Chapter 309: Episode 309

Simon was summoned to Aaron’s office, where the professor wanted to hear his explanation for what happened in class.

“So,” Aaron began, setting down his teacup with a soft ’clink’. “You saw my battle with Magnus?”

“Yes.”

Aaron possessed four colossal undead warships. Magnus had dismissed them as trivial due to their limited number, but seeing them had set Simon’s heart ablaze. ’To think he could command so many undead as a single, unified system!’

Ever since, Aaron’s Hive Magic had lingered in his mind. By a stroke of luck, he had found a rune piece that was the prototype for it.

The ‘Rune of Transmission’.

After grasping the concept from the explanation provided, Simon had acted immediately. The ’Magiste System’ wasn’t composed of separate units for each desk; the entire classroom’s magic circle was a single, interconnected network. Using the Rune of Transmission, he accessed the main framework of the ’Magiste System’, coated it with his jet-black, and then simply issued an Absolute Command. He had ordered every Skeleton Mage in the room to reuse the last spell they had cast. It was a feat only possible within the unique confines of Aaron’s class and the ’Magiste System’.

’Theoretically, one might imagine such a thing, but to boldly execute it in such a short time… that must be a mark of genius as well,’ Aaron mused, looking at Simon. ’He said he recreated my Hive Magic, but he only borrowed the idea. He used a completely different concept of black magic to achieve the same effect.’

The professor chuckled to himself as this so-called genius took a sip of tea, only to grimace at the bitter taste.

“Professor, there’s something I’d like to ask you.” This time, it was Simon who spoke. He had been invited, but he had planned to visit Aaron anyway.

“Go on.”

“About the magical undead creation assignment.” Simon’s eyes gleamed. “There’s something I personally want to create.”

“And what is that?” Aaron was already bracing himself for the answer. Given the boy’s eccentricities, he dreaded what was coming. Realistically, just adding a slightly unique spell to a Skeleton Mage would be enough to pass the assignment. But this was the student who, on the very first evaluation, had pulled a stunt like controlling everyone else’s skeletons. He saw the world on a completely different level.

“Just a moment.” Simon rummaged through his bag and pulled out his Summoning textbook, flipping to the back pages. “Ah, here it is. Please look at this. I don’t know if we’ll learn this later in class, but…”

Aaron steeled himself and took a sip of tea, vowing not to be surprised no matter what kind of Skeleton Mage Simon proposed.

“When can we learn to make a Lich?”

Aaron spat out the tea he was drinking. It sprayed all over the face of Simon, who was looking up at him with an innocent expression.

“Get a grip!” Aaron roared, then clutched his throat, coughing violently.

“Is it something we learn in the third year?”

“A Lich,” Aaron’s voice was hoarse, “is not taught in this school!”

“It’s not?”

“That’s a supreme-tier undead! It’s a summoning spell so difficult that even most professional necromancers won’t touch it!”

Simon set down his textbook, tilting his head. “So does that mean even you can’t make one, Professor?”

’This little…’

Aaron pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a long sigh before extending an arm. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

A subspace tore open behind him.

’Clang—’

The entire office seemed to plunge into darkness. A figure, its head covered by a deep hood, emerged from the subspace. Peeking from within was not a human face, but a skull with glowing eyes.

’Thump-thump! Thump-thump!’

Simon felt his heart pound. He thought he had never heard it beat so loudly.

’Thump-thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump!’

As the creature’s upper body slid out of the subspace, Simon realized the heartbeat wasn’t his own.

’Thump-thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump!’

It was… the Lich’s heart.

’Is this… possible?’

Within the undead’s ribcage, visible through its tattered robes, a crimson heart was unmistakably beating. An undead. A dead being. With a pulsing heart.

“The reason the Lich is called the pinnacle of magical-type undead is because it operates a special heart called a ‘Life Vessel’.”

The Lich fully emerged from the subspace. The undead, bound in chains over its hole-ridden robes, clutched a large wooden staff, the baleful light in its skull radiating an eerie aura.

“Do you understand why it operates a heart?”

Simon swallowed hard and nodded. “To operate its own independent core. Am I right?”

“Correct.”

Simon felt his breath catch in his throat at the sheer tenacity of necromancers—to install a beating heart in the dead just so it could wield more powerful black magic. It was truly astounding. How was such a thing possible?

The Lich slowly turned its head to look at Simon. A bony hand shot out from its robe and seized his chin.

’Ugh!’

A cold sweat trickled down Simon’s back, and he froze, unable to move. The red glow that served as its eyes moved down to his chest. Its jawbone slowly creaked open.

Just as the Lich opened its mouth wide, aiming for Simon’s chest…

“Enough.”

