapsing.

As the situation ended, they felt a sense of relief as if freed from shackles. But where the creatures had died, there were also human corpses.

Upon realizing who it was, Jenny’s eyes widened in shock.

*

All five had been hunted down. They didn’t know how they had invaded, but they had overcome the crisis through their own strength. Those who overcome trials become stronger.

As for me, what had happened during that time…

“What happened?”

Recovered, Jenny hurriedly asked the cadet beside her.

There I was. Laying there, completely charred black from lightning.

A so-called corpse.

Even the cadets who knew healing magic found it futile.

Despite overcoming the trial, the cadets could not exclaim in joy.

Thanks to me restraining the Lycanthrope, they had been able to survive the situation.

At first, it seemed like a false act, but seeing me electrocuted changed their minds.

Even as a mere scammer, I had dedicated myself to this academy. It was a splendid and grand sight.

Though saddened by the demise of such a noble figure, there were no cheers.

“Wah, I’m sorry for thinking you were foolish all this time…”

Trisha was crying as she looked at me, who had turned to charcoal. I thought she was just a weirdo, but unexpectedly, she had this side to her.

Although I had no close friends, many cadets were caught up in the gloomy atmosphere.

However, the student council was rather cold. Especially Kent Egist, the first-year representative, scoffed as he stated he would check on academy security.

‘It’s true that it’s what needs to be done, but how can you maintain such a poker face? I just barely supported you, and now you’re ruining the mood.’

Still, it was a tragic event that claimed a life.

Most faces among the cadets were marked with gloom. It seemed this time, they had acknowledged the existence of the scammer Radon.

“How could you be like this?”

Jenny looked down at my corpse with a nonchalant expression. Yet she too was deeply lost in thoughts.

The events that transpired were still vivid, so she hadn’t forgiven me yet.

Having already passed the point of being dead, there was no opportunity for forgiveness, making her seem deeply sorrowful.

“I still can’t grasp you. Just because you act like this, does that restore everything you deceived me?”

Even as she spoke thus, Jenny couldn’t raise her head.

“Please don’t say things like that. The sealing technique that saved you… It was all possible thanks to Radon.”

“What?”

Mary, who had been crying, butted in as she talked about the sealing technique’s creation process. Jenny only then realized that I had helped.

“It would have been dangerous to carelessly pull out your abilities for the technique. A snowstorm like this could occur. If it weren’t for Radon, we wouldn’t have achieved this result.”

“Why didn’t you say that?”

“Think about how you and Radon got along. Do you think you would have just sat there quietly?”

Mary wanted to consider me as a friend. But considering the bitter relationship with Jenny, she had purposely concealed it.

Though she hoped the two would reconcile, it ultimately became an unattainable wish.

“But in the end, you’re still a wretched being to me.”

“Jenny!”

“But… you’re better than I am. At least this time.”

By restraining those three Lycanthrope, I saved the cadet’s life and created an opportunity to take them down.

Even something Jenny herself couldn’t do, I achieved.

That, in her mind, was a higher accomplishment than her own… Thus, Jenny thought, and tears flowed.

“I feel pathetic too, crying over such a guy…”

“It’s alright. That’s your identity.”

I handed Jenny a handkerchief.

Just when she needed something to wipe her tears, she began to dab her eyes with the handkerchief…

“Uh…?”

At the familiar voice, Jenny’s expression froze.

The voice of someone who shouldn’t be alive.

It was none other than… me.

“Wh-whaaaat?”

Tears stopped abruptly, and Jenny staggered, stunned.

Not only her but Trisha, who had been sobbing, and all the other cadets were equally horrified.

“Ah, Aaaah!”

“Wha…!!”

“W-what… you weren’t dead!?”

Wouldn’t she be thinking if she was seeing a ghost right now? As soon as Crona Delaware met my gaze, she fainted.

I understood. Because a dead person had returned. But…

“I’ve never died!”

“What?”

“I said I’ve never died.”

Due to excessive shock, Jenny felt a throbbing pain at the back of her neck. It seemed like she wouldn’t have anything to say even if she held that area.

“Then what… what about that corpse over there!? It looks totally like yours!”

“Oh, that?”

The charred body, completely scorched from electrical shock, suddenly transformed into a straw doll.

Those who witnessed it at close range received a secondary shock.

– Switch Lv1

That corpse was, in fact, a mass of mana born of my skill. I had barely escaped death due to the difference in reach, activating ‘Switch’ to flee.

Everyone, including the enemies, hadn’t realized that fact. I was busy transferring everything to the decoy and recovering my own body.

“It was a fake…?”

“Yeah, you dimwit. Did you seriously think that’s what happened to me?”

“……”

At that moment, it did hurt like hell.

My head was buzzing from the electrostatic shock, and my palm holding the fishing rod was scraped, turning red.

Even now, my arms and legs were trembling slightly. It felt like I might faint.

“Wow! Radon!!~ I thought you were dead!”

“Why the hell would I die?”

Mary leaped up and hugged me, grinning as always without a care in the world.

But the others felt an unusual atmosphere.

“So… you were fooling us, huh?”

“In reality, there was no need for all this crying and wailing?”

As Jenny and Trisha revealed a fierce demeanor, I responded casually.

“I didn’t know the atmosphere was gonna swell up like this. But is that my fault? It’s the wolves’ fault.”

“You damn scammer!!”

“This is…!”

As they rushed at me, ready to pounce, I hurriedly made a run for it. Especially Jenny, had a more beastly face than the Lycanthrope.

“Return our feelings, you scammer!!”

“Do I look crazy enough to die again?”

[Decline in Assimilation Rate: -1000%]

[The ‘Scammer’ profession experience points are increasing.]

[Experience points exceed a certain amount! Acquired 10 stat points.]

[Due to additional effects, various skill levels increase.]

– Intuition Lv6, Insight Lv6, Acting Lv6, Deceive and Strike Lv2, Switch Lv2

[+ 100,000 Credits]

[Additional skill activated!]

– Illusion Summoning Lv1

Through the system, I could confirm how shocked they were.

‘But why am I the one getting the backlash…?’

Yet, just as I was fleeing, I suddenly lost consciousness due to the massive mana loss.

It was due to the extreme mana consumption while using Switch.

Surviving as the academy scammer.