Episode 122. Black Leaves (4)
Sunday, in the basement of Kuze’s bookstore.
Sssssss.
A blizzard rose from the blood-red frost stuck in the middle of the hollow, surrounding the sword’s owner.
In the midst of the fluttering cry of frost, Rubin’s eyes became even darker. His darkness filled every corner of the room.
‘The darkness of a past life.’
Rubin had two rings of darkness, and was currently concentrating on the one from his previous life.
A past life where he barely managed to reach the level of 5-star. Being a 5-star at the age of 30 doesn’t make him dull, but it doesn’t make him a genius either.
It was even less feasible to protect a family that would be destroyed by the emperor within a dozen years.
‘Not yet… … .’
The illusion of a previous life that was dragged on even after the regression.
However, it was still unstable. In order to handle it perfectly, the current life’s ring would have to reach the same level.
The current dark side is currently at level 4.
Strictly speaking, this was an incredible feat. How many people in the world have ascended to the level of a 4-star dark magician at the age of thirteen?
In the hundreds of years of history of the Assassin Swordsmanship, such a person was rare. No, almost non-existent. If I try to think of it right now, I can’t think of anyone else besides Mother Siren.
‘There is not much time left until the previous life’s ring is activated.’
The ‘Tears of Givenrat’ intercepted from Amret was making everything more dramatic.
The tears of the ancient dragon that push him higher as he grows faster through training.
If this hadn’t happened, the earliest time to restore the previous life’s health would have been twenty years old.
‘Beyond that is my goal.’
It doesn’t end with restoring the previous life’s fortune.
Going beyond the realm of a previous life and advancing to a new realm.
To completely master the five stars and step beyond them.
‘but…….’
At that moment, Rubin’s calm thoughts were disturbed.
‘How much do you have to be to stand up to Telmah?’
Sssssss.
As the dark smoke spread unsteadily, the bloody frost also created trembling waves.
Knowing how huge Telmah was, he couldn’t be satisfied with its rapid growth rate.
You need to get to 6 stars as quickly as possible. There is a ‘curse’ on 6-star Darkness, but that’s not important.
‘The curse of the six stars… is nothing compared to the unique characteristics that will blossom.’
Rubin picked up the blood-red frost stuck in the ground. The moment he wrapped his hand around the bag, the snowstorm that had filled the air all at once subsided.
Woohoo.
The third ring containing the aura shook. At the same time, a black lacquer aura covered the sword body.
Brion Auror was only a 2-star when he was in the Black Tower two years ago. He increased his rank to become a 3-star, but even that wasn’t enough.
‘If the me of now were to fight Per back then.’
Can you beat the vanguard wizards, Per Lorenzini or Oscar Tounio, who have been on a rampage across the battlefield?
‘No, you can’t win.’
The vanguard leader, Per, was a seven-star archmage. The current Rubin would not be able to win. It is not simply a matter of a difference in level.
There were many future treasures that had yet to be obtained and still to be obtained.
Rubin’s hand gripped the sword and began to slam shut explosively, as if the blizzard was going to shatter the cavern.
“Phew… … .”
The more it was like that, the more he made up his mind to be concise. He couldn’t defeat Per before his return, but now it was Rubin who held Oscar’s life in his hands.
It seemed like the moment I had been waiting for had finally come.
‘I guess I’ll be able to come to a conclusion about Per tomorrow.’
* * *
“Rubin, are you finished with your training?”
When I came up from the basement, Kuze and Tina were waiting.
Tina had the appearance of a cat with sparkling mint-colored eyes. Kuze was looking at her with a somewhat troubled look.
“Your Majesty, could you please stop Tina? Even though she’s undercover… sometimes she really does sell books.”
Tina arched her back like a bow and leaned her front legs against the bookshelf. Then she revealed her claws and began to scratch at the books that were placed there.
“This will definitely relieve stress.”
“Why on earth is Tina so stressed out?”
“Why… is stress… building up…? That’s quite unfair.”
“Huh, no. Next time you visit, instead of being a ferocious cat, how about transforming into a small, cute bird? Like a canary or a sparrow. Please.”
“Meow, I’ll think about it.”
Rubin smirked and approached the two. His eyes caught sight of the book Kuze was reading.
“Rubin, I think your Loinense is up to something again.”
