Episode 227
Episode 227
While listening, Lee Han couldn't help but think, 'That's strange—I'm pretty sure I was attacked this morning trying to implement something like that,' but he decided not to mention it.
It didn't seem like saying anything would lead to anything good.
"Many novice mages look only at the results of summoning magic and mistakenly believe it to be the easiest and most convenient form of magic... If that's the misconception that brought you here, I suggest you leave now."
Professor Millay spoke sternly. Gainando, who had been about to get up to use the bathroom, sat back down after sensing the mood.
'Well, summoning magic does require a lot of preparatory work.'
Lee Han, oblivious to Gainando groaning beside him, was deep in thought about what he'd just heard.
For mages of other schools, creating a dancing sword through magic required casting multiple spells in succession.
But summoners could simply summon a dancing sword outright.
At first glance, this made summoning magic seem far easier and more convenient...
But of course, where there were advantages, there were also drawbacks. No magic was perfect.
To summon a dancing sword in one go, numerous preparatory steps were necessary.
Like the octahedral metal object Professor Millay had just thrown (which was why summoning magic particularly required such reagents), one had to either pre-compress magic into it or imprint the magic into a magic circle.
'And forming contracts with sentient beings is its own kind of challenge.'
Lee Han glanced at the bone fragment of Sharkan hanging from his belt.
Even Sharkan might have bitten his neck while he slept if Lee Han hadn't made the effort to befriend him.
Clink!
Sharkan's bone fragment rattled as if protesting.
"Today, we'll practice preparing the reagents and magic circles necessary for summoning magic. It may seem tedious, but remember—in summoning magic, not even the slightest mistake is tolerated. It's not uncommon for summoned items to turn on their summoners."
"Lee Han. Lee Han."
When Gainando poked him, Lee Han nodded as if to say he understood.
"Don't worry, Gainando. I'll help you."
"!"
Students who tried to understand the professor's lesson for the first time in class were amateurs.
Students who listened in class and tried to understand later were intermediates.
Skilled students had already studied the professor's material to some extent before arriving.
And Lee Han was precisely that kind of person.
Someone with zero trust in professors!
"Now, this quill-summoning magic circle—you've done it a few times, so you know it well, but if you try to construct it from scratch, there are tricky parts. This ◇ pattern here is a classic trap..."
"That's... that's not it..."
"Even if it's hard, bear with me a little. I'll explain it well."
"I need to use the bathroom, you idiot!"
Nod, nod—
'Pathetic.'
Lee Han sighed as he watched the White Tiger Tower student nodding off nearby.
This was when he truly felt his friends were first-years.
Falling asleep so blatantly like that.
If Lee Han were to doze off (not that he ever would), he'd never be so careless about it.
'Professor Millay must've already noticed.'
Looking around, it wasn't just White Tiger Tower students dozing off—students from every tower were nodding off.
And understandably so.
Sitting continuously while drawing magic circles with specially crafted magic ink and various magic stone powders, then engraving characters and patterns—even mages with wills of steel couldn't help but feel drowsy.
There weren't many like Lee Han, who could work like this for 24 hours straight and think, 'This is nothing special.'
'Done?'
Lee Han inspected the completed magic circle.
It wasn't just paper and ink—this magic circle incorporated metal fragments, magic stone powder, and various other materials.
The more complex the item you're trying to summon with summoning magic, the more intricate the magic circle becomes.
Lee Han had to redo his work several times after making mistakes.
Even summoning a magic quill that writes "I am a student learning summoning magic" on its own required this level of complexity.
He worried how much more complicated it would get at higher levels.
'Come to think of it, the professor can just have his disciples do this.'
Thinking about the hidden labor behind flashy magic made Lee Han bitter.
When people from the Empire thought of magic, they imagined dazzling miracles, but in truth, the world worked much the same everywhere.
"Well done."
Before he knew it, Professor Millay had approached and was intently examining Lee Han's work.
Given Professor Millay's strict nature with praise, this level of compliment meant he'd truly excelled.
"Thank you. I got lucky."
"...My apologies for the misunderstanding."
"?"
Lee Han wondered what the professor meant.
'A misunderstanding? What's he talking about?'
Had he mistaken Lee Han's summoning magic level to be on par with Gainando's after seeing them interact earlier?
If so, an apology would make sense.
"Not at all. It's fine."
"The other students will need more time. Feel free to do whatever you'd like in the meantime."
"Uh..."
Lee Han hesitated.
It was easy to misinterpret, but when professors said things like that, you couldn't just take it at face value.
The implied meaning changed depending on the professor's personality.
If Professor Garcia said, "Do whatever you want with your free time, Lee Han," it genuinely meant no problem.
You could even push some chairs together and take a nap.
But if the Skeleton Principal said, "Do whatever you want with your free time," taking a nap would be suicidal.
