I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy – Chapter 87

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“Wh-What… What’s going on?”

A spectator in the stands muttered, staring at the bizarre structure that had suddenly appeared in the arena.

It was a dome woven from vines and branches, but it pulsed rhythmically, like a living organ.

The sight was unsettling, almost nauseating.

“This… I’ve never seen a formula like this before.”

However, the more experienced mana users watched with fascination.

While others couldn’t see inside the dense tangle of vegetation, those with the “Clear Sight” ability could peer into its depths.[1]

“To create such a… disturbing space, even on a small scale… Which family did that child come from again?”

“House Verdian.”

“Verdian? But they’re known for being so… weak. How could they possess such a technique…?”

The source of this unusual formula was indeed unexpected.

House Verdian?

That frail family?

How could one of them wield such a ferocious power?

‘It worked.’

Ed, however, wasn’t surprised.

He had spent the last four days training Charlotte, and he knew that once she inhaled the “Vapor of Ruin,” the specially concocted vapor he had developed for demon slaying, she would shed the inherent weakness of House Verdian.

‘Just as planned. She can win this.’

Ed had meticulously designed Charlotte’s battle strategy.

For a C-rank to defeat an A-rank in just four days required an unconventional approach.

He had focused on immersing Charlotte in the flora of the Forest of Death, pushing her to replicate its horrors with her Nature Creation formula.

Normally, Charlotte would have balked at creating such monstrous plants, but under the influence of the Vapor of Ruin, she had embraced the darkness without hesitation.

‘All that’s left is the theatrics.’

The area Charlotte could manipulate was limited, roughly 230 square meters.

Simply filling that space with monstrous plants wouldn’t be enough to intimidate a seasoned A-rank.

So, Ed had incorporated an illusion formula, weaving it into the space to amplify the fear factor.

‘With the hallucinogenic powder, he’s completely trapped.’

He had also added a physical component: hallucinogenic powder hidden within the initial rock wall Charlotte had summoned.

When Cardmos destroyed the wall, he inhaled a large dose of the powder, distorting his perception of the space Charlotte had created.

He was now seeing the Forest of Death.

[Grooooooan…]

[Crack… Crackle… Crunch…]

Cardmos faced the grotesque, shifting forest, surrounded by Charlotte’s chilling laughter.

While he was trapped in the illusion, Charlotte was rapidly transforming the space into a true replica of the Forest of Death.

The illusion and the powder were merely buying her time.

“What the… what the actual fuck…?”

With each detail Charlotte added, the forest became more horrifying.

For Cardmos, under the combined influence of the illusion formula and the hallucinogenic powder, it was a living nightmare.

[Hehehe… Ehehehe…]

Laughter echoed from everywhere.

Faces, absorbed into the trees, grinned at him with glowing red eyes.

Splash—Plop!

Cardmos waded through a swamp of blood, human bones and clumps of hair floating on the surface.

“Gasp… Gasp… Gasp…”

His breath grew ragged.

The air, thick with noxious fumes and toxins, choked him with every inhale.

“Damn it! Come out! Fight me, you coward!”

Panic set in.

He lashed out blindly, swinging his sword at anything that moved.

Slash!

Slice!

But something was wrong.

The trees he cut bled and screamed in pain.

He had disturbed something he shouldn’t have.

[Rooooooar!!!]

It was as if the entire forest were one living organism.

The trees he had struck throbbed and pulsed, bubbling ominously.

Rip!

Tendrils, or something resembling tentacles, erupted from the bubbling wounds, lashing out at Cardmos.

Clang!

He instinctively parried a tentacle, but more emerged from the wounds he had inflicted.

Could he fight them all?

“Gasp… Gasp… Gasp…”

His initial rage gave way to terror.

The forest wept, a mournful sound that chilled him to the bone.

Crack… Creak…

The trees began to shift and change.

They split open, revealing rows of jagged teeth, their mouths filled with blood, hair, and…

“Wh-Wh-What…?”

…body parts. Fingers, noses, ears, eyeballs… and even intact faces.

“Ch… Charlotte?”

One face, still recognizable, was Charlotte’s.

Her severed head was inside the mouth of a tree.

“!!!”

As he realized this, Charlotte’s eyes snapped open.

Her red eyes, accentuated by dark smoky makeup, narrowed, fixing on him with a chilling smile.

[Khehehehehehe…]

A sinister laugh echoed from the trees, the same chilling sound coming from everywhere.

“A-Ah… Uwaaaah!”

Cardmos lost control and swung his sword wildly, focusing his mana into a powerful blast aimed at the glowing red canopy.

Crackle! Boom!

The branches splintered and cracked, revealing pulsing red veins carrying sap.

His attack had severed a major artery.

Gush!

A torrent of blood-red sap erupted from the wound, raining down on the forest.

