Professor Uregor, having seen the students who returned last time, had questioned, "Was there no bull? Why not?"
He couldn't fathom why that memory suddenly flitted through his mind.
‘Focus.’
Yi-Han shifted his gaze. The spirit bull before him emitted a distinctly unique aura. Firstly, two types of mana. One surely from an enhancement spell, the other from a potion. Though hard to explain theoretically, the mana of an externally cast enhancement spell differed from that of an internally working magic potion. And another energy, akin yet divergent from mana.
‘Is this the power of a spirit?’
Even without extensive knowledge about spirits, Yi-Han could tell that the bull before him was intertwined with one.
A normal bull wouldn't be half comprised of a flickering mass of ice. Each time it glared and stomped its hooves, a thin layer of frost formed on the ground.
"Yi-Han. It's glaring this way. Do you think it'll charge? What's your take?"
"I had no specific thoughts, but perhaps it's angered by the light we lit."
"..."
Dolgyu and Jijel turned their heads to look at Yi-Han.
Hey!
"What? It's dark, we need light. It's weird if it gets angry over that."
"It seems less important whether the spirit bull is weird or not..."
"Ask if there's a way to inflict damage, Choi."
'Is it not over yet?'
When Jijel told Dolgyu what she wanted to say to Yi-Han, Dolgyu sighed deeply.
"Ordinary physical attacks probably won't work on the spirit part. Enchanting our weapons is still beyond us..."
Among the monsters, there were quite a few that were impervious to ordinary attacks. To combat such foes, adventurers often carried weapons enchanted with magic or learned to imbue their weapons with mana.
"Does anyone here know even a bit about infusing weapons with mana?"
At Yi-Han's question, Dolgyu raised his hand. Jijel did as well. Yi-Han, the one who asked, also raised his hand… Jijel looked at him as if he was insane. Dolgyu, maybe, but why would someone not of a knightly family know how to imbue mana?
"I asked Dolgyu, but you answered too. Anyway, if all three of us can attack, isn't that good? Let's spread out and strike."
It was quite fortunate, in fact, that these three were grouped together. Yi-Han and Dolgyu were among the most skilled in swordsmanship among the students currently taking <Basic Swordsmanship>, and though slightly weaker, Jijel also possessed formidable sword skills.
Of course, they didn't get along at all.
"Ask who'll take the middle position, Choi."
In the current situation, the spirit bull was very likely to dislike whoever was directly in front of it.
Yi-Han, showing respect for the leader, asked.
"Dolgyu, shouldn't the leader be in the middle?"
Jijel responded with a middle finger. Dolgyu sighed.
"Rock-paper-scissors?"
"Rock-paper-scissors."
Yi-Han ended up in the middle, Jijel on the right, Dolgyu on the left.
Dolgyu thought he had never seen Jijel smile so brightly before.
Fortunately, the spirit bull did not charge despite the light being turned on.
The strategy of the three students was simple. Spread out in three directions and approach until the spirit bull reacts. Once it starts to respond, the targeted student focuses on evasion, while the other two inflict damage.
'The problem is evasion.'
Normally in such hunts, the one luring and dodging was crucial, while those striking had it relatively easy.
Yi-Han lamented his inability to avoid being placed in the middle.
-■!
Until moments ago, the spirit bull, which had been merely stomping its hooves, now exhaled icy breath and emitted a threatening sound. It was a clear warning to 'back off quietly.'
Instead of approaching further, Yi-Han used magic.
"Spring forth, move!"
Beads of water sprang into the air and flew towards the spirit bull. The stationary bull was startled, moving as the water beads exploded on impact.
Thud, thud!
"Amazing... Wait."
Dolgyu, initially amazed by the magic skill, sensed something odd. The direction in which Yi-Han launched the water beads seemed peculiar.
Was he aiming from above downwards, seemingly herding the spirit bull to the right...?
'That clever bastard.' Jijel drew her dual swords. If Dolgyu noticed it, Jijel couldn't have missed it. Initially, Jijel had planned to drive the spirit bull towards Yi-Han if it came her way.
Whoosh!
Jijel leaped diagonally to the left. She intended to redirect the bull's attention back to Yi-Han.
Though briefly distracted, it was obvious who posed a greater threat to the spirit bull. It was a clever trick, but ultimately, it was like digging one's own grave.
-■■!
Provoked, the spirit bull changed its angle completely and began charging towards Yi-Han and Jijel.
"I hide in the night!"
"...?!"
Yi-Han disappeared. Jijel had no time for curses. She drew her dual swords, ready to face the spirit bull.
Waving the sword in her right hand to attract the bull's attention, she aimed precisely at its jaw with the left. Jijel, like a seasoned matador, skillfully evaded the bull, inflicting damage as he passed by.
'Tch.'
Jijel clicked her tongue, feeling the sensation in her fingertips. Apparently having struck the spirit part, the bull seemed unharmed.
Ice formed on her sword, while the part hit by the bull quickly regenerated.
Crack-!
With an annoying sound, the spirit bull changed direction. Despite its size, it was incredibly agile and flexible.
