Episode 842
Episode 842
Professor Garcia regretted speaking so coldly a moment ago.
"Sorry, Lee Han. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."
'Hmm. She's not apologizing to Professor Verdus though,' Lee Han thought to himself.
While Professor Garcia apologized for speaking curtly to Lee Han, she absolutely didn't apologize for assigning the task to Professor Verdus.
And truth be told, Lee Han agreed with that stance. 'She's right. There's no reason to apologize.' Only an Einrogard freshman would feel sorry about something like this.
Neither veteran Einrogard students nor professors would ever apologize for such things.
Even if they hadn't assigned him the task, Professor Verdus would have found some other excuse to delay his work anyway.
"But can I really do this?"
"What kind of scheme is this now... I mean, what do you mean, Professor?"
As Professor Verdus spoke up, Professor Garcia first showed irritation before restraining herself. There was a student listening nearby after all.
"I think Yukveltire wanted to do this."
Normally, Professor Verdus would want to handle anything interesting regardless of whether his students were interested, but there were exceptions to this rule. One such exception was when an angry Professor Garcia stood before him.
If it later turned out that this staff crafting was actually something Professor Verdus's student had wanted to do...
At that point, it wouldn't just be his collarbone - his entire skeleton might get shattered.
Professor Garcia's brute strength awakened the common sense that had been dormant within Professor Verdus.
"Didn't I tell you not to scheme?"
But Professor Verdus's sincerity fell on deaf ears. At the sound coming from his shoulder, Professor Verdus let out a shriek.
"I-I'm not scheming!"
"What could Yukveltire possibly want to do? You don't even know what your own students want."
"Well, but Yukveltire really wanted to... Agh! AAAH!"
"Enough. Stop it. Don't even think about pushing this onto Yukveltire."
Defeated by sheer physical strength, Professor Verdus closed his mouth. He hadn't brought it up because he wanted to push it onto his student in the first place - he'd mentioned it out of fear of being thoroughly beaten by Professor Garcia later, so he had no intention of bringing it up again. 'I clearly said it. It's not my fault.'
"Shall we begin then?"
"Yes."
"Could you... maybe remove your hand from my shoulder?"
"No."
"...Okay."
With a slumped posture designed to evoke sympathy, Professor Verdus began his work. Fortunately, neither Lee Han nor Professor Garcia showed the slightest wavering.
"Professor, your skills are truly remarkable."
Despite everything, Lee Han couldn't help but be impressed.
Peculiar metals like black magnetite that absorbed mana were inherently difficult to smelt and process. Even blacksmiths who didn't use magic employed magical tools for this purpose, which was only natural.
Yet despite these adverse conditions, Professor Verdus was skillfully shaping the black magnetite as if it were butter. 'Of course, having Professor Garcia's hand on his shoulder probably helps, but even considering that, this is impressive.'
Whoosh!
Professor Verdus produced a necklace with a small glass cube pendant and blew on it. Flames flickered within the glass cube. 'A Small World!' Lee Han was astonished, wondering if the enchantment on that necklace could possibly be Small World magic.
He might have been mistaken, but he sensed an overwhelmingly powerful energy from it.
The flames inside the glass cube rode the external wind, escaping to lick and swirl around the black magnetite like tongues of fire.
Flames mixed with mana should have extinguished instantly, but instead these flames blocked the black magnetite's properties, softening the ore. 'To refine materials while altering reality itself like that, you'd need nothing less than a Small World.'
"Professor Verdus really is an exceptional craftsman."
Professor Garcia nodded in agreement. The Small World magic Professor Verdus was currently using - the flames of Magnum Opus - could melt and burn even the rarest and most peculiar materials.
"A mage who carries around an Enchantment Magic specialized for crafting in the form of a Small World would be counted on one hand in the entire Empire."
"Hmm!"
Professor Verdus grabbed the heated black magnetite with his hands and began shaping it.
The second method for smelting mana-absorbing metal was simply to endure it.
Every time the mana was absorbed, he would keep casting spells and power through with sheer force!
Still, it seemed to be taking its toll, as Professor Verdus glanced back briefly. Lee Han, who met his gaze, was puzzled.
"Should I help with something?"
"Yes! ... Ouch! Aah!"
"Turn your head back around, Professor."
Professor Garcia forcefully ended the conversation before it could even begin.
Still not understanding the situation, Lee Han asked,
"What's going on?"
"Lee Han. Professor Verdus was looking at you to borrow your mana. Just ignore him."
"Ah."
If there was a student with infinite mana, he could have them assist with this task instead of constantly recovering with artifacts and potions.
Finally comprehending, Lee Han called out,
"Professor."
"Huh?"
"Hang in there."
"......"
Pouting, Professor Verdus returned to his work.
The third method for smelting mana-absorbing metal.
Whiiirrr—
A massive forging hammer connected to a magical apparatus appeared.
In ancient times, to forge metal, craftsmen had to personally enchant hammers to make them pound away.
But modern Empire craftsmen didn't use such primitive methods. They simply used massive magical forging equipment with built-in magical gears and mechanisms—no need to cast spells manually.
Just pull a rope, and the hammer would automatically pound the metal, spewing steam from mana combustion.
"Won't the black magnetite absorb the mana?"
"That's why it's been modified. Look, Lee Han."
Professor Garcia pointed upward.
The magic's role was only to amplify the massive hammer's mass and levitate it to the ceiling.
