Episode 496
Episode 496
Now. How does Professor Bagrak's Blood Magic differ from the Secret Art of Human Sacrifice favored by magic criminals?
"If Professor Bagrak uses it, it's a legitimate magic permitted by imperial law, but when magic criminals use it, it's illegal, right?"
...That's technically correct, but focus on the magical aspects.
Professor Voladi's Blood Magic was ultimately a secret art that used one's own blood as a medium to amplify mana.
No matter how potent and ancient a reagent a mage's blood might be, sacrificing one's own blood could never be good for the body.
As magic grows more advanced, its structure becomes increasingly complex, and the risks the mage must bear grow greater—adding Blood Magic to that equation would make it unbearably unstable.
The fact that even the mage who developed Blood Magic died in a magical accident speaks volumes.
So magic criminals took a clever approach.
-Why should I bear the risk? Let someone else shoulder it instead.
"So that's the Secret Art of Human Sacrifice."
Yes. A technique that avoids danger by sacrificing the bodies of others instead of the mage's own.
The Skeleton Principal clicked his tongue in clear disapproval.
Lee Han felt slightly moved.
He'd assumed the man was just another insane mage, but to think he'd also be angered by the harm mages inflicted on civilians.
It felt like seeing a different side of the headmaster.
Such underhanded methods are self-sabotage that erodes one's own skills. Magic isn't some convenient technique that grants whatever you desire without consequence. There's always a price—the accompanying danger is part of magic itself. Forget that, and you'll inevitably fall.
"...Ah. I thought you were angry about the evil crimes of magic criminals, Headmaster."
Well, that too.
The Skeleton Principal answered vaguely.
Now, here's what you need to learn.
Artifacts clattered as they arranged themselves in a row.
Memorize the distinct mana patterns characteristic of their secret arts. It'll help you detect magic criminals first.
"Impressive."
Indeed. And when you detect them, kill them immediately. Don't play at mercy and get yourself hurt.
"...Yes... Well."
And you should also master curse-breaking.
"Ah. I'm confident about that."
Lee Han prepared the so-called <Mana Hammer> he'd learned from Valdororn.
The Skeleton Principal was dumbfounded by his student's brutish plan to simply blast things apart with raw mana.
'With that much mana, he can keep doing such barbaric things without consequence!'
Any other mage would've tried it once or twice, suffered harsh consequences, and reflected: "Ah, I was too brutish! As a mage, one should dispel magic with intellect, not try to smash it apart like some beast!" But this student had so much mana he never got the chance to reflect.
Instead of that crude method... shouldn't you be able to immediately counter what they're casting?
The headmaster didn't entirely deny the validity of brute-forcing through completed spells with raw mana.
Had other students cheekily said, "Why study as a mage? Just cut everything down with mana in one stroke!" he'd have hung them upside down immediately—but for a Wardanaz, this approach wasn't entirely wrong.
However, it wasn't invincible.
Truly exceptional mages constructed their spells to withstand external shocks...
And more importantly, with talent like Wardanaz's, there was no need to brute-force through spells by gathering power. A little thought would suffice.
You're familiar with the concept of counters in magic, I presume?
"Yes."
Counters.
Also known as inverse magic, this was a concept particularly crucial for enchanters and healing mages.
A mage alters reality to manifest magic through their will and corresponding price.
So how does one undo that magic?
The standard method is to fully comprehend the spell's structure, then twist it apart starting from its weakest links.
Sometimes you could just smash it apart with overwhelming external force...
All these concepts were collectively called Counters.
'It might not fully click for you yet, but this will become increasingly important as you advance. Cast a spell for me.'
Lee Han swiftly prepared a Water Prison Bomb, aiming it at the Skeleton Principal's pale, round skull.
The Skeleton Principal's eyes flashed instantly.
Then the magic Lee Han had been preparing became tangled—as if impurities had infiltrated the mana structure mid-formation.
'Do you understand now?'
"You inserted mana into the weak link?"
'Correct.'
The Skeleton Principal spoke with satisfaction.
The fact that Lee Han had immediately grasped what had happened without needing further explanation was immensely gratifying from a teacher's perspective.
'Once you become familiar with Counters, you can even do this—disrupting the enemy's spellcasting itself.'
If you could analyze and dismantle a completed spell's structure, you could also interfere while it was still being formed.
By injecting your own mana into the weak points of an enemy's spell, even the most delicate magic would waver, slow down, or outright cancel.
But that wasn't all.
The Skeleton Principal sent a pulse of mana into Lee Han's wrist.
Just as you could target the weak points of a spell, you could do something similar to a mage's physical body.
Far more advanced and complex, but if successful, the enemy mage would be rendered completely powerless.
'The moment mana flows, the Counter I planted will trigger and deliver a strike. Try it.'
BOOM!
A massive surge of mana erupted from within Lee Han like a tidal wave, utterly obliterating the invasive mana the Skeleton Principal had injected.
"?"
......
An awkward silence fell.
'...And you can also dispel that Counter. Like this just now.'
"R-right."
Lee Han said nothing.
Though the ending had been a bit odd, Counters were undeniably a useful concept.
Not just for dismantling completed spells, but also for disrupting casting and actively suppressing enemy mages.
To use this against magic criminals, he'd need to familiarize himself with the spells they commonly used.
