Episode 520

Episode 520

Lee Han suddenly fell silent at Yoner’s words.

Is that…

Is that so?

‘They probably didn’t see me as a first-year, and I don’t think they saw me as a second-year either. Most likely, they thought I was a third or fourth-year.’

If it was the Skull Principal, it wouldn’t have been surprising at all if he had prepared a hydra for the third and fourth-year students.

However, Gainando presented a negative opinion.

“If it’s that principal, he might have prepared the hydra just to use it against us. There’s no rule that says you have to defeat the hydra just because it’s there. What if the trial is to avoid it?”

“Well… that’s true.”

His friends wavered a bit at those words.

Certainly, passing by while avoiding the hydra’s gaze was of a different difficulty level compared to defeating it.

“Even if you have to defeat it, it’ll probably be just you, Lee Han.”

“Huh…?”

Lee Han, who had been nodding, looked at Gainando.

The shocking thing was that the other friends also reacted as if to say ‘That sounds plausible.’

‘These guys.’

While Lee Han was vowing that if they had to fight the hydra, he would definitely take his friends with him, a new figure appeared from above.

It was Professor Voladi.

“……”

Lee Han froze.

He had thought it was a test prepared by the Skull Principal, but could it be that it was a test prepared by Professor Voladi??

‘No. That doesn’t make sense. The final exam is the giants, isn’t it? Are we supposed to fight giants riding a hydra, perhaps??’

“What’s wrong?”

“Shh.”

Lee Han prodded Gainando with his staff to cover his mouth and focused his attention.

Professor Voladi stopped in front of the death knights and looked at the hydra.

“It’s still wild.”

-I’m sorry. They’re just so ferocious…

“Did you prepare what I asked for?”

-Yes. I gave them plenty of food, so you can extract it now.

A death knight approached the hydra and went so deep into its huge mouth that it looked as if it might get eaten.

A moment later, the death knight collected a few viscous drops of venom from the hydra’s venom gland and came out holding them in a glass bottle.

-Here it is. But what will you be using this for?

“As food for the basilisk.”

-You’re raising a basilisk too?

The death knights exchanged glances that seemed to say, ‘As expected from Professor Insane, only picking crazy things to do.’

The professors of Einrogard were generally insane, but professors without students were even more unhinged.

But the death knights said nothing.

After all, it wasn’t their problem.

-The basilisk will love it.

-I hope it eats well and happily goes around biting students.

“I hope so too.”

Professor Voladi gave a brief goodbye and left.

At that, Lee Han let out a sigh of relief.

‘He wasn’t here because of a test.’

He had only come to get food for the basilisk briefly, not to prepare a test for Lee Han.

Lee Han felt a deep sense of relief well up.

-Kiiiit!

The baby basilisk made sharp, nervous hissing sounds, expressing its discomfort.

Lee Han was puzzled.

“Isn’t the venom good for you?”

‘Of course, it wouldn’t be good for me…’

The baby basilisk emphatically thumped its tail as if it absolutely didn’t want to eat it.

No matter how good a medicine is for you, if you don’t want to eat it, there’s nothing you can do.

“I see. Hmm… But if the professor tries to feed you, I won’t be able to stop him.”

-……

The baby basilisk became downcast.

At that moment, Gainando made a noise.

“Ughughugh.”

With the staff in his mouth, Gainando gestured, pointing off in the distance.

The death knights had finished their work and were heading out the other way.

It was a perfect opportunity to check.

“Let’s go!”

The students quickly opened the door and crawled out from below.

The hydra, perhaps placated after its earlier tantrum, was quietly lying its nine heads down and snoring.

Lee Han spotted a sign standing in front of it.

Big Hydra

For fourth-years

Next to it was another sign.

Small Hydra

For third-years

It hadn’t been visible from underground, but there was another small hydra next to it. The small hydra yawned, spinning its heads around.

Even though there was invisibility magic, the students froze at the sight of an awakened hydra.

‘No matter how much invisibility magic we have, a monster’s senses can’t be ignored.’

Lee Han carefully waved his staff.

Even with invisibility magic, if the hydra sensed anything off and just swung its tail, the result would be disastrous.

‘Gonadaltes. Please!’

The easiest summoned creature to cast right now among those available, and the cleverest, was skeleton warrior Gonadaltes.

This skeleton warrior could move far more precisely than when Lee Han made his own.

When the summoned skeleton warrior made a noise behind the small hydra, all of its heads turned—and promptly ate the skeleton warrior piece by piece.

‘Thank you, Gonadaltes.’

Lee Han silently thanked his summoned creature and slipped out of the hydra’s domain with his friends.

Imirg, who took Black Magic with him, asked, flustered.

“If… If you treat a summoned creature like that, won’t it get mad?”

Black magicians didn’t roll around in cemeteries and smear rotten mud on their clothes just to befriend undead summons for nothing.

Summoned creatures from other realms could always be dissatisfied, and even if bound by a contract, if mistreated, there was always risk of a knife in your back.

Therefore, openly using an undead summon as bait like Lee Han just did was a very dangerous thing.

“No. Gonadaltes is loyal and kind, so it’ll be fine.”

“……”

Imirg was shocked watching the skeleton warrior getting torn apart by the small hydra’s heads and then reverse-summoned.

Was it really okay?