“What do you mean by a secret plan? We are researching a new secret technique.”
If it was a new magic that Kuze had studied, it was welcome, no matter how eccentric the idea was.
“Hmm? But why a magic book?”
It was unexpected. Is there any need to refer to magic books for studying magic? Kuze’s bookstore specialized in non-magic books, so he must have gotten them separately from somewhere.
“Look, you’re plotting something, right? If you’re making a spell, why are you looking at a magic book?”
“Because this will be a magic spell exclusively for you, Young Master. You are the only assassin with mana.”
“My private magician?”
When Rubin showed interest, Kuze smiled awkwardly.
“Your Majesty, this is still only in the conceptual stage. I will think about it some more and let you know if I think it is possible.”
“Okay, let me know if you need a test subject.”
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“All right.”
“… By the way, Rubin.”
Tina jumped up, calling Rubin.
She moved carelessly over the neatly lined up books.
With every step he took, the books lost their balance and fell over, and Kuze’s expression became more and more crumpled.
“You have Professor Solana’s class tomorrow, right?”
Rubin nodded. Tomorrow, both the morning and afternoon classes were Professor Solana’s ‘Understanding Offensive Magic.’
Up until now, the classes had been about the mediums of mana, such as magic stones and magic nuclei, while tomorrow’s class was about dealing directly with mana.
“If it’s Solana, isn’t that the professor who said that one of her ancestors was an elf?”
“What about the elves? Elf blood only flows on their faces. They are said to be more aggressive than the orcs.”
Then Tina waved her front paws toward Rubin.
“Professor Solana has us practice magic right from the first class.”
“Magic training?”
“Okay, magic training. Is that okay, Rubin?”
It was information that was already known. Tina and Kuze looked at Rubin with worried eyes, but the person in question was rather calm.
“You, Mana, are probably in bad shape. Do you think you can fight properly?”
Rubin nodded. Five-star and four-star darkness, three-star aura. Compared to that, Mana was embarrassing to even call one-star.
“Are you going to be in a lot of pain?”
“okay?”
Rubin laughed lightly.
Kuze seemed rather reassured by that relaxed attitude. It seemed like something was being prepared for.
“Kuje.”
“Yes, your highness.”
“I have to go back to school now. Before I do, give me some ‘black leaves.’”
Rubin originally intended to make ‘Black Leaf’ for two people, one of which was already used for Kaizen.
Now it is time to use up the last remaining black leaves.
Kuze immediately followed the instructions. He went into the secret room hidden behind the bookshelf and took the remaining ‘black leaf’.
“Your Majesty, are you perhaps writing this for Oscar?”
“okay.”
“But… there will be many restrictions.”
“That’s right, Rubin. I know that too. In the school’s magic tower, taking any kind of drug, whether it’s a magic potion or an elixir, is prohibited.”
In fact, there were surveillance stones installed throughout the Capotini Magic School.
Its role was to protect the cadets from the outside world, but also to prevent the magic cadets from misusing their magical tools.
So the place Rubin chose to use the ‘Black Leaf’ on Kaizen had to be his laboratory. There, he could freely administer the medicine without the interference of the magic stone.
But Rubin had no such chance tomorrow.
Then Tina said,
“I heard it might be possible in a classroom or a staff room. How about there?”
“Tina, there are too many eyes looking at the two places you mentioned. You know the reaction that someone who has been poisoned by the ‘black leaf’ gets.”
“Well, it’s a bit noisy.”
Still, Rubin was prepared for everything. He just looked at the books on display at the bookstore and responded calmly.
“It’s okay, there’s a way.”
* * *
Monday dawned. Class C’s morning class was, as scheduled, Professor Solana’s ‘Understanding Attack Magic.’
However, Professor Solana did not teach in Class C’s classroom.
Teaching in her own lab instead of in a classroom. That was her old way. That was also why her classes were usually scheduled back-to-back in the morning and afternoon.
“Is everyone here?”
The cadets looked somewhat tense. They had been sick and tired of hearing the complaints of the cadets in Class B, who had Professor Solana as their homeroom teacher.
He is a professor with a hasty personality and a strong competitive spirit who seems to be abusing his students.
“You all know I’m older than Professor Eggler and Principal Keegan, right?”
The cadets gulped.
