Episode 168

Episode 168

-…I won’t be fooled.

Lee Han, who had briefly considered sacrificing the Black Turtle Tower students, answered coldly.

He had already experienced this before.

-If I offer one as a sacrifice, it will open the path a little and then ask for another sacrifice. I won’t fall for such a trick.

-What on earth are you talking about? Who would do such a disgraceful thing?

However, at Lee Han’s words, the labyrinth statue answered as if it was absurd.

-I have worked at this school for so long that I can’t even remember. According to the rules set by the wizard who made me. There is only one rule in this labyrinth. If one person goes to the punishment room, another goes to the opposite side. There are no other rules. Who would do such a ridiculous thing?

‘The principal of this school.’

Lee Han answered inwardly.

But in any case, he could know two things.

That what the labyrinth statue said was not a lie, and that the skull principal had even less honor than the labyrinth statue.

“What’s going on that you stopped walking…”

Salko, who was behind, took a step and heard the same telepathy.

Then he looked at Lee Han and nodded.

‘We’ll have to pair up in twos and send at least one person forward.’

Salko didn’t say anything like, ‘How could you abandon a friend!’

He already knew that such things were a luxury at this magic school.

To get what you want, some sacrifice is necessary!

The Black Turtle Tower friends who went to the punishment room would surely understand.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

Nillia also took a step and heard the telepathy.

Then she shouted with an angry expression.

“How dare you ask us to sacrifice a friend!? Do you think Wardanaz or the Tutanta here would accept such a proposal?!”

“!”

“!!”

Lee Han and Salko flinched.

Uh…

Uh-oh?

“Wait. Nillia.”

Salko tried to stop Nillia.

He couldn’t know how much more difficult it would become if they refused that proposal.

It might be wiser to accept the current proposal…

“Why?”

“Think carefully. If we refuse the proposal now, who knows how tricky that statue will get. We might not be able to pass through that path. The friends who go to the punishment room can come out later and try again. Wardanaz would think so too. Isn’t that right?”

Salko looked at Lee Han. Nillia also stared at Lee Han with a shocked expression.

Lee Han cursed Salko.

‘What a clueless guy.’

He should have asked when Nillia wasn’t looking, not right in front of her. How could he expect agreement?

Lee Han answered sternly, as if wondering what he was talking about.

“No. I could never accept such a dishonorable proposal.”

“See!”

“Indeed…”

Not only Nillia but also Ratford was impressed.

Salko’s group also looked surprised.

“As expected of Wardanaz…”

“No wonder he’s the leader of the Blue Dragon Tower guys.”

Regardless of his wickedness, they had to acknowledge Lee Han’s dignity as a leader.

To not yield an inch even when Salko was backing down.

“You’re watching, right, labyrinth statue! We don’t accept such filthy deals!”

Nillia immediately nocked an arrow and shot it. The labyrinth statue answered firmly.

-Then prove your honor with your skill!

With a rumbling sound, the corridor began to change.

‘I’m already starting to regret this…’

• * *

When the corridor’s transformation ended, Lee Han was standing in the middle of the labyrinth.

He wasn’t alone. He didn’t know if it was fortunate, but he had fallen into the same area as Salko.

Salko looked at Lee Han and asked.

“Do you still think we shouldn’t have accepted?”

“…Of course.”

Lee Han answered without changing his expression.

He was regretting it inside, but there was no reason to show that to Salko.

Seeing that cold face, Salko nodded as if acknowledging him.

“If nothing else, I have to admit your honor.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

‘Couldn’t I offer Salko now and get out?’

Lee Han thought inwardly, but the labyrinth statue didn’t answer.

Salko raised his staff and chanted a spell.

“Gather, earth.”

Even Lee Han, from another tower, had heard rumors of Salko’s outstanding talent with the earth element.

Earth gathered under the labyrinth wall and formed a slope high enough to climb.

“Excellent, Salko.”

Trying to escape head-on without knowing how complex and vast this labyrinth was would have been foolish.

“Huff… Huff.”

But Salko himself knelt down with a pale face.

He had used up all his mana making the earth mound.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m… I’m fine. Let’s get up and look for a path.”

The two stepped on the earth mound and climbed up the labyrinth wall.

Then the vast scenery of the labyrinth came into view.

…Is this really a corridor?

“……”

“……”

The two students were speechless. Lee Han quickly regained his composure and spoke.

“It’s a bit wider than expected, but let’s use magic to make a path and move straight.”

“That’s… impossible. It took this much mana just to get over one wall.”

“No. I’ll do it. Don’t worry.”

“What difference does it make if you do it?”

Salko spoke as if wondering what he was talking about.

No matter how outstanding Lee Han was in magic among his peers, this wasn’t a problem that could be solved.

If it took this much mana to get over one wall, how would Lee Han be any different?

At best, after two or three walls…

“Gather, earth. Gather, earth.”

Lee Han checked the spell and swung his staff.

He hadn’t handled the earth element much, having prioritized training other elements, but fortunately, the magic Salko had just used wasn’t that difficult.

A 1st circle spell could be learned on the spot.

Salko asked curiously.

“I thought water and lightning were your main attributes. Did you learn earth too?”

“No. I’m learning it now.”

“?????”

