The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 63

At times like these, my mind works exceptionally well.

The moment I saw the main episode pop up, I urgently shouted.

Things were about to go very wrong.

“Run!”

Lee Han instinctively threw himself to the ground.

Boom!

A massive explosion echoed through the third basement floor.

Shards from the vault shattered the nearby glass with a deafening crash.

“Haah… Haah… Damn.”

I almost died, for real.

I was this close to being obliterated.

If I hadn’t memorized the sequence of the main episode, I would’ve been caught in the explosion without even realizing the vault was about to blow.

My heart was still racing uncontrollably.

I frowned and pulled out my staff.

I’d just barely escaped death, but the problem was that more opportunities to die awaited.

Tap, tap, tap.

I heard the eerie sound of footsteps approaching from behind.

Instinctively, I turned my head.

A familiar face was walking toward us.

A face with a warm expression but a cold, unsettling smile.

Professor Divert Grunui.

Why was he here?

Adela’s eyes widened in shock.

“How… how is this possible…?”

They had risked their lives to capture Professor Divert Grunui of Ardel Academy.

I’d heard that his magic was sealed, and he was exiled from the Ardel Empire.

Afterward, he was imprisoned in the underground cells of the Magic Department. I was sure he was out of reach.

A chilling red light flickered at the tip of his staff.

My gut feeling that we were in deep trouble proved to be accurate once again.

Last time, we had Dean Ernest, so the situation was resolved quickly, but we couldn’t hope for such a miracle again.

No matter how talented we were, we were still just second-year students. There was no way we could defeat him.

Professor Divert Grunui’s twisted smile spread wider.

His voice oozed with menace as he spoke.

“Innocent little fools.”

“….”

“Did you really think I had no allies left here?”

“Damn it….”

Lee Han’s legs were suddenly bound as he tried to cast a binding spell.

It was a swift counterattack.

Bang!

Next, my body was lifted into the air.

“Guh!”

Pain surged through me in an instant.

I was flung back into the wall.

My mind raced.

This won’t work.

At this rate, the cube will be taken, just like in the future I know.

I didn’t know it would be Professor Divert who’d be the one after it, but it was clear we were heading toward a predetermined outcome.

I had to change it.

But how?

I threw the scroll I was holding toward Lee Han.

He looked startled, completely caught off guard by the sudden action.

With a loud, urgent voice, I yelled at him.

“Run! Run for it!”

This was our only chance.

I was putting everything on the line.

“Go, Lee Han!”

As Lee Han and Adela distracted Professor Divert Grunui one last time, I staggered to my feet.

I knew it was a foolish move.

I knew I might die.

But I also knew better than anyone that I was a reckless guy without a plan.

After all, I was the one who had to find this cube.

I gritted my teeth and raised my staff.

Then, I poured all my magic into the barrier around the vault.

“They’re playing dirty.”

Adela vanished into thin air.

Frustrated at having lost one of his targets, Professor Divert Grunui ground his teeth and turned his attention to me.

“Please… Please.”

I clenched my trembling staff tightly, praying fervently.

The blue barrier flickered, as if it was about to shatter.

Soon, Professor Bruce and the security team might arrive, but that didn’t matter to me.

“Got it.”

When I had poured every last bit of my strength into it,

Clunk.

Finally, the barrier around the vault shattered.

Whoosh!

Once again, I was thrown into the air.

I dashed toward the vault as quickly as I could.

I grabbed the cube and, with all my might, hurled it.

Professor Divert Grunui’s face twisted in anger.

“You damn brats!”

He reached out to stop it, but Lee Han was quicker.

The cube slipped into his hands, and then he disappeared.

Rage flared in Professor Divert’s eyes.

His killing intent was aimed squarely at me, determined to kill at least one of us.

But I just chuckled.

“Too bad. You got me, but you missed what you were really after.”

And then,

“Ugh!”

I lost consciousness.

* * *

“Oww…”

The splitting headache was proof that I had somehow survived.

Though Professor Divert Grunui wasn’t as strong in combat as some of the other Ardel professors, surviving his magic was still nothing short of a miracle.

Or maybe he had kept me alive for some reason.

I chuckled to myself, resigned to whatever fate awaited me.

Both my arms and legs were tightly bound. From the lack of light seeping through, it seemed I had been locked up underground.

Ah… it really hit me—I thought I was in deep trouble before, but now I knew I was truly screwed.

“You’re awake.”

Professor Divert Grunui leaned in with a disgustingly smug expression. Despite the calmness of his smile, there was an underlying sense of unease.

