Episode 732
Episode 732
"I want to solidify my fundamentals too."
"Huh?"
Diret was genuinely puzzled.
It truly didn't seem like something his junior would need at all.
"Wasn't the poison elemental magic you can currently use around 3rd Circle?"
"It's still incomplete."
The <Engraving Poison> creation magic he had learned from the undead mage Verdus was around 3rd Circle, but he still couldn't cast it perfectly.
"You're such a perfectionist, junior. Other kids would insist they've mastered it perfectly just by being able to cast it at all."
"No, I'm saying it's incomplete because it's not complete yet!"
Lee Han felt slightly wronged.
Of course, given time, he could summon the poison, but wasn't this still incomplete?
"Bone elemental magic was 4th Circle."
<Summon Skeleton Warrior> originally didn't reach 4th Circle.
Contracting and summoning a Skeleton Warrior from the Undead World made the difficulty much lower.
But due to pressure from some wicked black mages, Lee Han had to learn an ancient necromancy method that wasn't even commonly used these days—and the result was the 4th Circle difficulty <Summon Skeleton Warrior>.
Since it wasn't about summoning beings from another dimension but assembling bones one by one through direct manipulation, the difficulty was inevitably high.
Still, thanks to this, Lee Han's proficiency in bone elemental magic had improved significantly. All because he kept wrestling with <Summon Skeleton Warrior>.
"...Right. But aren't there still some fundamentals you haven't mastered?"
Diret was a kind senior.
Even when his junior was being stubborn, instead of getting angry, he quietly let him do as he wished.
After effortlessly succeeding in all the basic spells Diret presented, Lee Han spoke with a sullen expression.
"Let's start with the difficult spells first."
"Good thinking, junior."
"Do you know why blood isn't commonly used as an elemental magic?"
"Yes."
Even if an imperial black mage could manipulate bones, poison, or even the dark element, they avoided directly handling blood as an element due to its inefficiency.
"But it's not like blood elemental magic is never used. Some magic criminals actually do use it."
"The Headmaster?"
"...Junior. When I say 'magic criminals,' I don't mean it metaphorically—I mean actual magic criminals."
Blood elemental magic not only lacked offensive power compared to bone elemental magic but was also difficult to obtain and preserve.
Moreover, since some magic criminals often extracted large amounts of fresh blood from innocent victims for their spells, its reputation only worsened.
But from Gonadaltes to Professor Mortum and now Diret, this black magic tradition held the belief: 'It's stupid to dismiss something just because it's unpopular.'
At the very least, if you ever encountered someone who used it, you'd need to know how to exploit its weaknesses, right?
Tap
—When Diret took out a small vial and popped the cork, a red liquid sloshed out with a wet sound.
It smelled of blood but carried the aura of some other mana.
"This is artificial blood made through alchemy. Normally, we use this when casting blood elemental magic. It has good versatility."
Just as bone fragments infused with mana were used as magical reagents, blood elemental magic often required the aid of such reagents.
Lee Han caught the underlying meaning in Diret's words and asked,
"Does that mean you don't use it when it's a reagent for other magic, not blood elemental magic?"
"Correct."
The black magic senior fluttered his wings in satisfaction at his clever junior's answer.
While the sheer quantity required for blood elemental magic left no choice but to use artificial blood, real blood was inevitably more effective than alchemically produced substitutes.
Diret pulled out a bone fragment tinged with vitality.
"This is a bone fragment I've periodically fed with my own blood. I could've used artificial blood, but feeding it my blood has its advantages. Better control over the magic, and if needed, blood elemental magic becomes easier to perform."
"I understand."
Lee Han, who had previously strengthened reagents by infusing them with the dark element as if tempering bones, immediately grasped Diret's meaning.
Using blood to reinforce bone fragments was ultimately connected to strengthening bone elemental magic as well.
'Even if I don't force myself to use blood elemental magic recklessly, just applying it this way can increase its potency.'
"Of course, generally the dark element or poison element are more preferred. Blood element doesn't have any special effects, and its usage is somewhat limited... But as I said."
"If you learn it, there's always a place to use it, isn't there?"
Diret nodded with a deep smile.
"Let's start with this."
"Yes. But how difficult is this magic?"
Diret merely smiled without answering and urged him on with a hand gesture instead.
Though puzzled, Lee Han began sprinkling his own blood bit by bit onto the bone fragment.
"Blood, gather here..."
The bone fragment stained crimson and connected to Lee Han far more powerfully than before.
He could now understand the advantage Diret had mentioned earlier—using his own blood.
If he summoned a Skeleton Warrior with this bone fragment, he'd likely be able to control it with much greater precision.
"You succeeded."
"Yes."
"I figured you would, so I didn't bother telling you how difficult it was. Would it have made any difference?"
"...Just tell me next time..."
After that, Diret explained various magics that connected bone and blood, blood and poison, poison and bone.
Spells that amplified toxicity using blood, or used toxicity to shatter bones and scatter them in the surroundings.
Many were quite diverse and difficult, so Lee Han listened intently without losing focus.
"But, Senior. Something just occurred to me."
"What is it?"
"What year is this lecture meant for?"
"Third year. Why?"
"...Isn't it a bit strange for me to be learning this?"
"Huh? Not really?"
"......"
Diret took out a pocket watch, checked the time, and then spoke.
