The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 89

   

‘That’s it!’

It was a close call, but she managed to do it.

More important than simply changing her class to a magic swordsman was to instill a will fitting for a true protagonist.

‘This should give us some breathing room for the upcoming ‘Erased Night Episode.’ Catherine and the others will fight well.’

However, not everything was positive.

   

The messages kept coming.

   

‘Is this okay?’

Cold sweat dripped down.

I had braced myself for attracting aggro when I stepped in, but the increase in affection seemed a bit too much.

‘Anyway, once the ‘Erased Night Episode’ is over, I’ll quietly recede out of sight… That should be okay, right?’

That was a concern for later.

There was something more urgent at hand.

Wwwwwhhhhoooo!!

She gazed at the swirling vortex that was howling madly.

‘Seeing it up close, it’s terrifying. How did Catherine face such a vortex?’

Pushing her to act was one thing, but facing it directly was overwhelmingly intimidating.

I could never have done what Catherine did.

‘There’s no need to confront it directly, after all.’

The real issue wasn’t the vortex itself.

“Stop it now. If you don’t cease, you will see your sanctuary crumble.”

As soon as those words were spoken.

Swoosh.

A blurry ghostly figure appeared.

‘The Heroic Swift Sword!’

I swallowed my saliva.

It was a hero of myths.

A great hero who stood against the formidable ranks of other realms to protect the world.

‘Why has such a great being appeared as a ghost? This wasn’t in the scenario.’

In the storyline, Whirlwind Island was a typical quest dungeon designed for overcoming obstacles and receiving rewards.

There was nothing about encountering the Heroic Swift Sword.

‘What’s going on with it?’

Screeeeech.

When the Swift Sword raised its hand, a chilling voice was heard.

It was the phenomenon known as ‘Ghost’s Wail,’ which appears among the worst specters.

Future… heroes, I greet thee.

Though the words were of welcome, they didn’t sound it at all.

Tension sharply rose.

Catherine seemed to feel the same, coming next to me and pointing her broken sword in defense.

Indeed,

I am sorry, but… you must die. For the world…

“!!”

Clearly, it hadn’t appeared to bestow blessings.

‘Damn, why is it always like this! Now what, the Eight Heroes?!’

Of course, the being before us was merely a ghost, but even a speck of the real Eight Heroes’ power would make it an indomitable entity.

“Silence, ghost! No matter how much of a hero you were in the past, I will kill you!”

Catherine, who had awakened the Hero’s Will, fearlessly stepped forward!

‘No, it’s good to be brave, but look who you’re dealing with! The Eight Heroes, the Eight Heroes!’

Then, a fundamental question suddenly struck me.

‘Why has one of the Eight Heroes become like this?’

No matter how many unexpected difficulties I faced, they were all within the scope of the scenario.

It was strange for one of the Eight Heroes to end up like this.

‘Strange. It’s a ghost, but I don’t feel any malicious intent.’

It was sincere in its desire to kill us.

Yet, I didn’t sense any evil intentions.

Instead,

‘Does it feel sorry?’

With a perhaps hopeful heart, I asked.

“Do you intend to use us as sacrifices to prevent yourself from becoming an even more terrifying monster?”

!!

The ghost of the Heroic Swift Sword groaned.

Yes. Originally, my soul was sealed within this ruin. However, suddenly, an evil energy from another realm contaminated my soul, turning me into this specter.

I stiffened my face.

‘Contamination phenomenon. That’s something that only happens in the ‘The Resurgence of the Dreamfall’ scenario of the third year.’

The Heroic Swift Sword continued.

If things continue as they are, I will become a horrendous monster that drenches the world in blood. Thus, I’ve been using challengers who come to this Whirlwind Island as sacrifices to prevent my condition from worsening.

It was a troubling situation.

If the Swift Sword completely lost its sanity and became a rampaging specter, it wouldn’t end with just one or two deaths.

‘But I can’t just sacrifice my life either.’

Fortunately, one solution came to mind.

“Isn’t the problem solved if you simply disappear?”

!!

“After all, you wouldn’t have wanted to remain in this world until now. I will grant you peace.”

The Swift Sword heavily shook its head.

Impossible. The ‘Corruptor’s’ trickery has prevented my soul’s ascent or descent on this Whirlwind Island.

It was the first time hearing such a thing.

The era of the Eight Heroes wasn’t part of the storyline, after all.

But,

“You seem to have forgotten what I said earlier. This Whirlwind Island, I can bring it down.”

!!

It was no lie.

‘I’m not who I was in the past anymore.’

I introspected my inner self.

Specifically, next to my heart.

I could feel something small and spherical.

‘I’ve succeeded in creating a core!’

…Though, it wasn’t a perfect core.

Compared to a typical 2nd tier mage’s core, it was smaller.

About half? No, to be honest, it was about a quarter of the size, but to me, it was an incredibly precious core.

‘Creating a core doesn’t immediately make me a 2nd tier mage.’

It was just the ‘vessel’ that was completed.

Since the amount of mana is still below a 1st tier level, I need to fill this vessel with mana to become a perfect 2nd tier mage.

Conversely, this also meant:

‘With enough mana, I’m as good as a 2nd tier mage.’

