Chapter 123: The Magic Tower (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 123: The Magic Tower (4)
“My name is Shin Minha, and I will be teaching the Basics and Application of Summoning Magic.”
The eyes of every student in the classroom instantly focused on Professor Shin Minha. Beyond their sparkling gazes, I could even see a hint of reverence for her.
She looked familiar...
She was definitely the one the media had praised as a genius summoner a few years ago.
The whole country was abuzz for a while because she had reached the 4th Circle at such a young age, despite not coming from a prestigious magic family.
Tap.
“Quiet.”
At Shin Minha's single word, the noisy classroom fell silent. Her cool, composed voice carried a unique aura that commanded everyone's attention.
“In this class, we will build upon the basics of summoning magic you learned in the first semester and move on to its application.”
Normally, Basics and Application of Summoning Magic is a consecutive course, so you can't take it without completing the first semester. However, I was granted a special exemption that allowed me to enroll.
I had already studied the basics of summoning magic from related books, so I wasn't too worried.
“For the next month, you will learn about summoning magic circles. Afterward, you will experience the process of summoning a creature and forming a contract with it yourselves.”
As Professor Shin Minha explained the lesson plan, her gaze occasionally drifted toward me.
But whenever our eyes actually met, she would immediately turn her head away. I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh at her feigned ignorance.
Students and teachers... none of them are normal.
Dozens of different magic circles materialized above the chalkboard.
“A summoning magic circle acts as a 'gate' for a summoned beast to cross over into this world. The circles I'm showing you now are ones I've developed myself. One or two might be helpful to you, but a summoner must fundamentally develop their own unique magic circles.”
The core of summoning magic, as Professor Shin Minha explained, consisted of three things: the summoning magic circle, a catalyst, and the contract.
The summoning magic circle is one of two elements that piques a summon's interest, serving as a passage connecting to another world.
The catalyst is the second element, along with the magic circle, that draws a summon's attention. It seemed to be mainly used for summoning high-level creatures, so it wasn't something we first-years needed to worry about.
Finally, the contract was exactly what it sounded like—an agreement with the summoned beast. The three elements of a contract with a summon are the contracting parties, the purpose, and the compensation.
“A contract with a summoned beast is based on an equal partnership. The caster and the summon must clearly understand and agree to their respective rights and obligations. Through this, both parties form an equal partnership where the summon provides aid according to the contract, and the caster provides compensation to the summon based on the agreed-upon terms.”
In short, it meant you shouldn't work your summons like slaves. But that was just a formality.
Even if you treated a low-intelligence, animal-type summon like a slave, the only penalty you'd face, at most, would be the termination of the contract. Unless it was a high-level summon, establishing an equal relationship was actually the rarer case.
Shin Minha seemed to know this, as her expression showed she didn't have high expectations.
“Since it's the first day, we'll end today's class after I explain the components of a summoning magic circle.”
Cheers erupted from the students. It seemed that even mages at the Magic Tower hated class just the same.
“However, I will be giving you one assignment. By next week, I want each of you to create and submit a design for a magic circle.”
Complaints broke out among the students at being given an assignment on the very first day. But regardless, Shin Minha silently continued the lesson.
...I shouldn't have taken this class.
I only signed up to learn a bit about summoning magic; I didn't expect to get homework on day one. And designing a magic circle, no less.
Of course, the components of a magic circle are the most basic of basics, something any mage would have heard hundreds of times.
However, since the components can vary greatly depending on the school of magic, designing a circle for a niche field like summoning magic was by no means an easy task.
Giving us a week's grace period was probably her own way of being considerate.
“As you all know, the components of a magic circle are the primary circle, which forms the basic framework, and the runes that make up the interior. Summoning circles add attribute symbols and protective emblems to this. The attribute symbol specifies the attribute of the summon to be called, and the protective emblem serves to protect the caster from the summon in case of any unforeseen incidents.”
A complex formula was drawn on the chalkboard. Thanks to my buff, I didn't need to review it separately.
“And in the central structure, you must include a space to hold the medium. Separate from the catalyst, a high-quality magic stone is indispensable for opening a passage to the other world.”
After that, Shin Minha continued the class with passion. She was usually a woman of few words, but it seemed she drew a clear line between her public and private life.
But perhaps she was a little too passionate.
The class was an hour long, but she spent nearly fifty minutes just explaining the components of a summoning circle.
When she said 'since it's the first day,' I guess she didn't mean she'd let us out early, but that she'd just go through the material slowly.
It seemed this was a common occurrence in the first semester, as the other students looked like they had already resigned themselves to it.
