Episode 642
Episode 642
"Wardanaz! How did you break it!?"
"Hehe. It's something I often use when breaking through installed magic barriers. You condense mana and project it onto a large surface like this, then smash it in—"
"Uh, isn't that too violent?"
"Violent?! Nilia, there are things you can say and things you can't. This is an advanced spell called <Valdororn's Mana Hammer>."
"S-sorry. I didn't know. I had no idea it was such an advanced spell."
Nilia panicked when her friend turned serious.
Who knew it was such an incredible spell!
In truth, Valdororn had no idea Lee Han had even named it this way...-......
Hecatoncheires watched with an incredulous expression as the students punched holes through the rock whose magic had been dispelled.
If the Skeleton Principal had been watching, he would have looked at Hecatoncheires with pity and said:
-To think you assumed no one could break it just because you couldn't. You'd need two hundred years of servitude to grow a brain!
Hecatoncheires clearly possessed innate mana and the divine authority to convert that mana into physical power.
But that didn't mean there were no beings superior to Hecatoncheires.
Occasionally, beings would appear who not only had more mana than Hecatoncheires but also knew how to wield it intelligently.
"Ah! The magic's repelling us again."
"Step aside. I'll break it again."
Occasionally, beings would appear who not only had more mana than Hecatoncheires but also knew how to wield it brutishly.
They should have prepared under the assumption that such beings might exist...
Arsil patted Hecatoncheires consolingly.
Hecatoncheires angrily told them to disappear quickly.
Gainando, who was walking behind Lee Han, nearly tripped over a rock.
"Hey. Lord Spirit. Could you shine a bit better here? I can't see."
The light spirit didn't hesitate for even a second before ignoring Gainando's request.
"...Lord Spirit. Lord Spirit! I know you can hear me!"
"Gainando. Spirits only listen to Brother. I tried it before too. 'Lord Spirit, could you shine a bit better here—'"
The light spirit whooshed away.
Lee Han made a hurt expression.
"I don't think they used to run away like that before."
"...I'll just light it for you."
Unable to bear it, Yoner threw a glass bottle into the air. The potion inside emitted a strong glow, illuminating the path.
Gainando watched in admiration.
"Seeing it like that, alchemy doesn't seem so bad..."
"What's wrong, Gainando? You used to look down on alchemy."
Lee Han was startled.
Hadn't it been Gainando's hobby to provoke Yoner's anger with nonsense about alchemy?
"Well, compared to black magic, everything looks good."
"......"
As Gainando answered dejectedly, Lee Han couldn't find any words to say. Nilia whispered from behind:
"Hey. Wardanaz. You should tell him black magic is good too."
"I was going to, but I couldn't think of any good points right away..."
Thud, thud, thud.
-As they passed through the end of the passage, the rock Hecatoncheires abruptly stood up at the intruders' appearance.
Gainando jumped in surprise and shouted:
"When did you get here?!"
"Originally, Hecatoncheires are triplets, you know."
"Ah. Really?"
The second Hecatoncheires looked at Gainando with eyes full of contempt.
For a mage to be this stupid!
Arsil stepped forward again to explain what had just happened and how they had persuaded the first Hecatoncheires.
And how exceptional his younger sibling was, and how the first Hecatoncheires had let his guard down and met his downfall—this story would spread through the Spirit World for a long time...
"Brother. Please..."
Lee Han stopped Arsil with a voice full of shame.
The second Hecatoncheires was glaring at Lee Han with eyes full of hostility.
Yoner patted Lee Han's shoulder and said:
"Having unusual siblings is really tough, isn't it?"
"...Yoner. Maybe it's just my mood talking, but you're not actually enjoying this, are you?"
The second Hecatoncheires huffed and puffed as he brought over a massive boulder. The four of them tilted their heads in confusion at the sight.
"Is that a different rock from before?"
"...It feels similar? I think it's the same one?"
Arsil stepped in to explain.
