I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner – Chapter 148

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒𝟖

In the midst of the festival grounds that had now become a complete pandemonium, I stood there, showing my credentials to an exorcist named Yoo Jung-gil, and reading the information on our opponent.

【Hoyaukamui】

▶Level 51

▶Ability Scores

【Stamina: A-】

【Yokai Power: B+】

【Spellcraft: B】

【Mental Strength: C+】

▶Traits (5/10)

【Super Recovery (A+)】

【Battle Instinct (A-)】

【Swift Strike (A-)】

【High Speed Flight (B-)】

【Sense of Balance (C+)】

Ability scores befitting a level 51, as I had feared, this was clearly a yokai of the A-rank.

If I had to find a saving grace, it would be that it wasn’t that strong within the A-rank, right?

「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙙-𝙩𝙤-𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚 50𝙨.」

Of course, that didn’t mean the guy in front of me was weak. Quite the contrary.

At this level, it would normally take a top-tier 2nd-grade or a 1st-grade exorcist to even stand a chance in a 1-on-1 fight.

「𝘽𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 . . . . . . .」

Super Recovery, an ability that allows one to recover from even grievous wounds at a rapid pace by expending their yokai power if they have enough of it.

To put it bluntly, it was a very difficult type to deal with.

In fact, the damage Shin So-ra had inflicted on him just a while ago was already nowhere to be found.

Shin So-ra must have realized that, as she opened her mouth with a look of frustration.

“. . . His recovery ability is incredible, can we really generate enough firepower to overwhelm it?”

“We should use curse-type spells.”

Originally, such spells basically have the effect of slowing down recovery.

If we add to that the correction of my karma value, we should be able to deal an effective blow to him.

“Captain!”

“We’ll help too!”

As the situation turned out like this, the two exorcists who had been about to leave their posts at Yoo Jung-gil’s instruction hurriedly approached us and took up battle positions.

I quickly spoke to them.

“You two should continue to prepare defensive spells and use them at the right time. There’s no point in just spreading them out. One of you, the Wall of Heaven, and the other, support the inside of the wall with Void Slaughter. That combination should be enough to block his attacks.”

At my uninterrupted instructions, the exorcists exchanged glances in bewilderment.

“Hey, student. I’m sorry, but our field authority is . . . . . . .”

“Let’s just give it a try, as he said.”

“Huh? Captain?”

“It might work. After all, this guy stopped his attack on you guys earlier.”

With their superior saying so, the exorcists nodded with bewildered faces.

And with that, Hoyaukamui, who had now fully recovered from the damage, began to glare at us, letting out a roar filled with anger.

“Stay alert. He was just enjoying the situation before, he wasn’t serious until now.”

And now, he recognizes us as quite a threatening enemy. Accordingly, he will try to eliminate us with all his might.

Kuduk.

Kudduduk.

As if my thoughts were correct, he soon began to transform his own form, drawing heavily on his yokai power.

“Kieeek─!”

If before it was a form for agile flight, now it was undeniably a form even closer to a monster.

Moreover, that wasn’t the only thing that had changed.

“Ugh. Ugh!”

“Ack! Ah, the stench!”

The exorcists grimaced, covering their noses, and Yoo Jung-gil and Shin So-ra also frowned.

At the same time, the surrounding grass and trees began to lose their vitality and wither rapidly.

Zhat.

Zhazhat.

On the other hand, I could only smell something like rotten eggs, which was bearable. That too must be one of his abilities, rooted in curses.

Whatever the case, it was a trick sufficient to shake his opponent in this battle that required extreme concentration.

“Kyaaaak!”

The guy, who had just let out an earsplitting cry, began to charge forward, generating a fierce wind.

Shin So-ra, who had been waiting in advance, first deployed a binding spell, and I also deployed Azure Serpent Binding to assist her spell.

However.

Thwack!

Thud!

Zheeeeeeng!

The guy, who had drawn on his power, neutralized them in an instant by wrapping himself in wind.

It meant that these spells wouldn’t work so easily anymore.

「. . .𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.」

His speed, which was noticeably reduced compared to before, allowed the exorcists to time their spells as I had instructed and block his charge.

“Wall of Heaven!”

“Void Slaughter!”

Kuung!

Kwakagak!

A single attack that literally made us sweat, so we couldn’t afford to waste the opportunity.

The three of us, including Yoo Jung-gil, who had a moment to spare, simultaneously deployed attack spells and fired them at our opponent.

“Spirit Bullet!”

“Hundred Flower Heat Wave!”

“Secret Curse of Fear.”

Whoooosh!

Thwack!

Pashak.

The best attacks we could manage in this short moment, as the guy’s melee attack had finally been stopped, revealing an opening, and Hoyaukamui took a direct hit from them.

“Kyaaaak!”

Of course, it wasn’t a fatal blow. Moreover, although he was slower than before, the guy’s body, which had risen back into the air, was gradually recovering.

“Ugh, so these spells aren’t enough after all.”

