With a swift motion, Simon's spear grazed the cheek of the Cyclops, narrowly missing its mark.
"What a shame!" he muttered, disappointment evident as he landed on the ground.
The Cyclops, furious and towering, swung its club wildly.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Each strike against the floor and walls sent tremors through the dungeon.
Simon's agile movements to dodge the attacks were indeed impressive, but in truth, he was in a precarious situation.
"Th-thank you, Professor Hongpeng...!" If it weren't for the dark energy manipulation she had taught him, he would have been caught long ago.
The Cyclops lunged forward, bringing its club down with force.
Crash! "Simon!" Kamibarez shouted.
Just then, through the dust cloud that had risen from the ground, Simon emerged. [Barrier Gauge: 72%] He wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
"Not a single hit landed. They all just grazed by... what is this...!"
Thud! Thud! Thud! The Cyclops approached, its eyes gleaming with rage.
Simon felt a strong sense of unease.
Despite taking three hits from the Exgest, the creature moved as if it were completely unharmed.
Dick, sharing Simon's thoughts, was sweating profusely.
"If three hits have done this much, how many stacks do we need to stop it?"
In the control room of the upper levels of the dungeon, Jane sat in front of multiple screens showing the battle scenes from various angles.
In her hand was a grading sheet, and she was quickly moving her quill across it.
"Professor Jane! It seems there's something wrong with the Cyclops!" A teaching assistant, standing beside her with a tense expression, exclaimed.
"The specs of the Cyclops faced by the other groups far exceed this one! It’s showing signs of rampage, and curses aren’t landing properly! We need to stop the exam immediately and bring in a new Cyclops...!"
"Let’s observe for now."
"... Yes?" Jane did not say anything further and continued grading.
'.......' The assistant, who had never once opposed Professor Kizen, felt that this was a bit much.
"Professor! This isn't fair! This is an accident, and the rampaging Cyclops is uncontrollable! We must stop the exam immediately!"
"...... Fairness."
Jane, who had been nodding her quill, took off her glasses and placed them on the table.
"That’s not a virtue highly regarded in Kizen."
"...... Professor?"
"Do teaching assistants only choose weak opponents in real battles? Do they tuck their tails and abandon their missions whenever the opponent exceeds expectations or when variables arise?"
"Th-that’s not the case...!" The assistant seemed momentarily speechless, biting their lip before continuing.
"But this isn’t a real battle! Moreover, these students are too young!"
"Age is not important. What matters is that they are from Kizen."
"Professor!"
"Let’s trust and observe."
Jane said, her eyes shining.
What was important was not the exam or grades, but what the students could learn through specific experiences.
"It seems they’ve realized they need to change."
"Guys."
Simon, having retreated to avoid the Cyclops's attack, turned to his teammates.
"Let’s give up on the curses. They don’t seem to be working."
"That can’t be true!" Meilin shouted.
"Haven’t you seen the other groups? They all succeeded in taking down the Cyclops with Exgest, so why are we the only ones...!"
"I don’t really know the reason either."
Simon raised his head and scrutinized the Cyclops.
Bloodshot eyes, muscles bulging, tendons straining unnaturally.
Was it just bad luck to encounter one in such good condition?
"I agree with Simon. The exhaustion isn’t working, that’s a fact."
Dick chimed in.
Meilin only hesitated at the idea of abandoning the curse strategy, but it was hard to deny that the Cyclops was still standing strong.
Simon spoke again.
"So we need to approach it from a different angle."
"... How?" Meilin looked as if she might cry.
Honestly, she felt a bit wronged.
Everything was going awry.
From the team members to drawing the undead's attention, even the curses were failing.
Everything they had planned had gone to waste, and now what more could they do?
"Just do what you want."
Whoosh! Simon dodged the Cyclops's club swinging diagonally.
"Let’s scrap all the strategies we’ve devised so far and just help me however you feel like."
"What do you mean!"
Boom! Simon's movements faltered slightly as he evaded the third attack.
The Cyclops seized the opportunity and prepared to swing its club again.
Swoosh! A wave of thick, blood-scented red rushed past the Cyclops's face.
Startled, the monster stumbled back as its vision turned crimson.
"I got it!" Kamibarez winked one eye as she cast the blood magic 'Blood Silk.' "So I just need to help Simon however I want, right?"
"Simon!" Dick enchanted a sword he pulled from his spatial pocket and threw it.
"Use this!" The sword flew behind the Cyclops.
Just as everyone wondered where it was going, a skeleton appeared like the wind and caught the sword.
