“Monster Exploration” was a class where you learned about monsters, as the name suggested.
It could be described as a class where you learned about the characteristics, habits, weaknesses, and methods of defeating monsters.
Until the previous classes, we had only learned theory in the classroom, but today the professor in charge announced that it would be a practical session.
The assistant professor led the way to a large common area in the basement of the main building.
“This place is creepy. It’s not like monsters will suddenly jump out from somewhere, right?”
“Well, I hope not.”
Kaen muttered as she looked around, causing Esca to flinch uneasily.
Indeed, considering it was a classroom location, the atmosphere was gloomy, and other students also displayed signs of tension.
I already had some knowledge about Elphon’s underground space.
I heard that this place was used for risky or challenging research, which couldn’t be conducted in the open spaces on the surface.
For instance, experiments involving monsters as subjects or taming magic, things like that.
That’s why today’s Monster Exploration class was held in this kind of place.
I’d seen huge wagons of monsters pulled into the academy a few times before, but it seemed they were all kept here underground.
Soon, the professor in charge arrived.
“Well then, shall we move? It’s our first practical session, and today should feel more like an excursion, so don’t be too tense.”
Following the professor’s guidance, we walked along a long underground corridor.
After passing through a magical barrier at a gateway, a space resembling an underground prison for prisoners emerged.
The students gasped softly at the sight of monsters confined behind iron bars.
Goblins.
The first monster we encountered was a goblin, one of the most common and weakest monsters.
The professor sought permission from the guards and allowed the students to get closer to observe the monsters.
So this was what they meant by an excursion. It felt like visiting a zoo or something similar.
“Wow, they’re really ugly.”
“Look at that guy over there. He’s sitting alone in the corner, banging his head?”
“Ahh!”
At that moment, several goblins rushed towards them with a scream, crashing into the iron bars.
Some students who were spectating laughed but were startled and backed away from the iron bars.
The charging goblins pointed at the startled students with their fingers and laughed mockingly.
Looking at the students with scared faces, the professor spoke.
“Goblins may be weak, but they are malicious and provoke and exploit humans. Remember, no matter how weak a monster is, never let your guard down. If you encounter goblins in the wild, maintain composure and stay rational.”
Zap!
The goblins were startled by the sparks that occurred around the iron bars and fled back to their corner.
The professor withdrew his hand and moved the students to the next section.
Among the monsters we were observing, there were some we had learned about in theoretical classes and others they hadn’t.
I glanced at Kaen, who was walking nearby.
Unlike the other students, she seemed surprisingly bored with observing monsters.
Perhaps she had encountered monsters so frequently in the mountain range where she used to live that it had become tedious for her.
The class finally arrived at a giant gateway that was a far cry from the gateways we had been through before.
“We will conclude the class after observing the final monster here.”
Considering the extraordinary mana of the magic barrier, I wondered if powerful monsters were trapped inside.
And my assumption was correct.
[Level 46]
Grrrr.
Beyond the iron bars, in the darkness, eerie red eyes gleamed menacingly.
A gigantic humanoid monster reminiscent of a giant.
A Koite?
As soon as I saw its distinctive gray skin, I immediately recognized its identity.
Some students seemed to recoil from the aura emitted by the creature.
The savagery of the monster was on a different level compared to ordinary beasts.
Since the students were not accustomed to such an aura, even a helpless monster in a prison cell was enough to make them tremble.
“This is the monster I briefly mentioned in the previous class, ‘Koite.’ It is also known as the Mage Hunter.”
Koite, the Mage Hunter.
The reason it was called the Mage Hunter was due to its exceptional resistance to magic.
Even mages of considerable skill were said to be unable to inflict even the slightest injury on it.
It’s a level 40 monster at most.
By the way, was Elphon capturing such large creatures and using them as test subjects? It was quite astonishing.
At that moment, the professor gave a strange smile and made a sudden remark.
“Aren’t you all disappointed to end the practical session like this? Shall we play one last entertaining game?”
...A game?
