The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 27

“I can feel spiritual energy down there.”

[B-be careful, you might fall…!]

Having successfully controlled the spirit of the crystal golem, I approached the edge of the cliff. Baek-ah was alarmed, but I had something urgent to confirm.

“They’re all down there.”

I sensed a murky spiritual energy from the darkness below. Han Yu-seong, Shin Seo-ha, and even the Crystal Giant—everyone was down below.

‘I get it now.’

The reason the Crystal Giant was able to find us.

I raised the soul of the absorbed crystal golem on my palm. Unlike its solid physical form, the soul was white and gelatinous.

Just as I had detected the spirit of the crystal golem and deciphered its camouflage, the Crystal Giant must have detected my spiritual energy and tracked us down. Normally, such a thing would be impossible.

A monster made of mana shouldn’t be able to detect and move based on spiritual energy.

However, considering the C-Virus, or rather, a cursed monster, things were different. As a fellow entity with spiritual energy, it might have sensed mine just as I sensed it.

‘What is it waiting for?’

But unlike before, the monster made no move. It remained still, deep within the cave as if waiting for something.

‘There’s no other choice.’

There are limits to reading a monster’s thoughts. I couldn’t get a clear read, and to find out Han Yu-seong and Shin Seo-ha’s whereabouts, I had to go down there anyway.

[W-wait! You’re not thinking of going down there, are you?]

The Sain-gum trembled.

I wanted to go down myself, but the risk was too high. The giant could attack during my descent, or I could simply lose my footing and fall.

“There’s no other way.”

I surveyed my surroundings.

There was the cliff, and nearby stood the giant rock I had just broken apart, like a landmark. Judging by the location, I was probably on the second-to-last level from the bottom.

‘Perhaps it’s a small blessing.’

I approached the rock I had made a groove in earlier and raised the Sain-gum once more.

[D-Rank: (5/30)]

The Sain-gum, imbued with the spirit of the crystal golem, was again covered in a mineral texture. I swung the Sain-gum with all my might towards the crack in the rock.

Crack!

The crack widened.

But one strike wasn’t enough.

Bang! Crack!

After two more powerful strikes, the rock completely shattered. Through the split in the rock, a narrow passage emerged, just wide enough for one person to pass through.

“Alright, let’s go.”

It was a secret passage known only to veterans, leading to the lowest level.

* * *

There’s no need to worry about being ambushed in the passage. The fact that this narrow passageway is darker than any other place means there are no crystal golems nearby.

‘Han Yu-seong should be fine.’

As I proceeded through the passage, I plunged into thought. Despite Yomi’s assurance, it wouldn’t hurt to review the situation objectively.

Anyway, Han Yu-seong should be alright. A gravity manipulator wouldn’t be injured from a fall.

The problem was Shin Seo-ha. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t picture Shin Seo-ha coming out of the fall unscathed.

‘Wait a second.’

At that moment, I sensed a presence beyond the wall.

The strong spiritual energy and matching footsteps. I paused and placed my hand on the wall.

“Han Yu-seong…?”

The footsteps beyond the wall came to a halt. I heard the sound of someone turning.

“Ha-baek?”

The voice from the other side of the wall was unmistakably Han Yu-seong’s.

“Thank goodness, you’re safe.”

Han Yu-seong exhaled, probably relieved. Although I couldn’t see his face through the wall, I could guess what expression he was wearing.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, more or less.”

Then I heard a sound like something heavy being dragged.

“Sang-don is with me. Fortunately, he’s not hurt. But…”

A hesitant tone.

I could guess what Han Yu-seong was about to say.

“It’s alright, Shin Seo-ha will be fine.”

“…”

Silence on both sides meant agreement.

When the ground collapsed, there was a considerable distance between Han Yu-seong and Shin Seo-ha. Avoiding falling debris and rescuing both Han Sang-don and Shin Seo-ha would have been nearly impossible.

“If you keep going the way you were, there’s a safe hollow. Wait there for support to arrive.”

“What do you mean? Ha-baek, what will you do?”

“I’m going to find Shin Seo-ha.”

“Then I’ll go with you.”

The sensed spiritual energy carried anxiety and urgency.

Even without sensing it, Han Yu-seong’s voice conveyed his distress.

‘They’re so alike.’

Han Yu-seong likely felt responsible for failing to rescue Shin Seo-ha. This unnecessary sense of responsibility seemed to show how much they had grown to resemble each other through their constant bickering.

“You’re carrying an unconscious Han Sang-don, right?”

The lack of Han Sang-don’s voice beyond the wall indicated he was still unconscious, and the dragging sound likely came from Han Yu-seong carrying him, causing his legs to drag.

“You should stay with Han Sang-don in a safe place and wait for support to arrive. In this situation, it’s best for someone with free hands to search for Shin Seo-ha.”

“No. If something happens to you—”

“That’s exactly why you need to stay. When the support team arrives, someone needs to be there to inform them of my whereabouts.”

It wasn’t that I doubted Han Yu-seong’s abilities. But taking a detour to regroup would take too much time.

Moreover, what I said to Han Yu-seong wasn’t just words. If no one was there to inform the support team of our situation, the rescue efforts would be delayed.

“Don’t worry about me. Despite how I look, I’ve gotten pretty muscular.”

“…Alright.”

Han Yu-seong forced a smile.

Han Yu-seong must have understood that now, we just had to trust each other.

“But I’ll come to help you as soon as support arrives.”

