Chapter 52
Dozens of plant-type monsters, walking on their own roots as if they were legs, opened their flytrap-like maws wide and lunged toward the students.
“Graaaah!”
“Kyaaaah!”
At that moment, blue flashes of light rained down on the beasts.
Kwa-kwang!
The monsters were reduced to dust, and in their place stood Hazen.
“The test is over for everyone. Run, now!”
“Y-yes, sir!”
Clicking his tongue, Hazen looked grimly at the monsters still swarming.
‘Damn it. What on earth is happening…?’
Up until now, the exam had been proceeding without incident.
But at some point, unexpected plant-type monsters had appeared. They devoured lower-grade beasts and multiplied their ranks.
Despite their thin and wiry appearances, these were actually mid-grade monsters. Professors and teaching assistants could barely handle five at once.
And yet, even though Hazen was mowing down dozens at a time with each thrust of his spear, their numbers showed no sign of decreasing.
Then a professor rushed to him.
“Mr. Lauzer! The Giant Dionaea are acting strangely! Their mana levels suddenly spiked to high-grade!”
“Then those plant-type monsters that appeared out of nowhere must be…”
“They seem to be subspecies of the Giant Dionaea.”
Though the sudden situation rattled Hazen, he quickly set his priorities.
“Select some assistants and send for reinforcements from the main academy. I’ll deal with the Giant Dionaea.”
“Can you handle them alone? We should wait for support before exterminating them!”
“There are students fighting the field bosses right now.”
Until just before the subspecies appeared, Hazen had been observing Van’s group.
He hadn’t witnessed them actually confronting the field boss, but if they kept pressing forward, it was inevitable they had already encountered it.
“Students are already targeting the field boss?! That’s—”
“Two groups, most likely.”
“Two groups at once…”
“So, Professor Cron, focus entirely on evacuating the students.”
“Understood.”
As his colleague departed, Hazen cut down the monsters in his path and charged forward.
Meanwhile, Drener’s group was also engaged with a field boss.
Unlike the one Van’s group faced, this boss surrounded its territory with roots and attacked solely using them.
Drener dodged while carrying Ceres and Sonia under each arm.
“Sonia! Was this unexpected too?”
“There’s nothing like this in any monster compendium!”
“At first it was so quiet, like it was dead…!”
When they had first encountered the field boss, it lay completely still, lips sealed, limp and lifeless.
Even when they stepped into its territory, it hadn’t attacked. Only when they tried to strike first did it suddenly flare green and awaken.
They should have chosen—either escape or fight. But since then, Ceres had done nothing but gag, incapable of making any decision.
“Ceres Laplace! Snap out of it! What’s wrong with you?!”
“That thing… It’s a human-demon monster…”
Drener and Sonia had no idea what she meant.
But Ceres could see it clearly.
Inside the Giant Dionaea’s body were the remnants of a human.
Its half-conscious, staggering movements reminded her of someone laughing manically while crying, blade in hand.
Witnessing something that could never occur naturally, Ceres struggled to hold onto her sanity.
‘Why… why would anyone commit such a horrific act…?’
Her words meant this: a human had been devoured by the monster and twisted into a demon-like form.
Drener, of course, didn’t understand.
“Ceres! If you don’t act, we’re all going to die here!”
Because he was forced to carry the other two, he couldn’t retaliate at all.
Their only chance of escape lay in Ceres’s spatial magic.
Though nauseous and dizzy, she somehow regained her focus.
“F-fine…”
She knew forming a magic circle in this state would only cause problems. So, biting into her palm, she drew the circle on her own skin.
Infusing it with mana, she locked onto the place where the strongest force could be felt.
The space twisted, and Drener’s group appeared before Hazen.
“You are…?!”
“Professor! The field boss is—!”
Drener tried to explain but stopped as he glanced around.
The area was crawling with walking plant-monsters.
“What the hell…?!”
“The field bosses have evolved to high-grade level. We don’t know why, but—”
Hazen grit his teeth.
It would be wonderful if Drener’s group could escape safely, but everywhere around them swarmed mid-grade monsters—too much for students to handle even one.
Normally, Hazen would protect them and guide them out. But now, there was no time. Van’s group needed saving too.
‘Do I trust Drener’s group to make it out on their own? Or retreat now and fight through again later…?’
The first choice meant keeping his promise as Hazen the man. The second meant saving those within reach as Hazen the educator.
Either way, some would be left to die.
In the end, he chose the latter.
“I’ll carve a path. Stay close to me and focus only on escaping.”
At that moment, Ceres steadied herself and spoke.
“Van…! Van’s group must be fighting the field boss too!”
The instant she got away from the boss, her thoughts went straight to Van.
‘That boss must have become a human-demon monster too…’
Hoping Van had sensed the danger and fled was too optimistic for her deteriorating state of mind.
She couldn’t bear the thought of seeing him die to that abomination.
With desperate eyes, she looked at Hazen. But he closed his.
“If it’s that boy, he’ll hold out. For now, evacuating you comes first—”
Suddenly, Ceres grabbed Hazen by the collar.
“No. I refuse.”
“I am an educator. If I go save him, I’ll be abandoning the students within my reach.”
She let go, then began walking forward.
“Where are you going?!”
“…Even if it’s just me, I’ll go.”
“Don’t be reckless!”
“Shut up!”
Her face twisted unlike ever before, tears spilling as anger, fear, sorrow, and worry all mixed together.
