Surviving in the Magic Academy - Chapter 199

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 199

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199.

The place where Emery stood was the most dangerous spot nearby. For a moment, I could only hesitate. She was quickly putting up a barrier, but that alone clearly would not be enough.

Should I take her and get out of there? The thought crossed my mind. This uncertain feeling had not fully reached me yet. That meant the danger had not arrived.

So if I moved now, I might be able to help her. But contrary to my thoughts, my feet refused to move forward. All I did was flinch back, retreating from the crisis.

My body and mind were both rejecting the idea of advancing. That also meant I did not have the courage to cross that danger.

Was this really all I amounted to? Disappointed in myself, I squeezed my eyes shut. Then I quickly moved my feet. I ran, following where my senses led me. First, I had to survive.

“Emery, be careful. Something is targeting you right now!”

I ran as I shouted that warning to Emery. At my warning, Emery swept the surroundings with magical power. A moment later, perhaps because she had noticed something strange, she layered her barrier even thicker.

I watched her and kept running. I was trying to get as far as possible from the sensation ringing in my chest. The danger had not arrived yet. If I went just a little farther, I could avoid it.

But my desperate struggle only half succeeded. Whatever unknown trap it was, it activated faster than I could escape.

A sudden explosion rang out behind me. It came from the direction where Emery and the survivors were. At the same time, a chill ran down the back of my neck. Without thinking, I threw myself flat against the ground. It was instinct.

The moment I wrapped my body in magical power, I felt the powerful shockwave strike my back. It tore through my magical power in an instant and began coming for me, hidden inside it.

I quickly took out my crossbow and fired an arrow at the approaching magical power. At the same time, protective magic shaped like a small umbrella formed in front of me.

It was one of my lifesaving measures. An expensive one, too, eating up several mana stones every time I used it. As if proving its worth, it held up quite well against the storm of magical power.

Of course, it shattered before long. Still, that was enough. By then, the storm of magical power had weakened.

Feeling the surroundings stabilize, I slowly pushed myself up. After checking my body, I found only minor injuries, nothing serious enough to hinder my movement. I let out a sigh of relief. Good thing I trusted my senses.

Unlike me, however, the area around me had been completely devastated. The ground had split and risen into the air, and magical power shimmered in the heat left by the explosion. I swallowed hard at the bizarre sight, as if heaven and earth had been overturned.

And at the center of the explosion, the place where the survivors had been gathered, everything was buried in dust. That was also where Emery had been. No wonder that place had felt the most dangerous.

I had not expected the Black Mages to prepare a trap like that. No one would have. Who would have imagined they would use the survivors they needed as sacrifices as material for an explosion? Was that why they had gathered them all in one place?

Because none of us had expected it, the trap had worked even better. Still, perhaps thanks to my warning, I could see the others getting up here and there. I glanced over them.

All of them had wounds of varying severity carved into their bodies. Some had pale faces, as if their magical power had flowed backward. Even so, their injuries were minor compared to Emery’s.

As the shockwave from the explosion slowly settled, Emery’s barrier at the center began to reveal itself as well. It had shattered to pieces and was scattering magical power in every direction.

And at the center of that broken barrier, I could see Emery. Pale-faced, she gripped her fan and coughed up dark blood. The magical power rippling around her was terribly unstable.

At a glance, it was obvious she had suffered a serious injury. But her condition was also a little outside my expectations. The barrier she had created had clearly failed to withstand the explosion.

Then I saw several jewels on Emery’s fan lose their light and roll off. It seemed they had helped her through the crisis. Well, of course she would have a lifesaving measure or two.

But that alone had not been enough to absorb all the damage. After all, she had not saved only herself. I glanced around her.

Where the barrier had collapsed, the survivors were lying unconscious around her. Even though they had been at the center of the explosion, all of them were still alive and breathing.

A small exclamation slipped out of me. If they were alive, that meant Emery had separated the survivors from the explosion in that brief instant. Rescuing the survivors even in a situation like this was incredible skill.

To think she had saved them while minimizing the damage, too. I let out a small sigh. I felt a little guilty.

If I had tried to help her, we might have gotten a better result. Maybe we could even have stopped the explosion itself. The explosion seemed to have originated from several of the survivors, after all.

