Episode 228
Episode 228
The other students, unaware of Lee Han's feelings, lined up before the magic circle connected to the Spirit World.
Professor Millay advised them:
"It would be best to enter in groups of five."
Even with safety measures in place, sending a first-year student alone to explore an unfamiliar Otherworld was considerably dangerous. In such cases, it was safer to go in groups.
"But Professor."
"Yes?"
"Is Wardanaz going in alone?"
Lee Han briefly debated whether to feel grateful or annoyed at the Black Turtle Tower student who'd mentioned him.
Going alone would've just been slightly bitter but otherwise fine—but now that they'd pointed it out, the atmosphere had turned awkward.
"For students unsuited to the Undead World, entering would be pointless anyway."
"Ah. There are other students learning Black Magic too."
At those words, Professor Millay's eyes sparkled.
"Really? Who might they be?"
"......"
"......"
Gainando and Rafael raised their hands with expressions that suggested they wanted to murder the Black Turtle Tower student who'd just spoken.
Professor Millay opened her mouth.
"You two will enter the Undead World."
"......"
"......"
"Hey. Nice to see you."
"Tsk..."
Rafael gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath at Lee Han's cheerful greeting.
Instead of the fresh and beautiful Spirit World, they were being sent to the Undead World filled with sinister yin-type mana.
As always, Black Magic brought nothing but misery to their lives. His resentment toward Black Magic flared up again.
"L-Lee Han. Can't you send me to the Spirit World instead?"
"Gainando. From what I see, undead suit you better than spirits."
"No... You can't know unless you try—"
"Alright. Everyone, let's go in."
"Can't you keep your hands to yourself?"
Lee Han pushed his two friends forward. He didn't want to risk losing them to the Spirit World.
Whoooosh—
'How gloomy.'
The Undead World resembled the scenery around Professor Mortum's workshop, the Black Rock Hall.
Given the abundance of yin and dark-attribute mana, it was inevitable for the atmosphere to feel similar.
Darkness in every direction.
Abandoned graveyards scattered about.
A riverbank where black mud bubbled up instead of clear water.
Gainando, who'd seemed half-resigned earlier, appeared to have changed his mind.
"Lee Han. What kind of undead would be good? Any recommendations?"
"All undead are trash."
Rafael's snide remark made Gainando laugh as he replied.
"Hey now. Don't be like that, Rafael. We're in this together."
'What? Since when did he become so mature?'
While Lee Han was surprised, Gainando whispered softly.
"Let's ditch that bastard in a graveyard and move on our own."
"I heard that, you sneaky bastard!"
"Tch."
"Both of you, stop it. Rafael. Now that you're here, you need to cooperate."
"Why should I—"
Lee Han immediately extended his staff, preempting Rafael before he could reach for his waist.
"...On second thought, I suppose cooperation is necessary."
Rafael nodded while grinding his teeth. Lee Han spoke kindly and gently.
"Glad you understand. Now. Take the lead."
"Why?!"
"You're a knight."
"You're the knight here."
The two Blue Dragon Tower students' shameless words left Rafael speechless.
Of course, knights and warriors were traditionally the vanguard of any party.
The problem was...
"Wardanaz! Your swordsmanship grades are better than mine!"
"Wow... To say something so disgraceful..."
Gainando marveled.
To Gainando, who didn't take swordsmanship classes, it just looked like Rafael was making excuses to avoid taking point.
How could he resort to such nonsense?
"Shut up! You imperial brat! You have no idea how good this bastard is with a sword!"
"I have to use my staff for this expedition. You take the lead."
"Fuc—"
"Do it."
Lee Han's voice turned icy. The pressure in his tone brooked no argument.
Rafael huffed and turned away.
And he swore to himself:
If he ever had to face that Wardanaz bastard again, he'd bring at least four friends—no, more!
"You all know the basic principles, right?"
"Of course."
"I didn't hear it in the handbook."
Lee Han and Raphael stared at Gainando as if he were trash.
"Fundamentally, it's no different from spirits. Wander around and see if you can find anything useful."
Whether roaming the Spirit World or the Undead World, the methods for contracting with Otherworld beings were similar.
You could either call out to potential targets while moving around, or find and approach them directly.
Of course, a mage like Lee Han—who made beings flee whether he called them or found them—was somewhat exceptional.
"But Lee Han, unlike spirits, most undead are hostile, aren't they?"
"Correct."
Raphael, who was leading the way, flinched slightly.
"It's fine, Raphael. We'll support you from behind."
"Right, Raphael. We've got your back."
"...How wonderfully kind of you."
While contracts in the Spirit World were formed through persuasion and charm, in the Undead World, they were more likely to be forged through force and combat.
Since undead were inherently hostile, most would attack until they were subdued.
'It'd be great if we could find a Skeleton Mage.'
Lee Han lost himself in thought, mentally listing names of low-tier undead monsters.
Truthfully, whether it was a Skeleton Warrior, Archer, or Mage, any contract would be an absolute boon for novice mages.
Especially in the case of a Skeleton Mage—having a summon like a Skeleton Warrior fight on the frontlines while you cast spells from the rear was incredibly useful.
But...
'If it's a Skeleton Mage, I could learn magic from it.'
The pursuit of knowledge.
This was also one of the goals for summoners.
Powerful Otherworld beings often possessed knowledge that mages either didn't know or had forgotten.
Of course, low-tier undead monsters under restrictions couldn't be expected to have that level of knowledge. They lacked even the basic capacity for rational conversation.
Still, Skeleton Mages were among the few low-tier undead capable of using magic.
