Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 509

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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 509

For some reason, it seemed like the distance between him and Diret had grown. Lee Han called out to his senior once more.

“Senior?”

“I didn’t know you were practicing bone explosion magic…”

Dark mages who specialized in training bone elements displayed tenacious power in many-versus-many battles.

Not only could they enhance various undead, but they could also handle direct attacks and defense.

Especially when it came to bone explosions, they became the dark mages that enemies would prioritize suppressing above all else.

Once properly detonated, the destructive power was truly tremendous.

But where there are advantages, there are also disadvantages.

Even excluding the massive mana consumption, bone explosion magic was difficult to use casually.

If cast incorrectly at close range, the dark mage could collapse, but trying to cast from maximum distance made the difficulty increase exponentially.

The farther the distance, the weaker a mage’s interference ability becomes.

The best method was to cause bone explosions on summoned creatures from the undead realm, but the summoned creatures didn’t particularly like such self-destruction either.

However, this junior had solved such constraints with ancient necromancy and massive mana reserves.

The sight of him protecting himself with water shields while mercilessly exploding undead was something even fairly experienced dark mages would find hard to imitate.

…But did he really need to go this far as a 1st year???

“Ah. Professor Mortum told me to practice bone explosions.”

“Hmm… So when he said to practice bone explosions… never mind.”

Diret was about to say ‘Usually when someone says to practice bone explosions, it means to do it carefully in a workshop, not to practice in actual combat in a dungeon,’ but he held back for his junior’s sake.

“Bone explosion is the magic that causes the most accidents, and since you’re combining it with dark elements, you need to be even more careful.”

“Yes. I’ll always keep at least one shield up and use it by maintaining maximum distance and only making summoned creatures self-destruct.”

Diret could feel through their connection that his undead summon was trembling with fear. Diret comforted his undead summon.

-I have no intention of making you self-destruct like that, so don’t worry.

“So, you want to try combining it with poison elements?”

“Yes.”

In fact, combining with the rare and difficult-to-handle dark element was the unusual case; originally, bone elements were commonly combined with other elements.

Among them, the most representative element was poison.

The power of bone elements combined with various poisons boasted deadly effectiveness.

“It’s an orthodox method. You probably don’t have many types of poison you can use right now, but there’s no harm in practicing early.”

Diret forgot the thought he’d just had and naturally began discussing magic again.

“However, there are several precautions when utilizing poison elements, and you’ll need to reduce the power of bone explosion magic significantly… Try reducing it once. No. You need to reduce it more. Again! No, why can’t you reduce the power? That’s supposed to be the easiest part!”

* * *

After thoroughly sweeping through Professor Verdus’s wooden puppet dungeon with his junior, Diret returned to the Dark Magic Hall.

Professor Mortum, who had finished his lecture earlier, was assembling parts of a flesh golem when Diret returned and threw him a question.

“Cough. You returned later than expected. Was there some problem in the vampire bat dungeon?”

“Ah. No. We went to the wooden puppet dungeon to practice necromancy combined with dark elements.”

“…?”

Professor Mortum thought quietly for a long while, then asked as if he couldn’t understand.

“Cough, I just told him to make a cursed doll, so was there a need to teach him so harshly? Did Wardanaz offend you somehow?”

“What? No! What do you… huh?”

Diret was startled and tried to deny it, but thinking about it carefully, it was definitely strange.

Huh…

Wait??

‘Why did I do that??’

* * *

Gainando was inexplicably excited to see Lee Han looking happy for once in a long time.

Usually, he would mutter with a face worn down by fatigue, ‘I wish Einroguard and the professors would embrace each other and disappear into that lake,’ startling Gainando, but today he was stirring the ladle in the pot with a bright face.

“Did something happen today?”

“Ah. Gainando. I succeeded in controlling multiple undead.”

“…”

Gainando frowned and stared at Lee Han.

He hadn’t expected him to be that happy for such a reason.

