Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 229

“Well, this is unexpected,” Professor Milrei said with a small smile. “I didn’t think we’d meet so quickly.”

Lee Han tilted his head, confused. “?”

He frowned slightly, remembering his last trip to the Spirit Realm with Professor Uregeoreum. Back then, strange, shadowy figures had been eager to get closer, their eyes glowing with curiosity. Spirits from other worlds were usually interested in anyone who entered their domain.

‘So why are they running away now?’ Lee Han wondered. ‘Shouldn’t they be coming closer, even if I just stand here?’

It was odd. Normally, spirits would be gathering around him, not fleeing.

“That would normally be the case, but there’s a safety device in place,” Professor Milrei explained.

“Ah.”

The safety device, designed to prevent powerful beings from approaching, also concealed the presence of wizards.

Because their presence was undetectable, the number of otherworldly beings one could encounter naturally decreased.

“But we did meet, didn’t we?”

“It must be because of your magical power,” Professor Milrei said, looking intently at Lee Han.

Even with the safety device, his magical power couldn’t be completely hidden. It was clear the undead had sensed that power and emerged.

‘No, it wasn’t because of the others.’

He had initially thought the students with exceptional black magic talent were the reason, but that wasn’t it.

Gainando stared at Lee Han, his expression betraying his shock.

So that’s why the undead were coming!

“It’s you, Lee Han…”

“Got a problem with that?”

“Ah, no. Thanks for summoning the undead.”

Gainando vowed never to bring Lee Han to a graveyard again.

“I will keep this magic circle active until the weekend. Students who haven’t made a contract today should keep trying.”

Lee Han’s face lit up at the news.

‘I might be able to get a Skeleton Wizard.’

He already had a contract with a Skeleton Warrior, but another one wouldn’t hurt.

Clatter-

Sharkan, inside the bone fragment, tilted his head.

Sharkan wondered, *Why waste magic*?

“Gainando, Raphaelle, good news! They’re keeping the magic circle active. Let’s go back in and find more undead. There will be undead who will contract with you.”

“Whoa… Wodanaz, that’s a bit…” Raphaelle said, waving his hand with a slightly pale face.

Lee Han, thinking he was faking, said firmly, “Raphaelle, don’t pretend to be weak.”

“…I really don’t have any magical power, you jerk!” Raphaelle retorted, furious.

He didn’t want to seem weak in front of Lee Han, so he had been holding on. But stepping into another dimension and returning used a lot of magical power and mental strength.

Gainando, next to him, was eating chocolate and looked exhausted.

“Ah, so your magical power is used up.”

“Yes!”

“Then let’s rest today and go in during the next break. When is the next break? Tell me.”

Raphaelle felt a chilling fear as Lee Han tried to check his class schedule.

‘This… this guy!’

It was a different kind of fear, one that even a large, scary knight couldn’t inspire.

Raphaelle stiffened, feeling an unfamiliar terror.

“Tell me quickly.”

“There’s… there’s no reason you have to take me, is there?”

“No. I feel more comfortable when there’s a shield… no, a vanguard.”

“Were you just about to say meat shield?”

“Don’t accuse me of strange things. So when is your break? Don’t even think about lying. I can just ask the White Tiger Tower students.”

Gainando took the opportunity to slowly back away. Lee Han spoke without turning around.

“Gainando, I already know your class schedule, so you don’t have to say anything.”

“…!!”

After the lecture, after all the students had left, Professor Milrei began to tidy up the space.

The floor was covered in chalk dust and bits of colored paper from the magic circle. The air smelled faintly of burnt herbs.

‘Is that the magic circle he drew earlier?’

Professor Milrei noticed the magic circle left at Lee Han’s seat and turned her gaze.

Since he was trying to summon a shield shape, he probably hadn’t made much progress.

Still, even failure would have been a lesson….

“?!”

Professor Milrei gasped. The magic circle on Lee Han’s desk wasn’t just lines; it pulsed with faint, silver light. The symbols were intricate and precise, far beyond what a first-year student should be capable of.

…Is he really a genius?

Raphaelle wanted to rest and stay away from Lee Han until his magical power was fully restored.

And if they met again, he wanted to face him with at least four people.

But that wish was not granted.

“……”

“Oh. Hello,” Lee Han said.

“Cough. I sense different magical power from the three of you. Have you been to the Undead Realm?” Professor Mortuum asked, unaware of Raphaelle’s true feelings. Lee Han nodded and explained what had happened.

“Cough, very well done!” Professor Mortuum shouted, coughing so hard his body shook.

“Is it that good?”

“Of course. Cough. Black magic isn’t just necromancy, but there isn’t a great black magician who can’t do necromancy,” Professor Mortuum explained.

Manipulating dark elements, poison, or curses were also areas of black magic, but for most people, black magic was synonymous with necromancy, the summoning of the undead.

The arcane magic of raising the dead.

“Cough. It’s a bit of a shame you did it during summoning magic class… but still, it’s something. Didn’t the other students look at you with envy?”

“……”

Lee Han paused.

He thought about the students’ reaction when he said he had made a contract with a Skeleton Warrior…

‘They weren’t envious.’

They were amazed and impressed, but no one said, ‘Wow, black magic is so cool, I want to learn it too.’

