Academy’s Genius Swordmaster - Chapter 101

[ 101. Baeksuje (1) ]

#101

People’s screams could be heard from across the corner. The sound of breaking and cracking was getting closer. Asher, who became contemplative, shouted while shaking his arms and legs.

“The Manticore that will appear in Baeksu Festival has been released!”

“A manticore?”

Ronan frowned. The Manticore was a dangerous monster that only inhabited the rough regions of the Northwest. It was famous for enjoying eating people, and was basically considered higher in class than Wyvern or Ogre.

Common sense made it impossible for such a monster to be in the middle of the academy. In an instant, the information of Baek Su-je, who had been thinking about Gingamin, floated to the surface.

‘I remembered.’

I remember seeing it in the school calendar. Baeksuje. As the name suggests, it was a festival held by displaying 100 kinds of fantasy species and monsters on campus.

Anyway, even the manticore? It was the car that Ronan had been muttering, saying it was nonsense. Bang! A street lamp that flew in a parabolic arc landed in the middle of the crossroads.

“what?”

The brass lamppost was bent almost to the point of breaking. A roar rang out again, and at the same time a huge male lion jumped out from around the corner. Asher, who had been stepping back, tripped and fell.

“Quaaaaagh! I’m out!”

“Aaaaaaa!!

The lion, which had stopped in the middle of the crossroads, looked up at the sky and roared. Hearing the loud voice, Ronan shrugged his eyebrows.

“How are you for real?”

It really was a manticore. No matter how small the body length was caught, it seemed to be 7m. His muscular body, covered in amber fur, was swollen as if it were going to explode at any moment. Its thick tail, resembling a scorpion, fluttered mercilessly through the air.

But somehow, I felt a sense of incongruity. Ronan, who was looking at the Manticore, frowned.

“Eh?”

Numerous restraints were attached to Manticore’s body. A leather muzzle was stuffed into the glistening canine jaws. A pair of bat-like wings were bound together with a thick chain.

The poison needle at the end of the tail, where the poison should drip, was wrapped with something like an iron ball. Laughing, Ronan slapped Asher in the back of the head.

“You bastard, did you run away because you were afraid of something like that?”

“Ouch!”

Actually, it wasn’t that I didn’t understand. It was a rather daunting monster for the current Asher to deal with. Even if most of the organs that could be used as weapons were sealed, the Manticore was a Manticore.

Its massive size and agility were enough to intimidate it, and a single blow to its paws or tail would cripple it.

“Kyaaaaa!”

bang! bang! Every time the tail struck the floor, the broken paving stone was bouncing. Suddenly, a question ran through Ronan’s mind.

‘Exactly how powerful it must be.’

It was really out of the blue, but I wanted to know how good the Aura I copied from Dolan was. Surprisingly, it might be eaten by a large creature. Having made up his mind, Ronan tapped Asher on the shoulder.

“Hey, do you have any mana potions? It’s something I carry with me for standing expenses.”

“Yes. I have a bottle…”

“Give it to me.”

As soon as Asher took out the potion, Ronan grabbed it and drank it. The empty core was filled with mana and the fatigue disappeared.

“Keuuu…that was good.”

Ronan, who was looking around, picked up a stone. Asher’s face turned white after predicting the future.

Ronan grabbed Asher by the neck with his left hand and swung his right arm. right! The stone flew in a low arc and hit the back of Manticore’s head directly.

“…Kreung?”

“This is the hairball.”

Manticore slowly turned her head. Ronan met his burning eyes and smiled. It was a monster I had encountered once or twice in my previous life, but seeing it this way gave me a new feeling.

“Aagh!”

The Manticore roared wildly and charged at Ronan. The gap quickly closed. It was an unbelievable speed to be wearing various restraints.

Ronan stared at the manticore with his hand on the hilt. It was the moment when the distance narrowed to five steps.

‘now.’

thud! Ronan stamped his foot. Waves of mana were shot forward. At the same time, the manticore’s four legs were entangled with shiny roots. And without the slightest delay, it was ripped off.

“Kyaaaa!!”

“Yeah fuck. I knew it.”

Ronan sighed. It seemed that Aurors needed more training. After replacing the power source with the heart, Ronan pulled the hilt. A reddish sword body appeared.

“I’m sorry.”

“Ah!”

Suaa – A strange breathing sound escaped from Ronan’s mouth. I don’t know the circumstances, but it was the right decision to kill people before they were harmed.

It was the moment he was about to launch a sword strike. Quaang! Suddenly, a huge shadow landed in the sky with a roar. Ronan, who braked suddenly, spat out a curse.

“What the fuck is it?”

The assailant in a suit seemed to be well over 4m tall. Ronan raised his eyebrows when he saw the thick mane covering the nape of his neck.

“Baren?”

“It is difficult. Why is this happening…”

Baren raised his left arm instead of answering. At the same time, Manticore’s forehead collided with his palm. bang! The two boys’ eyes widened at the result that no one expected.

“Kreur…! Aaaaa…!”

“Share. Go back to us.”

