Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

Chapter 509

For some reason, it felt like the distance between him and Direth had widened. Yi-Han called out to his senior again.

"Senior?"

"I didn't know you could practice bone explosion magic..."

Dark mages who specialized in training bone elements displayed persistent power in many-to-many combat.

Not only enhancing various undead, but also direct attack and defense.

Especially when it came to bone explosion, they became the dark mages that enemies tried to suppress first.

If it exploded properly even once, the destructive power was truly enormous.

However, where there are advantages, there are also disadvantages.

Even excluding the enormous mana consumption, bone explosion magic was not easy to use.

If it was cast incorrectly at close range, the dark mage could collapse, and if they tried to cast it at maximum range, the difficulty increased exponentially.

The farther the distance, the more the mage's interference ability decreased.

The best method was to cause a bone explosion on summons summoned from the undead realm, but the summons also did not like this kind of self-destruction.

However, this junior solved those constraints with ancient necromancy and enormous mana.

Protecting himself with a water shield and mercilessly exploding the undead was a sight that even fairly skilled dark mages would have a hard time imitating.

...But is it necessary to go this far in the 1st year???

"Ah. Professor Mortum told me to practice bone explosion."

"Hmm... So when he said to practice bone explosion... No."

Direth was about to say, 'Usually, when they say to practice bone explosion, it means to do it carefully in the workshop, not to practice it in real combat in the dungeon,' but she held back for the sake of the junior.

"Bone explosion is the magic that causes the most accidents, and you're combining it with the dark element, so you need to be even more careful."

"Yes. I will always have at least one shield and use it in a way that only the summons self-destruct by keeping as much distance as possible."

Direth's undead summons could be felt trembling in fear through the connection. Direth comforted the undead summons.

-I have no intention of self-destructing you like that, so don't worry.-

"So, you said you want to combine it with the poison element?"

"Yes."

In fact, it was unusual to combine with the rare and difficult-to-handle dark element, but originally, it was common for the bone element to combine with other elements.

Among them, the representative element was the poison element.

The power of the bone element combined with various poisons boasted a brutal force.

"It's an orthodox method. You may not have many types of poison you can use now, but it won't hurt to practice in advance."

Direth forgot the thought she just had and naturally started talking about magic again.

"Instead, there are a few things to keep in mind when utilizing the poison element. You have to reduce the power of the bone explosion magic much more... Reduce it once. No. You need to reduce it more. Again! No, why can't you reduce the power? That's the easiest part!"

—

Direth, who had swept Professor Verduus's wooden dummy dungeon with the junior, returned to the Darkness Chamber.

Professor Mortum, who had finished the lecture first, was assembling parts of a flesh golem, and when Direth returned, he threw a question.

"Ahem. You came back later than I thought. Was there a problem in the blood-sucking weasel dungeon?"

"Ah. No. We went to the wooden dummy dungeon and practiced necromancy combined with the dark element."

"...?"

Professor Mortum thought for a long time and asked as if he couldn't understand.

"Ahem, I just told him to make a cursed doll, so did you need to teach him so harshly? Did Wardanaz offend you?"

"What? No! What... Huh?"

Direth was startled and tried to deny it, but when she thought about it carefully, it was definitely strange.

Uh...

Huh??

'Why did I do that??'

—

Gainando was excited for no reason when he saw Yi-Han's mood looking good for the first time in a while.

Usually, he would startle Gainando by muttering with a face worn out by fatigue, 'I wish Einroguard and the professors would disappear together into that lake,' but today, he was stirring the pot with a bright face.

"Did something happen today?"

"Ah. Gainando. I succeeded in controlling multiple undead."

"..."

Gainando frowned and looked at Yi-Han.

He didn't know he would be so happy for that reason.

"Controlling undead isn't something to be that happy about..."

"Gainando. Don't you know what it means for a dark mage to be able to control multiple undead?"

Unlike other mages who always had to have a vanguard to protect them, dark mages skilled in undead summoning had no problem going alone.

That meant they could go alone and receive missions without having to share the reward with other adventurers.

"Ugh... But it's lonely."

"Gainando. Magic is originally lonely."

"And the professor said that if a dark mage goes around alone with many undead, they'll get reported."

"..."

When Gainando poked a sore spot, Yi-Han hesitated.

It was a rather plausible point.

'I'll have to summon them after entering a dungeon when I'm outside.'

Inside Einroguard, even if he summoned undead and walked around with them, the reaction would be 'He must be a dark magic school student,' but if he did that outside, there was a high possibility of a reaction like 'Aaah! Guards! Guards!!'

"Then can you give me one chocolate?"

"No. Don't fill your stomach with snacks before a meal."

Yi-Han firmly refused. Gainando grumbled and went to sit at the dining table.

Students were already gathering near the long wooden table placed in front of the Immortal Phoenix Tower.

Not only the Immortal Phoenix Tower priests but also friends from the Blue Dragon Tower, and a few students from the Black Tortoise Tower and the White Tiger Tower...?

"Why are you here?"

Yi-Han asked in surprise.

They ate together during the flood, but the flood was over, so why?

"Hmph. Wardanaz."

"?"

A White Tiger Tower student approached with a frown.

And he put a rare piece of luminous spirit ink in Yi-Han's hand as a bribe.

"Please take care of us."

"...O-Okay."

The White Tiger Tower students winked and sat down. Yi-Han put the received bribe in his pocket, but he was dumbfounded.

'What are those guys doing?'

"Wardanaz. Please take care of us too."

"No. You can eat at your own tower. Today's meal isn't even a special one."

"It's not tasty..."

"..."

The Black Tortoise Tower students' voices were filled with sincerity.

To the extent that even the cold-hearted Yi-Han was overwhelmed.

"O-Okay. Sit down."

