Chapter 258: Unleashing the Demon Hand
History is written by the victors, and as such, those in power tend to embellish their own roles in the chronicles they produce. However, because gods existed in this world, the historical accounts written under their watchful eyes could never deviate too far from the truth.
Goddess Idun then began her lesson, using materials the students themselves had gathered. Before Liam's arrival, the students of the Academy District had collected data through their field surveys. This information was then vetted by the teachers and gods, who updated the curriculum accordingly. Because supervising instructors guided the overall direction, the Academy's teaching methods were far more modern and relevant than anywhere else.
It was like the difference in teaching someone how to boil water.
In some nations, chapter one would define what water is, and chapter two would define the standard for "boiled." You wouldn't learn how to actually boil the water until chapter ninety-nine. Worse, this curriculum might only be revised once every five, ten, or even more years.
The Academy, on the other hand, would dispatch students and teachers on global field expeditions. They would then provide detailed instructions on how to boil water based on the global environment and water resource conditions.
Chapter one would cover how to boil water under normal circumstances. Chapter two would explain how to do it in special environments. Chapter three would teach you how to build your own water-boiling tools. And chapter four would be a constantly updated report on water quality around the world, explaining how to procure local materials based on geography and altitude.
Compared to other institutions, the Academy truly put learning into practice. It stripped away all the useless filler, upgraded the most valuable knowledge, and passed it down.
The lessons Liam learned that morning were incredibly useful, filling in the gaps in his knowledge and understanding of the world.
Next was his Apocalypse Response Theory class, taught by Professor Adra. He was a dwarf with a monocle over one eye. He activated a magic-powered projector, which began displaying images in the classroom.
Liam saw a village burned to the ground, the bodies of elves, and refugees consumed by despair.
"Everyone," Professor Adra began, "monsters have been appearing frequently in the Dragon's Valley in recent years. They have breached the barriers set up by the Academy and caused a great number of casualties. Even if you plan to stay in Orario, I hope you will not forget the disasters still occurring all over the world."
It was only after coming to the Academy that Liam learned the Dungeon was just one of the world's three great uncharted regions. The Dragon's Valley was another.
Furthermore, it was the habitat of the Black Dragon, Nidhogg.
The Dragon's Valley was an extremely dangerous place, an area adventurers could not tread lightly. It was completely different from the Dungeon. The Dungeon, at least, was suppressed by the power of the god Ouranos, the Babel Tower, and the presence of countless adventurers. In the Dragon's Valley, the most the Academy could do was maintain a barrier around its perimeter. A barrier that the Black Dragon Nidhogg could completely ignore, coming and going as it pleased.
Liam suspected the Academy's information on the Black Dragon wasn't entirely accurate, likely censored to maintain student morale. The official intelligence stated that the danger in the Dragon's Valley increased the closer one got to its core.
"The world yearns for the arrival of heroes," Professor Adra concluded. "I hope that you can become those heroes!"
Because of the Falna, the power gap between adventurers widened exponentially with each level. Even an entire army was completely useless against a high-level adventurer. This was precisely why adventurers placed so much emphasis on individual heroism and the principle that might makes right. Only by embracing personal valor and achieving breakthroughs in countless perilous battles could one obtain greater power and become a true hero. Only a higher-level adventurer could defeat a stronger monster.
For this reason, even gods who cared about the size of their Familia would keep their core combat personnel relatively small. The general practice was to pursue quality over quantity, seeking out and nurturing individuals with the highest potential. Even in top-tier, S-class Familias like Loki's and Freya's, the number of core members was only around one or two dozen.
After Apocalypse Response Theory ended, Liam went to the locker room.
His gaze fell upon his left arm. The limb was a stark, pale white, with sinister veins faintly visible beneath the pallid skin. The whiteness was jarring, and he thought he had grown used to it by now. In truth, the Oni Power no longer had any adverse effects on him. But it was still his own power. Would it be a waste to simply discard it?
