Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 872

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

Chapter 872

After persuading the mage, the Yachaowang resumed his astronomy explanation.

It’s no wonder that contracting with stars is considered more difficult than contracting with spirits or demons. Spirits and demons are favorable to contracts, but…

‘Were they really?’

Lee Han made a dubious expression inwardly.

But generally speaking, it was correct.

Spirits and demons were generally favorable to contracts. They were beings naturally born to resonate with or deceive beings from other dimensions to gain power.

In comparison, stars were neutral.

More precisely, stars weren’t beings with will like spirits or demons.

Like divine magic, they were beings closer to laws. That’s what stars were.

…Stars require mages to directly discover their rules and prove their qualifications. But Osu’s disciple. I guarantee that proving your qualifications in this dimension is far more difficult than proving qualifications with stars.

“Indeed.”

Lee Han was about to explain again how he came here, but refrained since the other person probably wouldn’t listen.

Anyway, the Yachaowang’s explanation connected with content he had heard several times before, making it easy to understand.

A structure where one receives power by exploring and recognizing stars, then proving qualifications according to rules, rather than through conversation, persuasion, deals, or threats.

Even a certain Family Head and a certain Principal who disliked divine magic were surprisingly favorable toward celestial magic.

Since it proceeded according to laws and rules rather than faith and emotions, it was natural in a way.

‘Maybe they dislike divine magic because they can’t use it themselves.’

Just as Lee Han wanted to disparage spirit magic, these two Archmages might be the same.

Osu’s disciple. Do you happen to know of any star contracts?

“I once read about a mage who contracted with the Blood Crescent Moon.”

Lee Han explained about a contract case he knew.

It was a contract discovered by a werewolf mage, where when the moon changed to a red crescent, one had to go to the area with the strongest moonlight, float the moon on a pure silver cup, then drink it.

It sounded easy at first glance, but when magic was involved, even the simplest process became the most difficult.

Under the red crescent moon, when the moon was floated in a pure silver cup, that water became a deadly poison that even decent mages could hardly endure.

Hmm. That’s not a very high-difficulty contract. Even if you borrow such stellar power, it would be hard to receive high marks.

“Is that so?”

Osu’s disciple. I have lived through countless eons that I can’t even remember…

“…”

The Yachaowang once again exuded his authority to persuade Lee Han.

Lee Han grumbled inwardly.

‘I get that you’re amazing, but do you have to do this every time you say something?’

You can have confidence. You should be able to contract with much more powerful stars.

“Thank you. Actually, I suffered so much when contracting with spirits that I’m a bit worried.”

The spirits did? How strange. Even after accumulating this much good karma, the spirits still rejected you… Didn’t you just meet weird spirits?

‘He might actually be a good person.’

* * *

For an impromptu lecture, the content was quite extensive and difficult, but the Yachaowang was an excellent master and Lee Han was an excellent disciple.

Contracts with stars consist of numerous laws, rules, conditions, and proofs. You can’t memorize every case, but it’s good to remember several general laws. First, the law of preemption.

Lee Han had heard of this before.

Surprisingly, among star contracts, there was a first-come-first-served basis, where if someone else discovered and contracted first, the next person couldn’t contract even if they met the same conditions.

There’s also the law of luminosity.

“The law that the stronger the light emitted, the generally stronger the contract’s power becomes. Is that correct?”

That’s right. The conditions become more difficult too… Of course, there are exceptions. I need to talk about the dark element, but you probably don’t handle the dark element, right?

“I can handle the dark element.”

Oh. Now you’re starting to seem a bit like Osu’s disciple. Good. Then about the dark element…

‘Oops.’

Lee Han quickly regretted it as the explanation suddenly veered off and became lengthy.

After spending about an hour on celestial stories related to the dark element, the Yachaowang finally returned to the main topic.

…The method I most recommend to you is to use that 【Star Guide】 to find new stars, or to find stars that are relatively neglected from attention. Mages with talent in celestial magic are said to be able to intuitively sense compatible stars.

“…Can’t I contract with those stars floating up there?”

Knowing well how difficult it was to find new stars, Lee Han pointed to the stars orbiting above the dimension.

The Yachaowang spoke as if he had expected this.

Finally showing your greed? I knew it. But those stars are like tyrants, where even a single mistake could destroy your existence. That’s why I didn’t recommend them, but since you’re Osu’s disciple, you’ll try to secretly contract even if it means deceiving my eyes, right?

“I won’t do it. Should I take out the 【Star Guide】?”

Hmm. Is this denial to avoid my suspicion?

“I’ve taken out the 【Star Guide】. Please take a look at this.”

Lee Han pulled out a massive brass telescope from his backpack and quickly set it up. The Yachaowang instructed him step by step on how to use the artifact.

Then the night sky of the original dimension, not the current dimension, appeared in the lens, and Lee Han’s consciousness transferred to another place.

When he came to his senses, Lee Han was floating in a dark space where stars flickered in the distance.

“!”

Visiting this dimension was already close to soul movement, yet to shift his vision like this again from there?

-How is this possible?

It’s a very well-made artifact. It enhances performance by transferring the mage’s consciousness to the field of view that the artifact observes. The mage who thought of this concept was creative, and the mage who materialized it could be called meticulous.

