Chapter 48: King of Iron Mountain (4)
4DAt9〚I do not perceive spirits.〛ZE8p68
LDnI was unable to perceive spirits because of that Restriction but the rare occasion that allowed me to either converse or deal with a spirit was through their ‘possession’.wgA082R
bZlL0There were some demonic spirits that were able to possess things or organisms. For example, Sebancia Duke possessed an organism and that was why I was able to talk to him.R6nbzJz
e7GqIn this case, it was similar to a poltergeist caused by possessing objects – this demonic spirit had possessed this house instead of a living being.unaSz2G
Pyx0VA large mansion built in the middle of a mountain that turned into a Haunted House after the mass suicide of the family. What would be the thing that had to be done to send the ghosts away?uQffprR
a0q2JIt was simple. All you had to do was destroy the whole building.Ge6zn
EcuDA physical demolition was usually the best solution for a lot of things.Jak
9t9k“Just to double-check, the mages failed at burning the house right?”AA4
HEN1“Two Grade 2 mages used fire magic but couldn’t destroy it. The defense of the demonic spirit was tougher than expected.”ILmAZO
QKn“And you can’t make it too strong since it could turn into a bushfire, right?”ZxQF
6Hdkj“Exactly.”Ozg
iw9UsyLighting the house on fire to destroy the Haunted House was impossible due to the interference of the ghost possessing the house, but increasing the intensity of the flame was also impossible because it would result in a bushfire.8rA
VH8kIn the end, the most low-risk and low-cost method to resolve this problem was by entering the building to defeat the true body of the demonic spirit.HX9R4e
MDVSEZ“It will be difficult by using a normal method, because that house has completely turned into a demon lair.”GDNuI
UhjdbeY“Well, it should be over in no time. Are you really going to follow me though?”aFl
q554After hearing my pompous declaration that I would defeat the Haunted House in 30 seconds, Old Man Haman stated that he would follow me and see with his own eyes.eyLXsdb
WX5He was done preparing by just covering his hands with gauntlets.WDZf
UmU34O“Just letting you know, I won’t be able to protect you.”IDQejeq
8Kf5a“Hmph! Who do you think you’re talking to, young brat.”kPXz
xG9iZteI had never seen Old Man Haman fight before, because he was closer to a Skills NPC back in the game.OHTpE
XbGHe was a veteran knight who even reached Grade 1 in his youth so he should be fine by himself.hb4ETXq
4em“Alright. Let’s get ready, get set…”RHtOD
0zT7I bent my back like an athlete preparing for a sprint.7FOno
84aIn my eyes, the Haunted House appeared like a normal discarded and shabby mansion but it would appear like an ominous lair of demons to the eyes of Old Man Haman and the members of the Alliance.6bVY
9EMS0Well, that had nothing to do with me though.zI9
63wL“Go!”Hc9s
cRzIEku– Pabak!k6f
zLfB5Kicking off the ground, I marched into the Haunted House. Old Man Haman was following from behind but unlike me who was going straightforward, he was constantly vigilant of something.74XW
Is38– Kugung!GRoi
p3EntK3A branch soared up from the ground before slapping down like a whip.zUQaQw9
J8m4kBb“Now, you dodge the attack with a jump and use your spear to cut off the top core of the root! One jump!”ncHi3K
UBn2gbM“??!”4QDOBJW
zSwMy sudden commentary made Old Man Haman tilt his head, but this was only the beginning.T6fXb6
yeLPn3“StraightenYourSpearAsYouGoForward, AndTheTerraceWindowWillBreakAsGlassFragmentsFlyAtYou. SlideNextToItAndEnterThroughTheDoor!”daXE
g0lcT5 seconds.K5Lt3U
gu501KW“WhenYou’reInside,CutTheClockOnTheTopRightHandCornerFollowedByThreeJumpingStabs! CrushTheNailsPoppingUpFromTheStairsWithoutWorryingAboutTheCeiling. GoDown, StepOnTheMiddleCarpetAndIt’llGoCrack!”B0U1f
