The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 46

It was pitch-black darkness.

A deep, impenetrable darkness that made it terrifying to take even a single step forward.

Usher bent low as he navigated the narrow tunnel.

His breath caught in his throat. Clenching his sweat-drenched fists, he pressed onward.

“This is the place.”

The ominous aura that had been lingering around him all this time…

It was calling to him, telling him that he had to come here.

“What is this?”

But what was this unsettling sensation?

Usher calmly surveyed his surroundings.

Rusty metal frames and decayed wooden planks surrounded him. The area felt completely devoid of warmth, as if it had been untouched by human hands for a long time.

And then…

A grim, oppressive shadow, different from ordinary darkness, loomed over Usher’s head.

As he took a few more steps forward, Usher finally located the source of the aura.

“This is…”

“Fwoosh”. A black flame flickered at the entrance.

Usher’s expression grew cold as he peered into the opening.

He could see all futures, but not those related to himself.

So this scene was a first for him.

“Damn it.”

With that single curse, the darkness swallowed him.

” ” ”

“Basilus, should we go in?”

It was the underground training hall at Ardel Academy, a place I hadn’t visited since the harrowing experience in the Slime Dungeon.

But today, I came here with resolute determination.

“A troubling wind is blowing.”

That’s what Usher had said. If he was right, something big was definitely approaching.

The most likely scenario was…

The main episode was imminent.

“It was around this time.”

The dormitory kidnapping incident, the magic combat tournament, and the hellish group project were all major early episodes, but in truth, they were just the prologue.

The true main episode of “Smart Academy” could be described as the Cube Hunt.

The Black Mages and the White Mages of Ardel who opposed them.

Until now, the White Mages had been overwhelmingly dominant in both technology and manpower.

The Black Mages had been under such intense pressure for so long that they hadn’t even been able to research dark magic properly, let alone develop effective weapons.

But then, an event turned the situation on its head, plunging Ardel into chaos.

The catalyst for that event was an ancient artifact known as the Magic Cube.

This Cube, which would bring a bloody storm to Ardel, was essentially Ardel’s Frankenstein.

It was a cube that concentrated dark magic, amplifying it to draw several times the usual amount of magic from external sources for personal use.

And that wasn’t all—the Cube also possessed unique abilities.

Losing even one would mean a significant loss of power.

The Black Mages, who had been helpless in their previous attempts to use the Cube, studied the way their ancestors had been defeated.

They secretly constructed a massive tower without the Magic Association’s knowledge.

They planned to use the tower as an amplifier, drawing on virtually limitless magic to attack.

If their research succeeded, an irreversible catastrophe would follow.

Fortunately, in the original story, the main characters managed to destroy the tower and recover the Cube before things reached that point.

But in that process, which became known as the Great War of “Smart Academy”, not only the supporting characters but even some of the main characters died in droves.

That’s why “Smart Academy” earned its reputation as a grimdark story.

“…”

I originally planned to avoid that war and run, but now my thoughts have changed a bit.

Even if I managed to escape with my body intact, I needed to become stronger first.

Without getting stronger, I couldn’t protect anyone around me—not even myself.

“Is there a training hall for Tamers?”

“We only have access to the advanced area. Is that okay?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Vrrr.

The spacious indoor training ground.

I headed to a systematized training hall instead of a dungeon since dungeons had too many variables.

Basilus wagged his tail and hopped onto my shoulder.

Ugh… so heavy.

“Get down.”

“kuuu?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t understand.”

Thwack.

He slapped me in the face with his tail before angrily landing on the ground.

That little… Where did he learn to be so rude?

“You brat, where did you learn that attitude?”

“…”

“Hey, are you listening?”

Damn it.

As much as I wanted to scold him, there was no time for that. I had to make the most of the two hours I had left.

The training ground could simulate various environments through illusion magic.

There was no risk of injury, and I could freely practice in any setting, making it the perfect place to train Basilus.

As soon as I put on the equipment, a configuration screen appeared in the air.

“Would you like to select a weapon?”

Since I had been trained by Lee Han and was most familiar with the bow, it immediately caught my eye.

But there was no need to practice something I had already used extensively.

An iron club. If I infused it with magic, its destructive power would be incomparable to an ordinary baseball bat.

But since I wasn’t particularly strong physically, I passed on that too.

Then…

“Dagger.”

Shing.

At my command, a sharp dagger appeared in my hand.

Although I wasn’t used to close-range combat, the grip felt good. After swinging the dagger a few times in the air, I decided to go with it.

Next was…

“Would you like to configure the environment?”

Desert, ice region, jungle.

The system could recreate the extreme environments of various dungeons quite well.

I swiped through the available environments with my finger until I paused.

The sea.

Not a favorable environment for me, who mainly uses fire-based magic, or for Basilus, who is a Red Dragon.

But combat wouldn’t always take place on dry land.

Without hesitation, I selected it.

And soon, water began to rise from the floor.

” ” ”

“Guh… Cough.”

Wow, it fills up this quickly?

It was getting hard to breathe.

My mind was growing hazy as I struggled to control Basilus.

He seemed to be feeling the fear too, repeatedly uttering the same word.

“Scary! Scary!”

We wouldn’t actually die here.

It was a simulation, carefully designed to replicate reality down to the last detail, including the sensory experience. But it wasn’t an actual situation.

If I were to die here, I’d simply be logged out of the test.

Basilus floundered, seemingly panicked by the sudden drop in his magic power.

At that moment, a clear message appeared before my eyes.

