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[Trantor - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 22
The identity of the sudden chill.
It was the curse of the Imugi I had just killed. The resentment of the creature, sinking to the bottom of theke, had tenaciously sought me out.
[Curse of the Imugi: The Imugi, who had waited for two thousand years to ascend to the heavens, died just as its long-held wish was about to be fulfilled. The Imugi''s deep resentment will bring misfortune to every step you take.]
[Curse Level: A]
[Curse Effect: Significantly increases Misfortune stat randomly once a day.]
"...What a nasty effect."
An A-rank curse that increased the Misfortune stat.
The grudge of the two-thousand-year-old Imugi was immense.
I expected a bnce adjustment to ur, but I never thought it would manifest as this kind of curse.
"Randomly once a day, huh?"
Just thinking about it gave me a headache.
The Misfortune and Fortune stats were hidden values in Military Chronicle, making them difficult to grasp.
But Misfortune and Fortune definitely had an effect in this world.
For example, when I lied to the Imugi a while ago.
If this curse had activated in that situation, my misfortune stat would have amplified, and my lie would have been immediately exposed.
"At least it''s only once a day."
It was water under the bridge.
Since I couldn''t undo what was done, it was best to think of countermeasures for the future.
Fortunately, a curse activating once a day wasn''t the worst-case scenario. There was no guarantee that the curse, activating once a day, would always ur at the worst possible time.
It was more likely that minor curses would ur, like dropping a ss of water while drinking and breaking my foot, due to the curse activating.
Yes, there was no need to worry about the worst-case scenario...
"Hahaha! There you are! Professor D!"
...Just as I was trying to convince myself with positive thinking, some guys appeared from the bushes.
Fifteen strangers wearing clown masks, like the Joker gang in a bank robbery movie.
''Out of the frying pan and into the fire.''
The timing was so terrible that I wondered if the curse had already activated.
"To think we''d meet the famous Professor D in a ce like this! What an honor!"
Thergest man among the strangers said with exaggerated gestures. My eyes were drawn to the weapons they were carrying.
An unusual energy emanated from the weapons.
Judging from my body''s reaction, they were definitely dangerous weapons.
"Who are you and why are you chasing me?"
"Chasing you? Why would we chase after you? We were just passing by..."
"Are you trying to tell me you were hiking with those ridiculous masks on? And carrying weapons meant for the battlefield?"
When I pointed that out, the strangers looked at each other. They seemed to realize that their appearance didn''t quite fit the setting for a coincidence.
"Haha! As expected, your insight is excellent, as the rumors say! Then shall we see if the other rumors are true as well?"
Then the strangers suddenly rushed at me with their weapons.
I reflexively drew blood on my palm and chanted a spell almost simultaneously.
[Casting the spell "Bloodstorm Veil".]
[Your ENP increases to 60/180.]
As I scattered blood in the air, a red veil unfolded, blocking them.
With my Blood Demon level at 3, the Bloodstorm Veil was upgraded from when I faced the Phantom Thief.
I thought an attack from an opponent of a simr level wouldn''t be able to prate it...
Crack-!
...But the veil was torn apart by the weapons they wielded.
My only protective spell was shattered so easily!
''What kind of weapons are those?''
They didn''t use any special attack spells; they just swung their weapons. It wasn''tmon for the veil to be nullified by a normal attack unless there was a significant level difference.
Ding-!
[You focus on the identity of the weapons the enemies possess.]
[Genius 1 aids your discovery.]
[You have discovered that the enemies'' weapons are enchanted with holy spells!]
[Your Intelligence stat increases slightly due to the additional discovery points!]
‘Holy spells?!’
The message made me tense.
''Of all things, holy spells?''
What this meant was clear.
A 100% nned attack targeting me.
They knew that the spells I used in the library were dark-type and prepared their weapons ordingly.
"Hehehe! What''s wrong? Have you run out of useful spells?"
The strangers, having easily torn through the veil, chuckled and began to surround me.
I waspletely trapped within their closing encirclement.
***
''He''s not that big of a deal, is he?''
Nam Kang-ik thought to himself as he surrounded Professor D.
The tale of Professor D driving away the Phantom Thief was already widely known among the students.
Because of this, when Nam Kang-ik first received the request from Seo Su-kyung, he thought it would be quite a difficult task.
''Is it thanks to this weapon, as Seo Su-kyung said?''
Nam Kang-ik nced at the club faintly glowing in his hand.
Actually, to avoid being discovered as a student of the Emission Department, Seo Su-kyung had forced Nam Kang-ik not to use any spells.
He hadn''t liked the idea of working with just a club, but now he saw that Seo Su-kyung''s foresight was urate.
''That foxy girl... She makes my mouth water!''
Nam Kang-ikughed inwardly, harboring lewd thoughts.
Although Seo Su-kyung held a higher position in the Emission Department, it wasn''t just because of her ranking that Nam Kang-ik obediently followed her words.
The International Group, Seo Su-kyung''s family, and the Myungshin Corporation, Nam Kang-ik''s family.
The cooperative rtionship between the two wasrgely due to the International Group providing significant support to the Myungshin Corporation''s ongoing projects.
''Just you wait, Seo Su-kyung. Soon, I''ll break that arrogant nose of yours... No, I''ll make it mine.''
On second thought, it would be a shame to break her nose. Why ruin such a pretty face?
Anyway, although he was ying the role of a subordinate now, this rtionship wouldn''tst forever.
Making that resolution inwardly, Nam Kang-ik growled from behind his mask.
