Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 180

Of course, Lee Han wasn’t exactly thrilled either.

He thought, ‘If I know all the lessons, will the exam be about something completely different? That’s ridiculous!’

‘But getting worked up will only hurt me.’

Lee Han steeled himself and spoke.

“Please, Professor, tell me. What do I need to do?”

“Ahem. It’s not so different from the magic you’ve learned so far. Poison is also a field within dark magic.”

Gainando tilted his head, puzzled. Then Professor Mortuum spoke.

“You might be thinking, ahem, that hunters and assassins use poison outside, so why learn it as magic?”

“Gasp!” Gainando was startled.

“Ahem. Dark magic poison is different from ordinary poison.”

The Empire had various poisons, from those derived from plants and animals to bacteria, fungi, insects, metals, and countless other naturally occurring toxins. Even commoners knew how to use these poisons to some extent.

However, dark magic poison wasn’t a real, existing poison.

Magic is about changing what is real using a wizard’s mind. So, dark magic poison isn’t a real poison you find in nature. It’s a poison created by magic, something that doesn’t exist in the real world.

“Indeed! As the Empire’s best wizard, there’s no need to study poison that anyone can use!” Gainando exclaimed excitedly.

“Ahem. Of course… that doesn’t mean you can neglect studying real-world poisons.”

“…” Gainando became dejected.

‘Well, other magic was like that too.’

Even with basic elemental magic, the wizard’s mental image of the element was crucial. If the mental image wasn’t solid and concrete, there was no spell, no formula structure, nothing. The greater the understanding of poison, the more diverse and powerful the virtual poisons that could be created.

…but the students haven’t learned about poison yet, have they?

‘He’s really wicked.’

As if reading Lee Han’s thoughts, Professor Mortuum began to explain.

“Ahem. Naturally, you all will lack experience with poison. You’ve probably never handled it.”

Unless they had a special background, there was little reason to handle poison in the first place.

“That’s right, Professor.”

“Ahem. It would be cruel to just tell you to learn it without any help.”

“Yes!” Gainando nodded repeatedly, his face filled with anticipation.

However, Lee Han felt a sense of foreboding.

Only someone who usually shows consideration can do it well. When a professor offered consideration, the chances of it being genuine were surprisingly low.

“Diret,” Professor Mortuum rasped, his voice like dry leaves rustling.

A student with raven feathers woven into his dark hair, Diret, nodded sharply and stepped forward. He raised his wand, the wood looking strangely twisted and dark. A thin mist, the color of sickly green, hissed from the wand tip. It drifted towards Gainando, smelling faintly of bitter almonds, and was inhaled before Gainando could react.

“Ugh!” Gainando gasped, clutching his throat.

Lee Han’s hand flew to his own wand, drawing it in a flash. He held his breath, ready to shield himself. Diret turned to him, his dark eyes narrowed in annoyance. *What is this junior doing?* his look seemed to say.

“Ahem,” Professor Mortuum chuckled dryly. “Don’t be so dramatic, Wodanaz. You need to experience the poison. It’s… educational. And not *too* lethal, I assure you.” A glint of something unreadable flickered in the professor’s eyes.

“Excuse me?”

“You need to feel the poison. It’s not that dangerous, so it’s fine.”

There was no better way to build a mental image of an element than to experience it directly. The fact that it was addictive was a minor problem.

“…” Lee Han lowered his wand and sighed.

‘Right. It’s my fault for deciding to learn dark magic.’

The poisonous mist flew towards the resigned Lee Han.

“By the way, what kind of poison is this?” As Gainando, who had been coughing, regained his senses, Lee Han looked at the professor and asked.

“Ahem. What kind of poison was it…”

“…”

Even if it’s a disciple doing it, isn’t this too much?

“What kind of poison was it?”

“Professor, if I say it, will I get detention…”

“Ahem. It’ll be fine. As long as you don’t tell the freshmen. …Probably.”

“It’s a mana reduction poison.”

“Yes. Mana reduction poison. Can you feel your mana scattering?”

In response to Professor Mortuum’s question, Gainando and Lee Han answered simultaneously.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“…?” Professor Mortuum paused and looked at Lee Han.

“Ahem. Don’t you feel your mana scattering a little?”

“I don’t feel anything.”

Professor Mortuum turned his head and looked at Diret. Diret said urgently.

“There’s nothing wrong with the poison.”

