Episode 233

“…What the…?”

“Snap out of it, you idiot!”

Geliak only came to his senses after hearing his comrades’ harsh shouts.

That was how shocking it was.

That expensive scroll had no effect at all?

“If we waste time, professors will come! We have to subdue him quickly and meet the guide!”

“I know. Move!”

Geliak and his comrades drew their weapons.

They were just as shocked, but they also knew that giving any more time here would be suicide.

Nothing was scarier than a magician with enough time on their hands.

‘Get in close!’

Geliak gripped his weapon and pushed off the ground. Mana surged through his body, strengthening his flesh.

Currently, Geliak and his comrades were wearing invisibility artifacts.

If they spread out and approached as quickly as possible, it wouldn’t be easy for the magician to target them.

“Spring forth.”

“!?”

Geliak was startled as a massive mass of water rose above the magicians’ makeshift fortress.

What was that?

Fwoosh—

The water suddenly split and scattered into countless water orbs.

And the water orbs flew everywhere.

‘What the…?’

It was a trivial attack, neither fast nor on a threatening trajectory. One of his comrades batted away a water orb with a gauntleted forearm, scoffing.

No matter how much you wanted to stall, an attack this sloppy couldn’t slow down veteran adventurers.

“Flash!”

At that moment, lightning flew.

As the bolt of lightning flashed and struck the ground, the adventurer jumped back in surprise.

‘How!?’

‘Did the artifact get nullified?!’

Their invisibility artifacts were by no means cheap.

They were powerful artifacts that could withstand most nullification magic…?

“Avoid the water! He’s using the water to track our positions!”

Geliak was shocked.

To think he could nullify invisibility artifacts with such a simple spell.

It made no sense.

He’d never seen a magician scatter water orbs like that, nor one who could spot the subtle shift in just a few orbs’ trajectories.

‘What on earth…!’

“Flash, flash, flash, flash!”

“Grrrkh!”

The adventurer who’d just been hit by the water orb had gotten the magician’s attention.

Lightning flew without pause. He barely blocked it, but the attacks were so rapid it was hard to keep up.

“Help me, you bastards!”

“…Tch!”

Another adventurer pulled a flask from his coat. Flames danced inside the flask.

It was a -Young Fire Dragon Flask- made by top alchemists.

Geliak was starting to feel that even if this job succeeded, they’d still be in the red.

The flask flew rapidly through the air.

At that moment, a spell flew from the enemy.

“Freeze!!”

Crack!

The expensive glass bottle froze in mid-air and crashed to the ground, and the adventurers’ eyes went wide.

“That damn magician…!”

“What the hell is that guy?!”

If it weren’t for the current situation, the adventurers would have seriously tried to scout him.

Not every magician could respond perfectly to every situation.

A magician could only use the magic they knew, and only respond to what they could handle.

But right now, that faceless magician seemed to be countering everything Geliak and his comrades tried, as if he’d predicted it all.

It was unbelievable.

A magician of that caliber would surely be famous by now…

“This won’t do. Everyone, abandon defense and charge.”

“Abandon defense?!”

Even in this desperate situation, the comrades hesitated.

That’s how reckless Geliak’s order was.

The standard way to approach a magician was to do so as stealthily, spread out, and quickly as possible.

Of course, even while approaching, you could never drop your defense.

If a magician unleashed an area spell, it could be fatal for a warrior.

So you had to approach quickly, but also brace your whole body with mana to defend against any area spell.

Dropping it meant you could pour all your mana into speed, making you much faster, but…

“Forget that guy! We’ll all die at this rate.”

“…Charge!”

“Son of a… Ugh!”

One adventurer who’d drawn the magician’s attention finally collapsed.

After taking dozens of lightning bolts, he couldn’t hold out any longer and fell.

Seeing that, the hesitant comrades changed their minds.

If they gave a magician like this any more time, something terrible might really happen!

‘Let today’s death not be me.’

‘Let it be someone else, not me.’

“Charge!”

The adventurers dashed like a fierce wind. They didn’t even bother hiding with invisibility artifacts anymore, probably to save mana. Their speed was incomparable to before.

• * *

‘Damn. I’ve been found out.’

Lee Han clicked his tongue.

The adventurers saw Lee Han as some unknown archmage and were terrified, but Lee Han’s situation wasn’t great, either.

The Black Turtle Tower students had collapsed from rebound.

He was hiding behind various barriers, illusions, and skeleton warriors, but if the adventurers got close, they could become hostages.

‘I thought bluffing would work…’

Since they mistook him for a fifth-year, he thought if he bluffed a bit more, they’d be scared off on their own.

Dragging things out was in Lee Han’s favor.

But for some reason, the enemy suddenly abandoned caution and charged madly.

Just by their movements, it was clear these were not people Lee Han could beat in a swordfight.

“Skeleton warriors, move! Gonadaltes, go!”

Lee Han didn’t panic or get scared.

What mattered now was doing his best.

Clatter!

