Academy's Drunk Fighter-Chapter 34: First Crisis (6)

A red liquid soaked the floor.

Most people turned and fled the moment they saw the gruesome scene.

After all, the majority of those who’d have reason to be in this archive were like Noah—people who dealt with paperwork or intellectual matters.

Witnessing someone’s death wasn’t something they’d ever experienced before. It wasn’t something they were supposed to experience, either.

And even if they did see something like this, it was meant to be from the other side of a monitor, or in the form of a photo.

“Uuugh...”

One of the students let out a retching sound, trying to erase what they’d just seen from their brain.

“Haaah...”

Noah’s hand trembled quietly.

She was going to die. Her body torn apart, blood pouring out, sliding down the throat of a magic beast...

“No, it’ll be okay.”

But she’d been in a similar situation before.

She gritted her teeth and forced strength into her shaking hand.

Nothing big was going to happen. She believed in that person.

She believed they could survive.

He wasn’t just some ordinary academy guard.

They were people who could take down a typical magic beast all by themselves.

Only those who met that bare minimum standard were qualified to handle security at the academy—so it was clear this crisis would pass without further casualties.

And so, Noah pulled herself together much faster than the others and began guiding the still-frozen students toward the back of the archive.

“Everyone, move inside for now! Walk quickly, but don’t run or push!”

Thankfully, since the archive was located on the outskirts, there weren’t too many students inside. They managed to follow her lead and reach a secured zone where the magic beasts couldn’t easily reach.

Tak!

Leaving them behind, she stepped outside again—where she was met by the sight of beasts trying to squeeze through narrow gaps, only to be met by the guard stabbing wind-holes through them with sharp, precise movements.

Fwoosh!!

A spear thrust in, then withdrawn.

It struck clean through a beast’s heart, blowing a massive hole through its chest with a shockwave.

Crackkk!!

Even so, more magic beasts stomped over the bodies of their fallen comrades, smashing down the doors of the archive to break in.

“One-Line.”

From a simple downward slash of his spear, blood sprayed out—and one beast was torn apart on the spot.

Stronger than I expected...!

Noah’s thoughts had been right all along.

They could live.

“...You haven’t left yet?”

“Ah, is there anything I can help with?”

“Hmm...”

Slice!

The guard cleaved down another beast charging in over its dead ally. After a brief moment of thought, he opened his mouth.

“If I make it back alive, could you tell someone to bump up my salary? My dog’s food bills are killing me.”

“Ah... yes... But, you seem pretty relaxed right now...”

“Sure, now I do. But you never know what might happen next in this world.”

With that, the man turned back to silently fend off the beasts again.

Stabbing, slashing, striking.

One at a time.

Slowly... but steadily, the number of beasts dwindled.

“Damn it, how many of these things are there? No—how many Gates even opened this time?”

There were still a lot of them, sure. But at this pace, they’d definitely be able to hold out until the professors arrived.

Just as that thought brought a small sense of relief—

UOOOOOOOOOO!!!

KRAAAANG!!!

A monstrous roar erupted from outside. A creature far larger than any they’d seen so far shattered the narrow space as it reached its hand toward the guard.

“Cross-Sweep.”

He stomped both feet down hard into the ground, fixing his stance.

At the same time, the spear slashed at high speed.

His body moved like a dance—light, fluid. A red line traced across the beast’s arm.

Shing!

Crunch!

Even so, the beast managed to briefly grab hold of the guard, trying to crush him.

Pop!

Just then, the spot where the spear had slashed earlier came into focus—and in an instant, the beast’s arm turned into a hunk of meat.

“A-Amazing!”

He was just a guard. Even thinking optimistically, she hadn’t expected this kind of strength.

Maybe, really, no one else would die. Maybe they could return to their daily lives.

That first student’s death was truly tragic... but the living had to keep living.

“That was close. Its hide was thicker than I—”

KRAAANG!!!

“Guh...!”

A second hand, from the opposite side, smashed through the archive wall and grabbed the guard.

“No...!”

This time, it was clear—the beast meant to kill. It refused to let go and brought its prey toward its mouth.

At this rate, it’d be just like that poor student earlier. And if that happened, not only the guard, but the students behind Noah would all be slaughtered in seconds.

The guard struggled to move, but his arm was pinned—he had no room to swing his weapon.

“I’ll help—!”

“Stay back!!”

The guard shouted as Noah tried to run toward him. Then he hurled his spear high into the air and caught it in his teeth.

Slice!

With the sound of something being cut, the guard slipped free of the beast’s grasp.

“Your... arm...!”

But Noah could only gasp in horror when she saw what had happened.

“I’m fine...!”

To gain just enough space to move—to lift his spear—

He’d chopped off his own left arm without hesitation.

Rip.

