26. One Fine Day in October (5)

From now on, I have to stay sharp.

It’s not like I haven’t been paying attention until now, but an unusual aura was flowing from Elin, noticeably different from just a moment ago.

Even the previous attack would have been dangerous if I had lost focus for even a moment.

It was fortunate that the hidden piece [Little Pixie] I had obtained beforehand took the hit for me; I shudder to even imagine what I would have become if I had been swept up in it as well.

I took a calm, deep breath.

My pounding heart and surging adrenaline accelerated the blood flow.

But I mustn’t get too excited.

Now more than ever, I had to calm my mind and find the best possible scenario to win.

[Remaining Mana: 99%]

[Remaining Time Limit – 3:36]

The time, which had been artificially amplified, was gradually depleting at a rapid pace, with only about half left.

After all the mana is used up, I probably won’t be able to lift a finger for a while.

So, I had to settle the score somehow before that happened.

“Keep running away like a fly until the end, you bastard.”

“Are you going to struggle so much against just one student?”

“You… if I catch you, I’m going to rip your fucking mouth apart.”

Anger might temporarily increase strength, but it can never help with judgment.

I didn’t think she was the type to be swayed by such cheap taunts, but was she more hot-blooded than I expected?

Or maybe she just doesn’t want this time to drag on.

Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that this is a situation I can handle.

Right now, I have both strength and strategy.

Strategy might not be able to completely bridge the gap in brute force, but I can’t just give up on it either.

“Hoo…”

She’s coming.

A bundle of wriggling vines.

Straight lines become curves, and curves transform back into straight lines.

After exhaling a light breath, I immediately respond to the opponent’s movements.

I spin my body to avoid the stabbing attack.

I lightly duck my head to let the vine swinging straight at me pass over.

The enemy’s follow-up attack, trying to slam down on me from above – I couldn’t see it, but I sensed the strike.

• Upper air vibration detected. Caution advised.

The information analyzed, disassembled, and reassembled by the sonar system becomes another eye for me.

That’s why I can evade even a fatal surprise attack so easily.

“He… he dodged that?”

Now it’s my turn.

I put strength in my legs and dash straight into the gap that momentarily appeared.

The panicked enemy desperately tries to gather the vines to block me, but once I’ve gained momentum, it will be difficult to avoid taking a hit.

Peo-eok!

A dull sound as my fist collided with something.

A tree root blocked Elin’s body by a hair’s breadth; she’s not easy to deal with after all.

Even if she’s furious, she’s still a professor.

However, it didn’t seem like the attack was completely ineffective.

Because the enemy in front of me had a more pained expression than I had ever seen before.

I want to land more follow-up attacks, but my arm is tingling from the recoil of the previous attack.

If I overdo it, the tables could turn in an instant, so I just need to avoid being greedy.

Just like now.

Accumulate damage one hit at a time.

[Remaining Mana: 89%]

[Remaining Time Limit – 2:59]

The notification window in the corner of my vision glowed red, indicating that I was just past the halfway point.

It’s a little tight, but it’s still okay.

I just need to fight with the intention of finishing her off before then.

As soon as the tingling subsided, I immediately ran back towards her.

This time, I put even more strength into it, swinging my arm out violently as before.

I slammed my fist straight into the chest of the staggering enemy, who still couldn’t properly regain her balance.

“Keuek!”

That one landed properly.

That thought flashed through my mind.

But at the same time, a strong question began to dominate my mind.

Why is she so weak?

How could someone who is on par with, or perhaps even more skilled than, Siana in her prime be struggling so much against me?

Even if plant-based fighters are weak in close combat, they shouldn’t be losing to a single student.

Something’s wrong.

Does she have something up her sleeve?

No, judging from her reactions so far, she’s definitely giving it her all.

In that case, there must be external interference…

• Heh, you’re doing better than I thought.

The moment that thought crossed my mind, I heard someone’s voice whispering in my ear.

It was the voice of someone very familiar, with whom I had been having a peaceful conversation just a moment ago.

“Sanya!”

• Well, you’re supposed to be my disciple, so how could you be struggling here? This teacher just gave you a little boost.

That crazy old hag…

I suspected something was up from the moment she started saying strange things about a practical exam against a professor, but it turns out it was all a set-up.

Elin Deihartz would definitely visit the headmaster’s office to sever her connection with the academy, and since I knew about Elin as a dangerous factor, going to the headmaster’s office was a predetermined course of action.

Above all, there were a thousand eyes.

The unbelievable ability to observe the entire academy even from the headmaster’s office, located in the heart of the school, meticulously orchestrated Elin and me to naturally jump into the game designed by Sanya.

“That doesn’t mean you should make me fight a professor! And that person is trying to kill me!”

• Aww, would I just stand by and watch you die? Besides, my disciple wouldn’t die from something like this.

“I’ll see you when I get back… just you wait.”

• Hahaha, Jihoo-gun. I’ll be looking forward to it.

As soon as the short conversation ended unilaterally, Elin, who had been slammed into the wall, staggered and stood up as if she had been waiting for it.

Right now, she’s probably just at my level, or maybe one step above. There’s no way we could be having such an even fight otherwise.

“Hoo-uk, hoo… Hey, you. Let’s… negotiate.”

“Negotiate? Out of the blue?”

“That crazy bitch Sanya… is twisting my body. Let’s stop this meaningless fight here, and I’ll make a deal with one condition, so just listen to it.”

[Remaining Mana: 62%]

[Remaining Time Limit – 2:04]

There are still about 2 minutes left.

