Invincible
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#109
🕑 Added 2024-09-13 16:46:29 +0000 UTCThe Calm Before the Storm (3)
Even when the undead appeared, no one screamed.
Here at Frost Heart, a place that trains Pathfinders, people who slay monsters in the Dungeon, no one would be scared by a mere humanoid undead.
Crrrr-
If there were a large number of them, it might be different, but it was only one.
"Why is there an undead here? Did the Schlaphe guys miss something?"
"I don’t think so. They’ve never attacked during the defense battles."
...The reaction, at most, was a slight surprise at the presence of a monster here.
"So, who’s going to take it down? I didn’t even bring a weapon."
"Ah, this is for sale. If I use it, it’ll be second-hand."
Amid the atmosphere of everyone pushing responsibility onto someone else, the undead lunged toward a nearby female student, its mouth wide open.
"Eek, gross!"
In the end, the one chosen to exterminate the undead was the female student. However, at that moment, Bellen quickly stepped between them and sliced off the undead's head.
Thud.
The undead's head hit the ground, splattering like a crushed tomato.
Even though it was dealt with so easily, Bellen's expression remained endlessly serious.
With strange events continuing to occur, even a simple incident like this could no longer be taken lightly.
"This is odd. There shouldn’t be undead in this area..."
Listening to her low muttering, I spoke to the member of the clothing club.
"I was thinking of getting some clothes tailored."
"Huh? Oh, uh... shall we start with taking your measurements? So many strange things are happening. Even seeing something like that here is just... wow."
"Indeed."
Over the shoulder of the man measuring me with a tape, I looked blankly at the undead's corpse.
It was nothing more than another of Felia's creations, made as a demonstration.
Given the current situation, where she possessed the body of the recently missing female professor, it was possible.
[Felia of Obsession]
A thoughtform (사념) that reads the memories of its target. The activation condition is to look into the target's eyes through the host’s eyes. However, there was a limitation that it only worked on those without mental-type traits.
It wasn’t as overpowered as "Felia of Loss" from last time.
Of course, being a named thoughtform, it still had some tricky aspects.
It had more extensive knowledge than other thoughtforms, thanks to its ability, and its behavior patterns were highly active, splitting into multiple directions.
While "Felia of Loss" would head straight for the Forbidden Library, this one could skillfully adapt to situations, attacking and retreating as needed.
The potential for unexpected variables is a bit concerning, but I doubt there’s much to worry about.
The main title of the scenario, after all, is the Luon Suppression Battle.
Felia of Obsession was merely an assistant to Luon, destined to be dealt with once the task was complete.
All I had to focus on was whether the key players would successfully drive out Luon and his gang.
"Your proportions are good. Should I match the style of the clothes to suit you?"
"Do as you like."
After taking all the measurements, we discussed fabrics and accessories.
When I said I didn’t need any of those, the man seemed bewildered.
Despite a few requests for reconsideration, the man eventually nodded in understanding.
After finishing up, I headed back to the Schlaphe Hall.
***
Late at night, in the first-floor storage room of the professor's wing, Felia, dressed in a black robe, brushed her hair back with her hand.
Along the way, the bag strap slipped off her shoulder, and she readjusted it.
"Hmm, the hair’s a bit short."
The current body belonged to the female professor she had marked earlier.
Felia pouted her lips as she touched her face.
The appearance wasn’t great.
Although dissatisfied with the body, it wasn’t all bad. This body also had a natural talent for curses.
The undead magic she cast as a test worked well.
It matched the curse talent she had when she was still alive.
"Ah well, just endure a little longer."
Felia sighed deeply and used telekinesis magic to move the shelves.
Thud.
Behind the shelves, a plain wall was revealed.
But when she drew a spell formula, the bricks split apart, revealing an entrance leading underground.
Felia descended the stairs with familiar steps, her boots clicking on the stone floor.
Click, clack-
She fumbled along the wall, placing her hand on a dull skull.
When she infused it with mana, the mana stones embedded in the ceiling began to glow.
