I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City - Chapter 64



63 – Return

Before heading from the 30th floor to the 31st floor.

Clara, who saw the wounded Rohan, made a confession after much deliberation.

“Brother. Actually, I…”

Clara revealed the true weapon she possessed to Rohan and Sion.

Rohan had known about it all along, though he had never mentioned it.

Sion had also noticed during a brief standoff at the academy dormitory that Clara’s true weapon was not a dagger or a pistol.

Just as Yui Ichinose has Yoru (Night) and Noah Frozenheart has Fimbulvetr.

Clara also has a special exclusive weapon.

“I’m sorry for telling you late… I didn’t mean to hide it…”

“I’m just happy that you told me, Clara. Don’t say that.”

It was not an empty word.

Rohan felt growth and gratitude towards Clara, who had voluntarily brought up the story.

The reason for revealing the secret was her concern for him. Who could blame her for that?

“Clara. Is it okay if I hear this too?”

It was Sion’s question, quietly observing.

Clara shyly smiled and nodded at the story. Sion smiled back, feeling a warm satisfaction rising in his chest.

The distance between the two had narrowed as they lived and died together in the dungeon.

That made Rohan even happier.

“Let’s go up.”

“Ah, yes…”

Even though she had a great weapon, the reason she hadn’t used it early on was obvious without saying. Clara’s story in Abyss City was the same.

The weapon had great range and attack power, but the amount of magic consumed in its operation was enormous.

So, given Clara’s personality, she must have been worried about becoming a burden to the party due to magic exhaustion.

‘It was a situation where battles continued for a long time. She probably didn’t feel the need to take it out.’

But that was the girl’s identity and her prominent strength and weakness.

Clara was famous as a dealer who could produce monstrous DPS in an instant based on such traits. It was also a problem that could be filled depending on the setting and growth.

‘Can I finally see it in person?’

Rohan felt excited like a child before the battle.

He could forget the pain that came with the excitement making his heart pound.

[_] [_] [_] [_]

The monster that succeeded in protecting the monolith expressed its anger through the television.

The writhing thorn vines took on a rigid form, ready for attack.

With him Boom! Rohan and Zion kicked the doors open one by one, widening their field of vision.

The room with the boss monster and the monolith.

There is no option to enter there politely.

“Let’s go. Time to go home.”

“Yeah!”

“Good.”

As soon as they entered, Rohan took the lead and dyed his dagger red.

Heat shimmered on the blade, creating a mirage.

Everyone knew what they had to do.

Bam! Vines swung wildly and surged forward.

In the gap created by the dense thorny vines rushing forward for an attack.

Click!

Zion’s gun muzzle aimed at the television that expressed emotions.

The pistol crackled with electricity as it fired attribute-infused bullets.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

If the bullets couldn’t be fully charged with magic, they could be distributed and fired in chunks.

Zion continued shooting, showing the skill of imbuing the gun and bullets with magic to the brink of explosion.

[_] [_] [_] [_]

The monster, as if in pain, changed its expression, dropping pieces from the display riddled with holes.

“It works properly.”

Would it stop at something like that? Zion dodged the thorny vines aiming at him and reloaded his magazine.

Rohan dodged the vines pouring down on him and cut them off with a dagger.

With a blue potion in his mouth, he reached out his hand. He grabbed the thorny vines without hesitation.

Ignoring the piercing of his hand, he tried to use Weakness Infliction, but the boss monster recoiled in surprise and withdrew the vines.

‘As expected.’

Creatures of this level notice anomalies. Both humans and monsters.

Rohan shook off his left hand, which was pierced by thorns and bleeding, and rushed forward.

At the right moment, Zion resumed shooting, causing the vines to shrink back. Rohan seized the opportunity and clamped a thorny vine stem under his left rib, tightening it.

Despite focusing his magical power on body enhancement, the pain of his side being ground by the blade was intense.

He checked his status window simultaneously.

‘Health is at 71%. Status effect: Bleeding.’

Pain is something to endure. As long as he was confident that death was far away, this much was still bearable.

[?] [?] [?] [?]

To the monster expressing doubt through a broken television.

Rohan poured out his magical power.

‘Weakness Infliction.’

More than 70% of the magical power filled with rest drained in an instant.

At the same time, dizziness and a headache swirled, but Rohan savored the bitter taste of the potion in his mouth and held onto his consciousness.

[ Inflicting physical attribute weakness on the target. ]

He threw away the thorny vine he was holding onto and leaped back to widen the distance.

This is better than expected.

It’s enough that he didn’t lose consciousness like when he tried it on Jooyeon. He is satisfied just by being granted this.

Whether it’s a placebo effect or not, thanks to the potion, the ground only feels slightly queasy. It’s bearable.

“Clara.”

The girl who had cut down the thorny vines as thick as an elephant’s leg landed beside Rohan.

Clara, seeing Rohan’s wounds, frowned and bit her lip.

“Please. Punish them.”

“Yes…! I’ll punish them!”

Anger filled Clara’s gentle eyes.

She hid the gun and balisong she was holding inside her clothes. Then she took out something that looked like a black cylinder.

The object that Zion had first mistaken for a gun silencer.

Though the cylinder was only about the thickness of two fingers combined, it began to reveal its form as it absorbed Clara’s magic.

