Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 272: Episode

Simon instinctively knew that the worst-case scenario had arrived. Special Admission No. 3, said to be beyond the level of a student, comparable to Lorraine and Serne, and whose combat ability was known to be on par with theirs. Chatel Maer, a giant half-blood from Kizen’s most prestigious lineage, had entered the fray.

’Will talking work?’ Thinking he had nothing to lose, Simon opened his mouth. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Uh..."

No sooner had the word left his lips than Chatel, who had been in front of him, appeared behind him. As the punch flew, Simon felt as if a meteor was falling before his eyes.

’BOOOOM!’

Simon’s body was brutally crushed sideways. He had raised both arms to guard his chest, but the guard was instantly broken, sending his body flying over dozens of meters. His barrier gauge rapidly depleted.

"You bastard!" Chatel’s gaze shifted to the side. Hector, having leaped into the air, had a savage look on his face. "That guy is my opponent!"

’Thwump!’ The fiercely thrown kick was lightly blocked by Chatel’s palm. The soft sensation of the palm felt as if it was not just absorbing the impact but sucking it in. When Hector came to his senses and rolled his eyes, Chatel’s other fist was already flying toward him.

The blow sent Hector’s body crashing to the ground, creating a large crater.

Blood spurted from Hector’s mouth from the immense impact that the protective suit couldn’t block. Meanwhile, Simon was panting as he pushed himself up.

’Is that really a teenager like us?’ That guy seemed to be on a completely different level from the start. It was as if a group of three-year-old babies were having a running race, and suddenly an adult appeared, spouting nonsense like ‘I’m three too,’ and stood at the starting line. ’He’s the same type as Kajan. He’s just built different from birth.’

’Thud! Thud! Thud!’

Chatel was approaching Simon, aiming for his first-place points. The only silver lining was that, since this was an exam, there was a way to deal with him to some extent.

’Click! Clack!’

Simon’s fingers moved fluidly. The remains of skeletons poured out from his Subspace and, following his command, floated into the air.

<Bone Nail>

As the bone fragments shot out, leaving white trails, Chatel swatted at the air as if shooing away a fly. The wind pressure alone sent all the bone fragments flying. ’Chatel is also aware of my attacks.’ He might have the ultimate defense, but he was currently wearing a protective suit, and his life was being treated as a barrier gauge. If that gauge hit zero, even Chatel would be expelled. The Kizen organization wasn’t very flexible in that regard. ’So let’s just chip away at him.’

’Click. Clack.’

The bones that had been blown away by the wind pressure and fallen on the rocks rose into the air again and continued to fly at Chatel. He was blocking them by swinging his arms, but like a steady drizzle soaking clothes, a few shots struck the protective suit’s barrier. Chatel frowned and stomped his foot.

’Thump!’

Simon felt a chilling sensation. The surrounding earth was instantly dyed the black of Jet-Black. It was as if he had stepped into an ink wash painting.

<Domain Reversal>

’What kind of black magic is this?’ As Simon watched with a tense expression, Chatel grabbed the ground with both hands and forcefully lifted it up.

Suddenly, a black shadow was cast over Simon. When he looked up, a massive rock slab was falling from above his head. The spot on the ground that Chatel had just touched was left with only a roughly torn-out scar.

He dodged it by a hair’s breadth. This time, as Chatel raised his blunt fingers, the ground shot up like a geological stratum. He slammed his fist down on it, and the debris didn’t fly elsewhere but straight toward Simon.

A rain of falling rocks continuously fell, devastating the surroundings. Simon frantically ran, stepping on Jet-Black. ’Both his size and his black magic are just ridiculously over the top.’ He saw Chatel place his hands on the ground again. Catching the angle of his arms and wrists, Simon stepped on Jet-Black and leaped to his maximum height from a standstill.

Chatel swung his arms as if scooping something up. In that direction, the earth rose to form a large mountain range. ’No way, he’s making a mountain?’

Simon, now in the air, rolled as he landed. Chatel slammed his fist into a corner of the man-made mountain range with a thud, and the entire range turned into rock debris and flew straight at Simon.

Simon panted heavily as he dodged. A few scrapes had already brought his barrier gauge to the bottom. If he had some stamina or Jet-Black to spare, he might have tried something, but in his current state, he could never beat the guy. ’A place where Chatel’s black magic can’t reach!’

Simon was running toward the sea. ’Crash!’ Just then, a large rock wall fell in front of his path. He quickly stopped and looked back. ’Danger...!’

But there was no follow-up attack. Hector had appeared from behind, flinging Wyrm Scales like shurikens.

"I believe I told you he was my opponent!"

Chatel raised a rock to block the attack. He didn’t know what was going on, but now was his chance. Simon splashed into the sea and opened his Subspace. ’Sorry, but I need you just one more time, Deimos!’

The skeletal Deimos leaped out of the Subspace, and Simon boarded it and moved. Chatel, having repelled Hector’s attack, approached, but Simon had already escaped into the sea.

Chatel stomped on the ground again.

He then stomped three more times. The entire island turned pitch black. Not just the ground, but the trees and grass also turned black like an ink wash painting. The ground cracked with a creaking sound, and then all the soil and rock that made up the island rose into the air at once.

He had crushed and broken the entire island, turning it into rock to float in the air. The whole island was Chatel’s ammunition.