"We still have some time left. We can go now."
"How about resting if we have time? It seems like you could use a break too, Senior."
"Where we're going now is the break, Junior."
"?"
Diret smirked meaningfully and gestured for Lee Han to follow him out of the lecture hall.
That smile made Lee Han inexplicably uneasy.
It wasn't often that Einrogard mages wore such confident smiles for good reasons.
"It's a place I often go when I'm tired."
'Hmm. That makes me even more uneasy.'
If the other person had been from the Summoning Magic department, maybe—but since this was the Black Magic department, it was natural to feel a little unsettled.
For all he knew, they could be heading to a communal graveyard or an underground stone chamber in a swamp to "rest."
Diret was a good person, but even good people could have slightly twisted tastes.
Opening a side passage on the second basement floor, Diret lightly tapped the wall of the endlessly long corridor ahead.
The staircase they stood on then swayed and began rushing forward.
"!"
"It's a place a bit away from the main building."
Diret explained, as if to reassure Lee Han.
Given how vast Einrogard was, upperclassmen didn't move around by walking—it would take far too long.
One of the most common methods was using side passages connected to the main building.
The Einrogard main building, as old as its history, had countless paths linking it to the academy's outer territories. If you knew how to find them, a single motion could take you far via these hidden shortcuts.
Thud!
"We're here. Let's go."
Diret summoned an ascending staircase and stepped up first. Lee Han followed warily, half-expecting a communal graveyard or a venomous swamp to appear.
But thankfully, there were no graveyards or rotting corpses in sight. The only sound was leaves rustling in the wind.
The side passage from the main building's basement had led them to the heart of a forest.
"Where is this place?"
"The Dark Forest. Take a look around and you'll understand why it's called that."
Lee Han surveyed the forest beyond the clearing.
Even in broad daylight, the woods were as dark as evening, filled with deep emerald-green trees. Between these trees and thickets, he could feel the Dark Element circulating periodically like a swirling current.
"It's a place saturated with Dark Element, isn't it?"
"Correct. It's an excellent spot for black mages who wield Dark Element to recover their mana."
As if proving his familiarity with the place, Diret summoned a chair and table.
Having confirmed it was safe, Lee Han sat down and looked around. 'This would definitely be beneficial for black mages.' Naturally, for students of the Black Magic school, a place so strongly saturated with Dark Element would be highly compatible.
Even if they didn't directly manipulate Dark Element, the nature of its mana would still provide outstanding effects.
Indeed, Diret—who had used quite a bit of magic during today's lecture—quickly recovered his mana after taking just a few deep breaths of the forest air.
And beyond that, it seemed he genuinely loved this forest, as his expression visibly brightened.
"By the way, junior. Don't mention this place to other juniors."
"Not even to the Black Magic school seniors?"
"Especially not them. I didn't think it necessary to inform them. It's not like they'll be advancing to fifth year anyway."
"Understood."
As Lee Han nodded, he suddenly felt something odd.
There was an unsettling implication in Diret's words just now. 'Then... does that mean I'm supposed to advance to fifth year...?'
"Wait! Over there!"
"?"
"We have to catch that, junior! A Dark Snail!"
Spotting the rare creature native to the Dark Forest, Diret urged Lee Han into action.
After summoning a familiar, he swiftly took to the air, chasing after the fleeing Dark Snail.
"Hold on tight. Here we go!"
With his junior in tow, Diret pursued the snail, which was darting away like an arrow in the distance.
Lee Han, seated behind him, kept an eye on the rapidly shifting scenery, preparing for any potential monster attacks.
Then, the landscape before his eyes suddenly changed.
"...?!"
Lee Han realized he was seeing an illusion.
There was no reason for such a vision to appear while they were flying through the air, chasing Diret. 'What is this? Ordinary illusion magic shouldn't affect me...' Having already experienced immunity to external illusion magic and poisons meant to attack him, Lee Han was bewildered.
Within the illusion, a mage dressed in archaic robes opened his mouth. His attire was so unique and ancient that it was impossible to guess his origin just by looking.
Master. As you commanded, I have come. Now answer me. What must I, Antagondals, do?
'!'
Having heard Antagondals' name before, Lee Han's eyes widened in shock.
Why was that magic criminal within Einrogard's territory?
But the figure standing before Antagondals was even more shocking.
To his astonishment, it was the Skeleton Principal in human form.
'...!!!'
Though the Skeleton Principal was never a kind or gentle person even in his usual human form, the one in this illusion was as cold and arrogant as an ice sculpture.
He seemed to be ignoring Antagondals despite his presence.
Despite continued pleas and requests, the Skeleton Principal remained silent, prompting Antagondals to briefly show a flicker of anger before suppressing it and speaking again.
Then I shall wait! Master! Until the day you grace me with your teachings once more!
With those final words, the illusion ended.
Diret, now closing in on the Dark Snail, shouted in excitement.
"Junior! See it?!"
"Senior!!"
"Eh?! What?! Why?!"
When his junior suddenly grabbed his shoulders tightly and yelled, Diret nearly lost his balance, wobbling mid-air.
But that was nothing compared to what his junior was about to say next.
"It's a disaster! The Headmaster has finally lost his mind!!!"
"...I have no idea what you're talking about, so explain it slowly!"