“. . . Is there any other way? At this rate, he won’t die even if we hit him with one or two advanced spells.”

But contrary to their worries, this time it was enough.

I had never intended to catch him with just these attacks in the first place.

「𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩.」

Just now was just a test.

To see how far he could push the effects of his Super Recovery trait with his abilities, and to see how much my spells, corrected by my karma value, would work on him.

And, in my head, where I had calculated the desired values, various ways to attack him quickly came to mind.

Recalling the most clearly completed method from my memory, I drew on my spiritual power, formed a mudra, and quietly opened my mouth toward the shadow.

“Come out, all of you.”

I’m sorry, but now it was my turn to hunt him, none other than mine.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

“Everyone, you can’t stay here! At this level of yokai, hiding won’t make any difference. Follow me, and I’ll lead you to safety.”

As Han Kang-yoon said, there were people hiding everywhere inside the tourist attraction who had not yet evacuated.

If the exorcists had been overwhelmed in this state and the yokai had been unleashed, it felt like a real massacre could have happened.

「𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙮.」

Han Kang-yoon was amazing.

By the time Laura became convinced that something unusual was happening, he had already grasped the whole situation, and he had no difficulty coming up with the best solution.

He really had a presence that belied his age.

“H-Hey. Why should we trust you and follow you? If we move rashly and become targets, we won’t be able to escape.”

On the other hand, such anxiety on the part of the citizens was natural.

In a situation where a considerably dangerous yokai was running wild, for those who were not proficient in spells, being attacked by the yokai was tantamount to losing their lives.

Moreover, human instinct tends to avoid active behavior in such situations and seek only stable situations. In reality, it was a very dangerous place, but this building was also a sanctuary that could protect the citizens.

So, they wouldn’t budge unless they were really desperate.

Laura was about to reveal her own identity, but she quickly shook her head and changed her mind.

「𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙.」

It was only natural when you thought about it from their point of view.

To inspire confidence in the citizens right now, instead of such a grand title, the opposite was needed.

After some deliberation, Laura opened her mouth with a gentle smile.

“The exorcists who were nearby are working together to stop the yokai. You won’t be targeted for a while. I am here on the instructions of one of them as an assistant, so you can follow me with peace of mind.”

“A-Ah. I see. I understand. We’ll move right away.”

In this way, while quickly evacuating the citizens, the sound of the battle coming from the center did not seem to stop.

Despite being so far away, it was enough to realize at a glance that it was a very urgent fight.

「. . .𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤.」

The time they had given us would literally be every second that could save the lives of the citizens.

And even that would be meaningless if Laura herself just stood around in a daze.

Laura ignored her exhaustion, which made her long for rest, and searched for and moved the citizens with all her might.

And as she led the last group that had been deepest inside to the entrance, a considerable amount of spiritual power was felt from outside.

The reinforcements had finally arrived.

They must have met the citizens who had already escaped, as they showed some surprise at the sight inside the tourist attraction.

“What the heck? To be honest, I thought everyone was already dead.”

“. . .Kang-hoon, refrain from making useless remarks.”

“Oops, sorry. Still, it’s an A-rank that appeared at the festival site, right? There’s no way the damage could be this small.”

Although they didn’t show it, everyone agreed with Kang-hoon’s words.

And the leader’s eyes fell on Laura, who was evacuating the last group of citizens.

“. . . Are you the assistant? You did a great job. Thanks to you, the damage must have been greatly reduced. We’ll take over from here.”

“Ack, gasp.”

As he stepped forward, the leader drew on his spiritual power and placed his hand on the ground.

He was about to deploy a large-scale search spell that would cover the entire tourist attraction to confirm the remaining survivors.

However.

Thud.

“Huff. There’s no need for that.”

It was stopped by Laura’s breathless hand. And before the leader could even say anything, she continued with a gaze deeper than ever.

“I’ve saved everyone. So please go to the scene. As soon as possible.”

Even now, Han Kang-yoon and his party must be fighting a battle where their lives were on the line every moment.

So, this bit of time they had gained by evacuating the citizens had to be used properly, without being wasted. That was Laura’s last role.

“. . . . . . .”

The words of a young girl who was soaked in sweat and exhausted, but the leader, Jung-yong, felt an indescribable charisma from such a girl.

“Hey, if you keep interfering like that, it’ll take more time. . . . . . .”

Cherek.

Jung-yong, who had stopped his subordinate Kang-hoon, who was approaching angrily from behind, immediately gave instructions to his party.

“Leave one person to search for survivors, and the rest move out. Move out now.”

Translator’s Blog

Blog

• Why You Can Read Light Novels But Can’t Speak English: A Guide to Unlocking Your Inner Voice
• Cat vs Dog in a Post-Mortem Snack Showdown
• My Two Classmates Just Went Full Anime Fight Club Over… WAIFUS?!
• My Early 20s Emo Profile: A Journey Back to Myspace (And Why It Still Haunts Me)
• Kakashi Hatake: The Ultimate Husbando? A Deep Dive into the Sharingan of Our Desires