Episode 324
Episode 324
"You told me to do it, senior."
"If it were that easy to just do... Never mind. Forget it. Junior, be quiet and focus on control. It's already hard enough as it is."
Diret was right.
Unlike the stable form of a Water Orb, the Dark Orb was fluctuating quite violently.
It felt as though a single mistake could cause it to lose form and scatter in all directions at any moment.
"In this state... launching it is impossible, so the only way to use it would be in close combat? Junior, are you good at fighting?"
At the sudden question, Gainando and Imirg both choked simultaneously.
"I've only learned enough for self-defense."
"Well, you are from a noble family, so I assume you've at least learned swordsmanship."
Again, the two friends choked in unison.
"Mages don't necessarily have to be good at fighting, but there are times when close combat becomes unavoidable. In those situations, magic like this can be surprisingly useful. Junior, if you used Enchantment Magic, it'd be more stable, but I can't expect that from you right now."
"Wouldn't Fire Element be better for that?"
"Surprisingly, many enemies have resistance to fire."
From monsters with innate fire resistance to seasoned adventurers, most tend to have at least one or two defensive measures against flames.
It was an element commonly encountered in real life, after all.
"I see..."
"Junior. How long are you planning to maintain that Dark Element...? Release it quickly."
Lee Han, who had been marveling, snapped back to attention at Diret's remark and dispelled the Dark Element.
"Going back to what we were discussing earlier—when a problem arises because you couldn't prevent it in advance, using an opposing element is a good solution. But if you know how to handle Dark Element, this is also an option."
Diret glanced at the remnants left behind by Lee Han's earlier Dark Element explosion and gripped his staff.
"O Darkness, gather at this end."
Unlike summoning Water or Fire Elements, this was a method of controlling the existing darkness.
"You're gathering all the Dark Element in the surroundings?"
"Exactly right. It's about creating a sort of vacuum state. If a mage seizes control of the Dark Element first, undead and similar entities become extremely vulnerable."
Undead were beings with extreme strengths and weaknesses.
When facing such creatures, targeting their weaknesses was far more effective than brute force.
If he had known this method when facing the Ghoul King, it would have been much more effective than turning the cave into a sea of flames.
'Knowledge truly is power.'
"Interesting, isn't it, Gainando?"
"Huh? Uh? Uh-huh?"
Gainando, who had been yawning and dozing off beside them, startled awake at Lee Han's question.
He hadn't been paying attention to the Dark Element or anything else.
"...This guy..."
"Calm down, junior. He doesn't need to learn this right now. It'll just clutter his mind when he should be focusing on other studies."
When Lee Han raised his staff, Diret stopped him. Gainando was moved internally.
'Se-Senior...!'
"Um. Mage sirs...?"
The captured adventurers, still holding their shovels, cautiously spoke up.
Lee Han responded in a disinterested tone.
"Ah. We said we'd let you go today, didn't we?"
"N-no, it's not that... There's been strange noises coming from inside the tower..."
"!!!"
The outskirts of Granden City's communal cemetery held more than just graves.
Surrounding the graves were walls, and within them stood several small towers.
They served as resting spaces for the graveyard keepers, storage for equipment, or as focal points when Black Mages performed large-scale magic in the cemetery.
Naturally, they didn't store corpses inside.
'In that case...'
"Did you thoroughly check the mana?"
Diret shed the demeanor of a senior instructing his juniors and returned to his role as the Black Mage in charge of managing the communal cemetery.
Lee Han pulled out a memo and checked before answering.
"Yes. The towers where the sounds were reported were either Tower 1 or Tower 2, and both had normal mana levels."
"What if a monster hid among the luggage and entered while they were moving things?"
"In preparation for that scenario, we disassembled and scattered any luggage that could obstruct vision. We cast both Spatial Perception and Darkvision spells to check thoroughly, and after finishing, we closed all windows. So the possibility seems low."
"......"
Dilette tried to focus seriously, but he could hardly suppress the tickling swell of pride rising within him.
Among all the new students other factions boasted about, none would have a junior like this.
Frankly, he wanted to take him out and show him off.
'Ah. But this junior is attending other factions too...'
Only belatedly realizing this reality, Dilette felt a bitter pang.
"Senior?"
"Maybe those adventurers misheard."
"No, no! All of us heard it clearly!"
"Or it came from outside."
"Is that possible?"
Lee Han was puzzled.
A monster hiding among luggage was one thing, but one invading from outside?
Even if this was a remote area, it was still within the city. If a monster roamed the streets, it would likely be slaughtered within thirty minutes.
"That's what puzzles me too, junior."
"Maybe those people just heard wrong?"
"Could, could it be something like this?"
Imirg raised his hand and spoke.
"Sometimes, the underground soil moves, you know? Since there are bodies buried beneath here... If the underground soil shifts and pushes outward beyond the cemetery..."
"!"
If underground soil shifted and moved the bodies' positions, and if, by bad luck, mana pooled around them, undead could spawn outside the cemetery rather than inside.
"That sounds plausible!"
"Well done, junior."
"Th-thank you."
Imirg flushed at Lee Han and Dilette's praise.
But Gainando glared at him.
"Why, why?"
"...From now on, you're my rival."
"......"
Having already crushed Rafaedel (or so he believed) and resolved to exclude Lee Han from consideration, Gainando couldn't let Imirg's success go unchallenged.
