Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 322

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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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The Summoning Genius of Necromancer School, Episode 322
Simon traced back through his battle with Hong Peng slowly.
Because she had sealed her strength against him, their power and speed were roughly equal—or Simon held the advantage when he manifested his Internal Dark Essence. Yet he had lost regardless.
Despite that, he’d been defeated.
The difference in experience and technical proficiency couldn’t be ignored, but since Hong Peng had mastered every technique Simon possessed, his attacks had been blocked; her techniques, by contrast, were ones he’d never seen before, and he couldn’t counter them at all.
The techniques she’d just deployed didn’t even appear to be significantly more difficult than Chwita, Cheonheung, or Chakgeom.
He’d simply been ignorant, and so he’d been beaten.
“A lack of novelty.”
Simon reached that conclusion and looked toward Hong Peng.
“The problem was that I don’t have my own unique technique to create variables in combat.”
Hong Peng smiled brightly and nodded.
“Exactly right!”
At first glance, it seemed paradoxical.
After all, Hong Peng was currently teaching the students basic combat techniques: Chwita, Cheonheung, and Chakgeom.
But it was easier to think of these three techniques as fundamentals—the bare minimum qualification to fight the assistants.
To ultimately defeat the assistants, one had to possess a technique of one’s own that they didn’t know.
“The techniques I teach are naturally ones the assistants have learned as well. They know how to counter them, how to adapt to them. To exploit their blind spots, you need to approach from a new angle entirely.”
The final practical assessment in Martial Arts Studies wasn’t merely a sparring match with an assistant.
Acquiring one’s own unique combat technique.
Whether or not it worked against the assistants, simply possessing a technique they didn’t know multiplied one’s chances of victory exponentially.
“That sounds difficult.”
Simon grasped Hong Peng’s hidden meaning but scratched his head. A new combat technique didn’t just materialize out of thin air.
“Then why don’t we try some rather special training from now on?”
As she spoke, she pulled from her pocket a candlestick without a wick. The moment she lit it with Dark Element, blue flames flared up on the candlestick with a whoosh.
“Until the end of this week’s classes,”
She set the candle on a nearby rock.
“Try to extinguish this flame without touching it with your body.”
Extinguishing the candle without touching it.
It seemed easy enough at first glance, but since this was Hong Peng, Simon suspected she’d rigged some kind of mechanism.
“And here’s a question for you! What’s the greatest difference between Black Magic and combat techniques?”
Simon answered immediately.
“The presence or absence of a Magic Circle.”
“Correct! You mustn’t create a Magic Circle when extinguishing the candle. Use only combat techniques—nothing more. Come on, give it your best shot!”
Hong Peng tossed her hair and turned back toward the Training Ground.
“Thank you for the guidance, Professor!”
Simon bowed respectfully to her, then took his position before the candle.
[Khehehehehe!]
The moment Hong Peng vanished, Pier’s laughter echoed in his mind.
Simon, startled, stammered a reply.
“P-Pier! How long have you been watching?”
[Since you started fighting that woman. But more importantly—]
Pier’s avatar’s gaze shifted to the candle.
[This classical training method is still being used these days!]
“What do you mean?”
[When Richard attended Kizen, he did this very training during Martial Arts Studies class!]
Simon’s eyes lit up at those words.
“How long did it take my father?”
[Two days.]
“Then I—”
Simon dropped into a fighting stance with a sharp movement.
“I’ll finish it in one day!”
With that declaration, he threw a powerful straight punch with all the momentum he could muster.
Whoosh!
Simon’s fist came to a dead stop just before the flame. The wind from it caused the candle to flicker and sway, but it soon steadied again.
“Oh, it’s more manageable than I thought.”
[Khehehe!]
After withdrawing his fist, Simon drew Dark Element into it, formed a Chwita, and struck again.
Boom!
Again, the same result. The candle merely flickered.
He pressed on, attempting Cheonheung next, but the outcome was identical.
“Then this is——!”
Simon raised the Chakgeom in his hand and swung it horizontally. The candle flame wavered more violently than ever, but soon settled back to its original state.
[Kha-ha-ha-ha-ha!]
Pier was laughing loudly at something he found hilarious.
[You’re doing the exact same thing your father used to do!]
“……Quit being so loud!”
Simon shot back, his face flushed with embarrassment.
