Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 835

Chapter 835

How long had he walked?

At some point, Yi-Han noticed that he could no longer hear the mad doppelganger's nonsense.

'What's this? Did I turn it off?'

Wondering if he had turned off the Echo Stone without realizing it because he was so sick of listening, Yi-Han checked his staff.

However, there was no staff in his hand.

"?!"

Before he could be surprised, a fluttering black book revealed itself above Yi-Han's hand.

Unlike before, thanks to just learning how to observe his own soul, Yi-Han could feel the connection between the black book and his soul.

'Ah. I see. So it was connected to my soul like this, allowing it to appear in my dreams whenever needed.'

Yi-Han tried to extend his mana to touch the connection. The black book fluttered in surprise.

If the connection was damaged, it wouldn't be able to appear before this mage and help him in the future.

"You're telling me not to?"

[Agreed.]

"Alright. I understa... Wait. Have you always been able to hear me? Why should I listen to you?"

[...]

The black book shuddered at the mage's growth.

To start threatening as soon as he grasped a sword...

"More importantly, I think you're misunderstanding something. I'm not asleep. I was walking through the mad spirit bas... the spirit king's forest."

Deciding to deal with past grudges later, Yi-Han decided to resolve the misunderstanding first.

It seemed this black book was misunderstanding something.

Yi-Han wasn't asleep now, but walking through the forest.

'I'm already dying from exhaustion, if it tells me to learn magic now, I'll have to cut the connection.'

The black book fluttered as if it knew Yi-Han wasn't asleep.

"You know? Then did you call me to learn magic while I'm suffering from curses? You evil..."

Before Yi-Han, whose mouth had become rougher than usual due to the curses, could hurl severe insults, a powerful presence was felt from the empty horizon in front.

Yi-Han turned his head.

There was another being in the wasteland where originally only the black book existed.

"...!"

Yi-Han was startled at the sight.

Not only was the powerful presence overwhelming, but the alienness of its appearance was extraordinary.

The other party was a tree.

A tree that seemed to embody the meaning of the word violence!

'Are there... trees that look like that?'

Most of the tree spirits Yi-Han had seen so far had gentle, generous, and soft images.

It was natural, as spirits couldn't completely escape their roots.

Just as fire spirits and lightning spirits tended to be intense, while tree spirits and earth spirits tended to be calm.

But the tree spirit before his eyes now had an appearance that completely shattered his preconceptions about tree spirits.

It looked as if someone had carved and twisted a tree to create the form of a giant bipedal monster.

Crack!

When it moved, the sound of wood colliding was heard.

That sound, which would have been cheerful normally, somehow felt threatening and aggressive.

[Hey. Thanks. Thanks to you, I'm free from the seal.]

The tree spirit spoke with an attitude like a back-alley mercenary or thug.

Yi-Han asked back, puzzled.

"Who are you?"

[What? Who? This bastard... Nevermind. I'll let it slide since today's a good day. I am Saratan, the Hornbeam Gambling Tree King. Remember it well.]

'What nonsense is this?'

Yi-Han, who had been tilting his head unable to understand, belatedly realized.

The King of Frost Giant's blue gemstone, the ore of spatial movement, and the Echo Stone were embedded in the other party's head.

'The staff!'

The high-level tree spirit sealed in the staff.

The other party was clearly that tree spirit.

"How did you break fr..."

Before he could finish speaking, a fist flew at him.

Thud!

A fist made of gnarled wood pierced through space, elongated, and struck Yi-Han.

However, Yi-Han didn't cough up blood or collapse.

Having met so many crazy beings this year, he had been on guard as soon as he saw it.

As if he had predicted it, he blocked it by setting up telekinesis at an angle, then quickly bounced away to deflect the impact. The black book, acting as a substitute for the staff, fluttered as if to say well done.

[What? You didn't die? You're quite tough for your looks?]

"Why are you doing this?"

[You dared to open your mouth while I was speaking. Be careful. I won't let it slide twice.]

"..."

Yi-Han was dumbfounded at the tree spirit's words as it spoke swaggeringly.

It wasn't like he had interrupted while it was speaking, he had spoken after listening to everything, yet it was angry that he was going to add his own words.

'The Mad Wood King should drop the "Mad". It seems more fitting for this guy.'

He could understand why it had been sealed by benevolent tree spirits.

While Yi-Han was cautiously throwing wary glances, the tree spirit kept running its mouth without care. It seemed quite excited thanks to being freed.

[Hey. Do you know how stifling it was? Being in the hands of a weak and clear-headed human brat, unable to use my powers or resonate. I thought I'd die from frustration.]

"Indeed. I'm sorry. I was lacking."

[That's enough. Human brat.]

Yi-Han thought he should pull the bark of the talking oak trees when he returned.

How could they give such a thing to a student?

And Professor Willow should be grabbed by the collar too.

-No, to give me something like this. What grudge do those oak trees have against me?-

-Ah. That's not it. There's a misunderstanding. They gave it with the intention that after reflecting for a long time and having its temper subdued, it should follow and help a young mage to atone. In my view, with your abilities, you should be able to persuade this spirit and become friends. Haha...-

As a professor, she should have said 'It's probably not just an ordinary vicious being, so don't wake it even if it means giving up its powers', not such nonsense.

Of course, Professor Willow had also said 'It would be better not to rush too much in waking this', but that didn't come to Yi-Han's mind.

Professor Willow probably hadn't expected Yi-Han to wake the sealed spirit this quickly.

'But that guy. How did it wake up? I didn't even use its powers.'