But I had run away. Because of that, Emery had ended up with those injuries. Just then, I saw Emery quickly raise herself and amplify her magical power.

Using magical power in her condition would leave internal injuries, but there was nothing else she could do. There was no time to tend to her wounds. I also built up my magical power and looked at the sky.

The sense of crisis ringing in my chest was falling from there. Sharp killing intent filled the sky and turned toward us, and soon, a person appeared and slowly descended to the ground.

It was a man with chains around his neck. The Black Mage from before, the one who had crawled around on all fours. Violent magical power surged from his body.

After landing, the man slowly looked around. When he saw us, he tilted his head slightly.

“Oh my. I didn’t think the damage would be this light...”

His eyes met ours and examined us one by one before soon turning toward me. The moment our eyes met, I felt cold sweat run down my back.

“The moment I tried to activate the magic, you shouted a warning. Looks like you have some kind of magic that lets you avoid danger. No wonder. You’ve been getting through my traps far too well this whole time. I was right to come in person.”

The man narrowed his eyes and looked me up and down. The ominous feeling I had sensed ever since we chose to fight the Black Mages began to ripple even more clearly.

It rang out with an intensity that could not be compared to before. Only then did I understand. This was the moment it had been warning me about. The moment the Black Mage appeared before us in person.

“Why did you do that? The survivors should have been part of your ritual. At this rate, you’ll collapse soon.”

Emery pulled herself together and glared at the man. The man smiled, his expression splitting wide. Then he spread both arms.

“You’re right. But even if we gathered the sacrifices in one place, it was obvious you would come to steal them, just as you did now. So if they were going to be taken anyway, I decided I might as well destroy them. And that worked very well.”

The man looked over us and licked his lips. I could feel deep desire in his eyes as he looked at us. His gaze treated us like prey, and the Sapling in my chest trembled in fear.

“After all, I found far better sacrifices right here. I could tell while watching your movements. Talent, strength, magical power. In every way, you are top-grade goods. Eating you will be far more worthwhile than eating those trivial things.”

At that, I felt my face go pale. Was he trying to use us as sacrifices? The man met Emery’s eyes and smiled slightly.

“And since I found something this interesting too, all the more reason. You seem able to sense the flow of the ritual. Looks like you received an offering before. Since someone like you is here, I don’t need to worry about side effects. That is why I decided to personally step forward and devour you.”

I glanced at Emery. She only fell silent at the man’s words. They said silence meant agreement, and from her attitude, I could tell it was true.

Emery had undergone an offering ritual too? No wonder she had seemed to know so much about the ritual. It had not simply been because she had seen one at the borderlands, but because she had personally gone through it?

But what mattered right now was not whether she had undergone an offering ritual. Escaping this crisis came first. It seemed I was not the only one thinking that, because before I knew it, Evron had come to my side.

“Let’s hold out just a little. Then the city lord will come save us.”

Evron spoke in a whisper. Right. If we waited, the city lord would come. If the Black Mage showed himself, she would be able to move somewhat more freely.

But despite Evron’s words, the man only snickered with a relaxed look on his face. I soon understood why. Magical power rippled, and something began to appear where the castle should have been.

It was an enormous mass of magical power, like a ring crafted from light. Even though it was quite far away, it gave off a bizarre presence as if it were right before my eyes.

At the center of that ring, a girl floated motionless. She was the Black Mage from before, the one who had been riding on the man’s back. And the girl’s figure would not leave my eyes, as though it had been nailed into them.

As I stared at the girl, somehow all my worries seemed to fade away. Right, what did any of this place matter? All I needed was to seek happiness.

What was happiness? It was overcoming pain. And to overcome pain, I needed to offer my body to that girl. That alone had to be the one truth amid all the discord in the world.

I slowly lifted my hand. Then I wrapped it around my neck. I would die like this and move toward salvation. I would be placed beneath eternal happiness.

Just as I was about to tighten my fingers, I saw a sharp sword strike fall toward the ring of light. At the same time, the magical power shattered, and I realized what I had been trying to do.