"You''ve be a cornered rat. How does it feel? Are you finally scared?"
"...Do you know anything about me?"
"I''ve heard rumors. That a new professor with a personality disorder has arrived at Masterss. It seems the students'' resentment is quite strong."
"A true teacher is always hated."
"Huh! Still acting all high and mighty!"
Nam Kang-ik was growing increasingly displeased with the man in front of him. His calmness andck of fear in this situation were incredibly irritating.
"This is what you get for acting like this! If you came to the school, you should just teach the students properly, instead of doing useless things and..."
"Judging from your words, you must be a Masterss student. Which department are you from?"
"!!"
Nam Kang-ik inwardly cursed himself and quickly shut his mouth. It seemed like it wouldn''t be good to prolong the conversation in front of this man.
"Ahem...! I don''t know what you''re talking about. We''ve gathered to punish your evil deeds. To give you time to reflect."
Nam Kang-ik took out a rolled-up scroll from his pocket and tossed it over.
Do Jin-hak received the scroll and unfurled it with suspicious eyes. As he checked the contents, his brow furrowed deeply.
"This is..."
"An oath contract. As a professor, you should know what that is, right?"
An oath contract.
This contract, said to have been created by a noble mage in medieval Hungary who feared a ve revolt, had the power to forcibly establish a master-servant rtionship through a spell.
Naturally, it was an item prohibited byw and impossible to obtain through normal channels.
It was known to be used only in the underworld, such as loan sharking and gambling dens.
"Write your name on that contract and swear an oath. If you show enough remorse, I''ll burn the contract then."
"If it''s an oath, it means establishing a master-servant rtionship, so who am I supposed to swear to?"
"That''s none of your business! Just do as you''re told!"
Nam Kang-ik raised his voice harshly. The group surrounding Professor D exuded a murderous aura and closed in.
These were all students personally selected by Nam Kang-ik.
He had chosen only the most belligerent individuals from the Emission Department, which was famous for its aggressive nature.
''And they''re the ones who have a lot ofints about the professors!''
They would dly step forward to beat up a professor.
Professor D, sensing the seriousness of their murderous intent, also hardened his expression.
After staring at them for a while, he finally spoke.
"...Alright."
"Huh? Alright? Hmph, you should have just..."
Rip, rip-!
However, Professor D''s actions werepletely different from what Nam Kang-ik expected.
He tore the oath contract to shreds.
"W-what are you doing? Do you know how much that scroll is worth?!"
"It must be very expensive."
"Of course it is! It''s something a professor''s sry couldn''t even dream of affording!"
"Then why don''t you report it to the police? Tell them you suffered a huge loss because I tore up the contract."
"Ugh..."
Forcing someone to sign a contract was already a crime punishable by imprisonment, so there was no way he could report it.
"You unlucky bastard! You want to get beaten up before youe to your senses, don''t you?"
Nam Kang-ik decided not to go easy on him anymore. Seo Su-kyung would take care of the aftermath anyway, and more importantly, that professor''s tone was practically begging for a beating.
Whoosh-!
Nam Kang-ik raised his club, enchanted with a holy spell, and swung it towards his head!
"Huh?"
However, the club only cut through the air with a powerful whoosh. To be precise, it passed right through Professor D''s body.
"This bastard...!"
Woosh-!
Whoosh-!
Nam Kang-ik''s swings, with his unusually high Strength stat even among the Emission Department, produced powerful whooshing sounds with each strike.
But somehow, the club never managed to hit Professor D. It simply passed through Professor D, who was standing still.
"What''s wrong? Didn''t you say you were going to help mee to my senses?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Huff, huff...! What are you all doing? Hurry up and beat him half to death!"
"Uwaaa!"
At Nam Kang-ik''s roar, the other students rushed in and swung their weapons.
But the result was the same. No matter how much they stabbed, shed, and smashed, they couldn''t inflict a single wound on Professor D.
The parts of his body that were attacked simply dispersed like smoke and then returned to their original form.
"W-what in the world is going on...?"
It was a truly strange sight for Nam Kang-ik. Even he, who had been at Masterss for quite a while, had never seen such a phenomenon before.
''It''s not an Illusion Department spell, nor a Defence Department spell! What kind of spell is that?''
An unknown spell that Nam Kang-ik couldn''tprehend at his level.
Professor D spoke in a condescending tone.
"You seem flustered. Didn''t the academy teach you this kind of spell?"
"Shut up! Our department doesn''t even deal with such trivial spells!"
"Calling an evasion spell trivial... You sound just like an Emission Department student who only learns to attack."
"!!"
Oops.
Nam Kang-ik quickly shut his mouth again.
But Professor D''s mocking gaze seemed to have already grasped their identities.
"You said that to me a while ago, didn''t you? To stop doing useless things and just teach the students properly."
"Ugh..."
"Then let me give you a lesson. Try to learn it well."
Poof-!
With those words, Professor D suddenly disappeared.
"W-what? Where did he go?"
Nam Kang-ik and the students frantically looked around, but Professor D was nowhere to be seen. Only a thick fog was spreading rapidly around them.
"Where did this foge from...?"
"I can''t see! Where is everyone... Argh?!"
A sudden scream!
Everyone''s nerves were on edge at the unexpected turn of events.
"What? What''s going on!"
"Everyone be careful... Ugh...!"
"Kugh!"
Screams continued, followed by the terrifying sounds of students copsing one after another.
"W-why is this happening...?"
In the blinding fog, Nam Kang-ik''s heart pounded with fear.
He had a strong feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong.
[Trantor - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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