The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 15

Professor Grint stood at a distance, his eyes fixed on the holographic screen.

Just as with Adela’s practical exam, the battle inside the cube was being broadcasted live to the students in the classroom.

When the identity of the monster from Cube C was revealed, the room erupted into murmurs.

“An Odopteon? Seriously…?”

“Professor, isn’t that a bit too difficult…?”

What awful luck.

Out of all the monsters, why did he pick Cube C?

Professor Grint tried to calm the students, speaking in his usual composed manner.

“It’s nothing to worry about. For higher-tier monsters, we’ll adjust the evaluation criteria based on how long the student can hold out.”

“But… still…”

Despite his words, Professor Grint knew the truth.

If it had been another high-level monster, it might have been different. But the Odopteon was a creature that even third-class mages would struggle against in a one-on-one fight.

Using concentrated black magic, the Odopteon could disrupt the tamer’s control and even curse its opponent, making it an incredibly challenging foe.

In the field, there was hardly a more troublesome monster to face, and its sheer size made it dangerous even to get close.

It was fortunate this was a virtual battle. In a real situation, the student wouldn’t last a minute.

This was why Professor Grint had intended to remove the Odopteon from the exam, but somehow it had still ended up in Cube C. Typical of the system administrators to mess things up.

“He’s going to have a hard time.”

If Han Siha couldn’t last even a minute, there was no way he could receive a decent score, even considering the difficulty of the Odopteon.

With a regretful look, Professor Grint raised his head slowly.

‘Aaaah!’

On the screen, Han Siha could be seen frantically circling around the Odopteon, his footsteps heavy.

At that moment, the Odopteon’s body began to twitch, its spines bristling.

“That’s…”

A sign that the curse was about to be cast.

As Han Siha lunged forward, his body suddenly froze under the weight of a crushing force.

That was just a temporary effect, but the real problem was the curse that would follow.

The Odopteon had a hidden ability that would sever the connection between the tamer and their monster, effectively ending the battle.

‘Basilus, attack from the right.’

‘Grooo…!’

What?

The curse should have taken hold by now.

The Odopteon, instead of cursing, was retracting its spines back into its body.

Professor Grint blinked in surprise and stepped closer to the holographic display.

“What’s going on? He’s holding out longer than expected.”

The students began to whisper among themselves, sensing that something unusual was happening.

It had been over three minutes. Han Siha, who was expected to be knocked out within a minute, was calmly preparing his next attack.

Fwoosh.

An arrow made of magic shot straight into the Odopteon’s eye.

I thought he couldn’t control his magic properly?

The attack was weak, but it was precise.

‘Screeeech!’

The Odopteon let out a screech, writhing in pain as its left eye took a direct hit.

Han Siha seized the opportunity and quickly repositioned himself.

The second attack.

Another arrow pierced the Odopteon’s left eye.

“He’s only targeting the eyes?”

“So it seems.”

The Odopteon’s weakness was its eyes. The nerves connected to its core ran through the eyes, making them its most vulnerable point and the key to disrupting the flow of its cursing magic.

But how would a second-year student know that? Most lower-year students had never even encountered this monster.

Yet, Han Siha was relentlessly targeting the Odopteon’s eyes as if he knew exactly where to strike.

Dodging the Odopteon’s attacks with minimal movements, Han Siha strategically directed Basilus.

‘Move to the right. Aim for the eye, all at once.’

Thud, thud.

Basilus sprinted forward, executing Han Siha’s command with precise movements.

How was it that Basilus was still following orders despite the Odopteon’s curse?

It was as if the curse had never taken effect. Han Siha was controlling Basilus perfectly, with a strategy that was almost flawless.

“How does he know…?”

The monsters were chosen at random.

If Han Siha knew the Odopteon’s weak point, it would be surprising. If he didn’t, it was even more astonishing.

In a brief moment, Han Siha displayed an extraordinary level of adaptability and decision-making.

Professor Grint stared intently at the screen, determined not to miss a single moment of the battle.

‘Well done!’

Using Basilus’ breath attack to obscure the Odopteon’s vision, Han Siha swiftly moved in for another strike.

I’d heard he wasn’t particularly talented at taming…

The scene before him was so sharp and precise that it was hard to believe it was the same person.

The next sequence of attacks was nearly flawless.

Not even a full-grown dragon, but a hatchling.

Despite the enormous physical difference, Basilus executed a perfect shot of flame at the Odopteon’s mouth.

‘Screeeee!’

As the Odopteon thrashed in agony, flailing its arms wildly, Basilus’ sharp claws struck its right eye with pinpoint accuracy.

“My God.”

Could he really defeat it at this rate?

This shouldn’t be a monster that could be taken down by a mere hatchling’s skills.

