Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 568
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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 the Necromancer School 568
“…….”
The sentries guarding the 90th Floor watched intently downward, their faces taut with tension.
The grotesque winged creature that had shrieked so horribly hadn’t climbed back up since being shot down once.
One of the watching guards spoke.
“Shall I send a pursuit squad?”
“No.”
The Senior Necromancer in charge shook his head.
“Our duty is to guard the 90th Floor alone. Don’t concern yourselves with anything else.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Senior Necromancer’s gaze sharpened as he looked downward.
‘Surely—’
In that split second when the winged creature was shot down, he’d glimpsed something being expelled, as if cells were dividing and spilling their contents outward.
What had it released? Without knowing their purpose or methods, there was no time to lower their guard.
Boom—!
Moments later, his instinct proved precisely correct.
Boom!
Crash!
From below came a succession of deafening collisions as metal struck metal. The impact was so violent the tower’s walls trembled.
The sentries on the 90th Floor tensed completely.
“Is it an anomaly?”
“The sound seems to be coming from the floors below.”
The explosions grew fiercer and closer. As the guards wavered, the Senior Necromancer turned back to face them.
“Steady yourselves. Hold your positions and prepare your Dark Magic—!”
He cut himself short and spun around. With a deafening crack of splitting air, something flew into the 90th Floor and crashed into the wall.
A large gash appeared in the wall, and beneath it sat a man gasping for breath, dressed in a robe and wearing a mask to conceal his face.
But the sentries had no time to regard him.
“Take cover!”
Enormous pillars and pipes were suddenly hurtling into the 90th Floor.
Boom!
Crash!
The flying pillars shattered the platforms beneath the sentries’ feet and embedded themselves in the ceiling and walls. The guards, their footing gone, screamed and plummeted.
“It’s, it’s Girdon!”
Girdon was descending through the air. Several guards raised their staffs and hurled Dark Magic at him, but Girdon was absorbing the spells with his bare body as if drawing them in.
The worst-case scenario they had dreaded.
Thud!
Girdon’s feet touched down on the 90th Floor.
[Where is he?]
He swiveled his head sharply. He paid no mind to the fallen Ivory Tower sentries and strode purposefully into the interior of the 90th Floor, his nostrils flaring as he sniffed.
Sacrifice
Slash!
From the tip of the Senior Necromancer’s staff came a brilliant flash, and a dark Curse erupted forward.
Even Girdon couldn’t ignore this attack. He responded—the back of his head hollowed out like a donut, letting the Curse pass straight through.
[Interesting.]
His head returned to its original shape as Girdon turned to face his attacker.
[So the Ivory Tower has someone capable of wielding Curses of this caliber?]
The Senior Necromancer who had fired the Curse smiled faintly. He was the one who had brought down Achemous.
“It’s a misconception to think the Ivory Tower is weak to Curses.”
Killing intent blazed in Girdon’s eyes.
[Don’t interfere! Kizen must be erased cleanly from this world!]
“If Simon Polenthia is here, our guards below are already pressing him hard. I think you’ve made a grave mistake.”
At the tip of the Senior Necromancer’s staff, Darkness rippled. A metallic scraping sound tore from Girdon’s throat.
[You fool! You dog of the Ivory Tower! That one down there was Kizen!]
“Even if the one who fled just now truly is Simon Polenthia, a single student is inconsequential. The one person who must absolutely not reach the highest level is—”
Snap!
His staff leveled toward Girdon’s head.
“You. The sin of space itself, Girdon.”
[Don’t interfere!]
Without waiting, two masters unleashed a torrent of Dark Magic upon each other.
* * *
Boom!
Crash!
The entrance to the 90th Floor reverberated with the sound of combat, but Simon pressed forward without hesitation.
[Krhehehe! The plan’s unfolding perfectly! Girdon and those Ivory Tower fools are tearing into each other!]
‘Indeed.’
The hint from the Ghost of Time had been crucial. He’d marked Girdon’s location on the 88th Floor with a rabbit mask symbol.
Girdon, who wielded Spatial Dark Magic, could affect the very fabric of the tower’s space—exactly the sort of threat the guards could never afford to let slip through.
While the guards and Girdon clashed with brutal intensity, Simon traced the rabbit mask symbols left behind by the Ghost of Time, moving ever deeper.
‘Is this it?’
A rabbit mask hung on the wall of a room on the 90th Floor. Simon pushed open the door and stepped inside to find what looked like an ordinary administrative chamber.
There was nothing here.
Scanning the room methodically, he noticed one wall bore a bulging protrusion. The rabbit mask was fastened directly to that wall.
Simon ran his palm carefully across the surface.
-An intruder on the 90th Floor!
-Find them! Search everywhere!
Urgent shouts erupted from beyond the door.
‘They wouldn’t simply let this go.’
The guards engaged with Girdon must have called for reinforcements from other floors.
