Book 1 Chapter 311
311
Seeing a slime that looked exactly like the Comet Sorcerer, the students showed puzzled expressions.
“Did it imitate the Comet Sorcerer with a slime?”
“That’s amazing, isn’t it?”
The students looked curious, but that was all.
Of course, slimes that take on human form and use magic are astonishing.
If they had seen this kind of slime for the first time, they would have been aghast.
But the second-year students had seen a similar type of slime last year.
“How different is it from Senior Torua’s Ditto?”
Chloe’s eyes sparkled as she recalled Ditto, the slime created by last year’s graduate, Torua.
‘It’s different from Senior Torua’s Ditto.’
Ditto was also a slime that had the tendency to perfectly replicate the appearance of its opponent.
However, Ditto had its limitations.
If the target to be replicated did not exist, it could do nothing.
Moreover, even if it perfectly replicated the target, its pure combat power was inferior.
Crucially, it also had the disadvantage of being unable to maintain the replication if it moved too far from Torua.
Tina dragged her slippers down from the magic laboratory.
As Leo and the slime faced each other,
the one who moved first was the slime.
Swoosh-
As it pointed its staff at Leo, magic power erupted from the tip of the staff.
Leo’s eyes twitched at the sight.
Flash-! Bang-bang-bang-bang-!
A flash of light burst before Leo’s eyes, and fragments of magic power scattered in all directions.
Everyone looked back and forth between Leo and the slime with astonished eyes.
“Indeed.”
Leo, who had deployed a shield spell to block the attack, looked at the slime, whose expression remained unchanged.
“It can’t be compared to Senior Torua’s slime.”
Whirr-!
A magic circle was generated around Leo.
Seeing this, Tina’s eyes widened.
Flash-! Crackle-crackle-crackle-!
Golden lightning, spewed from the magic circle, enveloped the Comet Sorcerer.
Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-!
Instantly, a transparent, glass-like shield repelled Leo’s magic.
Seeing that, Tina mumbled.
“Indeed. There’s a reason he’s called the youngest student council president.”
At Tina’s murmur, Ren chuckled, “Hmph-.”
“What do you think? Leo student’s magic skills.”
At Ren’s question, Tina said,
“I can only say it’s amazing.”
At Tina’s words, Ren smiled meaningfully.
“Because Leo student is a natural.”
“…It seems he’s not just naturally gifted.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve never seen anyone handle Star Magic so proficiently. Even among the Tingel family, there isn’t a sorcerer of his level.”
Ren looked at Leo with surprised eyes.
Ren, too, was the person who knew Leo’s electrifying potential better than anyone.
Teaching Leo throughout his first year, it was a continuous series of surprises.
Even epithets like "rare genius" fell short.
In his mid-teens.
No matter how great a realm one achieved, as a sorcerer, one should normally still be an unripe apple, lacking.
But Leo was different.
He already had a firm grasp of his own magical values and worldview.
‘Among the students, only the graduated Torua and fourth-year Elena have firmly established their magical worldview as sorcerers.’
Leo had already achieved such a state in his first year.
After Luna, the progenitor of the Nebula, the greatest sorcerer is indeed Seyrun, the Comet Sorcerer.
But even Seyrun cannot be placed on the same level as Luna.
Ren had no doubt that Leo would grow into a sorcerer who would stand shoulder to shoulder with Luna.
Even Ren, thinking that way, found Tina’s remark astonishing.
What kind of family was the Tingel family?
It was the family from which Seyrun, the Comet Sorcerer, was born.
The most powerful wielders of Star Magic among existing elf families.
Although Tina was born with a body unable to accept magic, and thus treated as a hidden existence in the family,
her understanding of magic was extraordinary.
And from a young age, as a direct descendant, she learned the magical techniques of the Tingel family.
Those magical techniques personally written by the Comet Sorcerer.
Star Magic, considered the closest to the original used by Luna, the progenitor of the Nebula.
As such, Tina possessed a discerning eye for Star Magic that was incomparably superior to Ren’s.
Such a Tina directly evaluated Leo as more skilled in Star Magic than the people of Tingel.
It was when Ren was looking at Leo.
The Comet Sorcerer raised her staff.
“Ah Ke Rei.”
As the spell was completed, countless spheres of light were generated.
Ah Ke Rei.
The most basic offensive spell among Star Magic.
In this era, it was an introductory level spell, and in fact, it was the easiest spell among those created by Luna.
However…
‘Its power varies greatly depending on the user.’
In fact, Ah Ke Rei was also Luna’s most frequently used spell.
In the case of low-ranking demons, dozens of them would be swept away by a single Ah Ke Rei from Luna.
Kiiiiiing-!
Leo’s eyes narrowed.
“I see.”
Leo curled up the corners of his lips.
“Ah Ke Rei.”
Leo also responded with the same magic.
Flash! Crash-crash-crash-crash-!
Fragments of light scattered in all directions.
