Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The Necromancer’s Attack (3)

[Episode 4 ‘The Necromancer’s Attack’ is starting.]

As the notification sounded, something eerie spread mana all around. Immediately after, the ground in front of me stirred, and something shot out a hand.

It was a skeletal hand.

Moreover, it was a skeleton imbued with a significant amount of sinister mana.

Judging by the immense mana presence alone, I could tell that it was no ordinary skeleton but a ‘Skeleton General.’

A Skeleton General could command hundreds of skeletons, having received the ‘command authority’ directly from the necromancer. In this episode, only three of these quasi-boss level skeletons appeared.

Naturally, if someone like me tried to face it head-on, I’d be killed instantly.

Of course, I had no intention of facing it head-on.

Crunch! Crack!

As the Skeleton General poked its head out, I activated the Terivon Sword.

Just as magical girls and heroes are never interrupted during their transformation, it’s a universal rule to let boss monsters summon without interference.

But sometimes, breaking the rules is fine. There are no penalties for doing so.

Roarrrrr—Ugh?

Whack!!

T h i s wa s c o p i e d f r o m k i ng mtl . o rg
The Skeleton General thrust out its head and both arms, and then twisted its head as it tried to pull out its lower body.

Because I had just struck its head with my Terivon Sword.

“Get back in. Get in.”

T h i s w as c o p i ed fr o m k ing m t l . o r g
Whack, whack! Whack!

When a game has been out for a long time, seasoned players inevitably start rehashing existing content.

Aether World was a ten-year-old game, and at one point, it was a big trend in the community and online streaming for veteran players to create new characters and clear the ‘main episode’ faster than anyone else.

I was more interested in PVP, so I never bothered with starting over, but thanks to those players, I could record all the hidden pieces scattered across maps with my glasses.

Slaying the Skeleton General before it fully summoned was one such hidden route.

The Skeleton General could control any skeletons within a certain range and transmit their sensory information to the necromancer. As a formidable threat in itself, hunting it down in advance was a severe blow to the necromancer.

Thud…!

After half-burying the incapacitated Skeleton General, I severed its limbs completely, then extracted its spine and skull, leaving only those.

“Spine Blade complete.”

Rattle, rattle!

It tried to resist with its remaining teeth, but it was futile.

I had no intention of killing it outright.

This was a strategy exploiting the necromancer’s weakness that to reclaim command authority from a general, they had to make physical contact.

Moreover, carrying this general around had a special ability to ‘freeze’ other nearby skeletons, making it highly beneficial to keep it.

This was the player’s way.

I had no intention of recklessly charging through skeletons.

I just used my information to the fullest and used my head.

“Now, shall we go?”

* * *

As skeletons burst from the ground, Flame looked at Aiselle in great alarm.

‘Wait a minute… why is she with those people? Where is Ma Yuseong?’

She knew this episode from the ‘original rofan.’

In this episode, Ma Yuseong almost single-handedly resolved the situation but was supposed to be critically injured afterward. Hence, she came thoroughly prepared with Hae Wonryang’s support and sacred potions.

No matter how hard she tried, it was ultimately Ma Yuseong who resolved this episode.

But Aiselle, who was supposed to bring Ma Yuseong, showed up with these odd seniors…

‘Where is Ma Yuseong?’

They were already deep in the forest. While this world had many conveniences, its long-range communication methods were less advanced than modern ones. Summoning Ma Yuseong now was impossible.

‘Are we supposed to handle this with just these people?’

She bit her nails, pondering, but found no answer.

The only reason they could fend off the necromancer’s attack was thanks to Ma Yuseong’s nearly cheating trait [Berserk Combat Syndrome].

The more he fought and enjoyed the fight, the stronger he became.

He continuously slaughtered skeletons, exerting power one level above his own, and despite the necromancer being a 5-class, he was weakened when alone, leading to his defeat by Ma Yuseong.

‘Should I seek the cooperation of other mercenaries?’

Impossible. They never undertake unassigned tasks. They were likely busy escaping by now.

‘What should I do…!’

Crunch! Thud!

Hae Wonryang incinerated a skeleton that burst from the ground and placed a reassuring hand on Flame’s shoulder.

“Calm down. We learned how to handle skeletons in class.”

“…Yes, I know.”

“I’ve already sent a distress signal to Stella Academy.”

The Stella Pocket Watch had various functions, one of which was sending distress signals in emergencies.

‘Right. If we wait a bit, the professors from Stella will come.’

Flame calmed herself. Even if defeating the necromancer here was impossible, they could escape with effort.

“P-Flame…? What’s going on?”

She looked at the panicking Jackie.

Originally, she and Hae Wonryang were to go hunting together, but Jackie insisted on tagging along, so they reluctantly brought her.

Thinking it wouldn’t be too dangerous, she decided to bring Jackie…

‘My responsibility. I must save and take her out.’

She forced a smile to reassure her.

