In the Empire, black magic had a naturally bad image.
First of all, its appearance was dull, dark, and eerie.
Moreover, the magic it dealt with was ominous and unsettling—curses, summoning undead, dark and poison elements, and negative energy.
It was only natural that people found it creepy.
"Hello, residents of the village. I am the newly assigned dispatched mage. My main focus is elemental magic, particularly fire magic."
"Wow! We won’t have to worry about the cold in winter!"
"Uh, hello. I am the newly assigned dispatched mage. My main focus is... black magic..."
"What? What did you say?"
"Black magic, specializing in summoning undead."
"... Someone stop the mage from going to the graveyard!"
As most people found it creepy, the new students who entered the academy felt the same way.
Each of them had come to the academy with grand ambitions, but none of them particularly wanted to study the oppressed field of black magic.
However, Yi Han looked at the professor with an intrigued gaze.
'Where others do not tread, there lies a path.'
Even before entering the academy, Yi Han had thought that black magic held considerable value.
For one, fewer students would flock to it, meaning less competition.
And it wasn’t like taking black magic classes meant he had to become a black mage.
'I can just earn my credits and move on to something else.'
After all, he would be studying other types of magic as well, so there was no need to worry so early on.
Moreover, in Yi Han’s eyes, the life of an imperial black mage wasn’t so bad.
Though people feared them, their numbers were so few that once hired, they were practically guaranteed a lifelong position.
The ultimate iron rice bowl!
"I expected everyone to react like this," Professor Garcia said, sensing the students' mood and speaking up on their behalf.
"But black magic, contrary to popular prejudice, is a field that holds deep mysteries and principles. You are all still unpolished mages. To discover where your talents lie and what you should aim for, you must continue to challenge and experience new things. I hope that rather than discarding opportunities due to prejudice, you approach your studies with the curiosity befitting a mage."
Professor Garcia’s words were calm and reasonable.
The freshmen looked at him with slightly moved expressions.
"Now, who will assist Professor Mortum in teaching black magic?"
"......"
"......"
Of course, black magic was still black magic.
The students lowered their heads to avoid Professor Garcia’s gaze.
"Yi Han! Lower your head! Lower your head!" Gainan tugged at Yi Han’s collar, urgently whispering.
"If you associate with a black mage, even after death, you won’t rest and will become an undead soldier!"
"... Are you even a mage?" Yi Han looked at Gainan with disbelief.
Even if ordinary people who didn’t understand magic believed such things, why would you?
"I’ll assist," Yi Han raised his hand.
"!!"
The students looked at Yi Han with surprise and awe.
They knew that the boy from the Wodanaz family was a leader in the Blue Dragon Tower.
But even so, volunteering to step onto the stage of black magic was unexpected.
Even the students from the Black Turtle Tower, who had only heard rumors about the Wodanaz family and feared Yi Han, had a change in their expressions.
"Yi Han!" Professor Garcia looked at Yi Han with a very pleased expression.
Yi Han knew exactly what that expression meant.
It was the look of a professor who had asked a colleague to come and give a lecture, only to find the students sitting like mute statues.
The kind of situation where you’d even prepare your disciples beforehand, telling them, "Hey, raise your hand and ask a question."
From Professor Garcia’s perspective, Yi Han stepping forward now was a godsend.
"Ahem, ahem. Thank you. Come here."
As Yi Han approached Professor Mortum, he realized why the temperature in the classroom had dropped.
A significant amount of mana was emanating from the silently standing Professor Mortum.
And it wasn’t just any mana—it was yin-attribute mana.
This cold, eerie, negative mana was the hallmark of black mages.
Mana was fundamentally colorless, but it often needed to be transformed according to the type of magic being cast.
Black magic frequently required converting mana into yin attributes.
'No wonder it’s unpopular.'
Even without the bad image, casually releasing such mana around approaching students was bound to scare them off.
No wonder even students who might have been curious would back away in fright.
It seemed that professors, whether here or elsewhere, weren’t particularly skilled at attracting students.
"You have a lot of mana."
"Thank you."
"Good. Take your wand... I’ll demonstrate first."
Professor Mortum coughed a few times before waving his hand.
In that instant, the chaotic yin mana that had been emanating from him suddenly became orderly.
"Arise, skeletal servants!"
With a chilling clatter, skeletal summons appeared among the students, dancing in eerie circles.
The students looked like they were on the verge of fainting.
Professor Mortum looked at Yi Han with a pleased voice.
"Ahem... How is it? Not bad, right?"
"Huh?"
"I prepared this thinking the students would like it."
"Um. It’s... interesting."
Yi Han tactfully avoided the truth to spare the professor’s feelings.
Professor Garcia gave him a grateful look.
"Of course, I won’t ask you to perform magic of this level. Ahem. That’s too advanced for now."
It was a given, but Yi Han felt grateful for the obvious statement.
If only Professor Voladi could hear this!
"First, try converting your mana into yin attributes."
Yi Han drew out his mana.
He had already converted it into light and water before, so he knew the basics of attribute conversion.
Visualizing the image in his mind and focusing on it to dye the mana.
Pop!
"Not bad at all."
