episode_0070

Chapter 70 – Isolation

Clatter! Clatter!

Fresh air, blazing sun.

I was riding in a carriage, heading to the Academy, enjoying a pleasant morning.

“Haa… it’s been a while.”

Though only two weeks had passed, it felt as if an unusually long time had gone by.

As I briefly took in the nostalgic scenery, I suddenly thought of Isis.

“I didn’t expect getting permission to be so difficult.”

A few days ago, when I returned to the family after conquering the Red Dragon’s lair and announced my intention to return to the Academy, Isis’s reaction was beyond imagination.

She clung to me, apologizing, asking if it was because she had intentionally avoided me. When I said it wasn’t, she immediately started packing, ready to return with me.

It was only after I told her I had promised to meet someone at the Academy that Isis seemed to accept it, asking if the rumors were true.

I roughly guessed what rumors she had heard, so I simply nodded quietly.

‘Sorry, Deborah.’

I told her it was something that would be forgotten after just a day, but it seemed the news of the infamous Ruan Friuli and the Gray Tower Master’s disciple Deborah’s romance had come as a great shock to people.

Perhaps I would be bothered by related rumors for a while even after the semester started.

Well, it would only cause trouble for Deborah, and it wouldn’t be a loss for me, so I decided to soothe her appropriately and then ignore it.

As I considered countermeasures, I subtly brought a hand to my chest.

“By the way, how do I meet the conditions?”

The conditions for the Phoenix Egg are extremely demanding.

Firstly, in terms of its lore, the hatching conditions for the Phoenix Egg were two-fold: an understanding of death and a strong yearning for life.

In terms of game mechanics, this was achieved by enduring for one minute against an enemy of higher level while below 30% HP.

It was only possible because it was a game; in reality, it was an almost impossible condition to fulfill.

It was a good thing I had the Declaration of Forced Endurance; otherwise, I wouldn’t even have dared to try.

That’s probably why other transmigrators didn’t covet the Phoenix Egg.

“Still, with Cain’s help, it should work out somehow.”

The Phoenix Egg’s hatching conditions didn’t explicitly state that I had to fight alone, so fighting with Cain as insurance wouldn’t be a problem.

Just as I was meticulously building my plans and nodding to myself, it happened.

Whoosh!

A wave of magical power swept over my body.

A shiver ran down my spine at the immense yet sinister energy. I quickly opened the window and looked in the direction the wave originated.

“Is that…?”

The Academy was there.

A massive barrier enveloped the outskirts of the academy’s vast grounds, so large it was hard to take in fully.

The dark crimson barrier pulsed violently, like the heart of a living creature. Each pulse spread a wave of magical power, causing observers to feel uneasy.

I tightly gripped the window frame.

“Why did that activate already?”

That barrier is the Illusion Maze Barrier, installed in the inner sanctum where the heart of the Immortal Demonic Beast Levios is sealed.

It was created by the Yellow Tower Master and the Gray Tower Master working together, designed to activate when an intruder reaches the inner sanctum.

Once that barrier is deployed, the space inside is completely isolated from the outside.

However, it was originally supposed to activate during the second-year summer vacation.

In other words, the schedule has been brought forward by a year.

“Damn it!”

I threw a gold coin to the coachman, leaped out of the carriage, and ran toward the Academy.

The reason for my urgency.

It was because, in this episode, Verdan Roosevelt and Cain were supposed to die.

The timing was so different that I couldn’t be sure if the events would unfold as they did in the game, but I couldn’t just stand by.

I had already received all the secret techniques of Mujuk Cheonrigong, so Cain’s death wouldn’t pose an immediate problem. But to become stronger, and more importantly, to repay the favor he showed me as a master, I had to save him.

And Verdan…

“Because Sara would be sad.”

I owed Sara a lot.

So, if I had any decency, I couldn’t let Verdan Roosevelt die.

Just imagining the sight of her crying tears of sorrow caused a sharp pain to constrict a corner of my chest.