Though they cast spells by instinct, given enough time, one could learn by observing them.
'It's always an advantage to learn as many spells as possible—whether you master them or not.'
After facing a Rock Drake just to find a single Black Magic book in the library, he had come to appreciate just how rare such easy learning opportunities were.
"It's here!"
At the shout from ahead, Lee Han lifted his head.
A skeleton was charging at them, wielding a rusted bone sword.
Raphael immediately drew his wooden sword and clashed with the skeleton.
"How dare some undead—!"
Thud!
The mindless monster's swordsmanship was easy to exploit. Raphael twisted its blade aside and shoved it away.
'Got it!'
Raphael's expression brightened.
They were lucky.
They hadn't been in the Undead World long, yet they'd already encountered an undead monster.
If things went well, he could subdue it, force it into submission, and maybe even form a contract—
Wham!
Wham! Wham! Wham!
At that moment, Water Orbs flew from behind, smashing the Skeleton Warrior's skull and shattering its arms and legs.
The Skeleton Warrior, unable to maintain its form, began to dissolve.
Poof...
"Oops. That was too strong."
Lee Han clicked his tongue.
The restricted undead were weaker than expected.
He had calibrated his attack based on the Skeleton Principal's summons—he hadn't realized the gap would be this vast.
"It's fine, Lee Han. You were just helping Raphael."
"Sorry about that, Raphael. Were you hoping to make a contract?"
"...As if! Do you really think I'd stoop to contracting with some undead?"
Raphael sharply turned his head away. Lee Han tilted his head curiously.
"Wait, were you actually—"
"Let's just go! We need to find the next one! I don't plan on making a contract, but unless you two do, this tedious expedition won't end!"
"......"
'Forget luck—this party's Black Magic aptitude must be decent.'
After accidentally obliterating the first skeleton, they encountered two more Skeleton Warriors. By then, Lee Han was certain.
'Come to think of it, Gainando also shows considerable talent when it comes to Black Magic.'
Given that there were several students like him, it might have been natural for undead monsters to come seeking them.
"What do you think?"
"...Uh... I just thought they were coming because you're exceptional?"
Gainando stared at Lee Han as if he were talking nonsense.
By that logic, they were coming because of Lee Han, not particularly because of Gainando or Rafael.
"...Is that so? No, I don't think we can say that for certain. Rafael, what do you think?"
"Don't drag me into your pointless argument."
Layers of exhaustion were piled on Rafael's face.
They had failed to contract with the two Skeleton Warriors they encountered again.
This time, it wasn't because of Lee Han—it was Rafael's own fault.
When he tried to subdue and force the Skeleton Warrior into submission, the creature refused to yield and chose to resist until it was destroyed.
'Damn it! What's the problem here?'
Rafael had decided to learn Black Magic to counter Black Mages.
He couldn't just skip over a major field like Undead Summoning, which formed a core part of Black Magic.
He needed to find a proper Summon and gain Professor Mortum's recognition, but...
"Ah. Another one showed up. Lee Han, you try subduing it this time."
"But Rafael's the vanguard?"
"But that bastard keeps resisting whenever he subdues them. You try it."
"...What difference would it make if I subdue it?"
Lee Han's expression turned slightly serious. Gainando answered with a frightened look.
"You... you're good at everything, right? You'd probably subdue it well too... right?"
"Ah, so that's what you meant. I thought you were saying that if it were a being from another dimension, it would naturally be afraid of me."
'Isn't that true?'
Gainando thought so but kept his mouth shut out of fear.
"Rafael. Switch."
"Hmph. Like it'll make a difference if you—"
Thwack!Crash!
-■■■■■!
Rafael's mouth fell open as the Skeleton Warrior took a few hits and collapsed.
Anyone could see that was a 100% clear submission.
'Th-that?!'
"Nice, Lee Han! Are you going to contract with it?"
"Hmm. I'm debating it."
Lee Han fell into thought.
It wouldn't be bad to contract with a being from another dimension while he had the chance, but he had his heart set on a Skeleton Mage, which made him hesitate.
Contracts weren't something you could make endlessly.
They immediately affected the mage's mana and mental strength, and the more contracts one made, the more residual traces of the contracted beings lingered in the mage's soul, making other entities wary and avoidant.
And above all, the moment he made a contract now, the other undead nearby would likely sense it and instinctively keep their distance.
A strong soul fluctuation in this area would signal that a mage had subdued and forced an undead into submission.
Just as contracting with a spirit in the Spirit World made it hard to find others nearby for a while, the same applied to undead.
Still...
'This isn't the only opportunity. I can just find another one elsewhere.'
Lee Han nodded.
"Alright. I'll contract with it."
As he declared his intent, he felt his soul intertwine with the Skeleton Warrior's, just as it had with Perkuntra before.
Of course, he didn't sense even a fraction of Perkuntra's intelligence or strength, but he was confident he could summon it through this contract whenever he wanted.
"Take care of me, Skeleton Warrior."
"Rafael, why do you look like that?"
"...I was scowling because I hate undead!"
As soon as Lee Han completed the contract, Professor Milei's magic circle must have detected it and summoned the three of them back.
The students who had returned earlier were shrugging their shoulders in disappointment.
"...I'm telling you, that was definitely a spirit..."
"That was just a leaf. You were seeing things."
Professor Milei looked at the three in surprise and asked,
"You're back a bit early. Did you... perhaps make a contract?"
"Uh... yes, we did?"
"!"
Professor Milei was uncharacteristically shocked.
First-year students—and in a magic circle with safety measures—had encountered an undead this quickly?
That was even more surprising than the fact they'd made a contract!