My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 106

“What the heck… What kind of unexplainable mana and pressure is this?! Are you really a Hero?”

“Do I look like I could be the Demon King?”

I felt a bit guilty calling myself a Hero, but there really was no other way to get the conversation flowing smoothly.

It’s not like they were under any illusions about it.

“The Demon King…? Yeah. That mana level could rival the Demon King. Haha. So this Hero has not only exceptional potential, but their power is already fully realized!”

Why does everyone react this way…?

Every time they sensed my Killing Intent, they seemed to be in awe, and I couldn’t help but wonder just how much mana I had.

“If you were the Demon King… this place would have become a disaster.”

Glacer murmured as he stood up.

The ice that was stuck to his chair fell to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.

“I can’t afford to hold back in front of someone whose capabilities are beyond my measure.”

Glacer extended his hand. The area around his eyes glowed blue.

Wait, this pattern is…!

“Maria! Use Teleport with the kids!”

I shouted urgently.

That technique was something Maria, who hadn’t reached the 8th tier yet, couldn’t stop. Naturally, Tina and Iris wouldn’t be able to cope with such a wide-ranging attack either.

“What about you, Teacher?!”

“Hurry!!”

Maria, under my urging, teleported next to the two Heroes and tugged at their clothes.

“«Teleport!»”

Just as I was about to feel relieved seeing the Heroes vanish, Glacer shouted out.

“World, freeze! «All-Freezing Technique!»”

Crack!

His shout froze the entire space, excluding a 5-meter radius around me.

“Ugh!”

The immense pressure made it impossible to see in front of me. I lowered my posture, shielding my face with my arms. It felt as if I might be blown away at any moment.

The area already covered in ice froze yet again.

“Phew…”

As I exhaled, a white breath escaped. It seemed that the temperature had dropped further due to the freezing of the space. My body began to shiver.

Moreover, with Maria disappearing, the Barrier that had isolated the space also vanished, letting the cold air hit directly.

“That’s impressive. If there wasn’t any fire around, we would have frozen solid.”

As he said, if there hadn’t been an Artifact, we would have died instantly.

As the temperature dropped, the flames flared up even more violently.

Fortunately, Glacer’s magic, which could freeze everything in an instant, didn’t manage to extinguish the fire.

I was anxious about what could happen in reality, but thankfully the Artifact held strong.

Originally, this pattern could be dealt with without an Artifact, but we needed a safe zone for that.

During the first phase, fighting Glacer had damaged the space, creating areas where the ice couldn’t reach, but he rushed straight into using second phase skills before we even started, leaving me with no way to evade.

If this had happened in a game, players would have cursed it as a bug.

“That looks more dangerous than the Black Dragon. How are we going to handle it?”

What am I supposed to do? I’m alone here, relying on you.

I glanced around.

The Low-Level Spirits that were chattering a moment ago and the Intermediate Spirits that were keeping their distance were now moving freely, unafraid of the ice.

However, it seemed they did not expect Glacer to go all out, as their faces and movements were frozen in place.

“That flame… It’s unusual. To withstand my ice… It must mean you have at least 8th tier power. Among humans, only Heroes could manage that.”

That’s probably true. Even the Magic Guild Leader had to concede before his skills.

Even if they shared the same tier, the quality was different.

“…You have a lot to say.”

“Well then, I’ll properly counter you now.”

Crack!

The ground where Glacer was standing shattered.

It was such a swift motion that I almost thought he disappeared instantaneously. The speed was beyond what one would expect from such a large frame. He appeared right in front of me and threw a punch.

“Pasma!”

He used my body to jump backward, dodging the descending fist aimed at me.

Bam!

The frozen ground shattered, sending ice fragments flying.

Getting hit even once would mean certain death. I wasn’t as tough as the Heroes, nor did I have any means of defense.

Before I could even land, a punch was already flying toward me.

There was no way to dodge this. Plus, since it was a physical attack, I couldn’t even block it with my Greedy Glass Sword.

But at this moment, the being that resided within me was someone who once had skills equal to Peremus.

“«Phantom Wave Slash».”

My sword swung, and the line drawn from the blade released a wave of energy that sliced through Glacer’s fist.

It didn’t stop there; it cut through his forearm, reaching all the way to his chest.

Boom!

Glacer staggered and fell from the unexpected force.

“What the hell just happened?!”

“Spirits do not vanish unless their core is destroyed. Even cutting one or two parts of their body will allow them to regenerate over time.”

Pasma, who had safely landed me, amplified his Aura even further.

As he said, just as humans have hearts, Spirits have a ‘core.’

The moment that core is shattered, a Spirit vanishes forever.

Conversely, as long as that core remains intact, a Spirit can live indefinitely.

“Then, if I cut off all the limbs of that Ice Spirit to incapacitate it, that means I would pass this test, right?”