You might blink and find yourself transported to the punishment room.
'There's a simple way to find out.'
"Will you be reviewing the results, Professor?"
If they were checking magic circles or potion results, "feel free" really meant "Let's see how far you can go—don't slack off, give it your all."
If not, you could relax without worry.
'Hmm.'
The old professor pondered the words of the Wardanaz family student.
Professor Millay wasn't one to give special treatment to any student.
Equality and strictness.
That was Professor Millay's creed.
No matter how talented Lee Han was at summoning magic, reviewing additional work separately from other students...
'But I was wrong.'
Professor Millay reflected.
He, who preached fairness to students, had initially prejudged the Wardanaz boy.
Assuming him to be an arrogant student drunk on talent—he couldn't help but feel remorseful.
In that case...
"Very well. Let's review it."
"......"
'Damn it.'
Lee Han grumbled internally.
Professor Millay was just like the Skeleton Principal after all.
What kind of freedom was this!
"Understood."
Lee Han sighed inwardly and began moving his quill.
Among the things he could currently do that wouldn't make Professor Millay say, "Is that all you've got?"...
'A floating shield, then.'
Though Lee Han had received passing marks from Professor Voladi on all forms of elemental conversion, he still had his preferences.
Naturally, a mage would be most comfortable with forms they frequently used.
In that regard, Lee Han was currently most familiar with orbs and shields.
A shield would leave a stronger impression than an orb.
'Autonomous movement isn't possible with my current magic, so I'll have to cut corners in some areas.'
While a shield that moved independently to block was beyond him, he could still create shields fixed in place to defend using various elements.
This alone might seem a bit weak, so even if it's incomplete, adding a little movement should help...
'But what exactly is he trying to do?'
Professor Millet, being a mage himself, couldn't possibly lack curiosity.
Moreover, objectively speaking, Lee Han was one of the most talented students in their year.
It was only natural to wonder what such a student would do when given free rein.
'Judging by the shape, it's a shield.'
Professor Millet felt slightly disappointed.
The ambition had been a bit excessive.
Seeing how he handled the Water Orb last time, it was clear he had strong confidence in water-element forms.
But the order was wrong.
First, he should have become familiar with the Water Shield spell—to the point where he could visualize its mana structure and flow even with his eyes closed—before attempting to draw it as a magic circle.
Jumping straight to the magic circle without that foundation was reckless.
Even within the same water-element magic, the orb form and the shield form were entirely different.
'But failure will also be a lesson.'
Professor Millet gave a faint nod and silently cheered him on.
There was no mage who hadn't failed.
It only mattered how they accepted that failure.
"Good work, everyone."
Lee Han raised his head.
The other students had roughly completed their magic circles and were stretching.
'I was almost done. What a shame.'
"I imagine everyone will feel quite disappointed when today's lecture ends like this."
At Professor Millet's words, the students hesitated, unsure if they should respond with "Yes!"
"Yes!"
They watched in admiration as Gainando answered brightly.
Professor Millet accepted it graciously.
"Naturally."
"It was too bor—"
Lee Han jabbed Gainando in the ribs from an unseen angle, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"But the process you went through today is one you'll experience thousands, tens of thousands of times as mages walking the path of summoning magic. It's best to prepare yourselves for it."
As he spoke, Professor Millet swung his staff.
The classroom transformed—students were pushed to the edges, leaving a large empty space in the center.
"In the remaining time today, we'll learn about contracts."
"...!"
"!!!"
The students' faces brightened.
Not the tedious, headache-inducing summoning of inanimate objects, but meeting beings from other realms, communicating with them, and forming contracts.
This was, in fact, the more common image of summoning magic.
'It's just dangerous, that's all.'
Having been forced into a contract with an unheard-of spirit like Perkuntra, Lee Han was acutely aware of the risks involved.
Why would contracts with sentient beings be dangerous?
Because the other party could always screw the mage over.
Especially if the mage was a first-year student. For demons who had spent centuries in the demon realm, tricking young mages was child's play.
Naturally, Professor Millet was well aware of these dangers.
"Never, ever attempt to peek into or explore other realms when you're alone."
The magic circle Professor Millet had cast in the center of the classroom was a passageway with built-in safety measures.
It allowed a glimpse into the Spirit World but restricted the power of the spirits that could approach.
Entities beyond a certain level of strength couldn't even get close.
'Professor is so strict about safety protocols—what the hell were those seniors doing to summon the Frost Giant King?'
Lee Han cursed the absent seniors as he lost himself in thought.
"Lee Han."
"Yes?"
"You'll use this magic circle."
"May I ask why?"
When Professor Millet summoned a different magic circle instead of the Spirit World one, Lee Han was puzzled.
"I heard the spirits avoid you. So I've opened a connection to one of the undead realms instead."
"...Thank you."
Lee Han struggled to keep the bitterness off his face.