LVUkws– Crack!9822y
beJeX4b12 seconds.Wgs
Iji“ATableWillBeNextToTheMagicCircleInTheMiddleOfTheBasement, WhichYouCutAndScratchTheMagicCircleToWeakenTheSpirit’sTelekineticAbility. There’llBeACandlestickToYourRight, SoKickItAndGoKenazPlusHagalazFIREEEEWithTheSpear!”YhNVf
xe4hCTn16 seconds.C8K
zTQs“ClimbUpTheStairsNow. TheDoorWillBreakWithA ‘Thud!’ AndAPortraitWillFlyAtYou. StabThoseUglyEyesAndMakeThemPretty, AndDashToTheStairs!”sR8Wn
Sb3TmYDWhile carving rune letters here and there.X5PjGx0
wYeEI“Now! WhenYouGoBackUpThereWillBeABunchOfTablesAndChairsFlyingAtYou, WhichYouBetterDodgeByYourself. GoToTheUnmovingWallAndCarveSomeRuneLetters! NextUpWillBeCutleries,AndYouWillGetADebuffWhenYouGetHitSoBlockThem!”GCaTX56
DG4R21 seconds.cNUvM86
MlWN“There’sADressingTableToTheRight. PickItUpAndBlockBlockBlock! TheChandelierWillFallSoJumpAndStabStabStab!!”FbjzU7
ksf25 seconds.zwBPvZn
f1t“That’sItWithTheFlyingFurniture. WhileThisGhostIsGoing ‘WhoTheHellIsThisGuy,’ WithAnUglyLookOnItsFaceYouActivateAllTheRuneMagicAllAtOnce! FIREEEEEEE!!!!!”AJeqSuA
jflKpG2Rune Magic Kenaz, Resonant Activation.Q8I
CQd“NowItWillBurnByItSelfSoJustLeaveTheHouse. Real men do not turn around to see explosions. That is all you have to do.”0WiZUs
yPX– Booom!qA6I
iPc30 seconds. Easy.hsw1
k93“That’s super~ easy, right?”8eHOuGh
hMS7F“…”rY5lb
NUkUfju“…”jPxn3
ZA9KwgPThat was similar to what I had seen in the last video left behind by the legendary streamer Starry Guy who used to dominate the Korean streaming websites.1RzpEcA
Xd3fDqIt was a video that I could only view in my memories now.uqgo6yl
38Uwh****sDQ
i0DHaunted House Mission.dvpsMN5
DPvn8gThis was actually one of the missions that could be chosen after entering the second semester. Just like the Unique Grade demonic spirit quest of Sebancia Duke in the Great Library, it was a choosable side quest. That’s probably when this demonic spirit reached Grade 1.xUg
ZqKQThe mission itself was very simple.GlE2
FKafIn order to defeat the Grade 1 demonic spirit possessing the Haunted House, you had to dodge all sorts of furniture that was being thrown at you to destroy the magic circle hidden inside the basement and so on.Vev
jFAgsfmHowever, because of all the disgust-evoking patterns and mechanics of this mission, it received countless comments of people that wondered whether this was an RPG or a ‘Soulslike’ game.K0M1y
5SX1kBecause of that, the Haunted House mission became one that could be used to prove your skills with the game.KXe
kaeZkjq“Congratulations. I’m sure you’ll be becoming a semi-Grade 1 Knight without a doubt at this point.”AbAI
dCWOld Man Haman congratulated me with a bright smile on his face as if this was something that concerned himself as he tapped me on my shoulder. Now that I was a semi-Grade 1 Knight, my monthly support fund as well as my mission-accepting qualification should have both gone up.jo9
DuM7F8A higher Grade also signified an increase to my authority, and meant that I would be able to proactively intervene in the upcoming scenario.scsA9ES
1Rw“There is a port city called Zarr nearby. I know an amazing restaurant there. Let us drop by and have some food before we go back.”K3j
HbhOv3“Zarr… is it a place that sells sashimi soups?”cSFx
HvW5WBAt the same time, it was the city that had ‘that thing’ inside which was one of the reasons why I selected the demonic spirit subjugation mission of this area in the first place.mTkz9rE
MQf“Hoh? You know that place? Are you okay with raw fish?”swlbUm
oJC“I love sashimi.”UlSM
YVXM5CK“Good! Let me introduce you to the best sashimi soup restaurant I know!”72MIP7
EqQp5While listening to Old Man Haman, I stole a glance at the mountain behind us. A red dog was silently gazing at me.IyU
