The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 177

Libel’s provocation worked wonders.

“!!”

The three from Abyss, faces flushed with anger, charged at us.

An upper Level 7 of ‘Grand Master’ class.

An intermediate Level 7 Master class.

A Level 6 holder class with hidden special powers.

Each one was a formidable force not easily dealt with, but our side was not to be underestimated either.

Muahahaha! Behold, Professor Hans’ laser beam attack! Lindon, what are you doing? Can’t you praise even I, Professor Hans?!

Hans, having fully taken over the factory’s security system, unleashed a relentless magical laser attack.

With the kids shielding in front, my shotgun began to demonstrate terrifying effectiveness.

Bang!!!

“Argh!”

Devil Sword, who tried to cut down the kids, was instead sniped by my shotgun.

If the kids ever found themselves in danger, my barrier armor would come into play.

This scenario repeated over and over.

The enemies tried to break through the kids’ defense but were consistently repelled.

Of course, this didn’t mean we were at an advantage.

The foes from Abyss were overwhelmingly superior throughout.

We were barely managing to continue our defense.

But

‘Time is on our side.’

Indeed, the enemies’ expressions began to show increasing anxiety.

“Damn it! What are you all doing?! If this goes on, the sacrifices!!”

If those captured managed to escape, it would be our victory.

Abyss’s long-term ‘plan’ would fail, and Duke Volman would fall into disgrace for scheming human sacrifices.

The attacks from the enemies intensified, but Catherine, Libel, and the other kids stood their ground without retreating.

Why else would they be the protagonists?

Facing a crisis, they unleashed even greater strength, true to the nature of protagonists.

Eventually.

 

 

The reason we initially proceeded with only a few people for the operation was to prevent the Three Evils from noticing and covering up the evidence.

Covering up evidence here meant closing the ruins and killing off the sacrifices to erase them.

Now that the sacrifices were extracted, there was no need to be cautious.

The professors who had been waiting secretly outside entered the sealed area in a group, and the reunion was successful.

‘It’s done! The operation is a success!’

But that wasn’t all.

Fwoosh!

Figures with an intense aura, no less formidable than the foes from Abyss, appeared.

“Well done, Van.”

“Leave the rest to us.”

It was Professor Burnstein and Head Diego!

The tables had turned.

“Ah, no.”

The faces of the Abyss foes showed disappointment.

More precisely, they were expressions filled with fear.

The leader of the foes, Devil Sword, began to ramble with a pale complexion.

“T-This isn’t my fault…! It’s all because of that unexpected Van…!! Please, please forgive me…!!”

It was as if he was begging someone for forgiveness.

A moment later.

Chill.

A shiver ran down my spine, the kind of apprehension that comes when facing an insurmountable foe!

‘No, it’s different. It’s not just that.’

I lifted my eyes to survey the surroundings.

The scene appeared the same as before.

Yet, something had subtly changed.

The air, the atmosphere.

Focusing more, I could clearly see what had altered.

‘The entire area around us has transformed into a spell formula.’

It wasn’t that a magical circle had been deployed.

The space itself had become ‘formulaic’.

An unbelievable story.

Yet, there are those capable of causing such a phenomenon.

Professor Burnstein murmured the names of such beings, almost like a groan.

“Transcendents…?”

Those who can unfold a “Boundary” within which they can exert powers beyond the mortal limits.

 Ruling as the absolute beings of this world in place of the strong ones who seldom interfere with the world from above.

A Level 8 Transcendent revealed themselves.

Haah. This is troublesome. I’ve been looking forward to today, and now insects have swarmed.

Armor and helm shrouded their entire body.

A voice indistinguishable as male or female.

The Abyss minions panicked and knelt.

“We greet the ‘Knight Commander’!”

It was the appearance of an ‘Administrator’, the highest officer of Abyss!

‘Damn it. The Administrator showing up personally wasn’t part of the storyline.’

Even though the storyline included a route for rescuing the sacrifices, there was no mention of the Administrator appearing.

‘This is a crisis.’

I swallowed hard.

As I’ve said multiple times, Abyss is a coalition of named villains.

Therefore, even though there are officers, there isn’t a strict hierarchy as in other organizations.

But as evident from their flustered behavior now, the ‘Knight Commander’ was different from other administrators.

‘The Administrator is said to possess power closest to the ‘Lords’ of Abyss.’

The Knight Commander orchestrated this event to gain power to challenge the Lords of Abyss.

‘Normally, a “boss” level figure like this wouldn’t show up until around the third year.’

If the Knight Commander took action, everyone would meet their demise in an instant.

I’m very displeased. Who will take responsibility for this mess?

That remark snapped me back to reality.

I realized something.

‘The Knight Commander didn’t come here to kill us.’

The deed was already done.

Killing us wouldn’t grant him any benefits.

Indeed, my monocle wasn’t sounding any alarms and remained clear.

It meant the situation wasn’t deemed a crisis.

‘I need to keep my wits and respond properly. The Knight Commander despises the weak, so showing strength might actually work in our favor.’

My heart raced.

Though my timid heart shrank, I mustered courage with the help of the Black Dragon’s influence.

“Responsibility? That’s rich coming from you. How about you kneel and beg for forgiveness first, then maybe I’ll spare your life.”

‘Whoa!’

The Black Dragon had perhaps emboldened me a bit too much.

Oh? They say you’re the Legendary Van, and indeed, you have quite the spirit. I don’t dislike that style.

