Correcting the Villainess of the Academy - Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Predator (9)

Lee Hyun scanned his surroundings. There were no signs of anyone else having passed through. He couldn’t sense any human presence either.

He sighed in relief.

It was lucky that no one had fallen victim to the monster and that no student had stamped their tag before him. Additionally, with no onlookers, he could use his other powers without worry.

Currently, Lee Hyun had opened three pathways of the predictive magic formula, but in this situation, it felt insufficient.

Aiteranus was a class-1 monster that could instinctively use magic, so much so that some scholars argued it should be reclassified due to its unique danger and power.

T h is w a s co p i e d fr o m k i ng mtl .o r g
Moreover, the Aiteranus before him had undergone an additional mutation.

He extended the predictive magic formula to six pathways. Then, he spread the power gathered near his heart throughout his body. The entire process flowed as smoothly and naturally as a river.

Lee Hyun raised his blade towards the monster. Infusing particles into the starlight-alloyed blade, he prepared to penetrate the monster’s field.

The monster instinctively sensed Lee Hyun’s hostility and responded aggressively. Lee Hyun felt his body hairs stand on end.

-Sizzle…

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A strange noise emanated from the monster’s face, and bright, unstable orbs began forming at the tips of its antennae.

The monster fired the completed electric orbs directly at Lee Hyun. According to its calculations, Lee Hyun should have been reduced to ashes the next moment.

-Kieek?

However, the monster let out a deflated sound as if in confusion. Lee Hyun was still standing there, unharmed.

The electric orbs dissipated into the air around him, turning back into ether. It looked as if small fireflies were hovering around Lee Hyun.

Now was the opportunity while the monster was still disoriented. Lee Hyun swiftly approached and leapt onto its back. The monster’s fangs narrowly missed him.

-Kiiik!

Since the joints in Aiteranus’ body couldn’t bend upwards, its back was a blind spot. The monster tried to turn its body sideways to target Lee Hyun with its fangs and violently shook itself to throw him off.

Lee Hyun endured the shaking by gripping the gaps in the exoskeleton.

Severing the monster’s waist wasn’t a good choice. Because of its distributed nerve clusters, it could result in fighting two independently moving, powerful monsters.
T h i s w as c o p i e d f r om k i n g mt l. or g

His target was the monster’s head, where its sensory organs and magical apparatus were concentrated. Dodging the monster’s attacks, he advanced and secured his position repeatedly.

Although the constant bolts of lightning around him hurt his eyes, the ones that reached him disintegrated like fireflies.

Eventually, Lee Hyun managed to climb onto the broad, flat head of the monster.

Dozens of compound eyes focused on him simultaneously. The pupils were filled with an inexplicable fear. The antennae trembled furiously, and venom gushed from the fangs to all sides.

However, there was no longer any viable way for the monster to resist.

Lee Hyun locked himself onto the joint area and began repeatedly stabbing the blade into the gaps.

A single swing of the Cradle’s standard blade wouldn’t suffice against the tough exoskeleton; it would be more damaging to the blade than effective.

-Bang! Bang! Bang! Clang!

Lee Hyun persistently struck the monster’s weak point. Whenever the blade broke, he replaced it and continued to hammer the same spot. He was soon drenched in the monster’s green blood.

-Bang! Bang!

Just before using his last blade, the joint between the monster’s head and body was almost completely shredded. The pulsating blood vessels were now visible. The four antennae hung limp, having given up resisting.

But the monster was still alive. If left alone, its formidable regeneration would soon restore it to its original state. Lee Hyun had no intention of allowing that.

It was time to finish this. He manipulated the particle array device on his wrist, creating a small but intensely burning fireball in his palm.

Although it appeared fragile, it was the most powerful and agonizing spell he knew.

T hi s w as c op i e d from k i n g m t l. o rg
The memory of the dark mage screaming in agony until death within the pillar of fire created by Yoon Chaewon on their first encounter was still vivid.

T h i s w a s co pie d fr o m king m t l . o rg
Lee Hyun threw the ‘Fire of the Sky’ directly into the monster’s body. He then rolled away and put distance between himself and the monster.

-Kiiik!

-Boom!

The monster thrashed about in agony as its innards burned, creating craters in the ground and snapping thick trees, turning the surroundings into a complete mess.

