Episode 169

With a darkened expression, Salko slowly opened his mouth.

“The magic I was going to teach you is .”

“No. If you had such a magic, you should have told me earlier.”

“……”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

Lee Han thought he heard Salko grinding his teeth for a moment.

At any rate, was renowned among disintegration-type spells for its efficiency and outstanding effect.

Even if a spell produced the same result, its structure, process, incantation, etc., could vary greatly.

Thus, even for spells that produced the same result, which one you chose was quite important.

You had to decide considering how it suited your aptitude, in what situations you mainly used it, and so on.

For relatively simple lower-circle spells, such worries weren’t necessary, but as you went higher, it became essential.

-In this situation, you have to use !

-You fool! Your magical skill brings tears to my eyes! There’s no need to use such an expensive spell! A regular would suffice!

-You can never solve this burning lava situation with a spell like that!

“I see. I’ve heard of the Tutanta Family’s reputation. To think you’d teach me such a family spell. Is that really okay?”

“……Yeah.”

Salko answered after a rather long silence. Lee Han wondered if Salko was troubled because he was teaching a family spell.

‘Well, teaching a family spell wouldn’t be an easy decision.’

Even if he decided to teach it, it was natural to be troubled.

Lee Han nodded as if to show he understood Salko. Of course, it didn’t get across to Salko at all.

“Here. The incantation is as follows.”

Salko explained the incantation and gestures for , as well as the required material (a handful of the rock to be broken) and the detailed process.

The Tutanta Family’s elf had memorized it in far more detail than most magic books. Thanks to that, Lee Han could easily understand what kind of magic this was.

…Of course, that didn’t mean learning the spell was easy.

‘What’s this?’

Lee Han felt a throbbing headache.

Separate from mana, it was a headache close to the kind that comes from expending concentration after using complex magic several times.

This spell was that difficult.

He tried several more times, but it was hard to endure the headache. Lee Han paused for a moment.

“Tutanta. How long did it take you to learn this spell?”

“I haven’t learned this spell yet.”

“…?”

Lee Han was momentarily puzzled.

This guy?

‘No way. Surely not.’

“I see. But this spell isn’t that difficult, right? What circle is it?”

Lee Han expected it to be about 2nd circle, or at most, if he was being generous, 3rd circle.

“……”

But at Lee Han’s question, Salko suddenly hesitated.

Then he answered.

“It’s… 4th circle.”

“……”

Lee Han looked at Salko with a deadpan expression.

Was this guy trying to assassinate him in another way since he couldn’t win head-on?

• * *

Salko really hadn’t tried to assassinate Lee Han.

After Lee Han had led the Black Turtle Tower students through the labyrinth, doing such a thing would be inhuman.

It’s just that, really…

‘Why did I do that?’

…He simply hadn’t thought that teaching a 4th circle spell to Wardanaz might be dangerous.

Salko himself didn’t understand.

Why on earth?

Before worrying about whether to teach the family spell or not, he should have worried about whether it was okay to teach such a spell to a first-year…

“Yeah. Salko.”

As the atmosphere grew awkward, Lee Han tried to smooth things over.

“Maybe this spell is on the easier side among 4th circle spells? That’s why you tried to teach it to me.”

Not all spells of the same circle were equally difficult.

If this spell was one of the easiest among 4th circle spells, it made sense that Salko tried to teach it.

“No, Wardanaz. is one of the most difficult among 4th circle spells. I’ve even heard it’s harder than some 5th circle spells…”

“Uh, Tutanta. I don’t think now’s the time to say things like that.”

Nillia cautiously advised. Tutanta realized belatedly and shut his mouth.

Of course, the atmosphere had already grown even more awkward.

“……”

“……”

As Lee Han and Tutanta fell into silent silence, only Nillia in between felt like dying.

“…It’s the stairs to the 4th floor! Look over there!”

“The 4th floor stairs.”

“It’s the 4th floor stairs.”

“Talking about the 4th floor stairs reminds me of 4th circle spells… Oh, never mind.”

“…Sorry, Wardanaz.”

Salko apologized.

He never imagined he’d have to apologize after teaching the Tutanta Family’s spell.

“No, Tutanta. It happens.”

‘Feels like we’ve grown a bit distant?’

Nillia felt that Lee Han and Tutanta had grown a little apart.

Shhh!

“!”

As soon as they reached the 4th floor corridor, a ghost monster let out a sharp wail and dashed down the corridor.

All the students were startled and tried to flee to the stairs.

“Go down…”

Pak!

But there was no need.

A blazing white beam flashed and struck the ghost monster, and in an instant, its form vanished.

Lee Han could hear a faint voice spreading from afar.

-Get out of the way! They’re freshmen!

-That guy escaped…! Why did those kids come up to the 4th floor?!

-It’s midterm season!

‘Shouldn’t they hide a bit better?’

The upperclassmen of the magic school had come up to the 4th floor to catch the escaped ghost monster.

It happened so quickly that the other students didn’t seem to notice.

“It… it disappeared?”

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

The 4th floor corridor, where the ghost had disappeared, was quiet and peaceful.

In fact, this was what a normal school corridor should be like.

