Episode 824
Episode 824
The Crazy Doppelganger nodded affirmatively, unaware that his disciple was contemplating putting the Echo Stone away again.
"That's correct."
"..."
"Uh... why on earth would such a magic even exist?"
"<Gonadaltes' Downfall> was a spell that transferred the target's 'Withering'—curses, pain, wounds—to oneself."
No matter how much he thought about it, Lee Han couldn't comprehend why the Crazy Doppelganger would use such magic.
There was no way the Crazy Doppelganger would want to transfer the world's suffering and wounds onto himself...
That would mean...
"Ah! I understand now!"
Lee Han had an epiphany.
Upon reflection, it was a simple matter.
"In order to transfer curses, pain, or wounds to someone else, you must first be able to control them. And the easiest stage of control is absorption. So this magic must be the foundational spell you learn before transferring Withering to an opponent!"
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting so confidently?"
"Ah... isn't that correct?"
When the Crazy Doppelganger shot him a disdainful look, Lee Han flustered.
He couldn't think of any other possible reason.
"This secret art was researched to gather all the pain, wounds, and curses scattered across the world into one place. To be precise, it was just the beginning."
"??"
Lee Han tilted his head in confusion.
"And then what? Use it as a weapon?"
"...If you gather them all in one place, wouldn't the world's suffering disappear?"
The Crazy Doppelganger's gaze had now surpassed mere contempt, drifting into territory beyond verbal description.
Lee Han exclaimed in shock—the most startled he'd been all day from what he'd heard.
"Th-then... does that mean you researched this secret art out of genuinely pure goodwill, Master?"
"Fool. I detect suspicious intent in your voice."
"Not at all. I was simply marveling at how incredible it is."
Having overcome his shock and regained his senses, Lee Han quickly tried to smooth things over. 'Astounding. The scale of the magic is impressive, but the intention behind it is even more so.'
The sheer scale of attempting to erase the very concept of suffering across an entire dimension was astonishing, but the intention behind it was even more shocking.
To think they researched such magic to erase the world's suffering...
No matter how he thought about it, this didn't seem like research befitting the Skeleton Principal. 'Could he have mistaken this doppelganger for someone other than Gonadaltes?'
While Lee Han was entertaining such wild thoughts, the Crazy Doppelganger continued his explanation calmly.
"This research ultimately failed. It proved impossible to gather and seal concepts scattered across an entire dimension. That resignation still feels humiliating..."
"Not at all. You made the right judgment. There was once a mage who tried to fly toward the sun—"
"Silence, fool. If one didn't attempt to fly toward the sun just because its flames were fierce, they wouldn't deserve to be called a mage."
Lee Han, who had tried to comfort the ancient being with an old tale, was immediately shut down.
The Crazy Doppelganger gazed into the distant void, reminiscing about the past.
"In the end, only a few secret arts like this remain."
"But isn't that still a tremendous achievement?"
"Perhaps. The black mages of the Three Kingdoms stole these secret arts to use against their enemies. Utterly vulgar."
"How exactly did they use it against enemies?"
"Fool. Isn't it about time you stopped asking such foolish questions? If you can absorb Withering into yourself, you can also transfer it to an enemy."
"......"
Lee Han seethed internally.
So in the end, what he'd said earlier was correct after all. 'It IS a foundational spell...!'
First, you learn to absorb it into yourself, then you learn to transfer it to an enemy.
There was probably even higher-circle magic to transfer this Withering.
Wouldn't it be called something like <Gonadaltes' True Nature> or <Gonadaltes' Hidden Heart>?
"My apologies. I asked a foolish question."
"As long as you understand now. Prepare yourself."
"Master. Please wait a moment."
Realizing he'd been so distracted by the shocking historical tale that he'd forgotten to address the truly important matter, Lee Han urgently called out.
"Doesn't this mean I'll be absorbing the opponent's curse if I cast it?"
"Did your intelligence drop or something?"
"......"
"Please hear me out. If I take the opponent's curse into my body, wouldn't that be agonizing?"
"So?"
'...Lee Han decided to treat the other party as either a three-year-old child or Professor Verdus.'
'He resolved to explain everything from the beginning without wavering.'
"Haha. So, if the curse enters my body, it'll hurt, right? If it hurts, wouldn't daily life become difficult? And wouldn't it be harder to learn magic?"
The Crazy Doppelganger recoiled in disgust at his disciple's suddenly whiny tone and replied,
"Fool. First, correct that complacent attitude of thinking that just because your flesh withers, learning magic becomes difficult. You can't master magic with that mindset."
"Ah, yes."
Lee Han responded half-heartedly.
As a young mage of the Empire, the ancient mage's spiritual philosophy lacked persuasiveness for him.
"You must be able to control yourself even if all manner of withering and decay torment you. Understood?"
"Yes... I'll try."
"Pain is not a mage's enemy."
"Then is it a friend?"
"Not a friend either. Lastly, fool, you don't need to worry about such things."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because it won't affect you."
Lee Han was puzzled at first but belatedly understood the meaning.
Then, he retorted incredulously,
"No, Master. This isn't just any ordinary curse—it's some insane mage's..."
"Shut up. It's nothing more than a jumbled mess of fourteen curses mixed together."
The Crazy Doppelganger dismissed Lee Han's explanation and sternly ordered him to focus on learning the spell.
Grumbling internally, Lee Han gripped his staff.
'Is he suggesting I become a lich if my body can't endure the curse?'
"......"
After casting <Gonadaltes' Downfall>, Lee Han inspected himself from head to toe.
