Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 1048

Lee Han finished putting things away and turned to the strange entrance. “Right,” he said. “Let’s start by asking – why is *this* here?”

Jo-Woo-Rin looked confused and tilted her head. “Huh?”

“Dungeon entrances,” Lee Han explained, “aren’t exactly normal in houses, are they?”

“Really?” Jo-Woo-Rin was truly surprised by Lee Han’s words. She thought dungeons were just part of having a dragon home. She thought most dragons had one or two.

Lee Han thought, “I still have so much to learn about dragons.”

“How astonishing.”

The baby basilisk wagged its tail, thinking, “Master should be used to this by now!”

Jo-Woo-Rin began to explain excitedly that other dragons put a lot of effort into making their dungeons.

She said that these dungeons, whether made naturally or by dragons, were scary and exciting places for adventurers in the Empire.

Adventurers were scared because they didn’t know what dangers might be hiding in a strange place. They were excited because they didn’t know what rewards they might find if they were brave enough to go inside.

But dragons thought about it differently, in a practical way.

They managed their dungeons like taking care of a garden in their homes.

They added magic to make the air thicker, cast spells to help the air flow, put in rare monster eggs, and placed weapons.

It was like how students at Einroguard made secret gardens to grow their own food. Dragons did something similar, but with dungeons!

Jo-Woo-Rin had been working on this dungeon secretly from Gonadal-tes. Other dragons had helped her when they visited.

“Secretly from the skeletal headmaster, with help from other dragons.” Both of those things sounded a bit worrying to Lee Han. He asked carefully,

“Have you ever been down there?”

She had left it untouched so they could go together when Lee Han and his friends arrived! Jo-Woo-Rin looked like she was offering her friends a special treat.

Of course, Lee Han didn’t think the snack looked very good. He already felt quite full.

“Hmm. Now that I think about it, the other dragons probably wouldn’t have made it too dangerous.”

The fact that it was made in secret from the skeletal headmaster was still a bit unsettling, but dragons were very good at making these kinds of dungeons.

Jo-Woo-Rin might go in at any time, so they wouldn’t have filled it with dangerous things.

Lee Han glanced to the side and saw that Ean-dur-de’s eyes were sparkling. He didn’t think he’d ever seen them shine so brightly.

“A dungeon…!”

Lee Han already knew that most of them wanted to go in. Two out of the four wanted to go.

“But this is exactly when I need to be careful,” Lee Han thought.

As the leader of the Scale Adventuring Party, Lee Han had to stay focused to keep everyone safe.

“What’s inside the dungeon?”

She hadn’t asked about such things.

“Anything dangerous, or any warnings not to enter, anything like that?”

Jo-Woo-Rin shook her head quickly.

“Hmm. Is it really okay…”

Lee Han kept asking questions and thinking about the situation. He started to feel a little more confident.

If none of the dragons had warned them or told them not to go in, it probably wasn’t too dangerous.

Jo-Woo-Rin had said she hadn’t added anything strange, only used magic…

“Then, Your Highness, just one more question.”

“Yes, yes! Ask me anything!”

“Why is this my gift?”

“Um… Because Lee Han likes danger?” Jo-Woo-Rin tilted her head, repeating what she had heard from the skeletal headmaster.

To be exact, it seemed to be something like ‘dying to die,’ but that seemed a bit rude, so she didn’t say it.

“Indeed.”

Lee Han knew who had said that without needing to ask.

Next time he saw the Emperor, he would have to ask for revenge!

“I hope there are ghouls or frost giants.”

“…Don’t say such creepy things, Ean-dur-de.”

Lee Han had gone down into the dungeon entrance (Jo-Woo-Rin had gone down first and made sure their landing was soft). He was horrified and spoke to Ean-dur-de.

Seeing frost giants, a race from another world, would not be a good thing.

Especially since there was a strange rumor going around among the frost giants that Lee Han was ‘a wizard recognized by the king.’

-Isn’t that true?

“Isn’t it past your bedtime? Go to sleep quickly. You won’t grow if you don’t sleep.”

-……

The baby basilisk felt very sad.

It had just asked a question!

“Let there be light.”

Lee Han cast a spell.

Since it was a dungeon made by dragons, the passage was wide enough for Jo-Woo-Rin to roll around in, but it was very dim.

It was probably dim for the plants and animals growing in the dungeon, but Lee Han made the light much brighter in case Jo-Woo-Rin tripped over a rock.

Lee Han raised his hand and a ball of light, as bright as the midday sun, sprang into existence. It floated above them, casting long shadows down the passage and revealing the rough-hewn walls.

Ean-dur-de looked puzzled at the enormous sphere of light floating in the air.

No matter how he looked at it, it was much bigger and more powerful than the [Light Creation] magic that he and his friends used.

It was more than just casting a normal spell with more power.

“How is this…?”

“Ah. I changed the spell. You don’t need to try to copy it. It’s not a very useful method anyway,” Lee Han said.

Lee Han was using what he had learned while trying to cut the chains before entering the dungeon on other spells too.

Lee Han thought of a name for his new spell: [Wodanaz’s Light Creation].

Ean-dur-de stared blankly at his senior, who spoke so casually about changing and creating new spells. It looked like they were going into the dungeon after all.

