Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 324

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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 324

“The senior told me to do it, didn’t he?”

“If that’s how it works just because someone tells you to… No, never mind. Junior. Stay quiet and focus on control. It must be difficult enough as it is.”

Diret was right.

Unlike the stable water orb, the darkness orb was fluctuating quite unstably.

It felt like it could lose its form and scatter in all directions with just one mistake at any moment.

“In this state… throwing it would be too risky, so if we were to use it, it would be for close combat at most? Junior. Are you good at fighting?”

At the sudden question, Gainando and Ymirg simultaneously coughed.

“I only learned enough for self-defense.”

“Well, since you’re from a noble family, you wouldn’t have gone without learning swordsmanship.”

Again, the two friends simultaneously coughed.

“A mage doesn’t necessarily need to be good at fighting, but sometimes close combat situations arise. In those cases, this kind of magic is more useful than you’d think. Junior. It would be more stable if handled with enchantment magic, but we can’t expect that much right now.”

“Wouldn’t fire element be better for something like that?”

“There are more enemies who can withstand fire element than you’d think.”

Starting with monsters that had resistance to fire, experienced adventurers usually carried one or two defensive measures against fire.

It was an element that was just that common to encounter in real life.

“I see…”

“Junior. How long are you going to keep maintaining that darkness element… hurry up and dispel it.”

Lee Han, who had been admiring, came to his senses at Diret’s point and dispelled the darkness element.

“Going back to what we were talking about earlier, it’s good to use opposing items when problems arise because you couldn’t prevent them in advance, but if you know how to handle darkness element, this is also possible.”

Diret looked around at the remnants left from Lee Han’s darkness element explosion earlier and gripped his staff.

“Darkness. Gather at this end.”

Magic that controlled existing water or fire rather than summoning water or fire elements.

“You’re gathering all the darkness element in the surroundings?”

“You got it right. It’s creating a kind of vacuum state. If a mage preemptively claims the darkness element, undead and beings of that type become quite vulnerable.”

Undead were beings with extreme advantages and disadvantages.

When dealing with such beings, it was more effective to strike at their weaknesses rather than clash head-on with strength.

If he had known this method when facing the King of Ghouls, it would have been much more effective than turning the cave into a sea of fire.

‘Knowledge really is power.’

“Isn’t this interesting, Gainando?”

“Huh? Uh-huh? Uh-huh-huh.”

Gainando, who had been yawning and dozing off beside them, answered in surprise at Lee Han’s question.

He had no interest in darkness elements or anything like that.

“…This guy…”

“Calm down. Junior. You don’t need to learn this content right now. It might just complicate your head while studying other things.”

When Lee Han tried to pick up his staff, Diret stopped him. Gainando was moved inside.

‘S-Senior…!’

“Um. Mages??”

The captured adventurers holding shovels cautiously spoke up.

Lee Han answered in an indifferent voice.

“Ah. I said I’d send you away today.”

“N-no, that’s not it… there keep being strange sounds from inside the tower…”

“!!!”

* * *

The public cemetery on the outskirts of Granden City didn’t only have graves.

There were walls surrounding the graves, of course, and inside there were several small towers.

They were used as resting spaces for gravekeepers, for storing equipment, or served as central cores when dark mages cast large-scale magic in the cemetery.

Naturally, they didn’t store corpses inside.

‘Then…’

“Did you check the mana properly?”

Diret cast off the face of a senior teaching his juniors and returned to being the dark mage responsible for managing the public cemetery.

Lee Han took out a memo paper to check and answered.

“Yes. The tower where they said they heard sounds is either Tower 1 or Tower 2, and both had normal mana levels.”

“What about the case where a monster hiding among the luggage entered while the luggage was being moved?”

“To prepare for that case, I dismantled and dispersed any luggage that blocked vision. I cast space perception magic and darkness sight magic to check, and after finishing, I closed the windows, so I think that possibility is low.”

“…”

Though he tried to focus seriously, Diret found it hard to suppress the tickling sense of pride that washed over him.

Even among other schools that boasted about having many new students, there wouldn’t be a junior like this one.

Honestly, he wanted to take him out and show him off.

‘Ah. But that junior is also attending all the other schools…’

Diret, who belatedly realized the reality, felt bitter.

“Senior?”

“Those adventurers heard wrong.”

“N-no! We all heard it properly!”

“Or it came from outside.”

“Is that possible?”

Lee Han was puzzled.

Hiding among luggage was one thing, but a monster that had invaded from completely outside?

Even though this was a remote place, it was still within the city. If a monster wandered the main roads, it would likely be slaughtered within thirty minutes.

“I’m wondering about that too. Junior.”

“Didn’t those people hear wrong?”

“C-could it be something like this?”

Ymirg raised his hand and spoke.

“S-sometimes the underground soil moves too. Since there are corpses underground here. If the underground soil moves and gets pushed out of the cemetery…”

“!”

If underground soil was pushed out and the position of corpses shifted, and if mana unfortunately pooled around that area, undead could be generated outside the cemetery rather than inside.

“That sounds plausible?”

“Well done. Junior.”

“T-thank you.”

Ymirg blushed at the praise from Lee Han and Diret.

However, Gainando glared at Ymirg.

“W-why?”

“…From now on, you’re my rival.”

“…”

Having already defeated Raphadael (at least he thought so), and having decided to just exclude Lee Han, Ymirg’s performance was something Gainando absolutely couldn’t let slide.

“Hmph. Let’s compete to see who’s the real number one in dark magic.”

