WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 14

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Fog monkeys. I clicked my tongue when I heard the name. They were fairly famous magical beasts. They lived in fog thick with magical power and killed every living thing that entered it. They were not especially strong, but that trait made them quite infamous.

Like the corpse that had just vanished, as long as this fog existed, the monkeys would revive endlessly. Fighting magical beasts that kept attacking from inside fog made of magical power was no easy task. Even more so when there were not just one or two of them, but hundreds or thousands.

“Judging by the fog, there are at least several thousand. Everyone, stay sharp.”

Hongryeong spoke calmly. Everyone released their magical power. As if they had sensed that movement, cries and killing intent began to surge inside the fog. Still, the monkeys did not rush in easily. After seeing that they had not been able to damage the turtle at all, they seemed to be looking for an opening.

There were two ways to stop these endless monkeys.

The first was to clear away all the fog. If the fog disappeared, the monkeys would no longer be able to revive. The other was to break through the fog and escape. If we did that, they would never be able to chase us.

Of the two methods, the easiest and fastest was to leave the fog as we were. I made the turtle move faster. We could not delay any longer. No matter what, we had to get out of this fog.

“Evron-ssi, what is the most important part of this puppet?”

Hongryeong asked. It seemed Hongryeong had been thinking the same thing. He must have sensed that our options were running out inside the fog.

“Don’t worry about the shell. Please protect only the legs and head,” I answered through the puppet standing beside him.

I also raised my magical power and poured it into the turtle. The turtle’s speed rose faster and faster. Only then did the monkeys seem to grow desperate and begin moving. Had they finished probing us? Dozens, then hundreds of monkeys leaped from the trees and clung to the turtle’s body.

There was no time.

“Then I’ll go forward. I’ll protect the head and front legs.”

Hongryeong spoke while riding a wind fish. Without even waiting for the others to answer, he headed straight for the turtle’s head. Once he began floating near the turtle’s head, he calmly swept his gaze in every direction.

“Hmm, I hate dealing with things like this. Still, it is an exam.”

Ailey turned and headed for the turtle’s rear. Blood seeped from both her hands, then poured down like a waterfall. After spilling enough blood to form a small pool, she returned to her place. Her attitude said that would be enough.

Even in this situation, those two were completely at ease. The important parts they were in charge of probably would not be breached. In that case, all that remained was dealing with the ones swarming all over us.

“Could the two of you protect each flank?”

I spoke to the remaining two through a puppet. Shaking Rope and Sieger split up without hesitation and headed for the flanks.

The monkeys moved all at once. At first, they simply clung to the shell and charged blindly, but once they realized how thick it was, they gave up on that pointless attack.

Instead, they rushed toward the exposed parts, the head and four legs I had been worried about. Damn it, if only I had had more budget and time, I could have made it so we could charge straight through without caring about that kind of thing.

The group crawling up the turtle’s legs tried to hold down its enormous movements, while another group charged at its head. Every time the turtle moved, the black swarm of monkeys around it grew fiercer.

Hongryeong, positioned at the head, was using wind magic to knock the fog monkeys away. At the same time, he swung blades made of wind without hesitation. The monkeys clinging to the legs had their limbs torn apart by those blades and fell. Since the monkeys could not be killed anyway, it was an excellent strategy for forcing them out of position.

“If possible, subdue them without killing them. They’ll revive anyway.”

Hongryeong also relayed that strategy to each group member through the puppets.

“Hmmm, not killing them is hard. Should I try?”

Ailey whined. When the puppet beside her poured her tea, she accepted it, drank, and stirred her finger. Magical power bloomed from her fingertip and drew a rose-shaped magic circle. The magic circle seeped straight into the pool of blood.

The pool, now imbued with magic, transformed into a kind of slime. It stuck to the turtle’s leg and began crawling around. The slime swelled in size and engulfed the monkeys, and inside it, the monkeys melted in an instant.

“Ah, I made a mistake. I killed them.”

Ailey stirred her hand again. Smaller roses than before bloomed and settled onto the pool. The pool began trembling. The slime split into smaller lumps, spread in every direction, and melted the monkeys’ limbs.

Cold sweat ran down my back. It was a horrible sight. What if that magic changed targets and aimed at the turtle? The turtle’s hard shell might withstand it, but the legs or head would melt away easily.

“So, when can we get out?”

Sieger shouted. He was fighting the monkeys crawling up from the flank. As expected from a former soldier, he seemed extremely skilled with physical strength and practical magic. Each time he swung the huge spear he had pulled from who knew where, the monkeys were swept away. Every movement carried heavy, decisive force.

