Chapter 81

[Translator – Prøks]

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Chapter 81: Second Trial (7)

Over time, the skeletons had learned many skills, from crafting and alchemy to combat techniques.

‘I’ve been a bit neglectful when it comes to mages.’

Kim Minwoo admitted.

But he had his reasons. Typically, ordinary skeletons, which he could summon twice as many, were much more advantageous to train.

In most fields, that was the case. Except for one.

If any field in which mages had an absolute advantage in, it would be magic.

‘So, if I want to utilize mages, I have to teach them magic…’

That wasn’t easy.

Teaching magic in reality was foolish. Magic was one of the most difficult subjects. But teaching magic to skeletons, who couldn’t even learn like humans?

It would have ramifications far beyond tackling an A-rank gate.

It’s hard to ask unless you really trust someone.

So, usually, you’d have to find a teacher at the gate. Mages were mainly found in fantasy worlds.

However, summoning skeletons was often prohibited in those worlds.

They were usually seen as agents of evil, and religious organizations were often sent to eradicate them.

Even if summoning was possible, it was hard to imagine esteemed mages educating skeletons.

Being able to inherit crafting skills from dwarves and elves was because the roles and stages aligned well. It also enabled an attempt to learn magic.

‘Luckily, there was a death school.’

In a world where summoning skeletons was possible, there were mages who mainly dealt with related death magic. And they desperately wanted what Kim Minwoo possessed.

To him, it was like a miracle.

Thanks to this, he could conduct magic classes for his skeleton mages.

‘It wouldn’t have been possible with any other school.’

As he spent days educating them, the practical training period approached.

[‘Myra’ has grasped the essence of ‘Corpse Explosion Magic!’]

[Condensed experience creates a new skill!]

[Skeleton mages can now use Corpse Explosion (F)!]

[All mages are hit with lightning-like inspiration!]

[‘Myra’ realizes the essence of ‘Magic Circle Composition!’]

[‘Essence of Bone Rain’ is realized!]

[‘Essence of Bone Shield’ is realized!]

[‘Essence of Blindness’ is realized!]

.

.

Teaching one leads to understanding ten.

Just like the saying, Myra’s acquisition of one magic led to a chain of insights.

‘He’s probably learning multiple spells from one school.’

There was usually a correlation between each spell of a school. That’s why rapid acquisition seemed possible.

He examined the skill window.

[Skeleton Mage Summon (E) +9]

[A skill enhanced to its limit.]

[Consumes 20 mana to summon LV32 Skeleton Mages 2 (1+1).]

[Possesses Corpse Explosion (F), Magic Circle Composition (F), Essence of Bone Rain (F), Essence of Bone Shield (F), Essence of Blindness (F)]

[Corpse Explosion (F): Causes powerful damage by exploding corpses.]

[Magic Circle Composition (F): Constructs magic circles to combine multiple spells cast by many into one.]

[Essence of Bone Rain (F): Creates a rain composed of sharp bones in a designated area.]

[Essence of Bone Shield (F): Creates a shield made of bones.]

[Blindness (F): Casts a curse to obscure the opponent’s vision.]

‘Oh, lucky.’

Corpse Explosion seemed like a very useful magic at first glance.

Magic Circle Composition was similarly promising. Combining spells cast by many into one. Even though each is just 1, what if you combine 100, 200?

‘It’ll amplify the power.’

Perhaps he didn’t even realize he might come up with magic that could be effective against high-level monsters.

Bone Rain…

‘This seems like quite a wide-area attack.’

Bone Shield was a defensive magic akin to a rice bowl, and finally, Blindness was a curse that obscured vision.

Having all five of them would mean having spells you could use frequently.

The professors watching the mages casting spells brightened up.

“Wow! You’re really learning magic!”

“Wow, that’s incredible potential! If only we could summon undead like this…”

“Bringing the realm of magic under control with the Death School might not be just a dream! Haha!”

The professors seemed to display a sense of satisfaction, looking like they were about to happily burst.

Summoning undead might be somehow possible if luck was on their side.

But summoning undead that could learn?

‘That’s probably impossible.’

That was the prerogative of the Death Lord.

Could that ever be easy?

Yet, they didn’t say anything to shatter their dreams. There were still plenty of spells to learn, and the professors’ enthusiasm needed to be maintained.

He looked at them.

“Professors. I’m going to practice soon.”

“Well, then…… Do you have to take the undead with you?”

“Well, someone with your abilities, should be able to get first without them?”

“Please! Please don’t take these good kids to the battlefield!”

The professors looked at them with desperate eyes.

“Alright. Unless it’s really urgent, I won’t cancel the summoning.”

Opportunities to learn magic weren’t common. It was right to absorb all he could until he couldn’t anymore.

After all, winning first place without summons was the same. Just summon Cedric or Dolsoe

He nodded.

Only then did smiles appear on the professors’ faces.

* * *

Not far from the academy laid the Devil’s Forest.

Under the guidance of the professors, students began to move in pairs, and soon they could see the shape of the watchtower surrounding the forest.

—Coo…

A whimper came from a white creature perched on someone’s shoulder as they looked at the forest.

Despite that, the students didn’t pay much attention to it.

For the past few days, the white creature had joined their group naturally.

Introduced as a pet, everyone seemed to accept it without much fuss.

Is it not a bit extravagant for a wealthy duke’s heir to boast about raising a strange bird?

That was the same for Merhen.

The professors stopped in front of the watchtower and spoke.

“From now on, you will enter the practical exam in pairs. The exam content is simple. Survive in this forest for a week! Additional points will be awarded based on the types and numbers of monsters hunted.”

The students nodded.

Since it was an annual event, everyone already understood the exam content.

The professors handed out the first special artifact to each group.

