Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 180

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 180

Of course, Lee Han wasn’t feeling good about it either.

Since they would naturally know all the content that was taught, the exam would test different material.

What kind of nonsense was that?

‘But getting shaken up will only hurt me.’

Lee Han steeled himself and spoke.

“Please tell me, Professor. What should I do?”

“Cough. It’s not much different from the magic you’ve learned so far. Poison is also a field of magic that forms part of dark magic.”

Gainando tilted his head in confusion. Then Professor Mortum said.

“You might be thinking this right about now. Cough. Outside, hunters and assassins all use poison, so why learn it as magic?”

“Gasp!”

Gainando was startled.

“Cough. Dark magic poison is different from ordinary poison.”

The Empire had various poisons.

Starting from poisons derived from animals and plants, to countless poisons obtainable from nature like bacteria, fungi, insects, and metals.

Even ordinary people knew how to use such poisons quite well.

However, dark magic poison wasn’t such real, existing poison.

Magic was fundamentally the study of changing reality through a mage’s will.

Naturally, poison also referred to imaginary poison that didn’t exist in reality.

“Indeed! Well, if you’re going to become the Empire’s greatest mage, there’s no need to study poison that any Tom, Dick, or Harry can use!”

Gainando shouted excitedly.

“Cough. Of course… that doesn’t mean you can neglect studying real poison.”

“…”

Gainando became dejected.

‘Well, other magic was the same way.’

Even with basic elemental magic, a mage’s mental image of that element was quite important.

If the mental image wasn’t solid and specifically formed, then incantations, spell structures, and everything else would be meaningless.

The higher one’s understanding of poison, the more varied and powerful the imaginary poisons they could create.

…But the students hadn’t learned about poison, right?

‘This is really harsh.’

As if reading Lee Han’s thoughts, Professor Mortum began explaining.

“Cough. Naturally, you all would be quite lacking in experience with poison. You probably haven’t handled poison before.”

Unless one had a special upbringing, there wasn’t much occasion to handle poison in the first place.

“That’s correct, Professor.”

“Cough. It would be cruel to just tell you to learn it blindly.”

“Yes!”

Gainando nodded repeatedly. His expression was mixed with anticipation.

However, Lee Han somehow felt ominous.

Those who usually showed consideration were the ones who did it well.

When a professor stepped forward claiming to show consideration, the possibility of it being genuine consideration was surprisingly low.

“Diret.”

The crow beastman student nodded and walked forward.

Then he swung his staff at Gainando. A thin poison mist flowed from the tip of the staff and entered Gainando’s body through his nose and mouth.

“Cough?!”

Lee Han immediately drew his staff and prepared to defend while holding his breath.

Diret made an expression that said ‘what is this junior doing?’

“Cough. Don’t defend, just take it.”

“Excuse me?”

“You need to get hit to feel the poison, don’t you? It’s not that dangerous a poison, so it’s fine.”

There was no better way to build a mental image of an element than experiencing it directly.

Though getting poisoned was a minor issue.

“…”

Lee Han lowered his staff.

And sighed.

‘Right. It’s my fault for deciding to learn dark magic.’

The poison mist flew toward the resigned Lee Han.

* * *

“But what kind of poison is this?” Once Gainando, who had been coughing, came to his senses, Lee Han looked at the professor and asked.

“Cough. What poison was it again…”

“…”

Even if it was done by his disciple, wasn’t this too much?

“What poison was it?”

“Professor. If I say it, the punishment room…”

“Cough. It should be fine. As long as you don’t tell the new students. …Probably.”

“Mana reduction poison.”

“Right. Mana reduction poison. Can you feel your mana scattering?”

At Professor Mortum’s question, Gainando and Lee Han answered simultaneously.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“…?”

Professor Mortum paused. Then he looked at Lee Han and asked.

“Cough. Don’t you feel something like your mana scattering a bit?”

“I don’t feel it.”

Professor Mortum turned his head to look at Diret. Diret said urgently.