“Entering the Magic Department’s jurisdiction without permission and committing theft? These are crimes worthy of execution, Han Siha.”

“Researching illegal dark magic and attempting to cover it up by killing a student—that’s just straight execution, Professor.”

I scoffed at him, but a sense of dread gnawed at me.

I couldn’t sense any magic.

I wiggled my hands, frowning. It seemed they had tied me up with ropes that suppressed magic.

They really went this far, just for me? The absurdity of it made me laugh.

“Were you that afraid of me?”

“What?”

“Or were you worried that I’d break free and try to kill you? Is that why you’re so concerned?”

“For a dead man walking, you sure have a lot to say.”

Smack!

My jaw snapped to the side. I tasted the bitter tang of blood as it seeped from my mouth.

But even as pain shot through me, my mind worked furiously, perhaps even faster than usual because of the pain stabbing through my body.

I forced myself to speak, trying to keep my tone casual.

“Remember problem 27 from the hydraulics exam? Do you know why I was the only one who got it right?”

“Why are you suddenly bringing up hydraulics? Do you think you’re my student or something? Or are you trying to show off that sharp brain of yours? Don’t think this will help you survive.”

“I was born smart, sure, but honestly, that problem stumped me. It was really tough.”

It was actually a piece of cake, but that wasn’t the point. I let the words flow smoothly from my mouth.

“I got lucky. I’ve always had incredible luck, and if you don’t believe me, how about we make a bet?”

“Is it supposed to be impressive that you’re still cocky in this situation? What an idiot.”

“Oh, and by the way, I was born under the threat of life. I grabbed a thread at my first birthday, you know? I think that’s why I’ve survived so many stupid mistakes. Plus, I—”

“Shut that mouth of yours already.”

Right. It was all nonsense.

But as I kept talking, I could see that Professor Divert’s focus was wavering.

Snip.

In the meantime, I’d managed to secretly cut through one of the ropes.

Unaware, Professor Divert Grunui’s eyes were now bloodshot with frustration.

He hadn’t found the cube and had captured me as a supposed prisoner, but I wasn’t giving up any useful information. It must have been infuriating.

And he was probably feeling anxious.

Professor Divert Grunui gritted his teeth.

He was facing a mere student, a kid he had captured, yet it felt like he was the one being hunted.

“Only answer what I ask.”

Out of desperation, Professor Divert crossed a line he shouldn’t have.

Illegal dark magic curses slipped from his lips.

A black aura began to swirl around him, and I immediately recognized the spell he was casting.

I was horrified.

“Wow, are you really going that far?”

But before I could react, overwhelming pain wracked my body, forcing me to writhe in agony.

“Guh… Ahh… You’re insane…”

That insane professor was actually casting a forbidden curse.

He’d resorted to using a curse—banned by the Magic Department—that inflicted excruciating pain on its target.

My mind went blank.

I hadn’t anticipated this. I never imagined he’d go to such extremes.

And the pain I was experiencing was far beyond anything I could have imagined.

Cough.

I twisted in pain and coughed up blood.

Only then did Professor Divert Grunui smile, satisfied.

“Now we can have a proper conversation.”

The friendly smile I remembered from the classroom flashed in my mind, sending chills down my spine.

With a cold voice, Professor Divert asked, “Where’s the map? Do you know where the cube is hidden?”

My hands trembled, but I wasn’t ready to give up.

All I could offer him was the answer he didn’t want to hear.

“Who knows?”

Hack.

I gasped for breath, glaring at Professor Divert.

“I don’t think I have it. Want me to make you one?”

“You insolent little—!”

“I’m not that young, actually.”

Smack.

This was a far tougher opponent than I had anticipated.

I wondered if I was deliberately provoking him, just asking for more punishment.

Professor Divert, seething with anger, lowered his raised hand.

Changing tactics, he sneered at me.

“If Ardel is relying solely on you, it’s bound to fall apart. It’s a shame, really, for a place I once belonged to.”

“Aren’t you embarrassed to call yourself a teacher?”

“Not anymore. But it’s truly worrying that such a pathetic student like you is considered the pride and hope of the academy.”

I was on the brink of passing out.

The pain was unbearable.

But I’d bought enough time.

I steadied my breath and forced a weak smile.

“Maybe you should be the one worrying.”

“What?”

At that moment,

Crunch!

Basil lunged and sank his teeth into Professor Divert’s neck.

A single, piercing scream echoed through the room.

—

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