Chapter Ten: The Sorcerer Acts on His Whims

The students were already in class, and Han Shuo and Jack’s tasks for the day had yet to begin. After everyone else had left, the two of them also parted ways to attend to their respective duties.

Han Shuo finished cleaning the statues and felt the heaviness in his chest gradually fade. He made his way to a secluded spot where no one was around, loosened the coarse cloth shirt at his chest, and saw faint blue-green specks of light seeping out. It seemed that, enveloped by his magical essence, Claude’s pale blue-green battle aura was slowly leaking from his chest in this manner.

He exhaled softly, finally able to put his mind at ease. The magical essence cultivated through his dark arts was indeed remarkable. From the knowledge Han Shuo had recently acquired, he learned that knights, too, had a strict hierarchy: each rank possessed a different color of battle aura—Apprentice Knight (light blue), Junior Knight (deep blue), Intermediate Knight (blue-green), Senior Knight (dark blue-green), Earth Knight (milky white), Sky Knight (silver), and Paladin (golden).

Since Claude’s battle aura was blue-green, it meant he was truly an Intermediate Knight. A blow from such a knight’s battle aura would be fatal to an ordinary person; survival was impossible. The only reason Han Shuo had survived without serious injury was clearly because of his cultivation of the dark arts.

Feeling the magical essence clamp tightly around the blue-green battle aura, Han Shuo relaxed but dared not continue his cultivation. He feared that if the magical essence shifted elsewhere with his intent, the unrestrained battle aura might erupt and damage his internal organs.

Fortunately, as time passed, the magical essence gradually dissipated in the form of specks of light, which eased Han Shuo’s worries.

Because classes were in session, no one came searching for the little skeleton hiding in the garbage dump. The recent disturbance might not subside so quickly, and with broad daylight upon him, Han Shuo did not dare summon the little skeleton back to the storeroom for fear of being discovered along the way.

By afternoon, inside the Dark Magic Department’s training hall.

The facilities at Babylon Academy of Magic and Martial Arts were exceptionally complete. Each department had its own dedicated training hall, equipped with all manner of apparatus for magical experiments—stones for testing mental strength, devices for measuring magical power, and more.

The Necromancy Department likewise had several spacious rooms for students to practice magic. Han Shuo, mop in hand, was cleaning the Necromancy Department’s training rooms when he saw a few students approaching.

Among them was Buck, who hadn’t caused trouble in some time. Buck’s face was bruised and swollen, utterly miserable, as though he’d already been dealt with by Irene and Lisa. The moment he spotted Han Shuo mopping the floor, Buck’s face turned ashen, his already unsightly features contorting further into an unrecognizable grimace.

Han Shuo felt smug but kept a foolish grin on his face, even humming some cheerful, nonsensical tune. He gripped the mop, pulling and twisting it as if showing off.

“Damn you, Bryan! When did you see that black little skeleton running out from my room?” Buck roared, his face twisted with rage as he glared at Han Shuo.

Feigning confusion, Han Shuo looked up at Buck and gave him a simple, silly smile without replying, then quickly pulled the mop away and walked off.

“Don’t you run! I won’t let you off today!”

“Buck, how many times have I told you not to bully Bryan? Are you even daring to ignore my words now?” Miss Fanny entered from the doorway. Seeing Buck chasing after Han Shuo, she immediately put her hands on her hips and scolded him sternly.

“Miss Fanny, look at my face! It’s all because Bryan spread rumors, making Lisa and Irene beat me up. It’s Bryan who bullies me, not the other way around!”

“Oh, I heard about this morning’s incident too. Perhaps Bryan was just muddled and saw things wrong. With him like this, what’s the point in arguing with him? Hmph, with your level of magic, you couldn’t possibly summon such a peculiar, powerful little skeleton. I do wonder, though, who actually summoned it. There are rumors outside that our Necromancy Department has made a breakthrough and developed magic that makes dark creatures immune to light spells.”

Standing at the edge of the room, Han Shuo gazed admiringly at the beautiful Fanny. Today, her light purple hair was pinned up in a bun, with a few loose strands falling across her forehead, adding a touch of charm and brightness that left Han Shuo inwardly full of praise.

“Bryan, your soul pain should be over now. Today, you’ll help me practice with zombies. Come, let’s go to Training Room Three,” Lisa, the little witch, called out haughtily when she spotted Han Shuo in the corner.