Ijef5Good. It was still following me without a problem.6fi2UF
iJHnI****u4Mk
WGHaFmgAt B4, the fourth basement floor of the laboratory building, were cages of all sorts of sealed demonic beasts and spirits that could only be visited by very few members of the Academy.yRY8Nv
tsOmFrA bunch of dangerous demons including the Grade 1 demonic beasts, the Melting Dragon and the King Tyrant were sealed inside for an experiment but the strongest one out of them by far would be this boar here.6JI
UrjKing of Iron Mountain.xbE5
KQ7Looking at this large boar that weighed at least dozens of tonnes messed around with Marie’s mind. If the size was the only thing that was impressive about this monster, then Marie would have simply considered it a slightly bigger pig because she had seen several monsters that were even bigger than this back at her farm.6O2
jqZ9i8oHowever, the most overwhelming aspect of this boar was the absurd amount of demonic aura that was emanating out of it.w06
qJyRh3qThe bristles of the boar were a mixture of crimson red and blue, and its skin was as tough as an armor that no weapons could possibly create a mark on it. Unlike the colorful hairs on its skin, the fangs of the boar were polished sharp like a masterpiece created by the god of blacksmiths.h3odZ
xSWjVU“Unique Grade demonic beast… King of Iron Mountain.”mZf1l
M6Hx2This was a Unique Grade – this was the beast of an immeasurable power that was on an equal rank with herself… if not above.Djm
dzTWdZThe legendary demonic beast that reduced the northern Dingle Peninsula into rubble 80 years ago was currently sealed by all sorts of magic circles and tough chains forged with hundreds of tonnes of magic stones.yAU
Sk6Y‘It’s almost like Hua Ran…’92Oay
yoDPerhaps this was the expanded version of the chained nun clothes that were restricting Hua Ran.EFkP
uDHeR“Now. Please bring the Fang Boars here!”In4r
XURcs7RFollowing the command of Professor Deina, the staff members brought the Fang Boars from their cage. They were furiously screaming inside the small cage but they started to feel timid the moment they saw Marie.oiK2l
cN5uyOm“For safety purposes, everyone except for Student Marie and Professor Fermack; please leave the lab for the time being.”uby
lI1The staff members of the lab immediately began leaving the room after her words. Now, the only ones left behind in this vast underground room were the demonic beasts and a small number of people.TPojarh
3PfZnk“Student Marie. Can you try controlling the Fang Boars for now?”896vNf
VCdP“Ah, yes…!”4kGr
hTLvvZMarie approached the monsters as requested by Professor Deina.BBIo
iqr9“Come out.”D4wV
RlCI4She commanded the several Fang Boars that had been replaced to another cage nearby after opening the door. The monsters started crawling out with pitifully trembling legs.Sk2cJRV
FfsNU“Student Marie. Can you please give out some simple commands?”Ut939
FXp“Okay.”CKIpCHI
sPwAs previously discussed, Marie started giving simple commands to the Fang Boars by telling them to sit, stand, run and lay down.yy0FJNU
2sGMost of them tried their hardest to follow her commands but a few of them wandered around, not knowing what they were supposed to do.HHsrM6
9Cz“I don’t think they’re listening to me.”1UpfS4I
ES1YY“It is probably because of an issue with the communication between demi-humans and demonic beasts. Low-grade demonic beasts do not have the intellect to understand your commands.”Yuwu9A1
0nk2It would be a different story for similar beasts because their language systems were also similar.5Ge4
TVBVfWY“Professor Fermak. Please unseal the ‘King’.”W2qpepq
AWp7i“Roger.”WwGYB
bXwYEKIn response to Professor Deina’s request, Professor Fermack approached the sleeping demonic pig.XByvaI
