The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 159

The dagger lodged in Krepin’s left arm made a slicing sound as it cut through his flesh.

The tip of the dagger that pierced through his wrist stopped right in front of his eye as it trembled.

I clenched my teeth as I tried to push down on the dagger with the weight of my body, but Krepin managed to hold on as he swung at me with his tentacles.

Fwack!

I quickly took a defensive stance, but I was still pushed away by the impact, rolling over a few times on the stone floor.

Krepin, with a dagger stuck in one of his hands, gulped as he stood up.

As he brushed his left hand, the wound began to heal in an instant. However, he frowned as if the pain was still there.

“Usually, until the moment you are about to die, you can never even imagine your own death.”

Krepin stood up as he picked up his longsword again. And with his grotesquely twisted left hand, he gathered Mebula’s magic power once more.

Fwooosh!

Dozens of tentacles started to come out again. The tentacles were covered with bizarre chunks of flesh that made me feel nauseous just looking at them.

Awooo!

Crash! Kaaaaak!

However, more than half of them were slaughtered and disappeared because of Merilda’s howl, which could shout out magic power.

The Wind Blades that Merilda used were different in scale from normal elemental magic. Blades made of magic power that were sent flying in all directions destroyed the surroundings. Even Krepin’s body was struck by the aftermath of that magic.

Slice! Slice!

A few pieces of his flesh fell off as he continued to form new scars. However, he somehow managed to minimize the impact of Merilda’s attack as he healed his wounds with Mebula’s power.

However, that power wasn’t infinite. Krepin hadn’t yet fully received all of Mebula’s magic power.

In the end, if he wanted to use Mebula’s magic power, he would have to use his own magic power as a medium to some extent. Of course, the result was tremendous compared to the amount of magic power he put in. But at the same time, it wasn’t a means to completely replace his own magic power yet.

Krepin, who hadn’t fully received Mebula’s strength, was in a tough spot. That was why he needed to end the fight quickly.

As Krepin tried to regain his balance, the dagger in his left arm exploded. Unaware of the spiritual skill that caused the explosion, he staggered for a moment. And that moment was enough time for me to jump closer.

Fwoosh!

As soon as I kicked off the floor, I felt as if my body was floating.

Merilda’s wind magic made my body’s movements lighter. Moving faster than I expected, I quickly narrowed the distance. I then gathered magic power as the dagger returned to me.

Krepin wouldn’t get hit twice. Avoiding Merilda’s feet, who had rushed at him, he started to float up as his body rose above the entire mansion.

His fighting style was starting to become more cautious.

He flew higher than the railing as he floated in the air with the moon behind him… now it was impossible to fight him in close combat.

Fwooosh!

Again, magic power began to gather in his hands. It was an attack pattern I knew.

Eye of Malice. Among Krepin’s attack patterns, it was an attack that appeared close to the end. Seeing that he used it already meant that he acknowledged the situation wasn’t favorable for him.

Of course, there was no reason to leave him alone as he cast it. I fired six magic power arrows towards him as I summoned Lacia.

Boooom!

The magic power arrow that was flying through the air exploded. Water fell down from the sky over the mansion like a waterfall. In that brief moment, Lacia popped out from the Manifestation of a Water Source that appeared in the waterfall. She flew towards Krepin, biting his shoulder.

“Keuaaaaak!”

Krepin screamed as he tried to knock Lacia away.

The wound continued to heal, but the pain was still there. Since there was a limit to the human mind, he would certainly eventually fall if we continuously attacked him.

Krepin started to fall down as Lacia bit his shoulder. The result of that attack was completely unexpected.

As he fell down towards the mansion, I chased after him.

“I’m chasing after him! I have to make sure to end him!”

[If you make a mistake, you will fall and die!]

“Then take care of it for me! You have a lot of magic power left, after all!”

[Please!]

As I stepped on the railing and jumped into the sky, Merilda’s wind blew through me.

Merilda’s Spiritual Skill, Updraft. I floated for a while under the rising air current. Shortly after, I began to fall back down again under the force of gravity.

Only the sound of the passing wind and my flapping collar filled my ears.

At the very end of my vision, I could see Krepin falling straight down after somehow managing to shove Lacia away.

Boooom!

Maybe because he wasn’t used to using the magic power yet, he tried to bring out Mebula’s powers somehow… But still ended up crashing into the central garden, causing dust to rise in the air.

