Chapter 6

A Genius Tamer of the Academy - Chapter 6 (6/252)

A Genius Tamer of the Academy Chapter 6

Pfft.

Slimes suddenly sprang out from the front, aiming directly at me.

I dodged to the left and extended my shield.

“Ugh…”

Splat.

A squishy green liquid dripped onto the floor.

Before I could wrinkle my nose at the unpleasant sight, the next one attacked.

One, two, and three.

With three of them charging at me simultaneously, it started to become difficult to fend them all off with my shield.

“Can you do it?”

With a heavy voice, I tilted my head, and Basil, who had darted out, caught one of them with its sharp claws.

I dodged another and knocked the last one away with my shield.

Due to the flexible nature of the slimes, they easily burst or bounced away.

I knew very well that focusing solely on defense wouldn't last long, especially in a real battle, even in this beginner's training ground.

I approached the swampy area where the slimes were gathered, holding my practice staff.

I had to do it.

Since I had entered this dungeon to train my magic, I had to succeed.

“Phew….”

There were three or four in front of me.

I aimed my practice staff at the bouncing slimes.

I took a short breath and gradually adjusted my breathing. I had to focus all my attention on even the slightest hand movements.

My fingertips trembled as they had when I escaped the underground cave through a life-threatening situation.

“….”

The magic power that had been flowing through my veins erratically gathered at the tip of the staff. A blue flame, like a writhing snake, wrapped around the staff and burned more fiercely.

This is it.

“A little more….”

Please.

Please.

At the moment when I had maximized the slightest force, like a feather on a scale, I quietly recited the incantation.

Thud.

The arrow drew a parabola and, with a heavy sound, burst the slime charging at me.

At the same time, the green liquid splattered onto the head of another slime that was hunting below.

“Ah, sorry.”

“Grr…”

It’s not a pleasant sensation, is it?

I understand. I don’t have the time to clean it up right now.

I panted and aimed at the next target.

“Huff… Huff.”

For students of the Ardel Academy, Arrow is just one of the basic magic spells.

It’s a type of long-range magic that creates a bow with magic power and shoots an arrow to pierce the target. It’s also a fundamental training method for mastering magic power.

I succeeded, but it was still difficult to knock out two at once.

I deflected the next slime that flew at me without stopping and returned to my original position.

It’s a rather brutal training method.

But there’s no other way. Since I’ve never been properly trained, I have to face the real thing.

“Is this right?”

For a beginner’s training ground, it seems to be quite challenging.

That must mean my stamina is running low. I let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“This side seems to be mostly cleared.”

I led Basil and changed direction.

Several slimes, split in half, were oozing green liquid. Although I had handled them relatively easily, I was starting to feel the strain due to the terrain.

I slowly lifted my head and pushed back the wooden vines. There was still a long way to go before clearing the dungeon.

I wondered if I was halfway through.

The closer I got to the swamp, the more slimes there were.

And with each step, the swamp clung to my ankles.

The environment was far from easy.

It’s getting harder to control on my own.

“Ugh.”

A slime suddenly sprang out from the side and hit my shoulder, then fell to the ground.

The squishy sensation made me bite my lower lip without realizing it.

Although it’s a practice dungeon and there’s no poison, it would have been dangerous in a real battle.

I can’t afford to let my guard down for a moment.

I thought it was just my imagination, but it’s not.

This is really tough.

If it were a bit harder, I might have died.

If this is a beginner’s training ground, what are the other students doing?

“…Arrow.”

Pfft.

I burst two slimes simultaneously with a magic arrow and looked down at them.

Basil, which had been happily catching them one by one, now had a more cautious look in its eyes.

This is good news.

Maybe its hunting instincts are waking up now that multiple slimes are appearing at once.

Pfft, Pfft.

As two slimes charged at it in quick succession.

Basil, flapping its wings, spewed a flame breath from its mouth.

“Crazy.”

Splat.

The slimes turned to ash in mid-air.

I thought it could breathe fire since it was born with a fire attribute, but the power was more significant than I expected.

I couldn’t see it properly when we escaped the cave due to the smog. Now, seeing it, I almost feel sorry for the thugs Basil burned to ashes when we escaped the black mage’s base.

“…They must have been really hot.”

Oops.

It can not only pick locks but also burn things.

I swept the black ash piled on the ground with my foot and glared ahead.

I still had no time for other thoughts.

“Here again….”

It’s really tiring.

This time, large slimes sprang out from the side and behind simultaneously.

Despite being larger than before, Basil, without hesitation, bit one of them and spewed another breath.

The ground was engulfed in flames again, and the painful screams of the slimes echoed.

