The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 25

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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 25
‘…Damn it, don’t state the obvious.’
Fear sent my past flickering before me like a lantern slide show.
Nothing but a life of suffering.
A past where I’d never known happiness, not once.
In that moment, something flared inside me.
‘I’ve never been happy, but I can’t die like this!’
That was when it happened.
Gambler’s Judgment activated an additional win-rate assessment.
-If I perform a Miracle against the enemy: ??% (Undetermined. The win rate varies depending on the type of Miracle performed.)
‘…What does that even mean?’
I swallowed hard.
‘What kind of Miracle?’
The message seemed to be hinting at me to pull off a Miracle.
But I had no idea which Miracle to perform, and there was no guarantee I’d win even if I did.
I studied the message again.
-The win rate varies depending on the type of Miracle performed.
‘It means I can’t just perform an ordinary Miracle.’
In truth, performing a Miracle wasn’t difficult for me.
Everything I did with Grand Master of Magic Ability was practically a Miracle in itself.
‘I need to do something far beyond what I’ve done before.’
I bit my lip hard.
It was absurd.
‘…But I have to make it work.’
I racked my brain.
‘First, I need to figure out what Miracle to perform.’
That was when it happened.
A voice suddenly pierced through the air near my ear.
-Do you need… power?
My eyes flew open.
It was the voice of the Dark Magical Tome I’d seen in the Library!
-Give me your soul. Then… I shall grant you power.
A proposition I absolutely could not accept.
Once my soul was mortgaged to an evil Dark Magical Tome, I’d be better off dead.
But then.
‘Wait. What if I use that Tome?’
One thing.
A method came to mind.
A gamble of the highest order—reckless and dangerous beyond measure.
‘It’s a method that can only succeed if I pull off a Miracle.’
‘But there’s no other way.’
That was when Puppet’s laughter spilled out.
[Hehehehe, killing you outright is too boring. How about we play a little game instead? See who can hold still the longest! Whoever moves first, I’ll torture them to death. Come now, hold out as long as you can.]
Still.
Everyone froze at Puppet’s words, like statues carved from stone.
[Hehehehe, I wonder who’ll move first? I’m so excited. Kyahahaha.]
I swallowed.
‘What do I do?’
The moment I moved, Puppet’s attention would lock onto me.
I’d harbored a faint hope that someone might come to rescue us, but it was impossible.
This space was already sealed off from the outside world by Puppet’s Barrier.
Even if—by some miracle—a powerful enough person arrived to break the Barrier, Puppet would simply kill us all in an instant and flee.
‘Damn it. There’s no choice.’
Either way, staying still meant death.
I took the gamble.
I took a step forward.
Thud.
In the deafening silence, my footstep echoed like thunder.
“!!”
Everyone held their breath.
[Oh? The first one eliminated is the incompetent Prince Ban.]
Remarkably, Puppet recognized me.
It wasn’t crucial information in this moment, but Ban’s shamelessness seemed famous enough that even the black sorcerer of the Abyss knew of it.
I pretended not to hear and took another step forward.
I still had ten paces to go before reaching the Library where the Dark Magical Tome lay.
A distance as vast as the gap between earth and moon.
[Hmm?]
Puppet let out a peculiar sound.
[…Have you lost your mind? Can you not hear my words?]
Sshhh.
Killing intent surged forward.
My legs trembled, but I forced myself to endure.
What came next was crucial.
I had to make my gamble.
‘Black Flame Dragon, help me.’
As always, Black Flame Dragon anchored me firmly in place.
“Shut your mouth, you arrogant bastard. What are you that you dare order me around? A filthy coward hiding behind a puppet’s skirts?”
[!!!]
“!!!”
A tidal wave of shock crashed through the arena.
“W-wait, Ban?! Are you insane?”
Emily cried out in alarm.
I’d ignored Puppet’s warning, though Puppet didn’t reproach her for it.
All of Puppet’s attention was fixed on me.
[…What did you just say? Did you call me a coward?]
Killing intent descended—nothing like before.
It was the word ‘coward’ that had triggered it.
Puppet’s Inverse Scale—I had deliberately struck that nerve.
But I didn’t stop my provocation.
“What’s wrong with calling a coward a coward?”
[Ha… you really do wish to die, it seems.]
“Then kill me. At least I won’t be trembling in fear like you do.”
It was a lie.
How could I not be afraid?
But Black Flame Dragon lent me his towering presence.
“All you can do is toy with the weak, isn’t it? You wouldn’t dare meet the eyes of true ‘strong ones,’ groveling like a dog.”
[!!]
True strength meant the Transcendents at Level 8.
As for Level 9’s Ascendants—they felt like entities beyond human comprehension entirely.
[…Hold your tongue.]
“Unless it’s a lie. Will you wager with me?”
[…A wager?]
“Give me just ten minutes.”
Black Flame Dragon painted an arrogant expression across my face.
“Ten minutes is all I need to bring you to ruin.”
[Ha…!!]
A look of utter disbelief.
Not just from Puppet.
Everyone in the arena stared at me as though I’d lost my mind.
Even Hans, who’d seen me countless times before.
Emily’s gaze was the most intense of all.
Had she been close enough, she’d have gagged me on the spot—the look in her eyes said as much.
“Could it be you’re afraid to give me those ten minutes? Truly a coward after all.”
[…Be silent. Very well. I shall grant you ten minutes. But after those ten minutes—be prepared.]
Puppet’s blood-red eyes rippled with an eerie light.
