The Celestial Maiden’s Young Master in Another World - Chapter 23

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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 23. Art is Explosion
“Wow, wow! Did you hear that? A Signature Technique!”
In the common lounge of Zerotil Dormitory.
Students gathered in small clusters watched the Entrance Ceremony Subjugation Battle on a wall-mounted panel.
“Insane. A first-year with a Signature Technique?”
“That’s not like Dean Marel to make a fuss over something like that. Wow….”
“I still haven’t mastered mine.”
Talent beyond all standard measures!
There was nothing to do but stand slack-jawed at the sight.
“Hmm….”
At the very back, watching the screen, sat one student.
A stocky young man with chestnut hair and green eyes stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Maybe I’ll bring in a first-year as a regular for this Holy Realm Competition.”
“??!”
“!!!”
At his words, every eye that had been fixed on the screen snapped toward him.
He was Beheram Solin, captain of the Zerotil team in the dormitory tournament.
A single word from him could reshape the roster.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“But they haven’t been tested yet.”
“Isn’t that performance already the test?”
On the screen, Lian’s face appeared, grinning wide after dispatching an Elite Three-Horned Deer in a single strike.
“Subjugation battles and one-on-one duels are different things. You know that.”
“You think that kid won’t excel in one-on-one combat?”
The student who had objected fell silent.
There was no way someone who performed at that level in a subjugation battle would fail to shine in head-to-head combat.
“He’s going to be a key player we can rely on.”
Zerotil was currently struggling with a severe shortage of strength.
When the Holy Realm Competition first began at Osten Academy.
Zerotil had been the champion team.
But now?
‘We’re barely scraping together a starting lineup.’
All the talented students had been claimed by other dormitories.
They were simply going through the motions, filling slots.
He had volunteered to restore Zerotil, to rebuild the Heresy Inquisition Bureau, but since becoming captain, he’d never managed a proper match.
“We need fresh players.”
Worse, Zerotil lacked even backup reserves!
Fortunately, this year’s first-year class was brimming with talent.
Gulp. Everyone swallowed in silence.
[“Shall we take a look at the other dormitories’ situations?”]
The announcer’s voice came from the screen.
The students slowly turned their gaze back to the broadcast.
Anticipating that this Holy Realm Competition would bring tremendous upheaval.
***
“Belladen has now reached the sixth floor!”
“They seem startled by the Three-Horned Deer.”
Ever since Lian demonstrated his full power, the pace of the subjugation battle had diverged dramatically.
But the announcers had to provide fair coverage!
Daniel quickly checked Belladen’s screen and continued speaking.
“Belladen has Hoshana Rinu, who placed fourth in the Baptism Ceremony!”
“Yes. She’s currently Belladen’s top asset.”
Had Lionel Londoa entered, she would have been rated second.
But her swordwork was every bit as sharp as Lionel’s.
“She’s taking complete control. Her steady leadership has quickly calmed the others’ panic.”
“As expected! Belladen maintains consistently high standards across the board!”
A far cry from Zerotil’s students, who were floundering.
Next came Delucell.
“Delucell has just entered the sixth floor as well!”
The pace was similar to Belladen’s, though with a slight difference.
This dormitory was a mixture of children who had applied for general administrative positions, battle priests, and Holy Power mages.
Though it included children with no interest in combat.
It was also the place where the most diverse talents were blended together.
Children maintaining both offense and defense from their respective positions!
Unlike Belladen, which leaned dangerously toward all-out aggression, this was remarkably stable.
“They’re handling the three-horned deer quite steadily, I see.”
“The composition looks similar to Zerotil, though the responses differ. Is that correct?”
“Yes. Though the average skill level is higher in Delucell.”
The children in Delucell occupied a middle tier of overall ability.
By contrast, Zerotil—aside from a handful in the upper ranks—was nearly at the bottom.
It was remarkable that they were leading the charge.
“Witis has only just entered the fourth level now?!”
The dormitory making the slowest progress was Witis, composed entirely of healing priests.
