Chapter 529
Time flew by as Simon learned a new curse in Bahil’s research lab.
Now, both of them had to prepare for their next classes. Simon politely bowed to Bahil and left the Katarology building.
“……”
He should hurry back to the classroom, but his hands itched with impatience.
The diagrams and symbols Bahil had shown him refused to leave his mind.
‘Just a quick try, I guess.’
Stopping in front of a tree, Simon inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. The Sleep magic circle he always used neatly unfolded across his palm.
Bahil’s advice followed next.
He added new symbols and figures to the existing formula, unfolded another magic circle connected to the center, and adjusted the rotation angle and pattern values.
‘The key is the emission form branching outward from the runes.’
‘From a serial formula into something closer to a circle.’
‘Artificially drawing out the effective magic value.’
Recalling Bahil’s points one by one, Simon’s eyes flashed open.
<Bahil Remade – Sleepers>
Shhhhhh—
As he activated the circle, gray smoke spread outward from his palm. Simon blinked.
“Something happened. Did it work?”
Just as Simon hesitated—
Thud.
Plop.
The birds perched in the tree dropped to the grass. Simon gasped and stumbled back.
All of them had fallen asleep.
‘It worked!’
A range-based Sleep, evenly applying 1 stack to all nearby targets.
Of course, its potency and duration were far weaker than his usual Sleep, but for a first attempt, this was remarkable.
‘But… I feel kinda bad.’
Simon grinned sheepishly and clapped his hands—Clap!
The sparrows lying in the grass blinked awake, then quickly flapped up into the air in alarm at the sight of Simon nearby.
Watching them scatter, Simon turned and headed toward the Summonology building.
“……”
Meanwhile, on the 4th floor of the Katarology building, two people had been watching.
“Whether it’s a professor improvising a range magic circle on the spot, or a student who swallows it whole and succeeds on the first try…”
The chief assistant of Katarology, Chehekle, crossed her arms.
“Geniuses really are on another level.”
Bahil quietly leaned against the window frame.
“You yourself are an owner of considerable talent, Chehekle.”
“…Feels like you’re forcing me to bow down.”
“Anyway.”
Bahil pressed down his fedora firmly.
“A good start to the new semester, one where my Simon was stolen away.”
“…Please, cut out that filthy modifier. Someone might hear you, and that’s terrifying.”
Bahil ignored the remark and smirked.
“An unexpected variable has appeared. Aron will be shaken, no doubt.”
“You mean that transfer student, the one named White?”
“That’s right.”
Chehekle’s expression twisted subtly.
“…I’ve never heard the full story of Magnus, 5th Legion Commander, during his Keyzen student days. Everyone seems to hush it up. Is the mere resemblance between him and White enough to stir the whole school?”
Bahil raised his head to gaze at the sky beyond the window.
“It must be. A case unprecedented in over 300 years of Keyzen’s history.”
His eyes sank coldly.
“The case of a student murdering a Keyzen professor.”
* * *
The next morning.
Intermediate Summonology Major.
Tak—
Tak-tak—
Chalk scratched harshly against the blackboard. Aron taught as though nothing had happened.
On the surface, he looked completely unshaken.
But to Simon, it felt different. Aron’s usual lazy, slow-paced, drawling lectures had turned uncharacteristically intense.
Like a man burying himself in work to forcibly forget something.
The students of Summonology, unaware of anything, were actually pleased.
This tempo made it easier to concentrate. They scribbled notes at a faster pace than usual.
Simon turned his head toward the very back row, where White sat. He looked just like any other student, calmly taking notes.
“That’s all for theory.”
Tak—
Aron put down the chalk and strode over to the lectern, picking up the attendance sheet.
“When I call your name, stand. Coiter Fizen.”
A student stood.
“Yes, Professor!”
“When blood samples taken from a dead ghoul react blue, explain the summoning chain formula a necromancer must use for Summon Ghoul.”
The unexpected question made Coiter’s pupils tremble. He hesitated, racking his brain, then stammered:
“Frenzy–Bind–Contract–Bone Crush!”
“That’s for yellow reactions. One penalty point. Laubel Brenmers.”
The next student leapt up.
“Yes, Professor!”
“Blue.”
“Frenzy–Bind–Muscle Contraction–Coagulation!”
“The order of Bind and Contraction is wrong. One penalty point. Pierre Buckley.”
Aron continued grilling students one after another, forcing them to recite by memory. With penalties flying, the classroom turned frantic. Students scrambled to open their textbooks, but the assistants patrolling the room shut them firmly.
“Engrave this formula in your mind.”
Aron tapped his forehead with a fingertip.
“So you can recall it in an instant, even in the field.”
After the test ended, it was straight to practice.
Aron handed out lists with different conditions written on them. Students had to create ghoul circles that matched.
Fifty-two students struggled, piecing together ghoul circles.
“By the end of today, you’ll master ghouls.”
Aron clasped his hands behind his back as he walked among them.
“After my class, you’ve got Summon Materials Science for 2nd period and Summon Funerology for 3rd. Once you finish today’s curriculum, I guarantee you’ll be able to wield ghouls freely.”
In one day?
The shocking statement made students glance up from their circles.
“And tomorrow,”
Aron declared,
“We begin the practical performance evaluation—using ghouls.”
* * *
Through Aron’s class, both theory and circle construction were drilled thoroughly. And then, the next lecture awaited.
Summon Materials Science with Grerion.
The students teleported to the class site via a teleportation circle.
It was their first outdoor lesson in a long time—beneath a vast, jagged cliffside of unknown location.
