Episode 193
Episode 193
Lee Han's choice was actually quite reasonable.
The corridor on this floor had become a chaotic mess due to the rampage of multiple high-level spells, artifacts, and spirits, distorting the dimensional fabric.
There was no telling whether some malevolent entity had seeped in from within and was trying to deceive them.
Of course, that didn't entirely justify calling the professor without even a second of hesitation—but still!
You'll regret this, young mage. You'll need power soon enough!
"W-Wait. Isn't this a waste? Shouldn't we at least hear what it's offering?"
At Gainando's words, even Rafael nodded unconsciously.
Who knew? Maybe whatever was inside had a nice gift to give.
The Magic School is really ruining its students.
Lee Han sighed.
They pushed the students so harshly that even suspicious offers like this became tempting.
"Gainando. When someone whose identity you don't know makes a tempting offer, suspicion should come first."
Cough. "Well said."
Professor Mortum, who had rushed over, agreed with Lee Han's words.
They had no idea what kind of creature lurked inside—letting themselves be tempted by its offer was dangerous.
After all, demonic beings from other dimensions could easily wear masks of kindness to approach unsuspecting victims.
"Begone, wretched vermin!"
SCREEEEEECH!
With Professor Mortum's incantation, the presences lurking deep within the corridor rapidly scattered.
Gainando, snapping out of it belatedly, nodded.
"R-Right. My apologies, Professor. I won't pay attention to places like this in the future."
Cough. "That's not it."
"Huh?"
"Places where other dimensions have seeped in like this are invaluable sources of knowledge—ones a mage cannot afford to ignore."
Demons, spirits, and even nameless, surreal entities from unknown dimensions.
These were beings who held knowledge beyond what mages understood.
Forgotten secrets, artifacts, spells, and treasures—things any mage would naturally covet.
"That makes sense."
Cough. "Which is why you must learn to explore them safely. Take this opportunity to investigate."
"...What?"
Gainando doubted his ears.
They were supposed to explore now? When frozen undead were crawling out, when pulses of bitter frost surged periodically, when they had just heard what sounded like a demon's wail?
Cough. "You'll learn much from what lies within."
Professor Mortum spoke with pure goodwill.
Sometimes, a single experience could leave a deeper impression than a hundred lectures.
Parts of the corridor's inner space were composed of Black Magic.
If the freshmen witnessed such a place up close, they would feel the awe of Black Magic more profoundly.
I had a bad feeling about bringing him here from the start.
Professor Mortum swung his staff, and protective magic took effect. Once preparations were complete, he spoke.
Cough, cough. "Split into pairs and walk one round. Don't get lost."
Gainando hastily said,
"I-I'll go with Lee Han!"
"I shall accompany Ymirg."
At Gainando and Rafael's words, Professor Mortum flipped a coin.
"The Wardanaz and Ymirg will take the left path. Cough. You two, start on the right."
"......"
Both Gainando and Rafael ended up with the unlucky result. With grim expressions, they set off.
"Shall we go too?"
"Y-Yeah."
Fortunately, thanks to the protective magic Professor Mortum had cast, no enemies approached them.
Lee Han walked forward cautiously.
Never let your guard down.
If there was one thing he had learned from Professor Voladi, it was to never drop his vigilance, no matter the situation.
Keeping every possible precaution in mind, Lee Han surveyed his surroundings.
Suddenly, frost settled along the path, and wraiths gathered, forming a flower bud.
The bud writhed as if about to bloom—then the ground beneath it began to tremble.
"That thing—"
Before Ymirg could even finish speaking, Lee Han was already casting a spell.
BAM!
A heavy water orb pounded the ground. Lightning poured down upon it, and flames erupted violently.
The ground that had been about to stir fell completely silent.
BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM! BAM BAM!
But Lee Han didn't stop. He kept firing spells relentlessly. The frozen ground blackened, scorched, and caved in deeply.
"Whoa... Wardanaz. I don't know what that was, but hasn't it already fled?"
Imirg hesitated as he spoke.
Honestly, compared to whatever had been about to emerge before vanishing, Lee Han was slightly more terrifying right now.
"It might have."
"It's not just 'might have'—it definitely seems like it ran awa—"
Lee Han hurled one last bolt of lightning. Just in case.
"Gone now, right?"
"......"
"Imirg. We should probably close the distance a bit. The protective spell Professor Voladi cast might be wearing off."
"Y-yes, sir."
"Why the sudden honorifics?"
"S-sorry."
"Diret. Thank you. Really."
"Drop dead."
"...Diret. I mean it. Thank you."
"Go die in a ditch."
"...I said I'm sorry..."
Coholti, a fourth-year Black Magic major, apologized to Diret yet again.
Given that Diret had been dragged into this mess because of the colossal accident Coholti and his friends had caused, even Coholti would've been furious if he were in Diret's shoes.
"You just got out of the Punishment Room, and now this... What the hell—"
"I already got an earful from the professor, okay?"
Coholti looked utterly dejected, having been thoroughly scolded by Professor Mortum.
As a fellow Black Magic student—and a classmate—Diret understood Coholti's feelings better than anyone.
"Yeah, well. Drop dead."
But that didn't change the fact that Diret was swamped with work, and being summoned here to clean up their mess was absolutely unforgivable.
"Either get in there and finish this or go die. The whole school's covered in snow because of you idiots."
"I'll... I'll go in soon."
Surprisingly, the solution to the dimensional corruption and environmental distortions caused by the botched summoning was simple.
