Academy’s New Guard is Unusual - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 19
‘An Intermediate Knight. A C-Rank Rift with an Aura Attribute.’
I muttered to myself while watching the armor scattered across the floor.
C-Rank was the lowest grade of Rift.
Of course, that didn’t mean I could relax. A Rift was a Rift, even at C-Rank.
There were two main reasons why Rifts were such a pain.
The first was Stat Correction within the Rift.
When entering a Rift, a player’s stats that were weak against that Rift’s Attribute would be lowered. For example, with an Aura Attribute, my Black Magic stat—the opposing Attribute—would be reduced.
Conversely, the Specters and Monsters in the Rift had their stats boosted. And that correction grew stronger the higher the Rift’s Rank.
That was why Rifts were such a nightmare.
It should have been exactly like that—
I glanced down at my hand.
The uncanny breath of Black Magic was audible, closer than before.
‘My Black Magic stat was boosted upward.’
It wasn’t a massive increase—just a subtle one—but the fact that it wasn’t a downgrade mattered.
Moreover, my stats were already capped at their limit. Even a subtle upward correction made a significant difference.
The reason my stats were boosted instead of being reduced was obvious.
‘The Luck Stat is at work.’
The effect of the Luck Stat I’d invested in as a tutorial reward was unmistakable.
Of course, this was only possible in a C-Rank Rift. For higher-ranked Rifts, I’d need to invest more in the Luck Stat to prevent the downgrade.
Anyway, the second reason Rifts were such a pain was ‘finding the Monster.’
To close a Rift, you had to deal with the Monster. The problem was that it hid.
Rifts came in many varieties. Some were Mazes like this one, and others featured entirely different worlds—ancient cities, hanging gardens, that sort of thing.
Because of that, the rules for finding Monsters differed from Rift to Rift. That’s why it wasn’t easy to locate them.
Rifts increased in difficulty rapidly as time passed. Even if it started at C-Rank, in just a short while it could shoot up to A-Rank in an instant.
How quickly you found the Monster was the key.
Of course, that wasn’t a big issue right now.
‘Because I have Evangeline.’
Evangeline was the guide to the Rift and a human compass.
With Evangeline around, there was no way I’d fail to find the Monster.
‘So everything’s solved then?’
The Stat Correction problem—the first reason Rifts were a pain—was solved by the Luck Stat. The Monster-finding problem—the second reason—was solved because I had Evangeline.
Both issues were completely resolved.
‘I could even do a Speed Run like this.’
Just then, Milo approached me with long strides.
He must have had a rough time in that brief span—his cheeks were flushed.
“D-did you take my Signal Staff?”
Milo asked, stammering slightly. I nodded easily.
“Grabbed it earlier.”
“Why—no, just give it back quickly. I need to send a signal. Then the rescue team will…….”
“Not necessary.”
“……What?”
“I’m the rescue team.”
“This is seriously insane…….”
I pointed to the armor scattered on the ground—the fresh Specters I’d just taken down.
Milo’s eyes went wide and blank.
“I’m losing my mind—.”
As if at a loss for words, Milo wiped his face with his hand.
“And if you send a signal, these students won’t be safe, right?”
I gestured toward Andy and Evangeline. Milo’s eyes hardened.
“Us?”
“The Central Library is a strictly forbidden entry zone. Entering it without permission and triggering a Rift is grounds not only for demerit points but also possible Suspension from the Academy.”
“S-Suspension?!”
Andy’s and Evangeline’s eyes went round. Milo also looked startled and stared at me.
Evangeline stepped forward urgently and blocked Andy.
“Andy was dragged along by me. Andy did nothing wrong.”
Evangeline spoke with a hard expression. Andy nodded quickly in agreement.
Then Milo cleared his throat and spoke.
“Ahem! But that’d be too much of a shame, wouldn’t it? Just finished the opening ceremony, brand-new first-year students.”
“Exactly! Fresh little first-years—cut them some slack!”
Evangeline cried out boldly. I nodded, as if I had no choice.
“Then before anyone outside notices the Rift, we’ll need to close it as quickly as possible. We should do a Speed Run.”
“Speed Run? What’s that?”
“Closing the Rift as fast as possible. Evangeline, read the translucent window in front of you.”
“How am I supposed to—.”
Evangeline stammered in confusion.
Just as I had a Quest Window, Evangeline could see a Quest Window within the Rift.
Unlike my pathetically crude Quest Window, Evangeline’s was remarkably useful.
It told her the type and name of the Monster, as well as the Rift’s characteristics.
“Read it.”
I gave a terse command.
It seemed my earlier warning had an effect—Evangeline, who would normally have protested with ‘Why me?’, answered obediently.
“The target is a Wandering Knight named Bon Derck! The Rift’s Attribute is Aura! Rank C!”
As expected, a C-Rank Rift.
The problem was the keyword ‘Wandering.’
Wandering was a tricky keyword. Monsters with the Wandering keyword didn’t stay in one place—they kept moving.
In a Rift where you had to deal with the Monster as quickly as possible, Wandering was lethal.
But right now, it was fine.
Because Evangeline was here.
“Evangeline, guide us.”
“……Me?”
“Her?”
Evangeline and Andy reacted simultaneously. I nodded lightly.
“Just go where your intuition leads.”
“Ah, intuition—.”
Evangeline placed both index fingers to her temples. It was the pose called the Evangeline Radar in the game.