’Deimos, Tidal Current Cannon.’

Simon didn’t back down either. Squeezing out his last bit of strength, Deimos’s mouth gaped open as Jet-Black and magic swirled within.

’Fire it first!’

With a deafening roar, Deimos’s Tidal Current Cannon shot forth. At the same time, Hector, with his Wyrm wings, was firing a breath attack from the sky. The two massive forces of firepower, one from the sea and one from the sky, met at Chatel and caused an explosion.

They had truly squeezed out every last bit of their strength. Simon and Hector, the two boys, panted for breath, their faces on the verge of collapse. Soon, through the thick smoke, Chatel could be seen, having hidden his body behind a rock wall. The moment he was about to resume his attack...

’Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!’

[All exams have now concluded! I repeat! All exams have now concluded! Students are to immediately cease combat and await teleportation.] [From this moment on, points will not increase or decrease. Please cease combat and wait in a safe location.]

As the exam ended, Chatel also stopped his assault. He canceled his black magic, and the chunks of rock that had been floating in the air descended.

’Haaaah.’

Simon let out a sigh of relief. He had somehow survived. In contrast, Hector, floating in the air, was tearing at his hair in frustration. ’I thought I could finally settle the score this time! To be interrupted again and again! Damn it!’

Chatel simply turned his back, and walked away with heavy steps.

---

After the exam ended, the students on the sea arrived one by one at the teleportation magic circle within the Kizen school grounds. Students who were injured and wanted treatment were immediately transferred to the infirmary. Having just finished the exam, the students were chattering nonstop. Some were disappointed with their scores, but for now, the mood was bright with the fact that they had safely passed a major test without being eliminated.

Simon, who had arrived at Kizen, also wrapped a towel given to him by a minion and took a breath.

"Simon—!" Just then, he heard Kamibarez’s voice. When he turned around, she was running toward him with an emotional expression.

"Kami! You’re safe!" The two smiled brightly as they reunited. The cute little wings on her back fluttered happily.

"I’m so glad! We survived this exam safely too!"

"Yeah, you worked hard." She looked tired, but her expression was brighter than anyone’s.

Simon asked, "By any chance, did you run into Meirin and Dick during the exam?"

"No, I didn’t. I guess we were far apart." The two smiled and chattered, exchanging information about the exam. Checking the rankings, Meirin had achieved 10th place overall, climbing back into the top ranks. Kamibarez was 205th; her rank had dropped a little due to the sea environment, but she was still securely in the upper tier. And Dick, this time, had achieved a slightly more comfortable mid-upper rank in the 400s. He had apparently used his inventions, an electric shock suit and an electric discharger, to easily electrocute and capture monsters.

Just then, a teaching assistant ran in.

"Attention! Please pay attention! The top-ranking students whose names are called must go to the Kizen school grounds for an interview!"

A few students’ names were called, and among them, of course, was Simon’s.

"I’ll be back, Kami."

"Okay, see you later! I’ll be watching your interview on screen!"

Following the TA’s guidance, Simon immediately stepped onto the teleportation magic circle. The surroundings changed, and when he opened his eyes, Simon was standing on a stage in front of the Kizen school entrance. Screens displaying the exam site were spread out in all directions, and below, a countless crowd of spectators could be seen.

"WOOOOWWW!" A thunderous cheer erupted. When Simon looked around, numerous spectators had shot up from their seats and were giving a standing ovation. From all over, he could hear students’ names being chanted.

"Simon! Simon!" He could even hear his own name being chanted among them. Simon smiled and waved in that direction.

"...What did you do?" Just then, he heard the voice of a small female student from his side. A girl with a navy uniform slung over her shoulders on top of her wetsuit—it was Special Admission No. 7 and the overall 2nd place winner, the captain of the Ghost Ship, ‘Elisa’. "How is 200,000 points possible?"

Elisa, who had been confident she would take first place in an underwater battle, was bewildered.

Simon smiled. "I got lucky and caught a Gwoegong."

"...Wh-what? A Gwoegong? That super-massive monster?"

But suddenly, the back of his head prickled. Feeling a murderous gaze on him, Simon turned his head. ’Ugh.’

Hector was up here too.

"Did you all enjoy this exam, everyone!" Just then, the announcer, holding an amplifying crystal sphere, appeared with both arms raised high. Next to him was Jane, who had been the commentator for this event. As the students bowed their heads, she also gave a slight nod. "Please give a big round of applause and support to the heroes of this exam, who will one day be responsible for the future of the Dark Alliance!"

Applause erupted from all over, along with the flashes of magic cameras. The students quickly composed their expressions and looked forward.

"Now, let’s check the rankings of the Top 5!" The rankings were displayed on the screen.

5th – Hector: 9,500 Points

4th – Raheim: 11,200 Points

3rd – Jul: 11,600 Points

2nd – Elisa: 18,650 Points

1st – Simon: 223,500 Points

There was no doubt who the strongest student of this BMAT was. Of course, the gap between 1st and 2nd place was overwhelming.

"Now, let’s meet the hero among heroes of today! The student who overcame the limits of Summoning to become, in name and in reality, the best underwater combat specialist of the Kizen first-years!" The announcer extended his arm. "Introducing student Simon Polentia!"

Taking a light, deep breath, Simon walked out before the countless spectators.