6Ikz27A“I will now use the unsealing rune to remove the 1st Seal.”Gvl
7E9OdNhThe 1st Seal was the one responsible for sealing the consciousness of the demon boar. Casting a rune to remove that was a fairly tough job.qAY1m
7ebdsRune Magic was a language system where each of the letters contained a magic definition. Only by engraving dozens of rune letters onto the demonic pig without a single mistake would one be able to complete a meaningful unsealing sentence.dXE6HU
xEfNow that Rune Letters had become a dead language in modern times, there were only a tiny number of people that could use Rune Magic to this level and Professor Fermack was one of them.cd04q6
LfyVic‘It said they removed the seal a few times over the past 80 years… I wonder who did those?’reE
7gLzeThe small doubt in Marie’s mind disappeared when she saw the demonic boar twitch with the activation of Professor Fermack’s rune.LFAQ6
4t1QvY– Krrrhh…!W4eX
WiUIt howled with a voice that resembled a ferocious carnivore than a boar. After opening its eyes, the boar glanced around with a pair of eyes that gleamed ominously in blue.vj3
IIAcV– KURARAAAAAAAAA!!fk4q3tR
vlipTThe roar of the demonic boar reverberated across. At the same time, it shrunk its body and twisted and turned in order to snap the chains that were binding itself.57m
3qyJ“Groups 1, 3 and 7. Activate hypergravity! Group 6, fortify the chains!”cXO
BU8PGiProfessor Deina shouted through the in-ear microphone as mages outside began to activate large magic circles one after another. The grand demon-suppressing magic circles of the 4th underground floor of the laboratory had mana supplied to them as the chains began to tighten around the monster.YS21
Axv– Kugung!GUw
8XOaeOn top of that, the gravity-increasing spell installed on the ceiling was turned on as it helped suppress the demonic boar. Each one of the activated spells were grand magic circles that had been maintained and improved over the past 80 years to restrain this monster.OVeugpW
HL07“Krrhhh…!”vOf
7600After perhaps coming to the judgment that it couldn’t escape by itself, the demonic boar roared out loud as the Fang Boars began to respond to its call.fnKB
LWkX– Kuruk…!tY3
PeCy– Kueeek!tvOf
6oz“Student Marie!”Ny2bNb9
DD2nProfessor Deina shouted and Marie glared at the Fang Boars while commanding them, ‘Stop!’. It worked in the past but this time, they were giving off a strange response.S7t
Puj4– Kueeeeek…!pulzr
IbREgThey weren’t immediately running in at Marie, but they appeared to be resisting against her command. It didn’t take long for them to eventually make the decision of pouncing at her.R5CLDf
JC3OZ“Hmph…!”4rw5
dOvElWhen Marie smacked the ground with her staff, water budded like fruits around her before striking the monsters down.LDjNS
VqHsSucIn the blink of an eye, she knocked the three Fang Boars unconscious and turned her gaze to Professor Deina to ask what to do with them.H1LGWb8
xD5“Haa~. Maybe it’s because they’re both boars? It snatched the control away from us way too easily.”PhBO
kZn“What should I do with these guys?” Marie asked.r65IeR
Ve54E7l“Just keep them unconscious. We can have some boar cutlets later or something.”1b19
X7IdvbK“Can I take a few pieces home?”Ldm3YU7
3PO“Of course.”gTcF
HHxo2bMarie was glad that there was something she could cook for the boy but her joy did not last long.RJPw0
IiBOne of the cages of the plaza outside the room cracked open with a thud.pIexR
xGmfS1x[Emergency! Emergency! Demonic beasts of Cage A-107 have escaped!]k3jK
ahi3k“What? Don’t tell me!”nViDx
WC1YJThe demonic beast that escaped from the cage entered their room in an instant.bs0N
flKKuf– Guwoooooooo—–5DnEb
hJXmWith a strange scream that sounded like the mix of a flute and a trumpet, the monster glared at Marie.ySRiv
