I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner – Chapter 104

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎𝟒

Finally reaching the Chamber of Trials, we placed the two jewels obtained from defeating the manticore and the seven-horned serpent into the stone statue’s eyes at the entrance.

“Oh, come on. We were supposed to use them here? What was all that we’ve been doing until now?”

Choi Tae-gil grumbled as if he felt empty, but in fact, they were not lacking.

This place was not a game but reality, and human lives were at stake. It was a place where mistakes couldn’t be reversed through saving or loading.

For them to have broken through this Black Forest, overcoming various difficulties, was nearly impossible.

Kugugugugu.

Kugugung.

In any case, the door to the Chamber of Trials finally opened as we placed the jewels in the stone statue’s eyes.

“. . .If we make it past here, we might actually be able to return.”

“Don’t worry. Since Kang-yoon led us here, I will definitely open the escape route, even if it costs my life.”

Jang Han-soo and Yoo Tae-jin murmured with a grim determination, but it was actually meaningless.

Because from now on, this was a place they were not permitted to enter.

Tiik.

Teung!

“What is this?”

“. . .I can’t get in either.”

“Is it a barrier? Could there be more conditions that need to be met to remove it?”

Yoo Tae-jin’s expectations were completely shattered when Han Seo-ah and I, who tried to enter after him, passed through the door.

“. . .Oppa.”

“Ah. It seems like only we can enter.”

I said it naturally, but I knew the truth. Han Seo-ah and I were the only ones here who met the conditions to enter the Chamber of Trials.

As if he had just realized the condition, Jang Han-soo, who had been silently contemplating, slammed his fist against the wall.

Kwoong.

“. . .It’s time.”

“Hey Han-soo, what are you talking about?”

“Didn’t the diary say that it was a test to determine our qualifications? We’ve already lost those qualifications.”

Jang Han-soo’s prediction was accurate.

To add an explanation, those who have been trapped in this Black Forest for a year lose their qualifications to enter the Chamber of Trials.

According to the standards of the witch Verdi, taking that much time to clear the first stage meant that they were already unqualified.

“What the hell? Does that mean we can never get out of here?”

“. . .I don’t think so. Judging from the contents of the diary that Kang-yoon brought, it’s highly likely that when a qualified person passes the test, the others will also be able to escape from the labyrinth.”

In the end, we, who could enter the Chamber of Trials, had to somehow obtain that qualification.

The weight on my shoulders suddenly felt heavier, but I, who knew all the facts anyway, calmly looked at them and opened my mouth.

“It seems like there’s no other way. I’ll definitely find a way by passing the test, so please join the others in the hideout in advance and finish preparing to escape from here.”

“Are you sure about this? It doesn’t seem like a good choice. Instead, we could wait for another capable person to enter within the year that Kang-yoon and Seo-ah still have their qualifications. . .”

“Don’t you understand? If not now, we’ll never have the chance.”

With Xiao Chen’s injury and the fact that the civilians who had already conceived the hope of escape wouldn’t be able to endure until then, there was no guarantee that a truly capable person would fall into the labyrinth within a year.

Realizing this, Yoo Tae-jin gave us a bitter smile and wished us luck.

“I’m sorry I can’t be of help. It might be irresponsible of me to say this, but if it’s the two of you, I’m sure you’ll be able to pass the test.”

“. . .We’ll definitely make it happen.”

And so, Han Seo-ah and I parted ways with the group and entered the Chamber of Trials.

And as expected, the familiar interior greeted me.

「𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚.」

In terms of power, the departure of Yoo Tae-jin and his group could be seen as a big loss, but to tell the truth, I was rather relieved.

「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙖𝙮.」

That’s right, I had no intention of breaking through this Chamber of Trials head-on.

「. . .𝘼𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 30 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝, 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩?」

From now on, it was time to return to being a player and make full use of that knowledge.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

In the Chamber of Trials, there existed numerous rooms leading to the Witch’s house, which served as the destination. However, there was no single path to follow.

To put it simply, one had to choose the direction they wished to proceed in and somehow break through the gates, always heading toward the destination.

Of course, I had already devised the optimal route that I, in my current state, could traverse in my mind.

『Question: What is it that existed at the foundation of something that was hotter than the sun and colder than the moon in the beginning?』

“Step on this and that, and then press the pedal under the blue light over there.”

“. . . Okay. I got it.”

Creak.

Cuckoo.

『Thus, Margarita, the daughter who received the third blessing of the sun, in order to elevate the honor of the tribe. . . . . .』

The stone statue continued to spout riddles programmed by the witch, but we ignored them and moved straight to the next room.

There had been several gates up to this point, but the process of clearing them hadn’t differed much.

『What is being tested is one’s will, perseverance, and unwavering fortitude. Can you endure this suffering?』

This time, there was a gate designed to simply assess whether one possessed the appropriate level to inherit the witch’s knowledge. One had to choose one of the four rooms ahead and endure the environment within.

“Follow right behind me. You absolutely cannot fall behind this time.”

“. . . Okay.”

Without hesitation, I selected the fourth room and entered, confronting the vicious curse left behind by the witch.

However, as expected, my karma value didn’t allow me to be subjected to such a curse.

This was because, while it would have been a different story if it had been a full-fledged curse, its power had been adjusted since it was merely a test.

