I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 29 : Cockatrice (4)

Not even 20 minutes after climbing over the dormitory wall, I found a hole and came out of the school.

'It's still not blocked.'

A hole that can't be seen with the naked eye and can only be passed through via mana wavelengths.

Such holes were typically created by senior cadets who wanted to sneak out without the instructors' eyes, then passed down in absolute secrecy only to juniors they cared about.

Lim Eun-seo, when asked about the location of such a hole, tried to hide her disgusted face and vaguely told me that she didn't know exactly, but it would probably be in that direction.

'If someone can't even find that and get out, she probably intended to make them give up before the problem escalated.'

However, to me, such holes were as clear as if I could pinpoint coordinates just by looking at a map.

'The person who made this hole is probably that person.'

There weren't many people who, despite being mere cadets, had enough magical skill to draw out even a tiny gap in the great mage's barrier.

'The coat was well-placed too.'

A combat coat with all the equipment I requested was neatly bundled outside the hole.

'You don't know the location?'

The location was so obviously placed that it made me laugh a little.

Anyway.

Gurgle gurgle.

Rustle rustle rustle.

The sounds of sleepless mountain animals and leaves rustling in the wind made the midnight mountain not particularly friendly to humans.

The numerous peaks and mountain ranges surrounding the academy.

A remote place so difficult to find without knowing the exact location.

It was because of this that hidden pieces still undiscovered remained hidden.

'Cockatrices are relatively mild in comparison.'

I walked looking for places likely to have water, focusing on my hearing and memory.

The Eye Power skill was useful at times like this, providing additional effects such as brightening night vision even without boosting dynamic eyesight.

Cockatrices are basically wary demonic beasts.

They have the special ability of petrifying magical eyes, but conversely, they become powerless in environments where eyes don't work well.

Night, when it's difficult to see things properly with eyes, is the most dangerous time for cockatrices.

This means they spend half of each day in dangerous situations.

Because of this, cockatrices have a habit of choosing environments with water and mud that can create mud armor as their residence.

If there's also a cave to hide in?

Then it was safe to assume there was a cockatrice nearby with high probability.

'I need to catch it before the sun rises.'

Cockatrices protect themselves at night by wrapping in mud armor and hiding to sleep.

But in the morning, they reflect themselves in the water to release the petrification, then fly away.

This is why one had to hunt at night to obtain a cockatrice's mud armor.

'That works out well. It's easier to fight at night anyway.'

Catching a demonic beast with high defense is overwhelmingly easier than catching one with petrifying magical eyes.

Hunters who didn't know exactly about these habits of cockatrices often struggled all day trying to catch them, only to come back empty-handed without obtaining the mud armor despite all their efforts.

It would be a serious problem if they accidentally got petrified.

'But that's only if you don't have proper knowledge.'

How many cockatrices have I caught like this so far?

Even now, I was not satisfied with just that and was also trying to obtain other hidden pieces.

"......Found it."

In less than an hour, I smiled as I discovered traces of a cockatrice.

'Following this way should lead to water.'

It didn't seem like I would need to go beyond today.

'I have to get back before dawn.'

I checked the time with a cheap watch instead of the bracelet I had left behind.

There was enough time.

'Then let's look for something else first.'

A hidden piece that can be found like the cockatrice by moving along the water.

In fact, that was much more necessary for me right now.

As I searched for places with different mana waves using my sensitively spread ki sense, I finally detected an unusual wavelength from below a steep, almost cliff-like slope.

'This smell.'

My olfactory cells, sharpened by the darkness, keenly detected the stench.

"Blue Thornhorn Mushroom."

It was an herb with a higher mana content than magical stones, and particularly, its unique toxins had the effect of roughly dissolving waste products within the blood vessels.

'As a result, it ends up widening the pathways through which mana flows.'

Though it's a C-rank artifact, considering its compatibility with me, it's worth giving even more without regret.

Of course.

