The Academy’s Weakest Became A Demon-Limited Hunter
Chapter Summary
The academy’s forces and the Imperial Knights fought a defensive battle against the zombie army, but their power was sorely lacking to counter the formidable dark magic. Top students, professors, battle mercenaries, and the Imperial Knights were all fighting to defend the academy, struggling against the zombie horde that skillfully wielded dark magic. He screamed that he wasn’t a zombie like them, that he wasn’t a coward who had crossed the line by making a contract with the demons and running a...
“Hold them off!!
”“Don’t let a single one inside!!
”Under the red sky, corpses wrapped in dark mana moved toward Märchen Academy’s second campus.
It was a grotesque sight.
They were a single army.
Each of them was a human who had made a contract with Mephisto and had their life and soul stolen by that demon.
They inherited fragments of Mephisto’s personality and intelligence, so their intellect was quite low.
However, they had killing intent, could communicate, and wielded dark magic, making them a significant threat.
The reproduction of demons.
This was the new army Mephisto had been secretly preparing, using her abilities while in hiding.
“Turning humans into demons…!
”Magrio, the Vice Commander of the Fourth Order of Knights, the Order of Fenrir, bit his lip.
The academy’s forces and the Imperial Knights fought a defensive battle against the zombie army, but their power was sorely lacking to counter the formidable dark magic.
“Damn it!
They’ve broken through!
”“Prioritize the students’ safety!
Protect the academy with your lives!!
”The zombie army, flying with outstretched wings or rushing forward at great speed while casting dark magic, soon broke through the academy gates.
The faculty worked tirelessly to evacuate the students, but they couldn’t keep up with the advancing zombie horde.
As the zombies wielded their dark magic, the faculty fought back or cast defensive spells to block the zombies’ approach.
KABOOM!!
But there were simply too many enemies.
“Kyah!!
”“Run, quickly!!
”As the students ran in panic, Magrio charged toward the zombie horde and swung his sword.
Swish!
Several zombies’ heads flew off in an instant, but his left arm was consumed by dark magic and vanished.
“Kugh!
”As his left arm disappeared, blood gushed out, but he only grimaced and continued swinging his sword relentlessly.
“Damn bastards!
I’m your opponent!!
” Magrio roared.
The Imperial Knights followed him and engaged the zombie horde in fierce combat.
“The enemies are spreading out!
”“Don’t let a single one escape!
”The zombie horde that swarmed the campus quickly spread in all directions.
Their goal was to massacre everyone at the academy.
Above all, their methods demanded cruelty.
Boom!!
Boom!!
Boom!!
Pale green winds swept through the campus, and a series of explosions echoed in quick succession.
Kicks imbued with wind mana shattered and blew away the zombies.
The man who ambushed the zombies was Tristan Humphrey.
Kooooong!!
A man’s fist, enveloped in the force of stone, sent out a shockwave that dispelled the dark magic, crushing all the zombies in sight.
That man was Mateo Jordana.
All across the campus, storms of fire, cascades of water, and piercing rock awls swept through the zombies one by one.
These attacks came from the top students of Märchen Academy’s Magic Department: Keridna Whiteclark, Ciel Carnedas, and Lisetta Lionheart.
“Did you think we’d fall so easily just because Isaac’s not here?!
I was getting bored anyway!
You’re all dead!!
”Rumble!!!
Lisetta laughed wildly as she swung her magic weapon, Rock Bat, unleashing powerful rock magic.
Other talented students, who had been overshadowed by Isaac, also joined the fray.
The time these students, the best talents of the Empire, spent sweating and struggling was now converted into power and poured out relentlessly on the zombie horde.
The strongest forces of Mephisto’s zombie army were attacking the first campus of Märchen Academy.
In other words, more than half of the zombies attacking the second campus could be handled by the top-ranking students.
Kagagagak!!!
Night sky-colored wind blades slashed through the zombies.
The zombies that hadn’t been cut down were beheaded by Merlin Astrea’s sword.
Snow White, who had mastered the power of Nix, the Night Fairy, steadied her breath and focused her fighting spirit.
As a princess, she had no intention of sitting back and being protected.
White had also resolved herself to fight and protect the students, just like Isaac.
Merlin respected her decision.
“Merlin, let’s head to Duke Hall!
”“Alright!
”Her Majesty has truly grown remarkably.
Märchen Academy had become a battlefield.
Top students, professors, battle mercenaries, and the Imperial Knights were all fighting to defend the academy, struggling against the zombie horde that skillfully wielded dark magic.
In Orphin Hall, the Magic Department’s classroom building, a man was hiding, trembling with fear.
“K-kugh…”It was Marco, Professor Fernando Frost’s assistant and a graduate student of the Magic Department.
He was crouched inside a dark closet in the research lab.
The deafening sounds of magic clashing and explosions echoed all the way to where he was.
He was terrified.
Marco couldn’t stop his body from trembling.
It was already too late to run.
The path to the shelter had turned into a battlefield.
Should he fight, then?
Hell no.
Not everyone could risk their lives fighting to protect others and the academy like those brave few.
Most people hid from the storm of danger and could only hope it passed quickly.
Marco was the same.
He was just an ordinary person.
He wasn’t brave, so he feared death.
He wasn’t strong, so he ran away, choosing the safest way to survive, just like an ordinary person.
He had no intention of showing foolish courage and meeting a pointless death.
Step, step.
“…!!
”Outside the closet, the sound of quick footsteps approached.
Someone had entered the research lab.