‘Maybe being that cold-blooded is a must to be good at black magic…’

After all, the same action felt different depending on whether it was Wardanaz or Gainando doing it.

Seeing the black magic chief student act like this made Imirg feel a strange thrill.

Come to think of it, maybe Imirg himself had handled undead summons too gently until now?

‘I should be a little colder to them, like Wardanaz…!’

Watching Imirg clench his fist, Lee Han, sitting above, was puzzled.

‘What’s this? Is he vowing to catch the hydra next time?’

Lee Han wondered whether he should try to stop his friend.

“I think we’ve made it out, Wardanaz.”

“Yeah. Good job, everyone.”

Once they were safely away from the hydra, the students plopped down to rest.

They had gone through the secret passage and even met hydras, so they were quite exhausted.

Lee Han passed around a bottle of lemonade to his friends.

‘The only good thing is that this was a third- and fourth-year test.’

Seeing the signs in front of the hydra, he felt immense relief that it had nothing to do with him.

In a way, he had only lost out by dealing with the opponent beyond the mirror, but Lee Han felt no anger at all.

If anything, he was relieved!

‘They really saw me as at least a third-year…’

He had tried hard to disguise himself, but hadn’t expected it to work this well.

After a short break, the friends looked around a bit.

“Lee Han. Did you see this?”

Gonadaltes’s Garden

No student entry!

“So it really was the principal’s test, wasn’t it.”

“Look at this one, too.”

Gonadaltes’s Garden

Absolutely no student entry!

“And this one.”

Gonadaltes’s Garden

Absolutely absolutely absolutely no student entry!!!!

“…It’s obvious just seeing one, so stop bringing the signs.”

Lee Han stopped Gainando from bringing another sign.

It was plenty clear where they were.

‘It must be a place like a dangerous animal stable.’

Ordinary horses or harmless animals could be placed in stables all over campus, but Einrogard had beasts far more dangerous than horses.

Basilisks, hydras, griffons…

Lee Han suddenly wondered if there might be too many dangerous beasts around him.

‘Huh. When did they all increase like this?’

Anyway, if these beasts were just left loose, even at a free place like Einrogard, students would take serious damage.

Of course, there needed to be a facility specifically for these dangerous beasts.

Especially with a principal like the Skull Principal, such a facility was a must.

“Hey, isn’t that a fire dog?”

“That’s a steampallos bird! I heard its feathers are really expensive…”

“What? Can’t we catch one?”

Seeing rare animals whiz by, Lee Han regretted not studying more magic.

Professor Voladi’s words were true after all.

You never know when you’ll need magic!

‘If I could catch them, I’d definitely take them!’

But watching them fly off at top speed above the jungle, he saw no way to catch them.

“Hey, look over there?? It’s a ghost chicken! There’s a ghost chicken over there!”

“I-Imirg. You don’t have to shake me to say it.”

“Ah, s-sorry.”

Imirg stopped shaking Lee Han and carefully pointed.

In a clearing, there was a strangely shaped chicken.

It was several times larger than any other chicken, its gaze was dark and gloomy, and it kept savagely pecking at tree stumps with a temper.

‘A curse?’

As a black magic chief, Lee Han immediately noticed the energy flowing through the ghost chicken’s entire body.

That ominous arrangement of magical power was very close to a curse. Most likely, its touch would curse whoever it came in contact with.

“T-that ghost chicken is really rare. I… I’ve never seen one before either.”

Imirg was so excited that he kept swallowing nervously. Lee Han spoke absentmindedly.

“Then why not just take it?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, why not take it? After all, it’s there to be taken.”

Of course, the Skull Principal hadn’t put it there to be taken, but Lee Han was generally respectful of the principal’s teachings.

If you have the skill to take it, then you may!

“T-that’s a bit… I don’t have anywhere to keep it…”

“You can find a place to keep it. Does the ghost chicken have any other advantages besides being cute?”

Just a while ago, seeing him fawn over a chick, it was clear Imirg liked chicken breeds.

Maybe he also thought the ghost chicken was cute.

“A-advantage? F-feathers and eggs are expensive…?”

Imirg sounded unsure if that was really a merit and became timid.

Lee Han answered firmly.

“Let’s take it. Seeing it emits curses, I must capture it.”

“!?”

• * *

Monday.

With his muscle pain somewhat recovered, Lee Han made his way to Professor Lightningstep’s lecture.

By his side, skeleton warriors supported their still-stiff master.

“……”

“……”

The White Tiger Tower students, seeing this, whispered to each other and moved away.

‘What’s with Wardanaz?’

‘Dunno. Don’t make eye contact. He looks ready to start a fight.’

Spotting Professor Lightningstep, Lee Han bowed his head.

“Hello, Professor.”

“Hello. Though I am not well.”

“Is something the matter?”

“Goodness. I trusted the principal and left today’s lecture materials with him, and he says he lost them. I don’t know how he can say such a thing.”

“Oh no. You should protest firmly, sir.”

Feeling the lecture’s difficulty might drop today, Lee Han was a bit pleased, but kept his face professionally neutral.

“Of course I’ll protest later. He told me to just leave it with him! Of course, he’s a tricky fellow, so I left it somewhere…”

“What was it?”

“Do you know a ghost chicken? It’s so rare, you probably haven’t seen one in person.”

“…!”