Episode 378: Return to the Demon Academy
Rumble! Crash!
A massive boulder seemed to stir, then slowly crawled forward.
Crack…!
As the stone fragments fell away, a pitch-black creature emerged.
“What… what is that?”
“A spider…! A giant spider!”
The cadets shouted in disbelief.
“Is that… a monster summoned by the Demon Sect?”
“It looks terrifying…!”
And it wasn’t just one spider. Dozens of them detached from the walls where they had been camouflaged, revealing their numbers.
The spiders’ bodies were divided into head, thorax, and abdomen, with eight legs that looked tougher than steel. Their heads were adorned with numerous eyes that glowed like luminous pearls, rolling wildly in their sockets.
Sabikang furrowed his brow and spoke up.
“That’s a ‘Jairen,’ a monster known for hardening its skin like stone to hide. Its eyes can emit a blinding light, so avoid looking directly at them.”
“Are there any other characteristics?”
Cadet Pyo Harim asked, prompting Sabikang to continue.
“Unlike typical spiders, these creatures can shoot hundreds of webs from holes on their backs, creating a net.”
“What happens if we get caught in the web?”
“The webs are vulnerable to heat. If you channel your inner energy with extreme yang, you can melt them. You can also cut through them with sword energy, so stay calm and fight. Infusing your sword with extreme yang will make it easier to handle.”
“Understood!”
The cadets shouted in unison, drawing their weapons.
The air was thick with tension as the cadets’ energy filled the space. Despite the briefing, facing such a creature for the first time was nerve-wracking.
Clang! Clang!
Sensing hostility, the spiders began to close in, surrounding the cadets.
Boom! Thud!
Each step of the spiders made the ground tremble as if an earthquake had struck.
“Why do monsters always have to look so disgusting?”
“Who knows? Maybe it’s to make them easier to kill!”
Jingyeongsan’s comment earned a scolding from Yangchoji.
Jingyeongsan shot Yangchoji a glance before charging forward.
“Then let me be the first to take one down!”
With a swift leap, Jingyeongsan kicked off a pillar of light, launching himself toward a Jairen.
Swoosh!
His sword glowed with energy as he descended upon the Jairen’s head with precision.
It was a remarkable display of skill and agility.
But then, the Jairen’s eyes rolled, and instead of light, they emitted a blinding flash.
Flash!
“Ah! My eyes…!”
The light struck Jingyeongsan, causing him to lose his balance. He quickly spun his body to recover.
In that instant,
Swish!
The Jairen’s sharp foreleg lunged at him, but Jingyeongsan managed to block it with his sword.
Clang!
“Ugh!”
Jingyeongsan was sent flying, crashing to the ground and rolling away.
What happened next was even more astonishing.
Whoosh!
The massive Jairen leaped into the air, aiming to crush Jingyeongsan beneath its weight.
With no time to dodge, Jingyeongsan braced himself.
“Watch out!”
Pyo Harim shouted, but someone else was already moving.
With a burst of speed, Jaunryong, the instructor, dashed forward, his long hair trailing behind him.
He kicked off a pillar of light, soaring over Jingyeongsan and slashing the Jairen’s chest diagonally.
Slash!
The sound was sharp, as if slicing through paper, despite the Jairen’s rock-hard body.
Thud!
Jaunryong landed gracefully as the Jairen’s bisected body crashed to the ground on either side of Jingyeongsan.
The impact was so great that the floor shook for a long moment.
Jingyeongsan, having narrowly escaped death, quickly got to his feet and exhaled in relief.
“Thank you, Instructor.”
“I’m glad you’re safe. That was close.”
Jaunryong smiled warmly as he turned away.
Meanwhile, Yangchoji approached with a smirk, mocking Jingyeongsan.
“Ha! You got ahead of yourself and look what happened. You should know your limits, kid.”
“You old fool…”
Jingyeongsan muttered under his breath, but there was no time for further argument.
“Aaaah!”
A sharp scream pierced the air.
