Chapter 235
A small villa, located far from the crowded Keyzen courtyard bustling with guests.
Inside that building, professors in charge of the first-year curriculum at Keyzen were watching the situation unfold over a glass of wine.
All exams were overseen by the central office, and it was strictly forbidden for professors to intervene in the process.
–Waaaahhhh!!
–Special Admission No. 1! Simon Follentia’s breakthrough! That’s beyond the level of indomitable will! What kind of magic did he use?!
The professors, pleased by Simon’s performance, nodded in satisfaction.
“As expected, he’s good, really good.”
“At first, I wondered why he was given Special Admission No. 1, but he keeps standing out. I’d like to teach him myself.”
“His growth rate is steep. Saying he didn’t do any prior study must’ve been a lie, right?”
“It’s probably true. Just look at his written test scores—they’re a disaster. The kid’s just talented.”
The spiky-haired professor laughed loudly as he turned to the side.
“Ha ha, Professor Walter!”
Walter, who had been sipping wine on the sofa, smiled gently.
“Impressive! Truly impressive! How long has it even been since he enrolled, and he’s already making use of Special Admission No. 1? He’s applying what he learned right away! As a professor, this is the kind of moment that makes it all worthwhile!”
Walter politely bowed his head.
“Not at all. It’s all thanks to Professor Sillage’s research.”
“Hahaha! No need to be so formal! We’re not in a professor-student relationship like in the old days. You’re one of us now, a fellow professor at Keyzen!”
“Thank you.”
Walter adjusted his glasses, his eyes shining quietly.
Though he had taught Simon how to use Cloud, he hadn’t imagined he’d use it to create a Blood Golem.
“Professor Aron, you must be finding work quite rewarding these days.”
This time, the spiky-haired professor turned his gaze to the back. Aron, who had already been congratulated by two professors, looked at him.
“This is the first proper Summonology student in ages! There are even rumors he’s a strong candidate for next student council president at Keyzen. That distinctive teal Blood Golem is your work too, right?”
“I just...”
Clink!
The sound of glass shattering rang out.
“Ah.”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward Bahil, who was smiling.
The wine glass he had dropped had shattered into pieces, and the red wine had stained the floor a deep crimson.
“Slipped from my hand.”
“……”
Anyone could tell he’d done it on purpose.
Bahil approached with swift, bold strides. Watching him, Aron sighed.
“You crazy or something?”
“Senior Aron, may I have a word?”
“Bahil.”
Aron’s gaze turned cold as he narrowed his eyes.
“The professors and even the vice-chancellor are here. Mind your manners. Clean that up.”
Bahil turned only his head to look at Aron. Aron didn’t avert his gaze.
In the silence, the two locked eyes.
Sip.
Jane, who had been enjoying her wine alone on the sofa while watching the match, finally turned to look at them.
“Simon has created a new Blood Golem, I see.”
With a flick of Bahil’s fingers, a magic circle appeared on the floor, and the shattered wine glass and spilled wine began to float.
The shards merged, reforming into a flawless glass, and the spilled wine returned to it.
It was a task requiring precise control, yet Bahil had done it effortlessly. Soon, he was holding a glass of wine that looked brand new.
“That’s a black magic technique based on Fusion Studies, isn’t it? It requires a base of Summonology, with Haematology and Katarology added in.”
Bahil’s gaze, which had been fixed on Aron, slowly shifted to Walter.
“I could’ve assisted as an advisor in Katarology.”
Crunch!
The wine glass in his hand shattered without a trace, disintegrating into the air.
“Getting excluded like that... doesn’t feel so good.”
“You misunderstand. I’ll explain everything, Professor Bahil.”
Walter stood, wearing a pleasant smile.
“What’s surrounding that blue Blood Golem right now is called Cloud. It’s a technique that uses his SM-1 blood...”
As Walter continued explaining, the tension dissolved, and the other professors resumed their chatter, now discussing the next students passing through.
Bahil, listening attentively, finally seemed to understand and his expression softened.
“...And that’s how it happened. I actually saw a Blood Golem for the first time here myself.”
Bahil approached with a calm stride and gently placed a hand on Walter’s shoulder.
