I Got a Fake Job at the Academy Chapter 823

Chapter 823 - Side Story 96: Chimera (4)

Lexer saw the beast causing a rampage outside. It was a beast he had never seen before in his life. Just looking at its size and appearance, it was nothing short of a monster.

It had such diverse characteristics that it was hard to believe it was a single entity. It looked as if several beasts had been mixed into one. And each one was at the spirit beast level at that.

[Is it really okay to just send him off like that?]

When Rudger said he would go alone, Lexer hadn't been able to stop him in time. It was partly because he was an excellent mage, but also because his attitude was so confident.

However, now that he actually saw that monster killing the dark mages, anxiety crept over him. No matter how strong Rudger was, real bat was always unpredictable.

In actual bat, the line between life and death could easily be crossed due to minor mistakes or external factors.

Even high-ranking mages weren't perfect superhumans. In a moment of carelessness, even a knight could take their head.

"You don't need to worry."

Casey and Veronica, who had actually let Rudger go alone, were pletely relaxed. They didn't follow to help, nor did they pray desperately hoping he would win.

Just looking at Casey's reaction, one would think Rudger had gone for a walk in the neighborhood.

[Look here, detective miss. I think you're like this because you didn't see that monster directly.]

At Lexer's words, Casey snorted.

"Me? Not at all. I know very well about the monster outside. In fact, I've encountered even more terrible enemies than that. I said it's okay taking all of that into account." 

[Still, isn't there always the possibility of something going wrong?] 

"Do you think he'll lose? Well, even though his magic skills are excellent, it's understandable to think there might be a chance since he's young. But know this. That man has more real bat experience than any other mage. No, rather, it's hidden by his magical prowess, but...that's the real thing."

When Casey spoke with such conviction, Lexer couldn't say anything more.

"Rather than that, let's look around the vicinity more. There seem to be many spaces that haven't been revealed yet." 

[Well, if you say that much, I guess it's not something for a plete outsider like me to interfere with. I was curious about that part anyway.]

Veronica asked.

"Sir Lexer, hadn't you pletely taken control of this ruin's system?" 

[Me? I guess it seemed that way. Sorry for not living up to expectations, but I only know about half of this ruin.]

Lexer had breathed his soul into the ruin's magic system to bee one with it, but that didn't mean he could control everything.

Let's say when he was human, he lived in a small house. Living there, he would know what furniture or items were in which room. This includes the structure and layout of the house and everything. The longer the time, the clearer the memory bees.

Now it was different. He had moved from a small two-story house to a large mansion. The mansion was so large that he hadn't even been able to look through the entire interior. Where things were, he was only just now in the stage of finding out.

Moreover, just because he had bee one with the system didn't mean he could check things however he wanted.

[This is a research facility. Naturally, the security level differs by section. What I barely managed to break through is up to here where the artificial sun is. I haven't even been able to confirm anything beyond that yet.] 

"Is it because the security is too thorough to break through?" 

[Hey now. What do you take me for! I'm Lexer! If I put my mind to it, there's no security I can't break through! I just didn't have enough time!]

She had asked out of pure curiosity, but it seemed to have touched his pride quite a bit.

Lexer's hologram walked across the forest. Casey and Veronica followed behind him.

[Here it is.]

Even the beautiful artificial forest had an end. Since it was a space built underground, the cavity was largely limited. Still, it was sufficiently large and spacious, but reaching the opposite end wasn't difficult.

Just like when they entered, a similar door stood tall. The size was smaller, but its sturdiness was exceptional. To anyone, it looked like more important secrets were stored there.

[I had tried to check here but lost consciousness before I could.]

But now that the system had been rebooted, the opportunity was given. Lexer brought his hand to the door. His translucent blue palm seeped into the door's surface.

-Whirrrr.

Blue mana circuits flowed along the door's surface. The mana circuits extended out as if expanding their range.

[Hm.]

However, the circuits stopped as if blocked by a wall in the middle. Lexer let out a groan.

[What is this? The security here is inparably more thorough.]

He had thought he had bee pletely one with the ruin's system, but this was pletely unexpected. Beyond this door seemed to be posed of an entirely different system.

He thought he had just looked through the entire mansion he had moved into, but it felt like there was another villa next door. Moreover, the door was firmly locked so he couldn't enter carelessly.

Lexer felt his petitive spirit stirring.

[How dare you try to block me? I'm Lexer.]

He was a mage and at the same time an explorer. The places he explored were always remote, but there weren't none related to ancient civilizations.

Naturally, while going around such ruins, he possessed the knowledge to break through traps and use them in reverse.

[No matter how solidly it was made, it's been hundreds of years since it was created. I can break through it any number of times.]

The mana circuit that had hesitated began to move again. It covered the entire door and even moved along the outer walls connected to the door.

Lexer frowned. He thought he had broken through a bit, but the barrier's thickness was thicker than expected.

Even struggling desperately to dig in, he couldn't see the end. It felt like sinking into a quagmire. Lexer bit his lip. He was a bit flustered, but he had no intention of giving up.

[Let's see who wins.]

Just as he continued to struggle like that, something reacted from inside.

[It's connected!]

He finally succeeded in making contact with the inside after breaking through the solid security wall. However, he had only just made a single opening in the pletely blocked wall.

He had to concentrate his strength here to widen the gap.

"I'll help too."

Casey stepped forward.

[Did you have experience with this sort of thing?] 

"Not exactly, but I roughly know how to do it. And what I'm doing isn't direct intervention in the system." 

