I Became the Genius Mage of the Martial Academy

Chapter 152 : Advanced Student Promotion Exam (3)

"It's a raid! All hands, prepare for battle!!"

The enemies who rushed out of the explosion. But acting like a swarm of ants that had lost their home would only make them a target.

Flame bullets burned the forest and poured down on the enemies' heads.

"Aaaargh!"

The enemies began to fall one by one under the merciless attack.

I didn't even think they were civilians. Because various circumstances, including their killing intent, were telling me that they were enemies.

Swish-!

Soon, an arrow came up from below. Although its power was halved and it was at a level that could be sufficiently blocked with just a shield, I raised my altitude to be cautious.

At that moment, a powerful qi flew, aiming for my feet.

Kaang!

As I flew a First Blade covered in powerful qi to block it, I saw an unorthodox faction member standing below with a spear.

Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be the executive who had come looking for the bandits back then.

“Great Mage! Why are you attacking us!!”

“Do I need a reason to catch unorthodox faction bastards?”

I asked, slaughtering other enemies with flame bullets. Even at this moment when the opponent was asking a question, the number of unorthodox faction members was rapidly decreasing.

A situation closer to a hunt than a subjugation. As long as they couldn't attack me, the enemy had no chance of winning.

“I know you’re a student! What do you want? Money, honor? Anything is fine! Let’s negotiate!”

It seemed he was trying to negotiate after grasping the situation. He seemed to be quite quick-witted.

“Alright.”

And then I blew off the back of the head of an unorthodox faction guy who was running away with a flame bullet. At this, the opponent, with his eyes wide open, raised his voice.

“You said you’d negotiate!! Why are you doing this?!”

“Your attitude is not right.”

Kwaang!

After turning another unorthodox faction guy into ashes, I pointed out the most important point.

“If you want to negotiate, there has to be a person in charge. Where’s your leader?”

“Th-that’s me…!”

“I came knowing everything, so don’t try any tricks.”

With an explosion, another flame rose.

I took my eyes off the falling unorthodox faction member and said.

“The level doesn’t match. Bring your superior right now.”

“You…!”

Just as the guy was about to draw his sword qi. I suddenly felt a killing intent from behind.

Kaaaaang!

The First Blade, which had been flown for defense, was deflected by a tremendous powerful qi.

The moment I raised my altitude while barely blocking the sword qi by unfolding the Zixia Divine Art with the Demon-Slaying Sword, a gruff voice was heard from below.

“…It’s truly a bad fate.”

Seeing the opponent's appearance, I furrowed my brows for a moment.

“Seo Chae-gang?”

I hadn't even thought that person would be here.

My surprise was also brief, as Seo Chae-gang's figure disappeared and then appeared in the air.

“I’ll kill you this time!”

“You have a long tongue for a guy who ran away with his tail between his legs.”

I immediately raised my altitude further to dodge, but an axe flew in between.

Kaaaaang!

I soared into the sky with the tremendous power. I looked at Seo Chae-gang, who was falling, while stopped in the air with psychokinesis.

‘So he’s a Transformation Realm master.’

To think he could leap about 50m into the sky and produce that much power. If it weren't for a superior martial art like the Zixia Divine Art, I would have suffered internal damage.

“It was enough that you interfered with us like that. This time, you’ve come to our Dark Shadow Hall’s base and are confronting us. Do you really want to die!”

Seo Chae-gang roared.

If it was the Dark Shadow Hall, it was an unorthodox faction group of the 3rd rank among the Heretic Alliance. It was not an organization that could be dealt with at the student level.

‘I gathered the wrong information.’

It seemed the instructors also hadn't expected a big shot like Seo Chae-gang to be hiding.

If there was a Transformation Realm master on this island, the story changes.

‘The mission is not important right now.’

It was a matter of survival.

“You bastard!! Are you ignoring me!!!”

With Seo Chae-gang's shout from below, a powerful qi flew. A heavy offensive where each and every blow was not just heavy but tingling.

While blocking this, I flew a spear of flame lightning. But Seo Chae-gang deflected it too easily.

‘Is it difficult to damage an enemy of that level?’

Right now, I had two choices.

To abandon Bong So and Go Su-bin and run away, or to hold his ankle here.

The answer was already there. I took a deep breath.

“Seo Chae-gang is here!!!”

