Chapter 187: 9th Week Midterms Part 11

Released:

Blood Fury Pill.

It was a secret elixir of the Blood Cult.

When consumed, it would unleash the latent potential inside the user and grant them a temporary surge of power that far exceeded their limits.

Of course, such power comes with inevitable side effects.

Not only would the user’s blood flow become twisted and cause them to fall into madness, but their blood would rapidly dry up and eventually turn them into a mummy.

In other words, death was certain the moment they took it.

Because of these severe side effects, even the Blood Cult, which treated human life lightly rarely used the Blood Fury Pill.

Even if it meant sacrificing low-ranking warriors, the risks usually outweighed the benefits.

However,

“If it’s a monster, the story changes.”

“……!”

Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek Jun-seok’s expressions hardened as they began to see the bigger picture.

The Blood Fury Pill had been processed into liquid form.

And that liquid was forcibly injected into the ogre through the syringe.

If that happened, the already ferocious ogres would rampage even more and cause enormous harm to the students.

Any loss of life would mean fewer future heroes.

They’ve probably tampered with the safety mechanisms too.

This would be a significant loss for the Dragon Slayer Academy, but a huge gain for the Blood Cult and other hostile groups.

“Kim-hyung.”

Just then, Go Hyeon-woo and Shin Byeong-cheol also arrived. They arrived here with the help of the twin GPS item.

They wore their usual bright expressions, but after I explained the Blood Fury Pill to them, their faces darkened as well.

Shin Byeong-cheol’s survival instincts kicked in first.

“Then shouldn’t we get out of here as soon as possible?”

He meant we should leave the dungeon before things went south.

We also needed to alert the academy to the danger as quickly as possible.

But I shook my head.

“It’s already too late.”

“……?”

I raised my finger to point at the sky, and everyone followed my gaze.

The sky was gradually filling with dark clouds.

Among them, faint traces of lightning crackled.

“The interference has already begun.”

The academy still held control over the dungeon, but it was safe to say that half of it had already been taken away.

In such a situation, it was uncertain whether the safety mechanisms would work properly.

I raised my fist.

“If it seems safer to leave, then I can help you go.”

“Oh no, hyungs. We live together or die together. Loyalty, you know? We have to stick together.”

Shin Byung-cheol waved his hand and stepped back.

Even if someone got beaten to the point of being unable to fight, it was not clear whether they would be ejected or not.

In that case, it was better to stay together than to risk one’s life alone.

Next, Go Hyeon-woo asked.

“What should we do now, Kim-hyung?”

“First, let’s hear what you all think.”

I looked at each of the five in turn and then continued with my question.

“Do you think the six of us can’t take down an ogre?”

“I think… it’s possible… maybe?”

Hong Yeon-hwa answered with a slightly hesitant but more confident tone.

The others also seemed to agree with Hong Yeon-hwa’s opinion.

Even though the ogre had become more powerful after being injected with the blood fury pill, with all six of us, we could manage to take it down.

Likewise, other teams were moving in groups of four to six, so we didn’t expect the damage to be too severe.

I’ve lowered the difficulty level as well.

Originally, there must have been other arrangements made by the Blood Cult in addition to the Blood Fury Pill, but the elder who held those plans was killed at the black market.

The reason why I went through all that trouble, borrowing the help of the thieves’ club, the graduates, and even the disciplinary committee, was to prepare for this very moment.

As a result, while we managed to reduce what would have been a “major disaster” to just a “disaster”.

“There’s still one problem.”

“What kind of problem?”

“There’s a boss-level monster.”

The Alpha Ogre.

It was the only boss-level ogre on the deserted island during the midterm exam.

While regular ogres typically had a fighting power rated between D and C rank, the Alpha was around C+.

And with the Blood Fury Pill added to the mix,

“Six first-years won’t be able to stop it.”

“Hmm… then we’ll need reinforcements.”

“Right, and mediocre ones won’t do.”

Anyone with average skills would be knocked out with a single swing from the Alpha.

At the very least, these “reinforcements” needed to be capable of handling a regular ogre with ease.

It seemed like a similar thought passed through everyone’s mind.

Someone with exceptional skills who would willingly help in this dangerous task of taking down the Alpha Ogre.

“We’ll have to talk to the disciplinary committee members.”

“I see. But how do you plan to find them?”

Baek Jun-seok asked me.

The disciplinary committee members, like us, were probably wandering somewhere on the deserted island.

We had to somehow meet these people and ask for help, but we couldn’t just wander around the deserted island recklessly.

Other teams wouldn’t let them go easily.

Even if we explained the situation, there was no guarantee they would believe us.

I responded casually.

“We’ll make them come to us.”

***

The Blood Cult still hadn’t injected the Blood Fury Pill into the ogres.

They planned to start in earnest after they completely took control of the dungeon, and the Alpha Ogre would likely appear around the same time.

So it was best to finish talking with the disciplinary committee members before that.

And there was nothing better than crystal charging to draw the attention of other participants.

So we headed toward the nearest sanctuary.

A tower stood tall on a bulging hill, and light was flashing on the upper floors of the tower.

“Looks like someone’s already charging it.”

“At least it’s not too crowded yet.”

If people had gathered, there would already be battles near the tower like yesterday, but for now, it was relatively peaceful.

They had just finished replenishing supplies, so everyone would only now start gathering at the sanctuary.

I warned the group to stay alert.

“Adjust your strength appropriately, and back off if you think you’ll get hurt.”

“Okay.”

There was no guarantee the safety mechanisms would work properly, so we had to be prepared for the possibility of getting injured.

