I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 753 - Side Story 26: Hunter (2)

The sea surface swelled up like a volcano erupting and the sight also looked like a giant water droplet surging upward.

It was a natural phenomenon that appeared as a massive being revealed its form. A massive being that dwells in the deep sea and very occasionally rises above the sea surface to leisurely scatter sea mist.

A giant whale—no, a being resembling a whale—revealed itself.

As a being measuring in kilometers appeared, the sea level rose just from that, causing a tsunami.

Its size was so enormous that it could even swallow the coastal cliffs. At this rate, the entire area near the coast would literally be reduced to scorched earth.

I was contemplating whether to block this with magic when it happened.

The tsunami that had risen as if to swallow the coastline stopped as if time had frozen. Then the wave height began to lower, and soon it became so calm that not even waves rolled.

"The entrance is flashy, but that means you have no intention of smashing everything."

What made this possible was because that being resembling a giant whale was the Elemental Lord of Water. That thing was the pinnacle of nature that dominates water.

It could easily both cause a tsunami and instantly calm the tsunami it had caused.

'Probably because by nature, it doesn't particularly like causing problems.'

Naturally, the Elemental Lord of Earth was also present in this vicinity right now. The Elemental Lord of Water causing a tsunami was clearly an act that infringed upon the authority of the Elemental Lord of Earth.

'But it could have appeared quietly yet didn't. The reason for that is probably...because of my fight with Pantos.'

Buooooo.

The blue eyes attached to the giant whale turned toward Rudger and Pantos. That gaze lingered particularly long on Rudger.

The Elemental Lord of Water was being cautious right now.

'Is it because of my magic?'

Because I had manifested the Tree of Sephiroth strengthened even more than before, that power seemed to have disturbed its mood.

I could tell just from the fact that the Elemental Lord of Water, which wouldn't have cared even if there was chaos in the middle of the ocean, had appeared at the coastline.

"It seems things have gotten a bit troublesome with an intruder getting involved."

Even at Rudger's words, Pantos didn't answer because from a moment ago, his gaze had been fixed on the Elemental Lord of Water and wouldn't leave.

"It's best to end this reunion warm-up here."

Pantos, floating on a piece of wood, gripped his harpoon tighter and glared at the Elemental Lord of Water.

"A prey I've been searching for since long ago has finally appeared again." 

"Ha."

Rudger was well aware that Pantos hunted whales with a harpoon in the rough northern seas.

But Pantos wasn't satisfied with hunting. The flames of hot desire burning within him wouldn't die down with just such prey.

Moreover, seeing Pantos' reaction, it seemed that the reason he had been staying in this area was precisely to meet this Elemental Lord of Water.

It wasn't anything else—seeing how he immediately changed targets as soon as the fight stopped, Rudger could be certain.

"Will you be alright?"

At Rudger's question, Pantos spoke as if growling.

"Don't interfere. That's my prey." 

"If by chance you have trouble, well, I could give you some help." 

"Don't even butt in. It's my fight."

Rudger shrugged and stepped back. As he tried to land on the collapsed coastal cliff, the broken earth wriggled and rose, restoring its original form.

"Let's watch together."

Rudger, having released the Tree of Sephiroth, looked to the side with eyes that had returned to their blue color.

Atop the coastal cliff, a small turtle appeared and stood beside Rudger. The creature, whose entire body was made of old rock, was the Elemental Lord of Earth.

Appearing in its true form would cause problems since it was so large, so it had deliberately appeared in this small body.

Considering its original size, it looked as small as a baby. Its appearance also had a smooth head like a baby turtle, unlike its face covered with all kinds of strange rocks.

The creature naturally positioned itself next to Rudger. Rudger sat down on the Elemental Lord of Earth's shell.

"Hmm. Will this height be enough for a good view?"

As soon as he said that, the height of the coastal cliff rose about 10 meters.

"Just right. Let's watch."

He had suddenly ended up watching the fight between the beastman and the Elemental Lord of Water from a VIP seat.

The fact that there existed a being other than himself who could fight an Elemental Lord was quite a curious thing. The reason the Elemental Lord of Earth had appeared to watch together was probably for that reason too.