Varen stood still without the slightest movement. It was a contrast to the manticore that was giving strength with its claws on the ground.

“Come on. People here won’t hurt you.”

Even in the calm tone, I felt relaxed. The manticore, realizing that it would not be able to win in a contest of strength, stepped back as if it had bounced back. And leaped toward the nearby spire.

“Kuaa!”

It wasn’t about running away. Manticore, which reached a height of about 7 floors in an instant, spurred the outer wall of the tower and rushed toward Baren. Asher covered his face with his hands at the sight of something like a meteorite falling.

“Ah! professor!”

“Huh…”

Baren sighed lightly. The mace-like forepaw was about to strike him. Varen, who lightly twisted his shoulder to avoid the attack, grabbed the Manticore’s mane and slammed it into the ground. bang!! The manticore fell headfirst onto the floor and fell over on its stomach.

“Kleurrung…!”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to go this far.”

Manticore’s body limp. Baren gave a light silence. Suddenly, something strange caught Ronan’s eyes.

‘That one?’

A golden afterimage covered Varen’s right shoulder to his fingertips. At first glance, the golden mana took on a violent form like his front paws. Realizing the identity of the afterimage before long, Ronan raised his eyebrows.

‘Is that Baren’s Aura?’

It was a car that I thought was strange to stop the Manticore with one arm. Even if it was Wear Lion, the weight class itself was different. I thought that some kind of force would have worked, but it seems that I used that.

‘Intense. It seems to be a body enhancement system…’

Ronan was observing the Aura carefully. Baren belatedly turned his head after confirming that Manticore was completely stunned.

“Huh! Ronan?!”

Baren’s mouth widened when he recognized Ronan and Asher. The aura covering his arm faded. The sharp eyes turned round, and Ronan’s familiar face returned.

“Are you both okay?!”

“I was killing it. Baren. I saw you again.”

“Now is not the time to make jokes like that. Are there any injuries?”

Baren made a fuss and looked at the two. I wanted to be a little cool, but anyway, it was a lion that couldn’t be worth it. Ronan nodded as if it didn’t matter.

“are you okay. Anyway, what happened?”

“Huh… I really have no face. If I had known it would be like this, I would have brought it a little later…”

Baren continued his explanation. The Manticore named Nanushi was the object he himself captured to appear in Baeksuje. Originally, they were raised in the hills near the islands, and they moved us into the site from last night to adapt to the Phileon environment.

“I was very fortunate to have my restraints filled for training. I never thought that Nordland’s barbed wire would break… Even if the event were to be canceled right away, there would be nothing to say.”

“Eh? Isn’t that enough? I don’t know if it’s Baeksuje or what, but I wanted to see it.”

“I would love that too. I think it will be split according to the judgment of the student council and faculty. All of a sudden, at such an important time…”

Baren dragged his words. Before long, the guards in armor came pouring in. They chained the distraught Manticore and took it away in a huge cart. Baren, who watched the scene, bowed his back again.

“Anyway, I’m sorry to have put you through this. As a professor and one of the people in charge of Baeksuje, I sincerely apologize.”

“That’s Okay. In life, things like this and that happen. Are you okay, Asher?”

“Yeah… it’s okay…”

Asher nodded weakly. Tears were clearly visible on her white cheeks. Baren, who shook his head heavily, opened his mouth.

“Thank you for your generosity. I’m going to try to sort things out first.”

phut! Baren leaped into the air with those words. The movement of the body jumping over several buildings was unusual. I always baked cookies and sipped tea, so I didn’t notice it, but Baren was also a tremendous powerhouse.

‘Well, since it’s Wear Lion, is it natural? By the way…’

Ronan recalled Baren’s aura he had seen a while ago. It seemed to be a system that strengthens the body, but it looked very useful even at a glance.

Suddenly, I thought that the power to come was unfair. Someone gets a ridiculous scam aura like Stormblade or Mansa, while someone sits on someone else’s legs with their glowing roots.

‘It would be nice if I copied something like that too.’

Ronan thoughtlessly imitated the posture Baren had taken earlier. It was a movement that stretched out his left arm to block the manticore. It was the moment he remembered the shape of his aura. Tsupat! A golden flash rose and faded on Ronan’s arm.

“What the fuck is that?!”

“to?”

Ronan stepped back in shock. Asher, who happened to be looking at him, rubbed his eyes. For a moment, the mana he felt in Baren seemed to rise from Ronan’s arm.

“What was the bar just about?”

“…I don’t know either.”

Ronan shook his head. It was a short time, but I saw it clearly. It was the same power as Baren’s Aura.

‘Could it be possible to copy something else?’

It was like a bolt of lightning had gone through my brain. He immediately tried to recreate Baren’s aura, but it failed because his mana was exhausted with just the flash. It felt like a lot more mana had been consumed than Dolan’s aura.

‘Unless I can only use those idiots’ auras…!’

However, Ronan’s expression was never dark. The important thing was that he manifested someone else’s aura, not Nebula Clazier’s.

If the ability stemming from this tumor is copying other people’s auras, and if there is no limit to that subject, then it is as if you have truly obtained unbelievable power.