“Ahem. Check again.”

“…I really don’t see anything wrong…”

Diret approached Lee Han and sprayed the mana reduction poison once more. Twice. With each attempt, the senior’s expression was tinged with anxiety, embarrassment, and trouble.

Lee Han, unable to watch any longer, opened his mouth.

“I think my mana is scattering.”

“…Don’t lie, junior.”

Diret opened his mouth, forgetting the skull headmaster’s warning.

“The poison was definitely completed properly, and it’s working properly… why?”

“Ahem. Could it be because you have too much mana?”

“Too much mana?”

“Wodanaz here has so much innate mana that even if the poison takes effect, it might not have a significant impact.”

“…Why didn’t you tell me that beforehand… No, never mind. I’ll make it again now.”

Diret sighed once and waved his wand, creating a new poison. Even Lee Han, who didn’t know much about poison, could see this new one was much stronger. The magical energy coming from it felt thick and dangerous.

“Here.”

” ? ”

Diret didn’t spray it as a mist but handed Lee Han a glass rod-shaped vial filled with poison, leaving Lee Han flustered.

“Drink it, junior.”

“…” Lee Han drank it without complaint. The other person was already pitiful enough.

“Ahem. Does it seem to be working?”

“Professor, I’ll just try the magic.”

“…Alright. Do that.”

Diret watched Lee Han walk away with Gainando, inwardly horrified.

Just what is this freshman…?!

“Hehe. Lee Han.”

Gainando looked at Lee Han with a sly grin, full of confidence.

Lee Han habitually tried to smack him on the back of the head but stopped. There were too many eyes watching.

“What is it?”

“I’ll help you this time.”

There was a reason why Gainando was so excited. First, their dark magic talents were similar (at least in Gainando’s opinion). But this time, Lee Han couldn’t feel the poison due to his constitution, while Gainando felt it with his body. In that case?

The air in the potions classroom smelled like burnt sugar and old socks. Professor Mortuum had announced they would be learning poison magic, and Lee Han knew immediately that Guinan would be in his element. It made perfect sense.

“Th-thank you,” Guinan mumbled.

Guinan beamed, his eyes wide with excitement. Lee Han blinked. It was only yesterday Guinan had accidentally drunk a potion that made his hair stand on end – a minor poison, Professor Mortuum had called it dismissively. Lee Han was still a little worried about him.

Guinan’s cheerful attitude, even after his potion mishap, was… unusual. Lee Han wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not, but it was certainly *something*.

“Gather, you scattered poison of magic!” Guinan chanted, focusing as he extended his wand.

The goal of the test was to create the most basic magic-draining poison.

Professor Mortuum, despite teaching dark magic, wasn’t cruel. He started them with simple poisons. A magic-draining poison in the form of a water droplet would suffice.

Sssssss!

“!”

Guinan was startled when a thick, sickly green liquid, like pond water left in the sun, bubbled at the tip of his wand. It dripped with a soft *plop* onto his worn leather boot. A hole had been burned through the leather.

“Aaargh?!!” Guinan yelped.

“Resourceful,” Lee Han remarked, surprised.

He knew from Professor Mortuum that Guinan had a talent for dark magic, but this was something else. It would be normal to fail completely. But Guinan had made something that looked like poison on his first try. That was actually pretty good.

Of course, from Guinan’s perspective, with a hole in his boot, it probably didn’t feel much like success at all.

“Woe is me… I hate dark magic…” Guinan whispered.

“Shhh. The professor will hear you,” Lee Han cautioned.

Lee Han raised his wand and focused. As Guinan said, he had to concentrate even harder, not having experienced it firsthand.

‘Imagine it, using the techniques I’ve learned,’ he thought.

As he had done with countless spells, he controlled his magic while simultaneously conjuring a vivid and systematic image in his mind. Lee Han imagined his magic compressing into a single drop. At the same time, he tried to alter its nature, to have the property of annihilating any magic it touched.

Lee Han recalled everything he had read and seen in his past life, and from that, he recalled entities similar to magic-draining poisons. This knowledge and imagination were Lee Han’s unique strengths, unmatched by other wizards.

Magic gathered at the tip of his wand, and Lee Han’s will, incantation, and movements combined to create a new poison that had never existed before.

“Gather, you poison of dissipated power!”

“!”