“Controlling undead isn’t really something to be that happy about…”

“Gainando. Don’t you know what it means for a dark mage to be able to control multiple undead?”

Unlike other mages who always had to travel with front-line fighters to protect them, dark mages skilled in undead summoning had no particular problems traveling alone.

That meant when taking requests, they could travel alone without needing to share rewards with other adventurers.

“Eh… but that’s lonely.”

“Gainando. Magic is inherently lonely.”

“And the professor said that if a dark mage travels alone with multiple undead, they’ll get reported.”

“…”

Lee Han hesitated as Gainando hit a sore spot.

It was a surprisingly valid point.

‘I’ll have to summon them after entering dungeons when outside.’

Within Einroguard, summoning and traveling with undead would get reactions like ‘Must be a student from the dark magic school,’ but doing that outside would likely get reactions like ‘Kyaaah! Guards! Guards!!’

“Then can you give me just one chocolate?”

“No. Don’t fill your stomach with snacks before meals.”

Lee Han firmly refused. Gainando grumbled and went to sit at the table.

Students were already gathering around the long wooden table placed in front of Phoenix Tower.

Not only Phoenix Tower priests but also Blue Dragon Tower friends, and even some Black Turtle Tower and White Tiger Tower students…?

“Why are you guys here?”

Lee Han asked in confusion.

They had eaten together during the flood, but the flood was over, so why?

“Hmph. Wardanaz.”

“?”

One White Tiger Tower student approached with a frown.

Then he slipped a piece of rare luminous spirit ink into Lee Han’s hand as a bribe.

“Please take care of us.”

“…R-right.”

The White Tiger Tower students winked and took their seats. Lee Han was dumbfounded even as he pocketed the bribe.

‘What are those guys doing?’

“Wardanaz. Please take care of us too.”

“No. You can eat at your own tower. Today’s meal isn’t even anything special.”

“It tastes bad…”

“…”

The Black Turtle Tower students’ voices contained such sincere desperation.

Even the cold-hearted Lee Han was overwhelmed by it.

“W-well then. Sit down.”

What he said earlier wasn’t a lie. Tonight’s dinner had been prepared quite simply.

All there was were stew made by roughly chopping and boiling leftover vegetables and chicken, butter toast, grilled bird skewers that the priests had caught, and rice balls…

Slurp chomp chomp!

“Hey. Someone go report this to White Tiger Tower.”

“I’ll go do it.”

The Blue Dragon Tower students were horrified by the sight of White Tiger Tower students eating like they were possessed.

Lee Han focused on his meal regardless. He had many things to do even after tonight’s dinner.

“Wardanaz. Wardanaz.”

“Oh. Nilia.”

Lee Han turned his gaze at Nilia’s call.

Nilia, who had been eating grilled bird skewers with her hands just moments ago, had now removed the meat from the skewer and was eating it with a knife and fork.

“Why aren’t you eating with your hands?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about? I always eat like this, don’t I?”

Looking around, all the Blue Dragon Tower students were using knives and forks.

“Just use your hands…”

“That’s not what’s important right now. Did you hear the rumor?”

“What rumor?”

“The professor is preparing a dimensional gate. So we can contract with stronger summoned creatures than last time.”

“!”

It was welcome news.

Even though they had gathered only the most outstanding talents in the Empire, the students who were still first-years had many shortcomings.

The best way to fill those shortcomings was indeed summoned creatures.

“That’s great. If I can contract with stronger undead…”

“Huh? No… it was about spirits…”

Nilia said hesitantly.

The rumor was that Professor Milay was preparing to find and connect to a new spirit realm for the first-year students taking summoning magic, but she had never heard anything about an undead realm.

“They’re not opening an undead realm?”

“I only heard about spirits.”

Nilia glanced at Lee Han cautiously.

“They’ll open an undead realm too. They did last time.”

“Th… that’s right! Of course!”

Nilia agreed with Lee Han’s words while praying desperately inside.

