Episode 715
Episode 715
Sebius chuckled softly at the sight of his junior burning with fiery enthusiasm.
People facing trials could be divided into two types.
The first were those who fled from trials.
And the second were those who actively charged toward them.
The junior before his eyes was unmistakably the latter. He could somewhat understand why the members of the Teleportation Club were eager to recruit this junior.
"You seem like the type who burns even brighter when things get tough, don't you?"
"?"
Lee Han tilted his head in confusion—it was simply because he had a lot of pent-up resentment toward Professor Verdus.
"It's just that I really hate the professor—"
"Professor Verdus's belongings aren't easy to tamper with."
Sebius opened the window and stepped outside as he spoke. Lee Han cast a regretful glance toward the White Tiger Tower seniors' storage.
'I should remember this.'
A truly exceptional thief wasn't someone who merely decided what to steal—but rather, someone who wisely determined what not to steal.
In that regard, Sebius, who was quietly retrieving only the book they had originally targeted, was indeed an outstanding thief.
But Lee Han was a slightly different kind of thief.
He leaned more toward the type who, if things didn't go his way, would just take everything and bolt.
"Professors' belongings are already hard to mess with, but Professor Verdus is especially difficult."
"Is there a particular reason?"
"Since Professor Verdus has a lot of expensive materials, students tend to target him first. That's why his defenses are more thorough than other professors'."
"......"
Hearing about Professor Verdus being treated like a treasure trove among the seniors, Lee Han felt a sense of absurdity.
Who knew someone could be this popular in such a way!
"Fortunately, we're only after the professor's book, so it's not as bad. He probably doesn't even remember he has it. Still, that doesn't make it easy. At the very least, you'll need to learn a few spells first. Oh, right—how did you open that window earlier?"
Now that he thought about it, there had been three defensive spells on the White Tiger Tower storage window earlier.
<Paldar Leji's Intermediate Metal Barrier>
A spell cast on metallic substances that caused the metal to transform and block any hostile intruder attempting to penetrate.
<Axen's Mystery Enhancement>
A spell that amplified and strengthened the power of other magic. While meaningless on its own, when combined with other spells, it doubled their effectiveness.
<Zenbaya's Intermediate Lock>
A defensive spell that most efficiently blocked non-physical intrusion attempts. Originally, this was the spell Sebius had intended to disable.
But with unexpected additional spells layered on top and creating synergistic effects, breaching them had become impossible...
Yet, he couldn't understand how this junior had managed to open it.
"After condensing mana, I swung it like a hammer across the widest possible surface area—"
"Ah, so it's a secret Wardanaz family spell, then?"
Despite Lee Han's earnest explanation, Sebius interpreted it differently.
He assumed Lee Han was deflecting by describing such an absurd method because it was a Wardanaz family secret spell that couldn't be disclosed.
Truly a response befitting someone from the Blue Dragon Tower.
"If it's a family secret spell, you don't have to explain. Keeping secrets is important—it's something to be praised for."
"......"
Though the junior glared at him, Sebius didn't notice.
"If you have a spell like that, it'll definitely help in dangerous situations. But you can't rely on it alone. You'll need other spells too."
"What kind?"
"You already know Invisibility Magic, but you'll also need to know how to break through walls. Do you know any related spells?"
The lowest-difficulty method was a spell that transformed wood or stone into sawdust or sand, but that took too long and had a high risk of being detected.
Since the essence of relocation lay in speed and stealth, the faster and more powerful the spell, the better.
In Sebius's case, he combined the <Atuga's Blade Wind> spell with <Rock Devouring Spirit> to use.
After slicing through the wall, he would send the spirit through the gap to devour the wall.
"I've learned the <Tutanta Family's Rock Decomposition> spell, but I haven't fully mastered it yet..."
"A family secret spell? Can you show me its power?"
Even if the end result was the same, the types of magic that could achieve it were practically infinite.
For example, if you considered spells that could bore a hole through a wall, there were easily hundreds of different ways to do it.
Transformation Magic could do it, Enchantment Magic could do it, even pure Elemental Magic alone was capable...
Of course, if all these spells had survived intact, any mage's head would have exploded from the sheer complexity.
Under the current imperial magic system, which prioritized efficiency, both mages and students were naturally inclined to seek out the most effective spells among these options.
But even here, there were exceptions. Family secret spells were one such case.
Since they were passed down within families, there was no reason for these spells to compete and disappear.
The downside, however, was that even experienced mages often couldn't discern what kind of spell it was until they saw it firsthand.
"It might take some time."
"Some spells do take time. I'll wait, so go ahead."
Lee Han nodded and pulled out his staff.
<Tutanta Family's Rock Decomposition> was a family spell he had learned from Salko last year—one that had given him a headache even back then due to its difficulty.
Though Lee Han rarely struggled with learning magic, this spell was a 4th-Circle Magic, and among those, it was particularly challenging.
In fact, Lee Han had even suspected at the time that Salko might have been trying to assassinate him by teaching it to him.
'Now that I think about it, it's infuriating. That bastard. He couldn't even master it himself, yet he went ahead and taught it to me.'
Salko himself hadn't fully learned it yet, but he had still taught it to Lee Han as if he could manage it.
Even now, the guy was beyond ridiculous.
