NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36
Yena and Muyeong’s faces turned a pale shade of blue at the words of the female student.
“Heeek… We were attacked by three Akratess too… We barely escaped after blinding them with a flash…”
The female student trembled uncontrollably.
Akratess, an evolved form of a magic beast categorized as a level 2 monster, was in a league entirely different from the level 3 monsters found in the northern sector.
In a place like this forest, which was not even open terrain, it was clearly unreasonable for students without proper gear to face them.
“Sera, calm down… First…”
-Boom! Kaboom!
At that moment, as Yena tried to comfort the female student, a loud noise erupted, and the surroundings turned a deep shade of red.
Dozens of firework magic spells asking for help blasted into the sky from all directions.
Soon, the muffled noises that had been coming from afar began to sound alarmingly closer.
“…Is something really happening…?”
Muyeong muttered in a frightened voice.
He could distinguish between screams that sounded like human cries, the explosive sounds of magic hitting, and eerily low growls.
Lee Hyun felt as if he had suddenly fallen into the midst of chaos.
-Kyaaaaaaa!!
“Aaaaah!”
A tremendous gust of wind swept through them in an instant. Yena could barely keep her balance, swaying like a leaf.
The tingling sensation throughout his body indicated that this was not a normal wind but something artificially created.
“Hyun, we should head back for now… Or else…”
“…No, you all go back. I have to keep going.”
“…Hyun?”
While Yena was regaining her composure, her eyes widened at Lee Hyun’s unbelievable words.
*
If the female student’s testimony is correct, the hole in the separating wall is at the end of the central pathway.
That means the monsters haven’t reached the path we’ve come from yet, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to retreat to safety, even without confidence.
I don’t know how many more Akratess there are, but I shouldn’t have to deal with them.
“Regardless, it’s tough to protect all of you while fighting in a situation like this. We’ve already dealt with all the monsters from our side, so it shouldn’t be dangerous. Now quickly…”
Lee Hyun’s words stemmed from that calculation, but Yena spread her arms in front of him.
“No! Absolutely not!! You heard the story! Do you think going alone will end well…?”
“It’ll be fine. Nothing will happen. In fact, this is the perfect opportunity to take first place…”
“You idiot! Is that something you should be saying?!”
Yena screamed, her voice echoing.
“What good is first place right now?! The exam might not even proceed as normal…”
“You never know. This situation could be part of the exam. And I need to get a good score on this test. I can’t miss even the slightest chance.”
“Brigade Leader. You’re crazier than I thought…”
Muyeong muttered as he looked at Lee Hyun.
“…Why do you need to get a good score so badly?”
“It’s a bit long to explain right now. I’ll tell you later.”
Yena’s face suddenly showed disappointment, but Lee Hyun didn’t have the luxury to care about that at the moment.
If their escape route gets blocked, they would be trapped right here. That would eliminate any paths for him to move freely.
“Sorry, Muyeong. Take the others back to safety. You remember the route we came from?”
“Huh? Yeah…”
“Then I’ll ask you for a favor.”
Lee Hyun finished speaking and headed towards his destination.
He then infused ether into the particle array and crafted the predictive magic formula, imprinting it as is.
Once the application of the predictive magic formula was complete, he felt the flow around him slow down slightly while only he could maintain his normal speed.
The group behind him quickly faded from view.
Predictive magic got its name because it allows the user to anticipate and respond to the opponent’s movements beforehand.
Typically, general-purpose magic only enhances partial muscle strength, reaction speed, or perception in a limited manner, but the multi-array magic formula of predictive magic enabled explosive enhancement of all body parts.
Predictive magic was the strongest unique magic of the Heukryeon family and naturally came with significant costs.
The complex entanglement of seven dimensional magic arrays consumed an enormous amount of particles. Moreover, the user’s body must be robust enough to withstand the strain of the enhancements.
Regardless of how hard he trained physically, he could not compare to other mages who had mutated into bodies suitable for magic through the spring.
It was even more impossible to keep up with the optimization gained through the accumulated responsiveness of the Heukryeon family over generations.
Thus, even if Lee Hyun could endlessly draw ether from the atmosphere, he could only use predictive magic in a limited manner due to his inherent limitations.
In cases like unlocking up to three pathways, it could last at most one or two hours, four pathways for about 30 minutes, five for 15 minutes, six for five minutes, and if all seven pathways were activated, much less than that.
Using magic for a longer duration than a day could lead to a severe overload that could shorten his lifespan, which is why Sa Jaehyeok had imposed strict restrictions on Lee Hyun’s magic.
But this was not a situation where he couldn’t afford to push himself. Unlocking just three pathways would be more than enough to deal with level two monsters.
