Volume 1 Chapter 18 the Scholomance

Chapter 18 the Scholomance

I

It was a normal morning in the entomology classroom. The professor was standing on the lectern and the students were reciting their textbooks mechanically. The face of the students looked pale as if their lives had been consumed by something.

No one could understand what they were actually reciting. Their voices were low and fuzzy, which made the morning reading sound like some sort of cult chanting in an evil ritual to celebrate the gloriousness of their false idle.

Some students were a little sleepy because it was early in the morning while the other students were vigorous. However, although they seemed vigorous, there were only greed and desire in their eyes, and what they wanted was definitely nothing related to beauty and kindness.

All the students had pale skins like other citizens in Scuropolis. There were no colours on their skins at all, making them look like zombies instead of people alive.

Besides the students, there were also someone listening in on the class. That was a middle-aged man wearing black trench coat. There are ugly scars in his face. Emanating by him was some sort of wicked aura of pure evilness and destruction. Held in his right hand was a bottle of purple potion of unknown usage.

The bell rang sharply and the class commenced. The professor started to teach a lesson about entomology. Obviously, this professor was an expert in locusts because everything talked about was related to locusts.

One of the students, Frank, was late again. Panting heavily, he rushed into the classroom, disrupting the class. The professor frowned, looking at him rather angrily.

“You’re late again, Frank!” roared the professor.

“I’m sorry, Professor Fames,” apologized Frank.

“You’re a useless lazy student, Frank. I am a successful man, but I am still hardworking and I arrive at this Scholomance punctually at 5:00 every day. As for you, I don’t know what makes you such a pathetic student without self-control. You’re disqualified, Frank! Leave this Scholomance! You don’t deserve being my student,” smirked Professor Fames.

“I have a problem with insomnia, Professor Fames. I can’t fall asleep,” protested Frank.

“We live in a great city. If you have any psychological problems. That’s your individual problem, which means you don’t suit our great city and civilization. YOU ARE A LOSER, FRANK! I’m sure that in the future you will fail to find a job and be starved to death in the end,” sneezed Professor Fames.

“People are killing themselves, Professor! There are people who suicide or die because of hunger every day. Civilization is a lie!” retorted Frank.

“How dare you say this!” yelled Professor Fames.

“I don’t want to live in this stuffy city anymore. I will escape here and I will run to the wilderness. I’ll dance with the wind and walk under the rain. I’ll bath myself in the moonlight and sleep under the night sky …” growled Frank.

“Pathetic! There will not be wilderness anymore! The city will spread and assimilate everything into bricks and mortars with the power of the Cube of Necrus one day. Besides, you’ll fail to feed yourself in the so-called wilderness, because there is no farmable soil now. The whole world has been occupied by weed!” scoffed Professor Fames.

“That’s because of you Great Factory! Those necrological matters that the factory creates have polluted the soils of the whole world and make it acidic. That’s why the weed is growing and the soils are becoming unfarmable!” accused Frank

“So what? Nothing can stop us! The Grey Factory is invincible!” smirked Professor Fames.

“But you haven’t gotten the Cube of Necrus, right? They were in the possession of those criminals and you couldn’t catch them,” muttered Frank.

“Non-sense! Before I came to this classroom, I was controlling the locusts to hunt them but when I was about to succeed, they hid inside the water. They can’t hide there all their lives and soon I will catch them and when I kill that elf, I will retrieve the Cube of Necrus from her pathetic Pocket Dimension,” intoned Professor Fames.

As soon as his voice broke off, two barbarians, one boy and one girl, broke into the classroom and both of them began to stare at Professor Fames. It was Floria and Yanni.

“You’re Professor Fames, aren’t you?” demanded Yanni.

“It’s you two!” yelled Professor Fames.

“Do you know us?” probed Yanni.

“For sure he knows us, we’re famous here. There are arrest warrants with our portraits everywhere,” explained Floria.

“No matter who you are, Professor Fames. Give us your anti-venom, or something bad will happen to you!” roared Yanni.

“Hell, yeah! You two are so cool! Punch that nasty Professor Fames!” exclaimed Frank.

Suddenly, the man with trench coat who was listening in on the class stood up and put on his beak-like mask. Only then did the siblings recognize that he was in fact Doctor Plague.

“I’ll hold them here a little longer, Professor Fames. You just run back to your laboratory and get your serum!” commanded Doctor Plague.

“Thanks, Doctor Plague,” Professor Fames nodded and fled this classroom through a window.

“Long time no see, kids,” greeted Doctor Plague.

The siblings said nothing but stared aggressively at their nemesis.

“Where is that charming elf girl. She is about to die, isn’t she?” teased Doctor Plague.

“No, she won’t die, but you will,” growled Yanni.

Doctor Plague burst out wicked laughter and removed the cork from his bottle of purple liquid, which quickly evaporated and filled the air inside this small classroom.