I roughly calculated the distance. The monkeys had only rushed us after the fog became thick enough. If this was the center of the fog, then to get out, we would have to go as far again as we had already come. It had been about an hour since the fog appeared. But since the turtle was running while absorbing my magical power, the time should shorten.

“If we’re quick, thirty minutes. At the latest, we should be out within an hour!”

I shouted through the puppet I had attached to him.

“Haha, then this will be easy. Good enough for a warm-up!”

Sieger laughed heartily and swung his spear. It did not seem like I had to worry about that side being breached either. Then last was Shaking Rope. Shaking Rope was simply standing still. Around her, though, the monkeys were all trembling and collapsing.

What in the world was that? I blinked.

Shaking Rope was laughing shrilly as she looked at the black smoke pouring from her fingertips. The timid look from earlier was nowhere to be seen.

That black smoke was eating away at the fog surrounding us. Inside it, the monkeys aged in an instant, went blind, and fell ill. It was an incredibly powerful curse. She was blocking her side easily too. At this point, I almost pitied the monkeys.

This should be fine. Everyone was holding their position well enough. We only had to endure a little longer until we escaped the fog.

Time passed like that. Everyone leisurely held off the monkeys in their own positions. The monkeys lost their limbs and fell beneath the turtle in showers.

The fog gradually began to thin, and the number of monkeys began to decrease. Was it over now?

Just as I was relaxing, the turtle’s front foot suddenly sank deep into the ground.

These monkey bastards had dug a trap. They were more meticulous than I had expected. Since they could not do anything with their existing strategy, they had changed methods entirely. The turtle’s front leg got caught, and its enormous body tipped forward. The turtle fell. The ground shook, and the turtle’s roar burst out. No, my little cutie!

I had been too confident because I knew the path. Since I had been running by looking only at the grain of the fog, I had not paid attention to the ground beneath us. It was a huge mistake on my part.

At that moment, an overwhelming number of monkeys attacked the turtle all at once. Their new strategy was clear. Since the turtle was taller than the trees, they had struggled to assault it. By lowering that great height with a trap, they had made it possible for the monkeys to throw themselves at it with their whole bodies.

I frowned at the monkeys swarming so thickly I could not see ahead. The defense had been broken. As if he had decided there was no point subduing them anymore, Hongryeong created wind blades and sent them whirling. The force of the magical power he poured out was incredibly intense.

But the monkeys did not fear death. Instead, they charged even more violently against the wind. Throwing their lives away, they clung thickly to the turtle’s legs so it could not stand again and began tearing at its scales.

This had to be the monkeys’ final attack. Stop us from escaping, then throw away their lives to attack. The monkeys poured over the turtle’s body like rain. Everyone held their position and blocked them well enough, but if this dragged on, it was obvious we would never reach the destination.

The turtle tried to raise itself, then sank heavily back to the ground. Its wounded legs seemed unable to bear the weight. It could not move anymore. Mm, did I have to use that after all? I did not want to use it because it would badly damage the turtle, but there seemed to be no other way.

“Could everyone gather beside Ailey-nim? I’m going to get us out of here quickly.”

I only hesitated for a moment. Then I delivered the message to the group members. Sieger voiced his concern.

“What about the monkeys!”

“You can leave them alone.”

I answered calmly. At those words, the group members left their areas and quickly gathered.

“So, what sort of method is it?”

Sieger asked while wiping sweat from his forehead. The puppet waiting behind him offered him a towel soaked in water. Sieger stared at it for a moment as if flustered, then accepted it and wiped his face.

“One moment. I’ll protect the turtle first. After that, I’ll bring you to where I am, so you can relax.”

I controlled the turtle. The turtle’s head and legs slid into its shell. The monkeys tried to follow, but I transformed the shell and sealed every opening. With their methods of attack, they would not be able to break through this wall.

At the same time, the floor where the party stood sank downward and drew them into the turtle’s body. The destination was the workshop where I was. To be honest, I had never planned to let people in here…. I smiled bitterly.

This crisis had happened because of my carelessness. If we had not fallen into the trap, everyone would not have had to go through all this, so I had to take responsibility. It could not be helped.

Soon, they entered the workshop. They slowly looked around. Ailey seemed curious about the puppets I had made and began inspecting them. The rest of the party approached me where I was drinking tea near the workbench.

The servant puppets pulled out chairs for them. The group members naturally sat down, and the puppets poured tea in front of them. Sieger frowned.