“This is why elf blood is good. So if you want your children to live long and healthy lives, you too must work hard to steal the hearts of elves.”
The small talk ended there.
Again, again, again.
She walked into the lab, which was as large as an auditorium, her shoes clicking.
Since teaching offensive magic required a large space, an entire floor of the Research Tower was used as her laboratory.
In front of Solana, the cadets lined up in order of their names. She walked straight out and said,
“First, we’ll spend the first half of the morning teaching theory. Then, we’ll have repetitive training based on the theory.”
“What do you do in the afternoon classes?”
It was Chloe who raised her hand and asked a question.
A calm smile appeared on her face, unusual for Professor Solana. She had been eagerly waiting to have a class with Chloe, who was known as a magical genius.
“Oh, maybe Chloe Witherspoon doesn’t know yet. Traditionally, my afternoon classes are about sparring, magic sparring.”
Chloe looked at the drowsy Professor. It must have seemed a bit rushed to Chloe.
There may be students here today who are drawing a mana line for the first time, and then they go straight into magic training.
Professor Solana, who had guessed the question, explained it as gently as possible.
Normally, she would have skipped this explanation, but that child was an imperial noble, so she couldn’t just leave.
“I’m more of a practical person. I learn through my body while practicing magic. Don’t worry. The magic barrier in the training ground is also strong.”
“…all right.”
“Let’s start with the theory class first.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Solana’s assistant came shuffling in, pushing a large chalkboard on wheels.
Although he looked to be in his thirties, he was an old professor and preferred this kind of old-fashioned blackboard.
“First… let’s learn the concept of mana lines, and then move on to the basic concepts of attack magic.”
The class progressed quickly. It was really clear. Solana’s teaching method was ‘Simple theory, rich in practice.’
In fact, this was the optimal teaching method for the Samhwi magicians.
Since Won-Hwi and Mo-Hwi are born with a limited number of magical families that possess an innate mana ring, in a way, their starting point can be said to be the same.
However, since the mana ring possessed by the three magicians was an acquired manifestation, their levels were all different.
Rather than trying to fit a certain person into the standard, it would be better to focus on practical aspects and allow each person to fully develop their abilities.
“Even if you don’t understand the theory exactly, you can get a feel for it through practice.”
Professor Solana pouted her lips, then continued speaking.
“I’m going to divide you into three categories now. First, those who can freely use mana lines, handle elemental magic, and cast more than ten types of magic? This way.”
The professor divided the students into upper, middle, and lower levels based on certain criteria. Chloe, Dahlia, and Oscar naturally went to the upper level.
“Luden Poinen?”
“Yes, professor.”
“Did you really choose the lower class?”
‘Solana tilted her head.
Rumors were spreading among the professors that Rubin was competing with Professor Kaizen in the art of potion making.
With that level of resistance, I thought it would naturally be superior.
‘Either he was being humble, or Professor Benitez literally picked the ‘rough diamond’ itself. One of the two.’
Repeated training started after that.
The cadets drew the shape of the ‘fireball’ before lunchtime. Fireball was one of the basic attack spells. It consumed the least amount of mana and had a simple shape.
‘As expected, Dahlia is… good, as expected from the Delrin family.’
Solana looked closely at the skills of the cadets she was observing.
Dahlia floated dozens of fireballs as if she was trying to catch them. The fireballs followed her as she moved. This meant that she could control them at will.
‘Chloe… well, it goes without saying.’
From Solana’s perspective, Chloe was by far the most surprising, more so than Dahlia. She had expected it, but she didn’t expect it to be this bad.
Wheeing.
Chloe had only one fireball. She could have increased the number like Dahlia, but she didn’t. Instead, she manipulated the size of a single fireball.
Chloe’s fireball grew from the size of a grain of sand to the size of two or three chalkboards combined.
From the perspective of the operation of the spell, manifesting one magic and then changing its state was a higher level than continuously using magic.
‘But is this all he can do?’
Disappointment swept over her face when she saw Rubin. It seems that the level of magic potion resistance and mana should be considered separately.
Rubin couldn’t even launch a single fireball properly. It was unstable to even create one, so it was impossible to determine the direction and launch it.
Solana shook her head and rapped the desk.
“It’s lunchtime. Don’t forget that there’s magic training right in the afternoon. Everyone, eat just enough so that you don’t vomit.”
