Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 165

“Why are you blocking our path?” a voice asked.

A deep, echoing voice replied, “This path is forbidden.”

“Forbidden? By whose order?”

“By the Headmaster’s will.”

“We must pass!”

“Then you must offer a sacrifice.”

Lee Han stopped Gainando and Asan.

The Death Knight stood still, guarding his post, regardless of whether the two fought or not.

“If we offer just one person?” Lee Han asked.

“Yes,” the Death Knight replied.

“If we offer them, what happens to that student?”

“They’ll probably go to the underground prison.”

“U… Underground prison??” Gainando’s eyes went wide, and he stumbled back. His voice shook.

Lee Han tried to sound calm, “Don’t worry, Gainando. It’s just a punishment room under the school.”

Gainando stared at him, still pale. “Lee Han, how is ‘punishment room’ any better than ‘prison’?”

Instead of answering, Lee Han looked at the Death Knight again.

“If we really offer someone, will you step aside?”

“Student,” the Death Knight’s voice echoed, “Even in death, I hold to my honor. I swear it.”

Yoner scoffed, “Honor? Blocking students is honorable?”

Lee Han gently put a hand on Yoner’s arm. “Be careful, Yoner. Even Death Knights have pride.”

It would be hard to deal with if the Death Knight got angry.

‘The problem is…’ Lee Han thought.

It didn’t seem like the Death Knight was lying. The problem lay elsewhere.

There were more ways to deceive someone without lying than one might think.

“Are you perhaps planning to have us offer another student after stepping aside, only to block us again?”

The Death Knight was speechless.

He lowered his helmet and couldn’t answer.

‘I knew it,’ Lee Han thought.

“You said you had honor…!”

“Shhh. Gainando. People get angry when you poke at their sore spots.”

Lee Han wasn’t particularly disappointed or surprised. Given the Headmaster Skeleton’s personality, it would have been more surprising if he had simply opened the path after sacrificing one person.

Traditionally, the wicked don’t easily back down after receiving a single piece of cake; they keep chasing after more.

“I guess there’s no choice,” Lee Han said.

“Do you have a plan?” Asan asked.

The priests were amazed by Lee Han’s reaction.

To remain so calm and composed even after the appearance of the Death Knight.

They knew Wodanaz was impressive, but really…

“You guys. Go back and wake up the White Tiger Tower kids and the Black Tortoise Tower kids and bring them here,” Lee Han instructed.

“……”

“……”

Surely you’re not thinking of that method?

Asan and Gainando woke up the Black Tortoise Tower students and the White Tiger Tower students who were sleeping at the inn.

Naturally, the students’ reactions were not positive.

-Dalcard. Even so, a Death Knight is just too absurd.

-Prince. Just because you’re a prince doesn’t mean we can’t touch you, you know? This is Einroguard. Of course, this is outside, but in a day it’ll be Einroguard… Ack! It’s a Death Knight!!

The students, who had come rubbing their sleepy eyes with doubt, were horrified and fell backward.

The Death Knight was staring at them from the darkness.

“H, how is this possible??”

“Everyone, calm down. I already knew that the Headmaster wouldn’t let us in so easily. That’s why I came out to scout in advance,” Lee Han said in a serious voice.

In truth, he had intended to abandon the two tower students as bait and have only Lee Han and his friends enter first, but that wasn’t important.

The other tower students were overwhelmed by Lee Han’s serious voice and nodded.

Giselle, who was listening, felt something was off and tilted her head.

‘Hmm?’

Is there a reason for that Wodanaz to be so proactive?

“Now that we’ve confirmed that there’s a Death Knight, we need to come up with a plan. Otherwise, we might not be able to return before sunrise,” Lee Han said.

“Indeed…”

“I guess that’s the only way.”

After hearing the detailed explanation, the other tower students nodded with expressions that showed they were wide awake.

It certainly wasn’t time to sleep now.

Once he was sure that the others had understood, Lee Han continued.

“Alright. We’ll draw lots and…”

“Charge, Death Knight!”

“!?”

Lee Han was startled.

Anglago had drawn his sword and started charging towards the Death Knight.

“Anglago, wait…”

Before he could stop him, Anglago had closed the distance.

Lee Han sighed.

‘This is why you can’t accomplish great things with knights!’ he thought.

He was trying to use a trick to make them draw lots, but he couldn’t stand it and ran out.

The Death Knight didn’t seem surprised. He held out a hand with a metal glove.

“Young knight. Your courage is admirable, but you are too arrogant.”

The Death Knight didn’t even draw his sword. He blocked Anglago’s attack with his metal-covered arm.

“!”

Anglago was horrified when his attack was blocked.

He was surprised that the attack he had confidently unleashed was blocked, but what was even more surprising was…

‘I, I can’t breathe!’ Anglago thought.

Anglago was the one who attacked, but it was Anglago who was gasping for breath.

The Death Knight’s aura of death began to crush Anglago’s life force.

“Kugh!”

Anglago knelt on one knee. The Death Knight looked down at Anglago. A blue light flashed in his helmet.

‘Wait. Isn’t this solved?’ Lee Han realized as he looked at the kneeling Anglago.

Since we’ve sacrificed one person, we can pass this path, and on the next path, we’ll provoke another White Tiger Tower knight to go out…

Maybe this will be better than I thought?

“Everyone, charge.”

“……”

However, Lee Han’s thoughts disappeared with the Death Knight’s violent remark.

The Death Knight was waiting for all the students to charge.

“Wait…”

Lee Han was about to say there was a misunderstanding.

The students here aren’t all from the same tower, but from different towers.

