Due to the sudden intrusion of the Buerger Hall students, the Schlaphe Hall lobby was noisy. Recognizing the familiar faces, the students were too scared to say anything. Buerger Hall had some decent guys, but the crowd here was full of really nasty ones.
“Who’s the one who did this to my brother? Come out now!”
“Have these bastards lost their touch? Aren’t they training the freshmen properly?”
As they threatened the passing students, Shubil, with his nose wrapped in bandages, puffed out his chest. The dormitory warden shook his head at them.
Dormitory conflicts were supposed to be handled by the students themselves. In such cases, the representatives were supposed to mediate and resolve the issues.
At that moment, Athera, who had heard the commotion, appeared.
“What are you guys doing here? Hey, Ebil.”
“…Athera.”
Athera glared at Ebil and asked,
“Why are you causing a scene in the middle of the night?”“One of your freshmen did this to my brother’s nose. We’re tired. Just gather the freshmen so we can deal with this quickly.”
“What?”
“Never mind. Just call Makdal.”
Ebil waved his hand dismissively. Athera narrowed his eyes at Ebil’s rude attitude.
“Does your representative know about this?”
“Hah, Athera, stop pretending to be the representative. Honestly, you only have the title; no one follows you. The real power was taken by Bidon, and now you’re overshadowed by that freshman Hersel. Look around. No one’s here to help you.”
As Ebil said, the Schlaphe Hall students averted their eyes, pretending not to notice. Just as Athera’s face darkened, Makdal appeared.
“Why the commotion? Oh, Ebil, long time no see.”
Ebil greeted him cheerfully.
“Wow, look at you. Lost some weight? How have you been?”
“Healthier than ever. But what’s going on here?”
When Makdal asked, Ebil smiled.
“Well, one of your freshmen did this to my brother. So, I need you to gather the first-years.”
Unlike with Athera, Ebil spoke in a friendly manner to Makdal. But Makdal’s expression turned odd.
“Hmm, that’s quite a serious issue. But it’d be best to resolve it peacefully.”
“…What’s with you all of a sudden?”
“Nothing, just…”
Ebil tilted his head, puzzled by Makdal’s unusually gentle demeanor. The fierce impression he remembered seemed significantly softened.
“Anyway, I don’t have the authority to make that decision. The representative here does. Did you discuss this with Athera?”
Athera snorted, raising his chin.
“So he says, Ebil.”
Not understanding what was going on, Ebil reluctantly took a step back.
“Athera… could you gather the freshmen?”
“Well? What should I do?”
“But shouldn’t we resolve this issue?”
“We do need to hear from those involved, so I guess we should.”
At Athera’s command, the Schlaphe Hall freshmen started to come out one by one. Shubil scanned their faces, his eyes widening.
“Why all the fuss? I’m tired as it is.”
He came. The blonde with long limbs. Shubil whispered to Ebil.
“Brother, that’s the guy.”
Ebil smiled, thinking he’d found the culprit and approached him. Makdal and Athera watched curiously.
But when Ebil tried to flick his forehead,
Wham!
His wrist was grabbed by a hand the size of a pot lid. Aslay, who was standing beside the guy, glared down at Ebil.
Squeeze!
Despite the heavy grip, Ebil forced a nonchalant smile.
“What, what’s this? Are you his friend? You should stop. With your build, you’ll be in Buerger Hall soon enough. You’d want to live comfortably, right?”
The Schlaphe Hall students gaped in astonishment. Makdal’s eyes widened in shock, and Athera muttered quietly, ‘That crazy bastard…’
Aslay’s calm voice resonated through the silence.
“Boss, should I break it?”
“No need. What do you want? I don’t recognize you.”
When Aslay let go, Ebil pointed hastily at Shubil.
“My brother says you broke his nose with some sly trick.”
Hersel narrowed his eyes at Shubil.
“Oh, that? He got hit by the instructor for acting like an idiot.”
Shubil scowled and protested.
“Don’t be ridiculous. You did this!”
In a world where rank is everything, if a superior says something, it must be true. Shubil urged Ebil.
“Brother, can you believe this guy?”
