Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 769

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

Chapter 769

After that, Ilendil continued raging for about 15 more minutes before leaving. She was truly furious at having her pure heart that loved beavers insulted.

“It… it was scary. You guys were right.”

Once the senior disappeared, Gainando said while breaking out in cold sweat.

Just by appearance, she seemed as peaceful as a tree, but when she got angry, the surrounding air trembled.

‘But just now, it seems like Gainando was in the wrong.’

Even the most benevolent senior at Einrogard would probably grab someone by the collar immediately if they heard something like ‘Do you like Professor Verdus?’

Lee Han himself would immediately cast a curse if someone came up to him while he was practicing dark magic and said something like ‘Let’s see! Since you’re learning dark magic… you must respect Lord Gonadaltes!’

“That’s not the kind of scary we were talking about.”

“Right, right. We meant alchemically scary. When you enter the forest, she frequently attacks… She at least leaves 1st years alone, but sometimes she attacks 1st years too, I heard.”

“…”

“…”

At Ymirg’s detailed explanation, the students’ faces became solemn.

Agdung, a Callarogard student, asked in confusion.

“That’s a joke, right?”

“Uh… Yes. It’s a joke. Haha. It’s an Einrogard-style joke.”

“Hahaha! Right? I thought so. Einrogard jokes have always been a bit hard to understand.”

Lee Han, who quickly glossed over it, realized that other Einrogard students had previously glossed things over as jokes too.

They couldn’t explain everything to outsiders after all.

“Lee Han. I think we really need to think of a way to deal with Senior Ilendil.”

Yoner whispered.

While it was troublesome for other students too, the forest monster was a very realistic threat for alchemy school students.

Since it was the school that required the most diverse reagents and materials, they would inevitably have to roam around the forests within the territory, but to have to face such an enemy.

Originally, they should have asked a senior from their school for help, but surprisingly, Ilendil was a senior from the alchemy school.

To think that a senior from the same school was the strongest enemy hindering their studies.

“The senior must have weaknesses too.”

“For example, what kind?”

“Like flames…”

“…I think a more peaceful method would be better.”

Siana, who was listening from the side, quietly nodded her head.

A slightly more peaceful approach seemed better than burning the senior with flames.

“How about if Lord Wardanaz tries to persuade her? Since Lord Wardanaz receives the seniors’ favor, it might be possible.”

“Can you call that favor? By that logic, what Professor Verdus does would also be affection… I’ll try my best for now. Though I’m not very confident.”

While Lee Han was treated as a specialist in negotiations with seniors among his friends, Lee Han himself wasn’t very confident.

It was more like exchanging things because their interests aligned rather than being that close to the seniors.

Moreover, all the seniors at Einrogard were eccentric characters, so you never knew when they might suddenly change and go crazy.

Right now, Ilendil was evaluating Lee Han favorably because he was trying to contract with an artificial dark spirit and purify contamination sources, but even so, if she caught him cutting trees in the forest, she would likely attack immediately.

“Maybe it would be better to avoid the senior. Einrogard’s forest is vast but there’s only one senior. It might be better to target times when she’s not around.”

“Lord Wardanaz. Senior Ilendil is an excellent spirit mage, so even uncontracted forest spirits pass information to her, I heard.”

“Damn it!”

Lee Han was rarely this angry.

Siana was startled. That level of anger was almost like when he discovered White Tiger Tower students who had skipped studying and run away.

“Calm down, Lee Han. Still, we probably won’t have much reason to enter the forest right away. We secured reagents like this.”

“Right… Ah. I should ask Senior Agdung.”

Lee Han approached Agdung, who was drawing while observing the contaminated ones’ purification.

“Senior Agdung. When are you planning to return to Callarogard? If it’s alright, I’d like to have more discussions.”

At the excellent junior’s proposal, Agdung smiled pleasantly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll stay for another week at least. There’s still work left with the juniors. You want to discuss dark magic, right?”

When different dark mages met, they would naturally exchange their respective achievements.

Even within the same school, since the paths walked within it were all different, comparing each other’s paths was always enjoyable and beneficial.

“Mm. Yes. It’s something like that.”

“Do you have something specific you want to discuss in mind? If you do, I’d like to prepare a bit.”

“I’d like to discuss dark magic items that would sell well.”

“…”

At the completely unexpected topic, Agdung was flustered.

* * *

‘The wisdom of Einrogard’s dark magic school. And the wisdom of Callarogard’s dark magic school. If we combine the two, we can definitely make something that will sell.’

Lee Han was thinking of making sellable items in the Dark Arts Hall workshop.

He had to improve the dark magic school’s vulnerable financial situation, even if it meant mobilizing seniors like Ogoldos or even Professor Mortum.

Of course, some mages might criticize, saying ‘Is gathering talents from various magic schools and even professors for research really for something profitable?’ But Lee Han didn’t care about such criticism at all.

If he could, he would have liked to call even the Skeleton Principal to make things together.

‘I must… fill the dark magic school’s treasury…’

As he fell asleep with such thoughts, at some point Lee Han discovered a familiar place appearing before his eyes.

A wasteland where both sky and horizon were completely empty.

It was the Black Book’s illusion.

“Nice to see you!”

As soon as Lee Han saw the Black Book fluttering in the distance, he shouted. At his unusually proactive attitude, the Black Book flinched slightly.