“There’s nothing wrong with the poison.”

“Cough. Check it again.”

“…There really is nothing wrong…”

Diret approached Lee Han and once again scattered the mana reduction poison.

Once. Twice. Three times…

With each attempt, the senior’s expression was colored with anxiety, bewilderment, and distress.

Unable to watch any longer, Lee Han spoke up.

“It seems like the mana is dispersing.”

“…Don’t lie to me, junior.”

Diret forgot even the Skeleton Principal’s warning and opened his mouth.

“The poison was definitely completed properly, and it worked properly too… Why?”

“Cough. Isn’t it because you have too much mana?”

“Too much mana?”

“Mr. Wardanaz here has a lot of innate mana, so even if the poison takes effect, there’s a possibility it won’t have any meaningful effect.”

“…Why didn’t you tell me that beforehand… No, never mind. I’ll make it again now.”

Diret sighed once and swung his staff to create a new poison.

Even Lee Han, who lacked knowledge about poison, could tell this was several times more potent than before.

Just the mana emanating from it…

“Here.”

“?”

Lee Han was flustered when Diret didn’t spray it as mist but instead put the poison in a glass rod-shaped vial and held it out.

“Drink it, junior.”

“…”

Lee Han drank it without complaint. The other person was already pitiful enough.

“Cough. Does it seem to have any effect?”

“Professor. I’ll just try the magic.”

“…Yes. Do that.”

Diret was inwardly shocked as he watched Lee Han walking with Gainando.

Just what is this new student…?!

* * *

“Hehe. Lee Han.”

Gainando looked at Lee Han with a grinning smile. It was a very confident laugh.

Lee Han habitually started to hit the back of his head but stopped.

There were many eyes watching.

“What is it?”

“This time I’ll help you.”

There was a reason why Gainando was excited.

First, their dark magic talent was similar (at least in Gainando’s opinion).

But this time, Lee Han couldn’t feel the poison due to his constitution, while Gainando felt it with his body.

Then?

When it came to poison magic specifically, Gainando had no choice but to progress faster.

It was very logical.

“Th… Thanks.”

Lee Han was somewhat overwhelmed by Gainando’s appearance, getting excited and happy about it again when it hadn’t been that long since he was poisoned.

Being that positive was also a kind of advantage…

‘…right?’

“Form, poison of scattering mana!”

Gainando extended his staff and concentrated.

The test objective was to create the most basic mana reduction poison.

Since Professor Mortum still had a tiny bit of conscience left, he didn’t demand difficult-level poisons or applications from students.

A water droplet form of mana reduction poison would be sufficient.

Hiss-

“!”

Gainando was startled when the opaque green liquid that formed at the tip of his staff dropped onto his boots.

A hole had formed in his boots.

“Uwaaaaahhh?!!”

“Nice skill.”

Lee Han was surprised.

He had heard from Professor Mortum that Gainando had talent in dark magic, but to think it was to that extent.

If the magic had completely failed it would be one thing, but just creating something poison-like on the first attempt was already sufficient success.

Of course, from Gainando’s perspective with a hole in his boots, it wouldn’t feel like success at all.

“Ugh… I hate dark magic…”

“Shh. The professor is listening.”

Lee Han raised his staff and concentrated.

As Gainando said, since he hadn’t experienced it directly with his body, he needed to concentrate even more.

‘I’ll imagine it according to the techniques I’ve learned so far.’

Like he had done with countless other magic spells, he controlled his mana while simultaneously drawing intense and systematic mental images in his head.

Lee Han imagined his mana being compressed into a single drop. At the same time, he tried to change the nature of that mana.

Into a nature that would annihilate other people’s mana the moment it touched theirs.

Lee Han recalled things he had read and seen in his previous life.

And from there, he recalled existences similar to mana reduction poison.

This knowledge and imagination was Lee Han’s unique strength that other mages couldn’t match.

Mana concentrated at the tip of his staff, and as Lee Han’s will, incantation, and movements combined, a new poison that hadn’t existed in reality began to be created.

