Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 429

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

Chapter 429

At Priest Tijiling’s whisper, Lee Han quickly understood the situation.

‘Oh dear.’

Well, it was natural to be excited when one had little experience with night walks like this.

If it had been Gainando, he would have given him a knock on the head, but he couldn’t help being lenient with the priests.

“Don’t worry, everyone. I made this makeshift boat because we were in a hurry. As we continue going on night walks, there will be many occasions when we need to cross the lake like this, so let’s make a proper boat next time.”

At those words, both priests’ faces brightened.

Priest Tijiling, who was listening from the side, thought to herself.

‘Will there be a next time?’

Everyone was making plans for the next night walk so naturally.

* * *

Swoooosh-

The ice ferry cut across the quiet underground lake. After confirming there were no monsters, Lee Han acted more boldly.

He floated a light orb above the ferry.

‘If there are any monsters I haven’t discovered yet, they might come because of this.’

If that happened, Lee Han was prepared to launch magical bombardments and deal with them in the water.

However, the lake remained quiet. No sounds of monsters moving could be heard either.

“Strange.”

Lee Han felt an odd uneasiness.

He never thought he would come to expect monsters that usually popped out whenever he set foot in secluded corners of the school…

Now that they weren’t appearing, it actually made him feel uneasy.

Why was that?

“It’s strange.”

Priest Siana spoke up.

“From what I can see, a lake of this size should have fish or something, shouldn’t it?”

“!”

Lee Han’s eyes widened at Priest Siana’s words.

She was definitely right about that.

He had been focused only on monsters, but fish or whatever else should naturally be visible in a lake of this size.

Even if it was an underground lake…

“Priest Siana. So you mean…”

“That’s right.”

Priest Siana nodded. Her appearance was so reliable that Lee Han found himself staring as if enchanted.

What kind of deduction would Priest Siana come up with?

“Isn’t it really fascinating?”

“Indeed. To think such a lake exists. It really is fascinating. I knew Einroguard had all sorts of places, but.”

“…”

Lee Han regretted having expectations for nothing.

The two priests were too excited to be of much help.

Priest Tijiling felt sorry for no reason and tried to speculate instead.

“If it’s a closed artificial facility, there might not be any living creatures.”

“For that to be the case, there’s quite a bit of vegetation and soil visible, plus there’s a decent current. It’s definitely connected to somewhere.”

“What if there’s a powerful being at the bottom of the lake? What if everything was eaten or fled?”

“If there was such a hostile being, it would have come out when we attracted attention like this.”

The two seriously formulated hypotheses and weighed the possibilities.

Meanwhile, Priest Siana and Priest Nigisor did what they could do.

“Wow! Look at that sculpture!”

“Look at this stone skipping!”

“…”

“…”

Lee Han and Priest Tijiling stared at them intently, but the two didn’t notice.

“Wait, there’s an island!”

Lee Han, who had been staring at the two, raised his head and shouted.

Thanks to his enhanced vision, he could spot it one step ahead of his friends.

A small island the size of a reef that hadn’t been visible due to the thick darkness revealed itself on the horizon as they drew closer.

The two priests became even more excited and asked.

“Maybe there are forgotten grimoires!”

“Or maybe history books! Very precious ones that can’t be obtained outside!”

Einroguard had many precious books in its collection, as befitting its ancient history.

Of course, whether one could freely take out and read those books was a separate matter. Finding the whereabouts of a book once lost was difficult even for professors.

For that reason, discovering precious books in remote places like this was romantic and joyful.

“What nonsense. You might get cursed, so everyone be quiet.”

“…”

“…”

Except for Lee Han.

For Lee Han, who was trying to secure necessary supplies by any means, romance was a luxury.

What books!

‘A storage built by upperclassmen. A storage built by professors. A storage built by the principal. I hope it’s one of the three. Please.’

While the priests looked dejected, Lee Han moored the ferry and landed.

What occupied most of the small island’s area was a large rock.

Lee Han guessed that if there was anything on this island, it would be hidden inside the rock.

‘Light of truth…’

Perhaps realizing what Lee Han was trying to do, Priest Nigisor and Priest Siana also picked up their equipment.

Let’s find hidden paths with fire and acid solution!

Is that Lord Gonadaltes?

“!!”

Suddenly, a booming voice echoed from inside the rock.

Only then did Lee Han realize that what he had thought was a giant rock was actually a monster.

Even though it was a small island, to think there was a monster that matched the island’s size!

Lee Han’s brain spun rapidly. Looking at the situation and location, a frontal confrontation was not the answer.

“I am the wicked…”

You’re not Lord Gonadaltes. You’re a student.

“…”

Hm? What were you trying to say?

“I am a disciple who inherited the orthodox lineage of wicked imperial magic from Lord Gonadaltes.”

Ah. So that’s why your mana is like that. I almost mistook you.

The giant rock continued speaking in a slow, gentle voice.

Though no eyes were visible, it was clear that it wasn’t identifying the other party through mana alone.

“Are you perhaps a rock spirit?”

“I don’t think it’s a spirit.”

Lee Han answered unconsciously.

Then the giant rock responded with a voice that seemed pleased.

That’s right. I’m not a spirit. How surprising. Students usually think of me as a spirit. How did you know?

“…Through experience and knowledge?”

Lee Han was about to answer ‘habitually, since most spirits dislike me’ but changed his words.

I am the Unbreakable One.

“!”

Unbreakable One.

An amorphous monster that grows by eating iron.

Having no fixed form, it takes on vastly different appearances depending on what metals it eats and what environment it grows up in.