It was also important to conserve as much strength as possible for the upcoming battle.

As we climbed the hill, a group of three—two men and a woman—blocked our path.

The fourth member was probably busy charging the crystal in the tower.

The female student, who seemed to be the leader, pointed her sword at us.

“D-Don’t come any closer!”

Whoosh,

But when Hong Yeon-hwa approached with a ball of fire in her hand, they hesitated and stepped back.

Of course, backing away didn’t make them any safer.

Red magic circles started to spread across the ground.

Hong Yeon-hwa frowned and threw out a curt order to the immobilized trio.

“Clear out.”

“…….”

At that, the group quickly canceled the crystal charge and hurried down the hill.

Hong Yeon-hwa who looked pleased with herself turned to face us with a smug expression on her face. It looked as if she was asking, “Did I do well?”

I gave her a slight nod before turning to Shin Byeong-cheol.

“You’ll do the charging today, as usual.”

“Of course, leave it to me.”

When Shin Byeong-cheol held out his hand, I handed over all the uncharged crystals to him.

Including the ones I had just taken from the other four, there were more than ten, so Shin Byeong-cheol asked with a bitter smile.

“But isn’t this a bit much? How am I supposed to charge all of these?”

“You’ll be done in no time. Here, take this too.”

“Oh.”

It was the [Prism] obtained from a supply box.

By using this, he could charge two crystals at once which would significantly cut down the time.

“Let’s get started then.”

“…….”

“…….”

With just a single word from me, the group exchanged glances and naturally divided their roles.

Shin Byeong-cheol grabbed the prism and crystals and dashed into the tower.

Seo Ye-in concealed herself with the invisible ghillie suit at the top of the tower.

Hong Yeon-hwa began setting up fire pillar magic circles around the area.

And Baek Jun-seok took position as if to protect Hong Yeon-hwa.

Meanwhile, Go Hyeon-woo and I decided to move flexibly according to the situation.

Go Hyeon-woo glanced at what I was holding and asked.

“What’s that flute for?”

“It’s something that can turn you into everyone’s idol.”

“……?”

It was the goblin flute we had obtained from the supply box just yesterday.

It was faster to show than to explain, so I brought the flute to my lips and blew with all my might.

Screeeeech—!

A sound like nails dragging across a chalkboard rang out. It was grating on the ears.

The goblin flute kept emitting that irritating noise even after I took my mouth off it, and then it suddenly crumbled into pieces.

It’s a one-time-use item.

But its effect was undeniable.

Not long after,

– Kerrek! Kekek!

– Grrr…

The area was soon filled with the snorting sounds of goblins, and my vision was flooded with green.

Goblins from all around were converging on our location.

Most of them were ordinary goblins, but there were a few Beheader Goblins mixed in as well.

Go Hyeon-woo glanced around and let out a chuckle.

“Indeed, the term ‘idol’ couldn’t be more fitting. But was it necessary to use it now?”

“This is the best timing.”

Since we had occupied the sanctuary, it was only normal that we’d clash with other teams.

In that case, drawing in the goblins like this to stir things up was a good strategy.

Boom!

A loud noise sounded from below the hill, and goblins were sent flying in all directions.

It seemed that a clash had broken out between the other teams and the goblins.

“At the very least, sneaking up on us is impossible.”

With monsters swarming all around, how could anyone approach without being detected?

To climb the hill, they had no choice but to reveal themselves and push through the horde of goblins.

And those who did reveal themselves,

Bang! Bang!

They became excellent targets for Seo Ye-in.

They were already struggling to deal with the monsters in front of them, so they couldn’t withstand the constant sniping and most of them ended up retreating down the hill.

They must have decided that with plenty of other sanctuaries around there was no need to remain on this one.

“It’s like using one to subdue the other.”

“Something like that.”

The goblins served as a living wall, so from our perspective, there was no need to engage in intense combat with them.

We just had to push back any that got too close and keep a bit more pressure on the teams fighting the goblins.

As we continued to stall for time like that,

Fzzzzzzt, crash!

Lightning flashed and it was followed by a loud noise.

“They’re here.”

When I turned my gaze toward the source of the thunderous noise, I saw a team charging up the hill and cutting through the goblins like an unstoppable force.

Song Cheon-hye, Han So-mi, Geum Jo-han, and Jo Byeok.

It was the four-member “Prefect Team”.

Boom!

Jo Byeok’s powerful strike tore a huge hole through the green wave of goblins.

Without discriminating between ordinary goblins and Beheader Goblins, they obliterated everything in their path as they advanced forward.

When they drew closer, Han So-mi waved her hand cheerfully.

“Hello, hello!”

But despite her bright demeanor, there was a sharp glint in her eyes.

The sword she held loosely at her side seemed ready to strike at any moment.

Song Cheon-hye was the same and her body was crackling with lightning.

She glanced at me and Go Hyeon-woo, exchanged a glare with Hong Yeon-hwa, and then looked up toward the top of the tower.

It seemed she had realized that Seo Ye-in was hiding there.

All things considered, it seemed like even the Prefect Team couldn’t underestimate us.

Perhaps that’s why Song Cheon-hye tried to negotiate instead of immediately picking a fight with us.

“We’d appreciate it if you’d share the sanctuary with us for a moment. We just need to recharge two crystals.”

“I don’t mind that, but take a look at this.”

I tossed the Blood Fury Syringe to Song Cheon-hye.

As soon as they confirmed what it was, the faces of all four members of the Prefect Team hardened ominously.

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