SRS 111

The captain adjusted his helmet after he and the first-year guards had thoroughly inspected the first year area.

“This area is secure. We’re are moving to the second and third-year zones.”

“The second and third-year areas? Do those two grades share the same space?”

Uncertain whether the areas had been consolidated or if he meant they would patrol both second and third-year zones simultaneously, he asked. The captain replied.

“Initially, each grade used separate areas, but as enrollment dwindled, the upperclassmen found sharing a space posed no issues. The dormitory towers for each grade were split into two towers up to the 2nd and 3rd grades, but from the 4th and 5th grades, one tower was sufficient. So, the remaining tower for the 4th and 5th grades was assigned as research labs for the upperclassmen.”

“Ah…”

His knowledge of Fantasiademia had increased by one more piece. Whether it was truly useful information remained to be seen.

The guard captain, who had been leading the way ahead, stopped walking and turned to warn the students.

“We’re about to leave the first-year area. The protective barrier will be deactivated, so be careful.”

Kylus and Suhyeok tensed at the warning.

“Why are you two tense too?”

“Yohan, you might misuse your ability. It’s hard to tell friend from foe, so we need to be prepared in case you use your power on us.”

“…Wise.”

It was a rational judgment, yet the response felt oddly disappointing. Yohan pouted slightly before composing himself. As he steeled his resolve not to make the mistake his friends mentioned, Mikael nudged his hand and spoke up.

“Are you sure you’re fine using your power? You struggled last time.”

“…Hmm.”

It was a difficult question to answer definitively, so Yohan scratched his cheek. He was no longer at the point where using his power outside the area would immediately plunge him into hallucinations like last time, but he still flinched a little. The depth of the hallucinations and how quickly he woke up varied each time, so he couldn’t predict how it would be today.

“I don’t know.”

When he answered honestly, Mikael clasped Yohan’s hand.

“Don’t push yourself. I can just use a little more power.”

“Are you fine?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? How many years do you think I’ve been at this school?”

Well, four years…

Yohan swallowed the answer that might make his friend sad if spoken aloud and smiled.

“Then I’ll trust you.”

Having Mikael there with him was definitely a relief. Feeling reassured that he could share the burden, Yohan observed the second and third-year students’ territory. Their area, which he was visiting for the first time, wasn’t much different from the first-year zone. The only difference was the large building situated between the four dormitory towers.

When he asked the guard captain about its purpose, he was told it was the second and third year integrated laboratory.

“Integrated laboratory? What kind of experiments do they conduct there?”

“Primarily, it’s where they experiment with applying the supernatural abilities learned in class and develop their own unique ways of using them. You could call it a training facility.”

“Is it like a personal training room?”

“That’s exactly right.”

“Oh…”

Yohan found the laboratory intriguing. First-years weren’t yet granted individual training spaces. At best, they could borrow the sword training grounds or the Sky Garden with the Phantom Sword Master’s permission, so finding a place to practice divine power with Mikael was always a headache.

But hearing that upperclassmen immediately received such privileges was quite appealing. 

That seemed to explain why the dropout rate was highest among first-years and gradually decreased as one advanced.

After patrolling near the laboratory with curious eyes, only the Griffin Hall, the Lilac Garden, and the Sky Island remained. He had started his patrol filled with caution, but as he explored this unfamiliar place, increasingly strange sights caught his eye, and before he knew it, he found himself in a tourist-like mood.

-Kiri-kiri, kiri-kiri.

A sound resembling grasshoppers chirping, yet too loud to be grasshoppers, echoed deep within the Lilac Garden. Whether it was a sound only Yohan heard or not, Suhyeok and Kylus stopped in their tracks. The captain also drew his sword and warned.

“It’s a dimensional monster. Stay alert from this moment on.”

The captain, who had said he would go first to weaken the beast, moved. Yohan wanted to protest why “weaken” instead of “kill first,” but he chose to ignore it. He knew the reason, so he silently followed behind.

Before rounding the corner, the captain gripped his sword tighter, lunged forward, and swung it.

Swoosh!

The deep gray blade sliced through the night air, glinting in the moonlight. The severed form flew toward where Yohan stood.

“Yohan!”

Mikael yanked Yohan back.

Thud!

Their eyes fixed on the form that had fallen to the ground.

“…Pincer?”

“Look at the size. Is it some kind of lobster?”

“What are you doing over there!”

“Gah.”

The guard captain’s stern command cut off Yohan and his companions as they stared at the pincer, trying to guess the monster’s identity. The students jumped in surprise and ran toward the battle zone. Then, the three monsters the guard captain was facing came into view. They were giant, scorpion-like creatures, their tails glowing an eerie yellow.

“You lot handle them from here.”

Seeing Yohan and his group, wary of the unfamiliar monsters, the captain stepped back and explained.