And.

“Huff….”

Crunch.

I burst the last remaining slime with a precise shot from my hand.

The swamp, which had been bustling with slimes, was now desolate.

The sight of the slimes, which had been bouncing around, now turned to ash and disappeared…

“Not bad?”

I panted and approached Basil.

It’s not for nothing that it’s a dragon. To wipe out several slimes in an instant without a trace.

Now I understand how valuable it is for a tamer to tame a strong monster.

“Good job, Basil.”

Ugh.

My joints are screaming.

Maybe because I pushed my non-existent stamina to the limit to finish my first battle without rest, I collapsed on the spot.

“Grr!”

Basil, who had fought enthusiastically and was covered in green liquid, proudly raised its head and ran towards me.

“Grrrr…!”

“Ugh.”

Everything is fine.

Just don’t rub against me like that.

I wiped the sticky green liquid from my arm and stroked Basil’s head.

For a first training session, we worked well together.

I raised my hand towards it.

“Nice.”

Clap.

As I waved my hand, Basil seemed to understand and placed its paw on mine. Our eyes met, and it blinked its round eyes.

It’s a well-behaved dragon. It feels like being with a natural monument. Maybe I should buy a box of cheese as a reward when we get out of the dungeon.

I smiled and tucked the practice staff into my pocket.

That’s when it happened.

“Aaaah! That’s not it!”

Huh?

A sharp voice caught my attention.

* * *

“No! That… That’s not it!”

What a commotion.

Since someone is already inside, it must be another Ardel Academy student who entered at the same time.

Turning my head, I saw a girl I didn’t recognize.

Her short, dark brown hair was striking, and her emerald eyes were filled with panic.

“Aaaah! Aaaah!”

I don’t know who she is, but from the way she can’t handle a single monster in this beginner’s dungeon, I have a pretty good idea.

“Is she a beginner too?”

She’s probably a classmate preparing for the opening exam. As a tamer aspirant, she must have brought a monster in here, but the fact that it’s a beginner’s training ground is already a sign of her poor skills.

The problem is that she can’t handle it even here.

I’m only two days into using magic, so I shouldn’t talk, but…

Basil seemed to think similarly, wagging its long tail and nodding.

So, the commotion she’s been making this whole time is…

Woof. A hellhound, barking loudly and wandering around the dungeon.

It’s a large size, reaching up to the waist, with a fierce black gaze. Despite its wolf-like appearance, the hellhound is known for never letting go of its prey once it’s caught.

“Looks like she can’t handle it.”

The hellhound wasn’t catching slimes but tearing up the grass and, eventually, gnawing on a wooden vine in the swamp.

The girl, her face flushed red, was jumping around and shouting.

“Aaaah! Don’t break that, you stupid dog!”

Woof!

“Hey!”

Tsk.

Part of it is due to her lack of taming skills, but hellhounds are not known for being obedient.

Even if you manage to tame one, controlling it according to the tamer’s intentions is difficult.

It’s so wild that it’s hard to believe it belongs to the canine family, and it doesn’t recognize humans as its master.

That’s why the protagonist, Lee Han, made all sorts of jokes while taming the hellhound.

In terms of difficulty, it’s probably on par with an American Pit Bull Terrier.

Of course, a proper tamer could handle it, but…

She chose hard mode from the start, given her lack of ability.

What a pity.

“Haa… What a mess.”

The short-haired girl slumped to the ground, seemingly resigned.

Covered in mud from trying to stop the hellhound, she didn’t look good at all.

At this rate, she’ll collapse before she can calm the hellhound.

Woof.

Just as a menacing bark echoed,

The hellhound, now out of control, leaped and climbed onto the short-haired girl’s shoulder.

“Kyaah!”

By the time her scream was heard, it was already too late. The hellhound had already covered her face with muddy soil.

Ah.

It was a scene that elicited a sigh.

While the hellhound is indeed wild, it is still a canine.

Its habits and actions are those of a dog. In that sense, what the girl is doing is perfectly stimulating it.

I started to analyze the situation instinctively.

The problems were clear. Where they started and how severe they were.

I wasn’t judging from a tamer’s perspective, nor from a magical one.

Just from the most familiar perspective to me.

Not as a third-rate extra Han Siha, but as a very ordinary veterinarian Han Siha.

“Hey!”

The dog was already as excited as it could be, and the human was also acting out.

It was a chaotic scene, with no idea where to start.

After watching for a while, I couldn’t help but say,

“You shouldn’t handle it like that.”

At that moment,

The short-haired girl, covered in mud like a clay pack, frowned.

“…What?”

Ah.

Did she hear that?