Despite his words, Yi-Han exercised utmost caution in controlling the flames. He was well aware that a fire in the library could lead to serious consequences, especially considering the skull principal's nature, who might seriously execute a burning at the stake.
Suddenly, small flames, barely enough to scorch the back of a hand, appeared throughout the narrow passageway. Considering the destructive power of the flame element, this was more than sufficient.
‘Controlling bigger flames only makes it harder,’ Yi-Han thought to himself.
The flames chaotically flew through the corridor, burning the approaching Specters. Each burst of flame caused the Shadow Specters to writhe and tumble in agony. Being incorporeal monsters with a negative attribute, they were particularly vulnerable to flames and light.
Moreover, the flames summoned by Yi-Han did not extinguish after burning two or three Shadow Specters. They continued to burn, fueled endlessly, like a fire that never dies out.
-■■■■! ■■■■!-
The Shadow Specters emitted eerie sounds, desperately trying to break through the narrow corridor, but Yi-Han continuously manipulated the flames.
No matter how numerous the Specters were, their advance was limited in such a confined space. Especially when faced with a mage who could summon flames without any limit to his mana.
‘I can stop them…’
Kraak!
Suddenly, an ominous sound came from behind. A section of the library, piled high with books, had collapsed, creating an opening for the Specters.
"Block it!" Yi-Han commanded.
At his command, the students hurriedly cast spells toward the new opening.
"Flames..."
"Shoot..."
Magic missiles and flames flew, creating a brilliant flash characteristic of magic. It seemed powerful, but Yi-Han coldly assessed the situation.
‘The opening is bigger than I thought!’
Unlike the narrow passage, the opening created by the collapsed section of the library was too wide. Even as the princess led her friends in casting spells, Shadow Specters were already seeping through.
Gritting his teeth, Yi-Han twirled his staff.
"Blaze forth!"
Thanks to his action, the momentum of the Shadow Specters rushing through the new opening waned.
Had he been even slightly delayed, the situation would have turned chaotic. But the problem was...
"They're coming!"
The Shadow Specters in the narrow corridor had significantly closed the distance.
Even if he attacked again, some would inevitably collide. He was already prepared for this. Yi-Han gathered all his mana, bracing for possession.
"The more mana I have, the stronger my resistance. Even if the Shadow Specters try to possess me, I'll be able to shake them off relatively quickly..."
He trusted in the resistance provided by his mana. He had shown strong resistance against mental magic and poison, so it was highly likely he would be resistant against the possession of these spectral monsters.
Just like Gainando, who had been possessed but managed to escape, Yi-Han also...
Thump!
"?"
"??"
-?-
A strange sound echoed.
It was the sound of a Shadow Specter, having collided with full force into Yi-Han, being repelled.
And not just repelled, but burning up as if struck by a flame spell!
Thump! Thump-thump-thump-thump!
Not just one, but dozens of Shadow Specters had forced their way through the corridor, accelerating and colliding.
And they all were repelled, bursting into flames.
"..."
"..."
A student from the Blue Dragon, assisting Yi-Han, looked at him with a startled expression.
What was that...?
Thump-thump! Thump-thump-thump-thump!
As dozens of Specters were rapidly repelled and failed in their possession attempts, the Shadow Specters behind them sensed something was amiss.
The front ones attempted to slow down, but the other Shadow Specters behind them didn't wait.
Thump-thump-thump-thump...
"Specter... Specter Smasher! Specter Smasher!!"
"Stop with the pointless nicknames."
While such a title might have been considered an honorable nickname for an achievement in the empire, Yi-Han didn't want his friends to bestow him with a nickname like 'Specter Smasher'. Especially not for simply annihilating the Specters in such a brute manner!
Yi-Han swung his staff, pushing back against the Shadow Specters. Now that he realized they couldn't possess him, there was no need to fear.
The Shadow Specters in the narrow corridor exploded out in a literal sense.
"We're here to help!"
"What? Did you block the passage?!"
The students blocking the collapsed section of the library were surprised to see Yi-Han and his friends return from the corridor.
"It's a long story!"
"Wardanaz! Let's go!"
"?????"
The students were shocked as Yi-Han and his friends, instead of using magic, charged toward the hole swarming with struggling Shadow Specters.
"What are they doing..."
Thump-thump-thump-thump...
"...Incredible."
"What is that...?"
"I made that title! Specter Smasher! It's good, right?"
"Specter Smasher... Oh..."
Asan thought it was quite a fitting nickname.
A title like that seemed befitting for Wardanaz, who was fighting honorably there...
'I should use it when I introduce Wardanaz in the future.'
"Stop talking nonsense and support with magic!"
Startled by Yi-Han's shout, the princess, who had been nodding in agreement with the nickname, hurriedly focused on the situation. The other students showed similar reactions.
"But did you ask Yi-Han? Does he like it?"
"Of course, he would. It's a title given by friends who appreciate his achievements."
"I don't think Specter Smasher is a great nickname..."
Gainando muttered, and Yonaire nearby marveled.
Gainando had such insight?
"I prefer 'The Great, Dignified, and Noble Descendant, the Foe of Specters...' or something long like that."
"Wow. That's quite good."
"..."
Yonaire shook her head in disbelief.
"Rise, earth!"
"Become as solid as rock!"
Salko and his group of students erected a barricade at the forefront.
From outside the dirt and stone barricade, a thudding sound was heard. It seemed a considerable number of Specters were gathering.
