Book 1 Chapter 638
638
Rustle- rustle-
The second-year students, who had formed a party, were walking through the dark forest with tense faces.
"Haa~ It's really dark."
At that moment, Shasha, who was at the center of the party, snapped her folding fan shut with a click and sighed deeply.
The place where the second-year party was currently walking was as dark as night.
No, it was darker than night.
At least there was moonlight and starlight at night.
But this dense and lush forest did not allow even a sliver of sunlight.
What the party currently relied on was the light magic of the mages.
Before entering the forest.
There were arguments from some students to secure visibility by cutting down trees.
However, such arguments were drowned out by the students of the Summoning Department.
"If we do that, we might have to face the Great Spirit of Darkness instead of Senior Shia."
The forest that exists on Island No. 6.
This forest, named the Forest of Darkness, was the resting place of the spirits of darkness.
And now, before the second-years entered.
The spirit of the abyss, Ignis, had settled in Lumine.
Ignis, who was invited to Lumine at the time to strengthen Lumine's defenses, settled in this Forest of Darkness and it became his domain thereafter.
There was no problem with entering and exiting.
However, it was obvious that they would incur Ignis's wrath if they carelessly damaged the resting place of these spirits of darkness.
In the end, the second-years had no choice but to explore the forest relying on magic.
"Aina. Are there any suspicious signs?"
"Not yet."
To Aina's dry answer, who was at the very front, Shasha reopened her folding fan and fanned herself gently.
The second-year students were currently divided into four groups, and Aina and Shasha were in the same group.
Just then, El Jain, who had gone to scout beyond the darkness, appeared.
"How are the surroundings?"
"There's nothing."
"This is going to take quite a while, isn't it?"
El Jain, with her hands on her hips, sighed softly.
"Finding the Princess is definitely not an easy task."
"Yes, yes. I'm getting tired of hearing that story."
Shasha said primly.
"Finding Senior Shia will definitely be difficult. But she won't just be avoiding us, will she?"
"That's true, but."
El Jain shook her head.
Aina tilted her head for a moment, watching El Jain.
It was then.
"Guys!"
Another student from the Shadow group, who had finished scouting, returned with a serious face.
"There was a battle."
"What?"
The second-year students' eyes widened.
This forest was quiet.
But that didn't mean all sound was completely blocked.
Even in the darkness, the sounds of fighting from afar could be heard.
More clearly because it was quiet.
But there was a battle?
The second-year students, who were guided to the site of the battle, could only remain silent.
Threads hanging from various trees shimmered in the light of the magic lights.
A student from the Magic Department gulped dryly upon seeing them.
"Isn't that definitely Senior Chen Shia's 'Thread Knife' that she used in the midterm exam last year?"
It was a sword in the form of a thread.
Chen Shia showed her ability to hunt opponents by creating her own domain using the Thread Knife.
Just like a spider.
The sight of Emio, who was ranked first in the second-year Magic Department at the time, being so easily hunted was deeply etched in the minds of the first-year students.
"It looks like they were all wiped out?"
"Wow. How could there be no sound?"
The second-year students shuddered as they looked at the traces of the battle.
"Mages, deploy Search magic."
Shasha quickly gave the order.
"El Jain, protect me just in case."
"Leave it to me!"
Even with light magic, it was possible that Chen Shia could approach Shasha.
Shasha was the main damage dealer of this party, so her protection was essential.
Moreover, Shasha was the commander of this party.
Aina, on the other hand, was skilled at fighting alone but clumsy at leading people.
Without Shasha, there would be chaos in the command structure.
So, El Jain stood behind Shasha.
The second-year students guarded their surroundings.
The moment El Jain raised her hand behind Shasha's back.
Flash-!
A golden flash erupted.
Brilliant golden aura targeted El Jain.
Kwagagagang-!
"Hiiik?"
Shasha let out an involuntary scream as a slash narrowly grazed her, almost touching her.
El Jain hurriedly dodged Aina's slash and shouted.
"What are you doing! Aina!"
The other party members also gaped.
While everyone was struggling to understand the situation, Aina said briefly.
"It's not working, Senior."
"What are you talking about!"
El Jain got angry.
Watching El Jain, Shasha said.
"Aina, are you saying that Jain is a disguised Senior?"
"Yeah."
"What? That's impossible!"
"In the first place, El Jain and Senior Shia have different builds."
"Right! That's right! Such a disguise would be impossible without the power of magic or summoning."
"I don't feel any magic or spiritual energy."
El Jain had always admired Chen Shia and tried to emulate her.
From her hairstyle to the way she dressed.
As such, she was perfect for Chen Shia to disguise herself.
However, El Jain was taller than Chen Shia.
Right now, El Jain looked exactly like her usual self.
But the second-year students began to guard El Jain vigilantly.
Because Aina would never speak nonsense.
"What's your basis?"
Shasha asked, without taking her eyes off El Jain.
She looked no different than usual.
To that question, Aina said.
"Chest size."
"Huh?"
"The chest size is different. It's bigger than El Jain's."
"……."
"……."
At those words, the students' gazes turned to their chests.
"Ah, I tried my best to compress it."
El Jain, or rather, Chen Shia, wore a troubled expression.
Then, with a sly smile, she said to the male students.
"How long are you going to stare, everyone?"
Startled by her words, the male students' gazes scattered in all directions.
Seeing that, Shasha exclaimed in dismay.
"You idiots! Why are you looking away!"
Daggers flew from Chen Shia's hands like bullets.
Pobobobobong-!
In an instant, with an explosive sound, the daggers flew in all directions and were embedded.
The sound was such that it was unbelievable they were deflected by swords.
Kiying-!
The tip of the sword trembled slightly.