Lee Hyun planned to swiftly head for the center, scan his identification, and return within the time limit.
-Whoosh!
Suddenly, something pounced from the side of a swamp.
Lee Hyun twisted his body, and sharp claws and hooks soon rushed at the place he had just occupied.
In front of him was a huge arachnid with fur and the size of a bull. The Rachidoras. A level 2 monster that hides in trees and pounces on its prey to inject venom.
Though its poison was highly prized for research by pharmaceutical companies, that was not a concern for him right now.
Lee Hyun leaped over the head of the oncoming monster. He then plunged his blade into its chest and slashed through.
The now split monster quivered, spewing green bodily fluids. Its nerve nodes were still alive, but it would soon greet death.
Lee Hyun quickly opened the cartridge of the now dull blade and replaced its edge. It was evident that the supply blades were inadequate to deal with the thick hides of high-level monsters.
He hoped to achieve his goal before running out of spare blades.
Lee Hyun pressed on towards his destination. As long as he arrived, he thought he was guaranteed first place. The feeling of achieving something after a long time spurred his steps.
However, as he continued, he could sense something bizarre happening around him.
There were too many.
Rachidoras, Tigrinus, Mustela, Hiros, Scrofa. All known to be troublesome level 2 monsters.
In such a short time, he had already encountered five species. The numbers were already even more than that.
Regardless of the original form before their mutation into monsters, high-level monsters tend to ultimately evolve into domain creatures. This is because they detest interference caused by the waves emitted by other beings in the vicinity.
Thus, they spend most of their lives within their territory, preferring not to leave once their area is established.
If monsters leave their territory, it usually occurs for two reasons. First, when their prey has entirely depleted within their domain.
However, the behaviors of the monsters he had encountered so far clearly could not be seen as predator patterns seeking out food.
They were rash, reckless, and aggressive.
“…”
As Lee Hyun advanced towards the center, an even more bizarre scene unfolded around him.
The towering trees were broken, or pathways appeared as if something huge had pushed through the forest.
On the other hand, it was not difficult to find the monsters that had gotten tangled up and died while fighting among themselves.
Carrying his curiosity, Lee Hyun finally reached the center of the northern sector.
However, there was one last obstacle remaining between him and the identification device.
Despite being a clearing within the forest, darkness and shadows seemed to envelop his surroundings.
Lee Hyun soon realized the reason for that.
From numerous compound eyes protruded sharp venomous fangs, oozing green poison. As it dripped to the ground, it hissed, corroding everything it touched.
Four gigantic antennae continuously searched the area, and sparks intermittently flickered at their tips with each movement.
Each joint of its segmented exoskeleton was equipped with a pair of legs, amounting to dozens.
Summarizing such features, Lee Hyun identified the creature’s identity. Aiteranus. Classified as a level 1 danger species capable of primitive magic through particle manipulation, known for its development in the field.
It seemed he had found the source of that mysterious gust from earlier.
But this one was much larger than the ordinary Aiteranus, and signs of bizarre evolution could easily be observed all over its body.
It was a mutated variant that had undergone further evolution through particle hyper-responsiveness, clearly a special grade monster with a designated name.
Why is this creature here in the students’ exam area?
“…”
Lee Hyun then noticed the commonality it shared with the previous monsters—fear, the instinct for survival kicking in.
It was excessively wary, overreacting to Lee Hyun’s every little movement.
But Lee Hyun could not begin to guess the context of the situation. The earlier level 2 monsters might have felt threatened by the arrival of the Aiteranus, but level 1 monsters were positioned at the top of the ecological food chain.
It could almost be said that no creature is capable of instilling fear in them. Even seasoned hunters could be reduced to their meals with a single misstep.
“…”
He recalled having seen his captain and sisters hunt an Aiteranus in the northeastern mountains.
The Aiteranus’ exoskeleton, resistant to particles, would simply bounce off ordinary discharge-style magic. Its lightning attacks made it impossible for any approach to work.
Eventually, they could only finish it off after cutting off its four antennae, delivering the final blow by the captain.
Lee Hyun thought for a moment. His situation was abundantly clear by now; this was not just an exam but an actual crisis. Yet, he stood right within the monster’s territory.
Even if he turned around now, there was no way the creature would let him escape unscathed.
However, even they had to go through a bothersome process to hunt these monsters. The creature right in front of him had even undergone individual mutations. Could he really deal with such a monster alone?
The contemplation didn’t take long. The answer was patently obvious.
Lee Hyun decided to get rid of it. And now that he was here, he might as well scan his identification to secure a high rank.
He promptly drew his blade and steadied himself.