Chapter 133: Discipline Has Slipped
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 133: Discipline Has Slipped
My sharp refusal shattered Shin Minha's impassive expression.
Her eyes, unable to hide her bewilderment, trembled slightly.
“...Changing your department isn't an easy decision, so I understand if you can't decide right here and now. But this offer would be very beneficial for you, Hyun-woo...”
“I appreciate the offer, but I'm not interested in a professorship. Therefore, I have no intention of becoming a teaching assistant either.”
“...”
Rights and responsibilities are two sides of the same coin.
It would be a mistake to think of a Magic Tower's teaching assistant as the same as one at a regular university.
“I see.”
Shin Minha, having already composed herself, leaned back on the sofa and looked at me with a blank face, as if nothing had happened.
“I suppose the TA position could be a bit much. In that case, what do you think about transferring departments?”
“I'm sorry, but that would be difficult as well. My focus is, and always will be, elemental magic.”
“...Summoning magic is just as powerful as elemental magic.”
“True, but I prefer to develop my own personal strength. Besides, even if I were to contract a summon, I would only use it in a supporting role.”
The Phantom Beast Realm is a different dimension from Earth.
The high-ranking species that live there are all monsters comparable to, or even stronger than, A-rank boss-level beasts.
But the stronger they are, the more prideful they become, and the greater the price they demand.
Just today in class, I learned about summons that demand a part of the contractor's body or drive them to mental exhaustion.
“...The price can be negotiated to some extent through the contract.”
She had a point. But if things were that easy, office workers wouldn't be leaving salary negotiations looking like they wanted to cry.
“Of course, I believe every type of magic has its pros and cons. Elemental magic is straightforwardly powerful, but its mana consumption increases with its power, and it's heavily influenced by the environment and elemental affinities.”
One of the reasons Choi Hyena and I struggled inside that isolated gate was because it was a snowfield region.
“I'm also learning various martial arts, including swordsmanship. You might say that's not very mage-like, but I'm confident this path contributes more to my growth.”
Objectively speaking, I'm the type who grows through repeated real-world combat, not by patiently researching magic.
There was nothing to be gained from having a summon fight for me while I just watched from the sidelines.
It would be easier, sure, but if I wanted an easy life, I wouldn't have started using a dating app the moment I became a mage.
“...There are even knights among the summons. One could be a great teacher for you, Hyun-woo.”
“I'm sorry, but I already have a master.”
Besides, it's not like I can just pick and choose the summon I want.
Fundamentally, there are three elements required to summon a being: the magic circle, the caster, and the price.
The price is sometimes called an offering, which is typically an expensive gem or a magic stone. I've heard that sometimes, items of personal preference are used as offerings too.
In any case, once you've prepared the magic circle and the offering, all that's left is to pray.
It would be great if it were a system where you could just select the summon you want from a category, but if that were the case, summoning magic wouldn't be such a niche field.
A summon takes an interest in the form and structure of the magic circle, feels intrigued by the prepared offering, and makes its final decision based on its compatibility with the caster.
In other words, there's a very high chance you won't get the summon you want, no matter how expensive the offering.
To put it another way, it's basically a shitty, luck-based gacha with no pity system.
Shin Minha probably managed to get a summon like Riyal thanks to her talent.
Humanoid summons are extremely rare, after all.
“I'm sorry to keep refusing, but I really don't understand why you're making me this offer, Professor.”
A teaching assistant position for a Magic Tower professor is no ordinary TA job. It comes with an enormous salary and numerous benefits.
Moreover, while it's called a TA position, you're treated as an assistant professor, meaning you could become an associate professor after just a few years of hard work.
Of course, becoming an associate professor requires passing an exam administered by other professors, but the merit of skipping the arduous process to become an assistant professor means the Magic Tower's TA positions are always fiercely competed for.
“...Hyun-woo.”
After a long moment of thought, Shin Minha suddenly stood up and moved to sit next to me.
As she sat pressed right up against me, her eyes meeting mine, I felt an unidentifiable sense of déjà vu.
A pleasant scent wafted past my nose.
“Yes?”
“Could you spare me a little of your time?”
She was so close I wouldn't even have to reach out to touch her. I swallowed dryly without realizing it.
No matter how beautiful Shin Minha was, I had to refuse.
This was poison. A golden apple laced with a deadly toxin.
If I took a bite out of hunger, I'd instantly become her TA, doomed to a life of miserable servitude.
With rare determination, I hardened my heart and opened my mouth.
*
“...Ah.”
I finally remembered why Professor Shin Minha and I had come to this gate alone.
I had tried to refuse, but the price for my failure was being dragged all the way here.
But I had my own complaints.
Honestly, I thought she'd try to persuade me over a nice dinner date, not suddenly drag me into a gate.
No matter how I looked at it, Shin Minha had no skill in seducing men, but she had a natural talent for captivating them with her aura.
