Episode 569
Episode 569
"What's the Matter?"
"It seems we can practice in even more dangerous situations."
"!?"
Lee Han was shocked, wondering what he had done wrong. Regardless, Professor Voladi returned to the topic of the vampiric monster.
"Poisons that inhibit regeneration are unlikely to be effective."
There were standard methods for dealing with monsters with high regenerative abilities—fire, acid, or poison. Among these, poison was the most convenient. Unlike fire or acid, once it hit, it could deeply intoxicate the target.
"Ah, I think I understand. The regeneration is so strong that even poison has its limits, right?"
Professor Voladi nodded.
"That's why I prepared a different poison—one that causes regeneration to go berserk."
"Can you make it?"
"I'll need the seniors' help, but it should be possible."
"I see."
Professor Voladi sipped tea with one hand while waving a stick in front of the baby basilisk with the other. Lee Han suddenly doubted whether he had made a mistake.
'Wait. Did I speak out of turn?'
Thinking about it, he could have just said he'd get it from the seniors, but Professor Voladi had phrased the question as "Can you make it?" so his answer naturally followed that line.
Thud!
The baby basilisk collapsed sideways, panting heavily. Professor Voladi observed this and said,
"It seems it's had enough exercise."
"......"
Lee Han wondered if the baby basilisk was using its Evil Eye right now, given how fiercely it was glaring at Professor Voladi.
"Take this with you."
Professor Voladi handed Lee Han a chest filled with toys.
"If you spoil it too much, the basilisk might not grow properly."
"I-I'll keep that in mind."
Lee Han avoided the basilisk's pleading gaze as it clung to his wrist and answered.
'What else can I say in this situation...?'
"And this too."
"What's this?"
Lee Han was puzzled when Professor Voladi retrieved a container of crossbow bolts from the back of the classroom.
Was he planning to shoot Lee Han with them?
"Even a fast monster will struggle against flames. Use these bolts."
The bolts' shafts and tips were engraved with intricate patterns. Though Lee Han had endured harsh training under Professor Verdus, he couldn't fully decipher the magic imbued in these bolts.
'Fire magic?'
It was fire-based magic, but additional spells had been layered on—duration, intensity, additional curses...
"Once it hits, it'll keep burning until the semester ends."
"Thank you!"
The vampiric monster's regeneration was formidable, but there was always a weakness. Unquenchable flames would be the answer. Plus, with the other bolts coated in poison, the target would be even harder to predict.
Professor Voladi spoke as if he had given up on restraining his reckless student.
"Chase it in moderation. The giants are waiting for you."
"......"
Lee Han had absolutely no intention of chasing the vampiric monster, but even if he had, those words wouldn't have stopped him.
* * *
Though the students were unsettled by the vampiric monster, classes continued regardless.
"Therefore, we must take this tragic case of the mage Cladraell as a cautionary lesson, must we not?"
"Yes, Professor!"
"Then we'll end here for today—"
"Professor, I have a question. What if Cladraell had exterminated all the demons he had locked in his house when he made the contract with the angel?"
"An interesting question. Hmm! Normally, it would be time to end the lecture, but since finals are next week, shall we go a little longer?"
"Thank you, Professor!"
Though Ashan's request for an encore lecture earned him death glares from his friends, it was a trivial matter.
Thus, we must show no mercy when dealing with these tragic magic criminals—cutting off their breath without hesitation.
"Headmaster. About next week's finals..."
"Don't whine."
But the Skeleton Principal summoning Lee Han to teach him the methods of magic criminals and how to counter them was beyond trivial.
"You remember the counter-spells we learned last time to block magic criminals' secret techniques, don't you?"
"Yes."
"And the mana patterns of the artifacts they used?"
"Huh? You didn't teach us that last time because we ran out of time, didn't you?"
Not falling for it, huh? He asked just in case Lee Han had secretly studied it.
"......"
Lee Han stared at the Skeleton Principal in disbelief.
What kind of magic-obsessed lunatic would spend their free time secretly researching artifacts to study?
Right. The mana patterns of artifacts were something he could study hard today, but there was one more thing to discuss.
"Headmaster. I did my best for the school's honor. Please take that into consideration."
"..."
"It wasn't about a group outing, you brat."
The Skeleton Principal scowled as he glared at Lee Han. Just when he'd been trying to forget and move on, this tactless student had gone and rubbed salt in the wound. How in the world had he managed to deal with so many of them...?
Never mind. A mage never reveals his secrets.
At any rate, do you remember this?
The Skeleton Principal pulled out a white bone. Lee Han tilted his head in confusion.
"Is that your bone, Headmaster?"
Surely you haven't already forgotten the Ghoul King?
"Ah."
Only then did Lee Han realize what bone it was. It was the bone they had obtained from the Ghoul King's domain during vacation. And not just any ordinary bone—it was one personally offered by the Ghoul King himself.
The Skeleton Principal had taken it to investigate but had been so busy since that he'd forgotten about it...
"It looked so extraordinary that I mistook it. Haha."
This kid...
The Skeleton Principal's gaze softened slightly. Unlike other flattery, he always enjoyed compliments about the appearance of bones.
After persistently questioning the Ghoul King, he finally coughed up a useful clue. It might be the bone of Duke Behemoth.
"Behemoth...? Isn't that a monster?"