Please let Professor Milay have prepared an undead realm too!

* * *

“I recently found a decent spirit realm that we can access. After checking, it seems safe enough for students to move around in.”

Professor Milay looked around at the students with an unwavering, upright posture.

Lee Han raised his hand and asked.

“Professor. I have a question.”

“What is your question?”

“By any chance, is there also an undead realm…?”

“There is no undead realm this time.”

“…”

Disappointment crossed Lee Han’s expression. Nilia beside him fidgeted restlessly and whispered.

“You don’t absolutely have to contract with undead, right? You could contract with spirits too!”

“Sure… I might also discover a treasure vault filled with mountains of gold while walking down the street and become the Empire’s greatest tycoon.”

“…”

While Nilia was left speechless, Professor Milay looked at Lee Han and said.

“Student Lee Han. It’s prejudice to hastily conclude that you can’t contract with spirits. Of course, spirits generally tend to avoid beings with a lot of mana, but there are spirits with unique characteristics as well.”

Lee Han, slightly encouraged by the professor’s words, asked again.

“Then if I don’t give up and keep searching the spirit realm, can I find a decent spirit?”

“Sometimes giving up is also important. Student Lee Han. You must know when to give up even if you can’t find one.”

“…”

“…”

At Professor Milay’s honest truth, Lee Han looked at Nilia again. Nilia quickly buried her head on the desk and pretended to read a book.

“The spirits you can find in the spirit realm are as follows…”

* * *

The prepared students crossed over to the spirit realm through the magic circle one by one, and Lee Han’s turn finally came.

Nilia behind him asked cautiously.

“Should we go in together?”

“No thanks. If we go together for no reason, you won’t be able to meet one either.”

“…”

Nilia couldn’t immediately object since she was actually worried about that too.

‘She was secretly worried I might accept while asking!’

Seeing Nilia’s poor expression management, it was clear she had been worrying ‘what if he accepts?’ while asking.

“I’m going in first. See you later.”

Lee Han stopped tormenting Nilia and stepped toward the magic circle.

It was disappointing not to achieve results in the lecture, but originally you can’t get perfect grades in every lecture, right?

Of course, he would have to study even more fiercely to make up for the loss from today’s lecture in other lectures, but Lee Han had accepted it.

‘I should just clear my mind and look around today.’

Pop!

The sensation of floating and his soul moving to another realm.

An open sea with nothing in it and the smell of salty seawater rushed in. It was as if he had fallen alone on a deserted island.

‘Sea, water, marine-type monsters?’

The environment was the most primary clue given to mages trying to negotiate with beings from other realms.

Experienced and knowledgeable summoning mages could even guess the names of spirits just by looking at the surrounding environment.

Splash!

In the distance, a dolphin-like spirit poked its head above the water surface.

Lee Han greeted it carefully.

“Hello. Dolphin Teacher?”

Instead of answering, the dolphin went underwater and didn’t come back up.

“…”

Lee Han felt bitter.

‘Should I just try to catch it by force?’

There was nothing more dangerous and reckless than competing with spirits by force in the spirit realm, but it seemed better than aimlessly trying to talk like this…

Shiiine-

“?”

The mark Lee Han had received from Upinum after stopping the spirit flood began to glow.

At the same time, the sea before his eyes parted to both sides like low tide, revealing a sea path.

It was like a signal telling him to enter.

‘The spirit is repaying the favor!’

Lee Han felt overwhelming emotion.

Indeed, even lowly creatures repay favors, and since Upinum is a great spirit of that caliber…!

* * *

Professor Milay, who was sitting in a chair, frowned when she saw the magic circle rippling.

Since it was a magic circle that protected students with complex spells and blessings, the rippling couldn’t be a good sign.

‘What is it?’

Upon checking, one of the students was leaving the area protected by the magic circle and entering the outer area.

‘It’s Student Lee Han.’

Although she hadn’t confirmed who it was yet, Professor Milay immediately identified the culprit.

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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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