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Chapter 29: The Necromancer’s Attack (1)
Spring had arrived.
The first semester of Stella Academy started in January, and in the spring, all the phase 1 exams were completed.
Comparing it to Korea, one could consider it a midterm exam.
During that time, Baek Yu-Seol was steadily interacting with Alterisha.
“Oh, you think so too? I also tried to add a button-type color transformation function to the magic pen."
“Additionally, try adding an eraser at the end.”
“Hmm, like a mechanical pencil? Sounds good!”
They say a nerd can recognize another nerd. Alterisha, who was an alchemy enthusiast, quickly recognized Baek Yu-Seol’s temperament and became friendly with him. He subtly gave her ideas for the inventions he wanted the most.
Of course, Baek Yu-Seol did it all sneakily.
If he gave her all the ideas outright, her chances of developing creativity would diminish.
In her spare time, he threw tips on the Alchemical Engineering Cross Technique to Alterisha. At first, she resisted, claiming that the professor would get angry if he came to know about it.
However, when he gave her a few unexpected hints, she eventually couldn't resist her curiosity. She turned a blind eye to the risk and secretly conducted official research at night.
‘But in the end, something crucial is missing.'
Alterisha was an excellent alchemist, but she was exceptionally weak at solving formulas. No matter how many hints Baek Yu-Seol provided, it would be difficult for her to completely solve the formula while he remained within the boundaries of the narrative power.
‘Hmm… What should I do?’
She should have solved it before Maizen Tyren, but it was too difficult to induce Alterisha to arrive at the formula's solution.
"Old man, why are you wandering around so absentmindedly?"
Baek Yu-Seol was lost in thought as he walked down the hallway after leaving Alterisha’s lab. Unexpectedly, Flame approached him from behind.
He was taken aback for a moment.
“Who’s the old man?”
"I mean you."
Since that conversation, Flame had been talking to Baek Yu-Seol like this. He did not know if it was her natural way of speaking, but she always chose words that struck the heart.
“I don’t understand why you’re calling me an old man.”
“Why? Did your horse and buggy get more expensive?”
“What are you talking about?”
“See, you’re an old man. You don’t even know the latest slang. This term has been popular for quite a while now.”
Baek Yu-Seol had no idea.
‘I wonder why kids these days use such complicated jokes.’
‘Still, I'm not an old man. Even though I was originally 29, I’m still in my twenties, alright?’
“Anyway, don’t walk around blindly. You almost bumped into me.”
‘She’s clearly interacting with me to get some information.’
‘That must be it.’
Because of the warnings, he could not tell her anything. Even if he could, he still would not.
Regardless, there was one thing he needed to tell her: to be cautious.
“Hey. About your friend.”
"Uh. Jecky?”
"Yes. About her...”
"That's a crime, you know."
‘You cut me off before I can even say anything.’
“No. When did I ask you to introduce her to me? I was going to tell you to take good care of her.”
“Really? I thought so. There are so many wolf-like bastards around. Ugh, those bastards. They never learn no matter how much they get beaten up.”
‘What the heck does she mean by wolf-like bastards?’
“Hmm, anyway, so you want me to babysit Jecky?”
"Uh. She might be in a very bad state right now. Since you are her closest friend, please take good care of her.”
‘By now, she’s probably been affected by the Dark Magic Corruption. She’ll be in a very unstable state.’
Baek Yu-Seol did not know why Jecky was having a hard time either. Even if he knew the reason, he would not be able to explain it because of the narrative power.
Now, he had no choice but to trust and leave it to Flame.
“Hmm, I’m not her closest friend, but... it just so happens that I’m going hunting with my club members this evening since it’s the weekend. I’ll look after her. Anyway, I’ve got to go now!”
As he watched her leave, Baek Yu-Seol thought, 'In that case, maybe I should check on the other students as well.'
Jecky, Arshuang, and Hae Won-Ryang.
Among them, Jecky and Hae Won-Ryang were the most influential, but what would happen to Arshuang?
Baek Yu-Seol did not know.
‘Who should take care of her?’
He was not close to the Hong Bi-Yeon Faction, so he didn’t know the condition of the girl named Arshuang.
'Could it be that while Jecky and Hae Won-Ryang have been acting abnormal, Arshuang has been normal?'
The person undergoing dark magic corruption was one of the three. Arshuang didn't seem to have much to worry about, but for now, just in case, he decided to visit Hong Bi-Yeon.