"Hmph. Let's see who the true top Black Magic student is."
"Th-that's just Wardanaz..."
"We begin the search. Undead, reveal yourself!"
With the incantation, a pulse spread from Dilette's staff.
Then, from the upper floor of Tower 2, a flash and the sound of shattering echoed.
"!!"
"That way! Let's go!"
"Please wait a moment! Just in case, you should prepare defenses first."
At Lee Han's words, Dilette paused.
'What defensive magic is he planning?'
Even if it was the same spell, Dilette, as a fourth-year, would cast it better—but this was no ordinary junior.
Dilette was genuinely curious about what Lee Han would use.
Would he show another spell that defied expectations...
"Hey! Adventurers! Take the lead!"
"......"
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing."
Lee Han, Dilette, and the adventurers headed up the tower.
Imirg and Gainando stayed outside.
As they sprinted up the stairs, Lee Han asked,
"If it knows we've found its location, wouldn't it flee?"
"Unlikely, junior. This thing deliberately entered the cemetery to grow stronger, even though it spawned outside. It's aggressive and fearless."
"I see."
Just by its initial reaction, they could roughly gauge an undead's nature.
If it tried to quickly distance itself from the summoning site, it was cautious and fearful. If it tried to hold its ground instead, the opposite was true.
In this case, since it was absorbing the cemetery's mana to grow stronger, it was likely aggressive and greedy.
-■■■■■!!
"Gyaaah!"
"It's here!!!"
The adventurers climbing ahead screamed.
From the upper stairs, a massive undead tumbled down as if rolling. Seeing it, Dilette groaned.
"Damn it... it's an Undead Chimera."
The result of strong negative mana combining not with a single corpse, but with multiple torn and mangled corpses.
With the mixed characteristics of multiple entities, it was unpredictable and troublesome for mages to deal with.
Diret immediately prepared a weakening spell for the Undead Chimera.
"Decay..."
Boom!
An explosion occurred inside the Undead Chimera's body, blowing away about a quarter of it.
Propelled by the explosion, the Undead Chimera crashed into the tower wall instead of crushing the adventurers in one go. The weakened section of the wall collapsed, creating a hole.
"?!?!"
When the ferocious creature sacrificed part of its own body to break through the tower wall and escape, Lee Han and Diret were stunned.
They hadn't even fought yet—why would it suddenly flee?!
"...Senior. Please don't get angry, but will you hear me out?"
"Why would I get angry at you, junior? Just say it! What is it?"
"I think that thing ran away after sensing me..."
"......"
Diret almost snapped at him for joking at a time like this.
The adventurers standing in front muttered without realizing:
"As... as expected."
"What do you mean 'as expected'?!"
"S-sorry!"
"Among undead, some have exceptional mana detection abilities. It seems it sensed my mana and fled."
"...!"
Only then did Diret understand Lee Han's words.
If it wasn't just a violent and aggressive creature, but one with mana detection abilities and enough intelligence to retreat after recognizing the threat...
"This is going to get complicated, junior."
-It's running away!! It's running away!! Hey, you bastard! Don't just stand there! Shoot it, bones! Emirg! Throw something! Throw a rock!
-B-but if I miss, people might get hurt...!
After descending the tower, Diret and Lee Han immediately began pursuit.
"Notify the city guard that an Undead Chimera has appeared. We'll track it our way, junior."
"Understood."
"Thank you, mages!" The graveyard keepers bowed their heads in gratitude.
Originally, this was the graveyard keepers' responsibility.
They should have been more diligent in ensuring no undead appeared in the first place.
Of course, the graveyard keepers had their grievances too.
Who could have predicted an undead would be summoned outside the communal graveyard due to shifting soil underground?
But even so, when problems arose and damage escalated, they had to take responsibility.
So when the black mages stepped forward to help, they couldn't help but feel grateful.
"No need for thanks. This is what black mages ought to do."
"As... as expected..."
Worried his senior might suffer losses by being too upright, Lee Han firmly intervened.
"But I believe everyone should know who resolved this matter. Please inform the city guard properly and ensure appropriate recognition is given."
"Understood!"
Diret stared at his junior in disbelief.
What kind of nonsense was this when they were in a hurry?
"Senior. No matter how urgent, we must convey necessary information."
"No... is that really necessary...? Let's just go!"
Diret tracked the mana trail left by the Undead Chimera.
Having escaped the communal graveyard, the creature was fleeing through alleyways, avoiding main roads.
"If it can sense mana and knows to avoid us, it must instinctively understand to avoid people too. If it hides, we're in trouble."
"We'll definitely catch it."
"I hope so. In the city, even a slight delay makes tracking difficult... Oh no. Damn it."
Diret clicked his tongue.
After finally navigating the alleys, the creature had entered the guild warehouse grounds of all places.
"What's wrong? Let's explain the situation and go in."
"That'll be tough, junior."
The guild was stubborn about such matters.
Allowing outsiders in risked material losses or leaked secrets—far bigger problems.
Even if told an Undead Chimera had escaped inside, they'd likely insist on handling it themselves.
"Still, we should at least try."
"Fine. Give it a shot. But don't push too hard. It's not like..."
A short while later, Lee Han returned.
"It's settled. Let's go in."
"?!?!"