Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 969

Chapter 969

The Yaksha King paid no attention to Yi-Han's words.

Because it was an obvious statement.

-It's not difficult, Disciple of Os. If the world has called you, it's a clear matter.-

"What kind...?"

-As I said, it's clear. Judging by your level, it must be telling you to begin your initiation into small worlds. Considering your master-disciple lineage as well... Os's small world would be suitable.-

"That seems too much. Wouldn't there be something easier?"

Yi-Han felt a strange sense of déjà vu after speaking.

Why did he feel like he had this conversation before?

-Disciple of Os. I have lived for an immeasurable time, meeting countless mages and hearing the mysteries of their magic. To doubt my wisdom so arbitrarily. Youthful impulse is a natural emotion, but one must also know how to control it.-

"...I remember now."

-What do you remember?-

"Isn't this what you said during the star contract?"

Yi-Han gritted his teeth, trying to suppress his rising anger.

He wondered why it felt so familiar, and it was because he had been tricked once before.

Hadn't he been lured in with promises of help for the exam, only to be recommended an unrelated star contract?

No matter how he thought about it, he suspected that the numerous hardships and trials he had experienced since then were due to the star contract.

That damned guest star or whatever...!

However, the Yaksha King was as shameless as befitting a king. Without changing his expression, he blinked his golden eyes and spoke.

-Disciple of Os. It is very foolish to judge that matter in such a way. This outstretched finger is merely a dot when viewed from above. Therefore…-

'You're really disgustingly shameless.'

The Yaksha King persuaded that one cannot understand the true meaning of worldly matters if viewed too briefly.

For example, let's say there's a boy trying to cross a river to the neighboring town.

The bridge was about to collapse due to floodwaters, and originally, the boy would have been swept away.

The Yaksha King, knowing the future, transformed into a rat to steal the boy's luggage and ran away to save him.

Of course, the boy was furious about losing his luggage, but later, seeing the bridge washed away, he belatedly realized his fortune.

"..."

Naturally, Yi-Han didn't fall for it.

The majestic appearance of the Yaksha King from their first meeting had long since disappeared. Currently, the Yaksha King had descended to around Professor Verduus's level.

"So you're saying that my star contract could be preparation for future exams?"

-You're finally acting a bit wiser.-

'If I attack, would I lose?'

Yi-Han checked his surroundings.

No matter how he looked at it, attacking in the other's palace seemed unlikely to succeed.

-And Disciple of Os. Think carefully. Even if the king's prediction was wrong, does that mean all subsequent predictions must be wrong?-

"...That's not the case, but."

-Do you have any other guesses about the magic you need to learn now?-

"No."

-Then there's no reason to nitpick and dwell on the king's prediction, is there?-

Yi-Han remained silent.

If there was anything more annoying than Professor Verduus, it was when Professor Verduus was right.

The Yaksha King wasn't much different.

Small worlds were magic on a completely different level from what Yi-Han had learned so far.

Especially if it was the skull principal's small world, even more so.

The existence of transcendent beings like the Yaksha King who could advise Yi-Han was very important.

He shouldn't rudely reject help he could receive.

"...I would like to receive your teachings."

Hoping to wake up from the dream before that, Yi-Han asked.

  *

For an ordinary mage, progress ends with one small world.

The Yaksha King sat Yi-Han down and began his magic lecture.

-Unlike unique worlds, small worlds can be passed down from master to disciple, yet that's not the case. What do you think is the reason, Disciple of Os?-

"I suppose it's because complete understanding and mastery are difficult."

Though narrower in scope and less demanding in qualifications compared to unique worlds, small worlds are still mysteries that change the laws of the world.

Their principles were fundamentally different from magic that uses the laws of the world.

Even Yi-Han, who didn't understand exactly what this meant at first, now knew to some extent.

Just as some magic cannot be cast simply by memorizing and training, small worlds also belonged to such magic.

One world.

In other words, one had to completely understand and accept the true intentions of the mage who created the small world to be able to cast it.

A mage couldn't forcibly cast a small world that didn't match themselves. If there was a magic like small world <Wasteful Squandering of Gold Coins>, Yi-Han would likely have a hard time mastering it for life.

-That's right. Small worlds passed down from master to disciple have a higher possibility.-

After all, since masters and disciples tend to have similar ways of thinking, the possibility of transmission is higher.

"That's unfortunate. I might have difficulty because my way of thinking is very different from my master's."

The Yaksha King ignored Yi-Han's words as if a dog was barking somewhere.

-Even to the eyes of the king who has lived for an immeasurable time and met countless mages, Os had the qualities of a heavenly being. That's why he could inherit and create so many small worlds. Disciple of Os. First, tell me about the small worlds you've seen.-

"Hmm."

Yi-Han sank into thought slowly.

First, there were small world Dendrobium and small world Basilios.

The powerful small world magic that the black book had (forcibly) cast and shown.

These two magics, represented by a giant tree and a modest crown respectively, were still magics whose true nature he hadn't fully grasped.

Dendrobium seemed to change its laws depending on the color of the flowers blooming at the branch tips, and Basilios seemed to have a few more prerequisites...

"And small world Fyodor. I saw it in the past. It swept away demons with a single water droplet."

-Fyodor is difficult for you, the Disciple of Os, to master now.-

"...No, I didn't say I wanted to master it now..."

