Episode 277
Episode 277
'Damn. It's like a solid wall.'
Lee Han was disappointed.
Though, it wasn't all that surprising.
Imperial bureaucrats were famously known for their integrity and uprightness, so it was highly unlikely they'd be swayed by personal connections.
Still, he'd thought that being from the same tower might count for something...
"If I were to work in the imperial government, what position do you think would suit me best?"
Unable to let go, Lee Han asked outright.
Normally, he wouldn't have gone this far, but his greed had gotten the better of him.
Of course, Eunrade made a face as if he'd just heard the most absurd joke in the world. Seeing that expression, Lee Han quickly backtracked.
"That was a joke."
"Haha. I thought as much."
Lee Han clicked his tongue inwardly.
Who knew they'd be this incorruptible and upright?
No wonder they were assigned to Einrogard.
"Anyway, Wardanaz student... Thank you for kindly participating in today's consultation."
"Not at all. It was my duty."
"If I may be cautious... As your senior, I can't help but worry that the Wardanaz student might be shouldering a bit too much."
Lee Han's face brightened.
"But I have no intention of stopping you, so don't worry. For the talented, trials are blessings and gifts, are they not?"
Lee Han's face darkened.
'As expected of a graduate, casually spouting insane nonsense like it's nothing.'
While Eunrade was worrying about the shock the Emperor and imperial bureaucrats would receive, others elsewhere were sweating bullets.
The adventurer Kilbedek wiped his brow with his sleeve and glanced at his companion.
"How's this?"
"Still seems a bit lacking."
"Don't talk shit! This is more than enough! Even when I went hunting a rampaging cave troll, I didn't prepare this much!"
"Don't get angry. I'm not doing this because I want to. You know that crazy mage won't accept anything less."
"......"
Kilbedek shut his mouth.
Even adventurers who'd never met before could quickly become close when thrown into a perilous mission together.
Kilbedek's current situation was exactly that.
Caught trying to scam a mage from Einrogard and dragged here!
—Had they known he was from Einrogard, they'd never have tried to scam him!
Kilbedek and the other adventurers wailed in regret, but it was too late.
The mad mage gave them a choice: either assist with a task or face appropriate punishment under imperial law...
Naturally, the adventurers chose, "We'll help with the task!"
"Appropriate punishment under imperial law" meant nothing to high-ranking mages.
Choosing the latter might've meant being secretly buried alive.
—What the hell does he want us to do?
—Einrogard's grounds are vast. Maybe we need to gather materials?
—Or clear a dungeon...
—Nonsense. Why would a mage from Einrogard need adventurers like us?
—Then... then what?
—Human experimentation... Is he planning to use us for experiments?
The captured adventurers trembled in fear.
Fortunately, things didn't go as they'd feared.
—Coordinate your attacks.
—Huh?
—Assume there's one intruder. Work together to subdue them.
—...!
It wasn't about gathering materials, clearing dungeons, or offering their bodies for magic.
The mad mage wanted the adventurers to work together to subdue a single intruder.
—We can do that right now!
—I know my reputation isn't much, but I've completed dozens of requests in the western regions!
—Good. Let's test that.
Then, without even blinking, the mad mage effortlessly dismantled their coordinated attack and thoroughly beat them up.
—Again. Prepare properly.
—Guh... Guh... Guuuuh...
The mad mage beat them, made them prepare again, beat them again, and made them prepare once more.
No pleas, excuses, negotiations, or bribes worked on him.
He was the very embodiment of the mad mage that adventurers feared.
There was a reason why the saying "Never get involved with mages" circulated among adventurers.
Having a high-class talent like a mage in your party couldn't have been more useful.
Yet, the reason the saying "Never get involved with mages" existed was precisely because of mad mages like this one.
Once you tangled with them, you'd be trapped with these wicked beings until the day you died!
"...We'll prepare again."
Kilbedek let out a long sigh. He wanted to spit in frustration, but he was too terrified to even do that.
Since escape was impossible, all they could do was prepare until the mage was satisfied.
"Firing arrows the moment the basement door opens seems like a good idea. But the follow-up attacks feel a bit lacking."
"How about setting up a pressure-triggered trap right in front of the door?"
"Good. Let's add more. Have someone lying in wait to strike from the side."
"Can we time it right?"
"Damn... At this point, we've got no choice but to try."
"Alright. Then I'll draw my crossbow and charge forward."
"What about potions?"
"Already rigged. They'll fly the moment they're triggered."
The adventurers passionately devised a plan to repel any intruders who dared open the basement workshop door.
Not just Kilbedek, but all the other adventurers were giving their all in preparation for the first time.
Adventurers didn't usually spend their free time training to make up for their shortcomings or preparing for future missions in advance.
In fact, most of them were the type to indulge in eating, drinking, and merrymaking.
Given that it was a dangerous profession where they earned big and spent big, it was only natural in a way.
But today was different.
Thanks to the mad mage, the adventurers were united in purpose, pushing their abilities to 200%, even 300% of their usual limits.
"What if we switch to longer spears? Let's extend the reach."
"Not a bad idea... Alright, let's reinforce the shields too."
"My serrated blade and your mace. Swinging them together should be pretty effective. Let's coordinate."
BANG!
"!!!!"
At the sound of the door opening, the adventurers instinctively flinched.
The mad mage had returned.
"P-please, just a little more time!"
"We're not finished yet!"
Knowing full well they'd be beaten black and blue by the mad mage once the assault began, the adventurers begged desperately.