“As if you know where I’m going.”

“I’m better at finding my way than you think.”

I raised my fist and knocked twice on the wall where his voice was coming from.

“See you later.”

“Yeah, at the training grounds.”

“That’s not it.”

And from the other side, the same response.

Thunk thunk

* * *

Exiting the passage revealed yet another massive crystal hollow.

This enormous chamber, much larger than the previous one, was filled with crystals radiating multi-colored lights, making it hard to believe it was a boss room.

‘Was this always the boundary?’

Before entering the boss room, there was always a dark curtain indicating the boundary, where we would make our final preparations.

But naturally, such curtains didn’t exist in reality. And even without that boundary, there was no reason for me to hesitate.

‘Beyond this… Shin Seo-ha is…’

I could feel it.

Shin Seo-ha’s spiritual energy wavered precariously as if it could extinguish at any moment. I hurriedly dashed into the hollow.

“Cough.”

The interior was filled with choking dust and was in a dismal state. The upper level’s collapse had left a mass of debris, shattered stalactites, and crystal fragments scattered everywhere.

“…!”

I easily located Shin Seo-ha. In the center of the hollow, buried under a pile of rubble, lay Shin Seo-ha, completely still.

“Hey, Shin Seo-ha!”

As I approached to help her, the sheer amount of debris made it impossible to hastily pull her out.

‘The protector?’

Shin Seo-ha’s protector was already broken and dysfunctional.

Click

I removed the protector from my wrist and strapped it onto Shin Seo-ha’s opposite wrist. Instantly, the residual mana within the protector enveloped her body. The protector was meant to be my safeguard too, but Shin Seo-ha took priority right now.

‘This isn’t good.’

The unexpected appearance of the Crystal Giant and Shin Seo-ha’s injury complicated my thoughts. No matter how much I tried to deny it, the worst-case scenario kept crossing my mind.

“Seol..Ha-baek…?”

Shin Seo-ha’s eyelids fluttered. Her eyes were unfocused as if she might lose consciousness at any moment.

“Support will arrive soon. Just hang in there a bit longer.”

“Ha, haha… It’s because of me again…”

Shin Seo-ha forced a bitter smile.

“Because I… carelessly used my flames… that monster…”

Tears welled up in Shin Seo-ha’s eyes, and blood seeped from her bitten lips.

“S-sorry…”

With those words, Shin Seo-ha slumped again.

“It’s not your fault.”

Had she been thinking about that even while falling? In retrospect… Yes, Shin Seo-ha was a reckless, unpredictable spark.

But at least today, being with everyone, she felt more responsible than anyone.

Though she acted uncooperative, she kept pace with the other party members, and despite her complaints about her assigned position, she did her best.

She fought by desperately suppressing her own abilities, even knocking out Han Sang-don, the professional troll, and intending to bear the penalty alone.

“If there’s any fault, it’s mine.”

It wasn’t Shin Seo-ha who drew the Crystal Giant—it was me.

I had imposed this trivial sense of guilt on the member who had tried the hardest for the party.

Crack, crack

Just then, I felt a massive presence above me. It was approaching this place.

‘Was Shin Seo-ha the bait?’

Now I understood why the creature hadn’t come directly.

After the fall, it used Shin Seo-ha as bait to keep me from escaping, ensuring that I would come to its lair.

“How interesting.”

But the situation was far from “interesting.”

An advanced strategy beyond what any game AI could achieve. And this came from a creature made of stone, not a human. This would have been impossible in the game.

‘At this rate, we’ll both die.’

Fighting while protecting Shin Seo-ha was impossible. The high difficulty of the Crystal Cave was largely due to the infamy of its boss monster.

Considering its size and durability, the Crystal Giant was never meant to be defeated alone.

Unlike other mock dungeons where one could potentially clear them solo, the Crystal Giant required a full party.

Therefore, I had only one option left.

‘What if it goes wrong?’

What I was about to attempt was a first, more of a gamble based on a plausible theory.

If it went wrong or if I mistimed it, I’d be rendered defenseless against the Crystal Giant’s crushing blows. The severity of that penalty made me hesitate.

‘If only Yomi were awake.’

As I was acutely feeling Yomi’s absence…

“Ha-baek!”

“Han Yu-seong?”

Han Yu-seong appeared, panting heavily.

“I told you to stay put!”

“I left Sang-don in a safe place and marked the way so the support team can find us!”

Han Yu-seong lifted his head.

The ceiling trembled, and the massive presence that had overwhelmed us was approaching.

‘This might actually work.’

Yes, now that he’s here.

I’m sorry, but I’ll use whatever I can.

It’s an ironic thing.

Despite me telling him not to come, Han Yu-seong’s mere presence was a relief.

“I have a favor to ask.”

Bang!

I drove the Sain-gum into the ground with all my might, just above Shin Seo-ha’s head. The moment the sword pierced the widening crack, spiritual energy erupted like a geyser.

“What is it?”

“If the Crystal Giant shows up while I’m unconscious, try to buy as much time as you can.”

“Unconscious? Ha-baek, what exactly are you planning to do?”

With Han Yu-seong buying time, I could be at ease. There was no turning back. This was our only way to survive.

“I need to wake someone up.”

There was no other choice but to rouse Shin Seo-ha’s guardian spirit, Shin Seo-jun

—-
Geyser – a natural hot spring that intermittently spouts a column of hot water and steam into the air.