Summoning Genius of Kizen - Chapter 37 After another rotation, it was Group 7's last turn. If they failed this time, the chances of winning against the real Cyclops in next week's practical evaluation would become even slimmer. Everyone was exceptionally determined. Mei-rin, in particular, stood there seriously warming up. “Here it comes!” With Dick's shout, the Cyclops burst through the dense trees and roared. Once again, Simon's skeletons were the first to rush forward. 'I must hold out!' While Simon's skeletons drew the Cyclops's attention, Mei-rin prepared Dark Flare, and Dick and Kamibarez prepared Exhaust. Up to this point, it was the same as before. Crack! One skeleton couldn't withstand the Cyclops's continuous attacks and shattered. Immediately, Simon connected to the consciousness of a skeleton standing behind it and issued an attack command. Slash! The Cyclops, whose back was cut, raged like fire and attacked the skeleton. “Dark Flare is 80% complete!” Mei-rin shouted. “First Exhaust is complete!” “Me too! I'll move on to the next stage right away!” Both of them held the completed Exhaust in their right hands and began creating a new Exhaust with their left hands. This was the core of their new plan. Simon's skeletons could only hold the Cyclops in place during the initial phase, before Mei-rin or the other group members began their offensive, when the Cyclops perceived the skeletons as its only enemy. They would extend that initial phase, taking every possible advantage before starting the main attack. Mei-rin, despite having completed Dark Flare, remained in place, waiting, while the other two prepared their second Exhaust. Multi-casting was almost a first for both of them, leading to a series of mistakes, but Simon, controlling the undead, miraculously held out well enough to cover all of them. 'Seventh one deployed. Go!' Of course, in this strategy, Simon's role in holding out during the initial phase was the most crucial. If Simon's concentration wavered even slightly, the Cyclops would immediately head for Mei-rin. “Simon! We're ready!” Finally, Dick and Kamibarez completed four Exhaust spells. Hearing that, Simon released the skeletons' assembly without hesitation. The skeletons clattered to the ground, scattering, and the Cyclops, having lost its opponent, looked around before spotting Mei-rin. Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! The monster came charging, shaking the ground. At the same time, it entered the curse's range. “Exhaust!” “Exhaust!” Dick's and Kamibarez's magic circles flared, and the curses transferred to the Cyclops's body. The Cyclops slowed down. In this opening, Mei-rin threw Dark Flare. Black flames began to burn its skin, and a terrible burning smell stung their noses. -Kieeeek! The Cyclops flailed, raising its club. Simon, watching its movements carefully, shouted. “Front, downward strike!” Mei-rin used Jet Black Treading and launched herself away. The club fell where she had been, leaving a deep crater in the ground. “Fall back! Bend your body and swing horizontally upwards!” Whoosh! The Cyclops, having slammed the ground, twisted its body elastically and swung its club upwards, but Mei-rin evaded even that. “Front dash!” Simon, having grasped the Cyclops's movements, gave instructions, and Mei-rin evaded accordingly. Since the opponent was under the effect of four stacked Exhaust curses, even Mei-rin, with her lower agility, could evade. The exhaustion curse was very effective against monsters with high mobility like the Cyclops. “One more hit!” Dick and Kamibarez added another pair of Exhaust curses. A total of six Exhaust curses! The violent Cyclops, which had been wildly swinging its club without restraint, showed signs of tiring for the first time. “I'll use a Hemomancy spell!” Kamibarez drew blood from her fingertip, creating a red magic circle. Hemomancy spell, 'Blood Silk'. A carpet woven from blood rushed forward at a terrifying speed, passing in front of the Cyclops's face. It was a non-lethal spell, but the strong scent of blood made the Cyclops flinch and stop its advance. “Now, Simon!” Two skeletons, having climbed onto the Cyclops's back at some point, wrapped chains around its neck. They were items borrowed from Dick's Magical Inventory. The monster roared and tried to charge at Mei-rin, but the chains pulled taut, stopping its movement. The ends of the chains had already been secured to trees by the skeletons. -Kieeeek! The Cyclops writhed in agony from the lingering embers of Dark Flare. Mei-rin, now with more leeway, redoubled her efforts to prepare the next Dark Flare. 'Did he really pull that off?' A tactic using the terrain formed by the virtual reality system. When she first heard Simon's plan, she thought it was an overreach, but Simon executed it so simply. Mei-rin clicked her tongue and launched her second Dark Flare. Whoosh! The flames, which had been dying down over time, flared up fiercely again. Blood vessels burst in the Cyclops's eye, and it screamed madly. It looked like a prisoner in hell struggling in sulfurous flames. “Now, the seventh!” Dick continued to stack Exhaust. Now, following Kamibarez, Simon also joined in stacking Exhaust. Crack! Craaaack! The Cyclops thrashed violently. Eventually, two trees to which it was chained were uprooted. The Cyclops began to drag the chains and trees, moving closer. “Leave it to me!” Seeing this, Dick cleverly imbued the chains with Jet Black. Dick's specialty was 'Enchant', based on Jet Black imbuement. All the Jet Black contained in the chains was converted into weight, making it as if the Cyclops was dragging heavy tools. And then. “Now, fall alreadyyyyy!” With an uncharacteristic shout, Mei-rin's third Dark Flare exploded on the Cyclops's body. Thud! Only then did the monster fall to its knees. The Cyclops was completely engulfed in the burning flames, and a foul burning smell spread throughout the forest. Soon, a pile of ashes was seen collapsing to the ground. [Simulation Successful] Time taken: 6 minutes 48 seconds. Damage dealt: 100%. Barrier