Professor Voladi asked with an expressionless face.
"How much longer?"
"An hour... N-no, 30 minutes! 30 minutes will do!"
"Fine. We'll begin in 30 minutes. Your opponent is a student."
"Thank y—... Wait, who?"
Professor Voladi didn't answer twice. With a gesture telling them to prepare, he left the underground workshop.
The remaining adventurers stared wide-eyed, pressing themselves against the workshop windows.
...So they were supposed to attack that young, green-looking student coming their way?
It was better than facing the mad mage, but now they were worried in a different way.
Were they really allowed to attack him?
"A-are we getting arrested for this?"
"We're already caught, aren't we?"
Even as he arrived at the dimly lit underground workshop under Professor Voladi's guidance, Lee Han wasn't surprised.
'I was prepared.'
It was finals week.
If Lee Han hadn't anticipated this after seeing Professor Voladi stuff those adventurers into crates and ship them off to the academy, he wouldn't have deserved to survive in Einrogard.
Professor Voladi gave a slight nod at the sight of Lee Han, who hadn't let go of his tension even for a moment.
It was the attitude of an excellent combat mage.
"The adventurers are waiting inside. Break through."
"Understood."
A combat mage had to be able to adapt flexibly to any situation.
They had to be capable of handling enemies lying in ambush inside buildings.
...Lee Han wasn't sure why they had to do this in their first year, but instead of arguing, he tightened his grip on his staff.
'I'll make every possible preparation.'
He cast various Enhancement Magic spells, used Illusion Magic to disrupt the enemies' vision, sent Summons in first...
He had known this day would come ever since Professor Voladi brought those adventurers here, so he wasn't shocked—but his heart was heavy.
He had to enter a basement that seasoned adventurers had thoroughly prepared for battle.
No matter how meticulously Lee Han prepared, he could still lose.
'Let's consider it fortunate that there's neither a phoenix nor Cerberus here.'
Steeling his resolve with that thought, Lee Han suddenly felt a gaze upon him. Turning, he saw the adventurers observing him through the basement workshop window.
His face stiffened.
'So they're adventurers, after all.'
Indeed, the experience accumulated by adventurers was nothing to scoff at. They were already scrutinizing Lee Han's combat capabilities with keen interest.
If he carelessly revealed his magic here, he'd be counterattacked immediately.
'Not sure if this will work, but...'
"Professor. I'm terrified."
"?"
"Can I really defeat the adventurers inside?"
"Are you feeling unwell?"
Professor Voladi expressed his bewilderment briefly and simply.
Outside the window, the adventurers who overheard the student's fearful and anxious voice grew uneasy.
They began wondering if it was right to attack under these circumstances.
"Are we not falling into some scheme?"
"What kind of scheme?"
"Maybe he wanted to kill a disobedient student but didn't want blood on his own hands, so he called us instead."
"......"
Now that they thought about it, that made sense. The adventurers fell into silence.
That moment of loosened vigilance granted Lee Han a priceless opportunity.
BANG!
Lee Han kicked open the basement workshop door. Arrows immediately flew toward him.
Thud, thud—
The arrows embedded themselves into the Water Shield he had pre-cast. Thanks to multiple enhancement spells, including Spatial Perception, Lee Han didn't even need to see it to know.
"...Light, arise!"
Instead of entering, Lee Han unleashed a surge of mana into the basement, casting Light Creation.
A sphere of blazing light, reminiscent of the sun, floated inside the dim workshop.
"Light, arise! Light, arise! Light, arise!"
Normally, there was no need to pour so much mana into a mere 1st-circle spell.
Mana was a finite resource, and distributing it efficiently was part of a mage's skill.
But Lee Han ignored such calculations, flooding the workshop with blinding radiance. Even if there were light sources, adventurers accustomed to darkness were momentarily blinded.
"Rise, Skeleton Warriors! Heat, distort the air!"
Lee Han scattered bone fragments, summoning Skeleton Warriors. Though they couldn't move properly yet, they were threatening enough to the unaware adventurers.
"Undead! Black magic!"
"Stay alert!"
Despite the chaos, the adventurers moved without hesitation, their coordination unbroken. Lee Han couldn't help but admire them.
'I thought they were just swindlers, but they do have skill. Then again, if they didn't, they wouldn't have dared scam an Einrogard professor.'
Inside the basement, now bright enough to obscure vision, the summoned Skeleton Warriors, amplified by Illusion Magic, seemed like more than a dozen.
Yet, the adventurers struck them down with precise swings.
They had clearly trained in this basement until their hands bled.
"Got, got one!"
Kilbedek was surprised he had managed to fell a Skeleton Warrior.
"Bones, seize the enemy!"
Lee Han immediately launched his next attack.
From the start, the blinding light and Skeleton Warriors weren't for offense—they were distractions.
Just preventing the adventurers from focusing their prepared attacks on him was enough.
Using the shattered bones of the fallen Skeleton Warriors, Lee Han hurled Bone Magic indiscriminately.
"Bones, seize the enemy!"
With an eerie scraping sound, bone fragments clumped together into restraints from all directions.
The remaining adventurers, hiding in blind spots near the entrance, shouted.
"He's no ordinary student!!"
"Hold on! He can't keep this up! He'll exhaust himself soon!"
"Guh...!"
One unlucky adventurer collapsed under the barrage of Bone Magic.
The others stubbornly held on, hardened by the trials of facing mad mages.
'It'll be over soon!'
'A mage's mana isn't infinite...'
...But why was this taking so long?