The Academy’s Weakest Became A Demon-Limited Hunter
chapter-152

༺ Abyssal Sea Monster (2) ༻

❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ 「Act 7, Chapter 3, The Abyssal Sea Monster」.

In the joint practical evaluation, if the player survived for a certain amount of time, a demon sleeping in the deep sea in the form of dark mana awakened, which was the beginning of Act 7, Chapter 3.

Ian Fairytale, who was a Predator in the exam, headed to Eltra Sea where the Abyssal Sea Monster had appeared. As a bearer of the light element, he felt it was his personal mission to defeat the demon. A sense of justice to protect people also played a role.

However, in this world, Ian couldn’t become a Predator like in the original scenario because I took first place in Class B, pushing him out.

Anyway, since the Abyssal Sea Monster could be confronted without the power of the light element, it didn’t matter whether Ian was here or not.

The powerful mana of the Abyssal Sea Monster swallowed the surrounding mana, causing chaos like a TV with signal interference and noise.

It was the effect of the passive skill [Mana Drain], a skill that could only absorb mana weaker than its own. For reference, Ian, with the light element, was immune to such a power.

Anyway, in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, once Ian reached the Eltra coast,

The Abyssal Sea Monster’s minion and mid-boss, the Abyssal Queen, flew in like a bullet and activated the effect of the ‘Ring of the Abyssal Queen’.

A more powerful skill than [Mana Drain], the Abyssal Sea Monster’s passive skill, was [Mana Leech].

It was an ability to suck the mana and life force of a desired target, and it could only be used against those weaker than the ring wearer.

The range of effect was much more limited compared to [Mana Drain], so only those on the Eltra coast suffered its effects.

As a result, the exam proctors and first-year students who reached Eltra coast had their mana and stamina sucked away in an instant.

The ring’s power activated in proportion to how much it devoured. Even in that instance, Ian, being of light element, was immune to [Mana Leech].

The mission of the abyssal sea demons was to defeat Ian Fairytale.

To fulfill that mission, the Abyssal Queen absorbed the activated ring into her body, gaining even greater power.

Originally, the scenario was that Ian, angered by the sight of the exhausted first-year students, would fight against the Abyssal Queen.

‘And the hidden condition.’

If all first-year students heading to Eltra Coast in the joint practical evaluation were successfully stopped, a new event cutscene occurred.

When the Abyssal Sea Monster appeared and the proctors confirmed that no one had come to Eltra Coast, they immediately retreated to the gathering place, missing Ian.

In the final scene of the cutscene, Ian began his confrontation with the Abyssal Sea Monster and the Abyssal Queen alone. He defended against the enemies like in a defense game, while also delivering long-range attacks using his light element.

‘It was a reckless act.’

However, it was also a brave act.

At that time, there was no one at Eltra Coast for the Abyssal Queen to absorb mana from with her ring.

Therefore, if the player defeated the Abyssal Queen before reinforcements arrived, they could obtain the Ring of the Abyssal Queen, which still hadn’t been absorbed by the demon, as loot.

Before the exit leading to Eltra Coast was sealed, I used [Clairvoyance] to confirm that the proctors were leaving for the gathering place and then slipped out of Octovus Hall.

Paladins, the Saintess, the Priestess, and the like were also rushing towards Eltra Coast, but now it didn’t matter.

I flew over the vast ice on the mythical creature, Frost Dragon Hilde. Eltra Sea had been frozen wide, creating a landscape as if a new island made of ice had appeared.

And the giant demon hesitated because of the sea I had frozen.

[Igpus the Enlightened] Lv: 175

Race: Demon

Elements: Dark, Water

Danger: Supreme

Psychology: [Sees you as a threat.]

The Leviathan of demons, Igpus the Enlightened, glared at me with wide eyes. It was as tall as the Devil Pillar, but that was no surprise to me.

Having defeated even The Floating Island, sizes like that now seem merely quaint to me.

Fish demons with wings shaped like human hands fluttered to block my path in defense of their Lord.

They launched joint spells, combining dark and water mana, however…

Whoooosh─────!!

4-star ice magic [Frostfire].

A frigid flame, formed from ice mana, enveloped the area and froze the dark water magic. The fish demons, frozen to their very bones, plummeted helplessly.

As a Demon-Limited Hunter, it was simply a matter of using brute force to suppress them. Even contemplating how to deal with them was a luxury.

Suddenly, the chest of the Abyssal Sea Monster demon Igpus turned slimy and viscous. A female demon then burst through his sticky chest.

It was the mid-boss and Abyssal Queen, ‘Mezilla the Deluge’

[Mezilla the Deluge] Lv: 140

Race: Demon

Elements: Dark, Water

Danger: High

Psychology: [Wants to dissolve you.]

Each strand of hair resembled the leg of an octopus, wriggling unpleasantly as if they were worms. It was like an octopus version of Medusa from Greek mythology, who originally had snakes for her hair.