Behemoths were colossal magical beasts straight out of fairy tales—powerful enough to stand upon the earth and swallow the clouds in the sky. A beast of that magnitude couldn't even be called a mere monster. The moment it appeared, its sheer size would annihilate everything around it, making it closer to a natural disaster.
It is a monster.
There aren't any left on the continent. I hunted the last one a long time ago.
"......"
Before Lee Han could even ask about the Skeleton Principal's fascinating past, the conversation moved on.
But in other dimensions, Behemoths still exist. There were rumors of one that had established itself as a duke in the demon realms.
"Can monsters even become dukes?"
Of course. If you're strong enough, you can even become a king. If you think you can handle the consequences, why don't you go to the demon realms and declare, 'I shall reign as your emperor'?
"Why would anyone do something so insane?"
I did it once.
"......"
Most beings from other dimensions had strong pride, but among them, demons practically lived and breathed by their arrogance. As such, titles held immense significance among demons.
If an unqualified demon went around calling themselves a count or a duke, they'd immediately be ganged up on by other demons.
And yet, this man had gone there, declared himself emperor-level, and walked out alive?
'Is this guy actually insane?'
"So there was a Behemoth who became a duke...? But if its bones are just lying around like this..."
It must've been exterminated. By other demons.
Truthfully, a beast like a Behemoth wouldn't last long in the demon realms.
According to the Skeleton Principal, surviving long in the demon realms required more than just combat prowess—you needed outstanding abilities in other areas too.
Like the Skeleton Principal himself, you'd need exceptional diplomatic skills and cunning schemes.
In contrast, Behemoths, while immensely powerful, were practically idiots in those aspects.
If they got hungry, they'd eat other demons. If they got bored, they'd trample over others' territories.
No wonder they became public enemies and got wiped out.
Sealing their power and erasing their names must've been the ultimate humiliation for them.
"Then did the Ghoul King participate in the extermination?"
Ha! He's not at that level.
That guy could only call himself king because he holed up in some remote corner with his ghouls. If he'd gone around calling himself king in front of other demons, he'd have been torn apart instantly.
For the first time, Lee Han felt slightly sorry for the Ghoul King.
If he'd heard this conversation, he might've shed tears.
He probably just stumbled upon a fragment of bone left behind after the extermination.
"I see. So... can we summon a Behemoth with this?"
What?
The Skeleton Principal stared at Lee Han with the look of someone eyeing a future magic criminal.
You want to summon something like a Behemoth?
Are you serious?
The entire area would collapse!
Are you imagining destroying the Empire before bed these days?
"N-no... It was just an academic question..."
Well, you could try.
But summoning a Behemoth is impossible.
There's too little bone here—you wouldn't even be able to form half of half a Behemoth before failing.
You'd be better off using it for your artifact.
"Again with artifacts?"
The more artifacts, the better, so what's the—
As he spoke, the Skeleton Principal gave Lee Han a once-over.
Necklace, rings, bracelets, even his belt—he really did have a lot.
Not to mention the artifacts he didn't usually wear but carried around for emergencies.
It was a miracle he wasn't suffering from mana interference.
"You do have quite a few already. But even considering that, this Behemoth's Bone is worth making into an artifact."
"Why is that?"
"Because the bone is durable and can hold a large amount of mana."
"...?"
Lee Han was slightly taken aback by the unexpectedly mundane effect.
"That's it?"
"It's very important for you. Just look at the bracelet Professor Garcia made for you—it's practically screaming to be put out of its misery."
"...It's not that bad..."
He had known the mana-absorbing bracelet wasn't very effective, but hearing it put so bluntly stung a little.
Actually, that was a lie. It can't even scream. Your mana is so abundant that it's too busy absorbing it all.
"Fine. I'll just make it then."
Lee Han grumbled and changed the subject. Despite his complaints, the thought of crafting something new was already making him excited.
"Wait. If I wear an artifact made from the Behemoth's Bone, will the spirits that fear me come closer?"
Having excessive mana had its advantages, but it also came with drawbacks. Lee Han confided in the Skeleton Principal about the struggles he faced due to his abnormally high mana.
After hearing his concerns, the Headmaster asked,
"Don't most mages cite difficulty with fine control as the main drawback of having too much mana?"
This was a surprisingly critical issue for a mage. No matter how much mana one had, it was meaningless if they couldn't control it.
Given that mages born with naturally high mana often faced more trial and error while learning magic, it wouldn't have been surprising if the Wardanaz boy had whined, "I feel like I'm going to die every time I cast a spell."
"I managed to overcome that somehow."
"...Right."
The Skeleton Principal nodded, unsurprised by his student's response.
As he always thought, this was an exceptionally rare talent.
And even rarer was the fact that someone with such talent had this kind of personality.
'Now that's truly insane.'
Unaware of the Headmaster's impolite thoughts, Lee Han looked at him with hopeful eyes.
"So, will it block it?"
"No. That's impossible."
The Skeleton Principal cut him off bluntly.
To achieve that, Lee Han would have to be completely covered in artifacts, extracting mana at full power.
Even then, there was no guarantee his recovery rate could keep up. Did he really think a single artifact could completely block his mana?
"Then what's the point of it?!"
"...In the artifact's performance?"
The Skeleton Principal stared at his student as if he were insane.
Artifacts were originally meant for magic, not mana absorption.