Yet, Basilus’ flame vortex struck precisely at the Odopteon’s weak points.

And now, for the grand finale—a decisive blow.

Basilus’ claws dug into the creature’s neck, piercing through.

“Wh… what?”

The Odopteon thrashed wildly, its spines protruding menacingly as it let out a horrific screech.

But even its desperate struggle was in vain.

Thud.

The massive beast collapsed sideways, unable to put up any further resistance.

“This can’t be real.”

“What did I just witness…?”

“Did he really take down an Odopteon?”

The classroom buzzed with disbelief.

At first glance, it seemed like a hard-fought victory.

But then again, the opponent was an Odopteon.

As everyone grappled with the shocking scene before them, the virtual arena’s humming finally subsided.

“…He did it, right?”

Han Siha emerged from the hologram, drenched in sweat.

He seemed oblivious to the collective shock he had caused, his expression relaxed.

Professor Grint, still in a state of shock, finally snapped out of it as he processed what had happened.

Oblivious to the effect his words had on Grint, Han Siha muttered quietly to himself, a small smile of satisfaction on his face.

“Well, at least I won’t fail.”

“….”

“Phew, that was close. Almost had to bark like a dog.”

He must have thought he was speaking to himself, but Professor Grint heard him clearly.

The professor was at a loss for words.

Failing…? Not failing?

With trembling hands, Professor Grint marked Han Siha’s score on the roster.

“Han Siha, 12 minutes and 36 seconds. S… grade.”

The classroom fell into stunned silence.

* * *

“Is this really true?”

The news of Han Siha’s performance in the Basic Taming practical exam quickly spread through the faculty office.

Across from Professor Grint, Professor Ernest’s voice was filled with excitement.

“That monster wasn’t supposed to be taken down by a second-year student. Most students wouldn’t have lasted five minutes, let alone three.”

Professor Ernest, with his short navy-blue hair and youthful face, was in charge of the Basic Taming class.

Having overseen countless student cases, he knew just how remarkable this event was.

Originally, surviving for over ten minutes would have guaranteed an A grade.

But to actually defeat the creature?

How did a second-year student manage that?

When Professor Grint first explained what had happened, Professor Ernest thought he was talking nonsense.

But when he heard there was a recording of the event, he couldn’t help but be excited.

“A genius, an absolute genius. What’s that student’s name again? I need to take him under my wing as my protégé….”

“Calm down, Ernest.”

Professor Divert Grunui, the oldest member of the faculty and professor of mathematics, sighed and tried to rein in Ernest’s enthusiasm.

Being the most senior of the professors, Divert wanted to approach this situation more rationally.

If the student in question had been Adela or another top second-year student like Lee Han or Solia, this reaction wouldn’t be happening.

But considering it was Han Siha who achieved this feat…

“Did you say he was handling a hatchling, a Red Dragon?”

“Yes, it looked like a Red Dragon.”

“Red Dragons are a natural counter to Odopteons. He got lucky. The monster he had was just well-suited for the task.”

Divert’s comment about attributing it to the monster’s abilities didn’t sit well with Professor Ernest, who pressed his lips together in frustration.

‘What does that old coot know?’

In his mind, Divert was just a scholar who spent his time buried in thick textbooks, looking at everything through the dry lens of natural sciences. It was no wonder he was spouting such nonsense.

“Let’s just review the recording, shall we? We’ll see for ourselves if this is the emergence of a genius or just a lucky break for a lower-year student.”

“Ernest, hold your horses.”

“You always get too excited whenever you think you’ve found a prodigy.”

The professors’ heated discussion continued, but the dean, Ernest, was lost in his own thoughts.

The shocking news brought by Professor Grint.

The mysterious hatchling and the tamer Han Siha, who had defeated an Odopteon in just 12 minutes.

All the pieces were coming together, and the dean was struck by a sudden realization.

“Han Siha… he’s not just an ordinary student.”

“Pardon?”

“What makes you say that, Dean? This was a student who was on the brink of failing. I personally supervised him.”

“Perhaps he’s one of those students who suddenly finds their calling in their second year?”

“Oh, please. Taming wasn’t his calling at all. That gloomy kid couldn’t even keep a monster from running away the moment he reached out his hand.”

But that wasn’t the point.

Dean Ernest stroked his beard thoughtfully before speaking in a grave tone.

“He’s the one who survived the dungeon.”

Everyone had assumed it was Adela who had saved him.

The other professors likely thought the same.

At the time, Ernest himself hadn’t paid much attention to it.

But now, after seeing this practical exam, he was certain.

He had seen it with his own eyes.

“…”

The magic that had decimated the slimes was fire-based magic.

And it was strikingly similar to the type of attacks used by Basilus.

___

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