“Attention, everyone!”
The Summon Materials Science assistants, their heads shaved bald and dressed in bizarre outfits, stood in wide-legged stances with arms crossed in an odd pose.
And beyond them, Grerion appeared, wearing only pants, his upper body bare, muscles bulging grotesquely, sunglasses covering his eyes. He crossed his arms in the same peculiar pose as his assistants.
“Uh… somehow Professor Grerion looks bulkier every time I see him.”
Toto Amoriya, standing next to Simon, muttered quietly. Simon nodded in agreement.
“You should’ve already heard the details from Professor Aron! Honestly, I’d rather continue with our Chimera studies, but curriculum is curriculum!”
Uncrossing his enormous arms, Grerion planted his hands firmly on his waist. Each movement made his muscles writhe threateningly.
“Today! You will personally acquire fresh ghoul materials with your own hands!”
His booming voice echoed, so loud that shards of stone clattered down from the cliff.
A girl shot up her hand.
“Eshu Jeluah, sir! Shouldn’t we just buy them from Rochest?”
“Of course not!”
Grerion thrust out a thick arm and clenched his fist.
“For skeleton-type undead, maybe. But monsters like ghouls that use flesh and muscle—if you buy them from an undead factory or a necromancer’s shop, the quality plummets! Ghouls are best when caught directly in the field by a necromancer!”
He pointed a finger.
“You!”
“M-me?! T-Toto Amoriya!”
Toto answered with a tearful face, silently screaming, ‘Why always me?!’
“State the primary base material for a ghoul!”
“R-Ratchet!”
“Correct!”
Grerion adjusted his sunglasses.
“Ratchets are standard-class monsters with a Danger Rating of 3! Of course, ghouls have also been made from gremlins, ridons, even corpse-apes, but in modern necromancy over 94% of ghouls are ratchet-based. Ever since Professor Drion’s ghoul formula became standardized, the ratchet ghoul has become the superior template for all. In fact, in today’s Summonology, saying a ghoul is simply a zombified ratchet is hardly wrong!”
The students nodded in unison.
“Now I’ll teach you how to choose a good ratchet for ghoul-making!”
Abruptly, Grerion launched into his lecture. Without desks, the students scrambled to spread their notebooks and take notes.
“A ratchet with reddish tones on the back of its neck—avoid it! That’s a sign of old age. You want young ones, strong muscles, good for ghoul conversion!”
“When you attack with an arrow or sword, strike the neck. Decapitation works. But if your weapon pierces arms or legs, the muscle quality plummets!”
He held up a ratchet’s furry corpse, pointing out the critical areas. The 2nd-years boldly stepped closer to observe.
“Proper butchering techniques are vital!”
Thud!
Grerion dropped the ratchet’s body onto a table and drew a butchering knife.
“Sure, you can just carve a summoning circle right after killing a monster, and it’ll still work! But you are Keyzen’s elite! To draw out nearly perfect ghoul performance, technique is essential!”
He pointed at the ratchet’s calf.
“Come closer! Do you see this part?”
“Yes!”
“Cut a slit here with a blade no larger than size-7.”
Srrrip—
He sliced the calf with the knife.
“Open a channel for Darkness to flow.”
“Wait, it’s a muscle-using undead—why put holes in it?”
“Undead movement isn’t the same as living creatures! Keep your minds flexible and ready to accept the unorthodox! Next—here!”
Squelch!
With bare strength, he pried apart the shoulder muscles of the corpse, making students flinch back.
“Don’t recoil! Especially you, girl in the front! Keep your eyes wide open!”
Grerion shouted fiercely.
“The performance of every single summon you craft determines your survival, and the lives of those you protect!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Preparation is everything. With undead, once they’re made, their performance is fixed absolutely. That first creation is the most crucial! Understood?!”
“Yes!!”
His knife flashed. Heavy, useless fat and organs that hindered movement were removed. Then he activated black magic, inscribing the ghoul circle onto the ratchet.
—Gerrrgh!
The ghoul suddenly sprang upright.
“Behold!”
At Grerion’s gesture, the ghoul dashed ferociously, pounding the ground, swinging its arms. Students gasped.
“Look at that ideal ghoul movement! The summoning circle was nothing special!”
It turned freely, leapt high, even flipped in midair. It was hard to believe it had been a corpse moments ago.
Its athletic ability far surpassed its living state. Ironically, the dead body now seemed brimming with more vitality than ever.
“I trust you’ve learned something!”
Grerion put down his knife.
“Now for practice! The Ramacan Cliffs are crawling with ratchets! Each of you must secure at least nine ghoul materials during this session!”
He held up two thick fingers.
“There are no letter grades this time! Simple: Pass or Fail! Fail to secure nine ghoul materials, and tomorrow in the practical exam you’ll receive an automatic F. You’ll also lose the right to attend the next Summon Funerology class, since you’ll lack the required materials!”
The students erupted in nervous chatter.
Fail to gather enough materials, and you’re disqualified from the exam entirely.
Boom!
Grerion smashed his fists together.
“You’ll use the ghouls you capture and prepare today—tomorrow in practice and evaluation! Chief Assistant!”
“Yes.”
The chief assistant raised a timer.
“By any means necessary, within two hours, bring back nine ghoul materials! Less than nine—disqualified! Bring garbage-quality materials—also disqualified! Too harsh? Nonsense! You are Keyzen!”
Click!
The timer began ticking.
“Operation Ghoul Supply—commence!”
At the shout, the Summonology students dashed off across the Darkness, not looking back.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters