The Academy’s Crude Pink-Haired Martial Artist

In the underground labyrinth, the eyes of Paid, radiating a sinister light, moved with an ominous presence. With each step he took, black smoke billowed forth.

Wherever his gaze landed, a faint magic circle emerged, and the ground he stepped on turned pitch black.

Forward, forward, as he strolled through the gaps of monsters, the already dark labyrinth grew even darker.

Paid was now advancing, creating his territory.

His abilities included hypnosis, mind control, and illusions. While they could be useful in battle if used properly, they were undeniably weak compared to the aggression of other magic.

However, if he were to set up his territory beforehand and welcome his opponent, it could transform into more troublesome and deadly magic than any other.

Moreover, his opponent was a close-combat martial artist.

Despite being merely a small girl, a student of the Academy at just the 5th Rank, Paid did not underestimate Eliaernes.

He observed her battle through the eyes of the monsters dwelling in the labyrinth.

Eliaernes was fast and strong, more so than one would expect for her age and skill. Her intuition was sharp, her judgment cold, and her actions carried no hesitation.

Not to mention, she accurately understood how to deal with the monsters, perfectly allocating her strength.

For this reason, Paid created his territory to eliminate any possible variables.

He believed it was better to execute his master’s command as perfectly as possible than to boast his strength in front of the weak.

And this thoroughness was the only advantage that allowed him to stay close to Samaela, whom other dark mages feared, and the key to sneaking into the highly secured Academy.

After a long time, he finally established a territory he was satisfied with and completed his checks after glancing around several times.

This was enough. Thought Paid as he moved his steps in the direction where Eliaernes was.

“I was told that Pina wouldn’t walk alone, but it looks like she really is. Or maybe she simply came to look for treasures?”

Just as he intended to hypnotize her, provoking her anger to create a crack in her subconscious.

“I came to kill you, you bastard.”

With a harsh curse, crack.

His ribcage shattered.

What the hell? When? How? Why?

There was no process, no warning, no sense of danger? What was that?

Paid recalled the situation from a moment ago. He had seen Eliaernes with his eyes, spoken to her with his mouth, and tried to cast magic with the tip of his finger bleeding.

In that instant, cherry blossom-colored light flashed.

Did it hit? He couldn’t tell. His ribcage just broke.

With an incomprehensible outcome, Paid turned his gaze in the direction of Eliaernes.

Then, the light sparkled again.

“Mu, shun—”

crack—

A pain surged through his face as if it were collapsing entirely. He struggled to breathe, and his head rang like a bell. It felt like his consciousness was fading, turning his mind blank, while something overflowed from his nostrils.

He raised his hand to touch the spot.

His nose had collapsed.

Again, nothing was visible.

No, he could see the twin tails swaying like waves. The innocent, smiling eyes, and the curving corners of her mouth.

Giggling—he could hear her laughter and the sounds of her kicking the monsters.

But why, at the moment she threw a punch, was that moment invisible?

Ideation? No.

Paid had also reached a level where he could imprint his ideation onto mana. Therefore, he could feel the ideation contained within others’ mana.

Yet, he felt no ideation from Eliaernes.

So, did that mean what he saw now was pure physical ability?

Stronger than he thought…

Eliaernes had been hiding her strength all along.

Even amidst that wave of monster slaying, she had concealed her power. For what? To catch her opponent off guard?

A chill ran down his arm.

“…Who exactly are you?”

“Me?”

Eliaernes, moving continuously among the monsters, let out a giggling laugh.

The sound echoed from far away.

“Eliaernes Eustetia.”

The answer came from the left.

Paid immediately reached out, grabbing the head of a nearby monster, pulling it towards his left.

At the same time—

Gush—! The sound of flesh tearing echoed, and Paid was splattered with warm organs.

In one strike, the monster’s torso burst open.

There was no time to be shocked.

There wasn’t even time to wipe the guts off his face.

Was she going to create distance again? Or was it an additional attack?

Paid narrowed his eyes to predict her next move.

Eliaernes was creating distance.

Paid was given time to prepare. He didn’t hesitate to draw part of his full strength.

He raised his right hand and shoved it into his mouth.

In went four fingers except for the thumb.

Without hesitation, he crunched!

The fingers were severed down to the bone. Not only that, but a few teeth also shattered.

But Paid paid no mind as he spat out the bitten fingers. He proceeded to chant.

By the time he completed the chant, the severed fingers had transformed into a giant snake. The snake ate the surrounding monsters whole, gradually growing larger.

Each of those snakes carried a lethal venom for humans. Moreover, their scales were so tough that they couldn’t easily be pierced even by hardened steel.

