"Come here, you fool!"
Heeheeheeing!
Dwener shouted towards the hills, but all he got in return was a mocking neigh.
"No, come here, I said!"
As the horse gradually disappeared from sight, Dwener began scratching at the hillside with his hands.
Hmm, his actions are exactly like our rabbit's.
Watching this, the children started whispering among themselves.
"Why is the Principal here?"
"Didn't he come to rescue us?"
"...I think he fell off his horse. The dust cloud from earlier wasn’t just from landing."I would vote in favor of Rodelin's opinion.
Dwener was passing by on horseback.
The sudden appearance of a grade 4 demon must have startled both Dwener and his horse, causing him to fall off.
Rolling down the hill made by Mabelga, he met us by chance.
Rodelin approached Dwener, who was desperately looking outwards.
"Principal, please calm down. The children are watching."
"U-um! Of course. I was merely sending the horse away. This place will soon become a battlefield, after all."
"..."
"Ah, anyway! Now that I'm here, have no fear! That demon, coming here while I'm around, is truly unlucky!"
Indeed, it is unlucky... for you, Dwener.
Clutching an old spear, Dwener trembled like a leaf.
Facing a grade 4 demon when even a windmill would be fatal to him, it was understandable.
‘Let's just keep him in the back.’
Benius's remaining health is about 20%, significantly reduced stats thanks to Adonis's attack.
Meanwhile, we have a 40% final damage buff from the four essence orbs.
We can handle Benius without Dwener.
The only question is why there's a hidden piece involving Dwener in the Carpathia invasion.
‘Whatever the reason, we can't afford to lose Dwener here.’
Even if he’s a parachute, he's still the Principal.
I can’t lose my valuable asset, Dwener, who’s been helping me out in various ways(?)... not that he knows.
Whether the Principal would follow my orders was uncertain, but with his high favorability, I should manage.
"Keke, it’s reassuring to have you here, Principal. Could I entrust you with rear support?"
"...Rear support?"
"A very dangerous and critical role that only you can perform, Principal."
"Hmm! A role perfect for me. Don’t worry! My Secret Technique, Radiant Revolving Dance of the Flashing Storm, can be used from a distance!"
...Whatever that is.
I don't know what it is, but let's move on. The priority is defeating Benius.
‘Ten Thousand Lightning, Heavenly Lightning, and White Lightning...’
I know the skills, but the gimmicks are the issue.
In this game, ‘Hero of the Academy,’ skills with the same name can vary based on the gimmick.
Lack of information is deadly.
Especially when the penalty is ‘death.’
‘If only this were a multiple-playthrough scenario, I’d have invested all my points into magic to increase my mana pool.’
Seeing [Ten Thousand Lightning], I realized it.
Benius's gimmicks require active use of [Absolute Defense].
But since that’s impossible now, my best bet...
‘Should I draw the sacred sword?’
No, that’s not a solution. It’s just a temporary measure.
Moreover, drawing the sacred sword in front of so many children means the information would leak.
Using the sacred sword now would be a bad move.
‘Excluding the sacred sword, the only option is...’
Crackle-.
The hole in Benius’s body. Through it, I saw a spear embedded in a rock.
A spear still emitting golden lightning.
Yes. It’s the spear Adonis threw.
My instincts told me this spear was the ‘key’ to defeating Benius.
‘The fact that it remains even after the battle started is proof.’
Despite Benius having 20% health left, his health stat is 4,782.
Translating to HP, that’s 47,820, meaning he has about 9,564 HP left.
Even after Adonis’s strike, he still has nearly 10,000 HP.
‘Considering his defense and passive skills, it’s comparable to Mabelga’s Water Shield.’
Or possibly more.
Given the 5-turn limit, long-cast spells like [Demon Slave] are out of the question.
That leaves [Ragnarok Blade] and Adonis's spear.
I chose Adonis's spear.
Given that Adonis, a 9-star knight, used it, it must be a high-tier item.
And there's one more thing.
‘With that skill, the possibility is sufficient.’
Deal damage over 4 turns while retrieving the spear, and use ‘that skill’ in the final turn.
The strategy was set. Now, it was time to execute it.
"The basic strategy remains the same as before. Raymon, you will have the first attack."
"Leave it to me."
Raymon’s trait increases evasion the closer he gets, making him perfect for checking the enemy’s gimmicks.
"Here I go!"
Raymon moved swiftly.
Slash!
Raymon’s sword cut Benius's belly but only left a scratch.
The damage dealt wasn’t important. What mattered was the ‘information’ that Raymon’s attack was allowed.
No counterattacks or reactions. Then.
First Secret Technique of the Vyuern family.
Explosive Force.
Clang!
"Ugh...!"
[Benius’s defense is reduced by 3%.]
3%. Not a large number, but significant in reducing defense.
Considering the level difference, it was a remarkable feat.
"Lightning Strike!"
"Haaap!"
The children’s attacks followed.
Swords, magic, holy power, and secret techniques. A dazzling array of attacks battered Benius.
However.
[19%]
We only managed to reduce it by 1%.
Despite his severe injuries, Benius’s high demon status was undiminished.
‘This will be a tough fight.’