They just had to enter the affected area and eliminate the summoned entity.
No matter how chaotic the magic and phenomena inside were, the core of it all would still be the summoned creature.
Of course, calling it "simple" didn't mean it was easy.
They'd have to push through corridors teeming with monsters that had seeped in from another dimension and take down an enraged spirit.
Even for upperclassmen at the Magic School, this wasn't something they could tackle lightly.
The mages responsible for the accident glanced nervously at Diret, making excuses.
"We're slowly draining the mana from the area. The things inside are already weakening."
"If our calculations are right, it won't be long before it's safe to go in."
What the mages were doing now was punching holes throughout the corridor's spatial boundary to leak out the mana.
If the mana within the area diminished, the strength of the entities inside would naturally wane as well.
Once the process was complete, the students would be able to enter safely.
Diret's voice softened slightly as he asked,
"How many hours until it's done?"
"......"
"...Don't tell me it'll take over a day?"
"......"
"...How many days, you cursed bastards? Spit it out!"
"A... a week, maybe?"
"Just go in and die already! How much mana did you pour into that summoning for it to take a whole week?!"
"I'm sorry! Diret! I'm sorry!"
Diret unleashed a torrent of curses before firing a Curse of Phantom Pain with his staff.
The mana-leaking process wasn't something that just happened on its own.
Upperclassmen, including Diret, would have to stand guard the entire time to prevent undead from spilling out of the corridor.
For a whole week!
"Ahh! Diret! Forgive me!"
"D-Diret! Look over there! Look!"
"Where are you pointing—"
Diret turned his head.
First-year students were walking slowly inside the affected area.
"...Ah. The professor must've brought them."
For a moment, Diret was nearly overwhelmed by the surreal sight—but he quickly grasped the situation.
It was clear Professor Mortum had brought the freshmen to show them this peculiar sight.
After all, it was truly a spectacular display from a Black Magic perspective.
"Are freshmen really allowed to wander around a place like this?"
"Professor Mortum cast protective spells. Most entities won't be able to approach them."
"But they're freshmen. Even if evil beings can't approach, they might panic and cause accidents—"
Before the words even finished, one freshman began wildly firing off spells like a madman.
The Necrotic Flower Banshee was beaten down before it could even manifest, hastily burrowing underground to escape somewhere.
"......"
"Sh-shouldn't we stop him? At this rate, that freshman's going to collapse!"
It was painfully predictable.
Loss of judgment from terror, leading to reckless spell-spamming.
The most common mistake freshmen made.
It might be fine now, but the moment mana exhaustion hits...
"Leave him be. It's fine."
But Diret remained calm, knowing Lee Han had ample mana reserves.
"That junior from the Wardanaz family was born with exceptional innate mana capacity."
"O-oh, I see."
Bam! Bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam!
"......"
"...Are you sure it's really fine?"
The upperclassmen stared at Lee Han with bewildered expressions.
No matter how innately gifted he was, at this rate, he should be collapsing any moment now.
Even Diret grew slightly uneasy.
He knew Lee Han had abundant mana, but even Diret wasn't certain exactly how much.
"I'm telling you, we need to stop him!"
"That damned Skeleton Principal...!"
Eventually, the unease infected Diret too. Gripping his staff, he prepared to face potential punishment.
As a senior who studied Black Magic under the same master, he couldn't just watch a junior collapse.
Bam!
But to the seniors' embarrassment, Lee Han returned to normal as if nothing had happened—completely unfazed by their panic.
After firing his last spell, he resumed walking without so much as a change in expression.
"......"
"Wh-what the hell is that kid?"
The seniors weren't fooled by the Wardanaz family name.
The freshmen, lacking experience, might think, 'Ah, it's because he's a Wardanaz,' but the seniors knew better.
No matter his lineage, that level of mana at his age was absurd!
'Did the family head mate with a dragon?'
'Did he sacrifice a thousand lives to make a pact with a demon?'
'Is the Headmaster disguised as a freshman?'
"Diret. I've thought of a great method. This could save us time!"
"What method? Don't tell me you're thinking of dragging that freshman into this as a fourth-year. Spit it out."
"...That's exactly—P-please! Don't point your staff at me, Diret! Listen first! No curses! No curses! I just need to borrow his mana! Just his mana!"
"Ahem. How was it?"
"Truly moving and enlightening."
"?"
Imirg stared at Lee Han as if he were some strange creature.
'We walked the same path, so why such different impressions?'
To Imirg, it felt like wandering through a cemetery in a blizzard...
"I knew it."
Professor Mortum spoke with evident satisfaction.
Any mage interested in Black Magic would inevitably be awestruck by that twisted dimensional space.
"Ahem. If you ever wish to visit again, just say so. Next time, you might gain something truly valuable."
"Yes. Understood."
Lee Han replied while carefully controlling his expression. Of course, he had absolutely no intention of returning.
Crash!
"......"
Gainando and Lafadell came tumbling from the opposite side, grappling each other by the collars.
They looked utterly disheveled from their scuffle.
Professor Mortum clicked his tongue at the sight.
"Ahem. To waste such a precious opportunity like that... Perhaps next time, Wardanaz, you should guide them instead."
"Such insolent fools! The professor gave them this chance, and they wasted it fighting! Get your act together and go back for a proper look!"
"There's no need to go that far... Ahem."
Professor Mortum demurred but glanced at Lee Han with subtle delight.
Truly, among the freshmen, he was the most promising disciple.