Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 88

“Why are you telling me this now!”

Perkuntrar was surprised by Lee Han’s anger. Even when Lee Han was difficult or even violent, Perkuntrar had always been polite.

“Ah… no. You didn’t ask…”

“How can you deal with students attending school and not know what is most important to them!”

“Missing one class is not a big problem…”

Perkuntrar defended himself, sounding upset.

Perkuntrar had lived here a long time and thought he knew how wizards learned.

Weren’t they huddled together in classrooms, listening to professors tell them stories?

Missing one or two of those stories wouldn’t make much of a difference. Magic was about consistent effort and brilliant talent, not whether you attended a class once or twice…

“We have to submit the assignment. No exceptions.”

At Lee Han’s words, Yoner nodded, his eyes blazing with determination. His red hair swung wildly as he nodded, showing his eagerness.

Most classes at the magic school were hard, but the ‘Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic’ class was especially tough.

—This is a magic circle design I submitted to the Empire in my younger days. Look at this design and calculate how much the total cost would be.

A crazy professor gave a crazy assignment: look at a thick magic circle design and calculate how much money went into it by next week.

Lee Han and Yoner gritted their teeth, cursed the professor, and stayed up all night.

Having finished the assignment like that, there was no way they could fail to submit it.

Otherwise, they would be so upset that they wouldn’t be able to sleep for weeks!

…Are you doing this because of one assignment??

When Perkuntrar asked as if he was wronged, Lee Han and Yoner turned their heads sharply.

People say that nice people are scary when they get angry. Perkuntrar flinched when the usually gentle young wizards glared at him.

Y-yes. Assignments might be important. I’m sorry.

“Just tell us the time.”

After hearing the time from Perkuntrar, Lee Han looked at the ceiling anxiously.

There was only about an hour and a half left until the ‘Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic’ class that started in the morning.

“Let’s hurry, Mr. Perkuntrar. Please guide us to the way out.”

I… I can’t.

The two young wizards glared with genuine murderous intent.

Perkuntrar hurriedly made excuses.

I made a promise!

“What promise?”

To prevent the wizard who summoned me and the students escaping this punishment room! I cannot tell you the way out. From the beginning, I was going to tell you to temporarily seal me here when you left.

Lee Han felt despondent.

Lee Han didn’t know how complex and bizarre the structure of this underground punishment room was.

Without Perkuntrar’s help, there was no guarantee that they would escape in time.

Due to his anxiety, Lee Han failed to control his emotions.

“Ah, why are you so unhelpful! Then why did you make a contract!”

……

Perkuntrar’s pride was slightly hurt. He spoke in a more formal tone.

Neither the fight against the dragon or the demon, nor the bloody battle with Headmaster Lich, hurt Perkuntrar’s pride.

But the words of the young contractor hurt Perkuntrar’s pride.

Perkuntrar unconsciously muttered excuses.

It’s because we’re in a special situation called the punishment room right now, but if you summon me outside later, my abilities…

“I understand. So how do I seal you?”

…You just have to order me to stay trapped here for a while.

Lee Han did as Perkuntrar told him.

With that order, Perkuntrar was unable to leave this forgotten punishment room for a while.

“Let’s go, Yoner.”

Don’t forget to summon me when you get out! My abilities are not limited to this!

“Yes. Yes. I understand!”

Don’t forget! I said don’t forget! Are you listening? Don’t forge…

Scritch scritch-

They were in a hurry, but Lee Han and Yoner tried to stay calm.

They drew a map as they went up and down the stairs, and back and forth through the corridors.

“It’s blocked.”

“Let’s go back. This corridor is completely blocked.”

“I think we should go down two floors and try again.”

Clatter!

The bone summon ran from afar. Lee Han asked.

“Was there a way?”

Clatter clatter!

The bone summon actively expressed its opinion. It meant there was no way. Lee Han clicked his tongue.

Lee Han and Yoner, as well as the bone summon, were searching for a way, but the progress was still slow.

This punishment room was like a maze. It was hard to find the right way.

It was impossible to know which of the stairs in the corridor were connected upwards. Some stairs were connected to dead-end closed punishment rooms, some stairs were connected to paths that went around and down, and some stairs made them spin around in place.

It might have been his imagination, but Lee Han started to think the Skull Headmaster had designed this place.

“Back to that corridor… no. Wait. What did you bring?”

Lee Han was embarrassed.

He was too rushed to notice, but the size of the bone summon, which only had front hands, had grown significantly.

What did it bring…?!

Whirr!

The bone summons collided and rolled around, eventually being assembled correctly.

Wide ribs, a long tailbone, and even the bones of the hind legs.

It was missing a skull and one foot, but Lee Han could picture the familiar shape.

It was a leopard.

‘Was it a leopard’s bone??’

Until now, he had naturally assumed it was a human…

Come to think of it, no matter how unpopular the dark magic professor was, he probably wouldn’t give a human hand bone to a freshman.

‘I’m ashamed of myself for thinking it was a human hand bone.’

The bone summon, no, the leopard bone summon, confidently tapped its foot.

It seemed to have gained confidence as its size increased.

But in a situation where it was missing a skull and one arm, that confidence looked a bit bizarre.

“Did Professor Mortuum hide the bones in the corner of the punishment room?”