Hong Bi-Yeon was taking a class called Attribute Transformation Studies. As a subject that taught students about awakening a second attribute, it was rumored that even students who had only one attribute would awaken another attribute after taking that class, thanks to the instructor being great.
Of course, it was useful for mages who wanted to excel with another attribute, rather than weirdos like Flame, Baek Yu-Seol, or Hong Bi-Yeon.
It was a subject that she only attended because it was compulsory.
That was all.
Magic training usually took place in a large training ground, but it often overlapped with other lectures, so it was quite crowded.
Entering a classroom almost half the size of an Olympic football stadium, Baek Yu-Seol squeezed into a place where there was an unusually large number of students.
As expected, the reason the students gathered was to watch Princess Hong Bi-Yeon’s magic demonstration.
Whoosh!
Her neatly tied silver hair fluttered, and splendid sparks flickered whenever her red eyes shone.
"Wow... She's really, really pretty."
“Is she really a human? She must be an angel."
Certainly, Hong Bi-Yeon was akin to a celebrity in reality. It was because she was widely known to the world as the princess of the Adolevit Kingdom, the most powerful kingdom in the magic world.
That wasn’t all.
She was also known as a flame mage with genius-level talent that had never appeared in history.
“Whoa...”
After she lowered her staff and wiped the cold sweat off her forehead, Hong Bi-Yeon took deep breaths while casually looking at the students who admired her.
Then, her eyes abruptly stopped at the position where Baek Yu-Seol stood.
She looked at him and frowned, then jerked her head around and raised her staff again.
Roar!!! Kwak! Kwak!
For some reason, it seemed that the power of the flames was several times stronger than before, but it had to be an illusion.
After the lecture ended, the students who had been admiring her scattered in a hurry. It was thanks to Hong Bi-Yeon doing all kinds of evil to the students. However, after all was said and done, they would still gather again next time with the same enthusiasm.
Baek Yu-Seol wasn’t one of her die-hard fans, so he stood there and waited quietly.
Hong Bi-Yeon glanced in his direction and then walked over with a sigh.
"What is it?"
“I have something to tell you.”
At that time, the members of her faction, who stood guard beside her, approached and said, "Princess. The hunting trip is about to start.”
"Okay. I’m going to join you soon, so go on first.”
"Yes."
Hong Bi-Yeon sent her group members away and asked again, "What is it?"
Baek Yu-Seol looked through his specs at Hong Bi-Yeon's faction members, but he couldn’t see Arshuang’s silhouette.
“Isn’t there a girl named Arshuang in your faction?”
At Baek Yu-Seol’s question, Hong Bi-Yeon made a genuinely surprised expression. “That’s a bit weird, don't you think?”
“Huh? What?”
“You come to see me, the princess, to ask where some other girl is?”
“Huh? What’s wrong with that?”
Hong Bi-Yeon blinked her red eyes as if taken aback, then sighed heavily as she held her forehead.
“Yeah... You’ve always been such a shameless guy. Arshuang is busy preparing for the evening hunt. Is that all? I’m leaving now.”
‘Hunt? Come to think of it, that episode is about to happen.’
“Wait, did you and Arshuang happen to fight?”
“Ha, do I have a reason to fight my people? If there’s a misunderstanding, we can resolve it through communication."
“Alright, that’s it!”
“Wh-What’s that supposed to mean?”
“She seems to have a lot on her mind lately. Why don’t you listen to her concerns?”
Bewildered and annoyed, Hong Bi-Yeon furrowed her brow. “Why do I have to take care of another woman?”
‘What’s she saying? Did she already forget what she said three seconds ago?’
“Because they’re your people?”
When he returned what she had just said, Hong Bi-Yeon glared at him with fiery red eyes, then she turned around and walked away.
But Baek Yu-Seol was not done speaking, so he subconsciously caught her arm.
‘Did he just grab me? This commoner is too cocky…’
“It's not just idle talk. I’m saying it because I'm worried about you."
The warning did not pop up, so it meant that revealing this much would not affect the narrative power.
Hong Bi-Yeon glared at Baek Yu-Seol with a fierce look, then swatted her arm away and walked off.
“Are you going to do it? I’ll trust you!”
She didn't answer, but the fact that she didn’t deny it was already a big win.
He might not know the future where she awakened as a villain, but her personality wasn't that bad.
'By the way, it's a hunting event.’
Stella Academy did not prevent students from engaging in combat activities such as hunting. Unlike other magic academies, Stella's students were so skilled that they could be deployed on the battlefield right away.