“T-that’s obviously Wardanaz…”

“We’re starting the search. Undead, reveal yourself!”

Along with the incantation, waves spread out from Diret’s staff.

And from the upper floor of Tower 2 came a flash followed by the sound of something breaking.

“!!”

“Over there! Let’s go!”

“Please wait a moment! Just in case, you should prepare defenses before going.”

At Lee Han’s words, Diret paused.

‘What kind of defensive magic is he going to use?’

Even if it was the same defensive magic, it would be better for Diret, a fourth year student, to cast it, but his opponent wasn’t an ordinary junior.

Diret was honestly curious about what kind of defensive magic Lee Han would use.

This time too, he would show magic that exceeded expectations…

“Hey! Adventurers! Take the lead!”

“…”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

* * *

Lee Han and Diret, along with the adventurers, went up the tower.

Ymirg and Gainando stayed outside the tower.

Running quickly up the stairs, Lee Han asked.

“The creature must know its position has been discovered, won’t it try to escape?”

“That’s unlikely. Junior. Even though it occurred outside the cemetery, it deliberately entered inside to grow stronger. It’s aggressive and fearless.”

“I see.”

Just from the reaction shown when it appeared, they could roughly grasp the undead’s characteristics.

If it tried to quickly distance itself from the summoned location, it was cautious and cowardly, but if it tried to establish its position instead of fleeing, it was the opposite.

In this case, since it was trying to absorb the mana flowing through the cemetery to grow stronger, it was likely an aggressive and greedy creature.

-■■■■■!!

“Aaaahhh!”

“It appeared!!!”

The adventurers climbing ahead screamed.

A massive undead came sliding down from the upper stairs as if tumbling. Seeing its appearance, Diret let out a groan.

“Damn… it’s an undead chimera.”

The result of strong negative mana combining with torn and mangled corpses instead of a single body.

Since multiple entities’ characteristics were mixed, it was difficult for mages to predict and troublesome to deal with.

Diret immediately prepared a weakening spell for the undead chimera.

“Decay…”

Bang!

An explosion occurred inside the undead chimera’s body, blowing away about a quarter of it.

Using the propulsion from that explosion, the undead chimera collided with the tower wall instead of crushing the adventurers in one blow. The weakened part of the wall crumbled and a hole formed.

“?!?!”

Lee Han and Diret were flustered when the vicious creature escaped by breaking through the tower wall, even sacrificing part of its own body.

They hadn’t even fought yet, so why was it suddenly running away?!

“…Senior. Please don’t get angry and hear me out.”

“Why would I get angry at you, junior? Just say it, it’s fine! What is it?”

“I think that creature ran away after seeing me…”

“…”

Diret almost got angry, thinking this wasn’t the time for jokes.

The adventurers standing in front unconsciously muttered.

“In, indeed.”

“What do you mean indeed!”

“Sor… sorry!”

“There are undead with exceptional mana detection abilities. I think it sensed my mana and fled.”

“…!”

Only then did Diret understand Lee Han’s words.

If it wasn’t simply a vicious and aggressive creature, but one with mana detection abilities and intelligence enough to understand and retreat…

“This is going to get complicated. Junior.”

-That thing’s escaping!! That thing’s escaping!! Hey you bastard! Stop right there! Shoot forth, bone! Ymirg! Throw something! Throw a rock!

-If, if I throw wrong, people might get hurt…!

* * *

Diret and Lee Han, who came down from the tower, immediately began pursuit.

“Contact the city guard that an undead chimera seems to have appeared. We’ll pursue it ourselves. Junior.”

“Understood.”

“Thank you, mage sir!”

The gravekeepers bowed their heads in gratitude.

Originally, this was the gravekeepers’ responsibility.

They should have been checking regularly to prevent undead from occurring.

Of course, the gravekeepers felt wronged about this situation too.

Who could have known that undead would be summoned outside the cemetery because of soil movement underground.

But even so, it was true that they had to take responsibility when problems occurred and damage increased.

So when the dark mages offered to help, they couldn’t help but be grateful.

“Everyone doesn’t need to thank us. This is what dark mages should do.”

“In, indeed…”

When his senior seemed too upright and likely to suffer losses, Lee Han firmly intervened.

“But I think everyone should know who solved this matter. Please properly convey the facts to the city guard and tell them there should be treatment befitting the honor.”

“Understood!”

Diret looked at his junior as if bewildered.

What was he saying when they were in such a hurry.

“Senior. No matter how urgent it is, we must convey necessary information.”

“No… is that necessary…? Let’s depart for now!”

Diret tracked the mana left behind by the undead chimera.

The creature that escaped the cemetery was fleeing through alleyways, avoiding the main roads.

“If it knows to sense and avoid mana, it would naturally know instinctively to avoid people too. It’ll be troublesome if it hides.”

“We’ll definitely catch it.”

“I hope so. In the city, even a small delay makes tracking difficult… Oh no. This is bad.”

Diret clicked his tongue.

They had finally exited the alleyways, but unfortunately the place the creature entered was the guild warehouse site.

“What’s wrong? Let’s explain the situation and go in.”

“That’ll be difficult. Junior.”

Guilds were stubborn about such matters.

If they let outsiders in and there were problems with supplies or confidential information was leaked, that would be an even bigger problem.

Even if they said an undead chimera had escaped and entered, they would likely insist on catching it themselves.

“Still, I’ll at least try talking to them.”

“Alright. Give it a try. But don’t get too hung up on it. Anyway…”

A moment later, Lee Han returned.

“They said it’s fine. Let’s go in.”

“?!?!”

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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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