Hell's Maniac Summoning Contract
The mood had turned a bit sticky for a moment, but with two mages gathered together, the conversation naturally shifted back to magic. Of course, I wouldn't have minded keeping things a little more lascivious. Hell, I wanted to. But Professor Im Sol flashed a playful smile, gave me just a tiny opening, then stood up from her seat right away.
"Alright, shall we review that sparring match we just had?"
"...Sure. Sounds good."
I gathered my clothes and slipped them back on. It was a shame it had to end here, but damn if it didn't light a fire under me. One look at Professor Im Sol's face told me she wasn't about to indulge any whining from me. No choice but to go at it straight-up...!
And reality hit me again. Compared to the real powerhouses, I still had a long way to go. Relationships with the heroines mattered too, of course... but I needed to strike a balance somewhere in the middle.
"The early part wasn't bad at all. The real key is the finish, though."
Im Sol muttered to herself as she scribbled something down. I snuck a peek—looked like some weird equation. No clue about that stuff for me. My magic didn't involve calculations. I was a hack mage relying on talent, perks, and gut instinct.
Im Sol input our back-and-forth spells into a holographic monitor, like reviewing a game of Go. Honestly, the early part of the spar didn't need much review. I'd just blocked or dodged incoming magic as best I could, waiting for her mental assault spells.
"Professor, be honest—the end was pretty good, right? If not for the rank difference."
Even I thought my final gambit was solid.
"Mm, yeah. But it lacked decisiveness. If it were me, I would've pulled water instead of earth. Then wrapped it up with a blizzard or chain lightning."
"Really? What about Reverse Ground and Compression? Aren't those solid too?"
Her suggestions were good, sure, but weren't mine stronger in raw destructive power? But Im Sol shook her head.
"No. Against someone stronger than you, once you seize an opening, you need to strike faster. Reverse Ground and Compression give the opponent too much time."
"Ah... I see."
"Yeah. If you'd attacked differently, you might've inflicted at least a little damage."
"...So it's not like I'd take zero damage no matter what."
"Of course not. I'm your master, after all."
Im Sol nodded. So the problem was going for the one-shot knockout. Fighting someone stronger really pushed growth. I could feel my skills sharpening in real time from just this short spar.
"By the way, how'd you pull that off?"
As I mentally replayed the fight, Im Sol asked while staring at the monitor.
"Which part?"
"Getting through Nightmare. I didn't sense any mana, so my guard was down. And using Bind to neutralize my shield. Without those two, you wouldn't have gotten that opening."
Those were my hidden cards—I'd played them all. If they hadn't created a gap, that'd be a real problem. How else was I supposed to survive this brutal world?
But should I really spill everything?
This had been an all-out spar. Revealing my secrets meant laying all my hidden aces on the table.
It'll be fine.
This was Professor Im Sol, not some rando. If I couldn't trust her, who could I? I didn't agonize over it long.
"Well, that's kinda my ace-in-the-hole. I've got a skill that ignores mental magic outright, no conditions. And Bind... that's me reconstructing the spell."
"Reconstructing...? You mean reverse-engineering the magic formula and recasting it? But that was way too fast for that."
Professor Im Sol furrowed her brow at my words. No surprise there. That wasn't it.
"Suck in a breath. Kinda like that, but doing it the normal way's too slow for combat."
"True."
"So I transform the spell's structure itself. Similar to reverse-engineering a magic circle, but..."
I conjured a simple fireball magic circle in my hand. But it began to morph slowly from the edges.
No Combat Sense activated, no doping skills like Eye of Insight or Blood Beat. The change was slow, but plenty for Professor Im Sol to track.
She tilted her head at the magic circle, now a lightning bolt.
"...Huh?"
Blink. Blink.
After staring blankly for a moment, Im Sol grabbed my arm.
"What the—do it again. Show me again!"
"I can do it as many times as you want. Calm down."
I chuckled and channeled mana once more. Only after I'd demonstrated the transformation over and over did she finally let go, seemingly satisfied. Then she covered her mouth and muttered,
"...I don't get it."
"Really?"
I'd thought she was satisfied, but nope—she'd just given up because it made zero sense. Fair enough. What I'd done was like bending a pickaxe barehanded into a sword. It was my ace for a reason.
"Can't you teach me yours in return, Professor? That massive magic circle behind you."
It'd shown up during the last terror attack and again today—the moment that giant circle appeared, the sheer presence radiating from Im Sol changed completely.
"That's... my unique magic. It compresses the surrounding area with mana from the circle. I'll teach you later."
"Not sure if I could pull it off, but... sounds good to me."
That spell needed her overwhelming mana reserves. Even if she taught me, no guarantee I could wield it well.
"Hmm... fascinating. How do you even change spells like that?"
I prodded Im Sol, who was still fixated on my magic circle reconstruction. Her energy seemed to dip a bit.
Didn't mean to make her feel bad.
"Professor, aren't you worried about stuff like Mana Blocking Barriers?"
Something I'd always wondered. I fretted over it plenty, and for a pure mage like her whose entire arsenal was spells, it had to be a nightmare. Yet she seemed totally chill.
"Eh. Never come across anything magic couldn't solve in my life. I've gotten those warnings plenty of times, but they've never panned out."
"...One day it'll bite you hard. You could really get in trouble, Professor."
