< 101. Baeksuje (1) >
#101
People were screaming from around the corner. The sound of crashing and breaking was getting closer. Asher, lost in thought, cried out, flailing her arms and legs.
“Bae, the manticore from Baeksuje has been released!”
“Manticore?”
Ronan frowned. The manticore was a dangerous monster that only lived in the rough terrain of the northwest. It was famous for enjoying eating people, and was basically considered a higher rank than a wyvern or an ogre.
Common sense tells us that there was no way such a monster could be in the middle of the academy. At that moment, information about Baek Soo-je, who had been in the dark for a long time, surfaced.
‘I remembered.’
I remember seeing it on the academic calendar. Baeksu-je. As the name suggests, it was a festival held with hundreds of fantastic species and monsters displayed on campus.
Anyway, even the Manticore? It was the car that Ronan muttered, saying it was nonsense. Boom! A streetlight flew in a parabolic curve and landed in the middle of the intersection.
“what?”
The street lamp made of brass was bent until it was almost broken. A loud roar rang out again, and at the same time a huge lion jumped out from around the corner. Asher, who was taking a step back, fell and fell on his butt.
“Kwaaagh! “I came out!”
“Kaaaa!!
A lion gliding to a halt in the middle of an intersection looked up at the sky and roared. Ronan, who heard the loud voice, shrugged his eyebrows.
“What, is it true?”
It really was a manticore. No matter how small it was, it looked like it was 7 meters long. Its muscular body, covered in amber fur, was swollen as if it would burst at any moment. A thick tail resembling a scorpion was flailing in the air mercilessly.
However, I felt a sense of discomfort somehow. Ronan, who was examining the manticore, frowned.
“Eh?”
Numerous restraints were attached to the manticore’s body. The mouth, where the fangs flashed, was filled with a leather muzzle. A pair of bat-like wings were tied with thick chains.
The sting at the end of the tail, which should have been dripping with extreme poison, was wrapped in something that looked like an iron ball. Ronan laughed and hit Asher on the back of the head.
“You idiot, were you scared by something like that and ran away?”
“Ugh!”
Actually, it wasn’t that I didn’t understand. It was a rather daunting monster for the current Asher to deal with. Even if most of the organs that could be used as weapons were sealed away, the Manticore was still a Manticore.
It was threatening enough with its huge size and agility, and even a single blow to its front paws or tail would have left it completely crippled.
“Kyaaaa!”
bang! bang! Every time the tail hit the ground, the broken pavement bounced. Suddenly, a question crossed Ronan’s mind.
‘Exactly how powerful is it?’
It was really unexpected, but I wanted to know how good the Auror copied from Dolan was. Surprisingly, he might have been eaten by a large creature. Ronan, having made up his mind, tapped Asher on the shoulder.
“Hey, do you have a mana potion? “It’s something I carry around for mourning expenses.”
“Yes. “I do have a bottle…”
“Give it to me.”
As soon as Ashel took out the potion, Ronan grabbed it and drank it. Her empty core was filled with mana and her fatigue disappeared.
“Wow… it was good.”
Ronan looked around and picked up a rock. Asher’s face turned pale as he predicted the future.
Ronan swung his right arm while holding Asher’s neck as he tried to run away with his left hand. Perfect! The stone flew in a low arc and hit the manticore directly on the back of the head.
“···Crung?”
“This way, furball.”
The manticore slowly turned his head. Ronan, who met the burning eyes, laughed. It was a monster I had encountered once or twice in my previous life, but seeing it like this gave me new emotions.
“Kaaaaak!”
The manticore roared wildly and rushed towards Ronan. The gap narrowed quickly. The speed was unbelievable considering that he was wearing various restraints.
Ronan stared at the manticore quietly with his hand on the hilt of his sword. It was the moment when the distance narrowed to about five steps.
