I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner – Chapter 162

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟔𝟐

「𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.」

【Han Kang-yoon】

▶Level 44(50)

▶Ability Scores

【Stamina: C+(B-)】

【Spiritual power: B(A-)】

【Spellcraft: B-(A)】

【Mental Strength: A-(A+)】

▶Traits (9/10)

【Shadow Assimilation(S)】

【Witch’s Echo(A+)】

【Dragon’s Body(A+)】

【Spirit Absorption(A)】

【Challenger(B+)】

【Mental Spellbook(B)】

【Revived Person(B-)】

【Emergency Evasion(B-)】

【Hawk Eye(C+)】

【Strong Bones(C-)】

With my body restored to its prime condition and my ability scores skyrocketing, it was a sensation that was no longer unfamiliar to me.

「 𝙈𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧. 」

It had been a long time since I had invoked the second phase of Shadow Assimilation.

「 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙃𝙚𝙠𝙩𝙚𝙡. 」

My average specs had increased considerably, and I had also acquired several powerful shikigami.

However, even so, I couldn’t help but use it against Myudusa.

Or rather, it wasn’t an opponent I could defeat without dying at least once.

「 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩. 」

That’s why, from the very beginning, I had deliberately increased the pace of casting the second phase of the Shadow Assimilation trait, assuming that I would die.

In a word, I had used my own life as a consumable for victory.

And the effect was indeed certain.

“Shhh. . . . . . .”

“Why, are you getting a little restless now?”

Perhaps Myudusa thought that he had found a golden opportunity from the blow just now.

In fact, if it hadn’t been for me, the battle would have definitely turned in his favor.

「 𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚? 」

Unfortunately, I had a hidden trump card, and now he had none left.

That was the difference that would decide the outcome.

「 𝙃𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 15% 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩. 」

On the other hand, I had regained my prime condition and gained a temporary amplification effect from the second phase of Shadow Assimilation.

「 𝙉𝙤𝙬 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙙 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣. . . . . . . 」

In this state, I could use the curse of mutual destruction several more times without any problems.

Whoooosh.

As I drew on my spiritual power, he flinched for a moment.

Due to the continuous learning effect, he now knew all too well what would happen next.

“Kyaaaak!”

He let out a ferocious roar, but now it sounded more like a scream than a threat.

In Myudusa’s eyes, a faint glimmer of fear had crept in.

「 𝙊𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚. 」

After all the trouble he had gone through to kill me, I came back to life even stronger.

I, the person concerned, know that there is no next time, but Myudusa does not.

So, if I kill him again, what guarantee is there that the same thing won’t happen?

For Myudusa, who has instinct and intelligence but no wisdom, there could be nothing more terrifying.

Myudusa hesitated, his body still trembling as I drew on my spiritual power, but he did not rush forward.

His mind must have been swirling with complex thoughts.

And the conclusion was all too pathetic.

“Shiaaak─!”

Myudusa turned around in an instant and started to sprint.

In the opposite direction from where we were. A path that had no connection to the city center.

In other words, he had given up the fight.

“H-He ran away? A yokai of that caliber?”

Even Shin No-eul, who had barely caught her breath, was wide-eyed at the strange sight.

However, for Myudusa, it was the worst possible choice.

“Curse of Resentment and Despair.”

Whoooosh.

Pssshhh!

“. . . Shhh!”

It’s not good for him, but if he lets go of his attack like that, I have no more worries.

I just had to chase him and cast curses on him without worrying about evasion or defense.

“Curse of Resentment and Despair.”

Whoooosh.

Pssshhh!

As if he had made up his mind, he continued to run, screaming, but did not stop his body.

“Curse of Resentment and Despair.”

Whoooosh.

Pssshhh!

“Shiaaak!”

But this world is not a game.

The fact that he had 15% left meant that he was already exhausted, and as 1% of his health was consumed, he came closer to his limit.

Even if he barely survived the attack with 5% of his health left, wouldn’t he be nothing more than a walking corpse?

My prediction soon came true.

“Mirror of Resentment.”

Pssshhh!

Zzzzhing!

“Kyaaaak─!”

By now, it was the ninth time I had cast the curse since the second phase.

In the end, he couldn’t hold out and rolled around the ground in pain from the shock of the curse.

The vibrations could be felt at the tips of my toes, and dust and dirt swirled with the wind.

However, I continued to use the curse without hesitation and slowly made my way to where he had collapsed.

Thud.

When I finally reached the spot, the S-rank yokai Myudusa that I had known no longer existed.

All that remained was a beast begging for its life.

“Shhh. . . . . . .”

He stared at me with eyes that seemed to be looking at something indescribable, and there was no longer any will to resist in them.

Our positions had been reversed, and he had completely recognized me as a superior predator.

「. . . . . . . 」

It’s a strange feeling to see an enemy that was so powerful reduced to this.

However, I had no intention of being complacent. The me of now was a weak existence that could collapse with just one mistake or one moment of carelessness.