I recalled the original story. Im Sol had minor screen time, barely appearing, but she got name-dropped often. Especially in bad ends—routes where the protagonist or heroines died. Some definitely had her dying too. She was a pretty character, and the world's strongest mage croaking made waves in the community.
No plans for a bad end, obviously. But her death risk wasn't zero percent.
Im Sol, oblivious to my concerns, just smiled and stroked the back of my hand.
"Aren't you the risky one? That was your ace you used back there. You sure it's okay telling me? What if I betray you?"
That impish grin screamed she was joking, but I had an answer ready.
"If you betrayed me, you'd have to die. What else?"
Dead serious. She'd die. There was a reason I trusted her this much. Affection at 92, and in the original, she'd never betrayed anyone. If Im Sol flipped, all my game knowledge was worthless. Might as well die. What choice would I have?
Of course, my trust stemmed mostly from the Im Sol I'd seen firsthand.
"... "
"Anyway, be careful, Professor. World's a dangerous place. Especially for a pretty one like you."
I met her eyes dead seriously, but her face flushed more than when she'd seen my magic.
"...You and your smooth talk. Haah."
Im Sol stroked my body with a laugh, then continued.
"Then you save me. Got it?"
"...Obviously."
As long as I was around, she'd never die.
*
"Guess I'll head out."
"Yeah. Hit me up next time. Gotta study that magic more."
We grabbed lunch together before saying goodbye. Looked like my spell had reignited her passion.
"Oh, clear your schedule for break?"
I was already heading out when her words stopped me.
"Pardon?"
Break. After finals, there'd be vacation before second semester. No plans—figured I'd chill, research some magic, hang with the heroines...
"I said the research was done."
"Right, yeah."
"So we present it."
"...Where?"
"America. Magic Society Conference."
France last time, America now. Talk about scaling up.
*
I stepped out of the lab and walked outside.
"Why's my schedule so packed?"
What was with the nonstop busyness? Magic Society—what even was that? Sounded like setting fluff. Couldn't I just live a normal life, flirting with girls like in those novels I'd read after transmigrating? Felt like I was the only one constantly rolling in the dirt.
What now, anyway.
Schedule was jammed, but nothing on for today. Still plenty of time before meeting Ellis.
Dorm it is?
Trekking back and forth sucked; I'd rather stay out, but nothing to do. Weekend vibes made meeting folks tricky too. Better grab food for home first. Chicken would make 'em happy.
I strolled through the academy shops, scanning around.
There was definitely a chicken place here. Closed down?
Memory wasn't wrong, so maybe the layout changed. Peering into alleys, I caught a weird noise.
Thud. Thud.
The sickening sound of hard fists on flesh. Wet too—like the victim was bleeding.
- P-please... spare me... please...
- You fucking dog. How many times I gotta tell you to pay up! The money...!
Peering deeper into the alley, I saw a guy kicking a downed man.
"Huh..."
Extorting cash in a back alley like this? Barely off the main street.
Tch. I stepped in anyway. Didn't know the guy getting beat, but my heart was too soft to just walk past.
Weird.
Just a few steps in, and the air felt different. No buzz of crowds from the main drag—just a dingy, oppressive vibe hanging in the alley. This was back-alley life, huh.
Thud- Thud-
Drawing closer to the ugly sounds, I got a good look. A bald thug with a buzzcut, hands in pockets, stomping on a gaunt-cheeked guy.
He didn't stop even as I approached, so I spoke up, annoyed.
"Hey. Cut it out. You're gonna kill him."
"The fuck? Some punk kid..."
Ptoo-
The bald guy spat right in front of me.
"Haa."
Yeah, called it. Knew words wouldn't work.
I closed in slowly. They clearly had no idea I was a mage—no need for mana. Bare hands would do.
Crack-
In a flash, my fist slammed into the guy's gut. Even a mage wouldn't lose to street trash like this.
"Guh, guhek! Hiiik! Hiiiik!"
The thug flailed and bolted after one punch to the stomach.
"...What a punk."
I let out a hollow chuckle. No grit at all, typical lowlife.
"Mister, you okay? Owe him money or someth—"
Swish-
Turning back, a chill ran down my neck.
"Kukuku. That's why academy brats like you are easy pickings."
"... "
"Hey. I get you're stiff, but unless you want a hole in your gut, step deeper into the alley. I'll spare your life."
Tap- Tap-
A guy in a burlap sack cloak had snuck behind me, knife to my throat. He kicked my calf, shoving me forward. Probably telling me to move.
"...Always getting dragged into bullshit."
Two-man team, huh? Down to scrubs like this jumping me now.
"Hey. You deaf? Move it, or—"
Snap-
I flicked my fingers lazily.
*
The bleeding man knelt before me, forehead to the ground. I looked down at him.
"Kuhk... kuhk... S-sorry... forgive me..."
"Don't live like this anymore. Got it?"
"S-sorry..."
"Sigh."
Didn't plan to go this hard on small-time thugs, but they had knives. If I'd been weaker, I might've died. So I hit 'em extra.
"Seriously, what gave you the balls to pull this in academy turf?"
"Sorry... sorry..."
The guy just bowed repeatedly, ignoring my question. Must've hurt bad.
Clunk-
Something tumbled from his pocket. A familiar purple cloth...
"Huh?"
I glanced down casually and froze, bending to snatch it up.
"You. Why the hell does trash like you have this?"