Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner

Chapter 486: Episode 486

’Gasp! Pant! Phew!’

Two students staggered through the trees, gasping for breath. Their legs trembled, completely drained of strength.

The forest was a suffocating sea of red mist. The ground was a carpet of monster corpses, and the students’ fists were slick with blood.

"No, seriously," one of them grumbled, wiping a smear of blood from his forehead with the back of his hand. "This isn’t even a graded evaluation, it’s just course registration. Don’t you think this is a little too intense?"

Within the dense, mysterious fog, magic circles were useless and subspaces were sealed. There was only Combat Magic. They had to fight an endless horde of monsters using only their bodies, and only then could they find Hong Feng to enroll in her class.

"I don’t even have a clue where she is," the student muttered with a heavy sigh. Hong Feng’s class was certainly worth the effort, but that didn’t make the current struggle any less grueling.

"Hey! Get over here!" his friend shouted.

"What is it?"

"Blood! It’s blood!"

"...Has this bastard finally lost his mind? You’ve never seen blood before? What was that stuff on your hand a minute ago?"

"No, you idiot! Just get over here and look!"

At his friend’s frantic cry, the student sighed. ’Fine, I’ll fall for it again,’ he muttered, trudging over. And then he saw it.

He could only stand there, mouth agape. Before him lay what could only be described as a river of blood, a wide swathe of the forest floor painted crimson. Piled high on its banks were hills of monster corpses, twisted into grotesque shapes.

"...Who... who came through here?"

---

At that same moment, birds scattered from the trees as monsters fled in terror. Two young men were tearing through the infested forest with the unstoppable force of a battle tank.

"It’s been a while!" Simon shouted, shattering an orc’s jaw with a punch before leaping into a roundhouse kick that sent a mid-sized monster flying. "Since I’ve teamed up with you, Kajan!"

The monster Simon had kicked was dead before it hit the ground, its face split open by a follow-up attack. Beyond it, a figure with flying gray hair moved like a phantom, his eyes glinting.

"The first time since Silage’s lab, I believe," Kajan replied coolly. He darted across the battlefield, using the shoulders of monsters as stepping stones. With every touch, a creature would collapse in a fountain of blood, deep claw marks gouged into its neck. His signature footwork, which made him seem as light as a paper doll, was as unnerving as ever. He could bend his joints in ways that seemed to defy anatomy, and while his movements looked weightless, each strike landed with devastating force. Monsters practically exploded in his wake.

’I’m still a long way from catching up to Kajan in pure Combat Magic.’

Simon watched in awe as he gathered Jet-Black in his right hand.

’Hong Feng Original – Chakgeom’

He swung his arm, and a wave of energy scythed through trees and monsters alike. Kicking off the ground, he soared into the canopy, swinging from branch to branch like an ape before dropping down to snap a monster’s neck with a powerful kick. He wasn’t falling behind Kajan in the slightest—a testament to the skills he’d honed in the Leshill Mountains.

Landing softly, Simon re-engaged in close-quarters combat, felling monsters with a flurry of precise punches. "But Kajan, you’re already a Combat Magic major. Why are you taking it as a general course, too?"

Kajan appeared at his side, dispatching monsters with brutal efficiency. The sheer ferocity of the two, who seemed to be competing to rack up kills, was enough to make the remaining monsters hesitate.

"Professor Hong Feng made an offer," Kajan explained. "She asked if I needed more free time on campus. If I enrolled in another one of her classes, she would waive my attendance, allowing me to move as needed."

"Ah!"

So Hong Feng had guessed that Kajan was no ordinary student. That was a thoughtful gesture, just like her.

"Does that mean she knows you’re part of the Thieves’ Guild?"

"She doesn’t seem to know that much."

Suddenly, Simon’s eyes widened. Before them stood a hulking orc, well over two meters tall with vicious tusks jutting from its jaw. It was an Orc Warlord, a danger level 5 threat. Simon immediately scrambled up a tree to draw its attention.

"Kajan! We’ve got a big one!"