“Don’t worry, calm down. I’ll handle it somehow.”

“…Who said anything? I’m not scared at all.”

Seeing Flame’s bravado, Jackie gritted her teeth and poured all her mana into her staff.

‘I can do it too.’

She quickly completed a magic circle, and icicles formed, binding the feet of three skeletons.

‘Perfect! At this rate…’

Then, Flame twirled her staff elegantly and slammed it onto the ground.

Crunch!!

Vines erupted from the ground, binding at least ten skeletons and lifting them into the air.

Then, she spun her staff again.

Thud! Crack! Snap!!

T h i s w a s c o p i ed f rom k i n g m t l . o r g
In an instant, all the skeletons’ skulls were shattered.

‘What, what the…’

Jackie was stunned by the overwhelming sight.

‘This is… unfair…’

Despite being the same age, the disparity in their magical prowess was enormous.

Little did Jackie know that Flame had been undergoing grueling training daily to navigate a dark future. Unaware of this, Jackie merely cursed the world’s injustice, biting her lip.

“Everyone knows how to kill a skeleton, right?”

“Of course.”

“Even elementary school kids know that!”

There was only one way to kill a skeleton!

Completely smash its skull.

Even elementary school students learned how to counter necromancy, the most potent magic of Dark Mages, so while it was their first real battle, they knew the skeletons’ weak points.

However, they couldn’t completely erase the fear and disgust rising from their instincts.

Just the sight of something made of bones wandering around instinctively terrified them, and some skeletons moved without being fully restored to their white bones, looking decayed and repulsive.

“Secure the escape route over here!”

“Hyaap!”

As Dokcheolgwang slammed his fist into the ground, the earth flipped, burying the skeletons. But soon, the skeletons dug through the dirt and thrust their hands back out.

The sight was disgusting, but Flame tried not to look and ran along the path Dokcheolgwang created.

“The longer we delay in the cemetery, the more skeletons will gather! We need to hurry back to the base camp!”

A necromancer’s basic strategy is ‘territorial control.’ They must completely saturate a certain area with their mana to summon skeletons in that region.

In other words, it’s like a territorial game.

As the necromancer slowly expands their territory, the chances of winning decrease.

“They’re swarming ahead of us too!”

“Ha! This is fun!”

“Fun? Are you crazy? Read the room!”

Bandiyun scolded Dokcheolgwang, but seeing him confidently punching at the front line, the rear support felt reassured.

Aiselle spoke with a stern expression.

T h i s w as c o pi e d f r o m k i n g m t l . org
“It seems like a prepared necromancer. The level isn’t high, but they probably created a ‘Force Vessel.'”

T h is wa s cop i e d f ro m k i n g mt l . o rg
“Yeah, it seems like it. This is troublesome.”

A Force Vessel was a technique where a necromancer continuously injected their mana over days or even years.

Even the strongest necromancers have a mana limit. Normally, summoning about ten to twelve skeletons is the best a 3-4 class necromancer can do.

“The skeletons aren’t strong, but for such a wide area, they must have amassed a tremendous amount of mana in the Force Vessel.”

In other words, this was a premeditated event, not an impromptu performance.

Crunch! Crack! Crack!

Skeleton numbers were increasing. They seemed to be intentionally gathering in this direction.

“It seems they intend to capture us?”

Stella students were valuable. Alternatively, they might forcibly turn Stella students into undead to create high-potential mage skeletons.

“I don’t care how much I diet, I don’t want to become a skeleton!”

As Bandiyun shouted and gestured, a fierce gust of wind swept the skeletons. Though it didn’t kill them, Aiselle followed up with an icicle explosion to shatter their skulls.

Students from the elite school, known as the best elite, were overcoming their first real battle remarkably well.

But, there’s always one weak link.

“Eek!”

Suddenly, Kashif Deric, terrified by a skeleton bursting from the ground, screamed and fell.
T h i s w a s co p i ed f r o m ki ng m t l. o r g

T h i s was co p i e d f r o m k in g m t l . org
His position was a Bishop. While casting a significant spell, what happens if that spell is canceled?

“Rebound! Duck!”

Hong Bi-yeon quickly noticed and shouted, but Aiselle and Dokcheolgwang, standing nearby, were caught in it.

Boom!!

The explosion wasn’t significant, but the scariest aspect of group rebound phenomena is the chain reaction of rebounds.

“Aah!”

“Argh!”

Aiselle’s canceled spell due to Kashif’s explosion caused a rebound, and Jackie following behind was also affected.

Boom! Bang! Consecutive explosions shattered their perfect formation. Flame, who quickly retreated, wasn’t affected, but some of Hong Bi-yeon’s group members also fell.

Fortunately, they didn’t faint, but due to mana reflux, they couldn’t use magic for a while.

‘That idiot!’

Hong Bi-yeon, face pale, helped the group member who caused the rebound.