The moment it was dropped, even if the mana dissipated due to the black magnetite, the force would remain unchanged.
Ah. This time, Lee Han's admiration was different.
Using Small World Magic or accounting for mana absorption were impressive methods in their own right, but this one struck at the heart of ingenuity—something that truly deserved admiration.
'I should've thought of this earlier. Have I been relying too much on magic lately?'
"I've reflected on it, Professor Garcia. We were taught from the very start not to rely excessively on magic, yet I couldn't even think of this method."
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Lee Han. The fact that you're reflecting like this is impressive. It's not easy for a mage to forget about magic."
"Haha. I suppose that's true."
Lee Han and Professor Garcia shared a lighthearted laugh.
Meanwhile, Professor Verdus, sweating profusely as he worked, turned his head, panting.
"Can't I take a short break?"
"No. Finish first, then rest."
"Ugh..."
'He's truly incredible.' Once again, Lee Han sent the most fervent look of admiration this year.
He wanted to become a mage like that!
"Hmm."
Lee Han examined the completed staff as he walked.
Under normal circumstances, he would have preferred to leisurely test and acclimate to the staff over several days, but Einrogard's tight schedule (especially in Lee Han's case) didn't allow for that.
Huff, huff. It's all done. Spare me.
"Are you absolutely sure it's fully completed? If you skipped anything out of laziness, your bones will be the next thing to go."
"I don't cut corners on works I care about! There's not a single flaw!"
"You shouldn't cut corners on works you don't care about either... Fine. Just tell me the precautions."
"Like any powerful new staff, it'll take time to get used to. Could be a few days, could be months. Given how strong and unique both materials were, it'll likely take even longer. You'll need to test it thoroughly in all sorts of ways."
'The Tree Spirit's Authorities were <Authority of Recovery>, <Authority of Life>, and <Authority of Tenacity>, right? Since that King of Fighting Tree Spirits has awakened, there might be more now. It'd be great if I could use <Authority of Cuttings> too.'
Just because Lee Han attended lectures from all schools didn't mean he was learning every single spell equally.
Among the elemental magics, there were relatively less commonly used types, such as earth and wood element spells.
In that regard, the Broad-Eyed King's branch was certainly useful. Even without Lee Han investing separate time, it would give him an advantage when using wood or earth element spells.
'These two elements share a close relationship, so they influence each other. The problem is...' the time Professor Verdus mentioned—how long it would take for the staff to fully attune to its wielder.
Unless it was one of the basic staves provided to freshmen at Einrogard, a staff made with such powerful materials was bound to require some trial and error.
What if, while trying to summon a wooden barrier in front of himself, he accidentally encased himself in a wooden coffin instead? That would be quite troublesome.
'...I should probably practice a few things.'
Shifting his gaze from the Broad-Eyed King's branch, Lee Han looked at the black magnetite.
The ore, emitting a faint glow of mixed black and purple, formed one of the staff's supporting axes in an unusual shape.
Though initially chosen to help control the Broad-Eyed King's branch, this material was no ordinary ore either, so it would undoubtedly have its own influence.
"Water."
With the incantation, a familiar mass of water materialized.
'It's faster now. The magic is stronger too.'
As Lee Han tried to manipulate the water mass, he accidentally focused his mind on the black magnetite part of the staff.
Immediately, the water dispersed into the air.
'Controlling it has become more finicky... but not impossible.'
Another student might have groaned in frustration, but after all the hardships Lee Han had endured, complaining about this now would be pointless.
Entering the <Poison, Bone, Blood> classroom, Lee Han saw Diret sitting there, reading Monthly Black Magic Trends, who raised his hand in greeting.
"You're here, junior?"
"Good afternoon, Senior Diret."
Bowing his head in greeting, Lee Han noticed the various black magic reagents placed at the front of the classroom.
<Giant Monster's Bone> — Skeleton Golem
<Shriveled Toad Skin> — Demon Toad
<Blazing Hungry Ghost's Soul Fragment> — Blazing Hungry Ghost...
Being the sharp junior he was, Lee Han quickly grasped the intention behind the reagents Diret had prepared.
"Is this for undead enhancement?"
"Correct."
Diret smiled faintly, pleased that his efforts in gathering the materials hadn't gone to waste.
Whether practicing ancient orthodox black magic or the Empire's current black magic, no black mage disliked strengthening and evolving their undead summons.
Just as an outstanding polo club player would raise and care for their mount from its foal stage, a black mage would also reinforce their undead summons by adding various enhancements.
'Is this the pop quiz? I should take it seriously.'
Lee Han carefully examined the reagents.
Currently, the skeleton warriors Lee Han commanded were being enhanced either by adding dark element or blood element—both rare and powerful methods—but they still struggled to break free from the limitations of being mere skeleton warriors.
Perhaps it was time to learn how to create new types of undead.
'Skeleton Golem... Hmm. It shares similarities with skeleton warriors, but I'm not sure if I can successfully summon a medium-sized or larger summon for the first time. As for the Demon Toad, was that what Senior Diret summoned when he kidnapped the duke's son last time? Not bad, but I don't know if I have the skill to fully manifest even the muscles yet. Tch. If I pick something too easy, Senior Diret might give me a low score, right?'
"Heh heh. I like this. I like it."
Diret was delighted to see his junior pondering carefully.
Given the recent events and the upcoming pop quiz this week, he had prepared this to give Lee Han a bit of a break—but it seemed to have worked even better than expected.
Who knew he'd enjoy it this much!