“Huh. So while we were suffering out there, you were resting comfortably here.”

I waved my hands and made an excuse.

“That’s a misunderstanding. I was moving the turtle until just now too. Since there’s no need for that at the moment, I was only taking a short rest.”

Sieger clicked his tongue, as if he did not like my attitude.

“So why did you gather us?”

Hongryeong asked. Even though he had poured out a huge amount of magical power to stop the monkeys, his face did not show a hint of fatigue. He probably had a way to leave this fog right away even now. That level of composure showed in his behavior.

“The fog is almost at its end now. Based on my senses, I’d say we have roughly ten minutes left.”

“Are you suggesting we each move separately?”

Hongryeong asked, raising an eyebrow slightly. I shook my head.

“No. This happened largely because of me, so I’ll move you myself.”

“What are you planning to do? Isn’t this puppet already broken all over?”

Sieger asked with interest.

“What you see on the outside is only part of this puppet’s many functions. I’m going to tie you down for a while. I’d appreciate it if you stayed still. Of course, you don’t have to. It’s just that things are going to shake quite a lot from now on, so I’m trying to secure you.”

The puppets showed them soft cloth. After receiving their permission, the puppets tied their bodies to the chairs. Once their work was done, all the puppets seeped into one wall of the workshop. Since things would get quite violent from now on, I fixed the puppets’ bodies firmly inside it as well.

Listening to the monkeys pounding on the shell, I began rocking the turtle’s body back and forth. Ignoring their attacks, the turtle’s body began to wobble. The shell, swaying like a wave, used the recoil to gain momentum and stood on its side. The inside of the workshop tilted sideways with it.

“You’ll get very dizzy, so please use magical power to settle your stomachs.”

I warned them in advance. As if imagining what would happen next, various expressions appeared on their faces. Then the turtle began spinning like a top. Because the trap was so deep, the turtle spun fiercely in place. I paid it no mind and increased the rotation speed more and more.

At last, the turtle shot up through the trap and began rolling.

The spinning turtle crushed everything as it went. Trees, rocks, monkeys, anything blocking its path. It began moving while grinding them all to pieces. How much farther did we go like that? Suddenly, the fog around us began to clear. The end of the fog was close.

After going much farther, when I thought we had completely escaped, I brought the party outside.

“Uuugh… my stomach….”

Shaking Rope ran to one corner and threw up all the nausea that had built up.

“Haha, now that was fun!”

Sieger laughed loudly. Ailey nodded in agreement.

“If you had such a good method, why didn’t you use it sooner!”

Sieger said playfully. He was a man whose emotions were very clear. Everything showed on his face and in his actions. I had learned that through everything so far.

“Haha, the consumption is far too great. And as you experienced, it hasn’t been fully stabilized yet. If the legs hadn’t been injured, I wouldn’t have used this method.”

I smiled on the outside, but inside, I was crying tears of blood. The Sapling was also weeping sorrowfully. During that intense rotation, the magic in the shell had been damaged quite a bit. To fix all of this, I would have to spend an entire day focused on repairs.

A tall mountain was still visible ahead. We had only just come halfway. I checked the time. It had only been about six hours since we set out. Everyone smiled bitterly. It did not seem this assignment would end that quickly.

I focused on the turtle again. The turtle began pulling out the head and legs it had hidden. With a thud, the ground shook. The wounds left by the earlier fierce battle were clearly visible. The scales were half torn off, and the wood that made up the flesh beneath had been deeply gouged, damaging even the circuits.

“Can that thing even move anymore?”

Sieger asked.

“No, I can restore it quickly. Please rest for a moment.”

I had enough materials. Trees were scattered all around us. I could quickly restore it enough for it to move roughly. The problem was its defensive power. From now on, it would not be able to withstand attacks as firmly as before. Still, there should not be a problem with picking up speed.

The turtle opened its mouth and spat out the puppets. The puppets moved in perfect order, set up a table and chairs, and prepared refreshments. Ailey quickly sat down and began drinking tea. From her expression, I could tell she liked it very much. Hongryeong also slowly sat in a chair and enjoyed the refreshments.

“Hmm, we have some time left, so resting before we go should be fine.”

Sieger said. The other two also joined the table and loosened up.

Letting out a deep sigh, I examined the turtle’s wounds. I had to move quickly. I gathered the wood I needed from the surroundings and restored the damaged parts one by one. I could not guess how many things like this would happen before we reached the destination.

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