Surviving as a Con Artist at the Academy

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52nd Chapter: Want to Get Hit by Rice Balls?

At the entrance of Purgatory Mountain, a gigantic tourist site unfolds. The place where I had gone out with Jenny last time has completely lost its original form.

Back then, there were signs of degradation, but it wasn’t entirely devoid of attractions. Now, nothing remains.

The once lush hillsides had lost their color and turned into wasteland, while the flower beds and wooded forests looked as if they had been uprooted by a typhoon.

The catastrophic scene brought on by a large-scale war among humans could only be attributed to a single creature.

A fox with a whopping nine tails that can reshape the terrain with a single swing—a Nine-Tailed Fox.

Facing that monster is akin to confronting a natural disaster. However, at this moment, it is in an incomplete form that has yet to awaken.

Not long ago, Professor Radian and his assistant conducted some work here. It was likely a design intended to channel volcanic energy to the Nine-Tailed Fox.

This chapter’s final battle requires defeating her before she fully awakens.

The first match had the main characters pushed back by the wind, but after establishing a strategy, they will engage in the second match.

Even though the expedition members may have changed compared to the main storyline, it hasn’t hindered our approach.

In fact, as long as I am here, who is well-versed in the strategy, failure is not an option.

“Hey, little one. Do you know who I am?”

When a boy approached, the Nine-Tailed Fox regarded him warily.

Of course, she knows who he is. While he may not possess remarkable looks like her older sisters, he was the boy who always provided her with food.

He carried a fishing rod in one hand and a large bag over his shoulder. Whatever his intentions were, if he gets in the way, he won’t be spared old affections.

“Do you recognize me?”

The Nine-Tailed Fox leaned forward with her red eyes glinting.

Facing the snarling monster’s teeth was enough to evoke the perspective familiar to protagonists in monster movies.

It sent chills comparable to facing a massive meteor crashing down.

But I couldn’t back down so easily.

“Your name was Angela, right? It’s not too late to return to your original form.”

“Hehehe… Unfortunately, this is my original form. I can no longer become human, and I cannot tolerate coexisting with humans either.”

“…”

“And you say it’s not too late? That’s something I should be saying. Leave this village quickly. This is your last chance.”

To offer a last chance… for her to be coherent during this madness, it was quite rare. I, too, have connections with Jenny and Mary, which is proof of that.

“I knew you would respond that way.”

The moment I spoke, the ground shook. The sudden earthquake nearly made the Nine-Tailed Fox lose her balance.

The reason I remained steady amidst the turbulence wasn’t merely due to foreseeing it. The tremors seemed to originate solely from the Nine-Tailed Fox’s center.

Something began to rise from where she stood. Breaking through the ground like a mole, a metallic arm shot up.

Soon, another identical arm emerged. A massive structure made of iron revealed itself from the earth.

It could only be described as a robot, enough to provoke a sense of dissonance given the world setting. Atop it sat a boy wearing horn-rimmed glasses.

Baimon Dreadnote, a first-year student from the Alchemy Department, Class A. As a successor of an alchemical family that invented the ‘Iron Golem Technique,’ he could manipulate surrounding metals at will.

While part of alchemy, it enabled him to create various weapons by incorporating the family’s Golem Technique. These creations certainly evoke images of sci-fi.

‘This was the start of confusing whether it was fantasy or cyberpunk.’

The steel giant punched the unarmed Nine-Tailed Fox squarely in the face.

Though he showcased power while wrestling with the Nine-Tailed Fox, Baimon wore a dissatisfied expression.

The golem had been hastily manufactured from low-grade metals stolen from the village blacksmith. Even if people have fainted, stealing remains theft. Wracked with guilt, Baimon had ultimately used inferior metals instead of high-grade ones.

Perhaps due to the unsatisfactory power output, the Nine-Tailed Fox’s tail snatched the golem’s hand like a rope.

After taking several blows from that heavy fist, the Nine-Tailed Fox bore not a single bruise. With a contemptuous expression that seemed to say, ‘Is that all you’ve got?’ she prepared to throw the golem aside.