Once he calmed down and thought about it rationally, Simon realized that this candle-extinguishing task was meant to train him to develop a new technique of his own. There was no way the flame would go out if he simply repeated techniques he’d already learned.
‘That was stupid of me. I was so focused on just blowing out the flame.’
Simon attempted several different approaches.
He tried throwing punches in various ways in front of the candle, launched kicks, and attempted every variation he could think of.
He rushed forward with a punch, then spun around and deployed a Spinning Kick with deliberately elongated movements, but each time the flame would flicker slightly before stubbornly returning to its original form.
Sweat was already pouring down Simon’s forehead like rain.
“……So far, that was the closest I’ve come.”
Simon placed a wooden board in front of the candle, took out a Potion he’d used in Poison Magic class, and pressed it firmly to the board with a stone. When he used Cheonheung in that configuration, the candle flame swayed noticeably.
This taught him one crucial fact.
The candle had to be extinguished with Dark Element, not wind pressure.
“Hmm.”
Simon peeled away the wooden board and let it fall to the ground, then stood facing the candle once more.
‘If I release Cheonheung——’
With a serious expression, Simon opened his palm before the candle.
‘In a straight line, like an explosion!’
Whoosh!
Dark Element burst forth from his palm and made the candle tremble. It was better than before.
“……But this isn’t Combat Magic. It’s just spraying compressed Dark Element.”
He needed proper technique and stance. Simon recalled the posture Hong Peng had taken during their fight.
“Was it like this?”
He placed his right hand at his waist and held his left hand comfortably in front of his face.
From this stance, he naturally twisted his waist while pulling his right arm back from where it rested——
‘And thrust it forward!’
Whoooosh!
The Dark Element extending from Simon’s palm struck the candle forcefully. The flame swayed more precariously than ever, seeming about to extinguish, but the nearly-spent candle managed to reignite and return to normal.
“So close!”
[Khr-hehe!]
He’d gotten hooked on this now.
Simon immediately began moving with various ideas, trying different approaches.
“Partial Internal Dark Essence Manifestation.”
Simon drew Dark Element to its limit in his right arm and thrust his palm forward. This time too, the candle came within a hair’s breadth of extinguishing, but narrowly survived.
Thinking this was a level he could use in real combat, Simon smiled with satisfaction despite his heavy breathing.
“But the Dark Element is still scattering as it disperses. I need to be more precise.”
Simon concentrated Dark Element in his middle finger, then took a position before the candle as if preparing to flick something. He snapped his palm forward as if launching the Dark Element.
Pop!
The effect was undeniable. The candle flame seemed to vanish entirely, but barely managed to reignite and recover.
“One isn’t enough!”
He pressed his middle and ring fingers together and took a flicking stance, bracing his right hand with his left.
“One more time!”
Pop-pop!
With a heavy snapping sound, the candle’s flame went out. Simon watched intently, his expression tense, but the flame did not reignite.
“I did it!!”
Simon clenched his fist and shouted with joy.
[Khr-hehe-he!]
Pier’s shadow clone, watching from the very front, let his eyes gleam with interest.
‘This boy might actually surpass you. Richard.’

* * *
With about twenty minutes remaining before class ended, Simon returned to the Training Ground.
Hong Peng and the assistants all seemed absorbed in having the students run through the Training Ground course.
‘I should rest for a bit.’
Simon was sitting beneath a tree, leaning his back against its trunk, when——
“Hello.”
Someone called out to him.
They were in the same Class A, so Simon recognized his face, but this was their first real conversation.
“I’m Philip Elande.”
He was a male student with wavy brown hair. Simon realized this was the Martial Arts Studies applicant who’d gone through the Training Ground course just ahead of him.
“Oh, what’s up?”
“Nothing, really.”
Philip watched the wooden dummy knock students flat on their backs, then turned his attention back to Simon.
“I was just wondering why a Summoning Magic applicant is so good at Combat Magic.”
What was he getting at?
Simon was puzzling over it when Philip shrugged.
“You’re not thinking of switching majors to this, are you?”
“Not so far.”
Philip fell silent for a moment, watching the next student make their way through the course.
It was Class President Jamie’s turn, so many students had gathered to watch.
“I got torn apart by the teaching assistant earlier.”
“Hm?”
“How could a Martial Arts Studies applicant lose to someone majoring in something else? This isn’t the first time it’s happened, either.”
