I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 820 - Side Story 93: Chimera (1)

"Did you gather the useful items?"

Rufus pressed the school members. He didn't know when the holy knights who went down below would chase after them. They had to gather the important items from the ruins before them. They couldn't return empty-handed after coming all this way.

"Move quickly! Don't slack off!"

The black mages moved busily following Rufus's orders. Their efforts bore fruit. They discovered research materials that had been passed down in the ruins since long ago.

"This is research material." 

"This is an artifact! Given the low damage level, it looks like we can fix it if we work on it well!"

Finally obtaining what they wanted, Rufus didn't let down his guard. They gathered all the necessary items from inside the ruins and left the room.

"School Leader. Rather than that, is it okay?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"The important facilities and items seem to be down below, but is it okay to leave them behind......?"

At those words, Rufus closed his mouth. Is it okay? Of course not. To just leave behind the place with the most important items of all felt like his insides were twisting.

'But I can't be greedy. The remnants of the holy knights headed down below.'

They had greater numbers and stronger power than himself. Rufus never thought of himself as lacking anywhere either. But black mages and holy knights were too mismatched in compatibility.

And putting aside mediocre holy knights, the holy knights here were all survivors.

'They survived, and therefore are filled with more venom than anyone.'

Especially their leader Arius was stronger than anyone Rufus had ever seen. Even if Arius was alone without the other holy knights, Rufus would have chosen flight over fight. The difference in power was that overwhelming.

'I just hope their numbers are greatly reduced due to the traps at least.'

While fleeing, Rufus saw the sight of Arius destroying the ruins' trap system itself with overwhelming divine power. Even after seeing that, thinking it's worth trying would be too optimistic.

"We're escaping outside for now."

Rufus was greedy, but he was cleverer than that. There was no need to deliberately court danger.

"B-but." 

"Even if we chase after them down below, we can't face those holy knights and priest bastards anyway. And hoping they'll be completely wiped out by falling into the ruins' traps is also unrealistic. In that case, it's better to prepare from outside."

Rather, they would wait outside, and when other expedition teams came, they would incite them to fight with the Bretus remnants. If they did that, chaos would break out in the area, and opportunities would arise for small groups like them to profit.

"If you understand, move quickly!"

Rufus and the academy members gathered the items from the ruins and retraced their path. They worried whether other traps might activate, but that didn't happen. Nevertheless, Rufus didn't let down his guard and carefully examined the path they came from.

He spread black magic power like a spider web to grasp the structure and terrain of the ruins.

"Good. It's safe at the entrance. Let's move quickly."

Regret still remained, but Rufus tried hard to push it away. For now, just the items they salvaged weren't a big loss. And the exploration wasn't over yet. If they waited for opportunities from outside, gaps would inevitably appear.

'I'll endure until then. It's not difficult. I've done well so far. At most it's a few more days.'

Rufus and the black mages finally came out of the ruins.

"What is this?"

Rufus and the black mages looked puzzled at the marks carved near the entrance. What pressed deep into the ground were giant footprints. Just the size alone was large enough to trample a person to death.

There were dozens of such prints.

"Could it be, spirit beasts came all the way here?" 

"Spirit beasts? That can't be."

Rufus denied those words because of the types of footprints.

"The footprints are all different. You're saying at least over 10 spirit beasts gathered in one place? Is that possible?"

There was a fact Rufus learned while coming to the ruins. While there were many spirit beasts in this forest, they clearly established their own territories.

Spirit beasts don't invade other spirit beasts' territories. If they did, a fight to the death would break out.

Since Rufus had guided the church's path, he could be certain of this.

"Are you saying such creatures suddenly gathered conspicuously in one place?" 

"Perhaps, because we entered the ruins?" 

"Why? Are they trying to say they're playing guardian protecting the ruins? If so, they would have blocked anyone from coming near this area in the first place."

Rufus frowned.

