Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 410

The Skull Headmaster sighed. “Never mind your complaints. I still don’t understand what Professor Mortum was doing.”

“Ah, well, you see…”

Lee Han hesitated. He remembered Professor Mortum’s annoyed face when he’d said, “I thought the undead were hard to control! But when I used fewer, it was much easier. Ten is definitely too many.”

“I was too greedy, trying to control too many undead. That’s why it was difficult. You seemed to notice that and forgot about it.”

*Forgot about it?* Lee Han thought. *Right. What was Mortum’s advice again?*

“To control fewer undead at once…”

The Skull Headmaster raised an eyebrow, a dry sound like rustling leaves. “Reduce the number… Brilliant advice. Truly worthy of presenting to the Black Magic Society.”

“If you, Headmaster, would help me, I will prepare it.”

*Reduce to one?* The Skull Headmaster thought. *If controlling a dozen undead is too hard, then just control one.* He grumbled to himself, imagining the chaos if he presented such obvious advice at the Black Magic Society.

*Reduce the number, and it becomes easier…* Then his eyes widened. “Yes, yes. That reminds me. You could focus on more *precise* magic. Like… bone explosion magic.”

Using bone explosion magic on just any skeleton could be dangerous. But with skeletons from ancient necromancy, it’s different. They are more… stable. He could combine it with other bone magic and really show off his skills.

“Enough thinking. Mortum is probably busy. I’ll teach you myself.” The Skull Headmaster turned to Lee Han. “You seem distracted, Headmaster. Is everything alright?”

“Nothing much. Just avoiding Professor Garcia… I’ll have to hide from her this semester until she calms down. No choice. Bones. Give me the bones.”

Lee Han reached into his bag and pulled out two bones. One bone pulsed with dark colours, purple and black swirling together like oil on water. The other was plain white, almost glowing faintly in the dim light of the room.

“This is easy to recognize,” the Skull Headmaster said, examining the purple and black bone. “About a Count, I’d say.”

“…Ah, how do you know that?” Lee Han asked, surprised. He hadn’t expected the Skull Headmaster to identify it so quickly. “You recognized it so quickly… are you secretly collecting bones of important people? Like, you know, Imperial Counts?”

“An Imperial Count? No, no. I meant a *demon* Count,” the Skull Headmaster chuckled, a dry, rattling sound. “Why would an Imperial Count’s bone be here?”

“Of course, that’s what I thought too,” Lee Han said quickly, relieved. “Why *would* an Imperial Count be here?” He breathed a little easier.

Demons from unstable realms had strict ranks, and they fought fiercely to climb them. A bone from a demon Count would be very valuable indeed.

“Commendable, lad,” the Skull Headmaster said, nodding. “To take such a bone as a prize.”

“If you wanted it…” Lee Han started, gesturing with the bone.

“Hmph. Do you think I’m that low?” The Skull Headmaster scoffed, pushing the bone back towards Lee Han. “A great wizard might drive his student crazy, but he doesn’t steal his student’s magic.”

“…I was just going to ask if you wanted to trade it for gold coins?” Lee Han mumbled.

The Skull Headmaster stared at him, a puzzled frown on his skull-like face. *Gold again? Why is he so obsessed with gold?* He couldn’t understand it. Lee Han wasn’t living in poverty, and first-year students didn’t need funds for guilds or schools… *Is he planning some grand magical experiment?*

“No, you will *not* sell that,” the Skull Headmaster said firmly. “That’s an order. This is important. Do you understand why bones are so vital for black magic?”

“Yes? No… I understand,” Lee Han replied, a little taken aback by the Headmaster’s serious tone.

“Good. I’ll check on it every month. Don’t try anything foolish. Don’t say you lost it, or that it was stolen.”

“……” Lee Han was surprised. *How did he know I was thinking about selling it?*

“This bone is the reagent you need right now. Think about it. Why are black magicians so obsessed with bones?” The Skull Headmaster continued. “Because good bones make magic stronger. It’s a huge difference between summoning a weak skeleton with a street bone and summoning one with a demon Count’s bone.”

“Especially for someone learning ancient necromancy like you. You need to learn to use powerful bones. If you get used to this now, you can handle even stronger bones later. But bones that are *too* strong are hard to control. This level is perfect for you.”

“Is that so? …A demon Count…” Lee Han nodded, but a flicker of worry crossed his face. *Is it really okay for a first-year student to use a demon Count’s bone?*

“What’s the problem?” the Skull Headmaster asked, noticing his expression.

“Yes, well… I understand. So, what about *this* bone?” Lee Han held up the white bone. “Is it just a low-level demon bone? Like… a soldier demon? Or even a demon beast?”

“Hmm.” The Skull Headmaster took the plain white bone. He turned it over in his bony fingers, his eye sockets narrowed in concentration. It was smooth and cool to the touch, with no markings, just a pure, almost unsettling white. “Be quiet. This is… I don’t know.”

“Is it really *that* unimportant?” Lee Han asked, surprised by the Headmaster’s confusion. “Where is the Ghoul King now?”

“No,” the Skull Headmaster said, his voice low and serious. “It’s not unimportant. Not at all.”

A bone that even *he*, the Empire’s best bone expert, couldn’t recognize… It was definitely something significant. “It’s clearly from a powerful being,” he murmured, more to himself than Lee Han. “But I can’t place it. Did they somehow seal its power? Erase its history?”

After a moment of thought, the Skull Headmaster looked up at Lee Han. “I’ll take this white bone to study it further. I need to investigate.”

“Wouldn’t it be faster to just ask the Ghoul King?” Lee Han suggested.

“Hmm, maybe,” the Skull Headmaster considered. “But judging by his level, I doubt he knows what it is. Still… I’ll interrogate him. After a *thorough* interrogation, of course.” Lee Han wisely pretended not to hear the word “torture.”

“I’ll take this white bone to study it further,” the Skull Headmaster repeated, taking it from Lee Han. “Alright. Practice with the demon Count’s bone. Oh, and before I forget… how is the Bracelet of Ten Thousand Demons? Has anything happened with it?”

He was talking about the bracelet that held countless sleeping demons from the Undead Dimension palace. It wasn’t supposed to react to small things, but the Skull Headmaster had hoped Lee Han might have awakened at least one demon by now. Especially with Lee Han’s busy life…

“Nothing happened?” he asked.

“Oh. Really? I see.” The Skull Headmaster nodded, hiding his slight disappointment. He watched Lee Han leave, then quickly turned to his desk and began to write a letter.

*To Voladi Begrek,*

*Lee Han Wodanaz is feeling discouraged after losing to a golem that used space- 이동 magic. Please help him.*

*Osu Gonadaltes*

As he sent the letter flying towards Professor Begrek, the Skull Headmaster smiled warmly. *What a lucky student to have such a dedicated teacher!* He thought. *Lee Han needs a boost. Begrek will know what to do.*

News of Lee Han’s golem repair had spread faster than he expected.

“Do you know a student named Wodanaz?” A stern-faced wizard asked a group of Blue Dragon Tower students.

“Wodanaz? Never heard of him!” one student blurted out, too quickly.

“Are you sure? We’re looking for a student named Wodanaz,” another wizard pressed, his eyes narrowed.

“Who is that?!” another Blue Dragon Tower student exclaimed, trying to sound confused and annoyed.

The Blue Dragon Tower students were doing their best to pretend they knew nothing, their faces tight with forced ignorance. As soon as the wizards moved on, they scrambled to send a paper bird. They couldn’t make it chirp, but they could scratch a quick message onto its wing.

*Danger. Outsiders. Questions.*

Lee Han, in the middle of a summoning magic lecture, frowned as the paper bird landed on his desk. “I don’t understand why black magicians from outside would be looking for me…” he muttered.

A White Tiger Tower student nearby hiccuped nervously. Lee Han, focused on the paper bird, didn’t notice.

“Listen, everyone,” Lee Han said, looking up at the other students. “If anyone asks if you know a Wodanaz, just say no. Please?”

“No problem! Wodanaz? Who’s that?” a White Tiger Tower student said, a little too loudly.

“Don’t worry, Lee Han-nim! We’ve got your back!” another added, puffing out his chest.

“Y-yeah! Trust us! Wodanaz… never heard of him!” a third stammered, avoiding eye contact.

“?” Lee Han stared at them, completely bewildered by their sudden eagerness to help. “Why are you guys acting so strange?”

“W-strange? What do you mean?” one of them asked, feigning innocence.

“Normally, you’d be yelling, ‘Why should *we* help *you*?’ and causing trouble,” Lee Han pointed out.

“W-what are you talking about? We never do that!” a White Tiger Tower student protested, looking offended.

The Black Tortoise Tower students nearby snickered. “Oh yes, you do. You *always* do that.”

“That’s right. Every time,” a Black Tortoise student agreed, grinning.

“…Well,” a White Tiger Tower student mumbled, trying to recover, “when outsiders are asking questions, Einroguard students should stick together, right?” They were clearly making up excuses as they went along, but the other students didn’t question it further.

