Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 231
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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 230
Quantity or quality?
It was a topic that came up in any field, but at least when it came to summoning magic, quality was more important than quantity.
It was simple.
The effort required was far too much compared to the benefits gained from increasing quantity.
Not to mention mana, each and every summon required complete concentration and focus, and at this rate the mage would collapse first.
Even reducing the burden by summoning from other dimensions was the same. Beings from other dimensions couldn’t be summoned indiscriminately either.
That’s why summoning magic pursued quality, not quantity.
If you mastered summoning skeleton warriors, then stronger skeleton warriors.
If that succeeded too, then higher-tier undead monsters.
“But the Principal commanded dozens, hundreds of summoned creatures, didn’t he?”
At Gainando’s question, Yoner and Lee Han looked at him with disdain.
And ignored him.
“Isn’t fifteen too much of a strain?”
“Hmm. Did I summon too many? But it’s not to the point of being a strain.”
At Lee Han’s words, Yoner was newly amazed.
He knew his friend from the Wardanaz family had mana like a mad dragon, but to think it was to this extent.
“I don’t know much about dark magic, but… do you normally train this way?”
At Yoner’s question, the Imperial Princess shook her head up and down from behind.
Since she knew quite a bit about dark magic, she seemed to think what Lee Han was doing now was strange.
“You don’t normally do it this way. It’s a lost ancient method.”
“I see… Wardanaz. Regular necromancy is too easy for you, so you’re reviving lost ancient methods to continue that tradition? It’s a thought befitting your intellect.”
Asan spoke as if he understood.
Lee Han was about to hit him but held back, wondering what nonsense Asan was spouting.
“It sounds grand but… it’s close to something like that.”
“Still, this seems too reckless.”
“Right. The progress is a bit slow.”
Lee Han tapped his staff.
Unlike earlier when they didn’t budge, this time all the skeleton warriors simultaneously raised their arms.
Then they threw paper bundles in unison.
“Ack!”
Gainando got pelted by the flying paper bundles.
“This is about all that’s possible right now. And even then, I have to try twice to barely succeed once.”
“Oh…”
“There’s still a long way to go. Still.”
Students who didn’t know much about dark magic thought that must be how it was.
However, the Imperial Princess was shocked.
Not only had he raised fifteen skeleton warriors using the ancient method, but he was already controlling them to the point of coordinated volleys.
Tap tap-
When the Imperial Princess pointed as if to say ‘look at that,’ Neblen spoke as if he understood.
“Ah. It certainly doesn’t look good. I’ll help Wardanaz clean up. Wardanaz. It seems like your personal room isn’t a suitable space for practice – shall I help you move?”
“That would be good. Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it for something like this.”
The Blue Dragon Tower friends rolled up their sleeves and began picking up bones one by one.
“Sharkan. Thank you.”
-Krung.
Lee Han loaded luggage onto Sharkan’s back while expressing his gratitude.
“Gonadaltes. Carry this.”
“Wha… what-tes???”
Asan looked around in horror.
Lee Han calmed his friend down.
“Calm down. Asan. The Principal didn’t come. This summoned creature’s name is Gonadaltes.”
“Aha… …Wardanaz. I have no right to say anything about someone else’s summoned creature, but isn’t that a bit dangerous???”
As his friends picked up luggage and walked away one by one, the Imperial Princess shook her head in frustration.
* * *
Salko of House Tutanta was moving with his friends.
There was someone he wanted to find.
“Wardanaz is at Professor Thunderstep’s cabin right now. Let’s go.”
“Tu, Tutanta. Isn’t it a bit dangerous?”
“Of course Wardanaz is a terrifyingly formidable guy you can never let your guard down around. But he’s not a fool like those White Tiger Tower students who make cooperation itself impossible. If there are reasonable conditions, we should be able to join hands.”
“No. Isn’t it dangerous to go with just this number of people? If Wardanaz suddenly attacks…”
“Was that what you meant.”
Salko clicked his tongue at the frightened Black Turtle Tower student.
“I told you Wardanaz isn’t the type to attack so recklessly.”
“Bu, but. Ymirg. What do you think?”
The Black Turtle Tower student turned to his friend. The giant hybrid student who took dark magic classes with Lee Han was flustered.
“Uh, um…”
Though he did take dark magic together, he really had no sense of what kind of student Wardanaz was.
The Prince seemed a bit stupid, and Raphadael seemed somewhat rude, but Wardanaz was…
Except for being a magical genius, he had no sense of him at all.
“He, he’s good at magic.”
“Wardanaz is excellent at magic. That bastard. Is he really the same age as us?”
“The Wardanaz family is originally famous.”
“No. I’ve seen someone from the Wardanaz family from afar before, but no matter how I think about it, they weren’t to that degree.”
The Black Turtle Tower students whispered as they walked.
If there was a moderately excellent student, they’d think ‘that guy’s smart,’ but if there was a student so excellent it was incomprehensible, they could only react with ‘????’
Lee Han was exactly like that.
His appearance of attending lectures from all schools of magic and following along without difficulty reminded them of a monster beyond genius.
A monster that pursued only magic!
“Oh right. I heard something strange recently. The Blue Dragon Tower guys say Wardanaz prepares meals for them every day.”
“Does that make sense?”
“But didn’t Wardanaz make us vegetable stew before? That was really delicious.”
“It’s not that he can’t cook. Since he’s good at alchemy, he’d be good at cooking too. But preparing meals every single time is a separate matter. Do you think you could do that?”