‘It’s not enough yet.’

However, it was still difficult to be sure. I needed more verification of my abilities. Ronan, who was pondering something, murmured softly.

“…I need to grow my core first.”

“Yes? core?”

“no. Let’s go back at once.”

No matter how much I thought about it, there was nothing more I could do. The two of them moved to their respective destinations. The students who had regained their composure were buzzing as they followed the manticore being transported.

****

It was around the time the sun was setting when Ronan arrived at Nest, the club district. It was because he went to explain the situation about his core to Nabi Rose and was caught.

“Damn ignorant.”

Ronan spat out a curse. My limbs were still shaking. After learning that he could handle two cores, Navirose said, ‘Then I can double the training.’ It was an extremely feminine reaction.

In the end, Ronan rolled until his two hearts were empty. He twitched his lips as he briefly recalled what had happened today.

‘It’s probably not the time yet.’

He told Navirose most of the information he had heard from Jarodin, but did not reveal that he was able to copy other people’s auras. It seemed that it wouldn’t be too late to let them know after the outline of their abilities was revealed.

‘Depending on the level of the Aura, the difficulty of copying is different.’

Recalling the training days, Ronan twitched his lips. Mimicking Varen’s aura ultimately failed. I tried several times, but only mana escaped all the way, and it was not reproduced.

Kiik – Ronan arrived in front of the club building and opened the door. The interior reminiscent of a tavern was revealed. Asher, who was supposed to meet in advance, was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh Ronan. long time no see.”

Instead, Marja, who was drying her hair with a towel, came into view. Her eyes met Ronan’s, and she smiled widely. Water droplets entangled in her rich blonde hair were splashing in all directions.

“I know. What about Asher?”

“huh? The cutie didn’t come. Did you make an appointment?”

“Eh… wait what? But somehow your body seems to have become stronger.”

Ronan, who swung Marya up and down, stuck out his tongue. She was wearing a training suit that exposed her stomach.

Judging by the unusually sharp straight-shaped abs, it seemed that he had just finished muscle training and washed up. It seemed that his arms were so hard that even a single needle could not go through them, and he could crush Asher’s head with one hand.

‘Is this a merchant or a barbaric warrior?’

I felt like I knew why I had succeeded in dressing up as a man in my previous life despite having those big breasts. It was clear that all the fat had been converted into muscle and compressed. Hearing the compliment, Marja tapped her abs.

“Hee hee right? Would you like to touch it?”

“it’s okay.”

Marja twitched her lips as if her pride had been hurt. Ronan, staggering, sat down on the table in front of him. The level of fatigue itself was different, perhaps because both hearts were completely removed. Marja, sitting close to him, asked anxiously.

“Come to think of it, my face was hurt. what happened?”

“A lot of things happened…”

“I haven’t seen you for the past few days, where have you been?”

“Dawn Magic Tower. Did anything happen while I was gone? Except for the Manticore case.”

“Anything? Umm…something was there.”

Marja drooled, narrowing her eyes. Anyway, the shoulder that touched was hot. Her slightly wet hair was gently tickling the nape of her neck.

‘Why is he doing this?’

I wanted to say Vicky because it was hot, but even that was annoying now. Marja, pondering something, snapped her fingers.

“ah! The missing Lakota returned this morning.”

“Lakota?”

“Why is there a boy in Professor Baren’s class? They are the same age as us.”

“ah. That weak bastard.”

Remembering Lakota’s face, Ronan nodded. It was a martial arts classmate who took Baren’s class together. In his hometown, he seems to have raised pigs or goats on the farm, but honestly, he didn’t have a lot of presence.

“The child went missing?”

“huh. There was an uproar when he disappeared without a word last night. When I asked why he came back so late, he said he went into the forest to pick herbs that bloom only at night and got lost. Isn’t it really ridiculous?”

“He’s a bad guy.”

Ronan smiled. Of course, it wasn’t impossible because the Phileon Academy was filthy and wide. right! Marja’s fingers snapped again.

“Oh, and the notice just came up. It is said that Baeksu Festival will be held as it is.”

“I’m glad. Anyone injured or dead?”

“doesn’t exist. Not one.”

“That’s nice too.”

Part of the site was damaged, but fortunately there were no casualties. Manticore’s escape ended with a simple commotion. Marja explained that the decision to hold the summit was made after discussions between the student council and faculty.

“Actually, I expected this. What kind of festival is Baeksuje? And besides, I absolutely can’t cancel this year.”

“why. Does a guitar-playing salamander come out?”

“…Are you asking because you really don’t know?”

Ronan shrugged. Marja laughed and said in disbelief.

“Awesome. No matter how busy you are, aren’t you too interested in the news of the world?”

“Stop being expensive and tell me, man. What is it for?”

Ronan frowned. It was an attitude as if he was exhibiting any kind of dragon. Marja continued.

“It’s the first time a doppelganger is exhibited in front of the public. That’s all a pair of alpha and omega. The whole empire is in chaos, didn’t you really know?”

“Dopple…what?”