Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 113

The students from Black Tortoise Tower looked completely confused. Even Salco, usually so confident and quick-witted, stared blankly.

He was sure Wodanaz would be thrilled with a forbidden book of black magic.

“Wait… why *aren’t* you happy, Wodanaz?” one student mumbled, scratching his head.

“Maybe…” another student whispered nervously, “maybe he already knows all about black magic? Or… or maybe it’s too *basic* for him?”

The Black Tortoise students exchanged worried glances, trying to figure out what they had done wrong.

Ethan watched them, a frown forming on his face.

‘Those White Tiger Tower students are going to pay for spreading these silly stories,’ he thought angrily. ‘I should lock them all in detention myself.’

These false rumors were making the magic school sound ridiculous.

“Where did you even find that book?” Ethan asked, his curiosity growing.

He knew the Black Tortoise students were always looking for interesting things, but he never expected them to find a book of black magic that seemed to *hum* with dark energy, as if whispering curses.

“We found it in the bottomless pit area on the fourth floor of the library,” one student explained.

‘Bottomless pit area… just the name makes my skin crawl,’ Ethan thought.

The magic school library was definitely not a quiet place of study. The lower floors, maybe, were filled with dusty shelves and students whispering, but the upper floors were different. They were like forgotten dungeons, twisting mazes of bookshelves that seemed to stretch into darkness. A “bottomless pit area”… it sounded like a place where books went to disappear forever, or worse.

“But why the library?” Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow. “Of all places to look for something…”

“We’re making a map of the entire school,” another student said proudly. “A *real* map. Imagine how useful that would be! Secret passages, hidden rooms… we could find anything!”

“Oh,” Ethan said, a little surprised.

He was actually impressed. While the Blue Dragon Tower students were probably still in their common room, lounging around, playing games, and complaining about dinner, the Black Tortoise students were doing something genuinely useful.

‘I almost wish I could trade my entire tower for these guys,’ Ethan thought.

“We were looking for a book with a map of the school when we found it, but it’s a shame it’s not up to your standards,” one of the students said.

Ethan gave up trying to clear up the misunderstanding. There was no point in saying anything; they wouldn’t believe him anyway.

“Wodanaz, please,” one Black Tortoise student pleaded, his voice full of disappointment. “Could you just… *look* at it? We went through so much trouble to find it!”

Ethan usually would have at least glanced at any book, but…

“Didn’t that thing *hiss* when I opened the box?” Ethan asked, remembering the strange feeling. “Like it was cursed?”

A cursed book was different. He wasn’t going to risk a curse for a random book.

“But… you’re Wodanaz,” another student said, his eyes wide. “Surely *you* can handle a little curse, right?”

Ethan stared at him, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes. ‘Are they serious? Or are they trying to get rid of me?’

“Sorry,” Ethan said, shaking his head. “Even I have limits.”

“Oh,” the students mumbled, their faces falling. They had really hoped Wodanaz would be different. They knew they couldn’t touch it for long, but they thought *he* would be immune.

“How do you even *get rid* of a magic absorption curse?” one student asked worriedly.

“We can’t,” another sighed. “Not with what we know. Maybe a professor could help…”

“And you think a professor would just ignore a *cursed book*?” a third student scoffed.

“Wait,” Ethan interrupted, who had been listening to their hushed talk. “What kind of curse did you say it was?”

“A magic absorption curse,” the first student repeated. “This book… it sucks magic right out of you.”

He pointed to the book with its cover the color of dried blood. “Just being near it makes you feel weak. Some of us felt so drained, we almost fainted after trying to open it.”

A strange curiosity flickered in Ethan’s eyes. “…Give it here,” he said, reaching for the box. “I’ll take a look.”

“Of course, Wodanaz!” one student exclaimed. “We knew you were the only one who could!”

“We don’t like people who hide their talents,” another added, puffing out his chest.

Ethan ignored their slightly ridiculous praise and carefully opened the box again. As he did, he could almost *feel* a faint pull, a strange tingling sensation as if something was trying to draw energy from him. He glanced at the blood-red book.

But then… nothing. He felt perfectly normal.

‘Just as I thought,’ he thought to himself. If the magic-absorbing bracelet and belt he wore every day didn’t stop this curse, why would this book be any different? He wasn’t surprised at all.

>About Basic Blood Magic and Its Applications< *The most powerful magic often requires the most powerful ingredients. And what ingredient is more potent, more ancient, than a wizard's own blood? Blood magic is the art of using this life force to fuel spells of incredible power, spells that would be impossible otherwise. But be warned: blood magic is dangerous. For young wizards, the risks are immense. Even with the utmost care, survival is far from guaranteed...* Ethan blinked, surprised. This wasn't a black magic book at all. It was about *blood magic*. Both sounded dark and forbidden, but they were different. Black magic was a recognized, though unpopular, branch of magic. Blood magic was something else entirely – a secret, dangerous art used to boost magic power. Very dangerous, but still... a technique. But that wasn't the only thing that surprised him. The *font* of the title... it was the same font as his book on lightning magic from Professor Volardi! 'Wait a minute,' Ethan thought, comparing the titles in his mind. 'About Basic Lightning Elemental Magic... About Basic Blood Magic... They're almost the same! Did Professor Volardi write this too? No, Professor Volardi is too brief. Who wrote these books?' "So?" one of the Black Tortoise students asked, holding his breath. "Is it... interesting?" They all watched Ethan with hopeful eyes. "It's... not bad," Ethan admitted, turning a page. "!" The students practically beamed. "We knew it! Wodanaz would love a black magic book!" Ethan just rolled his eyes inwardly. 'They still don't get it.' He wasn't interested in blood magic itself. He already had plenty of magic power. Why would he need to use blood to make it stronger? But then he read further: *'This book also reveals spells that are normally too powerful to cast, spells that require so much magic they are almost forgotten. But with blood magic, these lost spells can be unleashed...'* Ethan's eyes widened slightly. Lost spells? Spells that needed *huge* amounts of power? Most wizards avoided magic like that. It was too draining, too difficult to control. But Ethan... Ethan had never had trouble with *power*. Control was sometimes the issue. 'Maybe,' he thought, a new idea sparking in his mind, 'maybe spells that need a lot of power are exactly what I need.' Spells like that might be simpler, less about finesse and more about raw magical force. And that... that was something he understood. "Alright. I’ll come with you," Ethan said, putting the book in his arms. The Black Tortoise Tower students were inwardly amazed at the sight of him putting the cursed book in his arms as if it were nothing. 'Was the rumour that they train by getting hit by curses from a young age true?' one of the students wondered. "But there are a few more conditions," Ethan added. "Tell me. I’ll listen if it’s something I can do," Salco replied. "I’m also exploring the school, and I need the help of experienced… friends." "Wait, Wodanaz," Salco interrupted his companion’s question and stepped in. "Don’t you have Blue Dragon Tower students? Is our help really necessary?" Ethan was dumbfounded. 'Well, that’s because their skills can’t be compared…' he thought. Black Tortoise Tower students who had toughened up with all sorts of activities outside vs. Blue Dragon Tower students who had spent their entire lives ordering servants around! No matter how he thought about it, the former was bound to be smarter, but he couldn’t say that, considering his friends’ pride. "It could be dangerous," Ethan said. At Ethan’s words, Salco nodded as if he knew it all along. "You’re not calling your friends because it could cause problems later. I respect that." If you were caught wandering around the school at night, you would be sent to the detention room. Wodanaz knew that, so he wasn’t calling his Blue Dragon Tower friends. 'That’s not it,' Ethan thought. "I’ll help you if you need help exploring," Ethan said. "Secondly, I want to share the information on the map you’re making." After hesitating, Salco nodded. He was reluctant to give the map information to another tower student, but Wodanaz was someone who deserved to share the map information, and the most important thing right now was to treat Priest Muhadin well. "Lastly…" Ethan hesitated slightly, and the Black Tortoise Tower students also became nervous. They wondered what kind of request the boy from the Wodanaz family was going to make that he was hesitating so much. "…I’ll also take a share of the ingredients I find in the kitchen." He hesitated this much just to say that?? As evening approached, the students gathered in front of the main building. Everyone here had roamed the school at night more than once, thanks to that, they were relaxed in everything from their attire to their movements. "I look forward to working with you, Lord Wodanaz," Ratford, greeted Ethan happily. There was no way the Black Tortoise Tower students wouldn’t call Ratford for something like this. Ethan, who was also greeting him happily, paused. "Didn’t Nilia come?" "Because I didn’t call her?" Ratford looked at Ethan as if he was talking nonsense. Ethan thought he would have to explain later. "Let’s go," Ethan said. He didn’t want to inflate the Black Tortoise Tower students’ fantasies any further, but Ethan and Ratford were the only ones here who had been to the underground kitchen. Naturally, Ethan ended up explaining. Even the Black Tortoise Tower student with the roughest background looked at Ethan with a slightly admiring expression. Just how much of the school did he check out in that short amount of time? "There are various facilities in the basement, starting with the food storage, and the storekeeper is guarding it," Ethan explained. "Storekeeper?" Salco asked. "He’s a blind man with excellent detection abilities. Once you encounter him, it’s impossible to shake him off or hide," Ethan replied. Salco nodded and focused on Ethan’s words. Then, a question suddenly arose. '…But how did Wodanaz get out?' one of the students wondered. It’s impossible, so what method did he use? "When you guys were wandering around the library or other places, how did you shake them off if you were caught?" Ethan asked as if he was curious. Ethan had various methods, starting with the invisibility belt, but that wasn’t the case for the Black Tortoise Tower students. Did they have a special method? "One person stepped forward to lure them away and got caught. We avoided their gaze in the meantime," one of the students said. Ethan was impressed by the crude method. He had to admit that it was crude but effective. 'I should try it later if there are any White Tiger Tower students,' Ethan thought.