Reader Mage 161-Instructor’s Rules

About thirty minutes before the conclusion of the first round.

rlin narrowed his eyes on Dr. Eleanor. He wanted to rush at her and quickly get this over with, but her words froze him in place. Going in blindly would be foolish after what she’d said, so he had to be extra careful. It didn’t matter if he could fight on for hours without getting exhausted; what mattered was retrieving the key and ensuring Prestige Academy went on to the second and final stage of the inter-academy tournant. If Nora failed, he couldn’t fail too. And now that Crown Academy had already taken hold of their castle, the situation was even more dire.

“Well, are you going to make the first move, or is that up to ?” Dr. Eleanor asked, candid about the fight. Which was to be expected. It was more or less guaranteed that Crown Academy would be moving on to the next stage. And she had not been pushed to the limit here either. For her deanor to change, sothing special had to be called upon. And as long as the three of them were not on the sa wavelength, that wouldn’t happen.

rlin glanced at Choi Sangook. He was standing behind Dr. Eleanor, furious. Which was bad. The boy was already naturally hotheaded. Being angry would severely dampen his fighting prowess. In other words, even if rlin wanted to adapt to the boy’s movents and tried to sneak in so punches while Dr. Eleanor focused on him, it wouldn’t work.

He had to get the boy to listen to reason.

“Then how about you give us the chance to co up with a plan to defeat you?” he asked. Dr. Eleanor tilted her head. “It’s the least you could do. You’re way above us; even if we three worked together, it would be hard to take you down. And, as you can see, our teamwork is a ss. Basically,” he glanced at Choi Sangook, “we’re definitely going to fail here and possibly not advance to the next stage.”

Choi Sangook’s fury faltered. The boy’s crumpled expression loosened a bit.

Dr. Eleanor humd and nodded. “I guess I can allow that.” She raised a finger. “You have a minute. Clock’s ticking.”

rlin imdiately retreated to Hakyun’s side, then took another glance at Choi Sangook again. The boy, however, did not hurry to them.

Fucking prideful twat.

“Still the adapt plan?” Hakyun asked.

“We don’t have any other option,” rlin replied. “But even that will not be enough. Fighting Dr. Eleanor with straightforward ans will not yield any good result.”

Hakyun lowered his voice into even sothing less than the whisper it was already in. “I don’t know if this is good to ntion, considering the situation, but can’t the System help in any way?”

rlin snorted as though he had heard so joke. “If it could make matters even worse, it would. We’re on our own.”

Hakyun clicked his tongue. “Then what do you have in mind?”

rlin narrated his plan to Hakyun and stepped forward. Choi Sangook straightened at that, and so did Dr. Eleanor.

“Ready, kid?” she asked.

rlin didn’t reply. He imdiately activated [Flash Step] and blurred forward, giving her barely a second to react.

And yet, that was enough.

Dr. Eleanor danced out of the way of rlin’s mana-cloaked fists, a smile on her lips.

“Little cheat,” she mocked. “That was disrespectful.”

rlin kept his words in his mouth. Instead, he took two steps backwards and two to his left side as a prickling feeling crawled up his neck. In that instant, a spear of ice flashed into view, aid at Dr. Eleanor’s midsection. An attack that had almost led to a disaster about a minute ago. And just like before, Dr. Eleanor caught the ice, spun on her feet, and threw it back at the caster.

However, Choi Sangook was a lot smarter this ti. Long before Dr. Eleanor had thrown the ice spear, he had already begun moving out of the way, enabling him to avoid the attack.

A decoy, rlin realized.

Choi Sangook imdiately rose on his feet and aid another ice spear at Dr. Eleanor.

“Goodness, kid,” Dr. Eleanor groaned, sounding bored. “Don’t you have anything else in the tank?”

“Just shut up, lie down, and take what I give you,” Sangook voiced back.

This ti, though, rlin had no intention of letting the sa sequence repeat itself.

One thing rlin was well aware of was that it was nearly impossible to grab another’s magic without getting more than just frozen palms, especially when it was moving at such high speed through the air. Dr. Eleanor was making use of a thod that ensured she didn’t get gravely injured. And rlin was able to confirm that with Sangook’s last attack.

Having retreated close to a tree, rlin stretched forth his hand, glanced at Hakyun for a brief second, and turned his attention back to Dr. Eleanor just in ti to see Choi Sangook launch his next Ice Spear, and Dr. Eleanor’s palm get coated by a black gelatinous liquid, seeping out of her pores.