Jingyeongsan turned to see Yeosojung from Class B being ensnared by a Jairen’s web.
“Miss!”
He dashed toward her, but someone else was already ahead.
With a swift movement, Wigumjong, wearing a black hat, reached the Jairen first.
Slash!
With a single stroke, he severed one of the Jairen’s legs, causing Yeosojung to fall to the ground, still wrapped in webbing.
Jingyeongsan rushed to catch her, gently spinning in the air to land softly.
He quickly channeled his extreme yang energy to dissolve the webbing around her.
“Are you alright, miss?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I was momentarily blinded…”
“Be sure not to look directly at their eyes.”
But the Jairen’s eyes were the only things that shone beautifully against their dark, rocky bodies, making it hard not to glance at them during battle.
Meanwhile, the Jairen with the severed leg stomped the ground and roared.
Roar!
Then,
Swoosh!
Its back turned white, and hundreds of webs shot into the air.
“Watch out! Webs!”
“Don’t panic! Use your extreme yang energy to cut them!”
Sabikang shouted, and the cadets quickly regained their composure, swinging their swords.
Indeed, the webs were easily cut with yang-infused sword energy.
However, the constant need to channel extreme yang energy was taxing.
Amidst the chaos, Wigumjong continued his relentless assault on the Jairen.
Whoosh!
Like a black wind, he leaped into the air, his sword slicing through the webs as if they were nothing.
He descended upon his next target like a meteor, unleashing a powerful sword strike.
Slash!
Thud!
Amazingly, another Jairen was cleaved in half, collapsing to the ground.
“Incredible.”
“Wigumjong has already taken down two of them!”
The cadets were in awe, their mouths agape.
Even the instructor, Deungbu-hyung, couldn’t help but be impressed.
“Amazing. It’s as if he’s faced these creatures before.”
In truth, the Jairen, despite their intimidating appearance and size, weren’t as formidable as they seemed. It was their unfamiliarity and unconventional fighting style that had initially thrown the cadets off balance.
Isn’t it true that ignorance often breeds fear?
Yet, Wi Geomjong remained completely unperturbed.
Even Deung Buhyeong had to admit that much.
While everyone else was lost in shock, Neung Soso’s sharp voice cut through the chaos.
“Get a grip, everyone! Focus on the remaining monsters!”
The students, snapping back to their senses, let out battle cries and charged toward the Zairen.
“These creatures are all size and no substance!”
“There’s no place for you in this world!”
Boom!
The Zairen and the students clashed in a chaotic melee.
Initially, the Zairen’s blinding eyes and countless webs hindered any effective attack.
But as time passed, the students began to adapt.
Some fought with their eyes covered, relying on their other senses, while others circled around to launch surprise attacks from behind.
Though the Zairen were surprisingly agile for their size, they weren’t too difficult to handle once the students learned to avoid the blinding light.
Realizing the Zairen’s fighting style was simpler than expected, the students grew more confident.
A few sustained minor injuries, but most managed to fight without a scratch, turning the battle into a near massacre of the simple creatures.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the last Zairen’s head was severed.
Thud!
As the Zairen fell with a heavy crash, the ground shook more violently than before.
“Huff, huff, is it over?”
Yang Choji, who had taken down the last Zairen, panted heavily as he surveyed the scene.
No more Zairen were left standing.
“These monsters weren’t much after all.”
It seemed manageable enough.
Rumors tend to exaggerate, and he even wondered if the monsters from the Battle of Seohwa Plains were just as overrated.
Next to him, Pung Geomjin nodded in agreement.
“Exactly. All they had were those glaring eyes. Just big, dumb brutes.”
“Heh, but someone almost got taken out by one of those big, dumb brutes, didn’t they?”
The comment was aimed at Jin Gyeongsan.
Jin Gyeongsan, knowing full well the jab was directed at him, gritted his teeth and glared at Yang Choji.
Meanwhile, as everyone regained their composure, Sabi Gang remained deep in thought, his expression grave.
“Something’s definitely off about this dungeon…”