"Since you must be exhausted from the previous trial, you probably can't smash this one, right? Hmm..."
'Did these monsters never learn under the Headmaster?' Lee Han wondered.
Einrogard students learned a great deal after just one year, but these Hecatoncheires were excessively arrogant.
There was no such thing as "absolute" in magic...
The third Hecatoncheires, guarding the deep inner chamber of the tomb, suddenly exploded in frustration.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Pounding the floor and walls as if dying of indignation, his outburst made Lee Han's friends curious enough to ask.
"What's he saying?"
"He thought that since you did it twice already, you'd be too tired to break a third one."
"......"
"......"
The students were starting to understand why these Hecatoncheires had worked under the Skeleton Principal.
Once even the last Hecatoncheires yielded, Arsil excitedly opened the door.
As the bronze and gold gate sealing the ancient underground tomb's inner chamber swung open, the Chorus of Darkness flowed out.
Composed of spells whose very names were now forgotten, the chorus was solemn, tragic, and above all, struck at the minds of the mages.
"Uh... uhhh."
"Uhhh..."
All of Lee Han's friends, except him, witnessed a grand illusion within the vast, empty chamber.
It was the most prosperous era of the ancient kingdom.
A time when the order of the heavens was tuned for the kingdom, and the laws of the earth adjusted for its sake.
Court mages in exotic attire, their bare torsos exposed, roared praises to the king, while the gathered crowd raised their goblets and sang hymns.
The mages had preserved this, the most beautiful moment, here to adorn the king's tomb.
Arsil watched fondly as the students listened to the tomb's chorus and beheld the spectacle.
This experience would become a great treasure for these young mages.
The scenery and magic of an ancient kingdom, lost even to records.
There was no greater inspiration for a mage.
"Uh, brother."
Lee Han called out to Arsil.
He felt a little awkward, being the only one who neither felt nor saw anything.
"Did you bring me here just to listen to this song?"
"......"
Arsil belatedly realized it too.
The ancient tomb's magic had no effect on this younger brother!
Flustered, Arsil hastily began explaining instead.
So, this was the tomb of a certain kingdom...
"...I'm fine... No, really, I'm fine."
Lee Han quietly stepped back to avoid dampening his friends' excitement.
Arsil, genuinely frustrated, protested to the Hecatoncheires outside.
-Ah, no. It's not even my tomb, so why me...
Snapping out of the illusion, Lee Han's friends exclaimed in unison.
"That... that was incredible! I had no idea it'd be like this!"
"Right! Did you see the magic they used during the triumphal march? What kind of spell was that?"
"The palace was amazing! Should I ask Mom to remodel our mansion like that?"
Chattering away, they grew puzzled when they noticed Lee Han standing quietly.
"Was the illusion not fun for you?"
"Nah. Nah. It was fun. The... palace was cool."
"Right?! What part did you like best?"
"I liked the shiny parts."
"It was all glittering and dazzling!"
"The dazzling parts were nice too."
"See, see! Lee Han knows what's up!"
While Gainando was buzzing with excitement, Yoner tilted her head in confusion.
Lee Han's vocabulary while describing the magic was oddly simplistic, like Gainando's.
Clunk!
Suddenly, from the relief carved into the side wall, the figures began stepping out as if coming to life.
Gainando, still oblivious in his excitement, chattered on.
"You have to come once I finish remodeling the mansion. Lee Han."
"Sure. I'll go with you."
"...Uh, Yoner and Nilia too?"
"Hey."
Nilia spoke up, sounding incredulous.
"I don't even want to go to your mansion either? The Maykin Family's mansion is much nicer, you know?"
"Ah, no. It'd be nice if you both came... No, I mean..."
Gainando, whose inner thoughts had been exposed, quickly tried to placate Nilia.
Because if Nilia and Yoner didn't come, Lee Han probably wouldn't come either for some reason.
"I'll release deer in the garden, so come. How about that?"