Gauge: 97%. Overall Evaluation: B. “We did it!” Mei-rin clenched her fists and shouted. “Wow, wow! We really caught it! Hahahaha!” “Everyone's the best!” The other three also ran over. Everything went perfectly according to plan! Moreover, everyone performed their roles flawlessly. Group 7 hugged each other and jumped around, reveling in their joy. -Congratulations on the clear, Group 7. Jane's comment followed. She pointed out that they relied too heavily on the ability of one summoner and that the hunting time was long, but overall, it was a positive review. Their task for the remaining time and the weekend was to maximize their proficiency in Dark Flare and curses. “Thank you, Professor!” As they exited the training room, some students applauded. Their gazes were filled with envy. It took a long time, but at least they caught the Cyclops. “Yeah, Simon! As expected of my rival! Well done!” Cindy Vivace approached and raised her hand. Simon also smiled and held out his palm, and she slapped it with a loud smack! 'Ouch.' Simon shook his hand and asked. “Did your group succeed?” “Of course! It was simple once I got the hang of Spirit Form!” If Group 7 revolved around Mei-rin, Group 5 was entirely focused on Cindy Vivace. She would transform into a Spirit Form, immune to physical attacks, to evade the Cyclops's attacks, then return and repeatedly slash it with a Jet Black Scythe created by her teammates. They successfully defeated the Cyclops without difficulty. “But Simon. Weren't you a Necromancy major?” “......I told you I'm not.” While everyone was chatting in a friendly atmosphere, only Hector, who had finished his simulation and was resting, had a fierce glint in his eyes. * * * Contrary to Kizen's notorious reputation, Simon was enjoying the best days of his life at Kizen. Kizen professors' classes were tough, but undeniably fun. Chatting with friends during breaks about practical evaluations, rushing with Dick to eat limited menu items at lunchtime, going to the library in his spare time, or learning undead operation through Pier's tutoring—all of these were enjoyable. In Curse Studies class, Professor Bahil's attention to Simon noticeably increased. Mei-rin also began to reconsider Dick's words. 'Is Professor Bahil really showing favoritism towards Simon?' Of course, Simon shook his head. His Curse Studies grades were low, and he hadn't pre-studied, so he was constantly falling behind in practicals. He couldn't find any reason for a meritocrat like Bahil to favor him. “That's all for today's class. Have a good weekend.” “Thank you for your hard work!” With Professor Eric's Jet Black Mechanics class as the last, this week passed safely. Tomorrow was finally the weekend! Students were excitedly making plans to go to Rochester. “Pathetic. So pathetic.” Mei-rin grumbled as she packed her bag, looking at the students in a friendly mood. “The Cyclops practical evaluation is next week, and how can they even think of going to Rochester? They're truly clueless idiots.” “Oh, really?” Dick, sitting in his chair, chuckled, leaning back. “Isn't it just that you're upset? Kamibarez even got a date invitation, but no one asks the Ivory Tower's Ace to hang out?” “Hey!!” The two were bickering again today. And as Dick said, Kamibarez had been called out of the classroom by a male student. Simon also thought she was popular. A cute appearance, a gentle personality, and a girl who was kind and smiled at everyone. Male students wouldn't leave her alone. Just then, Kamibarez, who had been called outside, rushed back into the classroom. “Kami! What happened?” Dick quickly asked. “That.......” Her face flushed, she said in a meek voice. “I'm sorry to that person, but...... I refused.......” “As expected!” Mei-rin's anxious expression brightened by 200%. “As expected, Kami has sense! You're going to stay and practice with us this weekend. Right?” “Ah, yes! I deeply felt my shortcomings during the simulation...... I want to practice with everyone.” Kamibarez, having answered, subtly rolled her eyes to look at Simon's face. Then, when her eyes met Simon's, she was startled and lowered her gaze. “Sorry~ I'm out. I'm busy with business appointments.” Dick said with a shrug. Mei-rin glared at him, but didn't say anything more. For Dick, who aimed to be a merchant, weekend schedules were as important as classes. Mei-rin, with her arms crossed, turned to Simon this time. “Simon, you're not going to be like that idiot and have weekend plans, are you?” At Mei-rin's question, Simon flinched. He had already been thinking of visiting the ruins to meet Pier this weekend. “......Tomorrow is a bit difficult, but I'll participate in the training the day after tomorrow.” “Ah, really! You too? Don't you know your role is the most important in this practical evaluation?” Simon quickly waved his hand. “I'm not just going to play. I'm going for personal training.” “Personal training?” “Yeah. I have someone in Rochester who helps me with my Summoning Studies.” Mei-rin blinked in surprise. “Oh, did you get weekend tutoring? So you did realize you hadn't pre-studied.” “Th-that's right.” Kamibarez, who had been hanging her head dejectedly, suddenly looked up sharply. “B-but we can still see you at Kizen the day after tomorrow, right?” “Yeah. I need to coordinate with you guys.” “That's a relief!” “Hey, Dick! You come tomorrow night too.” “I don't know how it'll turn out, but I'll try.” “Always acting so busy, it's disgusting.” “Mei-rin, the sad woman who's free on weekends.” “Just die!” Simon laughed aloud watching the two bicker. At the same time, he was recalling his weekend schedule in his mind. 'There are only a few days left until the practical evaluation.' Simon planned to train intensely with Pier this weekend. Actually, he hadn't told his other group members, but Simon's goal this time wasn't just to buy time with undead. 'To defeat the Cyclops with skeletons.' Simon was planning something that no other Summoning Studies major in Class A had even dared to consider.
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