Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 373

Dirette quietly put her hands near Ethan’s ears. Ethan looked annoyed and pushed her hands away.

“Is it dangerous to bring undead from another world?”

“Well, yes, it usually is.”

Professor Mortem nodded, agreeing with Dirette.

Professor Mortem explained, “Smart wizards often make a big mistake. They go to another world and act like normal. But this can end badly. Using black magic to call undead in the undead world is like putting honey near a lot of hungry bugs.”

Professor Mortem continued, “Outside, black magic might not cause much trouble. But in a different world with different rules, magic can be very risky. If you are unlucky, even a simple curse might bring a powerful demon. Demons are very sensitive to magic. Also, just gathering undead in one place is dangerous. A group of undead can grow very quickly, like a snowball rolling down a hill. Soon, no one can stop them.”

“But there is a way.”

“How?”

“By using the Wodanaz Army… or, I mean, by using the army’s power.”

Ethan smiled sadly at Professor Mortem. He sounded just like other professors.

*‘I brought him here, and now he’s acting like this,’* Ethan thought.

“Well,” Professor Mortem continued, “because undead stay away from the Wodanaz Army, we can use this to move them. We don’t need hard magic to attract the enemy.”

Professor Mortem planned to use only easy spells. Just enough to find where the enemy and undead are, and send this information to Ethan’s mind. Professor Mortem was skilled enough to hide any magic from being noticed. And because it wasn’t black magic, it was quite safe.

“But what about the danger of undead gathering together?”

“It’s okay, Dirette,” Ethan answered.

Dirette looked confused.

“Why is it okay?”

“Because the enemies will probably fight each other first. If it looks bad, we can just stop, right?”

“…Oh, yes, I guess so.”

Dirette wondered if Ethan was annoyed with her.

“Are you… are you angry?”

“Huh? No, not at all!”

“Go after them! Finish them!”

“Yes!”

When the enemy soldiers at the front, who were bravely defending with shields and armor, finally fell, Park Deok-gul shouted the order.

The enemy soldiers were scared. They turned and ran away as fast as they could. Now, it was time to defeat the rest…

*Kkeueo-*

“Damn it! How many undead are there?”

“Ghouls are coming from the side!”

The soldiers who were about to chase the enemy groaned when they saw undead coming from a side passage. They were already tired of fighting undead that kept appearing. And now, more were coming.

“Deal with them,” Park Deok-gul ordered. “We don’t want them following us.”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers got ready to quickly defeat these undead, like they had done before, and then continue chasing the enemy.

But before they could finish, even more undead appeared from behind them.

“Zombie lizards!”

A huge monster, like a crocodile with long legs, slowly walked towards them. The soldiers sighed, annoyed. Fighting these big monsters would be hard.

“Please allow us to use potions!”

“You think potions grow on trees, do you?”

“But…”

“Tsk. Use only one!”

Park Deok-gul eventually allowed the use of potions.

He had been trying to limit their use because there was still much to do, but he could see that his subordinates were getting tired.

*Clang! Whoosh!*

A potion bottle flew into the passage and blue flames burst out. The undead coming closer stopped, too scared to go near the flames. Park Deok-gul and his men had come prepared for this undead world. These Flame Potions were expensive, but they were worth it.

“Deal with them… wait, what?!”

The soldiers yelled.

The undead, who usually wouldn’t even get close to flames, suddenly ran into the fire. They seemed to ignore the burning flames, as if something even worse was chasing them.

“I’m going to kill that potion maker!”

“Split up and fight them!”

Cursing and shouting, the soldiers fought as hard as they could.

An hour later, Park Deok-gul’s soldiers dragged their feet. They were covered in blood, dirt, and sweat.

“…This is too much. Let’s go outside for a little while and come back later.”

“Thank you!”

They were already late, so they didn’t have much time. But the fight was too hard. If they kept going like this, even his best men would give up. Park Deok-gul agreed and decided to go outside for a break.

“Let’s rest…”

“Drop your weapons and put your hands up, adventurers! We will attack if you fight back!”

“?!?”

Park Deok-gul and his soldiers were shocked to see they were surrounded near the entrance. Knights and soldiers had come from everywhere and made a tight circle around them.

*‘What is this!?’* Park Deok-gul thought. Many crossbows and bows were pointed right at them. This was much more serious than a normal arrest.

“W-we don’t know why!”

“You are charged with attacking others inside the dimension without permission. Drop your weapons!”

“It’s a misunderstanding! It was self-defense…”

Park Deok-gul felt he was right. Fighting another group inside a world like this was against the rules. But in reality, it didn’t matter much. How could anyone know what really happened inside?

Park Deok-gul continued, “Even if they checked, groups who started fights would trick others into attacking first. They would push and push until the other group fought back, and then say it was self-defense. So, even if people said there was a fight and they were attacked, the reaction was usually weak. They would just give a warning or kick both groups out. That’s all they would do.”

The knights were acting strangely determined to arrest them. They called for every soldier nearby, making sure they couldn’t escape.

This was unusual. Knights rarely acted with such force over something so small.

Park Deok-gul felt anger rising inside him. His fists clenched.

“Should I just… fight them?” he muttered to himself. It angered him that these knights, who should respect people like him, were acting so aggressively. What in the world is going on with these knights?

“This is your final warning! Lay down your weapons *now*, or we will attack!”

Park Deok-gul looked at his own men, their faces grim. He knew they were outnumbered.

“…Let’s drop our weapons,” Park Deok-gul said, gritting his teeth tightly.

He quickly assessed the situation. Knights surrounded them on all sides, a wall of steel. Fighting was suicide. He knew they were strong, but not *that* strong. No, the best way was to be arrested, and then… then they would use their gold. Gold could solve most problems.

“Seize their weapons! Bind their hands *tightly*! Lock them up separately! I want them watched *constantly*! No talking between them!”

A young soldier, called from his post nearby, scratched his head in confusion. He tilted his helmet back to look at the prisoners.

“Excuse me, Sir Knight, but I’m curious… Why are you imprisoning these men so thoroughly?” the soldier asked.

He’d heard they were accused of being a bit rough, maybe starting a fight in the dimension…

“You wouldn’t understand. We have to be careful. These types… they *look* suspicious, don’t they? Better safe than sorry.”

“Oh, is that so?” the soldier replied.

‘Suspicious? They just looked like travelers to me… But knights must know best,’ the soldier thought.

“You asked the *knights*? Really?” Dirette said, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Yeah. They were acting really aggressive. I thought it was better to get them out of here before they caused trouble,” Lee Han replied.

“Hmm, maybe. But I doubt it will work for long. Telling the knights is one thing, but keeping them locked up? That’s harder,” Dirette said.

“Even a few hours would be good. Maybe they’ll get annoyed and leave us alone,” Lee Han said with hope.

Dirette chuckled softly. “If only it were that easy.”

Little did they know, the knights’ plan was far more serious than a simple interrogation.

“Alright, Sector Two. Everyone ready to face the darkness?” Professor Mortuum asked.

Whoosh! The air itself changed as they stepped through. It felt heavier, colder, carrying a strange, dark scent.

Lee Han understood why his seniors had said, ‘You’ll know when the dimension’s sector changes.’

The soil under their boots was no longer white, but a sickly gray, like ash.

“The magic is strong with dark elements, so the color will gradually become darker,” Professor Mortuum explained.

“It’s… incredible!” the student who had passed through the passage first exclaimed.

The narrow, winding cave path ended, and a wide, open wilderness came into view. Looking up, Lee Han gasped. The sky was a swirling blackness, like ink spilled across the heavens. No stars shone, only those dark, restless clouds.

The ground crunched underfoot. Crack! A sharp sound of bone breaking. Everywhere they looked, bones lay scattered like fallen leaves after a storm.

“Cough. That’s fortunate. Bones, at least,” Professor Mortuum said.

“Is there something that wouldn’t be fortunate?” a student asked.

“If there were a lot of poison instead of bones, it would be quite troublesome,” Professor Mortuum replied.

“Ah,” Lee Han said.

Lee Han nodded in understanding, then paused. ‘Poison… maybe this place isn’t so bad after all. Wouldn’t poison be *useful* for me?’

“What’s wrong?” Professor Mortuum asked.

“Ah. I was just thinking it’s fortunate it’s bones,” Lee Han replied.

“Cough. Don’t think it’s too fortunate. Bones can be troublesome in their own way. Now, everyone move out,” Professor Mortuum said.

Professor Mortuum planted his staff on the ground. The staff then grew into a massive tree, transforming into a landmark.

“Sector Two is different. Remember what I told you. No rushing, no noise, easy on the magic, and *stay close*. I’ve seen too many students get lost in here,” Professor Mortuum warned.

“We understand,” the seniors replied.

The seniors, as if accustomed to it, began to move, each carrying their staff and basket. The seniors who had entered Sector 2, not Sector 1, were students with a certain level of confidence and experience. Unlike the group activities in Sector 1, they were confident in taking care of themselves, so they began to move, each searching for their desired materials.

“You, come with me,” Dirette said.

“Thank you,” Lee Han replied.

Lee Han expressed his gratitude for Dirette’s kindness. She’s being kind, but… can *she* really protect *me* in a place like this?

Dirette frowned slightly at Lee Han’s words. ‘Protect him? He’s acting like *I’m* the one who needs protecting!’ she thought, a little amused.

“…I’m not promising to fight off dragons for you, junior,” she said with a small smile, “but I can definitely show you the ropes in this dimension. Stick with me.”

“Oh, no, I just… thank you, Senior,” Lee Han mumbled, a little embarrassed.

“Good heavens, junior! Look! A bone mound! Can you believe our luck? This is amazing!” Dirette exclaimed.

“It’s… a lot of bones,” Lee Han replied.

“And look! Poison swamps! Two of them, right next to each other! I’ve never seen anything like it!” Dirette continued.

“Is that… unusual?” Lee Han asked.

“Unusual? It’s… it’s practically cursed terrain! This is incredible!” Dirette said, then she realized she’s being too enthusiastic. “Ahem. Right. What you’re looking at, junior, is…”

“Senior, there’s a monster over there,” Lee Han said, pointing across the shimmering, sickly green swamp.

A monstrous shape moved in the distance. It was like a troll, but made of rotting flesh and bone, bits of different creatures stitched together. It was hunched over something, tearing at it with sharp claws, poisonous slime dripping from its jaws.

‘So those things show up, too,’ Lee Han thought.

He had heard that venomous predators were quite strong monsters, but he never expected to see one like this. This was a different dimension for a reason. ‘How do the seniors deal with those things?’

“What should we do?” Lee Han asked.

“This is…” Dirette started.

“?”

Dirette’s eyes widened, all the excitement draining from her face. Her breath hitched in her throat. She whispered, her voice barely audible, “This is… this is terrible…”

It wasn’t supposed to be a monster found in Sector 2.