Thick lips covered half of her face. Her completely round mouth opened wide, revealing sharply packed teeth to my sight.

The appearance was disgustingly abhorrent, almost making me feel sorry for the Medusa comparison.

────────[Gwaaaaaaah─────!!!]

Wearing a Magic Cloak of Disguise – Berserker, a roar automatically bursted out of my mouth.

Even though I wasn’t actually yelling, my emotional state revealed the threatening demeanor of a berserker warrior.

As if reacting to mine, Mezilla let out a bizarre, twisted scream that crumpled her face which also extended her tentacle hair.

At incredible speeds, the tentacles slicing through the air were each engulfed in a grand swirl of mana, where dark and water mana merged into dark blue waves

If touched, it would dissolve my body as if hit by hydrochloric acid.

I condensed ice mana in my hand and swung my arm roughly, detonating the mana.

Kwaaaaaaaah─────!!

5-star ice magic [Frost Explosion]. With a loud boom, a shockwave of ice magic spread out in an instant.

Due to the impact, the tentacles extending from Mezilla exploded, and even the demon’s body was shattered by the shock. It was because everything had rapidly frozen.

Following that, an ice boulder spread instantly along the remaining tentacles, encasing both the chest of Igpus the Enlightened and Mezilla in ice.

────────[Groooaaaa────.]

Igpus the Enlightened let out a ghastly scream in cold agony.

Upon releasing the ice boulder, the disintegrating body of Mezilla, amidst the scattering pale blue dust, caught my eye. Her body parts forlornly fell onto the ice.

I kicked off Hilde, leaping towards Mezilla, and grabbed onto the gills in the chest of Igpus the Enlightened.

Mezilla, drooping lifelessly, then turned into grey dust and vanished into nothing.

As something small and sparkling was about to fall from the spot, I quickly snatched it.

A resplendent black ring adorned with a dark blue mana stone.

It was the ‘Ring of the Abyssal Queen’.

[Congratulations! You’ve defeated the demon [Mezilla the Deluge (Lv 140)] and gained EXP!] [Level Up!! Your level has increased to 111!] [You have gained 4 stat points due to the effects of the unique trait [Rapid Growth]!] [You have obtained the loot [Ring of the Abyssal Queen[!]

‘One task completed.’

Now, only the giant abyssal sea monster demon, Igpus the Enlightened, remained.

It twisted its head unnaturally to look down at me. Its enormous head casted a wide shadow.

The heavy and damp dark mana settled down. It opened its round mouth and deployed several black wave magic circles, each 20 meters in diameter.

It spat out goo-like purple saliva.

While holding onto its chest gills and looking at the scene, I condensed ice mana in my right hand.

The formula for the 5-star magic [Frost Explosion] floated above.

‘Hilde.’

When I conveyed my thoughts to my familiar, Hilde,

She roared threateningly and deployed a pale blue magic circle towards Igpus.

───────[[Gwoooooo─────.]

───────[Gwaaaaaah!!]

Now, at that moment, Igpus’s and my Berserker roars collided.

* * *

To the South. Kaya Astrea, the second-year second seat of the Magic Department, was assigned the role of a Predator during the joint practical evaluation.

As soon as she sensed the Abyssal Sea Monster’s mana, she exited Octovus Hall and flew towards the south of the island.

While fighting the incoming army of fish demons, she simultaneously healed the combat troops using plant magic.

It was exactly as pre-arranged with Isaac. Anticipating the defense system of Märchen Academy against the demons, he instructed Kaya to go south and defend the academy in case of a demon appearance.

The combat troops fighting the demon forces admired Kaya.

Surrounded by wind and plant mana, her appearance with her light green twin tails and fluttering uniform and cape resembled a holy fairy.

The reason she was called the Wizard of the Emerald Fairy was self-explanatory.

To the West. In the direction of the Arkins Sea, a massacre was happening with the sound of clear ringing.

Waves of starlight covered the sea, and brilliant beams of starlight ruthlessly pierced the sky and the sea.

Tremendous mana created a swarm of rainbow-colored stars, mercilessly annihilating the fish demons.

At its center…

A third-year female student of the Magic Department, Dorothy Heartnova, with lavender hair and a witch’s hat, floated among the numerous stars.

She had a carefree expression.

To the North. Dazzling sword energy and various elemental magics were rampant.

To demons, even an inch of approach wasn’t allowed. The Imperial Knights skillfully countered the demons’ magic, securely defending the north.

And to the East, towards the Eltra Sea.

“Sigh…”

The top seat of the first-years of the Magic Department, a girl with jet-black hair, Priestess Miya, exited through Octovus Hall leading to Eltra Coast.

Since the exit was somehow shattered, it was very easy to get out.

“This is…”

Miya couldn’t help but laugh upon seeing remnants of ice mana on the broken door lying about.

Kaboom───!!

The sound of magic clashing. The roar of monsters.

Looking up, she saw a giant figure confronting a massive demon on Eltra Sea, now turned into an ice sheet, alongside a mysterious white dragon.

