A swiftly unfolding canopy emerged from the dark spots, enclosing the school field in the blink of an eye. Teachers were taken aback by the sudden turn of events. Amidst the confusion, it was Ruth who displayed the most composed reaction. His hand gripped Sihyun's shoulder, pulling him towards himself. Startled, Sihyun blinked his eyes. Ruth, looking serious, addressed the teachers outside.
"Everyone except him and me, go to the auditorium."
"What? But..."
"Didn't you hear me? If you don't want to end up trapped and dead, get inside. Our opponent is Venom."
With a stern expression, Ruth warned, scratching his neck as if uncomfortable. Only then did the teachers hesitate, beginning to retreat.
"We'll request backup soon...!"
As they rushed outside, Ruth, signaling as if to say 'got it,' tightened his grip on Sihyun's body, pulling him closer. Sihyun instinctively shrank. A low voice from above warned him.
"If you don't want to die, stick close, kid."
Venom.
Sihyun raised his head at the irregular term he had heard somewhere before. As he looked at him with a puzzled expression, Ruth, seeing a complete canopy formed, tightened his grip on Sihyun's shoulder with more force. Though it was too dark to see clearly, he felt Ruth sharpening his senses, observing the surroundings keenly.
"He's an irregular of the danger class that first appeared in the United States. Mark your territory against the marked opponent and attack. If there's anyone within that territory, make them hostages to taunt and toy with."
"Intelligent creature, huh?"
"Yeah. And this time, it seems like we've been caught as prey."
"Is he strong?"
"I'm stronger. But you need to be careful not to inhale the venom gas. If you do, you won't be able to use mana temporarily. It means you won't be able to use your healer skills."
With this additional explanation, Sihyun was astonished. He had thought that since it was venom gas, he could just use healer skills. But not being able to use mana was unexpected. Among the irregulars he knew, there was not a single one that sealed skills.
"So, what do we do?"
"What can we do? If I tell you to hold your breath, hold it and use purification skills. And stick tightly."
"Okay?"
A low laugh, sounding amused, echoed from above. Even if he was crazy, it didn't seem like he was laughing because the situation was funny; it was more like a mocking laughter due to being stunned. Ruth, whose hand had held Sihyun's shoulder, moved it down to wrap around his waist, stiffening his body.
"It seems like the king has arrived. We'll be sucked into their territory."
With those words, the black ground they stood on trembled, then abruptly vanished below. Something swiftly passed by their vision. Nausea hit as Sihyun closed his eyes, feeling his body plummeting for a while before sensing it upright again. Confirming the space where he could tread on the ground by tapping it, Sihyun, gradually getting used to the darkness, looked at Ruth's side profile as he brushed his blond hair. His hair crackled, making a sound. It seemed like electricity flowed, and the surroundings brightened slightly.
"You're experiencing quite rare phenomena with me. Enjoy it, kid. We're becoming the second humanity to step into Venom Road's territory."
"Venom Road?"
"Yeah, unlike ordinary venom, the road draws prey into its residing territory. It was strange that he didn't appear even though the canopy was formed, but it seems the one who blocked us was the road."
Maybe a crack opened nearby.
Muttering, Ruth, with one hand still gripping Sihyun, clenched lightning in his other hand. I don't know how it came to be when there's no sky here. How did that lightning emerge from the ground?
"Then it's not something to be pleased about."
As Sihyun spat out a suitable retort, he stiffened as the ground beneath him wriggled. Everything felt unfamiliar. It was the first time an irregular with hostile intentions had appeared at the school. Despite claims that the barrier keeping irregulars at bay was the third safest in Korea, it seemed like mere bravado.
"Pia might be a fantasy species, but what's this now...?"
Sihyun murmured, recalling what the principal had explained. He felt betrayed. How would the students feel knowing that a man unable to even mention the strongest magic school had appeared? They had been preparing for the competition, but finding themselves in the domain of a dangerous-class irregular was absurd. The only fortunate thing was that the man who had fallen with him was named Ruth.
...Even though his explanations are quite rude, my trust in him is diminishing.
"Can't we teleport outside?"
"What?"
"Why not?"
"In the Road's territory, teleporting outside the area is impossible."
"Really?"
"Your school didn't tell you about this kind of thing?"
As if they would've told us. We've just started studying various irregulars one by one in the history section of awakened beings and irregulars.
Suddenly thrown off track, Sihyun was bewildered. Even though Ruth's teleportation was available, he had thought they could return at any time, but even that was impossible now. Who could he trust now?
"So, how do we get out?"
"We have to wait until the Road appears."
"And after that?"
"We just have to run out."
A simple answer came back. S-ranked or not, he seemed to exude a sense of ease from having experienced all sorts of trials and tribulations.