Still, they wouldn’t be fast enough to catch up to Eliaernes. Nonetheless, that wasn’t a problem. He had made his territory behind him.

Of course, to use that territory most effectively, he would need to create a crack in Eliaernes’s mind, but pushing it out forcefully would be fine for the moment.

As long as he could bind her for a short time, he could inject her with the snake’s poison and kill her.

After making his calculations, Paid staunched the blood flowing from his hand and looked straight ahead.

Standing in front of him was Eliaernes.

“The result of your offering is just four snakes? Do fingers grow back that easily?”

She tilted her head slightly, showing an air of leisure.

Is he crazy? Paid thought.

And he was a bit surprised.

Offering.

He knew about this ritual.

That she knew about Mimicras.

That she knew about offerings.

She was aware of so much.

Was this knowledge learned from her family?

It didn’t matter now.

Right now, he needed to prioritize fulfilling his master’s command over any questions.

Paid reached out. Following his command, the four snakes coiled around him and opened their mouths towards Eliaernes.

“Hmm… It doesn’t matter if I don’t sleep.”

The Eliaernes standing right in front casually jumped and said, “Since you’re going to die here anyway.”

Her voice carried the tone of stating an obvious fact, prompting Paid to summon his magic immediately. The territory he had established began to sway and devour the light from the corridor.

The drops of blood flowing from his fingertips oxidized into black fog. The fog filled the entire underground passage, warping the scenery.

Despite the bizarre scenery beginning to twist, Eliaernes remained unfazed.

She understood what the distortion of the eerie landscape meant.

It was a territory primarily used by mental mages.

He had dealt with many of them and had countered them plenty.

He was a bit surprised by the thoroughness of setting up territory against him, but that was all.

Killing her was still the same.

Four snakes.

As soon as the distance closed in, he surrounded himself with strong magic. Crack— He stomped heavily, lifting his right foot.

Her thin, white leg extended toward the snake’s jawbone.

At that moment, the remaining three snakes lunged at Eliaernes.

Paid clicked his tongue.

There was no need to set up a territory.

He regretted the four fingers he had offered out of devotion.

Indeed, Eliaernes was fast and strong.

But she was just a 5th Rank martial artist.

Perhaps if he had a sword…

There was no way she could catch Samaela’s familiar with such frail feet and fists.

Had he overestimated her too much?

Just as that thought crossed his mind—

Ssss—

The sound of stone cracking echoed. It sounded like wood being torn apart. A thick liquid splattered across the ground, and the sound of tough hide ripping also resounded.

And then—

Boom—

Three out of the four snakes landed limply on the ground.

A snake with a crushed head. A snake with a hole in its heart large enough for a human to pass through. A snake with its facial skin half torn, struggling for breath.

And Eliaernes…

“Why are your eyes so tough?”

With her arm shoved into the eye of the snake, she was dodging attacks from the remaining one.

Not only was she evading, but her small figure was also hiding behind the snake, forcing them to attack each other.

Her body bore not a single injury.

Thus, she did not bleed. Moreover, she was not even stained with the snake’s blood. Her breathing was steady. Her expression calm, and she wasn’t sweating at all.

“…She’s insane.”

Paid’s face hardened at that sight.

He was not angry. He understood that anger was useless in battle.

He was simply dumbfounded.

Paid had guarded against Eliaernes enough.

He took precautions and expected her to be two levels stronger than what he could see.

That was not the case.

She was not two levels; she was twice as powerful.

He could not see how she killed the familiars summoned through the offering.

The massive snake blocked his view.

Thus, Paid raised his alertness even higher.

The territory would soon unfold perfectly.

He just needed to last until then.

Could he endure?

Once the territory unfolded, could he kill her without fail?

The likelihood was high.

But he couldn’t be certain.

If so, he would ensure it.

Paid rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a small vial.

Inside was a liquid that combined Samaela’s blood with the concentrated magic of real demons.

The effect was simple. Drinking it makes one stronger.

Of course, there were side effects. But that was better than failing to fulfill Samaela’s order.

With a pop, the lid opened with a clear sound.

Paid, without hesitation, consumed its contents.

In that instant, Eliaernes’s eyes widened.

He felt the raging surge of massive magic.

It wasn’t his.

This was—

“Luxrina.”

The magic of lust.

He quickly turned his gaze toward that direction.

His eyes met Paid’s, veins blackening around them. The scale-covered mouth completed the incantation.

“Mua Illusion.”

Into the realm of weak humans.

The ideation of a colossal being was added.

In that place, an unnerving gaze was felt.

“You bastard—”

Darkness swallowed her whole.

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