At that moment, Miya’s eyes sparkled like shooting stars, and her face filled with excitement. Her heart raced uncontrollably.

“It must be…!!!”

Miya ran towards the sandy beach.

A cold wind blew. Miya conjured a light flame under her feet to prevent herself from falling on the frozen sandy beach.

In front of the icy sea, Miya gazed at the man she had been searching for and exclaimed in a moved voice.

She was certain.

The person who broke the entrance of Octovus Hall. The one who froze the sea. The one confronting that bizarre demon.

Immense mana that felt like it could crush you even from afar!

He was the protagonist of the heroic tale that captivated Miya. He was undoubtedly the Nameless Hero.

“My Prince…!”

The sight of the Nameless Hero fighting pounded Miya’s heart like a drum.

Her mouth gaped open in awe.

Near the Eltra Coast sandy beach, behind a black rock, the Spade Paladin secretly observed the situation.

Soon, Saintess Bianca also emerged from the exit. She caught her breath upon witnessing the Nameless Hero fighting in the Eltra Sea.

His roar and coldness spread fiercely in all directions.

The giant humanoid demon poured dark and water spells towards the Nameless Hero, but…

…The Hero, along with the white dragon presumed to be his familiar, unleashed vast ice spells, neutralizing everything, freezing, and shattering the enemy repeatedly.

Each time the Hero swung his fist, the air vibrated, and a fierce wind pressure surged.

It was a one-sided slaughter.

The massive, powerful demon was helpless against the overwhelming force.

Eventually, the Nameless Hero ruthlessly shattered and tore apart the demon frozen by the cold.

Graaaaaaaaah───────!!!

[Frost Explosion]. The demon’s massive body shattered, and frozen chunks of dark blue flesh scattered in pieces.

The Nameless Hero roared with a sound like a monster’s cry.

Priestess Miya clutched her chest and after she witnessed the brutal fighting style, she sighed deeply,

“Haaa…”

His appearance was indeed the perfect ideal she had always dreamt of.

She had never felt her heart tremble so much in her life.

Her mind was becoming all fuzzy.

It felt as if she was born to meet him.

This emotion must be love. Surely, it was love.

On the other hand, Saintess Bianca was expressionless. Even the area around her eyes seemed shadowed. No one could know what she was thinking.

Soon, the shattered body of the demon turned into grey dust and scattered in the snowstorm.

As if waiting for that moment, the white dragon raised a silver wind containing frost, [Frostwind].

“…!”

[Frostwind] spread out fiercely, covering the Eltra Coast. Miya protected herself with a shield of flickering red flames, and Saintess Bianca covered her face with her arms.

It was mana as cold as the chill of midwinter. It didn’t seem to be conjured to harm anyone; more likely, it was simply a smokescreen of sorts.

And so.

In the swirling whirl of frost, the Nameless Hero, diminishing even his mighty mana, faded away.

“Haa. To finally meet you, I’m so moved… My Prince…”

Inside the flame shield, Miya clasped her hands over her heart as if praying, then closed her eyes, immersed in the aftermath.

She wanted to etch the image of the Nameless Hero fighting more vividly into her memory.

“…”

Bianca silently sheathed her mace, turned her back, and walked away.

“Haa…”

The Spade Paladin furrowed his brows and let out a light sigh.

“To eliminate… someone like him…”

Enemy. The Nameless Hero.

Alice called him a ‘disruptor’, but to call him just that… he was unbelievably strong.

The people of Märchen Academy who had witnessed the Nameless Hero’s fight were left in awe. It was as if silence had fallen over the entire island.

Most people had only ever heard stories about the Nameless Hero using world-ending magic, or single-handedly defeating The Floating Island.

There were even those who proposed conspiracy theories that he was a fictional character.

But today, people truly realized…

…The Nameless Hero was real, and his strength had reached an unprecedented level.

And the fact that Märchen Academy was being protected by such a formidable archwizard…

…Was clearly understood today.

* * *

“Enough. Let’s escape, Hilde!”

[I shall show you the escaping skills we have practiced. It is a race, Master!]

She too must’ve adapted. It’s reassuring.

The ice underfoot was solid. Very good.

The reason for making this was not for anything else but to escape.

[Frostwind] was strongly blown just before [Hunter] was deactivated, so its duration should be comfortably long.

There was no need to worry about finding the way. I had [Clairvoyance]. Just in case, I also had a compass taken from a first-year student during the joint practical evaluation in my pocket.

The distance to Märchen Academy was quite far, but my stamina was enough, so there was nothing to worry about.

I still had some leftover mana, so I could maintain the summoned state of the baby dragon form of Hilde for quite a while. She was there to raise [Frostwind] at any time in case of emergency.

[Frostwind], being treated as my magic, didn’t particularly feel bothersome. I was probably the most free in this wind.

Hilde and I cut through the raging cold and ran at full speed.

It was the same ending as always.