Ch.407407 – True Terror

<407 – True Terror>

The parent Kraken, suppressing its anger at the sound of its baby Kraken’s cry, slowly lowered its massive tentacle.

Realizing that it was deliberately calming its hostility, Professor Redmountain retrieved his talisman.

Gugugu.

As the tentacle approached the ship, the protective barrier was compressed and seemed about to burst, causing even El Draco’s adjutant to turn pale.

The professor himself was staring at the tentacle with a twisted expression to save face, but he was also sweating profusely inside.

‘Damn, it’s incredibly strong. If several tentacles like this attack simultaneously, striking, wrapping around, pushing, and capsizing the ship, how could we possibly withstand it?’

The Kraken wrapped its baby in one of its tentacles and began descending back through the summoning circle that had brought it.

They had survived.

The tension that had been so intense that he only belatedly realized his clothes were soaked with cold sweat finally dissipated.

Kugugugugugu

The massive tentacle began disappearing beyond the summoning circle.

But the baby Kraken, clinging to its parent’s tentacle, kept making incessant noises while frantically moving its tiny tentacles and chattering away.

‘This feels ominous…’

His <Danger Sense>, honed in real combat, sounded an alarm.

The descending tentacle gradually slowed.

Eventually, the tip of the tentacle began shaking violently like an enraged octopus.

Even without expressing its will in human language, its intentions were clear.

Any famous pirate would have studied Kraken language at some point, as controlling deep-sea monsters was every pirate’s dream.

[Humans who not only deceived my child but tried to make it food, I won’t let you go just like that!]

“We’re under attack! Maximize the defensive barrier immediately…!”

Before he could finish speaking, a massive whirlpool rose from the seabed.

The ship tilted precariously as a <Deep Sea Great Rotation> swept all the way to the ocean floor, generated by just one tentacle.

Of course, its power was less than one-hundredth of what the Kraken’s main body could produce.

But this was the coastal waters, set up for the interim exam.

The distance to both the seabed and nearby reefs was dangerously close.

<Secret Treasure – Shield of the Great Barrier>

<Protective Talisman>

Just as the pirate’s secret treasure and the sorceress’s talisman simultaneously enveloped the ship, tremendous impacts battered the double-layered protective barrier.

The Kraken’s tentacle had completely disappeared beyond the summoning circle, but this was no good news for the vessel being dragged to the seabed by the whirlpool.

As the displaced water rushed back, currents from all directions crashed against the ship like crushing weights.

Crack!

Massive fractures appeared throughout the ship.

This couldn’t be endured.

As soon as they made this judgment, the two professors immediately released the large barrier surrounding the ship and simultaneously deployed multiple small barriers around all the students.

When the students, tossed about and drifting in these spheres, regained consciousness, they had already been washed ashore on a sandy beach.

“Ugh, I’m sorry, Captain. I fainted partway through and had to be rescued alongside everyone else.”

“I’ll hear your excuses later. More importantly, the students. We can’t have lost any students. Count them immediately!”

Even though Professor Redmountain would bear the consequences, it wouldn’t be good for Professor El Draco either if students under his care died.

How could upper-year students attend lectures from a professor known for getting first-years killed? And without students, how could he fulfill his “quota” to be released from the Academy?

‘Please don’t tell me anyone died!’

Professor El Draco silently prayed as the instructors counted the students.

“The count is complete.”

“…And the result?”

“We have more than twice the original number of people.”

“What? Why the hell would the numbers increase instead of decrease?”

“Um… maybe because of the Meurso Pirate Crew?”

“Classify them properly!”

A moment later, the instructor returned after diligently counting and reported with a bewildered expression.

“I excluded the Meurso Pirate Crew from the count, but the numbers are still higher than expected.”

How could the number increase rather than decrease?

“Ah, you idiot. Second and third-years invaded too! Exclude them and count again!”

The instructor scratched his head and counted for a third time.

Then he scratched his cheek and counted for a fourth time.

He checked the result, consulted the attendance list on his magic watch, checked the result again, consulted the attendance list…

“Say something! What’s the problem now?”

“Even counting just the first-years, there are still too many people.”

It was enough to make ghosts wail.

The instructor, seeing the professor’s utter bewilderment, grabbed the collars of some unfamiliar first-years and lifted them up.

“These students aren’t on the roster. Same with several others. Strangely, many appear to be from the first-year advanced class.”

“Why the hell were these lunatics hanging around the shore on a weekend when they should be busy with assignments, only to get swept up in this mess? This is driving me crazy. Any injuries?”

“They were all paralyzed with fear when the wave hit the shore, so they’re in terrible shape.”

“Huff… huff…”

“What a mess. They’re even choking on seawater. Tsk. Start by saving those not on the roster.”

After reviving the nearly-drowned students, one who had regained consciousness coughed up water and struggled to rise.

“Who are you people? What were you doing here?”

“We were…”

The extra students explained their identity and purpose.

They were members of the advanced class mobilized by Giselle, who had come to settle things with Dobby at the same time Oknodie was taking her exam.

* * *

“Is this a trap?”

“Yes. It’s a trap.”

At the same time Oknodie was attending her exam, but in a different location, Giselle had spread information that Oknodie needed Dobby’s help.

Falling into her trap, Dobby appeared of his own accord at a location filled with advanced class students.

“I see some people who helped me during the library expedition. I apologize for the trouble I caused then.”