The skeleton warrior, Gonadaltes, dashed forward with a bone spear among the other skeleton warriors.

The other skeleton warriors raised their bone spears in unison.

“?!”

Thud!

The closest adventurer’s foot stopped instinctively.

When a powerful magician’s undead summons started moving, there weren’t many who could abandon defense and charge at full power.

‘Damn. How strong are these things? They’re not immune to physical attacks, are they?’

Barriers, illusions, a desperate situation.

A skeleton warrior that didn’t look like much seemed like a powerful undead summon to the adventurers.

And Lee Han exploited that moment precisely.

“Strike, lightning of Perkuntra!”

“Kraaaagh!”

The adventurer instinctively activated his shield artifact and wrapped himself in mana, but immediately realized his mistake.

This wasn’t something to block.

He should have dodged!

The lightning was so powerful that it tore through the shield artifact and burned his body. The adventurer fell without even screaming.

“That…!?”

“Shoot!”

Lee Han disassembled a skeleton warrior and started firing bone fragments everywhere.

The savage barrage of bone bullets slowed down the other charging adventurers.

“Cloak, swallow me. I hide in the night!”

At the same time, Lee Han chanted softly and cast invisibility. With the illusion magic still active, the adventurers didn’t notice right away.

“Gather, condense, and explode!”

Boom!!

A mana explosion spell went off at close range, sending another adventurer flying.

Geliak could no longer even tell how many comrades he had left.

All he could think was that they’d really run into the wrong opponent today.

To meet a combat mage like that.

He’d seen mages who were more experienced or who could use higher-level spells, but never one so rock-solid in battle.

‘But I won’t die so easily.’

Geliak took out a potion and drank it. Instantly, all his senses and mana went wild.

It was a -Sambir Berserker’s Potion- with severe side effects, but its effects were real.

Geliak could now clearly sense where the invisible magician was.

Even if sight, hearing, and smell were deceived, he could not be fooled by the subtle shifts in the sand.

His amplified mana began to condense into his blade. It was aura, a crystallization of mana that could even cut through magicians’ spells.

The moment he saw that, Lee Han realized things had gotten complicated.

His opponent was glaring at him with bloodshot eyes.

Lee Han hurriedly drew Morningstar and gathered his mana. But his opponent got there first.

‘Faster!’

Faced with mortal danger, Lee Han’s instincts exploded. His sword sped up as he clashed with Geliak.

Bang!

Mana clashed with mana.

The black magnetite blade absorbed Geliak’s mana, but the half-crazed Geliak didn’t care.

Bang!!

They clashed again.

Lee Han felt his palm tear and blood ooze out. The force was tremendous.

‘I have to gather more mana!’

No matter how famed Morningstar was, it wasn’t more important than his life.

Lee Han gathered his mana again. Unfortunately, he couldn’t display the same advanced technique as his opponent.

To counter the sharply refined crystal of his opponent’s mana, he could only push through with an absurd amount.

Bang!!!

With a clash of mana on a different level, the area shook and some summons vanished.

The mana clash destabilized the area.

That backlash affected the invisibility spell as well.

For a moment, Lee Han’s face became visible.

Geliak muttered in a dumbfounded voice that didn’t fit the situation.

“You’re not a fifth-year…? Guh.”

Suddenly, Geliak dropped his sword and clutched his throat.

Lee Han let out a sigh of relief.

“Principal!”

The skull principal flew in from afar, blue eyes blazing, without a word.

Geliak fumbled, twisting open a ring and pouring its contents into his mouth.

It was a suicide poison, just in case.

‘What the hell…?’

Lee Han was shocked to see Geliak, who had just been rampaging, choose suicide at the sight of the skull principal’s face.

Where do you think you’re going?

The skull principal spoke coldly.

At that moment, Geliak, who had definitely stopped breathing, raised his head and stood up.

Geliak blinked in disbelief at being alive.

“W-what…?”

This is my domain. Without the lord’s permission, death is not allowed. You wretch.

Lee Han was even more shocked than before.

It was only natural that a person’s soul would leave the body upon death, but the land of this magic school rejected that law of nature.

It bound the soul to the body, not letting it depart.

He couldn’t even imagine the level of magic involved.

“Principal. This is…”

Ask your magic questions later.

“No, it’s not a magic question, I think these guys have comrades. Earlier, they said they had to meet a guide.”

Geliak stared at Lee Han in disbelief.

Did he really catch that in the middle of all this?

The skull principal immediately gave an order.

Intruders have entered. Block the students’ outings and find the rats.

-Yes, understood.

Lee Han looked shocked. The skull principal was puzzled.

What’s wrong?

“No… Maybe I misheard, but you trusted me so much…”

Did you hit your head in the fight? Of course I should listen. Did you think I’d ignore a first-year just because he’s a first-year?

“You’re absolutely right.”

“…What did you just—”

I didn’t tell you to speak.

The skull principal swallowed Geliak whole. Geliak disappeared without even being able to scream.