“The new professor of Haematology is quite capable. Let’s work well together going forward.”
“I look forward to it.”
Walter replied, though he felt a slight ache in his shoulder. Bahil turned to Aron with a sly smile.
“And Senior Aron. Care for a little wager?”
Aron, looking utterly uninterested, rubbed his dark eye circles.
“What now.”
“Which side Simon will choose in the end. Aren’t you curious?”
Bahil slowly turned his back and added,
“I’m confident.”
* * *
“Huff... huff! Huff! Huff!”
As he pressed the red buzzer, all the traps finally came to a halt.
‘…I did it.’
His mind was foggy, and his whole body ached. Simon staggered, leaning back against the wall.
Or at least, he tried to, only to wince in pain from a weapon stuck in his back and straighten up again.
[Boy! Are you alright?]
‘Ah, yeah. I’m alive thanks to the Blood Golem.’
The core ability of the Blood Golem is in its Life Link, which allows damage distribution between the caster and the golem.
Eighty percent of all external damage meant for the caster is instead transferred to the golem. Even if the caster is pierced by a spear or blade, it’s the golem who takes the brunt of the wound, while the caster suffers nothing more than a scratch.
To utilize this, the caster must master the high-difficulty curse spell Life Link, but Simon already possessed the ability called Cloud.
Aron had modified Cloud to replicate the effects of Life Link, which made it possible for Simon, still a first-year, to learn how to summon a Blood Golem.
Just then, a clear announcement echoed from somewhere in the ceiling.
–You will be teleported to the final stage of the test in 5 minutes.
–All equipment, items dropped on the floor, and summoned creatures will be teleported with the examinee.
–Students who have cleared Stage 3 may choose to end the exam here. Rankings will be determined based on the time of completion for those who choose to exit now.
‘Of course there’s one more stage.’
Naturally, Simon had no intention of quitting here. He reached behind his back and grabbed the spear impaled in him.
‘Thanks, Golem.’
He gave it a pull, and the spear slid out without additional pain, completely different from the struggle he had earlier pulling out just one arrow.
Clatter!
He dropped the spear and checked the wound. Despite being a penetrating injury, the wound was surprisingly small. Pouring potion over it, it healed almost instantly, as if it were magic.
‘Amazing. So this is the effect of Life Link?’
A summoned creature made of the caster’s blood, absorbing their injuries in their stead—he created it himself, but Simon still found it incredible.
Thud!
Clatter!
He pulled out all the weapons lodged in his body and restored himself with potions, then bounced lightly in place.
He definitely felt lighter. However—
‘I can’t move properly.’
He had lost a lot of blood creating the Blood Golem, and on top of that, he had used Internal Darkness Divergence while exhausted. Honestly, just standing upright was all he could manage.
But he had no thought of giving up the exam. He had just barely passed the cutoff line, and to place in the rankings, he had to clear the final stage.
–No sign of test withdrawal detected. You will now be transferred to the Stage 4 test site.
–Please remain in place.
Vwooom!
Simon felt both feet lift from the ground, and in an instant, the scenery changed.
He had been teleported outdoors in the blink of an eye. The sky was tinged with sunset, and before him lay a barren wasteland where not a single blade of grass grew.
The Blood Golem had been transferred alongside Simon, but having absorbed all the damage via Life Link, its body was in tatters.
Feeling both grateful and guilty, Simon gently patted the golem’s body with his palm. It was squishy to the touch.
‘So, what exactly am I supposed to do here?’
–Casting Memorize magic.
Suddenly, a map of the entire area entered Simon’s mind.
It was simply a deserted island, and scattered throughout the island were 100 Holy Grails.
–This is the Island of Kobolds.
–There are currently 300 participants on the island. 100 Holy Grails exist. Destroying a grail results in passing. Students who fail to destroy a grail will be ranked based on the time they cleared Stage 3.
–The starving kobolds will welcome your arrival.
Looking around, Simon spotted brown-skinned monsters, shaped like cursed fairies, shambling through the wasteland.
[Kehahaha! Keyzen truly is out of its mind! This really is a test of extremes!]