Finding it wasn't the end.

'As expected, it's guarded.'

My sharp night vision detected a being crouched in the darkness.

It was a demonic beast called the land octopus.

It had a habit of living near mana-containing plants and eating the leaking mana, and due to its strong greed and possessiveness, it showed very aggressive tendencies toward approaching enemies.

In martial arts novel terms, it would be a spiritual beast guarding an elixir.

'But no matter how I look at it, it doesn't look like an octopus.'

It's only called an octopus because it has eight legs.

In fact, looking at just the body, it's closer to a lizard or salamander.

'It's a bit nauseating.'

A body as big as a person with tentacle-like legs even longer.

Those legs had rough, hard suckers protruding like giant barnacles attached to coastal rocks.

Come to think of it, the first Ma-in I encountered also had multiple arms like that.

'Anyway, I hate creatures with multiple arms the most among all monsters.'

They're annoying to deal with and have unnecessarily many variables.

Of course, compared to that Ma-in who underwent several powerful mutations, the land octopus wasn't considered particularly strong.

'Thanks to this, among Hunters, it's evaluated as a jackpot just to discover one.'

In other words, it wasn't difficult enough for the current me to have trouble hunting.

'Moreover, my current physical abilities have already become much stronger than when I first possessed this body.'

Regardless, it's something to be grateful for.

If access to the academy area hadn't been restricted to outsiders in the first place, such precious hidden pieces wouldn't have remained.

Among the demonic beasts that had been hiding deep in the mountains to avoid human pursuit since before the academy was established, many were valuable like this.

However, if the demonic beast was too strong, it would be difficult to survive.

'The instructors sometimes come out to warm up and catch them.'

Or they might get caught by cadets doing survival practice and get smashed.

'Let's finish this quickly.'

I walked toward the land octopus without hiding my presence.

'Thank you, thanks to you I'll get to eat the Blue Thornhorn Mushroom.'

Thinking like that, even those eight arms seemed somewhat cute.

"Shaaaaa."

The land octopus, detecting my presence, wriggled and rose.

After it finished scanning me in a moment of stillness.

"Shaaaaaaak!"

It approached quickly using its eight legs and pounced on me from all directions like a net.

Once entangled in those legs, you would die horribly as the sharp and hard suckers would bruise and gouge your flesh.

'Eye Power activate.'

Keeing!

I easily avoided the tentacle-like legs pouncing on me and instantly closed the distance.

"Hup!"

Releasing all the power my muscles had been holding in one go, I threw a bullet-like straight punch.

Buheoeoeong!

There was a sound of air bursting.

Pasasak!

The land octopus's flesh was crushed in an instant.

"......."

Hmm.

Did I hit it too hard?

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"Ah, I'm really worried."

Lim Eun-seo, who couldn't sleep and was gnawing on her fingernails, kicked off her blanket and got up.

'I must be crazy. What was I thinking trusting a first-year like that?'

If things went wrong, she'd have to worry about disciplinary action rather than her graduation project.

'But that guy was too confident.'

Because of that, she had agreed to all his requests as if possessed.

'He said he's done many things, maybe he's done multi-level marketing?'

Anyway, being in the same boat.

There was no other option but to believe and wait.

'Ah. If I had known it would be like this, I should have provided better equipment.'

This innocence was only possible because she didn't yet know the fact that she would lose everything she lent, as if getting her nose cut off with her eyes open.

'Please catch it. It doesn't have to be today. Don't get hurt unnecessarily.'

But Lim Eun-seo thought it would be difficult for Su-hyeon to achieve any results today.

'It would be fortunate if he doesn't get lost.'

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"My skin is a bit scraped."

Su-hyeon caressed his slightly skinned knuckles and dusted off his coat.

Though he quickly moved away after the attack, he still got covered in some flesh, entrails, and blood.

'My skin couldn't withstand the force.'

It was inevitable after generating such destructive power with bare hands without weapons.

