Episode 30. Professor in Both Hands (2)
Whoosh whoosh!
Reach out toward the burning flames.
A terrible, burning pain spreads up my arm and through my body.
Crack.
I endure the pain, forcing myself to swallow the moans that were about to escape from between my lips.
The time you have to endure with your hand in the blazing flames is about 5 minutes.
Five minutes was a very short amount of time to spend on magical training, but it was a different story if you had to endure that entire time with your hand in the blazing flames.
A person would scream in pain and pull his hand away just from the touch of a match, let alone a blazing fire. How horrible would it be to be burned by fire for five minutes straight?
“Ugh. Ah, uh.”
A suppressed moan escaped between her lips.
Although it was a virtual fire created with the mind’s eye and not an actual fire, the vivid pain of burning flesh was no different from reality.
‘Just a little more.’
There are only four opportunities per day to increase your magical power through the Primal Fire.
In order to build up more magic power, I had to bring as much ‘fire’ as possible into this flame.
“Ugh.”
Five minutes, which felt like an eternity, passed by.
I slowly pulled my hand out of the fire.
On the palm of his hand, which was out of the fire, a small flame the size of a finger was burning.
‘It got bigger.’
At first, the flame that could be brought from the ‘primordial fire’ was only the size of a candle, but through repeated training, it soon grew to the size of a finger.
‘Well… this is not enough to handle the primordial fire.’
I smiled bitterly as I looked at the huge flames burning so fiercely that they seemed like they would engulf the world.
Although I killed myself four times a day to absorb the power of the primordial fire little by little, the primordial fire that had settled within my heart was still not moving at all.
‘It’s like carrying sea water with a ladle.’
In a blazing fire that seems like it will engulf the world, what difference would it make if we brought a single candle or a single finger-sized flame and absorbed it?
‘Well, I guess I can handle it someday.’
Even if I worry about it now, it’s not a problem that can be solved right away.
“Phew.”
I broke away from my thoughts and slowly opened my eyes.
The excruciating pain that felt like my body was burning gradually faded and my consciousness, which had sunk into the world of imagination, rose again.
All that is visible before your eyes is a dorm room with an old bed, a table, and a shelf.
I got up from the bed I was sitting on and stretched my body slightly.
“Let’s see. How much magic power has accumulated this time?”
As I aroused the mana contained within the stigmata, the magical power that had clearly increased since my first return spread rapidly throughout my body through my energy and blood.
‘good.’
If we assume that the magical power of an average candidate is 10, then it would be around 3.
Even though it had increased, it was still less than half of the average horsepower of a candidate.
“It was originally less than 10 percent, so even this much is a huge improvement.”
In absolute terms, it may still be lacking, but compared to when he returned, his magical power has increased by almost three times in just a few weeks.
At this rate, we will be able to catch up with the average horsepower of the candidates in just 2-3 months.
‘Maybe even shorter than that.’
This time, the size of the flame that can be absorbed at once from the primordial fire has increased from the size of a candle to the size of a finger.
If only we could continue to increase the size of the flames we can absorb.
‘I will be able to obtain magical powers that I could never have dreamed of in my past life.’
A thrill ran down my spine as I imagined the future.
“No, it’s not the time to like it.”
The future is the future.
The magical power I currently possess was ultimately less than half of the average of the candidates.
‘This is not enough to deal with Ashtaroth.’
Since the seal of the demon is still strong, the Archbishop’s power is not yet at full strength.
‘Still, an archbishop is an archbishop.’
The Archbishops were the ones standing at the top among the tens of thousands of mines, so they could never let their guard down.
“Oh, right. Come to think of it, I haven’t told you this yet.”
I clicked my tongue as I looked back at the backpack containing the magical Seven-Star Candle that I had placed in a corner of the room.
After retrieving the Seven Star Herb from the cave with flowing veins, I forgot to give it to Professor Jade because of all the other things going on.
‘Let’s go see Professor Jade first.’
I went out carrying my backpack containing the magical Seven-Star Grass.
* * *
“I brought you the Chilseongcho you mentioned.”
A laboratory where refreshing dust rises.
Professor Jade let out a soft sigh as she looked at the magical Seven-Star Candles piled high on the table.
“Even if there were a lot of magical Seven-Star Grass growing around the school, it wouldn’t have been easy to find them… You found a lot.”
Professor Jade’s eyes turned towards me and twinkled like stars.
If I were to describe those bright, shining eyes in words, it would be something like, ‘You are the only one who can be my assistant!’
‘I won’t do it, human.’
I had never worked as a teaching assistant under a professor, but when I thought about the soulless eyes of the teaching assistants I occasionally encountered while walking around the school, I knew I absolutely did not want to do it.