So, if we have to take collective responsibility, shouldn’t only the White Tiger Tower guys fight?

But before he could get an answer, his friends started attacking.

“Be paralyzed!”

“Be shot!”

‘Damn it. I should have said it in advance,’ Lee Han thought.

Lee Han regretted not telling his friends to ‘stay still even if the White Tiger Tower students or the Black Tortoise Tower students get caught by the Death Knight.’

But what could he do?

The fight had already begun.

“Thank you, Wodanaz-nim!”

“What?!”

“For giving us this opportunity!”

‘I want to punch him,’ Lee Han thought.

Lee Han was slightly annoyed by the excited voice of Nigisor, the priest of the Phoenix Tower who was born with the blood of the fire spirit.

He usually didn’t harbor bad feelings towards the priests of the Phoenix Tower, but…

“Burn and fly away!”

“Whirl!”

“Become heavier and sharper!”

Spells were fired from all directions, and collisions of flashing elements occurred.

The White Tiger Tower students cast enhancement spells on their blades and charged.

Lee Han thought as he watched them.

‘I have a feeling they were going to use that on me…’

“Wodanaz! Watch out!”

Lee Han ducked at Asan’s shout.

A friend was flying towards him because the Death Knight had grabbed a White Tiger Tower student by the collar and thrown him.

“Sharkan. Go!”

Lee Han called Sharkan’s name, summoned water, and then threw the special liquid.

Sharkan, given an emerald-colored body different from usual, made a cry mixed with happiness.

-Grrrr…

“Sharkan. Don’t engage head-on, confuse him!”

At the urgency in Lee Han’s voice, Sharkan charged as if understanding.

The Death Knight, who had been dealing with the students lightly, moved warily around Sharkan.

“Has a dead person who serves his master come? As we are in the same situation, I will not be easy on you.”

A sword was quickly drawn from the Death Knight’s empty hand. It was rusty and dark, but the aura of death coming from its blade was terrifying.

Clang!

When it struck the ground, the surrounding soil turned black. But Sharkan dodged it a step ahead. The Death Knight said in a hoarse voice at the faster-than-expected movement.

“Is it the power of insight possessed by the special liquid? Annoying.”

The Death Knight unleashed a series of sword techniques to block Sharkan’s dodging path.

The students’ magic poured down on him. The Death Knight, thinking he couldn’t keep taking hits, raised his shield.

“Lee Han. Should we just leave him and run away?”

“Hey…!”

Asan was embarrassed by Gainando’s overly refreshing question.

What if the other guys hear!

“If there’s no way, we have to run away!”

“There is a way,” Lee Han said.

“But?”

“I’m a little unsure about this…”

“???”

“No. Let’s summon him for now.”

Lee Han empowered the symbol left by Perkontas and chanted the spell.

The Death Knight was a very difficult opponent.

Illusion magic didn’t work, and he had high resistance to various elemental magic.

Even if he fired dozens of water orbs, it wouldn’t be easy to break through his defense.

Even if he tried to increase the destructive power by making the water gigantic, the Death Knight wouldn’t wait for him to do that…

There was only one thing left.

“Sing of thunder, spirit!”

Perkontas.

Perkontas, a powerful lightning spirit, certainly had the potential to deal with the Death Knight.

However, there was a reason why Lee Han hesitated to summon Perkontas.

Every time he had summoned him until now, the results were all…

‘Seemed pretty weak…’ Lee Han thought.

-Do you think I can’t feel your distrust!

Lightning struck from the sky, and at the same time, Perkontas’s roar echoed in Lee Han’s head.

-It’s a misunderstanding!

-Misunderstanding, my foot!

Perkontas was dumbfounded.

How could he receive such sincere distrust from a freshman at a magic school?

No matter how twisted things were…

-Then defeat the Death Knight blocking the way ahead and show me your abilities!

-I am not a spirit who responds to such low-level provocations. But only this time! Only this time, I will show you my abilities to dispel your absurd doubts!

Perkontas swelled in size.

Lightning that fell from the sky struck Perkontas, further increasing his power.

A strong spirit wouldn’t make excuses, but Perkontas had no choice but to make excuses.

The first time they met was inside the Headmaster Skeleton’s punishment room, and the next time they met, his power was limited by the absurd shackles of command.

Originally, Perkontas was a spirit who would only appear after receiving immense gratitude and respect from the summoner each time he was summoned.

But to be summoned with such an arrogant attitude of ‘should I summon him or not’…

“Behold, and tremble!”

“I have lost. Great spirit of thunder,” the Death Knight said.

The Death Knight stopped attacking Sharkan and put his sword back into its scabbard. Then he bowed his head.

Perkontas, who had been flashing and bursting with lightning, paused.

…What?

“With the power I possess, I cannot dare to defeat you. I have lost.”

As a summoned creature of the Headmaster Skeleton, the Death Knight naturally knew Perkontas’s identity.

As they were in the same position, there was no need to waste energy fighting against a spirit stronger than himself.

“Students of the magic school. You have passed my test with your skills. You may pass without offering a sacrifice!”

“…!”

“!!!”

The students’ eyes widened at the Death Knight’s declaration.

The path was really opening like this.

The Death Knight looked at Lee Han and said.

“I will remember your name. Student.”

Leaving a name with the Headmaster Skeleton’s undead summons was not a good thing.

Lee Han looked at Giselle.

Giselle, who was holding twin swords, glared back, wondering why that Wodanaz was suddenly staring at her.

‘Hmm. There are too many people listening, so pretending to be someone else would be impossible,’ Lee Han thought.

Lee Han gave up. It was a shame.