‘now.’
thud! Ronan stamped his foot. A wave of mana was shot forward. At the same time, shiny roots tangled around the manticore’s four legs. And it was torn apart without the slightest respite.
“Kyaaaa!!”
“Yeah f*ck. I knew it.”
Ronan sighed. It seemed like the Aurors needed more training. Replacing the power source with his heart, Ronan tugged at the hilt of his sword. A reddish sword body appeared.
“I’m sorry.”
“Aaaah!”
A strange breathing sound came out of Ronan’s mouth. I don’t know the circumstances, but it was the right decision to kill him before there were any casualties.
It was the moment when he was about to strike. Quang! Suddenly, a huge shadow landed from the sky, making a loud noise. Ronan suddenly braked and cursed.
“f*ck, what is it?”
The man in the suit seemed to be at least 4 meters tall. Ronan raised his eyebrows when he saw the lush mane covering the nape of his neck.
“Baren?”
“This is difficult. Why is this happening…”
Instead of answering, Varen raised his left arm. At the same time, the manticore’s forehead collided with his palm. bang! The two boys’ eyes widened at the unexpected result.
“Krrrrr…! “Kaaaaaa…!”
“Nanushi. “Go back to us.”
Varen stood motionless. It was a contrast to the manticore, which was exerting strength with its claws planted on the ground.
“Come on. “People here don’t hurt you.”
Even a sense of relaxation was felt in the calm tone. The manticore, realizing that it would not be able to win in a contest of strength, stepped back as if thrown out. She then leapt towards a nearby spire.
“Kaaah!”
It wasn’t about running away. The manticore, which quickly reached a height of about the 7th floor, kicked off the outer wall of the tower and rushed towards Varen. Asher covered his face with his hand at the sight of what looked like a meteorite falling.
“Ahh! professor!”
“after···.”
Varen sighed lightly. It was the moment when the mace-like front paw was about to hit him. Varen, who dodged the attack by lightly twisting his shoulder, grabbed the Manticore’s mane and slammed him to the ground. bang!! The manticore fell headfirst into the ground, turning over on its stomach.
“Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrn…!”
“I’m sorry Nanushi. “I didn’t want to do it this way.”
The manticore’s body went limp. Varen gave a light bow. Suddenly, something strange caught Ronan’s eyes.
‘What about that?’
A golden afterimage covered Varen’s right shoulder from his fingertips. The golden mana that was visible at first glance took on a violent shape like his front paws. Ronan soon realized the identity of the afterimage and raised his eyebrows.
‘Is that Varen’s Auror?’
I already thought it was strange that the Manticore was stopped with one arm. Even though he was a wear lion, the weight class itself was different. I thought there must have been some kind of force at work, but it seemed like that was used.
‘It’s intense. It seems like a body strengthening type…’
It was the car where Ronan was closely observing the Aurors. Varen, seeing that the Manticore was completely stunned, belatedly turned her head.
“Huh! Ronan?!”
Varen’s mouth widened as he recognized Ronan and Asher. The aura covering her arm disappeared. Her sharp eyes turned round and the blank face Ronan was familiar with returned.
“Are you two okay?!”
“They were killing me. Varen. “I saw it again.”
“Now is not the time to make jokes like that. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
Varen made a fuss and looked at the two people. I thought she might be a little cool, but she was a lion who wasn’t worth her weight. She nodded her head as if Ronan was no big deal.
“are you okay. “Anyway, what happened?”
“Hehe, you really have no shame. “If I had known it would be like this, I would have brought him in a little later…”
Varen’s explanation continued. The manticore named Nanushi was an individual that he personally captured to appear in Baeksuje. Originally, they were being raised in a mountain near the island, and in order to acclimate to Phileon’s environment, they were moved to the premises last night, but it was said that they broke the iron cage and escaped a little while ago.
“It was fortunate that I was wearing a restraint for training. “I never would have thought that the iron bars on Mt. Nodland would break… I have nothing to say even if the event is canceled right now.”