The Unbreakable One currently occupying this small island had clearly grown up well-fed and without conflict, judging by its size and gentle nature.

“An Unbreakable One… why is it at Einroguard?”

When was it… it was so long ago I can barely remember. A student secretly brought a newborn one and raised it. They must have thought this was a good place to raise it.

The Unbreakable One spoke leisurely.

Of course, to Lee Han who was listening, this was a shocking story.

‘These irresponsible bastards!’

Even if this was Einroguard, how could they just bring in harmful creatures from outside on their own?

This is exactly why the school ends up in such a state.

Priest Siana, who had been listening, asked cautiously.

“Then you have no intention of getting angry or tormenting the students?”

Yeah. Why would I do such things? The student who brought me here is even working as a professor now.

“…”

Lee Han’s face hardened.

The culprit was even a professor.

“By any chance, was it a beaver beastkin?”

Hmm? No.

“Perhaps a vampire?”

No… wait. Stop asking.

The Unbreakable One drew a line firmly, though slowly.

It closed its mouth, worried about causing harm to the student—no, professor—who had brought it here.

If you’re thinking of not respecting that professor just because they brought me here, you’re mistaken. Everyone can make mistakes when they’re young.

“That’s true.”

Priest Nigisor deeply agreed.

The priest himself had caused quite a bit of fire mischief in the temple trying to create stronger flames.

It was innocent pranks from his youth.

“I don’t think I would secretly bring in a monster that could grow as big as the school no matter what mistake I made… mmph.”

“Shh. Priest Siana. Let’s not provoke it unnecessarily.”

Lee Han quickly covered Priest Siana’s mouth.

Though it was disappointing this wasn’t a senior’s, professor’s, or principal’s storage, this was still an opportunity in its own way.

It wasn’t often that students encountered beings that were kind to them and knowledgeable about the school.

Most beings would attack students on sight. Just look at that golem from before…

‘I need to extract as much information as possible.’

“That’s right. Whatever truth there may be, our respect for the professor won’t change one bit.”

Lee Han wasn’t lying.

Even if they had brought in a newborn Unbreakable One, his respect wouldn’t change.

It had been zero from the start!

Really? That’s a relief.

The Unbreakable One seemed satisfied and answered leisurely.

Lee Han watched the other’s reaction and asked.

“So you’re staying here?”

Yeah.

When he asked the question, the Unbreakable One slowly spilled information.

This lake where the Unbreakable One currently stayed, swimming and feeding, was apparently called the ‘Spider Web Lake.’

It had nothing to do with spiders, but got its name because of the lake’s terrain.

Located deep underground in the main building, so deep it was hard to count the floors, this lake had become very firmly combined and connected with several areas of Einroguard over a long time.

Even when Einroguard periodically twisted its body and mixed up the internal spaces, the spaces connected to this Spider Web Lake remained unbroken.

Professors who knew this fact used this Spider Web Lake like a kind of shortcut.

“!!”

Lee Han suppressed his racing heart and asked carefully.

“Then… are there places around here that connect to somewhere?”

I don’t know about other places, but there’s one below me. From what I heard, it’s a place the professors use.

“!!!”

Upon hearing it was a place the professors used, Lee Han’s eyes wavered.

Priest Nigisor and Priest Siana also seemed excited as they nodded slightly and exchanged glances with Lee Han.

‘Is it a storage?’

‘Maybe it’s the professors’ library?’

Priest Tiziling, who had been listening quietly, carefully raised her hand and asked.

“May I ask one thing? You seem to be on good terms with the professors and principal, but is it okay to tell us this?”

Hm? Of course. If you made it this far, you must be upperclassmen, and you’d find out soon even if I didn’t tell you.

“…”

“We’re 1st year students…”

What??

The Unbreakable One was startled. They could feel the rock shaking and flinching.

How did 1st year students cross the lake?

“We froze the water to make a boat.”

Wow. That’s amazing. Has the level of new students risen these days?

‘No.’

‘Not really.’

‘No.’

According to the Unbreakable One, crossing this Spider Web Lake required magic.

If one tried to cross using non-magical means, the lake’s water would immediately push them back to shore.

‘Petty professors.’

Lee Han clicked his tongue.

Even if they wanted to use this lake as a shortcut right now, without knowing the locations of the exits and entrances, they couldn’t use this vast and complex lake like a shortcut.

And on top of that, they put such restrictions.

“So Gonadaltes cast this?”

Hm? No. It’s a natural phenomenon. Mana accumulated and accumulated until it became like that.

“…Oh my.”

Lee Han felt slightly repentant.

“Then is the lack of life in the lake also because of that mana?”

That’s because it’s time for the water spirits to play pranks. They fled in advance because a flood is about to happen.

“…”

“…????!”

Lee Han’s group was shocked by the Unbreakable One casually mentioning such a huge event.

* * *

“Um… if a huge flood is going to happen, shouldn’t we quickly go and tell someone…?”

Despite hearing the shocking fact, Lee Han moved through the passage below the Unbreakable One toward the professors’ exclusive space.

Priest Tiziling was bewildered by his determined appearance.

Shouldn’t they go back right now and prepare?

“Priest Tiziling. This is exactly when we need to gather more. If it’s the professors’ storage, there should be useful things for when the flood hits.”

“That’s definitely right!”

“I agree.”

The other two priests were excited as they grabbed the ladder and nodded.

“Being a little late getting back won’t change things much. Above us…”

Lee Han, who had been climbing at the very top of the passage ladder, stopped moving.

And then he hardened his face stiffly.

“Why are you doing that?”

“…It looks like the Professors’ Common Room…?”

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