I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner – Chapter 215

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟏𝟓

Time passed, and finally, the members who would enter the labyrinth were decided.

Even without this, Sophia, who had been eager to grow further, accepted the offer right away, and Shin No-eul also nodded her head at my earnest request.

That left the last spot.

And in truth, this part was the most worrisome for me.

「𝙄𝙛 𝙄 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮, 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙤-𝙝𝙖 𝙤𝙧 𝙃𝙖𝙚 𝙂𝙖-𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚. . . . . . .」

However, as they are responsible for many things in their respective positions, it would not be good for them to be away for long.

And in my opinion, there was a more suitable candidate for this kind of thing.

It was Echinacea Lianqi, who had been a member of the previous Yahwak.

“What business do you have with me, visiting so suddenly after only a few days?”

“There’s something I’d like your help with.”

I didn’t even have a way to contact her, but I was able to find her hovering around Yoo Ha-on, using my knowledge of the original work.

“. . . You seem to know more about me than I thought.”

“That’s not necessarily true.”

“Then, what is it that you want to ask me to do?”

After taking a deep breath, I asked Echinacea Lianqi for a favor.

“I’m planning to raid a labyrinth made of barrier formations soon. I would like you to accompany me then and help me out.”

“A labyrinth, huh? What do I gain from that?”

In truth, that was the crux of this negotiation.

In order to get Echinacea Lianqi, a powerful figure, to move, it was only natural that I would have to pay her something of equal value, but I had already given her a trump card in the form of the suitable candidate’s location.

“Pardon my rudeness, but I don’t see anything else I could possibly gain from you?”

“. . . . . . .”

Her words weren’t exactly wrong.

However, of course, I already had another move in mind.

“Though it may sound presumptuous of me to say, I have a considerable amount of goodwill with Yoo Ha-on.”

“. . . . . . .”

“So if you help me, I’ll be able to help you with something of equal value in return.”

For Echinacea Lianqi, Yoo Ha-on was an indispensable existence, but from Yoo Ha-on’s point of view, Echinacea Lianqi was just an outsider of unknown identity.

However, if I were to act as a bridge between them, I would be able to reduce her wariness to some extent.

“. . . You’re not wrong.”

That opinion was certainly reasonable, so Echinacea Lianqi nodded her head in agreement.

And soon, she spoke words of consent.

“Alright. I’ll accompany you. How long do you think it will take?”

“I can’t give you a definite answer, but we don’t have much time either, so I plan to raid the labyrinth as quickly as possible.”

“In that case, it doesn’t matter.”

Of course, she’s not showing her true strength right now, but she’s more than capable of taking on the bosses of Blinding Mountain, who are over level 70.

Plus, she has to look out for my safety, since I’ll be the one taking the brunt of the attacks.

It was an offer that didn’t have any downsides for me.

“Then, I’ll see you at the place I mentioned tomorrow.”

Just like that, I had once again thrown my hat into the ring for the Eternal Labyrinth.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

As I’ve said many times before, I don’t know much about Blinding Mountain either.

However, based on the information I received when I was part of the development team, I thought that this much strength would be enough to clear it.

「𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙮𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙨, 𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙤-𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢.」

Of course, you’ll have to solve various puzzles along the way, but naturally, those clues will also be provided within Blinding Mountain.

With my experience and knowledge from countless hours playing and creating the exorcism series, I’m sure I’ll be able to find them.

For now, I had no choice but to believe that.

“Then, let’s open it.”

At my words, the people who had gathered nodded their heads.

Han Seo-ah, Shin No-eul, Sophia, and even Echinacea Lianqi.

Soon, Sahwanjae used a spell to take out the passage to the labyrinth that had been stored in the nest, and we headed there without hesitation.

Whoosh.

What unfolded before us were strangely shaped trees that looked as if they had been drained of color.

“This is. . . . . . .”

“I think we’ve hit the jackpot.”

The moment I saw the surrounding landscape, I had a hunch. This was Blinding Mountain.

Honestly, if we had gotten a different labyrinth, it would have taken us a considerable amount of time to break through it, but it seemed like heaven was on our side.

「𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩.」

I clenched my fist tightly, trying not to show my excitement, and scanned the surroundings at a rapid pace.

Faded trees and grass, and a sky that was practically ashen.

These elements combined to create a rather eerie atmosphere.

“In Black Forest, there was a settlement of lost people. This place might be similar.”

There must be people who got caught up in Blinding Mountain against their will. Whether they were still alive was unknown, but it wouldn’t hurt to check it out first.

“Can I ask you to do that?”

“Leave it to me.”

Whoosh.

Shin No-eul, who had quietly drawn out her spiritual power, slowly began to cast a spell.

She was using her specialty, detection magic, to survey the surrounding terrain.

However, her expression soon changed drastically, and she scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes.

“What the heck is this?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Is this really. . . . . . .a place where people can live?”

Shin No-eul’s reaction was extreme. Shin No-eul, who had regained control of her spell, soon came to her conclusion.

“There’s nothing here. These trees and grass are far from being living organisms.”

