Episode 573
Episode 573
The air in the Magic Academy's lecture hall was thick with tension as Professor Eldrin adjusted his spectacles, his piercing gaze sweeping across the assembled students.
"Today's practical examination will determine whether you've truly mastered the principles of dimensional rift manipulation," he announced, his voice echoing ominously off the stone walls.
From the back row, I clenched my sweaty palms around my spellbook. 'Just my luck—the one topic I barely scraped through during midterms.'
[Warning: Detected abnormal mana fluctuations in the examinee's dantian. Stability at 67% and dropping.]
The translucent blue system window materialized before my eyes, its glowing letters spelling impending doom. Across the aisle, Lina shot me a concerned glance while pretending to adjust her robe.
"Begin the incantation sequence on my mark," Professor Eldrin commanded, raising his silver-tipped staff. "And remember—the Academy's policy on lost limbs only covers accidents during approved experiments."
A nervous chuckle rippled through the classroom as twenty wands simultaneously flared to life. The scent of ozone filled the air as spatial distortions began warping reality in small, contained pockets around each student.
My fingers trembled as I traced the required sigils, the complex patterns shimmering gold against the lecture hall's dim lighting. 'Focus. Just like we practiced. Inhale through the nose, channel qi to the fingertips—'
[Critical Alert: Mana backflow detected!]
The explosion sent me skidding backward across the polished marble floor, my ears ringing as smoke curled from my singed sleeves. Through the haze, I saw Professor Eldrin's disappointed frown.
"Mr. Kang," he sighed, tapping his gradebook with a charred quill, "perhaps you'd prefer transferring to the Alchemy School? Their explosions are at least... intentional."
Lina's muffled snort of laughter wasn't nearly as embarrassing as the new notification blinking in my vision:
[Current Practical Exam Score: 3/100
Remaining Attempts: 0
Recommended Action: Immediate remedial lessons with Senior Disciple Dokgo]
I groaned, thumping my forehead against the cool stone floor. 'There goes my weekend.'
573: They had much to say, but both instinctively knew that misspeaking now could land them in a coffin for real. While Diret was fundamentally kind, he was also someone who wouldn't hesitate to stuff a few students into caskets if necessary.
"What if we put up a 'Danger' sign and spread rumors?" Ogoldos cautiously suggested.
Coholti shook his head. "Too weak. Einrogard students won't be deterred by that. Second-years might stop, but third-years and above will just walk right in."
"Wait, why would anyone enter a place marked 'Danger'?"
"Because glory lies beyond danger."
'Are they insane?' Ogoldos was horrified, but Coholti was dead serious. After spending enough time in Einrogard, words like "danger" and "no entry" took on different meanings. "Danger" meant "high rewards." "No entry" meant "treasure lies here."
"I was thinking—what if we sneak into the kitchen and burn all the food supplies?"
"What?! No, the students will starve to death!"
"Ogoldos. People don't starve that easily. Think back to your first year."
"Well... that's true, but..."
Ogoldos recalled his first year. Indeed, people didn't actually starve. They boiled soft tree bark and ate weed-thickened porridge when there was nothing else, but...
"See? The ones coming here are kitchen raiders. Burning all the food is the surest way. Fire is always the answer. I recently got Bakwantalana's Flame from a friend—"
"No. That won't do."
Diret cut him off, and Ogoldos sighed in relief. At least one senior in the Black Magic school was sane.
"Burning the food won't stop them. They'll keep checking back a few times. And the supplies might get restocked."
"Ah, I overlooked that...!" Coholti gritted his teeth and slapped his knee. How could he make such an amateur mistake while focused on solving the problem?
"Why are Einrogard bastards so persistent? Like damn roaches."
"You sound like you're from some other magic academy."
Despite Diret's jab, Coholti was deep in thought. How could they keep students out of this area?
"Hey. Think too. What are you doing? If you can't come up with anything, I'll demote you to first-year."
"Ah, don't say ridiculous things. How can you demote me to first-year? You don't even have the authority."
