Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 704

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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 704

“Th, that’s right. So this was it… Wait, then the storage you said you received from a graduated senior was here?!”

Diret was surprised again since he had answered ‘don’t talk nonsense’ when they discussed artifacts last time.

Lee Han looked puzzled as if wondering why he was making such a fuss now.

“I told you earlier, didn’t I?”

“Right… right.”

Diret felt somewhat calmer seeing his junior acting as if it was perfectly natural.

For this junior, meeting a graduate in the punishment room and receiving a secret base as a gift was just part of daily life.

So Diret should also calmly…

‘…No. He’s the weird one.’

Trying to control his restless heart instead of calming down, Diret examined the artifact.

The senior who installed this notebook-type artifact here must have arranged it this way to secure the mana needed for operation.

Artifacts with embedded magic were convenient tools that helped mages, but they weren’t tools that could use magic without any cost.

Securing mana was especially important. The more powerful the magic the artifact tried to use, the more the required mana increased exponentially.

This notebook-type communication artifact simply exchanged text.

However, even that required considerable mana. This was even more so since the artifact itself lacked the function to collect or generate mana.

Even Diret had to periodically charge mana and soak it in reagents to operate that artifact…

‘They connected it to the mana flowing within the secret base.’

Diret, who had been watching another senior’s method with interest, realized belatedly.

“Wait, you have no reason to keep this fixed here, right? It should charge automatically even if you carry it around?”

“Pardon?”

“This artifact. This was fixed here to supply mana from inside the room.”

“Ah. That’s possible? I just left it alone since it was fixed there…”

“If it’s okay, I’ll separate it for you.”

Getting Lee Han’s permission, Diret took out his staff and paper knife, carved simple inscriptions, and began working.

Separating an artifact connected to the mana of that space was also more troublesome work than expected.

One needed expertise in enchantment magic and had to accurately grasp the mana flow of the space. Otherwise, the artifact could burn out or mana could burst in the space, causing unexpected phenomena.

Lee Han watched Diret work intently with admiration.

“That’s amazing. Did you also learn enchantment magic?”

“Not formally, just a little out of necessity. When learning dark magic, there are many cursed artifacts, so you need to know a bit of enchantment magic too.”

“…”

Without realizing he had said something that decreased dark magic’s popularity, Diret concentrated on his work.

Sizzle-

The book separated with a burning sound. Diret carefully checked where the notebook had been connected, then handed the artifact to his junior.

“Here. It’s quite a useful artifact, so keep it safe so others don’t steal it.”

“How about disguising it as another magic book?”

“Not bad.”

Lee Han picked up a quill and wrote 【On the Great Life and Achievements of Gonadaltes】 on the notebook.

Seeing this, Diret patiently advised.

“Others won’t take it, but if you’re caught with that, you’ll be treated like a crazy person.”

“Indeed.”

Lee Han erased the title and wrote 【Bibble Verdus’s Diary】 instead.

Diret silently took the notebook, erased the title, and wrote 【Whispers of Einroguard】.

“This will do. No one will be interested in this.”

“Thank you, Senior.”

“Contact me if anything happens or you need help. Even if I can’t answer right away, I’ll reply as soon as I check.”

Lee Han nodded with eyes sparkling with emotion.

Which school senior would take care of juniors like this?

One senior like Diret was better than a hundred seniors like Yukveltire.

“Wait. This mirror too… ah, is this the other communication artifact you mentioned before?”

“Yes. They were completely insane.”

Lee Han grumbled and badmouthed the person on the other side of the mirror.

This person had treated Lee Han as an eccentric with narrow and poor social relationships just because he was somewhat acquainted with Ilendil and attended dark magic school.

Hearing this story, Diret was furious.

“What bastard was it?”

“An incredibly rude person. They even thought I was an eccentric because I’m from the Wardanaz Family!”

“Anything else?”

“…Senior, why aren’t you getting angry about this one with me?”

Diret, who had been about to casually pass over the previous comment, realized his mistake.

“How rude indeed!”

“Thank you. Other than that… they heard rumors and tried to get me to participate in their research.”

“This is maddening. I blocked Yukveltire for a moment and now everywhere…”

Diret sighed.

Personally, he thought Einroguard’s first-year protection rules should be extended to apply to second years too.

Right now, the junior before Diret looked like a defenseless, fragile lamb.

Outside the fence, countless senior wolves would be waiting, drooling.

“Don’t worry, Senior. I can refuse.”

“…Right. You’re no pushover either.”

“?”

“Be careful when talking with other students. Don’t give in rashly. Are you still talking with this person?”

“I talked with them occasionally last year. The information was quite useful…”

Diret nodded understandingly.

Cooperating with classmates or seniors at Einroguard wasn’t necessarily because the other party was personally excellent and got along well.

There were surprisingly many cases where you had to join hands out of necessity – to survive, to proceed with research.

Even with trashy opponents, it was better to maintain contact to get information.

“You haven’t been found out, have you?”

“Don’t worry. I acted perfectly, so they wouldn’t dream of it. A rough and rude third year, no, fourth year now I suppose. Anyway, that’s my cover identity.”

“They must think you’re from White Tiger Tower?”

“…That’s right!”