He tied up the bleeding with scraps of clothing nearby, lifted his spear with his remaining arm.

“Haaah... I can reattach it later. I cut it cleanly for that reason... ugh... Anyway, stay hidden back there. You’ll get in the way.”

“Ah... y-yes!”

A firm decision, and the best possible choice in that moment.

But it came at a cost—his combat ability had dropped drastically.

His face twisted slightly in pain as he gripped the spear tightly.

Shing!!

The beast’s claw slashed down, but without his other arm, the guard couldn’t put enough strength into his movements.

He couldn’t fully cut through.

And worse... it wasn’t the only one.

GRAAAAAAAAAHH!!

The one that had seemed like their leader—wasn’t alone.

A second massive beast howled in the distance.

“...Ah, fuck.”

The guard let out a simple but unmistakably emotional curse.

No matter how strong he was, handling this entire situation alone was impossible.

They couldn’t keep relying on him for everything.

But... what could ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) she do?

Should she grab a sword? Try casting one of the basic spells she’d learned?

“......”

Thankfully, being in the archive meant there was plenty of paper, pens, and other supplies nearby.

And she did remember at least a few spells that enhanced someone’s stamina or strength.

She couldn’t cast them directly—but she could write them down...!

The only problem was that Noah wasn’t a mage. Her talents lay in documentation and records, not spellcasting, which meant using magic took her a long time. But now wasn’t the time to nitpick.

“Alright... let’s write whatever I can remember...”

The mages Noah knew could interpret information in midair and instantly activate their spells—casting all kinds of buffs and debuffs in under ten seconds.

But that was because they were mages.

Their insane processing speed and intelligence made such feats possible.

For people with no aptitude—like Noah—even reading those formulas caused mental overload.

Magic was a battlefield for geniuses and nothing less.

In the old world, casting spells meant pouring mana into runes drawn on the ground or paper over long periods. But mages had long since developed more efficient methods, and that old-fashioned approach had faded into history.

Still, none of that mattered now.

Just the fact that there was any method someone like her could use was more than enough.

“Got it...!”

It was just a basic enhancement spell—and it had taken a grueling ten minutes—but the magic circle glowing green meant she’d done it correctly.

At that same moment, the guard moved just a bit faster and glanced over his shoulder to nod in thanks.

“That helped. Stay back now. I’ll handle the rest somehow...”

As soon as he said it, the guard’s hand shot forward, deflecting the beast’s strike and countering with his own.

Thunk!!

The spear pierced through the hand, split open the forearm, and carved into the shoulder.

But the beast wasn’t dead yet.

GRAAAH!!!

Its remaining hand and gaping mouth lunged to tear into the guard’s torso.

“Spiral.”

But the spear twisted.

At the tip of the whirling weapon, a faint mirage shimmered into view.

“Spear.”

Then, with a sound like an explosion, the beast’s stomach ripped open into a spiraling wound—and the monster collapsed.

“Haaah...”

The guard, drenched in sweat, had clearly spent the last of his stamina. But with that final blow, the wave of beasts had come to an end.

There would be more if they went farther out—but all the beasts in this area were definitely dead.

“We did it...!!”

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A mountain of monster corpses stood before the guard.

Beneath it, the man rose to his feet, soaked with sweat.

“I should at least patch him up a bit...”

Noah began walking toward him, seeing that there was no more immediate danger—

Fwoosh.

Something sliced through the guard’s remaining arm.

“Guh—!!”

“Wha...?!”

A red spike had pierced clean through it.

A massive thorn—like it was made of solid blood—hovered in the air, slowly drifting back to its master.

“Greetings, everyone.”

What Noah saw next was an old man in a black goat mask.

“You...”

“We are currently in the midst of a great undertaking.”

Who the hell was this man who’d suddenly appeared?

Whoever he was, his timing and his words made it crystal clear—he wasn’t on their side. Noah tried to grab the guard and retreat—

“But for the sake of the One, you will all have to help us.”

STAB!!

“Guh...!”

More red thorns shot out, piercing Noah’s legs with brutal force.

“You... what the hell are you...?”

She grit her teeth and didn’t scream—but she couldn’t move either.

This was bad. Really bad.

Am I going to die?

Death was right in front of her.

“Well then, goodbye.”

The old man raised his hand—and behind him, countless blood-red spikes bloomed into existence.

Noah shut her eyes tightly, bracing herself for the pain.

And then—

CRAAACK!!

A clear, ringing sound split the air like crystal shattering.

“......”

Clatter...

A long, narrow bottle rolled across the floor and came to a stop in front of her.

“Ah...?”

“Senpai! Thank god. I’m not late, right?”

And in her blurred vision, she saw that small frame—white hair catching the light.

“E... Esha?”

That familiar voice—hearing it made Noah exhale in relief without even realizing it.