Yi-Han was not exactly thrilled.
He knew everything about the content that had been taught, so it was a bit absurd to hear that the test would cover different material.
'But getting upset will only be to my disadvantage,' he thought to himself.
With a resolved mind, Yi-Han spoke up. "Please tell me, Professor. What should I do?"
"Ahem. It's not much different from the magic you've learned so far. Poison is also a type of magic that forms part of dark magic,” the professor explained.
Gainando tilted his head in confusion. Then, Professor Mortum added, "You might be wondering why we consider poison as magic when hunters and assassins outside use it too. Ahem."
Gainando was startled. "Huh!"
"Ahem. The poison in dark magic is different from ordinary poison," the professor clarified.
The empire had a variety of poisons: from natural sources like metals, plants, bacteria, fungi, and insects.
Even ordinary people knew how to use such poisons to some extent. However, the poison in dark magic wasn't like these real poisons. Magic fundamentally altered reality according to the will of the mage. Naturally, the poison spoken of here was an imaginary one, nonexistent in reality.
"Indeed! After all, there's no need for the empire's greatest mage to study a poison that everyone uses!" Gainando exclaimed excitedly.
"Ahem. However, that doesn't mean you can neglect the study of real poisons," the professor cautioned.
Gainando's face fell. 'It's the same with other magic too,' he thought.
Even with basic elemental magic, the mage's mental image of the element was crucial. Without a solid and specific mental image, spells and formulas were useless. A higher understanding of poison allowed for the creation of more varied and potent imaginary poisons.
But the students had never learned about poison, had they? 'This is really harsh,' thought Yi-Han.
Sensing Yi-Han's thoughts, Professor Mortum elaborated, "Ahem. Naturally, you lack experience with poison, having never handled it before."
Without a special background, one rarely encountered poison.
"That's true, Professor," agreed Yi-Han.
"Ahem. It would be cruel to just expect you to learn it without guidance," the professor admitted.
"Yes!" Gainando nodded vigorously, his face filled with anticipation.
However, Yi-Han felt a sense of foreboding.
Care and concern were best left to those who usually showed it. When a professor suddenly offered care, it was rarely genuine.
"Direth," the professor called.
A crow-like student nodded and stepped forward, swinging her staff at Gainando. A faint mist of poison emerged from the staff, entering Gainando through his nose and mouth.
"Cough?!"
Yi-Han immediately drew his staff and held his breath, ready to defend himself.
Direth looked at him, as if to say, 'What is this junior doing?'
"Ahem. Don't defend, just take it," instructed the professor.
"What?"
"You need to feel the poison to understand it. It's not dangerously toxic."
Experiencing an element was the best way to build a mental image of it, though being poisoned was a minor inconvenience.
Yi-Han lowered his staff and sighed. 'Well, it's my fault for choosing to study dark magic.'
Resigned, Yi-Han let the poison mist envelop him.
"But what poison is this?" Gainando, who had been coughing, regained his senses and asked the professor.
"Ahem. What poison was it again..."
“...”
Was it too much to expect, even from a student?
"What poison was it?"
"Professor, if I speak, it's straight to the punishment room..."
"Ahem. It's fine. Just don't tell the freshmen. ...Probably."
"It's a magic-reducing poison."
"Yes, a mana-reducing poison. Do you feel your mana dissipating?"
At Professor Mortum's question, Gainando and Yi-Han responded simultaneously.
"Yes."
"No."
"...?"
Professor Mortum paused, then turned to Yi-Han. "Ahem. You don't feel your mana scattering even a bit?"
"I don't feel anything."
The professor looked at Direth, who hastily responded, "There's nothing wrong with the poison."
"Ahem. Check it again."
"Really, there's no issue..."
Direth approached Yi-Han and sprayed the mana-reducing poison again.
Once. Twice. Three times...
With each attempt, the senior's expression shifted from anxious to perplexed to troubled.
Unable to watch any longer, Yi-Han spoke up. "It feels like my mana is dissipating."
"Don't lie. Junior."
Direth, forgetting the principal's warning, blurted out, "I'm sure the poison was perfectly made and should work... Why isn't it?"
"Ahem. Perhaps he has too much mana?"
"Too much mana?"
"Mr. Wardanaz here has a natural abundance of mana, so the poison's effect might be insignificant on him."
"Why didn't you tell me that before... Never mind. I'll make it again right now."
Direth sighed and whipped her staff, creating a new, evidently more potent poison.
Even Yi-Han, with his limited knowledge of poison, could tell this was far more venomous than before.
Direth didn't spray it as a mist this time but handed it over in a glass rod-shaped bottle. Yi-Han was taken aback.
"Drink it. Junior."
Without arguing, Yi-Han drank it. The other had already suffered enough.
"Ahem. Does it seem effective?"
"Professor, I'd rather just try the magic."
"Alright. Go ahead."
Direth watched, aghast, as Yi-Han walked away with Gainando.
What was up with this new student?!
"Heh, Yi-Han."
Gainando looked at Yi-Han with a smug, confident smile.
Yi-Han was about to smack him on the back of his head but hesitated; there were too many eyes around.
"What is it?"
"This time, I'll help you."
Gainando had good reason to be excited.
Firstly, their dark magic talents were similar (at least in Gainando's mind).
But this time, Yi-Han hadn't felt the poison due to his constitution, while Gainando had experienced it physically.
So, in terms of poison magic, Gainando was ahead.
It was logical.
"Tha... Thank you."