“Gotcha…”

rlin activated Reader Mage, but he didn’t have the ti to focus on its words or warnings. The spell she was using now was a lot different to the first one he had studied using Reader Mage. This one was restricted to a specific part of her body. If his experience was anything to go by, the lesser the scope of the spell, the less risk it took to deconstruct. Even if anything happened, he hoped it wouldn’t be life threatening to neither himself nor Dr. Eleanor.

Hopefully.

“Deconstuct!”

rlin’s mana seeped out of his body in a flash. And just as quickly as it connected with Dr. Eleanor’s spell, it broke it apart.

Dr. Eleanor’s brows twitched, noticing that sothing was wrong. But she didn’t take her eyes off the Ice Spear just an inch from her. She was left with no choice. She caught the spear without her protection, and imdiately a yelp left her mouth and her expression stiffened. Her hand was completely frozen.

Choi Sangook’s brows shot up. He remained dazed for a brief second, then he glanced at rlin.

rlin, however, turned his attention to Hakyun.

“Now!”

Hakyun’s Grimoire flipped pages, and in that instant the ground rumbled.

Dr. Eleanor held her frozen and shivering hand as she glanced at her sides. The earth was being broken apart, and rocks were lifted up to the sky above her, rging into one another until they ford a great boulder.

“Please don’t die,” Hakyun mumbled and sent the boulder down upon her.

Dr. Eleanor took a deep breath and fought back the pain in her hand. As the boulder landed upon her, it shattered into pieces. Dust covered her, but as it cleared, her new feature was exposed. From head to toe, spikes of tal grew out of her body, covering her completely like quills would a porcupine on the defense. And her clothes were ripped apart.

rlin winced, almost averting his gaze. But now was not the ti. The situation was dire.

The spikes growing out of Dr. Eleanor’s body retreated, and imdiately she reached for her supplents and took down a lot more than rlin had seen her gobble at a ti.

But rlin shook away his daze imdiately and dashed towards her with the aid of [Mana Spring], reaching for the capsule of supplents. But before his hand could grab it, Dr. Eleanor shifted out of the way and sent her knee into his stomach. rlin tumbled over, rolling through the ground, until he landed beside Sangook. His stomach burned, like he had gulped down a kettle of hot water, and he turned over, coughing.

The attack shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did. He was immune to most blunt attacks at his current Resilience level, unless they attacked his insides directly. The fact it was so painful ant that Dr. Eleanor had done sothing outside the norm.

rlin glanced at her to see her lower her leg. There was a coating on her knee, just like the one that had covered her palm a mont ago. Whatever spell that was, he hated it.

“Get out of my sight, Deficient Mage,” Choi Sangook roared, kicking rlin as he walked towards Dr. Eleanor, who had now fully recovered from whatever exhaustion rlin’s last plan had caused her.

Choi Sangook glanced at her Grimoire, his thoughts flashing across his face.

“Don’t bother,” Dr. Eleanor said.

But Choi Sangook didn’t listen. He turned his hand towards the Grimoire and fired an Ice Spear towards it.

rlin’s brows twitched when the Grimoire didn’t move, and he began to wonder if Dr. Eleanor had just been bluffing with her words. Maybe their win was just that easy. However, when the spell connected, it shattered imdiately and disappeared.

Dr. Eleanor shook her head. “There’s a stage you reach as a Mage where half of your magic goes to protecting your Grimoire. Just because it’s out in plain sight does not an it’s unprotected.”

Choi Sangook clicked his tongue.

“Which brings to you once more, rlin Tyrrell. Another question. How do you manage to use so much mana without a Grimoire?”

rlin stood up with a shrug. “Beats .”

Dr. Eleanor sighed. “It’s either you know sothing and are playing dumb, or you genuinely just have zero curiosity about who and what you are, which would make you exceptionally foolish.”

It was the forr, but rlin had no intention of passing across the answer. Instead, he began to channel mana again. It was ti for the second phase of action, even though his stomach still hurt.

But just before he could move, his smartwatch and that of the others beeped. He glanced down at it to see a ssage that made his heart skip a beat.

[Nikita Academy has taken their castle.]

[Instructor faced: Dr. Elias Namgoong.]

[Ti: 40:10]

What?!

Dr. Eleanor imdiately broke into a harsh laughter.

Choi Sangook’s expression crumpled. He turned around and reached for rlin’s collar, but there was none to grab. They were all in their battle suits. So he grabbed his shoulder instead.

“What the fuck is your twin doing?” Sangook roared. “There are only twenty minutes left now. This was not the plan.”

“Stop it, Sangook. This is not the ti!” Hakyun tried to step in.