Slash! Without hesitation, it turned and swung the sword.
A deep gash appeared on the Cyclops's thick skin around its waist, blood gushing forth.
The Cyclops, enraged, turned to glare at the skeleton.
"Dick! Nice enchant!" While the skeleton drew the Cyclops's attention, Simon created more distance.
Dick began pulling out weapons from his spatial pocket, enchanting them and throwing them, while Kamibarez controlled the Blood Silk to obscure the Cyclops's vision, making things more troublesome for it.
'Focus.' There were still too many distracting thoughts.
Amidst the fierce battle, it might have been madness, but Simon slowly closed his eyes.
The noise in the arena faded away.
His consciousness expanded.
His mind elevated.
"Hoo."
The sounds vanished, and time slowed.
The world Bahil had shown during the curse class.
Having experienced it once, Simon could partially recreate that vision.
'Thank you, Professor Bahil!' Simon opened his eyes wide.
From the spatial pocket on the ground, twenty skeletons burst forth all at once.
'Thank you.
Bloom!' He sent the skeletons in groups of three towards the Cyclops using cross-operation.
Before long, the Cyclops was surrounded tightly by the skeletons.
The excited Cyclops swung its club.
Several skeletons were smashed in a single blow, scattering across the floor.
Bones flew, rolling around.
Of course, that didn’t matter.
'Reinstate!' In an instant, one skeleton returned to its original form and picked up a sword that had fallen to the ground.
Slash! The Cyclops's heel was sliced, chunks of flesh flying off.
As the Cyclops staggered from the blow, a skeleton on the ground thrust its spear upward.
Stab! Another skeleton swung its sword against the Cyclops's back, leaving a long gash.
"Add two more spears!" Dick enchanted weapons with dark energy and scattered them randomly around the Cyclops.
Then Simon moved the skeletons.
The remnants of the scattered skeletons restored themselves, grabbed the fallen weapons, and attacked the Cyclops.
No matter how fast and strong it was, it couldn’t block attacks from all directions.
The Cyclops struggled to regain its composure.
When it looked forward, its back was being sliced, when it turned around, spears were thrusting up from the ground, and when it stomped down, it was being attacked from the side.
The Cyclops was like a beast caught in a trap.
As it thrashed about, its body became riddled with wounds.
"Wow!"
"Push through!" The students from Class A, watching from above, pressed against the transparent wall, cheering.
The strategy that had been monotonous until now was taking a different turn.
Overcome with excitement, Simon waved his arms like a conductor, controlling the skeletons.
It still wasn’t enough.
His nose tingled.
Something was missing.
He felt he could do something more, something better than this.
-Now do you understand, boy! The stronger your will, the more you can draw out the potential and proactivity of the undead!
Will.
Above all, strong will.
Simon opened his eyes wide.
'Kill!' The damaged skeletons began to restore themselves at a faster rate.
'Kill!' The skeletons' limbs flailed chaotically, slashing at the Cyclops.
'Kill!!!' The undead wailed.
The weapons danced as if in a frenzy.
Under Simon’s absolute command, at this moment, the legion existed to destroy that Cyclops.
An unyielding offensive.
A patternless assault route.
A mix of irregularity and standard.
It was truly a display of the essence of a necromancer.
-Kyaaaah! The Cyclops, covered in countless wounds, erupted in rage and charged at Simon, breaking through the skeletons.
"Dodge! Simon!" Simon was now in a state of perfect immersion, beyond concentration.
His reaction was slow.
Before he could brace himself, the Cyclops's club was falling from above.
<Dark Elemental Magic - Ice Wall>
Boom! A black ice wall erupted from the magic circle on the ground, deflecting the Cyclops's club.
Startled, Simon turned around.
"Keep going! Simon!" Meilin shouted, gritting her teeth.
"At this point, don’t you dare lose!" The ice wall continued to rise, obstructing the Cyclops's movements.
The Cyclops tried to break through the wall, and the blood flowing from its wounds soaked the black glacier.
Thanks to that, Simon took a moment to breathe, quietly watching the Cyclops smashing through the ice wall as he prepared his next dark magic.
Boom! Finally, the furious Cyclops broke through all the walls and lunged at Simon.
'...
This is dangerous.' Andrew, the safety officer who had been quietly watching, extended his arm.
The Cyclops's attack was powerful enough to pierce through the barrier of the vest Simon was wearing in a single blow.
If it hit properly, he could end up crippled.
'Whether it’s the professors or the students...!' This insane act needed to be stopped immediately.
