[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero":3,"chapter-i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-138":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Became the Academy’s War Hero",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1531795,1990,"Chapter 138 : Face of Calamity (2)","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-138",138,"\u003Cp>Chapter 138: Face of Calamity (2)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it was a brief probing battle that didn’t even last three minutes, the information gained for the upcoming fight was more than sufficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Betty Scarletwood, who had clashed with it directly, must have felt the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she brushed over the cracked areas on her body, she spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These aren’t just blades.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But did Dabios originally have an ability like this? This feels more like….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s the ability of that Erosion Pillar.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mana Contamination. Also called Mana Infect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the name implied, it was the power to contaminate mana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mana was ultimately a form of energy. If nothing entered, nothing could be produced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as one couldn’t gain strength from spoiled food, the types of mana humans could handle were extremely limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beasts, on the other hand, had almost no such restrictions. Even if mana was considered contaminated by human standards, they could use it without any limitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The essence of Mana Infect was to corrupt normal mana and make it usable only by themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The way Beasts invaded human territory wasn’t much different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through erosion and contamination, they turned environments uninhabitable for humans, and then used the abandoned, tainted mana as nourishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, roughly 20% of the world’s continents were already under the control of Beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with just nest Beasts, humanity had been pushed this far—if Gate Beasts began to rampage in earnest, humanity as it stood now would never be able to handle it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘And now this already troublesome opponent has appeared with mana contamination on top of everything….’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An already absurd SS-rank Beast had been given yet another ability beyond its base nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder it was called Apocalypse Mode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I rubbed my lips, then shouted loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rubia!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether she had been nearby or waiting for my call, Rubia Magnus arrived beside me instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gather all mages of Grade 3 and above. We’re going to lynch Dabios.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The key was how long it could sustain Slaughter Field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The enemy is taking a defensive stance anyway….’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an efficient strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just by protecting the Erosion Pillar, they could fully contaminate the area within six hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘And they know external reinforcements won’t arrive easily.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If no reinforcements were coming, it made sense to complete the erosion first and then leisurely crush us afterward to minimize losses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected of Gate Beasts—far more rational than nest Beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Which is exactly why we can catch them off guard.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After briefing the mages, who had gathered in less than two minutes, I emphasized once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We need to determine at what level of power it activates that ability. Then we measure its duration.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They nodded silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I responded with a grin full of fighting spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then stand by. I’ll give the signal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang! KWAANG!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoooosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoooosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For ten minutes, the mages unleashed bombardments in sequence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—There’s no need to fire everything at once. If the number increases, even weak attacks might trigger the ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, it was uncertain—but by the five-minute mark, it became clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…There are definitely techniques it’s wary of.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once magic reached advanced levels, regardless of type, it triggered Slaughter Field. That much was certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, there were some mid-level spells that also triggered it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earth-element magic and Needle Magic were the most representative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other hand, it mostly endured fire, frost, and Spear Magic with its body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…This might actually work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In battles against the strong, the smallest edge always mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been the same in my fight with Karen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Francia and I, both far inferior in raw ability, had managed to land a decisive blow only because Karen let her guard down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We needed to make it think the attack was too weak to trigger Slaughter Field, force it to use its ability elsewhere, and then land a lethal strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The question was—who would deliver that strike?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Six candidates.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Karen was already heavily exhausted, and her control over output was poor. Her techniques always looked powerful—there was no way she could deceive it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rubia was the same. Her Holy Descent was meant to counter Karen, but she still wasn’t used to concealing her strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her combination of Divine Enchant and Saint’s Touch was still powerful, but divine magic was the greatest threat to Beasts. There was no way it wouldn’t prepare for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Betty was better at catching opponents off guard than those two, but her actual attack power was far lower. There was no guarantee she could deal a fatal blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, since she had already revealed part of her strength earlier, the enemy would be subconsciously wary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frederick was similar. His finishing move required at least a minute of preparation—easy for the enemy to respond to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My position wasn’t much different from Betty Scarletwood’s. I could deceive—but I lacked power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which left only one person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Francia Brida could deceive that monster and deliver a fatal strike at the same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Aura Blade… she can definitely do it.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn’t returned to the battlefield yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after returning, she wouldn’t be able to jump straight into combat. She would need time to analyze the situation herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I sank into thought—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kyaaaak! Kyaaaak!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grotesque cries echoed from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond the outer wall, the enemy’s second wave was arriving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flying Beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now this was Apocalypse Mode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We couldn’t defeat Dabios until Francia arrived anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So until then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We just had to go wild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We could finalize the operation after she joined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keh?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pierced through a charging Beast, killing it instantly, then grabbed its neck and tore it apart with a grin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good. This is good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I slashed upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come at me. I’ll kill every last one of you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battle had only just begun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud… Thuuud…!