The Academy's Barbarian

Chapter 82: A Changing Future (5)

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Scratch! Scratch!

The sound of pencils moving busily filled the air; it was the sound of numerous students filling in their answer sheets. Most of them were those who had not performed well in the first and second exams. So, it seemed like they were determined to make up for it in the written test.

However, Noah was an exception. She couldn't focus on the test; no, she couldn't focus at all.

There was something much more important than this stupid exam.

When is he...... going to transform?

She looked at Professor Dirac; his head was lowered, but now he was staring blankly into space. His eyes unfocused, as if mesmerized by something.

'Surely in the original.......

During the exam at the Fountain of Magic, he was caught up in a mysterious incident and came into contact with the mana of the abyss. Up until this point, the story was similar to the original.

The ashen-hued mana wrapped around Professor Dirac was proof of this.

'Next, the mana of the abyss and the original mana collide, causing a mana explosion, and then Professor Dirac turned into an Abyss monster.

A 7-star magic beast.

Unless you're in the realm of an Expert or a Magus, it's impossible to deal with this monster.

That's how it should be,

But there was something different about the original.

She had felt a sense of unease even before; it was the amount of mana that Professor Dirac possessed.

In the original, he barely came into contact with the mana of the Abyss, just a small amount. This was even less than 10% compared to the mana he originally possessed.

On the other hand, it's completely different now.

The situation itself was entirely different.

It wasn't just a simple contact; he was entirely engulfed by the mana of the Abyss. Compared to the mana he originally possessed, it was five to ten times more. Learning this fact, Noah felt a hint of anxiety.

There's no chance he'll transform into an even stronger monster, right?

The possibility wasn't entirely nonexistent; just looking at the expanding Abyss mana suggested that.

Noah bit her lip anxiously. Then suddenly, her eyes widened.

Right! I should warn Ulan too.

Since the mana was invisible to him, Ulan would likely think that Professor Dirac was normal.

But he was too far to warn directly.

What should she do? Should she give up on the test and approach him to discreetly convey the message? While pondering this, Noah turned to look at Ulan when

Huh?

Noah's eyes widened.

He, too, was like her.

Ignoring his answer sheet, Ulan was solely focused on Professor Dirac. Seeing this, Noah blinked her greatly changed eyes.

Could it be that Ulan also noticed?

There was no other way to explain it; his intense gaze and, more than anything, the fixed stare at Professor Dirac were evidence.

I wonder how he noticed but

If he was on guard, there was no need to tell him.

In this state, the moment Professor Dirac turned into a monster, Ulan would immediately rush out of his seat and swing his axe.

Well, that's a relief.

Ulan is a strong man who has reached the realm of a Master.

If such a person was on guard against Professor Dirac, the feared event would not happen.

As Noah was feeling relieved, letting out a sigh of relief,

"Ughh."

Ulan let out a low groan; his gaze was directed at Professor Dirac. To be precise, it was at the blackboard next to him. It was the place where the problems for this written exam were written.

I don't understand any of this.

There were a total of twenty exam questions; all were essay-type questions, and the last five questions involved calculations based on mana formulas.

The fact that it wasn't multiple choice was shocking, but there was an even more startling aspect.

This content is something I've never seen in the books.

None of the content he had reviewed during the past ten days was there. However, the problems didn't seem to be wrong either.

Other students were filling in their answer sheets.

Could it be that Noah gave me the wrong information?

It was the most reasonable guess.

Ulan glanced at Noah.

She happened to be looking at him, too, and their gazes immediately met.

And in that moment, Noah nodded stiffly.

That's........

Is that a sign of affirmation?

As he was making a puzzled expression, he suddenly noticed Noah's answer sheet in front of him a blank sheet of paper with no answers written on it.

The moment Ulan saw it, he realized the situation.

It's hopeless.

Clearly, Noah had misunderstood the scope of the exam as well.

Perhaps she, like him, couldn't solve a single question and decided to give up. That's what Ulan concluded.

But he was different from Noah; he had no intention of running away from the battle in front of him, even if it was full of unknowns.

As he turned to face the problem again, suddenly, his crimson eyes flashed.

Wait, that's definitely

Upon closer inspection, it was content he had seen in the book.

A problem that could be solved by applying a specific formula and repeating a few arithmetic operations.

