Episode 14
Episode 14
'What a shame.'
Lee Han felt disappointed.
His dorm mates hadn't been able to accept his unique theory.
"Y-you... you want to take an unpopular class on purpose? Why? Is there some kind of honor in taking a class no one else is taking?"
"<Repetitive Training in Basic Magic Combat>? Ugh. Sorry. I already have a class I want to take at that time. I—I mean it. I'm not lying."
"Wardanaz. Why on earth would you throw your time into the trash like that? I don't get it. From what I've learned in the Dalkard Family..."
But what could he do?
The path of the righteous is a lonely one.
When the midterms came, then the finals, and assignments started choking them, his friends would remember Lee Han's foresight.
After all, no matter the school, professors had no mercy in their hearts.
They were cold-blooded, selfish tyrants who, despite students taking other classes, demanded undivided attention to their own!
So, to focus on the classes they truly loved, students needed to pad their schedules with easier ones.
The so-called "selection and concentration."
No matter the school, the system worked the same way.
'Is this the place?'
Lee Han entered through the main building's front gate and searched for the underground staircase.
The classroom for <Repetitive Training in Basic Magic Combat> was on the first basement floor.
"...Creepy."
Lee Han muttered without realizing it.
The grand staircase beyond the main gate—
Neither excessively luxurious nor excessively eerie, the Gothic-style staircase didn't seem particularly strange at all.
Yet, the ominous feeling lingered, perhaps because of the knowledge Lee Han possessed.
'They said not to wander recklessly in a mage's tower.'
A famous maxim known to all in the Empire, whether mages or not:
"You must not wander recklessly in a mage's tower."
Even if it looked ordinary, you never knew what magic might be lurking. A simple thought like, "What's on the second floor?" could lead to being trapped in an eternal labyrinth, never to return.
Many of the fairy tales Lee Han had read in his family's library featured children barely escaping from wicked mage towers.
Still not fully adjusted to this world, Lee Han had naively asked:
"This is exaggerated, right?"
"It is a bit exaggerated, Young Master."
"Right? No way someone just disappears for going to the second floor..."
"Yes. A non-specialist who enters a mage's tower can never escape. In reality, those children would've been trapped until they grew old and died."
"......"
The idea that people often vanished just for wandering to the second floor had horrified young Lee Han.
The mage towers, repositories of all kinds of mysteries, were dens of such horrors.
...And this magic school, Einrogard, was essentially a convergence of countless mage towers.
Its dangers were beyond prediction.
In fact, among the new students, those who dared to explore the school's interiors were extremely rare.
Even when curiosity should be at its peak upon arrival!
Everyone had either heard it directly from their families or through rumors:
If you recklessly explored the buildings just because you were new, you might end up discovered as a corpse.
'Ah, well. The first basement floor should be fine...'
Lee Han steeled himself to shake off the fear.
To be fair, the infamy of mage towers was somewhat exaggerated.
Places like the main building's first floor or the dormitories were safe enough to wander around.
Then, a familiar clattering sound reached his ears.
Clatter, clatter—
"Oh? What's this? Going to the first basement floor? Planning to be found as a corpse tomorrow?"
"......"
The passing Lich Headmaster's "kind" words left Lee Han speechless.
'Oh no.'
"Respected Headmaster! It's an honor to see you!"
Lee Han bowed deeply.
Even if resentment and hatred surged in his heart, a graduate student could still smile on the outside.
Lee Han's impeccably polite greeting perfectly adhered to the dignified etiquette of nobility.
The Lich Headmaster nodded approvingly.
'This one knows his manners.'
"Yes. I was planning to go to the basement first floor—might you have any advice to offer?"
"None. If they find your corpse tomorrow, I'll place a flower on it."
'You bastard.'
For all the fearmongering, the basement first floor turned out to be utterly ordinary.
A vast corridor stretched out with classrooms on either side, with no corpses, undead, or other dangerous monsters in sight.
Though it was somewhat dim, gloomy, and chilly, Lee Han chose to believe this was simply due to the magic school's poor feng shui.
'What a relief.'
Swish—
Just then, two students brushed past Lee Han.
He was startled.
Were they also here for <Repetitive Training in Basic Magic Combat>?
'So I wasn't the only one who thought of this.'
Well, considering the brightest talents from across the empire had gathered here, it was only natural that others would share his idea.
Though he now had competition, Lee Han wasn't particularly bothered.
'Two more won't hurt. Attending alone would've been more pressure.'
"Ah. This isn't the right lecture hall. Almost walked into the wrong one."
"What kind of lecture is held here, anyway?"
"<Repetitive Training in Basic Magic Combat>."
"Huh? They actually offer that? And people attend it?"
"I heard the kids from White Tiger Tower tried it once and came out cursing."
"If even they couldn't handle it, it must be impossible for anyone."
"......"
The two students chattered away as they headed to another lecture hall.
Lee Han suddenly felt a faint unease creep in.
Creak—
Still, inside the lecture hall, three students were already seated.
However, Lee Han could tell they hadn't come with the same strong resolve as he had.
Because all three wore expressions mixed with anxiety, nervousness, confusion, worry—in short, the unmistakable look of 'Did I walk into the wrong lecture?'
"Time's up. Take your seats."
"!"
Lee Han was startled once more.
He hadn't even noticed the professor sitting in the corner of the lecture hall.
