Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 138

Chapter 137

Complete silence.

A blank void filled with only what was absolutely necessary.

In this world, only Simon was the main character.

‘I never thought I’d see this imagery plane again here.’

During battle, Simon could display extreme concentration and imitate this state at will. However, this cradle of concentration made using the Bahil’s curse or Serene’s feathers was on another level.

All Simon could feel was his own body and the flow of the jet-black that was so vivid it gave him chills. The presence of Serene closely attached to his back also lingered.

[Shall we begin?]

A sweet voice echoed clearly. Simon raised his concentration and activated his core.

Threefold…

Like a swollen river flooding the surroundings, the large amount of jet-black was damaging the body.

[You need to increase your control.]

He nudged it straight ahead instead of venting it. But because the core wouldn’t stop, the volume of jet-black gradually increased, and control became very difficult.

[I’ll make an outlet.]

Simon heard her voice and felt the jet-black draining from his body.

Now the balance felt right. Simon activated his core in relief.

His body felt hot.

His blood was boiling, and each cell was crying out for strength. He could feel a different level of vitality from the jet-black operation.

[Slowly now…]

Now, the jet-black operation and discharge were performed simultaneously. An overflowing strength was inside him.

At that exact moment…

Serene, who had been sticking to Simon with a hug, stepped back. Simon’s world came back to normal.

“Serene?”

The nearby students were looking at Simon while exclaiming.

When Simon looked back at her in puzzlement, she smiled with her hands behind her back and pointed with her chin.

“…!”

Drops of jet-black were falling from his body like sweat.

Not only did he successfully materialize the jet-black eruption, but he also mastered the discharge by accident.

The envious eyes of students were on him.

“Woah! That’s a success, right?”

“He can already do that? Is he even human?”

“As expected from Special Admission No.1.”

‘No, I didn’t do it alone.’

When Simon blankly looked back up, he saw Serene smiling like a spring flower.

“You owe me another one now. Are you okay with that?”

“…”

Simon chuckled.

“Right. Thanks.”

She gracefully brushed back her white-blonde hair.

“I’ll make a really grand wish after making you owe me ten debts, you got it?”

“…Is this some kind of on-campus cafe coupon or something?”

“Ahaha!”

As the two of them were laughing and talking, there was a man and a woman who were raging with a volcanic fury.

Meilyn was glaring at Simon and Serene, who were laughing cheerfully.

‘Ugh! It’s so frustrating, I swear! Were my warnings just a waste of breath?! Avoid that woman no matter what! She’s just using and manipulating you!’

Meilyn felt like she was going to go insane with how frustrating Simon was.

Why doesn’t he understand her true color? Seeing him laughing foolishly after getting charmed by her appearances enraged Meilyn.

She wanted to rush in right away, grab the two of them by the head, and make them head-butt each other.

Tap.

And right next to her, Hector, a step ahead of Meilyn, was radiating anger like he was the physical manifestation of it.

‘Simon Polentiaaaaaaaaaa!’

Hector gnashed his teeth.

‘How long are you going to mock me!’

Hector, who had begun learning dark magic a few years earlier than Simon, was obviously capable of jet-black eruption.

However, Simon had mastered the skill that he had spent countless hours transcending life and death for in just one session during this class.

Whaaaaaaaap!

Sparks fired in the eyes of the two students looking at Simon. Some students around them pretended not to notice and resumed their training.

As their anger reached its peak, the two’s eyes met.

“Hey, what are you looking at?”

Growled Meilyn.

“Is this bastard crazy? Look away.”

The moment when the two of them were about to approach each other…

“Meilyn! No!”

Camibarez jumped in fright and hugged Meilyn. Hector’s lackeys also came running, holding him back.

The two shot daggers at each other but eventually turned their backs when they saw the assistant teachers approaching.

‘Is there something wrong?’

When Simon turned to look at what caused the sudden clamors, Meilyn and Hector were already going in different directions. Assistant teachers were also coming in, making the students quiet down.

The training resumed.

Now, Simon had reached the level where he could create a jet-black eruption whenever he needed. However…

‘It’s too risky.’

