Chapter 58

Chapter 58. Hongok

The meeting with Lanshi went well.

After a simple meal, Chanbi and I were able to discuss the compensation for the successful completion of "Demof," and the process went smoothly.

- "A multiplication spell... It's not that difficult. I can't give you the core spell, but there are some that are publicly shared in the realm of magical exchange. I'll give you a particularly high-grade spell among them."

Lanshi readily accepted it on the spot, as if there was no need to consult her family.

This was an unexpected gain.

‘I didn’t expect her to give a high-grade spell.’

Despite Lanshi’s casual words, the Blando family’s spells related to healing were precious knowledge that any healer would covet.

Among them, high-grade spells were only revealed to those who maintained a deep trust with the Blando family and were qualified.

‘Hmm.’

This also gave me a glimpse of the Blando family’s evaluation of me.

However, the one who gained the most was Chanbi.

- "Chanbi... Actually, I’m sorry to say, but I’ve investigated Chanbi. I know there are some issues, big or small, in your family. Are you aware of them?"

- "...Ah, yes. But things have improved recently."

After the Ordeal of Trials.

It seemed that the parents of the students Chanbi helped had gradually provided support.

However, it didn’t seem to have solved all the family’s problems.

- "The Blando family can resolve everything for you. Moreover, if you wish, we can provide a better environment for your family."

It was likely a proposal Chanbi couldn’t refuse.

What could be more important than the well-being of his family, no matter what Chanbi thought in return?

However.

Chanbi’s response was unexpected.

- "I appreciate your offer, but... it’s fine."

- "Why? Don’t think it’s a bother or an imposition. It’s not a difficult task for the Blando family, and this is a fair exchange."

But Chanbi shook his head.

And said,

- "I... want to remain friends with Damian forever."

- "What... Oh."

It was a confusing statement.

Lanshi, too, tilted her head in confusion before seeming to understand.

She nodded with a deep gaze.

An awkward silence fell.

It felt like a warm current was flowing, so I added my own words.

- "So, I’m the only trash, then."

- "...Huh?"

- "I came to the Academy with the Blando family’s money and receive some allowance."

- "...Oh."

Chanbi was noticeably flustered.

Thanks to this, the warm current was instantly broken.

Chanbi showed a look of apology towards me, but I smiled and reassured him.

- "I’m just joking. I understand what you’re trying to say."

- "Oh... Is that so?"

Everyone has different standards.

I could still consider Damian a friend even while taking advantage of the Blando family’s resources.

But for some, repeated assistance could dilute friendship and leave only expectations.

That line is different for everyone, and Chanbi knew his own line precisely.

So, what did Chanbi request?

- "If it’s not too much trouble..."

- "Please say. Anything is fine."

- "I want to study magic at the Blando family’s estate someday."

It was an opportunity to learn.

Someday, he wanted to broaden his horizons by going to the Blando family’s estate.

- "Really, is that all you want?"

- "Yes, of course."

Lanshi asked with concern, but Chanbi’s resolve was unwavering.

It was as if he thought that would be enough...

‘It is enough.’

The Blando family is a prestigious family.

For centuries, they have continuously researched magic, developing their expertise and systems over time.

While the Academy’s education is impressive, it’s impossible to match the Blando family’s expertise in magic alone.

For the Blando family, the Academy is merely a place for socializing or broadening one’s horizons.

A place to learn about the world beyond magic.

That’s why Chanbi could be satisfied with this.

- "Then... I’ll convey that."

Unlike my time, Lanshi avoided giving a definitive answer.

That day, Chanbi’s compensation was concluded in this manner.

However, perhaps Bianca Gamo was pleased with Chanbi’s attitude.

A letter from the Blando family arrived for Chanbi.

"The Blando family hereby declares that we will sponsor 'Chanbi.'"

What did this mean?

The Blando family would sponsor Chanbi, not as an individual, but under their name!

Chanbi was quite flustered, but he couldn’t refuse the notification from the esteemed family head.

He simply...

- "Thank you, Damian. Thanks to you, our family..."

Thanks to Damian, all the problems in Chanbi’s family would likely be resolved.

The Blando family’s sponsorship meant creating an environment where he could focus solely on magic.

Perhaps because of this...

His face noticeably brightened after that day.

Previously, he had a compulsive, driven look in his studies, but now he seemed to enjoy magic purely.

‘Not bad.’

It wasn’t bad.

Of course, the happiest was Damian.

- "I wish there was a second one next to the first one, and I wish there were fish inside the first one. Oh, and I wish the second one could breathe fire..."