Fwoosh!

Using Merilda’s wind magic, I chased after him while minimizing the force of gravity.

Boom! Crash!

In a flower bed in the burnt central garden, I landed on top of him, taking out my dagger and pushing it into him. That time, it was in his right forearm, which held onto the long sword.

“Keuaaaaak!”

Since he hadn’t received all of Mebula’s powers, Krepin seemed to feel an even greater pain.

He screamed and shouted because of the pain. But things weren’t done yet.

I took a big leap backwards with my dagger stuck in him.

The skin-crawling sight of the night sky full of stars wasn’t the only thing that came into his sight as he laid down.

At that moment, a giant wolf-shaped spirit jumped off from the roof, attacking him and swinging down its heavy feet.

Booooooooom!

The impact was as if an entire container had fallen and crushed him. A normal human would surely die from that.

However, Krepin, who used Mebula’s magical powers, boasted a ridiculously tenacious vitality that was extremely frustrating to deal with.

Of course, I also thought that things wouldn’t end with that, so I prepared an additional attack…

Rumble, Boom!

The ground that couldn’t withstand the heavy impact collapsed.

The ground was already unstable because of the numerous tentacles rising up through it and making holes. There was even a huge laboratory in the basement, so it wouldn’t be strange if it collapsed immediately.

As if Merilda’s attack was the final blow, the entire floor of the central garden collapsed into the underground laboratory.

Craaaaash! Boom!

Lacia quickly ran towards me, trying to protect me, but she couldn’t stop me from falling down inside as well.

Krepin and I crashed into the large hall of the underground laboratory.

Crash! Clang!

Fwooosh!

Dust rose as I could see the entire underground facility once again. It was the large hall where Arwen was pierced by that greatsword.

However, the ceiling had completely collapsed, making the night sky easily visible. It was shaped like a gladiator’s arena in a colosseum.

In the center of it, I could see Krepin standing up on his feet with his grotesque flesh wriggling around. He was still alive.

The grotesque flesh had covered the entirety of his left arm and was now spreading to his upper body. The further it went, the more of Mebula’s magic he actively received.

If one were to try and handle Mebula’s magic past their limit, they would lose their sanity.

Just like the servants wandering around the mansion.

Since Krepin had been studying Mebula’s magic for a long time, he had a particularly deep understanding of it. Therefore, he could handle a deeper level of magic power compared to the others. But in the end, he was no different, as he would end up losing his sanity if he went past his limit.

However, despite the pain he dealt with, he was still holding onto his consciousness.

I was familiar with that appearance of his, with half of his body covered in that flesh. The fully awakened Krepin… In Act 4 of , that was the last mid-boss you would face before you had to cut down Mebula.

In fact, the Mebula Subjugation was more like a raid. It was enough to just remember its attack pattern and strike it in the appropriate spot with God Slaying Sword. That was why the fully awakened Krepin was actually closer to being the actual final boss.

He attacked with all sorts of instant death moves. He even periodically summoned tentacles to attack those in the back. Plus, he could recover his own health, and he resurrected multiple times just when you thought you finally killed him… he was a completely disgusting boss.

Visually, he looked horrific and the boss battle itself took place in a building full of flesh. Because of that, he was the boss who traumatized the majority of players. He was extremely difficult to face, and the atmosphere was horrific. He was a terrible enemy to face in many ways.

He rose to his feet as he exhaled heavily. He was already in a state where he couldn’t be called a human.

The horrific flesh twitched as he drew out Mebula’s magic power.

“I didn’t want to draw out my power like this until I went to take over the Imperial Castle.”

He once again drew magic power to the Eye of Malice, which was spread out in the sky.

When the magic power gathered in the eye of malice, hundreds of rays that were difficult to avoid covered the area.

In , you would instantly die if it hit you. So, what would happen in reality?

What I was certain about was that I couldn’t risk checking it myself.

The moment I gathered magic power from my hand, the massive wolf stood up through the fallen debris.

Even in that impact, she only had a slight scratch. In the first place, high-ranking spirits can’t be wounded easily.

Merilda’s wind covered the area as I charged towards Krepin to disperse his magic power. However, the power of the fully awakened Krepin was enormous.

As he gathered his magic powers, he raised his left arm, which had now become so horrendous that it was difficult to even call it a hand.

“Stop moving! Merilda!”