Ssshh-.
Just then, a sound of something flying came from a distance.
Bang!
"Ugh!"
A small mushroom cloud rose around Benius.
Rezé’s gunfire. As expected of comrade Rezé(?).
Her attack was impressive enough to make me want to clap.
[17%]
Reducing 3% in one turn.
Maybe we could win without Adonis’s spear.
At that moment.
"Raaaargh!!"
Benius suddenly roared.
Electricity crackled from Benius’s body, spreading across the battlefield.
[Benius’s Demonic Magic activates. Party members will be randomly paralyzed. The closer to Benius, the higher the chance of paralysis.]
[Rodelin, Raymon, and Rezé cannot act next turn.]
"Damn, electrocution!"
"My, my hand...!"
Small bolts of lightning crackled around Rodelin and Raymon.
‘A status ailment gimmick that occurs every turn...!’
It’s a relief that they can still move, but Rezé being unable to act is fatal.
She’s currently our strongest attacker.
‘It’s not an attack, so Rezé won’t leave the battlefield, but...’
We can’t keep enduring this. Worst case, we could all get paralyzed.
And this was just the special gimmick that activates at the start of Benius’s turn. His turn wasn’t over yet.
"Face my wrath!"
Huge sparks flew from Benius’s hands. Blindingly white sparks.
[White Lightning]. Compared to other electric spells, it deals less damage but has a high chance of causing paralysis.
A characteristic white-colored electric spell.
A hologram window appeared before my squinting eyes.
[Benius’s Demonic Magic creates a synergy effect.]
[Characters hit by White Lightning will die instantly.]
"!?"
An instant death effect on [White Lightning]? This is an absurd Demonic Magic.
No time to complain now. I needed a way to counter [White Lightning].
I had [Absolute Defense] that blocks any attack.
‘But my mana hasn’t recovered yet...!’
It was the worst-case scenario, potentially losing someone.
I looked around the battlefield. The target of [White Lightning].
Rodelin.
White Lightning.
The white lightning shot towards Rodelin.
"Dodge it!"
"Do you think dodging magic is easy?"
Rodelin had some artifacts, but none to counter instant death.
"Shield!"
Rodelin used one of the spells in her pendant. But.
Crackle-!
The white lightning easily pierced the shield, heading for Rodelin.
"Damn...!"
Rodelin crossed her arms to brace for the impact.
No. That won’t prevent the instant death.
She will die. Rodelin will die because of my mistake.
"Rodelin!"
I reached out. Even though it was out of reach, I still reached out.
"Ah..."
Did she sense death? In the moment our gazes met in the air.
Someone threw themselves in front of Rodelin.
Zap-!
"Argh!"
Thud.
Someone charred black fell to the ground.
"...Principal?"
Yes. The person who blocked [White Lightning] with their body. It was none other than Principal Dwener.
‘Could it be... this is why Dwener exists?’
A hidden piece prepared by the developers to minimize ally sacrifices if [Absolute Defense] is unavailable.
If this is true.
‘...This is the worst.’
It’s better than losing Rodelin. But sacrificing Dwener...
‘The developers must be heartless.’
"Principal! Wake up, Principal!"
Rodelin shook Dwener’s body. But it was pointless.
[White Lightning] was an instant death spell.
I hope he rests in peace.
Dwener, I will avenge you when I escape this world...
"Huff!"
At that moment. The charred Dwener abruptly sat up.
"???"
Did he survive instant death? How...
I used the [Information Window] skill on Dwener. Scrolling past the mediocre stats and miscellaneous skills.
To find the reason he survived the instant death. The ‘skill.’
And soon I found it.
[Trash's Tenacity S], [Interference S], [Bluff A].
I skipped it, thinking it wasn’t worth my time, but he had quite useful skills.
Especially.
[Trash's Tenacity S]
A skill awakened from being scorned and working hard for tasks.
When facing death, health won’t drop below 1.
Can be maintained up to 3 times per battle.
This skill was remarkable. Health won’t drop below 1 up to 3 times per battle.
‘It’s practically an invincibility skill.’
The reason Dwener survived Benius’s [White Lightning].
Clank-.
Dwener staggered to his feet.
"Do you think you can harm my... ahem, my students!"
Dwener’s eyes burned with determination. Not at the demon, but at me.
"Principal..."
"Hmm! Such vigor!"
"Still willing to fight in that state? Truly the Principal of Annwood Academy...!"
Despite his age, Dwener’s current physical state wasn’t much different from an elderly person.
The children’s cheers were understandable.
"Hm. But perhaps a bit of rest wouldn’t hurt..."
Realizing something was wrong, Dwener took a step back.
But I just smiled at Dwener.
‘The strategy was right in front of me.’
Sorry, but my gaming manual has no chapter on elderly care.
Elderly is written as 'Noyakja', as such it's 'no weak person.' So, it actually means they are NOT weak. (TL Note: Okay, this joke is impossible to translate in English, so I will explain it. Elderly in Korean is 노약자 (noyakja), where 약자 (yakja) means "weak person". As such, the joke is this "노약자는 NO약자", it simply replaces 노 (no) with NO)
--TL Notes--
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