The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 22

“Get up, pull yourself together!”

Won grunted as he shook Solia, who was lying on the ground. He had followed Han Siha this far, but the scene before him was nothing short of a horror show.

A massive tree trunk, swaying violently, roared with a menacing expression, while two of Ardel Academy’s top students were struggling against it.

“…You really suffer when you leave home. Ugh, why did I even come here?”

Solia’s vacant eyes indicated that her mind was already under the tree’s influence.

Won bit his lower lip, desperately hoping that Solia would snap out of it.

“Aaagh! Get away, you damned bark!”

No matter how much Adela, a skilled earth mage also proficient in swordsmanship, slashed at the tree trunk, the fight seemed increasingly hopeless.

As Solia had said, their fate depended on her.

“Please… hurry….”

While Won focused on taking care of Solia, Han Siha slid forward with ease.

Even as Adela let out a cry and turned her gaze, those eerie yellow eyes were locked precisely on Han Siha.

Well, one of them was already burnt out, but still.

Han Siha chuckled as he swung his magnifying glass.

“Want to lose the other one too?”

[I’ll kill you… you impudent brat.]

Clearly determined not to fall for the same trick twice, the tree had completely blocked out the sunlight that it had previously absorbed.

They were now trapped in a dark swamp, unable to move.

Han Siha met the tree’s chilling gaze with forced composure.

Its voice, filled with spite, whispered on.

[You’re nothing but a worthless insect, even abandoned by your own family.]

[A pathetic failure who won’t even graduate.]

[Don’t turn away. You belong on this side.]

“Oh… is that so?”

Han Siha shrugged, nodding his head.

The tree seemed to be picking up fragments of Han Siha’s memories and spewing them back at him, but unfortunately for the tree, this wasn’t really Han Siha.

He was merely an inconsequential, third-rate villain.

In fact, before Han Siha possessed this body, his existence was so insignificant.

The tree, which had planned to unsettle Han Siha with its strange voice, began to panic when its efforts had no effect.

[Why… why isn’t this working…?]

[Why won’t it work?]

‘A mental-affliction monster, huh?’

If it was strong enough to invade Solia’s mind, it was indeed a formidable creature.

However, it was nothing more than a one-off monster from the early stages of *Slakademy*.

Look at it now.

Furious and frantic because its mental attacks weren’t working.

The dark magic tree monster, Latisimus, was an eerie baobab tree created by dark mages, who had enhanced it with powerful mental attacks.

But the method to deal with it was simple.

As with many monsters that rely on mental attacks, its durability was significantly lacking.

Han Siha smiled as he glanced at Adela, who was struggling with the tree trunk.

“This tree is weak against light, right?”

“Yeah, but help me out here! Aaagh!”

“But you know something?”

Han Siha took a step back and murmured softly.

“Trees are also weak to fire.”

“What are you talking about…?”

Swoosh.

Before Adela could finish her sentence, Basilus, who had been perched on Han Siha’s shoulder, suddenly leaped forward.

Adela blinked in surprise as she picked up her sword from where it had been thrown and prepared to cast a spell.

“Basilus!”

“Kuuuuu!”

Fwoosh.

As flames erupted from Basilus’s mouth, the baobab tree let out a horrible scream, thrashing in agony.

The swampy area began to brighten slightly with the increasing flames, causing the tree to flail in pain, desperately trying to extinguish the fire spreading up its trunk.

In that moment, its icy gaze turned toward Han Siha.

Sensing the danger, Han Siha tried to dodge, but it was already too late.

“Gah!”

The tree trunk struck Han Siha squarely in the abdomen, sending him flying several meters away.

‘That… hurts, damn it!’

Han Siha’s entire body trembled with pain, but he forced himself to stay focused.

However, before he could even stand up properly, the tree trunk came hurtling toward his head.

At this rate…

Slash.

“Get up. You owe me one this time.”

Adela sheathed her sword and smiled.

“…We do make a good team, don’t we?”

Han Siha chuckled, nodding in agreement.

In truth, this was enough. While he had been rolling around in the muddy swamp, preparations had been completed.

“Basilus!”

[…!]

Flame Vortex.

Basilus’s main skill, which had reached level 2, was now concentrated in a powerful breath of flame that struck the tree directly.

The attack was strong enough to burn through half of the tree trunk in an instant.

[Aaaaaargh!]

“Well, seems like we’ve got a wildfire on our hands.”

Adela muttered in admiration as she pulled a stone from the muddy ground.

Woooom.

The rapidly spinning stone struck the tree trunk as it flailed in the flames.

Standing behind Adela, Han Siha raised his practice staff and began chanting a spell.