“This artifact is used to measure additional points. When you defeat monsters, the magic within them will be absorbed into it. The darker the color, the higher the score.”

Then, each group was assigned a special second magic artifact.

“In case of emergency, you can infuse mana into this artifact. It will activate the top-level defense magic and ensure your safety.”

One professor said confidently. The defensive magic of the artifact was capable of withstanding at least half a day, even if an ogre attacked.

But that’s not all.

Activating the artifact would immediately send a distress signal.

Once activated, the knights and magic corps waiting here would move for rescue.

The academy was thoroughly prepared for safety issues.

In fact, it was inevitable.

Most of the students gathered here were heirs of prestigious families, and they were also the future elites.

It would be strange if they didn’t care about safety.

‘It must be expensive.’

Kim Minwoo thought as he looked at the bead containing the defensive magic.

He wondered if each of these artifacts cost tens of billions of Korean won.

[Translator – Prøks]

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‘Well, then the tuition must be outrageously expensive too.’

Then the professor pointed to the forest and said.

“Alright, please enter.”

Kim Minwoo and Merhen.

The two entered the forest.

The other students were the same.

Seeing Merhen trembling, he said to her.

“We’re just at the entrance, relax a bit. You’ll lose your nerve before we even start.”

“You think that’s easy? Last year, I encountered a troll here…”

“A troll? Did you use the artifact then?”

“Yeah… unfortunately.”

“You really have bad luck.”

Kim Minwoo chuckled.

The Devil’s Forest isn’t particularly high-level.

If there were powerful monsters, they wouldn’t leave such a space near the learning facilities.

Not only would they have eradicated them all, but they would have also fortified it, probably not just with watchtowers but with walls as well.

Although he had heard that trolls existed, they were a minority.

Even if they did appear, the students could handle them.

‘Now’s a good time to level up a bit.’

As they ventured further in, they began to see withered plants.

Seeing this, Merhen swallowed nervously and said.

“Be careful. Now we’re in a space affected by magic.”

“Do monsters become stronger too?”

“Yeah. I heard that the more exposed to magic, the more twisted and vicious they become.”

Then they’d probably give a lot of experience points.

They needed to go further in.

Soon, they could see a group of monsters in the distance.

—Ki ki!

Sly laughter echoed.

Tiny figures flitted around the trees tainted with magic.

“Goblins.”

They resembled goblins but were winged demon-like monsters called Gremlins.

But if you thought of them as goblins and charged in, you’d be in trouble.

Their average level was close to 170.

Kim Minwoo summoned Cedric.

The creature lurking around immediately met its eyes with Merhen.

After a brief silence, Cedric looked at them and asked.

—Long time no see. Master, are you performing your duties as usual?

Kim Minwoo nodded.

Merhen’s eyes widened at the sight of the talking skeleton.

The fact that Cairn summoned undead was already widely known.

Yet, there wasn’t much commotion within the academy.

He only summoned skeleton troops, which were the lowest tier of undead.

Moreover, it was one of the smallest death-related magic among all the mages.

Knights weren’t interested from the start, and even the mages were indifferent.

Whether or not there was a new discovery in the death school wasn’t really relevant.

Naturally, Merhen also just passed by without much thought.

However,

“Umm, did it speak?”

The talking skeleton was a bit shocking.

Seeing Merhen staring wide-eyed at him, Cedric let out a hollow laugh.

—Haha. She used to be a perfect lady back then.

“Have you two met before?”

—No, never. I only joined the ranks of the Lord much later.

“…What are you two talking about?”

“Nothing.”

Kim Minwoo shook his head.

It wasn’t his place to tell him she would become undead in the future.

“We’ll hunt and be back soon. Just wait here.”

“Okay.”

Just in case, he summoned Dolsoe and placed him beside her.

Merhen, who was initially startled by the sudden appearance of the monster, soon relaxed and stuck close to the golem.

“Let’s go.”

—Alright.

They charged towards the gremlin horde alongside Cedric.

—Kikik!

The gremlin horde, shrieking sharply, began to attack with their spears. They also unleashed magic from their hands as a bonus.

Their movements seemed slightly faster than what Minwoo had seen from gates, probably influenced by the magic.

But ultimately,

After deflecting the incoming fire arrows with his sword,

He swiftly slashed their throats.

The massacre of the nearly twenty gremlins began in an instant. Their stats alone were formidable enough to pose a challenge.

[You have leveled up!]

With the experience gained from the battle, he leveled up in one go.

The battle ended in a flash.

Soon after,

The magic began to absorb into the gemstone. The crystal, which was initially white, started to darken slightly.

― 20 points.

It was a bonus to see such a number.

‘Is each gremlin worth one point?’

At that moment,

The blood scattered on the ground also began to be absorbed into the command sword in his hand. The corpses shriveled up like mirages as their blood was sucked into the blade.

[The command sword has absorbed the blood of the prey! (20/10,000)]

‘Kills contribute to leveling up.’

Well,

The instructions seemed to suggest as much.

Didn’t it kindly mention that enemies of the same level or higher would count as ‘prey’?

The reason the command sword hadn’t absorbed the blood of Cho Pilwook was probably because it hadn’t completely dealt with him.

‘One fortunate thing is…’

It was the fact that not only he but also Cedric’s kills were contributing to the blood absorption. Did kills by summoned creatures count towards the kill count?

‘This might significantly reduce the grind difficulty.’

Just ten thousand kills.

Perhaps it would be easier than expected?

“Merhen.”

“Uh, yes?”

She quickly responded with a dazed look, gazing at him after he swiftly massacred the gremlin horde.

“We’re going deeper inside.”

“Isn’t that… dangerous?”

“We have to secure the top spot. Don’t we?”

“Uh, yes…”

Gulp.

She nodded, swallowing her saliva.

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