"There's something. It's not spirit beasts. Something else is nearby." 

"Then what do we do?" 

"We get away from here as quickly as possible."

Rufus instinctively felt the situation was turning bad. He made a quick decision. They needed to search for the safest place possible, then build a position there and stay quiet.

"If you understand, move." 

"Yes!"

The black mages answered vigorously and Rufus suddenly raised his head.

"Wait. Where is one of you?"

One voice was missing from those responding. At those words, the other black mages panicked.

"Huh? He was definitely next to me just a moment ago......"

The black mage was quite flustered by the fact that a companion who was with them suddenly disappeared. Rufus glared at where his subordinate had disappeared, then immediately his eyes widened enormously.

"Everyone get back!" 

"What?"

One slow-reacting black mage questioned back but that was his last question.

-Crack!

His upper body disappeared as if swallowed by something.

-Thud.

The lower body that had been dangling for a moment dropped and fell to the ground. Red blood splattered on the ground.

"Wh-what is this!"

From the empty air, the eerie sound of bones and flesh being crushed echoed.

"Y-you bastard!"

Enraged, Rufus unleashed black magic power. Pitch-black magic power drew a spell and resonated with the surrounding atmosphere.

Whoosh! Blood-red flames reminiscent of hellfire engulfed the empty air. Inside the blazing flames, a giant silhouette undulated.

It was enormous. The flames Rufus emitted couldn't even engulf part of its body, let alone its entire form.

The monster seemed to realize it was discovered and released its concealment.

"What kind of monster is this......?"

Seeing the monster that revealed its identity, Rufus muttered in surprise.

A body height that seemed over 20m. Its entire body was covered in pitch-black scales, and atop its head that mixed mammal and reptile features, tree-like horns jutted out like a crown.

It was bipedal, but with a hunched posture and two arms so large they touched the ground. And below the abdomen, countless beast legs sprouted like jellyfish tentacles, supporting the body.

-Swoosh.

A long, slender tail undulated like a snake searching for prey. Three pairs on each side. Six red eyes stared at Rufus.

When it opened the hand it had been holding, the upper body of a black mage, crushed miserably, dropped with a thud.

"Just what, where did such a monster come from?"

This wasn't a spirit beast. A spirit beast was the result of a single entity's evolution. Something mixed with all sorts of things like that couldn't be called a spirit beast.

If he had to classify it, that was a cryptid.

'But how could a cryptid be in such a remote forest?'

Cryptids appear in environments where many people reside. Cryptids are born when all kinds of negative things in the world accumulate. In a way, they're similar to artificial spirits.

No matter how many explorers were currently gathered in this Hyperborea, there was absolutely no reason for a cryptid to appear. Rufus's idle thoughts didn't continue long because the unidentified monster, the cryptid, moved.

It looked this way and grinned.

'It smiled?'

It wasn't a mistake. Its mouth curled up and the corners of its eyes curved. Most horrifying of all, the teeth subtly revealed were as neat as those of a human.

That appearance was rather alien, naturally evoking fear.

'I felt fear? Me, a black mage?'

Rufus denied reality, but nothing changed. No matter how much of a black mage one was, they were still human in the end. The emotion of fear could never be separated.

"Hiiiik! I-I don't want to die!"

One of the black mages who saw the monster couldn't endure the fear and turned to run away.

'That idiot!'

Doesn't he know that in a standoff like this, moving first makes you the target? No, he must know. Because the proof was that he had survived together with them until now. Nevertheless, Rufus's subordinate lost his reason because of that monster.

The monster's tail moved. The tail that extended nearly 50m or more wrapped around the waist of the fleeing black mage.

"Aaaah! Save me! Please! Lord Rufus! Please save me!"

The black mage begged desperately, but Rufus couldn't move.

Just looking at that monster made his head throb and his eyes hurt. Negative emotions welled up, and his legs trembled.

'Damn it. Its very existence is instilling fear in humans.'

