Episode 969
Episode 969
The Yaksha King paid no heed to Lee Han's words.
Because it was only natural.
'Not difficult. Os's disciple. If the world has called you, then it's as clear as day.'
"Which...?"
As I said, it's clear as day. Judging by your level, it must be the initiation into a Small World. Considering the master-disciple relationship... Os's Small World would be most suitable.
"This seems excessive. Wouldn't something simpler be better?"
As he spoke, Lee Han felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Why did it feel like he'd had this conversation before?
'Os's disciple. I have lived through ages so distant that even memory fails me, encountered countless mages, and listened to the secrets of their magic. For you to so recklessly doubt my wisdom... Though skepticism is a natural emotion, one must also learn to control it.'
"......"
"I remember now."
What exactly did he remember?
"Isn't this the same nonsense you spouted when you tricked me into that Guest Star contract?!"
Lee Han gritted his teeth, struggling to suppress his boiling anger.
No wonder it felt familiar—he'd been duped before.
Back then, the Yaksha King had lured him with promises of helping in exams, only to push him into an unrelated contract with a star.
The more he thought about it, the more he suspected that the countless hardships and trials he'd endured since then were all because of that damn star contract.
That damned Guest Star or whatever...!
But the Yaksha King, true to his title as a king, was shamelessly brazen. Without so much as a change in expression, he blinked his golden eyes and spoke.
'Os's disciple. Judging the matter in such a way is exceedingly foolish. From a higher vantage, even an outstretched finger is but a mere speck. Thus...'
'You're really, disgustingly shameless.'
The Yaksha King attempted to persuade him, explaining that the true meaning of worldly affairs cannot be grasped by short-sighted judgment.
For example, imagine a boy trying to cross a river to reach the neighboring village.
Due to a flood, the bridge would soon collapse, and the boy would have been swept away.
Knowing the future, the Yaksha King transformed into a rat, stole the boy's belongings, and fled.
Of course, the boy was furious at the theft, but later, upon seeing the bridge washed away, he belatedly realized his fortune.
"......"
Naturally, Lee Han wasn't convinced.
The majestic presence the Yaksha King had when they first met had long since vanished. Now, he had descended to a level barely above Professor Verdus.
"So you're saying my contract with the star might have been preparation for a future trial?"
'Finally, you're showing a bit of wisdom.'
'If I fight, I'll lose, won't I?'
Lee Han scanned his surroundings.
No matter how he looked at it, picking a fight in the opponent's palace seemed like a losing battle.
'And Os's disciple. Think carefully. Suppose the king's prediction was wrong. Would that mean all subsequent predictions must also be wrong?'
"...That's not the case, but..."
'Do you have any alternative theories about the magic you must learn now?'
"No."
'Then there's no reason to disparage the king's predictions, is there?'
Lee Han fell silent.
If there was anything more infuriating than Professor Verdus, it was when Professor Verdus was actually right.
The Yaksha King wasn't much different.
A Small World was magic on an entirely different level from anything Lee Han had learned so far.
And if it was the Skeleton Principal's Small World, that was even more true.
The presence of a transcendent being like the Yaksha King, who could offer guidance, was invaluable.
It would be foolish to act rudely and throw away potential help.
"...I wish to receive your instruction."
Praying he wouldn't wake from this dream before then, Lee Han made his request.
For an ordinary mage, mastering a single Small World would mark the end of their progress.
The Yaksha King sat Lee Han down and began his lecture on magic.
'Unlike a Unique World, a Small World can be passed down from master to disciple—yet few achieve it. Why do you think that is, Os's disciple?'
"Presumably because complete comprehension and mastery are difficult."
Compared to a Unique World, a Small World may have a narrower scope and less stringent qualifications, but it was still an esoteric art that altered the laws of the world.
Fundamentally, its principles differed from magic that merely utilized the world's laws.
Though Lee Han hadn't fully grasped its meaning at first, he now understood to some extent.
Just as certain spells couldn't be cast through mere memorization and training, Small World magic belonged to that category.
A single world—
In other words, one could only cast it by fully comprehending and accepting the true intent of the mage who created that Small World.
A mage couldn't forcibly cast a Small World that didn't align with themselves. If there were a Small World like Splurge All the Gold Coins, Lee Han would likely struggle to master it in his lifetime.
Indeed, Small Worlds passed down from master to disciple had a higher likelihood of success.
After all, masters and disciples tended to share similar ways of thinking, making the transfer more feasible.
"It's unfortunate. My way of thinking might differ too much from yours, Master, so it could be difficult."
The Yaksha King ignored Lee Han's words as if dismissing the barking of a dog.
In the eyes of the King, who had lived through countless ages and met innumerable mages, Os possessed the qualities of a celestial being. That was why he had been able to inherit and create so many Small Worlds.
Os's disciple. First, tell me of the Small Worlds you have witnessed.
"Hmm."
Lee Han slowly sank into thought.
First, there was Small World Dendrobium and Small World Basilios.
The powerful Small World magic the Black Book had (forcibly) cast to show him.
These two spells, represented by a colossal tree and a simple crown respectively, were still not fully understood by him.
Dendrobium seemed to change its laws based on the color of the flowers blooming at the ends of its branches, while Basilios likely had additional prerequisites...
"And Small World Hidor. I saw it in the past. It wiped out demons with just a single droplet of water."
Hidor is difficult for you to master now, Os's disciple.
"...No, I wasn't saying I want to learn it right now..."
