09. Sinking into the Swamp (2)

Arvadellin’s special purpose rooms are quite segmented according to their use.

From spaces for 1-on-1 combat training to spaces for practicing mana release, to places where you can fight artificial monsters made to resemble actual monsters, it’s truly a facility for nurturing Awakened Ones, a phrase that doesn’t feel out of place.

Among them, the ‘Mock Battle Space’ we’re heading to allows you to directly experience illusions created in the desired form, and is mainly used for practical training against monsters.

Originally, mock battles were devised during the Great Cataclysm by an Awakened One who handled illusion magic to train other Awakened Ones, but now there’s also a minor setting where databases can be implemented as illusions using artifacts created by Awakened Ones and modern technology.

“Does everyone… know about Nightcrawlers?”

Song Min-joon, the blue-haired mage who was leading the way down the hallway, turned his head and asked us.

“I don’t know if I dozed off during the last lecture and didn’t hear it, but no matter how much I think about it, I can’t recall.”

“Nightcrawlers are, literally, magical beasts that crawl at night.”

Jung Yewon, who had been walking silently with her hands in her pockets, answered his question in a low voice.

Just as she said.

The Nightcrawler’s nickname is ‘Night Earthworm.’

This monster, with its bizarre appearance of a small head and only two thin legs, usually just moves its two legs without rest, without any purpose.

“Nightcrawlers maintain a white body unless observed by the eyes of living things, but the moment they encounter a human, they immediately melt into the darkness.”

However, if they face another creature and ‘hide,’ things change.

The ridiculous gait gradually transforms into that of a predator, and the white appearance completely transforms into a deep black color as if melting into the darkness, chasing its prey tirelessly.

“Their gait isn’t that fast normally, but in a hidden state, they can reach speeds comparable to that of an average Awakened One.”

“Then, in order to lure a Nightcrawler…”

“So, Chris-ssi, I think I’ll need your help.”

It seems Jung Yewon has quite the ambition to take charge of the practical training.

The fact that she glossed over my question might be because she’s trying to hide her abilities, but it might also be because she doesn’t want her leadership to be taken away.

She doesn’t talk unless it’s absolutely necessary, but if there’s an opportunity to enhance her presence, she actively participates.

I’m reminded once again of her personality, which wasn’t covered in detail in the original work because she had relatively little screen time.

“We’ve arrived. Let’s prepare to activate the device.”

In the middle of a room the size of a typical lecture hall, there was a small bead.

The professor had already explained the setting of the illusion, so we had plenty of time to discuss the plan before activating the bead.

“First of all, the setting is that we encountered two large Nightcrawlers in a narrow alleyway. If there was just one more physical-type Awakened One to hold the line, we could fight them simultaneously, but since there are only two of us right now, Chris-ssi, please continue to lure the other one while we take down one.”

“Isn’t there a possibility that Chris will be in danger if he makes a single mistake? Even a physical-type Awakened One would be helpless against the kick of a large Nightcrawler.”

“I’ll assist Chris-ssi, so it doesn’t matter. And, I also know the essential rules.”

I was a little hesitant to object, thinking that Chris was taking on too much of a burden alone, but she answered my question without hesitation, as if she had anticipated it all.

Survival rather than victory.

There’s absolutely no guarantee that Jung Yewon, who aims for victory, won’t use Chris as a pawn.

But I have no choice but to trust her abilities.

She stood on the podium as the representative of the freshmen, surpassing formidable competitors, so she’s already been officially recognized as an Awakened One.

“If you have nothing more to say, let’s start now. Everyone, to your positions.”

Chris, who had to become the bait, was at the very front, followed by Kim Sungdae, who would withstand the Nightcrawler’s attacks, then me and Song Minjoon, who were in charge of ranged attacks, and finally Jung Yewon at the end.

When we released mana to activate the bead, the white bead gradually turned orange and emitted a dazzling light that made it impossible to see.

“Oh… amazing.”

The scenery that was revealed when the light subsided wasn’t the desolate gray tiles of the special purpose room, but the corner of a dark and dirty alleyway.

Even the wind that brushed against my cheek felt chilly, making me momentarily forget that it was illusion magic.

Everyone was admiring the illusion magic, which was their first experience since the combat practice had been using specially made robots, but then Jung Yewon calmly called our attention.

“…It’s coming. Chris-ssi, prepare first, and the rest of you move as I say.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a large figure appeared from inside the corner of the alleyway.

The first magical beast I’ve encountered directly since coming to this world.

As the Nightcrawler’s grotesquely twisted white legs twitched unpleasantly, I instinctively knew why it was called an earthworm.

“Sword, Holy Grail, and Sword. I’ve cast buffs, so Chris-ssi, run down the opposite path to start luring, and Minjoon-ssi, attack from close range so one can’t chase after him.”

When she took out three cards from the deck and arranged them in a row above Chris’s head, the surrounding air began to swirl around him rapidly.

“You should have told me you had this ability sooner!”

Chris runs out at a speed that’s almost invisible amidst the Nightcrawlers, which are rapidly changing color like black ink being dropped into clear water.

When the two Nightcrawlers, who belatedly finished transforming, began to move their withered legs diligently to chase after him, Song Minjoon, who had been waiting, forcefully struck one of their heads as if to shatter it.

“Kkuwoooooh!”

The black earthworm, which let out a bizarre cry, turned away from Chris and began to look at us.

From now on, me and Song Minjoon’s roles are important.

“I’m going to send a shockwave to the head, so use Drain in time.”

“Yes… just a moment… Okay, you can start!”