- "I’ll take my leave now."

Lanshi, who was in charge of Damian, was so exasperated that she left the room.

Anyway.

The "Project to Make Damian a Model Student" ended with a result that satisfied everyone.

Time passed.

After a class like any other.

Just as the mid-term evaluations were starting to fade from memory, a notice was issued to the Academy students.

"From today, we will enter the preparation period for personal combat."

The personal combat period was approaching.

For the first-year Basic Class, all liberal arts classes were suspended, and all classes would focus on practical combat.

This was well-known to the other students.

However, this year’s preparation period for personal combat was different from previous years.

"All training will be left to the students’ discretion. Preparation classes will continue as usual, but they are not mandatory."

During the closing ceremony.

The students buzzed at this message from the professors.

"Discretion...?"

Arjen, the model student of M3, raised his hand and asked Professor Jera.

However, Yorvi answered instead.

"It’s exactly as it sounds. You can participate in classes if you want, or you don’t have to. And..."

Yorvi tilted his head, as if something was amiss.

But he continued.

"...you can also return to your family for training."

The students buzzed when they heard this.

However, it seemed that even Assistant Professor Yorvi didn’t fully understand.

His expression wasn’t very pleasant.

However, no students complained.

"Don’t worry too much. The professors will handle the preparation classes, and many active combat mages from the royal family will be invited."

The Academy had taken its own precautions.

"Active...?"

"At the very least, mages of the royal family’s recognized 5th grade will be present."

The students exclaimed in amazement.

A 5th-grade mage recognized by the royal family was on par with current professors and held important positions in the royal family.

They were at the top of the mage society, excluding the prestigious families.

Meanwhile.

"Hmm."

I narrowed my eyes at the sudden change in the personal combat preparation schedule.

‘It seems even the assistant professor doesn’t know about this event.’

This level of decision-making was likely made by someone higher up, not just a professor.

Then, who was above them?

Senior.

‘Why suddenly?’

It might be an overreaction, but something seemed off.

Sure enough.

Rumble, rumble.

After finishing dinner and entering the dorm room, the first breakfast servant brought a note from the senior.

"8 PM."

The note only had the time, with no location.

I looked at the note for a moment before moving.

* * *

A little earlier than the agreed time.

"Hmm."

I stood in front of the abandoned warehouse I hadn’t visited in a while.

Or, should I call it an abandoned warehouse?

The area around the abandoned warehouse had changed so much that it was hard to recognize its old appearance. The most noticeable change was the open space.

‘...A guy who doesn’t even practice.’

The weeds around the abandoned warehouse had been cleared, and the ground was compacted to create a training area.

That’s not all.

A faint aura could be sensed when I spread my senses.

‘He even set up a barrier.’

It wasn’t a large radius.

Just a barrier surrounding the area near the abandoned warehouse.

It wasn’t a high-level barrier, but it was sufficient to conceal the warehouse.

In other words, he had turned the abandoned warehouse into a full-fledged hideout.

"What a guy to be the principal."

I clicked my tongue.

Life as the principal of the Academy, with no time to rest, must be quite stifling.

So, he must have created this space to avoid prying eyes.

Anyway.

"Huh."

I took a deep breath, looking at the setting sun.

The Blando family’s multiplication spell had arrived just a week ago.

The multiplication spell was indeed disgustingly complex.

It made me think, ‘Is it even possible to insert this into a spell?’

‘Well, it’s not like I can insert all of this into a spell.’

That’s why inventing a spell is so difficult.

Even more difficult is extracting a spell from a completed spell.

How could it be possible to transform, extract, and compress these dozens of pages of spells, and then insert them into a spell?

‘Well, at least...’

The interpretation wasn’t that difficult.

There were helpful annotations.

"To Aster"

I received instructions from the Magic Academy and heard the details.

While it’s usually a principle to provide the original, I’ve added annotations to offer a small help.

- Deputy Head of the Magic Academy, Hendrik von Blando

Compared to the previous letter, this content was quite plain.

It was probably to avoid revealing our relationship in case of any surveillance.

‘It’s so much more comfortable without the affectionate words.’

I was satisfied in many ways.

Hendrik’s annotations and the concise letter content.

Anyway.

I moved earlier than the call time to test the spell from today’s lunch.

It was unexpectedly a good place.

The space in the Academy’s personal training room wasn’t sufficient.

"Then..."

I slightly bent my index finger and used mana to draw a drop of blood from the tip.

Whirr...

The blood drop floated in the air as if defying gravity.