All students fainted into coma upon inhaling the purple gases and the siblings didn’t feel well too. Their power given by Sylvana was somehow weaken by the purple gases. Their muscles were aching and their veins were burning in pain.

“What have you done to us?” moaned Yanni.

“The gases contain some neurotoxins which can make any human who inhales them faint into coma except me because I’m wearing a gas mask. However, you’re stronger than normal humans, because you have been blessed by that so-called Spring of Sylvana, and thus you haven’t fainted,” smirked Doctor Plague.

“You bastard!” cursed Yanni.

“Anyway, though my gases cannot make you faint, it can truly make you weak. In fact, I wanted to turn the students in this classroom into zombies to attack you, but they had been injected with my vaccine. What a pity!” continued Doctor Plague.

Floria tried to load her bow, but she failed, because the string of her bow contained lunarite and normal humans didn’t have enough strength to string the bow. Now her power given by Sylvana had been weaken by the gases of Doctor Plague, so she couldn’t work her bow now as well.

Laughing demonically, Doctor Plague charged towards the siblings and punched his fist towards Floria, but Yanni held up his shield, ran up to Doctor Plague and parried his attack for Floria.

As violently as a beast, Doctor Plague got the shield away from Yanni and threw it out of the window. The shield flew in the air for a moment and landed on the ground of the corridor outside the classroom.

Roaring like a attacking wolf, Yanni swung his fist at Doctor Plague. Smirking with contempt, Doctor Plague seized Yanni’s fist with his bare hand and head-butted him. There was a hard beak on the mask of Doctor Plague, poked by which, Yanni screamed and fell to the ground.

Floria tried to kick Doctor Plague, but the latter grabbed her feet and slammed her body down upon her brother’s. Both Floria and Yanni groaned in extreme pain.

Doctor Plague bent over, one hand clutching Yanni’s neck while the other clutching Floria’s. The siblings commenced to lose air and soon both of them would be choked to death by Doctor Plague.

Though her brain was deprived of oxygen right now, Floria was still trying her best to think quickly. Suddenly, an idea flashed through her mind. All of a sudden she reached up, grabbed the gas mask of Doctor Plague and took it off his face.

It happened so fast that even Doctor Plague himself didn’t figure out what was going on. Anyway, inhaling the purple gases he created himself, he started to lose consciousness, after all, though being strong and powerful, Doctor Plague was a normal human, unlike Sir Bellum and Master Mortis who had been strengthened by necrovirus, and normal humans couldn’t resist the neurotoxins in the purple gases.

Moaning in agony, Doctor Plague fell to the ground.

“I’ve lost, that’s impossible … Even if I die, my plague, my legacy will be purifying this world forever! It will consume everything which doesn’t belong to civilization …” murmured Doctor Plague.

Without an extra word, Floria took out one of her arrows and stabbed Doctor Plague at his heart. After vomiting a pond of scarlet blood, Doctor Plague died for good.

Gradually, the gases disappeared and the students woke up from the coma.

“Wow, what happen? Did you two beat Dr. Plague? That’s cool, you two are awesome!” blurted Frank.

“Yeah, thank you,” muttered Yanni.

“Come on, let’s go, Yanni!” urged Floria.

“But we don’t know where the laboratory of Professor Fames is,” Yanni pointed out.

“Well, I can help you find the lab, but I won’t help you two fight him. That’s dangerous,” suggested Frank.

“We understand. Show us the way, please,” requested Yanni.

II

Professor Fames arrived at his laboratory, and his son was already there.

“Good morning, father!” greeted his son.

“How is the examination, Luke?” asked Professor Fames.

“I am number two,” answered Luke.

“Why are you not number one?” demanded Professor Fames.

“It’s difficult, father,” stuttered Luke.

“Difficult? You’re my son! Do you know who I am? I am the second powerful man in this Normania! Only Master Mortis is more powerful than me! But you, as the son of glorious me, can only be a number two in this small school? You’re a joke, Luke, but you’re always arrogant!” scolded Professor Fames

“I am never arrogant, father! Have you ever met a person with lower self-esteem than me?” retorted Luke.

“You’re arrogant because no one in this kingdom, except Master Mortis, dares to speak to me with such impolite attitude. Are you retorting me? Who gives you the right?” smirked Professor Fames.

“You’re a bad father …” muttered Luke.

“Bad father? Have you seen those fathers who harm their sons physically. Everyone knows that I am the best father in this world!” roared Professor Fames.

“No matter what I do, you never approve me,” murmured Luke.

“I don’t approve you because you’re an arrogant boy!” shouted Professor Fames.

“I am arrogant? I am the worst people in this world. I am a piece of shit. Everyone is better than me!” whispered Luke.

“I know you’re a popular boy in the school. Many girls like you, but do you know? They like you because of me! Because of my power and influence! You’re nothing. Be my obedient son and do what I say, you will be the second most powerful man in this world in the future. Do you understand?” scoffed Professor Fames.