Sizzle!

“Aaaaagh!”

The sap was acidic, burning his skin on contact.

The forest floor bubbled and hissed.

Gurgle… Gurgle…

Black tentacles emerged, reaching for him.

“Ah… Uwaaaah…”

Dozens—no, hundreds—of tentacles surged toward him, aiming to impale.

Pierce!

“Aaaaagh!”

One pierced his thigh.

Slurp… Slurp… Slurp…

It began to drain his blood.

The sickening sensation of his life force being sucked away filled him with dread.

“Aaaaaah… H-Help me… I… I was wrong…”

He broke.

The acidic rain, the piercing tentacles, the advancing trees with their gaping maws – he couldn’t fight anymore.

Every swing of his sword only made things worse.

Crack… Creak…

The closer the tree came, the wider its mouth stretched open — torn unnaturally wide.

He recognized the faces embedded in their bark.

He realized what the human faces embedded all over the bark truly were.

They had been consumed.

This tree devoured people whole, leaving behind their traces on its surface.

“Sob… Sob… W-Waaah…”

Now, it was his face’s turn to be added to that collection.

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“It’s over.”

Elena leaned back in her seat in the VIP box, high above the arena.

With her Clear Sight, she had a good understanding of what had transpired within the monstrous dome.

“Yawn~ That was… mildly interesting.”

Sephilia, sitting beside her, didn’t need Clear Sight.

The Imperial Demon Eyes allowed her to see everything.

“It’s amazing. How can you see everything so clearly, even without Clear Sight?”

Elena asked, genuinely curious.

“Hehehe. Bloodline perks ♥”

Sephilia’s playful response made Elena laugh.

“What? Hahaha! I guess your bloodline is pretty special.”

Indeed, “bloodline perks” was the perfect explanation for her extraordinary abilities, the power that had brought every noble family in the Empire to their knees.

‘I’m curious, but she clearly doesn’t want to talk about it.’

Elena knew Sephilia was deflecting.

She had asked about her abilities before, but Sephilia always changed the subject.

It was strange, considering their close bond, almost like sisters.

‘Eyes that see the truth…’

Sephilia had once mentioned that her eyes saw the truth of the world, a burden that made her feel lonely and isolated.

“Unnie~! What are you thinking about?”

Sephilia leaned in and her arm wrapped around Elena’s.

“Nothing.”

Elena replied, stroking Sephilia’s hair.

They turned their attention back to the arena.

Fizzle…

The monstrous dome was dissolving into red particles.

All that remained was Charlotte, wearing the mask Ed had given her, standing over a broken Cardmos.

“Sob… Sob… I-I’m sorry… P-Please forgive me… Sob… I was wrong…”

Cardmos was a wreck, his body covered in wounds and bite marks, his skin blistered from the acid rain, his hair gone, revealing gruesome scars.

“P-Please… spare me…”

He begged for mercy, a pathetic sight that shocked those who knew his arrogance.

Just a few days ago, he had boasted about taking Charlotte as his concubine.

Charlotte knelt down, meeting his gaze.

Cardmos saw the terrifying witch from the forest, the one who had ruled the nightmare realm, bathed in the blood-red light.

“Don’t ever cross my path again. Next time, I’ll kill you.”

The Witch of the Forest delivered her warning.

If he wanted to stay alive, he was never to appear before her eyes.

Cardmos, sobbing, nodded frantically.

“Referee.”

Charlotte stood up, her voice calm and steady, signaling the end of the match.

“Ch-Charlotte Verdian wins!”

The outcome was obvious.

As Charlotte turned to leave, Cardmos collapsed, unconscious.

The audience watched in stunned silence as Charlotte walked out of the arena, with her demeanor transformed.

This was the debut of the “Witch of the Forest.”

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The subsequent matches failed to capture the audience’s attention.

The sheer brutality of Charlotte’s victory had left them shaken.

What had happened in that horrifying forest?

The only remaining event of interest was the final match: Edgar Fix versus Lucas Elmar.

“The next match is Edgar Fix versus Lucas Elmar! Both students, please enter the arena.”

Finally, the moment had arrived.

The two most promising students of the academy were called to the stage.

‘I’ll prove I’m the best…’

Lucas rose to his feet and his resolve hardened.

He had lost the spotlight to Ed, and this was his chance to reclaim his position as the academy’s top student.

‘Man, I’m hungry.’

Ed, on the other hand, was thinking about food.

He’d had a light lunch and was starving.

‘Edgar Fix, I won’t be as easy as Max.’

‘I need to grab some Macbeth pork later.’

The two students entered the arena, their expressions determined.

The crowd roared.

The referee signaled the start of the match.

“Begin!”

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[1] Minor changes: Blue Eye → Clear Sight

[T/N: This chapter also includes an illustration. Check Discord for it.]

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