Chapter 24: If Not Me, Then Who?

The dungeon we were headed to this time was quite unique.

Because it had the structure of a castle.

From the outer and inner castle to the walls,

'It is indeed a castle.'

I looked at the message displayed on the status window.

[Dungeon, cleared.]

[You can leave at any time.]

The message that the dungeon had been cleared.

"This place is fascinating."

"Dungeons are often like this. Because dungeons are places taken from lost worlds."

"Lost worlds?"

"Worlds devastated and left with nothing after being invaded by demon lords. They reflect parts of those worlds."

Yoo Eunchae explained softly.

"This world is one where a great rift occurred. Multiple dimensions overlapped, creating a massive rift. Do you know the place called the boundary?"

It was a familiar name.

The principal also mentioned that place.

"Those who are currently called transcendents are all heading there. If you're not a transcendent, you can't even set foot there. That's why, in modern times, even being a high-ranking person means you carry an immense amount of pressure on your shoulders."

Aha.

So that's why the professors' egos are bloated.

"Still, it's not like transcendents needed to be there always. Because sometimes, there are periods when they come to take a break."

"Really?"

After all, even if they've shed their human skin, they can't run on infinite energy without ever resting.

Even transcendents need to rest when it's time to rest, eat when it's time to eat and play when it's time to play.

"But… are there monsters living in such a place?"

It's a barren land.

It seemed like nothing, not even crops, could grow in soil stained with blood.

Even monsters, being living creatures, must eat and consume something.

'Even something like a Land Worm that lives by eating dirt wouldn't survive here.'

Because the ground was dry and crumbly.

Nothing can live in such a land.

Only the dead who have lost their consciousness could possibly live here.

"Ah, that won't be a problem. Monsters here regenerate."

"They regenerate?"

"It's like the dungeon recalls its memory, like in a game. A dungeon that has been cleared once continues to produce monsters for that reason."

"Can't those monsters leave?"

"No."

Yoo Eunchae's words raised doubts in me about the dungeon.

Because that dungeon…

'…Isn't it made too conveniently for humanity?'

Seemed to create pioneers for humanity, as if to empower them.

I'll have to look into this later properly.

"How will you conduct the test?"

"Well."

Basic Mana Manipulation.

Four kids have mastered it.

No, to be precise, 3.5 kids.

My gaze shifted elsewhere.

Seon Woohyeon.

It may be his Unique Trait.

I let the mana around me flow with the wind.

"…!"

But he didn't notice it.

On the other hand, Yoo Eunchae did.

"Wh, what was that just now?"

"Releasing mana. It's just one of the methods for detection. It wouldn't hurt to learn it."

Yoo Eunchae's face brightened at my words, thinking she got something more valuable than expected.

'It's natural since I taught it.'

Seon Woohyeon is put on hold for now.

I also tried sending mana with the wind to the others.

The first to react was Abel.

And then Wi Gunak.

They looked at me with curious expressions.

Glancing sideways, the woman with silver hair and red eyes, Shin Yura was glaring at Yoo Eunchae, jotting something down in her notebook.

Seeing this, Yoo Eunchae wore an unpleasant smirk.

'Really has a bad personality.'

But that's fine.

"There's something you need to know."

"What is it?"

"It's about time… for the traitors hidden in the shadows of humanity to reveal themselves."

"Traitors?"

"Yes. Those who harbor dangerous thoughts, relying on unorthodox methods."

"Are they similar to the Demon King?"

"Hmm, a bit different. The Demon King is born to destroy the world."

"What about those who teach unorthodox methods?"

"They're different. They think of humans as toys and enjoy inflicting pain on them."

"Similar to demons, then?"

"…It's a bit different. The Demon King and his demons instinctively seek to destroy everything, but those who wield forbidden magic desire the destruction of all."

The point is simple.

"So, both need to be eliminated."

"Of course. Both are formidable foes, but we can manage somehow."

"Then, are they involved in this incident?"

"Ah, no. Here, it's because Shin Yura, who thinks too highly of herself, meddled and accidentally touched something in this dungeon, revealing the hidden power of Seon Woohyeon."

"Is that so?"

Yoo Eunchae said with a tone full of conviction.

I looked around with a skeptical eye.

But what is that?

A peculiar magic power visible to the naked eye.

'That.'

It resembled the magic power I saw in the laboratory at the beginning of this reincarnation.

A peculiarly indescribable magic power.

Though it was early, I couldn't properly filter out the malicious power.

The magic was so tainted that it hid everywhere.

"Yoo Eunchae."

"Yes!"

"What if you're missing something?"

"That can't be… Wait, do you feel something?"

Yoo Eunchae looked around as if she sensed something from my expression.

"Didn't I say it was safe this time?"

"…Well, there's this thing called the butterfly effect, you know?"

"It's proof that you've caused a lot of trouble."

"It's not just me, Seon Woohyeon caused trouble too!"

Yoo Eunchae yelled back.

Before I could even mention Seon Woohyeon,

Kwaang!