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground had been rumbling continuously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the vibrations persisted, her distant consciousness slowly began to return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the trembling earth through her entire body, Francia Brida opened her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp pain stabbed through her whole body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to it, she regained her senses much faster and blinked as she looked around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was lying on a makeshift bed in the lobby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On both sides were injured people who had been transported there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of them were unconscious, while the rest endured their pain as they received treatment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two beds away, she saw Colonel Belfor struggling to rise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thuuud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A loud explosion from outside transmitted inward as a shockwave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the tremor beneath her feet, she staggered toward the main entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creeeak—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she forced the door open, a foul smell struck her nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dust, sweat, and blood mixed together into a stench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even that didn’t matter—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene unfolding before her was utterly devastating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What is this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creatures were charging toward the tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no need for explanation—she immediately knew they were Beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Skin tones clearly different from humans or animals, eyes filled with hostility and killing intent, sharp claws and fangs, the unpleasant residue of mana, and their grating shrieks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were creatures she had heard about and studied countless times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Questions about how they had reached this place followed—but quickly faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the sight before her was far more shocking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Humans joining forces to fight the Beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Move them quickly! Over here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can they be treated?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re all human lives. We have to try.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Upper right! The barrier is collapsing! Reinforce it now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re doing it! But the erosion speed—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll buy time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait! If you go outside the wall, you won’t be able to come back!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our mission is to purge evil. If we fall at the end of that path, then so be it—martyrdom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…We’ll join you, Believer David.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You crazy bastards! Get back here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duel—Mallet, Karbenna, the Imperial Special Task Force, and Dellowell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who could have imagined these forces fighting together against Beasts?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Francia instinctively drew the sword at her waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade, broken in half, still bore bloodstains from her previous clash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…The real enemy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had grown stronger to take revenge on the enemy who destroyed her family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instructor Carter had asked her where that revenge would end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time, she couldn’t answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t know how far she would go before she could stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was her enemy Halenber, who destroyed her family?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or Bernhardt, who stood behind it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or the Empire’s ruling class that allowed Bernhardt to act freely?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t know. Not yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But one thing she could say for certain—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beasts were the enemy of humanity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She gripped her sword and ran.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Toward the one who would be waiting for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that same moment, Rubia Magnus held her position at the front line, waiting for the right time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>KWAANG!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>KWAANG!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The explosions pounded her ears so relentlessly that they were beginning to ring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She let out a faint sigh and surveyed the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About 6,000 Beasts in the plaza.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around 1,000 targeting the turrets and main tower from the outer wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another 1,000 flying Beasts joining in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the center, the Demonic Tree had grown close to 3 meters, continuously contaminating the area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And beyond that, a massive Mammoth Beast was pushing back the Golems and advancing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By simple numbers, it might seem manageable—each person only needed to handle four or five Beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the enemy was anything but easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘To show this level of coordination with only low-rank Beasts and no Command Entity….’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Against ordinary nest Beasts, she could easily handle ten alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But these enemies moved with speed and precision that didn’t match their ranks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s like their ranks have increased by two levels.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the E–C rank Beasts that made up the majority were like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the higher-ranked ones—their performance was outright shocking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Talents capable of defeating A+ rank Beasts within five minutes were now struggling even against B-rank Beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This applied even to the strongest fighters of each faction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving Dabios aside, since they had no method to deal with it yet—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They needed to eliminate the other high-rank Beasts as quickly as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet not a single one had been taken down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘To think even those invincible Executors can’t kill A+ rank Beasts….’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant they were already exhausted—both physically and in terms of mana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same applied to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could only smile bitterly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I had known my mana would run dry this quickly….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—even then, that would have been too harsh a demand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she hadn’t held back Karen Rosefield, the alliance would have collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, even maintaining the current stalemate would have been impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anyone wanted to assign blame, they should win the war first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no solution other than defeating the enemy leader as quickly as possible and wiping out the Beasts in the area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Rubia steeled her resolve once more—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A familiar voice called out from behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Professor Rubia!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Francia, now conscious, was running toward them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rubia’s face brightened as she shouted toward Eugene at the front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eugene!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing both voices from the front line, Eugene immediately signaled the two Executors and Frederick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The six strongest fighters had now gathered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After briefly scanning the five others, Eugene spoke firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There won’t be a second chance. If we fail, our odds drop below ten percent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They nodded silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning their acknowledgment with a faint smile, Eugene pointed his sword at Dabios.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now then… let’s test what the future of the Empire will be.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1905,"2026-06-06T06:11:51.613Z",1,"novelbin.me","a452fd02c4a844cc9467ed83a5f8d89ea9ec3d97d21b6b4425f60c46a18817f1","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-139","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-137",163,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-cover.jpg"]