I Got a Fake Job at the Academy
Chapter 515

"Everyone, stand back!"

An irritated voice unlike the usually calm and quiet Julia.

At the end of her glaring gaze was a black mass.

-Woooong.

It looked like black smoke floating around.

However, upon closer inspection, one could see that what constituted its body wasn't smoke, but countless black particles.

-Crackle!

When Julia shot lightning, the black mass that was hit shook violently.

But rather than appearing to be in pain, it seemed merely slightly bewildered by the unexpected attack.

'Of all things, the most troublesome one in the middle layer...'

That black cloud-like being was a 'Nightmare Subject' that only inhabits the middle layer.

Usually, it exists in that black smoke form, but the moment it makes contact with people, it transforms into a very dangerous being.

Just like now.

"Aaaahhh!"

The Nightmare Subject approached a student who hadn't managed to retreat in time.

The Nightmare Subject stared intently at the student while maintaining a certain distance, then began to change its appearance.

The black smoke twisted and turned, eventually transforming into a person with grotesque body proportions.

-Kihihihihi.

Its arms, legs, and face were long.

Through its disheveled black hair, only black holes existed where eyes should be, and its open mouth had three rows of sharp teeth like those of a shark.

It looked like a monster that seemed to belong in urban legends.

This was why Nightmare Subjects were dangerous.

They transform into whatever their target fears most in their subconscious mind upon contact.

-Kihihi!

The Nightmare Subject crawled on four limbs and rushed toward the student who had given it this form.

Its approach, crawling like a cockroach while letting out grotesque laughter, truly made one feel like they were in a nightmare.

"Aaah! S-Stay away!"

The student facing the nightmare cried out with tears streaming down their face.

Julia wanted to help but the situation wouldn't allow it.

She was already keeping three Nightmare Subjects at bay in her current position.

The situation would only worsen if she tried to help over there.

That's when someone stepped forward in Julia's place.

It was Selina, who had fallen back with the students.

"Step back!"

Selina unleashed her elemental power.

With a strong wind, she struck the Nightmare Subject's body from the side, sending it flying far away.

The Nightmare Subject that was hit quickly regained its balance and stared at Selina.

Though the student managed to escape, Selina's expression wasn't very good.

'The power is too weak!'

With her skill level, she should have been able to slice through with wind but now that wasn't possible.

Her power wasn't working properly. It felt like trying to swim with heavy iron weights attached to her body.

For Selina, an elementalist, the Dreamland was truly the worst environment.

-Kihihihi.

The grotesque woman set her next target as Selina.

Staying close to the ground, the woman charged forward with her mouth wide open, attempting to bite Selina's neck.

The sight was like a jaguar stalking its prey in the darkness.

"Ah!"

Selina's reaction was slow for a moment.

It was an attack she could normally block by summoning earth elementals but due to the special nature of the Dreamland's middle layer, she couldn't respond in time.

The sharp teeth approached right before her eyes.

At that moment, pitch-black darkness engulfed the grotesque woman's head.

-Kiiiiieeek!

The grotesque woman flailed her limbs in panic.

However, the darkness clinging to her face showed no signs of letting go.

The woman's thrashing limbs eventually went limp and when the darkness retreated, the woman's head was gone as if cleanly devoured by something, only the cross-section of the severed neck remained visible.

Soon after, the woman's corpse turned into black powder and scattered.

The Nightmare Subject had died.

Selina realized who had helped her and opened her eyes wide.

"Esmeralda!"

Unlike other elementals who wouldn't show themselves, Esmeralda, the black sphere, appeared immediately when Selina was in danger.

"Thank you. I survived thanks to you."

Esmeralda trembled in Selina's palm.

It seemed pleased with Selina's praise.

But Selina couldn't completely relax.

There were still more Nightmare Subjects remaining here.

Though Julia was working hard to block them now, she didn't look like she could hold out much longer.

"Esmeralda. Lend me your power."

With Esmeralda's power that had just defeated the Nightmare Subject, they should be able to subdue the rest without much difficulty.

However, Esmeralda suddenly concealed itself.

Selina couldn't ask why.

Before she could, someone descended from the sky.

"There are many people here."

And along with a familiar voice, an intense magical wave was felt in the air.

Then, ice spears fell from the sky, piercing through the bodies of the three Nightmare Subjects that were facing off against Julia.

The Nightmare Subjects, caught by the surprise attack, scattered and disappeared like mirages.

"Professor Rudger!"

The students who recognized Rudger cheered with brightened faces.

Having appeared like a relief pitcher at the most dangerous moment, everyone couldn't help but react the same way.

However, Rudger didn't respond to their enthusiasm.

He turned his gaze to observe the remaining Nightmare Subjects.

He didn't care about anything else; his first priority was to eliminate the most troublesome ones.

The Nightmare Subjects trembled their smoke-like bodies at Rudger's appearance.

The beings that had remained unfazed even when hit by Julia's magic were now cowering.

Julia's eyes widened at this sight.

'Could it be that the Nightmare Subjects are afraid?'

The number of remaining Nightmare Subjects was five and they scattered in all directions as if planned.

"Trying to escape?"

Rudger, floating in the air, pointed his index finger at the Nightmare Subject that was fleeing first.

A beam of light shot from his fingertip, piercing through the Nightmare Subject.

Julia swallowed hard.

'He can use this level of magic even in the middle layer? Is that possible?'

She had been surprised when Rudger used magic in the upper layer too.

But the middle layer was different from the upper layer. While the upper layer was a space of stronger consciousness, from the middle layer onwards, unconsciousness maintained nearly half control.