“Van might be the only one who truly, completely understands me. He’s the person I’ve longed for, more than anyone else…!”
Though her face was usually expressionless, to Ceres, Van was someone irreplaceably important.
Someone who might fulfill her deepest wish.
Drener exchanged a look with Sonia. Without words, they understood each other—and nodded.
Then Drener spoke.
“Professor. You don’t have to choose between Van Astrea’s group and ours. We’ll help you.”
“You can’t—”
“Ceres can aid with teleportation, Sonia is gifted in buff magic to protect them, and my ability excels at killing monsters.”
“….”
When Hazen still hesitated, Sonia firmly declared:
“Please trust us!”
After much inner struggle, Hazen finally decided.
“Very well. Then let’s hurry.”
Back to Van’s group.
Right after Ridipin was swallowed, Reina screamed.
“Ridipin!”
But the field boss paid no mind and gulped her down.
Reina charged at it, but Van stopped her.
“Calm down! Rushing in won’t help!”
“But—!”
“Plant-type monsters take time to digest their prey! That means there’s still a chance!”
His words helped her regain some composure.
“See that bulge at the base of its stem? That’s the stomach. If we can pierce it, we can save her!”
This was exactly how Hazen saved the protagonist in the game.
Though the boss’s power-up might mean she was dissolved instantly, they had to believe otherwise.
Dodging more roots, Reina spoke.
“I have a way, but I need to concentrate. Buy me an opening.”
“Got it!”
Van compressed mana and invoked a 3rd-circle fire spell—【Fire Sword】.
A blazing blade formed in his hands, and he charged at the boss.
Roots lashed at him, but he cleaved them apart with 【Ignition】.
Thanks to 【Mana Compression】, the spell carried 4th-circle power. Combined with his Serenia style and elemental advantage, he cut through even high-grade roots.
Reina silently followed, gathering aura.
‘Half-measures won’t do. I have to go all out!’
Her aura condensed, her sword glowing red-hot.
Yet, unlike her smooth technique, her heart wavered.
‘Can I really do this…?’
Her aura was incomplete. She hadn’t even reached the stage of aura armor.
‘This is the only way to save Ridipin. The only way…’
Then Van, still slashing roots, called out:
“Reina. Don’t worry. Even if it goes wrong, I’ll handle it somehow.”
He knew the truth.
As she was now, Reina couldn’t land a decisive blow on the boss. In the game, it had been outright impossible.
‘But now that she can use aura… maybe a miracle could happen.’
“So let’s do what we’re best at—charging forward.”
Hearing that, Reina, who had lost her smile, suddenly grinned brightly.
“Right!”
Van kept cutting a path.
When roots bundled together, he pierced them with 【Flame Burst】. When they attacked from all sides, he cut them apart with 【Flame Slash】.
At last, they reached the main body. Reina stepped ahead.
She funneled all her strength into one point—an ultimate thrust, burning like a dying star’s final blaze.
【Serenia Style – Supernova】
Her sword, blazing red, turned pale, then blue.
Kiiiiing!
The unbearable heat made the blade tremble, but she gripped it tight. Before the light could fade, she unleashed the incomplete strike.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga!
Her sword pierced the boss, but failed to bore through completely.
‘No…!’
At that moment—
Boom!
A shock came from within. Ridipin was attacking from inside.
Reina’s face lit with hope.
‘She’s still alive!’
Though she’d failed this time, there might be another chance.
But as she tried to retreat, weakness swept her body, stealing her balance.
‘Wha…?’
Unfamiliar with the technique, she’d lost control.
The boss lunged, maw gaping wide.
Van shoved her aside.
Smiling, he said:
“Do you trust me?”
“Don’t—!”
Before she could finish, the boss swallowed him whole.
“No… Van…”
A memory flashed—
The freshman initiation, when an assassin tried to stab her, and Van had thrown himself in the way without hesitation.
She had trained in aura and swordsmanship since then, but just like back then, Van had sacrificed himself for her.
Her body froze, and a root slammed her away.
Thud!
She crashed down, then staggered back up. Slowly, her aura returned under her control.
‘I can’t give up now!’
Scarlet aura cloaked her sword as she charged.
Roots lashed, but she didn’t dodge. Fixing her eyes straight ahead, she cut them down.
This time her aura, strengthened by determination, cleaved them apart.
She walked the path Van had carved, now with her own strength. It was far harsher than she had imagined.
‘So this… is the path Van walked…!’
He had never shown it, but he had endured this crushing burden alone.
The boss relentlessly struck at her, waiting for her to falter.
She refused to let his sacrifice be in vain. Blade and feet moved ceaselessly until she stood before the boss once more.
One more step, and she could land 【Supernova】.
But only one step short, a root coiled her ankle.
It was as if a line had been drawn before her—this is your limit.
‘If only Van were here…’
Her steps halted, but her will did not. She struggled forward, even as the boss sneered and struck with its roots.
Suddenly, Drener appeared, his golden blade incinerating the roots.
“Don’t throw your life away.”
The enraged boss lunged, maw wide.
Reina and Drener braced themselves—
But then, a cold, emotionless voice cut across the battlefield:
“Move. You’re in my way.”
Translucent orbs flew, spinning violently.
The boss’s jaws were crushed under their overwhelming density.
Staggering back in shock, it met the glare of Ceres, her face still blank but voice edged with fury as she readied another spell.
“That thing… I’m killing it, no matter what.”