Choi Sangook shot him a glare, and Hakyun instinctively retreated. “You stay out of this, wimp.”

rlin wanted to say sothing, but he genuinely could not form the words. This was truly not the plan. At this rate, they would end up losing. And yet, he did not think it was completely over.

“Like you said, there are about twenty minutes left,” he began, drawing Choi Sangook’s gaze his way. “We still have enough ti.”

“Enough ti?” Sangook sneered.

rlin slapped the boy’s hand away from his shoulder. “I trust my sister. She’s the best Mage there is. But even the best can fail. So even if she doesn’t end up winning it for us, then we’ll have to do that ourselves.” He pointed at Dr. Eleanor. “That’s why we’re here. Now, are you going to make use of the ti we have left to fight amongst ourselves, or are we finally going to set our heads straight and fight to the best of our abilities?”

Choi Sangook’s nose crinkled. rlin sighed inwardly. He was well aware that all he had said had gone in through one ear and escaped through the other. He would have been well ahead in this fight if it was Chima who had completed his team with Hakyun. But he knew that putting Choi Sangook in the main attack force would disrupt them. Which was one of the reasons he had decided to take the problem on. And truthfully, the other reason was because he knew how good the lad was as a Mage. If he put aside his annoying attitude, all three of them could really pose a problem to Dr. Eleanor. And that was the problem. That would never happen.

Dr. Eleanor clapped. “Good speech, kid. Honestly, from what I’ve seen so far, I like you.” She stretched forth a hand. “Saying this on cara might co off as rude, but I have never been one for subtlety. I’ll look aside you being a Deficient Mage. Request a transfer to Crown Academy. I’ll vouch for you.”

rlin turned to Dr. Eleanor. His answer had never been in doubt.

“I’m happy where I am.”

She inclined her head. “You’re rejecting the first ranked academy in the world?”

rlin shrugged. “Who knows, Prestige Academy could beco that by the end of the week. That’s what this whole tournant is to determine.”

“And it could also drop to third.”

rlin smiled. “I highly doubt that, Dr.”

“You really believe that?”

“Well, it’s not especially superstitious. It’s already in the workings.”

He leaned forward, pushing Choi Sangook to the back of his mind, and channeling his mana to his fists and feet.

“Well, then. Co at , Deficient Mage.”

rlin didn’t need a better invitation. His feet slid through the ground, his mana making his movent smooth, as he pushed through the debris lying around and appeared before Dr. Eleanor. She reacted and evaded his punches.

But rlin was not here to hit harder. What he was attempting to do was win, and to win he had to retrieve the key that was hiding sowhere in Dr. Eleanor’s ripped clothes.

The question was how could he search for it without giving up on attacking. He would have entrusted that to Hakyun while he and Choi Sangook attacked Dr. Eleanor, but the Ice Mage was an issue. Which ant he only had himself and Hakyun to rely on. And that ant he had to do two things at a ti.

Search and fight.

Seeking answers on how to do that while he avoided Dr. Eleanor’s attacks and tried his very best to get a strike in, his thoughts flew towards Kim Yiseo as he searched his library of studies in his mind.

In hindsight, Kim Yiseo didn’t have any spells he could steal to help him with what he planned. But it was not her spells, it was what creature her spells were related to.

The most notable thing about spiders besides their webs was that the arachnids possessed eight legs.

That was his answer.

rlin channeled his mana to his back while still keeping up his attacks. The mana around his fists and feet reduced exponentially, but it was a necessary sacrifice. Using the rules behind his personal skill [Mana Whip], eight rigid but flexible strands of mana jutted out of his back. His chest heaved and his breath stifled for a mont. He was expending too much mana at a go. But he couldn’t afford to stop now.

They had to win. Prestige Academy had to advance to the next stage.

He had to advance.

Dr. Eleanor’s brows furrowed. And then she smiled.

“Very neat trick, Deficient Mage. You are outstanding.”

rlin was slowly getting out of breath. He didn’t have the luxury of talking anymore. The strands of mana he produced rushed at Dr. Eleanor, attempting to sweep through her body and get the key wherever it was hiding. However, her speed only boosted, and she easily evaded every attempt of rlin’s. But he didn’t relax and pushed forward. A second later, blood spilled out of his mouth, staining his lips red. The world closed itself to him. He was focused on Dr. Eleanor, and her alone.

Until rocks appeared, attempting to slow her down for him to achieve his aim. They ca in both barrages, and as chunks. rlin was well aware of how Hakyun’s spells worked and was well prepared to use them to his advantage.