Getting a momentary boost was great, but the burden on the body was too high. His defeat was guaranteed if he couldn’t finish his opponent with this.

Moreover, it was inefficient to emit jet-black out of the body, almost as if trashing it. He decided that it was only a skill for ‘deciding’ moments.

“That’s why, even among professional necromancers, it’s said that few people use jet-black eruption as their main weapon.”

Said Serene while wagging her finger.

“The reason why Professor Hong is teaching this right now must be to prepare for the next technique. There are many applications of eruption.”

“Aha.”

Simon nodded.

“Can you use it too?”

“Using it isn’t that hard, but…”

She pointed at Simon.

Smoke was pouring out only from that finger.

“It’s barbaric and unsophisticated, isn’t it? I don’t really want to use Combat Dark Magic.”

Well, even if it wasn’t Combat Dark Magic, Serene had endless attack routes.

It was possible to shoot feathers and form magic circles in the distance by fusing jet-black on feathers and to create twenty magic circles simultaneously with twenty feathers. He’s also seen the feathers change into other objects.

In a way, the reason why she didn’t pay much attention to Combat Dark Magic was to give her mind a break.

“Well, still, I don’t think there’s anything in the world that’s useless to learn.”

Said Simon, giving his usual stance.

“Meilyn was also a glass cannon type whose weakness was Combat Dark Magic, but her form has greatly improved as she improved in it.”

“That’s true.”

Serene folded her arms and smiled. Simon read her expression and said,

“And if you really want to become close to Meilyn, you better fix that habit of looking down on people.”

“What are you talking about~? It’s a fact that Meilyn is under me. What’s there to fix?”

Simon smirked.

“You’re one of the strangest people I know.”

Serene also smiled.

“Ah, I agree~ It’s my first time experiencing someone as strange as you.”

While the two were talking, Hong Feng clapped her hands and told everyone to gather up. All students from Class A and C flocked to her.

* * *

* * *

“Please sit comfortably.”

As the students sat on the grass, Hong Feng started explaining.

“It’s natural that you can’t pull it off right away! Consistent practice is the most important factor for jet-black operating techniques. Since everyone worked hard, we’ll have a 20-minute break, and we’ve prepared a fun event for you guys!”

All the students’ froze at the word ‘fun’.

‘Is it something like riding a hippo with only one foot?’

‘It’s obviously climbing a hill while wearing a sandbag.’

Then, assistant teacher Brett, away from Hong Feng, threw a ball at her. She received the ball lightly with one hand and said with a broad smile,

“A class vs class ball game. What do you say?”

“!!!!”

“For real??!”

A truly normal event! Mixed cheers of joy and shock erupted from all directions.

Sports balls became a rare sighting since coming to Kizen.

The eyes of the students shone at the sight of proper sport. Even the students who weren’t very interested in ball games were genuinely happy that it wasn’t hippo riding or hill climbing.

“Alright, I’ll explain the game.”

Hong Feng held the ball under her arm at her waist and moved on to a detailed explanation.

To put it simply, the rules were like dodgeball. You just had to enter the court and throw the ball to hit the opponent.

If you caught the ball safely without it touching any other part of the body, you could also throw it back.

However, catching it didn’t return someone who was out. If you’re hit, you’re done.

“Of course, it wouldn’t be fun just to play it, right?”

The students suddenly felt a sense of uneasiness crawling on them.

She grabbed the ball and held it as if throwing to Brett a short distance away. But, seemingly throwing it in the wrong direction, it flew toward the woods instead.

Swooooosh!

However, the ball suddenly changed direction and flew to Brett.

Brett crouched down and safely received the ball. It stopped only after pushing him across the ground a couple of meters.

“This ball is enchanted with dark magic.”

Dread entered the students’ faces.

“No matter where you throw it, it always flies to a person with a core. In other words, there’s no case where the ball is thrown wrong and misses.”

Brett threw the ball again. It flew away for a long time, then turned and flew toward Hong Feng like a hawk chasing its prey.

Hong Feng lightly received the ball with one hand this time as well.

