The Summoning Genius of the Necromancer School
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! The sound of footsteps grew faster.
Simon and his companions sprang to their feet, alert to their surroundings.
Suddenly, a monster burst through the underbrush, larger than any Rustlack they had seen before.
"That one is the boss!"
"...... It is definitely big."
It was at least two heads taller than a regular Rustlack, its body covered in countless wounds.
The scratched areas revealed bare, gruesome skin where fur had not grown back.
"Grrr! Grrrrrr!"
The creature lowered its stance.
Despite its protruding belly, its back appeared thin and flexible, with its spine clearly visible.
Its gaze was fixed on the core of the golem.
It had appeared while Simon was preparing the golem, sensing the surrounding darkness shifting.
"It's coming!"
The Rustlack charged forward.
Simon leaped ahead, shouting, "Dick! Shield!"
"Okay!"
Dick threw the enchanted shield to Simon.
Gripping the handle, Simon pulled it up to his chin and collided with the Rustlack.
Boom!
"Whoa!" Simon was sent flying backward from the clash.
Perhaps due to the impact, dirt from the golem's arm, which was still being formed, fell to the ground.
"Simon!" Dick ran forward, sword in hand.
"Leave this thing to us and focus on completing the golem!"
"Got it."
"I'll cover you!" As Simon retreated, Kamibarez fired a blood grenade.
The Rustlack, seeing the projectile coming, nimbly jumped aside to avoid it.
Dick broke into a cold sweat at the sight.
'Its reflexes are better than I thought!'
The Rustlack moved again, targeting the golem.
Dick charged straight ahead to block it, but a girl leaped into the air even faster.
Whoosh!
As she gestured, black flames poured down like rain.
The fire blazed, scorching the surrounding grass, and the Rustlack retreated.
"That's our meal! Hold off on burning it!" Dick shouted, and Mei Lin turned to glare at him.
"Is that really the issue right now? Besides, even if we eat it, we’ll cook it anyway!"
Thud!
The Rustlack began to run in the opposite direction, away from the flames.
Mei Lin and Dick followed, and Dick nodded seriously.
"Now that I think about it, if we just sear it..."
"Focus! You crazy idiot!"
"I’m always focused."
Boom! The Rustlack stomped hard on the ground and leaped high, aiming to jump over the two.
Seeing this, Dick pulled something from his spatial pocket and spun around to throw it behind him.
Swish!
A wide white net spread through the air, blocking the Rustlack's path.
Dick activated his dark magic.
"Enchant!"
The entire net turned pitch black.
With agile movements, Dick pulled out metal stakes and drove them into the ground, attaching the net to them.
"Get out of the way!"
Mei Lin gathered black energy in her elbow and struck down on the stake.
Bang! With a loud noise, the stake sank deep into the ground.
"Ouch!" She grimaced, rubbing her elbow.
Dick quickly looked up at the Rustlack.
The net tightened, and the Rustlack, now weakened, fell to the ground.
"Got it! Caught it!"
Sizzle! However, due to the net's large size and numerous holes, there were areas where the enchantment had not worked properly.
The Rustlack found the torn section and slipped through, charging toward Simon.
"Dick! This idiot really...!"
Boom!
Before Mei Lin could finish her sentence, a tremendous sound erupted as the Rustlack's body flew through the air, twisting like a pretzel.
It crashed into several trees, rolling on the ground.
Everyone stared in shock.
"Waiting for you?" Simon grinned, his fist extended.
Above him stood a massive mud golem, mirroring Simon's stance.
"Hahaha! Nice cover, Simon!"
"Finish it off, Simon. And Dick, I'll see you later."
Grrr! Grrrrrr!
The Rustlack, covered in blood and embedded in the ground, sprang back up, roaring in fury as it charged.
"If it comes to me, that's fine," Simon readied himself.
The Rustlack leaped toward the mud golem, its claws extending to three feet long.
Slash!
Three deep gashes appeared on the golem's body.
But that was all.
The mud golem raised its arms above its head, fingers interlocked.
"Oh, Simon," Dick said.
"Just to remind you, that's our dinner, so take it easy..."
Boom!
The golem's clasped hands came crashing down on the Rustlack.
Dust flew up as the ground was deeply impacted.
"Ouch."
"Yikes!" Dick and Kamibarez quickly stepped back.
Despite the shock, the Rustlack trembled, still alive.
This time, the mud golem lifted its legs.
Boom!
Another stomp followed.
Dick nodded seriously at the sight.
"We can just make it into stir-fried minced meat."
"...... Why are you suddenly so obsessed with food?"
Hong Peng's mission was successfully completed.
After hunting the boss and cleaning up the remaining minions, Simon and his group were now resting and waiting.
As they chatted amiably, someone approached them through the underbrush.
"So you all are here."