But Lee Han couldn’t reject the pitiful gaze Professor Mortuum was giving him.

“I think they were.”

“?”

“Yes! I knew it. Cough.” Professor Mortuum was as happy as if it were his own accomplishment.

Raphaelle gave Lee Han a look that said, ‘They weren’t!’ but Lee Han ignored him.

“Among the various otherworldly beings you can contract with and summon, the greatest and most beautiful are the undead. A magician who has come to know the charm of the undead can’t help but be interested in necromancy. Cough. What’s the point of wielding a sword and shield?”

A magician infusing magical power and giving commands from start to finish, versus summoning an otherworldly being with its own ego.

No matter how he thought about it, the latter was much more convenient.

Of course, the latter also had its drawbacks.

Having an ego meant that the summoned beings might not always listen to the magician.

But this problem is solved if you already have a spirit you have made a contract with.

If not…

There was also a way to eliminate the hostility of the summoned undead by living in a tomb or applying rotten substances to their bodies.

Professor Mortuum skipped it.

“Cough. Anyway, good job on making a contract. Who did you two make a contract with?”

“Oops.”

“Ah.”

“?

“We, we haven’t yet…”

Professor Mortuum frowned at Gainando’s words.

“That won’t do. Cough. Opportunities to go to the Undead Realm and make a contract aren’t that common.”

“Don’t worry, Professor. I’ll take them and make sure they make a contract by the weekend,” Lee Han said confidently.

“Cough. It seems you’re the only student I can trust.”

“Not at all. You flatter me.”

“……”

Gainando and Raphaelle glared at Lee Han.

They were friends, but he was particularly annoying today.

“Cough. Imirgue student, you should also go and try to make a contract for summoning the undead.”

“Me… me too?” Imirgue, the giant-blooded student who had been quietly sitting, was flustered.

Imirgue didn’t even take summoning magic and had no interest in necromancy.

‘I don’t need Imirgue.’

Lee Han had already planned everything with just Raphaelle, so he decided to show mercy to his remaining friend.

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to participate…”

“No, we should go together!”

“It would be good to go together. That’s what the professor said,” Gainando and Raphaelle interjected quickly.

Lee Han thought to himself, ‘These trashy guys.’ Forcing their friend to come along because they didn’t want to go alone!

Professor Mortuum taught them about the characteristics of some of the monsters frequently seen in the Undead Realm and how to deal with them.

He asked them to persuade any students taking summoning magic who showed interest in the undead about how good the undead were, how excellent necromancy was, and how great black magic was.

‘It’s making my heart ache just listening,’ Lee Han thought.

“Cough. Wodanaz.” As the lecture was ending, Professor Mortuum called Lee Han, who nodded as if he understood and replied.

“Don’t worry, Professor. I will guide my friends well and help them make contracts with useful undead monsters.”

“Cough. That’s not it.”

“?

“Receive this.” Professor Mortuum placed a heavy book in Lee Han’s hands. The cover was worn brown leather, and the pages smelled old and dusty. The title, *Ancient Basic Necromancy*, was written in faded gold letters.

“May I ask why you are giving me this book?” Lee Han asked, puzzled.

Professor Mortuum opened his mouth, coughing.

“Cough. How many methods do you think there are for necromancy, especially undead summoning?”

“Aren’t there two?” Lee Han replied.

One was summoning an uncontracted being.

It had the advantage of relatively free summoning, although it had to be controlled with magic and its hostility had to be appeased with various methods, as it was not bound by a contract.

The other was summoning a contracted being.

There was no need for control or appeasement, but the contract itself was a disadvantage.

“Cough. Wrong. There are actually three.”

“Three? …Could it be?” Lee Han paused, a hunch forming in his mind.

“I see you understand,” Professor Mortuum said.

‘Could he be talking about a method like magical items?’

As he had learned in Professor Milrei’s lecture, items without an ego, such as swords or shields, required the magician to create each movement and action one by one.

But in the case of the undead, it was a waste of resources.

He could just summon the undead, so why would the magician have to create everything from scratch?

It was an inefficient method, with a drastic increase in difficulty from the magical power required. Naturally, it was not a method used today. It wasn’t for nothing that Lee Han had said, ‘Aren’t there two?’

“Cough. That’s right.”

“I’ve heard that this method of summoning is almost never used these days…?”

“Not almost never, but never. Cough. It’s practically a method used only in ancient times. This book contains that ancient method.”

“!”

Lee Han was surprised once again.

He was surprised that he was being recommended a method of magic that was not currently in use, and he was also surprised as to why he was being recommended it.

‘What advantages are there… wait. Isn’t there a reason why it’s not used now?’

“Why me?”

“Cough. It’s the headmaster’s instruction. He earnestly asked me to make sure you can summon the undead using this method as well.”

“……”

Lee Han became serious.

He had thought that it was recommended because of Lee Han’s hidden aptitude or his magically abundant constitution…

“Yes. Well. I’ll try my best.”

‘I should just skip it.’

He was already managing his grades well enough in black magic.

He would get a perfect score even without learning how to summon the undead using such an outdated method.

“Cough. I trust you. You’ll be able to learn it well. The headmaster told me to check every week. He even joked about sending you to the disciplinary room if there’s no progress…”

“……”