The loose chains around the Lich’s body snapped taut. With a flick of Aaron’s wrist, the chains dragged the Lich back into the subspace, which then sealed shut.

“Hah… haah.”

The suffocating pressure finally eased. Simon let out a gasp of relief as Aaron opened a window to air out the office.

“Now,” Aaron said, turning back to Simon. “Do you realize how childish your request was?”

“I want to make one!”

“You crazy…” Aaron bit back the curse, covering his face with his hands.

Simon stood up, his eyes sparkling. “Please teach me how to make a Lich! I’m begging you!”

He had intended to shock the boy into giving up, but it seemed he had only fueled his ambition.

’What should I say? That it’s impossible for him? That it’s black magic a first-year can’t touch? But to say that…’

Simon had already accomplished the impossible. He had mastered the full-body Bone Armor that second-years learned in his first semester, and this semester, he had successfully created a ‘Blood Golem’, a third-year spell. It was impossible to dissuade this genius with conventional logic.

Aaron slowly walked to a bookshelf in the corner of his office. He opened the glass door, pulled out a thick, ancient-looking book, and tossed it.

“Catch.”

Simon scrambled to catch the heavy tome, cradling it in his arms.

“If you can use that book to construct even the basics of a Lich, I’ll consider it.”

A brilliant light flickered in Simon’s eyes. “Thank you, Professor! I’ll create one and be back in no time!”

—

In the classes that followed, the other professors also announced their performance evaluation schedules. With the BMAT being simplified into an after-school activity, a veritable blitz of evaluations was descending upon them. And just as Aaron had announced the final, highest-point assignment in advance, so did the others.

For Cursology, Professor Bahil’s assignment was ‘Curse Synergy’.

“Create a curse that demonstrates a synergistic effect using three or more curses.”

In short, they had to either find their own combination of three or more curses that would trigger a powerful effect when applied together, or create a single curse that incorporated at least three curse formulas to achieve a synergistic effect. While the other students panicked at the difficulty, Simon’s situation was a little different.

’This feels familiar…’

For Simon, the answer was already laid out. If he mastered the four great curses Bahil had assigned and created ‘Compellonia’, he would naturally complete the task. He decided to continue his curse studies as planned.

Next was Combat Magic with Professor Hongfeng, which also had a grueling evaluation waiting.

“You will fight one-on-one againzt the teaching azziztantz and win! Zimple, right?”

At this point, the students looked like they were about to cry. Protests erupted from all corners.

“Professor! We can’t beat them even if we use our full power, let alone just combat magic!”

“It’s impossible!”

It was rare for students to voice complaints to a professor. Behind Hongfeng, the TA, Brad, made a sharp gesture, his eyes warning them to watch it.

“Of courze,” Hongfeng said, clasping her hands with a smile, “the TAz will have a handicap! Do your bezt not to get beaten up too badly!”

Even with a handicap, it wasn’t much of a comfort.

“…Sparring with a TA? We’re going to get beaten to a pulp,” Meirin grumbled, hugging her knees. Dick and Kamibarez looked equally terrified.

But Simon was thinking differently. ’I’ve done something similar before.’

During the first semester, he had fought Brad when the TA had picked a fight over becoming Hongfeng’s direct disciple. Of course, the condition then was that Simon would win if he landed just one hit. Without such a handicap, he stood no chance.

“Now! For the zake of that final evaluation, let’z train even harder!”

After Combat Magic came the problematic Hemomancy class. In the magic bullet firing range, Professor Walter also announced his highest-point evaluation.

“A heart,” Walter said abruptly. “Your final performance evaluation will be to prepare and demonstrate a black magic spell related to a heart.”

’This man really has a thing for hearts.’

Simon rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought. The memory of the fish market remained unnervingly vivid. What could Walter have been planning with enough hearts to build a mountain? As his thoughts reached that point, Simon’s eyes shot open. ’Of course. A Life Vessel!’

When it came to black magic involving hearts, a lich’s Life Vessel was the prime example. If he could actually create a lich, he would secure top scores on both his Summoning and Hemomancy evaluations. The idea was becoming less of a whim and more of a serious ambition.

Just then, Walter, who had been passionately explaining the theory, set down his chalk.

“I shall give you all a moment to take notes.”

As the students furiously copied the dense hemomancy formulas from the blackboard, the only sound was the scratching of their pens. Simon discreetly turned his head. A friend was sitting two seats away.

“Toto.”

Simon called to him in a low voice. Toto heard him immediately and turned.

“Want to go to the club room after class?”

Toto nodded eagerly.

“Yeah! Sounds good!”

Simon decided he needed to meet with Benya and get her advice. His mind took flight, soaring with possibilities. ’What kind of heart would be best for the Life Vessel?’

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