I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟏

“. . .They’re not crazy, are they?”

“What else can they do when it’s just the two of them?”

Although the students were initially bewildered by the unexpected turn of events, it didn’t take long for them to regain their composure. They probably thought they could simply overwhelm us with their numbers.

「𝙊𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙖 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙖 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖 𝙛𝙚𝙬 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚.」

However, Class B of the first year had assigned too many people to the attacking side. They had made a somewhat hasty decision, enticed by the bait right before their eyes.

The total number of students left for defense was only eleven.

And with that number, we could somehow manage, just the two of us.

“What should we do?”

“I’ll provide support.”

“Then I’ll attack.”

Cheong Juhwa had already discreetly placed talismans all around before approaching me. Her quick judgment and execution were already at a level where she could be called a battle pro.

“Light Thread!”

As Cheong Juhwa chanted the incantation while forming a hand sign, the talismans hidden from the sight of Class B students began to glow.

“What the?”

“When did you?!”

One of the boys, who had been on high alert, quickly cast a defensive spell, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me.

「𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙.」

I, too, had summoned Earthbound before confronting the Class B students and hid it underground.

Furthermore, with the concealment spell cast on Earthbound, it would have been impossible to detect its existence with simple detection-type spells.

The Class B students had to pay a heavy price for that.

Poof!

Sizzle!

“Ugh!”

“Huh?”

“Why is the ground suddenly. . .!”

The ground beneath the feet of the dispersing students suddenly collapsed.

Naturally, the spells they had prepared were disrupted, and the affected students were momentarily rendered completely defenseless.

“Four of you first.”

Whoosh.

Bam!

Seizing the opportunity, Cheong Juhwa swiftly delivered the finishing blow.

Clang!

The four students caught in the collapse of the ground had their ID plates turned red, indicating that they were now out of the battle.

「𝘼 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩.」

We had definitely gained the upper hand in the initial engagement. It was a satisfactory result.

However, even though they were first years, they were still Class B students. Naturally, they began to launch a fierce counterattack, using the sacrifice of their classmates as a stepping stone.

“Heo Do-gong.”

“Poison Daggers!”

“Rending Wave!”

As I became the target of countless attacks, I quickly retreated behind Cheong Juhwa. And instead of a defensive spell, I began to construct an offensive spell.

“Do the defending.”

“. . .Why are you picking on me?”

Because it’s more efficient that way. My meager spiritual power wouldn’t last long in a head-on fight.

However, Cheong Juhwa, who possesses top-class ability scores not only among first years but also among second years, could easily block these attacks.

“Wall of the Azure Sky.”

Whoosh!

Crash.

Smash.

Bang!

As expected, Cheong Juhwa neatly blocked all the attacks.

The defensive spell, Wall of the Azure Sky, boasts a high level of difficulty even among intermediate-level spells. The opposing students were speechless as she deployed it with such ease.

And now, it was my turn to score some points.

“Secret Curse of Fear.”

An intermediate-level curse spell that I had been diligently constructing while hiding behind Cheong Juhwa. It was the same one that Pyo Ji-eun of Class A had used in the previous Forbidden Arts class.

“Ack!”

“Gasp!”

Clang!

It was an intermediate-level spell made even more powerful by the increased karma value. Naturally, two more Class B students, unable to withstand it, were eliminated.

“It’s hasty, isn’t it? Why is their teamwork so good!”

“Didn’t they plan this from the beginning?!”

The remaining five students exclaimed, feeling wronged.

It was understandable. The teamwork we displayed with Cheong Juhwa was so good that it was believable even if we said we had been practicing together for a long time.

That’s why Cheong Juhwa also spoke to me in an excited tone.

“Are you going easy?”

“Should I be the only one doing all the work?”

Although I was intentionally adjusting to Cheong Juhwa’s style, the fact that we were able to maintain such a clean connection meant that we had good compatibility.

As I said, Cheong Juhwa has a romantic notion about having a team she can trust. This battle would be a chance to change her mind about me, even if only a little.

“There are five of them left. Is it okay if I take 30 points?”

“Do as you please.”

If all eleven of them had worked together from the beginning and pressed us relentlessly, the outcome might have been different.

However, they had lost the flow of the battle due to the surprise attack, and with more than half of their members now out of the game, the remaining five could be easily defeated in a head-on fight.

“Fierce Wolf. Bone Bear.”

Roar!

From my shadow, two skeletal wolves and a bear sprang out.

『Growl.』

『Giggle.』

At the same time, Black Bird flying in the sky let out a fierce cry.

『Screech!』

Although they were low-level shikigami, they were still a force to be reckoned with.

As the Class B students saw them, their fighting spirit began to wane.

“F-Four shikigami at once. . . .”

“. . .The rumors were true.”

The rumors were probably referring to the mid-term evaluation. The story was that I had won an overwhelming victory over Cheong Haram of Class A with my incredible shikigami technique.

At that time, the dueling ground was blocked by the overlapping barrier techniques, and as a result, the rumors spread even more exaggeratedly.

We were not inferior in terms of combat power, and the momentum was on our side, so the outcome of the ensuing battle was somewhat predictable.

Clang!

“Ugh!”

Clang!

“Argh!”

In an instant, we had taken care of the five of them, and soon after, we destroyed both of the boundary stones owned by Class B of the first year, which had become defenseless.

Crackle!

Sizzle!

“Wow, we really got 50 points. Something feels strange. This.”

“Let’s go now. The other side will probably be decided soon.”