## Chapter 123 – 123. Magic Tower (4)
#123. Magic Tower (4)
“I’m Shin Min-ha, and I’ll be in charge of the Introduction to and Application of Summoning Magic course.”
The eyes of the students gathered in the classroom instantly focused on Professor Shin Min-ha. Beyond their sparkling eyes, one could even glimpse respect for her.
‘I thought she looked familiar…’
She was definitely the genius summoner the media had been praising a few years ago.
Even though she wasn’t from a prestigious magical family, the country had been buzzing for a while because she had reached the 4th Circle at such a young age.
Tap.
“Quiet.”
At Shin Min-ha’s one word, the noisy classroom fell silent. Her coldly subdued voice held a unique atmosphere that captivated people’s attention.
“In this class, we will learn about the application of summoning magic, following the basics of summoning magic that you learned in the first semester.”
Originally, Introduction to and Application of Summoning Magic was a continuous course, so you couldn’t take it unless you completed the first semester, but I was granted special permission to take it.
I had already learned the basics of summoning magic to some extent through related books, so I wasn’t too worried.
“For the next month, you will learn about summoning magic circles, and after that, you will experience the process of summoning creatures and making contracts directly.”
Professor Shin Min-ha’s gaze occasionally turned to me as she explained the course plan.
But whenever our eyes met, she immediately turned her head away. Her feigned ignorance made me chuckle involuntarily.
‘Neither the students nor the teachers are normal.’
Dozens of magic circles floated above the blackboard.
“Summoning magic circles act as ‘doors’ for summoned creatures to cross into this world. The magic circles I’m showing you now are ones I developed, and one or two of them might be helpful to you, but summoners must basically develop their own unique magic circles.”
The gist of summoning magic that Professor Shin Min-ha explained was summoning magic circles, catalysts, and contracts.
The summoning magic circle is one of the two elements that attract the interest of the summoned creature, and it is a passage that connects to another dimension.
The catalyst, along with the summoning magic circle described earlier, is the second element that attracts the interest of the summoned creature. It seemed that we, as first-year students, didn’t need to pay attention to it since it was mainly used when summoning high-level summoned creatures.
Finally, the contract was, as the name suggests, about the contract with the summoned creature. The three elements of a contract with a summoned creature are the contracting parties, the purpose, and the compensation.
“Contracts with summoned creatures are based on an equal contractual relationship, and both the summoner and the summoned creature must clearly understand and agree to each other’s rights and obligations. Through this, both parties form an equal partnership, with the summoned creature providing assistance to the summoner according to the terms of the contract, and the summoner paying the summoned creature the compensation according to the contract conditions.”
In a nutshell, it meant not to treat summoned creatures like slaves. But that was just a formality.
Even if you treated low-intelligence animal-type summoned creatures like slaves, there was no penalty other than breaking the contract. Unless it was a high-level summoned creature, it was even rarer to establish an equal relationship.
Shin Min-ha seemed to know this fact, as she didn’t seem to expect much.
“As it is the first day, I will end today’s class by explaining the elements that make up a summoning magic circle.”
Cheers erupted from the students. Even the mages of the Magic Tower seemed to dislike classes.
“Instead, I will give you an assignment. Please submit your own magic circle designs by next week.”
Complaints poured out from the students about the assignment given on the first day. But whether they did or not, Shin Min-ha silently continued the class.
‘…I shouldn’t have taken this course.’
I applied to learn some summoning magic, but I didn’t know I would receive an assignment from the first day. Moreover, designing a magic circle.
Of course, the components of a magic circle are basic knowledge that any mage would have heard hundreds of times.
However, the components can vary depending on the magical discipline, so designing a magic circle for summoning magic, which is a non-mainstream magic, was by no means an easy task.
Giving us a week’s grace period was probably her own consideration.
“As you all know, the components of a magic circle consist of a circular array, which is the basic framework, and rune characters, which make up the interior. Here, summoning magic circles add attribute symbols and guardian sigils. Attribute symbols specify the attribute of the summoned creature, and guardian sigils protect the summoner from the summoned creature in preparation for possible emergencies.”
Complex formulas were drawn on the blackboard. Thanks to the buff, there was no need to review them separately.
“And the central structure must have a space to contain the medium. Apart from the catalyst, high-quality magic stones are essential to open the passage to another dimension.”
After that, Shin Min-ha continued the class passionately. She usually didn’t talk much, but she seemed to clearly distinguish between public and private matters.
But perhaps it was because she was too passionate.
The class time was one hour, but Shin Min-ha spent nearly 50 minutes explaining the elements that make up a summoning magic circle.
Saying it was the first day probably meant that she would proceed slowly, not that she would end early.