Just as Andrew resolved to take down the Cyclops, he noticed a magic circle drawn in blood-red right in the center of the Cyclops's abdomen.
"Now, Kam!" At Simon's shout, Andrew quickly withdrew his arm.
Whoosh! Black flames erupted from Kamibarez's entire body, who was in a set position.
Her hair stood on end, and black tears like blood flowed down her cheeks.
Blood magic that only the vampires of the Ursla family could use.
The pinnacle of blood magic.
<Massive Hemorrhage - Overflow>
Swoosh! Arms, chest, shoulders, thighs, heels.
From the countless wounds inflicted by Simon's skeletons, blood gushed forth all at once.
The hemorrhage and poison magic were the strongest support tools that a set position could provide.
"Wow...!!" The sight of that enormous monster pouring blood from all its wounds was both chilling and astonishing.
In an instant, the interior of the dungeon was stained crimson.
Even Simon, watching from behind, couldn’t help but admire.
'So this is the massive hemorrhage magic!' When discussing their powers, everyone in Group 7 knew that Kamibarez could use the massive hemorrhage magic.
However, it was unstable for real combat, and there was the buildup issue of needing to inflict many wounds on the Cyclops's body, so it was merely Plan B.
But with Meilin's Dark Flare sealed, it was now the main plan.
Kamibarez was the key dealer in this fight.
"...... Ugh!" Having exerted too much power, Kamibarez staggered and collapsed.
Her role was now over.
"Please! Simon!"
"Leave it to me."
This time, Simon raised both arms.
The secret technique that he had practiced countless times, the one that only he possessed among all first-year students at Kizen.
The bones of the scattered skeletons on the dungeon floor soared into the air.
'Thank you, Professor Aaron!' Everything he learned at Kizen became his strength.
Simon clenched his fist tightly.
<Simon Polentia Original - Bone Nail>
The numerous bones floating in the air flew into the wounds of the Cyclops that Kamibarez's hemorrhage magic had opened.
-Kieeeek! A secret technique that attacked over a hundred wounds simultaneously.
The Cyclops went mad with pain.
It screamed and toppled over, then began to smash its head against the wall.
Sorry, but it’s not over yet.
Clenching his fist, Simon twisted his right arm.
'Reinstate!' The bones that had penetrated the wounds gathered towards the center to execute the 'reinstate' command.
They severed blood vessels, tore through organs, and burrowed into muscles.
-Kyaaaah! The Cyclops was being destroyed.
"...... Really."
A male student watching from the waiting room beyond the glass wall gaped.
The painful blow of Meilin's withdrawal.
No one had imagined such an overwhelming scene from Group 7.
But.
"Wow! Amazing!"
"Good job, Simon!"
"Wowwwww!" Everyone's expectations were being overturned.
Those who had scoffed, clicked their tongues, or felt sympathy were all cheering, pounding on the walls.
In the midst of competing with each other, Simon and Group 7's performance stirred something warm in the hearts of fellow necromancers.
"Huff! Huff!" Simon's right arm hung limply.
He had exhausted all the remaining dark energy in the bones, and he could no longer issue the 'reinstate' command.
Meanwhile, Dick and Meilin were throwing Narbiye potions at the blood-soaked Cyclops.
As the potion liquid entered the wounds, the monster's muscles twisted and contracted visibly.
"Got it!"
"It’s working!" Simon knelt on one knee, panting heavily.
Now, truly, he had done everything he could.
'Please just stay down.'
Boom! But the blood-soaked Cyclops began to rise from the ground.
Kamibarez, who had been sitting, looked horrified.
"Can it still... get up?"
Despite its bones twisted, blood drained, and organs shattered, the Cyclops approached Simon with a corpse-like body.
In its gleaming eyes, a fierce will to kill could be felt.
'In the end, it means nothing unless it’s a one-hit kill?' Receiving that gaze, Simon calmly said, "Dick."
"All set! Catch!" Dick threw the enchanted claymore in front of Simon.
The blade was stained black with dark energy.
"I packed all the dark energy into this! It lasts exactly 10 minutes!"
"Thank you."
Simon grasped the handle of the claymore and took his stance.
Both the monster and Simon were in a state of exhaustion.
From now on, it was a battle of willpower.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! The corpse-like Cyclops charged forward.
Thud! Simon also charged forward, gripping the claymore tightly.
The Cyclops swung its club first.
Whoosh! Simon twisted his body to the side to evade.
The Cyclops's movements were now slow and sluggish compared to before.
Just as Simon was about to exploit the opening...
'Huh?' His vision spun.
