Episode 200

“Do you promise?”

Lee Han approached the door, thinking about what kind of reward would be good.

As expected, if it was Professor Verdus, an artifact would be the most useful.

‘What kind of artifact should I ask for?’

Clunk, clunk—

“Wait. Professor, the door won’t open.”

“Of course not! It’s locked with magic.”

“Excuse me?”

Lee Han paused.

Was Professor Verdus really asking him to open a door locked by the skeleton principal’s magic?

“Uh… Are you going to dispel the magic, Professor?”

“You have to do it. I can’t use magic in here.”

“……”

Lee Han didn’t even know where to start pointing out the problems.

“Wait. Then how did you send the paper bird?”

“I set it up in the workshop to fly out if I didn’t return by evening.”

‘If that’s the case, you could have just asked another professor…’

Even if the students were being watched, the other professors weren’t.

Lee Han could guess what Professor Verdus’s social life was like.

He must have been so desperate that he set it up to fly to a freshman he’d barely met!

“Professor, I’m sorry, but I don’t have the skill to dispel the principal’s magic.”

Even though he was learning regularly from Professor Kirmin Ku and had received separate instruction from the genius archmage Baldororn of Pillone Village, Lee Han still wasn’t confident in illusion magic.

Illusion magic required much more experience than other fields. With Lee Han’s level of experience, he couldn’t confidently step forward.

“And if the principal put extra magic on the door to keep you from escaping, isn’t it likely there are other trap spells nearby?”

It was an excuse, but it made sense.

If the skeleton principal had just locked him up for show, Lee Han wouldn’t have worried about opening it, but if he had put real magic on it, there was a high chance there were other traps around.

“There’s no other magic around. I checked as I was dragged in.”

‘Tsk.’

Lee Han blamed the skeleton principal for not completely covering Professor Verdus’s eyes.

“And you don’t need much skill to dispel the magic. It’s not that hard. Just blast it with force. You know how to do that, right?”

“Professor, that’s actually a pretty advanced technique.”

Now that Lee Han had learned, he knew. When people said to “blast away” a spell, it was rarely done with brute force.

The higher the level of the magic, the more complex and solid its structure became, so just pouring power into it wouldn’t shake or break it.

You had to understand the structure and find the weak points to break it with force.

Even “blasting it with force” required a lot of delicate technique.

‘Baldororn probably didn’t tell me that to be considerate.’

Baldororn hadn’t explained that part. He’d only talked about how to clash with magic power.

He must have judged Lee Han’s skill and explained it in a way suitable for a beginner.

At a beginner’s level, that kind of analysis wasn’t necessary.

“The principal’s magic is still too hard for me to figure out…”

“No, just try it once.”

Professor Verdus ignored Lee Han’s words.

Since he could see the structure of the spell at a glance and blast it with force, he thought Lee Han could do the same.

Lee Han was dumbfounded.

‘Is he really a professor?’

“Understood.”

Lee Han decided it was better to just try and then say it didn’t work than to try to convince Professor Verdus.

‘It’s disgustingly complicated.’

Lee Han couldn’t even guess what kind of magic the skeleton principal had cast.

Several spells were intricately intertwined, forming a solid lock.

It wasn’t even as if the skeleton principal had locked it with all his power…

Lee Han was reminded of just how outstanding a wizard the skeleton principal was.

Bang!!!

Just as Baldororn had taught him, Lee Han exploded his magic power and slammed it into the lock.

It was a brute-force method, without analyzing the structure or anything.

“……”

But the magic broke.

Clunk!

“I told you it would work, right?”

Professor Verdus came out and patted Lee Han on the back as if he knew it would happen.

Lee Han was dumbfounded.

‘Why was it set so weakly?’

It seemed the principal had focused on complexity and neglected sturdiness.

Lee Han was disappointed in the skeleton principal.

Ssssss!

At that moment, with a sudden burning sound, a brand appeared above Professor Verdus’s head.

Professor Verdus shouted in alarm.

“This is bad!”

“What is it?!”

“It’s a trap! Gonadaltes set a trap not outside, but on me!”

“How did you not notice that?!”

“He did it secretly!”

Professor Verdus racked his brain as he watched the brand shrink.

This brand was a tracking spell that would send a summoned creature to Professor Verdus’s location the moment it finished burning.

If Professor Verdus managed to escape by some means, the skeleton principal wanted him to pay dearly!

With his body in bad shape, it was impossible to dispel it himself.

“This won’t do! Go get another professor!”

“Who?”

“I don’t know! Someone who can break this… Professor Garcia!”

“Where is he… Understood!”

Lee Han moved immediately.

There were two reasons.

First, no matter who he brought, he could decide later, but moving right away would buy time.

Second, if he failed, it would be better to be far away from Professor Verdus.

…Only one person needed to get caught by the summoned creature.

• * *

As soon as he left the forest, Lee Han ran into an unexpected person.

…It was Professor Voladi.

“Night walks are good for improving your skills. Good choice.”

“Thank you…?”

It was a strange thing to say to a student sneaking out at night, but Lee Han thanked him anyway.

It was better than getting scolded.

Professor Voladi stared Lee Han up and down. Lee Han suddenly felt uneasy.

‘Did he figure out what I’m doing?’

“Did you dispel a spell?”

“Excuse me? Yes.”