No life force could be felt, and the surrounding terrain was so obscured, as if everything was wrapped in fog.

That was Shin No-eul’s answer.

「𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡. 𝙊𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮, 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩.」

And it is through that that one perceives objects with a detection spell.

However, everything here was so close to nothingness that it didn’t even have that minimal amount of energy.

I had expected it, but it seemed like the raid on Blinding Mountain was going to be more difficult than I had thought.

“Hmm. For now, it might be better to set a direction and move.”

“There’s nothing to be solved by just standing around.”

As Sophia and Echinacea Lianqi said, it was time to move for now.

Since the accuracy of the detection spell was low, we decided to head for the highest point and survey the surroundings.

However, no matter how much we walked, for some reason, nothing changed.

“We’re definitely climbing the mountain. . . . . . .”

“Why does it feel like we’re not making any progress?”

That was definitely the case.

We definitely weren’t circling the same place.

However, no matter how much we changed our location, we couldn’t find a point that would allow us to survey the surroundings, and we didn’t feel like we were getting any closer to the summit.

「𝘿𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨?」

The surrounding terrain, as if each and every part of it had been intentionally designed.

We couldn’t easily tell where we were on the mountain or how far we had moved.

That was the moment when we realized why this place was called Blinding Mountain.

“Aren’t you guys overthinking it?”

As that situation continued, Echinacea Lianqi raised her hand slightly and drew out her spiritual power.

And she completed a high-level attack spell and swept it across the visible terrain.

Whoosh.

Kwaaang─!

“If we just smash everything, something will come out.”

“. . . Wow.”

Sophia even let out an exclamation at that bold action.

However, it definitely wasn’t the wrong thing to do at this point.

「𝙒𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧.」

Even now, the crisis was approaching every second outside. We couldn’t forget that.

「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙖𝙮.」

This much strength was worth trying. That’s why we came to the labyrinth.

In that case, it was better to act boldly than to be cautious and observe the situation.

“Alright. Let’s cooperate.”

“Eh, really?”

“We need some kind of clue anyway.”

Despite her words, Sophia seemed to be a little bit hesitant, but she immediately drew out a vast amount of spiritual power and swept it around with Echinacea Lianqi.

As the terrain blocking the surroundings disappeared, our view began to open up, and we gradually came to understand what kind of path we had taken.

「𝙎𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙.」

Now we could see it clearly.

There was no such thing as a summit on this mountain. We were just walking on a path that continued endlessly.

The moment we realized that, something strange happened for the first time since we had come here.

Rustle.

Shudder.

「𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙘𝙠?」

The edge of a shadow trembled slightly, sending a warning of some kind.

However, no matter how much I concentrated my senses, I couldn’t sense anything.

“Something’s wrong, use a detection spell right away.”

“I’ll check it out.”

However, Shin No-eul’s detection didn’t pick up anything either.

Just then, something invisible shot up from before our eyes and bit down on my ankle.

Kwaak!

“Ack!”

I reacted slowly because I didn’t sense it at all.

And from that point, a curse began to crawl up my body in an instant.

「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙨.」

From my point of view, it was a level that I could withstand, but if it had been an exorcist who wasn’t very resistant to curses, it could have been fatal in an instant.

I purified it with a healing spell and calmly observed the appearance of my opponent.

“A snake?”

Whether it had been hiding its body in some way, after its initial attack, its form became visible enough to be seen with the naked eye.

It had a strange appearance, with its color fading like the grass and trees around it.

However, its strength was definitely not something to be taken lightly.

【Void Serpent】

▶Level 53

「𝙏𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙝𝙮𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨.」

I had expected it from the strength of the curse, but whatever it was, it was definitely high-level.

Also, the shadow that had been quiet for a moment soon began to send out fierce warnings.

It meant that this one wasn’t the end.

“Everyone be careful! There are invisible enemies.”

“Even if you say that, I can’t sense anything. . . . . . .”

Shin No-eul swallowed her saliva nervously, and we formed a circle and began to guard our surroundings.

“When it attacks, its form will be revealed slightly. We have to catch that moment.”

“Yeah. If we know its identity, it won’t be difficult.”

Sophia waved her hand and spread spiritual power around her, and soon, sharply pointed wedges of spiritual power filled the area.

And, one by one, she intercepted the void serpents that began to reveal their forms.

Clang!

Crash!

Boom!

“Is this how you do it? What a strange creature.”

Echinacea Lianqi, who saw the sight, also dealt with the enemies skillfully, while Shin No-eul and Han Seo-ah braced themselves for any surprise attacks.

Like that, a few minutes passed, and all that remained by our side were the corpses of countless snakes.

“Looks like we’ve cleaned them up.”

“. . . Oppa, what about the bite?”

“I healed it right away, so it’s fine.”

However, it was quite a perplexing situation.

If there were hybrid creatures like this everywhere, it meant that we had to be on our toes and prepared for an ambush anytime, anywhere.

Just as I was about to get lost in thought, I finally began to sense the presence of someone else, along with a rustling sound.

Soon, what appeared was a person who had covered their entire body with various clothes so that they couldn’t be seen.

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