As Yi-Han pondered, he soon realized the reason.

The reason could only be the Mad Wood King's forest.

'But the seal shouldn't be so weak as to recover just by entering the forest... Wait. This isn't reality but the world of souls. In reality, could it be that a branch has come into my hand?'

No matter how he thought about it, nothing else came to mind.

Who would have thought the seal of a mad spirit would be broken just by getting a branch in hand!

Yi-Han almost laughed at the ridiculous misfortune.

Who could have known the forest's gift would turn into a disaster instead?

[Then get lost. Let's not meet again. If you go around telling the story of using me as a staff, I'll rip out your tongue.]

Far from being moved and grateful that a mere 2nd year student had broken its seal, the tree spirit spewed curses and threats.

Yi-Han cursed inwardly but outwardly bowed politely.

[Yeah, get lost!]

'I already have enough weird guys around, no need for one like that too.'

Although it was a shame to lose the powers of a high-level spirit, one with such a broken personality was unwelcome.

However, the black book fluttered gently and shook its head.

"?"

As it came up onto his hand as if to say prepare, Yi-Han raised his wariness.

[...What? Why can't I? Damn it. Was the seal not completely broken? You damn spirits, I'll tear you to pieces!]

The tree spirit, who had tried to leave abruptly but found itself unable to move as if bound, spat out curses filled with anger.

It had thought its consciousness had returned and the seal was broken, but now it realized the seal wasn't completely broken.

If it had been another spirit, it might have reflected and thanked the mage for even this much release, cheering him on. That would shorten the period until the next seal release.

However, Saratan the Hornbeam Gambling Tree King thought the opposite, befitting a sealed tree spirit.

[Hey. This won't do. I'll have to crush you.]

"Why on earth?"

[I should at least be able to move where I want, right?]

Although attacking the mage wouldn't break the seal and restore its power, it could at least escape to another place.

Right now, as its true form was tied to that mage, escape itself was impossible.

The tree spirit approached swaggeringly. It thought it could easily smash a frightened young mage.

"Your Majesty Tree King of Gambling! Please listen to one word!"

[What? Go ahead. Yeah.]

The tree spirit paused at Yi-Han's polite shout.

At that moment, Yi-Han borrowed the black book's power and slammed maximum output telekinesis into the tree spirit.

[!!]

As it flew backward, the tree spirit was shocked.

It was surprising that the mage's level was much stronger than expected, but more shocking was that it had been deceived by a mere human brat's trick.

How could it be tricked by a young human whose blood hadn't even dried yet?

[I'll kill...]

Flutter!

The black book moved in the fastest and most urgent manner Yi-Han had ever seen.

It clearly meant the opponent was that threatening.

"Kuhak!"

Even though the tree spirit hadn't even started attacking yet, Yi-Han coughed up blood from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.

Because the black book had forcibly cast high-level magic, his mind was overloaded.

It was fortunate that his body endured thanks to his infinite mana, otherwise his body might have turned to dust from the rebound.

No matter how much this was a world of consciousness made of souls, the damage taken here couldn't be taken lightly. If the soul took great damage, it would affect the main body too.

'This bastard...'

Yi-Han cursed the black book. However, the black book had no choice given who the opponent was.

'...This is, Gonadaltes' Decline...!'

As the black book cast Gonadaltes' Decline through Yi-Han's hand, the overload Yi-Han had just experienced was transferred to the opponent.

Saratan was displeased at the uncomfortable sensation that was hard for a spirit to feel.

[Hey, release me! If I get caught, I'll kill you!]

Yi-Han, whose condition had improved considerably, sighed in relief.

Meanwhile, the magic that the black book had just completed by overworking Yi-Han's mind revealed itself.

[Small world, Dendrobium!]

[!!!]

Saratan retreated in confusion at the unidentified magic.

Magic at the level of small worlds shook reality itself, so even a strong being from another dimension had to be cautious.

Crack!

A giant tree that grew taking root in empty space.

As it challenged him with tree-type magic against himself, a tree spirit, Saratan sneered as if finding it ridiculous.

[Are you crazy?]

Saratan ended his wariness and created a giant wooden club. He intended to smash not only that shoddy magic but also the mage in one go.

[Then die!]

With a battle cry, the tree spirit began a strong attack.

At that moment, black flowers bloomed at the ends of the branches of the tree that had grown in empty space.

[?!]

Saratan was flustered when he didn't feel the impact of the wooden club he had swung.

He should have blown away this mage and his magic in one go, but?

'...It's nullifying nearby physical attacks!'

Yi-Han realized first.

As small world magic changed the reality of a local space, there were new rules.

This tree was now making nearby physical attacks as if they had never happened.

As he couldn't smash the magic itself with his own power due to being sealed, he should have calmly figured out the distance the domain didn't reach and then dragged the mage outside.

But Saratan kept swinging his club in anger at the fact that he had been hit once by a brat mage. The more he did so, the more his attacks just cut through empty air.

Thud!

[Is it over! You're really dead now, you human bastard!]

When the wooden club that had been swinging through empty air hit the ground, Saratan brightened.

It seemed that strange magic had finally ended.

However, Saratan didn't notice that the flowers blooming at the ends of the tree's branches had changed, due to his excitement.

Red flowers had bloomed.

[...Kuuuuuugh!]

With a miserable scream, Saratan's essence was terribly sucked out.

Yi-Han watched the scene while breathing heavily, then suddenly remembered and asked.

"...Wait. Wasn't this the magic the skull principal used to use in his youth?"

The black book fluttered, pretending not to hear.