I Became a Genius Black Mage at the Holy Academy

By the time night fell, Hector was finally able to leave the infirmary with only a few splints left on his body, after unwrapping most of his bandages. He was told that by the day after tomorrow, he would be fully recovered. The healing powers of Akerandir were nothing short of miraculous, no matter how many times one experienced it.

“Goodnight, everyone. Hector, get some rest.”

With Beanin leading the way, everyone dispersed to their private rooms. 

Hector looked pitiful with his broad shoulders slumped, but Roan could only gaze at him with contempt in his eyes.

‘He’s the type who sees spirit beasts as mere tools!’

Once Roan returned to his room, he pulled out a bag from the pouch Harden had given him and found the book, The Deeper Darkness. He decided to leave everything else in the pouch, as there was no reason to take them out.

‘From now on, I can just store anything dangerous in here.’

The fact that Harden had provided such a gift to protect his disciple’s life showed just how exceptional a Holy Spirit he was. Of course, if Harden knew what was going on in Roan’s head, he would have been furious.

Roan, naturally assuming Harden’s things were now his, was eager to delve into The Deeper Darkness.

‘In the game, you simply had to wait for a set amount of time to learn a book…’

For example, with The Deeper Darkness, depending on your stats, it would take about three months before it registered as a skill. However, in reality, Roan had no idea how magic would be learned.

Filled with excitement, Roan opened the book.

Bam!

“Black magic! I smell black magic!”

The door suddenly burst open as Hector dashed out into the living room, shouting in an absolute frenzy.

Roan’s face scrunched up into a frown.

‘I just wanted to study in peace…!’

He flung his door open and snapped, “Hector, I’m sorry about the whole serpent incident, but can you at least make sense?”

“No, Roan, seriously, I can smell black magic…”

Facing Roan’s icy glare, Hector flinched. But Roan didn’t let up, not in the slightest.

“Black magic in the Holy Land of Akerandir? Do you have any proof?”

“Well, no, but —”

“I’d appreciate it if you kept quiet so that I could study.”

“Alright… sorry.”

Creak.

Roan closed the door, giving Hector one final scathing look. From the other side of the door, Hector’s dejected voice could be heard mumbling, “I was sure of it, though…”

‘Even just opening a book causes this much trouble.’

‘It really was a place where you could never let your guard down. So what if there’s a slight smell of black magic in the dormitory?’

Roan sat back down in front of the book, getting ready to read.

“Huh?”

But something seemed to be a little off about the book. The first page was completely blank. However, after a moment, letters began to appear on the blank page, as if written by a ghost, in an elegant script.

Roan smiled brightly.

‘So this is how it works!’

A development he hadn’t anticipated. How delightful.

The first sentence of The Deeper Darkness began like this:

— Even if you’re an insecure black magic user, you’re welcome here. This book is written to lower the barriers to entry into the ‘Abyss,’ which represents the essence of black magic. —

Roan nodded in admiration.

‘These black mages must have received some kind of moral education!’

Just from looking at the kindness in the writing, he could tell the book had kind intentions. If it were a book on holy magic, it would have said, “If you’re not skilled enough, we recommend you go drink more milk first.” In fact, in the prologue of a book Atoga had given him, it had said, “If you’re not willing to save even your enemy, we suggest you don’t read this.”

Satisfied, Roan turned the page. Again, letters and illustrations appeared on the previously blank sheet.

— First, to handle the Abyss, you must be adept at controlling black magic. Summon your black magic and form the shape as shown below, then transfer it to the paper. —

Shwook —

“Hm. That’s easy.”

Roan quickly manipulated his mana and recreated the shape exactly as drawn. The complex pattern, with thin lines intricately carved over a sphere, seemed difficult to replicate, but Roan didn’t realize this.

Once Roan effortlessly transferred the mana shape to the paper, the page automatically turned.

‘Luckily, it seems to work even with my tainted holy mana.’

If it hadn’t, that would have been a real problem. He couldn’t very well take this to Professor Belek.