However, Dr. Eleanor did not truly slow down until the air around her suddenly chilled, and snowflakes blood around her turning into frozen icicles wherever they touched. The problem was, this affected rlin too. Not the weather in particular, as he was resistant to it, but the attack that ca from the spell.

But rlin wasn’t about to reject the boy’s help—if that was what it even was. So, regardless of the fact that he had pushed his mana to nearly its breaking point, he went ahead to further use it in a very risky way. His body heat flowed into his mana, and whenever Choi Sangook’s snowflakes touched him, they would instantly vaporize. It worked, and rlin now had an edge over Dr. Eleanor who had to forcefully pry herself free from the ice unlike him. But his vision was slowly getting blurry. If this dragged on for much longer, he would end up once more in the academy’s infirmary. That was basically tournant over for him.

There was no way he would let that happen.

Change of plans…

rlin danced out of the space where the air was frozen, flashed to Dr. Eleanor’s side, and wrapped his mana around her hand. Before she could take in what was happening and attempt to free herself, he dashed around the closest tree to his side, ca out on the other side, and wrapped another whip around her second arm. He pulled. She slamd her back into the tree, and he tied her there using every single mana he could produce out of his body, keeping her in place.

“The key!” he voiced. “You guys, now!”

They didn’t know where it was, but as long as he could keep her bound, they had ample ti to search for it.

Dr. Eleanor laughed. “Do you think you can keep still for long enough?”

rlin coughed. “I wouldn’t know until we try, right?”

“I see.”

Hakyun and Choi Sangook, despite being annoyed that he was being bossed around, hurried over. Dr. Eleanor tried to keep them away by shooting her bone-tal spikes at them, but they had seen that spell many tis already, and were able to avoid it.

rlin was well aware that the instructors were given a limit on how much of their abilities they could use against re students. Because all he had seen from Dr. Eleanor in their fight were just about three to four spells. There was no way an A-Class Mage of her caliber was restricted naturally to just that amount of spells. Basically, it was an advantage for them.

And yet, they couldn’t co out successful.

rlin’s perception shook wildly. Imdiately, he broke his mana apart and channeled it to his feet, activating [Mana Spring], and propelling himself upward just in ti to avoid being impaled by a spike that broke through the tree.

Hakyun and Choi Sangook stopped their approach.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” Choi Sangook roared as rlin landed before them, his breath heavy. “You let her go, stupid!”

rlin wanted to turn around and slap the guy.

What was he expecting? That he stayed and got himself killed? And why did Dr. Eleanor not possess even a modicum of restraint when she was casting fatal spells?

“This will sound bitter,” Dr. Eleanor began with a deep breath as she walked forward, pulling away from the tree. “But I don’t think I can just let you guys proceed to the next stage after all.”

Hakyun furrowed his brows. “Hey, now, miss. That sounds like you’re trying to screw us. The academy will sanction you.”

She tilted her head. “Nope. They will sanction if I make it easy for you. I’ve decided that I won’t be doing that. You boys will be trouble.” She narrowed her eyes on rlin. “If you want to move to the next stage, then you’ll have to be far more proactive than you already are. Instructor’s rules.”

rlin’s claim on his ability to fight on for hours was no longer as solid as he’d once thought. Expending his mana violently had pushed him back considerably. He was unsure if he could really ferociously attack Dr. Eleanor any longer.

He gritted his teeth.

Had they really failed?

Their smartwatches beeped at that mont, and they all hurriedly turned to it, now aware of how long had passed and how long remained. However, this ti, it was for a good reason.

Silence spread out over the scenery as they each stared at the words gazing back at them. There were ten seconds left, and they held their tired breaths as they watched the seconds count down.

And when the last second ca and the tir froze, bringing about another beep, rlin fell backwards to the ground, breathing a deep sigh of relief.

“Nora, you git. Waited until the fucking last mont, did you?”

Dr. Eleanor smiled. “Well, well. I guess the troubles will proceed on afterwards.” She sighed and turned around. “Good fight.”

Hakyun jumped on rlin at that mont, almost breaking his already fragile ribs.

“We did it!” the boy bellowed. “We did it! I could cry!”

For soone who was so against participating, he sure was joyous about the mont.

rlin stared straight up at the sky, his eyes turning, and caught sight of Choi Sangook breathing a sigh of relief as he turned around. For so reason that filled rlin with a different kind of solace. Even if the boy was an ass, he wouldn’t be glad if he got in trouble with his father.

[Prestige Academy has successfully completed a siege.]

[Castle taken from: Nikita Academy.]

[Ti: 59:50]

[Seize the Castle has ended.]

[Winners: Crown Academy and Prestige Academy.]