The academy member was dragged right before the monster. The monster glanced at the academy member, then immediately swung its tail and slammed him straight into the ground.

-Crash!

Like bursting a water balloon filled with bright red blood, blood stains spread around.

Rufus's expression turned pale. The few remaining subordinates beside him asked.

"School Leader. Wh-what should we do?"

Rufus didn't answer. Instead, he used black magic. On the academy member right next to him, that is.

"L-Lord Rufus? Lord Rufus!"

The school member who belatedly realized black magic power was penetrating his body desperately called Rufus's name.

"Why on earth! Kuaaaah! Rufus! You son of a bitch!"

The black mage who lost his reason was dyed entirely black. His bulk grew, and drool dripped from his mouth. The black mage whose brain was even eroded by black magic power turned his head to look up at the monster.

"Kuaaaaa!"

The moment the black mage charged at the monster, Rufus enhanced his entire body and dashed toward the inside of the ruins.

-Kwang! Bang! Crack!

Sounds of fighting came from behind. He could only pray inwardly that his subordinate would hold out for a long time.

But the commotion didn't even last 10 seconds.

-Splat!

Over the head of the fleeing Rufus, a black shadow flew in a parabola. What fell to the ground was the corpse of the black mage academy member he had abandoned.

He had forcibly turned him into a berserker with black magic, but it was smashed to pieces without even lasting 10 seconds.

Rufus felt his spine tingle. He could feel a giant presence approaching from behind.

But he couldn't look back. If he did, it felt like he would be swallowed. Just a little more. Almost there. If he moved just a little more, he could hide inside the ruins!

"Huff! Huff!"

‘Made it!’ Rufus shouted inwardly. He barely entered the entrance of the ruins. From behind his back, with a crack sound, he heard the monster grasping at empty air.

Rufus looked back in relief. There, the monster that had lost its toy stuck its head in and stared at him.

Rufus felt his breath catch. But he soon felt relieved and burst into laughter.

"Kuhahaha! How about that! You damn monster! You can't catch me!"

Did it understand those words? The monster's brow furrowed. It pulled its head back far. Just in case, Rufus pulled his body deeper into the ruins.

Right after that

-Kuguuuung!

The entrance collapsed, and the monster's giant hand grasped where Rufus had been just moments before.

"Th-this is insane!"

Rufus knew how sturdily this ruin was built. Therefore he couldn't help but be shocked at the sight of the monster destroying it with force.

-Bang! Bang! Kwagwang!

The monster kept pounding the ruins' entrance with both hands. Each time, parts of the ruins shattered into pieces like ice and collapsed.

"D-damn it!"

Rufus had to turn and flee. Let's go underground for now. It didn't matter if Arius was there. No, rather, right now he desperately needed his help.

That monster was not something he could dare handle himself.

-Pook!

At that moment, Rufus felt his body stiffen. He looked down. A sharp thorn had pierced through his abdomen and was sticking out.

"Wh-what is this?"

Turning his trembling head back, he saw the monster staring this way through the collapsed gap. Even its finger extended toward him.

-Sssss.

From the finger, a thorn presumed to have been shot at him was wriggling and growing.

It had long-range attack methods too? Just as Rufus was about to mutter that, the thorn was shot again.

-Puhk!

The thorn pierced through Rufus's brow.

-Uooooooo!!

The monster that succeeded in hunting the rat howled. That cry echoed beyond the ruins throughout the entire forest.

The spirit beasts heard that cry and hid themselves even deeper in their lairs. Because a giant presence far surpassing spirit beasts had suddenly appeared, they instinctively realized it was dangerous.

It was the moment when the monster, judging there were no more opponents, was about to raise its body.

"I wondered what it was when I heard a monster was rampaging outside."

A taciturn and carefree voice that didn't match the current situation. With the sound of footsteps, a man walked out from inside the ruins.

"What on earth is that form, Hans?"