I Got a Fake Job at the Academy
Chapter 523

Lucid of the lucid dream.

Despite her delicate appearance and polite, graceful manner of speaking, her fighting style was completely different.

Without any power or weapons, she struck with bare fists.

Rudger avoided the fist aimed at his face by turning his head.

Even though her attack missed, Lucid didn't seem to mind, as she took a step and swung her leg like a whip.

"Your fighting style is quite barbaric, unlike your appearance."

Rudger jumped backward to avoid Lucid's kick.

That action was correct.

Following the trajectory of her leg swing, the air exploded and the scenery was torn apart.

'A martial artist? And with such powerful physical abilities.'

Besides Pantos, he couldn't think of anyone else with similar physical abilities.

It would be foolish to engage in close combat with someone like this so Rudger intended to keep his distance and fight from range.

[Do you think I'll let you?]

-Tap.

With just one light step, Lucid caught up to Rudger in an instant.

It was leg power that generated powerful kicks.

The footwork with that leg power was so fast it could be described as transcending space.

However, Rudger wasn't caught off guard by this.

If he were in the same position, he would have tried to close the distance and maintain close combat too.

Rather, making her rush towards him was Rudger's strategy.

Small magical formulas materialized behind Rudger's back.

The magical formulas created by [Source Code] deployed dozens of spells in the blink of an eye.

Though each individual spell wasn't powerful, the sheer number was enough to incapacitate a person instantly.

'But this won't be enough to take her down.'

She was one of Nirva's five subordinates.

This attack was merely laying groundwork to buy time for what came next.

Would she dodge, or would she counter-attack?

Whatever it might be, Rudger had thought of ways to respond.

Lucid shook Rudger's thoughts from their very foundation.

-Boom!

With crossed arms, Lucid broke through Rudger's magic with just her body.

'Not dodging or defending, but charging straight through while taking hits?'

Even though the magic's power was weak, it still had sufficient killing power, and above all, there were many spells.

Breaking through while taking those hits with her body was an action that transcended common sense.

Lucid's body that emerged through the shower of magic was fine except for some cuts.

[Such methods won't work on me.]

Having reached right in front of Rudger, Lucid raised her right leg.

Before her extended leg could strike down on Rudger's crown, defensive magic spread above his head.

A whole five layers.

-Crack!

Lucid's downward strike shattered the defensive magic like roof tiles and struck Rudger's body directly.

Rudger's body fell to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

"Brother!"

Hans, who had been watching while retreating, shouted.

Lucid landed lightly like a feather on the ground and stared at the dust cloud.

---!!!

At that moment, beams of light shot out like flashes from within the dust cloud.

It was an attack created with light magic and its speed could be considered the fastest among all magical elements.

Moreover, with even its precursor hidden by the smoke, there was no way the opponent could see and react to it.

[It won't work.]

Lucid took one step to the side and slightly turned her head.

Though it was a simple movement, it was enough to make all the light beams targeting her vital points miss by a paper-thin margin.

While Hans, Sedina, and Seridan were still shocked by this unbelievable sight the dust cloud split apart, and Rudger burst out from within, rushing at Lucid.

With his entire body covered in black shadows, Rudger swung his sword stick while emitting an ominous light from behind his crow mask.

Lucid took her stance and chopped the side of the swinging sword stick with her hand at the right timing.

-Clang!

Though the sword stick didn't break, its blade was greatly deflected to the side.

Lucid naturally took one more step and thrust her fist into Rudger's solar plexus.

Though it was a simple movement, when that power distorted space and tore through the atmosphere, it was a different story.

Rudger caught the punch with his shadow-covered hand.

-Boom!

Rudger's legs sank ankle-deep into the ground, and the ground behind him cracked like drought-stricken rice fields but Rudger didn't fall.

Rather, he properly gripped Lucid's fist and was enduring its power.

[Not bad. Did the shadow covering your body dramatically increase your physical abilities?]

"And what about you? Can you see the future?"

Rudger recalled the movement that Lucid of the lucid dream had shown just before.

Lucid had dodged the light magic that he had shot at nearly ambush-like speed far too easily.

It wasn't just a matter of good reaction speed.

'She knew it was coming' would be a more appropriate description.

She knew what means would be used and where they would target, which is why she could easily avoid them.

[I'm sorry, but that's not my ability.]

"Right. You said you were Lucid of the lucid dream. Not complete future sight, but rather you became 'aware' of how I would attack."

Lucid didn't answer, but Rudger knew this was correct.

Lucid of the lucid dream.

Her true threat wasn't this bizarrely powerful physical ability, nor the martial arts supporting it but her complete awareness.

What technique the opponent would use, where they would target, and how they would respond.

She was 'aware' of everything.

That's why she had broken through the shower of magic with her bare body earlier.

Rudger had thought she would choose either to dodge or defend, and had prepared plans for both options but Lucid chose a 'third option', thus foiling Rudger's plans because she knew what he was trying to do, she struck at that weakness.

"It's not complete future sight, but you can sense what I'm going to do. Awareness of your opponent is your authority, isn't it?"

[That's impressive.]

Lucid honestly expressed her admiration.

Even though he hadn't had much time to analyze her ability, Rudger had seen through her characteristics as if it were obvious.

Usually, people would either be caught off guard and defeated, or even if they managed to survive, they wouldn't have noticed at all.

"If one of the five subordinates is like this, then the other four must have similar characteristics."

[Would knowing that change anything?]

"No. Nothing changes."

The shadow covering Rudger's body blazed like flames.