When I shouted, Merilda quickly stopped moving without hesitation or question. The massive wolf’s body stopped as dust flew away.

Blade of the Void.

Gathering magic power and releasing it after a short while, it was an instant death skill that burst the hearts of all living things moving around him.

It could only be avoided by stopping all your movements at the right time as he gathered his magic power. The problem was the gremlins and tentacles.

In , you had to avoid the constant minor enemies charging at you while figuring out Krepin’s attack patterns and avoiding them.

A group of gremlins descending from the sky attacked us as tentacles rose from the ground to attack. During all of that, I clenched my teeth and stopped moving.

Hwaaaaaaaak!

Crunch! Crack!

Keeeeeeeeek!

After a while, all of the gremlins around us coughed up blood as they collapsed. Thankfully for us, Blade of the Void didn’t distinguish between enemy and ally.

After seeing that, I quickly started running again as I rushed towards Krepin. However, he already injected enough magic power into the Eye of Malice.

A chunk of flesh floating in the sky. A beam of magic power was about to shoot out from that bizarre piece of flesh, which had four tiny eyes on it.

I’d experienced it several times before, but it was still an extremely difficult skill to deal with. I clenched my teeth as I thought that I needed to stop it at all costs.

I tried to gather magic power through my body to cast a defensive magic circle, but no matter how much I thought about it, I didn’t think it would be enough to completely block that light beam.

The moment I tried to protect my vital points, thinking I had to at least avoid a fatal wound…

“Kyaaaaaaaak!”

A girl jumped down from the sky.

My eyes looked towards her from the sudden scream.

The open sky from the central garden that had collapsed.

Saint Clarisse, who was running across the central garden, looked down at the collapsed ground as she jumped inside herself.

Against the backdrop of the night sky, the saint descended with her holy robes fluttering in the air. Her eyes looked flustered, but her lips were tightly shut.

It was as if time had slowed down as she descended into the underground underneath the moonlight.

It looked as if an angel was coming down to the earth. But in reality, she was just a human who had clenched her fists and jumped down with courage.

In her arms, she held a wand wrapped tightly in a leather cloth. She looked to be in a dangerous situation. If someone didn’t catch her, it looked as if she would get seriously injured.

If a fragile girl like Saint Clarice fell from that height, it wouldn’t end with just a few broken bones.

My body reflexively jumped towards her as I quickly took a position to catch Saint Clarice. In doing so I canceled all my defensive magic.

Hwaaaaak!

As I slid towards the saint, as if doing a sliding tackle, she fell into my arms and landed safely.

Clarice’s sacred robes flew up from the aftermath as dust rose again.

“Keuh… Ugh… Cough, cough! Saint… What are you…!”

Before I could finish saying anything, Clarice wrapped herself around my shoulders as she hugged my head tightly. She then turned around as her back faced Mebula.

Hwaaaaaaaak!

At that moment, numerous rays of light poured out of the Eye of Malice. Its power, which devoured the world around it, was so massive that it was difficult to block all of it.

However, everything was equal in the face of the Holy Blessing that Saint Clarice had around her. Only those who had received the blessing of Telos could kill her.

Clarice closed her eyes as she hugged me tightly. She concentrated on casting Holy Blessing.

Only after the attack had passed did I realize that I had survived without any injuries thanks to Clarice’s Sacred Magic.

“Saint. Why did you suddenly…”

“I believed in you, that’s why. Can you bother me about how dangerous it was later?”

Saying that, Clarice hugged me tightly. Between our bodies was the wand that I had requested from Yennekar.

She risked her life to deliver it to me, even jumping from that height. Of course, all with the belief that I would be able to take care of this mess.

That went beyond just being dangerous. It was completely reckless. But Clarice didn’t care as she spoke while wiping my cheek.

“The place you were hurt…”

But she didn’t finish those words.

Hwaaaak!

Then, a shock wave shot out from Krepin. Rather than an attack of hostility, it was more of a by-product of receiving additional magic power from Mebula.

That was why Clarice’s protection didn’t activate as she collapsed. I got struck at the same time from behind, but I clenched my teeth, expecting some type of attack.

“Euheuk…”

“Saint.”

“I’m fine.”

Clarice clenched her teeth as she stood up, looking straight at Krepin. She frowned at his grotesque appearance, but the will in her eyes didn’t disappear.

The left arm that was being eaten by the flesh was getting bigger and bigger. There was barely any untouched skin left on his body.