Before I could say anything, something exploded.

As soon as the loud noise was heard, my body reacted immediately.

"Oh, wah!"

"Is, is this telekinesis?"

I used telekinesis to pull all the students around me to my side.

Why is Wi Gunak pretending to be affected by telekinesis when it clearly doesn't work on him?

There was a slight sense of wonder, but I let it go.

That's not what's important right now.

"What happened?"

"That's what I want to ask."

I looked around.

There was a sound of an explosion, but now, nothing else seems amiss.

'No, it must have already started.'

The problem is, how will it come?

And the most reliable thing in this situation is.

The information from Yoo Eunchae.

「Yoo Eunchae, what's their method?」

「Basically, they use terror. They nibble away from the outside to obtain what they want. That's their approach.」

「What should we be wary of?」

「If they're coming at us with this scale, it seems they're serious. No, but why is it so soon?」

「Calm down.」

「…Master does not seem perturbed.」

It's not the first or second time people aiming for the Academy have come.

I don't understand what they find so appealing about attacking an academy of all places.

Even in the Imperial Academy, where the Emperor gathers talents essential to the empire.

And in the Heavenly Martial Arts Academy, with the goal of molding the noble sons of the righteous factions.

Terrorist groups always prefer targeting academies to eliminate promising individuals rather than striking the main body, spending more money in the process.

'It's not the first or second time we've stopped them.'

This is familiar to me.

"Everyone, pay attention."

Hearing my voice, all the other students focused on me.

"Professor Alves, is there a way to contact the academy in preparation for such situations?"

"There is. If the connection is forcibly severed, there's a device that immediately reports it to the authorities."

"Is that so?"

This was reassuring.

The things attacking the academy are using something so extraordinary that it's hard to imagine where they got it from, just to attack the academy.

'Really, what grudge do they have against the academy.'

"What kind of monsters are in this dungeon?"

"If you're talking about monsters, there are zombies and Corpse Lords."

"Corpse Lords?"

"They are an evolved form of zombies, comparable to dark knights or liches."

Corpse Lords.

Just my luck, the last things I wanted to encounter.

"We should probably climb up the walls first."

"The walls aren't exactly a great place."

In a defensive battle, walls are extremely important, but right now, we only have 11 people.

It is better to break through at one point rather than defend the walls.

'With only this many people, the terrain hardly matters.'

Thinking this, I lightly leaped up onto the wall.

I looked beyond the city walls.

A whistle blew involuntarily.

"Whew~."

It was because the number of enemies was extraordinary.

'So many of them?'

Outside the city walls.

There, hordes of zombies numbering in the thousands were visible. And there appeared to be no fewer than five Corpse Lords.

"…This is, an emergency situation."

"An emergency situation?"

"Yes, there are too many zombies."

It indeed was an emergency situation.

A Corpse Lord is a monstrosity in itself.

To the point where a dark knight or lich might be preferable.

I slipped my hand in my pocket while still deep in thought.

And soon enough, I thought of a solution.

"Alves."

"Yes, yes!"

"You, be a temporary professor for a while."

"Me?"

"It's difficult even for me to handle all those and assess the students at the same time."

"What do you mean?"

"What, are we going to do?"

"An exam."

"An exam, you mean, now?"

"When else would we take the test, if not now."

I looked at Yoo Eunchae with a look of pity.

"Don't you see the situation is dangerous?"

"Dangerous?"

I looked around under the wall.

A giant-sized Corpse Lord was visible.

The size of a 5-story apartment building.

The power it held was intense. The visible intimidation was also terrifying.

But it wasn't just one.

There were more than five combined.

'Roughly between mid to high level.'

If it were a martial artist, it would be on the verge of reaching the pinnacle.

And also a 6th circle magician on the verge of the 7th circle.

And that's not all.

Spreading the aura of death, even the zombies were in an enhanced state.

Significantly since the Corpse Lord enhances and regenerates zombies.

Moreover, the unique regenerative ability of the Corpse Lord means it comes back to life even if you think it's dead.

A body close to immortal.

Even if you blow its head off, it revives, so you have to grind the body thoroughly.

They must think they're quite formidable opponents.

That's why there needed to be some cleaning up.

Most of them had to be dealt with to make it possible for the students to take their exams.

"Then, let's start the exam."

"No, now is not the time…!"

"Then, will your enemies wait for you?"

"…That's."

Incidents tend to erupt suddenly by nature.

You're not omniscient, so it's impossible to stop what can't be stopped.

I prepared, tilting my head slightly.

Thousands of zombies.

And Corpse Lords scattering the aura of death.

In other words, that's all there is to it.

"Alves. Can you do it?"

"Yes? Yes!"

"Ah, and does anyone have a device that can record?"

"I, I have one."

"Really? Just set it up for now. Who knows, we might discover something later or use it as teaching material."

Yoo Eunchae took out something like a drone.

She's really well-prepared.

"Setup complete. But, teaching material?"

