It’s an Academic Fact That Rankers Are Model Students – Chapter 234

Chapter 234: The Demon King and Kyung-joon: Parallel Lines (1)

” Kkrrrgh……! How dare a mere otherworlder!! “

Zot began to exude even stronger hostility towards Kyung-joon.

In fact.

Kyung-joon knew from the beginning that Zot would react this way.

It wasn’t simply because Zot harbored evil.

Kyung-joon felt the energy of dark mana from Zot.

Since when?

When he brushed past Zot just now?

No.

Kyung-joon had felt it from the first time he faced him.

The exact time was.

From the moment the Fairy King descended while Kyung-joon was fighting Azuaz.

The energy of dark mana he felt at that time was on a different level from that of Limurimu, the master of the Slime Dungeon, and the students of the Dark Magic Department at this magic academy.

It was as if all the evil in this world had been scraped together……

A very black energy with no light whatsoever.

Kyung-joon knew and had felt that energy 『the energy of the Demon King』.

The Fairy King who had descended next to him at the time felt the same way.

At that time, the Fairy King glanced at Zot and said to Kyung-joon.

『Including setting the stage, I trust it’s alright to leave that energy to you as well?』

She had asked.

To the Fairy King’s question, Kyung-joon had replied as follows.

『It’s fine. This is already my fourth time dealing with this, you know.』

This would be his fourth time.

Mutated Minto Morco.

Variant Orc Protein.

The mutated Black Leopard.

And now, the mutated (?) Zot Kalisberg right before his eyes.

This was the fourth time he had experienced this, and Kyung-joon wasn’t going to be caught off guard this time.

Thud.

Kyung-joon took a step forward.

At the same time, his gaze turned towards Zot.

It wasn’t the look of disregard he had given before, but a look that directly challenged him to make a move.

” Alright. Let’s do this. Seeing this, I guess I don’t have to hold back. “

Kyung-joon, who had been silent, began to speak, releasing the Sound Blocking of the Isolated System.

” Ggh……! “

At the sound of Kyung-joon’s calm but chilling voice, Zot took a step back.

Despite his anger just a moment ago, he hadn’t made a single attack yet, and Zot looked quite docile.

Whether it was due to fear or some other reason, he was maintaining his composure very well.

He was being consumed by the Black Stone, but he was still rational.

This meant that the situation was unfolding very similarly to what happened with Arliv.

So there was a chance that ‘purification’ might be possible in the same way.

<However, unlike back then, the energy of the Black Stone is a bit different. Back then, it simply amplified instincts, but now it’s something more complex and darker underlying those instincts……>

” Let’s go in and deal with that. “

Kyung-joon cut off Teemo’s words and said.

<ㅇ_ㅇ!>

<You mean ‘connect’?>

Teemo sent a meaningful emoticon and message.

” What else would it be? So, get ready. “

<^오^7>

<Understood. I will load the ‘Black Stone’ data accumulated from the Ceram and Arliv cases. In the meantime, Master, please create an ‘opening’ so that the connection sequence can be initiated.>

” Yeah. Got it. “

Thud. Thud.

Kyung-joon quickened his pace as he walked towards Zot.

” W, What are you mumbling to yourself about……! “

Zot looked at Kyung-joon, who was talking to Teemo, as if he were crazy.

Since he couldn’t see Teemo, it was a natural reaction.

” Die……!! “

Zot shot flames from his hand.

Fwoosh!

━Kyaaagh!

━Kgh! What is that black flame?!

━Uwaaagh! I, It won’t go out……!!

Black flames that could never be produced by the mana of an ordinary elf.

However.

<Part of the Black Stone research data has been applied to the Magic Breaker formula.>

” Thanks. “

[Epic Skill 『Magic Breaker (Lv.1)』 ]

[Nullifies the target’s magic.]

Crackle!

Fizzle~

To Kyung-joon, who had already accumulated data while researching Arliv’s purification, it was no different from an ordinary fireball.

” What?! “

He had gained power.

But when it didn’t work, Zot was greatly flustered.

And then.

” Hey there, Mr. Zot. Do you think you can win like this? “

Kyung-joon’s voice continued, clicking his tongue disapprovingly.

It was a very pathetic tone, as if he were looking at a bug.

” You borrowed the power of the Black Stone, and yet you cower and tremble, taking steps back. “

[Mana Mechanics Research Skill 『Vector Calculus』 ]

Thud!

Zot’s retreating footsteps stopped abruptly as if his feet were caught on something.

” When you see someone better than you, all you can do is tear them down. “

” Kkrrgh! Kyaaagh……! “

Zot forcibly put strength into his feet and erupted with dark mana.

Crack! Crackle!

Then, dark mana spread across the ground like a spiderweb.

The ground began to crack violently, centering around Zot.

But that too.

[Epic Skill 『Magic Breaker (Lv.1)』 ]

[Rare Skill 『Transform Magic (Lv.6)』 ]

[Unique Skill 『R-wave (Lv.2)』 ]

[Nullifies the target’s variant earthquake magic.]

Crackle! Crackle!

It was completely blocked by Kyung-joon’s applied skills.

” In the end, you’re just a guy who’s so consumed by his own jealousy that he sees nothing but failure and doom in everything others do. You call yourself Zot? Is that how you live your life? Huh? “

” Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up……!! “

Woong! Woong! Wooong!

Hundreds of black icicles formed instantly around Zot.

Black icicles.

Shhhk! Shhhk! Shhhk!

They all shot towards Kyung-joon.

But again, needless to say.

[Unique Skill 『Deterministic Worldview (Lv.1)』 ]

[Displays the trajectory of all projectiles: front, back, up, down, left, right.]