'You've already memorized the mana patterns from the artifacts, haven't you?'
"No..."
Lee Han was speechless at the Skeleton Principal's audacity—barely giving him time to examine the artifacts before moving on.
"You were showing them to me while continuing to lecture about magic. Just a moment... Hmm. I've memorized them all."
'Truly the Empire's greatest at whining. Now, next is the weak link. You must have sensed those patterns too while studying them, right? Just confirm it for yourself.'
'How did he even know that?'
Lee Han couldn't help but think the Skeleton Principal was no ordinary archmage.
The sheer experience to preemptively cut off any attempt to slow down the lesson was palpable.
"How did you know?"
'Are you seriously asking that?'
The Skeleton Principal stared at Lee Han with a look reserved for idiots.
'How can you lack this much self-awareness?'
'Now, let's try it hands-on. I'll cast a spell—you inject mana into its weak link.'
"Understood."
'Hurry up! After this, we still have to learn the magical effects on the artifacts!'
"......"
Unfortunately, the Skeleton Principal's ambitions went unrealized.
As dawn passed and the Friday sun rose overhead, the Skeleton Principal reluctantly released Lee Han.
'Looks like artifact analysis will have to wait. Tsk. Are you sleepy?'
"Yes."
'If you became a Lich, you wouldn't need sleep.'
"......"
Lee Han walked out while mentally cursing the Skeleton Principal.
Practicing Reverse Magic had forced too much learning at once, leaving his mind feeling stuffed.
'The sun feels unusually blinding today...'
Stepping into the courtyard, he spotted his friends sweating profusely as they worked in various spots.
Though they'd been given a day off, it meant little in practice.
The flood had destroyed so much that their workload had only increased.
Lee Han let out a deep sigh.
'I need to restore the vegetable garden too. I hope most of the trees survived. Unlike vegetables, fruit trees take time to bear... Those bastards in the Blue Dragon Tower must be doing fine, right? I should check on them since their lounge got flooded. Did the oven get swept away too? What a waste after I just added it...'
"Lord Wardanaz. Lord Wardanaz."
"Hmm?"
Lee Han turned his head.
Ratford was calling him cheerfully.
"Where have you been? I was worried since I hadn't seen you since yesterday."
"I got detained by the Headmaster."
"Oh no...!"
Ratford looked genuinely distressed.
Then he lowered his voice and asked,
"I heard when I was young that His Imperial Majesty is so just that he personally reads every single accusation letter submitted."
"...Ah, no. Not to that extent."
Or was he?
Lee Han grew confused mid-sentence about what exactly "that extent" entailed.
"It's a holiday today, right? What are you up to?"
"I was gathering materials needed to rebuild the Black Market."
Ratford shook the wooden plank he was holding.
Lee Han thought it resembled the material of classroom desks but chose not to comment.
"Right. Ratford. There's a place I need to check. Would you come along as my guide?"
Though busy with requests outside, Lee Han hadn't forgotten about the matter of the imprisoned graduate senior from the Deep Punishment Chamber.
-Here, take this. It's the location of the room my friends and I used. There should be some useful stuff left.
If there were usable items, he needed to claim them as quickly as possible.
One thing he'd learned at Einrogard was that there was no benefit in being frugal.
"That shouldn't be difficult. But before that..."
Ratford hesitated. Lee Han asked curiously,
"Is something wrong?"
"You should probably get some sleep."
"I'm fine though?"
Instead of explaining, Ratford handed him a mirror. Seeing his vampire-pale reflection, Lee Han nodded.
"I'll just take a short nap."
Normally, exhausted people couldn't just take "a short nap."
Lee Han was no exception—when he woke up, it was already evening.
-Shouldn't we call a professor...?
-His pulse is normal though...
-Priestess Siana. Even so, sleeping like a corpse like that is strange...
"...Thanks, everyone."
Lee Han thanked the priests of the Phoenix Tower and went to meet Ratford.
Walking while holding a sandwich of rye bread stuffed with tomatoes, bacon, cheese, and lettuce, he spotted Ratford approaching from afar.
"Ready?"
"Yes."
Lee Han glanced behind Ratford.
A group of black-robed Turtle Tower students were heading somewhere with fishing rods.
"Where are they going?"
"Ah. To salvage items from the new reservoir formed by the flood..."
'I should check that out later.'
Though intrigued by this very interesting news, the map took priority for now.
'Main Building, 3rd floor.'
While the Main Building, Einrogard's oldest structure, was an unpredictable conglomerate of magic befitting its history, there were some general rules.
The lower floors tended to be relatively stable, growing more eccentric the higher one went.
In that regard, the 3rd floor was safe enough for even first-years to occasionally visit.
That the seniors' room was located there meant...
'Lucky.'
Well, after all that suffering, he deserved some good fortune.
Nodding to himself, Lee Han led the way.
The two first-years ascended via a broken corridor on the 2nd floor. The Polymorph Forest, home to the <Forest Mice>, wasn't visible today.
'Past the Blue Handkerchief classroom, turn left, then tap the ceiling to open a new corridor...'
Clank, thud, clang, crash!
Walls vanished, ceilings became floors, and new paths materialized, but the accustomed first-years didn't even blink.
"...Wait."
"What's wrong?"
Lee Han frowned.
The next instruction on the map made no sense.
...Then walk along the ceiling to find a new classroom...