Ch.351351 – Instructor Russo vs. Orknodi

<351 – Professor Russo vs Oknodie>

“How strong could a professor be when they’re just a student on leave?”

Camella, the one who had called for Oknodie to fight the professor, was ironically the most distrustful of the instructor.

To her, professors were stalkers who monitored students everywhere and nuisances that she reluctantly had to recruit at least one of.

‘I’m not asking for much. Just buy me enough time to escape from Oknodie and Hestia for one night. Even a moment would be fine. Just create an opportunity for me to flee!’

If she could gather all the students indebted through pet contracts, she could concentrate those debts on a few individuals and force them into suicide missions regardless of their survival.

Oknodie wasn’t an easy opponent to kill, but such self-destructive attacks weren’t something that could be defended against with mercy.

Even Oknodie would have to kill her opponents to survive.

That was Camella’s strategy.

Professor Russo.

He was merely a disposable card to buy time for her strategy to succeed.

“Huh…?”

The moment that disposable card used <Mana Cultivation Method>, Camella realized her miscalculation.

Flash!

A movement too fast for the naked eye occurred.

She only realized something had happened after a powerful shockwave turned the room into chaos.

“Kyaak!?”

Camella stumbled backward from the wind pressure that was too strong to withstand, barely managing to hold on by grabbing furniture.

‘How could a mere student on leave…?’

Camella had already investigated Russo’s reputation.

The weakest professor.

The lowest-ranked among the already low-tier instructors with the worst bonuses.

Someone disrespected even by fellow professors.

Having reached out to him precisely because she was confident in his marginalized position, Russo’s strength was truly beyond her imagination.

“No, are you planning to just survive today!?”

“You figured it out? Then you should understand better. The resolve of someone who stands here.”

In that brief moment, one sleeve of Oknodie’s uniform had been shredded to pieces.

Like Oknodie who held a sword with a hand that looked like a beggar’s, Professor Russo’s pant leg was also miserably torn, flapping like a rag before falling off.

The difference was that while Oknodie’s skin was merely bruised purple, Russo’s leg that had initiated the attack was covered in blood.

The exchange ratio was poor.

Russo had suffered the greater damage.

Yet Oknodie’s expression showed considerable tension, like when facing a hero.

While Camella might not notice, Hestia could tell.

She had watched Oknodie fight during their weekly club explorations in the paper dungeon.

“Okno…”

“Don’t come closer!”

Oknodie’s sword became covered in color.

What the West calls mana coating.

What the East calls sword energy.

He unleashed the art of mana cultivation through his sword.

And in a color darker than pitch-black darkness.

“This mindset of investing even at the cost of lifespan is the ‘Senior year’ way. If you interfere wrongly, you’ll really die!”

* * *

When veteran players fall victim to probability manipulation, they call it being “rigged.”

<Camella Defeat Event>

○60% chance of fighting Camella’s entire faction

○30% chance of fighting Camella’s suicide squad

○9.9% chance of fighting an upper-class student

○0.1% chance of fighting a professor.

Just a 0.1% probability.

A battle with a professor that hadn’t been experienced even after thousands or tens of thousands of repetitions through probability manipulation.

A rare probability, but not quite enough to call it rigging.

Though he hadn’t expected to face one this way, information about professors wasn’t entirely nonexistent.

‘Professors are everywhere in the Academy!’

He already knew professors’ abilities.

Professors were generally third-year students on leave.

Those guarding safe places like dormitories were even weaker second-year students on leave.

Naturally in the lower ranks of ability.

Those who lacked skill, talent, and diligence.

Weed-like beings who couldn’t accept being pushed aside and trampled among the geniuses blooming with brilliant talent.

‘Even worthless weeds have tenacious vitality!’

Anyone who completed the second-year curriculum would have mastered the basics of <Mana Cultivation Method> and entered the proficiency stage.

Like seniors who cultivated red-toothed mushrooms, they were people trying to compensate for their lack of talent in their own ways.

“The Foundation’s elite knows quite a lot. A freshman discussing the ways of seniors.”

“Jealous? If you join the Foundation, you’ll learn many things too, senior.”

“I decline your recruitment offer. I can’t afford to pay the penalty. But you don’t need to make obvious lies about repaying me. I’m not worth that much to you.”

Moreover, he wasn’t just a simple student on leave.

This senior was genuinely aiming for the ‘top.’

That’s why he unhesitatingly violated the taboo of mana cultivation.

An unstable operation method.

The technique he had personally taught Sing, used when veteran players formed <Terminal Party>.

He was using the explosive heart technique of mana cultivation in actual combat.

And he wasn’t even using any supplementary measures.

He was using it raw, prepared even for the destruction of his blood vessels and mana circuits, rendering him unable to use mana ever again.

And not just amplification, but multiple amplifications.

“Can you trust Camella? Enough to commit to such a body-destroying method?”

“Stalling won’t work. I’ve already placed a barrier in this room when entering, so other professors or dormitory supervisors won’t notice the commotion from outside.”

“!”

“Still, you can leave the barrier on your own feet. Six hours until sunrise. I’ve added a conditional spell that prevents re-entry once you leave.”

“So that’s the negotiation offer from the professor?”

An escape route opened by a crazy senior willing to fight even at the cost of his own life.

Anyone with inadequate skills, insufficient preparation, or who values their life should naturally retreat.

“Did you hear that, Hestia? Leave first.”

“No. You’re not planning to leave anyway.”

“If you don’t leave, I won’t teach you the mana cultivation method. I’ll tell Leaf not to teach you either.”

“That’s so unfair…!”

“What will you do?”

After a difficult deliberation, Hestia spoke.

“You’re confident, right?”

“Of course!”