"It just means you're going to lose."

[Oh my.]

Lucid's characteristic activated again.

Having become aware of what Rudger was about to do, she raised her leg and planted it firmly.

With a boom, a massive shockwave burst out at point-blank range.

Though strong winds that could tear apart even rocks blew, Rudger instead stepped forward.

"Did you think close combat would work?"

Black shadow hands shot out from both of Rudger's shoulders.

Those things, resembling the hands of huge beasts, clasped together and fell towards Lucid's crown.

Lucid's characteristic activated.

The moment she would raise both hands to block that, she saw spikes about to shoot up from her shadow at her feet.

Then she would retreat first.

Lucid tried to step back, but Rudger pursued.

It was the opposite of their positions from before.

Every time Lucid's feet touched the ground, sharp spikes shot up from her shadow.

Relentless attacks came but Lucid continued to avoid them with superhuman reflexes.

"You dodge well. Then let's see if you can dodge this too."

Radiance burst out from behind Rudger's back.

Countless spear-like sharp beams of light spreading in all directions shot towards Lucid, drawing elegant curves.

This couldn't be dodged.

Realizing this, Lucid blocked or deflected the incoming light beams with both hands but there were too many, and they were too fast to deflect them all.

In the end, trusting in her tough body, she just took hits to non-vital areas.

Though intense pain ran through various parts of her body, Lucid's expression didn't contort.

Rather, a smile formed at the corners of her mouth as if she was enjoying this situation.

"This is crazy."

A battle maniac who enjoys pain and fighting.

Personally, these were the most troublesome types to deal with.

These guys never fight in orthodox ways, so the longer the battle goes on, the more it descends into a quagmire.

Rudger had no intention of entering the swamp with her.

His fighting method was one-sided, thoroughly targeting and exploiting the opponent's weaknesses.

Rudger had no intention of leaving this situation where he held the initiative so he pressed the attack faster and more relentlessly.

Magic manifested as his eyes blazed behind his mask.

-Whoosh!

With a huge whistle sound, an ice-made battleship fell from the sky.

The 6th-tier great magic [Celestial Sea Ice-Breaking Ship] was deployed using pure imagination rather than magical power.

Lucid's choice upon seeing this was very simple.

She threw a punch right back at the huge ice battleship.

Tang Lang Confronts the Chariot.

It meant a praying mantis facing off against a chariot, implying recklessly challenging an opponent with great power without knowing one's place.

But what if that praying mantis actually destroys the chariot?

Then the meaning becomes completely different.

The Celestial Sea Ice-Breaking Ship shattered into hundreds of ice pieces.

Through the scattered, sparkling ice fragments appeared Lucid, completely unharmed.

She jumped high while stepping on the broken fragments.

Lucid, floating in the sky, looked down at Rudger.

Pink flames were burning beneath the red eye patch worn over one eye.

When Lucid clenched her fist, pink energy gathered around it in a swirling motion.

[Do you know what Dream Force is?]

"First time hearing of it."

[It's like this.]

Lucid threw her punch.

The pink swirl gathered on her fist shot out like a dragon's breath, baring its maw at Rudger.

Though he didn't know what Dream Force was, it seemed to be some kind of mana that existed in the Dreamland.

Rudger carved magical formulas.

Rather than quickly drawing them with threads of magical power, he created them all at once as if stamping them from a factory mold.

It was a different method from normal magic by implementing magical formulas existing in the unconscious and memory all at once through imagination.

6th-tier rock magic [True Heaven Rock Whale Scripture]

The ground rippled and a huge whale made of rock rose up.

The whale collided with the dragon's breath shot by Lucid and they disappeared as if canceling each other out.

[Not yet.]

As if the dragon's breath thrown earlier was just a greeting, pink flames wrapped around Lucid's arms and legs.

-Whoosh!

The flames on her two legs blazed greatly, and Lucid's body shot out like a rocket.

Not only could she shoot out Dream Force, but she also used it to accelerate her body by detonating it.

"Elementium Ex Machina."

Steel cubes were created around Rudger.

The cubes combined and gathered in mid-air, creating a huge cone-shaped shield.

At this point, it was more like a giant jousting lance than a shield.

Immediately after, Lucid's fist wrapped in pink flames collided with the cone shield.

Bang---!!!

Unlike expectations of a power struggle, Lucid pierced through the shield far too easily.

The circular cross-section was red-hot and melting into molten iron and Lucid broke through that gap.

Without slowing down, her other fist thrust towards Rudger.

[This is the end. It was an enjoyable fight.]

Making a mere human force her to use Dream Force was worthy of praise.

If it weren't for Nirva's orders, she would have enjoyed this fight a bit longer.

At the moment she was about to pierce Rudger's heart while putting aside her regret.

-Thunk!

Rudger's hand caught Lucid's fist.

[What...]

For the first time, surprise showed on Lucid's expressionless face.

This wasn't the first time Rudger had blocked her punch, but blocking a fist wrapped in Dream Force was a different story.

She should have been able to tear apart that black shadow Rudger was wearing.

At least, that's what she had 'become aware of'.

"Dream Force, huh."

On Rudger's hand that caught Lucid's hand black flames were spinning like a whirlpool.

It was similar in form to the Dream Force that Lucid handled.

"So that's how it's done."

Meeting Rudger's gaze, Lucid's body trembled slightly.

[How can you use Dream Force...? That's not something that can be used through mere understanding.]

"You're saying strange things."

Rudger's eyes curved like crescent moons behind his mask.

"Didn't you show me? It's easy to copy it."