"Ah, no, are we actually going to fight? The signal must have been sent already…!"

"I suppose so."

I nodded at Alves's opinion to dissuade us.

This might actually be a futile effort.

The principal might have already been contacted and could be on their way here.

'No matter what useless things we do, we can't stop a transcendent.'

Conversely, it means we're doing this because we know a transcendent won't come.

"Alves. The opponent has attacked us."

"Yes."

"They dared to attack without knowing their place. But, these guys might be buying time to take something."

"That, that is…."

"What, don't worry. The lives of the students are my top priority too."

"Then, are we going to hold out here after all…"

"But there's no guarantee that help will come, right?"

What else can we do?

We have to wipe them all out.

People always think optimistically.

It's natural to think that since we are animals that live on hope.

'But that only leads to sitting down and giving up.'

The enemy prepared this terror from beneath the surface. We must always prepare for the worst.

Even preparing for the worst of the worst is not enough.

"Well, we can't just wait while they are making their move."

Yoo Eunchae stepped forward with her staff in hand.

I just stared blankly at Yoo Eunchae.

"What are you doing?"

"Huh? I was going to help you, Master…"

"You guys take care of those things."

I pointed my finger at the Corpse Lord trying to break down the gate, the closest one to us.

"What do you mean?"

"Can the 10 of you handle that much?"

"Of course, right?"

"Then that's settled."

Just one.

It seems like something the students and Professor Alves could manage just once.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't tell me you plan to handle the rest alone?"

"That's impossible!"

There are shocked reactions all around.

But what can we do?

I have to do it.

If not me, then who?

And.

I want to punch the face of the one who caused this situation.

'Come at me if you want.'

Otherwise, I'll come at you.

-Kwoong!!

Suddenly, the ground shook as if there was an earthquake.

The Corpse Lord.

It's the size of a 5-story apartment building.

But it doesn't look like an apartment.

It is made by haphazardly sticking together hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of zombies.

Some of the students are retching.

Seon Woohyeon charged towards the legs of the corpse golem. He tried slashing with his sword, but it didn't cut through completely.

'Tough.'

It was only slightly cut because it was protected by malicious energy.

The legs, made of dozens of corpses, couldn't be severed in one go.

"I've got this!"

Crackle!

Blue lightning writhed as Nam Hyerin swung her sword once more.

The leg was half burnt.

The disgusting smell of cooking meat spread in all directions.

Other students began to move as well.

Each destroyed the Corpse Lord in their own way, burning, slicing, and grinding it.

This creature is nearly immortal, so it won't die unless they do this.

'So.'

Woohyeon was even more curious.

About that man's capabilities.

'All of us together are handling one.'

There are four remaining Corpse Lords.

And that's a tremendous number, not to mention the thousands of zombies.

This is dangerous.

Even if Seon Woohyeon were to reveal the two hidden moves, it wouldn't be enough to save his life.

That's why he was curious about the source of Seojin's confidence.

He doesn't know the details about that.

A candidate for the Demon King.

From Seon Woohyeon's past life.

In other words, that's what he was in the past.

He was even considered the most vicious candidate for the Demon King.

The eternal Demon King who single-handedly devastated China.

That's why Seon Woohyeon initially approached him.

He approached Han Seojin, who defeated the underdog of the Iron-Blood Sword Clan.

'First, let's quickly deal with the Corpse Lord.'

Let's think about what comes next later.

Though it's hard to believe, right now, the most trustworthy person is Han Seojin.

That's why Seon Woohyeon focused all his attention on the Corpse Lord.

"Wi Gunak! Block that bastard's movements!"

"Hah."

Wi Gunak's voice quietly resounded.

What Wigunak did next was simple.

He quickly ran towards the Corpse Lord.

The Corpse Lord reacted to Wi Gunak's movement.

Crunch.

Dozens of corpses formed a fist, and morale covered the fist.

The Corpse Lord swung his zomble fist.

"It's dangerous!"

Woohyeon heard someone's voice.

But that was said out of ignorance of Wi Gunak's actions.

What Wi Gunak did was simple.

He steadied his breath,

Assumed a stance,

And then clenched his fist.

And just like that, he smashed his fist forward.

Kwaaaaang!!

The two fists collided, sending shockwaves scattering in all directions.

"Unflinching, your flame burns across the vast expanse, Undying Flame."

What followed was Shin Yura's magic.

Whoosh!

Black flames blazed from Shin Yura's hands.

The undying flame burned everything of the opponent.

There were other impressive things as well.

Kwoong─!!

An enormous explosion of mana accompanied by a deafening roar.

Therefore, Seon Woohyeon had no choice but to turn his head.

'What on earth did he do to cause such a storm?'

In that moment, a myriad of thoughts crossed his mind.

Could it be that Seojin sacrificed his own life as collateral for his disciples?

If so, there is hope that they can return alive.

And Seon Woohyeon ended up seeing it.

'…What?'

Han Seojin charging towards the Corpse Lord while grinding thousands of zombies to dust.