Combined with Basilus’s fire, Han Siha’s spell would deliver the final blow.

Swish.

Dark clouds suddenly gathered overhead, and Adela looked up in surprise.

The scene reminded her of the smog from the dorms, and Won, who was tending to Solia, shouted in alarm.

“What the…?”

Plop.

Before Won could finish his sentence, rain began to fall from the sky.

Han Siha lowered his staff, shrugging his shoulders.

What am I witnessing right now?

“Why the hell did you make it rain?”

“He’s getting up again!”

Adela gritted her teeth in frustration, her tone sharp.

Won quickly added to her concern.

The tree, which had been completely subdued by the fire, now smiled wickedly as it extended a branch toward Han Siha.

What is this? A peace offering?

[You really do belong on this side.]

Han Siha laughed and responded immediately.

“…You’re done for, fool.”

[What?]

Basilus’s power could buy them time, but it wouldn’t be enough to defeat the massive tree.

To kill it, they needed something more intense.

[You’re not thinking… that…]

Up until now, such an attack wouldn’t have been enough to bring the tree down.

But with Basilus having already halved its strength, the odds were now in their favor.

“Farewell.”

Han Siha grinned as he raised his hand.

The final strike.

A basic lightning spell.

[…!]

As the tree’s trunk, now soaked in rainwater, made contact with Han Siha’s staff…

Boom.

A lightning bolt shot down from the sky.

[Kiiiieeek!]

A chilling, blood-curdling scream echoed through the swamp.

And when they opened their eyes again…

All that remained was a charred tree, with blackened ash falling like snow.

* * *

“Basilus, you did great.”

Adela was smiling warmly when it happened.

“Oh… what…?”

Wooong.

She felt herself slipping out of the transparent barrier that had been protecting her.

The barrier, designed to shield her from the lightning, was now dissolving.

This can’t be.

Adela turned around in shock.

“Solia.”

“I thought it might be dangerous.”

“When did you wake up?”

While Adela looked bewildered, Han Siha smiled knowingly, as if he had anticipated this all along.

He had felt the healing power coursing through his body during the battle.

Along with the purification of the earth, Solia’s main buff skill had been at work.

“A while ago?”

When Adela attacked, and when Basilus unleashed his skill, it was Solia who had provided the necessary support from behind.

“Ugh.”

Han Siha grumbled.

“Then you should have blocked that branch that hit me.”

That thing hurt like hell.

Han Siha’s playful complaint drew a strange look from Solia.

She had no choice but to follow his confident orders.

That final strike…

It wasn’t something an ordinary student could have executed.

The tree wasn’t the kind of monster that could be defeated by simply hitting it with basic magic.

It had been a crude yet flawless attack, executed with overwhelming mana.

Why had he hidden such incredible talent for so long?

Or had he just not known how to use it?

His control was still rough, but to her, it was clear.

This was a runaway talent that would soon grow at an insane rate.

This was their first real conversation.

Solia suppressed her emotions and spoke calmly.

“Your name is Han Siha, right?”

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Solia Arkenent.”

Han Siha grinned and extended his hand.

Solia hesitated for a moment before accepting the handshake.

“You’re pretty good.”

“I hear that a lot.”

“…I doubt that.”

Even as she spoke, Solia had to admit she was impressed.

Han Siha, the dark and brooding mage she had once despised, had been her least favorite person just a few months ago.

She had heard rumors that he had changed, but she had never seen it for herself.

Today, however, he seemed completely different from the Han Siha she remembered.

‘Was he always this smart?’

Leaving aside his once-evil nature, she remembered Han Siha as being rather dull.

Solia recalled the battle that had just taken place.

While everyone else was in chaos, Han Siha had calmly approached her.

-You need to wake up. Snap out of it.

He had brought her back to her senses and said,

-I’m going to take it down. But of course, it’s up to you to finish it, Solia Arkenent, the light mage.

-What?

-You have to help us fight.

As a light mage, she was their best weapon against the tree, which would naturally target her first. It was all part of the plan.

Just as Han Siha had said, they couldn’t have executed this plan without her.

Their attacks would have been absorbed by the cursed tree without Solia’s buffs.

The more they attacked, the more their minds would have been eroded until they fell under the curse.

So, Han Siha had rescued Solia from the tree and hid her in a safe place.

And then he had used her abilities in every critical moment to turn the tide.

It was a decision made by someone who truly understood Solia’s strengths.

So, had he planned all of this from the beginning?

“Is he insane?”

Adela, who had been listening to their conversation, muttered under her breath.

A genius, but clearly unhinged.

She found herself reevaluating just how crazy Han Siha really was.