Chapter 71

Professor Uregeum, who had asked questions like, "Wasn't there a bull? Why wasn't there one?" when the students returned last time, suddenly had that scene flash through his mind, though he couldn't understand why.

'Focus.'

Lee Han turned his gaze.

The spirit bull in front of him was emitting a rather unique aura.

First, there were two types of magic power. It was probably the aura of an enhancement spell and a potion. While it was hard to explain theoretically, the aura of an enhancement spell cast from the outside and the magic power of a potion working from the inside were different.

And there was another aura, similar to magic power but with a different trajectory.

'Is this the power of a spirit?'

Even though Lee Han didn't know much about spirits, he could tell that the bull in front of him was mixed with a spirit. An ordinary bull wouldn't have half of its body shimmering with ice.

Every time it glared at him and stomped its hooves, a thin layer of ice formed on the ground.

"Lee Han. If it glares at us, do you think it will charge? What do you think?"

"It wasn't really thinking anything, but it might be angry because we turned on the light."

"......"

Deregeum and Jizel turned their heads to look at Lee Han.

Hey!

"What? It's dark, so we should turn on the light, right? It's weird if it gets angry just because we turned on the light."

"It doesn't seem like the important thing right now is whether the spirit bull is weird or not..."

"Choi, ask if there's anyone who can imbue their weapon with magic power."

'Is it not over yet?'

When Jizel relayed what Lee Han said to Deregeum, Deregeum sighed deeply.

"Probably, ordinary physical attacks won't work on the spirit part. Enchanting weapons is still too difficult..."

Among the monsters, there were quite a few that ordinary attacks wouldn't affect. To deal with such monsters, adventurers would carry enchanted weapons or learn how to imbue their weapons with magic power.

"Is there anyone here who can imbue their weapon with even a little magic power?"

Deregeum raised his hand in response to Lee Han's question. Jizel also raised her hand. Lee Han, who asked the question, also raised his hand.

...Jizel looked at them as if they were crazy.

Sure, Deregeum is one thing, but why would a guy not from a knight family know how to imbue magic power?

"Deregeum, you answered, and so did you. Anyway, if all three of us can attack, isn't that a good thing? Let's spread out and stab it."

Actually, it was quite fortunate that these three were in the same group. Lee Han and Deregeum were among the top students in the current swordsmanship class, and Jizel, while slightly weaker than the two, also had formidable sword skills.

Of course, their relationship was terribly bad.

"Ask who will stand in the middle. Choi."

In the current situation, if they started to approach, the spirit bull would likely target the one in front.

Lee Han asked, showing respect for the leader.

"Of course, the leader should stand in the middle, right? Deregeum?"

Jizel answered with a middle finger. Deregeum sighed.

"Rock-paper-scissors?"

"Rock-paper-scissors."

Lee Han was in the middle, Jizel on the right, and Deregeum on the left.

Deregeum had never seen Jizel smile so brightly before.

* * *

Fortunately, the spirit bull didn't charge even though the light was turned on.

The strategy of the three students was simple.

They would spread out in three directions and approach until the spirit bull reacted.

Once it started to react, the targeted student would focus on evading, while the other two would deal damage.

'The problem is evasion.'

In such hunts, the person who lures and evades is crucial, while the one who stabs is relatively easier.

Lee Han regretted not being able to take the middle position.

-■!

The spirit bull, which had only been stomping its hooves until now, let out a fierce roar, exhaling a breath of ice.

It was clearly warning, "Get lost quietly."

Instead of approaching further, Lee Han used magic.

"Rise and move!"

Water beads sprang up in the air and flew towards the spirit bull. The spirit bull, which had been standing still, was startled and moved. The water beads exploded on the ground.

Thud, thud!

"Amazing... Wait."

Deregeum, who was amazed by the magic skills, noticed something odd.

The direction Lee Han sent the water beads seemed a bit strange.

It was as if he was shooting from above and hitting from below, and the result was like pushing the spirit bull to the right...?

'Damn brat.'

Jizel drew her twin swords.

Deregeum had noticed, so Jizel couldn't have missed it.

In fact, Jizel had also planned to lure the spirit bull towards Lee Han if it came towards her.

Swish!

Jizel jumped diagonally to the left rear.

To redirect the spirit bull's attention back to Lee Han.

Although it was a momentary lure, it was clear who was more threatening to the spirit bull.

Despite her clever plan, it ultimately backfired.

-■■!

The provoked spirit bull completely changed direction and started charging towards Lee Han and Jizel.

"I hide in the night!"

"......?!"

Lee Han's figure disappeared. Jizel didn't have time to swear. She had to draw her twin swords and use the Zyun sword technique to deal with the spirit bull.

She waved the sword in her right hand to draw the spirit bull's attention and aimed precisely at the bull's jaw with the sword in her left hand. Jizel dealt damage to the spirit bull as she passed by, like a seasoned matador.

'Tch.'

Jizel clicked her tongue at the sensation she felt at her fingertips. The bull didn't seem to take any damage from the spirit part.

Her sword was covered in a thin layer of ice, and the part of the spirit bull that was attacked was instantly restored.