“Farewell.”

High-level curse technique, Cleansing Death Fragrance.

As I deployed it, Myudusa, who had finally reached his limit, rolled his eyes back and dropped his huge head.

Whoooosh!

It was a battle that was nothing but wounds, but at the same time, it was a victory more valuable than anything else.

Tat-tat!

“. . . Junior, are you okay?”

“Huh, am I seeing things? To actually take down a yokai of that caliber all by yourself. . . . . . .”

Shin No-eul said it as if she couldn’t believe it, but it was nothing special.

In the first place, it was not me, but Shin No-eul and Red Unit who had shaved off most of Myudusa’s health.

“No, that’s not it. If it hadn’t been for you, we would have definitely lost in the end.”

“You flatter me.”

“I wonder if you’re being modest or just putting on airs. . . . . . .”

Shin No-eul glanced at me as if to say something was strange, then collapsed to the ground with a hollow smile.

“. . . Well, what does it matter? I thought I was really going to die.”

“Are you okay?”

“No, my vision is still blurry.”

However, Shin No-eul’s expression didn’t look so bad as she said it.

And just then, I began to sense the presence of several exorcists approaching from the direction we had pursued Myudusa.

“They’re finally here, but they’re slow as hell.”

“. . . . . . .”

Arietta didn’t show it either, but her exhaustion was evident.

Seeing that her eyes and teeth had returned to their original state, it seemed that the effects of vampirism had also disappeared.

The exorcists who approached us looked at Myudusa’s corpse and our collapsed bodies with a mixture of shock and confusion.

“T-This is. Shin No-eul-nim. . . . . .?”

“No, these reckless newcomers did it. Rather, I wish you would call an ambulance. I feel like I’m going to collapse soon.”

It wasn’t without reason that Shin No-eul suddenly turned pale and collapsed, losing consciousness.

The vice-leader, Lee Doo-sik, who accompanied her, panicked and gave her emergency treatment, and we were soon taken to the hospital.

「. . . . . . . 」

And so, Myudusa died, and the Red Unit survived.

It was another moment when a button for the future was filled.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

“So, what happened to them?”

“What do you mean, what happened? Of course they had to go back to the academy.”

In a quiet hospital room, Shin No-eul lay in bed with Lee Doo-sik watching over her.

They talked about the events of the past few stormy days.

“It still gives me the creeps to think about it. What would have happened if the Team Leader or the others had died?”

“. . .it’s a shame about that guy Woong-gil, but the fact that so many of us survived is nothing short of a miracle.”

Without Han Kang-yoon and Arietta in particular, they probably wouldn’t be here now.

At first, they had only brought them into the Red Unit with the intention of recruiting them, but now it was all the more strange.

“It’s a pity. They were really promising guys.”

“What can you do? That’s just the way the world is.”

And Shin No-eul, in fact, no longer had any intention of making Han Kang-yoon and Arietta members of Red Unit.

“Huh? Why is that?”

“It’s just a waste.”

In Shin No-eul’s opinion, those two were not the kind of people who should be tied to a group like Red Unit.

“They have bigger things to do. We’re not the ones who should have them.”

Shin No-eul herself was a special-grade exorcist, but that’s why she could see it more clearly.

Unlike her, who had reached her limit here, Han Kang-yoon and Arietta still had much more room to grow.

“Aw, Team Leader is still young, isn’t she? Don’t worry about it.”

“What do you mean young? And at our age, we know it even if we don’t want to. Roughly where our limits are.”

Shin No-eul was the type who grew rapidly but had a clear peak.

At least she couldn’t make any more explosive growth here.

“From here on out, it’s the people who are going to go up who will go up. For example, Cheong So-ha from the Qing family.”

“. . .is that so? I’m just a first-grade, so I don’t really know.”

In fact, if other exorcists had heard this conversation, they would have been furious.

After all, even Lee Doo-sik, a 1st-grade exorcist, was considered a genius in the world.

However, even among geniuses, there are geniuses of different levels. That was all there was to it.

“Anyway, since they saved our lives, we’ll have to treat them with respect from now on. In about two years, you’ll probably have to call them seniors.”

“. . .ugh. It’s really sad how unfair talent is.”

However, Lee Doo-sik also felt a great deal of gratitude towards Han Kang-yoon and Arietta.

To be honest, he wouldn’t mind calling them seniors at all.

As he was peeling an apple out of boredom, Shin No-eul, who was next to him, suddenly added something as if she had remembered something.

“Oh, by the way, when I asked them what they wanted, they made a strange request.”

“A strange request?”

“Yeah.”

The request was simple.

When something happened in the near future, the Red Unit would help Han Kang-yoon once.

Shin No-eul had the authority to grant such a request, so she had accepted it.

“What do you think they’re going to use us for?”

“How should I know? I don’t know.”

However, one thing was for sure.

No matter when, where, or what happened in the future, the members of Red Unit would wholeheartedly side with Han Kang-yoon just once.

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