The final test was a competitive challenge, fighting through monsters to destroy a target.
Simon refocused himself.
Since he had taken time to create a Blood Golem, his Stage 3 clearance time was slower than average. He couldn’t consider himself safe yet, and at that very moment, many students were already heading toward the grails.
‘Alright. Gotta give it my all till the end...’
Thud!
A dull impact sounded beside him.
Turning his head, Simon saw the Blood Golem pummeling a kobold. As the kobold collapsed, it placed its hand on its face.
Sluuuuurp!
The kobold’s blood was absorbed into the Blood Golem.
‘!’
Smoke began to rise from the scratches on Simon’s body that hadn’t yet healed, and the wounds slowly began to close.
‘So this is the Blood Golem’s healing ability!’
The Blood Golem can absorb the blood of other lifeforms to recover its own health. And as the golem recovers, Simon, the summoner, also regains health in proportion.
Not only does the golem take damage in Simon’s place, but even recovery is shared through Life Link.
Thwack! Thud!
The Blood Golem silently continued crushing kobolds. Being on the weaker side of Class 3 monsters, kobolds stood no chance against it.
As Simon’s wounds healed, his scattered mind began to return to clarity.
‘Good.’
The Blood Golem finished off the kobolds and stomped its way back toward Simon. Simon closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Swoosh!
He raised both arms in front of the Blood Golem, and multiple magic circles unfolded above the golem’s head.
‘Let’s go all the way to the end!’
Fssshhhhhhh!
The Blood Golem’s body, which had been maintaining its form around its core, began to dissolve like vapor, getting pulled into the magic circles.
The golem’s body gradually shrank, and eventually, its core dropped to the ground with a soft plop. All of the Cloud that had sustained the golem was absorbed into the magic array.
‘Good, next step.’
Simon opened an ultra-large subspace and summoned a horde of skeletons.
Twenty standard skeletons with spears and shields, and three skeleton archers.
A total of 23 undead units.
Currently, Simon could only control six undead at the same time. This number was nearly four times his limit.
[Hahaha! Isn’t this number a bit reckless, boy?!]
‘I’ll make it work no matter what.’
Simon lowered both arms.
SPLAAAASH!
From the magic circle that had absorbed the Blood Golem, Cloud burst out, wrapping around the skeletons’ frames.
There was no rule that said Cloud could only be used on golems. Through prior training, Simon had already confirmed that Cloud could be combined with skeletons.
‘Focus!’
The refined Cloud, once part of the Blood Golem, coated the bones of all 23 skeletons.
It was like they had donned additional armor, crude bones now shimmered with a bluish-green hue, and from their skulls, mist-like smoke rose from the eyes.
Click! Clack!
Clack-clack-clack!
The enhanced skeletons, now clad in Cloud, each struck a distinct pose—some resting weapons on their shoulders, others angling their blades or drawing their bows.
Flutter!
A bluish-green cape made of Cloud billowed behind each of them.
Thanks to the effects of Cloud, Simon could now control 23 reinforced skeletons as if they were extensions of his own body, far exceeding his original limit. Even the Blood Golem’s Blood Drain and Life Link abilities remained intact.
Not summoned undead, not natural undead, not a legion, but undead that could only be used by Simon, and followed only Simon.
<Simon’s Original – Royal Guard>
Grrrkk!
The sound of kobolds came from ahead. Simon’s eyes shifted toward the source.
SHWOOM!
SHWAK!
The moment his gaze landed, ten skeletons burst forward with Dash, slicing through the Class 3 monsters’ necks in a single strike.
Click.
The skeleton archers nocked arrows to their bows. Cloud enveloped the arrows, enchanting them as they flew straight through the kobolds’ foreheads.
Fwoooosh...
Finally, a wisp of Cloud formed into the shape of a coffin, floating into Simon’s raised hand from above.
As Simon donned the coffin-shaped crown, he felt the presence of all 23 skeletons clearly and vividly.
One of his eyes turned a brilliant emerald hue.
‘Let’s go.’
Swoosh!
Step!
All 23 Royal Guards followed after Simon, their cloaks of shadow fluttering behind them.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters