The Academy’s Barbarian
Chapter 55.1 - Why Did You Come Out There (4)

The moon was veiled by thick clouds in the deep night. A group was traversing the silent forest—about twenty individuals.

They were armed with swords and shields, and at the center of the group was Noah, a black-haired girl, holding a book with attached amulets tightly against her chest.

'Ugh, how did things get to this point?'

Just an hour ago, Noah was in the library.

She had joined forces with Ibella to expel the clones of Bai Lang and protect Librarian Erwin. Of course, the process had led to the destruction of half of the reading room.

'Then.......'

She met Professor Ethan outside the library.

He had evacuated the freshmen and abruptly asked for cooperation from Noah and Ibella. Ibella accepted, and they ended up accompanying Ethan.

Ethan had a keen sense. He immediately realized that the culprit of the recent attacks was in the eastern forest. So, he gathered people and headed towards the forest.

Noah was one of them.

So far, it seemed okay. Now that the Bai Lang had been released from its seal, there was no other way but to subdue it.

'But...'

Ulan and Dilia were not there.

This fact bothered her. However, her anxiety lasted only a moment, and Noah quickly embraced hope.

'But they'll come soon, right?'

The attacks by Bai Lang were around the eastern forest, and most of the buildings around here were used by the freshmen. Perhaps Ulan and Dilia had noticed the attacks by now and were heading towards the forest.

'Then it's okay.'

Even if they didn't join immediately, joining before the fight with Bai Lang was enough. Embracing this hope, as she finished her contemplation...

Tuk! Twok!

Noah's body was slightly pushed to the side.

The reason was simple—someone had been continuously bumping into her shoulder. Who on earth was it? Noah glanced at the one who kept bumping into her shoulder.

To her surprise, it was an unexpected person.

"Ibella?"

"......?!"

Calling her name was enough to startle her; Ibella's shoulders shook violently. It was clearly a startled reaction. More than Noah expected. Puzzled, Noah slid her gaze towards the culprit.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd be so surprised."

"Uh, uh, uh."

Just by calling her name, Ibella clung to Noah's arm with a crying sound. Noah, who was quick-witted, quickly understood the situation.

"Perhaps... are you scared of ghosts or spirits?"

"Swords...... swords don't work on ghosts."

She was right.

But the reason she was afraid was a bit strange. Noah smiled at the unexpected sight.

"It's okay. We have a shaman; what is there to worry about?"

"...What does that have to do with ghosts?"

"It matters. Because a shaman deals with something similar to ghosts."

In other words, she could deal with ghosts.

Of course, Noah said this to comfort her, but Ibella seemed to have understood it in a slightly different way.

"Then, you deal with ghosts, too..."

"That's right, all the amulets in this book are possessed by spirits."

Dealing with spirits was nothing difficult.

So, even if ghosts appeared, she would take care of them. Noah was about to say that, but Ibella's reaction was different.

Sasasak!

Ibella distanced herself from Noah.

Her complexion turned pale for some reason. She must have misunderstood something. Noah smiled awkwardly.

'She's surprisingly human.'

The Ibella she saw in the original work was not a character like this; she was always wearing a mask and killing enemies like a machine.

It was refreshing to see her like this.

Rustle!

The bushes in front of her shook and Ibella jumped back in surprise; Ethan and the others froze in place, ready for an attack. But the one who appeared was a large group of people.

"Professor Arnoff?"

He even knew who Ethan was.

Ethan also widened his eyes, "Captain Roen? Why are you here......."

Roen Philaud, the Captain of the Arsene Guard.

After the sudden encounter, Ethan and Roen, who led their respective groups, exchanged information about their recent experiences, the reasons for coming to the forest, and more.

"I see. You're after the source of the magic......."

"So are we. We followed the trail of wolves that attacked the library and came this way.”

As they shared their information.

Noah's eyes sparkled. It was because she recognized a familiar face in Roen's group—the silver-haired girl who was yawning.

‘So Dilia is here, too!’

That brought the number of Named characters to three.

It was a shame Ulan wasn't here, but it was more than enough to take on the white wolf.

‘But why is Sylphy here?’

Sylphy Ludric.

A figure suspected to have some connection with Bai Lang, being under the Ludric family. Noah eyed Sylphy suspiciously.

At that moment, Sylphy suddenly spoke up, "I, uh, over there! I think I saw the giant wolf not far from here."

"Hmm? What do you mean, a giant wolf?"

"Oh, that's actually......."

For Ethan, who didn't know the circumstances, Roen conveyed the story he heard from Sylphy.

A giant wolf in the depths of the forest, creating all sorts of wolves using fog.

Upon hearing this, Noah's expression sharpened.

‘......Sylphy knows the white wolf.’

Quite accurately, too.

Noah recalled her speculation from the library.

That — Sylphy Ludric was a heretic of the Desert Order, and that she might have enrolled in the academy to tame Bai Lang.

Of course, it doesn't matter where she came from.

However, their motives were something Noah couldn't ignore, especially because they were contrary to what she sought.

‘The white wolf must not be tamed,’ she affirmed, determination blazing in her eyes. It had to be defeated, no compromise allowed.

That's the only way to get the hidden reward.