“Eh? It’s not that bad, is it? “I don’t know if it’s unemployed or what, but I wanted to see it.”
“I would like that too. I think it will depend on the judgment of the student council and faculty. “Why, at such an important time…”
Varen trailed off. Before long, guards wearing armor came rushing in. They chained up the unconscious manticore and took him away on a huge cart. Varen, who was watching this, bowed again.
“Anyway, I’m sorry you had to go through this. “As a professor and one of the people responsible for Baeksuje, I would like to sincerely apologize.”
“That’s Okay. As you live, things like this and that happen. Asher, are you okay too?”
“Yes… hexagram, hexagram, hexagram, it’s okay…”
Asher nodded weakly. Tears were clearly visible on her white cheeks. Varen shook her head heavily and opened her mouth.
“Thank you for your generosity. “I’ll go take care of the situation first.”
phut! Varen leaped into the air with those words. The movements of his body, jumping over several buildings, were unusual. I didn’t notice because I was baking cookies and sipping tea all the time, but Varen was also a huge powerhouse.
‘Well, it’s Wear Lion, so it’s only natural. by the way···.’
Ronan recalled Varen’s auror that he had seen a while ago. He seemed to be of the type that strengthened his body, and even at first glance, he looked very useful.
Suddenly, it occurred to me that the power of an Auror was very unfair. Some people get ridiculous fraud auras like Stormblade or Mansa, while others sit on other people’s legs with glowing roots.
‘I wish I could copy something like that too.’
Without thinking much, Ronan imitated the posture Varen had taken a moment ago. The action was to extend his left arm and block the Manti Core. It was the moment when he remembered the image of an Auror. Tsupat! A golden flash rose up Ronan’s arm and then disappeared.
“What the f*ck?!”
“to?”
Ronan stepped back, startled. Asher, who happened to be looking at him, rolled his eyes. For a moment, the mana felt from Varen seemed to arise in Ronan’s arms.
“W-what was that just now?”
“···I don’t know either.”
Ronan shook his head. It was a short time, but I saw it clearly. It was the same power as Varen’s Auror.
‘Could it be possible to copy something else?’
It felt like a bolt of lightning had passed through my brain. I immediately tried to reproduce Varen’s aura, but I failed because all my mana was used up with just the flash of light. I felt that a much greater amount of mana was consumed than Dolan’s auror.
‘Unless you can only use the aura of those idiots…!’
But Ronan’s expression was never dark. What was important was that he manifested someone else’s aura other than Nebula Clazie.
If the ability resulting from this tumor was to copy another person’s aura, and if there was no limit to the target, then it would be like gaining an incredibly powerful power.
‘It’s still not enough.’
But it was still difficult to be sure. More verification of abilities was needed. Ronan, who was thinking about something, muttered quietly.
“···First, I need to grow my core.”
“Yes? core?”
“no. “Let’s go back first.”
No matter how much I thought about it, there was nothing more I could do right now. The two people walked towards their respective destinations. The students who had regained their composure were muttering as they followed the Manticore as it was being transported.
****
The sun was setting when Ronan arrived at Nest, the club area. This was because he went to explain the situation regarding his core to Butterfly Rose and was captured.
“Damn, how ignorant.”
Ronan cursed. My limbs were still shaking. After learning that he could use two cores, Nabirose thought, ‘Then I can train twice as well.’ This was a reaction that was very her own.
In the end, Ronan rolled until his two hearts were empty. He thought for a moment about what happened today and then twitched his lips.
‘Maybe it’s not time yet.’
I told Nabirose most of the information I had heard from Jarudin, but did not reveal the fact that I was able to copy other people’s aurors. She didn’t think it would be too late to let her know after the outline of her abilities was revealed a little more.
‘Is the difficulty level of copying different depending on the level of the Auror?’
Ronan, who was thinking back to his training days, twisted his lips. Imitating Varen’s auror ultimately failed. I tried it several times, but the mana just drained and couldn’t be reproduced.