“If you want to apologize, do it for the suspicious activities of the Doomsday Cult using Oknodie’s name.”

Irene glared at Dobby with cold eyes.

Creating more bad rumors about Oknodie, whose reputation was already poor, was reason enough to teach him a harsh lesson.

“All my actions are steps away from the moment of doom. I have no reason to apologize to anyone.”

“You’ve become quite insolent. As sinister as the aura around your body.”

“Will you let me go now?”

“I can’t do that. If you won’t yield willingly, I’ll have to correct you by force.”

At Irene’s confident declaration, others began to reveal themselves one by one, building up pressure.

Among them were Eastern swordsman Sing and Morb, both of whom had previously been defeated by Dobby.

“I wonder if it will even be my turn.”

Zhang, sitting on a signpost by the shore and twirling a throwing star, displayed boredom beyond mere confidence.

Considering the lineup that included Giselle, Isabelle, Son Ocheon, Hestia, Dorothy, and Rockpell, it was understandable.

This force was clearly excessive.

Yet Dobby wouldn’t back down.

Had he gone mad from fear?

“If you intend to separate me from Oknodie… then you are my enemies—no, enemies of the world. I cannot forgive harbingers of destruction who hasten the end!”

At this dramatic declaration, Zhang’s eyes widened like someone burned.

<Fear Induction>

This was different.

As an assassin, she had used similar abilities to prevent targets from fleeing or to stop them from thrashing and splattering blood.

For Zhang, fear induction was merely a convenient tool.

Dobby was different.

When he unleashed his ability, Zhang felt an ominous and terrible fear crawling over her skin like insects.

She had never experienced such fear, not even from her master, the Life-Stealing Elder Ryung.

If she had to compare it to anyone, it would only be one person:

Professor Sadaco, the living nightmare who could instill fear even in an assassin’s heart.

‘What must one do to achieve this level of fear induction?’

Even she, an assassin who killed for a living, couldn’t dream of inducing such fear.

Had he made a contract with a demon?

No, even that wouldn’t be enough.

Low, the demon contractor she had seen on the cruise ship.

Even he couldn’t inspire this level of fear.

This was fear induction granted only to those who could take something heavier than thousands of lives.

“The power that brings despair to break one’s spirit. It won’t work twice.”

While even Zhang was frozen, one person stood up, gritting his teeth, among the students who were kneeling and gasping or unable to rise.

Eastern swordsman Sing.

The blood flowing from his mouth was evidence that he had forcibly awakened his body from fear through pain.

<Physical Awakening>, a warrior’s secret technique opposite to an assassin’s numbness—forcibly reviving sensations to cancel status effects!

“This sinister aura… I cannot let this pass without subduing you.”

Northern Archduchess Irene, with a frost-like expression, used the mage’s secret technique <Mental Awakening> to forcibly raise her collapsing body through transcendent willpower.

“The wise understand without experiencing, while ordinary people cannot know until they experience it. You are no different from ordinary people. If that’s the case, I must show you.”

He would use resonance magic to show them the moment of doom.

It felt unsettling to show these memories to someone who had died by self-destruction at that very moment of doom, but Dobby had no choice.

Just as Dobby was about to demonstrate his power against multiple strong opponents, as if he had been selected as a new chapter boss…

‘The resonance wave broke!?’

A massive mana wave forcibly destroyed all magical effects.

It was powerful enough to make everyone forcibly recall that memory, though not as strongly as the actual moment of doom.

The source of that power was the Kraken.

Kugugugugugu!

As the massive tentacle burst through the water’s surface, fear struck all the students.

Dobby’s fear induction.

The Kraken’s area-of-effect fear.

Under this double layer of fear, even Sing and Irene who had used Physical and Mental Awakening, and Zhang who had been moving by erasing fear through an assassin’s numbness, froze again.

Unlike Dobby’s fear which they could forcibly shake off, this was an area-of-effect fear based on mana <Pressure> that made even the act of resistance impossible.

Before they could overcome this power, the tentacle disappeared beneath the surface, and a massive whirlpool formed offshore.

The ship was caught, rocked, sank, and then burst out in the midst of the chaos.

With a thunderous sound, the ship exploded, sending a massive wave crashing into the shore.

Boom!

Needless to say, all the students confronting Dobby were swept away by the wave.

As a result, all students on the shoreline were knocked down.

“Cough, cough…”

Zhang rose, shaking with indignation at this bolt from the blue.

Her blurry vision caught sight of a figure.

Beyond the shoreline, heading toward the restricted area with unnaturally quick steps, was a small child.

“Oknodie…?”

There was no hesitation or wavering in her steps.

As if she had anticipated all this chaos.

As if everything had gone according to plan.

‘Could it be that what was in that tentacle box she carried around for her food catalog collection was actually a baby of the deep-sea monster Kraken…?’

Her puzzlement quickly turned to agitation, then to shock.

Whatever the plan was for, this was extremely dangerous behavior.

It would naturally result in disciplinary action from the Academy.

What place was she trying to infiltrate that required such extreme measures, and what awaited inside?

If she didn’t witness this, daily life would probably continue as before.

But she had a strong premonition that if she simply remained complacent, Oknodie would one day vanish from her side.

“Kugh…”

Ignoring the injuries she had sustained when her fear-frozen body was hit by the wave that felt hard as rock, Zhang forced herself to stand.

The small footsteps she was following belonged, of course, to Oknodie.