'This is why I need to get good quality gloves or knuckles.'

But ordinary ones would break after just a few hits, so it was hard to call it a fundamental solution.

'Soon I'll need to add another usable skill.'

The 150 achievement points that came in as a reward for blasting the land octopus with one hit were also quite nice.

'Now then.'

Gulp.

Even Su-hyeon, who was normally quite composed, took out the Blue Thornhorn Mushroom with a slightly tense face.

Normally, it's dangerous to eat any mushroom raw, even if it's edible.

This is because almost all mushrooms contain some poison, big or small.

'But the toxicity that this mushroom contains is exactly what I need right now.'

Su-hyeon regulated his breathing for the anticipated pain.

'The pain of the Blue Thornhorn Mushroom is famous.'

Only someone like Su-hyeon, who had resistance to pain thanks to the Unlimited characteristic, could eat it raw and endure it.

'Or perhaps an awakened with some kind of pain-blocking ability.'

Usually, people would be unable to bear the intense pain immediately upon consumption, roll around in agony, and end up damaging their blood vessels.

'I've heard that in extreme cases, some people eat it while under anesthetic sleep.'

But that would inevitably reduce the effectiveness.

The difference between medicine and poison is just a hair's breadth.

If not for that pain, the Blue Thornhorn Mushroom would have been valued as an elixir worth ten times more than it is now.

"Huuuuuu."

After exhaling a long breath, Su-hyeon chewed and swallowed the mushroom in one bite.

Gulp!

Enduring the bitter and stinging taste, Su-hyeon swallowed the mushroom and took a comfortable position.

'5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Here it comes!'

Like swallowing magma, an intense pain that felt like his stomach was burning and melting came.

"Kuuuuu."

A metallic sound of enduring intense pain leaked through his clenched molars.

But this was just the beginning.

'Fuck! Damn it!'

The energy of the mushroom began to flow through the blood vessels along the mana.

Intense pain that felt like each blood vessel and nerve was being stabbed with needles and twisted with pliers engulfed his entire body.

'Good Lord.'

For a moment, Su-hyeon's mind went blank.

Nevertheless, he didn't lose consciousness.

Moreover, as the pain far exceeded the tolerable limit, his brain urgently began producing endorphins.

"Suuuuup."

Finally, Su-hyeon's body began to breathe again.

'Now it's bearable.'

Like someone who had just received a heavy dose of morphine, Su-hyeon endured the lingering pain with superhuman mental strength and began to clean all the waste products in his blood vessels by guiding the flow of mana from his heart to the tips of his fingers and toes.

'This energy shouldn't go to the brain.'

It was too toxic to draw into the brain.

'It's okay. Let's stay calm.'

Su-hyeon, entering a state of selflessness, forgot time and observed only his body.

"Wuack!"

Eventually, Su-hyeon spat out the black blood he had been holding in his mouth.

"Huuuu."

Had an hour passed?

But the expression of Su-hyeon, wiping his mouth, was only bright.

"Great success."

The feeling of mana flowing through his body was quite different.

The total amount of mana had increased considerably.

Above all, the mana circulation speed and efficiency itself had improved significantly.

To use an analogy, it was like the difference between driving on a stripped national road and driving on a wide-open highway.

'With this, I should have easily surpassed the estimated grade D+.'

Su-hyeon grinned.

With that output, he could achieve greater efficiency beyond simple specs.

'It's already dawn.'

Now it couldn't be seen as very leisurely.

Su-hyeon hurriedly quickened his steps.

'I'm getting closer and closer.'

The traces left by the cockatrice were continuously appearing.

Above all, the sound of flowing water from a distance strengthened Su-hyeon's conviction.

'If it weren't random, I would have found it much earlier.'

But after a few hundred playthroughs, the main appearance patterns become clear.

Su-hyeon knew exactly what terrain was in the direction he was heading and where caves were hidden.

"Just wait a little longer."