Sighing with anger, Professor Fames opened his safety deposit box, took out the serum inside it and injected himself with it. The effect of the serum was not permanent. It only lasted for three hours since the serum was only the test version now.

After the injection, he concentrated and tried to summon those swarms of locusts which were under his domination to protect himself from that barbarian sibling pair. However, no matter how hard he tried, not a single locust showed up.

“F**k! You lit up the locust coil!?” demanded Professor Fames.

“Oh yeah, and I hide it in a place that you won’t find so easily,” sneezed Luke.

“Eat shit, Luke! You’re 17 years old but you’re still like a baby. Put out the locust coil, or I cannot summon those locusts here! Those criminals are hunting me, I need to use those locusts to protect myself!” roared Professor Fames.

“Finally, I have the power to decide whether you’ll survive or die. That’s a good feeling!” smirked Luke.

“Put out the locust coil! Quickly, now! After I kill those criminals, I will tear you into pieces,” commanded Professor Fames.

The instant his voice broke off, the door of his laboratory was slammed open by someone. It was Floria and Yanni, the annoying siblings.

“Surprise, Professor Fames!” roared Yanni.

“Wait, it’s you! You’re the boy who saved that drowned girl, right?” Floria looked surprisedly at Luke.

“Oh, nice to see you two again!” greeted Luke.

“Put out the locust coil, son, please! Those criminals are dangerous!” pleaded Professor Fames.

“I will not, because they are my friends,” scoffed Luke.

“Screw it! I can still kick the ass of you two without the locusts! I just injected myself with the serum of the gamma variant of necrovirus,” muttered Professor Fames.

He began to mutant. His pores were stretching, from which some particles of necrite were released, covered the skin of Professor Fames and formed some sort of exoskeleton.

This whole exoskeleton looked like a humanoid locust with shells resembling insects’ chitin and a mask resembling the head of a locust. On the back of the exoskeleton were a pair of wings and a pair of insectoid arms resembling legs of a locust.

Altogether, Professor Fames had transformed into some kind of giant humanoid locust.

“I will smash you into pieces!” threatened Professor Fames.

Professor Fames beat his wings and soared into the air, his insectoid arms aiming at Floria, from which some kind of green acidic liquid was shot out. Yanni put himself between Professor Fames and his sister, holding up his shield and deflecting the lethal liquid flying towards her.

Floria hid behind Yanni and loaded her bow, waiting for a chance to attack.

After about 10 seconds, Professor Fames stopped attacking. Clearly, he had run out of that acidic liquid. From the waistbelt he wore, he took out a tube of that green liquid in an attempt to reload his insectoid arm.

As fast as a flash of lightning, Floria, got up to her feet and unbent her finger, letting the arrow shot towards Professor Fames at sonic speed.

Professor Fames used his insectoid arm to seize the arrow, but the arrow was so fast that it took the insectoid arm off the exoskeleton.

Just as Professor Fames’ attention was fully drawn by Floria’s arrow, Yanni threw his shield towards Professor Fames’ hand in which held that tube of green liquid. The shield flew through the air and hit Professor Fames exactly at his hand.

Letting out a horrible scream, his hand was opened and that tube of green liquid fell to the ground. The tube shattered and the green liquid streamed out, the acid inside which eating into the ground and forming a small black pit.

With only bare hands, Yanni charged towards Professor Fames, threw himself at him and rode on his back. Professor Fames flapped the insectoid wings on his back, struggling to get rid of Yanni, but Yanni kept hold of him, trying to tear off his wings.

Soon, both wings of Professor Fames were destroyed by Yanni and both of them fell to the ground. As drastic as a boiling soup, the two began to fight fiercely. Seemingly, with a insectoid arm, Professor Fames was having an advantage, but Yanni had a sister.

Floria loaded her bow again, aiming at her enemy, and unbent. Soon, groaning in pain, Professor Fames was shot on the back and fell.

“You lose, Professor Fames! give us the anti-venom, or you’ll die!” growled Yanni.

“Fine, fine, fine …” consented Professor Fames. He transformed back to human form.

He walked towards a chest, opened it and took out a tube of colourless liquid.

“This is the anti-venom. I know your elf friend has been bitten by my locusts. This anti-venom will cure the locust venom inside her veins,” Professor Fames explained and gave the anti-venom to Floria, “Leave my laboratory now, please!”

“You came with us. If this anti-venom doesn’t work, you will die too!” commanded Yanni.

“Uh-huh, dad! You said that you were the second most powerful man in this world, right? You look really powerful now!” sneezed Luke.

“You’re weak and pathetic, Luke! Without me, you will achieve nothing in the future! You will be a loser and you will be forgotten by the history!” teased Professor Fames.

“I won’t!” yelled Luke.

“Then prove it,” drawled Professor Fames.