“Witis naturally has slower subjugation speed.”
“But they’re more than twice as far behind Zerotil!”
“Still, Witis is terrifying. They simply don’t fall.”
Though their offensive means were sorely lacking compared to children from other dormitories, their strength lay in zombie-like, stubborn vitality.
On the screen, the Witis dormitory children were clearly dividing front and rear ranks, maintaining their battle formation.
The moment anyone sustained even the slightest injury, a verdant glow of Holy Power descended upon that spot.
Their healing ability wasn’t particularly strong yet, given they were still freshmen.
The most terrifying aspect was that every dormitory resident could heal.
“If one person’s healing is insufficient, multiple people can heal at once.”
“Such a simple strategy actually works?”
“Of course. The monsters appearing in the Infinite Descent Battle conducted at the entrance ceremony have relatively low intelligence.”
Daniel nodded as he observed Witis’s movements.
“Once each round of combat ends, they swap their vanguard and rear guard.”
“Yes. Since everyone’s still clumsy at offense anyway.”
“With this approach, Witis becomes truly threatening!”
Slow but solid. A tortoise’s strategy, plain and simple.
Then the broadcast screen automatically switched to Zerotil.
This was a signal that something worthy of watching was happening with Zerotil!
But then.
“What? What in the world is—”
A massive white cloud of dust filled the screen!
Something unusual was occurring.
***
‘Nothing beats a good explosion when you want clean, decisive firepower.’
Back in my Seo Woo-taek days, I’d been quite fond of using explosives for ranged attacks.
But how does one throw bombs in South Korea, where firearm permits aren’t issued?
‘That’s where Explosive Talismans come in.’
Explosive Talismans.
Literally, talismans that detonate.
Talisman Craft was one of my proudest specialties.
With Eli right here, there’s no way I’m going to waste this skill in this life, is there?
So I crafted some.
‘And wouldn’t you know it—a breakthrough in understanding came while I was preparing them. Lucky.’
Who would have guessed?
That I’d gain a sudden flash of enlightenment while making talismans.
I slipped my hand into my robes.
***
‘Son, you still only have the first Holy Power Crystal, correct?’
‘Yes. The second one is still in progress.’
‘How far along is it?’
‘As soon as I gain the insight, it should complete immediately.’
At that time, my second Crystal had not yet been finished.
‘Then I’ll teach you this technique. Practicing it will help you gain the enlightenment you need.’
The technique Mother taught me was how to effectively compress Holy Power when reinforced through Holy Power Attribute Conversion.
Since I didn’t yet possess techniques for utilizing Holy Power Crystals, Mother’s words became bone and blood for me.
With the Holy Power Crystal, I could now move my intuitive Holy Power much more efficiently.
‘This is a form of Throwing Technique.’
Was there even such a thing as a throwing technique among the priesthood?
The question flitted past my mind only briefly.
Regardless, the instruction had been exceptional.
I possessed no throwing technique in my arsenal until now.
Mother pressed a Mini Axe into my hands.
‘Gather the Holy Power filtered cleanly from your First Crystal Stage at your fingertips.’
‘Then convert that Holy Power’s attribute and channel the force of Reinforcement into it.’
‘Focus that power only on the sharp edge.’
‘If you wrap it around the whole thing, the durability strengthens—but if you wrap only the blade, you can enhance the cutting force.’
In other words, truly wielding Reinforcement came down to precise control.
‘Wait… doesn’t that mean I could use this in a different way too?’
***
Up to that point, it was merely an idea.
I’d been planning to craft talismans eventually anyway.
Since I’d learned a decent technique, I thought to put it to use in talisman craft.
‘That’s why I made an Explosive Talisman first.’
What emerged from my pocket was a single smooth stone, like a pebble.
A Holy Stone.
One with a carved Chinese character engraved in bas-relief by my own hand.
‘An Explosive Talisman made from a low-grade Holy Stone.’
I’d carved the character meaning “explode” into the Holy Stone.
