Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

Pitch Black Chamber.

The tower that Professor Mortum was using as his workshop was still gloomy.

‘It seems that if he wants the students to come more often, he should start by improving the surrounding environment.’

Skeletons, bones, tombstones, and venomous potion bottles lying around usually made people reluctant to come.

In Yi-Han’s opinion, among the new students this time, it seemed that only Yi-Han and Gainando would come to learn black magi…

“??”

Yi-Han was surprised.

There was another new student in front of the Pitch Black Chamber.

Two new students on top of that.

“Wh-Why did those kids come to learn black magic?”

“Is there a reason for you to be so serious?”

Yi-Han was puzzled by Gainando’s reaction.

Gainando replied as if it were obvious.

“Professor said I was the only one with talent!”

“….”

Didn’t you say you don’t like black magic?

Yi-Han was about to say something but gave up and changed the subject.

“Gainando, even if they don’t have as much talent as you, they might still want to learn black magic.”

“That’s true indeed.”

Gainando reflected slightly on what Yi-Han said.

Upon reflection, it seemed like it might be okay to be a little more lenient.

“Hey, guys…”

“Don’t act friendly with me, you scoundrels from the Blue Dragon Tower.”

“….”

Gainando felt triggered and was about to strike the other person with his wand. Yi-Han grabbed his arm and stopped him.

“So you’re from the White Tiger Tower.”

“Yeah.”

A faint golden light flickered in the opponent’s eyes.

With the foreign facial features that gave an exotic impression, Yi-Han realized that his opponent had mixed blood.

“Are you an angel hybrid?”

“Yes. I carry the ancestors’ glorious blood.”

‘As something to be proud of, blood seems quite faint.’

Tizilin, who was a demon hybrid, had such a strong bloodline that you could tell just by looking at their appearance right away.

In contrast, the White Tiger Tower student in front of him was quite hard to recognize.

If it weren’t for Yi-Han’s keen sensitivity, it would have been difficult to notice.

“You carry the glorious blood of our ancestors, yet you obey the Moradi family’s command?”

Yi-Han attempted to mediate right away.

As the number of White Tiger Tower students who obey Jijel’s orders decreases, wouldn’t life become more pleasant for Yi-Han and Dolgyu?

The honor and pride of the knights were sensitive vulnerabilities.

“Don’t be mistaken, Wardanaz. I, Raphadel, do not obey Moradi’s orders.”

“What? If you don’t obey Moradi’s orders, why are you being such an assh… bitc… motherfu…”

Unable to find the right words, Yi-Han simply ended the question.

“Why are you acting like that?”

“Do you ask because you don’t know?”

Raphadel looked at Yi-Han as if he was dumbfounded.

It didn’t make sense to play innocent.

Gainando whispered from the side.

“Isn’t it because we sent the White Tiger Tower guys to the disciplinary room last time?”

“Just because of that?”

“…???”

Gainando was perplexed.

Huh?

That’s… a pretty good reason, isn’t it?

Raphadel narrowed his forehead and spoke to Yi-Han.

“Choi Family’s Dolgyu! You won’t pretend not to know after I said that. It’s the name of the honorable friend you are wickedly exploiting.”

“….”

Yi-Han was at a loss for words after such a long time. Gainando spoke up in his place.

“No, um, Dolgyu is our friend.”

“Even your excuse is lame… You attack him with magic, leave him unconscious, and still prattle about him being your friend!”

“….”

Gainando looked at Yi-Han as if asking for help.

“I treated him the same way because I was worried that Dolgyu might be hated by the White Tiger Tower guys.”

“Is that your excuse?”

Raphadel reacted as if he was dumbfounded.

Yi-Han shrugged as he had expected such a reaction.

Some misunderstandings are unavoidable.

“Wait a minute. Are you… from the Gral family?”

Gainando belatedly recalled Raphadel’s family.

Southern Knight Family, Gral Family.