*
After Professor Shin Minha's class ended, I attended about two more classes, and my first day at the Magic Tower was over.
For the record, Professor Shin Minha's was the only class that gave out homework.
On any other day, I would have gone to the dojo or stopped by the library to do the assignment, but today I had a prior engagement.
I took a magic circle to the top floor of the Magic Tower.
“How can I help you?”
“I have an appointment with the Tower Lord at five o'clock.”
“Ah, I'll just need to check your ID first.”
I handed my student ID to the staff member. Looking closer, I realized she wasn't just staff, but a mage. Of course, she wasn't skilled enough to be a professor.
“Yes, you're confirmed. You can go right in.”
After giving the staff member a slight nod, I opened the workshop door and went inside.
“You're early.”
Beyond the door, the Tower Lord was resting on a sofa, her gray hair draped over her shoulders.
“Arriving ten minutes early for an appointment is just basic professional courtesy.”
“Hehe, that's a good mindset to have. Some mages believe you should never arrive at an appointment before the other person. I'm glad to see you're not one of them, Hyun-woo.”
For a moment, the Tower Lord's expression darkened.
I smiled lightly and handed the contract to the Tower Lord. According to my lawyer, it contained clauses favorable to me, but not a single one that was disadvantageous.
The penalty for breach of contract was a bit steep, though. Of course, since I had no intention of breaking the contract, it wasn't a problematic clause.
“Hmm?”
The Tower Lord's face clouded with confusion as she took the contract from me. Sniff, sniff. She suddenly started sniffing the air, then fixed her gaze on me with a look of dissatisfaction.
“Tower Lord?”
She suddenly stood up and slowly approached me. Soon, we were so close I could feel her breath on my skin, and she began sniffing me without a word. If she did this to anyone else, she couldn't have argued if they called her rude.
“...Aha?”
As if she'd figured something out, the Tower Lord's lips curled into a slight smile as she pressed a single finger gently against my chest.
In that instant, my magic flared violently.
Crack! The armor of magic enveloping my body shattered.
Sigh...
I swallowed a sigh. I'd spent all day painstakingly creating it, only for it to be seen through and shattered to pieces less than five minutes after we met.
It was a magic armor I had designed to prevent a repeat of last time, one with the effect of suppressing my pheromones. Without it, an orgy might have broken out in the Magic Tower today.
The other professors didn't even notice.
As expected of the Tower Lord.
“An interesting idea.”
“Then you could have just let it be.”
“Hehe, you should be proud. If it were truly nothing special, I wouldn't have paid it any attention at all.”
“...I'm honored?”
“Yes, you should be.”
As if she thought a brief exchange of words had made us close, the Tower Lord shamelessly continued sniffing me.
“...It's rather rude to sniff someone like that, you know.”
“Don't you like it?”
“Hah.”
I reapplied a layer of magic to suppress the pheromones. Since it was a technique I'd already perfected, and I excluded the stealth function this time, it wasn't difficult to recreate.
The Tower Lord's brow furrowed.
“You'll get wrinkles if you keep frowning like that. And you said you wanted to conduct research. Let's get on with it.”
“...You're probably the only person who treats me this way, Hyun-woo.”
I have no idea where the Tower Lord who wiped out an army of magical beasts with a single spell at the isolation gate went.
The Tower Lord left for a moment and returned from deeper inside the workshop with a tray. On it were a blood collection device and a pair of scissors.
“Roll up your sleeve, please.”
I obediently held out my arm, and the device was pressed against my forearm. It hurt quite a bit. It felt like there was some personal malice behind it.
Next was my hair. She snipped off a large chunk from the top of my head. I doubted she needed that much; this also felt personal.
Just when I thought it was over, the Tower Lord handed me a flask.
“This is the last one. Could you go to the bathroom and fill this with your semen?”
“...What?”
What the hell is this woman saying?
“Are you serious?”
“Of course. Isn't it written in the contract? The contractee must cooperate fully with the research.”
That's true, but is it normally necessary to collect a semen sample?
But the Tower Lord showed no signs of backing down.
“Ah, don't worry. I understand that men often need audiovisual materials or tools to get sexually aroused when they masturbate.”
With a smile, the Tower Lord handed me a pair of stockings.
“...What are these?”
“The ones I was wearing just a moment ago.”
“...”
I could feel the warmth of the stockings in my palm.
...So she's telling me to use her stockings as fapping material and bring back a semen sample?
I didn't have the courage to ask, 'Are you a crazy bitch?'
Instead, I seriously began to wonder if I should just pay the penalty and break the contract.