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In the blink of an eye, I was left speechless by this absurd situation.

‘Why…?’

A hemispherical barrier had formed where the arena once stood. The surface of the barrier was constantly moving with magic formulas, and it unmistakably took the shape of a snake.

‘Jörmungandr was supposed to be dead, right…?’

Jörmungandr, an ancient monstrous beast briefly mentioned in the original work. I didn’t know what its abilities were, but there must be a reason why its remains were moving.

I stared at the mysterious barrier. Professors and staff were gathered, trying to handle the situation. Miraculously, there were almost no injuries, just some bruises at most.

But there were students whose fate was unknown. Specifically, the students of Group 7 who were taking the exam. And… Wendy was among them.

‘Damn it…’

I thought I had prepared thoroughly, but this game once again surpassed my expectations. ‘Wrath’ surged within me. I tried to suppress it with ‘Patience,’ but the feeling of helplessness and self-blame was overwhelming.

“Count.”

A familiar voice reached me. Turning around, I saw a long-whiskered cat approaching.

“Myohail…”

“This is entirely my fault.”

“Shouldn’t you be by Wendy’s side? What are you doing here?”

“…I’m ashamed.”

Myohail bowed his head to me. He must have deeply felt the responsibility of leaving Wendy alone.

Seeing him like that cooled my heated head a bit. I wasn’t the only one worried about Wendy.

I turned my gaze away from Myohail. I had no right to blame him. I, too, had let Wendy slip away right before my eyes.

I needed to stay calm. This was something no one could have predicted. Right now, rescuing the students trapped inside the barrier was the priority.

“Myohail, what do you think about that barrier?”

“You might not know this, Count, but that snake—”

“Jörmungandr, right?”

Myohail’s eyebrows raised slightly.

“Ah… You already knew?”

“I read about it in a book.”

Of course, it was the original novel… But Myohail seemed to think of a different book and nodded.

“Indulging in ancient magic books has made you quite knowledgeable. Then you must also know that it’s Jörmungandr’s remains?”

“Yes, I know that too.”

Myohail jumped onto a chair.

“Then this will be quick. I went down to take a closer look. I couldn’t understand why Jörmungandr’s remains had transformed like that.”

He seemed to have the same question as I did. Myohail put on a small pair of horn-rimmed glasses and stared at the barrier.

“Ah… My eyes are getting blurry. From what I can see, it’s no different from a living magic formula.”

“A living magic formula?”

“Ah, let me correct that. It’s not a living magic formula but a magic formula with a will. It’s not a case of inserting a magic formula into a living medium but the magic formula parasitizing the medium.”

So, like an AI parasite?

Myohail continued his explanation.

“I don’t know the exact reason, but the magic formula went out of control. It’s an old and complex formula, so I can’t immediately decipher its contents… But I can confidently say that it’s not Jörmungandr but a magic formula taking its form. If it were the real Jörmungandr, the school wouldn’t have survived.”

Indeed. It’s a relief that it’s not the real Jörmungandr.

I nodded and asked Myohail, “Can the barrier be dispelled?”

“I could break it right now.”

I was about to ask why he hadn’t done so already but stopped myself. He didn’t say it could be dispelled, only that it could be broken.

“To dispel the barrier, the inscribed magic formula must be deactivated. Look over there.”

Myohail pointed to a woman standing in front of the massive barrier—Professor Ariel. She was muttering something incessantly at the barrier, occasionally swinging her staff, but it didn’t seem to be working.

“That woman is trying to deactivate the barrier’s magic formula, but as you can see, it’s not enough. Even if she deactivates it, it immediately reverts. It’s not just a large magic formula. It’s a collection of countless formulas. So, they can’t be deactivated simultaneously, and breaking it is the only option. But if we do that…”

“The students inside won’t be safe.”

At my words, Myohail spoke gravely.

“…Without knowing the internal structure, we can’t recklessly break it. At worst, some might have been consumed by the formula and become part of it…”

It’s a thought I don’t even want to consider.

If something happens to Wendy inside, it would be game over for me.

Right. Time is running out.

I asked him anxiously, “Is there no way to enter the barrier?”

“It’s difficult. If it were me, I could deactivate the barrier’s formula and create a brief opening to enter. But it would close again. Moreover, if it detects magic power, the barrier will expel the intruder.”

It’s as troublesome as it gets for a living magic formula.

Is there really no way?

