A man floating in the sky extended his palm toward me.
"Fireball."
A ball of fire materialized before his palm and hurtled toward me.
Damn it. I can't dodge this...
Behind me stood the Formation flag, representing our territory. According to the competition rules, if this flag is destroyed, our Formation is considered lost, so I had to protect it at all costs.
I gripped my sword with both hands and swung the blade at the Fireball, intending to deflect it like a baseball player hitting a ball.
The moment the Fireball struck the blade, I twisted my waist with all my might.
I felt a heavy weight in my hands and sensed the Fireball being redirected back toward the man.
Boom!
The Fireball exploded.
"Ugh!"
I stumbled backward, violently shaking my left arm to quickly extinguish the flames clinging to it.
My left arm was now blackened up to the shoulder, but the pain was minimal.
I can't use my left arm.
It wasn't permanently crippled, just for this match.
The Competition Tournament arena had a safety barrier that turned damaged body parts black and immobilized them. After the match, these blackened areas would revert to normal. Think of it as a safety mechanism.
"Trying to deflect a Fireball? How foolish."
The man floating in the sky sneered at me.
I thought it would work because Kyle from the Original Work deflected magic this way... Is there some special method I'm missing?
Perhaps it was because I hadn't used Aura.
"If those monsters were coming, they'd be at our formation by now. Let's finish this quickly. Fireball."
A fireball materialized in front of his hand.
I hurled my sword at him. Enhanced by the 'Projectile' Trait, the blade flew with pinpoint accuracy toward his head.
"Ugh!"
The terrified man ducked to avoid the sword. Seizing the opening, I explosively concentrated Mana in my legs and leaped forward. Raising my right fist, I prepared to strike him squarely on the head.
"Fi-Fireball!"
A fireball hurtled toward me at point-blank range.
I remained completely unfazed. I had planned to take the hit from the start. After all, the pain would be minimal, and I'd be fully healed once the match ended.
Boom!
The fireball detonated, engulfing my body in flames. My fist slammed into the man's head with brutal force.
We crashed to the ground, entangled in a chaotic heap.
As the flames dissipated, my body turned pitch-black and became completely immobile. The impact of the fall had the same effect on my opponent, leaving him equally paralyzed.
In the end, we were both equally incapacitated.
"Ugh... you ridiculous bastard..."
"This was all part of the plan."
I didn't know how he had managed to fly, but I had successfully defended our formation. With no other enemy team members attacking, the game was already over. There was no way to stop Kyle and Charnel, who had gone to attack the enemy formation.
Two minutes later, my blackened body returned to its original state. There were no injuries, and my clothes weren't even scorched.
Game over! The Red Team wins! Prepare for the next match!
The fallen man sighed and struggled to his feet.
"Ugh... how are we supposed to stop those two?"
He grumbled as he returned to his formation. I understood his frustration. If I were in his position, I would have felt the same way.
The finals are best-of-three. The second match will be held in the Labyrinth Field, so we won't be able to use the flying attack strategy we just used.
The second match began shortly after. Ruby cast a barrier around our flag, while I stood still, my gaze fixed on the labyrinth entrance.
"What do you think will happen? Will they attack us the same way they did before?" Ruby asked.
I shook my head. "This is the Labyrinth Field. They can only approach us head-on, so they can't use any surprise tactics like before."
There was nothing for us to do but wait. Kyle and Charnel would inevitably capture the enemy formation.
-The match is over! The Red Team wins! The Competition Tournament concludes here! The Red Team, prepare for the awards ceremony!
The maze walls around us crumbled into mud, collapsing onto the ground and transforming into a flat plain.
They've lifted the barrier.
Kyle and Charnel strode confidently toward us. No Academy student could stop them; only Melissa stood a chance.
"Mr. Kyle! Charnel! Great job "
I grabbed Ruby's shoulder as she lunged forward. She looked at me with puzzled eyes.
"Mr. Sung Yujin...?"
"..."