The Black Turtle Tower student fell into thought.
At Einroguard where ingredients were already scarce, having to wake up every dawn to wash vegetables, peel them, mince meat and prepare meals.
“I don’t think Wardanaz would have reason to do that.”
“Right. The Blue Dragon Tower guys are just bragging. Since Wardanaz has cooked before, they’re bragging about that.”
“Those bastards. They’re great nobles but they tell such vulgar lies!”
“That’s how nobles are. Among those who boast about bloodlines, those who show befitting ability can be counted on one hand. We’re almost there. Over there.”
Salko pointed with his finger at a cabin visible in the distance near the forest.
It was Professor Thunderstep’s cabin.
“Wardanaz! Are you there? I have something to talk about… Aaaahhh!”
“Uhhhhehhuk!”
At the sight of skeleton warriors arranged like scarecrows behind the cabin, the Black Turtle Tower students burst into screams.
* * *
“Sorry about that. I didn’t know you’d be so frightened.”
“W-wait. We weren’t frightened.”
“Right. We were just startled, that’s all.”
The students in Salko’s group all came from rough backgrounds.
Whatever else, they reacted very intensely to being called ‘frightened.’
“Anyone can get scared when they suddenly encounter undead. I understand.”
“We said no!!”
“Stop it, Wardanaz. I came here today to make you a proposal.”
Salko glanced at the skeleton warriors standing around the vegetable garden.
Even when he tried not to look, his gaze kept drifting to them.
‘I don’t know much about dark magic, but is it normally possible to summon this many?’
“What kind of proposal? Oh, Salko. Do you want to enter the undead realm together?”
“What are you talking about? I have no interest in dark magic.”
‘No need to be so serious about it.’
Lee Han grumbled inwardly.
It was just a joke!
“…I found an escape route.”
Salko lowered his voice. Lee Han was surprised.
He found an escape route?
“Oh. Are you talking about the rock grass cave guarded by the gandharva? You should give up on that one. It definitely doesn’t seem like something we can break through.”
“…That’s the first I’ve heard of that cave. How did you even find out about such a place?”
Salko was inwardly shocked.
If Blue Dragon Tower students took pride in their families, and White Tiger Tower students took pride in their swords, then Black Turtle Tower students took pride in their adaptability.
-We’re the ones who explore this vast magic school the most and know it the best!
It wasn’t entirely wrong.
Indeed, Black Turtle Tower students generally had excellent adaptability and were usually the first to discover necessary information while exploring various places.
However, there were occasional exceptions.
“I heard about it while wandering around.”
Lee Han, who had adaptability that none of the other Black Turtle Tower students could match, answered as if it was nothing special.
From his demeanor emanated an aura that only a seasoned student could exude.
Slightly overwhelmed, Salko hesitantly continued speaking.
“Anyway, it’s not that cave.”
“Don’t tell me it’s the mountain range route? It would be better to postpone the mountain range route. I only suffered losses last time when I trusted and followed those White Tiger Tower guys.”
“It’s not that either… If you walk west along the base of the mountain range, you’ll come to desert-like terrain. Do you know it?”
Though he asked out of courtesy, Salko naturally thought Lee Han wouldn’t know about it.
Who would have gone that far for what reason?
Even Salko and the Black Turtle Tower students wouldn’t have gone there without information.
“I know it.”
“?!??!”
“H-how?”
“Last time Ponrig went berserk… It’s not really important. So what about that desert?”
“Look at this map.”
According to Salko, one of the Black Turtle Tower students had a strange experience while wandering around the school at night.
It was an empty, dark room, but when he stepped inside, whispers came saying they would grant the student’s wish.
The student said ‘I want to leave the school!’ and…
“So that’s how you got this map?”
“Right.”
“Interesting. Where was the room located?”
“When we went back to look, it had disappeared.”
‘Suspicious.’
The only thing that had increased since entering the magic school was suspicion.
Frankly speaking, there was no way to know whether what whispered to the student in that room was a spirit granting wishes or the Skeleton Principal pretending to be a spirit.
“Anyway, looking at this map…”
The map pointed to a desert area located west of the school grounds.
A well was drawn, and following underground from that well…
“An underground passage?”
“Right. It’s an underground passage that goes under the castle walls.”
“It says ‘Large Monster Presence’ near the well.”
“Right. That’s why we need strong combat power.”
“I’m not really that high in combat power…”
“??”
“????”
The Black Turtle Tower students looked at the skeleton warriors standing in the vegetable garden.
Then they looked back at Lee Han.
“Why are you staring like that?”
“N-nothing. Anyway, are you interested?”
“I always want to secure escape routes. The difficulty is the problem though. I already have a lot to do, so I don’t want to waste effort…”
At Lee Han’s words, Salko signaled with his chin.
Then the Black Turtle Tower students began setting down the chests they had brought.
‘The Black Turtle Tower guys know something.’
Lee Han sent an expectant gaze.
As expected, unlike other tower students, the Black Turtle Tower students were friends who understood what trading meant.
‘Materials? Reagents? Magic books? Food?’
“Wardanaz. Look at this. These are sculptures and ceramics you can display in your private room. Aren’t they beautiful?”
“…Why are you giving this to me?”
“Uh… don’t nobles like this stuff?”
“Who likes this kind of thing?”
“The Blue Dragon Tower students couldn’t buy these because they didn’t have any…”
“…”
To think his friends had been purchasing such useless decorative items without him knowing.
Lee Han sighed inwardly.
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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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