I Became the Academy's Disabled Student-Chapter 288: Demon King? Castle (2)

The barrier of the Demon King's Castle opened, and an army poured out.

Countless corpses dragged from death, dolls made of metal and stone, and spirits formed from magic and elements.

A massive force surged out to block the students attempting to break through the barrier.

"Engage!"

The student leading the charge, Gelyam, shouted and raised his shield. The shield, filled with magic, unleashed its characteristic wave.

A unique ability, Shield Technique. With the extended ability, Protective Barrier.

The wave spread wide, surrounding the student group in a translucent barrier. Gelyam wrapped additional energy around the shield, preparing for the collision.

The first to collide were the corpses. Various kinds of monster corpses slammed into the barrier without losing speed.

KWA-GA-GA-GA!

The shock of the impact continued. But the barrier held firm.

Gelyam nodded as he watched the spirits scratch at the barrier with their teeth and claws from up close.

‘No special units. Are they just cannon fodder?’

The main advantage of necromancy lies in overwhelming numbers. Given that there is magical support, it is possible to form an army by binding the corpses together.

This massive wave of undead is the main strategy of necromancy.

Although special undead can be created and used, Gelyam saw nothing resembling a special unit among them.

"Cease the bombardment! Take care of the smaller ones first!"

"Got it!"

Students who had been flanking Gelyam swung their weapons. Their swords and spears passed through the pale barrier as they had practiced with Gelyam.

The strikes cut through the spirits' necks and limbs, and the thrown spears skewered a few spirits.

KWA-AAAAH!

The rear lines weren't idle either. They cast relatively weak low-level magic and hurled it into the midst of the spirit group.

KEEE-EEEH...!

The spirits were instantly swept away. These were low-ranking monsters made to be fodder, not special units. They were no match for the students.

But the students didn’t let their guard down.

BU-WOOOK...

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"It's going to explode!"

They didn’t miss the signs. The fallen corpses began to swell, much like balloons filling with air. The magically imbued corpses shimmered.

With a loud pop, dozens of corpses exploded all at once. The immense blast shook the barrier. Gelyam gritted his teeth and gripped his shield tighter.

The corpse explosion, one of the primary strategies of necromancy. He had experienced it before, even when facing Lee Ji-Yeon of the Green Faction during their external training.

If the spirits are no longer useful, they use them as bombs. Even low-ranking monster corpses can generate significant output, and if dozens of them explode simultaneously, it can be dangerous.

KUNG!

A heavy step, followed by the aftershocks of the explosion. Gelyam squinted, peering beyond the shaking barrier.

The new figures were large, with bodies made of rock and metal. Thick armor covered them. At least 4 meters tall.

‘Golem... Is it a summoned monster? How many techniques does it employ...?’

Gelyam wasn’t worried despite his amazement at the new power of Ihayul, who had only been a superhuman for a year.

A summoned monster is created and controlled by a magician. They are typically used for menial tasks or experiments, but can also serve as shields to buy time for magic casting.

‘That golem’s role is the same as that of a spirit—just another shield.’

While a well-made golem would be a different matter, these golems were pouring out in vast numbers. Too many to be individually fine-tuned.

‘I’ll clean up the spirits and golems quickly and move in.’

As the spirits and golems blocked the students' path, elementals were wreaking havoc.

The golem pulled its fist back. Gelyam held his shield firmly. It was a massive fist, but Gelyam wasn’t afraid.

He could block that heavy punch. He reaffirmed his confidence. He believed in his uniqueness. He could block it...

WOOO-ONG!

Gelyam heard the distinctive sound of magic flowing as the golem’s massive fist was drawn back. A magic line traced the motion, and the runes etched into the golem activated.

The golem’s internal magic started, enhancing its durability and strength.

KWARRRR!

The seams of the armor emitted raw magical energy. The powerful punch, fueled by this magic, surged forward, compressing the air.

The barrier shattered.

Gelyam cursed.

"This damn—"

KWAANG!

"Ugh...!"

The scream was cut short. The world darkened, and the golem’s massive fist collided with his shield. A groan escaped his mouth.

His legs sank into the ground. His knees buckled, trembling, and the arm holding the shield was so strained it felt like it might fall off.

A blow far stronger than anticipated. KWARRRR! The force didn’t stop. The golem’s punch slammed Gelyam into the ground, crushing him beneath the shield.

‘Special...!?’

Gelyam struggled to keep his balance, shocked. The golem had runes etched into it. Furthermore, its armor was designed as a battle artifact.

It was a carefully crafted golem. Was this one a special unit? Or...?

