The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 42

The eerie sound of a music box echoed from the entrance, sending chills down Han Siha’s spine.

“This is no joke.”

The fear doubled as he imagined something could jump out at any moment.

The clock on the wall was ticking backward, and a rocking horse, as if someone was riding it, creaked back and forth.

Even Adela, who was usually fearless, frowned and shook her head.

“…Ugh.”

Basilus perked up his ears, busily scanning the surroundings. Meanwhile, Usher, ever diligent in his role, calmly spoke.

“There’s something here.”

“Oh, come on. You don’t have to tell me that,” Won exclaimed, clutching his head in panic.

Han Siha, trying to maintain his composure, rebuked Won.

“Aren’t Western ghosts better than Eastern ones, though?”

“Don’t say things like that! Aaaaah!”

“Hey, stop freaking out. Every time you scream, it distracts me and ruins my focus.”

“But you said you weren’t scared!”

“Who said anything about being scared? I’m just trying to concentrate!”

Adela clicked her tongue quietly as she watched the two bicker.

How can they be so alike?

At this point, they must be roommates by fate.

Instead of intervening, Adela sat down at the desk in the middle of the cabin.

Swish, swish—

A floating quill pen moved on its own, dipping into ink and writing on a letter. Han Siha paused, turning his head away. Adela swallowed nervously and slowly lowered her gaze to the letter.

“What’s this?”

“Is it writing a letter?”

“Seems like it has something to say.”

There’s a big difference between knowing something in theory and seeing it firsthand.

Adela looked around before carefully reading the letter.

“Unseen but close, untouchable but always near.
What is my name?”

“Ghost,” Usher murmured the answer just as he finished reading the letter.

Thud.

A black blindfold fell from the air, accompanied by a loud scream.

Won jumped up in terror.

“AAAAH!”

“Oh, come on, seriously?”

That scared me.

Grumbling, Han Siha picked up the blindfold with trembling hands. The team, having already studied the dungeon manual, could guess its purpose.

“Isn’t this the thing?”

“Looks like you need to wear this to see the ghosts.”

Exactly. The Ghostly Forest was never a dungeon that ordinary people could clear with their naked eyes.

Only with this blindfold could they see and catch the ghosts.

The problem was, there were only two blindfolds.

The dungeon required cooperation between those who could see the ghosts and those who couldn’t.

‘So this is what Professor Grint meant by teamwork.’

You couldn’t see where the attack would come from, making the Ghostly Forest particularly tricky for a B-grade dungeon. The penalty was that harsh.

Han Siha shrugged, holding the blindfold.

“Adela? Won?”

They had already decided who would wear the blindfolds before entering the dungeon.

Adela, who needed to set traps to capture the boss, and Won, who would be on the front lines, were the chosen ones.

Won hesitated for a moment before putting the blindfold on.

Meanwhile, the quill pen continued to move in the air.

“I won’t harm you, but I can’t speak for my friends.
I hope you survive.
Or, maybe sitting beside me won’t be so bad.”

“Beside me….”

Just as the quill finished the last line, a loud bang echoed right next to Won.

The sound of a magic arrow deliberately aimed and fired.

“Argh!”

“What… What are you doing?”

Won scowled, clenching his fists. His heart was already racing, and he had nearly died just now.

“Hey, Han Siha!”

It was almost suicidal to fire an arrow like that without properly handling magic.

Won was about to demand an explanation when Han Siha lowered his bow, his expression calm.

“A ghost was about to attack you.”

The attack had begun as soon as the letter ended.

He had felt the eerie presence throughout, but to think it was aiming so blatantly from behind.

So, was that explosion from a ghost?

Won checked the ashes on the ground, unable to speak. But then, a question formed in his mind.

How did he hit the ghost at the perfect timing? Unlike Usher, Han Siha couldn’t have seen it.

“How did you know?”

“I don’t have time to explain. We need to move, it’s dangerous.”

Whoosh.

Han Siha supported Won from behind, pushing him forward. Adela and Natalie, who quickly caught on, hurried out of the cabin.

The ground that had been stable just moments ago began to crack and shake.

“Waaaaah!”

“Run!”

Once again, Han Siha’s instincts proved right.

The cabin, now teetering on collapse, crumbled into rubble just as Usher escaped.

“We almost got buried alive. This is insane.”

For a B-grade dungeon, the difficulty was brutal.

Breathing heavily after the escape, Won froze in place, blindfold still on.

Whoosh—

Okay, it’s not that I’m scared.

But I didn’t expect there to be so many.

And for them to swarm like this.

Han Siha gritted his teeth and ran as fast as he could.

According to Usher, they were closing in faster than expected.

To create enough distance and carry out the plan, they had to move quickly….

Just then, Natalie pointed to the bushes.

“Let’s ride the horses.”

It was part of the dungeon strategy.

They were so fast that you had to catch them while running.

The academy students, having learned horseback riding from a young age, had more experience than Han Siha.

Though he looked troubled for a moment, Han Siha quickly mounted a white horse.

The good thing was, he knew how to ride.

I guess I should be thankful I joined the equestrian club after all.

But now that I’m on the horse, there’s a problem.

“I’m not sure I can attack while running.”

Whap.

With a single kick, the horse started to gallop, its mane bristling. Basilus, perched on Han Siha’s back, let out a loud cry.

At the same time, the horse bolted forward.

* * *

Of course, Han Siha couldn’t see the ghosts.