…Though it was somewhat embarrassing to make a fuss over becoming a basic level 2nd tier mage, it was of great significance to me.

“Give me the elixirs.”

!!

“I know you have a lot of elixirs. Hand them all over, without missing a single one.”

‘This is the chance to feast on elixirs!’

Clearing this Whirlwind Island typically yields elixirs among other rewards.

Naturally, they would be in abundant storage.

…Here they are.

“Five? Why only these?”

…I may have consumed some.

“What do you mean, as a ghost?”

Greed is something not even a ghost can give up, it seems.

The Heroic Swift Sword awkwardly avoided my gaze.

Despite the scolding, five were plenty.

‘Anyway, consuming more than four wouldn’t matter; my veins couldn’t handle it. The extra one will be given to Catherine later.’

For a moment, I thought of Libel, but then shook my head.

Elixirs were poison to Libel.

“I’ll start now.”

I tossed all four elixirs into my mouth at once.

“What, Professor?! Are you mad?! Taking all the elixirs at once?!”

“It’s okay. I’m fine.”

It wasn’t because I was exceptional.

Due to my mana insensitivity, most of the energy dissipates, so it actually places less strain on my body.

‘Even so, isn’t this too inefficient? Why is there so little left?’

As I’ve said time and again, my mana efficiency is one-tenth of a normal person’s, one-hundredth of a mage’s.

If I just let it be, it would all just fly away, so I had to take action.

Whhoooooo!

The core twitched, and some of the evaporating energy was captured and drawn into the core.

‘I’ve imbued the core with an ‘attraction’ attribute, emulating the nature of a vortex, to draw in energy. This way, it can absorb a bit more mana.’

It’s worth noting that the higher the level of magic, the more mana it demands.

Not linearly, but exponentially.

Without employing such techniques, even reaching 2nd tier would mean I couldn’t properly use spells.

‘Of course, even with this, the efficiency has only slightly increased.’

Yet, I was barely able to gather enough mana in the core to meet the requirements of a 2nd tier mage.

‘Am I really a 2nd tier now? For real?’

…Regrettably, not yet.

I had only trapped it in the core; the process of melting it down and truly making it mine was still necessary.

Still, it was only a matter of time, and becoming a 2nd tier was certain, which made me want to raise my hands in the air and cheer.

But that wasn’t all.

‘I’m invincible now.’

Fwoosh.

The mana that had evaporated didn’t leave my body but continued to swirl around me.

It was due to the whirling effect of the core.

Though it wasn’t absorbed by the core, it was temporarily prevented from escaping due to the attraction.

‘This mana is mine to use, even if it’s just for once.’

That’s the equivalent of four elixirs’ worth of mana.

An amount not unlike what a Level 7 Master might possess.

I raised my hand.

“Catherine, watch closely.”

Rumble.

The mana surged.

Compared to the minuscule amount before, it was like the roaring of the sea.

A thrill surged through me.

“Dual Knights must balance sword and magic. Let my magic now be a beacon for your path forward.”

Whoosh!

Two stars rose.

In the realm of mages, rank is often represented by star ranks, because the number of stars one can handle changes with their level.

Though I’ve mimicked high-level magic before, it was only manifested as a single star.

This was the first time I had drawn two stars directly.

‘It’s incomparable.’

Having two stars doesn’t simply mean the amount of spells doubles.

Each of the two stars can have spells combined, distributed, and arranged in ways one star alone could not achieve, manifesting power beyond compare.

Mana Bomb.

An improved 2nd tier version of the Mana Needles.

Essentially, a mana explosion.

Its power is typical of low-level magic, but what unfolded in my hands was far from ordinary.

The two stars were compressed to their limits.

The volatile mana from four elixirs was imbued into those two stars, which then detonated at the core of the vortex.

Bbbhuuuuuuuu!!!!

A tremendous roar shook the entire island, and the vortex began to disperse.

It was a success!

Impossible?! How can such a thing be possible? Could you be the savior destined by the world…?

“It’s not that. Absolutely not.”

I shook my head firmly in denial.

“Now, the seal that bound your soul has been lifted, and you may depart from this world.”

‘I should also take a rest now!’

But then, something unexpected happened.

Rumble.

The island vibrated as if it were hit by an earthquake!

Simultaneously, a massive black hole began to crack open at the center of the island.

It was a phenomenon I recognized.

‘A rift!’

The Whirlwind Island was inherently unstable, and the shock just now had torn open a portal in space!

This was serious.

‘If left alone, it will connect this world to another! It must be closed!’

It was dangerous, but there was no time to weigh the options.

At this moment, the opening of such a portal meant game over.

Fortunately, there was still some volatile mana left.

‘I can do this!’

“Professor? Danger!!!”

With all my might, I worked to close the black hole.

Thankfully, I acted swiftly enough to prevent disaster.

‘Is it done?’

Just as I let out a sigh of relief, an unexpected voice reached my ears.

Who are you…?

It was coming from beyond the rift.

Peering through the still slightly open gap, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes in shock.

A woman, battered and drifting through the space of another realm beyond the rift, was visible.

I recognized her.

‘The Demon King.’

The only being of the highest rank in this world.

Yet, the Demon King spoke oddly.

Are you… the new Ascendant?