Creak!

The spirit bull turned, making an annoying sound. It was incredibly agile and nimble for its massive size.

Jizel shook her head and waved her sword again, inviting it to come closer.

Bang!!!!

At that moment, the spirit bull was flung to the side as if hit by something.

Lee Han revealed himself, dispelling the transparency spell. The sturdy wooden sword in his hand was completely shattered.

"......"

"......"

* * *

Of course, it might sound like an excuse, but there was a reason why Lee Han tried to draw the spirit bull's attention to Jizel.

For Lee Han to launch a proper attack, someone needed to draw the spirit bull's attention.

Jizel wouldn't believe him if he told her...

Painfully, he could only show her the results.

"Is this okay, Lee Han?!"

"It's fine! We won't be in the same group again after this class!"

Lee Han answered boldly and pursued the bull's rear while in a transparent state.

"Feet, tread the ground!"

Lee Han's muttering turned into a spell, enveloping his entire body.

His already sharp vision became even clearer, and the spirit bull's movements became visible.

Rumble!

How long had it been since he broke a sword? Lee Han mercilessly poured magic power into it.

Thanks to the spirit bull's attention being on Jizel, he had enough time to prepare.

Lee Han swung at the spirit bull before his sword shattered. Naturally, the sword broke with the attack.

Bang!!!!

Still, the effect was clear. The spirit bull was flung to the side. Lee Han shook his paralyzed hand and shouted before the spirit bull could get up.

"Now! Let's get out!"

"Y... Yeah."

Deregeum couldn't bear to look at Jizel's expression. It was too scary.

* * *

The goat-like human, Angaro, looked worriedly at the exit.

Angaro, who had gone in and out first with Group 3, was very worried about Group 4.

"What if Wodanaz uses Deregeum again?"

"Don't worry. Moradi is there. Moradi will handle it well."

"Is that so? With Moradi there."

Everyone said that, but their expressions were still worried.

It felt like putting a wolf and a sheep in the same place!

When the three of them walked out, the students couldn't help but sigh in relief.

'Thank goodness!'

"There you are, Deregeum!"

"Moradi, good job!"

"......"

"......"

"???"

However, the friends who came out realized that the atmosphere of Group 4 was a bit strange.

Wodanaz was always a cold, expressionless guy, but Deregeum also had a very awkward expression, not knowing where to stand.

And Moradi...

For some reason, it felt like he would kill anyone who spoke to him.

Angaro, scared, stopped trying to talk to them.

"A... Angaro."

"Deregeum! Did you dodge well?"

"Yeah, I dodged well. How did you guys solve it?"

Deregeum asked curiously.

No matter how he thought about it, he didn't think the other groups would solve it the same way as Lee Han.

"We picked up a torch hanging in the corner and threw it at the bull while it was distracted, then ran out."

"We summoned flames and threw them at the bull, then ran out as fast as we could."

"Hey. You guys are smart. We didn't have the ability to do that, so we took turns luring the bull and barely found the exit."

The students from each group shared their stories.

Some groups used their wits to solve the problem, while others brute-forced their way through.

Deregeum's expression hardened as he listened to the stories.

'Now that I think about it, the professor said to go out after dealing with it, not to knock it down.'

Professor Ingeldel didn't say anything about knocking it down, but the atmosphere led to that because of the discussions about how to catch it between Lee Han and Jizel, and Deregeum got caught up in it.

The next groups also came out one by one. Some students came out with their cloaks and clothes covered in ice, looking miserable.

"You all did a great job. I said to deal with it and go out, but some groups even managed to subdue it. I didn't intend for that, but since you did such a great job, I can only praise you."

The students murmured at Professor Ingeldel's words.

Some students wanted to ask Jizel, "Jizel, did you do it?" but they backed off when they saw her very bad mood.

"How did it feel to deal with a monster?"

"It was stronger than I thought. Its movements were also fast."

"I didn't expect that the attacks wouldn't work."

The White Tiger Tower students shared their thoughts. The elf professor nodded in agreement.

"I'm sure everyone felt that way."

"......"

Deregeum listened to the professor and pondered where his group went wrong.

"Everyone must have felt different things. But while escaping from the monster, you must have realized one thing: there's no need to be so afraid."

"Right!"

The White Tiger Tower students agreed.

Even just escaping, facing the monster directly made them less afraid than they thought.

To overcome fear, one must face it directly.

"Dealing with a monster is fundamentally the same as swordsmanship. Stay calm, assess your opponent, and if you can't win, think about how to escape. I'm glad you all learned a lesson that can't be taught with words today."

Deregeum agreed with the professor.

Of course, his group just went in and fought...

"By the way, I plan to proceed with the groups chosen today for this semester. The balance is surprisingly good."

"......"

Deregeum nodded as he listened but then froze. He looked at Lee Han and Jizel.

Their expressions were also as frozen as Deregeum's. Lee Han asked Deregeum in a low voice.

"Um. Do you think it's better to apologize for what happened earlier?"

"......I think it's better to just put me in the middle and talk about it..."