Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 973

Giving up on his unhelpful friend, Dirette turned his attention back to his junior.

Yukbeltire was very stubborn. Once he got angry, it was hard to change his mind. Dirette knew it was best to leave him alone.

“Sorry. It’s a shame, but there’s nothing we can do.”

“It’s alright. What would Yukbeltire-sunbae know anyway?”

“Ah, no. Yukbeltire can use Lesser Worlds too… and he’s probably better at giving advice than I am.”

Dirette studied black magic. Yukbeltire studied enchantment magic. Because of his magic, Yukbeltire knew a lot about magical objects. He had collected and studied many of them.

Because of this, he knew a lot about magic, even magic that wasn’t his specialty. So, Yukbeltire might be better at giving advice about his junior’s Lesser World magic.

“Eii. There’s no way. Dirette-sunbae is the best sunbae in the Empire.”

“……”

Dirette felt a warmth in his chest. He was touched by his junior’s words. He didn’t want to show it, so he quickly turned his head away.

It was lucky they were underground. The darkness would hide the tears in his eyes.

“Sunbae?”

“It’s nothing. So. Tell me. What explanations did you hear?”

“Actually, I was recommended to join…”

“Ignore it.”

Dirette answered right away.

He thought that beings from other dimensions were dangerous and shouldn’t be contacted easily.

How could they say such crazy things to a junior who was only in their second year?

“To say such things. They’re very dangerous and crazy people!”

‘Hmm. The Headmaster said that too.’

To be exact, the Headmaster’s doppelganger had said that.

Lee Han calmed Dirette down and asked.

“Still, shouldn’t I know about it in advance? I might get kidnapped again and not be able to leave until I learn it.”

“I want to tell you not to say such ridiculous things, but it’s sad that I can’t deny it…”

He wanted to say, how could someone kidnap you and not let you go until you learn magic? But his junior had already been through it once.

Dirette gave up and listened quietly.

The Lesser World Basilios and its explanation had fascinating and interesting parts.

It was ancient Lesser World magic with a completely different system from the ‘relatively easy’ Lesser Worlds that the upperclassmen of Einrogaard liked.

Dirette, who had been listening closely, spoke without thinking.

“…Could it be that only good people can use it? Or, more precisely, people who help others…”

Dirette was very smart, as you would expect from a fifth-year student at Einrogaard.

The only thing the young and kind Headmaster (though it was hard to believe) and the good junior had in common was that.

“That sounds too far-fetched.”

But the foolish junior didn’t accept his senior’s wisdom. Dirette tilted his head.

“Is that so? That’s all I can think of… Instead of saying it’s nonsense, why don’t you try it a few times?”

If it were someone else, he would have told them not to talk nonsense. But this was the best senior in the Empire.

Lee Han decided to experiment, even if it was just to show respect for his senior.

“I understand. I will try.”

“Lesser Worlds… it’s all about who is right for it,” Dirette said. “If you don’t have what it takes, you just can’t learn it. Like a wand choosing a wizard, you know?”

“What conditions are required for the Pentagrammaton that sunbaenim learned?”

At the question, Dirette spread out his fingers.

The number five.

“Defeat five high-ranking demons and carve five letters. A demon is sealed in each letter. It’s a magic that uses the power from the letters as a driving force.”

The Pentagrammaton was a very powerful magic. It could make a black magician much stronger. But to learn it, you needed to do very hard things.

You had to defeat five high-ranking demons and then carve the letters with that defeat.

“Thinking about it, this might be easier for you…”

“?!”

Lee Han’s eyes widened at Dirette’s innocent words.

What on earth did that mean?

“If you meet the Yacha bastard later, tell him these conditions and watch his reaction. If it’s right… no. Even if it’s right, don’t rush. Even if you have the qualifications, it’s just the beginning.”

The crow beastkin senior gave serious advice.

Even if you have the qualifications and conditions, that was only the beginning.

Just as it took Dirette a long time to complete the Pentagrammaton even after defeating the demons, it was likely that his junior would be the same.

“I understand. If the other person attacks, threatens, bribes, persuades, or tries to harass me in other ways to speed up the magic training, it’s dangerous.”

“…You’re being too specific and diverse… That’s right. That’s exactly what I meant.”

While the two were talking, Yukbeltire kept watching.

He wanted to see when the crown already on his junior’s head would appear again!

Lee Han came up to the surface. He was a little worried about spending the last bit of the weekend like this.

-Wodanaz. Did you come to see us?

“Ah. Hello, everyone.”

The giants were hanging around the workshop, guarding it. They waved at Lee Han happily.

-Going to see the sheep?

“No. The sheep later…”

-Ooh! We’re disappointed.

“Let’s go see them together next time.”

-The lamb fell off the cliff again! Wodanaz should have seen that too! It was really funny!

“…Why is that funny?”

-There were other giants on the cliff!

‘Hmm. It’s hard for me to understand.’

Lee Han quickly gave up and went to the mad doppelganger’s workshop.

He opened the door and went inside. He was a disciple, so there were no rules. He saw a hamster spinning its wheel in the cage next to him.

“Hello.”

The hamster didn’t answer.

