Summoning Genius of Kizen - Chapter 14 The next morning, Simon's new day at Kizen began. Three classes were scheduled for today. The professor in charge of the first class, Jet Black Mechanics, 'Eric Aura', was a middle-aged man. With ideally placed wrinkles, a neat beard, a dignified appearance that suited his suit, and a relaxed demeanor that came with age, everyone felt a liking for him. "Jet Black is the foundation of Necromancy. Its importance cannot be overstated." Eric skillfully led the students. His explanations were easy to understand, and his solutions stuck in their minds. He didn't have the flashy techniques of Bahil from Curse Studies, but the class itself was clean and straightforward. Before they knew it, everyone in Class A was engrossed in Eric's lecture. How Jet Black creates the miracle of dark magic. The flow of Jet Black. Understanding runes. Even the operating principles of magic circles. "The origin of runes can be found in the 'Eternally Burning Sacred Fire' of the Del Temple." Eric didn't just stick to theoretical explanations. "People never questioned why the sacred fire never extinguished. They considered the act of doubting a divine miracle to be sacrilegious." Sometimes, to explain runes, he would even bring in past history. "Eventually, they noticed that the ashes falling from the sacred fire formed shapes like 'letters'. And they were horrified by the truth that mere letters could achieve a miracle like the burning sacred fire. This is the origin of runes." Eric drew ancient runes on the blackboard and explained how mages and Necromancers who studied them had improved them over time. Then, like flowing water, he naturally transitioned to the analysis of modern magic circles. Why this magic circle works. Why this magic circle doesn't work. Eric meticulously dissected and explained the magic circles. Until now, Simon had drawn magic circles without much thought, using his correction tool, but now he finally understood their operating principles, even if only a little. While Simon frantically took notes, trying to keep up with the class, the bell signaling the end of class rang. "That will be all for today." Eric also declared the end of class. "You have homework due next time. Take a non-functioning magic circle you've learned as an example, and submit a report detailing the proposed modifications, calculations, and formulas used to make it work. Three students I call upon will present their findings at the front of the class." Perhaps because Jet Black Mechanics was a required major course, fortunately, Simon wasn't called to the front this time. Simon inwardly cheered. "Wow, this class is so hard." Amidst the boisterous students leaving the lecture hall, Dick, looking visibly exhausted, stretched. "It feels like studying arithmetic with my dad back in the day. Can't we just memorize and use magic circles like usual? Why do we have to know all the nitty-gritty activation principles?" "I thought it was fine." Simon said, crossing his arms. "I didn't understand half of it, but I liked how he explained it step by step from the principles." "You just like everything about Kizen. You even scratched the bathhouse soap with your fingernail because it was so new to you…" Simon nudged Dick's chest with his elbow. Dick let out a grunt and stumbled backward, but once his laughter started, it wouldn't stop. "Ack! You got scared by the foam in the bathhouse! Can I go in here? Pfft!" "I'm going first." Simon replied grumpily and walked ahead. Dick quickly followed, saying it was just a joke. Class A had to prepare for their next class without a break. The next class location, reached after a 20-minute walk, was an empty, desolate field on the outskirts of Kizen. "No one's here?" "Oh, over there…!" As the Class A students chatted and waited, a thick cloud of dust rose from the forest. Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump! The ground shook as if an earthquake had occurred. What was approaching was none other than a herd of dozens of hippos. The students gasped and stumbled backward. "Ahahaha! Hello, freshmen!" At that moment, a man riding on a hippo was seen. He had dark, tanned skin, thick lips, a lean body, short limbs, and was barefoot. He skillfully brought the hippo herd to a stop in front of the students and jumped down. "Professor Hongpeng has decided that today's class location will be Mount Locke! Alright, everyone, get on the hippos!" Martial Arts Professor 'Hongpeng Tun Sokum Marrat' was known as an eccentric at Kizen. Although Kizen had provided her with a research lab and residence, she