— Well done. However, this is just the basics. Next is the multiple control test. —

Two drawings, slightly more complicated than the first, appeared.

“Should I make both at the same time?”

Roan tilted his head but soon began to manipulate his mana. Although it took a bit more time than the first test, he succeeded quickly.

Once he transferred the figures to the paper, the page remained still for a moment.

“Huh? Did it break?”

The page turned after a slight delay.

‘It must be old.’

— …Very impressive. It seems you’ve got the basics down. But, in fact, the more critical basic skill in utilizing the Abyss is the compression of black magic. You need to compress your magic exactly by a factor of 3.14, which may take some time. However, it’s a natural process, so refer to the following tips… —

As Roan read the instructions that appeared word by word, he attempted to compress his mana.

Ssss —

“Hm?”

At first, the concept of “compression” felt unfamiliar, and it took him some time. But soon enough, his mana condensed in accordance with his mental image.

‘Is this 3.14 times?’

Sure enough, there was a subtle change in the color when Roan reached the correct level of compression. He immediately transferred it to the paper.

It was before The Deeper Darkness even finished giving its tips.

— … You’re done already…? —

The book displayed hesitant letters on the page.

“Did I do something wrong?”

Well, in the game, it took an average of three months, so maybe he was progressing a bit faster than usual? Still, the book itself said these were the basics.

— Next, rapid centrifugal rotation… —

Whooosh!

— Then, rapid deployment… —

Pababak!

Roan breezed through a series of tests the book referred to as “basics.” The pace at which the book displayed new text started to slow down.

‘It looks like the loading time is a bit long because the book is old!’

Roan was willing to wait. While the tests weren’t difficult, following the book’s instructions on how to manipulate magic power had proven to be surprisingly helpful. It felt like he had moved from self-study into a teacher-student relationship.

Meanwhile, the book started addressing Roan in a more respectful tone.

— Oh, you’re quite remarkable. It seems you’re already more skilled than I am. Did you open this book just to mock me…? —

Roan was taken aback.

‘Oh no, that’s not the case at all!’

Looking around at his surroundings, he grabbed a quill and wrote in the blank space of the book.

— Please don’t say that. I’m learning a lot. —

Whether the book could recognize his writing or not, Roan felt a little better after expressing himself.

The Deeper Darkness continued its message, with the writing now trembling noticeably more than before.

— …Then, for the final task. Based on everything you’ve tested so far, research the imagery in the following passage, and you’ll be able to use the Abyss attribute. —

“Oh Eryntal flower, blooming on a bright full moon night, unburned by the dragon’s fire, and curling up to survive. Now, the deeper and purer darkness beckons you, so answer my call!” —

The book then added a note.

— By the way, no matter how talented you are, this process should take at least a month. So please, do not be disheartened. —

Roan frowned slightly.

‘A month? That’s way too long.’

In a situation where the Inquisition could strike at any moment, Roan couldn’t afford to wait that long. Despite having passed the basic tests quickly, the overall pace still felt a little too slow.

Closing his eyes, Roan reflected deeply on the passage from The Deeper Darkness.

But soon —

Flash—

‘Huh?’

An idea suddenly popped into his head. Without the insights he had gained from the previous tests, Roan wouldn’t have been able to grasp these peculiarities of black magic.

‘If I compress black magic and spin it rapidly, it will separate into demonic energy and impurities. And if I expand it, completely separating them… no, wait, the shape first…’

Combining a few elements he remembered from his gaming days, it didn’t seem impossible.

Feeling excited, Roan eagerly attempted his idea before it slipped away, resembling a child caught up in a sudden burst of inspiration.

Following the method he had envisioned, Roan began moving his mana.

‘The Abyss is all about purifying black magic through a specific formula!’

This was the result of an ideal combination of Roan’s overwhelming knowledge of God and Devil and his extraordinary talent.

‘Like this?’

Swish —

‘Again!’

Even though the process was highly complex and Roan was essentially starting from scratch, each failed attempt brought his abstract ideas closer to reality.

‘The most important thing is compression…’

The concentration that the book mentioned: 3.14 times.

But that alone wasn’t enough.

6.28 times, 9.42 times… With each additional level of compression, the pale black magic gradually darkened.

Pop!

Each time, the magic power exploded, unable to withstand the compression. Roan, relying on his instincts and natural talent, adjusted the shape. The optimized form resembled a flower bud, tightly closed.

‘Next, rotation.’

Sssss —

The flower bud began rotating slowly at first, but its speed increased steadily. To Roan’s amazement, as it rotated, the outer layer separated from the inner core, as if the flower were blooming, shedding its shell. Impurities in the black magic were being expelled outward.

The impurities dispersed into the air and vanished, while new one condensed from the surrounding air was absorbed into Roan’s body as the rotating mana sphere drew it in.

‘With this, I no longer have to worry about magic power supply.’

Even in the game, the Abyss was an attribute known for its incredible efficiency.

‘I always thought it was some overpowered skill since the more you used it, the more magic power you gained…’

Who would’ve thought there was such a principle behind it?

But Roan’s satisfaction was short-lived.

Pop!

The purified black magic, which had been trembling unstably, exploded once again. Even though it was a small amount, its power was already impressive.

‘What’s the issue?’

To fix the instability…

‘I must think back to the book’s content. What haven’t I used yet…’

Roan quickly found the answer.

He created a flower bud in each hand.

If he left them like this, they’d explode just like before. So, before that could happen, Roan brought his hands together and slowly merged the two cores, clapping them lightly.

Vrrrrrmmmm —

At first, the reaction was unstable, as if it would collapse at any moment. But soon, the two cores found their place, like opposite poles of a magnet, and began to merge smoothly. The resonance even sped up the absorption of external magic, almost to an infinite degree.

‘This is it!’

Roan jumped up and down with joy, realizing he had succeeded.

This wasn’t an answer he had from playing God and Devil. It was something he had achieved using his own power. And the sweetness of that accomplishment just so happened to be immeasurable.

Before long, a new kind of magic flowed in his hands, clearly distinct from the typical black magic he was used to. Normally, because of the influence of False Divinity, it would have appeared white, like holy power.

‘But this…’

Now, the magic was mixed with a murky ash-gray, similar to Roan’s own hair color. It was dangerously beautiful, possessing an immense sense of stability, as solid as a mountain.

Roan gazed at it in awe for a while before finally transferring it to The Deeper Darkness.

— … —

However, no letters appeared in the book.

Roan tilted his head, a confused look on his face.

‘Did I do something wrong?’

The energy he felt was perfect.

After a moment, though, letters began to appear on the paper.

— …Are you a Demon God? —

“Demon God?”

Roan tilted his head again, puzzled.

As a player who had experienced countless other games beyond God and Devil, the term “Demon God” was something he’d encountered before, but…

‘Was there ever such a thing as a Demon God?’

In the world of God and Devil, the term “Demon God” had never once been mentioned.

— No, that can’t be. This must be some cruel joke, a fragment of my foolish will left behind to be tested by a demon. What you have shown is indeed the Abyss. I admit defeat. —

“What in the world are you — whoa?”

Before Roan could delve further into the meaning, something unexpected happened.

Fwoosh —!

Accompanied by the resigned words, black flames suddenly erupted, consuming the book! Before Roan had a chance to react, The Deeper Darkness was reduced to nothing but a handful of ashes.

And then —

Bang!

“This time, it’s really black magic! I felt it clearly, Roan!”

Hector, wielding an axe and limping, burst through Roan’s door.

“Sigh… I’ll let you think what you want.”

Roan sighed, exasperated.

‘Apparently, even black mages aren’t all trustworthy!’

He had thought he’d found a true mentor for the first time, but who would’ve guessed? The mentor had burned himself out of jealousy, all because his disciple had mastered the Abyss a little too quickly!

—–

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