Chapter 224
Walter’s first Haematology class had begun.
As Walter had warned in advance, there weren’t many changes from Sillage’s original lessons. The class studied theory through the textbook, dissecting the composition of magic circles, and then moved on to practical training.
Having been tense due to the start of a new semester and also the trauma of Belya’s class, the students felt a great sense of relief.
The one noticeable difference was that, unlike the somewhat blunt and authoritative Sillage, the young new professor Walter interacted more warmly with students, engaging in casual conversation and even joking around with them.
“Alright, we’ll begin today’s practical with Blood Flow Shield”.
Blood Flow Shield was a multipurpose blood-based shield formed by mixing blood and Darkness, capable of quickly covering the front. Its main feature was that, if properly prepared, it could be activated faster than a Darkness Shield created purely from Darkness.
The students simultaneously drew blood from their bodies and mixed it with Darkness to cast their shields.
The results were all over the place. Some students’ shields melted and dripped, some were only palm-sized, others wide but paper-thin, and a few exploded with a pop as soon as they formed.
These varied results were due to the differences in each student’s blood type.
“Assistants, start the feedback now.”
“Yes, Professor!”
At Walter’s command, the assistants sprang into coordinated action.
Though they had all started with the same magic circle, modifications were made depending on each student’s blood type.
Those whose shields melted learned how to coat their blood.
Those whose shields came out too thin were prescribed an addition of density formulas.
“All done! Professor!”
“Well done. Everyone saw that? If you’re Type LP-2, follow this method.”
“Thank you!”
After helping one group of students, Walter approached Kamibarez Ursula.
Kamibarez had been trying hard to form her shield, but it kept exploding soon after formation. Her expression showed her frustration, it just wouldn’t work the way she wanted.
“There’s no need to rush.”
Walter smiled gently.
“Your KP-1 blood has a basic trait of wanting to explode when combined with Darkness. So how about trying it this way?”
Kamibarez looked up at him.
“For deflecting minor attacks, rely on a defense spell from Darkness Dynamics. Then use the Blood Flow Shield only to block major attacks, divide the roles.”
“Major attacks? Um, how?”
Walter formed a dense sphere made of blood.
“Can you control the explosion timing of your Blood Flow Shield?”
“Yes! But no matter how much I delay it, it always ends up bursting eventually…”
“Then let it explode the moment an object hits the shield.”
Walter summoned not just the blood sphere but also a Darkness arrow and launched both at her.
Kamibarez, waiting with her shield up, detonated it the moment the blood sphere struck. The resulting explosion engulfed both the sphere and the arrow behind it.
“This is how you can turn it into an offensive shield. With the original thickness of your blood shield, you wouldn’t have blocked that sphere. But you covered the weakness with the explosion. Even if you have vampire-type KP-1 blood, there’s no rule saying you must only use it offensively. Think about other ways to use it.”
“...Ah, I feel like my eyes have been opened! Thank you!”
Kamibarez bowed deeply, her face filled with emotion.
Next to her, students were bragging about their shields—who had the biggest, the toughest—but one boy sat alone, resting his chin in his hand and watching silently.
‘…Looks fun, all of it.’
It was none other than Simon.
Simon’s completely new blood type, SM-1, wouldn’t bind properly with Darkness, making it impossible for him to participate in most classes.
Bored and envious of his classmates, Simon stretched his arms out in a pointless yawn.
‘If only I had a normal blood type like everyone else, I could’ve joined in that conversation too.’
“Simon.”
At that moment, one of the assistants quietly approached him.
“Professor Walter is asking for you.”
“Huh?”
Simon turned his head and saw Walter smiling and gesturing toward him from the lecture hall door.
“……”
Maybe it was that first impression that left a bad taste. Something felt off, but it wasn’t like he could disobey a professor during class.
As Simon approached, Walter explained,
“Your blood type is special. I’ll explain everything directly in my office on the fourth floor. Come along.”
Walter and Simon climbed the stairs side by side.
There was no other conversation. Simon felt strangely on edge.
‘Why does the word Judah always come to mind when I think about this guy? More than anything—’
—Did you see?
He could never forget the look in Walter’s eyes when they first met. Of course, it could’ve just been his imagination. He wasn’t even sure if he’d really seen that look.
Eventually, the two arrived at the office on the fourth floor.
“You look too tense.”
Walter smiled.
“Is this your first time visiting a professor’s office?”
Simon shook his head quietly. He had visited the offices of Professors Aron, Jane, and Lang before.
“There’s nothing impressive in there. Just come in at ease.”
Walter opened the door and gestured for Simon to enter first.
Simon gulped and stepped into the office.
“?”
Just as Walter said, there was nothing impressive.
The room was nearly empty. Cardboard boxes filled with documents and books were scattered about, as if he hadn’t finished unpacking yet.
There was only a desk, a chair, and a single sofa.
“I’ve been really busy since coming to Keyzen.”
Walter chuckled and motioned toward the sofa.
Simon, still tense, sat down cautiously. Walter asked if he’d like some tea, but Simon shook his head, declining.
“Then let’s get right to the point.”
Walter picked up a crystal orb from his desk and placed it on the table.
As he tapped the orb, a mana screen spread out in the air.
“These are the records Professor Sillage gave me. Let’s take a look.”
The mana screen displayed a video from their first semester, the moment when Simon fired his first Bloodshot in the shooting range during shooting range class.
—Lane 6, Simon Follentia. Ready!
The video showed Simon aiming at a target, one eye closed and finger extended.