“Why is this paper bird always flying in circles?” one student groaned, chasing after his creation. “Paper bird, go straight! Straight! Paper bird! Hey, you stupid bird!”

The upcoming summoning magic festival was looming, and everyone was desperate to impress Professor Milray with their paper bird magic. Just summoning a basic paper bird was easy now, but *improving* it was the real challenge.

Most students were trying to add simple command recognition, making the birds obey spoken orders. A few of the most skilled were attempting voice addition, hoping to create paper birds that could carry messages and even hold simple conversations.

But Lee Han was working on something far more ambitious: long-range viewing magic. He wanted to recreate the incredible feat Professor Milray had shown them, seeing through the paper bird’s eyes. It sounded simple, but it was incredibly complex. He had to summon the bird, create a magical eye for something that had no eyes, link his mind to that eye so he could see what it saw, and then control the bird at the same time. It was a dizzying task.

“Wodanaz,” a friend said hesitantly, “isn’t this… maybe a bit too hard?”

Lee Han turned to him, a flicker of annoyance in his eyes. “You were agreeing with the professor when she said we should try something difficult, weren’t you?”

The friend shrank back, suddenly remembering his mistake. Agreeing with Professor Milray’s challenging suggestion had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now…

“I… I didn’t say anything!” he stammered.

Nilia, sitting next to Lee Han, whispered, “I think it’s amazing, Wodanaz.”

Lee Han nodded, a small smile touching his lips. “Thanks, Nilia. But… actually,” he leaned closer to her magic circle, “that line there, you should redraw it. It’s a bit crooked. It might break after a few magic cycles.”

“Oh, you’re right!” Nilia murmured, impressed and slightly flustered. *He’s right to try something difficult,* she thought, carefully correcting the line.

Just then, a small group of black magicians approached Professor Milray, looking hesitant and a little nervous. Professor Milray, who had been chatting with other professors, smiled and pointed towards Lee Han. The black magicians’ eyes widened. They hurried over to Lee Han, bowing deeply.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” they mumbled, their voices hushed.

“Huh?” Lee Han blinked, surprised. “Damn it,” he muttered under his breath. “I didn’t think black magicians would even *talk* to people, let alone ask for help.”

“?” Nilia tilted her head, confused. *Black magicians are just people, aren’t they?* she thought.

“Are you… are you the student named Wodanaz?” one of the black magicians asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes… well, yes, I am,” Lee Han replied, still puzzled.

“We… we wanted to ask you about the golem!” another black magician blurted out, his eyes shining with excitement.

“Ah… the golem?” Lee Han’s confusion started to clear. *The golem… that must be it.*

“Wait,” Lee Han said, a sudden thought striking him. “You’re asking about the golem… did those guys with the wooden swords, the ones from the White Tiger Tower, say something about me?”

“Yes! Uh… yes, they did,” one of the black magicians confirmed, nodding eagerly.

Lee Han stared at the White Tiger Tower students, a slow realization dawning on him.

The White Tiger Tower students suddenly seemed very interested in their own feet.

“Hey,” Lee Han said, turning back to his friends. “Maybe we should… uh… practice somewhere else?”

“Right! Good idea! Let’s go!” one of his friends agreed instantly, jumping up.

“Master, quickly! We need to move!” another urged, grabbing Lee Han’s arm.

“W-wait! Where are you going?” a White Tiger Tower student cried out, reaching for them. But his friends from other towers were already pulling away, shaking off his hand.

Lee Han, however, didn’t run. He stayed put, a slightly embarrassed flush rising on his cheeks as he faced the eager black magicians. “I just… repaired the golem,” he explained, feeling a little awkward. “I didn’t actually *make* it.”

“Yes, yes, we know!” one of the black magicians said quickly.

Lee Han was even more confused now. *They know?*

“If you just repaired it, and didn’t make it… then it’s not *that* impressive, is it?” he mumbled, mostly to himself.

*“Not impressive? Are you kidding me, you crazy genius?”* one of the students next to him thought, rolling his eyes. *Repairing it alone is incredible!*

The black magician seemed to agree. “Oh, no, no! Repairing it is amazing too! But… what we really want to know about is the golem *control*.”

“Golem control?” Lee Han repeated, a spark of understanding lighting in his eyes.

“Yes!” the black magicians chorused, leaning closer, their faces full of anticipation.

“I just… did some basic repairs, some simple adjustments…” Lee Han began, trying to downplay his achievement.

“Yes, but,” a black magician interrupted, “ordinary magicians can’t even do those ‘simple adjustments’ to golems like that!”

Lee Han fell silent, finally understanding.

*Ah!*