At that moment, one of the golem’s arms fell off. It was more accurate to say it had separated by itself than that it had been severed by outside interference.

Inside the severed arm, a blue light flickered. Emitting a subtle yet ominous energy, it shot forward in a dazzling streak.

[Chain Silver Style – Frozen Flower]

Caught off guard by the unexpected strike, the Nine-Tailed Fox found her jaw cloven open. If it had just been a mere wound, she would have regenerated quickly, but around the injury, her jaw began to freeze solid.

Startled, the Nine-Tailed Fox tried to scratch that spot like it was a mosquito bite. But this time, lightning erupted from the golem’s mouth.

The golem possessed no such ability. Just as Jenny hides within her wrist, Mary had unleashed her lightning magic from within.

In that moment, Mary flew out from the golem’s mouth, using wind magic to propel herself into the air. Behind her lay an array of magical circles and the forms of fierce beasts.

With mana pushed to the limits, dozens of mid-level elemental magic spells unfolded, and the spirits she had contracted charged towards the Nine-Tailed Fox.

The combination of elemental magic with spirit powers diverged greatly from her regular use.

Simply summoning the spirits would steer the battle in their favor. However, judging that this would not suffice against the Nine-Tailed Fox, she decided to use the spirits themselves as projectiles for the elemental magic.

Boom!

A sound more fitting for a war movie echoed through the air. As a deluge of arrows struck the Nine-Tailed Fox, the explosions resembled stealth bombers.

Even though the Nine-Tailed Fox possessed transcendent physicality, this was enough to deliver a punch to her gut.

Unable to withstand, the Nine-Tailed Fox finally withdrew her hands from her jaw.

The only wound made by Jenny’s ultimate skill. The golem used its remaining arm to push the Nine-Tailed Fox down.

Now was the only time to inject her with the divine power that would return her to human form.

“Oh, sacred light, purify the wicked mana.”

This time, the golem’s abdomen opened up like a door, and a bald young man leaped out. He dashed toward the wound with a shining dagger in hand.

It seemed like that divine energy was the only means to revert the Nine-Tailed Fox back. He had chanted within the golem in thorough preparation for this.

“Not a chance!”

The Nine-Tailed Fox, having anticipated this, didn’t stay still. With the golem having only one arm, she was not pinned down by its grasp.

A massive hand, still unbound, extended its claws. A chilling shadow loomed over Riplain’s head as she attempted to evade.

Whether torn by claws or crushed beneath the weight of that arm, it was fifty-fifty. It was a moment when scenes of terror flashed through her mind.

– Fishing Line Control Lv6

In a close call, I swung Leviathan. The sound of ‘creak’ resonated as the launched fishing line wrapped around the Nine-Tailed Fox’s arm before pulling it forward. She staggered and barely grazed Riplain’s head as she fell.

In the main storyline, Crona’s Sun Red would have appeared to block that arm with fiery wings, but I’m filling in for that role right now.

As expected of a chapter boss, it was an overwhelming display of strength. Despite the fatigue, it felt like I was wrestling with a champion in a tug-of-war.

Besides, even if that guy’s arm was restrained, the tail remained. It stretched elastically and shot up, aiming to pierce through Riplain as a target.

[Blood Wind]

A red streak sped faster than an arrow, darting to deflect the tail. The black-haired girl wielding the double-edged sword expertly blocked the nine tails.

Thanks to her proficient quick strikes, Riplain managed to reach the Nine-Tailed Fox’s chin without incident.

Though she could inflict wounds, the Nine-Tailed Fox would heal in just a second. Thus, she aimed for the frozen jaw, prevented from regenerating.

Having already made it there, dread gripped Riplain at whether she would succeed. Tensed, she injected divine power into the wound between the ice and fur.

May the blessings be… she cried out.

“Gyaaahhh!!”

The moment she succeeded, a beastly scream resounded. The source of the Nine-Tailed Fox’s enormity lay in some wicked mana injected from elsewhere. Riplain had confirmed it through her perspective as a cleric.