The stone door at the end of the corridor opened by itself after a moment.
Creak.
This was a space between the fortress and the underground dungeon.
A secret lab Felia had secretly created long ago.
As Felia looked around the dust-covered desk, a wave of nostalgia washed over her.
"Wow, I did a lot of thoughtform experiments here."
The wooden shelves and papers had all rotted and turned to dust.
All the metal materials were too rusted to be usable.
Only a few stone and glass tools and the desk remained functional.
Felia pulled out modern tools and vials she had stolen from the instructor, one by one, from her bag.
As she sprayed the solution into the test tubes and discovered a new substance, she grinned and became engrossed in her research.
She considered how to apply her unique black magic and the modern knowledge she had obtained from the host's memories. It didn’t take long to figure out the composition and combination of the pills.
"A substance that merges with the cells of monsters... You've discovered a lot of things in the Dungeon."
Compared to the distant past, the land had been more extensively explored, and many new substances had been found.
With sufficient knowledge, the only thing she needed was materials.
Fortunately, at this academy, professors often conducted research, so obtaining them wouldn't be difficult.
Felia smiled as she filled a blank piece of paper with writing.
"If I complete this, even Luon will be pleased."
Reconstructing her body would come later. For now, helping that man was her priority.
Once Luon subdued Arkandric, the Forbidden Library would be hers.
"With the Red Ruby Grimoire, I can be reborn as a human."
Felia continued to write her bucket list of things to do once she became human.
***
This morning, the little ones left.
They seemed a bit uneasy about having to go to an unfamiliar place, but after glancing at the people from Schlaphe Hall, they sighed in relief.
They must have thought it was better than staying with those people.
As for Melin, a separate letter had been sent to the mansion.
When I wrote to the lady of the house to say that I was entrusting the children to her, the professors once again allowed it to pass censorship.
It's understandable that Aol, the head of the household, is a graduate of Frost Heart, but I’m not sure why even the lady of the house is permitted.
The professors seemed to have a strange belief that the lady of the house would handle things well on her own.
"Is there a connection I don't know about?"
The next day, first-year students who had tailored new clothes started to appear here and there in Schlaphe Hall's lobby.
Fancy suits and dresses were the main trend.
Everyone seemed to think the banquet was a ball.
Considering they’ve lived such an ascetic life, it’s understandable.
With nothing much to entertain them and the promise of alcohol, they must have wanted to feel like nobles again for a while.
But isn’t it still midday?
The banquet was supposed to start in the evening.
I averted my gaze from the dreamers lost in their fantasies.
That’s when Limberton asked,
"But why did they ask us to bring bows and arrows?"
"You’ll find out later. You know that high-tension bow you use? Bring as many arrows as you can for that."
Limberton looked at me with a puzzled expression but soon nodded.
After returning to my room with him, I stood before a full-length mirror to check how the new suit fit.
There were no frills or flashy decorations as requested, but it was still quite different from the suits I used to wear in my office worker days.
The tailor must have found it impossible to make something completely plain, as he added a subtle cobalt blue to the black fabric.
The buttons were made of slightly fancy metal, and a tie string was prepared.
A small, diamond-shaped ornament was even embedded in the collar of the white shirt.
"Hmm, it still looks flashy by my standards."
- I don’t know much about modern clothing, but doesn’t it look quite good?
Hearing such praise, I started feeling regretful.
In an emergency, all of this would be blown away with a self-destruct spell anyway.
Growing attached to it might be a problem.
"I’ve got money, so maybe I should get several more tailored."
I carefully folded the clothes and waited for Limberton to arrive.
In the meantime, Limberton knocked, and I allowed him in.
"I brought it."
But his outfit sparkled like that of a trot singer.
I wondered if it was really okay and asked Donatan.
‘What do you think of that?’
- No one, regardless of era or race, would like something like that.
As expected, he’s a fashion terrorist.
"Limberton... I’m embarrassed to be seen with you. Go change into something else."
"Huh? You don’t like this?"
"I’ll help you pick something more appropriate. Let’s head to your room."