“We’re halfway there now. Just a little further, I think.”

The ancient witch Verdi believed that those who would inherit her knowledge must possess not only power but also a level of erudition to match.

Therefore, Chamber of Trials was instructed to produce a suitable concept.

At the time, the excessive demands had been troublesome, but now, as I was reaping the benefits, I sent my gratitude to some unknown place.

“Let’s go this way next.”

Seo-ah showed a slightly suspicious reaction as she watched me, who seemed overly relaxed despite having just parted ways with our group in such a dramatic fashion.

“Oppa, don’t tell me you’ve been doing the academy exams this way too. . . . . .”

“That was pure skill.”

In any case, there was another reason why I had brought up the subject of prophetic abilities to Seo-ah.

If I hadn’t, there would have been no way to explain all of these strange events for the time being.

「𝘼𝙡𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.」

After overcoming various gates in this manner, we were finally able to reach the heart of the Chamber of Trials.

「𝙉𝙤𝙬, 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨.」

The difficulty level of the previous gates had been high, to be honest, but the final gate was truly extraordinary.

We had to figure out a specific keyword to reach the destination by facing the magic doll created by the witch herself and using the hints given by the witch’s history and the magic doll that we had heard about in the previous gates.

In short, it was a gate that required one to use both their body and their mind.

「𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙡𝙡’𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙞𝙨 62. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣-𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙩.」

Despite being faced with such an extremely difficult gate, I wasn’t the least bit worried.

That was only natural, since I, the true creator of this place, already knew the keyword.

“I’m going in. Follow me closely.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Cuckoo.

Screech.

As we entered the final gate, we saw a figure staring at us from among the portraits of unknown women.

「𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.」

Cling!

【Eve】

▶Level 62

▶Ability Scores

【Stamina: A+】

【Mana: -】

【Spellcraft: A+】

【Mental Strength: A+】

▶Traits (6/10)

【Witch’s Echo (A+)】

【Composite Body (A-)】

【Battle Instinct (A-)】

【Phantom Swordsman (A-)】

【Output Enhancement (B-)】

【Gigantification (C+)】

It was the magic doll created by the witch, Eve.

Click.

Creak.

Swish.

As if it hadn’t moved in a long time, Eve rattled its joints loudly and turned its gaze toward us.

Then, it began to raise the long claws in its hands.

「𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨.」

From now on, it would spout hints to let the Challengers know the keyword, and each time it did, it would attempt to attack in a certain pattern.

However, I had no intention of waiting for that. To be honest, I didn’t have the confidence to withstand even Eve’s first pattern in my current state.

That’s why I immediately uttered a single word.

“Verdi.”

The name of the witch who created this dungeon, the sixth princess who received the blessing of the moon and was the last witch to receive the love of the most stars.

Kkigig.

Squeak.

Upon hearing that, Eve, who seemed to have been about to say something just now, shut its mouth and stabbed its own heart with its claws.

Clang!

Poof!

Then, it took out a key from there and threw it to us, before collapsing to the ground, having lost its power.

Swish!

Creak.

Click.

Screech.

I picked up the key that had fallen at my feet and called out to Han Seo-ah, who was now just blankly staring ahead.

“Let’s go.”

“. . . Okay.”

Screech.

Creak.

Slam.

Cuckoo.

With this, all the gates had been broken through.

Even though I had used every underhanded method in the book, it had been quite a struggle. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how much power would be required to do the same thing head-on.

It wasn’t called an impregnable labyrinth for nothing. I had a newfound respect for the protagonist party of the next game, who had cleared the labyrinth using the orthodox method.

“. . . Oppa, this is?”

“It seems like we’ve finally arrived. This is the witch’s room that was written about in the diary.”

Although it felt strange to have reached this bonus stage that I had created myself, this wasn’t the time to be indulging in such sentiments.

Coincidentally, as soon as we cleared the final gate, the Black Bird that we had left at the entrance was activated.

It was Xiao Chen, the barrier master of the Yahwak.

“Your role is important from here on out.”

“. . . Me?”

“Ah. Now that you’ve passed through all the gates, you’ve earned the right to inherit the knowledge. You have to obtain that in order to get out of this labyrinth.”

Furthermore, there was a certain item that was given to those who completely cleared the Chamber of Trials, and it was necessary to have that item in order to deal with Xiao Chen, who was currently approaching.

One of the four parts of the witch Verdi’s knowledge, the magic stone of the Black Forest.

I led Han Seo-ah to the place where it was kept.

Then, I placed it in her hand and said,

“If you obtain the witch’s knowledge, you’ll receive a jewel similar to this one. You’ll need that to stop Xiao Chen. I’ll leave you a Black Bird, so hand it to him.”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll definitely bring it.”

Perhaps realizing that I was going to stop Xiao Chen, Han Seo-ah infused spiritual power into the magic stone with a serious expression.

Then, she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

「𝙄𝙛 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙃𝙖𝙣 𝙎𝙚𝙤-𝙖𝙝, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙨𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙨.」

I let out a small laugh as I realized that all the plans I had set in motion were coming to a head.

In that case, the last thing I needed to do was simple.

「. . . 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚.」

Xiao Chen, a member of Yahwak and a special-grade barrier master.

It was time to settle things with her.

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