A moment later, Sillage shouted, “Fire!” and Simon’s arm recoiled as the Bloodshot launched.
The shot suddenly disappeared midair, then reappeared in front of the target, glowing blue.
When the light hit the target, the force spread out in a fan shape. Two targets in the back were ripped apart, and two on the sides also tore.
“A very interesting phenomenon.”
Walter said, watching the footage.
“Now I understand why Professor Sillage was so fascinated with your SM-1. He spent the entire semester studying it, and during his assignment, he left its analysis to me and a few other disciples. Not to brag, but I produced the best results.”
Walter turned to Simon.
“Let’s start with this: what do you know about your blood?”
Simon answered honestly.
“I understand it has a sort of amplification effect. When blood combines with Darkness, the Darkness consumes the blood and increases both capacity and power.”
“You’re not wrong.”
Walter nodded.
“But if that were all there was to it, Professor Sillage wouldn’t have struggled with you the entire semester.”
“…So, there’s another function?”
Instead of answering, Walter reached into a box on his desk and handed Simon an object.
‘Haven’t seen this in a while.’
Magic Circle Calibration Tool. It was a beginner's tool that helped form magic circles by channeling Darkness into a correction plate, which aligned the structure.
Simon had used it once during Katarology class when first learning Exhaust, but hadn’t touched it since.
“To use SM-1 effectively, Professor Sillage personally developed this magic circle. Would you like to give it a try?”
Looking at the calibrator, there seemed to be no problem with the magic circle itself.
Simon nodded, grabbed the handles on either side, and poured Darkness into it.
Wuuuuung!
The Darkness flowed through the calibration tool, forming the structure. Even with the tool, there were still formulas Simon couldn’t build on his own, but Walter explained them clearly and simply. Overall, the structure wasn’t too difficult.
At last, the magic circle was complete and floated into the air.
“Now, draw some of your blood. You learned the blood-drawing circle in the first semester, right?”
“Yes.”
Simon spread a small magic circle on the tip of his index finger, and a drop of blood passed through it and rose into the air. It then passed through the newly completed magic circle from the calibrator.
Fwaaaah!
The blood and the circle reacted chemically as they merged. Simon flinched and stepped back in surprise.
There was a sizzling sound. The circle alternated between the red of blood and the black of Darkness, switching back and forth repeatedly.
Then finally, a complete reaction occurred, and it transformed into a mist, neither red nor black, but a radiant teal color. It almost looked pale blue at times, with swirling patterns that resembled a snail shell, giving it an uncanny feel.
‘This… looks cool.’
Simon’s eyes sparkled.
“When your SM-1 and your Darkness are combined in a specific ratio, and passed through a specific magic circle, only then does this effect appear. Professor Sillage called this power SMF24-CLOUD, or simply Cloud.”
‘Cloud, huh.’
As Simon quietly watched this new power of his, Walter raised both arms.
“Now! This is a black magic formed from your own blood. What do you think you can do with it?”
“......”
Simon twitched slightly. As he did, he felt the mist floating slowly in response to his will.
It was just like…
‘…Like connecting to an undead’s consciousness and controlling it.’
It didn’t even take long. After just one minute, Simon was already controlling the Cloud, and Walter smiled in satisfaction.
“You’re quite good at control. Then… how about this?”
Walter pointed to a box of documents in the corner.
“Try lifting that box with the mist.”
“......”
From the outside, it looked like gas, so lifting objects seemed impossible. But as he was currently controlling the Cloud, Simon had a strange feeling that it just might be possible.
He stretched out his right arm, and the mist surged forward, enveloping the box.
‘Just like that.’
Simon turned his palm upward and slowly made a lifting motion.
‘It’s rising!’
Shrrrrrk.
As the box full of documents slowly lifted into the air, Walter let out a sound of admiration.
“You did it on the first try! Amazing.”
“Grrngh.”
Simon’s arm trembled.
But for some reason, this felt really taxing. Not only did it strain his mental focus, it felt like he was physically lifting the box with his own arm.
As Simon slowly set the box down, the heavy sensation disappeared.
“However, one more unique property of this Cloud has been discovered.”
Walter stood and approached the mist. He then pinched the Cloud between his thumb and middle finger.
“Ow!”
Simon flinched in surprise. It actually hurt, like being pinched for real.
“This power shares the user’s senses. Did that hurt?”
Walter now extended his fingernail using blood and poked the mist sharply. Simon let out a startled yelp and nearly fell out of his chair.
“Professor!”
“Haha, sorry. My research instincts from my doctorate days kicked in. I’m a professor now, aren’t I?”
Walter returned his nail to normal, and Simon dispelled the Cloud and sat upright again.
He was truly grateful that Walter had studied his powers along with Sillage, but something about it still annoyed him, and he glared at the man.
“Are you mad?”
“...No, sir.”
“In any case, it was concluded that the Cloud is a power that cannot be defined by modern Haematology knowledge. Professor Sillage originally planned to submit a formal paper to the Haematology Society, but he gave up.”
“Why?”
“Because it might put you in danger. SM-1 could attract crazed scholars, especially if it's seen as a key to unraveling the secrets of the world. And among necromancer-origin scholars, there are a lot of real lunatics.”
He added with a smile,
“Like me.”
“......”
“The truth is, the reason I accepted the post as Haematology professor…”
His eyes locked with Simon’s.
“…was so that I could meet you. The two of us can create an incredible synergy. I can uncover the secrets of your unique blood, and you can learn how to harness the Cloud, your special ability.”
Walter extended his hand.
“This is an official offer. Will you become my direct disciple?”
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters