Surviving as a Villain at the Academy - Surviving as a Villain at the Academy chapter 161

161 – Dungeon Exploration. (7)

“Dammit. Why are there so many……?”

Johan muttered softly. Everyone around him nodded in agreement.

This was too much, even if it was a lot.

I expected a few dozen, but isn’t this number far beyond that? Hundreds?

Just how many human experiments did this crazy mage do?

As it was far beyond the scale I had expected, I couldn’t help but be taken aback, to be honest.

“The creator, who is the master of this dungeon, shouldn’t die a peaceful death.”

Adrian said in a grim voice, her eyes glinting. Judging from the glint in her eyes, it seemed that her eyes were bloodshot with anger.

I couldn’t help but understand her feelings.

Adrian was someone who could be called a saint even in terms of her personality, so it would be absurd to tell such a person not to be angry when faced with such a tragedy.

It wasn’t just Adrian, either. Johan, the priest, and everyone else in the party was thinking about how to kill the master of this dungeon.

Of course, Nea didn’t seem to think much of it.

However, if the number is this large…… I might need Asti’s help. Or maybe I should take out Salus.

For now, if a dangerous situation arises, there’s no need to hesitate.

I thought about it and looked at the chimeras that were slowly approaching us. As if the ones we saw earlier were just a taste, chimeras with much more gruesome appearances were tainting our eyes.

I draw my sword. There’s no need to observe the situation any further. The most important thing right now was to deal with all these monsters here.

* * *

I stab the chimera’s gaping maw with my sword.

Kwak-jik!

After pulling the stabbed sword out of its maw, I cleanly cut its neck as if water was flowing. But I can’t let my guard down. There’s a chance that it might have a transcendental regenerative ability.

Without letting my guard down, I ignite flames with my mana and burn the chimera. As soon as I burned the chimera, I felt a sharp sensation from above.

Shwaa-ak!

I immediately looked up and swung my sword, cleanly splitting a spider-shaped chimera in half. After cutting it down, I could see that all eight of its legs were made of human arms.

……A truly loathsome appearance.

I don’t know how many I have killed…… I just haven’t had a moment’s rest.

Kaboom! Crash!

Explosions were ringing out all around. As expected, since it was such a wide cavern, there was no need to use magic as carefully as before. Aris and Diana were certainly showing off their improved magical abilities since visiting the Holy Kingdom.

A huge, crimson fireball fell right in the middle of the chimera, burning them all to cinders. Their regeneration abilities were useless in the face of such flames.

Immediately after, a cold air that cooled the intense heat flowed across the ground, forming spears of ice. The cold that had just melted the ground into magma froze the chimera solid.

“Shatter!”

Smash!

Following that, Adrian’s giant battle hammer, Deus’ Judgment, completely crushed the chimera that had become ice statues. Adrian leaped into the air, poured divine power into his hammer, and slammed it into the ground.

―――!

A shockwave that shook the ground swept over the chimera. The chimera caught in the shockwave all lost their original forms and were crushed.

I glanced sideways at my companions, who were fighting so effortlessly, and swung my sword at the chimera that were endlessly rushing towards me.

Swish.

A horizontal slash swept across the area with a heavy sensation. A wave of sword energy imbued with flames swept through the chimera. It was the modified swordsmanship I had used when sparring with Ruslan last time.

The wave of sword energy literally pulverized the chimera as it advanced. I had infused the flames with magic power to suppress any possible regeneration, so the chimera could do nothing but burn away into nothingness.

Taking advantage of the brief respite, I quickly surveyed the battlefield.

Certainly, Asti’s support was playing a big role in my companions’ success. Rather than using large-scale magic to sweep away the surroundings, she was focusing on supporting the abilities of her companions.

“You guys just focus on magic! I’ll tie up their legs!”

For example, she would tie up the chimera’s legs, giving Aris and Diana time to cast their magic. The firepower of a mage is the flower of the battlefield. She was using various support spells to ensure that they could fulfill that role to the fullest.

Additionally, Lina and Nea’s necromancy was also a great help in the battle.

The wraiths they controlled had completely taken over the bodies of the chimera and were riding them, causing a tragedy of fratricide among the chimera. The wraiths seemed to be enjoying their newfound bodies as they trampled the surrounding chimera.