‘They said it’s the Beetle Classroom.’

Lee Han walked slowly, checking the classrooms arranged along the corridor.

Griffin Classroom, Meikin Family Classroom (it was obvious the family had generously sponsored the year the classroom was built), Beer Candy Classroom, Burning Red Flag Polo Team Classroom…

And the Beetle Classroom.

“!!!”

The students’ eyes widened.

They had struggled to get up to the 4th floor, but none of them had expected to find the classroom so easily.

“Th… this easily?”

“Honestly… it wasn’t easy.”

The students cautiously opened the classroom door.

Inside, an undead summoned creature was waiting to welcome them.

-Welcome! Please take your seats, everyone.

“…Who are you?”

-I am a summoned creature serving the principal. Please take your seats, everyone.

Lee Han and his friends hesitated, then scattered and sat down. Then paper and quill pens appeared in front of the students.

-Now solve the problems. Once you’re done, you may submit and leave.

‘It’s surprisingly normal, which is startling in its own way.’

After nothing but abnormal things until now, a normal test was surprising in its own way.

Lee Han grabbed the test paper.

He had been preoccupied with getting to the 4th floor, but in fact, what mattered in a test was not finding the test location, but the ability to solve the problems.

First question. Write the principal’s real name accurately.

Second question. Write the year the principal developed the spell .

Third question. Write the year the principal expanded the magic school’s Black Hall…

“……”

• * *

Nillia bit her quill with a troubled expression.

‘Do I really have to memorize everything the principal did? What does that have to do with character education?’

She grumbled inwardly, but what could she do? As a student, she had to solve it.

“Can’t we just research this and come back?”

-If you visit again, the questions will change.

“……”

The Black Turtle Tower students closed their mouths and looked back at the test paper.

Nillia absentmindedly glanced at Lee Han. She was curious how Wardanaz was doing.

Shashashashak!

“…?!”

Nillia was appalled.

Lee Han was moving his quill without stopping.

‘Did he get a different test paper from me?!’

But that couldn’t be.

Amazingly, Wardanaz was writing the correct answers on this kind of test paper without wavering.

The way he moved his quill without stopping even once was awe-inspiring.

‘Wardanaz… am I the only one who didn’t study?’

Suddenly feeling a sense of crisis, Nillia looked around.

The other Black Turtle Tower students were also looking at Wardanaz with faces similar to Nillia’s.

‘How on earth?!’

‘He even studied for this? It’s not like he has time to waste…’

‘How much did he study?’

As all the other students stopped and stared at Lee Han, the undead summoned creature spoke up.

-Students. Cheating is…

“No, it’s not that.”

“It’s a misunderstanding.”

The students quickly averted their gaze.

Nillia stared at the test paper again. The problems were still daunting, but she felt a little better.

‘At least I’m not the only one who doesn’t know!’

• * *

Lee Han finished his answers and stood up.

About half of the students who had come with him had already disappeared.

‘I’m later than I thought. Well, the questions were easy.’

Of course, the students who left first were those who gave up on solving the problems and decided to come back after studying.

No one had left after solving all the problems like Lee Han.

But Lee Han couldn’t know that.

Descending from the 4th to the 3rd floor, from the 3rd to the 2nd, and opening the main hall door on the 1st floor to go outside, darkness had already fallen all around.

A gloomy bell sounded in the distance.

He had heard the bell that announced the time every hour several times, but today’s bell was somehow a bit…?

Students. Welcome to exam week! May you all have a painful week! And those who are drunk, you’d better get up soon!

“……”

At the skull principal’s voice echoing throughout the school, Lee Han sighed.

He had finished one exam, but it still seemed like it would be a hellish week.

• * *

“Perfect score.”

“……”

Lee Han was startled to find Professor Voladi’s face actually felt welcoming.

Was he really developing Stockholm syndrome?

‘Damn. The other professors keep doing crazy things, so Professor Voladi seems better by comparison.’

As expected, Professor Voladi didn’t give a complicated test or assignment.

He had Lee Han cast a few water element spells and then gave him a perfect score.

…In fact, to be fair, Lee Han had completed the spells through hard work before midterm week…

Unfortunately, Lee Han didn’t realize this objectively.

“Yumidihus praised you a lot.”

“Yes. He’s been very generous in his assessment of me.”

Lee Han wasn’t surprised.

Considering the relationship between Yumidihus and Professor Voladi, it would be strange if they didn’t exchange information.

“I heard you beat Ogonin.”

“…He said that?”

Yumidihus definitely wasn’t there at the time?

“Professor Kirmin Ku told me.”

“Aha.”

Lee Han cursed Professor Kirmin inwardly.

He had helped a friend, and this was how the favor was repaid.

He had thought well of him for maintaining a friendship with Professor Voladi, but it was disappointing.

“Illusion magic is a tricky opponent in magic combat. It’s good that you don’t have to waste time learning how to counter it.”

“Thank… you?”

Professor Voladi said something ambiguous, unsure if it was praise or a jab at illusion magic.

“Let’s go.”

“Sorry? Go where?”

At Lee Han’s question, Professor Voladi looked at him as if he had asked the stupidest question in the world.

“Dungeon.”

“……”