Episode 550
by CristaeEpisode 550
“P-Professor.”
Lee Han waved his hand at the sound of Professor Thunderstep’s voice.
The professor turned to look at his student—and was even more shocked.
“Was there really a war?!”
Lee Han looked like he’d survived three days on a battlefield.
His cloak was half torn, his hair tangled, his face smeared with dirt and dried blood…
How could he have fought so fiercely in such a short time?
Coughing, Lee Han spoke.
“We had no choice.”
“What do you mean, no choice?”
“The corruption creatures tried to attack the spirits.”
“Th—hold on, hold on.”
Professor Thunderstep, about to be moved by his warmhearted student’s concern for spirits, pulled himself together.
Something was odd here.
“You all would’ve been inside the cabin, right? The magic circles would’ve kept you safe?”
“That’s right.”
Yoner and Priest Siana answered in exhausted voices.
They weren’t as much of a wreck as Lee Han, but they too were covered in dust, showing just how tough the fight had been.
“But you went outside to fight?”
“To protect the spirits.”
“I see. …WHY???!”
No matter how he heard it, Professor Thunderstep just couldn’t understand.
They could have stayed safe inside the magic circle, but had rushed out to save spirits?
Did they owe the spirits something?
- * *
‘I still have a long way to go.’
When the squirrel spirit showed him affection, Lee Han was struck by a realization.
Spirits had disliked Lee Han so far just because he hadn’t tried hard enough.
If he just put in the effort, there was no reason spirits wouldn’t warm to him.
‘I needed to put the spirits in danger.’
Thinking about it, previous spirits had no reason to feel affection toward Lee Han.
But if they were in danger—
And Lee Han rescued them in that state—
“They might come to like me.”
“Lee Han… I usually like to support you, but now I’m worried you’re having weird thoughts…”
Yoner looked his friend in the eye with genuine concern.
Listening to Lee Han’s new spirit-contracting theory made him anxious.
Of course, spirits were sensitive to kindness and could like you if you rescued them.
But right now, it sounded like Lee Han was intent on forcing spirits into danger to bestow favor upon them.
‘Maybe it’s just my imagination?’
“It’s fine. What we’re doing is good! We’re helping spirits in crisis, right?”
Priest Siana spoke cheerfully, apparently unworried.
“True, but…”
“And Wardanaz would never force spirits into danger.”
Lee Han, who’d been walking ahead, paused at those words.
Yoner only became more concerned when he saw this.
“Corruption creature. Everyone stay alert!”
Lee Han moved with the discipline of a battle-trained wizard.
He brought his friends under the effect of an invisibility spell, and cast -Ogonnin’s Thin Mist- and -Pengerine’s Ice Element Doppelganger- on top.
Mirage fog spread over a wide area while doppelgangers moved within, making it even harder to pinpoint their real location from outside.
Then came more buff spells.
“Wardanaz, what about Swift Steps?”
“The side effects are too severe.”
“?”
Priest Siana nearly asked, ‘So what about the White Tiger Tower students?’ but Lee Han swung his staff without stopping.
“Arise, warriors of bone!”
Taking a black bone shard from his pouch and waving his staff, Lee Han summoned skeletal warriors on the opposite side from where the students were.
These weren’t ordinary skeletons, but ones empowered by compressed dark element—so-called dark skeleton warriors.
The corruption creatures seemed sensitive to the presence of familiar elements and reacted.
“We’re ready. Attack!”
With all sorts of magic protecting their side, and summons drawing the enemy’s gaze from behind, it was now time to begin the real assault.
Lee Han and his friends unleashed sharp spells into the corruption creatures.
“Strike, lightning of Perkuntra!”
Blinding lightning struck the corruption creatures.
Normally, lesser undead would’ve been burned to a crisp; but thanks to their fusion with dark element spirits, some managed to endure.
Some fused together to grow bigger and tougher, some burrowed into the ground to dodge, others emitted dark essence as mist to lessen the damage…
Yoner, watching the magical bombardment, squinted and seized his chance, then spun his staff.
“Break and amplify!”
Alchemists like Yoner could minimize mana cost if they’d prepared in advance.
The bottle of potion spun and shattered in the air, triggering a violent explosion.
Whoosh!
“The fire is weak!”
“It can’t be helped!”
Yoner and Priest Siana lamented the weakened power of their firestarter potions.
Seasonal powers were suppressing fire attacks.
“The fire is weak?”
“Huh?”
“Burn!”
Lee Han incinerated a nearby corruption creature with fire.
The creature, hit full-on by suddenly blazing flames, collapsed before it could resist.
Yoner stared at his friend, who could maintain such heat even in this season, with an aghast expression.
What the…?!
“Just hold out a little more! The spirits are escaping!”
Priest Siana shouted, delighted.
While the corruption creatures were hit from both sides, the fleeing spirits found a way out into the woods.
Enraged at the one-sided beating, the creatures fused together, swelled up, or lashed out with claws—but the initial ambush was fatal.
The mages at the rear had trouble repositioning in the fog, and the dark skeleton warriors with elemental reinforcements held the front with stubborn tenacity.
“Wait. They’re escaping?”
“Yes? Yes.”
“……”
Lee Han hesitated for a moment.
Yoner, noticing this, called out just in case.
“Lee Han? Don’t tell me…?”
“We must help the spirits!”
Lee Han released the invisibility and dashed out of the mist.
He rushed toward the area where the spirits were best escaping.
■… ■■???
The corruption creatures, seeing a mage burst out of the mist, naturally focused on him.
Whoosh!
A corruption creature’s forehead sprouted a long spike, whipping toward Lee Han like a lash.
Such unpredictable attacks were particularly dangerous at close range against non-corporeal monsters.
But unfortunately for the corruption creatures, Lee Han was the top student of the black magic school.
“Darkness, gather here!”
Lee Han chanted a dark-element absorption spell, swinging his staff.
Normally this spell would gather dark elements from the air into his staff tip, but this time it was a contest of control over dark elements.
An incredible feat of willpower.
Since most of the creature was made of dark element, it flailed in agony as its very substance was ripped away—a bizarre sensation rarely felt. Without missing a beat, Lee Han drew and swung the Morningstar with his other hand.
No weapon was more effective against magical manifestations like this.
Slaaash!
Deprived of its dark element, the creature staggered and collapsed.
Lee Han shouted to the spirits.
“Run! I’ll hold them off!”
■!
■■■! ■■!
Spirits of all shapes turned at Lee Han’s cry and called out when they spotted the mage.
‘It worked!’
Lee Han was moved to the core as the spirits looked at him with kindly eyes.
Rushing out, undoing invisibility, had been worth it!
KWA-DUDUDUDUDUDUK!
Suddenly, the dark skeleton warriors were blasted aside and unsummoned.
■■■■■…
A giant corruption creature, a whole tier bigger than the others, appeared in front of him.
Lee Han looked between it and the escaping spirits.
“Run! I’ll stop them!”
“Lee Han! Please, just turn back and come back!”
- * *
“So?”
Professor Thunderstep tossed Lee Han some ointment.
“How did you dodge it?”
“I caught it.”
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
“How??”
“I just kept dodging and rolling and casting spells until it went down…”
“……”
Professor Thunderstep was scandalized by this brute-force method unbecoming of a wizard.
No wizard could win a war of attrition with a monster—magical power versus monster vitality, the latter always had the edge.
But Lee Han ignored all that and actually won through pure attrition.
No wonder the area looked like a warzone…
“Swear on my beard, who risks their life like this just to impress spirits!?”
“It wasn’t to impress the spirits, Professor. I just wanted to help…”
“Yeah, right!”
Thunderstep clicked his tongue at such unconvincing lies from his student.
Sure, there were wizards who went out of their way to contract with spirits.
But no one, in all his experience, had courted spirits as violently and intensely as this boy before him.
Putting his life on the line to win the spirits’ favor with such a display.
“Ugh. Thank you.”
Having wiped off most of the blood and tended his wounds, Lee Han stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“The spirits ran into the forest earlier—if I call, maybe they’ll come out?”
“…Wait. Hold on.”
Professor Thunderstep grabbed his student.
“With all these corruption creatures coming out, there’s trouble somewhere on the Einrogard grounds. You’d best avoid the woods for now.”
“All right. I’ll just meet the spirits and return.”
The basilisk and squirrel spirit clung to Lee Han’s wrists, trying to stop him.
Yoner and Priest Siana also grabbed his shoulders.
“Lee Han. You’re in rough shape. I’m sure you’re out of stamina and mana after that fight.”
“My mana’s fine…”
“Quiet. Either way, your stamina must be low.”
Yoner’s tone was colder than usual.
Priest Siana was firm, too.
“Honestly, are spirits that important that you need to risk your life for them?”
“Maybe not… Wait. Priest Siana, how many spirits have you contracted with?”
“Three?”
Lee Han, suddenly serious, pushed away Siana’s hand.
From what he’d observed, she didn’t seem interested in spirits at all!
“Uh, no, it’s not the number that matters, it’s the love. Wardanaz. Look at these spirits.”
“……”
As Lee Han relented a bit, Yoner quickly chimed in.
“Lee Han. Think about it. Spirits never forget a kindness. Professor can hunt down the corruption creatures anyway.”
“Huh?”
Thunderstep, idly observing, was caught off guard by the sudden turn.
If anyone should be chasing corruption creatures, it was Lee Han, wasn’t it?
“…That might be true.”
Everyone but Lee Han was telling him to wait, so he reconsidered.
“If all the corruption creatures are gone, I can go in. Spirits won’t forget my kindness.”
“Uh, but the spirits may return to their realm anyway. They weren’t formally summoned, so no telling how long they’ll stay.”
Professor Thunderstep pointed out absently, but Yoner and Siana glanced at him in alarm.
“Professor.”
“Ah, well. They might stay long…”
“Let’s go together.”
Lee Han’s determined eyes made clear he intended to persist until Thunderstep agreed.
“No…! Why would I…!”
“Let’s go together.”
Professor Thunderstep was overwhelmed by his disciple’s burning gaze.