[Then what are you planning to do?] 

"You'll see when you watch."

Water droplets formed around Casey. The slowly moving droplets touched the door that Lexer was struggling with.

-Swoosh.

The water droplets seeped along the door's surface. No, more precisely, it was closer to drilling through.

The surface of the water droplets in contact with the door was rotating at a very fast speed. Ultra-small drills moving at high pressure and high speed.

The door was very thick and sturdy, but when Casey deliberately pushed through, it was helplessly pierced.

The water droplets that seeped inside like that created gaps inside the door.

Once the gaps were created, the water droplets spread in all directions. The water that spread like a spider web took control of the surroundings and froze solidly.

The volume increased instantly and the cracks in the door widened.

Lexer felt the security wall pressing on him weaken.

[I see. By interfering physically, you're deliberately creating cracks in the system!] 

"Well, if things go wrong, I might touch another security system inside, but you can just adjust that yourself."

Even though she spoke lightly, it was by no means an easy task. If there was even the slightest mistake in controlling the force, it could invite an even greater danger.

But the Emerald Mage Casey Selmore never makes such minor mistakes.

[It's done.]

Under Casey and Lexer's joint attack, the security wall couldn't hold and collapsed.

-Rrrrrumble.

As the entrance's security system collapsed, the firmly closed door opened. Heat surged out from beyond the darkness where light didn't reach.

"This is considerable heat."

Veronica let out an exclamation at the heat she felt on her skin. She had thought it would be cold since it was deeper underground, but instead it was hot enough to make even her, a knight, hesitate.

"The artificial sun's heat is gathered here. Why could that be?"

[We'll have to check to find out what it is.] 

"I'll take the lead."

Veronica stepped forward. She drew her sword and raised her aura. The cold aura pushed away the heat. The heat and cold collided, creating water vapor in the air.

Casey gathered all the water vapor and surrounded her body with it. It was to prepare for any possible situation.

Lexer, who had entered inside the passage, brought his hand to the wall.

[Hm. pared to the external security, the inside isn't that thorough. Probably, they didn't assume anyone would get this far.] 

"That means there is something inside here." 

[Let me check right now.]

Lexer closed his eyes and concentrated his mind. Casey also didn't stay still and spread water vapor widely to roughly examine the internal structure.

[There's a peculiar terrain below.]

Going down in a spiral vortex form, there was a single space. Should I say it looked like a large weight hanging below the underground ruins? To anyone, that place was clearly the deepest part storing the most important things.

[What is this? pared to the security level, the scale is too small.]

The scale of the underground space was absurdly small pared to the artificial forest in the cavity.

The entire size was enough that it would be full with only about 20 people entering. There wasn't even another exit, and there was only one passage.

When Lexer was puzzled by that strange structure, Casey's expression, who had been exploring in a different way, hardened.

"What is this?"

She was currently sending water vapor to examine in detail what was inside. And what she realized was that there were 12 coffin-like things placed in the space below.

"There's something like coffins. But the location is a bit odd to call it a tomb." 

"Perhaps, aren't there some new materials or relics?" 

"That won't be it. It's strange to store relics in a place like this. Besides, look at this heat. Whatever you put here won't last long."

That's when the heat that had been gushing out from inside suddenly stopped. 

Casey, Veronica, and Lexer also stopped.

"The heat has disappeared." 

"I know. Mr. Lexer, do you have any idea?" 

[This, it seems we've opened a lid we shouldn't have opened.]

-Kuguung.

A faint vibration echoed from below.

[Could it be that opening the door itself was a kind of condition?]

Casey's expression hardened.

Among the 12 coffins below, one moved with a violent noise. The door opened and a person raised their body from inside.

"A person?"

A person underground? Before Casey could even have such a question.

"......!"

The opponent who raised their body looked back at Casey. Right. It wasn't an illusion. The opponent was clearly aware of this side.

'How?!'

They were watching through the faint moisture floating in the air, and they noticed that? This didn't make sense logically. And something even more surprising happened.

With the risen person lightly gesturing, Casey's vision was erased.

'The water has all disappeared.'

Casey immediately shouted.

"Miss Veronica! Cold to the maximum!" 

"......Yes!"

Veronica didn't ask why. She too had instinctively felt something. At the same time, light flashed from beyond that dark passage.

-Fwooooosh!

Bright red flames rippled their tongues and filled the passage. It was flames as if a volcano had erupted. Just breathing would burn the throat and cook the lungs.

-Chiiiiik!

The cold aura that Veronica deployed at maximum output protected them from the heat. Casey also sprayed the water she had drawn in advance around her to block the heat.

The flames that seemed like they would continue endlessly stopped. Veronica slightly withdrew her aura's momentum and stared beyond the passage.

"What on earth is this......"

-Tap.

Veronica's words weren't finished. Because someone appeared beside her with a light landing sound, having approached at who knows when.

"......!"

Veronica quickly rotated her body. The sword carrying centrifugal force exploded with cold. The chill that froze the air and penetrated to the bones swept like frost.

-Crackcrackcrack!

The sword strike imbued with cold was swung toward the suddenly appeared enemy.

-Kwaching!

However, Veronica's attack didn't succeed. Her sword was blocked by the enemy's forearm and couldn't advance further.

Veronica's eyes widened.

-Trickle.

The sword she swung only managed to cut the opponent's forearm skin. The blood flowing from the wound wasn't red but golden.

Even that recovered instantly as if time was being reversed.

-Kwang!

The air exploded in front of Veronica and her body flew far away like a skipping stone.