In pushing against the Cyclops, he hadn’t realized his own stamina and mental strength were at their limits.
His weakened right leg slipped, and Simon's body rolled across the ground.
"Simon!"
"Get up!!" Simon gritted his teeth and rose.
The Cyclops came charging again, swinging its club, and Simon ducked to evade.
"Win, Simon!"
"Dodge!!" The students from Class A clung to the glass wall, shouting at the top of their lungs.
Before long, even Hector, who had pushed through the crowd, looked down at Simon, snorting.
'This is insane.' The teaching assistant watching this scene in the monitor room was in shock.
Of course, Simon's performance was astonishing, but...
'Professor Jane... has she gotten up?' She had stood up, dropping the grading sheet she was holding, staring intently at the screen.
After five years of serving her, this was the first time she had shown such a reaction.
And inside the dungeon.
Andrew, who had been hiding and waiting, looked at his palm.
It was drenched in sweat.
'How embarrassing.' A professional getting excited over a student fight.
Andrew thought to himself that he was getting old, wiping the sweat from his palm on his pants.
Whoosh! Simon swayed as he dodged the Cyclops's club, stepping back unsteadily.
He could close the distance, but it was too difficult to accurately stab Dick's claymore into the Cyclops's heart or head due to its height.
"Simon!" Just then, Meilin shouted.
"I’ll create an ice wall under your feet! Step on it and thrust the sword in one go! You can do it, right?"
Good call! Simon nodded eagerly.
The Cyclops, unable to understand human speech, swung its club horizontally.
Simon knelt down, placing his knees on the ground, and the ice wall rose from the magic circle beneath him.
Swoosh! The club collided with the ice wall.
Simon, now two meters high, stepped on the ice wall and leaped up.
'Got it.' Time still flowed slowly, and his concentration remained unbroken.
The Cyclops's neck was in sight.
Simon tightened his grip on the sword.
The unwavering tip of the sword advanced towards the Cyclops's neck.
Crack!
"... Ah!" Someone's scream pierced the air.
The Cyclops had swung its opposite fist at Simon.
Simon's body flew several meters, crashing against the wall.
"Simon!!"
"Are you okay? Simon!" A lament echoed from the set position.
Simon opened his eyes, feeling excruciating pain.
[Barrier Gauge: 7%]
Still.
Time felt slow.
Above the Cyclops, in the position where it had swung its fist, the claymore that had slipped from its hand was descending in a circular motion.
'As expected.' Simon smirked and extended his arm. 'Ending it like this wouldn’t be very necromancer-like.'
The final move he had been saving.
Simon issued the 'reinstate' command.
Clink! The bones that had penetrated the Cyclops's chest wound gathered on the shoulder blade of the skeleton that had burrowed in, aligning with the arm bones on the ground.
Boom! The skeleton's arm caught the claymore that was descending in a circle.
And.
Whoosh! Without a moment's hesitation, it pierced through the Cyclops's neck.
"Ah...!" A profound silence fell over the dungeon.
Simon stood up on trembling legs.
At that moment.
Boom! The Cyclops collapsed to the ground.
"...... Huff! Hoo! Ha!" Simon exhaled heavily, tilting his head back. 'Finally!' His heart swelled with excitement.
Simon raised his right arm, clenching his blood-soaked fist.
"Wowwwww!" Cheers erupted from all around.
Hector turned away, and Jane in the monitor room finally sat down.
Andrew, appearing from thin air, wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Group 7 has successfully hunted the Cyclops."
"We did it!" The three people in the set position cheered and rushed towards Simon.
"Simoooon!" The first to reach him was Kamibarez, who hugged Simon tightly.
"Wow! Wow! You’re amazing!" Dick, who followed closely behind, ruffled Simon's hair and shouted in a hoarse voice, "You did it! You really did it! Hahaha!"
"I'm so glad! Really glad!" Even as Simon coughed, struggling to breathe, he smiled, while Meilin, stepping out of the set position, approached Simon.
Meilin's expression was a mix of many emotions.
She brushed her face with her hand, then returned to her usual aloof expression, spreading her palm.
"... Hmph. Well done! I’ll consider this a debt I owe you this time."
The end of Meilin's voice trembled slightly.
Simon approached with a smiling face and high-fived her.
"You did well too, Meilin."
"... Simon."
"Huh?"
"Yesterday, I..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Dick and Kamibarez simultaneously hugged the two of them from either side.
Once again, everyone erupted in cheers, reveling in their joy.
"Let’s get serious, you fools!" Meilin shouted, but she was smiling brighter than ever.