The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 155
The Dark Symposium was a very famous event.
A festival for Dark mages who walk the path of righteousness.
One might question how Dark magic could represent righteousness, but Dark magic itself is not evil.
Just as traditional white mages aren’t inherently good.
In fact, the majority of villains are traditional white (holy) mages.
However, the issue with Dark magic is that due to its nature of dealing with negative energies, it’s easy to be tempted into sin.
A significant number of Dark mages with weak wills often fall into the wrong path and eventually make contracts with demons.
‘Because making a contract with a demon can incredibly easily elevate one’s power.’
In summary, it’s a problem of the practitioner, not that Dark magic itself is evil.
In fact, as long as it’s not used for making contracts with demons or for criminal activities, Dark magic is not a forbidden magic.
This is why the House of Baymont, the foremost family in dark magic, could proudly stand as a major noble house in the capital.
‘The attendees’ vigor is indeed extraordinary.’
Raising achievements in Dark magic is considerably more challenging compared to other types of magic.
This is because dealing with negative energies is very complex.
This often leads to many turning to evil paths like human sacrifices.
However, Dark mages who adhere to righteousness and achieve high levels of power are far superior to other evil Dark mages.
‘Looking at these Dark mages reminds me of Lindon.’
“How’s Lindon doing? He seemed a bit off lately.”
“Ah, I was just about to talk to you about Lindon. Something’s off with him.”
“Lindon?”
“Yes, I told him to do some cleaning, and he had the audacity to tell me to clean my own space. I asked him to buy some food because I was hungry, and he ignored me to study instead. He seems out of his mind.”
“Isn’t he just coming to his senses?”
“Lindon isn’t the type to come to his senses, is he?! He’s not even looking at his stock books anymore! Something’s up!”
I agreed with a serious face.
Lindon’s level of laziness was legendary; it’s unlikely he’d just come to his senses.
‘He has been acting strangely lately, after all.’
Above all, I had one particular concern.
‘Lindon won’t revert to his old self, will he?’
In the storyline, Lindon becomes one of the Ten Demons.
He might end up on the same path this time as well.
‘No. It’s too early to tell. I’ll have to keep a close eye on him when I get back.’
For now, I pulled my robe over my face to hide my identity.
My goal was to create chaos.
Being recognized as Van would make it difficult to freely cause havoc.
‘After all, causing chaos is a specialty for the strong and mighty.’
Approaching the registration desk, a Dark mage kindly asked,
“Are you here to attend the symposium? Do you have an invitation?”
“No. I came to participate in the Dark Colosseum.”
“Ah, I see. If you don’t mind, could you please wear this necklace? It’s not harmful. It’s simply enchanted to stop your heart if you use demonic energies, so rest assured.”
It was a measure to prohibit the attendance of those who had made contracts with demons.
“The venue for the Dark Colosseum is in the garden to the left. The ‘Dark Art Museum’ is not accessible without a VIP invitation.”
The most famous events of the Dark Symposium are two.
The Dark Colosseum, a competition among Dark mages of Level 6 and below.
Level 7 and above gather separately to showcase their skills in the ‘Dark Art Museum.’ To attend, as mentioned, you need a VIP invitation.
‘My first target for creating chaos is winning the Colosseum.’
As I headed towards the arena, Hans tried to stop me, not knowing what to do.
“What are you planning to do?! Professor, you’ve never practiced Dark magic, have you?”
“I’ve picked up a few tricks over my shoulder. I’ve fought with Dark mages quite a bit.”
“Just with that level of knowledge? This is the Dark Symposium! The most terrifying Dark mages gather here!”
“Hans, it seems you’ve forgotten who I am. I am Van the Legend. My greatness is not only splendid but also dark and deep, such that even Dark mages will come to revere me.”
“……”
Well, it’s not entirely nonsense.
I was confident.
‘Who should my first opponent be?’
The arena was filled with fervor.
True to a gathering of Dark mages, the atmosphere was gloomy, but the intensity of the duels was no less than that of knights’ battles.
But then, I spotted an unexpected figure and shut my mouth.
“…That guy over there. Am I seeing things?”
“…I was thinking the same. How could he be here?”
At that moment, the person we were focusing on burst into a hearty laugh.
“Hahaha! Did you see? The greatness of ‘The Lich King’! Anyone who wishes to challenge me, come forth! But I won’t accept challenges for free! If you lose, pay up to 1,000 penas each!”
A frivolous voice. Garbage content.
Yes, I wasn’t mistaken.
It was Lindon.
* * *
‘Lindon, what’s he doing here?’
Murmurs could be heard from the side.
“What the hell is he? A ‘Rich’ King?”
“Seeing such a terrifying level for the first time?”
“He’s Lv. 4, but he defeated a Lv. 5 senior Dark mage. The amount of negative energy he possesses is tremendous.”
“And he collects 1,000 penas for every challenge? Is that even allowed?”
“There’s nothing in the symposium’s rules against taking money.”
“Well, that’s because nobody else does such a thing, so it wasn’t specifically mentioned! What kind of trash is he?!”
“He claims to be from the greed line, insisting on taking money. So that’s why he’s ‘The Lich King’?”
“He started as the Stock King. What kind of weirdo is he?”
I was at a loss for words at how typical of Lindon it was.