The Gral Family, which takes pride in having angelic blood in its ancestry, was known as one of the most righteous and strict knight families among the existing ones.

Judging by the way he talked…

“That’s right, you wicked ones.”

It seemed like the other party had already categorized Yi-Han and Gainando as the axis of evil.

‘But most of it is because of the Wardanaz family’s image.’

If it weren’t for the image of the lunatic Wardanaz family, Yi-Han might not have been misunderstood like this.

At least, that’s what Yi-Han thought.

“I mean, why would the Gral family learn black magic!?”

Gainando scoffed since it was absurd to him.

Why would someone from the Gral family, which produced many Holy Knights, come to learn black magic?

Raphadel spoke confidently.

“Learning black magic will allow us to better deal with black mages.”

“….”

‘The professor will cry.’

Yi-Han was at a loss for words.

Only four of the students came, and one of them is a black magic hater…

“I see. Gral. I hope you learn black magic to deal with black mages. I thought you were going to team up with Jijel from the Moradi family and maliciously plot against me because you seemed hostile to me.”

“Do not treat me, Raphadel, equal to those Moradi guys!”

Raphadel was very upset.

Yi-Han, who controlled Dolgyu like a puppet, was indeed on the wrong side, but Jijel, who manipulated other White Tiger Tower students as if they were her underlings, was equally contemptible.

“So you’re not going to join forces with Jijel from the Moradi family and plot against me?”

“Obviously!”

“Even with those scoundrels?”

“Of course! Why did you even ask that?”

“Alright then.”

Yi-Han walked away as if he had said everything he wanted to say.

If he didn’t attack Yi-Han from behind and didn’t join hands with Jijel, it didn’t matter what he said to Yi-Han up front.

Raphadel was left speechless, his eyes blinking in confusion.

He felt like something was wrong, but what exactly was it?

Following behind Yi-Han, Gainando thought to himself.

He’s my friend, but he really seems like a wicked sorcerer indeed…

***

After he met Raphadel once, Gainando became quite hostile. He spoke to another student with a voice devoid of hospitality.

“Why did you even come to learn black magic?”

Srak—

The student stood up from their seat. It was only then that Gainando realized that the other person had been sitting on the floor.

“….”

Yi-Han was tall, but the other person was much taller than Yi-Han, easily surpassing 2 meters in height.

‘Giant hybrid!’

Overwhelmed, Gainando quickly became polite.

“I, I think it’s alright for you… to learn it. I apologize for my rudeness.”

“He-Hello. It’s nice to meet you all.”

The other person was a Black Tortoise Tower student. He greeted them while glancing around.

“M-My name is Imirg.”

“I’m Yi-Han. This is Gainando. But may I ask why you’re looking around?”

“M-my friends don’t like me hanging out with students from the Blue Dragon Tower, so…”

“!”

Yi-Han was surprised.

‘Well, it’s not that strange.’

Except for the Phoenix Tower, tower students generally stuck together.

It was natural for Black Tortoise Tower students, who had few nobles or knightly backgrounds, to avoid mingling with students from White Tiger Tower, where knight families were dominant, or with students from the Blue Dragon Tower, where noble families were dominant.

Someone like Nilliana Ratford was an exception…

Still, Yi-Han wanted to make sure just in case.

“It’s not because you think I’m a wicked sorcerer, is it?”

“H-Huh? What are you talking about?”

“No, huh. Then it’s fine.

Fortunately, they disliked the Blue Dragon Tower students because of their noble status indeed. Yi-Han felt relieved.

“I… came to learn black magic because I’m interested in it. I want to get along well with friends who also want to learn black magic together.”

“Hmph! That will never happen!”

Raphadel, who was behind them, replied firmly.

He had no intention of becoming friends with the wicked students who wanted to learn black magic.

Imirg looked at Raphadel with a sad expression. Raphadel flinched, probably feeling a bit scared.

“Yeah. Even though we may not get along well outside, let’s get along well when learning black magic here.”

Yi-Han extended his hand.

Imirg was a very easy case to become close with. Considering how many strange people he had encountered at school, this was something to be grateful for.

Imirg shook Yi-Han’s hand up and down with a happy expression.

For a moment, Yi-Han had to quickly release a burst of his magic power throughout his body to withstand it.

‘Uurgh!’

Yi-Han controlled his expression to avoid upsetting Imirg’s mood. It was an incredible power.

“I’m counting on you too!”

Gainando extended his hand without knowing anything. Yi-Han tried to stop him, but Gainando grabbed Imirg’s hand first.

Grit!

***

Professor Mortum looked at the increased number of new students and hummed a cheerful tune with a happy expression.

Yi-Han’s heart ached for some reason.

‘I shouldn’t feel sorry for a professor, though.’

Stockholm Syndrome was a quite dangerous syndrome.

“Cough. It’s nice to see you all here. I didn’t expect so many students interested in black magic. Next year should be promising.”

“We look forward to it!”

Professor Mortum seemed to have not noticed Raphadel’s wicked intentions. He looked at Yi-Han and asked.

“Have you found more bone summoned monsters?”

“I haven’t found them yet…”

“Cough. Keep searching in dark and obscure places.”

Professor Mortum winked at Yi-Han as if it was a gift. It wasn’t particularly romantic, of course.

‘Summoned monsters are running amok and he wants me to search in the gloomy and obscure places around the academy… It’s practically suicide.’

“Cough… Everyone must have been waiting for today’s gathering, so we should get on with the class quickly. Do you remember what we learned about curses last time?”

“Yes. Of course.”

Raphadel took out paper and a pen, ready to jot down the professor’s words. Professor Mortum looked pleased.

Of course, from Yi-Han’s perspective, who knew Raphadel’s intentions, he only felt pity.

Is he planning to attack the professor later?

“To be honest, curses were more fun than summoning magic!”

Gainando spoke honestly.

“Today, let’s take our time and study curses to improve our understandi… Wait a moment.”

Professor Mortum paused while speaking.

“Did you learn summoning magic this week?”

“Yes.”

“Cough. How was the students’ reaction?”

“Everyone seemed to like it? Everyone except us went to the workshop to hear about it.”

Yi-Han wanted to give Gainando a smack on the head, but unfortunately, he couldn’t do that.

Professor Mortum stated firmly.

“…Not curses. Today, I’ll be teaching you about undead summoning.”

“Whoa!!”

‘Is this really okay?’

Yi-Han became anxious.

It seemed like they were skipping several steps in the curriculum…

***

“Cough… Undead summoning can be considered the pinnacle of summoning magic. It’s the most beautiful, complex, and sophisticated magic…”

“Where do black mages typically obtain corpses?”

“Good question. Student Raphadel. In the past, we primarily used cemeteries, but not these days. We purchase authorized corpses for our use.”

“Oh… Nevertheless, illegal black mages still prefer cemeteries, right?”

“Wouldn’t that be the case?”

“Thank you.”

Raphadel seemed excited and started taking notes. Professor Mortum, however, seemed to feel some discomfort and shook his head.

“But you guys are still… it’s too early for you to perform a complete undead summoning. Mishandling a complete undead can even kill a wizard.”

One of the most common black magic accidents is when an inexperienced black wizard summoned a skeletal warrior who ended up stabbing its master to death.

Gainando, who nearly died at the hands of a magical pen, nodded his head.

“We’ll start with the easiest, something relatively less likely to kill you. The Backbone Hand.”

The students listened intently with tense expressions as the professor spoke.

Shoo!

Bony hands appeared in front of the students.

“First, try to get acquainted with the bone hands. Initially, they won’t listen to your commands, but…”

“…?”

For a moment, it seemed to Yi-Han that the bone summoned monster and the bone hand had switched places.

The bone hand was very politely bowing its head in front of Yi-Han.

‘Is it a trap?’