And then I shouted from the sky with my internal energy. The shield I had made towards the bottom acted as a funnel and echoed even louder throughout the island.

“Hahaha!! You acted so high and mighty, but in the end, all you can do is ask for help!!”

Seo Chae-gang sneered and continued to fly his powerful qi. It was worth it to have chosen my words so that the guy could misunderstand.

‘I’ll buy time like this.’

What I said was not a request for help, saying that Seo Chae-gang was here, but a warning to run away because it was dangerous.

‘It’s about time Baek Hasin arrives too.’

If Baek Hasin also had a thought, he would have judged that tracking me was the easiest, so he should have arrived on the island by now.

Even if that wasn't the case, with flames soaring like that, he would naturally have to come and see.

‘Although Jeong Muk said that, there’s a high probability that he’s waiting nearby since there are suspicious elements.’

Although he had said that, I knew that in the case of a dangerous exam, the instructors were always on standby in preparation for a situation like this.

Therefore, my job was to hold onto Seo Chae-gang.

I was planning to achieve both survival and mission success like this.

As I was blocking the enemy's attack for a long time, Seo Chae-gang's expression contorted.

‘He might change his target at this rate.’

To prevent this, I threw a word at him.

“To think a guy of only your level is the leader. The level of the Dark Shadow Hall has fallen to the bottom. That’s why you’re always in 3rd place.”

“What?”

The momentum of Seo Chae-gang, who was blocking the flying spear of flame lightning, changed.

A killing intent rose from his whole body.

“Who do you dare to look down on?”

Always in 3rd place. That was a sore spot for Seo Chae-gang.

I raised my altitude further and shot a stream of water magic above Seo Chae-gang. Like a stream of urine.

Jul-jul-jul-

A stream of warm water poured down from above Seo Chae-gang's head in all directions.

It was the result of adjusting the temperature to the most unpleasant level by using fire magic in parallel.

I sneered at him, who was looking up this way.

“A 3rd-rate who’s struggling with just one student.”

“…I’ll kill you.”

Simultaneously, a barrage of dozens of powerful qi flew.

Ka-ga-ga-ga-gang!

It was incomparably more than before. Powers that were just enough to block even though I had raised my altitude.

‘Still, I shouldn’t get too far away.’

I was planning to draw attention from around 60m in the sky so that Seo Chae-gang could continue to aim for this side.

‘Run away quickly.’

If we could just hold out until then, we would win.

***

Meanwhile, Baek Hasin’s team, including Namgung Bihwa and Mo Yonghan, had moored a small boat on the coast of the island where the deafening roar was coming from.

“I think we’re late.”

Mo Yonghan, who had lifted the boat to the land, said, looking at the smoke rising in the distance.

“No, if it’s Cheonwu, he wouldn’t have touched the strong ones yet. He’s a friend who knows how to fight at a disadvantage. He’s probably focused on dealing with the subordinates.”

Baek Hasin answered and cut down the enemies who were ambushing.

Just then, a voice was heard from a distance.

“Seo Chae-gang is here!!!”

Although it was just one sentence, everyone's expression hardened. Because everyone knew the rumors about Seo Chae-gang, the Thousand-Jin-Strength-Bear.

“A Transformation Realm master is here?”

Mo Yonghan swallowed dryly.

“It’s dangerous. The exam won’t be the problem.”

Namgung Bihwa narrowed her brow.

“If that’s true. There’s a possibility that Cheonwu is lying.”

Baek Hasin didn't believe it.

“Don’t tell me he’d do such a petty thing…”

While Namgung Bihwa couldn't finish her words and kept silent, only Mo Yonghan defended him.

“It could be true, right?”

“He might have done it to hog all the glory. For now, we should also go inside and grasp the situation.”

And so, the three, including Baek Hasin, rushed into the island.

As he was tracking the enemies who were scattering in all directions in a panic, he witnessed something.

- They’re moving the ships to the riverbank.

It seemed they had chosen to flee quickly after their base was discovered.

- It would be good to deal with them one by one before the enemies all gather.

- No. It would be better to go to the center of that fight first.

- Why?

Then, Namgung Bihwa's telepathic message was heard.

- Are you suggesting we consider the worst?

- Yes. If Seo Chae-gang is really there, it would be better to cooperate, and even if he’s not, as long as Cheonwu is shooting magic from the air like that, he wouldn’t have been able to deal with the leader-level figure yet.