'Ha...'
We were now inside a D-rank gate called 'Whisper of Trees,' located near Anyang in Gyeonggi Province. The monsters that appeared here were tree giants called Ents.
'How did she manage to book this place?'
Although Ents were stronger than other D-rank beasts, the various medicinal herbs and plants that could only be gathered here were quite valuable.
It wasn't valuable enough for major guilds to covet, but it was certainly a place where competition among small and medium-sized guilds would be fierce.
After a moment's thought, I found the answer in the Gray Magic Tower's insignia drawn on her robe.
An Association employee must have recognized she was a Magic Tower professor and let her have it.
Of course, she'd probably have to do a favor for the Association in return, but even so, it was more than a fair trade.
“Riyal.”
At Shin Minha's call, the shadow-clad summon materialized from thin air. It was an incredible ability, no matter how many times I saw it.
I was focusing my senses as much as I could, yet I couldn't detect its presence until it was right upon us.
“Please take care of all the beasts within a 100-meter radius of me.”
Riyal vanished upon receiving the short command. It was only for an instant, but its speed was so immense that I couldn't even track its movement.
Not long after, the aftershocks of battle could be felt from all around.
“Hyun-woo, let's rest here for a bit.”
“Ah, yes.”
Shin Minha spread a handkerchief over a nearby pile of rocks and sat down, taking a thermos out of her bag.
“Have some.”
“...”
I had a bad feeling, and I was right. It was the same unidentifiable purple liquid she'd given me earlier.
Ha, what did I do in my past life for the gods to bestow such a trial upon me?
I couldn't pretend to drink it like before. Left with no choice, I squeezed my eyes shut and took a sip.
Maybe it just looked strange.
'...Not as bad as I thought?'
The moment the drink went down my throat.
My head suddenly spun, and my vision blurred.
I instinctively drew on my mana, which was the only reason I didn't collapse.
'Wh-what is this? Poison...?'
The back of my head was still throbbing.
For a moment, I wondered if she was so offended by my refusal of the TA position that she'd brought me to a gate to secretly get rid of me.
But seeing Shin Minha casually refill her cup for a second time and drink it without a problem, I realized I was mistaken.
Her taste was just monstrous.
While her attention was elsewhere, I secretly poured the drink onto the ground. For a second, it was as if the earth itself screamed.
'...Must be my imagination, right?'
It had to be. No matter how mind-numbingly awful it tasted, it couldn't be bad enough to make the ground suffer.
...Right?
“Hyun-woo.”
“Y-Yes?! I didn't pour it out!”
“Pardon? What are you talking about?”
Seeing Shin Minha tilt her head with a genuinely clueless expression, I understood what it meant to have a guilty conscience.
“...It's nothing.”
I coughed and averted my gaze, only to see that Riyal had already returned and was standing by her side.
It hadn't even been five minutes since it disappeared with its orders. Had it finished already?
“We're going to do some simple gathering of nearby herbs and Ent sap now.”
“Huh? What about the magic stones?”
“Do you need them?”
Thinking about it, I didn't really need D-rank magic stones. I wasn't so poor that I had to worry about a few coins.
Objectively, the Ent's sap was more valuable than its magic stone.
A typical gorosoe maple tree [a type of maple tree native to Korea] yields about 10 to 20 liters of sap.
But a single Ent only provides a mere one to two liters.
It's good for your health even if you drink it straight, and it can also be refined for use as an alchemy ingredient, so it fetches a pretty high price.
“But don't we have anything to carry the sap in?”
“It's fine. I have this.”
Shin Minha took a small water bottle from her bag.
“It's a water bottle with a space enchantment. It can hold up to 100 liters of liquid.”
“Oh.”
Every time I saw something like this, I found it fascinating that while space magic was a lost art in Iris's world, it wasn't on Earth.
Because of that, despite being an 8th-Circle mage, Iris knew nothing about teleportation magic. Naturally, she couldn't use it either.
'Once I get my pass to the Magic Tower's Grand Library, I should borrow some books on space magic to show her.'
Just imagining Iris's bright smile as she received the books made me feel excited.
It might not be a bad idea to make a list of books to show Iris and rent them all at once.
I was lost in thought, following Shin Minha through the forest, when it happened.
“Hm?”
I felt a strange gaze from somewhere.
I didn't even have to look; the culprit was right nearby.
Shin Minha's summon, Riyal, was staring intently at me.
Its entire body was cloaked in shadow, but the black eyes fixed on me were perfectly clear.
In that moment, for reasons I couldn't fathom, I felt a strange hostility.
-Human.
A woman's voice echoed in my head.
The chilling voice was laced with undeniable animosity.
-This is your first and last warning. Never approach Minha again.
“...?”
The bluntness of its words left me utterly dumbfounded.
'You've got to be kidding me.'
It was as if the summon had left its manners back in the Phantom Beast Realm.