"One is coming from the side!"
Swoosh!
Nillia skewered the Shadow Specter trying to enter from the side with an arrow.
Such precise shooting in chaotic circumstances was worthy of praise, but Nillia's expression wasn't bright. The other students from the Black Tortoise felt the same.
"The numbers... They don't seem to be decreasing, do they?"
"This is bad."
Yi-Han had set up his position in the corridor, confident that he could handle them all barring any variables. However, the Black Tortoise students didn't dare such a reckless act.
Instead, they erected barricades throughout the corridor to hold their ground.
It would have been a decent choice if the number of Shadow Specters hadn't exceeded a certain limit...
But unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
The light from the ceiling didn't brighten, while the number of Shadow Specters kept increasing.
"It seems like the other places are in chaos too..."
Nillia trailed off, lost in thought.
What if the students from the Blue Dragon were possessed by the Shadow Specters and came this way?
'...It would be truly terrifying if Wardanaz got possessed...'
"Wardanaz!"
"No, no way!"
"??"
Ratford, standing nearby, looked at Nillia with a puzzled expression.
"What's not possible?"
"Oh... It's nothing."
Nillia hastily ran towards the barricade. Fortunately, Yi-Han was not possessed by a Shadow Specter. He looked perfectly fine.
"Thank goodness... ???"
"??????"
Thump-thump-thump-thump...
The students of the Blue Dragon were charging forward with Yi-Han leading them like a siege ram. Each time they collided with the Shadow Specters, the Specters screamed and burst.
"..."
The students of the Black Tortoise were so shocked that they were at a loss for words.
After a few swift movements that cleared the Shadow Specters, the Blue Dragon students proclaimed with dignity.
"Consider our thanks given."
They had actually come to prevent other tower students from causing chaos due to possession, but even so, they felt very honorable in their own right. After all, they had come to help!
"But why aren't those guys saying anything?"
"Yeah, why?"
The Blue Dragon students waited for a response, and upon receiving none, they grumbled and left.
Don't they even know how to say thank you!
However, it wasn't that the Black Tortoise students didn't appreciate the help; they were simply too stunned to speak. It wasn't until the others had left that one of the students finally spoke.
"What... What just happened????"
The reaction of the priests of the Immortal Phoenix was similar. The only difference was that the corridor they entered was ablaze.
Yi-Han had cast a lower-level flame resistance spell before sweeping away the Shadow Specters.
Priest Nigisor from the Aphar Order expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you. Mr. Yi-Han of the Wardanaz family."
"I'm glad I wasn't late."
The students of the Immortal Phoenix were actually in the best situation. They didn't face a collapse of a library section creating a new entry point like the Blue Dragon or an accumulation of Shadow Specters like the Black Tortoise.
It seemed that the flame magic cast by Priest Nigisor had been quite helpful.
Yi-Han asked curiously.
"Did you use a wide-area flame spell on the entire passage? How did you manage not to burn down the library?"
He wondered if it was some secret of the Aphar Order. As an Order specializing in flame, they might have a way to cast wide-area magic without burning the surroundings.
'If that's the case, I definitely want to learn it.'
Priest Nigisor, not understanding Yi-Han's question, tilted his head in confusion.
"Just went for it, that's all."
"...Ah. I see."
Yi-Han took a step back.
That seemed like real madness. Using a wide-area attack in a library without considering the consequences...!
"Wardanaz. Let's go save the guys at the White Tiger."
'What a bother.'
While he acted because other people's troubles would become his own, Yi-Han was starting to feel the fatigue after several rounds.
Priest Nigisor, admiringly, said.
"You're doing a great deed, Mr Yi-Han of the Wardanaz family. If you'd like, I could help..."
"...No. I can't ask for help in a matter of honor."
Yi-Han felt the temptation but resisted.
...He had been lucky this time, but there was no guarantee the next would not turn into a sea of fire!
Watching the students, looking ragged and tired as they walked out of the library, the skull principal smiled contentedly.
“You must have studied hard.”
The students ignored him. Not out of a desire to displease the principal, but because they were too exhausted to respond.
The principal, a little miffed at being ignored, spotted Yi-Han and floated towards him.
Yi-Han was a truly unique student who evoked simultaneous desires in the skull principal: the urge to praise him for his outstanding performance in the dungeon, and the wish to scold him for making the dungeon conquest seem uninteresting.
"Did you study hard?"
"Yes, thanks to you."
"You are quite something... pretending not to care, yet secretly very competitive. You even brought down the Rock Drakes. The other professors were surprised too."
"...Yes?"
Yi-Han hesitated.
The misunderstanding about 'bringing down' aside, the fact that the skull principal had been watching startled Yi-Han.
It wasn't really that surprising, though.
It was a well-known fact that the skull principal had eyes all over the academy, and it was in his character not to miss such an entertaining event.
But still...
"The other... professors?"
“Yes. But tell me, weren't you annoyed during this expedition? Why not try going in alone and fighting next time?”
Ignoring the principal's sly nonsense, Yi-Han, struggling to suppress his rising fear, asked.
"Which professors were there, if I may ask?"
“Well, there were so many coming and going... And you know, I'm not the type to remember every little detail.”
"Was Professor Bagrak there?"
“Bagrak was there. That one has a knack for ruining my fun, so I remember him.”
Yi-Han's face twisted with sorrow and pain.