"I'll spread rumors among the black mages. That you got carried out of a dimension by a junior."
"......"
The threat was so plausible that Ogoldos shuddered. With Coholti's personality, he'd absolutely do it. A graduating senior resorting to such dirty blackmail?!
"Ugh... ughhh..."
"5. 4. 3."
"W-Wait!"
"2.46, 2.45, 2.44..."
Under Coholti's relentless pressure, Ogoldos finally blurted out something he'd never normally say.
"What if we... spread poison? No, forget I said that."
"Poison?"
"I said forget it!"
"Shut up. Poison, huh..."
Coholti fell into deep contemplation. Ogoldos tried to dissuade him, but in Coholti's eyes, poison was a pretty solid idea.
"Not bad, right?"
"Ugh."
"Senior Diret! Poison is absolutely not the answer!"
"It does seem plausible, though."
"......"
Even Diret, his trusted senior, had betrayed him. Ogoldos nearly collapsed.
"No, Senior. Poisoning the kitchen is a bit much. And, well, others will just detoxify and eat it anyway."
Ogoldos didn't say, "Poisoning the kitchen will worsen the Black Magic school's reputation and invite suspicion." He doubted they'd listen. Instead, he took a pragmatic approach—even if they poisoned the kitchen, everyone would just detoxify and eat the food!
"That's just because you didn't spread it properly."
"Coholti's right. Ogoldos, you need to study poisons more."
While Ogoldos was speechless, Coholti sketched a corridor map and stabbed it with his staff.
"Ogoldos. Look. Poisoning the kitchen food is the lowest-tier plan. Like you said, they'll just try to detoxify it. Poisoning the kitchen itself? Mid-tier. Since the space is confined, they'll think of bypassing it. The top-tier plan is poisoning the entire area. Make them too scared to even think of entering."
Even if they usually spoke cheerfully, the higher-year students of Einrogard harbored a sickly madness in their hearts. Ogoldos shuddered at the sheer insanity. Is this what black mages are like??
"Here, here, here, here. Start with Mountain Hollow Poison, then Sleeping Poison, Suffocation Poison. Since some will try detoxifying, mix in a Compound Poison that explodes when tampered with."
"Add Ankle-Snaring Poison and Tongue-Sticking Poison combo. They'll panic and flee."
"Brilliant idea. Diret, let's lay some curses on the floor too. If they still try detoxifying, we'll show them what real black magic looks like."
In mere moments, Coholti had devised a plan to turn the underground warehouse corridor into an impenetrable mini-labyrinth of black magic. First, they'd blanket the entire area in thick, vividly colored poison mist. Quick-witted students would flee, but those attempting detoxification would trigger hidden secondary poisons—exploding toxins that glued tongues shut and choked breath. And if anyone stubbornly pushed forward? The curse magic circles laid on the floor would activate, delivering a vicious chain of suffering.
"This should do it, right?"
"Just in case, hide some undead in the walls."
"Good call. If they still get through, then they're really..."
Listening beside them, Ogoldos had a sudden thought. Maybe other schools have valid reasons for finding black mages unsettling? Not because they're prejudiced or elitist, but because black mages are genuinely terrifying—
"Senior Diret. Please reconsider one last time. If others find out what we did, won't it cause trouble?"
"Ogoldos."
Diret looked at his junior calmly. This junior, often misunderstood as sharp-tempered, was actually quite soft-hearted. He was still under illusions even as his second year neared its end.
"You tripped on the seventh-floor stairs last week, right?"
"Huh? Yes."
"Why do you think you fell?"
"Because I slipped?"
"That was the Enchantment Magic kids testing spells and leaving. The stairs changed properties every minute."
"......"
Ogoldos blinked.
"Also. Two days ago, the Fire Essence Stones you collected disappeared, didn't they?"
"Yes..."
"The Fire Element kids used them for advanced practice."
"......"
Flames flickered in Ogoldos's eyes—flames of hatred.
"Understand now?"
"Ogoldos. You might think we're extreme. But it's the other schools that made us this way."