“…I’ll bring a healer. If you get hurt, I’ll kill you.”

After Hestia left, Camella sneered.

“Your friend isn’t as close as you thought?”

“Shut up. This isn’t your place to interfere.”

[Vibration]

[Diffusion]

[2nd Order Amplification Magic – Force Energy]

The energy he fiercely emitted was counteracted by the force energy released by the professor, causing vibrations.

Camella, who hadn’t learned defensive techniques, turned pale as her insides were shaken just from the aftereffects, and she tightly closed her mouth.

“Think again. Camella isn’t such a good option to pledge loyalty to.”

“Many inferior students have fallen for the Foundation’s temptations, but they all ended up miserable.”

“Do you think Camella’s pet contract would be any different?”

“It’s not.”

The professor readily admitted it.

But this wasn’t an admission of surrender.

“Compared to any contract inside or outside the Academy, her contract is no different. You provide labor and receive compensation. When circumstances aren’t favorable, you betray. It’s the same whether you entrust yourself to a lord of any territory or bow your head to enter any merchant guild.”

A clear awareness of the ruthless society.

An acknowledgment that faces reality and despair rather than dreams and hope.

“Camella was the employer who offered me the highest price. And she faithfully fulfilled the terms of the contract. That alone is reason enough to be loyal.”

“What a faithful dog you are!”

“If you don’t intend to leave, our conversation ends here. From now on, I won’t stop until I drive you out.”

Reactivating the explosive heart technique with clearly higher proficiency than Sing’s clumsy cultivation method.

That person is the original user of the explosive heart technique.

It must also be probability manipulation that exactly that person appeared among so many incompetent professors.

‘Hmph. But I’m a veteran player.’

I take a charging stance against this, I extend my sword into the path of the professor’s leg whipping toward me, I spray sword strikes in all directions…

Multiple afterimages unfold and then reverse their actions in order, incorporating the <Rewind> technique.

<Acceleration Afterimage Sword – Overlapping Trajectory>

A sword swung at different timings along the same path.

The high-level technique unfolded: while the afterimage infused with mana rushes forward, the real body strikes the opponent’s counterattack one tempo later.

The professor was clearly deceived.

He kicked at the afterimage made of mana, but his foot merely grazed the air.

In the moment when my real attack following would surely cut him.

This attack will connect.

I was certain after seeing the senior’s blood-soaked leg.

‘The explosive heart technique is a dangerous move that sacrifices lifespan and permanently reduces one’s level to achieve maximum power with insufficient mana. If he had mana to spare for defense, he wouldn’t use it!’

Slash-

My prediction was correct.

The senior’s leg was definitely cut.

8mm shallower than calculated.

<Russo-style Mana Cultivation Method>

<Explosive Heart Rotation Angle>

After realizing there was no sensation of impact on his foot when kicking the afterimage, the senior instinctively loaded mana on one side of his body, twisting his muscles to rotate his body.

Blood spurted violently as wounds burst open from the terrible operation bordering on self-harm.

There was no leisure to mock this.

Because the spurting blood covered my vision as I tried to continue my sword strikes.

“!!”

Using acceleration afterimage sword to send afterimages in different directions—left, behind, and right—while the main body used the <Jump> function to leap upward.

The probability of the main body being hit was one in four.

It’s a technique for facing unskilled mediocre opponents who know how to increase destructive power at the cost of bodily strain but lack the discernment to recognize advanced techniques.

‘Your power and resolve are impressive, but that’s all!’

Muscles inevitably sustain damage when overexerted.

Without learning the <Numbness> technique to temporarily cut off sensation like veteran players, <Stiffness> is unavoidable with such crude techniques.

That gap is my opportunity.

I’ll evade smoothly and counterattack.

Such calculations crumbled at the sight of the senior below, planting his hand on the ground.

‘He twisted his stiffened lower body again using his upper body strength!?’

A sweeping kick that fiercely covered half a circle on the ground, using force exerted by squeezing his arms and waist.

The afterimages shot to the left, behind, and right all disappeared in one strike.

I f o u n d y o u.

Eyes meeting as if saying that.

If I kick off to jump, I’ll be offering myself to be slaughtered.

Instead of rushing toward me who had planted my feet on the <Ceiling> and gathered strength, the professor’s leg slammed the floor.

The floor tiles shattered and rose up.

Cleverly, instead of charging directly, powerful kicks repeatedly struck the tiles, sending them flying into the air.

Crash!

The dormitory common room became a mess with smoke rising from the broken tiles.

Landing back on the ground amidst the chaos, I frowned deeply and said:

“How much lifespan do you think you’ve lost with that, Professor?”

“Not much. Compared to what I’ve prepared for.”

It wasn’t bluffing.

The skill I felt while exchanging moves, the crazy act of burning away his lifespan.

This professor was completely serious.

Class valedictorian.

Multi-cycle veteran player.

Top scholarship student of the Wiheomhae Foundation.

He was determined to stop me, this insurmountable wall of talent, by sacrificing his life and future for the 6 hours until sunrise.

Respecting that tremendous resolve, I responded with equal sincerity.

“I thought so, which is why I found this!”

From the moment the smoke spread thickly until landing on the floor—that brief time.

Cutting tiles wasn’t all I did.

I actually cut less than half the tiles.

In that empty time.

Using the acceleration afterimage sword technique, I landed on the ground one step ahead and found Camella’s locked drawer containing the contract storage box.

Taking advantage of the noise, I cleanly cut the lock in one strike and successfully retrieved the bundle of contracts.

“If you surrender quietly, I’ll spare the contracts!”

“!!!”

This is the veteran player’s secret technique: making sincere threats.

If I cut this, you won’t get your points!