A chilling mana, a type he’d felt before.
It was dark mana.
Marco peeked through the thin crack in the wardrobe, looking into the lab.
Three grotesque zombies came into Marco’s view.
“…!!
”Marco clamped his hands tightly over his mouth.
The zombies sniffed the air for the scent of humans, scanning the lab.
It was only a matter of time before he was discovered.
“Guh, ugh…”Tears welled up under his dark, sunken eyes.
His heart pounded wildly in his chest.
Marco wanted to live.
He was so much in life he had yet to achieve.
Suddenly, countless memories flashed through his mind like a panorama, filling him with questions.
Oddly enough, the first question that came to mind was why he had never been in a relationship.
The next day, she had written a reply and handed it to Marco.
It was the most excited Marco had ever felt in his life.
His heart pounding, he opened the letter.
Sorry, but you’re not really my type… Honestly, your face isn’t exactly pleasant to look at.
And dating someone gloomy like you?
It’s just not for me.
Sorry.
A few days later, she was walking arm in arm with a handsome male student, and Marco could only watch from a distance.
The depth of excitement that a teenage boy had felt was now replaced with a towering sense of loss.
Dragging his feet, Marco headed to the library, where he poured himself into his magical studies, tears streaming down his face.
If he had given up on love, then why had he become a graduate student at the academy, instead of fulfilling his dream of becoming a wizard in one of the best Magic Towers?
Because he had tried again and again, only to fail.
And the Märchen Academy diploma felt too valuable to aim for anything less than the best.
Unlike other graduate students, he wasn’t deeply invested in his studies.
Marco had become a graduate student simply because he wanted to escape, simply because he needed to do something.
His whole life, he had done nothing but run away.
He had grown accustomed to this life, and the fiery passion of his school days had long since faded.
…Why did I run away?
It was fine that he had been rejected.
Marco’s situation hadn’t changed because of it.
Even his failure to enter the Magic Tower was okay.
If he had just found a more efficient way to study, poured in more effort, and stayed focused, he wouldn’t have had any regrets.
He might have even succeeded.
Creak.
The closet door opened.
The zombies, oozing dark mana, slowly came into Marco’s view.
Only when faced with death did Marco regain the deep sense of doubt he had forgotten while he had gotten complacent.
He regretted it.
He wished he had tried harder, to the point of death.
He wished he had lived more earnestly.
“Hic…”Marco gasped for air as tears streamed down his sunken cheeks.
The difference in mana was clear.
These creatures could crush Marco as easily as a bug.
“…?
”But for some reason…The zombies just stared blankly at Marco.
“Guh…?
”Sobbing, Marco looked at the zombies with a confused expression.
[Hu… human?
][You fool… Can’t you tell just by looking?
This one’s on our side…][You’re right… Indeed, with a look like that, he can’t be human.
The human scent must be coming from his clothes…][Grr… Loafing around in a place like this… Follow Lady Mephisto’s orders immediately.
Torture and massacre the humans as cruelly as possible…!
]The zombies clicked their tongues in disdain and turned their backs, leaving the lab.
“…Guh?
”Marco couldn’t understand what had just happened.
After stepping out of the closet, he stood blankly, staring at the door through which the zombies had left.
“…”The relief of surviving… was nowhere to be found.
Instead, an unbearable rage boiled within him.
His tightly clenched fists trembled.
The source of his anger came from the regrets that weighed down his life.
“Guh…!
”Marco grabbed his magic tool and stepped into the hallway.
His wizard’s robe billowed behind him.
[Human!
]“Tch!
”In the Orphin Hall corridor, three zombies came face to face with Professor Fernando Frost and the academy’s combat forces.
Boom!!
Without hesitation, both sides unleashed their magic, clashing in a fierce battle.
The impact of their magic destroyed the walls and tore through the floor.
[…?
]At that moment, one of the zombies sensed someone behind them.
As it turned its head, it saw a man whose face was shadowed.
It was the same man from earlier in the closet, Marco.
“Marco?
”When Professor Fernando looked at him in surprise, Marco rolled a round magic tool toward the zombies.
Thud.
The magic tool Marco rolled hit the zombie’s foot, suddenly releasing gas.
Sssss!
[What is this?!
]The gas was made from processed spores of the Jerome mushroom, native to Elt Island.
Its effect was the disruption of mana circuits.
It certainly wasn’t powerful enough to have a huge impact on the zombies.
However, in a precarious standoff like this, even a slight disruption could have dramatic results.
[Gaagh!
]The elemental magic unleashed by Professor Fernando and the academy’s combat forces quickly overwhelmed the zombies.
At the same time, Marco targeted the rear and launched a lightning spell.
Crackle!!
The chain-like lightning bolt struck the zombies, and Professor Fernando followed up by firing dozens of magic bullets, mercilessly piercing through their bodies.
The zombies collapsed with a groan, and Marco approached them, extending his arm with a face full of rage.
Crackle!!
A final bolt of lightning rained down, and the zombies disintegrated into ash-like particles, completely vanishing.
“Guh…!!
”With a trembling voice, Marco roared in victory.
He screamed that he wasn’t a zombie like them, that he wasn’t a coward who had crossed the line by making a contract with the demons and running away.
It was as if he had returned to the hopeful days of his youth, and Marco felt truly alive for the first time in a long while.
“Marco…?
”Even the ever-calm Professor Fernando couldn’t help but be shocked at that moment.
It was the first time he had seen Marco express such raw emotion.