The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 149

He snapped his mouth shut firmly.

Looking as if he couldn’t believe his ears.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with his hearing.

‘I need to provoke him.’

Recalling my ‘plan’, I continued to spout nonsense.

“If you lack the courage to take your own life, I’ll offer to hammer a silver nail into your heart myself. Be grateful for this kindness from I, Van Ecclesia.”

“You brat!!”

He charged at me.

Boom!

Against the attack of someone who is a Lv. 7 upper Grand Master, I, a mere Lv. 2 novice, had no chance and was slammed into the wall.

“You, I will specially grant you the great favor of making you into my perfect slave!”

He opened his mouth wide.

His chilling fangs started to approach my neck.

‘Perfect! Just as planned.’

The reason I planned to defeat the Blood Wolf Demon was based on such a calculation.

Could he really turn me into a vampire?

Vampirization is a magical race transformation.

I judged that my Master of Magic abilities could block it.

Indeed, the moment I accepted his challenge, my monocle didn’t start ringing the crisis alarm. Meaning, vampirization couldn’t pose a threat to me.

Instead.

   

Having the monocle doesn’t render the gambler’s judgment meaningless.

If the monocle simply alerts to the severity of future dangers, the gambler’s judgment often gives hints towards a solution.

‘Taking advantage of his attempt to vampirize me, striking him then will lead to victory.’

Especially since I didn’t come here alone.

Lyran, the Massacrist Mage, and Head Diego were following at a distance.

As the Witch of the Dead Sea mentioned earlier, the other Abyss members wouldn’t interfere, and the plan was to combine forces to take him down while he was staggered by the unexpected strike.

‘Acting! I need to pretend to be scared so he doesn’t catch on to my plan.’

Actually, there was no need to act.

As his fangs drew closer, my heart raced madly.

More than anything, I was afraid of the pain.

Even if I could block the vampirization, there was no way to block the pain of being bitten by his fangs.

‘Ugh, I hate pain.’

“Keke, all that bravado and now you’re scared, how amusing. Let me explain a bit more about the grace you will receive from me. You will drink my true blood in abundance, becoming not just any vampire, but a special minion. The blood flowing through your veins will completely transform into the blood I bestow. It will be terribly painful, but rejoice in the process of becoming my perfect slave.”

He seemed to enjoy my fear, slowly bringing his fangs closer and deliberately explaining.

Of course, it was terrifyingly effective.

‘If you’re going to bite, just do it already!’

It felt like someone was taunting me with a syringe right in front of my b******s.

“Your breath stinks.”

“…What?”

“I’m saying it’s disgusting to have you blabber right in front of my nose.”

He stiffened his face.

Then, snap! He bit into my neck.

‘It hurts! This hella stings!’

I snapped back to my senses.

Now the ‘species transformation’ was about to happen, and I had to deal a fatal blow to him in reverse.

‘He’s a Lv. 7 Grand Master. This won’t be easy.’

As I braced myself, something unexpected happened.

   

This much I had anticipated.

Thanks to the All Demons Bow trait, opposing him would be a bit easier.

However, I realized I had misjudged something about the All Demons Bow trait.

It wasn’t just ‘a bit easier’.

“Arghhhhhhhhhh!!! What, what?! My mana? Why?! Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!”

He screamed in agony.

At the same time.

Whoooosh.

His mana began to be sucked into me.

   

‘What?’

Among the traits of All Demons Bow, there’s an effect where if ‘Ability Level’ is higher, the attempt to dominate me reversely becomes my own.

Here, the Ability Level means ‘level’.

That’s why, when I receive a lower-level domination attack, I can temporarily amplify my power.

However, the vampirization he attempted now was not just a simple magic.

It’s about changing the species by staking the rank of existence.

‘So, it is judged by the rank of existence, not the Ability Level! I might be a fake, but I still have the rank of ascendant, which is higher than his.’

“Stop it! Stop! Aaaaaah!!”

Painful from having his mana completely drawn out, he screamed terribly.

It was excruciating for me too.

‘My neck hurts!’

His mana was flowing into me through the fangs he had embedded.

The teeth stood in place as if with a lock, causing pain.

‘No, that’s not important right now. What do I do with this mana?’

Thud.

He collapsed like a mummified corpse, all dried up.

He was dead.

The problem was his mana remaining in me.

The mana of a Lv. 7 upper Grand Master was swirling inside me.

‘This isn’t something to be happy about. If it continues like this, I’ll die from mana overload!’

The monocle also started ringing the alarm.

A dark red color, and the density on the black side was even deeper.

It’s over a 90% probability of death.

‘I need to think of something. But how? It’s impossible.’

Previously, when I advanced to Lv. 2, I went to the Whirlpool Island to form a core.

Because of my mana insensitivity, it was difficult to form a stable core.

I barely managed to create a core by a miracle, but its durability was fragile like cracked glass.

Let alone handling this amount of mana, a normal person couldn’t withstand it.

Then, something even more daunting happened.