‘I’d channel Reinforcement’s power only into the character and throw it.’
I’d practiced fine control of Reinforcement’s power with the axe enough to manage that.
Though admittedly, the character’s complexity made it more difficult.
Delicate work had always been rather my specialty.
“A low-grade Holy Stone? What good is that?”
“Just watch. It’ll be amazing.”
I hadn’t found a chance to test it yet.
But by theory, the explosive force should be enhanced.
If I’d wrapped the entire Holy Stone in Reinforcement, it would merely become a harder stone.
But I’d channeled Reinforcement’s power only into the character.
‘Roughly double the enhancement, maybe?’
Heh-heh-heh-heh.
I’d never shown it to my parents before—this Explosive Talisman would be making its debut right here!
‘It’d better perform well on the live trial.’
I was completely thrilled.
“Yoooooo-!”
Right on cue, an Elite Three-Horned Deer came charging straight toward me, snorting violently!
I immediately shifted into a baseball stance and hurled the Holy Stone Explosive Talisman.
Whoooosh—!
With all my Throwing Technique practice, it flew quite sharply.
Boom-crack-crack-crack-ka-boom—!
It exploded, kicking up a column of dust.
“Huh?”
Wait… that exceeded my expectations by quite a bit…?
The scale of the explosion was enormous.
At least three times larger than I’d predicted.
As the dust settled.
The Elite Three-Horned Deer left no remains whatsoever.
‘Wha—?’
It just… completely obliterated it.
Gulp.
‘That’s absolutely insane…?’
I’d crushed it.
“Art is… explosion!”
Holy Stone Explosive Talismans are the best!
***
“Wha-wha-what?!!!”
Marel Ustas sprang from his seat, unable to contain himself.
A reaction impossible from someone usually so composed!
The scene unfolding before his eyes was nothing short of shocking.
“Wh-what on earth is that?!”
An explosion on an incomprehensible scale!
And the Elite Three-Horned Deer had been obliterated without so much as a trace.
Most first-year students struggle through this section.
The creature is manageable if everyone pools their strength, but after defeating this Elite Three-Horned Deer, the majority of them drop out.
They judge that the even stronger monsters waiting beyond are beyond their capacity.
But the creatures on the eleventh floor, though higher in rank, are still ordinary monsters!
Far more manageable than facing the single creature at the end of the tenth floor.
‘This is the section where groups typically fall out.’
And Zerotil had just torn through it in an instant!
“Such a holy magic artifact should have been prohibited from entry!”
It had been hurled away too quickly to see clearly, but the device Lian used certainly looked like a magic artifact.
So he’d lodged a protest, but—
“Please calm yourself, Dean Marel. We’ve just received word that those bomb-like devices are among Lian’s personal weapons.”
“Personal weapons…?”
“Yes. He apparently made them himself!”
Made them himself…?
‘A child barely a year past his Baptism Ceremony?’
He’d crafted disposable explosive projectile weapons?
Dean Marel’s grasp of what was reasonable was crumbling.
‘I knew his talent was extraordinary, but was it this much?’
If he’d made it himself, it was his own unique ability and technique!
Lian Ludresk effectively already possessed two Signature Techniques!
But the shock didn’t end there.
“And in crafting that weapon, he apparently forged his second Holy Power Crystal! Lian is truly remarkable!”
“I beg your pardon?”
Marel’s thoughts seized up entirely.
‘A first-year student who just enrolled has already reached Second Crystal Stage?’
He had sailed far, far beyond the boundaries of comprehension.
Could such talent even be real?
‘Wait. He won’t actually make it all the way through, will he?’
It was troubling.
The competition was called the Infinite Descent Battle, but—
Of course they couldn’t make every floor truly infinite.
The sheer logistical problem of sourcing enough monsters was already an issue.
‘The entrance ceremony competition is designed to end at the twentieth floor.’
Cold sweat beaded on Dean Marel’s brow.
‘He’ll stop before the twentieth floor, won’t he?’
He had to.
Marel prayed silently.

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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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