What he said earlier was not an empty promise. He had prepared today's dinner quite simply.

It was just a stew made by roughly chopping leftover vegetables and chicken and boiling it for a long time, buttered toast, skewered roasted birds caught by the priests, and rice balls...

Slurp slurp!

"Hey. Someone go to the White Tiger Tower and report this."

"I'll go and come back."

The Blue Dragon Tower students were horrified by the sight of the White Tiger Tower students eating like they were possessed.

Yi-Han focused on his meal regardless of what they did. There was a lot to do even after today's meal.

"Wardanaz. Wardanaz."

"Oh. Nillia."

Yi-Han turned his gaze at Nillia's call.

Nillia, who had been eating skewered roasted meat with her hands until just now, was now eating the meat separately with a knife and fork.

"Why aren't you eating with your hands?"

"What are you talking about? I always ate like this?"

Looking to the side, all the Blue Dragon Tower students were using knives and forks.

"Just with your hands..."

"That's not what's important right now. Did you hear the rumor?"

"What rumor?"

"The professor is preparing a realm gate. So that we can make contracts with even stronger summons than last time."

"!"

It was a welcome rumor.

Even if they gathered only the most outstanding talents in the Empire, the 1st-year students still had many shortcomings.

The best way to fill those shortcomings was indeed with summons.

"That's great. If I can make a contract with stronger undead..."

"Huh? No... It was about spirits..."

Nillia said hesitantly.

She had heard rumors that Professor Millei was preparing a new spirit realm connection for the 1st-year students taking summoning magic, but she had never heard of an undead realm.

"They're not opening the undead realm?"

"I think I only heard about spirits."

Nillia glanced at Yi-Han.

"They'll probably open the undead realm too. They opened it last time."

"Th-That's right! Of course!"

Nillia agreed with Yi-Han's words and prayed earnestly in her heart.

Please let Professor Millei have prepared the undead realm too!

—

"I recently found a decent spirit realm that can be contacted. I checked and found that even students can safely wander around it."

Professor Millei looked around at the students with an unwavering, upright posture and spoke.

Yi-Han raised his hand and asked.

"Professor. I have a question."

"What is your question?"

"By any chance, the undead realm too...?"

"There is no undead realm this time."

"..."

Disappointment was etched on Yi-Han's face. Nillia, who was next to him, whispered anxiously.

"You don't necessarily have to make a contract with undead, right? You can also make a contract with spirits!"

"Yeah, well... I might also discover a treasure vault with gold piled up like a mountain on the roadside and become the Empire's richest person."

"..."

While Nillia was at a loss for words, Professor Millei looked at Yi-Han and said.

"Yi-Han. It's prejudice to hastily conclude that you can't make a contract with spirits. Of course, the nature of spirits is generally to avoid beings with a lot of mana, but there are also spirits with unique characteristics."

Yi-Han, who had regained some energy at the professor's words, asked again.

"Then if I keep searching the spirit realm without giving up, can I find a decent spirit?"

"Sometimes giving up is also important. Yi-Han. You need to know when to give up even if you can't find one."

"..."

"..."

At Professor Millei's honest truth, Yi-Han looked at Nillia again. Nillia hurriedly buried her head on the desk and pretended to read a book.

"The spirits that can be found in the spirit realm are as follows..."

—

The students who had finished their preparations were passing through the magic circle one by one into the spirit realm, and finally, it was Yi-Han's turn.

Nillia, who was behind him, asked carefully.

"Shall we go in together?"

"It's fine. If we go together, you won't be able to meet one either."

"..."

Nillia couldn't refute right away because she was actually worried about that too.

'She was inwardly worried that I might accept while asking!'

Seeing Nillia, who couldn't manage her expression, it was clear that she was worried, 'What if he accepts?' while asking.

"I'm going in first. See you later."

Yi-Han stopped tormenting Nillia and stepped towards the magic circle.

It was unfortunate that he couldn't achieve results in the lecture, but it was not like he could get perfect grades in all lectures, was it?

Of course, since he had to make up for the loss he saw in today's lecture in other lectures, he would have to study even more fiercely, but Yi-Han had accepted it.

'Today, I should just empty my mind and wander around.'

Pop!

The sensation of the soul moving to another realm with a feeling of floating.

The smell of salty seawater rushed in with a wide open sea and nothing else. It was as if he had been dropped alone on a remote island.

'Sea or water, marine-type monsters?'

The environment was the most primary clue given to mages trying to communicate with beings from other realms.

Experienced and knowledgeable summoning mages could even guess the name of the spirit just by looking at the surrounding environment.

Splash!

A spirit that looked like a dolphin poked its head out of the water's surface in the distance.

Yi-Han greeted cautiously.

"Hello. Mr. Dolphin?"

Instead of answering, the dolphin went under the surface and did not come out again.

"..."

Yi-Han became bitter.

'Should I just try to catch it by force?'

There was nothing more dangerous and reckless than competing with spirits by force in the spirit realm, but it seemed better than aimlessly talking like this...

Paaah-

"?"

The pattern Yi-Han had received from Upinum when he stopped the spirit flood began to glow.

At the same time, the sea in front of him parted to the sides like a low tide, revealing a sea path.

It was like a signal to come in.

'The spirit is repaying the favor!'

Yi-Han felt overwhelming emotion.

As expected, even a lowly creature repays favors, so for a great spirit like Upinum...!

—

Professor Millei, who was sitting in a chair, frowned when she saw the magic circle rippling.

Since it was a magic circle that protected students with complex techniques and blessings, the rippling could not be a good sign.

'What?'

When she checked, one of the students was leaving the area protected by the magic circle and entering the outer area.

'It's Yi-Han.'

Although she hadn't confirmed who it was yet, Professor Millei immediately identified the culprit.

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