Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 10
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Summoning Prodigy of the Necromancer School — Chapter 10
“The third disadvantage: Summoning Magic is vulnerable in confrontations with Priests.”
Even Simon couldn’t help but widen his eyes at this.
The dispute with the Priest faction was the most sensitive issue for students in recent times, and every professor until now had emphasized their advantages in this regard.
But Aaron was the complete opposite.
“Though I’ve framed it this way in the title, to be more precise, Summoning Magic simply isn’t suited to modern warfare at all.”
……
“Summoning Magic shines brightest during what we call ‘Large-scale Warfare’—vast battles where tens of thousands clash against tens of thousands. Only then can a Summoner gain access to an endless supply of materials to raise Undead. But the current conflicts, bound by the Armistice Agreement, take the form of Localized Combat—clashes with Priests on assignment. It’s an inevitable tide of the age that Curse Mages and Death Mages, who can strike swiftly and cleanly without leaving traces, have become fashionable instead.”
In other words, Aaron was saying his own specialty had fallen behind the times, yet his expression betrayed no trace of emotion.
“And it’s also true that Summoning Magic is at a disadvantage against Priests. Picture an Undead army that costs enormous time and resources to create, only to crumble to dust the moment a Priest chants a single Holy Spell. Frankly, it’s a matchup built against us.”
Aaron set down the chalk and turned to face the students.
“There are countless other disadvantages I haven’t mentioned, but the judgment is yours to make.”
Just then, someone’s hand shot up.
It was the same student who’d made the first presentation in the Curse Magic lecture.
“It’s Jamie Victoria! I’d also like to know about the advantages of Summoning Magic!”
……
Other professors would have found it endearing to have a student eager to highlight their field’s merits, but Aaron was not one of them.
“I don’t recall granting permission to ask questions.”
Jamie felt a chill creep across her skin. The other students, who had been lounging comfortably, belatedly came to their senses and stiffened in their seats.
His appearance might have been shabby, but Aaron was nonetheless a first-class Necromancer serving as a professor at Kyzen.
“I-I’m terribly sorry!”
Jamie bowed her head.
Yet as a professor, Aaron was obligated to answer his student’s question.
He clicked his tongue and opened his mouth.
“The strength of Summoning Magic lies in overwhelming numbers. Beyond fighting alone, a Summoner can draw on summoned creatures for support, which allows for diverse tactical approaches even without a Necromancer’s personal intervention. Does that answer it?”
“Yes!”
Aaron folded his arms across his chest.
“Whether you continue Summoning Magic in the second semester, or choose it as your major, is your decision. But mark this one thing above all else.”
Aaron’s voice turned grave—a stark contrast to the casual tone he’d maintained throughout the lecture.
“If you lack conviction, don’t so much as set foot in this field.”
Aaron was truly different from the other professors.
“I mean this: don’t pursue Summoning Magic with some soft, wavering resolve—whining and complaining, falling into self-loathing, and then over sophomore year asking for a transfer because of money troubles or some other excuse. That kind of half-heartedness has no place here.”
In Aaron’s voice there lingered something like bitterness.
Even the teaching assistants standing in the back were sighing quietly.
“Especially if anyone here is thinking of majoring in Summoning Magic just because the competition rate is low and they want to coast by for survival’s sake, I’ll personally see to your expulsion myself. That concludes the lecture.”
He’d even issued a declaration of war against the students themselves.
“……Now we’ll begin the practical session.”
As Aaron’s voice returned to its lazy drawl and he gestured to his assistants, they moved swiftly, placing Skeleton sets on each student’s desk.
Simon took a breath and looked at the Skeleton set before him.
Bone fragments arranged in order inside a box—he noticed numbers were written on each piece.
“What you’ve received are Island Ratman Bones. They have a skeletal structure similar to humans while being simpler and cheaper than human remains. Most beginners in Summoning Magic start with these creatures.”
The Summoning Magic instructor posted a detailed diagram on the board showing the structure and numbering of Island Ratman Bones.
“We begin. Take out the number one skull.”
Simon and the other students, faces tense, lifted the skull and set it on their table.
A few female students wrinkled their noses in disgust, but no more than that. As girls admitted to Kyzen, they had no hesitation in handling such things.
“The skull has been pre-assembled. There’s an opening at the bottom where you can insert your hand, and inside the skull is a Magic Circle correction frame. Everyone insert your hand and construct the designated Magic Circle.”
It was true. The structure was similar to the Magic Circle correction board from the first Curse Magic lecture, except this one was carved directly into the skull itself.
Simon squeezed out Black Magic Essence and let it flow into the Magic Circle correction frame.
‘Good.’
He’d grown quite accustomed to working with the correction tool by now.
“And once the Magic Circle is complete……”
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
“Aaah, no-no-no!”
Screams erupted from every direction.
The moment the Magic Circle was completed, the skull suddenly animated and began snapping its jaw and teeth against the palate with a rapid clatter-clatter-clatter.
Students holding the skulls threw them in shock, while others toppled from their chairs in surprise. Even Dick, sitting nearby, had his hand pressed to his chest, gasping for breath.
“I was going to say that when the Magic Circle is complete, the Undead will activate, so don’t be startled. Seems I was a bit late with that warning.”
Aaron chuckled to himself as he spoke.
A few students shot him looks mingled with resentment, but none dared voice a protest.
In the meantime, Simon had also completed the Magic Circle on his skull. The bone head then rattled to life and rolled across the table like something animate.