Salko looked at him like he was crazy, but Lee Han didn’t notice.

“Gather, earth!”

“!”

He was lucky. The spell succeeded on the first try.

‘Maybe because I’ve suffered with other elemental magics, this is easier.’

It was a relief that the pain he’d suffered from Professor Voladi and other villains wasn’t completely useless.

The earth mound began to rise from the ground.

Salko watched and thought.

‘He’s learning it now and it’s already at that level… He really is amazing.’

It was a bit late to be impressed by Wardanaz’s magical ability, but it was still surprising.

For someone learning it now to succeed on the first try.

Even Salko, who took pride in his earth element magic, had to admit it.

Kwarururuk!

“…?”

As the earth mound piled up bigger than expected, Salko’s expression changed strangely.

Uh…

How long is this going to keep forming?

Drrrk!

The sound of the surrounding labyrinth walls shaking was heard.

The spell wasn’t magic that created something from nothing. It was closer to magic that drew in nearby earth.

Now, by forcibly pulling in the earth that supported the walls from beneath the floor, the labyrinth walls were losing balance and shaking.

Salko was appalled.

“Wardanaz! What the hell…?!”

The earth mound, piled high enough to easily bury several people, toppled the wall with its weight, and that wasn’t enough—it knocked over the weakened surrounding walls.

Then the labyrinth walls fell in a chain reaction, creating a huge path.

“…Did you plan this?!”

Salko couldn’t help but shudder in awe.

To plan this and create a path in such a short time.

How could someone in the same year think of this?

“Exactly, Salko.”

“…!!”

While Salko was shuddering, Lee Han inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

‘I’d better practice new elements carefully in a safe place from now on.’

He almost died buried under earth from showing off.

• * *

“Gather, earth!”

“Gather, earth!”

“Gather, earth!”

“????”

Lee Han broke through eight more walls. Of course, not in the same way as before.

He quietly piled up earth mounds and climbed over them.

Salko asked, not understanding.

“Isn’t it faster to do it like before?”

“I have to conserve mana.”

“Ah. I see. That makes sense.”

Meanwhile, friends scattered elsewhere joined up.

“Wardanaz!!”

“You came to save us!”

“Gather, earth!”

“Wardanaz? Thanks, I guess?”

“Gather, earth!”

“Wardanaz…!”

At first, the Black Turtle Tower students were happy to see Lee Han and Salko coming to save them, but they gradually began to get scared.

Lee Han was just repeating the spell like a wizard possessed by some evil demon.

“Wardanaz, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Don’t talk to me. You’re distracting me. Gather, earth!”

Lee Han chanted the spell over and over again.

The students who joined late were flustered.

“He’s… not collapsing?”

“How is he not collapsing?”

Casting a spell three or four times in a row was ‘Wow, that’s amazing,’ but after dozens of times, there was no such reaction.

It was just awe-inspiring.

“Tutanta. Aren’t you surprised by that?”

“Not at all!”

Tutanta had seen Lee Han shake the walls and make a path with an earth mound several times bigger than this before coming here.

This kind of consecutive magic wasn’t surprising anymore.

“!”

‘Tutanta…! Not surprised by that!’

‘Does that mean Tutanta can do it too?!’

The Black Turtle Tower students could only be amazed. Not being surprised by that consecutive magic!

‘When we meet the White Tiger Tower guys later, I’ll have to tell them Tutanta can do that too.’

• * *

‘What’s this?’

Lee Han, who was quickly breaking through the labyrinth in a straight line, stopped.

Surprisingly, as he piled up the earth mound, the wall started to rise along with it.

The labyrinth statue spoke to Lee Han.

-I commend you for breaking through the labyrinth with ingenuity. But of course, there are restrictions if you try to pass through the wall without finding the exit.

‘Well, I guess I was taking it too easy.’

While other students would have found their way with all sorts of wisdom and magic, Lee Han just broke through with infinite earth mounds using mana…

-Now, if you break through this wall, you’re outside. Try it if you can. Young students.

Hearing what the labyrinth statue said, Salko thought seriously.

Salko had a way to break through this final obstacle.

‘Should I teach the family magic to Wardanaz?’

The Tutanta Family, the empire’s best stonemason family, had several secret magics passed down.

Salko himself hadn’t learned them yet because he wasn’t skilled enough, but he had secretly memorized them to learn when he became capable.

He was a bit reluctant to teach that magic to Wardanaz, but he couldn’t not help when Wardanaz was breaking through the labyrinth alone.

After thinking seriously by himself, Salko made a decision.

“Wardanaz. There’s a magic I can teach you.”

Bang!!!!!

No sooner had he finished speaking than a huge sphere of water struck the wall directly.

The spinning, ferocious-sounding sphere of water tore the labyrinth wall apart.

The labyrinth statue praised Lee Han.

-Excellent. Young student. You have proven your honor with your skill! You may pass! May there be blessings on your path!

“Thank you.”

Lee Han swung his staff and shook off the water.

Compared to the monsters Lee Han had faced so far, the patiently waiting labyrinth wall was an easy opponent.

He could prepare as much as he wanted and launch an attack.

“……”

“But Salko. You said you’d teach me a magic?”

“…Yeah.”

Salko’s expression was dark. Lee Han was puzzled.

‘What’s wrong with him?’