The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 176

The room fell silent.

Kansir, Balas, and the others had taken the people and fled to the escape route, leaving only me and Ghostface here.

Drag out the time and run away!

If you try to play the hero and die, I’ll hate you.

If you get hurt, you know your sister will kill you?

My companions took my claim of handling him as mere bravado.

After all, he was a Level 7.

A true super-strong monster.

The only ways to confront a Level 7 were to be of equal standing or to overwhelm with sheer numbers.

For me, merely a Level 2 Apprentice, to defeat him was more implausible than an ant defeating an elephant.

Terms like ‘Master’, ‘Grand Master’, ‘Expert’ only made sense among those who had reached the Level 7 realm themselves.

To those below, it all appeared as an insurmountable cliff.

That’s why Ghostface showed no sign of tension.

Interesting. I’m curious about your little scheme.

He accepted my challenge purely out of interest.

After all, he thought he could subdue me anytime.

If you have any tricks up your sleeve, feel free to show them. I won’t kill you, for you are of Ecclesia’s bloodline. However, you will become a slave to our Abyss, condemned to endure eternal suffering, neither dead nor alive.

“Shouldn’t you be the one performing tricks? The weaker one among us is you, not me. I’ll let you take the first move.”

…….

He fell silent for a moment, doubting if he had heard me correctly.

I flicked my finger to reassure him that his ears were indeed functioning properly.

Specifically with the middle finger.

The charisma of the Black Dragon was imbued into it, making it an infinitely arrogant and annoying gesture.

“There’s no need to be ashamed. I’m quite generous, so I’ll understand whatever pathetic tricks you decide to pull.”

Hahahaha!! Van the Legend, they call you a legend, but it seems your head’s gone mad. Very well, prepare yourself!

Fwoooosh!

His body transformed into perfect shadows.

Shadow Wave.

A manipulation magic that alters the physical body.

To classify Ghostface’s class, he would be a Dual Knight.

He prefers attacking by transforming into shadows.

Being attacked by an intangible shadow makes him exceedingly difficult to deal with.

But the thought that crossed my mind at that moment was:

‘Gotcha.’

As everyone knows, by nature, I’m a timid commoner.

So why did I suddenly become so bold?

Simple.

Because I was truly confident.

I glanced at my monocle.

It remained clear, without any sign of danger alerts.

This meant the situation posed no threat to me.

I revealed the source of my confidence.

Click.

A silver, long rod that stimulates a man’s fantasy.

A gun, resembling a shotgun in appearance.

A Magic Gun?

Though it looks like a gun from Earth, its principle is entirely different.

It operates on magic, not gunpowder.

It’s not a widely used weapon in this world.

Although it guarantees a certain level of power, it requires an embedded magic crystal and the engraving of activation magic formulas, making it cost-ineffective.

Only in the Ran Republic, where magical engineering is highly developed, is it somewhat used.

“Let me ask you something. Do you know what my specialty is?”

What nonsense are you spouting?

“It might be difficult for you to answer. My greatness spans so broadly across all areas of magic that it doesn’t exclude any. However, even someone like me has a weakness. It’s magical engineering.”

To be precise, what I lacked was the foundation to support my ideas.

It’s akin to the foremost expert in 21st-century semiconductor engineering being sent back to the Middle Ages, wouldn’t you say?

Especially, the most critical issue was the ‘lack’ of resources.

To materialize my ideas, I needed an enormous amount of high-quality magical resources.

In other words, an immense quantity of ‘rare earth elements.’

The ones piled up here.

“I’ve always been curious. If my grand ideas could be realized, what kind of device would emerge? It’s finally time to find out.”

Fwoosh!

I unleashed telekinesis, and the rare earth magical minerals stacked in the corner flew into my hands.

This magic gun, brought to life with Hans’ assistance, is an incomplete product.

I sprinkled the rare earth magical minerals into the empty spaces of the formula.

Typically, only trace amounts of rare earth elements are added.

Because they’re traded at astronomical prices even by milligram, and they’re meant to enhance the effect of existing magical ores as an additive.

But, the method I’m using now is completely different.

I’m using rare earth elements as ‘consumables.’

It’s a completely different approach from the conventional use of rare earth elements, but it was possible with the magical circuit formula I had designed.

The only problem was the cost.

‘Each shot costs about as much as several houses in a free city, doesn’t it?’

It doesn’t matter.

It’s not my money.

What would be the power of a strike fueled by such an immense expenditure?

 

 

It was an absolute certainty.

Bang!!!

The bullet from the magic gun tore through his shadow.

 

* * *

 

Still, a Level 7 is a Level 7.

He put up quite a fight.

He didn’t fall at once but collapsed only after being hit by no less than eight shots.

Though it wasn’t with a single bullet, defeating a Level 7 was an incredible feat.

“Phew.”

Even though there was no one else here, the Charismatic Black Dragon feature of mine still played its part, stylishly blowing away the smoke that arose from the gun’s barrel.

‘But isn’t this just burning money? How much did I just spend?’

Even though it wasn’t my money, I shivered at the thought.

I had hoped to skim a little off the top for myself, but it seemed unlikely anything would be left.

There were many enemies to deal with.

‘I need to keep as many of the Three Evils tied down as possible.’

The seal site was vast.

It would take the group, mixed with civilians, a while to reach a safe location.

That’s when it happened.