HRuk4n0“A manticore?”g4DuBU
dflA chimera, which had the body of a lion and the tail of a snake that was as big as the demonic boar, glared at her before jumping at her.EQd
CIJ0xDX“Mhmm…”YKiCb9
fMty6ni❰Blood Spear❱QTWioI
c3cShe created a large number of ice lances and fired them at the monster. However, the clever and agile manticore displayed an acrobatic jump while escaping from the attack range of the Blood Spears.QttJiq
UxgC“Doggo…!”1t9CEER
7PZOjMarie was just about to summon her familiar but Professor Fermack held her by the shoulder and stopped her.ykoX76X
DIpwQ“Save your power for now.”RzMztLZ
XlQRAfter standing in front of her, Professor Fermack took off his sunglasses and postured himself in a boxing stance.yeeex7
YFsjbNOUsing boxing, which appeared like it would only be effective against humans, to fight the large monster weighing dozens of tonnes seemed like a questionable choice but…vU8plkd
Pz1❰Shadow Servant❱k96uDtb
K9PkA human figure suddenly soared out of Fermack’s shadow. It was a shadow clone created by Professor Fermack’s specialty.T3P
nG9CThe Shadow Servant was a spitting image of Professor Fermack and even its boxing stance was the same as his.TkDMr
WXfw“ᛟ – Othala. ᚱ – Raidho.”9S6I
fNyhEEfProfessor Fermack disappeared in the blink of an eye. The only one that could perceive his super rapid acceleration was Marie thanks to her monstrous dynamic vision, but even she had trouble following his movement with her eyes.Mm8
WDAn“Guwooo?”MrEWy2
8FoThe manticore showed a puzzled look on its face after seeing Professor Fermack reappear in front of itself. Meanwhile, both Professor Fermack and his shadow were taking in a deep breath in preparation for a massive attack.K7Owf
kbw6❰Ducking Boost In-dash❱0UzEu
WN80Crushing the ground he raced beneath the monster. Right as the manticore was about to sense a foreign being underneath its belly, Professor Fermack’s left arm penetrated inside from underneath as if he was reaching for the sky.Ajj
ScGEP❰Southpaw Screw Demolition❱Kk3NwKh
J1pb– Kwang!uvQ7u01
KYQxK– Kwagang!Fet4
iHhdUTwo thuds echoed out shaking the innards of the manticore and was soon followed by a large amount of blood gushing out of the monster’s throat.6cJUS
2TZ– Kung!8XnJh
S9qcb7After killing the enormous manticore with just one move, Professor Fermack opened his mouth while cleaning his gauntlets that had been drenched with the blood of the monster’s innards.Vjt9l7
9fW“Professor Deina. Something’s not right.”ZszLI
TbtW6zyIt was then.cPeTin
1PBZ3D– KURAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…!!!!duh
iWkMThe demon boar let out an inexplicable roar, as all the demonic beasts nearby responded to its cry.zK3
LJjG– Kiaaakkkk!VLw1
12Y0– Siiiiii! Siieeeee!sUfaXa
kphhqjB– Quack! Quaaaaaakkkk!YIojl
u32TWhether it be low-grade or medium-grade demonic beasts, they all roared out loud in alignment with the cry of the King of Iron Mountain.dLn
S20QX“W, what’s going on? I didn’t see anything like this in the records!”FecWC
s8MThat wasn’t the end.hti
z0n3[Professor! This is not good! The demonic beasts are driving their heads into the iron bars like crazy and are trying to escape from their cages! You must escape!]zoRihOF
hrbG7sbThe reactions of the demonic beasts were definitely abnormal but Professor Deina cool-headedly responded to the problem.Tu0m0
LTpLH“Follow the manual; Z-17! Activate the anti-demon pressure spell and the blockade at once! We shall reseal the King of Iron Mountain as well for the time being! Activate all the magic circles right now!”XOJV4c