Coholti placed a hand on Ogoldos's shoulder and spoke earnestly. Why did Coholti feel no guilt poisoning the underground warehouse? Because students from other schools had set fires, detonated explosives, and summoned monsters to wreak havoc countless times. Compared to that, spreading poison to temporarily block intruders was downright merciful.
"Just think about yourself and your juniors. Got it? The other schools don't spare us a single thought."
"..."
"I'll handle spreading the poison."
"Good."
Coholti looked pleased at Ogoldos's resolute expression. The once naive and unreliable junior now had the determination of a Black Mage written all over his face.
'This kid... I can graduate in peace now.'
Coholti turned his head. With the plan finalized, Diret was writing a reply to their junior.
-We've prepared a way to restrict access for other students. But we might use some poison, so be careful.
Poison?! Isn't that too dangerous?!
-Of course, we'll try persuasion first. But if that fails, we might use a little poison. We're not spreading it to harm anyone—just so the rumor of poison will deter people from entering. Understand? We're absolutely not using poison to hurt others.
"......"
Coholti shook his head vigorously.
'Hang in there, Diret.'
It made him oddly guilty to think that while he would leave, his friend would stay behind and suffer.
"Graduating feels... kind of wrong now."
"Then why don't you stay?"
Snap!
Coholti glared at Ogoldos with murderous eyes.
"Don't even joke about that."
"S-sorry!"
"Apology accepted. You'll understand when you're a fourth-year too."
* * *
'Is this really okay?'
Lee Han fell into thought after the conversation. The idea of Diret using poison to block off the area didn't sit right with him.
Of course, both Lee Han and the Giants had high poison resistance, so that part wasn't a concern. But...
'What if other people passing by get poisoned? Wouldn't that just cause trouble?'
As he agonized, Lee Han stood up. There was no time to dwell on it now.
'No. I should trust the seniors.'
Seeing how casually they talked about hiding the Giants was reassuring. These seniors had survived far worse chaos than Lee Han. If they had pulled off similar stunts before, he could too.
'I can do this.'
Diret must have taken precautions to ensure no one else got caught up in this. He didn't know how, but...
"We're ready."
-Really?
"Yes. The seniors said they'd help."
Ikurusha looked surprised when Lee Han returned. He actually pulled it off!
'Is he really just a first-year?'
-Alright. Then let's go. No point waiting around.
Ikurusha led Lee Han toward the cave. The Giants had already gone inside and were waiting.
-We gave the Giants a week's worth of rations. I doubt they'll need more than that.
"That should be enough. If things go wrong, I'll bring more food."
-The Giants' rations? But you don't even have enough for yourself.
"I've got a small stockpile."
-Hmm. Just how much... No, never mind. That's not important right now. We'll worry about it if it comes to that.
Ikurusha stopped in front of the cliff and suddenly grabbed a massive boulder. Lee Han blinked in confusion.
Rumble—
To his astonishment, the boulder rolled aside, revealing the cave entrance.
"What kind of magic is this?"
-Just brute strength.
"......"
Ikurusha, who had pushed aside a boulder too heavy for most magic to move, stepped inside. The Giants were sitting inside, whispering among themselves.
-Nice not having to tend to the sheep.
-Shh. If Ikurusha hears, he'll make us work.
-I'm gonna read books during this break.
"Hello, everyone."
-Mage!
-The mage is here!
The Giants excitedly rushed over, bumping into each other in the cramped cave, but their enthusiasm was clear.
"I'm sorry for the trouble..."
-Nah. We're happy to... I mean—
-Actually, we wanted to... No, never mind.
Ikurusha gave them a disappointed look before speaking.
-You can be honest. I was planning to give you a week off anyway.
-Lies! Total lies!
Ignoring the Giants, Ikurusha turned to Lee Han.
-By the way, I checked the passage earlier. There's a troublesome species wandering around.
"What species?"
-Sirens.
"Sirens? I'm friends with them!"
-You are??
Ikurusha looked baffled.
How in the world are you friends with them?