Ch.124124 – Third-Year Dangerous Species

# Chapter 124 – Third-Year Dangerous Species

Zigoku pointed his gun at the seniors, causing Zealot to let out a scream that was almost a shriek.

“You crazy bastard─! Stop it right now─! If you’ve even heard rumors about how terrifying third-years are, you shouldn’t be doing something like this─!”

They say third-years can turn passersby into hamsters with magic.

They say if you upset a third-year, you’ll be cursed with insomnia where lying straight feels uncomfortable, turning to your side makes your neck and shoulders stiff, and sleeping on your stomach makes your chest feel uncomfortable.

They say if you take a third-year’s seat in the cafeteria, all food will taste like cucumber.

The Academy has many such ghost stories about third-years.

And perhaps most of these aren’t just stories but shocking true accounts that have happened and might happen again—experiences no one wants to go through.

“Scared?”

The pirate didn’t particularly care.

“Hey, juniors. There have been loud noises around here for a while, so you’d better clear out.”

“You’ve got some nerve doing outdoor activities during mosquito season.”

The third-years were exasperated in their own way.

Though reluctantly performing pest control and patrol duties at the professors’ request, they knew that even if disease spread through the Academy, the professors would stay fine using their own methods.

In the end, only students would suffer.

These third-years were diligently earning points by performing patrol duties for their own safety.

While they occasionally witnessed second-years causing trouble, even they had never seen first-years getting involved in incidents so early.

“This year’s first-years are really fearless. How did they deal with the mosquitoes… Ahhh! What is that? Why are the mosquitoes so fat!”

The third-years descending on their staffs spotted giant mosquitoes that seemed much larger than the usual giant mosquitoes.

The mosquitoes, which were typically large and creepy but skinny, had grown as big as large dogs, swollen with blood and looking like inflated balloons.

The mosquitoes, expanded sideways after drinking the dark tonic, were impossible not to scream at.

That was the problem.

Zigoku, who had been watching with a blank expression wondering when they would come down, flinched at the third-years’ loud voices.

Bang!

With a ping sound, the defensive spell floating above the third-year’s staff deflected the bullet.

“You, you…!”

“A first-year shooting at seniors?!”

The seniors were dumbfounded.

Zigoku looked around nervously, then said with wide eyes:

“Oops.”

“Oops?!”

“Sorry.”

“Sorry?!”

An apology with absolutely no sincerity!

This could lead to a fight with the third-years.

Hestia quickly tried to defuse the situation like a firefighter rushing to extinguish a blaze.

“Seniors, I’m so sorry. That child has compulsive trigger finger syndrome and shoots her gun at random times. Several first-years have already been shot.”

An explanation that would astound even the eccentric third-years!

“If it’s that bad, shouldn’t she be in a mental hospital rather than attending the Academy?”

“I really wouldn’t want to live in their dormitory.”

“But everyone develops some kind of mental illness while attending the Academy anyway. So it doesn’t matter, right?”

“That’s true.”

“She seems problematic, but she’ll adapt well.”

The seniors generously let it slide!

That scared Hestia even more.

What experiences do third-years go through that make them brush off a gun incident as casually as a small everyday mistake?!

“You idiots!! Is this the time to be laughing?!!”

When the apparent leader among the <Flying Green Third-Years> with green scarves around their necks barked angrily, the atmosphere suddenly changed.

“Wh-what’s wrong?”

“Yeah, I was enjoying talking with the first-years for once.”

“Those first-years are the problem!”

That’s more like it.

Of course it was wrong to casually brush off a gun incident!

Unlike Hestia who was confident in her abilities, Rozini and Zealot, who feared the third-years, trembled pitifully while staring at Hestia’s back.

Surely this female warrior with her insane strength who could wield a double-headed axe with one hand would handle this somehow!

“Have you even thought about how much blood these mosquitoes must have sucked to grow that big?!”

“?”

“Gasp! Does that mean people were eaten?!”

“??”

“Damn it! Were we too late?”

“Good heavens. How many first-years must have been devoured for so many mosquitoes to become as fat as pigs, unable to even fly?!!”

“???”

“Look at the color of the fountain. The water has turned black with dense magical energy. They must have mutated after filling up on experience points from the slaughter.”

“Poor first-years.”

“You all stay back. We’ll handle this!”

Zealot, who was hiding in the bushes with just his spear sticking out, was bewildered.

“Seniors, I think you’re misunderstanding something…”

“No need to say anything!!!”

The squadron leader <Icarus>, leading the five-person third-year flying squadron, comforted Zealot and everyone else with a voice full of firm will and conviction.

“I understand your desire to avenge your comrades, but this is a battlefield that we third-years must handle.”

“That’s right. First-years should quietly return to the lounge, wrap yourselves in blankets, drink cocoa, and soothe the bitter pain of losing your comrades!”

The squadron leader was joined by his deputy, who would take over in case of emergency during flight.

