Episode 200
Episode 200
"You promised, right?"
Lee Han approached the door while pondering what kind of reward would be best.
Indeed, with Professor Verdus, an artifact would be the most practical.
'What kind of artifact would be good?'
Clatter clatter—
"Wait. Professor. The door won't open."
"Well, of course! It's locked with magic."
"Huh?"
Lee Han froze.
Was the Skeleton Principal seriously expecting him to open a door sealed with magic right now?
"Uh... Will you be undoing the magic, Professor?"
"You have to undo it. Magic can't be used from inside here."
"......"
Lee Han didn't even know where to begin pointing out the issues.
"Hold on. How did you send the paper bird then?"
"I preset it to fly to the workshop if I don't return by evening."
'If that's the case, you could've just asked another professor...'
Even if students were under surveillance, the professors weren't, right?
It made him newly aware of Professor Verdus's interpersonal relationships.
How desperate must he be to have entrusted this to a freshman he'd barely met!
"Professor. I'm sorry, but I don't have the skill to undo the Headmaster's magic."
Though he'd been periodically learning from Professor Kirmin Ku and receiving separate instruction from the genius archmage Valdororn in Philone Village, Lee Han still lacked confidence in illusion magic.
Illusion magic unusually required far more experience than other fields. With his current level of experience, it was difficult to confidently tackle such challenges.
"And if the Headmaster went so far as to cast additional magic to prevent escape, doesn't that mean there are likely other trap magics nearby too?"
Though he'd said it as an excuse, there was some logic to it.
If the Skeleton Principal had just gone through the motions of locking him up procedurally, Lee Han wouldn't have worried much about opening it. But if he'd seriously cast magic, the likelihood of other traps nearby was high.
"There's no other magic around. I saw while being dragged here."
'Tsk.'
Lee Han blamed the Skeleton Principal for not completely covering Professor Verdus's eyes.
"Besides, you don't need skill to undo magic. It's not that hard. Just blast it away. You know how to do that, right?"
"Professor. That also requires considerable skill."
Now that he'd learned more, Lee Han knew. When people talked about "blasting magic away with force," it rarely meant literally using brute force.
The higher the level of magic, the more complex and sturdy its structure became. Simply pouring raw power into it wouldn't make it budge or break.
You had to understand its structure, identify its weak points, and then channel force precisely to shatter it.
Even "blasting it away with force" concealed remarkably sophisticated techniques within.
'Archmage Valdororn probably spared me the details out of consideration.'
Valdororn hadn't explained such nuances. He'd only mentioned the method of clashing mana.
He'd likely assessed Lee Han's skill level and tailored his explanation to a beginner's understanding.
At a beginner's level, such detailed analysis wasn't necessary yet.
"The Headmaster's magic is still beyond my ability to analyze—"
"No. Just give it a try."
Professor Verdus brushed off Lee Han's words.
Since he could instantly analyze the magic's structure and blast it away with force, he assumed Lee Han could do the same.
Lee Han was speechless.
'Is he really a professor?'
"Understood."
Lee Han decided it'd be better to demonstrate once and say it was impossible rather than forcibly trying to convince Professor Verdus.
'Damn, it's complicated.'
Lee Han couldn't even begin to guess what magic the Skeleton Principal had cast.
Multiple spells were intricately intertwined, forming a solid lock.
And this probably wasn't even the Headmaster going all out...
It made him newly aware of just how exceptional the Skeleton Principal was as a mage.
BANG!!!
Following exactly what he'd learned from Valdororn, Lee Han recklessly detonated his mana and crashed it against the door.
It was a brute-force method—smashing into it without any analysis of structure or mechanics.
"......"
But the magic shattered.
Clang!
"I told you I could do it. Right?"
Professor Verdus emerged and patted Lee Han on the back as if he'd expected this all along.
Lee Han was dumbfounded.
'Wait, why was it so weakly cast?'
It seemed he'd been too focused on the complexity of the magic and hadn't paid enough attention to its sturdiness.
He felt disappointed in the Skeleton Principal.
Sssss—!
At that moment, a burning sound erupted as a Brand suddenly appeared above Professor Verdus's head.
Professor Verdus panicked and shouted.
"We're in trouble!"
"What is it?!"
"It's a trap! Gonadaltes didn't set the trap outside—he set it on me!"
"How could you not notice that?!"
"Because he cast it secretly!"
Professor Verdus frantically racked his brain while watching the gradually shrinking Brand.
This Brand was a tracking spell that would send a Summon to Professor Verdus's location the moment it completely burned away.
If Professor Verdus somehow escaped first, it would be the Skeleton Principal's way of teaching him a harsh lesson!
In his weakened state, dispelling it was impossible.
"This won't do! Go and fetch another professor!"
"Who?"
"I don't know! Someone who can undo this... Professor Garcia!"
"Where would he be... Understood!"
Lee Han immediately moved.
For two reasons.
First, no matter who he brought back, moving now would buy them time to decide later.
And second, if things went wrong, it was better to be far away from Professor Verdus.
...Because one victim was enough when the Summon arrived.
The moment Lee Han emerged from the forest, he encountered an unexpected figure.
...It was Professor Voladi.
"Night walks are good for improving one's skills. You've made a wise choice."
"Thank you...?"
Though it was a strange thing to say to a student sneaking out of the tower at night, Lee Han expressed his gratitude anyway.
It was better than getting scolded.
Professor Voladi stared Lee Han up and down intently. Lee Han suddenly grew uneasy.
'He hasn't figured out what I'm up to, has he?'
"Did you dispel a spell?"
"Huh? Yes."
