Terminally-Ill Genius Dark Knight

159: Joint Martial Arts Practice [1]

Aleph von Dastein. It’s been quite a while since that name appeared, so you might not remember him. In truth, we could already predict that he was a villain.

For example, when he appeared in the episode of Avilat’s gambling house cleanup. I had already mentioned that he was a villain and that he would have an impact in future episodes.

He was a monster who, as a top graduate of Eldain, stood out in elemental studies and was called a “genius” from a young age. But the truth is, he was a monster in a different sense.

From the start, he was an artificial existence being placed by demons to hide demonic humans among the human crowd.

Also, his innate talent was due to his being one of the children from the demons’ crossbreeding. Aleph only selected because he was the most useful among them. Had it not been the case, then someone else would be standing in his place. To demons, humans are nothing more than batteries or emergency food that can be replaced anytime when they no longer have any value.

“In this [joint martial arts] practical, you must keep in mind that anything can happen. I will now explain the details.”

Aleph started talking like a professor and opened with that. He continued in a condescending tone and expression.

“You will be teleported into a subspace, and according to the nature of the ‘Joint Martial Arts’ subject, the use of magic will be restricted. Keep in mind that you will only be allowed to use your physical abilities. You must rely on the physical abilities you honed until now to endure the trials you face.”

“That’s… What exactly are we supposed to do inside the subspace?”

“Haa..”

That was the moment. Aleph let out a sigh, as if annoyed, and said.

“Even after explaining so clearly, you still don’t get it? I doubt you’re really students of the prestigious Eldain Academy. I’ll explain just this once, so listen carefully.”

At that harsh criticism, the student who asked the question turned red. Well, that’s his true nature. While it might have been Aleph’s usual behavior. The students who didn’t know his true nature furrowed their brows, not used to his rude way of speaking and the sudden shift in his tone.

— He’s not even a full professor… Does being a top graduate make him all that?

— Has he even received recognition for his research like Professor Lars? Why is he acting so smug? Does he have someone backing him?

— He’s probably full of himself because his book ‘Introduction to Elemental Studies’ became a bestseller. It’s obvious from his attitude.

— Well, all those upstarts who suddenly gain fame are the same.

Talking down and acting like that at Eldain, where many high-ranking nobles attend? Of course, no one could approve it.

But Aleph didn’t care at all. He just closed the book he was holding and continued.

“You will be divided into teams of four, and your goal will be to hunt magical beasts. Each team will survive in a barrier of illusions for ten days and hunt as many beasts as possible. Some of these beasts may have blood mixed with that of demons, modeled after them, so be careful. That’s all.”

Fortunately, nothing in his explanation had changed. If the rules had been altered too, it would’ve been a lot more troublesome.

At least that was a relief for now.

‘The real problem comes when the demons start moving, and the connection signals inside the subspace begin to destabilize.’

Subspace isn’t perfect. Just like all magic that is imprinted with a formula, it’s not impossible to break it. Though I don’t know the details, if this is meant to be the main event for killing Eleanor, and if Aleph (as much as I hate to admit it), is both the top graduate and a genius, then he must have already set something in motion.

Noah von Trinity isn’t someone who will solve this kind of situation. In some ways, she’s similar to Astrid.

Especially in how lazy she is.

I think “birds of a feather flock together” isn’t wrong after all.

“Anyway, the first team will enter first. The first group is Nox von Reinhaver, Eleanor de Rivalin, Talia von Steiner, and Pell.”

Haha, I found myself in the unfortunate position of being called first. I can’t say I didn’t expect this, What else can I do?

I’ll just keep tabs on the situation.

“Understood.”

I watched as Aleph activated the teleportation formula process and opened the gate to the subspace. Standing at the threshold of the portal, I stopped for a moment. After glaring briefly at Aleph. I lightly stepped through.

The unpleasant feeling of walking straight into danger. Sure enough, it should be like this when it comes to Inner Lunatic

… Maybe my brain has gotten strange too?

“It’s a bit scary, isn’t it?”

Talia spoke to me, and I nodded calmly in response. Pell looked tense as well.

“L-let’s just make sure everyone gets through this without any accident, okay?”

The only one who remained silent was Eleanor. She stood quietly, gazing into the air for a moment. No, she wasn’t looking at the air.

She was probably thinking of Shane, believing that he would follow her. To Eleanor, Shane is someone who can save her.

No matter how much astronomical money you spend, it’s not easy to find someone with such a pure heart who would save you out of genuine intention. It feels strange to say it myself, but in Eleanor’s case, she relies more on someone she can trust than on their abilities. Shane saved her without reason during the first battle with Paimon, and that must became a trigger and stimulate her trust.

That’s probably why she gave Shane her mother’s keepsake.

‘…Maybe she thought it no longer had meaning to her.’

——————————————

Meanwhile, at that moment. Noah von Trinity, the dean, was also unusually up from her desk and moving around. Naturally, Astrid was with her as well. To watch over this time practical.

If Nox saw this, he’d be quite shocked. It’s because Noah doesn’t get involved in this event during the main episode, chapter 3. However, in a way, it was understandable. After all, both Noah and Astrid’s student, Nox, was entering a dungeon this time.

She must be eager to see her student’s growth and performance… which led her to secretly watch Nox during this practical from afar.

Besides, Noah knew. There were demonic humans among the professors, and their intentions were far from safety of students or even the professors. Many lives could be at stake, which is why Noah was playing the role of a teacher after a long time.

Astrid yawned, as if bored, and asked.

“So, is there anyone suspected to be a demonic human?”

“Well..”