AJVHer response was superb. Remembering the manual in this dire situation, she commanded the members of the lab to activate all the spells installed on the 4th underground floor and promptly decided to reseal the demon boar, which was most certainly the cause of this problem.Npia
KoNlieAt this point, it was hard to expect another experiment of a similar kind, but she prioritized the safety of people over her academic desires.czLjMyA
zHY3xoMHowever, there was one thing that even Professor Deina hadn’t been able to expect and that was—vFpi
FtyA[This is Group 2! We cannot activate the magic circle!]tCzGS
s0TtOl[Same with the sealing spell! Damn it! Someone has messed around with the magic circles!]JvXac
Z0Jm“W, what?!”VZnDc
eXPp1Professor Deina gasped in utter shock, but that wasn’t the end of their source of grief.ZDg
nD5b0hC– Crunch! Crunch!EEr
8Ol“P, Professor Fermack!”aB6
pKNTmAAfter seeing something, Marie hurriedly looked for Professor Fermack and pointed at the demon boar with a visibly flustered look on her face.6SQiSz
8ny1h“Well shit…”IRmx
vHNQNProfessor Fermack widened his eyes as he looked at the demon boar.NK6j
VB8miaThe King of Iron Mountain – the demonic boar of the Dingle Peninsula – was chewing and devouring the magic stone chains that were restraining itself.078shZ
AxWTq9“Damn it. We have to stop it! Student Marie!”Padhqs2
lbY7“Yes…!”HpKMIp
akuakb❰Crystal Lance❱VRl
MbklqELMarie quickly created a large transparent spear in the air. Formed with combination magic, it was a large and frozen lance that was even tougher than it appeared.Q4db8n
cJVuIt was a high-grade combination spell which she never used against humans. Her lance pierced down at the defenseless blue hairs of the boar.v8697J
8vh– Kwang!NhEZi
XpHjDzThe crystal lance shattered from the collision but the boar was still surprisingly normal.BSJ8NQK
TNx‘That’s weird… How did that do no damage?’bRgwR6f
QfwyEven though she couldn’t break through its defense, she did succeed at catching its attention. Professor Fermack managed to approach the monster while its eyes were on Marie.hHX
nkA8Professor Fermack swung his strongest fist at the unprepared body of the demon boar. His fist that even killed a manticore with a single strike drove deeply into the ‘red hairs’ of the demon boar.mT06w
sKivSU2– Kung.QpN8
L5TiIt was like throwing a pebble at a giant rock – Professor Fermack’s strongest strike was nothing but a pebble in front of the monster.aWJs
GnYQE“That can’t be…”7aIzzG
QCfsThe demon boar turned its eyes to Professor Fermack as their gazes collided in the air. As soon as those blue eyes landed on him, strange letters began to form on its fangs.X3c
Lh8“…Runes?”CZp
4UIYZD7❰ᚦᚠ – Thurisaz Fehu❱xDRACe
2BDItF– Kwang!C5Qf
xSIsYoA great amount of heat emanated from its fangs and struck Professor Fermack as a colossal amount of light and heat swallowed the underground plaza. At the end of that fluctuation of pure mana…o67H
WvAl6– Sheeek. Boom!HZPq9Mx
ewJ5R– Crack, crack!ilAi0nc
xmTX1“N, no.”FPdm
VWGProfessor Deina’s powerless denial of the truth echoed in vain. The chains and the magic circles that were restraining and suppressing the monster were all crushed into shatters.1lUfJXs
ais2After undoing all the seals that were restraining it, the demon boar arrogantly gazed at the surroundings before letting out a thunderous roar.czu
VKwnpr⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛————!!dcA
2HC– Clang! Clank!!8vT4FH
4ux1D– Crack! Kung!0K7Dh
RJdThe sounds of breaking iron bars could be heard from everywhere. As a result of the demonic beasts throwing themselves at the bars to obey the call of the Unique Grade monster, the cages ended up breaking at last.6HHr
rbC[E, Emergency! Emergency!]hrnrN
uOxAll the demonic beasts that were sealed on the 4th underground floor were released.tBTvV
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