The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 25

Moving through the passage past the hollow.

Leaving the team members behind, I ventured alone into the darkness.

‘It’s more difficult to walk than I imagined.’

Without Yomi’s night vision, I might have tripped over rocks several times. While making noise wouldn’t be an issue with the golems, it wouldn’t do for a scout to stumble clumsily.

“There they are.”

I crouched and slowly moved forward. Emerging from the narrow passage, a vast crystal cave larger than the previous hollow revealed itself.

‘This would make a perfect tourist spot.’

The colorful minerals and the massive stalactites hanging from the ceiling created an overwhelming three-dimensional view that was far more impressive than the flat surface had shown.

But getting too close, mesmerized by its beauty, would mean trouble.

‘I see them.’

The human-sized crystal formations were merely camouflage. Normally, crystal golems huddled on the ground, appearing as ordinary mineral clumps.

In a cave with limited visibility, mistaking a crystal golem for a regular rock would lead to being struck by its fists.

The reason I volunteered as a scout was simple: I was the only one in the party who could perform the scout’s role perfectly.

[Approximately ten of them, I’d say.]

“Though they imitated ordinary mineral lumps, there wasn’t even a fragment of spiritual energy in them. In contrast, the crouched crystal golems revealed faint flickers of soul fire—spiritual energy—glimmering within.”

‘Three on the left. Two on the right. And the rest in the center.’

Not much had changed from the game.

I double-checked to be sure, but it turned out there was no real need for it.

‘Alright, let’s confirm.’

This is the monsters’ lair.

Despite having protectors, in the worst-case scenario, we could lose our lives. I knew this in my head, yet a sense of exhilaration and anticipation welled up within me.

Tap

Before long, I heard a misstep on the floor behind me. Even though their eyes had somewhat adjusted to the darkness, the path was still challenging for those without night vision.

‘They’re here.’

Han Yu-seong, the attacker, was the first to round the corner. Shin Seo-ha and Han Sang-don followed, taking their positions as planned.

Han Yu-seong checked the party’s status and gave me a signal.

– Traps?

– None.

– Monsters?

– 12. Three on the left. Two on the right. Seven in the center.

After exchanging signals, Han Yu-seong took out a sword hilt from his waistband. As he channeled mana into it, the concealed blade sprang out.

Creak, creak—creaaak!

As Han Yu-seong released his mana, a heavy, dragging sound reverberated through the floor. Not just one but many.

“They’re coming.”

The crystal golem’s core uniquely detects light sources. However, it doesn’t merely detect light.

Like other monsters, the crystal golems slowly rose, sensing the presence of humans.

Creak

What emerged from their camouflage were human-sized, blunt-limbed figures—far more complex than simple minerals. This was the true form of the crystal golems.

‘Now what, Han Yu-seong?’

I quietly stepped back.

I knew firsthand that Han Yu-seong used a sword.

So, what I wanted to find out was how strong Han Yu-seong was with a sword in his hand. Depending on his strength, I’d have to adjust our future plans.

“Everyone, fall back.”

Han Yu-seong raised his sword.

‘How can you pierce a mineral body with just a sword?’

Bang!

As expected, Han Yu-seong’s sword didn’t penetrate the crystal golem’s head on the first strike. Despite the seemingly ineffective attack, Han Yu-seong didn’t withdraw his sword.

Thud!

In the next moment, the space around where Han Yu-seong had struck distorted like a mirage, and the golem’s body crumpled and collapsed to the ground.

This time, Han Yu-seong didn’t achieve superhuman speed or immense strength.

‘Gravity manipulation ability.’

The ability to distort gravity within a certain range. When choosing a melee weapon, this ability has a very low probability of appearing as an S-rank ability.

Creak!

Han Yu-seong thrust his sword straight into the charging golem. By increasing the gravity at the point of contact, he easily managed to wedge it into the gap.

Just as Han Yu-seong’s sword seemed to pierce the golem’s heart, it stopped at a certain depth.

‘The core.’

The core is considered the hardest part of a golem’s body and essentially its heart.

The rarer the ability, the longer it takes to refine. Even someone as exceptional as Han Yu-seong could not pierce the core of the golem at his current level. But this is where the real challenge begins.

Boom!!

An explosion erupted from the gap where the sword had been thrust. The impact shattered the core inside, causing the golem’s body to scatter like shrapnel from a grenade.

‘Mana explosion. He’s already using such skills?’

Gravity manipulation alone can’t cause such an explosion. That was a skill any class could learn, called mana explosion.

It’s an advanced skill that focuses mana at one point upon impact to cause a blast. Typically, this skill could only be acquired mid-game.

This means Han Yu-seong is currently stronger than I’d imagined.

“Seo-ha!”

Han Yu-seong shouted at the golems rushing from the right. His voice echoed off the cave walls, creating a reverberating sound.

“I’m not deaf!”

Shin Seo-ha leaped into the air.

She didn’t envelop her fists with her trademark flames but instead wrapped them in mana and drove her fist into the golem’s face.

Thud!

With a single punch, the golem’s head shattered from the collarbone up.