The Crazy Doppelganger asked in a bored voice,
"How is it?"
"A bit dizzy, maybe... and slightly feverish..."
"Wrong. You're fine."
'Then why did you even ask?' Lee Han wanted to complain, but he couldn't refute it—because he really was perfectly fine.
When the Water-Horse Mountains Magic Tower mage extracted his own soul and opened it, Lee Han accurately absorbed the curses inside, and the curses weakly bounced off before vanishing.
No matter how many times he checked, there was absolutely no effect. It was almost embarrassing—he should've at least felt a little dizzy or feverish to make it convincing...
"I seem perfectly fine. Thank you."
"As you should be."
The Crazy Doppelganger fell into brief thought before speaking again.
"If you wish, you may continue the research yourself."
"Huh?"
"This forbidden knowledge."
"......"
Lee Han almost blurted, 'Do I look stupid enough to take on research even you failed at?' but caught himself.
What stopped him was the other's expression.
Shockingly, the Crazy Doppelganger wore a face filled with melancholy and regret.
It was so unlike his usual expressions—contempt, disdain, irritation, anger, scorn—that it was downright startling.
'Ah. He must have truly cherished this research.'
Regardless of success or failure, everyone has something they hold dear.
Just as Gainando had stubbornly tried to use his terrible Wizard Card deck before falling into curse decks, this Downfall Magic research must have been the Crazy Doppelganger's sore spot.
'Damn. Now I can't even refuse.'
Under normal circumstances, refusing would've been the cleanest option.
But given the mood, it was impossible to predict what might happen if he did.
Lee Han quickly made a decision.
"I'll do my best!"
"Good."
"Then I'll teach you another forbidden knowledge next time. First, get accustomed to this spell."
"?"
Lee Han felt puzzled.
It might've sounded a bit arrogant, but he thought he had already mastered this Downfall Magic completely.
"And I even completely absorbed the opponent's curse."
"Was there a mistake in my spellcasting?"
"No."
"Then what do you mean by 'getting familiar'?"
"That's something you must realize on your own."
The Crazy Doppelganger lightly waved his hand in a gesture indicating he wouldn't say more. It was a signal to end the conversation.
"Ah."
As if belatedly remembering something, the Crazy Doppelganger called Lee Han back.
"Do you have anything more to say, sir?"
"From now on, pay your respects daily as you did today. Seeing even a trace of reverence for one's master etched into one's flesh is truly satisfying."
"Haha. Yes. Understood."
The echo stone dimmed.
Furious, Lee Han immediately hurled his staff at the wall.
"This—this is impossible!"
Bajun, the mage from the Water-Horse Mountains Magic Tower who had just regained consciousness, checked his condition and shouted in shock. No matter how he looked at it, the curse had completely vanished.
"What trick did you use?! Tell me!"
Bajun yelled out of habit.
Originally, mages from the Water-Horse Mountains Magic Tower tended to react to truly outstanding magic with phrases like, "This is impossible! It's a trick!"
But this was Einrogard.
"What did you say?"
Lee Han's expression darkened as he glared at the other. His eyes were filled with murderous intent.
Somewhere, the faint sound of blades being drawn seemed to echo.
Bajun suddenly snapped back to his senses, his heart tightening in fear.
"N-no! I was just... amazed. I couldn't believe it."
"Do you know all the Empire's magic? Hah. First time I've heard of it. I wonder why someone so knowledgeable ended up here."
"I said I'm sorry, alright?"
Bajun tried to placate the arrogant and prickly Einrogard student.
He had misspoken, but more than anything, he was burning with curiosity about how the curse had been treated.
If this mage could wield such magic, maybe this level of arrogance was justified.
Lee Han, who had been grumbling, soon cooled his temper.
Strictly speaking, the other party wasn't at fault.
Well, more accurately, he did have the fault of creating and getting afflicted by his own curse...
But at the very least, summoning the Crazy Doppelganger had been Lee Han's own choice.
'Right. It was my choice. No point getting mad at him.'
"You said 'Os,' right? Using the Magic Tower's name as an alias—very mage-like of you. Truly impressive—"
"......"
Lee Han momentarily considered using Psychokinesis to choke the man but caught himself.
"You remember opening your soul, right?"
"You opened your defenses and fully exposed it. Did you blast it away with mana?"
"If I had, you wouldn't be talking to me like this right now. I extracted the curse."
"...What? How?"
Curses were fundamentally designed to cling tightly to the soul, so pulling out a properly adhered curse wasn't easy—especially if it had taken root deep within the soul.
Unless you erased or destroyed the curse itself, extracting it was nearly impossible.
"If there's a soul that attracts the curse more strongly, wouldn't it move on its own?"
"Right."
"That's what I did."
"??"
Bajun was stunned. Then he glanced around and whispered quietly.
"Where is it?"
"What do you mean?"
"...Did you bring a prisoner and transfer the curse to them? Shh. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. I'm even grateful. You broke imperial law for my sake."
"...I absorbed it myself."
"What?"
"I absorbed it."
"......"
For a moment, Bajun doubted his ears. Then he fell into deep contemplation.
When the other man suddenly went silent, Lee Han grew concerned and asked,
"Are you alright?"
"I see."
"...What else are you saying now?"
"You... must be a saint."
"You might want to check your head again. Maybe you're not fully recovered yet—"
"I'm being serious!"
"Madmen all say that. Stay still for a moment."
Lee Han restrained Bajun with Psychokinesis and went to find a senior to help.
Bajun blinked in shock, never expecting to be so easily subdued by a second-year student.
"...?!!!"