Chapter 219
‘I’ve got the hang of it now!’
After several attempts, Simon slapped his knee.
He decided to try just once more. The skeleton that had just used Dash was returning to the starting line of the track.
The solution wasn’t anything grand. After repeatedly ordering the Dash, the skeleton had grown accustomed to the skill.
And Simon too, had etched the Skeleton Dash deep into his mind.
An opponent at that distance wasn’t to be struck by running on two legs.
They were to be cut down mid-flight.
With that concept firmly embedded in his mind, Simon issued an Absolute Order.
‘Slash!’
BOOOOOM!
To achieve the objective, Dash became the means.
The skeleton soared ten meters through the air, slashing the straw dummy as it landed on the ground. Not only had the leap improved, but the sword’s accuracy had also skyrocketed. At last, it was a success Simon could be satisfied with.
Dick and his friends, who had been watching nearby, cheered enthusiastically.
‘Hah.’
Standing a bit further away and observing the scene, Aron’s lips curled into a smirk.
‘I was worried he might’ve gotten rusty over the break. But his focus and learning pace have actually improved. And—’
His gaze turned toward Hector, who was glaring at Simon with a look that could kill.
‘Hector. Having someone like that as your rival will only lead to misery. You’re probably still ahead in other subjects. So why obsess over Simon alone?’
Grinding his teeth, Hector also launched his skeleton into a leap.
After countless attempts, Hector finally pulled it off as well. Although the Dash distance was only three meters—limiting its practicality—he still succeeded in slashing the straw dummy without damaging the skeleton’s body.
Aron stroked his rough jaw.
‘Hector’s overall level is high, but his rate of acquisition isn’t particularly impressive. This kind of rapid progress in a short time is unusual. Could Simon be the stimulus behind it?’
Aron looked back and forth between the two boys.
These two could push each other to new heights. As long as they didn’t clash directly, this kind of rivalry was, from an educator’s perspective, quite a positive thing.
“Professor.”
An assistant called out to Aron, gesturing toward their wrist. Aron raised his voice.
“That’s enough! Today’s practical ends here.”
The assistants gathered the students and led them to stand before Aron.
Perhaps due to the mental strain of controlling undead after so long, many students were complaining of headaches and dizziness.
“Take your seats.”
Aron ordered the students to sit and once again checked the time.
There were about ten minutes left in class. He glanced over the checklist compiled by the assistants, then spoke.
“Step forward when your name is called. Simon Follentia, Hector Moore.”
As the students murmured, Simon and Hector stood up and stepped forward.
“These two showed the greatest improvement in today’s class. We’ll conclude with a brief duel. It won’t affect your grades, so don’t feel pressured.”
The students clapped and whistled, clearly excited. Watching a fight was always a crowd favorite.
Simon gave Aron a wry smile.
‘Professor, did you really have to pair me with Hector again?’
Hector grinned.
‘Professor Aron. For once, you’re doing something I like!’
Aron explained the rules.
Since today’s class had focused on Skeleton Dash, Simon assumed the duel would measure Dash distance, but it was slightly different.
“It’s a summoning duel.”
Aron continued.
“Summons will be limited to a single ‘Island Ratman Skeleton’. No other black magic is allowed aside from skeleton control. The winner will be whoever manages to knock the opponent’s skeleton’s skull to the ground at least once. Understood?”
The two nodded.
Following the assistant’s instructions, they distanced themselves and pulled their skeletons out from subspace. One assistant raised their arm.
“Ready.”
The two crouched, focusing their minds. The skeletons before them also took battle stances.
“Simon’s got this in the bag.”
Watching from the crowd, Maelyn murmured.
“This duel favors someone who openly uses ‘Skeleton Dash’, doesn’t it? Is Professor Aron trying to boost Simon’s confidence?”
“Tsk tsk tsk.”
Dick wagged his finger smugly from side to side.
“Ah~ classic Maelyn. Always thinking too simply.”
When she growled like a monster, Dick flinched and quickly hid his finger behind his back. Sitting beside them with her knees tucked in, Kamibarez asked,
“Then what do you think, Dick?”
As if waiting to be asked, Dick immediately turned his head toward Kamibarez.
“Honestly, countering Dash is super easy. It’s all about gear.”
“Gear?”
Just as Kamibarez was about to ask more, the assistant’s shout rang out: “Begin!”
Simon immediately gathered Darkness at the skeleton’s toes.
‘Finish it with one Dash straight to the skull!’
In response, Hector opened subspace. He pulled out a massive spear and tossed it to his skeleton.
“There it is!”
“Knew it!”
Cheers erupted from Hector’s faction. Simon quickly canceled the Dash he was preparing.
‘Right, there was no restriction on weapon usage.’
A direct counter to a charge. Hector’s skeleton now wielded a spear.
If Simon gave the Dash command, Hector’s skeleton only needed to extend its spear. The combination of the rushing momentum and the spear’s reach meant Simon’s skeleton would be struck first.