It was a simple mana manipulation.

Since the blood drop itself contained my mana, it wasn’t a difficult task.

The real challenge was about to begin.

"Let’s see."

A spell, strictly speaking, is unprocessed magic.

It’s more difficult to handle and less stable, so it’s rarely used individually.

However, I compensated for this with experience.

Soon...

Sssss—!

Countless Hongoks (red jade) split.

No, they weren’t Hongoks. The vivid blood drops reflecting the setting sun’s light just looked like Hongoks.

One became two, two became four.

The splitting stopped after the process repeated ten times, filling the area with Hongoks.

I looked at the row of red jewels and gauged the efficiency of the multiplication spell.

‘The maximum output... 1,024.’

Actually, the number wasn’t important.

What mattered more was whether each object contained complete mana.

To be honest, I had some doubts.

‘Even if the capacity increases with the multiplication spell, will the mana contained in it also increase? Or will it just be an empty shell?’

I confirmed that the mana was amplified with the basic ‘multiplication spell’...

But it was uncertain what would happen with a larger scale.

However, the result was...

"Success."

The Hongoks, suspended in the air as if nailed, contained vivid mana.

‘Was the mana replicated?’

No.

It was just that the natural mana was drawn in during the splitting process, following the original state.

Of course, the mana contained within was still insufficient.

At best, it could maintain a light source for a short time.

"But, if I do this..."

Sssss...

Like magnets being attracted.

The blood drops found their pairs and merged.

1,024 became 512, 512 became 256...

I continued merging until the mana in the Hongoks felt sufficient, and the final result was 64 spheres.

"This is just enough for the collision spell."

Now, I needed to test its power...

A voice was heard at that moment.

"...What are you doing?"

"Ah, senior. You’re here?"

The senior approached without a sound, but I greeted him calmly.

After all, I came to the abandoned warehouse because I received a call from the senior.

"What are these spheres? I can sense mana... Are they artifacts? No, they don’t seem like artifacts. What are they?"

The senior was puzzled by the blood drops suspended in the air, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"What do they look like to you?"

"Hmm, let’s see... The mana inside is yours. That’s strange. It’s completely unprocessed?"

When mana is contained in an artifact, processing is essential.

When mana is contained in a fire-producing artifact, its purpose is determined at that moment.

This applies to other artifacts as well.

Non-mages might ask, "What’s that?" but this is a crucial point for mages.

"Can you use any spell with this?"

"Sure, anything."

I used two Hongoks to cast different spells.

A glowing orb and a fireball appeared in the air.

Casting two spells at once is quite mentally demanding, but it wasn’t a big deal for me or the senior.

However.

"Wow...!"

The senior was surprised for a reason.

"Can you contain unprocessed mana and use it to cast spells? How far can it go? No, before that. Where did you get this?"

His eyes nearly popped out.

Especially for war mages like the senior.

Imagine this.

Casting spells from all directions alone.

The sky would be covered in magic, and the entire area would become a death zone for the enemy.

This is nothing short of a one-man army.

For example, take Professor Falun.

Unlike how he pressured the troubleshooters with his monstrous mental and computational abilities,

With these Hongoks, one could replicate his skills.

‘...Of course, some mental and computational abilities are still required, but the difficulty is significantly reduced.’

If Professor Falun had this skill?

It would be nothing short of an army.

That’s why the senior was so excited.

I smiled at his questions.

‘Perfect timing.’

I needed a target to test the power.

"Senior, I’ll tell you everything. But first, can you do me a favor?"

"What? Speak up."

"Can you take a spell for me?"

"...What?"

The senior frowned and looked at me.

He seemed displeased and asked grumpily.

"Are you asking me to be a dummy (Dummy)?"

"Pretty much, yes."

"Is that so... Hmm."

The senior glanced at the Hongoks and answered.

"Fine. It’s annoying, but it’s not a difficult task."

I smiled.

‘Excellent.’

Where else could I find a better punching bag?

It wouldn’t break and I could test my spells freely!

Mages don’t pay expensive fees for training rooms for nothing; it’s hard to find such a good dummy in any training room.

"Senior, let’s start. Get ready."

"Hmph, no matter how much you try, you won’t even touch a hair on my head. Hurry up."

I nodded.

Soon.

Sssssss...

The Hongoks emitted a vivid blue spark.

The senior’s urgent voice followed.

"What... Hey, hey! Hey, you little brat!"

Before his urgent voice could finish...

Boom! Bang!

Dozens of explosions erupted simultaneously, completely sweeping the area.