While it could potentially be neutralized by corresponding divine power, if the level of the mana were different, one attack wouldn’t suffice.

The Nine-Tailed Fox’s eyes glinted. The steel golem, Riplain, and the double-edged sword were all swept away by the surge of mana.

“Tsk. It looks like one shot won’t do it,”

Riplain said as she rose again, as if she had already anticipated this. The other expedition members resumed their positions, not willing to be defeated by merely this.

The Nine-Tailed Fox’s eyes turned bloodshot, perhaps due to the infusion of divine power. After being hit several times helplessly, along with the poison seeping into her body, both the agony and rage must have reached a peak.

Finally, a black aura known as mana began to emanate from the Nine-Tailed Fox. As it was released in a whirlwind, the expedition team, realizing it was just the beginning, felt cold sweat trickle down.

I too was tense. The game had labeled the Nine-Tailed Fox in that state as follows.

[Phase 2 - Mana-Infused Nine-Tailed Fox]

Now that Phase 1 has just ended, bizarre patterns await the expedition team.

Her attack power, defense, and recovery speed increased beyond previous levels. Now she even commanded mana, making it even trickier to deal with.

Just selecting one of her mana patterns could include an instant death ability that drains souls.

The only counter to that skill is the regeneration flames of Sun Red, a life-giving entity. But here I am, stepping in for her instead.

“It’s over now…”

The moment I heard those words… memories of playing the game resurfaced.

That’s the dialogue she spews before deploying the soul-draining pattern. As expected, the Nine-Tailed Fox opened her mouth wide. The darkness spreading from its depths resembled an abyss from which one could never escape.

Suddenly, the wind blew backward. The very currents twisted directionally towards the Nine-Tailed Fox’s mouth like a vacuum cleaner. However, what was truly being sucked in was human souls.

For those who call this a desperate moment… I’d scoff.

While everyone was caught in a panic, I opened the bag slung over my shoulder. A fragrant aroma wafted from within, tickling my nose.

Even a human would find it appetizing; what would it be like for an animal with a keen sense of smell?

“T-this is…!”

…The soul-draining stopped. The Nine-Tailed Fox sniffled.

While drawing in souls, she also inhaled air, hence scents got mixed in. However, without a specific scent to initiate the pattern’s cancellation, the Nine-Tailed Fox wouldn’t let it go.

But soon, saliva dribbled from the Nine-Tailed Fox’s sharp fangs. While it seemed to crave human flesh, what she hungered for wasn’t so peculiar.

“Will your nose survive after whiffing this scent?”

I pulled out what was in the bag. Wrapped in parchment paper, the round object emitted the scent of savory oil and ham.

Of course, this was within the range of her keen sense of smell. She had even come to my dorm specifically to eat this, using her nose.

I grinned playfully as I dangled it from the fishing line. Holding it up highlighted the delightful sight swaying on my fishing rod.

“Hey kid, know what this is?”

“T-that’s!!”

“Don’t you want to eat it? Right?”

“Don’t joke! You think I’d fall for something like that? It’s all over. Over!”

The Nine-Tailed Fox opened her mouth again to suck everything in. But with the smell also being drawn in, once again the pattern was canceled.

The tantalizing aroma was something she had desperately craved…

“How about it, doesn’t it make your mouth water?”

“Rice ball!!!”

The Nine-Tailed Fox charged at me with an excited expression. More accurately, she pounced at the rice ball dangling from my fishing rod. In another sense, that was quite monstrous.

As the enemy lunged, the expedition members scattered and dodged. Jenny and Mary urged me to get away, but I had no intention of doing so.

-Curse Aura Lv1

The fishing rod was cloaked in a deep purple aura over the transparent ordinary aura.

“If you really like rice balls…”

Everything caught on the fishing line became a weapon.

I swung it like a mace, aiming for the Nine-Tailed Fox who had lost her composure.

“Let’s see if you can handle a rice ball hit!!”

I struck her square in the face, causing vibrations to ripple through her fur.

Today, instead of fish, I’m catching a stray dog.

Survival as an Academy Scammer.