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Kyung-joon dodged all of Zot’s attacks.

Swoosh!

When he finally dodged the last black icicle that was hurtling towards him……

” You’re more cunning than a snake, yet you’re more cowardly than a rabbit when it comes to actual action. Isn’t that right, Zot? Is that how you want to live your life? Huh? “

” ……?! “

Kyung-joon had already reached Zot’s neck.

” Y, You……! Y, Youuu……! You damn otherworlder!! “

Kuwaaaang!

A black pillar erupted vertically from Zot’s body.

Zot had completely exploded, losing all the rationality he had been barely holding onto.

At this very moment, when a being was completely consumed by the Black Stone and transformed into a variant.

Kyung-joon had been waiting for this moment.

” Teemo. “

Kyung-joon reached out towards Zot’s neck.

To be precise, the spinal cord at the back of his neck.

More precisely, the 『gap』 that would be there.

A new discovery made while studying the purification process of Ceram and Arliv.

Right before the Black Stone embedded in Arliv’s tree-like body could completely consume his mana core—his brain—a gap was discovered in the link connecting the two.

That gap could only be observed in the fleeting moment when water was about to transform into boiling steam, when both water and steam coexisted.

So.

Right now, right before Zot completely lost his mind, he could find that gap in his spinal cord.

And in that fleeting moment, Kyung-joon would be able to 『connect』 to the 『gap』 that appeared.

How would he connect?

<Brain wave synchronization rate 99.874%>

<『The World』 login sequence reverse engineering complete.>

<Applying connection algorithm.>

<Initiating 『Connection Purification Sequence』 for target 『Zot』.>

And so, Kyung-joon connected to the Black Stone within Zot.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

A wasteland with nothing but corpses.

A land of contamination, tainted black and purple everywhere.

The air was like a red desert, with dried blood brushing against his cheek like red dust.

A gruesome battlefield lay before him.

Kyung-joon had never seen this place before, but.

” It’s huge…… “

He could immediately tell who the mountain-like being in front of him was.

━To think I would meet you again like this. I never imagined.

The being before him filled his enormous pupil almost completely.

And it was hanging there as if embedded in a wall.

Seventy-two giant spears.

And one colossal spear.

A total of seventy-three spears pierced its entire body.

But Kyung-joon noticed.

That some of the spears were already broken.

Perhaps this was the reason for the recent surge in variant monsters.

━Hehehe…… Do you really think so?

The being responded to Kyung-joon’s thoughts with a voice that gurgled with blood.

” You can read my mind here too? “

━Because you’re connecting mind to mind. It’s only natural.

” Huh…… I rushed things too much. I should have set up some security programs beforehand. “

━You and that previous fool, you’re both the same, always spouting nonsense. I hated that about Huma.

” Is that so? “

Kyung-joon shrugged and began to approach the being.

Screeeech.

Kyung-joon slid down the wall of the pupil as if he were skateboarding.

When he stopped sliding, he was facing the upper body of the colossal being.

” It’s not that the seal is weakening and variant monsters are running rampant, causing the Black Stones to spread. It’s the other way around. The Black Stones are weakening the seal. And the variant monsters are just a reaction to that. How about that? Doesn’t that make more sense? “

Kyung-joon offered his answer to the being’s 『Do you really think so?』

” And the variant monsters that are created as a result further weaken the seal, and this cycle repeats itself…… A kind of positive feedback loop. “

━I also hated it very, very much when that b@stard Huma would add nonsense to more nonsense, just like you.

” Nonsense? Maybe it’s just that you haven’t studied the process of hormone metabolism, including thyroxine secretion in the hypothalamus of the diencephalon and oxytocin secretion during pain? “

Kyung-joon deliberately did what the being hated very, very much.

━Shut up, you little sh|t. Before I kill you.

In the end, the being resorted to swearing.

” Oh, come on. You can’t kill me. You’re sealed right now. “

━When the seal is broken, you’ll be the first one I kill.

” Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself? “

━Don’t you think that might be you? You descendant.

Kyung-joon and the being exchanged a few more words before bursting into laughter, facing each other.

The being, still sealed to the wall.

And Kyung-joon, looking up at it.

It was a truly bizarre sight.

Anyway.

” It’s been a while. “

━Indeed. Why has the brat who ran away because he hated indoctrination come here?

Kyung-joon was reunited with the sealed『Demon King』.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

━You seem to be mistaken about something.

The Demon King began to answer Kyung-joon’s question.

The question Kyung-joon had asked was a very direct request: 『Can’t you just leave without possessing Zot?』

━It’s not me holding onto that Zot or whatever his name is, it’s his own desire. He desires and yearns for my power, so I’m simply answering his call. It’s not just Zot, but all those you’ve seen so far, the ones you call variants. Hehehe.

” Then why are you answering his desire? “

Because the Demon King responded to this so-called desire, all sorts of troublesome things had happened around him.

The fact that Fael University and Zot had come to this point was, in a way, all because of the Demon King.

If the Demon King hadn’t stimulated Zot’s desire to this extent, the Fael University incident wouldn’t have escalated to this point.

━Why am I answering his desire? Are you stupid? I’m the Demon King!

The Demon King raised his voice.

━Pride! Greed! Envy! Wrath! Lust! Gluttony! Sloth! Answering all desires is my role, the role of the Demon King! And you ask me why I answer desires? What a pointless question! Khahaha!

The Demon King laughed, his mouth splitting open as if in mockery.

Then, he moved the 67th spear, 『Amdusias』, which was broken and stuck at the tip of the sword.

Sssst.

As he did so, jet-black mana leaked out, creating dozens of afterimages around Kyung-joon.

” This is…… “

Kyung-joon couldn’t help but frown deeply.

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