Regardless of the hypnosis enhancement, my wave ability grows little by little as I work hard, but I can still be proud of the fact that I’ve deepened my abilities to the best of my ability.

Since the last time I used my ability excessively during the sparring match, I’ve been constantly thinking about how to use the waves as efficiently as possible while reducing the burden on my body.

In the end, as someone who was a science and engineering student, I was able to find a new attack method that utilized the constructive interference of waves by utilizing scientific knowledge.

“Be shot!”

The atmospheric waves that began to ripple from my fingertips gradually overlapped and grew to an uncontrollable scale.

The wave, which was shot in one direction only when it reached the point just before it became uncontrollable, became like an energy spear and relentlessly pounded the monster’s head.

“Quickly cast Drain while it’s out of its mind!”

“Okay! Yewon-ssi, please prepare immediately after I’m done!”

Song Minjoon stretched out his arms towards the Nightcrawler, which was staggering and slowly approaching us due to the impact of being hit in the head.

Even if magical beasts have mana as their driving force, if they have a form, they must also have moisture.

Song Minjoon’s Drain sucks all the moisture out of the opponent’s body, turning them into mummies.

Although it seemed that it didn’t have good compatibility with the Nightcrawler, as the size of the water droplets that formed in front of him was quite small, it was still visible that the monster’s movements had noticeably slowed down.

Now all that’s left is to finish it off.

Jung Yewon stepped forward in place of me, Song Minjoon, and Kim Sungdae, who couldn’t penetrate the Nightcrawler’s skin and inflict direct harm.

“Sword, Sword, and Sword.”

The three cards seemed to crumple in the air, and then a silver, sharp sword appeared next to her head.

“Sword, Sword, and Sword.”

Another one.

“Sword, Sword, and… Sword.”

The last one as well.

The three blades spun around above her head, and then, at her gesture, rushed towards the Nightcrawler, which was almost collapsing.

Puk.

Although it was quite thick skin, the blade easily penetrated the monster’s outer skin as if cutting tofu.

The Nightcrawler died instantly on the spot.

“Let’s start the next one soon. Chris-ssi is coming this way.”

She said it even before Chris appeared from the other side, as if she could even grasp the location of the person she had buffed.

“We’ll go with the same pattern as before, starting with Sungdae-ssi. The opponent is still fresh, so don’t let your guard down.”

“Yes, I’ll go in time!”

We were able to catch the other Nightcrawler that Chris was luring with almost the same pattern.

This one was a bit tougher, and it only stopped moving after Jung Yewon stabbed it dozens of times even after my and Song Minjoon’s attacks, but it was still quite encouraging that we were able to defeat both of them safely without any damage.

As soon as all the monsters were defeated, our vision flashed once again, and we were back in the space covered with gray tiles.

With this level of performance, it seems that survival, cooperation, and elimination will all be in the top ranks, so everyone’s footsteps are quite light as they leave the room.

To be honest, I started to covet Jung Yewon quite a bit.

Her knowledge of monsters like Nightcrawlers, her sense of reading the situation, and her leadership skills made me feel sorry that she was the sub-heroine of the original work.

For now, Seo Jooha and Siana’s cases are the priority, so I can’t recklessly start targeting her, and I decided to put a few simple hypnotisms on her for now.

I’ll deeply engrave my existence on her so that she can’t simply think of me as a passing memory.

“Excuse me, Jung Yewon-ssi.”

At my call, she, who was walking in front, turned her head and looked at me.

“I have something to say, so could you send the others to the classroom first?”

“…Okay.”

She nodded with a suspicious expression, said something to the three of them, and then walked back towards where I was standing.

“What’s the matter? I need to go check my score, so please tell me quickly. If it’s a confession or something, keep in mind that I have no intention of dating you.”

“The matter is… something like this.”

Kkuuok.

The look in her eyes, which had been looking at me indifferently, gradually blurred.

No matter how strong her abilities are, the weak mind of a freshman can’t resist my hypnosis.

“How many times a day do you masturbate?”

“Once… there are days when I don’t do it at all…”

Once is a bit lacking in sexual desire, but since the purpose of the hypnosis I’m putting on her now is to make her a bit softer, it doesn’t matter much.

“[When you use mana, your body gets hot and you feel a slight pleasure.]”

“[Every time you masturbate, the memory of fighting with Lee Jihu keeps popping up in your head.]”

This suggestion was inspired by Siana’s curse.

If Jung Yewon uses mana, her body will gradually become more sensitive, and she will naturally masturbate to cool down her heated body.

And every time she masturbates, she will be forced to recall the memory of fighting with me.

The correlation between the pleasure from masturbation and the existence of ‘Lee Jihu’ will gradually be engraved in her mind, and in the end, she will become a body that makes her lower abdomen throb when she sees me, like Pavlov’s dog.

Then, I can pluck the well-ripened fruit of hypnosis at that time.

A way to easily eat Jung Yewon like a cake, well, I guess you could define it that way.

Of course, there are still many heroines to target, so I don’t know when I’ll lay my hands on her.

When I pressed the button to wake her from her trance, Jung Yewon’s eyes, which weren’t good even before she was hypnotized, hardened even more.

“I was going to say something, but I forgot. I’ll tell you next time I see you if I remember~”

“…Just a moment.”

Leaving Jung Yewon, who was about to say something, I returned to the classroom.

She’s probably reconfirming her own essence right now, checking to see if I’ve done something strange.

But no matter how hard she tries to check, she won’t be able to find anything.

My hypnosis will dig deep into her subconscious and erode her mind.

Therefore, her suspicion can never lead to certainty.