But that was only for a moment, and Ulan found a fatal flaw in the problem.

...... triple digit addition.

It was a realm that Ulan had not yet reached.

His crimson eyes trembled slightly. But the hesitation was short-lived.

I've been growing all this time.

Since he entered the academy, he had hardly missed a day of reading, and he had been studying hard for the past ten days, to the point of nosebleeds.

And as a result, he had reached a level where he could proudly say that he was much more knowledgeable than in his previous life.

So I'll give it a try.

Even if it was uncharted territory, after shaking off the tension in his body, Ulan gripped his pencil with determination.

He transcribed the problem onto his answer sheet and put all his concentration into it to tackle triple-digit addition.

"Five minutes to the end of the exam!"

"Now, let's wrap it up!"

At that moment, he heard the supervisors shout.

After announcing the end of the exam, the supervisors walked over to Professor Dirac; to report the end of the exam.

"Uh, Professor?"

"The exam is about to end, but..."

"More importantly, are you okay?"

The supervisors sounded concerned. It was only natural. Professor Dirac's condition was not good. It had only been half an hour since he'd returned from Zone 2, but his body had become grotesquely thin.

It was enough to make anyone feel that he was not normal.

"If you're tired, you can go back first."

"That's right. We'll take care of this here."

"......"

No matter how much they spoke, there was no answer. Professor Dirac just stared blankly into space with his eyes unfocused.

"Professor?"

At that moment, one of the supervisors reached out. Then, as he grabbed Professor Dirac's shoulder, the supervisor wore a surprised expression.

Oh my, why is there so much sweat...

His clothes were soaked enough to be damp.

The supervisor said with a surprised expression. However, there was no follow-up to his words.

Whoosh! Bang!

With the sound of the wind cutting through the air, the head of the supervisor who had been speaking exploded in midair. For a moment, there was stillness in the face of the spectacle of blood, brain fluid, and fragments falling.

"......Huh?"

A situation that was not in the least expected.

It was so sudden that it took me a moment to process the reality in front of me; so sudden and shocking that it took them a considerable amount of time to grasp the reality unfolding before their eyes.

"What, what is this?!"

"All of a sudden his head is......!"

And these were their last words.

Puck! Quack! Thunk! Squish! Thud!

An indiscriminate barrage of blows rained down upon them; the chests were pierced, heads exploded, and bodies were torn apart. Soon, the identity of the assailant targeting the supervisors was revealed.

It was none other than an ashen-hued tentacle; moving like the legs of a mollusk, the tentacles were tipped with teeth, which it used to ravenously devour the corpses of the supervisors.

And in that moment, Professor Dirac's body exploded as it was, followed by a violent shockwave that swept over the surrounding area.

Kwagagagaga!

A moment later, a colossal shadow loomed over the examination venue. It was none other than Professor Dirac, transformed into a monster. This marked the beginning of the chaotic scene of Abyss Transformation.

"Uh, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Monster! It's a monster!"

"Everyone, run away!"

In an instant, the examination venue turned into chaos.

Students scattered in all directions, screaming and trying to get as far away from the monster as possible. Ironically, some even headed toward the monster.

The girls had seen this coming Noah and Dilia.

However, it wasn't the monster they were looking at, but a student sitting a short distance away who did not escape.

"Ulan! What are you doing there?!"

"Hurry, come this way!"

At the present time when Professor Dirac has turned into a monster, Ulan had not yet left his desk. He didn't even show any signs of leaving, just continued to move his pencil with immense concentration.

At that moment

"...... finished."

his stiff face brightened.

Finally, all the calculations were done. He had reviewed it several times, so it was undoubtedly certain. Now, all that remained was to write down the answers on the empty answer sheet.

With determination, he immediately picked the pencil.

"The answer is......!"

However, at that moment

Kwaaaang!

the monster's tentacle slammed into Ulan; an impact so strong that the ground shook. With the shockwave starting again, Noah opened his eyes wide.

"Ul-Ulannn!" Noah shrieked.

In contrast, Dilia's reaction was different.

Unlike Noah, who was rolling her feet with a pale face, she had already completed the magic incantations.

And she unleashed the magic toward the monster.

Flash! Huuung!

A giant beam of starlight soared from the sky.

Noah recognized its nature at a glance.

'Aurora Strike!'