He had to move faster.
As Simon desperately traced the wall, his fingertips encountered something rough—like frosted glass.
A Barrier.
Rip!
Simon drew the Sword of Ruin and tore through the Barrier, revealing a Magic Circle embedded in the wall. It had been sealed once, but the Ghost of Time had clearly lifted those seals beforehand—the magical locks were already undone.
‘This is it.’
Simon simply placed his palm against it.
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
The bricks of the wall sank inward one by one, and a small cavity opened before him.
‘Ah.’
A hidden fireplace.
Simon crouched and peered inside, spotting an open shaft leading upward.
‘A secret passage known only to the Ghost of Time!’
Simon summoned the Dark Element to his legs and began scaling the fireplace shaft. Clad in Pier’s Bone Armor, the ascent posed no difficulty whatsoever.
The fireplace entrance sealed itself behind him. Darkness swallowed everything around him.
Click!
Thud-thud-thud!
Nearly simultaneously, the sound of a door opening and the cacophony of footsteps echoed—the Ivory Tower commander’s soldiers had arrived.
Simon held perfectly still, barely breathing.
“Doesn’t seem to be here!”
“Move to the next area!”
The soldiers’ footsteps receded as they left. Simon exhaled in relief and resumed his climb.
‘How many floors can I traverse through this passage?’
Even skipping five floors would be invaluable; he could manage the remaining five on his own strength alone. Since matters had already descended into chaos, he was prepared to wield the full power of his Legion Commander abilities.
When Simon reached the top of the fireplace shaft, he found the passage sealed.
‘Hmm.’
Simon tapped the ceiling with his knuckles, then spread his legs wide against both walls to brace himself firmly, pressing both hands against the ceiling and applying deliberate force.
Grating-grinding-crack!
The ceiling rose with a sound like stone teeth interlocking. Once the initial pressure gave way, the ceiling lifted of its own accord.
Light leaked through the darkness.
‘Thank heavens.’
Simon emerged covered in dust.
And then—
‘……!’
He stopped dead.
In the center of the space stood an enormous clock, its surface encased entirely in ice.
‘Could it be…’
There was no doubt.
The very cause of this entire catastrophe—the legendary Dungeon Master that the Ivory Tower commander of three hundred years ago had sealed away at the cost of his own life. The Frozen Clock.
‘Which means…’
This was the 100th Floor.
Simon felt goosebumps prickle along his forearms as he pushed himself upright.
The hole in the fireplace he’d just escaped sealed shut, and the floor returned to its seamless state. Not a trace remained.
‘Freezing.’
Simon rubbed his arms briskly. His breath misted white before his face.
The cold radiating from the Frozen Clock seemed to be the culprit. Frost coated the corners of the chamber like an industrial freezer.
Simon glanced around briefly, then called out.
“I’ve reached the top floor as promised! Where are you?”
He summoned the Ghost of Time, but the chamber remained silent.
After showing him the secret passage all the way up to the 100th Floor, the ghost had refused to appear.
Simon called out several more times before giving up. His gaze returned to the Frozen Clock.
‘What am I supposed to do with this?’
He’d arrived two days ahead of schedule. There was still more of Merin and Serne’s pasts to witness, and he hadn’t learned anything about the Ivory Tower’s secrets.
‘Do I have to make a judgment based on what I’ve seen so far?’
Clang!
He drew the Sword of Ruin and held it ready.
The memories of Merin and Serne’s pasts had contained no information about this Frozen Clock. Not wanting to touch it bare-handed, he carefully extended the blade’s tip to probe the ice.
‘It’s hard……!’
Even the Sword of Ruin couldn’t cut through it. He dragged the blade up and down like a saw, yet not even a scratch appeared.
This was unbreakable ore.
Heat wouldn’t melt it either, it seemed. Simon stood silent before this cryptic puzzle, like a scholar lost in contemplation.
“Oh my, the leading role finally makes an entrance.”
Tap-tap—tap-tap—
Footsteps echoed across the 100th Floor. Simon spun around, startled, and peered into the distance.
A figure approached from the darkness beyond. From the silhouette alone, Simon recognized her instantly.
Ivory-hued hair flowing, pristine white plumes swaying, each step regal and commanding—a girl who moved like a crowned queen.
“……Serne.”
“Heh. It’s been a while.”
She smiled and grasped the hem of her dress, curtseying with practiced grace. Simon kept his guard raised as he spoke.
“You should still be undergoing a Dispatch Evaluation. What are you doing here?”
“Oh Simon, you’re so stiff about everything.”
She winked at him.
“You know I slip away more often than not. During the last mission evaluation, I abandoned my own assignment and went to Tarados to see you. This is the same sort of thing, really.”
“…….”
Simon exhaled shortly and opened his mouth.
“No dancing around it—are you and the Ivory Tower Master on the same side?”