It seems we’ll need the help of some of the others as well.
With more eyes on it, we can figure out what style works best.
So, we gathered a few fashion-savvy guys and headed to Limberton’s room, where we spent some time.
***
At this time, Arkandric was smiling warmly in the headmaster’s office.
"The banquet is soon, yet you’re dressed the same as usual, Luon. I remember having suits tailored for you."
Luon, sitting with his legs crossed, resting his chin on his hand, replied,
"It’s uncomfortable to wear it too early."
"That makes sense."
Luon uncrossed his legs, thanked Arkandric, and said,
"More importantly, thank you for delaying Arsys and Aiman's punishment, Headmaster Arkandric. Thanks to you, I’ll be able to let them have a drink before they leave."
The two were supposed to pay for what they tried to do to Silla during the Dungeon practice.
However, at Luon’s request, their punishment was postponed until after the banquet.
Of course, they couldn’t attend the banquet and were currently under house arrest in the special dorm.
However, they were allowed to have the alcohol from the banquet brought to them.
"It can’t be easy for young people to be confined like this. However, this is something that cannot be tolerated. Keep in mind, Luon, that if any inappropriate behavior is detected again, you will also be held accountable."
As expected, Luon had to bear the burden of joint responsibility, but it didn’t matter to him.
Luon pulled out a black pebble from his pocket and placed it in front of Arkandric.
"What is this?"
"A gift from a friend. He told me to give it to someone I love."
Arkandric’s eyes welled up with tears.
"Ahem, something must have gotten into my eye. Alright, I’ll keep this with me."
As he put the pebble into his pocket, Luon glanced at the wall clock and made a suggestion.
"Are you busy? We still have time left. I’d like to do some training."
Arkandric’s face lit up.
"Training? That’s a commendable idea. It’s true that you haven’t had proper training for a while due to the recent practical. Yes, you’ve made a good decision, Luon. If you rest too long, your body will stiffen. Let’s head to the training ground."
Luon followed Arkandric as they walked.
As they were leaving the fortress, Luon asked,
"Why are you so kind to me?"
Arkandric glanced at Luon and replied,
"Is it so strange to treat a disciple with love?"
"You must know by now that I’m not someone who will change, yet I can’t understand it at all."
Arkandric, who had been silent for a moment, finally spoke.
"It seems you don’t fully understand your own nature. I can see it. The only thing that tainted you was the environment you were in. I recognized that."
This time, Luon had no response.
They arrived at a frozen lake, where the cold was so intense that the ice wouldn’t melt even in the middle of summer.
As Luon exhaled white breath, he spoke.
"Come to think of it, my friend told me something. He said to pass on these words to the person who receives this item."
Luon recalled what Felia had said and smirked.
"Keep it, stay, and be bound."
At that moment, Arkandric’s eyes widened.
Shraaaak!
The pocket tore open, and the black stone turned into a liquid, beginning to envelop Arkandric’s body.
[Stone of Binding]
A liquid shackle that slows down movement. The longer it lasts, the more it drains the target’s stamina.
Arkandric desperately tried to tear off the liquid clinging to his body.
Luon quickly grabbed a steel box.
As he was about to open the lid, his wrist was suddenly twisted.
Crack!
It happened so fast that Luon didn’t even know if it was a strike or just brute force.
Luon looked up at the old man with a shadow cast over him, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
‘...Is this how slow he is when he’s supposedly hindered?’
From under Arkandric’s brows, a fierce glint flashed.
He ignored the binding as if it didn’t matter, and wrapped his arm around Luon’s neck, choking him.
"It seems you’re in need of some discipline, Luon Al Banas."
As Arkandric collapsed to the ground, pinning Luon into the snow, Luon could do nothing but lie on his back.
He resisted with all his might, but Arkandric used his other arm to press down on Luon’s arm that was choking his neck, locking him into a hold.
It was a near-perfect cross choke.
Even in that situation, Luon managed to squeeze out his words.
"I... I never thought it would be easy... You damn old man..."