A soul in need of grace, I see. I shall convert you to our Cult. Brothers, spread the gospel to him.

Hiss…

An undead legion began to approach me.

You seem to possess quite a remarkable item, but our brothers’ faith will not be broken.

Certainly, facing that many undead with the shotgun-style magic gun that just took down Ghostface was impractical.

No matter how much rare earth was piled up here, it wouldn’t be enough to handle them all.

But then.

“Did you know? That my genius is almost frightening.”

What?

I put away the long shotgun-style magic gun and pulled out a new weapon.

A form where several barrels are gathered in a cylindrical shape.

It was the Gatling, the massacre of the battlefield.

Wait…?!

Too late.

Ratatatatata!

Bullets flew like a storm.

Knights or mages might have blocked or dodged it somehow, but lowly undead could never.

Especially since this Gatling, too, used rare earth elements as consumables.

Though not as potent as the shotgun, it possessed a power incomparable to regular magic guns.

‘Each bullet contains rare earth elements worth about three to four houses in a free city.’

The undead legion was annihilated in an instant, and I didn’t stop there.

This time, I pulled out the shotgun and bullets pierced through the air.

“Graaaagh!!”

A scream erupted from the dark mage of the Dark Tower we saw earlier.

He was fatally wounded by the shot.

That was the last of the Order and Black Tower forces to appear.

They had been unwilling collaborators to begin with, so they retreated without pushing their luck.

‘Maybe I’m kind of cool right now? Don’t I look like the hero of an action movie?’

It was the moment the Black Dragon indulged in showing off again, blowing on the smoke rising from the barrel.

“T-This is astonishing. A mere rat causing so much disruption.”

“Perhaps it’s time to acknowledge him not as a rat, but as Van the Legend?”

“Indeed, the gracefulness as the rumors say. I, I want to stuff and display it to gaze upon every, every day.”

“Now, now, this is no time for jokes. If we delay any further, the administrator will get angry.”

Chill.

Three figures, men and women, appeared.

A sense of crisis, incomparable to anything before, surged within me.

I spoke gravely.

“…The squad from Abyss.”

“Yes, correct. I am ‘Devil Sword’, the squad leader.”

I swallowed hard.

Devil Sword, a renowned name.

An upper Level 7, of ‘Grand Master’ class.

The other two faces were unfamiliar.

But they didn’t look easy to handle.

One was an Intermediate Level 7.

The other seemed to be Level 6, but I sensed some special power hidden within.

“Even if you’re a bold blusterer, you know there’s no chance of winning. Withdraw now, and I will spare your life. It’s only because you’re of Ecclesia’s bloodline that I offer mercy.”

My response was,

Bang!

I fired the shotgun-style magic gun straight away.

‘Strike first to win!’

No matter who it was, a hit would drastically reduce their power.

But

“Hmm. That was close. Astonishing power.”

He drew his true sword, Devil Sword, to block the bullet!

The bullet was blocked, and the true sword, Devil Sword faintly cracked, and my surprise attack had failed.

‘It’s okay. I’m invincible here.’

I pulled out another weapon.

Fwoosh!

It was a barrier-type weapon.

Likewise activated by inserting rare earth elements.

I poured in all the spare rare earth elements I had.

As a result, its defensive capabilities were unquestionable.

“Oh dear. This is troublesome. The squad that went after the escaped sacrifices has been blocked.”

By now, the reinforcements waiting outside, including Professor Burnstein and Head Diego, would have joined the escaped group.

“Since it’s difficult to delay any further, I will handle Van the Legend myself. Mourner, Black Tablet, please go assist the other squad chasing the escaped sacrifices. We cannot afford to miss even one.”

‘Not so fast!’

Bang!

I directed the shotgun towards the ones called the Mourner and Black Tablet.

The Devil Sword’s face contorted in irritation.

“If you’re so eager to die, then so be it. Let’s combine our powers to kill Van the Legend first, then chase after the sacrifices.”

Fwoooosh!

A fierce attack surged towards me.

My complexion paled.

The combined assault of the three was far stronger than anticipated.

The expensive barrier, worth several houses in a free city, was mercilessly shaken.

Then, something no one expected happened.

Zing!

Suddenly, a magical laser attack poured from the ceiling of the factory.

The Abyss folks exclaimed in surprise.

“What?! Who activated the ruins’ security system?!”

It is I, Hans! You vile creatures of Abyss! I, Hans, speak as the prime graduate student of Professor Van, soon to be an esteemed professor…

Assistant professor, old man, just shut up and control it properly. You missed them.

Hans and Lindon, whom I had left behind for their safety, had taken control of the factory’s security system!

And that wasn’t all.

On the opposite side of the passage, familiar faces appeared.

Astonishingly, it was Catherine, Libel, and Yulia! Even Theren and Wilhelm were there.

“You guys? It’s dangerous!”

“Nonsense. You think you’re also not in danger? Always the one to risk your life without a second thought?”

“I-I can’t live without the professor!”

“Would you guys be quiet? I was the one leading the charge here.”

“I just came because I was bored. It’s absolutely not because I was worried about the professor.”

“Me, I was dragged here… Why? Where even are we?”

The kids formed a formation around me to protect me.

Catherine faced the foes from Abyss head-on, sword drawn.

“Come at us, you mutts.”

“I-Idiot! That’s not how you provoke them. Does your parents even know you’re out acting like this?”