For someone who had just entered such a place to use magic so naturally...

It was no different from casting magic spells while sleep-talking.

'Just how much of a monster is he?'

It would look impressive to the other students too but to Julia, who understood the situation better than anyone, Rudger appeared almost like a monster.

Meanwhile, the fleeing Nightmare Subjects changed their tactics.

Rather than getting killed by Rudger while running away, they chose to fight.

The remaining four charged at the students from all directions.

The students who had let their guard down gave up distance, and the Nightmare Subjects received nightmares from them.

The Subjects rapidly changed their forms.

One of them burrowed into the ground and hid inside.

Right after, the ground bulged up and a huge silhouette emerged with a cloud of dust.

-Wooooar!

A monster resembling a giant worm opened its maw toward the airborne Rudger.

It was a Sand Worm, a life form resembling the giant worms said to inhabit desert regions.

The Sand Worm swallowed Rudger's body whole.

The students screamed. The fact that Rudger had been eaten plunged them deeper into despair.

However, there were a few people who weren't panicked.

Selina, Rene, Julia, and Erendir.

Could Rudger Chelici fall to such an attack?

Their gazes all spoke the same words simultaneously.

As if proving their trust right, the Sand Worm's head that had swallowed Rudger exploded as if hit by a bomb.

The flesh fragments flying everywhere turned into black smoke and scattered.

Rudger was still floating in the air, looking down at everything with his bluish eyes with noble dignity.

Despite being swallowed by the Sand Worm, he was completely unscathed without a single blemish.

"He's...fine?"

"How..."

That overwhelming sight rekindled the dying flame of hope.

The number of remaining Subjects was three.

When Rudger's gaze fell on them, the Subjects that had absorbed nightmares trembled.

-Kiriririik!

A grotesque man with springs attached to his feet jumped toward Rudger.

"I-It's Spring-heeled Jack!"

A male student shouted upon recognizing his most terrifying nightmare being manifested.

Rudger extended his palm toward Spring-heeled Jack who had approached right in front of him.

Magic concentrated in front of his hand and discharged as intense flames.

Spring-heeled Jack, who had risen at tremendous speed, fell even faster. And while engulfed in flames at that.

The number of remaining Subjects was two.

One absorbed nightmares and its form swelled greatly.

This time it wasn't just one.

Having absorbed at least three or more nightmares, its form became a grotesque shape mixed with various monsters.

Unable to face Rudger with just one, it increased the number.

"Your action of absorbing multiple nightmares to face me is commendable, but..."

Even against a monster with a horrific appearance impossible to see in reality, Rudger's gaze didn't waver.

"It's still not enough."

-Kwaaak!

The Nightmare Subject, or rather what should now be called a Nightmare Fusion, bared its teeth at Rudger.

Wings with membranes spread wide like a bat's lifted that body.

Rudger calmly observed this sight.

No matter how carefully he looked, there wasn't a single aspect of such a being that could frighten him.

Well, of course.

"Compared to the nightmares of the Durman Kingdom, this is indeed worthless."

A muttering that no one else could hear.

It was words Rudger spoke to himself as if to confirm his own conviction.

Nightmare Subjects absorb others' fears and nightmares to take on their forms.

Therefore, those forms mostly had aspects disconnected from reality but to Rudger's eyes, such things didn't even qualify as nightmares.

How could something so crudely mixed together be called a nightmare?

A real nightmare...Looks down upon everything with its massive body under the red rising moon.

And Rudger...Was the hunter who took down the nightmare single-handedly.

Purple electric currents discharged around Rudger.

The Nightmare Subject tried to change direction by flapping its wings, but Rudger's magic manifested faster.

Lightning streams shooting at supersonic speed.

The lightning not only pierced through the Subject's body but also scorched it from within with powerful current.

With a blinding flash, the Nightmare Subject scattered into ashes without even leaving a scream.

Now only one remained.

The remaining one still maintained its black smoke form, perhaps not having absorbed a nightmare yet.

It seemed bewildered by what had happened to its companions.

To the Nightmare Subjects, Rudger's existence itself was a nightmare.

But its survival instinct remained intact, as it searched for the most suitable nightmare among the people present.

Having decided on its target, the Subject rushed toward one student.

"Gasp! Princess!"

"Look out!"

The Nightmare Subject's target was the Third Princess Erendir.

Erendir, who was with Rene, stepped back upon seeing the Nightmare Subject.

Erendir's eyes met with the Nightmare Subject's form.

Normally, close contact was needed to absorb nightmares, but this one was different.

It started changing form just from eye contact alone.

'A special entity!'

Julia was shocked.

This one had been the leader of this group of Nightmare Subjects.

To think such a rare being that even Dream Walkers rarely encounter would be found in a place like this.

'If it's a special entity, it will transform into a much stronger form than other Subjects.'

Julia tensed up.

She wasn't sure what form it would take, but this one would be difficult to handle even for Rudger.

This was true for Rudger and the other students watching the situation as well.

The special entity gradually began taking form.

Unlike other Subjects that changed grotesquely or grew in size, this one actually contracted more.

The form it took was that of a beautiful woman in a pitch-black dress.

Erendir's eyes bulged.

People around who were watching the Subject's transformation gaped.

The leader Subject that had absorbed the nightmare stood proudly as if showing off its new form, the First Princess Eileen.

"......"

"......"

"......"

Dumbfounded gazes turned toward Erendir.

Erendir avoided their eyes while breaking out in cold sweat.

She too was equally bewildered and dumbfounded by the current situation.

"...?"

Only the Nightmare Subject seemed confused by the sudden change in people's reactions.