“As I explained, this Koite is a monster called a mage hunter, so it’s incredibly resistant to magic. Is there any student here who believes they can inflict a wound on Koite? If anyone succeeds in causing even the slightest injury, I will award an immediate A+ grade in my class. It has nothing to do with the semester exams or future lessons.”
The students buzzed with excitement at this radical statement.
The Monster Exploration class had only just begun its third session. Yet, the professor was offering the highest grade right away?
Clank.
The professor coolly opened the door to the cage.
“Is there a student who wants to give it a try? I’ll give you one chance. The challenging student should enter the iron bars and freely unleash their magic towards Koite.”
However, there was no one who volunteered readily.
Even if it was a restrained monster or if a dangerous situation occurred and the professor would step forward, it was not easy to muster the courage to directly attack such a monster with offensive magic.
“Should I give it a try?”
Of course, Kaen was an exception.
There was not the slightest hint of nervousness or fear in the way she scratched her chin and muttered.
I wondered if she would step up if no other volunteers came forward...
“I-I’ll do it.”
An unexpected person raised their hand before anyone else.
Kaen also turned to Esca in surprise. The person who raised their hand was Esca.
I didn’t think Esca had a proactive personality for this kind of thing. Was the allure of an A+ grade that strong?
“Hey, Esca. You’re not overdoing it, right?”
“It’s okay. I’ll give it a try.”
With a deep breath, Esca walked into the iron bars while everyone watched.
Facing Koite up close, her stance was no different from a mouse in front of a lion.
“How is it? Do you think she’ll succeed?”
“Is there even a chance? Her magical skills are the lowest in the class.”
Kaen glared fiercely at the students, who were laughing and gossiping around. They flinched and fell silent.
However, it wasn’t an inaccurate statement.
There was no way that someone of Esca’s level could deal damage to a monster of that level.
“Haah, haah...”
Esca’s breathing became ragged again as she realized how much pressure she could feel now that she stood face to face with the monster.
She mustered her strength and unleashed her magic, barely pulling her power together.
A fireball emerged in the air and flew in Koite’s direction.
She’s targeting the eyes.
If it were the eyes, they would be vulnerable compared to the exterior and could be a suitable target to aim at, but...
Crack!
However, Koite vigorously shook its head and effortlessly annihilated the flying fireball.
With not a scratch on it, the Koite stood there swaying while opening his mouth wide and roaring towards Esca.
“Kyaaah!”
Esca clutched her hands over her ears and slumped to the floor.
The professor walked over and helped her to her feet.
“Nice try,” he said, “but you’re not going to be able to land a single punch on Koite with that kind of power.”
Esca walked out of the cage, completely disoriented.
Kaen comforted her.
“Are you okay, Esca?”
“Yeah, I’m fine...”
The monster’s roar also affected even the other students.
No matter how eager they were for good grades, it seemed unlikely that any student would dare to challenge further.
“I’ll do it.”
However, at that moment, someone else raised their hand. It was Lea.
Walking through the prison bars, Lea calmly stood in front of the Koite.
Despite the guy becoming even more ferocious after the previous attack, she showed no signs of intimidation.
I watched that scene with a slightly intrigued expression.
Would she be able to land a blow? Would she try to go for the eyes like Esca?
She immediately reached out her hand and unleashed magic towards Koite.
Kwaaang!
Koite, hit by the magic projectile that shot out like a beam, let out a pained scream.
With a sharp smoke, blood was flowing from Koite’s chest.
Such a simple success. It was a perfect strike that didn’t even aim for a weakness.
I stared at the scene, my head tilted. It wasn’t just a simple magic projectile...
Krooooo!
As the wounded Koitee tried to thrash violently, Lea flinched in surprise and tried to unleash magic again.
But before that, the professor stepped in.
The professor’s magic spread widely, enveloping Koite and suppressing it.
After calming Koite down, the professor applauded and spoke in an amazed tone.
“Impressive, Lea Herwyn. I didn’t expect you to succeed so easily.”
The other students also looked at her with admiration and envy.
Meanwhile, Kaen murmured with a disappointed expression.
“Oh, I wanted to do it first.”