There was no time to answer Ruby. My eyes were fixed on the sky, my expression frozen in alarm.
"W-what's that? A black stone...?"
A rhombus-shaped black stone floated in the sky, emitting a pitch-black aura from its three-meter-wide form.
Magic Stone Gate.
Also known as the Demon's Gate, it possessed the power to summon creatures from the Demon Realm and gradually corrupt its surroundings, transforming them into an environment resembling the Demon Realm.
Is that thing appearing now?
The Magic Stone Gate was a demonic artifact that appeared in the latter half of the original work.
I knew the original plot had been altered, but I never imagined it would be to this extent. The Demon hiding within the Academy must have activated the Magic Stone Gate.
The air around the Magic Stone Gate shimmered, and countless black, eight-armed monkey-like monsters erupted from the portal. These were Eight-Armed Monkeys, one of the Demonic Beasts native to the Demon Realm.
Only an Aura Expert, at minimum, could handle these creatures without overexerting themselves.
For now, only Eight-Armed Monkeys were being summoned, but as time passed, even more powerful Demonic Beasts would undoubtedly emerge.
Emergency situation! Alert all students of Goldway Academy! Until the crisis is resolved, individual actions are prohibited. Prioritize defense and survival alongside your comrades! Our professors will work to contain the situation as quickly as possible. Repeat: This is an emergency! Until the crisis is resolved...
Eight-Armed Monkeys, Demonic Beasts from the Demon Realm, continued to pour through the Magic Stone Gate. The only saving grace was the absence of Demons. Had Demons appeared, the situation would have spiraled completely out of control. As it stood, the professors still had a chance to contain the crisis.
No... if a Demon had appeared, Priscilla would have moved. What is she doing right now?
Priscilla was easy to spot. She was in the audience section where the Professors were seated, her arms crossed as she glared fiercely at the Magic Stone Gate.
Damn woman. Does she have no intention of intervening? And how did that hidden Demon manage to activate the Magic Stone Gate without Priscilla noticing?
Frustratingly, nothing was clear. We lacked too much information.
"Yujin, Ruby!"
Kyle and Charnel approached us, their faces grim.
"K-Kyle... what should we do?" Ruby asked, her voice trembling with panic. Kyle stared intently at the Magic Stone Gate and the Eight-Armed Monkey before replying, his expression grave.
"We can't just stand here and do nothing. Even if the professors act, the damage will only grow worse. We have to go help."
Charnel agreed.
"Kyle's right. Those are Eight-Armed Monkeys among the most vicious Demonic Beasts. What makes them particularly dangerous is their pack behavior. We need to reduce their numbers before they gather."
"But... the professor said our top priority should be defense and survival... Wouldn't it be better to stay here? There's a barrier..."
For safety, staying here would be ideal. The grand barrier protecting the arena is so sturdy that only an Aura Master-level expert could break it. Even Eight-Armed Monkeys couldn't breach it without using the designated entrances.
"Hmph. With Kyle and my combined strength, it's a different story. We can resolve this situation much faster if we take charge. You and Yujin should just hide in a corner."
Charnel's arrogant attitude persisted even in this urgent situation. The urge to punch her surged within me.
Kyle glared at the Magic Stone Gate, which was summoning Demonic Beasts, and asked Charnel, "Charnel, that seems to be the source... Do you know what it is?"
"I have no idea. I've never even heard of anything like that before. Master might know..."
Priscilla wouldn't know either.
The Magic Stone Gate had only recently been created in the Demon Realm.
"Yujin. Yuria... Where are the maids?" Kyle asked me, clearly worried about Yuria.
"I'll be leaving soon, right? The maids are in the city preparing for that."
"If that thing hasn't appeared in the city... then the maids should be safe."
Kyle's face brightened slightly.
To be honest, Rizel and Kelly were indeed in the city, but Yuria was currently at the Academy Library.
Yuria predicted today's attack.