After that, Lee Han had practiced the spell a few times, but its excessive difficulty had made him postpone further attempts. With dozens of spells to learn, he couldn't possibly master them all.
Gathering a handful of the rock he intended to break, preparing the incantation, and focusing...
"By the name of Tutanta, shatter, O rock!"
Crack!
As a corner of the empty classroom wall turned to dust as if sliced by a blade, Sebius's eyes widened in shock.
The spell's power was far stronger than he had anticipated.
And...
"You said you hadn't fully mastered it?"
Sebius asked, sounding utterly baffled.
His junior had clearly stated earlier that he hadn't fully learned it.
But judging by the casting just now, it didn't seem like he was lacking at all.
Hadn't the spell activated almost immediately after he gripped the reagent and recited the incantation?
At this level, it was safe to say he had mastered it.
"That's what I thought too. I was sure I hadn't fully learned it, but after trying it again after so long, it worked well."
Lee Han replied with an awkward expression.
Even he hadn't expected it to go so smoothly.
Perhaps not practicing for a while had unexpectedly helped.
Or maybe all the hardships he'd endured in the meantime had unknowingly contributed...
'Is this guy insane?'
Of course, from Sebius's perspective—unaware of Lee Han's circumstances—his junior seemed slightly unhinged.
'Is he showing off on purpose?'
Judging by the results, it was a 5th-Circle Magic with considerable power.
To turn a wall into dust in one go, without any additional preparation or time consumption...
If he could wield such magic, it was understandable that he'd want to show off, but...
Did he really have to go this far?
"I'm glad it worked out."
"Thank you."
True to his experience as a seasoned teleporter, Sebius kept his inner thoughts hidden.
Unaware of his senior's suspicions, Lee Han was naively moved.
'He really trusts people's words easily.'
"The last thing we need is Combat Magic. Professor Verdus is infamous for using artificial summons as Watchers. We'll avoid them as much as possible, but some level of force will be necessary. Are you confident in combat?"
"Hmm."
Lee Han hesitated slightly, wondering where and how to begin explaining.
After some deliberation, he made his decision.
Bringing up Professor Voladi probably wasn't a good idea. The senior might look at him strangely.
Mentioning the enemies he'd defeated didn't seem wise either. It would seem too much like obvious bragging.
"I think I can defend myself well enough."
At this carefully measured response, Sebius nodded.
Considering Lee Han was just a sophomore—and a Blue Dragon Tower resident at that—he hadn't expected much combat prowess anyway.
This restrained answer was actually preferable. At least the junior wouldn't make reckless mistakes out of competitive pride.
"That should suffice. Let's go."
Sebius led Lee Han outside the main building.
The moment they stepped out, Lee Han cast Invisibility Magic on himself. Sebius muttered at this unnecessary mana expenditure.
"Why are you using it already? What about your mana?"
"There are circumstances. My mana's fine, so please understand."
"......"
Though Sebius's expression showed he wasn't convinced, he didn't press further.
Having decided to work together, he had to respect his junior's judgment—no matter how junior he was.
"If you insist, I'll let it pass. But remember this: if you collapse, I won't carry you out. I'll escape alone."
"I understand."
Lee Han answered while scanning the area for first-year students. Fortunately, no freshmen seemed to have sneaked out at night.
'Better prepare a contingency plan soon.'
"Do you know Professor Verdus's Sacred Pavilion Hall?"
"Yes."
Sebius recalled that his junior was also studying Enchantment Magic.
Naturally, he'd know about the Sacred Pavilion Hall too.
"There are several warehouses near the Sacred Pavilion Hall. Most are inaccessible, but a few have weakened defenses over time after spells were cast on them."
"Why doesn't the professor reinforce them?"
"He built so many warehouses he can't even remember them all. That's why students keep looting them."
"......"
While students struggled without reagents or materials—forcing them to take outside commissions—Professor Verdus had warehouses so crammed with supplies he forgot his own inventory lists.
No wonder students gritted their teeth and targeted his warehouses exclusively.
"Lucky for us. We'll approach and enter one of them."
"What are the titles of the books we need?"
"Introduction to Imperial Investment Law, Wizard, Never Repay the Gold Coins You've Been Invested, Introduction to Imperial Artifact Trends, The Genius Enchantment Wizard Who Received One Hundred Investments, Imperial Materials Encyclopedia, General Gemology..."
"...Uh, isn't that too many? How long were you planning to—"
"I'm taking them all at once."
A murderous edge crept into Sebius's voice.
Lee Han was newly reminded that Professor Verdus was an exceptional mage.
Only an exceptional mage could survive despite making not just his own disciples but even unrelated students want to bury him alive.
"Copper, turn to silver. Silver, turn to gold. Gold, turn to gemstone."
As Sebius recited the password, a thick oak tree shuddered and transformed into a door.
The two students swiftly dashed inside. The interior was a chaotic mess of assorted junk. Sebius focused to navigate the path.
Professor Verdus's warehouses were all naturally occurring labyrinths—lose focus, and you'd get lost instantly.
Creak
"Dammit, Watchers! Right at the entrance...!"
Sebius tried to signal Lee Han to retreat.
Of all places, Watchers had to be patrolling the entrance.
Bam!
"Got it!"
"......"