The Warlord roared and swung a battle-axe of monstrous proportions. Simon, clinging to a branch, did a pull-up to dodge the attack, but the axe slammed into the tree, which groaned and began to topple. ’Rumble!’ Just before he hit the ground, Simon grabbed a vine from a neighboring tree and swung to safety. In that same instant, Kajan shot up from below like a lightning bolt, his fist connecting with the Warlord’s chin as he passed.

Stunned by the brain-rattling impact, the Orc Warlord spun around in a rage.

’Simon Original – Papung’

’BOOM!’

With the hand not gripping the vine, Simon snapped his fingers, and a shockwave erupted on the Warlord’s forehead. The beast’s enraged gaze locked onto him.

’SWIIISH!’

Kajan descended from above, his claws raking across the Warlord’s chest. A fountain of blood sprayed from the deep gashes. Bellowing in fury from the successive attacks, the Warlord raised its axe.

"Catch, Simon."

A moment later, a sturdy-looking vine swung toward Simon. He grinned and grabbed it.

’Whoosh! Whoosh!’

Kajan engaged the enraged Warlord head-on, drawing its full attention. He expertly dodged its wild swings with minimal upper-body movement, a display of seasoned mastery. Seizing the opportunity, Simon swung in from behind and wrapped the vine tightly around the Warlord’s neck.

Choking, the Warlord’s movements grew sluggish. It tried to swing its axe to dislodge Simon, but its unstable posture made the attempt clumsy. Kajan moved in for the kill.

He scaled the Warlord’s body—knee, abdomen, chest—and with pinpoint accuracy, extended his fingernails into sharp claws, plunging them deep into the creature’s neck and heart. The Warlord convulsed, blood foaming at its lips, as both men leaped clear. Clutching its throat and vomiting blood, the massive monster crashed to the ground with a final, earth-shaking ’thud’.

"Hoooo." Simon let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and held up a fist to Kajan. "It feels great to be in sync again!"

Kajan bumped his fist against Simon’s, then idly scratched the scar over his right eye. "Lady Nephthys’s order to protect you from external threats is still active. Magnus, the 5th Legion Commander, is still after you. If you run into any trouble, you know where to find me."

"Thanks as always, Kajan."

"And from this point on, I move alone."

"Huh?"

"It wouldn’t look good if I, a repeating major, were seen helping a student during their registration exam. Instead, I’ll give you a piece of information you might find useful."

Kajan’s words made Simon’s eyes widen.

---

It was the final event of course registration. By now, a third of the entire second-year class had converged on the red-misted forest. Students who had successfully registered for their other classes were now all vying for a spot in Hong Feng’s. However, the extreme difficulty of having to rely solely on Combat Magic was taking its toll. All around the forest, barrier gauges were hitting zero, forcing students into a mandatory thirty-minute rest.

And another was on the verge of collapse.

"Haa, haa." A girl with sky-blue hair bent over, hands on her knees, panting for breath. Her barrier gauge was at a mere 8%. Just then, another monster lunged at her.

"Haap!" Kamibarez appeared in a flash of light purple hair, striking the monster’s abdomen with an open palm and sending it flying. It was her own original technique, designed to knock opponents off balance. She quickly turned to her friend. "Are you okay, Meirin?"

"Ah, yeah! Thanks for the cover."

’Thwack!’

A crossbow bolt embedded itself in the forehead of the monster Kamibarez had just repelled.

"I’m almost out of bolts," Dick announced, reloading his crossbow. His own barrier gauge was at a critical 1%.

"That guy, honestly." Meirin retied her hair, letting out a hollow laugh. "The fact that he survives these things is a miracle of bad luck."

"Hey, it’s not luck, it’s skill!"

"Everyone! More are coming!"

A horde of monsters swarmed toward them. The three friends took up their unique fighting stances.

"Looks like this is the end of the road for us," Dick sang dramatically.

"Would you please stop jinxing us, you dummy!" Meirin snapped.

"Ah!" Kamibarez, her small hands raised in a defensive posture, suddenly pointed ahead. "Look over there!"