“Seems you dispelled a fairly high-level spell.”

Lee Han was startled by Professor Voladi’s ability to judge the level just from the lingering magic power.

To think he could tell.

“Where did you dispel it?”

“I was walking in the forest and happened to…”

“Lead the way.”

“Excuse me?”

“Lead the way.”

If there was a spell of that level, there was a high chance of a strong enemy.

Professor Voladi intended to make sure his student didn’t miss anything.

“Professor, I saw it and there wasn’t really anything…”

“You brought a professor?!”

Unable to wait, Professor Verdus came running out from inside.

Lee Han managed his expression and shouted.

“Professor Verdus! What are you doing here?!”

“What are you talking about? Earlier…”

“What an amazing coincidence! By the way, this is Professor Baegrek!”

Professor Voladi nodded. Professor Verdus nodded as well.

Lee Han shivered at the meeting of two professors who both seemed to have no friends.

‘No. Actually, this is better. My lie won’t be exposed.’

“Is that the principal’s brand?”

Professor Voladi recognized the brand magic at a glance. Professor Verdus nodded.

“Yes! Break it!”

“Perfect timing.”

“Excuse me?”

Professor Voladi cast a spell on Lee Han.

Lee Han felt his senses sharpen and become more sensitive, and an unfounded confidence in the cold element filled him.

“Get ready.”

“…Professor? You’re not planning to fight, are you?”

“I am.”

“Professor Verdus might get hurt, you know?”

At Lee Han’s words, Professor Voladi gave him a slightly puzzled look, as if to say, ‘Why should I care?’

Lee Han was Professor Voladi’s student; Professor Verdus was nothing.

Whether he died or not…

“Hurry up and break it?!”

“Professor, I’m not trying to avoid the fight. But Professor Verdus is also my teacher, so if he gets hurt, my heart will really break…”

“Understood.”

Professor Voladi flicked his staff. Professor Verdus flew and was tightly bound to a tree.

Having been beaten up by the skeleton principal, Professor Verdus was in no shape to resist.

“Mmmpf!”

“If he’s tied up like that, he won’t get hurt.”

“…Sometimes I really think you’re a genius, Professor.”

“Thank you.”

Professor Voladi faintly smiled at Lee Han’s compliment.

Lee Han resolved never to compliment him again.

“This is a rare opportunity. The principal’s summoned creature has powerful combat abilities.”

“Yes… I know.”

Lee Han nodded, having been forced to face it a few times.

Of course, he didn’t agree that it was a “rare opportunity.”

The odds of being struck by lightning from the sky were low, but no one called that a rare opportunity.

That was just…

‘Isn’t that just called rotten luck?’

In that sense, meeting Professor Voladi and being forced to face the skeleton principal’s summoned creature was rotten luck.

Crash!

Finally, as the brand finished burning, a dimensional gate opened above Professor Verdus’s head.

-By contract, I have come to imprison you again. Do not resent me!

Before the words were finished, Professor Voladi drove four ice spears into the demon’s limbs.

Unable to react to the speed, the demon screamed in pain.

“Face it.”

Professor Voladi kindly gave Lee Han the opportunity.

Having greatly weakened the demon, it was now a suitable opponent for Lee Han to gain experience.

Of course, that’s not how it looked to Lee Han.

To Lee Han, it just looked like a powerful demon, now extremely enraged after being hit by four ice spears.

-Gonadaltes! Did you trick me?!

The demon had come to imprison an escapee, only to be beaten up by a crazy wizard, so it was only natural he was angry.

Lee Han apologized.

“I’m sorry!”

But apologizing didn’t mean he wouldn’t attack. Lee Han attacked as he apologized.

…Judging by the demon’s expression, he was too angry for an apology to work.

“Are you trying to catch him off guard?”

“No!”

Lee Han denied Professor Voladi’s question and fired another spell.

The demon, with its limbs sealed by ice spears, spewed fire and magic from its mouth and eyes.

-For a mere student to try to deceive a demon already!

“I’m sorry!”

-If you’re sorry, stop attacking, you wretched brat!

“Strike, lightning of Perkuntra!”

A concentrated bolt of lightning pierced and struck the demon’s chest.

The demon coughed up black blood. With its limbs bound, it couldn’t properly defend itself.

‘This young human…!’

The situation was confusing enough, but the human’s actions confused the demon even more.

Attack power, evasion, judgment—not like a normal young student.

‘How is he doing this?!’

It was only natural for the demon to be flustered.

Normally, a young student wouldn’t be able to cover himself in spells like <Spatial Awareness>, <Gonadaltes’s Dark Vision>, <Gonadaltes’s Nimble Steps>, and so on.

“Too slow.”

Professor Voladi said to the demon.

He had wanted the demon to push Lee Han to the limit, but the attacks were too simple and predictable.

Thanks to that, Lee Han was skillfully whittling down the demon’s stamina without ever being in danger.

At this rate, he would win too easily.

-Shut up!

Professor Voladi didn’t stop at words. He swung his staff and made the ice spears disappear.

With both arms and legs freed, the demon stared at Professor Voladi in shock.

Lee Han also stared at Professor Voladi in shock.

The demon looked back and forth between Lee Han and Professor Voladi, then asked Lee Han,

-Are you being threatened by that wizard?

Lee Han almost answered “yes” without thinking, but caught himself.