“They’re called Elekscol. If you get hit by its tail…”

Flash!

Before the captain could finish, lightning struck.

“Argh!”

It was unclear when the attack had come, but the front scorpion’s tail was already embedded in Suhyeok. The lightning that struck scorched Suhyeok’s body.

“Damn it!”

Kylus belatedly swung his sword at the scorpion’s tail, but couldn’t cut through its hard shell.

Flash!

“Ugh!”

Another bolt of lightning struck, electrocuting Suhyeok. The sight was too painful to watch, and Yohan stomped the ground.

“Mikael! Strengthen Kylus’s weapon!”

“Iron shall become harder than anything.”

The moment he requested it, the word-spell infused Kylus’s weapon. Kylus drew his sword aura and swung again. Only then did the scorpion’s tail snap off, flying through the air.

“Suhyeok!”

Yohan grabbed the fallen Suhyeok, forcefully pulled out the tail embedded in him, and cast healing.

For a moment, hallucinations threatened to cloud his vision, but Yohan pushed them away with sheer mental strength. 

He silently cursed for it to vanish, and the dark cloud-like hallucination disappeared, allowing his divine power to surge normally once more.

Pah!

As the light healed the student, the captain of the guard continued the interrupted explanation.

“If you get hit by one of those tails, you’ll get struck by lightning like you just saw. So make sure to cut off the tail first.”

It was really timely advice.

“Ugh…”

“Suhyeok, are you okay?”

The student, struck twice by lightning, painfully lifted his eyelids.

“Wow… Grandma was calling me from across the river, and I almost went to her.”

He clutched his head and muttered as he rose to his feet. He thrust his sword into the ground, braced his weight, and took a deep breath. Up ahead, Mikael and Kylus were struggling to sever the tails of the other two scorpions.

“Ugh… they’re too tenacious.”

“Mikael, watch your back!”

But the scorpion that had lost its tail charged at them with a frenzied, bloodthirsty rage, lashing its pincers and snapping its jaws. The two couldn’t easily approach the other scorpion.

Suhyeok assessed the situation and gripped his sword.

“Yohan. Bless me.”

“Huh? Yes…!”

Yohan swiftly cast a blessing on the student. Immediately after, Suhyeok drew his sword and charged at the tail-less scorpion.

Boom!

“Ugh…! I’ll handle this one. You guys cut off the others’ tails! 

“Got it!”

The maddened scorpion faced off against Suhyeok, whose eyes blazed with equal fury, while Mikael and Kylus took on the remaining scorpions’ tails. Yohan channeled his divine power, gripping the scorpions legs tightly to make their fight easier.

“Ugh…”

His head throbbed by the second. The slightest lapse in focus threatened to let the hallucination overwhelm his consciousness.

The mental pressure from the ever-lurking hallucination, waiting for its chance, was intense. As he shouted he couldn’t hold out much longer, the movements of the three engaged in close combat grew frantic.

Swoosh!

Finally, the two succeeded in severing the tails of two scorpions.

“Steel becomes sharper than anything.”

Mikael cast a double reinforcement on the two swordsmen’s weapons, then stepped back and braced himself against the ground.

“The earth shall become a prison that binds the enemies.”

At the student’s muttered incantation, the ground surged upward, seizing the scorpions’ legs. Mikael had effectively taken over Yohan’s role of binding.

“Huff.”

Yohan collapsed to the ground, withdrawing his divine power. The hallucination that had once subtly touched his mind still burrowed between his nerves, involuntarily distorting his expression.

But there was no time to rest yet. Mikael’s incantation was more precise than usual, which troubled him.

The fact that his incantations had become more precise and detailed meant he was expending more mana than usual, and that he couldn’t properly cast spells without doing so. Now that he’d confirmed stepping outside the barrier affected Mikael too, he couldn’t afford to stand back comfortably. Yohan gritted his teeth and bestowed a blessing upon himself. Divine light enveloped Yohan, driving the hallucinations from his consciousness.

It was a risky move with significant backlash once the blessing faded, but there was no other way to join the fight.

With a clear head, Yohan charged forward, shaping divine power into arrows and firing them at the monsters.

-kirikiri!

Scorpions with arrows lodged in their mouths screamed. Now safer from their threat, the others swung their swords, ending the creatures’ lives.

The severed heads rolled across the floor, ending the battle.

“Haah, haah…”

As everyone caught their breath, the captain, who had watched the new recruits’ first battle from a distance, nodded his approval.

“Seems you didn’t cheat your way into the squad. Regroup and rise. We’re heading to the next patrol point.”

“……”

Yohan glared at the back of the knight walking ahead, the guard captain who gave them no time to rest.

“It’s not such a great place that anyone would want to cheat their way in. What’s he talking about?”

Suhyeok muttered in disbelief. It was a rebuttal everyone had to agree with.