“It sounds annoying either way. But Nox… that kid can probably handle all of them on his own now.”

Stretching her body, Astrid spoke like that. Noah, tilting his head in curiosity and asked,

“By the way, how is it? That kid’s talent?”

“Hm… How should I put it?”

“Don’t beat around the bush~ eii, aren’t we in that kind of relationship?”

As Noah acted cute, Astrid, familiar with her antics, pushed her away with a disgusted look and continued.

“It’s hard to explain.”

“His talent?”

“No.”

“It’s a problem that you’re too tight-lipped sometimes”

Noah complained. Astrid, after choosing her words, turned her head towards her and said,

“He’s strong.”

“I also know he’s outstanding among the students, and his talent is undeniable.”

“It’s not just like that. Even without opening his lower dantian, he’s already strong enough to beat most of the professors at Eldain. It’s ridiculous.”

“…Hmm, I did think he wasn’t ordinary, but… so that’s how it is”

Noah nodded. But her curiosity wasn’t fully satisfied.

Sensing Noah’s gaze, Astrid added.

“The weirdest part is… he’s even been hiding his power.”

“Would he be a threat to us?”

“There’s no hostility”

Astrid confirmed. With her ability to detect lies, it was pointless to hide anything from her. Therefore, it was clear that Nox harbored no hostility.

However, even with that. The suspicion did not completely disappear. Why is he hiding his strength?

Nox could become even stronger. For that, both Astrid and I have been helping him, and she remembers Theo von Reinhaver, his father, offered to pass down the Black Sword. So, why doesn’t he reveal more of himself?

It’s even weirder since he’s still just a kid. It’s normal for someone to want to stand out at that age, but… he shows no such signs at all.

‘He’s definitely an interesting kid, but… the only flaw is that he’s hiding way too much from me’

Noah thought, lightly resting her chin on her hand.

Ten minutes later, the two of them, who had been watching the video of Nox, frowned and got up from their seats.

——————————————

A little later.

Before long, my other comrades started following me through the portal. Either way, I already know what development is waiting for me here.

Formula that was carved to transport us to another location. A sense of nausea hit me as I stepped into the blue mana that floated up from the complex equations.

Damn it. Even if Aleph is a genius, he’s still not as precise as Lars. His combat ability might be far superior, but… this teleportation formula is just awful.

I sighed and organized my mind. It’s because, from this point on, I have to stay sharp.

Whoosh!

I can hear the sound of a violent wind. Haa… As I exhaled, the cold that pierced through my bones, along with a veil of mist broke apart.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that it was the sigh that escaped from my lips and the fact that I’d stepped in the wrong spot of formula had brought me to a very dangerous place.

But the biggest problem was…

“What? This cold…? Wh, Where are the others?”

Eleanor and I. We were the only ones dropped here.

And to make matters worse, a few monsters were now charging toward us. Ice trolls. I’ve hunted them before, but when the number reaches ten, things start to get a bit annoying. I grabbed Eleanor’s wrist and started running.

“For now, run.”

“ea…! Yes?!”

“Do you not understand words…?”

I hesitated for a moment, then drew Stormbringer and casually swung it horizontally at the enemies chasing us from behind. I showed the southern swordsmanship of Chaders.

I could see the enemies’ skin split open, blood spraying from behind.

Krraak!

One of the trolls died instantly in a single strike.

‘….what? why am I this strong?… ah’

Oh, right. I recently changed how I use my mana, and I also got a Dragon Heart. Not to mention, my stats have gone up significantly. It seems it has an effect after all.

I feel really great.

The result of that painful training under Astrid…! I couldn’t help but feel emotional.

[The effect of the artifact ‘Ring of Black Flame’ increases your lifespan by 2 hours.]

And my lifespan is steadily increasing little by little as well.

So in that case…

“They’re persistent, huh. I’ll hunt them here and then move on.”

I turned to face the remaining enemies. Some of the trolls that had already sensed the power gap were fleeing, but a few brave ones still remained and targeted Eleanor and me. While looking at them, I naturally channeled my mana and transferred it to the black blade. Like burning firewood, the sword brims with heat as it targets the enemy

Seeing this, Eleanor spoke as if she was flustered.

“What’s going on here? This is different from the subspace mentioned earlier! What more…”

“Exactly. If this really was a subspace, those monsters would be illusions. They’d disappear after dying, and they wouldn’t even bleed. All you’d be seeing is a projection, an illusion.”

“So that means”

“Everything happening from now on is real. Looks like someone holds a grudge against you, huh”

I made sure to point out that this wasn’t my fault. It’s fine to let her know this much, right?

After all, I got dragged into this to save her. It wouldn’t hurt for her to listen and reflect a little.

But Eleanor shot me a sharp look and responded harshly.

“That applies to you too… ack!”

“If you’re not going to help, then stay back. You’re just getting in the way.”

I said with sincerity and then distanced her from me. I had sorted out everything and knew what was coming, but she didn’t. She’d need time to figure out the situation.

And most importantly..

‘For now, securing my lifespan is important. No matter what happens, that’ll make me survive.’

With that thought, I began swinging my sword.

The first is [Black Blade Flash].

Whoosh!

A flawless strike. The Bloodthirsty Sword trembles fiercely. It’s unbelievable that this is a sword with a chipped blade, given its absurd cutting power. This was the power of dark family swordsmanship that had been upgraded to advanced level. While it did consume my mana, it wasn’t a significant threat at the moment.

“From now on, stop your habit of overthinking everything. And while you’re at it, set aside your hatred for me for a while. If you don’t, you’ll definitely die here.”