It was a judgment to strike the enemy's head and earn points since they had arrived late.

- Good.

With Mo Yonghan's agreement, they headed for the central part of the island where Cheonwu was.

In that process, there were a few beings that were caught in Baek Hasin's qi sense.

‘They’re going in the opposite direction of where the ships are. What on earth?’

Although he was suspicious, Cheonwu was the priority for now. The moment he hurried his steps.

Ka-ga-ga-ga-gang!

“This is?!”

A gruesome sound of something cutting through the air was felt from a distance. A considerable killing intent that couldn't be felt from a decent super-master.

- To think Cheonwu’s words were true! We’ll form a formation from now on. First, the three of us will surround Seo Chae-gang and then…

- No. There’s no need for that.

- Pardon?

Baek Hasin, who asked back as if asking what she meant at Namgung Bihwa's assertion.

- If we run away, Zhuge Cheonwu can also escape. Since he can fly.

Since the exam was no longer important, Namgung Bihwa's point had a point.

Baek Hasin, who had caught his breath, nodded his head.

- …I got too excited. Then the other two will also escape together.

Just as they were about to move.

Kuung-!

A huge human figure that had fallen right in front of Baek Hasin looked down at them.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

It was the leader of the Dark Shadow Hall, Seo Chae-gang.

***

As I was dodging Seo Chae-gang's attack, I suddenly narrowed my brow at the presence I felt from below.

‘Why are those guys?’

Even though I had shouted so much for them to run away.

Especially, even if Baek Hasin and Namgung Bihwa were not, Mo Yonghan would stand out even if he hid.

Naturally, Seo Chae-gang must have also noticed.

As if to prove that thought, Seo Chae-gang, who had been flying his powerful qi at me like crazy, soon turned his gaze and rushed out.

He must have instinctively felt that I was buying time. And the reason for that was, of course, the existence of my comrades.

‘But I shouldn’t show it. He might take a hostage or something.’

Baek Hasin's team members were all elites who were at the super-peak level to the top-tier of the peak level.

No matter how much the opponent was Seo Chae-gang, they should be able to hold out for a little.

‘His target is me. Even if he kills one or two students, in the end, if he can’t defeat me, it will be tricky to escape the island.’

In the first place, I was planning to let the students escape and then aim for the ship that Seo Chae-gang would take and sink it.

If he tried to escape by swimming, I was planning to pour electric magic until my mana ran out.

In that case, unless he could escape this huge Danjang Lake by diving, he would have no choice but to be isolated on this island.

‘The problem is that it didn’t go according to plan.’

That's why I first aimed for the executive spearman who was assisting Seo Chae-gang from the side.

While Seo Chae-gang was pouring his strength on that side, it was more efficient to deal with this guy.

I lowered my altitude and flew several spears of flame lightning.

The opponent, who dodged or cut them down like a super-peak master.

But he couldn't react to the powerful qi that flew at the same time and allowed his shoulder to be hit.

‘Now I can suppress a beginner super-peak level with just magic.’

I continued to fly magic and powerful qi at the guy while slightly lowering my altitude.

To deal with him more efficiently, I had to step up myself, but since I had to keep Seo Chae-gang's movements in check, this was the best I could do.

“Keuk!”

And yet, I was steadily accumulating wounds on the spearman.

At his level, it would be impossible to block all the magic and powerful qi that were being shot from above his head.

‘It’s about time I drive in the wedge.’

While the spearman was deflecting the powerful qi, I flew the Flame Lightning First Blade Spear I had been preparing.

Kaaaaang!

Perhaps because of the distance, the opponent still responded. But it seemed he couldn't block it completely, as one of his forearms was torn off.

‘It’s over with the next one.’

Just as I was about to fly magic and powerful qi again.

“Use that!”

I heard Seo Chae-gang's shout from a distance.

With that, as if waiting for it, the spearman took out a black pill from his bosom and swallowed it.

Then, in an instant, a dense internal energy rose from the enemy's body, and a black powerful qi covered his skin.

My pupils widened at the sight.

‘Don’t tell me?!’

I knew that.

‘A demonic pill? Why is that here?’

It was a demonic pill, a forbidden drug that temporarily and explosively amplified one's internal energy.

(End of Chapter)