LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 62
Chapter 62
“That… that was….”
“Devil’s Herb”.
In the Cardbel Empire, this herb was one of the ingredients used to make alcohol, but in their haste, they hadn’t considered this aspect.
While it preserved the potion’s effects, it also made anyone who drank it intoxicated.
Well, it might be beneficial for the user. It did, after all, make the already beautiful magic appear even more enchanting.
Snickers and giggles echoed around them.
Professor Bruce glanced at the Ardel students with an amused expression.
An incredibly clever idea.
A high-quality potion that far surpassed what students should be able to create.
Professor Bruce immediately recognized the components of the potion.
Even without the Devil’s Herb, the potion was already complete. So, why had they added an ingredient that elevated the drinker’s mood?
Curiosity got the better of him.
“Who thought to mix alcohol into such a beautiful potion?”
Professor Bruce turned to Han Siha and asked.
“Well, you see…”
Han Siha, the pride of K-graduate students, confidently stepped forward.
“….”
Truth be told, he had known all along.
When Evan was fiddling around with the potion in the corner, Han Siha had kept an eye on him, ready to step in and snatch the potion away if something truly dangerous was added.
But when he saw Evan foolishly add Devil’s Herb, all he could feel was a sense of futility.
No matter how he looked at them, they were just plain ignorant.
Well, it wasn’t something to laugh about, considering he would have to clean up their mess.
With a smile, Han Siha clasped his hands together politely.
“Did you see the potion’s name?”
“Potion?”
With a flushed face, Professor Bruce checked the potion’s name.
Potion of ‘Art.’
A unique potion that transforms elemental magic into art.
“Oh, could it be…?”
“What? Is that what it means?”
Of course not.
But Han Siha nodded shamelessly.
Then he launched into an eloquent explanation.
“We have sublimated our rebellion against a competition filled with conventional results and underhanded tactics into art. We believed that, besides potions for combat, we could also create potions with entirely different purposes. We hope you enjoy this small act of rebellion.”
“Such profound meaning….”
Adela looked up at Han Siha with a bewildered expression, as if he had lost his mind.
Even though this wasn’t the potion they had originally planned, he wasn’t the least bit flustered and continued to speak smoothly. It was astonishing.
Holding up the potion in both hands, Han Siha continued calmly.
“Since only a small amount was added, there shouldn’t be any issues…”
-Except the red-lipped professor from the Magic Department was already dancing around the room.
Han Siha chuckled slightly and nodded.
“I’m glad to see you’re enjoying yourself.”
“Enjoying? This is amazing! I approve!”
“P-Professor!”
The teaching assistants, startled by her behavior, rushed over to support her.
Originally, she was the type who would find any excuse to declare Cardbel the winner.
But what could she do? She was already drunk.
Professor Bruce bit his lip, struggling to suppress a laugh.
“It seems the others share the same opinion.”
Han Siha slowly turned to face Kael.
Kael’s fists were trembling pathetically, already admitting defeat.
“The winner of this competition is Ardel Academy. Congratulations.”
“Woohoo!”
“Waaaah!”
Han Siha grinned widely, savoring the sweet taste of victory.
* * *
The time had come to settle the bet between Han Siha and Kael.
No sooner had the competition ended than Adela, following the vibrations of the earth, tracked down the Cardbel students.
They had tried to run away immediately, but were eventually caught by Lee Han and Adela.
Cornered, Kael frantically waved his hands in surrender.
“Ah! I was wrong! It’s my fault!”
“That doesn’t sound like an apology to me.”
Kael, his face flushed and on the verge of bursting, shook his head furiously.
Han Siha sighed, folding his arms.
“C-Can’t you just let it go this one time?”
“A bet’s a bet. You have to keep your promises. If you didn’t like it, you should’ve won. You used underhanded tactics and still lost?”
“You little….”
“Wanna say that again?”
“…I’ll explain everything! So, that’s…!”
Adela wasn’t the type to back down here.
In her hand was a dark crimson potion.
Polymorph Potion. Just one sip, and you wouldn’t be able to return to your original form for an hour.
People said it would turn you into something unpleasant like a rat, a worm, or a cockroach.
Lee Han, with his arms folded, asked, “Are you sure it works?”
“Don’t worry. I brought the most expensive one.”
Kael struggled to push Adela’s hand away, but unfortunately for him, she was a bit quicker.
“Mmph…!”
Kael gagged as he swallowed a sip of the potion.
He tried desperately to spit it out, but the potion wasn’t so easily neutralized.
The effects of the Polymorph Potion kicked in faster than expected.
“Aaaargh!”
Kael’s massive body shrank, bit by bit.
Eventually, he was no larger than the palm of a hand.
Squeak.
A giant rat, the kind you’d expect to find in a sewer.
Lee Han smirked and teased, “You know, this form might be cuter.”
Adela, however, had a different reaction.
“Eek!”
Despite being the one who forcefully fed him the potion, Adela recoiled in horror once he transformed.
When the agitated Kael tried to scurry forward, Han Siha quickly grabbed his tail.
Adela gasped, her eyes wide with surprise.
“Wow, you’re pretty good at this.”
“Of course. He’s adorable. Should we throw him in a mousetrap?”
“…!”
Squeak, squeak, squeak!
Kael squirmed violently at Han Siha’s words.
Han Siha skillfully held onto Kael’s tail and tossed him aside.
Thud.
*Squeak!*
“Oh, sorry.”
Han Siha could almost hear Kael spewing curses in his mind.
Next, Han Siha turned his attention to Evan, who was huddled in a corner.
Seeing how he had been trembling since earlier, it was clear that he was quite terrified.
Evan was next.
Adela beckoned with a sly smile.
To Evan, it felt like a welcoming gesture straight to hell.