Startled, I pulled my hand away from my neck. What in the world had I been doing? I carefully looked toward the ring of light. To think it could create mental contamination just by being seen.

As if it had sucked in countless lives, it was still giving off that bizarre power. Only then did I understand. The reason they had carried out this offering ritual was clearly to complete that ring of light.

It trembled unstably, as if it was not yet complete, but it was definitely holding dense magical power. The girl continued pouring magical power toward the castle from within the ring of light.

It was magical power that seemed to contaminate the mind, just like before. But the sword strikes fired from the castle began cutting down all of that magical power. They came from Cassian.

The sword strike that had woken me up just now must have come from her too. They began fighting like that, matching magical power against magical power. I had no choice but to swallow hard.

No wonder I had not seen the girl. Was she there to deal with Cassian like that? Their clash did not look as though it would end quickly.

Of course, since the ritual was incomplete, that thing would clearly collapse as time passed. For Cassian, all she had to do was hold out. That was probably why she was protecting the castle as much as possible right now.

But put another way, as long as that thing held out, Cassian could not leave the castle. It was a diversion.

The man laughed as unstable magical power sloshed around him. It was clear he intended to catch us even at the cost of that sacrifice. Damn it, no wonder this had felt so ominous.

The man slowly walked toward us. I tensed and stiffened.

And at that moment, I felt the curtain wrap around us. At the same time, a screen rose from my wrist.

Chapter 1. Black Mage

You have become the Black Mage’s target. Discuss how you will act and submit your opinion.

Another moment of choice had arrived. The moment I saw that screen, I let out a sigh of relief. I had not been able to decide what to do anyway, so now I could at least catch my breath.

Judging from the situation, this was definitely going to be the final branch point. The group gathered in one place and began checking on one another. Everyone was covered in wounds from the trap.

I tried to circulate magical power and at least recover my body, but my body simply remained fixed in place. Had they blocked this kind of trick? I slowly shook my head.

In that case, we needed to talk. Among the silent group, the first to speak was Jaun.

“I think we should run right away.”

I agreed. I quickly nodded. The sense of danger in my chest was terribly intense. How could we stand against someone who was clearly in a higher realm than us?

His magical power, strengthened by the offering ritual, was brutally vicious. Even if all of us charged at him together, it was obvious we would not be able to defeat that man. And now that we were injured, that was even more true.

Running away was the best plan. I looked at the others. Gang also seemed to realize we had been pushed onto the defensive and wore a very serious expression. Evron stood beside Emery with a relaxed smile.

It seemed he would support Emery’s choice again this time. Then what mattered was what she wanted. I looked at Emery.

She was in the worst condition right now. So this time, she would surely agree to run away too. That was what I thought, but contrary to my expectations, she merely shook her head.

“I believe I told you before that such a thing was the worst plan. Yet you still think only of running?”

I blinked silently. She seemed to be thinking of facing that Black Mage. It was hard to understand why she had made that decision. Jaun seemed to feel the same way I did, because they glared at Emery with a frown.

“What more are we supposed to do here? Standing at the center of the story might be a valid point, but if we die here, there is no next chance. Are you still telling us to fight?”

Emery let out a small laugh. Then she readily nodded.

“Yes. Fight and die. That is what I am telling you.”

Die? Those words made me flinch. She gently waved her fan and looked at Jaun.

“You spoke of a next chance. But do you think there will be a next time after you run down that path? No, you will run again next time as well. Because that is the only method left in your memory.”

My body shuddered. She was speaking to Jaun, but somehow, it felt as though those words were digging into my own chest too. Emery glanced at me, then continued.

“To gain something, you must accept sacrifice. That is the law of this world. So fight. And if you cannot overcome it, die. That is the only advice I can give for your sake.”

It was truly cold. But somehow, it was also familiar. I felt for the scroll I kept tucked away and repeated the words written inside it.

Second maxim, to gain a profit, you must also be willing to take a loss.

This was something mages often heard. The basic mindset of a mage, perhaps. At the same time, it was also the hardest thing for a mage to uphold.

Mages were extremely sensitive about what belonged to them. For wanderers like Jaun and me, even more so. So in a situation like this, there were few who could risk their lives and fight.