It was a dangerous display of magic, yet its beauty captivated the onlookers.
“Is it the Comet Sorcerer herself?”
Leo looked at the slime.
To be precise, he looked at the Comet Sorcerer, whose appearance was manifested by the slime.
One of the heroes of creation.
She was the first to conquer the world of heroes and also the first to conquer Luna’s world.
‘Based on appearance, she’s my age. No, maybe a little older. The Ah Ke Rei spell formula is exactly the same as Luna’s. Is it a hero skill received as a reward for conquering the world? If so, it must be after conquering the hero world.’
Leo, who was slowly analyzing his opponent, used magic.
Whoosh-!
Mirage.
Dozens of Leo’s illusions were generated.
At that, the Comet Sorcerer paused.
The moment Leo was about to use magic.
Whirr-!
Suddenly, the Comet Sorcerer’s appearance changed, becoming fluid.
Splish-!
Then, it turned into a liquid and spilled onto the floor.
Slither-slither-
The slime gathered.
‘Overload.’
Leo nodded, looking at the slime’s core.
Whoosh-!
The illusion magic dissipated, and Leo returned to a single person.
Leo came down from the dueling arena in the laboratory.
All the students were looking at the slime with confused eyes.
“How was it? My familiar?”
Tina asked with a smile.
Then, the familiar stealthily crawled up Tina’s leg and disappeared into her clothes.
At Tina’s question, Leo said,
“I hadn’t thought a slime could be strengthened to this extent.”
Leo said calmly.
“It made me think it might be the Comet Sorcerer herself.”
“It’s incomplete, but… it is indeed the ancestor herself.”
Tina explained in a bored voice.
“To be precise, it’s her appearance when she first conquered the world of heroes. It’s the manifestation of her form at that time.”
At Tina’s words, everyone’s eyes widened.
“Of course, it’s impossible to use it in actual combat. Would you like me to explain why, Leo student?”
“Because there are over a hundred magical formulas used to manifest the slime, I presume.”
“What? A-a hundred?”
“Is it possible to put that many magical formulas into a small core of a slime?”
Everyone looked aghast.
To put multiple magical formulas into a single object, miniaturization of the formulas is absolutely necessary.
Miniaturizing a magical formula is almost like creating a new formula from scratch.
No matter how great a sorcerer, cramming a hundred magical formulas into one small core is difficult.
What if it’s a magical formula to manifest the past appearance of the Comet Sorcerer?
Tina had accomplished something almost impossible.
Realizing anew how incredible the sorcerer before them was, everyone wore expressions of being overwhelmed.
“What’s next?”
“The magic power source that activates the formulas would also be a problem. I’m curious what kind of magic power source you used.”
“That’s a secret I can’t tell you.”
Tina giggled.
“Anyway, this slime is merely an example showing how far a familiar can develop. Even I can’t make another one like this. But even so,”
Tina looked at the Lumern students.
“Even if it’s not to this extent, I think adding the abilities you need to your familiar using the magical engineering formulas I teach you would be a significant help, don’t you think?”
Tina looked at Chloe.
“Whether you’re a traditional sorcerer, a combat sorcerer, or an all-rounder. A pure sorcerer will eventually have a gap the moment they cast a spell.”
Tina dragged her slippers and appeared among the students.
“Dual-class magic swordsmen would compensate with swordsmanship. And in the case of summoners who summon spirits and phantom beasts, they would compensate with summoned creatures.”
Tina looked at some dual-class students.
“Unless it’s a special case, magic swordsmen often lack in either swordsmanship or magic, or summoners have weaknesses in their ‘attributes,’ don’t they?”
Tina had a meaningful expression.
“In the case of artificial familiars created with magical engineering, there’s a big advantage in being able to create an existence that can clearly compensate for one’s weaknesses. Don’t you think it’s worth learning?”
At those words, the students of the Magic Department showed expressions of agreement.
“Now, are there still any complaints?”
At Tina’s question, no one else expressed doubt about the practicality of familiars.
“Good, then shall we begin class?”
“Here?”
“Aren’t we supposed to study magic formulas in the classroom?”
Some students showed puzzled expressions.
To that, Tina calmly said,
“Since it’s a familiar class, wouldn’t it be best to start with the most basic things? Starting with familiar taming.”
Tina’s first class began outdoors.
And most students struggled from that very first class.
This was inevitable because familiar taming was a magic that had been on the decline for a long time.
While all Lumern Magic Department students were elite sorcerers and very strong in the latest trend magic,
they tended to be weak in magic that was already considered impractical and neglected.
No matter how much magic they knew and how excellent their magic sense and magic power control were, they couldn’t help but struggle in a field of magic they were experiencing for the very first time.
“This is easy~”
“It’s a relief I’m a summoner and a dual-class.”
Summoners who also practiced summoning magic often succeeded quickly, having either already studied familiar taming or picking it up quickly even if they hadn’t.
“This is surprisingly difficult.”
Chloe looked at the familiar taming spell formula with a troubled expression.