Suddenly, I noticed Esca’s expression standing next to Kaen.
She was looking at Lea with a slightly darkened expression, tightly biting her lips.
***
During the evening hours, we sometimes practiced at the common training ground after meals.
Originally, it was the four of us, but recently, an additional member joined—Vaion.
“Kaen, Ran. Your bodies are well-trained, not like typical mages. Have you perhaps learned martial arts too?”
“Yes.”
“You guys are a curious bunch. I heard that Rigon is learning magic as well as swordsmanship.”
“Why don’t you try learning some magic too, Vaion?”
“It’s pointless. My body and a single sword are enough for me.”
Vaion had a stern demeanor, but he wasn’t a bad person by nature.
Should I say that his personality matched his appearance as a warrior?
“You guys go ahead. I’m planning to stay a bit longer and do some more training alone.”
“Really? Alright, got it.”
After finishing the training, the others left the training ground before me.
The promise of more training was an excuse. It had been a while since I’d checked to see if any hidden mystery had spawned in the library, so I wanted to go and confirm it.
I sat down for a moment, resting, and was about to get up and head outside...
“...”
I saw a student entering the training ground.
It was Lea.
Considering the late hour and the fact that I had never come across her on the training ground before, it was unexpected.
Why did she come to the shared training ground?
The training grounds were separated for the departments of magic and swordsmanship.
The faculty-specific training grounds had better facilities, but we came to the common training grounds because of Rigon.
Perhaps it was because the shared training ground was more spacious, or maybe there were fewer people?
Although our eyes met, Lea didn’t pay any attention to me and took her place on the other side of the training ground.
I decided to stay a little longer instead of leaving immediately.
I was suddenly curious about how she practiced magic.
The magic Lea displayed was a simple ice magic. A gathering of white cold air formed in the air.
While gazing at that scene and sensing something peculiar, I soon realized the nature of the unfamiliarity.
'Is it the same as last time?'
In the previous monster exploration class, she displayed a magical attack against Koite.
Even back then, I thought it was peculiar. It was clearly different from just unfolding magic.
As I observed her for a moment longer, I could immediately grasp the principle.
“Could it be an application of magic formula?”
Muttering like that, Lea suddenly stopped using magic and turned abruptly in my direction, looking surprised for some reason.
I wondered why she was staring at me, but she quickly approached me.
“What did you just say?”
“Um... What?”
“What did you say just now?”
Did she hear me muttering from that distance? She had good hearing.
But why is she acting like this?
I raised my head and replied.
“Yes. I was wondering if you had just applied some sort of formula to amplify your power, like in the previous monster exploration class.”
“How did you know about that?”
“What do you mean?... I just saw it.”
As I said that, I realized the reason for her reaction.
Normally, people wouldn’t notice just by watching?
With my heightened senses, I could perceive the flow of magic in meticulous detail.
Besides, I had recently studied magic, so my magical knowledge had also increased to some extent.
So when her spell suddenly amplified in power at some point during its unfolding, I knew it wasn’t just the result of manipulation. I naturally connected the dots with the formula.
Lea stared at me for a moment, as if observing me, and then spoke again.
“Your intuition seems quite good. You’re right, I just took the elements of the formula that are responsible for magical amplification and modified them.”
“I see.”
So, it’s possible to increase the power of magic in that way.
I thought it wasn’t a technique suitable for a student level.
“...”
There was a brief silence.
Lea, for some reason, continued to stand in front of me. Did she have something else to say?
When I stared at her intently, she finally turned around and returned to her original position.
A variation on the formula.
I tried unleashing a fire magic spell once.
Of course, I completely failed to apply the principle of transformation.
I didn’t even know the exact composition of my formula yet, let alone how to transform it.
Lea knew exactly what she’s doing, making it possible for her, but it was an impossible task for me.
I withdrew my magic and turned my gaze away.
Lea, who had been glancing this way, suddenly showed a disappointed expression and turned her head.
What’s wrong with her?
Thinking she was a strange person, I moved my steps out of the training ground.
I headed straight to the public library to confirm the mystery. However, there was still no Mystery to be found.