Dirette, watching from the side, gasped softly. The new student was succeeding in the poison-making spell on his first try.

‘He’s no ordinary wizard!’ she thought.

He had even made the spell shorter, using his own words. That was very advanced for a first try. That required immense innate talent for dark magic, including mana sensitivity, mana control, and image manifestation, not just poison resistance.

The blond friend next to him also seemed to excel in dark magic…

‘These new students are truly remarkable. I need to work harder too,’ Dirette mused.

But why did that voice sound so strangely familiar?

* * *

“Huff, huff. I’m done,” Guinan said, pointing ahead, sweating profusely. A few drops of poison clung to the glass like dew.

Lee Han, who had finished first, sat waiting and looked up.

“Are you done?” Lee Han asked.

“Yeah! The time difference wasn’t that big, right? Right?!” Guinan asked anxiously.

Lee Han glanced at his own vial, then back at Guinan’s slightly messy one. “You were a little slower,” Lee Han admitted, “but honestly, just making poison at all on the first try is amazing. Good job, Guinan.”

With those words, Professor Mortuum swallowed Guinan’s poison.

“!”

“Professor! You shouldn’t drink that, no matter how hungry you are!” Guinan exclaimed.

“……”

“……”

Lee Han, Dirette, and Professor Mortuum all stared at Guinan as if he were mad.

“…Oh, was I wrong?” Guinan asked sheepishly.

“I was trying to check the poison…” Professor Mortuum said, wiping his mouth, looking dumbfounded.

An excellent dark wizard naturally had a strong resistance to dark magic. Someone like Professor Mortuum was practically immune to all poisons.

“Cough. Not bad. Well made,” Professor Mortuum complimented.

“Thank you!” Guinan replied.

“Then…” The professor unhesitatingly swallowed the poison Lee Han had made.

“Ahem.”

“Are you alright?” Lee Han asked.

“Ahemmm.”

“?

Lee Han was flustered. The reaction was a little different from Guinan’s.

‘Did I fail?’ he wondered.

“L-Lee Han,” Guinan whispered.

“?

Guinan, thinking Lee Han had failed, pointed to his own poison. “Take mine!”

Dirette, who was next to him, gave Guinan a suspicious look.

‘Is Guinan a little silly?’ Dirette wondered, glancing at Professor Mortuum. Talking like that in front of the professor – was he joking, or just not very bright?

Dirette looked away. Even she thought her master was acting strangely.

“Professor, what’s wrong…” Dirette asked, concerned.

“Kuh… Kuh-huck. Haaah.”

Thud! Professor Mortuum, unable to withstand it, collapsed to his knees. His face was pale, and his fingertips trembled.

Dirette recognized it immediately.

‘Symptoms of mana deficiency!’

For a wizard of Professor Mortuum’s caliber to collapse to his knees from mana deficiency… No one would believe it.

‘Now… because of the poison that new student made??!’

Dirette had been surprised enough today, but this was the biggest shock of all. A new student bringing down Professor Mortuum with poison!

“He’s… he’s dead! Lee Han! We have to… destroy the evidence and the witnesses!!” Guinan cried out.

“Don’t talk rubbish! He’s not dead yet!” Lee Han retorted, becoming serious and angry. Frankly, Lee Han was also anxious.

Dirette quickly took out a mana recovery potion and a detoxification potion and poured them into Professor Mortuum’s mouth.

Professor Mortuum coughed and swayed, but slowly managed to stand up straight again.

“…Cough. Excellent. Full marks,” Professor Mortuum croaked.

“I’m sorry, Professor,” Lee Han apologized.

It wasn’t really Lee Han’s fault, but in this situation, he had to apologize first.

“Cough. It’s alright. It’s alright. It happens often during tests. Rather, I’m happier to have found such a remarkable talent,” Professor Mortuum said.

“Ah. Is that so?” Lee Han asked, slightly relieved at Professor Mortuum’s words.

Is poison magic usually like this?

“……”

Dirette, who was watching, had a lot to say but held back.

“Cough… Alright. Let’s go to the next test,” Professor Mortuum said, wanting to get the new students out quickly. He hadn’t fully recovered his mana and his body was still struggling.

“Yes. We’ll see you next time,” Lee Han and Guinan bowed politely and turned around.

“?

As Lee Han was about to turn, he could clearly see it. The crow-werewolf senior was subtly giving him a thumbs up!