[Protect yourself from the Piranhas.]

[Time limit: 3 minutes]

As soon as I processed the message, sharp teeth brushed past my neck from behind.

If I hadn’t ducked my head in time, that would have been a deadly strike.

This advanced training ground wasn’t called “advanced” for nothing.

“Basilus!”

I had to stay focused. Gripping the dagger instead of my usual bow, I slashed through the air.

A piranha, easily twice the size of a human head, snapped its jaws as it swam past my face.

And it was fast.

Basilus, who had been startled at first, also focused, his eyes gleaming sharply.

Whoosh.

In an instant, Basilus lunged forward and bit into a piranha swimming straight at him.

Red blood clouded the water, obscuring my vision. The piranha let out a final scream before going limp.

“I didn’t expect him to hold his own physically.”

With his increased size, Basilus was attacking on instinct rather than relying solely on magic, which was impressive.

But that alone wouldn’t be enough to deal with so many enemies.

An electric attack.

I guided Basilus toward that option. Since fire wouldn’t work underwater, this seemed like the only viable way to overcome the disadvantage.

Could Basilus pull it off?

He began casting his newly acquired skill.

Fire Spike.

Ordinarily, this would summon a pillar of fire, but underwater, it only produced a swirling vortex—no fire.

But when combined with lightning, it was a different story.

Thanks to the water, the magic became even more effective.

[Fire Spike: Summons a pillar of fire along with lightning. It simultaneously targets all living creatures within a 1-meter radius, except the Tamer.]

Crackle.

The Piranhas within a 1-meter radius convulsed as they floated to the surface.

The smell of grilled fish lingered in the air.

It all happened in an instant.

What kind of power is this?

“Wow, Basilus. That’s incredible!”

“Glimpchee!”

A Red Dragon who’s gotten hooked on shooting electricity. He’s excited at the prospect of grilling Piranhas.

Level: 13

Magic: 65

Strength: 74

Agility: 49

Intelligence: 23

[Flamethrower Lv 3] [Magic Defense Lv 1] [Poison Resistance Lv 3] [Flame Vortex Lv 3] [Fire Spike Lv 2]

After just a few attacks, the Fire Spike skill had leveled up to 2.

And now…

Ding!

[Fire Spike Lv 3]

It just reached level 3.

“Wow…”

I could seriously consider piranha for dinner tonight.

The Piranhas, now half-dead, were too shocked to attack as fiercely as before. Although a few still tried to seize the opportunity.

“Whoosh”.
“Slash”.

I swiftly cut down one that had been aiming for the back of my head with a single slash of my dagger.

Holding my breath while fighting underwater was no easy task, but with Basilus turning a dozen Piranhas into grilled fish with each attack, it was manageable.

His growth rate was faster than I had anticipated.

And Han Siha’s growth rate—meaning my own—was also faster than I had expected.

I had already become quite adept at using the dagger, despite it being my first time wielding one.

Before the three minutes were up, another message appeared.

Ding!

[Advanced: You have survived.]

“Next.”

Pant… pant…

But I still needed to work on this lousy stamina.

Ding!

[You have selected the Ice Region.]

[Escape from the Ice Giant.]

It seemed like this training ground was designed for fleeing, but the ice attribute melted easily after a few hits from Basilus, making it an easy clear.

Ding!

[You have selected the Desert.]

[Protect yourself from the Desert Scorpions.]

[Advanced: You have survived.]

Although this was just a training ground and the experience gained was less than half of what I’d get in a real dungeon, after two hours of non-stop training, Basilus leveled up.

Not only that, but I also gained invaluable experience.

My hand trembled as I gripped the dagger, now feeling like an extension of my own body.

Wow, I really made the most of this.

But of course…

“Please… kill me…”

“kuuu?”

Becoming the Tamer of an overly enthusiastic dragon isn’t easy.

“Oh… Oh!”

“Thud.”

As soon as I stepped out of the training ground, I collapsed forward, and that’s when I truly realized it.

* * *

A buzz filled the air.

As I climbed the stairs and reached the central hall, a strange energy permeated the atmosphere.

Students were rushing around, some muttering anxiously with worried expressions.

“Did something happen?”

I hurriedly pushed through the crowd.

That’s when I spotted some familiar faces.

Adela, biting her lower lip in deep concern, Won, and even Lee Han, who was swallowing nervously as if he sensed something was wrong.

When the main characters gathered like this, something was definitely up.

Adela noticed me and waved.

“Han Siha!”

“What’s going on?”

“Usher Barton.”

Usher Barton?

The kid who sees ghosts?

Why him all of a sudden?

“He’s gone missing. The dorm is in an uproar.”

What?

Usher’s premonition had come true in the most chilling way. I turned my head, my face pale.

No one knew where he had gone or when exactly he had disappeared.

The only certainty was that something had happened to him.

I cursed under my breath.

“…Damn it.”

Dark clouds were gathering on the horizon.

And then it happened.

For the first time since I was possessed, aside from the underground cave escape incident, a message appeared before me.

Huh?

“What’s this?”

[Warning: Flee from the Black Mages.]

Since the moment this system possessed me, it had never issued a command.

But now…

The message before my eyes was clearly giving me “direction.”

[Main episode 1: Find Usher]

[Usher Barton has disappeared, carrying with him a secret of Ardel Academy. Rescue him safely and uncover the secret.]

[Time limit: 24:00]

[Reward: TBD]

“Damn it.”

It was the beginning of the main episode I had so desperately hoped would never come.

—

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