Remarkable, Van Ecclesia. Or should I call you Van the Legend? I’m genuinely impressed.

Whoosh.

A mist-like energy spread around.

Then, a blurry figure that couldn’t be identified appeared behind me.

An impressive entrance.

I swallowed hard.

It was someone I knew.

While the Blood Wolf Demon was a big deal, this was incomparable.

‘This is a true boss-level figure.’

In the Hero Academy, numerous bosses appear.

You could call the enemies appearing in each episode bosses in their own right.

However, a true boss has a different significance.

Literally, a character of true boss stature spanning the entire storyline.

I groaned as I identified the figure.

“The Butler.”

One of the four ‘Administrators’ of Abyss.

Meaning, among the strong gathered in Abyss, he was an exceedingly eminent existence, ranked among the top five.

His level was an astonishing Lv. 8, transcendent class.

Do you know me? The Ecclesia family’s intelligence is indeed impressive.

A relaxed tone.

I was burning up inside.

‘Damn it. Even focusing on controlling the mana right now, the chances of survival are slim. And now, such a formidable opponent as well.’

But then, I hesitated.

An unbelievable message appeared.

   

‘…Is this broken?’

The reason was soon clear.

‘Right now, I have the mana of the Blood Wolf Demon. It means I could win using his mana.’

It was a shockingly astounding revelation.

Reaching the ‘Path of Magic’ also required vast amounts of mana. Hence, my pure magical achievement was only at the level of 4 stars.

But, having enough mana meant even magic at a mere Lv. 4 level could win against a transcendent of Lv. 8.

‘What’s the use of winning? The moment I unleash all my magic, the mana core won’t hold and will explode, killing me.’

The probability of victory was meaningless.

Then, a method flashed through my mind.

‘If I do this, maybe, just maybe, I could survive.’

As I swallowed hard, the ‘Butler’ spoke.

It’s a dilemma. I was considering sparing you if you were of any use, but you seem too exceptional. If I can’t handle the aftermath, perhaps it’s better to kill you now.

The voice sounded genuinely conflicted..

He was clearly contemplating killing me.

What comes next is crucial.

“You’re wondering what to do with me? Seems like you’re under some misconception.”

I tilted my head with a sneer.

Filled with the imposing aura of a Black Flame Dragon.

“As the Butler of Abyss, you can’t even figure out who’s dominating this place right now?”

!!

“I’m the one contemplating whether to kill you, so why don’t you give me a reason to show you mercy?”

Haha… You must be joking….

He started to laugh but then hesitated.

Even without seeing his face through the mist, I could feel it hardening.

He recognized, with his transcendent insight, that engaging in a fight would indeed mean death for him.

What?

“I have no desire to talk with someone as repulsive as you for long. If you wish to beg for your life, offer up your dreadful ‘Star Absorption Elixir’. I might just show you mercy for that.”

Star Absorption Elixir.

It was a legendary treasure.

Specifically for villains.

‘A forbidden treasure that absorbs the energy of others to strengthen one’s core.’

The reason high-level villains are particularly notorious is because of such horrendous methods.

In the Age of Chaos, these methods were even more rampant, allowing villains to reach high levels much faster and more easily.

‘This is exactly what I need right now.’

Not only to overcome the brink of death but also an opportunity to become stronger!

‘If I use all the absorbed energy to strengthen my core, I might reach Lv. 2 intermediate, or maybe even Lv. 2 advanced level.’

Just Lv. 2 advanced?

That’s not to be scoffed at.

Lv. 2 advanced.

A state achievable only by making a hastily patched core stronger than that of a normal person.

For someone like me suffering from mana insensitivity, this was an achievement that would otherwise be forever out of reach.

Do you understand what kind of precious item the Star Absorption Elixir is?

“If you won’t comply, it’s no matter. I can just kill all of you right here. That might even be better for the world.”

I was nervous he would refuse, but as a former sales king, I know well that bluffing is the basis of negotiation.

I raised a finger.

“I’ll count to one. Bring me the Star Absorption Elixir by then. Five.”

!!

“Four.”

I deliberately created tension, slowly counting down.

When I reached two, he said,

Sigh. Bring the Star Absorption Elixir.

Whoosh!

The Witch of the Dead Sea appeared.

Holding the Star Absorption Elixir in her hand.

“…Van the Legend?”

The Witch of the Dead Sea looked at me with shocked eyes.

I took the Star Absorption Elixir and turned around.

The mana had been raging madly inside me, making it harder to bear.

I was barely suppressing it, but I was at my limit.

‘I need to move to a safe place and take action before it’s too late.’

But, it’s always important to finish strong.

I left them a warning to prevent them from stabbing me in the back.

“If you wish, you can attack me now. My sense of justice is screaming to deal with you right this moment. The mission of the light is to drive out darkness, and my light will cover your darkness.”

…….

“…….”

Ah, the Black Flame Dragon.

Let’s try to restrain ourselves a bit in times like these.