-It’s certainly creative.

Hmm. Since you don’t mention the latter part, I can sense hatred toward the mage who materialized it.

-…

The Yachaowang was certainly a wise and sagacious king.

Apart from recognizing Lee Han’s hatred toward Professor Verdus, few among mages could explain someone else’s artifact in such detail as if they had made it themselves.

Natural wisdom, of course, and the power of knowledge accumulated over long years in this dimension listening to stories from otherworlders.

The Yachaowang possessed that power.

-Just give me the next instruction.

Of course, to Lee Han, the Yachaowang was just a strange yatcha who only said what he wanted to say.

His magical abilities were excellent, but so were Professor Verdus’s. Respect was originally separate from magical ability.

Keep moving straight ahead. Do you see the asteroid belt? It’s better not to make contact with that area. Twelve hundred years ago, there was a mage who tried to contract with the asteroid belt. He was quite a decent mage, but it was a tragic affair.

-…

Feeling chilled, Lee Han quickly turned his gaze away from the direction where the asteroids were gathered.

-What about that Red Tyrant Star? It’s quite a famous star.

When he saw a star somewhat famous among mages, Lee Han asked a question.

The Yachaowang’s words just now had made him lose the desire to venture further.

If you’re going to contract with such an easy star, why not just contract with the moon instead of using this artifact?

-…I thought it was reasonably difficult…

Hurry and move further ahead.

Lee Han grumbled inwardly and extended further out.

After shooting his consciousness into the sky and venturing deeper, the celestial space became stranger and more dangerous.

When close to the continent, they were beings that purely illuminated and decorated the sky. But as they moved away from the continent, they revealed their true nature, emitting bizarre magical power.

Do you see that dark shadow far away?

-Yes.

That’s a dark nebula. Just looking at it can devour a mage’s soul, so be careful.

-…No… shouldn’t you have told me that first?

With your abilities, your soul won’t be absorbed by that level of dark nebula.

‘Should I just go back?’

Lee Han was tempted to turn off the artifact and find the easiest contract with the moon.

Even if it was a contract where moonlight slightly increased concentration, so what? Even that much seemed impressive enough.

Unaware of Lee Han’s inner thoughts, the Yachaowang guided the star chart.

The Yachaowang was certainly a skilled star guide. He warned of most dangers before Lee Han could even notice them.

Wait. Gaze at that star.

-The Soul Absorption Star?

Osu’s disciple. You don’t seem to have much talent for jokes. Quickly gaze upon it.

-Yes…

Lee Han gazed upon the star as instructed.

From blue to green, from green to blue. It was a star that gave off a refreshing and peaceful feeling.

-!

Lee Han was surprised by the sudden feeling of rejection he experienced.

-I just felt something like rejection.

Hmm. Is that so. What you just saw is one of the Spirit Stars. Mages with talent for spirits often resonate with that star, so I had you test it…

-…

Lee Han felt the urge to turn off the artifact and swing it directly at the Yachaowang.

You’ll need to avoid the Spirit Stars from now on.

-I do have some spirits I’m close with though.

Are those spirits perhaps fearless or violent?

-!

I see I’m right. That’s possible. Even among spirits, they’re not all the same.

The Yachaowang was annoyingly wise. Lee Han had to swallow his sense of defeat and move on.

Even if you don’t feel anything, make sure to record it. If all the stars reject you, you’ll need to try various approaches based on your records.

-I thought you said stars were neutral…

This kind of rejection isn’t the same as rejection from spirits. Osu’s disciple. Are you perhaps angry because of the Spirit Star’s rejection? That’s not rejection, it’s just that the conditions didn’t match. From now on, if you prefer, I’ll say the conditions don’t match.

-…Let’s just call it rejection.

Lee Han suddenly missed Einroguard.

This dimension where countless mages had fallen was excessively harsh.

Find stars and record them.

Find stars and record them.

Get rejected by Spirit Stars and find stars and record them again…

By the time he was tired enough that he couldn’t distinguish which star was which anymore.

A massive wave of light filled Lee Han’s vision. For a moment, Lee Han thought the artifact was malfunctioning.

-…What is this!?

Arna! As I thought!

The Yachaowang’s voice came through, sounding impressed.

Lee Han, who hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet, asked in confusion.

-What do you mean ‘as you thought’?

That’s the name of the Guest Star that Osu contracted with long ago. Since it chose the master, I thought there was a high probability it would choose the disciple as well.

Guest Star Arna blazed with the most brilliant light of all the stars he had seen so far, then dimmed again.

When his vision returned, Lee Han felt a strong gravitational pull from the star, completely opposite to the rejection he had felt from the Spirit Stars.

It’s a powerful star. It’s quite demanding in various ways, but it’s worth enduring. You can return now. I’ll explain the contract method.

-…Wait a moment. If you had this star in mind from the beginning, why did you make me check everywhere else one by one?

If I had introduced you to that star from the start, wouldn’t that have taken away the opportunity to learn from other stars? Come out quickly.

“…”

Lee Han seriously suspected that the Skeleton Principal had hired the Yachaowang as a visiting professor and stationed him there.

How could a being who was supposedly a king of an external dimension be so much like an Einroguard professor??

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