Chapter 59
The Drake, struck head-on by Instructor Mabel’s full-powered magic, was in no condition that could be called normal by any stretch of imagination.
Flames that hadn’t yet gone out flickered across its entire body, and most of the scales on its back had been blown away.
The creature, collapsed on the ground, let out a faint, guttural groan.
Krrrgh...
Instructor Mabel descended from the air, murmuring softly.
“To think it survived a direct hit from Prominence, the highest-tier flame magic.”
It seemed that the previous strike had drained a considerable amount of its stamina, though it hadn’t been fatal.
In fact, the Drake’s torn scales were slowly regenerating at a visible rate.
That was what made beasts so troublesome — their vitality was only matched by their incredible regenerative power.
If left alone, within just a few minutes the Drake would recover its strength, filled with fury, and turn this entire place into a wasteland.
However, both Instructor Kang Jae-seok and Instructor Mabel hesitated to launch another reckless attack.
Not only was its stamina a concern, but that look—this was a trap.
Among even high-ranking Monsters, Drakes were known for their remarkable vitality.
And yet it was lying there so pitifully, as if exhausted?
That was one hundred percent an act.
It wasn’t some weakling — this was one of the strongest species on land, and on top of that, cunning. It was said that it took at least five high-ranking Heroes to properly subdue one of these.
Sure enough—
Realizing its ruse had failed, the Drake rose with a menacing glare in its eyes.
Even as it struggled to lift itself, its ferocious presence did not wane.
At the same time, its eyes glowed a vivid red.
KRRAAAHHHH!
Like a wounded beast unleashing its final roar, it let out a thunderous bellow.
Was this the start of Phase 2?
Phase 2 was triggered once its health dropped below fifty percent.
From this point on, the Drake would enter a berserk state—its defense decreased, but its attack power skyrocketed to terrifying levels.
In other words, it had entered a Berserker state.
Even in the game, this was the point where attacking recklessly was a death sentence.
The Drake lifted its torso, planted its hind legs firmly on the ground, and assumed an odd stance—like that of a stone statue.
Then it opened its maw wide, and air around it began to be sucked inward.
Instructor Kang Jae-seok, sensing something wrong, shouted with a burst of fierce energy.
“Holy—! It’s not even a full-grown Drake yet, and it’s trying to use Breath?! Don’t get close to Instructor Kang Jae-seok!”
Dragon Breath was an ultimate attack pattern that rarely appeared during Phase 2. It allowed one to truly feel the absurd, broken power of a berserk Drake.
And right now, any one of their allies struck by it would be instantly killed—no exceptions.
Hearing Mabel’s warning, Instructor Kang Jae-seok froze in place.
But that was the wrong move.
Damn it—this was not the time to hesitate.
During Phase 2, the Drake’s defense was already weakened.
When it prepared Dragon Breath, it grounded its entire body and indiscriminately absorbed mana from the surroundings.
Which meant — any attacks we launched during this buildup couldn’t be resisted or deflected.
In the game, the standard strategy for the Drake’s Breath phase was for the party members who had saved up their strength to unleash everything right before the Breath was fired.
I shouted toward Helena behind me.
“Helena! Get ready to release your Dragon Power. Don’t unleash it yet—just have it ready to go at any moment.”
Helena slowly nodded.
Mana began to swirl violently around her as she closed her eyes.
Then I turned to the two instructors and shouted.
“Both of you, prepare your strongest possible attacks—now!”
“What?”
“What are you talking about!?”
The two instructors stared at me in disbelief, as if I’d lost my mind.
Damn it, there was no time to explain.
“Quickly! Both of you! We don’t have much time! I’ll handle the Breath!”
“Explain!”
Instructor Kang Jae-seok barked sharply.
“Right before it completes the Breath, Helena—who possesses the power of a Dragon—will restrain its movement! That’s when you both strike with everything you’ve got!”
Hearing that, Instructor Kang Jae-seok seemed to understand the situation roughly. He steadied his breathing and glared at the Drake.
“…We’ll discuss punishment after this is over.”
Even in the middle of this, he was talking about punishment—for staying and fighting instead of retreating.
What a harsh man.
Instructor Mabel, who had already heard the plan, closed her eyes and began chanting with full concentration.
Dozens of magic circles floated into the air around her.
Meanwhile, a crimson aura burst out from Kang Jae-seok, whose skin had turned red and hair white.
From this point forward, timing was everything.
I fixed my gaze firmly on the Drake.
What I was about to attempt was, in game terms, a Perfect Parry.
Just before the creature unleashed its attack, I would synchronize Helena’s power—like hitting the perfect note in a rhythm game—to cancel it out.
And in that split second, we’d unleash a full barrage, a perfect combo—
Crashing the mana within the Drake’s body against the mana outside to trigger a massive explosion.
Helena behind me let out a pained groan.
“Kkkuuu—!”
Helena’s eyes had split vertically, casting a deep, dark gleam.