I didn’t know if this pain was simply due to sadness or if some other emotion was mixed in.

But one thing, I could say for certain:

I… wish for Sara’s happiness.

‘Please, don’t let me be late!’

I entered the barrier through a hole the Yellow Tower Master had made in the outer wall.

*

At the same time, Sara and Verdan Roosevelt, who were on a date by the fountain, were abruptly thrown into an unfamiliar space by the sudden activation of the barrier.

It was as if they had entered the stomach of a monster, with dark crimson walls and bright red veins flowing through them.

“This is…”

“Professor Verdan. Do you know where this is?”

“No, I don’t know either. What on earth happened?”

They couldn’t calm down easily in the bewildering situation and looked around.

Sara felt annoyed by the sudden incident during their date, yet sensed something ominous and reacted calmly.

“Let’s move first. There’s no guarantee we can get out by staying here. It would be better to join up with others and gather information.”

“An excellent idea. Let’s go then.”

“I’ll take the lead. Professor Verdan, please watch our back.”

Although Verdan wasn’t completely powerless, he was a magic-focused wizard, so his combat prowess wasn’t particularly high.

Sara placed him behind her and slowly navigated through the monster’s stomach.

It was then.

Clatter! Rattle!

Skeletons, enveloped in dark magical energy, erupted from the ground. They blocked Sara and Verdan from both sides and slowly approached.

Sara observed them, confirmed they were not particularly strong, and spoke.

“Professor Verdan. Can you hold them off?”

“Yes, no problem. Why do you ask?”

“There’s a Skeleton Mage behind them. I think it would be easier to deal with it first.”

“Indeed. Then go ahead. I’ll hold them off in the meantime.”

“Okay. Don’t push yourself. I’ll be back soon.”

They stood completely equal, both romantically and as comrades.

Therefore, there was no instance of their judgment being clouded or overprotective actions due to personal feelings.

Sara trusted Verdan and immediately pushed off the ground, soaring into the sky.

Using the skeletons as stepping stones to close the distance, she swung her sword, instantly shattering any that tried to stop her.

Within 5 seconds, she reached the Mage. She flicked away an incoming fireball with the back of her hand, then grabbed the creature’s head.

“Even more pathetic than I thought, aren’t you?”

She had been quite nervous due to the unfamiliar environment, but the monsters’ level wasn’t high after all.

Sara twisted her lips into a smile and crushed the Mage’s skull with force.

In the meantime, four Skeleton Warriors protecting the Mage and an Archer’s support attacks flew in.

Swish! Swish!

‘Head, shoulder, flank.’

Sara, without even looking, sensed the attacks with her instincts, easily evaded them, and then, with a counterattack, turned them all into a handful of bone dust.

Then she stomped on a skeleton again, leaped, and landed next to Verdan.

“You’re alright, right?”

“Haha! Only 10 seconds have passed. Aren’t you being a bit too overprotective?”

“Oh, well. What can I do when I’m worried about you?”

When Verdan asked, the woman who had just been pulverizing skeletons was nowhere to be seen. Sara smiled shyly and wriggled her body.

Even at this sight, Verdan only smiled warmly.

After a short moment of ease, Sara refocused her attention on the skeletons.

“Anyway, it’s a relief the skeletons are weak. Let’s clean them up quickly and move on.”

“Agreed.”

Within a minute, Sara and Verdan had dealt with all the skeletons and continued through the maze-like space.

There were a few more ambushes along the way, but they couldn’t even leave a scratch on them.

About two hours later.

Clank! Clank!

“Professor Verdan. Be careful!”

“Oh dear, it’s a Death Knight.”

Death Knight.

An undead creature forcibly resurrected by drawing out the soul of a knight who lived in the past.

Its level reached 200.

While not particularly dangerous for Sara, it was an opponent that Verdan, with his somewhat lower combat prowess, would struggle against.

