Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 700

“I didn’t think you could appear even without me summoning you.”

A wave of cold, dark power filled the air. Lee Han felt a chill, even though it wasn’t cold. The darkness seemed to press down on him, heavy and scary.

The undead wizard, Verdus, inhaled the abundant power deeply.

Usually, creatures from other worlds need time to get their power back after being summoned. It’s hard to summon them again quickly.

Also, Verdus was still hurt from his fight with the King of Ghouls.

Verdus looked around, surprised to be in the human world without being called.

The giant spider crashed through the trees, its legs like thick, hairy pillars. Green, steaming venom sprayed from its mouth, hissing as it landed on the ground, burning the grass.

“Wait a minute. Is this another one of my master’s tests?”

“Uh, well…”

Lee Han hesitated.

Lee Han had summoned Verdus during the magic exam to stop the undead wave, but he misunderstood what was happening.

Verdus fought hard for Lee Han, but when he found out the truth, he was not happy and said many curses.

‘Is this also one of my master’s tests?’

It was supposed to be the headmaster’s test. But it was an accident. So maybe it wasn’t a test at all.

“It can’t be. No master would send out a monster like that as a test.”

“……”

“But why are those death knights staring at me like that?”

The undead wizard was confused by the way the death knights were looking at him.

These weren’t just new knight students. These death knights had seen the good and bad of life and death. They were looking at him with a lot of fear.

One of the death knights asked carefully,

“Did you turn our professor into an undead?”

“No, I did not.”

Lee Han answered seriously.

Even if they were confused, this was too much.

The death knights were sad to hear Lee Han’s answer.

“Krrrk!”

“We really hoped it was him…”

“……”

The undead wizard asked Lee Han to explain. The death knights had been acting strange from the start.

“Ah, well, there’s a wizard with the same family name, Verdus, and they don’t like him very much.”

“Ah, I see. That’s it then. Death knights are so dramatic! Just because the name is the same, they’re scared of a wizard?”

“Haha.”

Lee Han thought they might change their minds if they met Professor Verdus.

Professor Verdus caused a fear that was more than just strength.

“Besides, there must be hundreds of Verdus families on this world and in other worlds.”

“You are correct.”

“Tsk tsk. By the way, what kind of creature is that wizard?”

“Why do you ask?”

“When I was alive, I was a beaver-kin. I was just wondering. It’s not a common race!”

“……”

Lee Han felt even more scared than when Anansi appeared. He felt the blood drain from his face, and his body grew cold.

‘No. It must be a coincidence.’

The undead wizard worked in the palace of the Lich King and the Ghoul King, but he was a kind and good person.

There was no way he could be related to Professor Verdus.

“Why are you just standing there?”

“!”

Anansi had been fighting the death knights. She saw Lee Han and her eyes flashed.

The death knights cried out,

“Wizard! Please help us!”

“Verd… Verd… Damn it, we need help!”

“Understood! I will help!”

Verdus was a lich, and he knew battles. He didn’t waste words. His bony fingers moved quickly, starting to draw a magic circle.

“You, get in here!”

“Is that… is that a protection magic circle?”

The death knights asked as Lee Han stepped into the magic circle.

It was an unusual protection magic circle.

“It’s… well, it’s a magic absorption magic circle.”

“……”

The death knights paused, hearing the wizard and Lee Han’s answers.

The death knights were confused. Should they attack the spider monster? Or should they stop the undead wizard who seemed to be using Lee Han’s magic?

‘Why is he so calm while his magic is being taken?’

‘Is it hard to learn from the master without being a little crazy?’

While the death knights hesitated, the undead wizard finished charging his magic.

It wasn’t hard because Lee Han’s magic was so strong. Also, there was a lot of dark magic around.

“Be engraved upon me, Pentagrammaton!”

With so much power, the undead wizard even used a microcosm.

The wizard’s limits were lifted, and many spells were completed before the wizard could even say them.

A black aura covered the death knights, making their armor stronger. The black swords burned with dark energy, becoming sharper and scarier.

“Jalhalgalbalληαεγδ■■■■…”

The spells were cast so fast that the words couldn’t be heard.

But the spells didn’t interfere with each other. They strengthened the death knights and weakened Anansi perfectly.

“Aaaargh!”

Anansi had been attacking without caring about the attacks, but now she felt pain as many curses hit her.

The death knights, now with help, roared and charged.

“W-wait! Wait a minute!”

“Too late. You should have listened to us earlier!”

They couldn’t use the strong magic they had when they were alive, but the powers they received after joining the Lord of Death made up for it.

They could receive endless dark power!

The death knights, powered by black magic, released a dark aura and defeated Anansi.

“Excellent!”

The undead wizard was happy watching the death knights fight.

He thought they were weak knights for being scared of a wizard with the same name, but they were strong fighters.

The giant spider fell, and the undead wizard thanked the knights.

“You all have done well. May your swords last forever!”

“Wizard, may your magic also be immortal!”

Ethan’s eyes were wide as he stared at the empty space where the giant, hairy spider had been just moments before. It had vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving only a lingering smell of dust and fear.

“But… how did that spider appear?” Ethan whispered, turning to the zombie-like wizard beside him.

The wizard, with his pale skin and eyes that seemed to glow faintly, just shrugged. “Hmph,” he grunted, his voice like dry leaves rustling. “The Headmaster, of course. Testing you students, I expect.”

Ethan swallowed hard, his heart still racing. He didn’t like being tested by giant spiders, especially not suddenly like that. He glanced nervously at the wizard, who was now staring at him with his mouth hanging open in surprise. Ethan didn’t wait to find out why. He quickly hurried away, joining the other students who were gathering for the inspection.