Hector’s summoning control was also top-tier. There was no way he’d miss timing the spear thrust. On top of that, Simon had no weapon longer than Hector’s spear.
“If you won’t come, I’ll make the first move!”
Grinning wide, Hector commanded his skeleton to attack. It sprinted forward and thrust the spear, while Simon ordered his skeleton to raise its sword in defense.
CLAAANG!
As the two weapons clashed, sparks flew. Hector’s skeleton began unleashing a storm-like assault.
It seemed Hector himself had significant experience in spear techniques, as each thrust was precise and left no openings. Simon’s skeleton struggled just to block the onslaught.
“Nice, nice!”
“Keep pushing!”
The students, quickly immersed in the fight, began shouting excitedly. After deflecting several spear thrusts, Simon’s skeleton turned its back and fled.
“Wahahaha! What are you doing!?”
Hector’s skeleton stomped the ground hard, then shot forward in a burst.
Simon’s eyes widened.
‘Hector’s three-meter Dash!’
Simon urgently issued a defense command. The fleeing skeleton spun around mid-step and swung its sword.
CLAAAAANG!
Spear and sword collided with a sharp metallic crash. By a hair’s breadth, the trajectory of the spear veered, narrowly grazing past the side of the skeleton’s skull.
“So close!”
“Hector’s momentum is better, isn’t it?”
The atmosphere tilted completely in Hector’s favor. Simon’s skeleton staggered as it rebalanced its stance.
“What’s wrong, Simon Follentia!”
Having seized the upper hand, Hector shouted.
“Are you not going to use that fancy new skill you just learned!?”
“……”
Then, a faint smile crept onto Simon’s lips.
Clatter!
Simon’s skeleton dropped the sword it was holding. The watching students stared, expecting it to pull out a spear or another weapon, but Simon didn’t even open the subspace.
‘Bare-handed?’
‘Is he serious?’
As murmurs spread among the students, Simon’s skeleton crouched down on the spot. It lightly placed both hands on the ground.
Fsssshh.
Simon’s eyes gleamed with intense focus.
‘Recreate that sensation from before.’
Clack! Clack!
Bone fragments began falling from various parts of the skeleton’s body, swapping positions and starting a full reassembly.
The condition for defeat was the skull falling to the ground. But Simon kept the skull attached to the torso while rapidly reconfiguring the other bones.
Complete reassembly.
Watching the slowly transforming skeleton, Hector grew increasingly furious, veins bulging on his forehead.
‘That bastard!!’
Hector hastily commanded his skeleton to attack, but Simon’s skeleton smoothly evaded the spear strikes and continued reassembling as it dodged.
As Simon’s skeleton gradually changed form, the other students finally realized what was happening and burst into cheers.
The very technique he had once shown in the first semester’s opening Summonology class. Even Aron’s palm, as he watched, had become slick with sweat.
‘…Still gives me chills, even now.’
Simon was recreating the bipedal monster “Island Ratman” in its pre-evolved form: the “Gray Rat”.
It was a kind of insight that seemed to transcend the natural order of the world. Now in quadrupedal form, Simon’s skeleton avoided the spear like a wild beast.
Whump!
The Gray Rat skeleton leapt high, widening the gap between itself and its opponent.
Its front legs were planted firmly on the ground, its rear legs set back as its lower body lifted, readying a predator’s stance.
Hector swallowed hard, a sense of crisis creeping up his throat.
He too halted his skeleton, ordering it to take a guarded stance with its spear at the ready.
“You bastard…!”
“Sorry, Hector, but it’s over.”
The Gray Rat skeleton gathered Darkness into all four limbs, preparing for Dash.
“What are you talking about! Nothing’s changed!”
“Do you even realize the difference in leaping power between a humanoid monster and a beast-type?”
Simon’s lips moved.
“Are you even aware?”
The Gray Rat kicked off the ground with all four legs, leaping with force.
Hector’s skeleton reacted, thrusting the spear upward in a simple motion. But even simpler than that…
WHACK!
Flying through the air, the Gray Rat skeleton slammed its front paw into the opponent’s skull. The spear, just a moment too late, only grazed one leg.
Thud!
Hector’s skeleton’s skull fell from its neck and rolled across the ground. Moments later, the Gray Rat skeleton landed gracefully on all fours.
Clack! Clack!
As if undergoing a transformation, the skeleton’s upper body rose from its quadrupedal stance onto two legs. Once again, the bones reassembled from head to toe, changing it back from beast-type to humanoid.
The skeleton, now bipedal, walked over to the fallen skull, lifted it high above its head, mimicking Simon’s own gesture.
The assistant, face alight with excitement, shouted,
“Victory goes to Simon Follentia!”
In the thick silence that followed, students who had been watching in total concentration began gasping awake, as if snapping out of a dream.
WAAAAAAAH—!!
The entire track erupted into a thunderous roar.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters