Episode 810

The mad clone gave Lee Han a contemptuous glare for his uninspired answer, but the other magic school students were visibly moved by it.

“We understand. Witnessing brilliant magics collide makes a wizard’s heart race.”

These creatures, less than vermin, with their idiotic, sluggish “brilliance”…

“Shh, Master. Please be quiet. If they find out I’m learning from you, they’ll be so jealous.”

Lee Han muttered so only his staff could hear.

Of course, the mad clone didn’t listen.

Jealous worms…

‘I’ll just keep it hidden.’

“They say a wizard must have a cold and logical mind, but if you don’t have this passion, you’ll never climb to higher ground!”

The Kalarogard students seemed impressed too, prompting cheers and applause from the Baldrogard students.

“Well said!”

“Magic is done with the heart!”

The Kalarogard students gave a warm reply to their recent foes’ show of camaraderie.

“Shut up.”

“Who asked you to butt in?”

“……”

The animosity between the school rivals ran too deep for any emotional moment.

Especially, the Kalarogard students had no intention of tolerating anything the Baldrogard students said about magic.

How dare you!

“You rude, vulgar fools! I tried to show respect!”

“Unforgivable!”

As the Baldrogard students drew their wands, Lee Han was a bit surprised.

‘Oh. So they can actually do something?’

It was a disrespectful thought, but truthfully, Lee Han was honestly amazed that the Baldrogard students would get as far as drawing their wands and casting magic. Maybe as fourth-years, they really had some skill…

“Sir Garal, please discipline them!”

“Teach them a painful lesson!”

“……”

“……”

Lee Han and Garal exchanged a silent glance.

Garal’s eyes seemed to say:
‘Don’t pity me.’

‘I understand.’

It was true.

What right did Lee Han have to pity a mage forging his own path?

And Lee Han wasn’t really in any position to pity others, either.

With all the crazy professors in Einrogard, the ancient maniac trying to kill him, not to mention Professor Verdus…

‘Ah. I was supposed to put the mad clone after Professor Verdus, not before. My mistake.’

He’d wanted to list them in horrific order, but made an error.

Summon the Black Coffin. Make them kneel.

“??”

As Lee Han was lost in his own thoughts, the mad clone’s voice rang out again.

He didn’t know what the “Black Coffin” was and found it puzzling.

Black Coffin… Don’t tell me you don’t know what it is?

“I don’t.”

If you don’t even know Black Coffin, what are they teaching you in this trash heap? Just follow my instructions. I’ll show you.

The mad clone ordered Lee Han to prepare the spell.

Lee Han wanted to ask more about the details, but the mad clone’s patience was obviously near its end.

‘If it’s a summoning magic based on the dark element… but this looks too complex and advanced.’

As Lee Han swept his staff and constructed the spell as ordered, he couldn’t help his doubt.

Can I even manage to cast this magic?

Every spell the mad clone ordered was always extremely difficult.

Take demanding another fifth-circle, for instance.

Even this spell, looking at its structure, was absolutely not simple or easy…

‘This is like Three Kingdoms-era script.’

The symbols carved throughout the magic circle were from the script of the Three Kingdoms era.

Even if he couldn’t read it exactly, Lee Han was a second year by now, and could guess the feel of it.

This was a device meant to bind and control a tremendously powerful being.

“Master, can I really cast this spell at my level?”

The mad clone ignored him instead of replying.

It seemed even the mad clone was learning how to handle his disciple. Lee Han grumbled inside.

“…I offer up the purest darkness as the burnt sacrifice…”

As the magic took form, black flames of dark element rose from each point of the cardinal directions, distorting space. It was a sure sign of summoning magic.

Lee Han was startled by the torrent of magic rushing out of him.

It wasn’t so strange to offer magic as the price for summoning, but…!

‘Just how much is this?!’

Even Lee Han, known for “wasting” enormous amounts of magic, was shocked by the sheer quantity required.

At last, Lee Han understood the mad clone’s intentions.

Summoning Black Coffin wasn’t so much about technical difficulty—it was a spell that, after setup, basically depended on having a huge magic reserve.

It certainly did suit someone with outstanding magical power. Lee Han couldn’t help but admire it.

‘Didn’t expect this kind of consideration. I thought he’d just make me try something literally impossible.’

Not bad for a first attempt. Continue.

Perhaps due to the spell’s character, the mad clone seemed quite satisfied. Lee Han cautiously asked,

“Master, what kind of magic is this?”

A spell to silence those bugs who claim to be black magicians.

“…I mean, what’s it really do, Master?”

The mad clone turned his gaze away from the summoning burning between the black flames.

What do you think it is?

“It uses the dark element, has such a complex structure, and is a summoning… Um, I don’t know. Black dragon?”

Not bad.

“That’s a good answer?”

No. It was nonsense, rabble. But at least your intent to summon a black dragon is creditable.

“I wasn’t saying I wanted to summon one…”

The Black Coffin is a prison that seals an artificial demigod.

“??”

Seeing Lee Han didn’t understand, the mad clone, proud as the empire’s greatest teacher, explained with patience.

Some eccentric magicians (including the Skeleton Principal and the patriarch of House Wardanaz) sought the source of holy magic not in gods but in the faith of priests. The mad clone was one such.

He took it a step further.

If priests could offer faith to create holy magic, couldn’t a magician mimic that process?

Of course, standing in for the faith of millions all alone came with restrictions…

…but the mad clone succeeded in creating this secret art.

Instead of faith, offering the purest dark element summons an artificial demigod.

That is Black Coffin.

“……”

Hearing this, Lee Han was overwhelmed. As a magician himself, he was awed by the mad clone’s explanation.

Power and difficulty aside, the idea itself exuded sheer intimidation.

‘So this is the wizardry of the ancients?
To create and summon a godlike thing with magic.’

It wasn’t a contract with another-dimensional being—it was an artificial being created by a magician, alone!

‘No—but is it normal to use this just to intimidate black magicians?’

Only now did Lee Han recall why he was casting this spell.

He was being made to show off in front of the Kalarogard black magicians.

“Wait, why is it called ‘coffin’?”

If it’s a fake dark demigod, shouldn’t it be ‘Black God Summon,’ not ‘Black Coffin Summon’?

If you just let it out, you’ll have an artificial demigod rampaging around.

“Is it dangerous?”

No.

“Phew. So you made it good, right?”

The magic itself isn’t dangerous. It’s the magician using it who’s at risk. Is the sun dangerous?

‘Of course it is, you bastard…’

Lee Han stopped himself from reciting various stories of magicians meeting tragic ends after getting too close to the sun.

Clearly, this artificial demigod was plenty dangerous.

• * *

The Kalarogard students, having forgotten Lee Han had interrupted, stopped their quarrel with the Baldrogard students.

The Baldrogard students, thinking their words had finally struck home, preened confidently.

“So you finally understand your own vulgarity!”

“…What is that?”

Garal, sensing something was wrong, turned his head.

While the argument continued, the second-year Einrogard student had summoned something strange.

A huge black coffin made of dark element!

“???”

“What is that?”

The Baldrogard students cocked their heads, unable to parse the Black Coffin’s appearance.

It looked nothing like a normal summoning magic.

Usually, contracts with other-worldly beings or summoned inanimate objects had an obvious purpose—

But this giant coffin’s purpose was totally unclear.

The Kalarogard students, however, were different. As specialists in black magic, they sensed something fundamentally wrong and ominous.

The density of dark element was insane!

‘What in the world did he just summon?’

Shhh—

Suddenly, the undead beside a Kalarogard student was reverse-summoned and vanished.

No attack, no sign at all.

“???!”

“What the—?!”

“…The Black Coffin! It’s the Black Coffin!”

One Kalarogard student, a scholar of ancient black magic, recognized the magic.

He’d heard that, in ancient times, an unnamed archmage had spread this secret like wildfire through many kingdoms, luring scores of black magicians.

Creating an artificial dark demigod and sealing it in a coffin with magic!

“That kind of magic actually exists?!”

“Why haven’t I ever heard of it? That’s something I want to learn!”

A half-made, caged, artificial god—but still, a god.

Summoners could bestow new rules on the world and bend it to their will; the attraction was obvious.

This Black Coffin’s semidivine contents, for instance, clearly granted power to control all nearby undead.

“I heard it was banned even in ancient times—it was just too dangerous…”

It wasn’t permanent, and even a single summoning took a staggering amount of dark element.

Just amassing that much forced black magicians to turn to evil arts.

And that wasn’t all.

While caged, it was fine, but if the coffin broke and the demigod within got out during battle—no one could predict the consequences.

A wizard might create a demigod, but he wasn’t its master. History abounded with stories of demigods rampaging after escaping the coffin mid-battle.

To find and boldly cast such a dangerous magic now—Einrogard’s madness really was unrivaled.

“Why did he use such a forbidden spell?”

“No idea. Are the Einrogard guys just all crazy…?”

“Everyone. Do you see?”

Unaware of the other magicians’ shock, Lee Han spoke up after summoning the Black Coffin.

To satisfy the mad clone, it was time to end things.

“Does anyone wish to face this magic? If not, I’ll declare victory now!”

The Kalarogard students gave him looks of horror.

Those eyes could only mean one thing:

Madman!

That he would so casually unveil a spell so forbidden and lost, using it just to show off—his boldness and cruelty gave them chills. One Kalarogard student stared at Lee Han’s face, then hesitated.

“Wait. Are you… Lee Han of the Wardanaz family? The one Senior Agdung mentioned?”

“What? Wardanaz?”

The mention from the Kalarogard student caught the Baldrogard students’ attention.

“The fourth-year?”

“Weren’t you a fifth-year?”

“These foolish friends! He’s a sixth-year. Can’t you even count?”

“……”

Garal looked at the Baldrogard students in astonishment.

He knew they were dumb, but this…?!