Squeak – Ronan arrived in front of the club building and opened the door. An interior reminiscent of a tavern was revealed. Asher, whom she had planned to meet in advance, was nowhere to be seen.
“Ah, Ronan. long time no see.”
Instead, I saw Marya, who was drying her hair with a towel. Her eyes met Ronan’s and she smiled broadly. Water droplets tangled in her rich blonde hair were splashing in all directions.
“I know. “What about Asher?”
“huh? The cutie didn’t come. “Have you made an appointment?”
“Uh…why wait. But somehow your body seems to have become stronger.”
Ronan, who was bouncing Marya up and down, stuck out his tongue. She was wearing training clothes that exposed her stomach.
Judging by the fact that his straight abs were particularly clear, he looked like he had just finished training and washed up. The arm looked so hard that not even a needle could go through it, and it seemed like it could crush Asher’s head with one hand.
‘Is this a merchant or a barbarian warrior?’
I felt like I knew why I succeeded in dressing as a man in my past life even with those big breasts. It was clear that all the fat had been converted into muscle and compressed. After hearing his praise, Marja patted her abs.
“Hehe, right? “Do you want to touch it?”
“it’s okay.”
Marya twitched her lips as if her pride was hurt. Ronan, who had staggered, sat down on the table in front of her. Perhaps because she had lost two hearts, her level of fatigue was different. asked Marja anxiously as she sat down next to him.
“Now that I think about it, my face is hurt. “What happened?”
“A lot happened…”
“I haven’t seen you for the past few days. Where have you been?”
“Dawn Magic Tower. Did anything happen while I was gone? “Except the Manticore incident.”
“No big deal? Umm…there was something.”
Marya narrowed her eyes and sighed. By the way, her shoulders were hot against each other. Her slightly wet hair was gently tickling the nape of her neck.
‘Why is he doing this?’
I wanted to tell her to get out of the way because it was hot, but even that was a hassle right now. Marja, who was thinking about something, snapped her fingers.
“ah! “The Lakota who disappeared returned this morning.”
“Lakota?”
“Why, there is a boy who is taking Professor Baren’s class with him. “He’s the same age as us.”
“ah. “That weak bastard.”
Ronan, who remembered Lakota’s face, nodded. He was a classmate of Baren’s martial arts class who also took his class. I think it was said that in his hometown, they raised pigs or goats on farms, but honestly, he wasn’t a guy with a lot of presence.
“That kid went missing?”
“huh. There was an uproar because he disappeared without saying anything last night. When I asked him why he came back so late, he said he went into the forest to pick herbs that bloom only at night and got lost. “Isn’t it really absurd?”
“He’s a poor guy.”
Ronan laughed. Of course, it wasn’t completely impossible because Phileon Academy was so large. Perfect! Marja’s fingers snapped again.
“Oh, and a notice was just posted. “The Baeksu Festival will be held as is.”
“I’m glad. “Who is injured or dead?”
“doesn’t exist. “Not one.”
“That’s a good thing too.”
Parts of the site were damaged, but fortunately there were no casualties. The Manticore’s escape ended in a simple commotion. Marya explained that the decision to hold the summit was made after discussion between the student council and faculty.
“Actually, I expected this. What kind of festival is Baeksuje? Besides, there’s no way we can cancel this year.”
“why. “Is there even a salamander playing the guitar?”
“…Are you asking because you really don’t know?”
Ronan shrugged. Maria laughed and said in disbelief.
“It’s amazing. “No matter how busy you are, aren’t you too interested in the news of the world?”
“Stop being expensive, man. “For what reason?”
Ronan frowned. She had an attitude as if she was exhibiting some kind of dragon. Marya continued.
“This is the first time a doppelganger has been displayed in public. And that’s just a pair of alpha and omega. “The whole empire is in chaos, did you really not know?”
“Dopple…what?”