……
There was a barb in his words.
A hint of blame colored his tone.
“If you got scolded, that’s genuinely unfortunate, but what exactly are you trying to say?”
“Nothing. Just… let’s keep things friendly.”
Philip brushed his hair back and continued.
“Tests like BMAT are what they are, but in classes like this, maybe show a little restraint.”
“Restraint?”
“Look, straight up — we’re getting criticized because of you.”
Simon found it absurd.
He’d never imagined that working hard in a merit-based place like Kizen would earn him accusations of lack of consideration.
“I…”
“What are you two doing here?”
Both of them jumped and spun around.
A male student in a black robe over the Kizen school uniform had approached them. He had the familiar grey hair and the scar across his eye.
“Kassan!”
Simon blinked in surprise. Philip’s expression twisted in distaste.
“…Who are you? You’re not in Class A.”
Philip’s words trailed off.
Kassan simply stared at him, saying nothing.
He did nothing else.
Yet Philip’s face began draining of color, as if invisible hands were closing around his throat.
“Never mind.”
Kassan turned his gaze back to Simon.
“I have something to discuss with you, Simon.”
“Yes, of course.”
As Simon and Kassan left, Philip was left alone—and finally gasped for air.
‘What… what was that? Is he even human? What kind of presence was that…?’
“Hey, Philip.”
This time a voice came from behind him. When Philip turned, a female student was gesturing with her finger.
“Hector wants a word with you.”
!
Hector? Why would Hector suddenly want to see him?
Philip didn’t know the reason, but he had no choice. He followed her with an uneasy expression.
“That’s just how it is!”
“Ha ha ha ha!”
“All of it’s pointless nonsense.”
Hector was in the back, chatting idly with his faction about this and that.
Philip approached him hesitantly and spoke.
“You… you called for me? Hector.”
Hector didn’t answer. He seemed too preoccupied with the others’ rambling conversations.
While Philip stood there nervously shifting his weight, Hector rose from his seat—a mountain of a man moving to his feet.
“Hey.”
Philip flinched and answered reflexively.
“Yes! Ah, no! Um!”
“You were just telling an interesting story.”
He stepped closer to Philip, eyes narrowing.
“You want me to go easy on you in class? Is that what you’re telling me now?”
“Ah, no! Not you—I was talking about Simon—!”
The clique’s playful expressions hardened into something lethal.
“My, he’s lost it.”
“You didn’t hear? Hector already passed the Training Ground course.”
Hector stripped off his gym shirt, revealing a physique carved by discipline—muscles taut and defined.
“Bite down on this.”
His massive arm raised.
“It’s a street fight. Counter if you can.”
“Wait, Hector—!”
Crack!
A tooth flew from Philip’s mouth, glinting in the sunlight before he staggered backward and crashed to the ground. Blood sprayed.
Combat Magic.
Thwack!
“You bastard.”
Smack!
“Just lying there and taking it.”
Bang! Smack! Crunch!
His boot drove into Philip’s face. The wet sound of blood erupting filled the air.
A few students nearby glanced away. Others cast Black Magic silently around them, muffling sight and sound so no one else would notice.
“Now.”
Hector lowered his leg and spoke with cold certainty.
“Feeling like fighting back?”
Philip’s eyes blazed through the blood. He roared and surged upward, driving his fist forward.
But before Philip’s knuckles could reach Hector’s face—
Crack!
Hector’s fist struck first, seizing Philip’s head and smashing it into the ground.
Combat Magic alone was overwhelming.
“Ha. Careful.”
“He’s going to be spotted, Hector.”
The clique snickered, and Hector brushed off his hands lightly.
Philip lay unconscious, blood caking his slack jaw.
“Clean it up. Don’t leave a trace.”
“Sure, sure~”
One of the clique’s Poison Magic students uncapped a Potion and dumped it generously over Philip’s blood-soaked face.
“You’ve gotten really strong lately, though. Seriously.”
A boy lounging on a boulder spoke with a grin.
“At this rate, you’d be able to go toe-to-toe with Simon—”
“Not yet.”
Hector clenched his boulder-like fist.
“I’m still falling short.”

* * *
Meanwhile, Simon and Kassan had slipped away to a remote spot far from the Training Ground.
“What’s this about, Kassan?”
“Open it.”
Kassan handed over a Paper Envelope.
“New intelligence on Professor Walter.”

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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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