After changing, Liam headed to the arena on the Academy Layer. The vast grounds were built with special bricks, and the spectator stands were painted white. The arena floor itself was paved with white adamant.
Students in the Combat Division had many mandatory subjects, and each student was required to choose at least three. Liam had chosen Swordsmanship, Practical Magic, and Comprehensive Combat.
His Spirit Vine Bracelet allowed him to sense seven magical elements, and he himself possessed dual affinities for lightning and fire. He had a natural talent for spellcasting. Of course, Liam had no intention of learning magic that required long chants. Even if a single long-incantation spell could turn the tide of battle, the key issue was that he would never have the time or opportunity to chant during an intense fight with a powerful enemy.
Therefore, Liam needed short-chant magic like Ais Wallenstein's, or instant-cast spells, or even passive magic.
Leon approached the students. After surveying the group, he issued his orders. "The Dungeon internship will begin soon. I expect all of you to take this seriously and prepare yourselves with strategies for the dangers you may face! Now, let the Comprehensive Combat session begin."
"Professor, I want to see what the new student can do!"
Iglin raised his hand. It was the short dwarf who had mocked Liam earlier.
Leon's gaze shifted from Liam to Iglin. "In that case, how about a sparring match between the two of you?"
"No problem!" Iglin agreed immediately. He already disliked Liam, especially since the elf was taller and better-looking than him. "Don't say I'm bullying you! Do you know any magic? If you do, I'll count it as your win if you can just damage my defense!"
Liam nodded. "I know a little."
Iglin held out his hand and began to chant. An earth-colored, translucent wall of light materialized between him and Liam. As a Level 2, summoning an earth-elemental barrier was his most efficient defensive option.
In this world, magic was a trump card. The more powerful and practical an adventurer's spells, the more sought-after they were. For instance, an offensive magic-user was typically more valued than a warrior-type adventurer of the same level. A minute of attacks from a melee fighter couldn't match the destructive power of a caster's fifteen-second chant. This was why in most parties, warriors were tasked with protecting the mages or holding back hordes of monsters while the mage-cannons unleashed devastating magical bombardments to blanket the area with firepower.
This is in the bag! Iglin thought to himself. He was using his strongest defense, and his opponent was just a Level 1 freshman. There was a whole level separating them. No matter how you looked at it, he had the advantage.
Liam studied the barrier. If he revealed his true strength, even at just Level 2, he could still finish this in an instant.
So, how about I test the power of the Demon Hand?
Leon was here. There was no safer place to do this. This would be the first time he voluntarily chose to undo the seal. What would the consequences be? Would he be consumed by the Oni Power?
To become stronger, one must take risks.
Liam's right hand moved to his left arm, pressing a switch on the suppressor device. One of the two restraints clicked open.
A stream of black light swirled around his pale Demon Hand, and an ominous, deathly aura enveloped it. When he couldn't use his familiar powers, using the Demon Hand was the next logical choice.
The air around Liam seemed to grow colder, and the spectating students suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.
Leon's eyes immediately locked onto Liam, his mind filled with alarm and uncertainty. The current Liam gave him a feeling of extreme danger.
Liam raised his right hand, and black energy condensed in his palm.
"In my name, I awaken the slumbering Oni Power. Rend all to pieces, Oni Slash!"
As Liam chanted, mysterious black markings began to appear on his left arm. The dark energy gathered in his right hand was instantly compressed into a cone, spinning at high speed. The amount of magic was clearly at a Level 1 standard, but its compression intensity had reached the level of a high-tier Level 2.
"BOOM!"
The moment the black cone made contact with the barrier, it exploded.
Since it was just a spar, Liam had intentionally aimed slightly off-center. Iglin's defense was effortlessly shattered, and the dwarf himself was sent flying by the shockwave, landing in a heap on the ground.
In that one attack, Iglin thought he was about to die. He looked down and realized his pants were soaked.
