I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner – Chapter 226

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟐𝟔

「𝘼𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙙.」

Not only did the contents of the Blue-White Soul Mirror’s trial vary greatly, but the rewards one could obtain from it also differed significantly from person to person.

Some would only end up handling slightly higher-level rituals, while others would gain truly immense power, as if their meridians had been opened.

In fact, it all depended on the person taking the trial.

「𝙊𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙡𝙪𝙚-𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙡 𝙈𝙞𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡; 𝙞𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨.」

So I, too, could not guess what I would gain from it.

I only hoped that it would be of some help in the battles to come.

「𝙈𝙮 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙.」

I went straight to Cheong So-ha’s abode and, just like I had done during the previous incident with Jin-myeong, borrowed the power of the Blue-White Sword to slip into the interior of the Blue-White Soul Mirror.

Whoooosh!

Clackety-clack!

The trial space immediately began to unfold before me.

As I had somewhat expected from my previous experience, the location was the Colosseum of the Parthenon Temple, the battle map from the latest installment of the exorcism series.

「𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡.」

And sure enough, on the opposite side of the arena, a human figure gradually emerged, revealing itself to me.

「𝙎𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩.」

My appearance as the world’s 7th-ranked PVP player, who had told me last time that it was not yet time.

The me who had reigned as one of the strongest in that arena at the time was now my opponent in the trial.

『You’re quicker than I thought.』

“. . . . . . .”

『Now, you are qualified.』

As my past self waved a hand across the arena, the peerless shikigami that were considered the best at the time began to appear one by one.

A black-scaled earth dragon.

A giant poisonous snake coiled up, exuding all sorts of strange auras.

An unidentified flying creature that seemed to be an odd mix of a Western dragon, an eagle, and a chicken.

Although they were now just distant memories, they were all beings that were extremely familiar to me.

「𝙎𝙪𝙗𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣, 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙑𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙎𝙣𝙖𝙠𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙅𝙖𝙗𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙬𝙤𝙘𝙠.」

The shikigami that had helped me achieve such great feats and gain fame back then.

Of course, at that time, I possessed hundreds or even thousands of shikigami and utilized them according to the situation, but even considering that, these three could be considered the shikigami I had spent the most time with.

My opponent looked at me, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes, and said,

『I will not go out myself and will only use these three.』

In other words, to use all the abilities I currently possessed to overcome these three shikigami—that was the task the trial of the Blue-White Soul Mirror had given me.

「. . . . . . .」

I had expected a similar task when I saw my past self in this place last time.

Rather, this was a much better outcome than I had imagined.

However, even so, this was a truly daunting challenge.

「𝙀𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 . . . . . . 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙮𝙤𝙠𝙖𝙞 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙.」

To put it in simpler terms, none of them were weaker than Wigwald, the guardian who ruled over the village of Blinding Mountain.

The most powerful shikigami I currently possessed was Geusdae, but even with three Geusdaes, I couldn’t be sure of defeating even one of them.

Honestly, it was a fight where the levels just didn’t match up.

「𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.」

【Subterranean Dragon】

▶Level 72

【Thousand Venomous Snakes】

▶Level 68

【Jabberwock】

▶Level 69

Thankfully, the specs of the shikigami I checked through the emotion function were considerably weakened.

Even if the Blue-White Soul Mirror was a treasure of the Blue House, it would not have been able to fully reproduce all of them, even as illusions.

「. . . 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙤, 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡.」

Of course, I might be able to gain a lot from it, but that was only possible if I passed the trial.

Considering that all three shikigami had reached the full rank of S, it was hard to estimate.

「𝙄’𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙎 𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙮𝙚𝙩. . . . . . .」

It might feel unreasonable, but that was the nature of the Blue-White Soul Mirror’s trial.

The Blue-White Soul Mirror’s role was only to present challenges that would allow Challengers to advance to greater heights. It did not adjust the difficulty or show any favoritism.

In other words, if I was really unlucky, I might be given a trial that was nearly impossible.

「𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩, 𝙡𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙚.」

Fortunately, there were an infinite number of opportunities.

Even if one failed the Blue-White Soul Mirror’s trial, they could always come back and challenge it again.

Of course, I didn’t know what would happen here, but at least a single defeat wouldn’t be the end of everything.

Swish.

Boom!

“Come out, all of you.”

And so I summoned all the shikigami that were currently with me and used every possible method to confront the three shikigami.

And then, after holding out for a mere 10 minutes, I was defeated and thrown out of the trial space.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

“This isn’t going to work.”

After taking some time to clear my head in the house that Cheong So-ha had prepared for me, I soon wandered around the nearby mountains, replaying the recent battle in my mind.

But there was no point in doing that.

I had definitely done my best and used every tactic I could.

Since those three had been my shikigami, I knew their powers and fighting styles like the back of my hand.

And yet, I couldn’t see any chance of victory.

「𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙄 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝?」

In truth, the biggest problem here was the specs I had.