A man with sun-kissed skin, a short crew cut, and a somewhat grumpy expression appeared.
It was Bread, an instructor under Hong Peng.
"Thank you for your hard work. I've set up the teleportation magic circle, so let's head to where Professor Hong Peng is waiting."
"Yes!"
Finally, it was over! Everyone followed Bread, their faces filled with joy.
Beyond the bushes, a magic circle lay on the ground.
"Thank you, instructor!"
"I'll go first!"
Mei Lin, Dick, and Kamibarez stepped onto the magic circle in turn.
As Simon was about to step on it last, Bread raised his arm to stop him.
"Wait a moment."
"What?"
"It'll just be a moment."
Simon turned to him.
"Well, if you have something to say, you can say it after we cross over."
......?
Bread sighed irritably and raised his right arm.
Crack! With a loud noise, a tree fell completely.
Dust rose behind him.
"Hey."
Bread's gaze turned fierce.
"I won't say it twice. Instructor or Kizen student or whatever, let's just talk man to man."
......?
Seeing the atmosphere, it seemed he was quite serious.
Realizing this wouldn't be a simple matter, Simon nodded.
"Alright. Then please go ahead."
The two stood facing each other a little away from the teleportation magic circle.
Bread took a deep breath, trying to set the mood with a grim expression.
"Ah, these days, kids have no concept of reality. Things are happening that I couldn't even imagine back in my day."
Bread pressed his temples, swallowing his anger.
"If I’ve done something wrong, please let me know."
"You're really asking for it."
Bread scowled.
"Who do you think you are to boss around Professor Hong Peng? What the hell? Teach me survival skills? Hahaha! You really have no concept of reality. Professor Hong Peng is not your personal tutor!"
Simon maintained a smile as he replied, "I believe it is overstepping for an instructor to meddle in the affairs between me and the professor. Of course, I sincerely apologize for being summoned on the weekend..."
Thud! Simon fell silent.
A stone kicked by Bread struck the tree next to Simon, embedding itself in it.
The tree dented in, and pale smoke began to rise.
"Do you think I called you here to talk about that nonsense?" Bread pointed at Simon with his thick finger.
"You’re messing with Professor Hong Peng's feelings."
......?
"Ha! You really have no self-awareness, do you?" Bread spat on the ground.
"You think being a special admission student makes the world easy for you? You know Professor Hong Peng offered you a direct disciple position, right? You're just using that to play around with her feelings."
Simon was taken aback.
What on earth was this guy talking about?
"You filthy bastard! Do you have any idea how gentle-hearted the professor is? Using the direct disciple offer to toy with her feelings like that..."
"There's a misunderstanding," Simon interrupted, correcting him.
"It is true that the professor offered me a direct disciple position, but I declined immediately."
Bread's eyes widened.
"You declined?"
"Yes. I didn't just beat around the bush; I clearly expressed my refusal. The professor respected my decision and mentioned she was curious about how far I could go. She also said that even if I wasn't her direct disciple, I could ask for help anytime as her student. It is not true that I am toying with the professor's feelings as you suggested."
Bread fell silent, and Simon continued speaking.
"The invitation to the cabin last time was also, thankfully, the professor's suggestion. Again, I..."
"Hey."
Bread's lips curled in disdain.
"You think I'm going to believe that? So you’re saying Professor Hong Peng is going out of her way for something that brings her no benefit? Do you really think that makes sense?"
Bread slammed his chest with a bang.
"I've served the professor for five years. Five whole years! I know her thoughts better than anyone! What does a one-month new student know to talk back?"
Simon chuckled softly.
This was wrong.
This guy was not the type to communicate.
No matter what he said, he would insist he was right.
'No.' Simon felt the hostility radiating from him.
From the very beginning, this man had no intention of resolving things through conversation.
"Put it on."
Bread pulled something from his spatial pocket and threw it at Simon.
It was a protective suit.
"This is a high-purity protective suit, different from what you use in duel evaluations or simulations."
......?
"Let’s just settle this without any more back and forth. If you can land even one hit on me before the barrier of the protective suit breaks, then this conversation is over. And whether it's an apology, compensation, or retirement, I'll do whatever you want."
"What if I can't land a single hit?"
Bread hesitated.
Then he took a deep breath.
"Accept Professor Hong Peng's offer for a direct disciple position."
......!
Simon's eyes widened. 'This is a bit unexpected.' He had thought he was just a typical jealous fool.
Did he value Hong Peng more than his own feelings?
"That's unfortunate," Simon scratched his head.
"Forcing your thoughts onto others is undeniably lowly behavior. And..."
Simon put on the protective suit.
"I have no intention of backing down when it comes to a contest."
For a moment, he pretended to go along with the rhythm, but he needed to turn the situation around.
Simon's mind began to race.