It had been that way from the start. All he could do was watch Basilus’ movements and shoot in response.

It was a significant disadvantage, no doubt about it.

But it was precisely to make up for that disadvantage that teamwork was crucial.

That was the whole point of the group project that Professor Grint had emphasized so much.

“Natalie, to the left!”

“Aaah!”

“Good job, we got it!”

“Adela, you’re still with us, right?”

They had run simulations countless times before entering the dungeon.

As a result, the four of them were able to take down the ghosts with relative ease, working together like long-time comrades.

But that didn’t mean the dungeon was easy by any means.

“Huff… Huff.”

“Getting tired?”

“I’m dying here.”

Giving the blindfolds to Adela and Won, who specialized in combat, was partly a strategic decision, but there was another reason behind it.

The hidden item Han Siha needed to find in the Ghostly Forest dungeon couldn’t be discovered while wearing a blindfold.

This made the task even more challenging.

A hidden item that had to be obtained while fighting unseen enemies.

No one even knew exactly what the hidden item was.

Han Siha focused all his attention on sensing any presence around him, even more than when he first started channeling his magic.

Especially while riding this restless horse.

That’s why he needed Basilus’ help.

“koo!”

Basilus leaped from the horse and grabbed something out of the air.

The rest was Han Siha’s job. Without hesitation, he fired an arrow in that direction.

Boom.

“You’re pretty good at this, you know?”

Usher’s words weren’t just flattery.

He turned his head and looked up at Han Siha.

“There’s one behind you, too.”

Whoosh.

Balancing on the moving horse, Han Siha threw a magic orb behind him.

This time, flames erupted in the air before quickly dissipating.

His reaction speed was incredible.

‘Is he even human?’

When Han Siha had caught the ghost that tried to attack Won back at the cabin, no one had been more shocked than Usher.

The ghost had appeared so suddenly that even Usher, who could see them, was taken aback.

It happened just when everyone had let their guard down.

And yet, Han Siha, who couldn’t even see it, managed to catch it.

It was like a warrior fighting with their eyes blindfolded, and still, he didn’t flinch.

So much so that Usher had wondered, despite knowing it was impossible, if Han Siha could actually see the ghosts.

But the unfocused look in Han Siha’s eyes as he stared into the void told him otherwise.

In fact, he seemed to be searching for something else, his eyes darting around busily.

Usher, who had been watching Han Siha intently from his horse, spoke in a dry tone.

“You’re looking for something, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. Want to help?”

“That’s why I’m here.”

This was the truth.

Usher turned his head, a faint smile appearing on his face.

He had no talent for combat and would have been more of a burden than help in this dungeon. He was here solely because of a prophecy.

For the past week, a single phrase had been echoing in Usher’s mind.

“…The outlander in magic.”

“What? What did you say? I didn’t catch that.”

“I said, it’s coming from the right.”

-That person will save the world.

* * *

His attacks weren’t elaborate, but they were accurate.

He aimed to take everything down in one hit, pouring all his power into his strikes.

Sometimes it was with arrows, other times with magic orbs.

In truth, Han Siha’s range of abilities was quite limited, as he hadn’t mastered anything beyond basic spells.

It was a risky way of fighting, but thanks to his abundant magic, it didn’t seem particularly dangerous.

There was even a hint of confidence in the subtle smile on his lips.

“We got it.”

“It’s dead?”

“For sure.”

Adela chuckled as she listened to the exchange between Usher and Han Siha.

They had almost reached the end of the path they’d predicted would lead to their destination.

Whoosh, whoosh.

In the meantime, Han Siha had crafted a magical club and was striking down the Caspers that came close.

Seeing him swing at the air like that made him look a bit crazy, but the moment you realized that every single one of his hits connected, any mockery turned into admiration.

“Ha… This is incredible.”

Through her blindfold, Adela could clearly see it.

Han Siha was practically flying.

As the excited horse galloped ahead, Han Siha was taking down monsters even faster than the horse was running.

‘Is this how people usually do it?’

It was a ridiculous notion from the start.

Natalie, who didn’t have a blindfold like Han Siha, was a bit shaken.

She wasn’t even able to use half of her usual abilities.

Even with Won’s help in identifying the ghosts’ locations, she was struggling.

Natalie was pouring all her energy into defense.

But even that was an impressive feat.

Most people would have been helplessly overrun by the ghosts.

That’s the normal reaction.

And yet—

“Nice shot.”

Bang.

“Home run!”

“Hey, Basilus, shout it out!”

“koo! Home run! Home run!”

Han Siha was acting like he was in his own backyard, going wild.

And what’s more—

“Why are you having so much fun…?”

When they first entered the dungeon, he’d been a bit shaky at the mention of ghosts, but now that he couldn’t see them, he was running around like it was a game.

At this point, Adela felt almost embarrassed to be wearing the blindfold that seemed more like an inconvenience.

It seemed like Han Siha was catching more ghosts than she was.

“I should have just let him handle it.”

Adela chuckled as she glanced at her companions, who had all managed to follow along safely.

At the moment Adela, who had been panting from exertion, reached the dead end of the path.

The horses let out anxious whinnies and came to a halt.

“…No way.”

Whoosh.

The wind whistled through the quiet forest.

Basilus widened his eyes in tension.

Even the faint sound of birds, which had been heard until just a moment ago, had gone silent.

And then—

Thud.

A massive tremor shook the ground.

—

Rate us on Novel Updates.