She had completely mastered the formula, but couldn’t easily grasp the knack of it.
Chelsea also seemed to be struggling.
But as time passed, students one by one began to succeed.
“Heh, look at this. Isn’t it cute?”
Illiana said, showing off the animal she had tamed.
At that, Chelsea gave her a pathetic look.
“Can that pigeon even fly? You know the kids call them ‘chicken-pigeons,’ right?”
Illiana had tamed a pigeon, which could be easily seen anywhere on the Lumern campus.
Lumern’s pigeons had grown up eating bread crumbs given by students, so they weren’t afraid of people.
In fact, they rarely flew, so students even gave them the nickname ‘chicken-pigeons,’ thinking they might not be able to fly.
At Chelsea’s words, Illiana flared up.
“Ugh! What did you tame? You were struggling just like me a moment ago, weren’t you?”
“Me?”
Chelsea smiled faintly and raised her hand.
Chirp-!
With a sharp cry, a hawk landed on Chelsea’s staff.
“As you can see.”
“Ugh!”
Seeing Chelsea, who had tamed a bird of prey—a difficult familiar to tame—Illiana shrank her neck.
Illiana, looking tearful, called out to Leo who was passing by.
“Class President! What did you tame, Class President?”
At Illiana’s question, Leo spread his palm.
Then, a sparrow flew down and landed on Leo’s hand.
Seeing that, Illiana showed a triumphant expression.
“See! There’s no need to tame something showy! As expected of the Class President! We’re comrades!”
“For Leo oppa, he tamed something ordinary.”
It was also when Chelsea looked a little bewildered.
“I’m not ordinary. I can talk. My master is different from you, who tamed a chicken-pigeon.”
Human words burst from the sparrow’s mouth.
Chelsea and Illiana’s jaws dropped.
“Familiars with elevated intelligence can express their owner’s intentions on their behalf.”
When Leo said calmly, Illiana was flustered.
“B-but even so, you just learned familiar taming for the first time…”
At Illiana’s words, Leo muttered inwardly.
‘Well, I’ve already mastered familiar taming.’
Unlike sorcerers of the current generation, Leo was a sorcerer from an era that actively utilized familiars.
Just then, Chloe passed by.
Chloe had also tamed a sparrow, and it was speaking simply, just like Leo’s.
Chelsea giggled, looking at Illiana.
“You’re the only one with a chicken-pigeon.”
“Ugh!”
Illiana, still looking tearful, pointed at Karl.
“Karl! What did you tame?!”
At that, Karl grinned.
“You’ll be shocked if you see what I tamed, won’t you?”
“Hmph! It’s still Karl! What did you tame?!”
“Here.”
Karl extended his hand towards Illiana.
“Huh? What on earth… Kyaaaaaaaaack!”
Illiana, who was looking closely at Karl’s hand, screamed and ran away upon seeing an animal poke its head out from Karl’s sleeve.
“What on earth… Cough?”
“Hey! Karl! You!”
“Hahahahahaha!”
Karl, who had tamed a snake, chased after the screaming female students, bursting into laughter.
At that, the female students ran away in surprise.
“Operation wildly successful!”
Karl chuckled.
Watching him, Leo sighed lightly.
“Karl.”
“Leo, isn’t this funny even to you?”
“Are you confident you can handle the consequences?”
“Huh? Ugh!”
Thwack-!
No sooner had Leo finished speaking than Chelsea flew in and delivered a dropkick with both feet to Karl’s back.
Illiana brought a wooden stick, and Chloe used ice magic with a chilling expression.
Seeing that, Leo sighed lightly and shook his head.
***
After class.
While a battered Karl briefly went to the infirmary,
Leo headed to Tina’s office with Chloe.
Tina, a visiting professor, had arrived at Lumern yesterday and received a private office, so they said.
“I’m excited!”
Chloe tightly hugged the book in her arms with an excited voice.
On the book cover was written: [A Philosophical Inquiry into Why an Ice Sorcerer Should Learn Ice Magic].
Chloe, who arrived in front of Tina’s office, took a deep breath and knocked.
Knock-knock-
Then, the door creaked open.
“Leo student and Chloe student. What brings you here?”
Tina, who had been holding a pen and writing something, looked up and asked.
“Professor Tina! I’ve been deeply impressed by the papers you’ve written for a long time! I… could I ask for your autograph on this!”
Chloe smiled shyly and showed the book.
“Yes. Alright.”
Tina nodded and approached.
Meanwhile, as she did, Leo’s gaze, which had been scanning Tina’s office, suddenly settled on one spot.
A small crystal ball.
Leo narrowed his brows, seeing tiny fairy wings inside the crystal ball.
‘Fairy wings? Could it be…?’
No matter how he looked at it, it wasn’t a mere decoration.
Judging by the faint energy he felt, it was definitely fairy wings.
And those of a fairy Leo was well acquainted with.
‘Are they Kirian’s wings?’