While they awkwardly stood there, suddenly cast as poor first-years trembling in fear after losing their friends, the third-year seniors’ furious attacks rained down on the fountain.

Flash

“What was that flash…”

Boom Crash

A bolt of lightning struck, sending fountain stone fragments flying.

As Zealot looked at the stone fragment that grazed his cheek and then raised his head to look forward again, he saw the seniors’ Magic missiles covering the fountain like carpet bombing.

“Ahhh!”

“Fragments are flying!!”

“H-Hestia, do something!!”

Rozini, who had used all her strength to submerge the mosquitoes in water, screamed pitifully.

The magic spearman Zealot was barely protecting himself, and the sharp-tongued Echo wasn’t even a combat class to begin with.

‘Beyond two portions, now it’s three portions?’

Hestia swung her axe to deflect the fragments, trying to protect not only herself but also Rozini and Echo.

While she gritted her teeth and swung her axe, only Zigoku, who had fired the first shot from under the tree, licked her lips in disappointment.

“What’s this? How are the third-years so nice? Weren’t Academy third-years supposed to be all psychopaths?”

“Don’t let your guard down.”

While everyone was reconsidering whether the rumors were wrong as they looked at the seniors anew, Oknodie was different.

When pirates engage in piracy, they can distinguish between sailors who are scared and willing to hand over cargo to survive, and sailors who are tense and ready for a fight.

Right now, everything about Oknodie—her muscle movements, the force in her voice, her gaze and expression—indicated a clear combat stance as if engagement was imminent.

‘Why is she so cautious?’

Though puzzled, Zigoku didn’t doubt Oknodie’s judgment.

How much guilt had she felt over the incident at the magical beast storage room caused by her own mistake?

She felt no guilt or regret about firing the first shot at a third-year since she had shot at a dangerous species.

But what if she hesitated and didn’t attack the third-years because she didn’t trust Oknodie’s judgment, and then something happened?

She would regret that.

She would hate herself for not trusting Oknodie.

She was certain of that.

Bang bang!

So she shot.

At a senior approaching Oknodie during the commotion.

Ping ping─!

The bullets were deflected by the protective barrier with a feeble sound.

The senior raised his staff angrily.

“You. I can let it slide twice, but not three times. If you shoot one more time, I’ll fry you!”

“Then don’t approach Oknodie. Our girl is extremely wary of you.”

“I’m trying to help you!”

The senior looked at the blood stone in Oknodie’s hand and said:

“Child, that’s a blood stone, right? It’s dangerous, so let your seniors take care of it for you.”

“No! This stone is mine!”

“The third-year seniors are using their precious mana to help you, so you should consider giving us something for our trouble. Right? We need something to show for our help, otherwise what will we tell the professors when they ask why we wasted mana that should be saved for lectures?”

From Zigoku’s perspective under the tree, it sounded reasonable enough, but Oknodie’s resistance was fierce.

“Don’t lie! The professors encourage mana use because mana depletion increases your mana capacity—they’d never discourage it!”

Is that so?

Zigoku, unfamiliar with the professors, was just watching to see if she should fire another shot.

After Oknodie’s continued defiance, the senior hardened his expression and set the tone.

“Sigh. What does a baby know? Hand it over while I’m asking nicely. You should listen to your seniors.”

“No! You can’t! Don’t do it!”

“Words aren’t working. I’ll have to teach you a little painful lesson. The more you resist, the more you’ll get hurt.”

Revealing his true colors, the third-year gathered crackling energy at the tip of his staff.

“Gyahaha! So I can shoot after all, right?”

“Please cover me!”

Unlike her previous warning shots, Zigoku loaded a special bullet.

The third-year senior, who had been planning to casually neutralize her with an <Electric Discharge> spell and then destroy her annoying gun while she couldn’t aim, widened his eyes.

Unlike charging-type archers who stay in place and use <Precise Aim>, <Charging>, and <Aimed Shot> due to lack of confidence in their accuracy, Zigoku was a rapid-fire trigger-happy type who used <Rapid Fire> and <Mobile Shooting>.

Moreover, her shooting skills, honed in real combat, gave her decent accuracy even while moving.

Bang! Crack

“Argh!”

The senior hit by the bullet that penetrated his barrier convulsed, crashed into a tree, and fainted while hanging from the trunk.

Property-breaking technique! She fired a bullet of the same property to penetrate the barrier that repelled different materials!

Even Zigoku herself was proud of her performance—a response too swift and appropriate for a first-year.

‘At this rate, Oknodie will surely say “Zigoku, you’re amazing!” and praise me a lot, rely on me, and completely forget about my previous mistake!’

Confidently turning to look at Oknodie, Zigoku frowned when she realized her gaze wasn’t directed at her, and followed it.

There stood squadron leader Icarus and his squadron members, looking dumbfounded at their colleague hanging unconscious from the tree.

“Oops. Do I need to shoot all of them too?”