She looked like she was trying to control the dragon’s power.
I whispered to Helena.
“Hold on a little longer! Even if it goes berserk, we’ll handle it from here. When I give the signal, release your power.”
“Huff, huff…… I understand.”
At that moment, the ki gathered in its maw began to ripple and coil together.
Just a little more.
Just a little……!
I focused on its Adam’s apple.
The moment the Drake’s throat, red as heated iron, lurched, I shouted.
“Now!”
“Krrraaaaaaa!”
With my signal, a roar erupted from Helena behind me that no human voice could produce.
The roar of a dragon — the king of monsters and the progenitor of magic.
That resonance alone was a superior force that suppressed lower races.
That was the powerful CC skill she possessed, Dragon fear.
Facing the strength of a higher-class being for the first time, the Drake’s movements froze.
And Instructor Kang Jae-seok and Instructor Mabel Elva, not missing the moment, launched their attack.
Enormous magic erupted from the gigantic magic circle, and a blood-red sword qi, saturated with Instructor Kang Jae-seok’s mana, flew in a crescent shape.
Each of their best strikes collided with the frozen breath stuck in the Drake’s maw.
Kwagagagagagagagagang!
With a vibration unlike anything before, the entire pocket dimension shook.
This was too much for the pocket dimension to withstand.
I operated the Asura Divine Art at full power and braced for the coming explosion.
At that instant, Instructor Mabel Elva, who had teleported in, began chanting magic to form a shield while deploying a teleportation magic circle.
The teleportation magic circle formed in an instant and enveloped us, and a massive explosion turned the world before our eyes white.
Beast Farm control room.
A man in front of countless monitors slammed his hand down on the desk with a thud.
The iron desk split in half far too easily from his single punch.
Still, the man screamed as if his anger would not subside.
“Kraaaak! Damn it! Damn it! Those fucking worthless pieces of—!”
On the screen, the Drake’s corpse lay with its massive head burst and sprawled on the floor.
Seeing that, the man’s fury flared again and black ki erupted from him.
“How could every plan I prepared fail without a single one working out?! Is this even possible!”
Boris, the Demon of Madness — the mastermind and hidden hand behind the demon rampage — stared at the screen.
In his sight were the ones who had taken down the Drake.
Br-r-r-t!
“Mabel Elvaaa!”
Why the woman who was supposed to be at the Academy had appeared here instead.
He had definitely checked the list of all instructors dispatched for the field trip through Pandemonium’s information.
And that list had definitely not contained the name Mabel Elva — so how had she known to come?
The distance from the Academy to here was considerable.
Even for an upper-rank hero like Mabel Elva, long-distance teleportation without an intermediary or a magic circle was impossible.
That meant she had known about this incident in advance and had prepared.
But that couldn’t be.
He and Berid’s underlings had already dealt with the managers and cut the communications network to prepare for contingencies.
So even more, it puzzled him.
Was information leaking from somewhere?
Otherwise, his plans couldn’t have failed so perfectly.
He still seemed unable to calm down, and he began smashing things around him.
There were almost no fatalities and only minor injuries, so instead of damaging the Academy’s reputation and trust as intended, it ended up slandering Pandemonium’s reputation instead.
He had to make this up for by any means.
If things continued like this, he wouldn’t avoid punishment even inside Pandemonium.
He had already been looked down upon despite being a high-ranking Demon because of his weak combat ability, and if this mission failed too, his life would be in danger.
“I must make up for it. Somehow.”
Should he move now and eliminate the civilians or cadets who hadn’t escaped yet?
He wanted to tear Mabel, who ruined his plans, to pieces, but with his weak combat power, there was no way he could beat her.
He manipulated the Beast Farm’s CCTV to check inside.
He was trying to find those who hadn’t escaped.
Then someone caught Boris’s eye.
Three boys and girls holding weapons.
Seeing weapons, they looked like Academy cadets, and their faces seemed familiar.
Boris’s eyes darted.
They were the cadets who had appeared with Mabel when the strange white barrier had lifted.
“Are those that monster woman’s pupils?”
Now that he thought of it, those were the ones who had been at the front, blocking the beasts when the Demon Farm’s beasts had gone berserk.
If not for them, the beasts would have scattered throughout the farm and caused countless casualties.
In a way, those brats had been the starting point for his plan collapsing like this.
Even if they were among the weaker Demons, cadets who had just entered the Academy should have been easy to play with one-handed.
A killing intent gleamed in Boris’s eyes.
Yes — at least to make up for this situation, kill those brats.
He could even take revenge on Mabel, who had ruined all his plans.
If her beloved pupils were horribly slaughtered, what face would she make?
Boris almost went mad at the thought of seeing Mabel face her pupils’ corpses.
Soon the overflowing mana around him began to subside.
As if he were an ordinary person.
Not long after, Boris’s figure disappeared from the control room.
What remained there were the corpses of innocents who had fought each other and died.