“Yeah.”

Lee Han nodded, but he felt a sense of self-disgust.

Yoner was looking at Lee Han with worried eyes.

The meaning of his eyes was simple.

-You have to keep learning dark magic under that professor, are you okay?

“…I’ll be okay. Probably.”

Lee Han turned his gaze to the leopard bone summon.

Anyway, now that it was bigger, it would be a bit faster.

“Go this way and check all the paths. Understand?”

“That way is a waste of time.”

“!!”

Lee Han and Yoner were startled and looked around. Then the voice came again.

“This way. This way.”

There was a tapping sound from inside the door.

Surprisingly, there was a student in a solitary cell next to the corridor.

“You were making a lot of noise going back and forth, why did you come into the punishment room without knowing the way?”

“We have a long story. Why are you in the punishment room?”

“I have a long story too. What grade are you in?”

“I just entered this year.”

“……”

Silence suddenly returned to the room. Lee Han was puzzled.

What is it?

“Wait, are you that freshman who got stuck in the punishment room before? The one who escaped through the tunnels and got caught again?”

“Then are you perhaps the one who was caught raiding the headmaster’s secret warehouse…? What did you do this time?”

Lee Han was amazed.

To think that his punishment room comrade from that time was here.

“Can’t you lower your voice? It’s not something to be proud of.”

“What’s there to be ashamed of? I ended up here after raiding the professor’s warehouse too.”

“……”

The student in the solitary cell was speechless.

He didn’t know what he had done to end up here after raiding the professor’s warehouse, but it was truly beyond imagination.

A mere freshman escaped through the underground passage last time and ended up in the punishment room this time after raiding the professor’s warehouse…

Next time, he might fly out of the school.

Yoner whispered to Lee Han.

“Who is he?”

“He’s a senior who went into the next room last time, and he likes to be treated casually.”

“It’s not that he likes to be treated casually… Never mind. What am I going to say? Anyway, what are you doing in the corridor?”

“I was looking for a way to escape.”

“…It’s not surprising anymore. So, did you find a way?”

Lee Han couldn’t answer. The student in the solitary cell smiled as if he knew it.

“It won’t be easy. The way up from here is usually very complicated.”

“Senior. Would you like to come out with us if we let you out?”

At Lee Han’s suggestion, the student in the solitary cell burst out laughing.

“How foolish! You wouldn’t say that if you hadn’t escaped from the inside before. Do you even know what comes out when you open this door?”

“The lightning spirit?”

“…What are you? How did you know??”

The student in the solitary cell stammered in embarrassment.

“I met it coming up from below.”

“……”

The student in the solitary cell staggered, feeling dizzy. He couldn’t even imagine how they had shaken it off.

“You…. How… No, never mind. Anyway, I’m sorry, but I don’t want to escape.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ll be released in six hours.”

“……”

It was a reason that Lee Han had to accept.

“Then, could you perhaps give us some advice on the way out?”

A similar answer to last time came back to Lee Han’s question.

The student in the solitary cell said with a mocking voice.

“And why would I help you?”

“…We’re doomed.”

“??”

“I used food to coax him last time, but I don’t have any food this time.”

Lee Han looked at Yoner with a troubled expression.

“Coax! What do you think I am!”

The student in the solitary cell heard the conversation and flared up.

It was a senior’s teaching for the sake of his juniors, but the way he said it made it seem like he just gave in because he was hungry.

Clatter clatter!

While they were talking, the leopard bone summon nudged Lee Han. It meant he wanted him to give the next order quickly.

“Wait…”

“Wait a minute.”

The student in the solitary cell opened his mouth.

“Is that perhaps a bone summon?”

“Yes.”

“…Do you perhaps learn dark magic under Professor Mortuum?”

“Yes…?”

“……”

An awkward and heavy silence fell.

A moment later, a piece of paper was pushed out from under the door.

It was a simple map drawn on the spot, showing the way out from here.

“…Take it. Good luck.”

“……”

Lee Han wasn’t happy at all, even though he got the map. He somehow felt a sense of ominous future.

‘I’m late!’

Lee Han gritted his teeth.

The professor was coming out of the lecture hall in the distance of the corridor.

To be late even after running so much.

He wasn’t a professor who checked attendance, but considering his picky personality, if he went and said, ‘I’m late, Professor, but I’ve done the assignment,’ there was a high possibility that he would say something like, ‘How can a student who can’t keep track of time submit the assignment?’

Yoner took a deep breath with a desperate expression. He was out of breath from running all the way here.

“Lee Han… no. No. No.”

Yoner, who was about to call Lee Han, grabbed Lee Han’s arm urgently.

Lee Han had taken out his wand and was aiming at the professor’s back.

“That’s not allowed!”

“What?”

“It’s dangerous to attack the professor!”

“I’m not trying to attack him. I’m aiming for that.”

Lee Han pointed his finger at the pile of assignments floating next to the professor.

It was the pile of assignments collected from the students during this lecture.

“I’m going to put it in there.”

“…I-is that possible?”

“Yes.”

Lee Han said firmly and raised his wand.

The numerous hardships he had suffered from Professor Voladi until now might have been for this moment.

Challenges make wizards stronger.

At this moment, Lee Han fully accepted the teachings of the magic school with his body.