Episode 836
Episode 836
Whether it was the Skeleton Principal's avatar or his true self, they shared one common trait—both would shamelessly declare, "I was truly magnificent even in my youth."
And surprisingly, several spells created by the Skeleton Principal actually functioned as plausible evidence for such claims.
Take <Gonadaltes' Downfall>, which Lee Han had recently learned—wasn't it originally the beginning of research to eliminate the world's suffering?
But seeing this Small World Magic made him suspect that the Skeleton Principal might have slightly manipulated causality.
Hadn't Downfall Magic also been developed to transfer suffering to others first, only to later claim, "It was created to eliminate the world's suffering"?
Otherwise, the effects of this Small World Magic, Dendrobium, wouldn't have been so terrifyingly lethal.
'Depending on the flower's color, the world's rules change... Simple yet powerful.'
Originally, Small World Magic didn't necessarily have to be combat-oriented.
In fact, Small World Magic developed solely for combat was even rarer. After all, being a mage wasn't a profession meant for brawling.
Diret's Pentagrammaton was also a Small World developed for black magic research...
In that sense, this Small World, Dendrobium, was a highly versatile magic, as flexible and adaptable as the tree it symbolized.
Black flowers nullified physical attacks.
Red flowers absorbed the essence of nearby enemies.
And blue flowers...
"!"
As the red flowers at the branch tips vanished and blue flower buds emerged in their place, Lee Han was startled.
What effect could the blue flowers possibly have?
Though Lee Han was marveling out of pure curiosity, the Tree Spirit on the receiving end felt a chill run down its spine.
Even enduring the effects of the red flowers wouldn't last much longer—what could it mean for them to now shift to blue flowers?
It felt like a death sentence, as if there would be no room left for survival.
The intense sense of crisis caused the King of Fighting Tree Spirits, Saratan's, intelligence to skyrocket.
As evidenced by the period he'd spent groveling inside a first-year student's staff until his strength and consciousness returned, Saratan was a despicable spirit who could stoop as low as necessary when the situation demanded.
And the same went for his intelligence. He could utilize it fully when needed.
Saratan, who had initially tried to overpower the opposing mage through brute strength alone, frantically drew forth his Authority from his remaining power.
Already burdened by unbroken seals that weighed down his body and restricted multiple Authorities, having his essence drained left his entire body sluggish.
Yet, true to his former title as king, Saratan succeeded in manifesting one Authority.
<Cuttings>
The Authority of Cuttings.
In an instant, Saratan's massive form crumbled away like rotting wood.
He hadn't died.
Just as plants could regrow by planting a part of themselves, Saratan had planted a clone nearby and sprouted anew.
Normally, if the main body perished, the clones would also fade—but the Authority of a plant spirit defied that logic. As long as a single clone remained, the power of life would continue regenerating!
"Hah... Hah... Thought I was done for!"
Saratan rose from a distance, exhaling heavily.
Though he had escaped that eerie magical domain, the damage he'd taken was severe.
"You—today, your head's gonna multiply into two! I'll split it in two and crush them both!"
Furious at having been humiliated by a mage he'd underestimated, Saratan snarled out his threat.
Yet, he didn't charge recklessly as before. He'd realized that acting rashly could lead to serious injury.
"Multiply!"
Saplings sprouted around Saratan, each one gradually taking on his form.
The Authority of Cuttings wasn't just about tenacious vitality—when applied creatively, it could create an overwhelming army of clones.
Though the opponent's Small World Magic seemed invincible at first glance, no magic existed without weaknesses.
Saratan had already figured out how to counter Dendrobium.
"I'll wear you down by hit-and-run tactics! You hear me, huh?! Mage!"
Sending out his clones to engage in a war of attrition meant that the Small World Magic would inevitably be depleted first.
From nullifying physical attacks to absorbing elemental essence from a distance, it was by no means an easy Authority to maintain.
'Your mana... your mana...' Saratan had been about to angrily shout, 'No matter how much mana you have, how long do you think you can last?!' when he suddenly froze.
Come to think of it... that damned mage...
Flutter!
The Black Book wasn't particularly fazed even as the enemy retreated to prepare a counterattack.
Having already manifested the Small World Dendrobium, its attitude was that no matter how much the sealed spirit raged, it was still within the palm of its hand.
"...Ghk!"
Lee Han, who had let his guard down, let out a scream.
The same mental overload as before.
Astonishingly, this damned book was attempting to cast another Small World!
'You... insane bastard...!'
No matter how infinite Lee Han's mana was, he had just coughed up blood—how could it pull something like this?!
Truly, it was no wonder this thing belonged to the Skeleton Principal—it was utterly numb to pain.
Along with the Withering, the pain had been transferred to the enemy. Saratan, sensing that same uncomfortable sensation creeping back, froze mid-preparation of his clone army.
"Hey, stop!! What the hell are you doing?! Wait, hold on! Hey!"
Desperate to disrupt the opponent, Saratan abandoned all dignity and pride, flapping his mouth uselessly.
But the magic was already complete.
Small World, Basilios!
Above Lee Han's head, a simple and modest crown materialized—woven from bronze, copper, and tree branches.
Saratan, who had been wary, burst into uncontrollable laughter the moment he saw it.
"What the hell is that?! What kind of crown is that?!"
Spirit Kings, when establishing their own authority, adorned themselves with crowns that were the very pinnacle of extravagance—crafted from the rarest and most exalted treasures within their dimensions.
But look at this crown.
How impoverished must its king be, lacking not just gems but even gold or silver?
Thud!
In that instant, Saratan's clones stabbed him all at once.
The attack was so utterly unexpected that Saratan couldn't even scream properly.