Ebil, feeling confident with his large entourage, ignored the large guy and said,
“Athera, we need to deal with this guy. Is that okay?”
Athera, at a loss for words, remained silent. Ebil’s group began to surround Hersel.
Then, a dull thud echoed as Ebil’s head was smacked from behind.
Whack!
“You crazy bastard! Bow down and apologize!”
The one who hit him was Makdal.
“M-Makdal, why…”
Makdal forced Ebil’s head down.
“Lord Hersel, please forgive us!”
“What…”
Ebil was shocked. Hersel, the freshman who had taken down Bidon. The new ruler of Schlaphe Hall. So this was the guy?
As his name was mentioned, the group hesitated and backed away, dumbfounded.
“If you don’t want to die, bow down and apologize!”
At Makdal’s shout, they began to kneel one by one. Ebil, sensing the danger, followed suit. Only Shubil, still oblivious, remained standing, trembling.
“B-Brother… what’s going on…”
“Shut up and kneel, you fool.”
Shubil, scared, also knelt. The voice from above, deep and low, seemed to press down on them.
“So you came to avenge your brother for something I didn’t do?”
“Y-Yes… but now I understand it was a mistake. Isn’t that right, Shubil? You lied, didn’t you?”
Makdal smacked the back of Ebil’s head again.
Whack!
“Ugh…”
“Speak respectfully if you want to live.”
“Yes, it was a mistake. My brother surely regrets it. Isn’t that right, Shubil?”
Shubil, sensing the danger, knew he was too scared to face death alone.
“B-Brother…”
Hersel sat on the kneeling Shubil and spoke to Ebil.
“I’m not a bad person. If your brother apologizes, I’ll let it go.”
Seeing a chance, Shubil quickly apologized.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize you, Lord Hersel, and was rude!”
But Hersel just looked at Ebil.
“It seems you have a rule. If someone from your dorm is hurt, you retaliate. Is that right? That’s why you all came together.”
“Y-Yes.”
“Then stand up. Since your brother apologized, I’ll keep my word.”
Ebil’s group sighed in relief and began to rise. But Hersel turned to Athera.
“Senior, our people have suffered a lot at their hands, right?”
“Well… yes, that’s true.”
“What are you waiting for? Payback is the rule, isn’t it?”
Understanding, Athera shouted.
“Yes, that’s the rule. Anyone who’s been wronged, come forward.”
The Schlaphe Hall students hesitated but, seeing Hersel, gained confidence. Soon, they surrounded Ebil’s group.
And the beating began.
Kicks and punches rained down, and Ebil’s group curled up like pill bugs.
Whack! Wham!
Ebil’s group endured, gritting their teeth through tears and snot.
“This bastard always hit my head!”
“You, enough with the dirty jokes!”
“You messed with our coins? Think we’re easy because we’re from Schlaphe Hall?”
The violence continued for over ten minutes. When the attackers finally tired, Ricks, who had been showering, arrived.
“Sorry for being late, Senior Athera…”
“Ricks, did you ever suffer at their hands?”
“No? I don’t know these people. What’s going on?”
Athera explained the situation to Ricks, who scolded them for their actions.
“We are noble people with intelligence. We should lead by example. This barbaric punishment is not right.”
Hersel asked calmly,
“Really? Then what should we do?”
“Hersel… a humane punishment is better.”
Ricks pointed to a rule mirror, highlighting the guidelines.
[Room 309 does not exist. Do not enter out of curiosity. If you do, remain silent for 24 hours until someone comes to rescue you at 6 PM.]
Hersel was impressed.
“Oh, you mean imprison them.”
“Yes, a time for reflection would be more effective.”
Hearing this, Ebil cursed under his breath.
“That bastard…”
To Ebil’s group, Ricks seemed even worse. They were already beaten severely, with noses bleeding, eyes swollen, and bodies bruised…
Meanwhile, Limberton, watching from afar, muttered to himself while reading an erotic novel.
“…There are no normal people here.”
***
The next day, the Schlaphe Hall students looked at me like I was a hero. They seemed to think I stood up for them yesterday.
That wasn’t my intention at all. I didn’t care about the worthless seniors as long as they didn’t bother me. But if someone like Shubil caused trouble, it’d be annoying.
Memorizing faces now would make things easier in the future. But since he was too stupid, a lasting memory through violence was necessary.
“What, did he give up?”
In the classroom, Hetherson looked at the empty seat. I explained,
“He’s in the infirmary. He won’t be back.”
“…Was my head that hard?”
Hetherson tapped his head lightly.
“Well, good. It’ll be easier to teach. Now, we’ve mastered paper-folding, so what’s next…”
After thinking for a moment, he snapped his fingers.
“Yes, this will do. Today, you’ll be sleeping.”
“Sleeping?”
Hetherson explained, relaxing his jaw.
“Yes, sleeping. But not regular sleep. Professor, bring a pillow.”
“Hmm.”
The professor waved his staff, and a pillow flew in from the classroom entrance.
“Magic power is a force that corrupts the mind. It’s like poison. It triggers a rejection reaction. So, the only black magic you can handle now is paper-folding.”
“Because I can’t handle much magic power?”
“Exactly. So you need to fall into a state where your consciousness is weakest: sleep. This way, your body can build some resistance.”
Simply put, it’s like alcohol. Your first drink gets you drunk quickly, but as you build tolerance, you can drink more.
Similarly, magic power requires a certain resistance to handle more. Though the end result might be addiction…
Hetherson handed me the pillow and drew a formula on the blackboard.
“Follow this exactly and enchant the pillow. You understood paper-folding, so you can do this. Professor, bring out some magic power.”
The professor summoned the black magic power from the underground. Following Hetherson’s instructions, I drew the formula with my staff.
Ssssss
The once white pillow turned pitch black as the magic power infused it.
“The formula makes the particles finer.”
“Yes, it increases penetration. Now, bury your head in it and sleep.”
Though dubious, I had the ‘1 Second Invulnerability’ skill. If I got addicted to magic power, it’d be nullified.
I laid down on the floor, placing my head on the pillow.
***
Watching him, Hetherson scoffed.
The professor raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Hetherson’s reaction.
“It’s rare for you to teach so diligently.”
Hetherson scratched his chin, looking at the ceiling.
“Hmm, he’s worth teaching.”
The professor was puzzled.
Magic and black magic are interconnected. Lacking magic talent, this student was the same.
‘Though his understanding is exceptional, his physical capability is below average. Hmm.’
Naturally, the amount of mana he could absorb was low. His sense of mana manipulation was poor, leading to wastage. It was a near miracle he became a mage.
“I don’t understand. Even if you know how to sail, you can’t go to sea without a boat. Yet, you say he’s worth teaching?”
Hetherson smirked.
“Have you ever seen a noble accept magic power?”
The professor realized what Hetherson meant by ‘worth teaching.’
“Indeed, he has no boat. But he threw himself into the sea. He chose to swim.”
Occasionally, there were students like this. Despite knowing their limits, they kept trying, eventually earning the support of onlookers.
“And now, he’s sleeping on a dusty floor in front of me.”
“No wonder you, who hate nobles, like him.”
Hetherson scratched his head, embarrassed.
“He looks unpleasant, but his choices are admirable.”
The professor’s eyes narrowed at the favorable response.
“Then, will you teach him ‘that’?”
“Professor.”
Hetherson’s smile vanished, and he answered coldly.
“Don’t think I don’t know your intentions. I’ll never teach anyone my secret magic. I’ll take it to my grave.”
The empire kept Hetherson alive not just to teach students but because of his unique black magic.
“Do you realize the magic you created is a groundbreaking discovery that could change civilization?”
Hetherson named his magic Inventory. A black magic allowing items to be stored and retrieved anywhere, independent of space. If it could be standardized into formal magic, it would revolutionize the world.
“Transport, military supply chains, and countless other applications.”
Hetherson laughed.
“Do I care? Professor, lend me your staff so I can get some cold beer.”
The most amazing thing was that items inside the Inventory stayed fresh and preserved, as if in a time-stopped space…
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