Soon, smoke from the burning innards began to seep through the exoskeleton, and the massive body of the monster eventually fell to the ground with a thud. It showed no signs of further movement.

“…Phew.”

Only then did Lee Hyun exhale the breath he was holding. The smell of burnt flesh was overwhelming, reminiscent of grilled shrimp due to the arthropod nature of the monster.

He climbed over the monster’s enormous corpse and headed towards the clearing. In the center of the well-prepared ground stood a large metal device made of intricate gears and hydraulic pipes.

Lee Hyun placed his identification tag on the machine.

-Beep!

A cheerful sound rang out as the machine activated, but it soon fell silent again. Though he was momentarily puzzled, Lee Hyun instinctively felt assured that he was the first.

Feeling satisfied, he decided to rest briefly before heading back.

“Ugh…!”

Suddenly, a sharp pain spread from his chest, as if stabbed by a knife.

He realized he might have been cutting it close on time. Lee Hyun deactivated the predictive magic formula and retracted his power.

“…”

He wished for something large and soft to lean against, but the clearing had long been ruined by the monster’s thrashing.

“Ugh…”

The only thing left was the giant dead monster emitting a smell like grilling shrimp. But he had no other choice.

***

“Hah, I didn’t think there’d be others with the same idea as me.”

A large, short-haired male student murmured. His protective suit was smeared with green and dark red blood, as if he had just survived a fierce battle.

“Especially you, Seunghun. Surprising. What about your girlfriend?”

“I sent Yeowool back, just in case. But it was too good to give up… Ha ha…”

Th is was c o p i e d f ro m ki ngm t l . o r g
Ryu Seunghun replied with his characteristic smile to Choi Woojin’s question. Next to them, a blonde, green-eyed female student looked displeased.

“Hah, I can’t believe I’m thinking the same as this monkey…”

Her protective suit was also in tatters. Her beautiful hair was tangled and dirty, but she brushed it off nonchalantly.

“So, how many did you catch?”

“Two Hiros, two Nivalis.”

Though all were challenging class-2 monsters, Woojin smirked upon hearing Seunghun’s answer.

“Tsk tsk. I got one Scrofa, three Mustela, and two Flavita. Looks like I won…”

“Three Latrodora, five Canaden.”

Woojin’s boastful tone was halted by Jin Yeseo’s sudden remark.

“So, what’s the plan now?”

Yeseo asked in a still disgruntled voice.
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“Hmm… How about we team up to the center? We all seem a bit tired, and it would be dangerous if we encountered a monster alone…”

“Well…”

Seunghun’s logic was sound. Encountering class-2 monsters unannounced in their first real battle had been unexpected.

Despite coping well, the trio had already expended significant stamina and particles, accumulating considerable fatigue.

“So, assuming we go together, how do we decide the order for stamping the identification tag?”

Yeseo pondered briefly and asked again.

“Either of you can go first. I don’t mind going second.”

“How boring. Hey, Jin Yeseo. How about we decide the order with a duel?”

“Fine. Just wait till you get there. I’ll beat you senseless.”
T h is w a s copi e d f r o m k i n g m tl .o r g

Yeseo replied promptly to Woojin’s suggestion. With their agreement, they advanced in formation.

However, as they approached the center, they encountered strange sights.

“Why do they look like they died fighting each other? And isn’t that a cut mark from a blade?”
T hi s w as c opi e d fr o m k i n g mtl . o rg

Yeseo remarked as she surveyed the surroundings. In front of her lay the bisected corpse of a Latrodora. Its still twitching legs made her frown.

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“Could someone have already passed through? Did someone else think the same as us?”

“Did the professors come through? The skill seems extraordinary…”

Feeling anxious, they hurried. The further they progressed, the more monster corpses they encountered. There were over twenty, all brutally slain.

After a grueling march, they finally reached the center of the northern sector. But what greeted them was not the identification device. It looked like a low hill blocking the path, with dozens of spindly legs sticking out.

Moreover, they saw someone resting against the leg-covered hill.

“…You…!”

Recognizing the person, Yeseo shouted. In the moonlight, the figure’s face was covered by a smooth, shining mask.

End of Chapter