“Come here.”
“P-Please spare me.”
“I’ll let you live.”
“Ahhh!”
* * *
Professor Bruce looked at the three students with a pleased smile.
The last potion had been a result that greatly satisfied him.
He had sensed it during his Herbalism class as well—Han Siha was a student who could cleverly grasp what he wanted.
The potion made by Cardbel was certainly of high quality.
It did feel suspiciously like it had been copied from somewhere, but without any solid proof, they would have won if Ardel’s potion hadn’t appeared.
However, it wasn’t aligned with what he was aiming for.
Magic isn’t just about causing harm. This is what true magic is.
It was just an offhand comment, but it seemed that the two students from Ardel had remembered his words.
He couldn’t quite understand why they added Devil’s Herb, but the performance and effects were undeniable.
That was enough.
It felt like he was glimpsing the sparkling talent of these young students.
“The Magic Department, right? Isn’t it impressive?”
“I’ll explain everything personally. It will be a good opportunity for you. Who knows? You might end up working here someday.”
The Magic Department was like a government job in modern terms—only better paid.
It was stable and well-paying, so students not interested in combat often ranked it as their first choice.
They accepted very few applicants, making it hard to get in.
But Professor Bruce thought these three students had a good chance of being accepted.
That’s why he, usually just going through the motions, began the tour with newfound enthusiasm.
‘Why is he doing this?’
‘Please, just leave us alone.’
The three students had no idea about Professor Bruce Miller’s deeper intentions and sighed inwardly.
As Lee Han had expected, the security was tight, befitting an organization that managed all the magicians.
Professor Bruce led them to the customer service office.
This was where they handled various matters, such as admissions to magical academies, certification registrations, and minor disputes.
As a result, the staff were busily moving around.
“You would’ve submitted your admission certificates to Ardel, right? That’s all handled here.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
“Really amazing.”
Adela and Han Siha nodded vigorously, their voices flat and devoid of enthusiasm.
Their spirits seemed to be elsewhere.
Unaware of this, Professor Bruce got even more excited and led them to the next room.
“This is the lounge and training ground, though it’s hardly used. The magicians here don’t really enjoy playing in the dirt. Follow me. There’s a research lab upstairs too.”
It was then that Lee Han, panting heavily, interrupted Professor Bruce.
“P-Professor, can we take a short break?”
They had been walking through the vast Magic Association building for a long time, and Professor Bruce had quite a brisk pace, so it was understandable that Lee Han was tired.
At that moment, Professor Bruce’s pet parrot fluttered in.
“Ah, sure. Another professor seems to be looking for me anyway.”
Han Siha’s eyes gleamed.
Of course, Professor Bruce had no idea that even this parrot had been secretly tamed by Han Siha.
Perfect timing.
Adela nodded, confirming the door to the basement.
As soon as Professor Bruce turned around and left, the three of them exchanged looks, their expressions completely changing.
Whether they got caught or not didn’t matter.
They had to find the cube and get out of here.
Lee Han lowered his voice and gave the command.
“Run.”
* * *
They ran as fast as they could, not even sure how fast.
Their legs were trembling from the strain as they hurried to the third basement floor.
To where the vault was.
“Hah… I think I’m going to die.”
“Just a bit more.”
The weakest among them, I, pulled a potion out of my bag with trembling hands. It wouldn’t do to keep going in this condition, not knowing what might happen.
A swift magic potion.
I gulped down the green, jelly-like liquid. The taste was so awful it made me grimace.
At least the effects seemed to be kicking in, which was a relief.
“Ugh.”
Ahead of us was a dark corridor.
Being on the third basement floor, it felt much colder and eerier than the previous floors.
It was chilly, and something felt like it could go wrong at any moment.
“Han Siha, Adela, come here.”
Lee Han called us over, holding a bundle of papers in both hands.
“What’s that?”
It’s a teleport scroll.
Guessing what Lee Han had in mind, I immediately knew the answer.
Lee Han nodded and quickly explained.
If anyone realized they were missing, Professor Bruce might come looking for them.
“In an emergency, use this to teleport back to where we started. If you say you were in the bathroom, no one will know.”
Lee Han handed the scrolls to Adela and me.
But at that moment, I noticed something.
Only two scrolls.
What was he planning for the third person?
“This was the best I could do. I tried to get more, but there weren’t any. As long as we don’t get caught, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Teleportation scrolls were expensive, and it wasn’t easy to get them in large quantities. I understood what he meant.
I stuffed the scroll into my pocket and nodded.
Just as Lee Han said, time wasn’t on their side.
The core vault, which was considered the heart of the Magic Department, was on the fourth basement floor, so most of the security was concentrated there. But just because they were on the third basement floor didn’t mean they were safe.
Only those with permission were allowed down here, so the security was relatively light.
The underground levels of the Magic Department were unpredictable places where anything could happen.
I swallowed nervously and looked around.
There were no signs of anyone nearby, and the various precious metals displayed behind glass were intact.
Lee Han muttered anxiously.
“So, where’s the cube?”
That’s when it happened.
Adela, who had stopped in her tracks with a surprised look, pointed to the long hallway.
A faint but distinct blue light was emanating from the corridor.
Something suspicious was definitely there.
Without hesitation, I took a step forward.
One step, then another.
As I got closer, I began to understand what the light was.
A vault on the third basement floor, securely locked and even protected by a barrier.
“That’s it.”
Adela murmured softly as she stepped closer.
Beep-beep-beep!
“…!”
A chilling alarm echoed in our ears.
[Main Episode 2: The First Cube]
[Objective: Successfully retrieve the first cube sealed in the underground vault.]
[Time Limit: 24:00]
[Reward: Difficulty adjustment]
[Failure: Death]
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