Yi-Han was slightly overwhelmed by Gainando's enthusiasm, especially considering he had just consumed poison.
Such positivity could be a kind of strength...
'...Perhaps?'
"Coalesce, Poison of mana scattering!"
Gainando extended his staff, focusing intently.
The test goal was to create a basic mana-reducing poison.
Professor Mortum, retaining a shred of conscience, didn't demand difficult or advanced poisons from the students.
A droplet of magic-reducing poison was sufficient.
Chik-
"!"
Gainando was startled as the opaque green liquid at the tip of his staff dropped onto his boot, creating a hole.
"Uaaagh?!!"
"Nicely done."
Yi-Han was impressed.
Gainando was known to possess talent in dark magic, a fact Yi-Han had learned from Professor Mortum, but he hadn't expected it to be to this extent.
Creating something akin to poison on his first try was a success in itself, though for Gainando, whose boots now sported a hole, it didn't feel much like one.
"Cough... I hate dark magic..."
"Shh. The professor might hear you."
Yi-Han focused, staff in hand.
He had to concentrate harder since he hadn't experienced the poison physically, as Gainando had.
'It's all about using the techniques I've learned so far and imagining.'
Like with other spells, he controlled his mana while painting a vivid, systematic image in his mind.
Yi-Han envisioned his mana compressing into a single droplet and attempted to alter its nature.
To a form that would annihilate another person's mana upon contact.
He recalled what he had read and seen in his past life, bringing to mind entities similar to the mana-reducing poison.
This knowledge and imagination were Yi-Han's unique strengths, unmatched by other mages.
As his will, spell, and motions converged, a new kind of poison, previously nonexistent in reality, began to form at the tip of his staff.
"Coalesce, poison of power dispersion!"
Direth, who was watching, was taken aback.
The new student had succeeded in crafting a poison spell in just one try.
'He's no ordinary mage!'
He had even managed to compress a long and detailed spell autonomously.
This feat required exceptional mana sensitivity, control, and the ability to manifest mental images, not just resistance to poison but an immense innate talent for dark magic.
Seeing the blond friend's proficiency in dark magic as well...
'These new students are truly remarkable. I need to step up my game.'
But why did his voice sound so familiar?
"Pant, pant. I'm done," announced Gainando, drenched in sweat, pointing at a few droplets of poison glistening like dew on glass.
Yi-Han, having finished earlier, looked up from where he was sitting.
"Are you done?"
"Yes! Wasn't much of a time difference, right? Right?!"
"Ahem. It was quite a bit... But well done regardless. Succeeding itself is impressive."
As he spoke, Professor Mortum swallowed Gainando's poison.
"!"
"Professor!!! Even if you're hungry, you shouldn't drink that!"
Yi-Han, Direth, and Professor Mortum all stared at Gainando as if he had lost his mind.
"...Oh, was I wrong?"
"I was testing the poison..."
Professor Mortum, seemingly incredulous, wiped his mouth.
A proficient dark mage naturally develops a strong resistance to dark magic.
Someone of Professor Mortum's caliber would be practically immune to a thousand poisons.
"Ahem. It's good. Well made."
"Thank you!"
"Then..."
Without hesitation, the professor swallowed the poison Yi-Han had made.
"Uh-hum."
"Are you alright?"
"Uh-huh."
"?"
Yi-Han was puzzled.
The professor's reaction was slightly different from when he had ingested Gainando's poison.
'Have I failed?'
"Yi, Yi-Han."
"?"
"Take mine!"
Thinking Yi-Han had failed, Gainando whispered, gesturing toward his own poison.
Direth, standing nearby, looked at Gainando with suspicion.
'Is he a bit dense?'
It was hard to tell if Gainando was being foolish or joking in front of their senior.
Direth turned away, finding even their teacher a bit odd.
"Professor. What's happening..."
"Cough... Cough. Huurk."
Thud!
Professor Mortum, unable to withstand it, knelt down. His face turned pale, and his fingers trembled slightly.
Direth immediately realized what was happening.
'Mana depletion symptoms!'
The thought that a mage of Professor Mortum's caliber could be brought to his knees and collapse from mana depletion was unbelievable.
'Is it because of the poison created by a freshman??!'
Despite already being shocked enough today, this was Direth's biggest surprise yet. A freshman had taken down Professor Mortum with poison!
"He's dead! Yi-Han! We need to get rid of the evidence and witnesses!!"
"Don't talk nonsense! He's not dead yet!"
Yi-Han, unable to contain himself, retorted angrily. Truthfully, he was also feeling anxious.
Direth quickly pulled out a mana recovery potion and an antidote, administering them to Professor Mortum.
The professor slowly recovered and stood up.
"Ahem. Excellent work. Full marks."
"I'm sorry, Professor."
Yi-Han apologized. Although it wasn't really his fault, it was necessary to apologize in such a situation.
"Ahem. It's alright. It's alright. Such things often happen during tests. Rather, I'm more pleased to have discovered such remarkable talent."
"Is that so?"
Yi-Han felt slightly relieved at Professor Mortum's words.
Was poison magic supposed to be like this?
Direth, who had been watching, had a lot to say but held back.
"Ahem... Now, let's move on to the next test."
Professor Mortum seemed eager to send the freshmen away, still struggling to fully recover his mana.
"Yes, we'll see you next time."
Yi-Han and Gainando politely bid farewell and turned to leave.
As Yi-Han was turning away, he clearly saw it.
The crow-like senior subtly giving him a thumbs up!