Just wearing Stella Academy’s uniform while performing outside activities proved their status, so outside activities were encouraged.
Of course, that only applied to seniors in the second year or higher. It was possible to go out in the first year, but the conditions were a bit difficult, and there were very few students who wanted to go hunting in the first place.
Like Hong Bi-Yeon, only a few students with excellent abilities from a club could go hunting as a team to accumulate experience.
'Come to think of it, Flame mentioned she was also going hunting.’
Even without listening, their destination was obvious.
'Marthevis Cemetery.'
It was the very place where the [Fourth Episode] ensued.
In the game, it was simply an episode to accumulate EXP, so he didn't follow the story properly, but he remembered that Eisel, Flame, and Hong Bi-Yeon all participated.
The event that occurred in the cemetery was the “Attack of the Necromancer,” where a Class 5 Necromancer appeared and summoned a bunch of skeletons out of nowhere.
It provided them with a decent amount of EXP and a fair amount of rewards.
Baek Yu-Seol intended to participate as well. He had no intention of hunting necromancers, but getting a hidden reward there could be helpful in the Familiar Contract Ceremony scheduled soon.
Since the ceremony depended entirely on one’s talent, it was a must for him, who did not have any talent to speak of.
Baek Yu-Seol went to the 2nd Tower to find Instructor Lee Han-Wol and wrote an application to get an outing pass.
“Is it for training? Where are you planning to go?"
“I’m thinking of getting some fresh air in the Madar Mountain Range where nature whispers in your ears.”
"Well, you won't be able to learn swordsmanship or chivalry from Stella."
"Yeah?"
"No, it’s nothing."
Starting from the second year, it was possible to go hunting alone. The privilege was limited to Class S students.
However, first graders could never go hunting alone, and areas with a Level 3 Danger or higher were prohibited unless they received permission for a special outing.
Every year, there were casualties in such dangerous areas.
What if a student got caught?
At minimum, suspension, with the more severe penalty being expulsion.
But it didn’t matter if Baek Yu-Seol didn’t get caught.
After all, he would just be sneaking around quietly.
Lee Han-Wol read the outing application form.
Baek Yu-Seol didn’t want to get caught lying. He had gone out hunting alone like this a few times before. The professors were too lazy to check, so they tended to give implicit permission.
While waiting leisurely, he noticed another outing application on his desk.
“Isn't that an application from Ma Yu-Seong?” Baek Yu-Seol asked softly. “There are a lot of people out hunting these days.”
"Yes. Everyone went to Marthevis Cemetery for club activities. He must be trying to accumulate points.”
"I see. Ma Yu-Seong and Hae Won-Ryang have high scores, but they’re very diligent.”
This was just a question he asked to confirm the future schedule.
“Well, it seems that Ma Yu-Seong has never been to the Marthevis Cemetery.”
"Huh? Didn't he just go to the cemetery?"
"No. He cut off his outing permit to visit his home over the weekend. As for Hae Won-Ryang... Yes, he traveled there with Flame.”
‘Wait a moment. Something’s not right.’
'They can never overcome the necromancer's attack event without Ma Yu-Seong...'
What kind of variable appeared so that he suddenly had to return home? There were only two reasons Ma Yu-Seong returned to his hometown: he was called by his father because of a specific event or to train on his own.
There wouldn’t be any special events scheduled yet, and there was no reason to train right now.
Later, there was a part where Ma Yu-Seong trained after being defeated by Hae Won-Ryang, who had been thoroughly prepared, but it was too early for now.
'I’m going crazy.'
Baek Yu-Seol bit his lips silently and thought about it. There was no way to contact Ma Yu-Seong, who had returned home.
He glanced at Lee Han-Wol.
If a student dispatched outside informed them that they were in danger, they would surely send reinforcements.
But one had to provide solid evidence.
Stella's elite magic knights weren’t that idle.
'If they asked how I know, I’d be in trouble too.’
Even in the game, there was a time when Flame, the main character, experienced a bad ending when she chose a specific option incorrectly. As a result, she was falsely accused of being a dark mage and executed.
She had informed the mages about an event that would occur in the future.
After notifying them, they said, “How did you know?” and instead scrutinized if Flame was a dark mage.
In addition, it was impossible for Baek Yu-Seol to provide proper information because of narrative power in the first place.
There was only one way left.
'...I have no choice but to solve it myself.'