Despite his trashy behavior, his skills were surprisingly impressive.
“Ugh!”
“You owe 2,000 penas! Hahaha! From the next challenger, it’ll be 3,000 penas! Wahahaha! Making money has never been this easy! Why did I even bother with stocks!”
Victory after victory!
‘Lindon wasn’t meant to become one of the Ten Demons for nothing.’
Lindon always had potential.
Without putting in any effort, he reached Level 4 by graduation.
Considering most students have to work their fingers to the bone just to graduate at barely Level 3, it’s an excessive talent for someone so trashy.
Especially seeing how he handles Dark magic now.
‘He’s at the level of a once-in-a-millennium genius.’
The most overwhelming aspect was his compatibility with Dark magic attributes.
Lindon was dealing with the ‘greed’ branch of Dark magic, which astonishingly suited his trashy personality perfectly.
‘Should I be congratulating him on finding his true calling?’
I quickly shook my head.
‘Congratulations my foot. With that personality, he’ll soon fall into corruption and become an evil Dark mage. As his professor, I have to stop him.’
Definitely not because I’m worried about a graduate student running away.
Really, truly.
“Hahaha! Who’s the next challenger? Offer 5,000 penas to become the sacrifice for my greed!”
“100,000 pena.”
“What?”
“Is 5,000 pennies enough? Let’s make it 100,000 penas.”
“!!”
Lindon couldn’t recognize me but felt something was amiss and flinched.
“Who are you?”
“A Level 2 Dark mage. My alias is ‘Dark Destroyer.’ Recently advanced to the apprentice level.”
“…Dark Destroyer? What a ridiculous alias. Mr. Announcer, are you sure this guy is Level 2?”
“Yes, ‘Dark Destroyer’s’ achievements have been verified as Level 2.”
The announcer confirmed.
Lindon continued to hesitate.
True to his cunning nature, he seemed to sense an ominous vibe.
But I know Lindon well.
In the future, he becomes the ‘King of Gluttony,’ so blinded by greed.
He’s more dazzled by the prospect of a windfall than deterred by risk.
How else could he always fail at stocks?
“If you win, you get 200,000 penas.”
“!!”
“If you lose, you only need to give me 100,000 pena.”
Double the reward if he wins! Half the risk if he loses! It wouldn’t be Lindon if he didn’t bite.
Flames ignited in Lindon’s eyes.
“Deal! Your 200,000 penas is mine now! Hahaha! I’m rich!”
“The duel between ‘Dark Destroyer’ and ‘Lich King’ will now commence!”
I stepped onto the stage.
A formidable aura swirled around.
‘He’s at a level where, despite being Level 4, he can overpower Level 5.’
Starting from Level 5, mages can infuse spells with magical formulas.
Yet, Lindon surpassing Level 5 with basic Level 4 spells was unthinkable, especially considering he had never formally trained in Dark magic.
“But do you even have the money? You’re not trying to scam me, The Lich King, are you?”
“Don’t worry. One of my graduate students owes me a debt of 100,000 pena.”
“…A graduate student? Don’t tell me you’re a professor?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“A problem? Professors are the most evil beings in the world! Today, I will avenge all the graduate students in the world by…!!”
Lindon’s rant began to fade.
He blinked, stuttering as he started to speak.
“The annoying tone, the overflowing arrogance, and the childish alias, ‘Dark Destroyer.’ Y-You are… surely not the person I respect the most, the only truly benevolent professor in this world?!”
It seemed he had finally caught on.
Typical of Lindon to mix flattery in after a full-on rant.
But then, something unexpected happened.
I thought he would immediately kneel and beg for forgiveness.
“Even if you are the person I respect the most, I cannot back down! With all my respect for you, I will surpass you!!”
‘…He’s blinded by the 200,000 penas.’
Flash!!
A powerful Dark magic spell flashed.
The audience exclaimed in surprise.
“It’s the whirlwind hell spell that no one has been able to stop!”
A Dark magic that devours the opponent’s attacks and turns it into its own power.
The stronger the greed it contains, the more powerful it becomes.
And that’s not all.
“My 200,000 penas! My 200,000 penas! It’s all mine!”
Whoosh.
Two dark holes appeared around me.
“The suction magnetism spell that absorbs the opponent’s energy!! And he’s manifested two at once!”
“With the initial spell, it’s triple casting!! Where did such a genius suddenly come from? With that level of skill, could he rival the talent of the young master Bern from the House of Darkness?”
No, it wasn’t just on the level of triple casting.
The suction magnetism spell was manifested precisely centered on me.
He was imitating my ultimate spell, the Polar Singularity.
His talent is admirable, as much as his trashiness is strong.
Attacks that would be fatal to someone with mana insensitivity.
But
“Is this all you’ve got? If you lose, you’ll incur an additional debt of 100,000 penas. And the time you need to spend in graduate school will double. Try harder.”
“!!”
“And that’s not all. If the quality of your thesis drops, I will keep rejecting it. You might end up spending over 10 years in graduate school.”
“How can you say something so evil?! Aaaargh!!”
The nature of Lindon’s spells began to change.
It wasn’t just about intensity anymore; ‘meaning’ started to imbue his magic.
It was the ‘Awakening of his Path of Magic.’
