Academy's Drunk Fighter-Chapter 27: Magic (6)

Large-Scale Magic Circle.

Also known as the [Grand Magic Circle], this spell had a bit of a misleading name.

The circle itself wasn’t particularly huge—but the range of its effect? It could easily stretch across dozens, even hundreds of meters, covering the entire battlefield.

Naturally, the cost to cast something of that scale in-game was massive.

Just gathering the required materials meant securing high-grade mana stones, an enormous reservoir of base mana, and even though the circle was physically small compared to its effect, the actual area it had to be deployed on was huge.

And then there was the number of mages required to execute it.

Not a single part of the spell was easy or convenient.

But I was only testing the possibility because the person I was asking... was Charlotte.

Normally I’d have gone with another method, but if this route was even remotely possible, I had to use it.

“It’s... possible, I think...?”

“Really?”

The answer that came back was a yes.

That alone was an incredibly good sign.

Right now, I was under orders from the Doomsday Cult to keep the students gathered in one place.

Obviously, doing so was pointless.

There were too many professors scattered throughout the Academy. Unless literal Armageddon descended on them, no real disaster was «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» going to happen while they were present.

And targeting students after luring the professors together was also pretty much impossible, considering the timing and logistics.

But they were probably aiming for a scenario where they’d cause a commotion in the central area—somewhere difficult for the professors to immediately reach—then strike elsewhere while the chaos pulled staff away.

I knew when it would happen. But I didn’t know where.

Each game scenario changed the target location every time, and asking directly would only make people more suspicious of me.

“It’s possible... but... why?”

Charlotte tilted her head with genuine confusion.

I hesitated for a second.

Should I tell her about the disaster that was coming?

But I didn’t stay silent for long.

“About a month from now... a certain group is going to attack the Academy.”

“Huh? R-Really?”

Her eyes went wide.

She started trembling slightly just from hearing the words.

Still, I didn’t even consider the possibility that Charlotte was one of the Doomsday Cultists.

In every route I’d ever played, every scenario, every loop—she had never once been swayed by them.

My theory was simple: they couldn’t get to her.

Charlotte spent nearly all her time buried in the library. She simply never showed up on their radar.

And even if she did hear something big, she wasn’t the type to go blabbing to people.

Especially something as serious as an Academy invasion.

Actually... she didn’t even have people to tell.

“B-But... why are you telling me this? There are other professors, aren’t there...?”

I answered her plainly.

“Because I trust you.”

“...O-Ohhh!!”

And I meant that.

In a world where trusting anyone was dangerous, she was one of the only people I could rely on.

Not even Noah or Professor Philia were completely trustworthy.

There’s no such thing as 100%. Suspicion has to be constant for a possession-type protagonist like me. But if I lived that way nonstop, I’d die from the stress long before the cultists ever killed me.

And if Charlotte was already brainwashed by the cult?

‘Then screw it. We’re doomed anyway.’

I’d done my best. If that still didn’t work out, then there was nothing more I could—or should—do.

Because that’s what doing my best means: I used every option I had.

“Th-Then what do you want me to do...?”

“When I give the signal, I’d like you to cast a protective spell over the entire Academy.”

“The... entire Academy?”

She tilted her head again, looking a little overwhelmed.

“Is something wrong?”

“Well... the Academy’s really big, so it might take a while to cover the whole thing...”

“How long would it take?”

“Umm... maybe a month? If I rush... maybe three weeks? I’m sorry... someone like me just...”

“No—no, that’s plenty of time. That’s perfect.”

She looked down, clearly dejected, so I fired off a bit of encouragement right away.

I’d gotten used to this—Charlotte’s low mental resilience meant she often spiraled into self-doubt.

Time was a little tight, sure, but it was doable. With that much time, we could get the barrier up around the entire Academy.

That meant the professors would likely arrive before the cultists could start their massacre.

The only thing that really worried me now was... materials.

“Is there anything you need to make it?”

Even if it was Charlotte, I couldn’t expect her to pull off a miracle with no components whatsoever.

If she needed materials, I was willing to scavenge them myself—even if it meant grinding my body down and combing every inch of the game world for the right items.

But the answer she gave was...

“N-No... just a few pens that won’t smudge in rain or wind...? Oh, and paper... thicker is better...”

“You’re amazing.”

Seriously. The efficiency of a top-tier endgame character.

I was finally starting to understand why the devs made her so hard to find.

“Eh...? Hehehe...”