Only one had appeared for now, but if several appeared, it would become quite dangerous.

“Professor Verdan. I’ll handle the offense. Please focus only on defense. Understood?”

“You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll maintain distance from it and provide as much support as possible.”

“I’m counting on you. Hyaaaah!”

Crash!

After giving her earnest instructions, Sara struck the Death Knight’s sword, which had charged, aiming for an opening, with all her might.

Despite human flesh clashing with a sword, Sara suffered no damage. Instead, it was the Death Knight that was pushed back.

Their level difference was only about 70, but their combat prowess differed significantly.

Sara maintained the upper hand throughout and, with Verdan’s timely support, found an opening and delivered the finishing blow.

Crash!

With a single strike, a gaping hole appeared in its abdomen, spewing dark energy as it collapsed.

“Phew… Professor Verdan. You’re not hurt, are you?”

“Of course not. Professor Sara kept it contained the entire time, didn’t you? Haha! If you keep worrying about me like this, I might start acting spoiled.”

“Oh, really? I’d quite like to see Professor Verdan act spoiled, you know?”

“Hahaha! No, you can’t. That won’t do.”

“Aww, what a shame.”

As they continued to maintain such a relaxed and affectionate atmosphere, it happened.

Clank! Clack!

Clatter! Clatter!

As if they couldn’t be indulged any longer, a hundred skeletons and five Death Knights erupted from the ground.

Sara’s face hardened.

“Professor Verdan. We really need to be careful this time.”

“Yes. From now on, I will focus entirely on defense. I ask for your help. I apologize for being so dependent.”

“No, it’s fine. We each have our roles. From now on, don’t stray more than 10 meters from my side.”

─Roar!

No sooner had Sara’s warning fallen than the Death Knights roared fiercely and charged, leading the skeleton horde.

Thereafter, a perilous battle began.

*

Step─ Step─

In the entirely dark crimson space, only faint footsteps echoed quietly.

Following the source, one would see a man with a shabby appearance.

His fashion was like that of a jobless hooligan, utterly devoid of any concept of adornment, and his hair was greasy and disheveled from not having washed for days.

Overall, he looked disheveled, but his eyes shone so piercingly that they were hard to ignore.

A sharp, beast-like aura and dense killing intent heavily pressed down on the surrounding atmosphere.

“The bastard is this way.”

The man, Cain, gritted his teeth at the familiar scent of magic emanating from beyond the labyrinth.

The Necromancer, Hersculer.

Even after a full decade since they last met, this stench, enough to rot one’s nose, and the unpleasant aura hadn’t changed in the slightest.

And beside that hateful bastard was a beloved magical presence.

The woman who, in just a few years, had captivated his entire being. The one and only indelible memory.

“Yuliana.”

His lover, reduced to the Necromancer’s puppet, was waiting for him right there.

There was no time to delay.

However, Hersculer seemed to want to hold him back a little longer.

Clank! Clank!

From all directions, five Death Knights burst through the ground and formed a encirclement.

They spewed blue flames from the eye-sockets of their helmets, raised their swords, and charged simultaneously.

And just before they could be shredded by sword aura.

Whoosh!

Cain vanished, leaving only an afterimage.

The darkly burning sword aura mercilessly cut through only the afterimage.

Immediately after, Cain’s body appeared behind the Death Knights, having passed through them.

“Do you think this can stop me, Hersculer?”

Cain took a step, clearly displeased.

Thump!

That was the signal.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Invisible, formless strikes slammed into the Death Knights’ jaws, sending them flying into the air.

Afterward, attacks followed one after another.

Booming crashes!

Hundreds of fist strikes hammered the Death Knights, creating a storm in a certain area.

They couldn’t even counterattack or properly defend, continuously getting hit by the fist strikes until they were utterly shattered and fell to the ground.

By then, Cain was already entering the next passage.

Such things held no excitement for him whatsoever.

This was the power of the man who, ten years ago, was called the Fist Star.