The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 41

A mysterious note left in front of someone else’s dorm room.

What could be written on it to leave them so stunned?

I approached Won, who was standing there blankly, and snatched the note from his hand.

I expected some kind of threat, but instead, the note contained an unexpected word.

“Right”.

“Are they calling us over?”

“Right…?”

I closed my eyes briefly, recalling the plot of the Academy. If my memory serves me correctly, I don’t recall such an episode.

Is it aimed at me if it’s not someone’s prank?

“What is this?”

I hesitated for a moment but quickly made up my mind.

If it’s within the relatively safe Academy grounds, it should be okay to take a risk.

Whoever left that note, I need to find out.

“Let’s go check it out.”

I cautiously poked my head out and looked around.

At this hour, being outside the dorm could result in a penalty.

After a brief moment of caution, wondering if the dorm supervisor might still be around, I stepped out.

Keeping my footsteps as quiet as possible, I headed towards the end of the right corridor.

“Shh.”

“Got it…”

We hadn’t taken many steps when Won, who was following behind, stopped with a startled expression.

He had spotted another note at the end of the corridor, seemingly guiding us. It was a continuation of the previous one.

[Under the stairs.]

“Who’s playing this prank…?”

“Who would go to such lengths for a prank? Think about it. Is there someone who would try to mess with you?”

Won lowered his voice, looking at me with concern.

Even if Won doesn’t know, I, Han Siha, have plenty of enemies at the Academy. He probably suspects someone is deliberately summoning me.

I know that better than anyone. Shaking my head, I spoke quietly.

“Let’s go a bit further.”

I crumpled the note into my pocket and slowly descended the creaky stairs.

There were several more notes along the way.

[Left, one floor down, turn back to the opposite side.]

I followed the instructions.

After carefully moving around the dorm, we finally reached the stairs of Building A. I sensed someone’s presence behind the stairs.

“…”

Instinctively, I reached for my staff.

Whether it was someone waiting with a grudge or someone with another purpose for summoning me here.

It was a potentially dangerous situation. If necessary, I was ready to attack, even within the dormitory.

However, the sight I encountered was entirely unexpected.

“Huh?”

A boy was crouching under the stairs.

His hair, drenched from the rain, was plastered to his forehead, making him look like a soaked mouse.

He seemed to be a first-year student. His large eyes, which appeared even more childlike for his age, blinked in the rain.

He was shivering so much that the sound of his teeth chattering echoed through the quiet corridor.

I relaxed my tense shoulders and lowered my staff.

“Was it you who called us?”

This is absurd.

Looks aren’t everything, but from his actions, it doesn’t seem like he summoned me with ill intent.

As I frowned in disbelief, a low voice reached my ears.

“I didn’t expect you to come.”

A strangely cold gaze looked up at me.

Won burst out laughing at the aloof tone.

“Wow, you knocked so persistently, and you didn’t expect us to come? Then why did you call us?”

Thump, thump.

Basilus, who had belatedly caught up, was tugging at Won’s shoe with his teeth.

Although the encounter was awkward, there must be a reason why he summoned us.

With a cold expression, he kept his mouth shut, as if hiding some deep story.

His strange gaze, which seemed to recognize me, bothered me.

After shivering for a while, the boy finally spoke with bluish lips.

“Please take me with you.”

“Where to?”

“To the Ghost Forest.”

What?

Asking to be taken to an amusement park out of the blue would have been surprising enough, but to a dungeon?

And he even knew exactly which dungeon we were headed to, which is astonishing.

Who is this guy?

Even though the Academy is full of mischievous students, his knowledge of our destination made it impossible for me to lower my guard.

Was he following us?

Just as countless suspicions were about to pile up, Won asked him.

“What’s your name?”

“Usher Barton.”

His blue eyes pierced through me.

Won tilted his head, repeating the name.

“Usher Barton…? That’s the first time I’ve heard that name.”

No, I’ve heard of it.

Now I get it.

Why this guy called us in the middle of the night and how he knew about the dungeon we hadn’t even mentioned.

“So, you’re Usher?”

* * *

“Who is this?”

Adela asked, narrowing her eyes, clearly displeased.

Natalie also wore a curious expression, as if unable to read his thoughts.

Standing before the two influential second-year students, the boy seemed even more intimidated, keeping his mouth shut.

A detached expression and dark blue hair.

Though he had a young face, there was a peculiar aura about him that made it difficult to dismiss him as just a child.

“He’s unfamiliar.”

His cold gaze and haughty posture gave the impression that he was well-suited for the Necromancy Department, but the Usher I knew wasn’t like that.

On the contrary, he was more suited to the Theology Department.

A student with a natural talent for prophecy and astrology.

Perhaps the strange atmosphere I felt when I first encountered him was due to that.

His gaze seemed to pierce the air, glinting mysteriously.

Natalie, sensing something odd, blinked her eyes as well.

“His name is Usher Barton.”

“A first-year?”

“Yes.”

Though he’s a junior that neither the well-connected Won nor Natalie had heard of, in a few years, he’ll become quite a famous figure.

A genius in foresight, to the point of predicting a war with a group of dark wizards.

But for now, Natalie, unaware of all this, tilted her head and spoke.

“He seems… strange, or rather, a bit different.”

“Indeed.”

Won reacted similarly.

Won looked at me, seemingly puzzled as to how I knew to follow him into the Ghostly Forest. His gaze questioned whether I really intended to bring him along.