“…Arachne.”

The object was not a silencer but a spool of black thread.

The thread, imbued with Clara’s magic, spread out in all directions like a spider’s web.

Slash!

Dozens of vines were cut at once and fell to the ground.

Pop! Zion reloaded his magazine and landed beside Rohan and Clara.

“Impressive power.”

“Right? Our Clara is this amazing.”

As Rohan spoke proudly, Sion smirked and told him to stop the bleeding first.

Clara blushed at Rohan’s words and moved her fingers.

“…Oppa. Drink the potion and wait a little.”

The completely unraveled thread was connected to Clara’s fingers like a ring.

The girl’s slender fingers and magic manipulated the thread delicately.

Once again, the thorny vines surged like waves and lashed like whips.

As Clara moved her hand, they were cut off and fell to the ground.

Even the thickest vines had weak points.

Originally, they couldn’t withstand Clara’s attacks, and with weak points added, it was like cutting tofu for Clara.

Thud!

Clara, who had jumped off the ground, sat on the thread connected in mid-air.

It looked as if she was floating in the air.

From Rohan’s perspective, looking up, he saw Clara’s thighs pressed against the thread.

“….”

The girl sitting on the thread observed the overall situation and moved her hands.

As she moved her fingers elegantly, like playing the piano, the threads began to connect here and there.

“Sion. The monolith will be exposed soon. Get ready.”

“…Got it.”

Rohan woke up Sion, who was staring blankly at Clara’s movements.

The situation began to unfold.

The thread Clara handled had an unusually prominent quality.

It possessed the sharpness and cutting power of any famous sword, and an elasticity that couldn’t be severed by clumsy force.

Moreover, Clara’s Arachne consumed the user’s magic and autonomously generated various poisons.

“Spider Silk.”

Clara connected the thread to her hands and feet.

She then fell backward from the thread she had been sitting on.

The fall of the magic-infused girl acted as a weight.

The spread thread tightened around the monster in an instant.

Crack!!!

Hundreds of layers of thorny vines were bound by the thin thread and cut off at once. It was a spectacle.

[X_X] [X_X] [X_X] [X_X]

The expression on the television changed. The plant wilted and drooped.

Sion, assuming the boss was dead like the monsters he had seen so far, pulled the trigger through the gap where the monolith was visible.

Bang!

Would one shot be enough?

Ratatatatat!

Sion emptied the magazine in an instant.

[Monolith Legally Demolished! – Achievement Unlocked.]

[You have earned 50P as an achievement reward.]

“It’s broken.”

Rohan’s voice confirmed the achievement. Sion stopped shooting.

With a crack! The monolith shattered cleanly.

“Phew, is it really over?”

Sion exhaled and holstered his pistol, but…

“Wait…!”

Rohan moved with wide eyes.

It was too late to speak. It was an unconscious action.

The boss monster hadn’t given Rohan any points yet.

Fwoosh!

The boss’s final thorn. Its last desperate struggle before death.

The thorn, like a harpoon, shot silently towards Sion.

Rohan rushed to deflect the thorn, but his lack of magic and urgency caused him to lose his stance.

Thwack!

Rohan’s right arm was severed and fell to the ground along with his dagger.

“Ah, was it a pointless act?”

Seeing Sion holding a truncheon, as if to counterattack even belatedly, Rohan laughed.

Indeed, his skill is impressive.

“You…!”

From noble mtl dot com

Sion held his breath as he looked at Rohan’s severed shoulder.

It was the first time he had seen such an expression of shock on Sion’s face.

Clara, staggering from magical exhaustion, landed beside him.

Clara froze as she saw Rohan’s severed arm.

[+10P]

Only then did the points for defeating the boss come in, oblivious to the situation.

At the same time.

[Achievement: The Gardener’s Final Pruning – Achieved.]

[Achievement Reward: 50P]

[Achievement: Annoying Weed Removal – Achieved.]

[Achievement Reward: 30P]

The first trace of defeating a plant-type boss.

The achievements poured down in front of Rohan’s eyes.

[Achievement: We Are a Fate-bound Community – Achieved.]

[Achievement Reward: 30P]

[Achievement: Complete Survival – Achieved.]

[Achievement Reward: 30P]

[Achievement: The First Success Story of a Lost Tourist – Achieved.]

[Achievement Reward: 10P]

The world began to crumble.

In the void crack! The fake sun, which had been pouring out only heat, shattered.

There is no reason to fear this mysterious and inexplicable situation.

Rohan and his party unconsciously realized that they were returning to their original place through this process.

What frightened Zion and Clara was Rohan’s condition.

“Rohan! It’s my fault for being careless…! I’ll take you to the hospital as soon as we arrive…!”

“Brother…! You must not lose consciousness! Got it!”

Rohan, who was trying to calm the two panicked girls, collapsed as his legs gave out.

He wanted to reassure them that he was okay, but his body wouldn’t move as he wished. His head was also fuzzy due to the accumulated blood loss from the battle.

‘It hurts.’

The pain of amputation had occurred a few times in the past, but it was something he could never get used to.

The broken world swirled.

And then it collapsed.

[Quest completed.]

[Rewards obtained.]

[Clear rewards distributed according to contribution.]

[Party fully restored.]