According to Yuria, from a demon's perspective, there couldn't be a better day for an attack. Since the demon's target was the Forbidden Grimoire in the library, the Competition Tournament was the perfect event to draw people's attention away.
I thought there was a low chance of an attack today.
Rumors about a Demon are circulating secretly within the Academy. For the Demon, this is an awkward situation to be in.
Yet the Demon has still shown itself. Its goal is undoubtedly the Grimoire.
I'm worried about Yuria. Even for her, facing a Demon alone would be incredibly difficult.
"Yujin, Ruby, we're heading to where the Professors are. You two should stay here."
"Kyle's right. With your current skills, you'd be more of a hindrance than help. Stay here."
Kyle and Charnel said this as they hurried toward the waiting room, planning to use the emergency exit to bypass the Barrier.
After they left, I waited a few dozen seconds before turning to Ruby.
"Ruby, I just remembered something I need to take care of. You stay here. If you don't want to be alone, head over to the Blue Team's side."
"No, no! Where are you going in this situation?! There's no safer place than here!"
"I told you, I have important business to attend to!"
I brushed past Ruby, who was trying to block me, and dashed forward. My destination was, of course, the Library.
"Squeak, squeak?! Screech, screech, screech!"
On my way to the Library, I encountered an Eight-Armed Monkey, a black primate with eight limbs.
The creature, easily over two meters tall, tilted its head at me before breaking into a chilling grin.
"Laugh all you want, monkey bastard."
I drew the Hwaryeon Flying Dagger from my Inventory and gripped it tightly.
The Eight-Armed Monkey stopped laughing and stared intently at the crimson blade in my hand. Greed flickered in its bloodshot eyes.
"Squeak! Screech, screech!"
The creature pointed at my dagger with the index fingers of its four right hands. Judging by its gestures, it seemed to be demanding the weapon.
I smirked and raised my middle finger at the Eight-Armed Monkey with my left hand.
"Squeak?"
The creature, its eyes darting around, suddenly leaped up and began to rage, apparently understanding that I had insulted it.
"Squeeeak!"
The Eight-Armed Monkey bared its claws and charged at me.
No need for Momentary.
Crackling.
Crimson lightning crackled along the blade.
I brushed past the Eight-Armed Monkey's left side, slashing through two of its arms and its flank.
"Squeak?!"
The Eight-Armed Monkey shrieked in pain, yet lunged at me again.
Crack.
The crimson thunderbolt arcing from my blade made the creature flinch, clearly terrified of Crimson Lightning.
So what if it's a Demonic Beast? Its intelligence is still beast-level.
Seizing the opportunity, I dove into its guard and plunged my dagger deep into its chest. The enhanced Hwaryeon Flying Dagger sliced effortlessly through its tough hide.
Crackling!
Crimson Lightning writhed and danced across the Eight-Armed Monkey's body. As I withdrew the blade, the creature collapsed to the floor, its corpse emitting a thick, acrid stench of burning flesh.
"Heh heh."
A chuckle escaped my lips.
In terms of raw physical prowess, the Eight-Armed Monkey surpassed me.
Yet in experience, I held an overwhelming advantage.
Having lived solely in the Demon Realm, the creature had likely never encountered an opponent like me. As a Hunter, I had honed my skills through relentless training to hunt Monsters, and I had honed my combat skills through practical experience using the Combat Puppets at the Ancient Warrior Training Grounds.
I turned back toward the Library.
"Screech?!"
"Screeeech!"
"Chirp! Chirp!"
More than five black monkeys glared at me with crimson eyes. Sensing the blood of their fallen comrade on my body, they radiated murderous intent.
"Only five? I'll kill you all."
Grasping my blade in a reverse grip, I lowered my stance and charged at them.
"Screeeeeeeech!"
The creatures roared and charged in unison. Two lunged straight ahead, while three flanked to the right and left.
Hiss.
I took a deep breath, tensing my muscles. Lowering my stance almost to the ground, I swung my sword in a wide arc.