“Form, poison of mana dispersion!”

“!”

Diret, who was watching, was startled.

That new student from earlier was succeeding at poison creation magic in just one attempt.

‘He’s not ordinary!’

He had even compressed the long and detailed incantation by making his own judgment.

That was something that required not just poison resistance, but tremendous innate dark magic talent including mana sensitivity, mana control, and mental image manifestation.

Seeing that the blonde friend next to him was also excellent at dark magic…

‘These new students are really amazing. I need to work harder too.’

But why does that voice sound so strangely familiar?

* * *

“Huff, huff huff. I’m done.”

Gainando pointed ahead while dripping with sweat. A few drops of poison were beaded like dew on the glass.

Lee Han, who had finished first, was sitting and waiting when he looked up.

“Are you done?”

“Hey! There wasn’t much time difference, right? Right?!”

“Cough. There was quite a bit… Anyway, you did well. Just succeeding is impressive.”

With those words, Professor Mortum swallowed Gainando’s poison.

“!”

“Professor!!! No matter how hungry you are, you shouldn’t drink that!”

“…”

“…”

Lee Han, Diret, and Professor Mortum all looked at Gainando like he was crazy.

“…Am I wrong?”

“I was checking the poison…”

Professor Mortum spoke as if dumbfounded and wiped his mouth.

Excellent dark mages naturally develop strong resistance to dark magic.

Someone of Professor Mortum’s level had immunity to all poisons.

“Cough. It’s fine. You made it well.”

“Thank you!”

“Then…”

The professor unhesitatingly swallowed the poison Lee Han had made.

“Hmm.”

“Are you alright?”

“Hmm.”

“?”

Lee Han was confused.

The reaction was a bit different from Gainando’s.

‘Did I fail?’

“L, Lee Han.”

“?”

“Take mine!”

Gainando also thought Lee Han had failed and whispered while pointing to his own poison.

Diret, who was nearby, looked at Gainando suspiciously.

‘Is he a bit stupid?’

To have such a conversation with a senior right in front of them—he couldn’t tell if they were stupid or joking.

Diret turned her gaze. Even she could see that her master was acting somewhat strange.

“Professor. Why are you…”

“Ugh… Urgh. Haaah.”

Thud!

Unable to endure any longer, Professor Mortum fell to his knees. His face had turned pale and his fingertips trembled.

Diret immediately realized what was happening.

‘Mana deficiency symptoms!’

To think that a mage of Professor Mortum’s caliber would collapse from mana deficiency.

No one would believe it.

‘Right now… because of poison made by a new student??!’

Though Diret had been shocked plenty today, this was the biggest shock of all.

A new student had brought down Professor Mortum with poison!

“He’s… he’s dead! Lee Han! We need to eliminate the evidence and witnesses!!”

“Don’t talk crazy! He’s not dead yet!”

Lee Han unconsciously became serious and angry. Honestly, Lee Han was anxious too.

Diret quickly pulled out a mana recovery potion and an antidote potion, pouring them into Professor Mortum’s mouth.

Professor Mortum barely recovered and stood up from his position.

“…Cough. Excellent. Perfect score.”

“I’m sorry, Professor.”

Lee Han apologized.

It wasn’t really Lee Han’s fault, but in situations like this, he had to apologize first.

“Cough. It’s fine. It’s fine. This happens often during tests. Rather, I’m more pleased to have discovered such excellent talent.”

“Ah. Is that so?”

At Professor Mortum’s words, Lee Han felt slightly relieved.

Was poison magic originally like this?

“…”

Diret, who was watching, had much to say but held back.

“Cough… Now. Let’s go take the next test.”

Professor Mortum wanted to quickly send the new students away.

His mana hadn’t fully recovered yet, so his body was still struggling.

“Yes. Then we’ll see you next time.”

Lee Han and Gainando politely bowed and turned around.

“?”

As Lee Han turned around, he could clearly see it.

The crow beastkin senior giving him a subtle thumbs up!

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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