The fight was over, but it had been very chaotic. The zombie wizard was even shouting excitedly and cursing! They had to stop him and send him away.

The Death Knights resumed their inspection. This time, it was quiet and peaceful, because all the students trying to smuggle items had been caught, and everyone was exhausted.

“-Pass.”

“-Thank you.”

“-Pass.”

“-Hey, isn’t that the same student from before?”

The Death Knight said, “-Pass.”

Then, in a lower voice, “-Yeah, it’s him.”

“-Wow…”

“-Is that Wordanaz? I thought Einroguard’s rumors were just nonsense.”

“-So, the Skull Headmaster didn’t make up a fake rumor after all?”

The upperclassmen had seen Ethan running through Anansi’s poisonous breath with the Death Knights. They whispered in amazement.

Ethan raised Guinan, trying to avoid their gazes. Guinan struggled uncomfortably.

“-Pass.”

“-Ah, yes, sorry. Underclassman! Are you perhaps interested in the Quidditch club… Ack!”

The Death Knights firmly disciplined students who broke the rules. They had to be strict. The second-year students were still new and not ready to be asked to join clubs, groups, or research projects so quickly.

“-No club recommendations, no faction recommendations.”

“-And faction recommendations are meaningless, aren’t they? After all…”

Ethan looked at the Death Knights with a wounded expression. The Death Knights realized their mistake, cleared their throats, and looked away.

“-Give me your backpack.”

“-Here it is.”

Ethan took out the backpack meant to be confiscated. It was a backpack he had filled just enough to be taken.

The storekeeper and the Death Knights glanced around before whispering.

“-Go ahead and pass.”

“-Pardon?”

“-You can just go through. Honestly, after all that hardship, you deserve to take this much in.”

Even the storekeeper, whose eyes were covered by bandages, seemed to feel sorry for Ethan, and so did the Death Knights.

Almost everyone who worked for the Skull Headmaster felt sorry for Ethan.

“-No, you can’t just change the school rules like that…”

Of course, from Ethan’s perspective, it was a strange situation.

Ethan asked, just in case.

“-Are you letting me pass because I fought alongside Anansi earlier?”

There was desperation in his question. Ethan wanted his secret smuggling to still be important, after all the trouble he went through.

“-That’s not it. We were originally planning to let the Headmaster’s disciple take a little bit in anyway.”

“-Just go through quickly.”

“-…Thank you…”

Ethan picked up his backpack with slumped shoulders and walked forward.

The Death Knights were puzzled by his reaction.

“-Why isn’t he happy?”

“-He must be acting. The master’s eyes are everywhere in the school, aren’t they?”

“-Indeed…! This might be a rude thing to say, but it seems the master’s disciple isn’t just anyone.”

“-Haha, of course!”

It wasn’t all in vain.

Passing through the inspection and heading towards the Blue Dragon Tower, Ethan felt better.

In truth, the Death Knights only felt sorry for him and let him pass because it was just a backpack. If he had brought a smuggling cart, even the Death Knights would have thought it was too much.

The underground smuggling was definitely not a waste of effort.

“That’s right, Ethan. It’s definitely not a futile effort.”

Guinan spoke in a rare, serious tone.

Ethan was slightly touched.

“-You think so too?”

“-I sacrificed myself by even eating poison!”

Yoner whispered from the side, “-That’s the 23rd time you’ve said that.”

“-…Let’s just humor him until we get inside.”

Having finished the inspection, the second-year students gathered in front of the Blue Dragon Tower and stopped when they saw a senior.

The Blue Dragon Tower senior, who had been waiting and tapping the end of his snakeskin boots as if bored, stood up as the second-year students gathered.

“Everyone’s here. I hope no second-year students went to the punishment room? If they did, you guys can tell them later. My name is Perseda. I’m moving up to the fourth year this time. I’ve been waiting to explain the life of a bronze-level student in Einroguard to you all.”

“-Is the senior a fourth-year representative… student council president… leader… I don’t know if there’s anything like that, but is that what you are?”

“No. I was waiting because I lost in a lottery. And what you just said doesn’t exist. Don’t be fooled even if the Headmaster says there is. Unless you want to be a laughingstock. I was fooled by the Headmaster’s words when I was a second-year and tried to become a student council president that didn’t even exist.”

Perseda was tall and muscular. He looked more suited to the White Tiger Tower than the Blue Dragon Tower. Seeing the magic on his snakeskin boots and the Quidditch bat hanging on his back, Ethan realized that Perseda really liked Quidditch, or maybe he used the Quidditch bat as a weapon.

“It’s good that most of you didn’t try to smuggle things in. It’s a trick every year.”

“-Shouldn’t the seniors have stopped us more?”

Perseda shrugged. “-If we stop you, you try even harder. It’s quite ironic.”

“Anyway, shall we start? I don’t have much time as a fourth-year. What you need to know this year is mainly clubs, lectures, and requests. Members will come to explain the clubs from tomorrow, so shall we start with the lectures? Anyone here studying one subject group?”

Several students raised their hands. Perseda nodded.

“It’s not bad to major in one more in the second year. It makes research more flexible. Anyone taking two?”

Quite a few students raised their hands. Perseda was satisfied.

“Students in the Blue Dragon Tower are always the smartest and best at studying. Anyone taking three?”

Adenart raised his hand. Perseda bowed politely with respect.

Even if they were an underclassman, a wizard majoring in three subjects deserved such a greeting.

“I respect you. It’s a great feat, but if it gets too hard, think about reducing the number of subjects. The professors will understand.”

Is that so?

Ethan wondered.

I don’t think so…