I had a hunch.

Though I generally trusted science more than astrology or prophecy, the fact that I was thrown into this world made science seem a distant concern.

It was clear he’d seen something with those prophetic eyes of his.

In the Ghostly Forest, no less.

Of all places, why did it have to be a dungeon with such a name? It unsettled me a bit.

“Did you see something?”

“…!”

At my blunt question, Usher hesitated.

His slightly damp shoes made a squelching sound on the floor.

He glanced out the window where rain poured down, just like yesterday, and instead of answering, he threw out a single phrase.

“I won’t get in the way.”

“So, you have a purpose, and to achieve that, you need to follow me?”

“Yes.”

His words were brief—too brief for me to read what he was really thinking.

I hated complex personalities, so I was tempted to refuse, but his next words shook my resolve.

“I can be of help.”

“….”

“I can see ghosts.”

This guy! That’s terrifying!

* * *

The Ghostly Forest Dungeon was inside Ardel Academy.

Most dungeons were located in outdoor areas near the academy, but the Ghostly Forest was accessed through the Ardel Library.

There were even rumors that ghosts wandered the library at dawn after escaping from the dungeon.

In response to my comment, Usher calmly stated, “Oh, that’s true.”

He said it was true, no less.

Led by Usher, our group stopped in front of the library’s closed doors. Adela, who had brought the master key, unlocked the door and lowered her stance.

Even though you couldn’t see ghosts until you entered the dungeon, watching Usher scan the surroundings made it feel like a ghost could appear behind us at any moment.

“Hoo, I’m getting scared,” Natalie whispered, clasping her hands together as she cautiously surveyed the empty library.

“They said it’s in the 5-3 section. Is this the right spot?”

“Hey, Han Siha. Come here. Doesn’t it look like there’s something there?”

“…There’s nothing there.”

“Oh, really?”

Usher quickly calmed down the panicked Won.

We calmly made our way to the fifth section of the dark library.

In the fourth bookshelf, various books, from magic tomes to literature and poetry collections, were mixed and disorganized.

This was it.

Standing before it, I swallowed and reached for the third row.

“This is the book, right?”

While the entrance might not budge during the afternoon, a special method could open the dungeon’s door in the early hours.

The moment I reached for the book on the third row, the bookshelf began to tremble slightly.

“Oh… Oh!”

Even Usher, who had been standing with a nonchalant expression, seemed genuinely startled as he steadied himself.

Creak. Creak.

As the friction sounds grew louder, the previously solid bookshelf split apart, emitting a bright light.

Flash—.

The light was so intense that it felt like I might go blind.

I covered my face with my sleeve and waited for the light to fade.

“Ugh….”

“It’s visible now.”

Only after the light dimmed did the door reveal itself.

It was a spectacular sight.

I couldn’t help but exclaim, “…Wow, this is amazing.”

The door shimmered with a blue glow.

Though I had been inside the Basilus and training slimes dungeons, this was my first time entering an official dungeon.

As expected, there were no safety devices, and clearing an official dungeon required meticulous planning and utmost effort.

The powerful magic radiating from inside confirmed that.

But the die was already cast.

And I had companions who wouldn’t falter anywhere.

That should be enough.

“Let’s go.”

I boldly opened the door.

* * *

“Ugh, it’s already giving me chills.”

“Are you scared of a mere dungeon?”

“Leave him be. He’s always like that.”

I could watch horror movies without covering my eyes. I’d only thrown popcorn in the theater three times, so there was no way I’d be scared of something like this.

Keeping a slight distance from the panicking Won, I shrugged my shoulders as if it was no big deal.

At that moment, something suddenly jumped out from the bushes.

I, too, jumped in place.

“Waaaaah!”

“Kyaaah!”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

It was Basilus, wrapped in tree vines.

Holy… That startled me.

I almost swore out loud but managed to maintain my composure.

“Hah… haha.”

“You said you weren’t scared.”

Won, who had nearly fallen over himself, glared at me, mocking me.

Unbelievable. He almost fell over too.

This is absurd.

What’s so scary about that, anyway?

“That… wasn’t scary at all.”

Not even a little.

“Grr…?”

Basilus looked up at me with an incredulous expression, his mouth twitching as if to argue.

I quickly beat him to the punch.

“No cheese for you.”

“…That’s unfair.”

Where did you learn to talk like that?

Our Basilus’ diction has improved a lot.

“Grr!”

I picked up the little guy, who was still muttering indignantly, and turned my gaze.

In the darkness ahead, I saw a lonely cabin glowing faintly.

A house like that is almost guaranteed to be a haunted ruin.

But what choice do we have?

The Ghostly Forest Dungeon starts there.

“Phew…”

I swallowed nervously and took in the subtly changing air.

Usher, who had been silently following behind me, stared into the void with an inscrutable expression. He’s the scariest when he does that.

Adela must have been thinking the same thing, as she whispered in my ear, “Do you see anything?”

“Not yet.”

I didn’t think monsters would attack us just yet, but I remained vigilant and quickened my pace.

After a few minutes, we finally arrived in front of the cabin that had been beckoning travelers with its faint light.

Unsurprisingly, there was no sign of life in the isolated cabin.

Yet, as soon as we stepped inside, warmth enveloped us, as if someone had lit a campfire.

As I slowly opened the door, tense, I was stopped in my tracks by a bizarre sight.

“…What the hell.”

—

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