NOVEL SIMPLE 123. The Headmaster of Ban Ard Academy.
As the eerie chanting began to echo, Allen swiftly switched Elsa to his left hand. The magic within him surged and pushed forward with force.
Aard Sign!
The translucent telekinetic blast hit directly, interrupting the chant.
"I was prepared for this trick!" Allen sneered.
Having seen the abnormal mystery attribute on the status panel, there was no way he would let the monster continue its spellcasting. Retracting his right hand, he gripped Elsa tightly, and with his left foot as the pivot, he spun around. The thrashing severed tail of the Bog nymph narrowly missed him.
Swoosh!
In the instant they passed each other, a silver flash gleamed. Another large chunk of flesh was sliced off by Elsa and fell heavily to the ground.
[Monster Hunt] Progress: 86%
"Gruaaargh—"
As the Bog nymph roared in pain, Allen didn't stop. He quickly moved within the range of the severed tail's attack and delivered two more slashes.
[Monster Hunt] Progress: 100%
Even with its tail severed and one eye blinded, the monster's fierce gaze didn't waver. It bared its fangs, threatening Allen with murderous intent. It seemed to have realized that this peculiar human only dared to strike from where its arms couldn't reach.
Too bad.
The truth was quite different.
The moment the clear red footprints appeared in Allen's vision, this monster was already dead.
Click, click, click.
The monster's noisy threats faded into silence. The sound of footsteps, mixed with the beats of his heart and the rhythm of his breathing, was so clear it felt as if they were right beside him. Step by step, Allen followed the red prints toward the nymph's head.
Avoiding the heavy severed tail, the sharp claws, and the vicious teeth...
Finally, under the nymph's terrified, trembling gaze...
Swoosh!
A single stroke beheaded the creature!
Ding!
[Monster "Bog Nymph" vanquished!]
[Reward Calculation: …]
Shing~
Allen sheathed his sword.
After disconnecting from the ritual, Allen hurriedly opened the monster's compendium with his mind.
[Conjunction of the Spheres—Drowner, cooldown: 29 days, 23 hours, 52 minutes]
Eight minutes!
From the start of the Conjunction of the Spheres to the end of the hunt, he had taken only eight minutes!
Allen was thrilled.
The Bog nymph was powerful!
Its protective field was the strongest Allen had ever seen, far superior to the two drowner kings he had encountered before. So the Bog nymph's strength must have been far greater than those two drowner kings.
Yet, Allen had maintained control throughout the hunt, keeping the naga suppressed, preventing it from using its true power. Praising himself for his well-timed use of rituals, potions, signs, swordplay, and witcher skills, Allen turned his attention to the reward screen.
[Monster "Bog nymph" Lv31 vanquished!]
[Reward Calculation: Victory over a powerful foe—Base Rating: D, Overleveled Kill +3—C, Decapitation Intimidation +3—B]
[Final Rating: B]
[Loot Obtained: Bog nymph's Heart Essence1, Experience Orbs9, Bog nymph's Treasure Chest*4]
"Although the rating isn't high, the new essence and treasure chests…"
"Tonight will be another day of great power growth!"
Allen got up excitedly, but the cold draft around his lower body suddenly made him feel a bit embarrassed.
"If only the 'Flesh Golem' didn't dissolve my underwear!"
-------------
Ban Ard Academy
Knock, knock, knock.
After lightly knocking on the wooden door, the man couldn't help but smooth his hair.
"Come in!"
An elderly voice called out, and Faruk pushed open the door and entered. This was an office. But to anyone unaware, a first-time visitor might have mistaken it for a library. Heavy tomes weighed down the shelves along the walls, filled the cabinets, and overflowed from boxes.
The subtle heat in Faruk's gaze as he looked at the books suggested they were undoubtedly valuable.
After all...
The owner of these books was Hen Gedymdeith.
One of the five members of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers—specifically, the Chapter of the Gift and the Art, the oldest living sorcerer, the magical source, the first sorcerer of humanity, and the chosen one of the elven mages...
Among all these titles, the headmaster of Ban Ard, the only male sorcerer school in the Northern Kingdoms, was the least significant. Faruk's eyes swept over the bookshelves for only a moment before he looked respectfully at the middle-aged man behind the long table.
"Headmaster, I've returned from Ard Carraigh and brought the king's message…"
The middle-aged man set down the thick parchment book he was reading, smiled gently, and waved his hand, interrupting Faruk.
"The king's message isn't important."
"In this freezing weather, find a place to sit and warm yourself with a cup of tea before we talk."
Hearing the man's words, Faruk, whose face was pale from the long journey, felt a warmth in his heart. He awkwardly sat on the oak chair in front of the long table.
A fine porcelain teapot on the table tilted slowly, pouring a steaming cup of tea that floated over to Faruk. The middle-aged man patiently watched him take a sip of tea before, instead of discussing business, asking curiously: "If my calculations are correct, you should have reached Ard Carraigh ten days ago. What delayed your return?"
Faruk's face stiffened as he heard this, and after a moment's hesitation, he sighed: "It was because of that witcher apprentice from the School of the Wolf that Lady Vera recommended."
"Oh? A witcher apprentice recommended by Vera? What happened to the apprentice?" The middle-aged man asked with interest.
Faruk gave a bitter smile and didn't hide the truth: "When I went to see the king, he was swindled out of all his belongings by one of Ard Carraigh's nightingales…"
"For the next few days, he kept trying to get his money back, which delayed my return."
The middle-aged man's curiosity grew, and he chuckled: "How many days did it take? Why didn't you seek help from the king or other nobles?"
Faruk shook his head and replied: "I didn't want to bring shame upon the academy."
The middle-aged man also shook his head, saying: "The academy's reputation is already poor, this would hardly make it worse!"
Faruk could only give a forced smile at that, choosing not to respond. The boys of Ban Ard had a reputation for being mischievous and unruly, and their academic performance was often outshined by the girls of Aretuza, so the academy wasn't held in high regard in the Northern Kingdoms.
However, while the students could bring disgrace, as a professor and with Robin soon to become a teacher, they couldn't afford such a luxury.
After a bit more small talk, the middle-aged man finally got to the point.
"Let's start with Kaer Morhen. What did you see at the witchers' fortress?"
At these words, Faruk immediately put down his teacup and reached into his coat to pull out a map drawn on parchment, handing it to the middle-aged man.
"Headmaster, this is a map of Kaer Morhen."
"Following the previous plan, I've placed markers at locations suitable for teleportation."
After a brief pause, a hint of disdain flashed across his face as he continued: "But I doubt these markers will be needed."
"Kaer Morhen descends into drunken revelry every winter, their defenses are lax."
"Lady Vera also left after brewing the mutagenic potions this year, and she doesn't seem to have a good relationship with the witchers…"
"We can totally…"
Faruk abruptly stopped talking because he saw the middle-aged man shaking his head.
"There's one thing you're right about—we won't need these markers."
"But…"
"Not because of the witchers' lax defenses, but because these markers have already been discovered!"
...…
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