“Dodging it is impossible. A sport where you can only attack or defend. If you can’t block it properly, you’re out!”

How was this a ball game!

The students were flooded with such thoughts, although a few nodded their heads as if expecting it.

“It seems fun, though.”

“Yeah. We can’t lose against Class C!”

“Professor!”

The questionator of Class A—Jamie Victoria—struck again, raising her hand.

“Can we use dark magic?”

“Yes. You may strengthen yourself, your teammates, or the ball with dark magic, but you shouldn’t do anything to the opposing team’s students. If you break these rules, you’ll be eliminated immediately. Also, the ‘Etherealization’ spell, which transforms the body into a spirit, is prohibited. Just passing the ball won’t put an end to the game, after all.”

Cindy Vivace could be seen pouting at those words.

“Each side sends in a single team at a time. Best of 3. We’ll provide a delicious meal to the class who wins. And the losing class…”

She smiled wide.

“Have to fill their stomachs with a stamina drink while watching the winning team eat~”

At those words, sparks erupted in the eyes of every student.

Competition!

The air suddenly changed, and Kizen’s unique competitive spirit began to flare up.

“Class A, gather up!”

“We can’t lose this even if we die!”

“Class C, over here!”

“We’re finally going to crush the bastards who struck rich getting the Vice-President!”

In the midst of everyone’s competitive spirit, Simon also stood up.

“Hey, Simon.”

Meilyn suddenly grabbed Simon’s wrist. Simon looked at her in surprise.

“M-Meilyn?”

“The class president is looking for you. For Class A’s strategy meeting.”

She walked alongside Simon.

When Simon looked back, Serene was waving with a relaxed smile. Soon, Class C students flocked around her.

“Where’s Cami?”

“…”

“Meilyn?”

She snorted and turned her head away coldly.

Simon smiled bitterly. Why did she look so angry all of a sudden?

“Now, now. Simon! Welcome~”

With everyone in Class A gathered, Jamie Victoria was sitting in the center, and Rick was standing next to her.

When Jamie nodded her head, Rick cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Yep! My name is Rick Hayward, the brain of Class A.”

Booooo!

Playful booing was heard from everywhere, but Rick tactfully countered it by acting like a host of a show, saying thank you for the cheers.

“I’ll explain on behalf of the class president. First of all, the teams have already been decided by the assistant teachers.”

Rick took out a folding table from his subspace—a very odd item to store in there—unfolded it, and laid down papers on it.

Students flocked to look at the list. Simon also came closer to check the roster, although he only checked the names of students he knew well.

‘I’m on team 2, huh?’

Team 1: … Meilyn, Rick, … Toto, …

Team 2: … Simon, … Hector, …

Team 3: Cindy, Jamie, … Camibarez.

‘The balance isn’t so bad.’

Thought Simon before turning his head slightly.

Arms crossed and frowning, Hector seemed very dissatisfied with the team distribution.

“Now, guys, please listen for a second.”

Rick spoke again.

“Although the scope of the strategy has decreased a little, we can still decide which team to send in rounds 1, 2, and 3. This will put us in psychological warfare. When the strong team in Class C comes out, we make the weakest team go against them and wear them down. And it’s ideal to take out the opponent’s middle-strength team with our strong team.”

Everyone nodded. Then, one student raised their hand.

“It’s a best of 3 match. Wouldn’t it be better to send out two strong teams in a row and win it in 2?”

“Obviously.”

Rick grinned and continued.

“From Class C, they’d send out a strong team with Serene in at least one of the first two rounds, right? Unless they’re using a completely absurd strategy.”

“…Mm.”

Everyone looked fed up when they heard the name ‘Serene’.

Serene, a two-top of Kizen alongside Lorain from Class L, was definitely a threat.

This time it was Jamie who spoke.

“Then we should quickly decide on the strong team and the weak team.”

“Uh… The balance is pretty good for us, but if we had to pick one, then…”

Rick’s gaze moved to two people standing close to each other.

“I think Team 2, with Simon and Hector, is the strongest. Any objections?”

——