preferred to wander and camp all over Locke Island. Because of her nature, most of her Martial Arts classes were held outdoors. "…Are you telling us to get on that?" A male student made a disgusted face, looking at the hippos snorting their noses. "Hey, minion! Shouldn't you at least put a mat on that beast?" The man who heard those words smiled faintly and approached the student. And then. "Ah, Aaaah!" He grabbed the student's face with one hand and lifted him. Startled cries erupted from various places. "W-What are you doing?" "How dare you to a Kizen student!" A thick killing intent flowed from the man, who was smiling innocently. The students who were coming to protest hesitated and stopped. "Why are freshmen so clueless these days? You should say 'Teaching Assistant' instead of 'minion', shouldn't you?" The male student, finally realizing the situation, urgently shouted. "Ack! S-Sorry, Senior!" If he was a teaching assistant, there was a high probability he was a senior who had attended Kizen. Moreover, as a close aide to the professor, he was definitely not someone a freshman could disrespect. "Not senior, Teaching Assistant." "Sorry, Teaching Assistant!" Simon shook his head, watching the commotion unfold. "Why are they acting like that?" "They're nobles." Dick shrugged and replied. "They grew up pampered like hothouse flowers, so they still have the habit of treating people like their servants. This kind of thing will be frequent until the beginning of the semester." Simon nodded at the very convincing explanation. After a moment, the teaching assistant, whose face had returned to its innocent expression, waved his arm and said. "Alright, we're a bit behind schedule. Everyone, please get on the hippos! Up to three people can ride one hippo!" The students got on the hippos with noticeably quicker movements. Simon skillfully got on in one go, and Dick, after slipping several times and grunting, finally managed to climb on. "Phew, the class hasn't even started, and it's already tough, tough." Behind Dick, who was wiping sweat with his sleeve. A female student struggling and hopping in place entered Simon's sight. "Everyone on board? Then we're departing!" At the teaching assistant's words, the female student's expression became urgent. Simon willingly extended his hand towards her. "Need help?" "Ah…! Thank you." She approached him with a face as if she had seen a savior and took Simon's hand. When Simon pulled with force, her body was pulled up like a paper doll and landed on the hippo's back in one go. "Alright, departing!" As soon as the female student got on, the teaching assistant kicked the hippo's rump. The lead hippo started running with a roar, and the rest of the hippos also immediately followed the lead hippo. She, who had barely made it on, let out a sigh of relief and looked back at Simon. "Thank you for helping me! I'm…!" She tried to say something, but the conversation was cut short as the hippos suddenly sped up. Other students also clung tightly to the hippos' backs, seemingly scared. The vibration rose through their entire bodies; the ride was not very comfortable. One student cried out as if shouting. "T-Teaching Assistant! I'm going to fall! What do I hold onto?" "Anything!" "It's too fast!" "Grit! Overcome it with grit! This is also part of your training!" The teaching assistant, balancing on just two legs, raised his right arm and said. "Of course, if you fall off and get trampled by the hippo herd, you'll die, right? It happens to one or two people every year, you know?" "…What?" The students doubted their ears. "Hold on! Hold on! Kizen doesn't need students who can't even properly ride a hippo!" "Aah, Whoa!" "Mommy!" "Hey, stop! F***ing stop this!" "Hahahahaha!" It was a class of mad transportation. * * * They finally arrived at the class location. Passing through dense trees, a wide-open field spread out in the middle of the mountain. The sun hung in the center of the forest as if welcoming everyone, and the chirping of birds and the cries of insects flowed harmoniously like concert music. It was an incredibly beautiful place. "Pant… pant… F***…" "Ugh, hooo…" Of course, that was if the observer was ready to appreciate the scenery. All the students were sprawled on the field, looking utterly exhausted. The hippos had gone back down the hillside, and the teaching assistants were offering water bottles to the fallen students. 