Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 263

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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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Necromancer School’s Summoning Genius Episode 263
Simon approached the fallen Claudia and asked.
“Are you all right?”
……
She gave a small nod.
She tried to get up, but the paralysis in her body hadn’t fully worn off yet, and the moment she lifted her hips, she collapsed back down ungracefully.
“I’ll help you to the waiting room.”
She shook her head.
“……Leave it.”
But Simon paid her no mind.
He looped her arm over his shoulder and slowly lifted her upright, careful not to startle her. His strength was such that the moment he moved, her steps were forced along with his.
……
Claudia stared blankly ahead.
The arena was in chaos—workers were venting the poison smoke and scrubbing the floor. They were so busy that the other attendants hadn’t even thought to spare a glance at the two of them.
And so the pair left the arena and entered the corridor leading to the student waiting room.
Claudia looked at Simon. Despite having used a precious paralysis poison, he was striding along without a care—and somehow that infuriated her.
That Simon could move so flawlessly despite the paralysis was surely because of…
“……Professor Byeol-Ya’s Poison Consumption Class.”
Claudia spoke aloud.
“That’s why you can move like that even under paralysis, isn’t it? That class.”
Simon hesitated briefly before giving a slow nod.
“It’s not entirely unrelated.”
“……Ha.”
A hollow laugh slipped from her lips.
“Right. You’re someone Neftis brought here, so there must’ve been a reason. That class couldn’t have been useless.”
Claudia, muttering to herself, hung her head low once more.
“It’s been eating at me, you know.”
“What has?”
“What you said two days ago. Actually, if I could turn back time…”
A hoarse whisper escaped her mouth.
“…wouldn’t you rather not do this?” That’s what you asked me.”
“Have you changed your mind now?”
“I can’t answer that.”
Claudia shook her head.
“I’m no longer just myself—I represent others now. I led the boycott. If I back down, I’d be betraying everyone who trusted me and followed me this far.”
They arrived at the waiting room door. Simon opened it with one hand, then helped her onto a sofa.
“Get some rest.”
……
Simon turned to leave.
“Simon.”
Claudia called him back.
“Do you know the real reason I’m leading this boycott?”
Simon turned back to face her directly. This was something he’d been intensely curious about himself.
“What is it?”
“It’s because Professor Byeol-Ya……”
Her voice trembled.
“……won’t look after us.”
“What?”
“Think about it. Have you ever seen how much the other professors care for their students? They give special training, drop hints, all sorts of things. It’s because the professors’ records are tied to the talent of those who study under them—they don’t want their prospective students to fail. Professor Bahil, Professor Walter, Professor Hong Peng—they all do it that way. So why……”
Her voice filled with anguish.
“Why won’t Professor Byeol-Ya look after us?”
……
“The professor treats everyone equally. She teaches everyone the same immunity-building class. When our competitors develop antibodies, it’ll be disadvantageous for us Poison Studies students. Our chances of surviving until second year get worse. Why? Why does the professor make things harder for us instead of favoring us?”
She pressed both hands to her forehead.
“Yes, I know! I’m selfish and cruel! But Kizen operates on an Infinite Competition System! Is it really such a shameful thing for me—for us—to expect even a little favoritism from our major professor?”
Simon fell silent.
Soon her voice cracked.
“In the second BMAT, every Poison Studies student’s ranking plummeted! That prodigy Merin—you saw the uproar when she dropped from 9th to 220th? I fell from 35th to the 700s! For the first time since coming to Kizen, I’m actually thinking I might get expelled! And yet, and yet Professor Byeol-Ya the very next day……!”
Her words broke into tears.
“She just! Just keeps feeding us poison!!”
“…….”
“At this point, don’t I have a right to feel hurt? I didn’t want to fight with her either!”
In the end, she buried her face in her palms and let out a miserable sob.
Simon couldn’t find words of comfort, nor could he scold or soothe her. Her emotional state was far too turbulent for that.
“I wish you didn’t have to suffer so much. Byeol-Ya also…….”
Simon turned several words over in his mind before finally letting the sentence trail off.
“She must have her reasons.”
She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, sniffling, but fresh tears spilled down her cheeks the moment she finished.
“……Sorry. I shouldn’t have burdened you with all this pointless grieving.”
“It’s all right.”
“I’m being so foolish. I think I need to be alone.”
“Yes, get some rest.”
Click.
Simon stepped out of the Waiting Room and closed the door gently behind him.
Then he gazed up at the ceiling, falling quiet into thought.