"Seems you undid quite a high-level spell."
Lee Han was startled by Professor Voladi's ability to gauge the spell's level just from the residual mana.
He hadn't expected him to notice that.
"Where did you dispel it?"
"I was taking a walk in the forest and happened to—"
"Lead the way."
"Excuse me?"
"Lead the way."
If a spell of that caliber had been cast there, there was a high chance of encountering a powerful enemy.
Professor Voladi intended to ensure his student didn't overlook and miss such an opportunity.
"Professor, I checked, and there wasn't really anything—"
"You brought a professor?!"
An impatient Professor Verdus came running out from inside.
Keeping his expression neutral, Lee Han shouted.
"Professor Verdus! What are you doing here?!"
"What are you talking about? Just now—"
"What an incredible coincidence! Ah. This is Professor Bagrak!"
Professor Voladi tilted his head. Professor Verdus also tilted his head.
Lee Han shuddered at the meeting of two professors who seemed like the last people to have any friends.
'No... Actually, this is fortunate. My lie won't be exposed now.'
"Is that Brand the Headmaster's work?"
Professor Voladi recognized the Brand spell instantly. Professor Verdus nodded.
"Yes! Get rid of it!"
"Perfect timing."
"Huh?"
Professor Voladi cast a spell on Lee Han.
His senses sharpened, growing more sensitive, while an inexplicable confidence in ice element magic surged within him.
"Prepare yourself."
"...Professor? You're not planning to fight, are you?"
"Correct."
"But couldn't Professor Verdus get hurt?"
At Lee Han's words, Professor Voladi gave him a slightly bewildered look, as if to say, 'Why should I care about that?'
After all, Lee Han was Professor Voladi's student—Professor Verdus meant nothing to him.
"Whether he dies or not..."
"Didn't I tell you to hurry up and release me?!"
"Professor. It's not that I'm trying to avoid fighting. It's just that Professor Verdus is also my teacher, and if he gets hurt, my heart would truly be torn—"
"Understood."
Professor Voladi flicked his staff. Professor Verdus was sent flying and tightly bound to a tree.
Due to his already wrecked physical condition from the Skeleton Principal's punishment, Professor Verdus couldn't even put up a proper resistance.
"Ughhhh!"
"Tied up like that, he won't get hurt."
"...There are times I genuinely wonder if you're not some kind of genius, Professor."
"Thank you."
Professor Voladi faintly smiled at Lee Han's compliment.
Lee Han vowed never to compliment him again.
"This is a rare opportunity. The Headmaster's Summon possesses formidable combat abilities."
"Yes... I know."
Lee Han nodded, having been forcibly clashed with it several times before.
Though he certainly didn't agree that it was a "rare opportunity."
The probability of being struck by lightning was low too, but no one called that a "rare opportunity."
It was just...
'Wouldn't you call that rotten luck?'
In that sense, meeting Professor Voladi and being forced to face the Skeleton Principal's Summon was nothing but rotten luck.
CRACK!
Finally, as all the Brands burned away, a Portal opened above Professor Verdus's head.
-By my pact with the contractor, I have come to imprison you once more. Bear me no grudge!
Before the words even finished, Professor Voladi drove four Ice Spears into the limbs of the summoned demon.
The demon, unable to react to the speed, let out a scream filled with agony.
"Engage."
Professor Voladi kindly handed the opportunity to Lee Han.
With the demon significantly weakened, it had now become a suitable opponent for Lee Han to gain experience.
Of course, that wasn't how Lee Han saw it.
To Lee Han, it just looked like an immensely powerful demon, struck by four Ice Spears, was now in a state of extreme fury.
-Gonadaltes! You deceived me!
Having come to recapture an escapee from prison only to be brutally struck by some insane mage, the demon's anger was understandable.
Lee Han apologized.
"I'm sorry!"
But apologizing didn't necessarily mean he wouldn't attack. Lee Han attacked even as he apologized.
...Judging by the demon's expression, it was far too enraged for apologies to work.
"Are you trying to lure it into complacency?"
"No!"
Denying Professor Voladi's question, Lee Han cast another spell.
With its limbs sealed by Ice Spears, the demon spewed flames and mana from its mouth and eyes.
-You dare try to deceive a demon, you brat of a student!
"I'm sorry!"
-If you're sorry, then stop attacking, you wretched creature!
"Strike forth, Perkuntra's Lightning!"
A condensed bolt of lightning pierced through the demon's chest, delivering a heavy blow.
Black blood gushed from the demon's mouth. Being bound limb and limb made proper defense impossible.
-You little human brat...!
The situation itself was chaotic, but the human opponent only added to the demon's confusion.
Attack power, evasion, judgment—none of it matched that of a mere student.
-How is this possible?!
In truth, the demon's bewilderment was justified.
Most young students couldn't possibly stack spells like <Spatial Perception>, <Gonadaltes' Dark Vision>, and <Gonadaltes' Agile Footsteps> all at once.
"Too slow."
Professor Voladi addressed the demon.
He had originally wanted to push Lee Han to the brink, but the demon's attacks were too monotonous and predictable.
As a result, Lee Han was skillfully whittling down the demon's stamina without ever being in real danger.
At this rate, victory would come too easily.
-Shut up!
Professor Voladi didn't stop at words. With a swing of his staff, he made the Ice Spears disappear.
Freed of its bindings, the demon stared at Professor Voladi in shock.
Lee Han also stared at Professor Voladi in shock.
The demon looked back and forth between Lee Han and Voladi before asking Lee Han:
-Are you... being threatened by that mage?
Lee Han almost reflexively answered "Yes" before catching himself.