The bodies of the chimera were particularly unique, so for the wraiths who yearned for physical bodies, there was no better vessel.

Having discovered that they could use their bodies in all sorts of unexpected ways, the wraiths were transforming the chimera’s bodies at will and intercepting the incoming chimera.

“If you’re struggling, just say so! I’ll support you right away!”

Johan was also using his divine magic to replenish the stamina of his allies. It wasn’t just Johan; even Adrian was continuously using divine magic to boost the physical abilities of his allies while striking down the chimera with his hammer.

Fwoosh.

A warm sensation immediately surged through me. It was Adrian’s blessing.

Normally, I am vulnerable to divine spells due to my contract with Asti, but fortunately, as long as it’s not direct healing, blessings that invigorate the body and enhance physical abilities seem to work well on me.

Adrian’s blessing allowed me to pour all of my overflowing energy into my swordsmanship.

The chimera that appeared before my very eyes were literally cut down by my sword energy, and their attacks gradually faltered. The chimera were still living beings, after all. Even if they were twisted and deformed, they still had the instinct to survive.

Their current attack on us was probably to obtain the energy needed to maintain their patchwork bodies.

However, if they were going to die because of that attempt, it was understandable that they would hesitate.

Of course, that didn’t mean I was going to stop attacking.

Ruslan was the first to step forward. Noticing that the chimera were afraid of us, he stepped forward and swung the candlestick in his hand.

Golden, radiant holy light took the form of a sword and immediately burned one of the chimera that had been retreating to a crisp.

Ruslan’s restrained swordsmanship seemed to have completely shed the impatience he had shown in the past. Calmly and powerfully, he sliced through the bodies of the chimera.

And every time he cut down a chimera, the radiant holy light illuminated the surroundings. Even though it was a dark cavern, it felt as bright as day.

The same was true of Adrian’s Deus’ Judgment. Every time she swung her hammer, the bodies of dozens of chimera would explode and disintegrate, leaving no trace behind.

Before they could be burned by the holy light, their bodies were already blown to smithereens, preventing the chimera’s regeneration abilities from发挥ing their full power.

At this rate, the battle will be over quite easily…… I thought to myself.

In the midst of the densely packed chimeras, something strange began to happen.

“……What is that?”

One of the chimeras in the center, considerably larger than the others, began to pull in the surrounding chimeras with something that couldn’t be distinguished as either an arm or a tentacle, and began to devour them.

Crunch.

As the sound of something being torn apart echoed through the cavern, the creature’s already large body began to swell even further.

Gulp.

Drip. Drip.

The sound of something being chewed and swallowed raw could be heard. The sight of chimeras being torn apart, bones and all, could be seen.

The creature in the center swelled up even further. What was even more bizarre was that the forms of the chimeras it had devoured began to appear on its large body.

““What is that……?””

Aris and Diana said in trembling voices. It seemed that I wasn’t the only one who was bewildered.

“Aren’t we not supposed to let that thing be……?”

As soon as Asti said that, Ruslan, Adrian, and I instinctively pushed past the other chimeras and ran towards it.

However, as soon as we approached the creature, its body gradually curled up into a ball, and a hard shell suddenly covered its body.

Like a hard cocoon.

Without hesitation, I swung my sword engulfed in flames.

Screech.

I could feel it cutting, but it wasn’t thick enough to cut it in half. And even Ruslan’s radiant candelabra couldn’t pierce through the creature’s shell. The same went for Aris and Diana’s magic.

-What should we do, Prah? It seems a bit dangerous, should we just blow it away?

-No.

However, I changed my mind. To be honest, the battle up until now had been too easy.

Ruslan’s experience points are clearly filled by overcoming situations that can be called hardships. Easy battles do not help his experience.

-Are you really okay with this?

-You’re here, and so is Salus. In the first place, I expected this kind of situation in this dungeon exploration. A strong enemy that won’t go down easily.

And the shell that couldn’t be pierced gradually absorbed the surrounding chimeras and swelled up, and then.

Crack.

It broke.

And from within it, a monster as terrifying as all the monsters I had ever seen combined revealed itself.