“P-Princess, I’m sorry…”

Unfortunately, the girl caught in it was Arshuane, the group’s top skeleton killer with the highest accuracy rate. She had used a lot of mana to perform better than Hong Bi-yeon, making the impact even more severe.

“No need to apologize. Get on Meradin’s back.”

“But Meradin is a Knight…”

“Shut up and get on! Do you want to be a hindrance?!”

Now wasn’t the time for arguments. She didn’t intend to abandon any group member, so she had to take them, even forcefully.

“…Okay.”

Arshuane, biting her lip in frustration, climbed on the boy called Meradin’s back. Meradin was the only Knight position besides Dokcheolgwang, making the situation worse.

This realization weighed heavily on Arshuane’s heart.

Crunch! Crack! Crack!

More skeletons were gathering. They lost their sense of direction, and the hopeful plan to secure a retreat was foiled.

“Hold them off! If we get captured, we’ll all become skeletons!”

“Haha, finally a decent challenge! I’ve never been knocked down in my life!”

“Can you stop bragging?!”

Unexpectedly, second-year seniors Bandiyun and Dokcheolgwang, who were initially not expected to be much help, were valiantly holding the frontline.

Bandiyun’s wind magic and Dokcheolgwang’s earth magic complemented each other surprisingly well, creating more effective variables than even the elite first-years.

But.

It wasn’t enough.

No magic, plan, coordination, or improvisation could resolve this.

The opponent was a meticulously prepared 5-class necromancer.

In contrast, they were just 2-3 class novice combat mages.

‘This is hopeless.’

Flame bit her lip and grabbed Jackie’s hand. Jackie, trembling uncontrollably, couldn’t even cast spells properly.

“What will happen to us…?”

She couldn’t reassure her with a ‘Don’t worry,’ because she herself was struggling to do anything.

“Huff, huff…”

Utterly exhausted, she couldn’t even use magic anymore. If given a moment, she could recover natural mana through her trait ‘Qi Absorption,’ but there was no time.

Thud!

“Urgh!”

A skeleton rammed into them, but Hae Wonryang’s shield blocked it just in time. However, the shield didn’t last long and soon shattered. With his limited mana, Hae Wonryang had already reached his limit.

Yet, he placed a firm hand on Flame’s head.

“Flame… I will protect you, so escape even if you have to leave me behind.”

“Hah. What’s with that romantic line? Don’t you know that saying such lines means you’ll die?”

She joked, but Hae Wonryang was serious. However, she couldn’t sacrifice him. After all, she had brought Hae Wonryang here.

“Don’t try to be a hero. I know your mana is almost depleted.”

“But I…”

Seeing Hae Wonryang unwilling to yield, Flame shouted deliberately.

“Stop showing off! Think of a way to resolve this situation. You’re smart, right?”

At that, Hae Wonryang lowered his head. No strategist could resolve this. But Flame subtly hinted at him to survive and plan since his magic was no longer helpful.

To uphold his pride.

Realizing this, he felt miserable and wanted to die.

Failing to protect the one he liked and receiving sympathy was the worst feeling.

As emotions boiled, the situation worsened.

Crunch! Crack! Crack!

“Ugh, there are too many!”

“I can’t use magic anymore…”

With skeletons filling the area, the exhausted students could no longer handle them, and even the reliable Dokcheolgwang had to step back.

Suddenly.

All skeletons froze.

“…What?”

Like puppets having their strings cut, the skeletons abruptly stopped, confusing the students.

Crunch…

The skeletons slowly raised their heads and looked somewhere. Then they parted, making way.

Like Moses parting the Red Sea.

And through the skeleton army, someone walked.

That silhouette was so familiar that everyone was stunned.

“…Baek Yu-seol?”

He was holding a skeleton with only its spine and skull remaining as a club.

As long as the skull remained, the skeleton was alive, constantly clacking its teeth, but could inflict no harm on Baek Yu-seol.
T h i s wa s c o p i e d f r om ki n g mtl . or g

Finally, everyone understood the situation.

“That… could it be…”

“A general-level… skeleton?”

Though necromancers seemed to command hundreds or thousands of skeletons alone, they couldn’t manage an entire army by themselves.

So, they established a command hierarchy through skeletons with command authority and certain intelligence.

One effective way to counter a necromancer’s army was to hunt or suppress the skeletons with command authority!

The Skeleton General acted as a receiver, control tower, and antenna, serving as the necromancer’s eyes, ears, and sometimes brain.

But knowing this weakness, the Skeleton General was specially reinforced and always guarded by elite skeletons…

‘He handled and captured a General-level skeleton alone…?’

An unbelievable sight.

But thanks to that.

Th i s w as c o pie d f r om k i n g mt l . o r g
“This…”

“If we can use that, we might be able to escape…!”

T hi s w a s co p ie d f rom kin g mt l. o r g
The students, albeit slightly, gained some hope.

End of Chapter