* * *
That evening.
Simon made his way to Byeol-Ya’s Research Room.
“Professor, it’s Simon.”
“Ah, come in.”
The moment he opened the door, Simon’s eyes widened in shock at the sight before him.
‘Is this a room or a junkyard?’
In multiple ways, it was a staggering sight.
All manner of trash and clutter lay strewn about in chaos, and the walls and furniture bore the corrosive marks of poison seeping from her skin.
In the midst of this pandemonium lay a woman, sprawled out flat.
“You came earlier than I expected.”
Byeol-Ya waved her hand dismissively and grinned. Simon bowed hastily.
“Ah, good evening, Professor.”
“Come and sit.”
“Thank you—wait, what?”
His foot wouldn’t come free. Looking down, he realized he’d stepped on something sticky coating the floor.
No matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn’t budge.
“Pfahahaha!”
Watching Simon strain and struggle, Byeol-Ya clutched her belly and laughed without mercy.
Simon’s face flushed with embarrassment.
“Please, stop laughing and help me, Professor!”
“Try this.”
She picked at her ear with her pinky and tossed him a mysterious blue square substance.
‘Ugh.’
Simon nudged the square material forward with his other foot, the one still untrapped. The moment the blue substance touched the sticky residue, the adhesive simply dissolved away.
“……Not that it’s my place to say, but wouldn’t it help if you cleaned up a bit? Hong Peng would have a fit if he saw this.”
“It’s my room. I’ll keep it however I like!”
Soon the two of them sat facing each other on the sofa. Byeol-Ya rested her chin on her hand and smiled.
“You look troubled. Having trouble preparing for BMAT? Tell me anything. I’ll help you once, no matter what.”
“Actually.”
Simon shook his head.
“I’ve already found my own solution for this third round of BMAT.”
“Oh? That’s worth celebrating. Then why did you come to see me?”
“I wanted to ask you something, Professor.”
Simon’s expression grew serious as he continued.
“After the Poison Consumption Class ends, what classes are you planning to teach?”
She let out a bewildered laugh at the question.
“Why are you curious about that?”
“I met Claudia at the Duel Evaluation today.”
Simon explained his exchange with Claudia. Of course, he omitted the personal circumstances behind her boycott and presented matters as much as possible from her perspective.
Byeol-Ya listened with a lukewarm expression.
“Did they ask you to do something?”
“No, they didn’t.”
Simon broke into a gentle smile.
“It’s entirely my decision.”
“…….”
Byeol-Ya closed her eyes without a word.
A long silence stretched between them.
Simon waited with patience for her to speak.
“Fine. All right.”
At last her lips parted.
“I was planning to teach you my Original Poison Studies Technique. Building tolerance to poison is merely the preparatory stage.”
Simon’s eyes widened. So Byeol-Ya had a plan all along.
“Wouldn’t it have been better if you’d explained that to the students beforehand?”
Her expression showed complete disagreement.
“There are apples on an apple tree.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Hungry animals wait for the apples to fall. Does the apple then announce, ‘Good morning, I shall fall from this tree at precisely this hour, minute, and second, so do wait right there and catch me as it falls’?”
“No, of course not.”
Byeol-Ya kicked both legs up irritably and slammed them onto the table. Bang! Bang!
“Exactly. Of course not, damn it! These noble brats have such bloated pride, they come right out and demand briefings from me? Should I bow and scrape, explaining what I’m going to teach them? Should I submit to their evaluation and inspection?”
It seemed Byeol-Ya had accumulated plenty of frustration herself.
“Er, did something happen?”
Simon asked with concern. She remained silent for a moment before speaking.
“When I first entered Rocksum, the elders summoned me.”
She ground her teeth.
“After dealing with those narrow-minded bastards, I learned something. That no matter how much you explain, you’ll always find another fault picked, endless problems raised. The elders and those boycotting brats alike—they simply never liked me from the start!”
‘……Hmm.’
Noting that the rift ran deeper than he’d thought, Simon spoke up.
“People like that do exist. But Professor, as I mentioned earlier, there’s Claudia’s example too. The students simply misunderstood your thoughts and educational philosophy, which created frustration. I believe this can be resolved through dialogue.”
“That’s enough!”
She raised her voice sharply.
“Both I and they have chosen our own paths. And we must each bear the cost of those choices. Out on the savanna, no one teaches survival methods one step at a time!”
“Even so.”
Simon spoke with gravity.
“This isn’t the savanna.”
Byeol-Ya growled.
“What are you getting at.”
“At Kizen, it’s natural for professors to appeal to their students. The students have grown accustomed to the culture here, and they wonder why other professors do it but you don’t. They might misunderstand. They’re still children, after all.”
So spoke the seventeen-year-old Simon, matter-of-factly.
“So wouldn’t it be possible for you to speak with the students just once?”
“So you’re saying I should bow to this ridiculous boycott movement?”
“No.”
Simon smiled.
“You’d be giving the students an opportunity.”

* * *
After Simon left, Byeol-Ya remained in the research room, lost in thought.
-What both sides need right now is dialogue. Simply showing what kind of Original technique you’ll teach after the Poison Consumption Class—wouldn’t that be enough?
His voice echoed in her ears.
“Damn it, making a promise unlike myself.”
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Professor. It’s the Head Teaching Assistant.”
“Come in.”
The Head Teaching Assistant from the Poison Studies program entered through the door, face expressionless but tension written all over it.
“Assistant.”
“Yes, Professor!”
“Deploy the other assistants and round up all the boycotting students right now. If any refuse to come, just strike their names.”
The Head Teaching Assistant’s face, which had been trembling in fear of what strange thing she might do next, suddenly brightened.
“P-Professor!”
“What? Why are you suddenly shouting?”
“Oh, my apologies! I’m just so happy…… But what should I tell them the purpose is?”
Byeol-Ya grinned like a villain plotting mischief.
“Just say that I have something to tell you.”

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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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