The heart of the white wolf, in particular, was a mana core that held immense value. If processed and consumed properly, it could double one's mana reserves.

‘The soul is useful too.’

If she extracted the soul of the Bai Lang and used it as a familiar, her rank as a shaman would increase by two levels, and she would be able to use even more powerful spells.

So, there was no room for compromise. Noah's eyes flashed with determination.

"Let's move again!"

The group resumed their advance, following Sylphy's direction.

How far had they walked? Unique sights appeared intermittently. Giant stakes emerging from the ground and wriggling about.

"What are these stakes......." sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴovᴇlꜰirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

"It seems something was sealed."

Ethan, who instantly guessed the identity of the stakes, turned around again. He realized that something ‘dangerous’ had been released from the seal.

After a while,

The group arrived at the center of the forest and—

—the entrance to the crypt soon came into view. From inside, a formidable force could be felt.

Roen frowned at the sight.

“...It's an incredible amount of magic.”

“I wonder what's inside…,” Ethan nodded in agreement.

True to their words, powerful magic flowed from within the crypt. It made the hairs on their bodies stand on end.

But they couldn't just leave it alone.

Following Roen's instructions, the group moved cautiously, creating an encircling formation, "When I give the signal, approach slowly."

He took the lead.

With his signal, the group gradually closed in.

But at that moment…

…a loud noise echoed from deep inside the tunnel.

Bang! Kwaang! Kwaang!

Sounds of something being smashed. At the sudden sounds, the group came to a halt.

After a considerable amount of time passed.

Not only did the loud noises gradually cease, but something else diminished.

"The mana......!"

It was disappearing at a rapid pace.

An incomprehensible phenomenon. However, before the puzzling feeling lingered, Roen quickly regained composure. This was something that could be quickly resolved by investigating the inside of the crypt.

So just as he was about to order them forward again.

Thump! Thump!

The mound of earth at the entrance to the tunnel stirred; as if something was about to emerge from within.

"Hold your positions.”

Roen gripped his sword at the ominous phenomenon.

He wasn't the only one. Dilia, who was at the back, immediately channeled her stellar mana, and Noah also raised amulets in the air.

Slither!

Ibella also drew her sword halfway out.

A tense atmosphere hovered over the battlefield.

Just as he was swallowing his dry saliva without knowing it, the pile of dirt finally collapsed completely.

And a moment later.

The group came to a sudden stop.

"......Huh?"

There was only one reason; the identity of the person emerging from the tunnel was someone they hadn't expected — a man wielding an axe in both hands.

He was a barbarian, completely shirtless, and there was only one other person in the academy who dressed like that.

"U-Ulan?!"

No, why are you coming out of there?

Noah exclaimed in surprise.

“Why are you here……,” Ibella was also surprised.

The other members also had a fair amount of surprised reactions. At a time when everyone was so surprised that they were frozen, there was someone who quickly regained his composure.

"......Ulan Bator."

The man stepped forward.

It was Roen Philaud, the captain of the guards.

"I heard you were suspended and confined to your dormitory, but why are you here?”

A question followed with a fierce gaze.

It wasn't a difficult question to answer. So, he intended to reply nonchalantly.

But at that moment.

"Ulan!"

Someone interrupted him unexpectedly.

It was Sylphy.

"Hey, didn't you see a giant wolf in there? It was white and huge!"

She looked nervous and anxious.

Ulan nodded his head in affirmation, "I saw it."

"How did that, that wolf......."

"I killed it."

"......Huh?"

The answer that he killed it was not a lie.

Bai Lang, as a demonic beast, was no more.

Ulan, with a calm expression, gestured toward the crypt and said, "If you don't believe me, go inside and see for yourself."

She would understand when she sees Bai Lang as a spirit beast.

His words hung in the air, and Sylphy, dumbfounded, wasted no time. She rushed forward without hesitation, with Noah closely following suit.

"It's dangerous! Come back!"

Roen shouted a warning, but the two girls paid no attention. With each having their own purposes, they thoroughly searched the inside of the tunnel.

Yet, there was nothing—no trace of the once-mighty beast, only lingering magical residue, remnants of a formidable presence.

"Could it be... Could it really be true...?" Sylphy whispered, her voice laced with disbelief. The White Wolf of the Mist, an ancient desert beast, earned its name because upon death, it vanished like mist, leaving no corpse behind.

And now.

Only the traces of the white wolf remain in the crypt. Its body had disappeared. This means that Ulan's words were true.

“Ha, ha ha. Ahahaha!”

It's ruined. It's all ruined!

The empty laughter of someone who has given up on everything echoed through the crypt. At that time, Noah also belatedly confirmed this scene.

No remains, not even a mana core.

In a panic, Noah rushed out of the crypt. Turning to Ulan, she shouted, "Ulan! Did you happen to see the mana core?!"

"I didn't."

"Just in case, did you break it......."

"Maybe I did."

After the indifferent answer, Noah also slumped in her place.

As if she had heard something profoundly shocking. Well, it was understandable. They had missed a hidden reward right in front of their noses.

Noah and Sylphy.

On that day, as the two girls despaired—

—The sudden attack of the wolves on the academy came to such an end.

( End of Chapter. . . . . . . .Thanks for Reading. . . . . . . . . )

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