Even if he conceded a hundred times—if these were just ordinary, insignificant clones, they might have been hijacked by another mage.
A mage of sufficient mastery could interfere even with an enemy's clones.
But these weren't ordinary clones—they were manifestations of the Authority of Cuttings.
In a way, they were Saratan himself.
And yet, this bastard had stolen control of them without Saratan even noticing?!
"You... you little...! This isn't over—!"
Furious, Saratan tried to move his heavy body—only to freeze in shock once more.
His body wouldn't obey. As if he had become someone's servant.
'...'
Ah. I see.'
Freed from pain and overload thanks to the Withering, Lee Han could finally think again.
The effect of Small World Basilios was far simpler than Dendrobium's.
Dominion over enemies within range.
Simple, yet devastatingly powerful. Lee Han guessed there were probably some conditions attached.
'Otherwise, there'd be no reason to weaken him with Dendrobium first.'
"Hey! Release this! Release me, I said! RELEASE ME!"
With nothing else left to do, Saratan resorted to flapping his mouth again.
The clones, now under Lee Han's control, tightly bound Saratan, rendering him completely powerless.
"...Wait, what do we do now?"
Lee Han wondered if he should finish the opponent off.
But wouldn't that destroy the staff?
If he annihilated Saratan beyond the seal, wouldn't his staff disappear too?
At that, the Black Book fluttered and issued its command.
"Ghk—urk—GAAAH! AAAAAH! I—I was wrong! I admit it! I was wrong!"
Saratan's massive, ferocious form shrank as if crushed beneath a press, trapped and compressed.
"Spare me! Mage! I was wrong!"
"...Is this really acceptable behavior for a Spirit King, even if he's sealed?"
Lee Han was baffled.
Of course, this was his first time seeing a fallen and sealed Spirit King, but still...
'Perkuntra, no matter how weakened, would never stoop to this.'
Suddenly, Lee Han felt a surge of respect for Perkuntra's dignity.
"I should at least thank him properly if I ever meet him again!"
The Black Book fluttered its pages as if shrugging its shoulders.
In the infinite dimensions, there were bound to be all sorts of peculiar beings, after all.
"Uwaaak! Aigo! Agogo! Agagak!"
Saratan screamed at the top of his lungs. 'He's even more dramatic than Gainando.' Of course, the pain the tree spirit was experiencing was incomparable to what Gainando had felt.
Being compressed from head to toe was a whole different level of agony.
But even considering that, his theatrics were excessive.
"How long are you going to keep this up?"
At Lee Han's question, the Black Book pretended not to hear and continued pressuring Saratan relentlessly.
Only when the arrogant tree spirit, with sap streaming from his eyes, finally apologized for his insolence did the Black Book cease its torment.
Then, it compressed Saratan even further, reshaping him back into his original staff form.
"!"
Lee Han was startled.
The newly transformed staff looked drastically different from the one he remembered.
Not only had its color and material changed, but its very shape was altered.
While the original staff had been a simple, straight rod, the transformed version now had a spiral design with many hollow spaces.
It looked as if two branches were supposed to intertwine to form the shape, but one was missing. 'Ah. I see.' Lee Han realized belatedly.
First, the change in color and material was likely because the branch itself had changed.
Why else would Saratan, who had been dormant for so long, suddenly awaken?
The branch from the Forest of the Broad-Eyed King must have been powerful enough to rouse him, and borrowing its strength, he had awakened.
Now that the Black Book had properly resealed him, there was no need to worry about that anymore.
As for the other side... 'It probably left empty space to process and insert the Black Magnetite.' The staff now had a spiraling form where the Black Magnetite and the branch from the Forest of the Broad-Eyed King intertwined.
Though the intended purpose was similar, the final shape was quite different from what Yukveltire had suggested.
"Is there a reason you insisted on this shape? Senior Yukveltire recommended embedding the branch as a core and covering it with Black Magnetite."
The Black Book fluttered its pages in disgust, as if lamenting how the youth these days had no regard for dignity or decorum.
"Waaahhhh!"
Gainando was wailing, pounding the floor in despair.
Giselle, looking thoroughly annoyed, turned to the students of the Blue Dragon Tower.
"Can someone shut him up? I can't concentrate."
"We already tried. Moradi."
"Anyone would think someone died."
"Di... died...?! Waaahhh! Moradi, you've shown your true colors! You want Lee Han to die, don't you?!"
Gainando, his face drenched in tears and snot, accused Giselle.
The sheer absurdity of the accusation left Giselle momentarily speechless and flustered.
"What nonsense..."
"Look at that! Look at that! She's flustered!"
'Is that so?' The Blue Dragon Tower students eyed Giselle suspiciously.
Now that they thought about it, it was odd that Moradi was so concerned about Lee Han collapsing.
Hadn't she always been the one telling him to drop dead?
"Everyone, quiet down. You're disrupting the potion-making."
Yoner, who had been working in the back, snapped irritably.
She and her alchemy school friends were trying to brew potions, but the constant wailing was making it impossible to focus.
Ratford whispered quietly,
"If you give the word, I'll secretly spray a silence potion."
Judging by their expressions, Salko and Nilia were already halfway through pulling out their own silence potions, exchanging furtive glances asking for permission.
"No. For the others, we'd need consent, but... Gainando. Stop crying. He just collapsed."
Yoner paused mid-sentence when she noticed that Gainando, Adenart, and the other Blue Dragon Tower students were already carrying the unconscious Lee Han over to their side.
'...Huh? Didn't they say we shouldn't let him come into contact with the royal family?'
Her heart sank at the thought of her already unlucky friend facing even more misfortune.