Through a series of "miraculous" maneuvers, the professors' group successfully redirected the Great Warrior Jar's aggro onto the elves.
Watching as the massive jar chased Stella and the others into the right-side route, Tursey couldn't help but smile.
Right now… I'm truly despicable.
They hadn't expected the very first monster they encountered to be this troublesome. Clearly, what lay ahead wouldn't be any easier.
Before entering, they had made thorough preparations—casting at least seven types of group buff spells. Set had even handed out several ring-like magic items that extended the duration of buffs.
Tursey herself layered everyone in thick magical shields—so dense they looked like turtle shells.
And yet, the enemies they encountered next made even those "turtle shells" feel unsafe.
Waves upon waves of sorcerers and soldiers appeared along the only path forward. Individually, they weren't very strong—but together, they formed a terrifying force.
Looking at the enemies clogging the entire road, Roger went numb.
He suddenly remembered drinking with Drew a few days ago. Back then, Drew had said they went through countless hardships just to clear the left path and reach the boss.
Now, seeing this overwhelming swarm of monsters…
Roger couldn't help but want to shout:
How the hell did your team get through this?!
Magic effects exploded everywhere.
Tursey forcefully pushed forward with an expanded barrier, holding back the tide of enemies. The others desperately unleashed large-scale offensive magic—Hades even made his glintstone spells resemble falling comets.
With so many enemies, close combat wasn't an option.
Set conjured a tornado, while Roger hurled fireballs.
He didn't have much choice—fireball was the only offensive spell he could cast quickly and repeatedly, and at least it had some splash damage.
The good news?
Once the battle began, they realized that individual enemies were weaker than those outside—even the same types had reduced strength inside the academy.
It seemed like a balancing measure. After all, if enemies appeared in large groups and retained full strength, it would be impossible.
Even so, the battle was still extremely dangerous.
Because—
The barrier broke.
"How did it break?!" Tursey was shocked. She had been maintaining it at full power.
"[Stupefy]!"
At that moment, a spell rang out from within the enemy ranks. A flash of light struck Tursey, plunging her into intense dizziness.
Before anyone could react, she was swallowed by the surging tide of monsters.
She was probably dead.
No—she was definitely dead.
She had been standing at the very front, maintaining the barrier. The only thing separating her from the monsters had been that thin layer of magic.
There had been no time for anyone to save her.
Fortunately, adventurers who died inside the academy would respawn at the entrance—no need to run all the way back from the town outside.
By the time Tursey returned, the enemies had already been cleared. The others were tending to their wounds, and she quickly began casting healing magic.
Aside from that abnormal Great Warrior Jar, this had only been their first wave of enemies.
If things stayed like this… how were they supposed to continue?
The achievement of Leon's group suddenly seemed even more impressive.
"…Looks like we'll have to use that method."
Tursey gritted her teeth and opened her bag—revealing a stockpile of mana potions.
[Group Invisibility], [Group Silence], [Group Presence Concealment].
These three spells consumed enormous amounts of mana. Even for her, after three or four uses, she'd need a potion.
Worse, their duration was short—less than ten minutes per cast—and they had to be reapplied frequently. Attacking would also break invisibility.
The only advantage?
Combined together, they created near-perfect invisibility—
As long as the enemy didn't have perception like Sword Saint Gapar.
After casting the spells, the group—now "perfectly invisible"—stepped out from hiding.
A few sorcerers stood ahead.
Roger held his breath as he carefully walked past them—
Unnoticed.
It works!
He was so excited he wanted to punch the air. This kind of extravagant tactic could only be sustained by professors—no ordinary adventurer could afford this many high-quality mana potions.
To stay safe, they carefully tracked time, recasting every eight minutes to prevent sudden failure.
For those eight minutes, they were "safe."
As they moved, they noticed something strange—
All the monsters they encountered were in small groups. There were no more massive swarms like before.
Why?
Was that overwhelming wave just a "welcome party"?