Liam looked in surprise at the defeated dwarf. He had only released half of the Demon Hand's seal, and he had suppressed his own power to a baseline Level 1 state. What he had just unleashed was the barest, most minuscule fraction of the Oni Power.
He only had the Sword Soul template, so developing the Oni Power was entirely up to him. The attack just now was merely his own modified version of an Oni Slash. The principle was to channel the Oni Power through his arm, compress it, and then release it from a distance. To conceal his ability to cast without chanting, he had even improvised some lines on the spot.
"How? How is that possible?" Iglin shrieked. "He must have cheated! How could a Level 1 break my defense?"
"The key point is that the total amount of magic I released in that attack was at a Level 1 capacity," Liam said with a shrug. "If you want someone to blame, blame yourself for being too weak."
"Damn you!"
Iglin scrambled to his feet and ran out of the arena in a rage. The surrounding students erupted in unrestrained laughter.
Maybe that attack was a little too vicious, Liam thought, even if I only used a Level 1's worth of magic.
This spar had once again elevated the students' opinion of Liam to a whole new level.
"So this is the legendary race!" a student exclaimed. "Even at Level 1, he can fight above his station because of his incredible racial talent! He's too strong!"
"I'm so jealous."
Looks like I got away with it, Liam thought. He re-fastened the suppressor on his wrist. The corrosive influence of the Oni Power seemed to have vanished. He hadn't felt affected by it at all. From this day forward, however, he would set aside specific time to gradually familiarize himself with this power.
Following Leon's instructions, Liam gathered with the other members of the Third Squad.
Aside from Liam, the squad consisted of Nina, a newly-changed Iglin, a dark elf named Reche who wore a mask all day, and a Pallum who was hard to identify as male or female, named Kris. Reche had brown skin and red hair. Kris was about the same height as Lili, but otherwise unremarkable.
The five of them were now gathered in the Residential Layer of the Academy District, on the second level. They had been assigned to the same dorm—the Third Student Dormitory. They had the entire building to themselves, though it wasn't very tall since there were only five of them. Each person had their own suite of rooms, and they were currently in the first-floor lounge. Unlike the streets of Orario, the streets in the Residential Layer were laid out in a grid pattern.
"Is it a little late for self-introductions now?" Nina asked tentatively.
Iglin was the first to stand. After stating his name, he immediately turned and left.
Reche wore a mask that resembled a faceplate, even indoors. After telling Liam her name, she became the second to leave the lounge.
Then came Kris. The Pallum looked at Liam with an arrogant smirk. "Hey! Gieg! When the Dungeon internship starts, you just behave yourself and stay next to Nina to be protected, you hear me? Don't you dare drag us down!"
So, this is the problem squad?
Kris was arrogant, Reche was withdrawn, Iglin hated the sight of everyone, and as for Nina… Liam hadn't found any flaws in her yet. Dealing with a team like this was going to be a headache. However, he only planned to step in if something went wrong during the internship. He couldn't be bothered to try and fix their personality defects.
Finally, only Liam and Nina were left in the lounge. Nina let out a sigh.
"This is how it is. It's really hard for us to work together. If we can't cooperate during the internship, we're definitely going to be in big trouble."
"What's their deal? They seem to have a lot of issues."
Nina thought for a moment but decided against saying anything. "Liam, let's just focus on catching up with our studies for now, okay?"
Since Nina didn't want to talk about it, Liam didn't press the issue.
He and Nina once again immersed themselves in the ocean of knowledge. In addition to swordsmanship, he began to develop a keen interest in magic. During his fight with the Corrupted Spirit, he had seen firsthand how astonishingly powerful magic could be. He possessed the Oni Power, and if he could apply the principles of magic to release that power, it would surely yield incredible results.
For the next few days, he studied alongside Nina. The other members of their squad, however, rejected all of Nina's invitations to study together.
Then, on the fourth day, their Dungeon internship began.
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