No. There must be something.

After a moment of thought, I realized something Myohail had said earlier that caught my attention.

“Myohail… Did you say the barrier detects magic power?”

“Yes. It’s a magic formula, so of course.”

“Then, can a human without magic power enter the barrier?”

“Theoretically, yes. But such a case is… Ah.”

Finally, surprise spread across Myohail’s face. He realized that the man before him was precisely a human without magic power.

“Indeed… Your body, Count, could do it. No, it definitely could. However, we don’t know what’s inside the barrier. I think it would be too dangerous for you to go alone…”

As Myohail said, if I entered, I might encounter numerous monstrous beasts inside. Moreover, with no magic power, I wouldn’t have many means to fight them, as Myohail likely thought.

But I had a body trained through personality traits and Moon Magic. I was confident I could handle low-level monstrous beasts now. No, even if I couldn’t, my answer was already decided.

This was the only way to save Wendy.

I told Myohail, “The same goes for my students. So, get me inside the barrier, Myohail.”

*

“Gurgle!”

The last goblin died in agony.

“Cough… Cough…!”

Wendy bent over, coughing. In front of her lay countless monstrous beasts.

How many hours had they been fighting? Her once abundant magic power was nearly depleted from the intense battle. Even after defeating so many, the distant cries of countless more beasts echoed.

‘This place is…’

Goblins, orcs, kobolds, ogres. Just from the types of beasts encountered so far, it was clear. This was likely the space beyond the gate to the demon realm. They must have been sucked in when the gate was destroyed.

Where Wendy and the students had fallen was a muddy, swamp-like area. Raindrops fell from the gloomy sky, and the cries of beasts echoed from all directions. They had fought their way here, fleeing from the beasts.

Inside the barrier, there was an ecosystem of sorts. There were trees and forests, and a river flowed in the distance. But it was vastly different from the world outside the barrier. Here, everything was dying.

Wendy silently watched the falling rain.

‘This rain…’

It was no ordinary rain. The raindrops melted the corpses of the beasts, which then disappeared into the mud. The sight of the dead beasts dissolving was like a nightmare.

Wendy was standing in a rain of death. The only reason she was still unharmed was the protective barrier Myohail had cast. But she realized it was nearing its limit. Her body, soaked by the rain, was starting to feel the pain.

“Cough…”

Wendy coughed and turned toward where the other students had fallen. She needed to check their condition before more beasts arrived.

“Huh?”

Something caught her eye where the students were. Wendy realized it was a makeshift tent made from the rags the beasts wore. Unlike her, they had no protective barrier, so they had created a shelter from the rain.

Under the tent, huddled together, Wendy asked, “A-Are you okay? Cough…”

“Yeah. We’re catching our breath.”

A male student sighed as he spoke.

“Ugh. What’s with this rain? It hurts so much. My skin’s all damaged.”

A female student next to him complained, rubbing her red, swollen arm.

Seeing this, Wendy felt an overwhelming fatigue. Her body had been pushed to its limits even before the exam. She had fought non-stop while the others regrouped. It was a miracle she was still standing. There was still some time before more beasts arrived.

Wendy spoke up, “C-Can I rest for a bit too…? Just 10 minutes… No, 5 minutes, and I think I can fight more…”

“No. We’re already full here.”

“Huh?”

The one who spoke was a female student inside the tent.

“Can’t you see? There’s no room for you here.”

“B-But… I’m exhausted from fighting…”

“Just hang in there. You’re the top student, right? You should know a spell to avoid the rain.”

“Yeah. I heard you used magic to avoid the rain on your first day of class. You can do it again this time.”

Another female student chimed in, agreeing with the first.

Wendy’s voice trembled at their cold attitude.

“But I’ve almost used up all my magic… Cough…”

“Do you think we haven’t been fighting? We worked hard to make this tent. We don’t have much magic left either.”

The students pointed to the corpses of the beasts they had defeated to get here. But the number was pitifully small compared to what Wendy had slain.

“I-I know… That’s not what I meant…”

For a moment, Wendy was at a loss for words. The four students under the tent were glaring at her with displeasure. Receiving such cold stares from those she thought were comrades left her frozen in place.

“Then what?”

And then, one female student’s words stabbed at her heart.

“Are you saying we should sacrifice ourselves for you, the top student? Huh?”

“……”

The rain fell heavily on Wendy’s shoulders.

 

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