They were the pinnacle of nature and didn't even pay attention to most matters. To beings who could cause natural disasters if they wished, the existence of individuals living on the continent was far too small and insignificant.

'But even among them, exceptionally outstanding individuals are bound to emerge.'

Though saying this felt like self-praise, Rudger thought he belonged to that category.

In fact, hadn't he completely opened the heavenly gate, wielded divine power, and even driven away the Elemental Lord of Fire?

Unless all fire in this world was eliminated, the Elemental Lord of Fire would never die, but that strike at the time must have given it quite a shock.

The Elemental Lord of Wind had also suffered great damage in the fight with Salesin. Of course, Salesin wasn't an ordinary human either, but what was important was that such exceptional cases appeared.

The reason the Elemental Lord of Earth was interested was probably for that reason too.

Pantos was one of the most exceptional mutant individuals among people existing on the continent. Him charging at the Elemental Lord of Water was worth watching just for the process alone, even if the outcome was obvious.

The Elemental Lord of Water gazed at Pantos. Pantos was a muscular, giant-framed beastman who stood out wherever he went, but compared to the Elemental Lord of Water, he was so small he felt like an insect.

The Elemental Lord of Water didn't ignore the being smaller than its own eyeball. From that, Rudger intuited that this wasn't the first time those two had met.

"It's been a while. Do you remember our last fight?"

Pantos asked the Elemental Lord of Water. The Elemental Lord of Water naturally didn't answer. However, the creature that didn't even care about giant warships was showing interest in Pantos.

"Oho."

Rudger let out an exclamation as if finding it interesting. It was clear that Pantos had picked fights with the Elemental Lord of Water before, and the Elemental Lord of Water had also recognized Pantos' existence.

"Simply being present here wasn't just because of the power of my magic."

Regardless, Pantos tensed all the muscles in his body. A translucent spirit shimmered like a heat haze and surrounded Pantos' entire body. His already vicious muscles bulged prominently as they writhed.

Soon Pantos' form disappeared from where he stood.

With a time lag, the wooden buoy he had been standing on shattered and a pillar of water shot up.

The Elemental Lord of Water's eyes turned toward the sky. With clouds at his back, Pantos appeared faintly, in the midst of driving his harpoon down toward its brow.

Truly the momentum of a meteor falling out of nowhere.

But the Elemental Lord of Water was, as expected, a being standing at the pinnacle of the natural world.

Swooooosh!

The Elemental Lord of Water lightly moved one front flipper. A movement that, for a human, would be no more than lightly waving their hand. But the result it created was different.

Kuwaaaaaa!

A gigantic wall of water appeared instantaneously, filling the entire field of vision.

Even though gray clouds hung low blocking the sunlight, their height was over 100 meters.

But the barrier raised by the Elemental Lord of Water pierced through those clouds and soared up far beyond them.

It was essentially a tsunami shooting toward the sky.

Pantos had to retreat, blocked by that barrier. His two legs stopped in midair without touching the water. Beneath the soles of his feet, an intense updraft had formed.

'Pantos. How will you break through? Even a knight would die if caught in that.'

The barrier was that dangerous because a tremendous current was raging inside. Even a sturdy knight would be swept away by the water pressure and current if they fell in there, leaving no trace behind.

But Pantos was different. He chose to charge straight ahead.

Pyeong!

The harpoon pierced the wall of the tsunami. Pantos' body also burrowed in together with it.

Pantos didn't lose his way even in the massive rapids. Rather, with his harpoon leading the way, he swam at a terrifying speed like a fish and broke through to the opposite wall.

"He's made all the flow his own."

All fluids inevitably have flow. Pantos had grasped the principles of such fluid flow—that is, the mysteries of force—through countless real battles.

What would be a lifelong maze for someone else wasn't even a morning stroll for Pantos.

Pyang!

Pantos, having broken through the wall, grabbed the air with one hand and swung it widely. It was a long-range slash imbued with spirit that he had used when fighting Rudger.

But its power was close to full strength, unlike when he had held back.