Sihyun relaxed his tense body slightly. Gripping the staff in his hand, he stared into the dimness ahead. When the conversation ended, an eerie and ominous feeling came over him, making him force his mouth open.
"Have you ever faced him before?"
"Well, Venom?"
"Yes."
"It's my first time encountering the Road."
Doubt increased once again. And something squirming in the black space caught his eye. From then on, Sihyun kept his gaze fixed on the unusual conversation.
The black shape undulated as if melting from its spot, then repeatedly stood back up. It felt like slime. Ruth's hand gripping his waist tightened. Without a word, Ruth, who had been keeping an eye on the front, shifted his center of gravity backward.
"He's coming."
"Rumble!"
The black figure rushed towards Ruth. Dodging the ambush, he hurled the lightning he held. Crack! The creature hit by the lightning screamed and melted away.
It won't end like this. Since it's a dangerous-class irregular, Sihyun realized it's just the beginning and tensed his body. As if confirming his thoughts were correct, black shapes began to rush at them from all sides.
"Crazy."
There weren't just one or two.
There were at least hundreds.
"Hold your breath."
Amidst his astonishment, an order came from above. Following his premonition, Sihyun stopped breathing and swung the staff. For a moment, everything brightened, and the air felt comfortable. Well done. While hearing such praise above his head, Sihyun struggled to suppress the nausea, feeling as if he was witnessing a man showing the extreme agility in his movements. His body was being shaken in all directions, leaving him with no sense of composure. Ruth, who was deftly moving with him held in his arms, agilely dodged the creatures, and when they came within a certain distance, he swung the lightning.
Zap!
The creature hit by Ruth's lightning shivered and disappeared. In the moment when he became empty-handed, one of the black things threw itself at him. Sihyun, surprised by the one approaching directly to his face, was about to swing the staff.
"Guehh!"
The creature caught by Ruth's hand crackled with electricity and vanished. Realizing his own immaturity, Sihyun quickly applied a thin armor of protection to himself and Ruth, then looked at Ruth.
"What was that?"
"My third skill."
"Oh."
Sihyun let out a short sigh. With three skills at his disposal, it seemed that was the final one. Zeus' lightning was composed of three aspects: striking with lightning, grasping it, and allowing the current to flow through one's body. Understanding this, Sihyun, undeterred, faced the relentless onslaught of black entities.
Ruth's body continued to move without pause. Each time he swung the lightning, black liquid splattered into the air.
Now, Sihyun, who could purify just by saying "breathe," had fully adapted to the darkness and the swift movements of the creatures. He reached out to assist Ruth.
The creatures rushing in droves were swept away in a deluge. Ruth directed lightning towards them. Dozens of black figures lost their movements in an instant. However, there were still many left.
"How long do we have to keep doing this? Where's Venom?"
Sihyun, weary of the creatures surrounding them, spoke in a frustrated tone as he struck one of them with his staff. Rising above them and suppressing the creatures, Ruth opened his mouth.
"They're cowards. Once they realize they can't handle those moving with my mana alone, Venom will come out."
"So, is this some sort of warm-up?"
"Yep."
Oh my.
Sihyun looked at the black entities in amazement. Somehow, they seemed to crawl back slowly no matter how many times they were killed, and they were being controlled by mana. It was easier this way. After hesitating for a moment while holding the staff, Sihyun consumed one of the remaining copies of his skill. He regretted not being more careful before copying Ruth's skill.
"Could you please hold them properly?"
"What?"
"We can't keep dealing with these creatures only to have them return. Let's finish them off at once."
At once.
Muttering those words, Sihyun felt his heart pumping faster than usual and regulated his breathing. As the creatures approached, Ruth's lightning sent them flying again. Ruth, who had been dodging the creatures one by one and running around, narrowed his eyes.
"If you're going to do it, do it quickly, kid."
"Step back."
At Ruth's low voice, he floated in the air and retreated upward. Watching hundreds of black entities squirming below, Sihyun swung his staff.
Fwoosh!
A bright red flame engulfed the once pitch-black space.
"Guehh!"
"Rumble!"
The creatures on the ground screamed in agony as they burned. Hearing the screams as if they were piercing his eardrums, Sihyun tightly closed his eyes and clung to Ruth, repeating phrases like "quickly" over and over. His fingertips trembled. He could endure watching Wisdom write, but hearing the crackling sound of sparks and the screams of burning bodies made his head spin.
With one hand gripping the staff and the other holding onto the man's neck to keep from falling, Sihyun, unable to do anything else, scratched Ruth's shoulder roughly as he breathed heavily. Hearing his labored breaths, Ruth frowned. His speed in hurling the creatures from mid-air with flames increased slightly.
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