“I know why you called me. Black Book! It must be because I’m worrying about the dark magic school’s financial situation. Right? If so, give me a secret plan!”

Lee Han, who usually complained about the Black Book’s coercive method of not letting him out until he learned, was different today.

Since he had to think about new dark magic items, the Black Book’s call, which contained the Skeleton Principal’s secrets, couldn’t help but be welcome.

However, the Black Book slowly shook its body sideways.

“…You’re saying no?”

The Black Book shook its body up and down to show agreement, then opened its pages and pointed ahead.

When it pointed to the distant horizon where nothing existed, Lee Han was puzzled.

“You’re saying there’s something over there?”

Instead of answering, the Black Book shrugged its body. It seemed to be telling him to look again.

‘What is it?’

Lee Han focused and cast his gaze. He cast enhancement magic, and when that wasn’t enough, he drew out mana and put it into his eyes…

Then a blurry human figure appeared on the distant horizon where nothing had been. Lee Han immediately recognized who it was.

It was the Skeleton Principal in human form.

“You cowardly bastard. I trusted you!”

Thinking he had been deceived by the Black Book, Lee Han angrily grabbed the book by the collar.

Even if the Skeleton Principal had created it, still, they had spent time together until now, yet to call the Skeleton Principal without saying anything like this.

The Black Book fluttered its pages as if to say no and pointed again, telling him to look again.

Looking again, instead of approaching to kill Lee Han, the Skeleton Principal was slowly disappearing somewhere far away.

‘Underground… no, is it a dimensional gate?’

The dimensional gate carved with golden wheel patterns created an optical illusion as if it was sending those who entered underground.

And the distant Skeleton Principal wasn’t a mage’s clone with self-awareness or will, but closer to a phantom that just repeatedly showed the same appearance.

The Skeleton Principal would enter the golden wheel gate and disappear, then appear again and enter, repeating this.

While watching, Lee Han realized that the phantom’s face felt much younger than the Skeleton Principal’s usual human form.

‘From when he was younger than when he became a lich?’

Come to think of it, even if the Skeleton Principal was an archmage who reached great heights at a young age, there must have been times when he was even younger.

He would have learned magic from someone, and there would have been time spent training in magic.

Though it was hard to imagine…

The Black Book fluttered its pages and moved its body. It seemed to be saying that Lee Han should go there too.

“…You’re saying I should go there?”

The Black Book moved its body up and down with joy.

“But why exactly?”

The Black Book pointed at the Skeleton Principal’s illusion, opened its pages to draw a picture of an archmage, then pointed at Lee Han again before pointing once more at the archmage drawing.

Though it was a complex series of gestures, Lee Han pondered deeply before summarizing.

“So you’re saying the Principal entered that kind of dimension when he was young, and that’s how he became an archmage?”

Agreement.

“So I need to enter too?”

Agreement once more.

‘Is this thing insane?’

Lee Han began to think he should burn the book as soon as he returned to reality after hearing its suggestion.

What was this bastard trying to kill him for?

Among the unverified outer dimensions that mages could set foot in, there were countless dangerous and bizarre worlds.

If it was a place where the Skeleton Principal could enter and gain magical enlightenment, it would be too dangerous for Einroguard to even present its business card.

To boldly recommend such a thing…

“The Principal may have been a great mage even at that age, but I’m still just a student. To think you’d lull me into complacency by just teaching magic, then try to kill me like this!”

Lee Han accused the book with a voice full of betrayal.

The book fluttered its pages as if feeling wronged.

The distant illusion and dimensional gate had revealed themselves because Lee Han’s level had risen, not because the Black Book was trying to kill him by showing them.

“You’re saying it appeared because my level increased?”

The book nodded up and down. Lee Han spoke in a serious voice.

“You misjudged.”

-…

“Forget it. Pretend you didn’t see that. Now. Teach me some magic. You didn’t call me here without any magic to offer, did you?”

The Black Book nodded with a reluctant gesture.

Separate from Lee Han’s level rising enough to discover that distant dimensional gate, there were still many magics the Black Book needed to pass on.

But shouldn’t a mage depart immediately upon discovering such a dimensional gate?

No matter how far and mirage-like it appeared, even walking continuously wouldn’t be enough…

* * *

‘My anger is subsiding a bit.’

Lee Han thought as he woke up and prepared to depart for the Dark Tower.

Though it had first explained about the dimensional gate, the Black Book was certainly giving him magic tailored to Lee Han’s needs.

Though he still found it hard to forgive the suggestion to enter that suspicious dimensional gate!

‘Could it be giving me useful magic so I can’t burn it? If so, it really is an evil artifact.’

In the Empire’s old fairy tales, there were often stories about masters who picked up evil artifacts and were enchanted by them, leading to their ruin.

At first glance, one might think ‘Why would they fall for it?’ and not understand, but originally evil artifacts didn’t reveal their true nature immediately.

At first they would pretend to be useful and deceive their master, then gradually reveal their true colors once they thought they had gained trust.

If the Black Book was such a case, it might be right to cut ties immediately.

‘But it is useful. Tsk. Is this how people who fell victim to evil artifacts ended up falling for them?’

Lee Han stared intently at the Black Book, agonizing.

Reading those emotions, the Black Book vibrated its cover in displeasure. What an utterly rude master this was.

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