Episode 1066
Episode 1066
"Stay still!"
With that shout, Lee Han stepped forward to assist Saratan.
As he channeled magical power into the staff, the energy was transmitted to Saratan, who resided within it. Feeling the life-like surge of power, Saratan let out a sigh of relief.
Tha... thank...
"Hey, you stupid bastard! Why did you lie when I asked if you were pushing yourself earlier?!"
Lee Han unleashed a torrent of harsh criticism.
No wonder his reaction had seemed off earlier—this spirit had been bluffing.
As the relentless scolding continued without end, Saratan felt the gratitude that had just welled up inside him vanish completely.
'What part of that brat is virtuous?!'
Fuming inwardly, Saratan grumbled to himself before suddenly staggering.
Surprisingly, the first wave of impact wasn't even fully over yet. The remaining energy within the magic circle was surging once more.
Ghk—!
This mirror... doesn't seem very helpful...!
"!"
Yukveltire's eyes widened.
She wanted to refute the spirit right then and there, but she was too focused on maintaining the spell to spare the effort.
'To say the Stone Mirror isn't helpful—it's clearly because the spirit isn't using it properly. Instead of colliding head-on like that, it should be angled...'
"Senior, don't worry about this side. Focus on your magic. I'll handle it!"
Lee Han warned Yukveltire.
She had flinched as if about to stop her incantation and argue back immediately.
"Saratan, how are you holding up?"
Tha... thank you. I'm getting some strength back...
As Lee Han continuously poured magical energy into him, Saratan managed to catch his breath.
"Can you block the next one too?"
Huh?
Hearing the mage's words, Saratan instinctively raised his head.
As soon as the first trial ended, preparations for the second trial—the process of stabilizing <Bakwantalana's Dimensional Rod>—were already underway.
The immutability that maintained its rod-like form even amidst the most twisted and chaotic dimensions.
The essence of Enchantment Magic lay in anchoring this immutability into a physical object in reality.
Yukveltire pulled out a thin adamantite plate and attempted to fix the magic into it. The sight resembled taming a wild horse gone berserk.
Tha... that's a bit...
'Just what did the Headmaster see in that guy to trust him with this?!'
Lee Han cursed Saratan inwardly as he moved.
No matter how he looked at it, the method of transferring magical energy to Saratan's essence within the staff wasn't very efficient. It would be better to directly transfer power while staying close.
"Brace yourself! If you collapse even once, I'll make sure you never leave that staff again!"
Got it! Got it!
Taking position behind Saratan, Lee Han treated the massive tree spirit like a wooden barricade or shield.
As long as this tree spirit held firm, Lee Han wouldn't be in any real danger.
With a splintering sound, a few fragmented stone chunks grazed past Lee Han's cheek.
The Dimensional Rod spell operated on the principle of extracting immutability from the ruthless blending of dimensions.
Just as forging steel required a blacksmith to apply fire and pressure, this magic was no different.
Naturally, the aftermath scattered violently around them.
Even though Saratan was absorbing most of the impact, fragments of twisted and shattered space still ricocheted toward Lee Han...
Ugh... ughhk... grrrgh...
'He should still be fine, right?'
Lee Han assessed the spirit's condition, who looked even more miserable than when he was being tortured inside the staff.
True to his nature as a tree spirit, his physical resilience was extraordinary. Despite the storm-like onslaught of power, he was still holding up...
Of course, that was only by Lee Han's standards. Saratan himself was in agony, repeatedly enduring injuries and regeneration.
If not for the immediate replenishment of magical energy from behind, he would have collapsed in an instant.
"Headmaster! Are we doing this right?!"
-You're doing well, my disciple. Just keep going as you are now.
The Young Prince's voice was strangely serene, completely at odds with the chaotic situation in the basement.
Saratan desperately wanted to shout for them to step forward like before, but the pressure was too overwhelming to spare the effort.
-But it wouldn't be bad for you to manage a few spots yourself, disciple. Could you cast a Spatial Stabilization spell beneath the farmer holding straw in that painting?
"Spatial Stabilization spell... Understood!"
Fortunately, it was a spell Lee Han knew. He cast the 2nd Circle Magic to block the dangerous areas.
Ahead, Yukveltire was drenched in cold sweat, her already pale face growing even paler—the typical appearance of a mage casting high-level magic.
When their eyes met, Yukveltire's lips twitched. Lee Han focused, wondering if she had something important to say.
'What is it? Does she need help?'
"M-my artifact... wasn't at fault..."
"...If you distract me with nonsense one more time, I'll halt all your research, no matter what it is!"
At Lee Han's sharp rebuke, Yukveltire flinched.
No wonder she was Diret's junior—she was quite emotional.
"Master. What's next?"
-Next, please move the dimensional rift beside the chest trapping that wraith.
"...How do you mean?"
Lee Han was slightly taken aback.
Currently, he was using Saratan as a shield while replenishing his mana and casting spells, making it difficult to move directly.
But even if he could move freely, the idea of relocating a rift would still be baffling.
How was he supposed to do that?
-By using spatial magic, of course, disciple.
"Uh... Understood."
Lee Han considered utilizing the <Teleportation Ore> embedded in his staff.
This ore, obtained from a statue within the school, was enchanted with a basic teleportation spell.
-No, disciple. You can't cast it with that ore.
The Young Prince kindly advised.