She giggled and scratched her head, flustered by the compliment.

“So... should I start now?”

“Yeah. It’ll take a while, right? Just let me know when it’s time to draw the magic circle. I’ll come back then. The final range depends on how complete it is, right?”

“Yep!”

“Thanks again, Charlotte. Really.”

“C-C-Could you... m-m-maybe... call me... your f-f-friend again...?”

“Of course. You’re my friend.”

“Hehehehe...!!”

Seriously.

Out of everyone I’d ever met—no one was as pure as Charlotte.

Unspoiled. Untouched.

Genuinely innocent.

If Charlotte had been widely discovered by the player base, I’m sure there’d be a flood of messed-up fanart floating around in the darker corners of the internet.

There were always people out there who wanted to color in the canvas of someone weirdly pure with their own twisted shades.

But purity... purity is something that’s valuable just as it is.

That’s why I worry she might fall in with the wrong crowd someday—but that’s not something I can take responsibility for.

Right now, I’ve got bigger problems to handle.

“If you ever need anything else, just let me know.”

“O-Okay!!”

If there was anything, I’d get it for her—even if it meant tapping into the illegal routes I hadn’t dared touch until now, as long as I didn’t get myself hurt in the process.

If the Academy went down, I wouldn’t even be able to attend the mandatory health checks legally.

As Charlotte quietly began sketching something out on the floor, I went and picked up some thick paper and about ten weather-resistant pens from the nearby supply store.

Thankfully, I still had plenty of money left over from Isaac’s little “apology fee,” so it was easy to afford.

If I hadn’t, that might’ve been a real problem.

The world always throws curveballs when you least expect it.

Though... if I had to do it again?

“Tch... yeah, I’d do it again.”

One fight for a million won? Hell yeah, I’d take that deal.

After dropping the supplies off with Charlotte and saying goodbye, I headed to Noah’s place next.

Beep beep beep beep!

Electronic tones chirped from the keypad.

Beep-beep! Click.

As the door unlocked, the familiar interior of Noah’s apartment welcomed me.

Last time, when she brought me food, she gave me the passcode—so this was all above board.

It still felt like she was being too nice, but hey, I wasn’t about to complain.

“She’s not here?”

Unfortunately, the gently swaying blue hair of Noah was nowhere in sight today.

Guess that made sense—she was a second-year, after all. Probably had a lot more classes than me.

Or maybe she just had something else going on.

Not that I’d come here to see her, anyway.

‘I ran out of food.’

I’d taken four days’ worth of curry porridge, but I’d been so damn hungry I finished it all in three.

Clunk.

I opened the fridge, and the cold air hit me as the now-familiar pot of curry porridge appeared.

The quantity seemed to have grown since last time—it was filled up to about the same level again.

“Curry porridge is a godsend...!”

Seriously, how could a food be this efficient?

It even had herbs mixed in, which meant I was getting some fiber regularly too—couldn’t ask for anything better.

Sure, porridge was meant to be eaten hot, but the cold version had this pudding-like texture that wasn’t half bad either.

It didn’t pair well with alcohol, but it worked fine as a substitute for a drinking snack.

Munch munch.

“Mmm...”

Still, it’d been tasting kinda sour lately.

“Could it be spoiled...? Nah.”

It was refrigerated. If it still tasted the same sour even after that, it probably wasn’t spoiled.

Probably.

With that logic, I crammed what felt like a decent lunch portion into my stomach.

Even if it was spoiled, there was no way I was wasting something this precious.

Worst case, I could just go to the Academy infirmary and get treated.

With that, I packed up a week’s worth in one go and stepped out of Noah’s apartment.

“...Huh.”

“?”

And there he was—standing right next to the door.

“Yoon... Siwoo?”

What the hell was he doing here?

Did he live nearby? No, even if he did, why would we run into each other right here, at this exact door?

My brain kicked into overdrive.

Noah’s apartment.

Yoon Siwoo standing right outside it.

Only one possible conclusion.

“...Stalker?”

“Wha—no! That’s not—!”

Yoon Siwoo... this bastard was way more dangerous than I thought...!

He was stalking me to find out where Noah lived?!

“You psycho freak!!”

This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.

“It’s not like that!”

His face turned pale, but I didn’t care—I slammed the door behind me and bolted.

Stalking me and possibly working with the Doomsday Cult? Jesus.

“WAAAAAIT!! It’s not what you think!!”

He shouted after me, but I plugged my ears and sprinted all the way home.