The increasingly grotesque appearance made him look closer and closer to a monster.

Krepin bent over for a while accepting the magic power. He then suddenly turned his gaze to me.

“I see you’re still alive.”

Saying that, he took out the longsword as he jumped forward.

A horde of gremlins poured down from the sky as the tentacles continued to rush at me with the sole intention of tearing my limbs apart.

Thanks to Merilda’s roar, most of the minor enemies were wiped out. But Krepin had clenched his teeth and withstood the aftermath of that attack.

Clang!

I managed to dodge the longsword. I grabbed the saint’s shoulder as I dragged her body to the side, slicing one of the nearby tentacles with Wind Blade.

“Kyaaa!”

Clarice screamed as she clung to my body.

As I said before, the heads of the Rothstaylor family were baptized by the Telos Religious Group, generation after generation.

I didn’t know what would happen if he attacked using Mebula’s power, but if he attacked her directly using physical means then even the Saint wouldn’t be safe.

That was because the Holy Blessing the Saint wore didn’t have any effect against the same believers.

“Lacia!”

As I shouted, before I could give any further instructions, a lioness made of water appeared and snatched the saint’s collar.

“Kyaaa!”

After abducting Clarice, Lacia evacuated to a safe zone far away.

Whooosh!

Krepin, who looked towards me, was twisting his body bizarrely again.

“Sigh… Whew…”

I sat down and took a deep breath. I removed the leather bag that was holding the wand as I pulled it out. It was the ‘Thousand-year-old wooden wand struck by lightning’ that had all sorts of spiritual skills engraved on it.

Besides that, it was a magic engineering item that let you use elementalism to the max while also raising your spiritual resonance level to the max.

That item alone increased one’s combat efficiency absurdly. However… it still might not be enough to win against the fully awakened Krepin.

That was why I was in trouble.

I definitely had to subdue him. But to do that, it was necessary to mobilize an additional means.

“What a tear-worthy scene. Risking her life just to give you that wand.”

Krepin grinned as his blood dripped.

“You must have quite an emotional connection with the saint. Whether it’s love or just friendship, there must have been times where you felt satisfied with such a warm relationship.”

As he finished twisting his body, he continued to talk while laughing.

“Unfortunately, I, Krepin Rothstaylor, am far above those kinds of people.”

“……”

“Yes, for I am ‘pure evil’.”

Krepin picked up his sword.

“If you want to reach a stronger power, more authority, a higher position, you need to learn to use and throw things away. Whether it be a family member or a vassal. If you have to kill someone, you kill them. If you need to backstab someone, do it as much as you see fit. There is no need to rationalize nor to be understood.”

His evil and horrific laughter made my skin crawl.

“That’s who I am. Do you understand now?”

Saying that, Krepin gathered magic power.

Mebula’s magic power, which had gotten even stronger, was gathered towards the Eye of Malice.

It would be best to get rid of the eye itself, but Mebula’s body hardly took any damage unless it was from Taylee McLaure Swordmaster’s Skill God Slaying Sword. It was possible to damage it by attacking like a madman with a massive amount of magic power, but in reality, it was like pouring water into a pot with a hole in it.

As it was magic that was cast from a part of Mebula’s body, it was impossible to effectively damage that eye unless you used God Slaying Sword.

“Heuk.”

I knelt down, hunched over, and clutched my cane.

Physically, I was at my limit. I used Merilda’s spiritual skills multiple times while summoning her in her original form. I also had been using multiple mid-ranking spirits for a long period of time.

Nevertheless, I continued to draw out magic power again and again.

Now that I had my wand, I could gather magic power more efficiently than before.

It had been a long time since I came to that unknown world, enduring it all. Practicing in Elementalism and training like crazy nonstop.

Now, I could even use a high-ranking spirit without the help of any magic tools.

It would be ridiculous to say that I couldn’t draw out any more magic power because I was exhausted now.

However, I needed to draw out even more power than that unbelievable enemy.

I took out the last resort that I had been saving in my pocket all that time.

Without loosening the strength of my right hand, which held the wand, I held ‘Glast’s Golden Phoenix Ring’ in my left hand.

I took a deep breath in, and then exhaled deeply.

If I decided to wear the ring, I had to finish it all in one go.

The power of the ring drew magic power from the future. So, once I used it, afterwards I would not be able to use magic power for some time.