-It's not impossible. Didn't you create the lightning spear of self-destruction to defeat the Blasphemer? Fyodor is also a small world completed on such principles. Though much higher concepts are compressed in it.-

"...How on earth do you know about that?!"

Yi-Han was shocked.

That small world Fyodor had similar principles to the lightning spear of self-destruction wasn't so surprising.

To destroy all enemies with a single water droplet would ultimately be the extreme of elemental magic, so it would converge and evolve with similar principles, wouldn't it?

But it was truly surprising that the Yaksha King here was aware of the fierce battle that had occurred in Granden City.

'Could Mr. Alcicle be a spy??'

-Disciple of Os. Don't forget that realms are surprisingly quick with rumors. The undead realm was in an uproar over the Blasphemer's humiliation.-

"..."

Just as imperial mages kept track of powerful beings from other realms, beings from other realms also paid attention to extraordinary mages on the continent in advance.

Due to the fierce battle last time, beings from the undead realm were showing quite a lot of interest in the mage named Yi-Han.

'I'll pretend I didn't hear that.'

Yi-Han quickly denied reality. He had too many worries right now to worry about this too.

"And Dynamis... What is this Dynamis? I said it last time because you told me to, Yaksha King."

Last time, when the mad doppelganger had truly gone mad, the Yaksha King had advised Yi-Han to repeat verbatim 'I saw new possibilities in Dynamis's arcane magic, so I will cast Despotis' to ambush the doppelganger.

Though Yi-Han had been half-skeptical, its effect was truly excellent. The formidable mad doppelganger had carelessly rushed out and was ambushed right there.

-Dynamis is dangerous for you, the Disciple of Os, to master now.-

"..."

Yi-Han made a sour expression.

Unlike the Yaksha King, Yi-Han had already mentioned Dynamis to the mad doppelganger.

Of course, it might have been overlooked then due to the emergency situation, but if he were to ask later 'How is Dynamis coming along?'...

"Are Dendrobium and Basilios the only ones left?"

-It would be Basilios among those. You can't master Dendrobium right away because it requires a royal sapling.-

Yi-Han nodded obediently.

It wasn't very surprising that special conditions were needed to master magic.

"How do I begin to enter Basilios?"

-Think intuitively. Basilios is a crown. To wear a crown, you need qualifications.-

"Do you mean the bloodline of an ancient kingdom?"

At the mage's question, the Yaksha King made a regretful expression.

-For earthly kingdoms, that would be the case. But Disciple of Os, how could a mage's crown be so materialistic? The kingdom of heaven cannot wear a crown by bloodline. Think carefully.-

"?"

Yi-Han, who had been pondering, tilted his head.

"You're not going to tell me any more?"

-Disciple of Os. This is something that would harm you if the king told you…-

'No. What's with this person?'

Yi-Han was dumbfounded.

The reason he had patiently listened to the long-winded explanation so far was because the Yaksha King was a being with extraordinary abilities.

Of course, he thought he would explain in detail which small world was good to enter and how to enter it step by step, but suddenly he was told to think for himself.

"If I could have done that in the first place, I would have entered it myself already."

-That's right. Now do you understand why the world called you? It called you because you can enter it yourself.-

"..."

To think he would miss the enchantment magic school seniors in his life.

Yi-Han got up, shuddering. He felt he couldn't endure unless he walked a bit to organize his thoughts and change his mood.

Casting his gaze far away, he saw the realm of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas, incomparably vast and distant compared to the continent.

The terrain, where light and darkness changed moment by moment, transformed as if mist was thinning and ice was melting.

And there was a forest in the valley below the palace. Looking closely, the trees and grass of that forest were all blades and steel, and blood was splattered on the leaves.

That gruesome sight was summarized in Yi-Han's mind with just one word.

Forest of Sword Mountains.

"What is that place?"

-Hmm. It's a forest where criminals are imprisoned.-

"Do you have such things here too?"

-It's not common, Disciple of Os. Usually, we don't imprison criminals. But those are a bit special.-

The Yaksha King explained with a big laugh.

Long ago, when Os came to this realm, the Yaksha King watched the mage's ascetic practices from the side.

Those gathered there were the followers who had gathered then.

Vagrants and ruffians who gathered under him, thinking a new strong one, a new king would be born.

"...No, you imprisoned them like that because they followed my master?!"

-Disciple of Os. Sometimes you show quite a vivid imagination. I imprisoned them like that because they betrayed Os.-

"Ah."

In his youth, the skull principal wandered all over this realm searching for mysteries.

In that process, he was attacked and deceived, so the journey was certainly not easy.

Naturally, it wouldn't be strange for some followers who gathered to defect and betray.

"I see."

Yi-Han lost interest and focused on his thoughts again.

What on earth could be the qualification for Basilios...

-...Disciple of Os. Don't you hate those who betrayed your master?-

"Huh? Well, at this point..."

Yi-Han was puzzled by the sudden question.

If he really resented the betrayal, wouldn't the skull principal have come himself to take them to Einroguard?

There was no reason for Yi-Han to hate people who were already suffering sufficiently.

-That's a good start. That's how you move forward.-

"..."

Yi-Han became even more confused.

A good start?

Did he mean to avoid and not get involved with anything related to the skull principal at all costs?

'Isn't it too late for that already?'