Aina grabbed the wrist holding the sword.
The daggers were not just fast.
The destructive power imbued in each one was immense.
The male students who had turned their heads for a moment gulped dryly.
If it weren't for Aina, they would have been declared combat-incapacitated.
While the male students were shuddering.
Flash-!
Aina, who had closed the distance, mercilessly swung her sword towards Chen Shia's neck.
"Hmm. As expected, Aina-yang is ruthless."
One might have been intimidated by her being a senior, but Aina showed no signs of it.
The moment she judged someone as an enemy, she struck without hesitation.
As a knight.
The best quality as a swordsman.
And the reason Aina could be the strongest among her peers.
Chen Shia gently moved her palm, deflecting Aina's sword.
However, Aina's sword sharply changed direction and pursued Chen Shia.
The movement of the sword was like a snake.
'The representative of the year is still Luke, but…'
Aina had never lost her position as the strongest in the second year since last year.
Luke, who had caught up to Aina in an instant with his terrifying growth rate during the final exams in the first semester, had succeeded in taking a step ahead in his battle with Aina by surpassing his limits.
However, Luke had not completely surpassed Aina since then.
Luke's strength was a power that allowed him to take one step forward at the moment he faced a limit.
He could become equal to Aina for a short moment, but he could not completely surpass her.
Yet, the reason Luke was the representative of the year was simple.
Aina had lost her fighting spirit.
'To be precise, her ferocity disappeared.'
Influenced by Luke, Aina chose to observe her surroundings rather than aim for the top of her year during the second semester.
The successor of the sword saint, who had always been isolated, thus naturally assimilated with her surroundings.
And the result.
'She has definitely advanced.'
The other second-year students did not realize it.
But to Chen Shia's eyes, it was clear.
She had returned to her freshman year.
Aina's skill level was now on a completely different level compared to the other second-year students.
Although her expression was blank, her eyes conveyed a single will.
A resolute will to soon go and reclaim her place.
Aina was not going easy on Luke.
She had honed herself to the point where she could definitely win.
Chen Shia's eyes followed the trajectory of the sword that bewilderingly disturbed her vision.
Terrifying speed.
'But it's not just fast.'
The representative students of the third year who wielded swift swordsmanship were Duran and Iliana.
And the characteristic of Duran and Iliana's swordsmanship was one thing.
Overwhelming power using speed.
However, Aina's sword was different.
It was fast, unpredictable, and esoteric.
The sword of a noble sword saint.
Swish-
Aina's sword lightly brushed past Chen Shia's cheek.
Tap-
Chen Shia, who had lightly touched her left cheek with her index finger, smiled slyly.
"Wooooow!"
"As expected of Aina!"
"She's not losing even against Senior Chen Shia!"
Cheers erupted from all around.
However, Aina bit her lip tightly.
"No."
"Huh?"
"Senior Shia… hasn't even started yet."
Aina tensed all the muscles in her body.
This fleeting moment was the only opportunity for Aina to defeat Chen Shia.
Crack- Crack-
Joint sounds could be heard from Chen Shia's body.
To the rhythmic sound, Chen Shia's body slowly, slowly became smaller.
When she lightly touched her face with her palm, her face returned to normal.
El Jain's uniform, which was somewhat loose.
Chen Shia rubbed her shoulders and sighed softly.
"This technique is good, but my body gets stiff."
It wasn't just that.
As the skeletal structure changed, the flow of aura was not smooth, and the body could not exert its original power properly.
"Ugh-!"
Chen Shia stretched.
Crackle-
After a refreshing cracking sound.
She kicked her feet to shake off the ill-fitting shoes and then shrugged off El Jain's uniform.
El Jain's uniform jacket and skirt fluttered in the air.
Seeing that, the male students who were appalled turned their heads away.
Seeing that, Shasha slapped her chest.
"Argh! Really! How many times do I have to say it! Don't look away! Are you guys stupid! She's not taking off her clothes, so don't imagine embarrassing things!"
Kyah-! Shasha shouted as if she could breathe fire.
Shasha, who usually spoke politely and exuded elegance, became rough in her temper and speech when she got angry.
"One, two, three, four."
Chen Shia, neatly dressed in her own uniform, was warming up in bare feet.
The second-year students looked bewildered at her leisurely demeanor.
Time was on the side of the second-year students.
That's why they expected Chen Shia to attack all at once.
But that expectation was clearly mistaken.
Chen Shia was full of leisure.
She looked as if she was waiting for someone.
"Senior Shia…!"
"Form a perimeter!"
As other parties arrived, Chen Shia was soon surrounded by the second-year students.
Excluding the party that was annihilated by Chen Shia at first, it was equivalent to 3\/4 of the entire second-year student population.
"Senior Shia, aren't you being too leisurely?"
At that moment, Shasha covered her mouth with her folding fan and narrowed her brow.
Anyone could see that Chen Shia was waiting for the second-year students to gather.
'Does she have a hidden agenda?'
"There's no hidden agenda."
Chen Shia smiled slyly.
"I'm just confident."
At those words, Habiden's eyes twitched.
"Senior, I respect you. But no matter how much of a senior you are, you are dismissing us too much."
"It might seem that way to someone who is a hero candidate, Chen Shia."
"Yes?"
Chen Shia nodded as if she understood.
"Everyone, do you know? I, you see, in the darkness."
Chen Shia smiled slyly.
At that moment.
The eyes of the knight department students who were surrounding Chen Shia from the front were filled with astonishment.
Schlick-
Chen Shia's body was slowly disappearing.
"Except for one person."
Chen Shia smiled with a mischievous grin.
"I am the strongest in the third year?"
With those words, Chen Shia vanished.