Jijel nodded her head, beckoning it to come again, waving her sword.
Bang!!!!
Suddenly, as if hit by something, the spirit bull flew sideways.
Yi-Han reappeared, dispelling his invisibility spell. The solid wooden sword in his hand was now completely pulverized.
“...”
“...”
It might sound like an excuse, but there was a reason Yi-Han had diverted the bull's attention towards Jijel. For Yi-Han to launch a proper attack, someone had to distract the spirit bull. Telling Jijel would be pointless; she would never believe it...
Though it pained him, the result was the only way to prove it.
"Is this okay, Yi-Han?!"
"It's fine! We won't be in the same group again after this lesson anyway!"
Yi-Han cheerfully responded and, turning invisible, chased after the bull.
"Feet, grasp the earth!"
Yi-Han's muttering transformed into a spell, wrapping around his body.
Already sharpened by focus, his vision became even clearer, capturing the movements of the spirit bull.
Whoosh!
Hardly any time had passed since he last shattered his sword, but Yi-Han relentlessly poured his mana into the effort.
Thanks to the bull's attention being on Jijel, Yi-Han gained the necessary time. He swung at the spirit bull just before his sword shattered. As expected, the attack and the sword both ended in pieces.
Bang!!!!
Despite the setback, the effect was clear. The spirit bull was sent flying sideways. Yi-Han, his hand numb from the shock, shouted before the bull could rise.
"Now's the chance! Let's get out of here!"
"Right... Right."
Dolgyu couldn't bear to look at Jijel's face, too afraid of what he might see.
Anglago, a satyr, looked towards the exit with a worried expression. Having entered with the third group and already emerged, Anglago was deeply concerned about the fourth group.
"What if Wardanaz uses Dolgyu again?"
"Don't worry. Moradi is there. Moradi will handle it."
"Right? With Moradi there."
Despite their reassuring words, their faces were filled with concern. It was as if a wolf had been placed in the same pen as a sheep!
So, when the trio emerged from inside, the students couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
'Thank goodness!'
"You're out, Dolgyu!"
"Moradi, good job!"
"..."
"..."
"???"
However, the students quickly realized something was off with the atmosphere of the fourth group.
Wardanaz was always expressionless and cold, but even Dolgyu looked awkward and lost. And Moradi… For some reason, her aura felt dangerously hostile, as if she would attack if spoken to.
Anglago, frightened, stopped trying to speak.
"Ah, Anglago."
"Dolgyu! Did you manage to dodge well?"
"Yes, I dodged well. How did you guys manage?" Dolgyu asked, curious.
It seemed unlikely that other groups had resolved the situation in the same way as Yi-Han.
"We grabbed torches from the corner and threw them. While it was distracted, we ran out."
"We summoned flames and threw them at it, then ran for our lives."
"Wow. You guys are smart. We didn't have that capability, so we just took turns luring the bull and barely found the exit."
Students from each group shared their tales of valor. Some had cleverly solved their problems, while others had brutishly fought their way through. With each story, Dolgyu's expression grew sterner.
'Now that I think about it, the professor said to confront and then exit, not to take down, right?'
Ingurdel, the professor, hadn't said a word about defeating it, but caught up in the moment with Yi-Han and Jijel, Dolgyu had gotten carried away.
The next groups emerged one after another. Some students came out with their cloaks and clothes covered in ice, looking miserable.
"You all did splendidly. I told you to confront and exit, but there was even a group that subdued it. I didn't send you in for that, but I can only commend such an excellent job."
Professor Ingurdel's words caused a buzz among the students.
Several approached Jijel, wanting to ask if she had been the one, but retreated seeing her foul mood.
"How did you feel facing the monster?"
"Stronger than expected. And fast."
"I didn't expect our attacks to be completely ineffective."
The students of the White Tiger shared their impressions freely. The elf professor nodded, responding to their comments.
"That must have been the case for everyone."
"..."
Dolgyu listened to the professor's words, pondering where exactly his group had gone wrong.
"Everyone must have felt different. But while escaping the monster, you must have realized one thing – there's no need to be that afraid."
"Absolutely!"
The students of the White Tiger agreed.
Even though it was merely about fleeing, directly encountering and facing the monster had reduced their fear more than expected. To overcome fear, one must ultimately confront it directly.
"Facing a monster is fundamentally the same as swordsmanship. Stay calm, assess what kind of opponent you are facing, and if you cannot win, think about how to escape. I am pleased that today you have learned lessons that cannot be taught through words alone."
Dolgyu agreed with the professor's words. Of course, Dolgyu's group had simply fought head-on...
"By the way, I plan to conduct this semester's classes with the groups formed today. The balance seems quite good, surprisingly."
"..."
Dolgyu, nodding his head as he listened, suddenly froze. Then, he turned to look at Yi-Han and Jijel. Their expressions were similarly frozen.
In a low voice, Yi-Han asked Dolgyu, "Hm. Do you think it would be good to apologize for what happened earlier?"
"...Perhaps it's best to just talk through me..."