Ehandurde stared at Lee Han. His eyes were wide with surprise and respect.

“Doesn’t this passage seem strange?” Lee Han asked, turning his head slightly. Jo-Olin, the large Gold Dragon, walked slowly behind him. She tilted her golden head, as if asking, “What’s strange about it?”

“Lee Han is always like this, isn’t he?” Ehandurde whispered, still looking at Lee Han with admiration.

“Y-yes,” Jo-Olin replied, her voice a low rumble.

Ehandurde wished another wizard was here. He felt amazed and wanted to talk about it with someone who understood magic.

“Hold on.”

Thanks to the bright light, they could see far ahead. Lee Han’s face grew serious as he looked forward.

“Something’s not right.”

“!”

Ehandurde realized why Lee Han had stopped and become cautious. He felt uneasy about the passage ahead.

One part of the passage was a natural, rough cave. Then, it changed into a smooth tunnel carved from granite.

Anyone would find this strange: one part of the passage was a rough, natural cave, and then it changed to a smooth, carved tunnel. Ehandurde said, his voice full of excitement.

“Maybe monsters destroyed it!”

“Indeed!” Jo-Olin chimed in, equally thrilled.

If monsters had destroyed it, the uneven passages would make sense.

‘Are there even monsters like that?’ Lee Han wondered.

Living in Einrogard meant you learned about monsters. Especially for Lee Han, who knew he would face monsters, learning about them was important for survival.

He couldn’t think of any monster that would destroy passages so neatly, as if using a ruler.

“Everyone, stay here. I’ll go check it out.”

Lee Han used a spell to sense danger and looked at his spinning crystal top as he walked.

He couldn’t see any danger nearby, but he wanted to be careful.

“!”

Lee Han, exploring the passage, saw writing on the wall and his eyes widened.

Could it be a clue about the strange passage?

Uman wrote: ‘I paved this path. Aunina, our sister might trip if it’s rough. Stop making a mess! Paving is better for the dungeon!’

Aunina wrote: ‘I fixed what Uman did. The dungeon should be natural! Our sister will like this better!’

“……”

Lee Han was a little surprised and felt silly for being so serious.

‘What the…’ Reading the writing, it seemed two dragons were arguing about how to decorate the passage.

Uman, a dragon Lee Han knew, liked paving. Aunina, a dragon he didn’t know, didn’t like paving…

“Look there! Lee Han has clearly guessed what it is!” From behind, Jo-Olin’s excited voice whispered to another member of the Scale Adventurer Party.

She seemed excited about what kind of monster would appear.

“…I’ve figured out what it is.” Lee Han quickly covered the writing with magic and said, “It’s a monster called Donaniga. It appears sometimes and messes up the passages.”

“Indeed!”

“I’ve never heard of it!”

“That’s because it’s a very rare monster. You’ll hardly ever see it. Now, let’s move forward carefully.” Lee Han lied, avoiding their eyes.

He didn’t want to tell Jo-Olin and Ehandurde the truth because they were so excited about the dungeon being dangerous.

“There! Look there, Lee Han!” Jo-Olin hugged Lee Han tightly and shook him. If Jo-Olin hugged a normal person like that, they would fall over. But Lee Han was used to her strength, so he was ready.

He didn’t move.

“What’s that…?”

There was a side path leading off the passage. At the end of the path, in a circular clearing, a sword was stuck in a rock.

Jo-Olin and Ehandurde were excited, but Lee Han stayed calm.

‘Wait… this dungeon was made by dragons.’

In a normal dungeon, a sword in a rock might be a magical treasure. But this dungeon was made by dragons, so it was probably something else.

Could they have built it on top of another dungeon?

“Hold on. I’ll go check it out.” Lee Han walked carefully, checking for writing like before.

Uman wrote: ‘I got this Kinnara’s Sword and put it here. It needs to absorb more magic from the dungeon, so don’t touch it.’

“……”

“Why? What is it?”

“The trap here is too dangerous. I don’t think we should go near it yet.”

!!!

Jo-Olin’s eyes widened.

“I didn’t know there was such a dangerous trap!”

“The… the dungeon seems much more dangerous than I thought…!”

“Ah. Would you like to turn back, then?” Lee Han’s face lit up.

Lee Han had been feeling it since they arrived.

To be exact, this wasn’t a dungeon, but…

‘It’s a treasure vault for Jo-Olin!’

It was like a special garden that other dragons made for Jo-Olin for when she grew up. The treasure sword was being used that way… So, there was no point in Lee Han’s group taking it out first. It needed more time.

However, Jo-Olin shook her head.

Jo-Olin trusted Lee Han. And Ehandurde too.

“…!”

Ehandurde turned his head quickly. You couldn’t see his face, but it was clear he was touched.

-…What about me?

“B-Basil, of course I trust you too!” Jo-Olin quickly added, flustered. Luckily, the baby basilisk grinned and was fooled.

“…Understood. Then let’s go further in.”

“Lee Han! There’s a treasure chest over there!”

“Oh dear. I think that’s a trap that will kill you instantly if you touch it.”

?!

“There’s such a thing?!”

“Oh.”