“Stay still.”
Simon caught his skeleton’s head as it slipped from the desk and set it back down. At once, the Undead fell silent, as if it truly understood his words.
“…Simon. Have you dealt with things like this before?”
Dick, seated beside him, looked thoroughly repulsed at the thought of even touching the Undead.
Simon shrugged. His father was a Necromancer, so Skeletons wandering around the house weren’t uncommon.
“Get used to it. You’re all Necromancers.”
Aaron thrust his hands into his pockets and continued.
“And the Magic Circle you just activated essentially completes the Undead. Of course, without a body, it can’t move. Now it’s your turn to build the Skeleton a body.”
Aaron tapped the photograph of Island Ratman bone structure pinned to the blackboard.
“Any true Necromancer must have a perfect understanding of the bone structure of the creature that will become their summoned servant. Humans typically have two hundred and six bones, but Island Ratmen have only fifty-three—far simpler. First, find the second cervical vertebra.”
The students rummaged through their Skeleton sets. Simon quickly located the bone marked “2”.
“Now attach it to the skull.”
Simon tilted his head in confusion.
There was no adhesive, so how was he supposed to connect them?
Simon hesitantly brought the second vertebra down toward the base of the skull.
Then, as if drawn by magnetic force, the bone in his hand trembled and began to bond. The moment Simon eased his grip, the bone clicked into place of its own accord.
‘Oh, that’s fascinating.’
Simon blinked.
“As I said, activating that Magic Circle completed all the magic needed to animate the Skeleton. And Skeletons possess an innate desire to return to their original form.”
Aaron turned his attention back to the bone photograph.
“Next is the third vertebra.”
He set the skull on the desk and methodically found and connected each bone by number.
“Continue in the same manner up to number eleven.”
“Done!”
“Excellent!”
Delighted exclamations echoed from all corners of the classroom.
As students found and positioned each bone, they fitted together automatically with satisfying clicks. Simon’s Skeleton, now complete up to the neck, moved its head up and down as if celebrating its own assembly.
Simon burst out laughing.
‘This is fun!’
Perhaps because these weren’t human bones, the discomfort and strangeness had vanished entirely.
It felt like assembling a bone structure that moved according to blueprints, and Simon found himself completely absorbed in the lesson.
“Be careful not to confuse the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. Island Ratmen are bipedal, and properly assembling the spine that supports the body’s posterior is crucial.”
“If you assemble the bones in the wrong order, the movements won’t be fluid. They’ll creak and malfunction, often breaking down at the most critical moment.”
“Now proceed to bone number sixteen all at once.”
Many students had worried based on Aaron’s demeanor at the start of class, but truthfully, Summoning Magic was interesting enough that anyone could enjoy it.
The atmosphere grew lively—students chatted freely, showing off their creations or asking questions. Aaron made no effort to restrain this open, casual classroom dynamic.
“You’re nearly done. Proceed all the way to number fifty-three. Raise your hand if you get stuck.”
“Professor! I’m having trouble assembling the legs!”
“Oh no, Professor! My Skeleton keeps trying to run away!”
Simon succeeded in creating his Skeleton on the first attempt, without a single misstep. A creature slightly smaller than a human stood upright at his workspace, clicking and clacking softly.
‘This is my Skeleton, made from Black Magic Essence.’
As he gazed at it with a touch of awe, the Skeleton tilted its head inquisitively.
Simon couldn’t help but smile at the gesture.
“Hey! Take care of your summoned servant! Mine keeps hitting me!”
“I told it to hit you.”
“Wait, look at this! I can make it dance!”
“This is so ridiculous it’s actually cute.”
Warm laughter filled the classroom. Students who’d successfully completed their Skeletons were too preoccupied playing with their summons to think of anything else.
And then, on the other side of the room—
“Simon! Please help me with my Skeleton!”
There were those who were still struggling. Dick, seated nearby, was practically tearing his hair out.
“Why does this thing keep attaching its leg to its arm?!”
Dick’s Skeleton had affixed its right leg to its shoulder instead of its right arm, and was now lurching along awkwardly. The other students burst into laughter at the sight.
“Hmm.”
Simon examined the one-armed Skeleton with a serious expression.
“You’ve mixed up the attachments for the legs and arms. So the Skeleton thinks its leg is an arm.”
“R-really?”
“Look. Bone number twenty-one is a leg bone, not an arm bone.”
“Oh, that’s it! Why do they all look so similar?”
The Summoning Magic lesson seemed to fly by faster than ever before.
“That’s enough for today. We’ll finish the Skeleton assembly here.”
Disappointed murmurs rippled through the classroom. Aaron returned to the lectern and picked up the attendance roster.
“Finally, we’ll conduct the participation evaluation. When I call your name, come forward.”
That dreaded moment—it had arrived at last.
Simon swallowed hard.
Maybe he could slip through this one time, couldn’t he……?
“Simon. Come forward.”
But there was no escaping it for Exception Number One. Simon rose from his seat with the expression of a man resigned to his fate.
“You’ve got this, Simon.”
Dick clapped him on the back for encouragement. Over to the side, Hector and his friends were snickering.
“And next…….”
While everyone else avoided meeting Aaron’s gaze, Meilin, seated in the front row, stretched her neck forward expectantly.
In truth, setting aside the pressure, a chance to impress Professor Kyzen was worth its weight in gold.
But then.
“Hector. Come forward.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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