[I will make you regret being born into suffering where you can neither die nor live.]
Done. That was it.
I’d barely managed to buy myself time.
‘The real crisis starts now.’
Once more, that quiet voice echoed.
Come now. Drink me in. I’ll grant you power. That puppet—you’ll crush it in a single blow.
The Dark Magical Tome was tempting me.
Anyone with sense would’ve known better than to surrender to such a dangerous voice, but I had no choice left.
I approached the library shelves and opened the Dark Magical Tome.
-Kehehehe!! You’ve fallen for it! Now your soul is mine! I’ll seize your body and… huh?
The Dark Magical Tome broke off mid-cackle, confused.
Because I remained unaffected.
-How… why? My illusion is powerful enough that without a strong mental barrier…?!
It seemed to be thanks to the Grand Master of Magic Ability.
‘Good. Just as I’d anticipated.’
By piercing through the essence of magic itself, I could resist even illusions.
I began reading the contents of the Dark Magical Tome.
‘I need to find a way to defeat Puppet in here.’
That’s right.
This was the method I’d conceived.
To explore the Dark Magical Tome and devise a way to topple Puppet on the spot.
Absurd.
Something only I in this world could accomplish.
But soon enough, my face fell.
‘This is complete garbage.’
Never mind the Inverse Scale and celestial arts.
The actual contents were nothing but hot air.
It was a fraudulent grimoire—all flashy prose designed to seduce the reader’s soul.
‘Just trap after trap meant to shatter the opponent’s mind…’
That’s when it hit me.
I blinked once.
A single thought surfaced.
‘…With this, I can bring Puppet down.’
I swallowed hard.
* * *
Tick.
Silence fell over the hall.
The only sound was the clock’s steady second hand.
Then came the soft rustle of turning pages.
Everyone stared at the library shelves in disbelief.
The one who’d made such a grandiose declaration of war against Puppet was reading.
And not even something relevant to the situation—a book called “General Theory of Commerce.”
‘…Ban, you absolute lunatic.’
Emily’s face had gone pale.
She couldn’t comprehend this man she’d once been engaged to, whom she’d only just reconnected with.
At first, she’d thought he’d gone mad with delusion and false boasts.
But when she learned his warning to the Altran Trade Company had been real, she realized Ban hadn’t lost his mind—he’d changed.
And now?
‘No, he’s definitely insane.’
There was no other explanation for reading in a moment like this.
Perhaps it was the handsome face and that inexplicable air of dignity?
Leaning against the library shelves, reading—he looked like a portrait come to life.
[…What are you doing right now?]
As if voicing everyone’s bewilderment, Puppet asked in disbelief.
[Why a book on commerce, all of a sudden?]
“Puppet, does this book really look like a commerce text to you? How predictable.”
A faint smirk crossed Ban’s face.
“If you don’t understand, stay silent. You’re disrupting my concentration. Since you’ve interrupted me, that’s three more minutes.”
[…What? That makes no sense at all?]
“Don’t talk back. Two more minutes for that.”
[!!]
Ban returned his gaze to the book.
Whether Puppet glared at him as though ready to kill or not.
With a noble composure that drew sighs of admiration.
Tick, tick.
Time stretched thin, suffocating.
At the exact moment fifteen minutes elapsed—five more than promised—
Snap!
Ban closed the book.
‘What is he planning?’
Emily bit her lip hard.
Then his gaze met hers.
His eyes burned with grim resolve.
In that instant, a terrible suspicion crystallized—Emily’s face drained of color.
‘Is Ban… trying to sacrifice himself for us?’
That had to be it.
Everything he’d done, no matter how reckless, was calculated bluff.
Even if Puppet’s Barrier was powerful, stretching out time would only increase the odds of rescue arriving.
‘And I didn’t see it.’
She’d mistaken his brilliance for madness.
Not madness—he’d grown stronger than anyone had a right to, and now he meant to throw it away.
Fury rose in Emily’s chest, sudden and primal.
Different from what she’d felt before.
‘Who does he think he is, dying alone like some martyr?’
Ban was not the only one with noble blood.
She, too, was of the direct line of the Four Great Duke Families.
If he was going to fall, she would fall with him.
‘I’m dying too.’
The moment her fist clenched—
their eyes locked.
Steady.
A gaze that seemed to whisper:
Trust me. I’ve got this.
“!!”
‘What is he doing?’
Emily’s brow twitched.
Ban turned his attention to Puppet’s form.
“Let’s make another wager. I’ll give you this book as a gift—so take it.”
[…What?]
Nothing about this made sense.
Ban twisted his mouth into a sneer.
Mocking. Contemptuous.
“Unless you’re afraid to accept a gift from me? I suppose it’s too much to ask of a coward like you.”
[Stop talking and hand over the book.]
Rage poured from the puppet’s form.
[I’ll flay the flesh from your bones and press every page with it.]
Ban walked toward Puppet’s form.
Step. Step.
Each footfall radiated absolute dominion.
“Here. Take it.”
Thud!
The puppet seized the book.
For a moment, wariness crossed its face—then a sneer spread wide.
[A Dark Magical Tome? How pathetic. You think a cheap grimoire like this will—]
But that was when it happened.
The puppet’s mouth clamped shut.
Its body went rigid.
As if a machine had seized.
“It’s over.”
Ban declared it.
“By the name of Ban Ecclesia, I command you.”
A Miracle bloomed.
“Fall to ruin.”
Crash!
Puppet’s form shattered into countless shards.

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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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