Whether this happened frequently in the first semester, the other students seemed to have given up already.
***
After Professor Shin Min-ha’s class ended, and I attended about two more classes, the first day at the Magic Tower was over.
For the record, Professor Shin Min-ha’s class was the only one that gave an assignment.
On any other day, I would have gone to the training hall or the library to do my homework, but today I had a prior engagement.
I rode the magic circle to the top floor of the Magic Tower.
“What brings you here?”
“I have an appointment with the Tower Master at 5 o’clock.”
“Ah, I’ll help you with your ID verification first.”
I submitted my student ID to the employee. On closer inspection, it wasn’t an employee but a mage. Of course, they didn’t have the skills to become a professor.
“Yes, it’s confirmed. You can go right in.”
After greeting the employee lightly, I opened the door to the workshop and entered.
“You’re early?”
Beyond it was the Tower Master, her gray hair draped over her shoulders, leaning back on the sofa and resting.
“Arriving 10 minutes before the appointment time is basic social etiquette.”
“Hehe, that’s a good attitude. Occasionally, there are mages who think that you shouldn’t arrive at the appointment place before the other person, but I’m glad that Hyun-woo doesn’t seem to be one of them.”
For a moment, the Tower Master’s complexion darkened.
I smiled lightly and handed the contract to the Tower Master. According to the lawyer, it contained clauses that were advantageous to me, and there wasn’t a single clause that was disadvantageous to me.
Instead, the penalty for breach of contract was a bit high. Of course, I had no intention of breaking the contract, so it wasn’t a clause that would be a problem.
“Hmm?”
The Tower Master’s face was filled with doubt as she received the contract from me. Sniff, sniff, she suddenly sniffed the air, then looked at me with a dissatisfied expression.
“Tower Master?”
The Tower Master suddenly got up from her seat and slowly approached me. Before I knew it, we were close enough to feel each other’s breath, and she silently began to smell me. If she did this to someone other than me, it would be rude enough to be criticized.
“…Aha?”
The Tower Master seemed to have noticed something, as she slightly raised the corners of her lips and pressed one finger firmly against my chest.
At that moment, mana surged.
Crack! The armor of mana that had been covering my entire body shattered.
‘Haa…’
I swallowed a sigh inwardly. I had worked hard all day to make it, but not only was it detected less than 5 minutes after meeting her, but it was also shattered to pieces.
It was a mana armor that I had devised to prevent the same situation as last time, and it had the effect of suppressing pheromones. If I didn’t have this, there might have been an orgy in the Magic Tower today.
‘The other professors didn’t even notice.’
I guess she deserves to be called the Tower Master.
“That’s an interesting idea.”
“Then why didn’t you let it slide?”
“Hehe, you can be proud. If it was really nothing, I wouldn’t have given it any attention.”
“…I’m honored?”
“Of course, you can be honored.”
Whether she was mistaken that we had become close after exchanging a few words, the Tower Master brazenly smelled me.
“…It’s not polite to smell other people like that.”
“Do you dislike it?”
“Haa.”
I re-applied mana to suppress the pheromones. It wasn’t difficult to recreate since it was a technique I had already completed and I had excluded the concealment function.
The Tower Master frowned.
“If you keep doing that, you’ll get wrinkles. And you said you were going to do research. Hurry up and do it.”
“…You’re the only one who treats me like this.”
I don’t know where the Tower Master who swept away the horde of monsters with one spell in the Isolated Gate went.
The Tower Master, who had left her seat for a moment, came back with a tray from inside the workshop. It contained a blood collection device and scissors.
“Roll up your sleeves.”
As I obediently held out my arm, the blood collection device was inserted into my forearm. It hurt quite a bit. It seemed to contain ulterior motives.
Next was the hair. She cut off a large chunk of hair from the top of my head. It didn’t seem like she needed that much, so this also seemed like an ulterior motive.
I thought it was over, but the Tower Master handed me a flask container.
“This is the last one. Would you go to the bathroom and collect your semen?”
“…Excuse me?”
What is this woman saying now?
“Are you serious?”
“Of course. Didn’t it say in the contract? The contracted party must actively cooperate with the research.”
That’s true, but is it usually necessary to extract semen?
But the Tower Master didn’t seem to have any intention of backing down.
“Ah, don’t worry. I understand that men need audiovisual materials or tools that induce sexual arousal when they masturbate.”
The Tower Master handed me stockings with a smiling face.
“…This is?”
“I was just wearing them?”
“…”
I could feel the warm texture of the stockings on the palm of my hand.
‘…So, is she telling me to use her stockings as fap material and collect my semen?’
I couldn’t bring myself to ask, “Are you crazy?”
Instead, I seriously wondered if I should break the contract, even if it meant paying a penalty.