“W-What?! Wait—”

“«Phantom Wave Slash».”

With a tremendous sword strike, Glacer’s left arm was severed.

“Kyah!”

Thud!

An ice arm fell to the ground, causing a massive shockwave.

Pasma readied himself again to strike. The target was the legs. Just as his sword was about to swing.

“T-That counts as passing!!”

Glacer shouted.

At his words, Pasma’s movements halted abruptly. Slowly lowering the sword, Glacer exhaled in relief.

“Really?”

“I-I really mean it!”

Only then did Pasma smile and sheath his sword.

I felt as if my essence was slipping away as I stared at the floating red spirit beside me.

“Always grateful.”

[Isn’t that a friend? I owe my friend a lot too. Though my body is quite pathetic, feel free to use it as much as you want.]

“Don’t mention it.”

I nodded and stepped towards the collapsed Glacer.

“Wow! Hero, you defeated him!”

The Low-Level Spirits applauded before rushing towards me. Seeing them swarm around me, chattering away, I could feel another headache coming on.

“Hero!”

“…What is it?”

“Who are you going to sign a contract with?”

“What?”

A contract? Me?

“With Serin?! Or maybe with the King?!”

Why would I do such a thing?

That’s for the Heroes who go out to battle. I had no intention of increasing my burden with unnecessary dependents. I didn’t plan to have connections with Spirits like Pasma either.

“I won’t be signing a contract.”

“Eh…?”

“You said you wanted to show me something fun!”

They all sighed in unison, puffing up their cheeks and blowing raspberries. It was utterly ridiculous.

“Enough already! Get out of the way! I have things to discuss with that guy.”

I subtly pushed them aside and approached Glacer, only to be blocked by the Intermediate Spirits.

“The test has ended! Please stop!”

Jack Frost spread his arms wide. Undine and Flow were ready to unleash magic, hands reaching inward.

“I’m only trying to talk. Don’t stop me.”

“Talk…? “

“Don’t worry. Just let me through.”

At Glacer’s words, the Spirits reluctantly parted ways. I stopped in front of Glacer.

“Glacer.”

“How… do you know my name?”

“That’s unimportant. Why don’t you drop the façade? That isn’t your true form, is it?”

“I-I think this form is perfectly fine…”

“If you keep that up, my neck will hurt. Change it right now.”

As she hesitated, she started to shrink.

The body covered in ice slowly melted away, revealing a small girl with blue hair. Her skin was also tinted blue.

Wearing a witch’s hat made of ice, she rolled her eyes at me.

“Ooh! Serin has become Glacer now!”

“Use some magic!”

The Low-Level Spirits pointed at Glacer, causing a ruckus, while Glacer was looking back and forth between me and the ground.

“Um… if you keep staring like that, I… um, feel embarrassed…”

“Why are you in the form of an Ice Spirit?”

“J-Just look at my face…”

She shyly pointed to her face.

It was an incredibly cute face.

With a charm comparable to Ariel, her youthful appearance could get away with having numerous boys fawning over her.

Gazing at her, she bit her lip, her eyes welling up.

“…D-Don’t look at me!”

She shook her head vigorously, covering her face with her hat. I sighed and facepalmed.

The reason Glacer was in the form of an Ice Spirit was due to her social anxiety.

She had a peculiar tendency of not being able to make eye contact with people.

“What are you doing?”

“Isn’t it cute?”

“…”

“Isn’t it not cute?!”

When I fell silent, she nervously repeated the question.

I knew what I was supposed to say here. I understood, but I just didn’t feel like it.

I shifted my gaze elsewhere and quietly stated.

“I don’t know.”

“…Really?! Am I really not cute?!”

She leaned closer, asking me. Feeling awkward, I pushed her away a bit and replied.

“…Yeah.”

“Wow…! No one’s ever said my face isn’t cute before!”

I didn’t say it was ugly…

“I often get told I look weak to other Spirits because of my cute face. So I transformed into the Ice Spirit to… “

“Teacher! Are you alright?!”

With a familiar voice, the Heroes appeared. Iris rushed towards me, brandishing her sword as if preparing to strike.

“Stop it. It’s over.”

Iris’s sword halted right beside Glacer’s neck. The other Heroes also froze in place.

“What’s going on…?”

“The test has been passed.”

“Eh?”

“This girl was the Ice Spirit just a moment ago.”

As I pointed to Glacer, the Heroes looked at her as if entranced.

“Ugh… Please don’t look at me…”

As the Heroes’ gazes settled on her, she curled up, covering her face with her hat.

Seeing Glacer’s reaction, the Heroes exchanged bewildered glances between me and her.

I shrugged in response.

I guess you should ask the creator about this bizarre setting.

Honestly, I didn’t understand it either.