The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 17

[I sensed a killing intent.]

A soliloquy that appears in manga and novels like a staple. Unfortunately, whenever I read such sentences, my immersion would break.

‘How can you sense something like a killing intent when there is no specific sensory organ for it?’

Yeah, I didn’t know back then. No, there was no way to know. Killing intent is something you cannot help but feel, even if you don’t try to sense it.

“You’re dead.”

Kim In-seong growled low while holding his dagger in a reverse grip and leaning his upper body forward. Strangely enough, his usual, silly smiling face was nowhere to be seen.

‘Who would have thought it would be this terrifying.’

Seen through the Spirit Sight, Kim In-seong’s spirit was burning intensely. It was as if malice itself was the fuel igniting his soul.

Even without seeing through the Spirit Sight, I felt like my hair was standing on end.

[He’s coming.]

Right after Yomi whispered,

Thud!

With a light step forward, Kim In-seong’s body leaned forward. His sprinting speed was almost too fast to track with the eyes. The moment he lifted his reverse-grip dagger up to shoulder height,

[Oh ho.]

Kim In-seong’s figure wavered like a mirage and then completely disappeared. Immediately after his form vanished, the sound of his footsteps also ceased.

‘An Invisibility Awakener.’

The ability to make not only one’s body but also their clothing invisible. Although it’s an invisibility ability, it doesn’t inherently hide the sound of footsteps, but skilled training made that possible.

[Kim In-seong: Rank 78]

Ranked 78th upon entrance, he was an elite who had primarily refined combat skills suited to his small build and invisibility ability. As a result, despite sprinting with superhuman speed, not a breath was heard.

Moreover, even in the original storyline, Kim In-seong was a sort of ‘trap’ set by the developers.

Most players, deceived by Kim In-seong’s weak-looking appearance and physique, would initiate combat and end up tasting defeat due to his invisibility ability and high stats.

The reason I chose to engage despite knowing Kim In-seong was no easy opponent…

‘I can see him.’

…was to test whether I could penetrate the invisibility of an awakener with Spirit Sight. Now, as Kim In-seong activated his ability, while his form was invisible, his spirit was vividly clear.

The spirit is the mind and will. Before the body moves, the spirit always moves first.

‘Right shoulder.’

His spirit aimed at my shoulder while his arm swung down, and I twisted my body a beat earlier. Right then, the formless dagger grazed my cheek, creating a swift breeze.

“You dodged…?”

Kim In-seong’s voice brushed past my ear. As if it didn’t make sense, he swung his dagger repeatedly, but the result was the same.

“Why, why isn’t it hitting?!”

Despite being invisible, all his continuous attacks were missed by a paper-thin margin. Soon, Kim In-seong stopped his attacks and revealed his upper body, asking.

“Can you see me?”

No attacks were visible and no sound. It was unthinkable to dodge under these circumstances.

The students watching the duel probably saw me twisting and turning my body alone.

“As if.”

And I’m not exactly the type of person who would answer all of Kim In-seong’s curiosities.

‘You picked the wrong opponent.’

I get why he feels frustrated.

He had honed all his combat skills and weapons for invisibility, but unfortunately, he met me.

But I don’t feel any sympathy for him. He had many choices besides me. He specifically picked me to repay the humiliation he suffered before, didn’t he?

‘Then, next…’

Even if Kim In-seong is considered elite, right now, he’s nothing more than a test subject. Now that I confirmed that Spirit Sight works against an Invisibility Awakener, it was time to move on to the next test.

“It’s my turn now, isn’t it?”

It was time to test the newly acquired weapon, the Sain-gum. On the other hand, Kim In-seong, who had hesitated, grinned widely when I raised the Sain-gum.

“What are you going to do with that thing?”

A blunt tip and short blade. It barely even qualifies as a sword; it’s more like a simple club. It’s only natural he mocked me for wielding such a weapon.

Well, that’s if it were used solely as a striking weapon.

“Like this.”

I formed a seal.

And then.

Woo-oooong-!

The Sain-gum began to vibrate.

A sorrowful sound emanated from the blue-glowing Sain-gum, like a sobbing Baek-Ah.

[Huuugh.]

What was transmitted through the Sain-gum was not just sound and trembling.

‘Damn, the tears…’

A sorrowful emotion welled up from deep within my chest, and simultaneously, memories that seemed to belong to Baek-Ah flashed before my eyes.

Being embraced by parents.

Running away as a child.

Hiding in an outhouse.

Fiercely resisting someone.

It felt like a condensed reel of human life, filled with intense emotions that gripped my heart like an unknown force.

[The deeper the synchronization with a spirit, the clearer its emotions become. This is proof that the Sain-gum has elevated your conjuration skill.]

Yomi’s whisper echoed in my ear.

What I felt now were the predominant emotions that made up Baek-Ah’s spirit.

And these emotions served as the trigger to enhance the proficiency of Spirit Conjuration.

“Baek-Ah.”

With that command (號令), the conjuration skill was manifested in an instant.

『Spirit Conjuration – Baek-Ah: Water Spray』

The image of Baek-Ah that I saw in the bathroom was merely a sea slug spraying water.

But no matter how insignificant, if used properly, even a sea slug can be utilized in this way.

[Waaahhhh!!]

As Baek-Ah began to cry in earnest, a huge amount of water gushed out. The water spray turned the arena floor into a chaotic mess in an instant.

“What is this, a sprinkler?”

Kim In-seong frowned as he watched the water puddle spreading across the floor. He probably thought it strange, as the water wasn’t being aimed at him but just soaking the floor.

“Che, I don’t know what trick you pulled earlier, but this time I’ll definitely beat you half to death.”