The magic imbued in the <Teleportation Ore> was only capable of teleporting small, lightweight objects—certainly not something like moving a rift.
Though it looked like floating straw in the air, that rift was a genuine phenomenon of dimensional overlap, a mass of energy.
"Then...?"
-You'll need to cast Intermediate Teleportation. Go on, try following along.
The Young Prince guided him patiently.
The instruction was so natural that Lee Han couldn't even bring himself to mention that he hadn't even learned basic teleportation yet.
-Once you master this spell, you'll be able to move heavy objects fairly easily—though sentient beings might still be difficult.
"I-I see."
P-please... hurry up...
Saratan groaned in pain, barely managing to squeeze out the words.
Whatever magical lecture was happening behind him, he needed Lee Han to learn and cast the spell as quickly as possible to lessen his suffering.
"No, I told you the magic is difficult!"
Lee Han protested to the spirit.
Now that he thought about it, Lee Han hadn't even learned basic teleportation yet.
Space-time magic was notoriously among the most difficult schools of magic, and Professor Garcia had deliberately avoided pushing him too hard, believing it was enough to solidify his foundation with lower-circle spells first...
Of course, the fact that her student was already overexerting himself in other schools of magic also played a part...
But now, out of nowhere, he was suddenly being told to learn intermediate-level spells?
'Wasn't this 5th Circle?'
Space-time magic was so difficult that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to consider its difficulty rating one tier higher—was this even justifiable as a 5th Circle spell?
Then... keugh... change it to something easier... ngh...
Saratan abandoned all formalities and offered a bloodthirsty suggestion.
If not for the constant mana replenishment, he would've collapsed and dissipated long ago—but because this damned mage kept refilling his energy, he couldn't even pass out and had to endure the pain.
"That's a bit..."
Lee Han hesitated.
It felt wrong to spit venom at someone smiling so brightly—strangely, he found it hard to be blunt in front of the Young Prince.
If it had been the Skeleton Principal, he would've flat-out said, "Are you kidding me? I'm submitting a complaint," and collapsed on the spot. But with the prince looking at him so encouragingly, it was a little...
Fuck... fuckin'... then... learn it...
"I get it. I get it. Just hold on a little longer."
Dodging the flying debris, Lee Han tried to calm Saratan down. 'This bastard's really overreacting.' The fact that the Young Prince wasn't stepping in showed the situation wasn't that dire yet.
If it were truly dangerous, the prince would have intervened. 'I did learn the basics though...' Lee Han focused, recalling the fundamentals of spatial magic he'd learned from Professor Garcia and the incantation the prince had just shared.
At first glance, spatial teleportation might seem like projectile magic because of its appearance, but when you really think about it... 'It's actually more similar to dimensional magic, isn't it?' The basic principle was using massive amounts of mana to compress and warp space, creating a path for objects to move through.
Lee Han took a deep breath. His prior experience with Small World magic and other powerful spells helped him adapt relatively quickly.
Focus your mana, warp the space!
CRACK!
A failed control sent one shattered brick teleporting to Yukveltire's feet, breaking with a loud crash. Yukveltire, who'd been groaning from blocked magic, startled and frantically waved her hands—a signal to hurry up.
"......"
'I'll apologize later,' Lee Han thought, refocusing. 'I need to aim the other way.' Of course, as a mage herself, Yukveltire could block spatial teleportation with her own anti-magic or sense it coming and counter first.
But right now, she was exhausted and preoccupied with high-level magic. One wrong move, and Lee Han might go down in Einrogard's history as the junior who assassinated his senior.
-You're doing well, disciple. Just shorten your casting speed a bit more and refine your coordinates, and it'll be perfect.
"Thank you."
Hurry... hurry up...
"I said I got it! Shut up for a second."
After several attempts, Lee Han barely managed to shift the dimensional rift. The rift was far more troublesome to move than ordinary crates or stones. His hands ached, and a headache pulsed as he worked.
"Done?"
-Excellent, disciple.
D-did I survive...?
As the pressure eased slightly, Saratan spoke again. Whether it was the mage's magic or simply having endured all he could, the pressure seemed to lessen.
"Ahriman's..."
"Third! Third one, Saratan!"
Hearing Yukveltire's incantation, Lee Han realized his senior had broken through the blockage and was now invoking the final spell.
At the news, Saratan staggered. His body still had strength, but his will was breaking. A spirit with broken will showed it plainly—Saratan's massive form shrank, twisting like rotten deadwood.
It's... over... give up...
"Give up, my ass!"
Saratan flinched in surprise at the dull thud of a smack from beside him. The mage he'd expected to flee was instead propping him up and shouting.
"Hold on! We're almost there! I'll cast the spell with you!"
Why... why...?
The standard practice was for a mage to abandon and retreat if their spirit collapsed in such a situation. But this mage, though he might scold, didn't leave. Instead, he stepped forward to share the burden.
Saratan instinctively glanced at the Young Prince. Was this what the great mage had meant by a "kind heart"? 'The spirit's weaker than I expected,' the Young Prince mused privately.
While assisting the silver-haired mage's spell, he'd planned to teach his disciple a few extra tricks, but the spirit's frailty had denied him the chance. He'd barely managed to pass on one spatial teleportation spell.
Who'd have thought he'd be this much of a drama queen after such long confinement?
Mage! Is this what you meant!?
-Hm?
About the kind heart! I think I understand a little now!
-Oh? Good. Then hold on just a bit longer.