Sure, the professor had been sitting in the shadows, but to have such negligible presence...
'A vampire?'
Pale skin. Long fangs. A gloomy gaze.
Given that there was a troll professor, a vampire professor wasn't too surprising.
"Eeek!"
"Gasp...!"
"......"
Lee Han shot the other students a bewildered look.
Fine, maybe he could understand himself missing it—but had the three who arrived earlier also failed to notice the professor sitting there?
"I am Voladi Bagrak, the professor in charge of <Repetitive Training in Basic Magic Combat>. I look forward to working with you all."
"We look forward to learning from you!"
The students chorused their greetings in unison. Lee Han joined in.
Professor Voladi didn't even bother pulling out a wand, simply pointing forward with a finger.
On each desk lay a palm-sized orb.
"Those orbs are made from Spirit Star Stones."
Spirit Star Stones.
Lee Han had heard of them before.
'Aren't they ores that react sensitively to mana?'
Roughly speaking, they were minerals transformed by absorbing sacred energy when certain constellations aligned—hence the name.
They were known for reacting sharply to mana, often used in detection devices or barriers...
"Everyone, grab your orb and focus on channeling mana into it."
Though bewildered, the students complied, gripping their orbs.
Every student here was a freshman—none had been at the school for even a full month.
While they had talent, none were confident in their ability to properly channel mana.
Fwoosh!
"Urk!"
"Eek!"
Yet, regardless of their doubts, the orbs slowly vibrated and floated into the air.
Professor Voladi spoke without changing his expression.
"Right now, those orbs are linked to your will."
'An artifact!'
Lee Han realized that these orbs weren't just carved from Spirit Star Stones—they were Artifacts personally crafted by the professor, one by one.
'They say well-made Artifacts are worth a fortune.'
Artifacts were always in high demand, no matter where or when.
A mage who could craft good Artifacts could sit on a pile of gold!
Having heard such rumors, Lee Han was naturally interested in Artifacts too.
But of course, the Artifacts would have to be interested in him as well.
"Waaah!"
"!"
The orb beside him shot up toward the ceiling with such force it seemed ready to smash through it. Fortunately, it stopped abruptly just below the classroom ceiling.
Yet Professor Voladi's expression didn't change in the slightest. It was as if the muscles in his face were paralyzed.
"Being connected to your will means you can control them. Of course, the orbs are restricted from destroying this classroom."
"Th-thank goodness."
Before the words even finished, an orb slammed into a student's stomach.
Thud!
"Guh...!?"
"The restriction only prevents them from destroying the classroom—not from harming you. Be careful not to damage the orbs."
"......"
Normally, it should've been 'be careful not to get hurt,' but here they were being told to avoid breaking the orbs by colliding with them.
Lee Han sensed that this vampire professor was just as much of a madman as the others.
Still clinging to a sliver of hope, the students waited for the professor's next words.
"What do we do now?"
"Levitate the orb and draw a circle."
The students cautiously focused their minds and made the orbs float.
Lee Han did the same.
Everyone tried moving their orbs to draw something resembling a circle. Though extremely crooked, some students managed to produce shapes that somewhat resembled circles.
"I did it!"
Feeling the same, one student shouted excitedly.
Professor Voladi replied bluntly.
"That's not a circle. Do it again."
"...Ah, yes."
The students began drawing circles with their orbs again.
And then again.
And again...
And again...
One student finally mustered the courage to ask carefully.
"Um... how long do we have to keep drawing circles?"
"?"
For the first time, Professor Voladi showed a hint of emotion.
That emotion was confusion—'What kind of question is that?'
"Naturally, until you can draw it perfectly."
"......"
"...Professor. May I go to the restroom for a moment?"
"You don't need to ask."
One student left.
Another, sensing the opportunity, quietly stood up and slipped out.
Even the last remaining student besides Lee Han hesitated before suddenly collapsing forward.
"???"
Lee Han was startled.
Was he really putting on such an act just to leave the classroom?
'This guy's got guts.'
Lee Han helped the student up.
But the student's face was as pale as lead.
It wasn't an act.
"Are you okay?"
"My... my mana..."
"Professor! It seems he's exhausted all his mana and collapsed."
Lee Han looked at the professor as he spoke.
Just as Professor Garcia had taught, beginners learning magic often struggled to manage their mana properly.
So it wasn't uncommon for them to recklessly waste mana until they depleted it and collapsed on the spot.
This student was clearly no exception.
"I see."
"What should we do?"
"Once his mana recovers, have him pick up the orb and draw circles again."
"......"
Lee Han could feel the student trembling with suppressed rage in his arms.
One thing was certain—this student wasn't coming back to this classroom.
'Guess I'm the only one left in this lecture.'
And that's exactly what happened.
Left alone, Lee Han asked for confirmation.
"Professor. How will grades be determined for this class?"
"Following the basic rule—scores will be given in order from first place down."
"I see..."
Lee Han nodded.
Then he gripped his orb again.
"Just draw a circle, right?"
"Correct."
Lee Han began moving the orb, tracing a circle in the air.
The students who had left grumbled, 'What kind of waste of time is this?!' but Lee Han couldn't care less.
'Actually, this is perfect.'
Just sitting here until the end of the semester would guarantee him a high grade with minimal effort.
Now this was what a real lecture should be.