“Yeah, I feel the same way. Beating you up like this won’t look too bad.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You don’t need to know.”

There are many eyes watching.

Spiritual energy isn’t common in this world, so it’s advantageous to conceal as many cards as possible.

Baek-Ah was the card I chose to reveal.

Even if it’s the first time, defeating an Invisibility Awakener merely with the five senses might raise suspicions about my abilities.

Baek-Ah’s water spray provides a plausible narrative for me to overpower Kim In-seong.

Additionally, it’s a trial to test my improvised response skills for situations where I might not be able to use Spirit Sight.

“What are you doing?”

Baek-Ah’s crying ceased, and the water spray stopped. I sheathed the Sain-gum and gestured for Kim In-seong to come at me.

“Aren’t you going to attack?”

“…I was planning to.”

Kim In-seong’s visible upper body vanished into thin air once more.

I tried to provoke him enough to break his composure, but as expected of an elite, Kim In-seong’s calm remained unshaken. I could sense the eerie killing intent again.

‘Come on.’

A tense silence filled the air.

I focused all my senses on Kim In-seong’s spirit. It seemed he was determined to finish this with a single, decisive strike, aware that his previous attacks had failed.

Soon enough, Kim In-seong pushed off the ground with all his might.

Splash

Water splashed from the puddles on the floor.

“What?”

Kim In-seong seemed to have realized the purpose of the puddles belatedly, causing him to pause his sprint.

Clang!

As I parried his dagger with full force, his startled footsteps left marks on the water puddles.

Splash, splash!

The hurried footsteps traced a path behind me.

As the gap between the spirit observed through Spirit Sight and his actual movements closed, it became easier to follow his movements.

Clang! Clang!

Parrying his continuous attacks, Kim In-seong’s movements grew more rigid.

But that didn’t last long. Was it because all his attacks were being blocked by someone he had consistently ignored? Or had he realized just how limited his abilities were?

“Damn it alllllll!!”

Kim In-seong charged at me, wildly swinging his dagger.

‘This just makes it harder to dodge.’

Between meticulously calculated attacks, there’s room to interpret the spirit and prepare for the next move. However, wild swings like these fall purely into the realm of physical prowess, making them harder to avoid.

Not that I can’t dodge them, of course.

“How, how are you dodging this, you bastard!”

As his composure broke, Kim In-seong’s form began to partially reveal itself. His large movements meant following up with stamina as well. In this moment, where agility and endurance were more crucial than ever, Han Yu-seong’s hellish training proved invaluable.

And of course, I wouldn’t just stand idle against such wild slashing.

“Baek-Ah.”

[Hehe, just leave it to me!]

The giggling voice was that of the mischievous ghost.

『Spirit Conjuration – Baek-Ah: Water Ghost』

The water puddles soak the floor.

Just as the enraged Kim In-seong took a large step for his next attack,

“What, what is this?”

a thick watery hand extended from the puddle and grabbed Kim In-seong’s ankle.

In that unexpected moment of interference, Kim In-seong’s movement halted. Just the instant he turned his head to check his ankle was all I needed.

“To finish-.”

[It is my turn.]

The emotions of sorrow and sadness surged when I drew out Baek-Ah’s spiritual energy.

Fwoosh!

Now, with the blue Foxfire overlaying the Sain-gum, the only emotion I felt was pure exhilaration. The anticipation of turning the opponent in front of me into a cinder.

“In-seong.”

“Huh?”

Kim In-seong belatedly turned his head forward, but it was already too late.

“You’ve lost.”

A horizontal swipe of the blue flame.

I swung the Sain-gum with all my strength.

Splash!

Even the protector couldn’t prevent the inertial force.

Kim In-seong, struck by my attack, flew backward and crashed into the puddle.

“Uwaaaagh!”

Flailing as if caught in a tidal wave, Kim In-seong lay sprawled on the ground, vomiting the water he had ingested.

“Well done, Baek-Ah.”

[This is basic! How did I do, Lord Yomi?]

[Hmph, it’s far from perfect, but I’ll give you credit.]

Confident voices filled the air.

Though I didn’t command it through Spirit Conjuration, Baek-Ah, like Yomi, had manifested the skill with her own will. This was something impossible if it were just a game.

Regardless, the arena unexpectedly turned into a watery mess, and my clothes were soaked. It wasn’t the most dignified state to savor a victory, but…

“How do you like the taste of a sprinkler?”

I pressed the Sain-gum against the nape of the coughing Kim In-seong.

“Ugh, cough…”

While struggling to cough up water, Kim In-seong could only glare at me sideways.

That sly glance reminded me of the Kim In-seong in the original storyline. Cowardly and always looking to make someone else his plaything.

And just like a perfect pair, Seol Ha-baek had never managed to extricate himself from bad situations, always passively leaning on others’ help over thousands of repeated plays.

That cycle had finally been broken. For the first time, I proved my strength against Kim In-seong and his lackeys without relying on anyone else.

I am not one to merely endure.

I am not as weak as you think.

I am not a toy for you to play with.

‘No, it’s more accurate to say we.’

Two pairs of ominous eyes glared at Kim In-seong from my shoulder and through the Sain-gum.

Yes, we are strong.

“You bastard… ack!”

“Nice effort.”

Kim In-seong, looked as wretched as a soaked rat. His disgruntled face was the perfect prize for my victory.

Main Quest No.3 Clear!

– You have won the mock battle! : Skill Points +50, Spirit Power +2

I didn’t feel like celebrating my victory. After all, he was an opponent I had targeted, expecting to win from the start.

I pressed the Sain-gum even sharper against Kim In-seong’s neck, making him feel maximum humiliation.

“You lost.”

Loser.