I’m Not Becoming a Graduate Student! – Chapter 38

“Dark magic is broadly divided into three branches: mind magic, necromancy, and curse magic.”

“…Oh.”

Granchar’s explanation continued.

All three branches had eerie names fitting for dark magic.

Sion listened to her explanation with curious eyes.

“I am a professor of necromancy, but I can manage the basics of each type of magic.”

“That’s impressive!”

“Heheh, feel free to praise me more!”

“…You’re amazing.”

“Come on, be more creative with your compliments! Really.”

It was as if she had never just been crying.

She seemed genuinely happy just to be lecturing students.

…What kind of life has this professor lived?

“Let me first show you necromancy….”

Even under Sion’s sympathetic gaze, she continued her lecture firmly.

She pulled out a pouch filled with bones from her bosom.

…Why are there bones suddenly?

“Spirit of the departed, rise once more and dedicate yourself to me! Revival!”

Bam!

As soon as her chant finished, the bones in the pouch began to twitch and, eventually, dropped to the ground and started to assemble themselves.

Sion couldn’t take his eyes off the strange yet fascinating sight.

What formed was… a tiny rat.

[Spell Name: Revival.]

[Attribute: Necromancy]

[Rank: 1st Circle]

[Description: A 1st Circle necromancy spell that revives the dead using their bones or skin.]

[You have discovered a spell of a lower circle than yours!]

[A new spell has been registered in the magic codex.]

[You can now use the Revival spell.]

‘It’s been registered… necromancy.’

Compared to the elemental magic at the 1st Circle, this was a much more powerful spell.

The fact that you could bring back the dead as long as you had some bones or skin was simply remarkable.

Of course, there would be many restrictions, but it was impressive nonetheless.

“That’s incredible. Its power is stronger than the 1st Circle elemental magic. It seems usable in combat with just the 1st Circle.”

“Nya-hahaha! You have a keen eye. Dark magic is inherently stronger than other types. But it comes with its own restrictions.”

She playfully tapped the little rat undead with her fist.

And just like that, the rat undead collapsed.

With that, the movement of the bones ceased.

…It died again with one punch?

“Depends on what kind of deceased you’re using, how many bones you have, whether they have any lingering attachments to life, and so on… The amount of mana used can fluctuate accordingly. And!”

She pointed her index finger dramatically.

“Necromancy is harder to learn than other types of magic. Since it deals with life and death, it’s really tricky to get a good handle on it.”

“So, it’s powerful but hard to learn, with big risks, huh?”

“Oho! You’re quite sharp. That’s exactly right!”

“It’s not surprising that the department has disappeared.”

“Wah-aaaah!!”

Granchar looked at Sion with a pouting expression.

No matter what he said, she overreacted.

…She’s really easy to mess with.

“I’m just joking.”

“Don’t make jokes like that!”

“Okay, okay… I’m sorry. Shall we start learning? Can you recite the chant again?”

“Hmm, it’s probably futile anyway. So instead of you trying it yourself, I’d rather show you different types….”

“Even if I fail, it’s okay.”

After being persuaded by Sion, she finally told him the chant.

“What was the chant again?”

“I said, ‘Spirit of the departed, rise and dedicate yourself to me! Revival!’ …that’s it.”

“……”

“I can tell you just sighed inwardly!”

“Ah.”

Sion felt again the reason why the necromancy department had disappeared.

“Spirit of the departed, come back to this world… dedicate yourself to me!”

“You won’t succeed with that lack of confidence… Wah-aaaah!?”

“Revival!”

Bam!

Sion pretended to chant while using the ‘Revival’ from the magic codex.

His target, of course, was the bones of the rat undead lying on the ground.

As expected, the rattling noise began, and the rat undead started to reassemble…

“Done! Revival.”

“……….. Huh?”

She inspected the rat undead with a creaking motion.

The rat’s characteristic stuttering movements were still present.

It wasn’t just a pile of bones; the undead had been properly infused with a soul.

“I-Impossible… A! Could it be, are you Kaela’s thing!? Did you brainwash him with mind magic to tease me?!”

“No… Who’s Kaela?”

“She’s the professor of mind magic! Huh, there are no traces of mind magic…?”

As she stared deeply into Sion’s eyes, she suddenly gasped, her eyes widening.