“Is this amount enough?”
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“We’ll have to start full-scale manufacturing to know for sure… but I don’t think there will be any shortages.”
“So when can you finish it?”
Now that we know that Archbishop Ashtaroth has hidden within the school, we need to get our hands on the completed Stigmata Amplifier as quickly as possible.
“The manufacturing method itself has already been completed, so it won’t take too long. Perhaps… it can be completed before the sealant is made.”
“thank god.”
“But what on earth are you going to use this stigmata enhancer for?”
Professor Jade continued, her wrinkled eyes narrowing.
“You’re not planning on using this during the candidate ranking test, are you?”
“yes?”
Did you mistake me for buying a stigmata enhancer to use for the evaluation test?
‘but.’
Professor Jade must also know that I am a last-place candidate who has been ranked last in the overall evaluation of candidates for three years, so it is natural for me to have such an illusion.
I chuckled and shook my head.
“Don’t worry, that won’t happen.”
“but….”
“If I use a stigmata enhancer during the evaluation, you can report me to the school for cheating.”
“Hmm.”
Professor Jade nodded, running a hand through his bushy beard.
“Okay. If that’s what you’re saying, I won’t bother asking any further.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
I nodded and looked around Professor Jade’s lab.
The lab is still so messy that it resembles a garbage dump.
It was a miserable environment where even a healthy person would quickly become ill.
‘It makes me feel uneasy to think that they’re making the stigmata enhancer that I drink in a dump like this.’
Even though it is a potion that affects stigmata, a delicate and clean manufacturing process is essential, but looking at the state of this laboratory, I did not trust it at all.
“Then let’s start manufacturing right away….”
“wait a minute.”
I stopped Professor Jade from starting manufacturing right away.
“Let’s start by cleaning.”
“cleaning?”
“How long do you plan on leaving your lab as a garbage dump like this?”
“Ahem. Tch, a garbage dump! Even if it’s like this, through systematic organization and tidying up…”
“It’s noisy.”
I cut off Professor Jade’s words and started cleaning the lab right away.
‘Oh, sir. Even a pigsty would be cleaner than this.’
It looked dirty at first glance, but when I started cleaning, all kinds of dust and trash came pouring out.
I picked up a broom and a mop and quickly continued cleaning the lab.
However, it seemed that the hard work of cleaning the school for 8 hours every day during every vacation to earn living expenses had not gone away, and the lab, which had been close to a garbage dump, was quickly being transformed into a place fit for people to live.
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Please don’t bother me and go out.”
What help can we expect from the humans who let the lab get to this point?
I waved my hand and chased Professor Jade out of the lab.
After finishing the cleaning that was like a war for about 3 hours.
“Whew. Now it finally feels like a place where people can live.”
“Oh, oh!”
Professor Jade looked around the lab, which was now cleaner than ever before, and kept exclaiming in admiration.
“Is this really my lab?”
“Then whose lab would it be?”
I continued speaking with a snicker.
“I’ve gathered the reagents here, and the magical tools needed to make potions over there. I’ve also sorted the research materials by type, but I think it would be best for you to check this again later, Professor.”
“…Hey, you!”
Professor Jade suddenly grabbed my hand and shouted in a hot voice.
“As expected, you are my assistant!”
“no.”
Since when did I become your assistant?
“Ahem! An assistant professor has worked so hard for me, so as a professor I can’t just sit back and do nothing. I’ll buy lunch today, so come with me!”
“No, wait… .”
Professor Jade seemed to really like the clean look of the lab and grabbed my arm.
Professor Jade grabbed my arm and led me to a private dining hall that only professors and their assistants could use.
Although it was a bit lower class than the main restaurant which was buffet style, it was a high class restaurant with a fairly substantial menu.
“Now, order whatever you want from the menu!”
When Professor Jade entered the restaurant, shouting curiously.
“…Dale? Why are you here?”
I just ran into Professor Lucas, who was about to enter the restaurant.
“You… .”
“… … .”
An awkward silence fell between Professor Jade and Professor Lucas.
‘Come to think of it, Professor Lucas hit Professor Jade hard two years ago.’
When I took a step back, recalling what had happened between the two professors.
Professor Jade stood in front of me and opened her mouth.
“Do you have any business with my assistant?”
“Assistant? Since when did Dale become your assistant?”
“You’re not officially an assistant yet, but you’ll work under me after you graduate.”
hey?
Professor Jade? I told you I don’t want to be your teaching assistant.
Who the hell keeps calling me their assistant?
“Ha. Dale is going under you? What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”
Yeah, yeah.
Please give me a sharp word, Professor Lucas!
“Dale is the one who will come under me after graduation and lead the warrior department together with me!”
“no.”
Why are you like that too, really?