I couldn’t believe I was actually seeing that ridiculous pose in person.
“Okay! Got a vibe right now! Zoom zoom!”
Evangeline picked up her pace with confidence. Her figure heading forward was utterly untrustworthy.
“Is this really real?”
Andy asked in a voice that seemed to be holding something back.
Unfortunately, it was real.
* * *
The job of an elite guard who discovers a Rift is singular.
Enter the Rift, identify its Attribute, and fire a signal flare.
An elite guard is a scout. A scout who must risk their life.
When an elite guard risks their life and sends a signal, the Academy dispatches a Rift Response Team composed of professors.
The instruction to just run away and resign if you discover a Rift isn’t there for nothing.
And yet he was saying he’d close the Rift himself. On top of that, as quickly as possible.
It was insane.
But the person who said it was Grave.
Grave, who had handled four Intermediate Knights in an instant—the very ones that had given Milo so much trouble.
‘What in the world was he doing before?’
Milo murmured to himself while keeping watch around Evangeline and Andy. Tension made his back slick with sweat.
The actual students, Evangeline and Andy, seemed at ease.
“Hmmm! It’s this way! I got a ping!”
“You said it was a whoosh a moment ago!”
Evangeline and Andy bickered as they walked. There wasn’t a trace of tension in either of them. The atmosphere felt like strolling through an Academy hallway, not through a Rift.
“More came! Clean them up, please!”
Evangeline pointed to five newly appeared Knights.
Asking to clean up five Intermediate Knights—it was odd phrasing, but Grave acknowledged it without hesitation.
Black Chains rose toward the Knights. The Knights never once managed to block the Chains.
The Chains pierced through the Knights with ease. It was a victory so effortless it was almost anticlimactic.
That was why Grave and his group could remain so calm.
‘Is this right?’
Rifts were supposed to be hell.
There were actually professors who had died after entering a Rift. Milo felt as though all his prior common sense about Rifts had been denied.
How far had they walked by now—?
“Isn’t this where we were before?”
Andy pointed at the ground and spoke. Four dark-red pieces of armor lay fallen there.
“These are the Knights we caught before. We’ve come full circle, haven’t we?”
“I, I think so?”
“You think so?!”
“Hehe.”
Evangeline let out an awkward laugh.
The problem came next.
Clank, clack. That familiar, cold footstep sound echoed again. The problem was that it came from all directions.
From every passage around them, grotesque Knights emerged.
There were at least twenty of them. The cold light emanating from the Knights’ Aura brightened the dark Maze.
Faced with that sheer number, even Evangeline, who had been confident up until now, went pale.
Just then, Grave grasped Evangeline’s shoulder.
“There’s no reason for you to be wrong about the Rift. Trust yourself.”
Grave spoke in a firm voice utterly devoid of doubt. His voice carried such certainty that it was almost strange.
What was odd was that Grave’s own face looked lukewarm. He was holding Evangeline’s shoulder only with his fingertips, as if he didn’t want to touch her.
Still, thanks to that, Evangeline, who had been dispirited, regained her vigor.
“Of course! I’m Queen Evangeline, after all!”
Evangeline’s chin and shoulders shot up with pride.
The dark-red Knights advanced with long strides.
Being surrounded by over twenty enemies from all sides came as an oppressive weight. The tension made Milo’s throat go dry.
Milo clenched his fists, preparing to fight.
But Grave spoke in an indifferent voice.
“Don’t interfere.”
Interfere, of all things—?
In that moment, Black Chains erupted in all directions.
The Chains’ speed was so fast that the eye couldn’t follow them. The Knights raised their Aura to block the Chains.
The Chains didn’t bounce off the Aura—instead, they coiled around it like snakes. The Knights tried to shake them off, but the Chains had already wrapped tight.
A terrible force poured from the Chains. It was a curse so potent that even Milo, standing far away, could feel it.
The curse slowed the Knights, and the slowed Knights could no longer block the Chains.
The Chains pierced through the Knights with ease.
The number of Knights had increased, but the outcome was the same as before.
The only difference was the quantity of Knights scattered across the floor.
“Wow! Mister, that was amazing!”
“Amazing? Of course it is! Black Magic has an advantage against Aura, obviously!”
Evangeline spoke pointedly.
She wasn’t wrong. Black Magic had a decisive advantage in its matchup against Aura.
It wasn’t for nothing that Black Mages were called the natural enemy of Knights.
But there were limits to that advantage.
These Knights weren’t ordinary Intermediate Knights. Milo could say so with certainty because he’d experienced them firsthand.
This wasn’t simply a matter of matchups.
Grave was just overwhelmingly strong.
‘What exactly was he doing before?’
Milo swallowed hard, thinking the same thought again.
Grave remained expressionless. As if this much didn’t even stir his interest.
A man this strong, and he works as a guard?
Milo couldn’t understand it.
“Evangeline, don’t stop walking.”
“I-I was already walking!”
This time, even Evangeline faltered slightly.
A moment later, a crude musical sound echoed from somewhere. It was a small sound, but because the surroundings were so quiet, it stood out starkly.
“Found it.”
Grave stepped forward. The corners of his mouth were lifted high.
He seemed genuinely pleased.
Just then, someone tapped Milo’s shoulder. It was Evangeline.
“Your senior is hopeless! You must be having such a hard time!”
Milo couldn’t bring himself to answer.
Me as the senior.
And him as the newest member.
Milo couldn’t say it.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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