“Hah, do you think people run because they want to? Someone from a family like yours wouldn’t know. You can challenge the university whenever you want, after all.”

Jaun frowned and shook their head. Then they glared at Emery. Somehow, I could feel desperation in their eyes.

“But this is my last time. I put everything I had on this exam. So I don’t want to let go of even the slimmest possibility. If I can survive by running, if that lets me continue this exam, then that alone is enough.”

Jaun muttered with magical power in their voice, as though pouring out their resentment. I quietly closed my eyes and nodded. I knew that feeling well too. Had I not entered with the same mindset, believing this was my last chance?

For a wanderer, the university was a turning point in life. How could anyone let go of that final chance? From Jaun’s position, trying to run was only natural.

Emery also seemed to read Jaun’s feelings, because she gently waved her fan and fell silent. Soon, she closed her eyes and murmured softly.

“How foolish...”

Emery’s silence continued after that. It was quite some time later that she opened her eyes. Then she looked at Jaun. Her eyes held a little pity and contempt.

“I understand your heart as well. Those who walk the earth are bound to fear rising into the sky. How could I laugh at such foolishness? You simply never had the chance.”

She looked over us. Then she slowly nodded.

“I have learned something new. So you may run. I will make a special exception and allow it.”

Had it been decided that we would run? Somehow, the sensation in my chest seemed to settle a little. But there was something strange about Emery’s words. Gang seemed to sense it too, because they glanced at Emery.

“Are you planning to stay here?”

Emery waved her fan. A relaxed smile rested on her face. She readily nodded and looked around at us.

“Someone must remain and face that thing, must they not? It will not simply let us go. Since none of you are reliable enough, I have no choice but to step forward.”

“Still, two would be better than one.”

Gang fiddled with their scabbard, as if saying they would stay too. But Emery shook her head from behind her fan.

“You should focus only on securing an escape route. Running will not be easy either. That thing must be expecting our actions as well.”

Then she glanced at me. She probably meant I should guide the way. I nodded silently. Finding a path to survival was my specialty. So of course, escaping this place should also be possible.

I lightly placed a hand on my chest. The faint presence of my unique magic naturally read my thoughts and began telling me which direction to go. Emery seemed to read my confidence, because she let out a small laugh and nodded.

“Lead the survivors out with you as well. The fact that thing has come forward in person means they are cornered that badly. We cannot leave them even the slightest chance.”

I looked at Evron. He had been moving the survivors all this time, so he could take charge again. With that, everything was decided. She would stay, and we would leave.

Yet somehow, leaving her behind began weighing on my chest. I could not properly tell whether that faint feeling was guilt or something born from my instincts.

After deciding everything, Emery leisurely waved her fan. Beside her, Evron stroked his chin as if intrigued, then bowed his head slightly to Emery.

“I express my gratitude for fulfilling your duty.”

Evron placed both hands together over his heart. Seeing his signal, Emery opened her eyes a little wider. Then she let out a small laugh and made the same gesture.

“I like you after all. I did not expect there to be someone who knew this. Then I shall move now.”

She rose. At the same time, the curtain lifted, and a new screen appeared.

Chapter 1. Black Mage.

You have become the Black Mage’s target. After discussion, you decided to run away. Survive the Black Mage's clutches.

The story began moving again. Where the curtain had lifted, I could see the man approaching us while spilling vicious magical power. And Emery stepped forward to block his path.

Leaving her behind us, we quickly finished preparing to leave. I nodded as I watched Evron place the survivors into the mouth of a small turtle. Now we only needed to run.

Perhaps reading our movements, the man narrowed his eyes. Then he saw Emery blocking his path and laughed.

“You intend to face me alone? How utterly ridiculous.”

Emery looked over the magical power rippling around the man’s body. Then she snorted and began removing several jewels embedded in her fan all at once. I could feel the jewels shining as they held intense magical power.

The jewels began turning into a stream of flame within the magical power. Emery waved her fan and slowly guided those flames into motion. At the end of it, the flames wrapped around the surroundings like a giant storm.

The man flinched briefly at that intense power. With him before her, Emery gave us a look. I nodded and kicked off the ground. We had to get out of here as quickly as possible.

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