“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t fall over!”

“What’s with this advanced golem!?”

While Gelyam was holding his ground, students beside him also rushed to assist. Swords and spears from either side aimed at the golem’s wrists, trying to break them.

KRICK-CRACK!

"Wow, it’s so tough!"

The student who swung the sword was astonished.

A downward slash utilizing energy and their unique abilities. However, they couldn’t sever the golem’s wrist. It was more like it was crushed than cut.

“Quick, take it down!”

But the attack didn’t end with one blow. Smooth sword strikes bombarded the golem, and the opposite student relentlessly stabbed it with a spear.

KWAD-AD-AD-DUNG...!

No matter how tough the golem was, it was gradually taking damage as the students’ coordinated attacks hit its weak points.

“Damn it, the golem even uses martial arts...!”

It wasn’t breaking down easily. The golem moved its legs fluidly, extending its fists and striking, posing a danger to the small students.

The student who barely escaped yet another close call was sweating profusely as they stretched out their sword.

KANG!

“Huh?”

The sword bounced off. There was a mark left where it had struck. They couldn’t understand.

‘I just sliced it...’

In the slowed-down world, the student’s gaze fixed on the damaged section.

The surrounding area squirmed like mud, and the broken parts began to repair themselves.

It wasn’t unusual. Since the golem wasn’t alive, it could patch itself up like this.

But it had recovered its performance. The quality of the armor and body, the magic that moved it, the enhancing magic, and even the runes etched into the armor... all repaired instantly.

‘???’

The sight that defied all common sense left the student stunned.

KWAANG!

“Gah!”

“Izabelle!”

The golem’s fist slammed into the air, sending the student flying. The sword was raised to block, but the force of the impact sent her flying like a baseball.

“Ouch...”

She barely landed, massaging her sore arm. Light ripples exploded, and her exposed skin turned blue.

Of course, in the Growth Tower, the pain was almost nonexistent, but her head felt like it had been hit with a hammer.

“Hey, it’s even repairing the magic?”

“I saw that too.”

Gelyam, who hurriedly rushed to her side, spoke with a tense face.

“Could it be that the golem is doing all this?”

“It seems so... but this one looks like a special unit.”

Indeed, the golem Gelyam and the students were facing was much larger than the others, and its armor looked impressive.

“Did they make it as a commander unit? Can you magicians not do that?”

“...A wizard might be able to do it if they tried.”

“Wow... so Ihayul’s junior has become a wizard in just one year? That’s insane.”

“No, he might not even be able to do it as a wizard.”

“Gasp.”

In the midst of their nervous banter, Gelyam glanced around.

As Gelyam’s group neared the barrier, the bombardment ceased.

Thanks to that, other students began to flood in, and the area near the barrier became chaotic.

The spirits, golems, students, and elementals were all mixed in a frenzied battle.

An interesting thing was that not only the Blue Faction, Gelyam’s group, but also the Red and Green factions were present.

They weren’t interfering with each other and were working together to assault this Demon King's Castle?

WOOF WOOF!

“Hey, hey, hey! Atilla! Get that elemental barrier up—ACK!”

“Ah, sorry.”

Among the clashes, the elementals drew particular attention.

Thunderclouds gathered out of nowhere, and lightning struck in a torrential downpour.

Ferocious flames engulfed students, and sharp winds ripped through the center of the formation like bombs.

The ground beneath them trembled, and hideous spikes rose up by the hundreds. Students swept away by the waves of energy froze solid.

A fire-based puppy elemental’s tackle caused a student to explode. Gelyam frowned, puzzled.

‘That’s a mid-tier elemental...?’

It was an eerie sight when a student, capable of handling more than one elemental strike, was killed by a single kick from the puppy.

As the spirits and golems entangled the students, a few elementals were wreaking havoc, darting across the battlefield.

‘My God...’

Gelyam, taking in the situation, was shocked. Although he hadn’t expected to breeze through the barriers, he hadn’t imagined they would struggle so much against the forces that had poured out from inside the castle.

Despite the subtle cooperation between the three factions, this was the situation they were facing.

“What the hell...”

Gelyam muttered as he took in the scene.

The fire elemental, having taken care of a few students, slammed into the ground. A long trail of fire stretched into the sky. Many were staring at the elementals, wondering what kind of new action they were preparing.

“Huh?”

Someone gasped. The student checking their sword beside Gelyam blinked.

The fire elemental that had just been toying with them had landed on the helmet of the golem that had been clashing with them.

MUNG!

The fire elemental perched on top of the helmet and let out an adorable bark.