Creeeak.

It turned its head towards me, the iron armor making a chilling metallic sound.

The eyes visible beyond the helm were pitch black, devoid of any whites.

I had initially planned to exact a toll for ruining my plans, but I’ve had a change of heart. How would you like to become a member of my knightly order?

“What?”

An offer of recruitment. Van the Legend, you’ve caught my interest.

He was suggesting I become a part of Abyss!

An absurd proposition.

However,

The price can be the lives of everyone here.

“!!”

I am a knight who follows the path of honorable swordsmanship. Thus, I do not take pleasure in unnecessary killing, but for the sake of recruiting talent like you, I would gladly shed any amount of blood.

He was serious.

If I refused, he would immediately wreak havoc.

It was a critical crisis, but.

‘This is the crucial moment.’

Yes.

I hadn’t stepped forward without any plan.

Swallowing hard, I spoke up.

“Try if you must. Unless you want to see your precious ‘Boundary’ crumble to pieces.”

…What did you say?

“Do you think I, Van the Legend, don’t know the weakness of your knighthood, your ‘Boundary’? You might pride yourself on being so vile you’re sublime, but your chivalry is nothing more than gutter trash.”

!!

The Knight Commander flinched.

I had hit the nail on the head by mentioning his weakness.

‘That’s his weak point.’

With the right path of magic or sword’s intent, I could shatter his contradictions and win.

The problem was.

‘It’s impossible for me right now.’

The Knight Commander is a boss-level entity from the third-year storyline.

Even if there are weaknesses, it means that protagonists need to be at least Level 7 to exploit them.

So it seemed impossible…

 

 

‘…How is this even possible?’

Of course, at 1.52%, the chances were slim, but it was not entirely impossible!

I provoked him with an even bolder attitude.

“If you can’t believe it, try me. But be prepared to lose your transcendent status. My greatness is akin to the sun itself.”

!!

Hesitation flickered in him at my stance.

After all, I am Van the Legend, who has triggered countless miracles beyond the bounds of reason.

He couldn’t dismiss my words lightly.

But that wasn’t all.

“Who are you to decide our fate? We will protect Professor Van.”

“T-That’s my line. Anyone who targets Professor Van will face death.”

Fwoosh!

Led by Catherine and Libel, the kids emitted a fierce will to protect me.

It was like chicks baring their teeth at a tiger, but still.

 

 

Surprisingly, the probability had increased.

Don’t say 1.52% and 4.72% are essentially the same.

Rounded up, it’s nearly a threefold increase.

Moreover,

“……”

Professor Burnstein and Head Diego remained silent, not out of fear.

They were waiting for an opportunity.

 

 

With such odds, it was definitely worth a try!

However, I had miscalculated one thing.

Ah, such noble will. It’s beautiful. Very well. Let’s see what will be extinguished by my hand.

Feeling the real threat, he became even more eager to assert his dominance.

‘No, seriously, weren’t we supposed to solve this through dialogue?’

Under normal circumstances, those odds might have tempted me to take a chance, but the problem was this battle wasn’t mine alone to fight.

I couldn’t know how many of the kids would get hurt or killed trying to protect me.

Avoiding conflict was imperative.

“Wait…”

But then, something inexplicable happened.

Ssssh. The one drawing the sword suddenly froze in place.

Wh-What? This is impossible? Why are you here? This violates the agreement?

His voice trembled as he spoke unintelligibly.

Then,

Whoosh.

Something flashed, and his body split in two, from the helmet on his head down through his armor.

“?!”

I couldn’t grasp the situation at that moment.

Too shocked to react.

My mind couldn’t accept it.

But then,

Thump!

Black blood oozed from the body of the being that had split in two and fallen.

He was dead.

A Level 8 Transcendent had been cut down in an instant.

The others showed delayed reactions.

“What?!”

“Who?!”

The rest of Abyss’s minions, who had been quiet since the Knight Commander appeared, cried out in horror.

Devil Sword, sensing danger, frantically turned around.

“We must flee, whoever did this?!”

But then,

Whoosh.

The light flashed again, and Devil Sword’s body was split in two, just like the Knight Commander before.

The rest of the Abyss minions met the same fate.

The thick scent of blood hanging in the air confirmed the reality of the gruesome scene.

‘It wasn’t magic or a sword.’

I shuddered as I realized the nature of the power that had struck down our foes.

‘It’s a miracle.’

A power that defies causality.

I hadn’t seen it wrong.

The force that had sliced through our enemies ignored the laws of this world.

What’s unbelievable is that miracles are privileges granted only to Level 9 Ascendants.

Then, another miracle unfolded.

Fwoooooosh!

Everything around me stopped.

The confused kids, Professor Burnstein, and Head Diego became like statues.

Even the flow of the air.

In a world where everything had halted, I was the only one who could move.

And then.

“Hello~ Van brother. Hi hi. The lovely and adorable Emel is making her entrance.”

Doll-like appearance.

The Guardian.

No, Van’s childhood friend, Esmeralda.

Or maybe ‘both.’

A girl whose essence was impossible to pin down appeared with a bright smile.

“I’m glad to see you again. Oh, are you not happy to see me, Van brother? Since you left me behind. I guess you find me repulsive. It must be unpleasant to see me, but I’m sorry for appearing so often.”

I swallowed hard.

That was no friendly smile.

I didn’t know exactly ‘what’ kind of being she was.

But ‘Van’ was clearly the object of her hatred.