If it had been an ordinary monster, it would have died on the spot. However, the opponent was a golem that wouldn’t die unless its core was destroyed. The headless golem staggered but began moving again.

“Damn it.”

Shin Seo-ha bit her lip.

Her strength was insufficient. If her fist had been enveloped in flames, it might have destroyed the core or at least collapsed the entire upper body.

“Hey, pig!”

Even Shin Seo-ha, who was used to acting independently, had to rely on teamwork in the end.

The timing was perfect.

Though not experienced in team play, her ability to analyze the battlefield was unparalleled.

If Han Sang-don’s ability throwing projectile could hit the staggering headless golem, it would inflict considerable damage.

Yes, if it had hit.

“…”

“Hey, pig! What are you doing!”

Despite Shin Seo-ha’s call, Han Sang-don made no response, nor did he take any action. He simply stood there, watching Han Yu-seong and Shin Seo-ha battle the golems.

For a fleeting moment, the light from the crystal shards illuminated Han Sang-don’s face,

“You bastard, are you smiling?”

Shin Seo-ha couldn’t help but notice. Han Sang-don was smiling as he watched them struggle.

And the moment Shin Seo-ha turned her gaze away from the golems.

Crack

The headless golem raised both its arms toward Shin Seo-ha. Just as its clasped fists were about to descend forcefully onto her head…

“Baek-Ah, short bursts, multiple shots.”

The hand seals had been woven long ago.

Psshhh!

As I aimed the Sain-gum at the golem, multiple bursts of water cannon sprayed over them. One might think that a water cannon wouldn’t be enough to bring a golem down, but my real target was the gap created by Han Yu-seong and Shin Seo-ha.

Crack, creak!

As the high-pressure water struck, it caused large cracks to spread across the golems’ bodies with a shattering sound.

“Finish it!”

There was no real need to shout.

By the time the words left my mouth, Shin Seo-ha’s fist had already pierced the golem’s core.

Crack

Looking down at the crumbling golem, Shin Seo-ha clicked her tongue in frustration.

“Damn it.”

Just having crushed a golem, it seemed she felt rather unsatisfied.

* * *

“Hey, you son of a bitch, do you want to die?”

As soon as the first subjugation ended, Shin Seo-ha grabbed Han Sang-don by the collar.

“What did I do?”

Han Sang-don, showing no sign of intimidation, laughed with his buck teeth exposed.

“I’m going to kill you right here—”

“Both of you, calm down.”

Han Yu-seong intervened between them.

As Han Yu-seong separated the two, Han Sang-don staggered back.

“Cough, cough, so violent. You want me to listen to you? Then I have a condition.”

“Condition?”

Even I was somewhat intrigued.

Han Sang-don’s trolling patterns varied depending on the party composition and the dungeon. I was curious to see how he would troll this time.

And what he proposed as his condition was beyond what I had imagined.

“All finishing blows on the monsters must be left to me.”

As if that wasn’t absurd enough, Han Sang-don added an explanation.

“The mock subjugation is about teamwork, so if I don’t do anything, it’s you guys who will suffer in the end. If you want to earn points, just leave the last hit to me.”

As expected of someone renowned among players as a professional troll. He’s just as repulsive as Kim In-seong.

Not that I couldn’t understand his reasoning. From a strategic standpoint alone, one could argue that this kind of intelligent trolling was unique.

Han Sang-don intended to exploit the team play aspect of the mock subjugation.

For an individual to receive a high rank, the team rank must first be high, but if he didn’t participate, the team play score would naturally drop.

Therefore, he chose to hold the team’s rank hostage. It would be better to placate him than to have the team rank suffer due to one person’s non-participation.

However, they couldn’t recklessly punish Han Sang-don either. Even raising a hand against him could jeopardize both the team play score and individual scores.

“Come on, let’s not do this. If we all work together, this dungeon isn’t a big deal.”

As expected, Han Yu-seong made a Yu-seong-like decision. He tried to pacify Han Sang-don.

Given his innate leadership qualities, abandoning a team member was never an option for him.

‘What should I do?’

I wanted to leave him behind, but that would play right into Han Sang-don’s hands.

It would destroy not only the team rank but also the individual ranks. This wasn’t a simple problem for me, who needed to secure quest rewards. But then…

“Hey, move.”

“No.”

“Don’t worry. I just want to ask something.”

Shin Seo-ha pushed Han Yu-seong aside and took a step toward Han Sang-don.

“…”

Shin Seo-ha stared at Han Sang-don for a while, then slowly lifted one of her feet.

Crackle!

Fire ignited at the tip of her lifted foot, and Han Sang-don, understanding the implication, began to sweat.

“Wait, if you hit me, your score—”

“Look who’s talking, the pig actually speaks?”

Whoosh

A beautiful spinning kick traced an elegant circle.

Bang!

The powerful spinning kick, delivered with centrifugal force, struck Han Sang-don’s face. Despite the protector’s safeguard, Han Sang-don flew several meters, crashing into the wall.

“Gah!”

With a single cry, Han Sang-don completely lost consciousness.