Actually, the other person seemed to think he was from Black Turtle Tower, but Lee Han was being considerate of Diret.

Since Diret was a Black Turtle Tower student, not a White Tiger Tower student.

“Hmm. It might be a decent disguise.”

“Right?”

“Then I’ll move this artifact too.”

Diret began extracting the core spell carved into the mirror.

Since it was much more difficult work than the notebook earlier, Lee Han helped Diret’s work from the side.

“Can you place reagents here and stabilize it?”

“Yes.”

“Can you do mana emission enchantment here… no, that would still be too much.”

“I learned it. While helping Professor Verdus.”

Lee Han immediately cast 【Bibble’s Mana Emission Enchantment】.

At the near-perfect skill, Diret felt bitter about whether he should praise or feel sad.

But regardless of that, the junior beside him was a near-perfect assistant.

Whatever reagent he mentioned, they found it right away without asking again, there wasn’t a single basic magic among various ones they couldn’t use, and above all, they didn’t need rest.

“This is… strange.”

“?”

“It doesn’t seem like such an old artifact? The spells inside are modern magic.”

Einroguard had plenty of artifacts over a hundred years old.

The notebook that Diret and Lee Han were communicating with right now was something found in some antique storage.

These artifacts had traces of old magic that could be felt when examining the spells within them.

Magic also had trends and developments, so people with excellent discernment could distinguish between different eras.

This mirror artifact contained relatively recent magic, and one could tell that the mage’s craftsmanship was very precise and outstanding.

Flash!

Lee Han’s notebook glowed and absorbed the new spell. Diret made a simple calculation of the mana required and clicked his tongue.

“This will require much more mana than expected. You’ll be fine though.”

“…”

Even though Lee Han knew he’d be fine, he felt slightly disappointed that Diret wasn’t worrying about him more.

‘Couldn’t I possibly not be fine?’

If it unexpectedly consumed a lot of mana…

“Are there any more artifacts to move to the storage here? Since we’re at it, let’s do them all together.”

“Hmm. I do have a paper artifact with me…”

Lee Han took out the paper fragment artifact he had received as last year’s top student when climbing the Tower of Rewards.

It was the communication artifact that Giselle, Adenart, Angrago, Salko, Shailes, Tijiling, and Nigisol had shared.

Diret was amazed by the artifact that allowed eight people to communicate rather than just one-on-one.

“It must get more difficult with each additional number.”

“Actually, I’ve never used this even once.”

At Lee Han’s words, Diret nodded as if that made sense.

These kinds of artifacts needed to be charged with mana, and Lee Han’s friends were all first-year students.

It could be more difficult than expected for such students to charge the necessary mana.

“Right. So…”

“Wouldn’t it be better to sell it?”

“…I’ll teach you a few ways to charge it… huh?”

Diret and Lee Han looked at each other as if asking what the other was talking about.

“Uh, wouldn’t it be better to sell it? I’ve barely used it.”

“…No matter how urgently you need silver coins, it’s better not to sell something like this. Being able to contact your friends is so useful.”

“I don’t think it was very useful for me though…”

Lee Han recalled the contacts he had received last year.

Most of the paper birds his friends sent were annoying and troublesome requests for help.

“Forget it, don’t sell it. I’ll teach you how to charge it, so pass it on to your friends.”

Diret put the paper bundle artifact into the notebook while explaining.

“First, collect the rotten blood of underground corrupted ones…”

“Senior. I don’t think my friends can easily catch underground corrupted ones.”

“…Right. I made a mistake just now. Let me tell you an easier method.”

Diret explained a simpler method.

On nights when the moon’s energy was strongest, take out a silver cup, fill it with clear water, and let it absorb the moon’s energy for two hours to concentrate mana…

‘Hmm. Maybe I’ll just go find underground corrupted ones, catch them, and sell their blood.’

Lee Han thought to himself at the unexpectedly troublesome method.

* * *

As someone who would be invited to an award ceremony if there were an 【Einroguard’s Most Excellent Senior】 award, Diret helped with the remaining minor tasks without a single complaint.

Finishing the organization inside the secret base, moving supplies to the cabin outside…

‘How did he get a ghostly chicken?’

Diret wondered to himself.

No matter how he looked at it, this wasn’t an animal a first-year could obtain.

“This cabin, who built this cabin? It’s so neat.”

“Professor Bagrek did.”

‘I shouldn’t have asked.’

Diret regretted it but threw out more questions since he had already asked.

“For what purpose? It’s not to attack people from where others can’t see, is it?”

“Haha. No one comes to the underground classroom anyway, so there’s no need to build a new one for that reason. This cabin was built to raise a basilisk. It hatched and I carry it around with me, but when it grows bigger, it’ll have to stay here.”

Lee Han spoke as if it were obvious.

Right now it was as light as a bracelet so it clung to Lee Han, but originally basilisks were classified as large monsters.

-?!

Of course, to the baby basilisk, Lee Han’s words were as shocking as the sky falling.

When the basilisk’s tail sticking out from his sleeve trembled as if shocked, Diret said in confusion.

“Uh… Junior. The basilisk seems to be shocked.”

“What? It’s probably just hungry.”

“No… it seems a bit different from that…?”

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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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