So, I couldn’t even think about ending things with a mediocre level attack.

Even stronger. More concretely.

I had to bring my resonance to the max with the wand while utilizing the magic power that I receive from the ring. I had to push past my current abilities.

I closed my eyes and clenched my teeth tightly.

The feeling of my blood vessels bursting as I tightly bit my lip.

Only after fully concentrating more and more did I start to feel the magic power flowing through my entire body.

Only after I closed my eyes and focused on the feeling of magic power was I able to understand my feelings.

The head of house who claimed to be pure evil. His body floated in the air as he reigned over the night sky. Mebula’s magic power, which filled the underground laboratory, made it difficult to even breathe.

I clenched my teeth as I continued trading attacks with Krepin.

Those born with the fate of being a villain. A monster that burned the world, sought greater power, and took pleasure in doing evil deeds.

After hearing that, I understood why I kept clenching my teeth. It was one of the things that triggered my anger the most.

“Don’t fuck with me.”

Like a whisper, it came out.

“Where in the world is there such a thing as pure evil?”

Krepin’s expression twisted at my sudden words. I continued to speak without hesitation.

“I’ve seen bastards like you to the point I’m fucking sick of it. You cowardly bastard.”

The magic that flowed through my body was enormous. An incomparable amount of magic power than normal filled the hall of the underground laboratory.

“Don’t pretend to be a snobby prick. You just don’t want everyone to know that you’re a fucking coward who ran away in fear.”

A stream of profanity came out of my mouth without even realizing it.

Did he feel uncomfortable with my sudden swearing? Krepin’s expression became even more distorted.

A person on the battlefield that turned into a crazy madman after shooting someone for the first time.

Rationalizing to themself that they always enjoyed killing.

Saying they were pure evil. That they were always madmen in the first place. All because they didn’t want to face the fact that they committed an evil deed.

That was Krepin Rothstaylor.

At first, he must have become a villain just to survive in a cruel struggle for power.

From his sacrificed ancestors who used to be the heads of house, his wife who he couldn’t protect, the daughter who he ultimately ruined the life of, the vassals he abandoned, and the people he killed in order to keep his position.

It was a blood-stained life, but he didn’t want to bear the weight of murder.

“What do you know?”

“I know better than you.”

A vast amount of magic power shot out with such a force that it soared up into the sky. Using such a large amount of magic power, I couldn’t even imagine how bad things would be afterwards.

Anyway, it was more important to cut Krepin’s neck. The latter was something I’d have to think about later.

So, I drew out more and more magic power.

Those who had been on the battlefield knew the weight of death better than anyone.

From my senior who was shot in my place on the battlefield to the bard who had bled out in Glockt Hall.

I had endured many deaths, and never once tried to turn my eyes away from it. The corpses were lined up side by side and I was carrying their deaths on my shoulders.

Whether they couldn’t help but die, out of necessity, by my mistake, or by my own will. The fact that they died weighed on my shoulders, constantly on my mind.

The whispers of temptation to forget that weight came to me hundreds of times. Whispers that it would be better for me to pretend I didn’t see anything, turn my head, and treat it as something that never happened.

But not once had I ever been tempted by it.

I still remembered all their names.

That was the crucial difference between us.

“Bastards like you… I despise the most…”

There wasn’t a person out there without dirt on their hands. Where was the person who lived an entire life without committing a single evil deed?

The only thing that mattered was one’s attitude towards that evil deed.

Kwaaaaaaaaaang!

Summoning it, the entire surroundings was swallowed and filled with light.

Heat spurted from the magic circle.

By using both the power of the wand and the power of the ring to its limit, I tried to manifest a spirit beyond my ability into the world.

Flames shot out like a volcano.

A wall of flames rose in the central mansion.

There was only one ‘Ultimate Spirit’ for each element.

No matter how extreme the means were, I couldn’t summon him completely… Only part of him was possible.

The ultimate fire spirit was said to have burnt down a massive mountain range in the Mythic Age. ‘Theorpis.’

In the blazing flames, a head came out of the magic circle. The heat spewing from its wide-open mouth had the power to burn everything in the world equally.

The ‘Thousand-year-old wooden wand struck by lightning’ had the ability to cast all spiritual skills of a spirit, regardless of affinity or if there was a contract.

The ultimate spiritual skill – Blessing of the Fire Dragon.

The power of a hellfire that completely burned all the ‘magic power’ in the area.