They got their answer when the invisibility failed early.
Due to a casting error, it only lasted six minutes this time.
The monster in front of Roger noticed him.
It's fine… just three enemies. I can handle—
In the next instant—
More than twenty identical monsters suddenly appeared around them.
Roger's smile froze.
Then he turned and ran.
They finally understood.
Those scattered monsters were scouts.
Once a scout spotted an adventurer, the main force would be summoned.
This was a clever system designed by Wade.
Instead of maintaining large numbers of monsters at all times—which would consume massive mana—the dungeon only summoned them when scouts detected players. After battle, the monsters would be "recycled" back into energy.
Efficient and cost-saving.
After barely escaping the pursuit, the professors prepared to cast invisibility again—
But then—
"Woo…"
A flute echoed from nowhere.
It was soft, drifting, beautiful—
Yet tinged with sorrow.
For some reason, it made their skin crawl, as if it came from the depths of hell.
A faint mist began to spread.
Suddenly, the scene before them changed.
The grand academy vanished.
They heard the sound of flowing water. The light dimmed.
Dilapidated wooden houses appeared in the fog. The ground beneath their feet turned into wet, muddy soil covered in slippery moss.
In an instant, they had gone from a magical academy…
To a ruined village shrouded in mist.
"Teleportation magic?" Set's eyes lit up with curiosity—but after taking a few steps, he realized something was wrong.
Visibility was extremely low.
With each step, the scene shifted—
Now the academy.
Now the village.
Back and forth, endlessly changing.
The disorientation made them dizzy.
Set quickly realized—
They hadn't been teleported.
This was an illusion.
He cast a dispel spell—
It did nothing.
The scenery continued to shift. The eerie flute played on.
"Find the source of the flute," he said. "That's what's causing the illusion."
The sound wasn't far—but reaching it felt endlessly difficult.
Whenever the scene shifted to the village, thin humanoid monsters with glowing red eyes would appear, wielding broken farm tools and attacking with eerie cries.
Take a step—and the scene became the academy again.
The monsters vanished.
Like they had never existed.
But take another step—
The village returned.
And so did the monsters.
Their sickles and hoes struck with merciless force.
One moment they were lunging at you—
The next, gone—
Then suddenly right in your face again.
You tried to fight—
But they disappeared.
Then reappeared from another direction.
Maybe even behind you.
Meanwhile, academy monsters still reacted normally, summoning reinforcements.
Mist blocking vision.
Unpredictable enemies.
Constantly shifting scenery.
All of it combined into a suffocating illusion.
You could never predict what the next step would bring.
Within moments, the professors felt like vomiting.
Time dragged unbearably.
If the earlier enemy waves could be overcome with enough manpower—
This illusion couldn't.
Unless they found the source of the flute.
No wonder Stella avoided this route.
This was torture.
Enduring dizziness and hallucinations, Tursey's group pressed forward.
Her face grew paler, but she maintained the invisibility spells.
Closer.
The flute was closer now.
The once-distant sound now seemed just ahead.
The mist monsters grew more aggressive, desperately trying to stop them.
Normally, reaching this point would be nearly impossible—but their invisibility allowed them to bypass most academy enemies.
Through the haze—
They saw it.
A small pavilion.
A tall, thin figure standing within it.
Playing the flute.
The group exchanged glances.
They stopped moving.
As long as they didn't move, the scene wouldn't change.
Buff spells were quickly layered onto Set:
[Critical Strike], [Jump Enhancement], [Mid-Tier Strength Boost], [Fortress Physique]…
They dared not attack with magic.
Because—
That enemy looked dangerous.
Anyone who could casually play an instrument in the middle of a battlefield…
Was definitely strong.
To fight such an opponent—
You had to be ready to risk your life.
Set took a deep breath, his expression resolute.
Calling forth the wind, he leapt into the air—
Launching a silent, deadly strike.
For a brief moment—
The flute of the Mist Noble stopped.