It's not impossible. Didn't you create the Thunder Spear of Demon Annihilation to destroy the Profaner? Hidor is also a Small World completed under similar principles. Though it compresses a far more advanced concept.
"...How on earth do you know that?!"
Lee Han was stunned.
The fact that Small World Hidor shared principles with the Thunder Spear of Demon Annihilation wasn't that surprising.
After all, to destroy all enemies with a single droplet of water, it would naturally converge toward the pinnacle of elemental magic.
But the fact that the Yaksha King here was aware of the fierce battle that had taken place in Granden City was truly shocking.
'Is Lord Alsicle a spy??'
Os's disciple. Do not forget that rumors travel unexpectedly fast across dimensions. The Undead Realm is in an uproar over the Profaner's humiliation.
"......"
Just as the Empire's mages kept tabs on powerful beings from other dimensions, entities from other dimensions also took note of exceptional mages on the continent.
After the previous battle, the denizens of the Undead Realm had taken considerable interest in a mage named Lee Han.
'I'll just pretend I didn't hear that.'
Lee Han swiftly denied reality. He already had too much to worry about—this was the least of his concerns.
"And Dynamis... What exactly is this Dynamis? You told me to mention it last time, so I did."
Back when the Crazy Doppelganger had truly gone mad, the Yaksha King had advised Lee Han to mimic his words verbatim: "Having glimpsed new possibilities within the vision of Dynamis, I shall invoke Despotis."
Though skeptical, Lee Han had followed the instruction—and the effect had been astonishing. The formidable Crazy Doppelganger had carelessly rushed out, only to be ambushed.
Dynamis is dangerous for you to learn now, Os's disciple.
"......"
Lee Han made a conflicted expression.
Unlike the Yaksha King, Lee Han had already mentioned Dynamis to the Crazy Doppelganger.
Of course, it might have been overlooked since it was an emergency situation at the time, but what if the doppelganger later asked, 'How's that Dynamis coming along?'...
"Then the remaining ones are Dendrobium and Basilios, right?"
And among those, it would probably be Basilios. Dendrobium requires royal saplings, so it's not something Os's disciple can master right away.
Lee Han nodded obediently.
It wasn't particularly surprising that certain conditions were needed to learn a spell.
"What do I need to do to begin learning Basilios?"
Think about it intuitively. Basilios is a crown. To wear a crown, one must be worthy.
"Are you referring to the bloodline of an ancient kingdom?"
At the mage's question, the Yaksha King made a regretful expression.
For earthly kingdoms, perhaps. But Os's disciple. Do you really think a mage's crown could be so materialistic? The celestial kingdom does not grant crowns based on bloodline. Think harder.
"?"
Lee Han, deep in thought, tilted his head in confusion.
"You're not going to tell me more?"
Os's disciple. If a king were to explain it, it would only harm you... 'Wait. What kind of nonsense is this?' Lee Han was dumbfounded.
The only reason he had patiently endured the long-winded explanation so far was because the Yaksha King was an extraordinary being with formidable abilities.
Naturally, he had expected detailed guidance—which Small Worlds were best to start with and the step-by-step methods to enter them. But suddenly being told to figure it out himself?
"If I could have done that on my own, I would've already entered one by now."
Precisely. Now do you understand why the world called you? It summoned you because you are capable of entering on your own.
"......"
Who would've thought he'd ever miss the Enchantment Magic seniors from his academy days.
Lee Han shuddered and stood up. If he didn't walk around to clear his thoughts and shift his mood, he might not be able to endure this.
When he cast his gaze into the distance, the vast and unfathomable expanse of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas unfolded before his eyes—so immense it defied comparison to the continent.
The terrain, where light and darkness shifted moment by moment, transformed like mist thinning or ice melting away.
And below the palace, there was a valley with a forest. Upon closer inspection, the trees and grass were entirely made of blades and steel, their leaves drenched in blood.
That gruesome sight could only be summed up in one word:
Mountain of Knives and Forest of Swords.
"What is that place?"
Hmm. A forest where sinners are imprisoned.
"They have something like that here too?"
It's not common. Os's disciple. Normally, we don't imprison sinners. But those ones are... special.
The Yaksha King laughed heartily as he explained.
Long ago, when Os first arrived in this dimension, the Yaksha King had witnessed the mage's ascetic training firsthand.
The followers who gathered at that time were precisely those imprisoned there.
Drifters and ruffians who had flocked beneath him, expecting the birth of a new powerhouse, a new king.
"...Wait, so you imprisoned them just because they followed the Headmaster?!"
Os's disciple. You do have quite the imagination at times. I imprisoned them because they betrayed Os.
"Ah."
In his youth, the Skeleton Principal had roamed every corner of this dimension, seeking esoteric secrets.
Given how often he was attacked and deceived during that journey, it couldn't have been easy.
Naturally, it wasn't surprising that some among his gathered followers would desert or betray him.
"I see."
Lee Han lost interest and refocused on his thoughts.
What exactly was the qualification for Basilios...?
Os's disciple. Don't you find those traitors despicable?
"Huh? Why bring that up now...?"
Lee Han was baffled by the sudden question.
If the betrayal had truly been so full of resentment, wouldn't the Skeleton Principal have come to drag them back to Einrogard himself?
There was no reason for Lee Han to hate people who were already suffering enough.
Good start. That's exactly the right direction.
"......"
Lee Han only grew more confused.
Good start?
Was this a hint that he should avoid anything related to the Skeleton Principal at all costs? 'Isn't it already too late for that?'