“Yes.”
The answer came so matter-of-factly that Simon’s heart sank.
“Then it’s my turn to ask a question.”
Her slender white fingers pointed directly at his chest.
“Are you and Kizen headquarters on the same side?”
“…….”
When Simon didn’t respond, his lips pressed tight, she ran her tongue across her teeth.
“Perhaps as spies, secretly gathering information about this Tower?”
She knew everything.
And yet she was asking—a test of allegiances. We are enemies, she was saying without words.
Simon saw no point in continuing to hide.
“Kizen headquarters suspects the Ivory Tower is plotting something suspicious.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
She admitted it so readily that Simon was left slack-jawed. Serne raised her hand.
“Aren’t you curious about our plan?”
She unfurled her clenched fist, revealing several white plumes crumpled in her palm. With a gentle breath, they flew upward, weaving patterns against the empty air.
“You rode the Sightseeing Train on the first day, so you know—the Ivory Tower has moved about the continent for two thousand years.”
The plumes formed a picture.
The Ivory Tower in the jungle.
The Ivory Tower in the middle of an island.
The Ivory Tower in the desert—all images Simon had seen from the train.
“For over a millennium, this Tower served as the stronghold of the Ivory Tower forces. It actually possessed a Relocation Function. Thanks to it, the Ivory Tower moved location once every thirty years.”
“…….”
“But when the Ivory Tower relocated here, to the fringes of the Dark Alliance, seeking abundant Mana Stone resources, that Gate Incident broke out.”
As she lowered her hand, the figures suspended in the air dissolved.
“The crisis was contained, but the tower’s internal relocation magic and countless recorded spells were lost and rendered useless. The Ivory Tower could never abandon its ‘home.’ So we built a new tower nearby, and accepted the indigenous people who lived in the area, giving them technology and having them construct the buildings.”
“So that became the Ivory Tower’s current metropolitan zone.”
“Exactly.”
She walked slowly forward and reached toward the Frozen Clock. Simon flinched and cried out.
“Wait, Serne! If you touch it carelessly, you’ll get frostbite!”
She smiled broadly and touched the Frozen Clock with her bare hand. Despite the extreme cold, she stroked the ice without the slightest hesitation.
“Simon really is kind, aren’t you?”
Her eyes curved into a fox-like smile.
“You said you don’t hate that unwavering side of mine?”
…….
Simon bit his lip hard. She withdrew her hand from the Frozen Clock, turned her back, and clasped her hands behind her.
“Now let’s return to the present. The Ivory Tower finally recovered the Time Tower’s relocation function.”
“……What?”
“And the Ivory Tower had a grand plan. It was the tower’s most important objective—one that existed before Merin and I were even born.”
Our true ‘home’.
Return to the Time Tower.
Right after the Gate Incident, an age of Necromancers and Priests dawned, and the continent was divided in two.
Thus the Ivory Tower found itself trapped within the Dark Alliance, reduced to following in Kizen’s shadow.
But if the Ivory Tower could move the tower again, everything would change.
“We will go to the Neutral Territory, Simon.”
The Ivory Tower’s faction had spent the last three centuries steadily building influence in the Neutral Territory. They had already settled negotiations not just with the major powers there, but even with the Sacred Federation.
The Three-Way Division of Power across the continent that Serne had always desired. Now the Ivory Tower would relocate to the Neutral Territory and seize control of it.
Currently, the Neutral Territory had devolved into a battlefield between the Dark Alliance and the Sacred Federation. The anger and exhaustion felt by the residents was profound.
Therefore, the Ivory Tower would develop the Neutral Territory—through vast capital and technological prowess—into a metropolitan area surpassing even the current Ivory Tower zone, win the people’s support, and establish a new kingdom at the center of the continent.
The birth of a new great power positioned between the Sacred Federation and the Dark Alliance.
The Neutral Territory’s current ‘neutrality’ was an unavoidable choice born from weakness, but when a powerful faction like the Ivory Tower chose neutrality, the story became quite different.
“Two great powers and one neutral nation. What happens then? Whichever side the Ivory Tower favors wins! We hold the spotlight, and become the kingmaker. The Sacred Federation is already extending its hand to us, hoping to win that competition.”
Simon’s pupils trembled as he heard this shocking revelation.
“Do you really think that’s realistic right now……?”
“The Ivory Tower is serious. We’ve invested over three hundred years in the Neutral Territory. But my father and I—along with a small faction of radicals in power—think differently.”
“What do you mean?”
“Even if we succeed in moving to the Neutral Territory, we’d still end up groveling before Kizen, wouldn’t we? It’s too optimistic a plan, just as you said. I don’t like that. The radicals’ true goal is a Two-Way Division of Power across the continent.”
The corners of her lips rose.
“We are going to move the Time Tower straight into the heart of Rocksum.”
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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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