Even if Elin suddenly changes her mind and attacks, there’s enough time to react.

I don’t know what she’s up to, but I nodded, thinking I should at least hear her out.

“Speak.”

“You know what the Arvadellin Contract means, right? Judging by how desperately you’re trying to stop me.”

“Uh… contract?”

“What? You mean you were fighting without even knowing that…?”

I’ve never heard anything about a contract.

Elin, hearing my words, showed an expression of bewilderment that I had never seen before.

She looked as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have, which made me feel inexplicably bad.

“What’s the contract? Don’t keep it to yourself, explain it to me.”

“Hoo… I was fighting with all my might against someone like you. Well, I’ll tell you, so don’t frown. You know that Arvadellin was founded by the witch Arvadella, right? When Arvadella created the faculty contract, she used a special artifact to ensure that faculty members were monitored in real-time. The reason I’m applying for a leave of absence is because I won’t be tracked anymore if I’m on leave. Got it?”

Arvadella.

It was a name that wasn’t treated as particularly important in the original story, so I didn’t know that such a setting was given to the faculty contract.

The idea of using artifacts to bind humans to a contract so that they can’t do anything that threatens humanity is quite ingenious, just hearing about it.

“So, what do you want to negotiate? You’re not going to ask me to break the contract, are you?”

“Puh-hat, would I dare suggest something so audacious? It’s just simple. Just give me about 30 seconds. Away from those terrible eyes.”

“30 seconds?”

[Remaining Mana: 53%]

[Remaining Time Limit – 1:35]

If she has something to say to me even while avoiding Sanya’s eyes, what on earth is she trying to say?

After giving a thumbs up to Sanya, who must be watching us from somewhere in the hallway, to tell her not to worry, I nodded to Elin.

There isn’t much time left, but if an attack were to come, I’m confident I can handle it myself.

“Okay, let’s start… Wood Dome.”

As she quietly chanted, roots sprouted in the middle of the hallway in an instant, covering both of us.

The roots, which grew in an arch shape, intertwined and tangled with each other, eventually creating a perfect dome that didn’t allow a single ray of light to enter.

I pulled mana towards my eyes to prepare for any possible situation, and my blurry vision became clear again.

“So. What do you want to say?”

“Lee Jihoo. I don’t have much time left. Now that things have come to this, I guess we can say that all the plans have failed. In that case, shall I show you a secret? Do you know what this is?”

Elin took out a small bead from her pocket.

A bead that felt like nothing but darkness even with my mana-enhanced vision.

It was definitely not an ordinary object.

“This is an essence. Even if you don’t know about the contract, you at least know what an essence is, right?”

“Do I look like such an ignorant person to you?”

“Pfft, just kidding. This is… not just a simple essence, but something called an artificial essence. The organization I belong to also calls it a ‘seed.’ Originally, I was going to leave here and absorb the seed under optimal conditions… but I failed because of you and Sanya.”

Seed.

Hearing that word, an ominous imagination came to mind.

The confrontation with the undead sea dragon during the practical exam.

In addition, the experimental samples and various documents that Pantagruel had plundered during the last secret facility raid.

The core of both incidents was ultimately the implementation of an artificial Awakener.

If Pantagruel succeeded in creating a ‘complete Awakener’ that surpassed unfinished works like Sian with the data obtained through the two incidents…?

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I felt a sense of crisis that I had to quickly inform Sanya and Siana of this fact.

But in front of me, there was still a green-haired woman standing.

“I see, you know about it.”

“Are you affiliated with Pantagruel?”

“No. Unfortunately, I didn’t get that far. In fact, if things had gone according to plan, I might have become a full member after this was over. But… it ended up like this.”

Elin’s expression is desolate.

At least, that emotion didn’t seem fake.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Pfft, you want to know even that? You’re so curious. Well… let’s just say it’s a whim for no reason. Maybe it’s because seeing you makes my incompetence stand out even more.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Elin waved her hand towards the ceiling.

The tree vines surrounding us rapidly disappeared.

“Well then, goodbye. It was fun.”

“What?”

Elin smiled and threw the ‘seed’ at me.

And at the same time, her body began to swell.

A suicide attack. No, it wouldn’t be an attack carried out by her will.

“Sanya!”

• I’m already watching. 2 seconds… 1 second… Freeze!

Click.

With the sound of a button being pushed up, the entire space became silent for a moment.

Elin’s body, which had been swelling incessantly, also stopped expanding as if time had stopped.

• I interfered with all the vibrations in that area. You can think of it as pressing the pause button on a cassette tape?

“So, such applications are possible…”

• Of course. Who do you think I am? Heu-ha-hat!

“What should we do with Elin? It seems dangerous to leave her like this.”

• Hmm… first, come back to the headmaster’s office. I think I need to take a look at her.

“Yes. Then… self-hypnosis release.”

[Self-Suggestion Terminated]

[All essence functions are temporarily paralyzed due to essence overload.]

[Time Remaining Until Recovery – 39:25]

As soon as I released self-hypnosis, fatigue overwhelmed my entire body.

I felt like I would collapse on the spot if I let my guard down.

Even as I dragged my exhausted body back to the headmaster’s office, I couldn’t shake one thought from my mind.

Elin, Professor Elin Deihartz.

Why did she change her mind only at the very end?

Giving me the seed, and casually telling me about Pantagruel’s plan even while giving up her own safety.

I don’t know what her purpose is.

I also don’t know why she gave me advice.

But I think I can know just one thing.

‘Seed.’

This bead, vibrating quietly in my hand, will be the key to the future to come.

I felt like another weight had been added to my heart.