“Lisa, practice is fine, but don’t attack him directly with ‘Wraith’ magic like last time,” Fanny reminded her, worried for Han Shuo’s safety.

“I know, Miss Fanny!” Lisa replied carelessly and made her way to Training Room Three.

It was part of a servant’s duties to help students practice magic, and Han Shuo also wanted a chance to get back at them, so he obediently put down his mop and headed for Training Room Three.

As soon as Han Shuo entered, there was a bang—the door slammed shut behind him. Clearly, Lisa intended to use the room alone. She stood triumphantly behind the door, staring at Han Shuo and declared, “Let’s see where you can run today.”

With that, Lisa raised her hands and began to chant a spell: “Fallen zombie warrior, heed the summons of the dark messenger, reveal your presence!”

A zombie warrior appeared—a dark blue figure with hardened muscles, gripping a thick wooden club. Unlike skeleton warriors, zombie warriors were a rank higher, with solid muscles, faster movement, and greater strength. Only a junior magician could summon one; apprentices like Buck had no hope of doing so.

These dark creatures could attack enemies under the mental command of their summoner. However, low-level dark creatures had very limited intelligence and could only carry out the simplest attacks. To unleash their full power, the summoner had to continually control them with mental force, directing them to perform complex maneuvers.

But to masterfully control a dark creature in combat required repeated practice, so the department’s servants became their training targets. Until now, Lisa and the others had only used servants to practice controlling skeleton warriors, but this time Lisa summoned a zombie warrior—clearly with ill intent.

When Han Shuo saw it was a zombie warrior, not a skeleton, he was dumbfounded. He cursed Lisa dozens of times in his heart before retreating a few steps, fully alert.

“Bryan, you’ve been running faster lately, and you seem much stronger, too. Practicing on skeleton warriors is too easy for you. Today, help the future great necromancer practice controlling a zombie warrior,” Lisa teased, her pretty face flushed and her eyes sparkling with mischievous delight as she commanded the zombie warrior to charge at Han Shuo.

The zombie, wielding its massive club, lumbered toward Han Shuo under Lisa’s control, quickly closing the distance. The club, thicker than Han Shuo’s arm, came whistling down at his head. With the zombie’s immense strength, a single blow would be enough to kill or maim him.

Yet, as the club descended, Han Shuo felt no fear. Instead, an inexplicable, bloodthirsty thrill welled up within him—a sensation that struck him as odd, as though his entire being yearned for battle.

Suddenly, Han Shuo’s eyes narrowed, his foolish facade vanishing, and a flash of sharpness appeared in his gaze. He planted his left leg and shifted a meter to the right.

With a dull thud, the zombie’s club smashed into the spot Han Shuo had just vacated.

“Eh!” Lisa gasped in surprise. For a brief instant, Han Shuo’s entire demeanor had changed, startling her. That expression and gaze were entirely unfamiliar to Lisa. Shaken, she rubbed her eyes and stared at Han Shuo again.

Now, Han Shuo once more wore his vacant, silly look, shying away from the zombie as if out of instinct, cringing and dodging in a thoroughly foolish manner.

I must have been seeing things, Lisa thought. How could this idiot Bryan possibly have… that kind of presence, that kind of look? She snorted and refocused, directing the zombie warrior to chase Han Shuo.

The chase continued—Han Shuo never again showed that startling aura or expression, but always managed to dodge the zombie’s club at the most critical moments. This only spurred Lisa’s competitive spirit; she delighted in controlling the zombie’s pursuit, thinking, Since Bryan went mad, he’s gotten faster and sturdier.

As the hunted, Han Shuo felt a surge of vengeful intent toward Lisa, growing stronger with each moment. His rational mind tried to suppress it, but the thought refused to be denied. And as the zombie’s movements grew ever more agile, his desire for revenge only intensified, echoing in his mind: “A demon does as he pleases… a demon does as he pleases…”

Suddenly, a memory surged up, and in an instant, Han Shuo grasped the true essence of the dark arts he practiced. The phrase “a demon does as he pleases” became an unceasing chant in his mind.

At last, Han Shuo let out a low roar, hunched his body, lowered his head, and abruptly changed course, charging straight toward Lisa.