"Do I look like a hunter who'd excitedly run after deer you release right now?"
"You don't like deer?"
"I do like them."
"What the...?"
While Gainando looked puzzled, Lee Han suddenly grabbed him by the scruff and yanked him back.
"Gahk!"
"Ambush!"
Only then did Lee Han realize that enemies emerging from the vast walls had surrounded his friends.
Gainando, who had fallen to the ground, coughed and shouted:
"Th-the Headmaster?!"
"No. The Tomb Watchers! Everyone, move!"
After his humiliating defeat against Giselle's sister last time, Lee Han had become acutely aware of his own complacency.
Strongly resolved not to act so carelessly this time, Lee Han immediately began casting spells.
As many as possible before the enemies closed in!
Bam bam bam bam!
The dark, expansive chamber lit up as bright as day. The spheres of light Lee Han fired intensely illuminated the shadowy figures crawling out from the reliefs.
After identifying the Watchers, Lee Han immediately summoned undead to block their path.
"Arise, warriors of bone!"
Bone fragments thrown into the air intertwined with magic and transformed into warriors.
Seeing this, Gainando cast Black Magic to assist his friend.
"Bones, become armor and swords!"
While concentrating on reinforcing the undead with bone elemental magic, Gainando momentarily slipped up.
As a result, the spell got tangled, creating bone sweaters and bone flags instead.
"...Hey, you didn't study properly, did you?!"
"I-I did study! I just made a mistake because of the tense situation!"
While enduring Nilia's scolding, Gainando frantically prepared another spell.
Regardless, Lee Han remained focused, rapidly casting spells in succession.
Once combat preparations were roughly complete, Lee Han scanned the Tomb Watchers. 'Dark Element magic?' Upon reflection, the choir they'd heard earlier was quite unusual magic.
It was magic in the form of song, for one thing.
As the Skeleton Principal had said - if it's incantations, use incantations; if not, don't. The ambiguous in-between form of music magic was inefficient and antiquated, its tradition long since severed.
Who would have thought they'd encounter traces of such magic here.
Given this was an ancient tomb, perhaps it was to be expected... 'Dark Element, Music, Illusion. About three schools then. In that case, I shouldn't use Dark Element magic...' Seeing how Lee Han's undead and Gainando's Black Magic were being cast more powerfully, it seemed true that Dark Element energy was abundant here.
Zzzzt!
Lee Han's staff transformed into a spear condensed with lightning and struck an approaching Watcher.
The shadow-clumped Watcher couldn't maintain its form and scattered.
"Gainando, get inside!"
"Th-the Headmaster! The Headmaster is over there! Lee Han!"
"What kind of nonsense are you—"
"Ah, no! Not the Headmaster - it's a Yeti Raider!"
"!"
When even Nilia started seeing things, Lee Han realized the situation was serious.
"Yoner, retreat behind me! They're using Illusion Magic! Gainando, Nilia! Over here!"
Yanking Gainando's cloak and sharply slapping his cheek, Lee Han gestured to Yoner.
Yoner immediately administered a potion to Nilia. Drinking the strong stimulant potion, Nilia snapped out of her terror. 'That method?!' Feeling slightly guilty toward Gainando, Lee Han summoned flames.
"Blaze forth... in the name of Afha!"
The spark of sacred White Flame flickered in the air.
Somehow the enemies weren't charging recklessly - they weren't making physical attacks. They were using Illusion Magic-based attacks. 'I need to sense the mana flow. There must be signs!' As he concentrated, the surrounding mana flow became increasingly perceptible.
Lee Han detected where the mana was wriggling and sprouting. 'Found it!' Whoosh!
The flames burned a Watcher about to unleash terror. Yet the Watcher stubbornly completed its spell.
Lee Han bodily blocked the incoming spell while pushing Gainando down.
"Dodge, Gainando!"
"W-wouldn't it be better to just take the hit?"
The crumpled Gainando said weakly.
At this point, succumbing to terror might have been preferable.