An invisible, formless force cut through the sea surface and flew toward the Elemental Lord of Water's nose bridge.

Swooooosh!

A pillar of water rose in front of the Elemental Lord of Water and swallowed the spirit slash.

The two forces twisted together and clashed. Pantos' attack was instantaneous, but the Elemental Lord of Water was different. It could manipulate the nearly infinite seawater at its will.

Naturally, in pure magnitude of power, Pantos was bound to be pushed back.

'But that guy won't give up.'

It was as Rudger expected. Even when his attack was blocked, Pantos didn't stop charging toward the Elemental Lord of Water.

The moment his legs stepped on the calm sea surface, he created ripples and leaped high.

Once. Twice. Three times. Not in a figurative sense—Pantos was literally running across the water.

Pantos bounced up and rapidly closed the distance. The Elemental Lord launched water pillars drawn from the sea toward Pantos.

They weren't simple water pillars. They were closer to tentacles reminiscent of octopus arms, and the writhing giant octopus arms dominated space to capture Pantos.

'Just one of those would be enough to devastate a coastal city.'

Octopus arms so giant they made even Pantos' large frame look cute filled the field of vision. A sight where one couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the wondrous power of nature just by looking.

However, Pantos thrust his harpoon with a smile on his lips.

Pyaaaang!

Along with space twisting, a large hole like a tunnel pierced through the giant octopus arms. Pantos ran straight along that wide-open path. Truly a single-point breakthrough.

Chrrrrrk!

The octopus arms made of water didn't fall from just such an attack. Even more numerous octopus arms than before chased after Pantos.

Pantos swung his harpoon and chopped all such octopus arms to pieces. Each time he swung his harpoon, the sight of hundreds-of-meters-sized legs being severed along the trajectory was far too surreal.

"Oho. Quite impressive. So it won't end easily."

At Rudger's admiration, the Elemental Lord of Earth also nodded as if agreeing.

"Of course, the Elemental Lord you could call a comrade seems to be controlling its strength somewhat because it finds Pantos interesting."

It was true that Pantos was showing more than what the Elemental Lord of Water expected, but it was also true that the Elemental Lord of Water wasn't using its full power either.

It showed interest in Pantos. A man born from the race most distant from the sea had stood before itself, which stood at the pinnacle.

It wasn't just some youthful challenge either. Despite having already failed several times before, Pantos hadn't given up or stopped.

For the Elemental Lord of Water, Pantos was a unique being that had never existed before and would never exist again.

From ancient times to the present, humanity had either feared or revered it just from seeing it. No one dared to think of opposing the Elemental Lord of Water. Some had even deified it as a god of the sea.

Perhaps that would be the same in the future. But this man was different.

In a scene where anyone else would have revered and knelt countless times, he instead burned with fighting spirit.

The Elemental Lord of Water, which should originally have no interest in humanity at all, was curious about Pantos' way of thinking. For the first time, it recognized another being as a singularity besides the other Elemental Lords who were equal to itself.

"You!"

Pantos, having broken through countless water tentacles and pillars to close the distance, shouted.

"I will catch you!"

By the time he had come this far, Pantos' appearance was a mess. Even though he had deflected most of the force, subtle damage had accumulated.

His muscles screamed and his bones creaked. Soaked in water, his appearance was even shabby.

But only the wildness in his eyes lived fiercely, capturing the form of the Elemental Lord of Water in his sight.

The spirit overflowing from his entire body gathered in the harpoon. Soon the harpoon grew massive, dyed in brilliant light along with dazzling radiance.

It was his technique for hunting the largest and most powerful target in the world.

The spirit imbued in the harpoon was so strong that space distorted, making it difficult to see properly with the naked eye.

The Elemental Lord of Water, seeing the strike containing all his power, opened its gigantic mouth wide with a creak.

"Ah. That's going to be a bit loud."

Aether Nocturnus naturally covered Rudger's ears with both hands as he watched.

The Elemental Lord of Earth also smoothly retracted its head into its shell.

─────!!!!

Immediately after, a roar burst forth from the giant whale.