Its tail wagged cutely, but considering the number of students who had been burned by it, no one could look at it with fondness.

In fact, it made them nervous about what the elemental would do next.

FWOOSH!

True to expectations, the fire elemental melted. The creature transformed into pure fire and seeped into the golem's helmet.

“Eh?”

A strange sound reverberated. The student skilled in summoning elementals turned pale, and the elemental beside him shrank back.

Elemental fusion.

Much like the technique used with the sky’s feathers, the spell was cast using the golem as a vessel.

The magic added to the golem for the elemental’s use activated.

FWOOSH-ROOOOSH!

The black armor turned red and yellow. Fierce flames poured from the seams of the armor.

The ground beneath the golem melted, and steam rose as the flames spread.

The fire from the helmet billowed out like hair.

“...Whoa.”

A sudden surge of terrifying force. Everyone was sweating cold, and the sight of the glowing red eyes through the golem’s helmet made them shiver.

PEEYING... FWOOSH!

In addition to that, something flew from the top of the mountain. An orange-red flame shot quickly, striking the golem, not a student.

Ihayul’s Fire Magic merged with the golem’s flames.

FWOOSH-ROOOOSH─!

The flames grew exponentially.

In the chaotic battlefield, hellfire descended.

‘...They’re fighting well.’

At the top of the mountain fortress, Ihayul sat in a rocking chair and observed the battlefield. The fire-infused golem was creating havoc.

Dozens of students were trying to engage, but the golem smashed them, showcasing its power.

‘It was worth fusing the magic and bringing in the elemental. The growth rate is incredible.’

Its strength was increasing. The elemental fused with the golem was growing in real-time.

The additional growth blessing from the Growth Tower was being applied, not only to the students but also to the elementals contracted with them.

Most of the elementals hadn’t been at the mid-tier for long, but since there was still room for higher growth, they were not satisfied with this stage.

Furthermore, the elementals were bored and had volunteered to fight.

‘It seems like they were more than capable. Once the elementals grow, they’ll be fine.’

Ihayul observed the drone's focus and nudged the rocking chair with his toes.

The chair, created through the power of knowledge, made no creaking sound.

‘Knowledge power.’

Unlike the other two powers, this one was incomplete. To be precise, I had locked away parts I couldn’t handle and set it up to be easier to use.

So, the moment I gained the power, my memories were organized, and I could start using it on a basic level.

The power I used was an application of that knowledge.

It was like a copier, really.

I recorded necessary things in the "book" created from knowledge and could pull them out whenever I needed, investing mana to create copies.

It wasn’t exactly a convenient ability.

Even though it was a power, its performance varied depending on the user’s skill.

If you can’t use it, it’d be hard to even copy a simple chair. But if you know how to use it well, you can instantly pull out complex spells.

‘My head hurts...’

Slightly massaging my temples, I noticed how comfortable the chair looked.

On the surface, it seemed peaceful, but inside, my brain was spinning wildly.

With the power of observation, I was bombarded with an overwhelming amount of information. Sorting it, making the right decisions, using magic, coordinating strategies, controlling the golem and spirits, and managing the elementals...

It might seem easy to others, but it was a lot harder than it looked.

“....”

I realized I would have preferred if the creaking of the chair could be heard, even if only a little.

The fortress, covered in defensive magic, was as cold as the Tower of Knowledge. It was devoid of human presence.

Still, in the Tower of Knowledge, Ariel had been there.

She didn’t sit in the chair alone. Ariel always sat there, and I would sit in her lap.

It had a warm, comforting touch.

A hand would stroke my head and pat my back.

But now, it was empty. I was sitting alone in the chair, pushing it with my toes.

Thinking about that made me feel uneasy.

Lonely. It hadn’t even been a full day, and someone else had been there just this morning, but now the solitude felt uncomfortable.

I could observe others through my abilities, but it still wasn’t enough.

Lonely.

Pouting my lips, I opened a space and summoned a pure white staff.

The artifact Ariel had used for purification. I grabbed it tightly and held it close, as if trying to calm my frustration.

...It helped a little, but I still felt lonely.

KUNG!

My heart pounded. For a moment, I felt a tightness in my chest and winced.

There was still some time left until the tower session ended. And the event beginning with the flags was still coming...

‘...Who should I bring?’

Ihayul had a sudden impulse.

Meanwhile.

“Starting the so-called Demon King’s Castle assault... The meeting begins now.”

The meeting to plan the assault on the Demon King’s Castle, close to the #1 mountain fortress and #4 plains fortress, gathered the temporary leaders of the three factions.