Professor Mortum was impressed by the smooth conversion.
"Thank you."
"Convert more."
Yi Han concentrated and began to change his mana further.
'Wait, he’s actually good at this?'
Professor Garcia, watching, felt a slight panic.
Though he felt bad for Professor Mortum, he didn’t want a student like Yi Han to tread the thorny path of black magic, a path few dared to take.
'If he’s too good, that’s its own problem...'
Other mages often struggled with the concept of yin attributes.
The yin attribute was broader and more ambiguous than one might think.
Cold? Ice attributes were cold too.
Dark? Darkness attributes were dark as well.
It was a multifaceted attribute, and many mages couldn’t quite grasp it.
But Yi Han thought simply.
'Think of it like non-Euclidean geometry or imaginary numbers... something bizarre and mathematical.'
This was Yi Han’s unique advantage—his broad way of thinking.
Fortunately, this mental image seemed to fit perfectly, as his mana smoothly converted into yin attributes.
More and more.
And more.
And more.
"... Professor?"
Yi Han felt something was off.
Whoosh—
Even though it was daytime, the classroom grew darker, and the already low temperature dropped further, causing visible breaths.
But Professor Mortum showed no intention of stopping, instead urging him on with an excited expression.
The man who had been coughing moments ago now had a gleam in his eyes, not even coughing anymore, looking like a completely different person.
"How far can you go? Keep going."
"Uh, Professor Mortum?"
Professor Garcia tried to intervene.
While it was good to see Professor Mortum so excited, there were other students in the classroom.
The eerie atmosphere was growing, and the more sensitive students were starting to hear whispers from things that shouldn’t be alive.
From Professor Garcia’s perspective, they needed to stop now.
'Considering Yi Han’s mana...'
If he kept converting as much as he was curious and capable, who knew what might happen?
"Why are you stopping?"
"Perhaps it’s best to stop now."
"Let’s convert a bit more. I’m curious how far he can go."
"You can check that in another situation."
"But..."
"Stop."
At Professor Garcia’s stern tone, Professor Mortum backed down.
'What a shame...'
Professor Mortum looked at Yi Han with regret.
One of the most important things in black magic was the amount of yin-attribute mana.
Of course, mana was important in all fields of magic, but in black magic, having a large amount of mana opened up endless possibilities.
Summoning undead? Mana was crucial.
Curses? Mana was crucial.
Dark and poison elements were the same...
So he had wanted to see how far Yi Han could go, but now he was being stopped.
'Professor Garcia can be quite stingy.'
"Professor."
Yi Han called out to Professor Mortum.
The massive amount of mana he had converted was slowly dissipating.
"Ah, my apologies. Now, swing your wand like this and chant the spell. 'Be paralyzed!'"
A low-level paralysis curse.
A 1st-circle black magic spell, one of the simplest in black magic.
It caused a weak paralysis, like a cramp in the arms or legs.
There was hardly anyone who hadn’t experienced numbness in their limbs at some point.
As such, it was easy to visualize and the wand movement was simple.
"Who should I target?"
"Me, of course."
Unlike other magic, curses required a target.
Yi Han was taken aback.
Professor Mortum, as everyone knew, looked so frail that a strong breeze might knock him over.
'I always imagined the day I’d cast a spell on a professor, but not like this.'
"Are you sure that’s okay?"
"Of course. Go ahead."
"Don’t you have any defensive magic or something?"
"Ahem, ahem... It’s just a spell to paralyze arms or legs. Even if something goes wrong, how bad could it be?"
'Well, he’s not wrong.'
Yi Han conceded.
Thinking about it, it was presumptuous for a freshman like him to worry about a professor.
'Focus more.
I might get on the professor’s bad side if I act too cocky.'
As Yi Han closed his eyes and concentrated, Professor Mortum shrugged as if urging him to hurry.
Mages, by nature, had more mana than ordinary people and could control the mana within their bodies at will.
As such, they had strong resistance to magical attacks.
Even if hit, their mana would instinctively protect them.
And someone like Professor Mortum, who had spent almost his entire life handling yin-attribute mana, had even greater resistance to it.
A freshman’s spell wouldn’t affect him even if he didn’t defend against it.
'Once it’s blocked, he’ll realize just how deep and vast the field of black magic is.'
Professor Mortum thought that when Yi Han’s full-powered spell was blocked, he would be deeply impressed.
-"Even after giving it my all, it had no effect...! I had no idea black magic was this incredible. I want to learn more!"
-"Ahem, if you wish to learn, I won’t stop you."
It was the kind of optimistic thinking only someone with a paralyzed brain could have.
"Be paralyzed!"
Yi Han aimed his wand at Professor Mortum and chanted the spell.
The gathered mana explosively surged forward, enveloping Professor Mortum.
"!!!"
Professor Mortum was momentarily stunned by the sheer amount of mana.
He tried to resist, but the mana that had already wrapped around him began to suffocate him like a vice.
...
In the end, Professor Mortum fell backward, his entire body stiff and paralyzed.
Thud!
"... Professor? Professor!!"
Yi Han was horrified.
For a moment, the dishonorable title of "professor killer" flashed through his mind.