Perhaps if I leveled up a bit more and got my hands on some powerful shikigami, I might be able to defeat them and pass the trial.

But that was meaningless.

「𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬.」

Moreover, just like Shin No-eul had done in the past, I had also been feeling a strange intuition ever since I came out of the labyrinth.

That the innate limits of my physical body were gradually nearing their end.

「𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙨, 𝙄. . . . . . .」

I would not be able to grow much further. It was likely that my limits would be reached somewhere around level 60, let alone level 70.

To resolve that, I had no choice but to pass the trial of the Blue-White Soul Mirror and aim for its reward.

「𝙄’𝙢 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙘𝙠.」

To pass the trial of the Blue-White Soul Mirror, I needed greater power, but to gain more power, I needed to pass the trial of the Blue-White Soul Mirror.

In other words, it was a situation where all paths were twisted and I could neither advance nor retreat.

I let out a frustrated sigh and wandered aimlessly.

I needed to pass the trial as soon as possible rather than standing around like this, but nothing would change even if I went back there right now.

I had realized that clearly from the battle just now.

「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠.」

I had to admit it. With my current strength, there was no way I could handle all three of them at the same time.

In that case, I had to change my approach from the very beginning.

「𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚?」

The impregnable challenge transformed into a fight that was worth taking on.

And before I knew it, methods for doing so began to take shape in my mind, one by one.

「𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧. . . . . . . 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜.」

After spending some time organizing my thoughts and formulating a plan, I once again sought Cheong So-ha’s help and headed to the trial space within the Blue-White Soul Mirror.

And this time, I spoke to the witch Verdi, who was in the bracelet, and asked her to do something for me in advance.

『Yes, that much is certainly possible, even in here.』

My past self and his shikigami, who had reappeared before us, glared at us.

And so, the battle began.

━Screech!

━Kyaaaah!

The Thousand Venomous Snake and Jabberwock were the first to bare their fangs.

However, that was rendered useless as I soared into the sky using the flight ritual that Verdi had cast.

「𝙁𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙚.」

As if understanding my words, the Jabberwock and Subterranean Dragon, who had been briefly pondering their options, took to the sky and began to pursue me.

Since there was no ceiling to speak of within this Blue-White Soul Mirror space, I flew past the center of the arena and stopped at a considerable height.

And then, as the two shikigami who had quickly caught up to me looked on, I quietly drew upon my spiritual power.

“You were just a nuisance before.”

━Kyaaaack!

However, this time would be different.

Whoooosh!

Screech!

“Rending Slash.”

My attack ritual marked the beginning of a fierce exchange of blows.

The Subterranean Dragon continuously spewed forth boulders, while the Jabberwock let out mind-numbing cries.

And the moment my gaze was drawn to that, a fatal attack would come flying in.

However.

「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡.」

Swish!

Clang!

I gracefully dodged the dizzying attacks and began to fire off several more rituals, once again drawing their attention to me.

It was acrobatics that were nearly impossible, but it was something that was perfectly possible for me, who had been their original master.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

And so, several more exchanges of blows took place, and both sides relentlessly harassed each other without giving an inch.

Unlike me, who had sustained injuries from the aftereffects of attacks I had not been able to block in time, the Subterranean Dragon and Jabberwock seemed to be unaffected.

However, even in that situation, my expression did not darken.

「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚.」

At the same time, as if sensing something, the Subterranean Dragon gasped in surprise and shifted its gaze to the arena below.

It had realized that while we were engaged in a fierce battle in the air, all of my shikigami had joined forces to defeat the Thousand Venomous Snake.

「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙑𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙎𝙣𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙡𝙮.」

Moreover, since its specs had been weakened, it were not that difficult to deal with if I focused my full power on them.

This was especially true since my shikigami were resistant to dark arts and curses.

「𝙏𝙬𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩.」

And while the Subterranean Dragon’s gaze was drawn below, I seized that opening and charged at the Jabberwock with all my might.

Something shot out of my grasp, emitting a brilliant light, and the Jabberwock was startled.

It was the Vorpal Sword, which was said to be the weakness of the creature in the legend.

Clang!

Boom!

━Kyaaaaak!

With the sword lodged in a corner of its body, the Jabberwock began to tumble and fall towards the arena, and I quickly followed in pursuit.

「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙.」

Of course, it went without saying that I did not have something like the Vorpal Sword.

It was just an imitation created through Verdi’s ritual, so naturally its effect would not be great, and it would soon return to its original form.

And that moment was the juncture I had been most worried about.

「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙪𝙗𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙮.」

This time, I had gained an advantage by luring it into the sky, but I also did not have many shikigami that I could utilize in that situation.

So it was better for me to somehow drag it down to the ground.

「𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙩.」

In order to protect the Jabberwock, the Subterranean Dragon would also have to follow me and re-enter the arena.

At the crossroads of choice, its eyes began to gleam fiercely.

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