A Rank-4 star constellation magic, Aurora Strike.

It was suitable for dealing with a single target rather than multiple entities. Compared to elemental magic, it had the power equivalent to a Rank-7 attack magic.

With that, surely...

Even if it was a 7-star beast, it would receive a considerable blow. Noah was confident in that.

And at that moment

the Aurora Strike struck the monster's head.

Kwaaaaaang!

And a massive shockwave surged through the air.

It cleared some of the dust and dirt created by the monster. As a result, Ulan's figure came into view, and Noah and Dilia sighed in relief.

The desk was the only thing broken; Ulan was unharmed.

Perhaps, just before the impact, he instinctively sensed danger and avoided it. Once again, Noah, who let out a breath of relief, quickly waved her hand and shouted, "Ulan! Come over here quickly!"

"......."

"Ulan?"

However, there was no response.

Ulan just stood there, staring at the ground with a bewildered look, his eyes filled with despair the shards of a shattered desk; the answer sheet torn into shreds. He stared at them both in disbelief, as if he had lost his country.

What the hell is he doing? Noah shouted in disbelief, "Can't you hear me?! It's not safe there, get back to where we are......!" She screamed in frustration when

Whooung! Woouung!

dozens of tentacles ripped through the air, blowing away any remaining dirt.

An angry roar sounded at the same time.

[Gaaaahaaaahaaaa!]

A shout that echoed through the examination venue.

Dilia furrowed her brow at the ear-piercing pain. But that wasn't the only reason she frowned, "Not even a ...... scratch?" Aurora Strike hit the mark; but there was no wound on the monster's head. That means magic didn't work.

She was not the only one surprised. Noah's eyes widened as well.

In the original work, "Arsene Continental War," the criteria for classifying a beasts rank was based on the rank of magic that can inflict damage on that beast.

For example, when facing a 7-star beast, if you use elemental magic of Rank-6 or lower, you will not be able to inflict any damage to the beast.

That's why you need a mage.'

To face a 7-star beast, you need a mage who can use magic of Rank-7 or higher, or an Expert who can wield a mana sword with a power similar to that.

And just now

the 'Aurora Strike' that Dilia used had exactly the same power as a Rank-7 elemental magic.

'But it didn't work, does that mean...!'

That means the monster in front of them was not a 7-star beast. It was a beast of one rank higher.

'A...8-star beast!'

Noah's complexion turned pale; because the thing she feared had become a reality.

At that moment,

[Guh, guh...]

The monster's head turned; eyes as black as the abyss.

The empty gaze turned to the direction where Dilia stood. Did it recognize her as prey? The monster immediately extended its tentacles.

"Dilia, run!" Noah shouted urgently, realizing the danger.

But Dilia couldn't move; the moment she met the monster's eyes, an indescribable feeling of terror washed over her.

"Ugh, ahh......."

Her legs shook.

All she could do was tremble like a frightened rabbit.

At that moment, Noah grabbed Dilia's hand, "Run! Hurry!" She pulled Dilia toward her with all her might.

Was it her strength that drew Dilia to her? Dilia's statuesque legs finally moved. The two of them hurried onward. But it was futile, for the tentacles were much faster than they could move.

Kagagagak!

The tentacle scraped across the ground and flew out.

When it reached close enough, the tentacle bared its sharp teeth at Dilia. She closed her eyes reflexively at that moment.

Suddenly, the tentacle stopped in midair; as if it had been grabbed by someone.

And at that moment

Zherererek!

The monster's body split in half vertically.

"......Huh?"

As the monster's body, which was divided into two; the tentacles also lost their strength and shrank.

A moment later, a brawny man appeared through the gap. A barbarian warrior with an axe dripping with blood in each hand.

"Ulan!"

Noah and Dilia shouted simultaneously; their faces brightened.

But Ulan's state seemed a bit strange. His usual calm and rational demeanor had disappeared completely, and his face was twisted like a demon. Moreover, his body was exuding an overwhelming aura; and even a palpable killing intent.

Seeing this, Noah realized.

I don't know the reason, but...

It was a look she had seen occasionally in the original work.

One of Ulan's unique traits An ability that boasts tremendous power and is a penalty that activates when reason is lost due to anger.

It was called Berserker.

(End of Chapter. . . . . . . .Thanks for Reading. . . . . . . . . )

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