“…What’s your name?”

“Come to think of it, I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Sion. I don’t have a family name.”

“Sion!!”

Granchar snapped her teeth in astonishment as if she had seen a ghost.

“There’s a monster, they say, among the new students in the magic department…!”

“…A monster?”

“I never expected to meet you here! You’re amazing. Truly amazing!”

She gazed at him with awe.

Sion scratched the back of his head, speechless.

‘In just two weeks, I’ve become famous among the professors…?’

It hasn’t even been two weeks since he enrolled.

Yet, it seemed his reputation was growing.

He felt it was ridiculous, but considering what he had done at the academy so far, it made sense.

After a moment, the serious Granchar looked at Sion intently.

“Learning dark magic, you will surely become a great talent. No joke, dark magic is the blue ocean of magic… with your talent, you’ll blossom in no time.”

Her words intrigued Sion.

For an ordinary person, learning dark magic would be incredibly difficult.

On the other hand, Sion could acquire magic just by looking at it, thanks to the existence of the ‘magic codex.’

But…

“You called it a blue ocean?”

“Indeed! A blue ocean!”

“Isn’t it more like a drying ocean…?”

“Wah-aaaah! That’s not true! Although it has faded into the history of the magic department….”

It was hard to agree that dark magic was a blue ocean.

“So, what kind of jobs can you get by learning dark magic?”

“Uh… well, first, with necromancy, you can become a civil servant!”

“What kind of civil servant?”

“…Um, like a graveyard manager?”

That’s still a civil servant, but a graveyard manager?

It obviously means working nights, avoiding people, and dealing with grave robbers—a dangerous job.

…That’s not a blue ocean; it’s a job people avoid.

“What about mind magic?”

“Uh, um. Interrogators, mental health counselors, psychiatrists…”

“Sounds psychologically taxing.”

“What about curse magic?”

“Curse magic can make the most money! …You can get quite a nice income from freelancing in dark alleys…”

“……”

“….”

Granchar slowly bowed her head.

None of those seemed like normal jobs.

How could this be referred to as a blue ocean?

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Wait a minute!!”

As Sion tried to leave the department, Granchar desperately blocked the way.

“What urgent appointment are you talking about? You can’t leave until you tell me!”

“I really have an appointment. Why can’t you trust a student?”

“Then what is this appointment?!”

“…Uh.”

When it came to appointments, he suddenly remembered.

‘I actually do have an appointment…? With Professor Heruj.’

Professor Heruj, who teaches ‘swordsmanship essential for wizards,’ had said something quite impressive during class.

Afterwards, Professor Heruj directly arranged an appointment with Sion.

-Then I’ll see you Wednesday evening!

-…Understood.

-Good! Now, I’ll resume the class!

The appointment is on Wednesday evening.

Today is Thursday, the day of the club event.

Which means….

‘Oops! I completely forgot about my appointment with the professor!’

He had also forgotten his appointment with Serenne, but forgetting one with a professor was even worse.

He seriously shouldn’t be fooling around with Granchar right now.

“I’m sorry, but I have to meet another professor.”

“Which professor?!”

“Professor Heruj.”

“Pro, Professor Heruj…? The one from Yulseo Sword Technique…? No way, why are you meeting a Combat Department professor?!”

“I swear it’s true.”

Even if Sion tried to push through, he couldn’t manage it.

From the outside, it looked like a scene that might invite misunderstandings.

Breaking the window to escape wasn’t an option, given the height and all the attention it would attract.

In the end, there was only one way out.

“Alright! I’ll come here again next Thursday, okay?”

“Re-really? Not lying or anything?”

“It’s true. If you don’t believe me, let’s exchange numbers with my student ID.”

“Wah-aaaah….”

Sion took out his student ID from his pocket.

With a tearfully excited face, she started to play around with his student ID.

Then, she meticulously pulled out her own faculty ID and called Sion.

While Granchar was distracted, Sion opened the door.

“See you next week.”

“Re-really coming? You can meet again next week?!”

“Of course. I’ve really got to go now!”

“If you’re lying, I’ll put a curse on you!!!”

As her echoing words faded behind him, Sion dashed out of the club room.

While searching for Professor Heruj’s contact information with his student ID.