It didn’t want to be involved with the mad doppelganger, or even his disciple. Lee Han felt sorry and threw some food into the cage.

“Is Master here?”

“Did you come to ask about the Black Emperor’s Crown?”

“Yes? Uh… no.”

“Then about the Lesser World?”

“I need to ask about the Lesser World too… but not now.”

“Good. Then which high-level magic are you curious about?”

“Not that either.”

“…Then why did you come?”

Before his master could start yelling, Lee Han quickly said why he was there.

“Icametoaskaboutorichalcon!”

It wasn’t easy to find someone to trust, no matter how he thought about it. So, Lee Han chose the fastest and most powerful way.

It was the mad doppelganger.

Surely the honorable ancient royal family wouldn’t take his disciple’s orichalcon, would they?

“I found some orichalcon.”

“Well done. Refine it and use it.”

The mad doppelganger didn’t seem too excited.

He had collected all kinds of wealth and treasures, so he didn’t get excited just by hearing the name of orichalcon.

He was much calmer than the Einrogaard students who would have rushed over with their eyes red.

“Could you help me with the mining?”

The mad doppelganger slowly shook his head.

“Disappointing. I don’t think you would ask your master for help if you could mine the orichalcon yourself.”

“That’s, if it’s a completed orichalcon, I’ll mine it, but I heard strange things…”

“!”

The mad doppelganger stopped.

Could it be?

“You don’t mean to say you found an uncompleted orichalcon.”

“That’s right.”

“Why are you acting so foolishly? Don’t you know that if you don’t keep treasure safe, other greedy people will try to take it?”

“……”

Lee Han was shocked when the mad doppelganger suddenly scolded him for being so slow.

He came right away!

“I came almost immediately after hearing…”

“I don’t want to hear it. Move. I need to check it myself.”

“Actually, I haven’t been up from the underground for very long, so how about resting for a day or two before going?”

The mad doppelganger grabbed one of his disciple’s ears and dragged him. Lee Han had no choice but to go along.

Lee Han was back underground not long after coming up. He had a strange thought.

‘Master… might be a genius at mining.’

Even when moving with the enchantment magic school seniors or the transformation magic school seniors, Lee Han didn’t feel this comfortable.

Because there were so many excellent magicians, most problems were easily solved.

Monsters that appeared underground were detected and avoided (sometimes they fought), and when there was no path, they made footholds in the air or changed the surrounding rock. They also solved the problem of seeing in the dark…

But moving with the mad doppelganger made all those things unimportant.

Pop!

With one move, the mad doppelganger changed the map of the underground mine.

The underground rock, which had been like a maze, twisted and moved, making a direct path.

There was no need to find the cliff, the precipice, or the shortcut.

The mad doppelganger simply grabbed the area to the destination like clay and made a path.

“Let’s go.”

‘…Uh, are the seniors okay?’

Lee Han thought as he stepped onto the smooth, makeshift passage that didn’t fit the underground area.

The seniors had been moving in this underground area for a long time and had made their own maps.

But now, the mad doppelganger seemed to have changed the area to make it easier for him to go…

‘I don’t know anything. I don’t know anything.’

Because of this, the travel time was much shorter.

The mad doppelganger had already memorized the map. He nodded.

“It really exists.”

“!”

Lee Han was a little surprised.

He had doubted it, but it was real.

“I’m surprised.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, the person who told me is a bit greedy…”

The mad doppelganger looked satisfied.

“The answer is simple.”

“What is it?”

“Your disciple’s good character has impressed that greedy person.”

“……”

Lee Han didn’t think so, but he didn’t say anything.

“It’s here. Let’s go in.”

“Master. The magician who came here first was trapped inside…!”

Lee Han was talking, but then he was startled.

The mad doppelganger grabbed the back of Lee Han’s neck and pushed him forward.

“Are you finally showing your true colors… no?”

Lee Han realized that he hadn’t hit the rock or been trapped.

What he thought was solid rock was a disguise made by the orichalcon.

“What did you just say?”

“It seems that your disciple was tired and talking nonsense. More than that, isn’t orichalcon supposed to keep outsiders away…?”

“It only keeps away the corrupt and greedy.”

The mad doppelganger said, looking at his disciple.

The disciple answered as if to thank his master.

“Then why me?”

“…Shut up and bring the orichalcon.”

Lee Han knew his master was not in a good mood, so he shut his mouth and moved.

He could feel all the magic and energy around him moving to a single will. At the end of it was the orichalcon.

‘…It looks smaller than I thought.’

A fist-sized white ore, like a wildflower, was floating in the air.

It didn’t shine very brightly, so if other people saw it, they would think it was worthless.

“But Master. Is it okay to touch the orichalcon that has been here for so long without permission?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

‘As expected.’

The mad doppelganger would attack his disciple, but he didn’t lie. Lee Han felt relieved and grabbed the orichalcon.

The orichalcon came along easily. Lee Han wondered if it could be this simple.

“I took it out.”

“Don’t take it off your body from now on. It needs to absorb the magic power of nature to be completed.”

“……”

While Lee Han was shocked, the baby basilisk hissed.