A boy in a school uniform vaulted over the swarming monsters, using the trees as springboards. In an instant, he landed in front of the trio, blocking the monsters’ path.

His feet slid across the ground in a smooth spin, and his right arm, shimmering with Jet-Black, carved a chilling arc through the air.

’Hong Feng Original – Chakgeom’

The range was incomparable to a normal Chakgeom. The blade of force spread out in a massive semicircle, bisecting every monster in its path.

’Six of them at once!’ Dick’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The boy’s spin came to a stop, his sweat-soaked hair whipping around his face. "I’m glad you’re all safe."

"Ah!" The faces of his friends lit up with pure relief.

"Simon!"

With his back still to them, Simon gave the student council members a slight wave. He tilted his head just as a monster’s spear whistled through the space where his head had been. ’Thump! Thump!’ He grabbed the monster’s wrist and arm, using its momentum to flip it over his shoulder and slam it into the ground. Other monsters charged, swinging their weapons wildly, but Simon seemed to be fighting in a different league entirely. He deflected blades with a simple push of his palm before driving a fist into his attacker’s solar plexus, making combat look effortless. The sight of him spinning in mid-air to kick three monsters in the head before landing was simply jaw-dropping.

"...No way," Dick breathed, lowering his crossbow. "His Combat Magic has gotten way better since before the break."

Simon caught another monster in a joint lock, wrapping his arm around its neck. Before he could snap the bone, two more rushed him from the sides.

With a powerful cry, Meirin launched herself through the air, sending one of the flanking monsters flying with a picture-perfect kick. In that brief opening, Simon broke the first monster’s neck and immediately grappled with the next, an orc clad in heavy armor.

"Now, Meirin!"

Landing from her kick, Meirin pulled back a fist that shimmered with Jet-Black.

’Hong Feng Original – Cheonhyung’

’BOOOOM!’

Cheonhyung, one of the few piercing techniques in Combat Magic, struck true. Her fist connected with the center of the armor, and the orc collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

"Wow, you’ve gotten amazing with Cheonhyung," Simon praised with a grin.

Meirin’s face flushed as she cradled her fist in her other hand.

"What’s wrong?"

"Ah, Meirin’s been acting weird all day," Dick chimed in. He grabbed a monster that was targeting her, kneed it in the face, and sent it stumbling toward Kamibarez, who finished it with a decisive blow to the abdomen. "She blushes every time she uses Cheonhyung."

"Wh-When did I ever!" Meirin shouted, her face turning beet red.

"See? She’s blushing again."

"Do you have a death wish?! Seriously, why do you keep picking fights with me today!" Meirin clenched her fists and lunged at Dick, who yelped dramatically and pointed to his dwindling barrier gauge.

Simon watched them with a quiet smile.

"Simon!" Kamibarez beamed as she came to his side. "How did your registrations with Professor Jane and Professor Bahil go?"

"Success on both fronts, just as planned."

"I’m so happy!" Her small wings fluttered with excitement. "Even though our majors are different, the four of us can still take the same classes this year!"

"Yeah." Simon glanced at Meirin and Dick, who were still bickering. "More importantly, everyone follow me. Kajan told me where Professor Hong Feng is."

Dick, who was about to have his hair ripped out by Meirin, shot out a hand. "The pavilion behind the waterfall! Right?"

"Right. How did you know?"

"That’s Kajan for you. He had the same info as me... Ah, aaah! If you hit me again, I’m really going to get a mandatory thirty-minute rest!"

"Shut uuuuuup!"

---

’Swooooooosh!’

In a small pavilion nestled behind a picturesque waterfall, Combat Magic professor Hong Feng was peacefully sipping tea with her head teaching assistant.

"Professor."

"Yez."

’Clack—’

The head TA set down her teacup. "You’ve made this year’s course registration unusually difficult. Is there a reason?"

"Ah, that’z becauze..." Hong Feng smiled faintly. "If it’z too eazy, the one ztudent I truly want might not be able to make it."