'What is this?' Simon took a sip, and it had a very peculiar taste. A sweet drink with a slightly spicy aftertaste. But as soon as he drank it, his thirst was quenched, and his fatigue disappeared. Other students' expressions gradually returned to normal. Flap-flap-flap! This time, white birds flew over the students' heads. Everyone blinked and watched the sight. "Welcome to my main subject, everyone!" Simon turned his head. Beyond the flying birds, a tall woman walked towards them with her arms outstretched. She had healthy tanned brown skin, a firm body with visible muscles, and uniquely styled hair twisted into several layers with string-like material. Students quickly got to their feet. 'That person is…' Hongpeng Tun Sokum Marrat. A legend in the Necromancer world, who single-handedly faced the super-large undead monster 'Kundar Hydra' that had devastated four territories, breaking 100 of its necks over five days and achieving a dramatic victory. Hongpeng was scouted by Kizen after that battle and has been teaching Martial Arts to students ever since. Though eccentric, her skill was beyond dispute, which was why the school overlooked her peculiar behavior. Flap! Forest birds flew and perched on her outstretched finger. "Now, everyone, please stand up." She spoke with a slightly awkward pronunciation, as if she hadn't learned the common language long ago. "Form a four-column line." "…?" As the students looked blankly, not understanding, Hongpeng's teaching assistants, accustomed to this, approached and said. "Please form a four-column line." "Move quickly." The students lined up with bewildered expressions. Hongpeng was at the front, and the teaching assistants were on either side of the lined-up students. "Then, let's go." Wait, when is the class going to start? As soon as Simon thought that, Hongpeng started running forward. The students at the front also hastily began to follow her, and a sudden running session began. "A healthy body harbors healthy progress! The foundation of Martial Arts requires strong physical strength!" Her accent was awkward, as if she hadn't learned the continental language long ago, but her message was clear. As she gradually increased her speed, the leading students also struggled to keep up. And Simon, running in the third row, observed her body and admired her. 'Amazing.' He had never seen anyone run like that before. The angle of her feet when she stepped, the movement of her muscles, the sway of her shoulders and upper body. It was chillingly flawless and picturesque. They both ran with two arms and two legs, so why did she feel like an alien from another dimension? It was so ideal it felt uncanny. "Huff! Huff!" "Hoo! Hoo!" While everyone was running frantically, Hongpeng slowed her pace slightly and continued the lecture. The basics, spirit, and significance of Martial Arts. In summary, Martial Arts was a class that taught combat techniques by intensely strengthening the body with Jet Black and using it to fight. When one reached a certain level of mastery in Martial Arts, Jet Black as fine as silk would flow from their body and form clothing, allowing them to wear a 'Jet Black Robe', a symbolic technique for Battle Necromancers. Many male students had a romanticized view of this technique, and it was not uncommon for them to choose Martial Arts as their major for the sake of the Jet Black Robe. "Many trees. Be careful!" The running continued even in terrain dense with bushes and leaves. The four-column formation broke, and everyone began to follow Hongpeng in their own ways, avoiding the trees. While most were frantically pushing through the bushes, a few students even climbed up and ran by stepping on tree branches. All of them were Martial Arts aspirants. They were displaying their skills as if they had been waiting for this moment. One teaching assistant jumped onto a tree and gave them a thumbs-up. The aspirants' expressions brightened considerably. "I envy the Martial Arts kids. Phew!" Dick, who had hit his face on a tree trunk, grumbled. 'Hmm.' Simon watched them intently. A combat-specialized dark magic that used the body, he felt quite interested. "Ugh! Huff! Hey, Simon! Are you okay?" Dick said, his face flushed red. Simon blinked and replied. "Huh? Oh, I'm fine." "Huff! Huff! What kind of stamina do you have…! Cough, cough!" "Doesn't everyone do this much running?" Simon, who used to casually cross the rugged southern mountain range of Reshill as if it were a neighborhood stroll. Even the teaching assistants had beads of sweat on their foreheads, but Simon's expression was utterly relaxed. 'This class is fun too!' While Simon was enjoying the physical class like a fish in water after a long time, Hongpeng watched him with sparkling eyes.
Please login to track progress