Chapter 10
***
"The third disadvantage: Summoning is weak against priests."
Even Simon couldn't help but widen his eyes at this.
Conflicts with priests were the most sensitive issue for students these days, and every professor so far had emphasized the advantages of their subject in this regard.
But Aaron was the opposite.
"While I've phrased it this way, to be more precise, Summoning isn't suited for modern warfare itself."
"...."
"The time when Summoning truly shines is in 'all-out war.' In large-scale battles where tens of thousands clash, summoners finally gain access to an unlimited supply of materials for summoning undead. However, with the current ceasefire agreement, battles are localized skirmishes against priests on missions. It's an unavoidable trend of the times that cursecasters and necromancers, who can strike quickly and cleanly without leaving a trace, are in vogue."
Even as he declared his own specialization outdated, Aaron's expression remained impassive.
"And it's also true that summoning magic is weak against priests. Imagine your undead army, created with so much money and effort, crumbling with a single divine spell from a priest. It's simply a disadvantageous matchup."
Aaron put down the chalk and looked at the students.
"There are countless other disadvantages I haven't mentioned, but the judgment is yours."
Then, someone raised their hand.
It was the same student who had spoken up first in Curseology class.
"Jamie Victoria! I'm curious about the advantages of Summoning!"
"...."
Other professors would have been grateful for a student trying to highlight the positives, but not Aaron.
"I don't recall allowing questions yet."
Jamie felt a shiver run down her spine.
The other students, who had been relaxed, straightened up, suddenly alert.
Despite his shabby appearance, Aaron was a first-rate necromancer, a professor at Kizen.
"I-I apologize!"
Jamie bowed her head.
However, as a professor, Aaron had an obligation to answer his student's question.
He clicked his tongue and spoke.
"The strength of Summoning is numbers. Aside from fighting alone, you can receive assistance from summons, allowing for diverse tactical deployments even for a solo necromancer. Does that answer your question?"
"Yes!"
Aaron crossed his arms.
"Whether you continue with Summoning in the second semester or choose it as your major is your choice. But remember this one thing."
Aaron's voice became serious.
He seemed like a completely different person from the one who had been conducting the class so casually.
"Don't even set foot in this field if you're not prepared."
Aaron was truly different from other professors.
"Don't even think about majoring in this field with a soft mindset, whining, complaining, wallowing in self-pity, and eventually coming to me for major counseling after your second year, saying you have money problems or whatever."
There seemed to be a certain edge to Aaron's voice.
Even Aaron's assistants, standing behind him, sighed quietly.
"Especially if any of you are choosing Summoning as a survival tactic because of its low competition rate, I'll personally expel you. That's all."
He even declared war on the students.
"...Now, let's begin the class."
Aaron's voice returned to its languid tone.
As he gestured, his assistants quickly moved around the classroom, placing skeleton sets on each student's desk.
Simon, relieved, looked at the skeleton set on his desk.
Bone fragments neatly arranged in a box.
Upon closer inspection, he saw that the bones were numbered.
"What you have received are the bones of an 'Island Ratman.' It has a skeletal structure similar to a human's, but it's simpler and cheaper. Most beginners in Summoning start with this one."
A Summoning assistant attached a sheet of paper to the blackboard with a detailed diagram of the Island Ratman's skeletal structure and the corresponding numbers.
"Let's begin. Take out the number 1 skull."
Simon and the other students nervously lifted the skulls and placed them on their tables.
Some female students winced slightly at the gruesome sight, but that was all.
As expected of Kizen students, there was no hesitation in their movements.
"The skull is pre-assembled. There's a space at the bottom where you can insert your hand, and inside the skull is a magic circle correction frame. Insert your hand and construct the magic circle."
It was true.
The structure was similar to the magic circle correction tool from the first Curseology class, but this one was carved directly into the skull.
Simon channeled his Jet Black, letting it flow into the magic circle correction frame.
'Good.'
He was getting used to using the correction tool.
"And when the magic circle is complete..."
"Screams!"
"Shrieks!"
Screams erupted from all directions.
The moment the magic circle was completed, the skull suddenly came alive, its jaw clacking against its palate.
Students dropped the skulls in surprise, some even falling out of their chairs.
Even Rick, sitting next to him, was clutching his chest and panting.
"I was about to say, 'Don't be surprised when the undead activates once the magic circle is complete,' but I was a little late."
Aaron chuckled.
Some students glared at him resentfully, but none dared to complain.
Meanwhile, Simon also completed the magic circle in the skull.
The skull, as if alive, clattered around on the desk.
"Stay still."
Simon grabbed the skull as it was about to fall off the desk and placed it back down.
As if understanding his words, the undead became still.
"...Simon, have you handled these things a lot?"
Rick, sitting next to him, looked disgusted, as if he didn't even want to touch the undead.
Simon shrugged.
His father was a necromancer, so it wasn't uncommon for skeletons to be roaming around their house.
"Get used to it. You're necromancers."
Aaron continued, putting his hands in his pockets.
"And the magic circle you just activated essentially completes the undead. Of course, it can't move without a body. Now it's your turn to create the skeleton's body."
Aaron tapped the diagram of the Island Ratman's skeletal structure on the blackboard.
"As necromancers, you must be perfectly familiar with the skeletal structure of the creatures that will become your summons. While humans typically have 206 bones, the Island Ratman has only 53, so it's much easier. First, find the number 2 cervical vertebra."
The students rummaged through their skeleton sets.
Simon quickly found the bone marked "2."
"Now, connect bone number 2 to the skull."
Simon tilted his head.
There were no tools for attaching them. How was he supposed to connect them?
Hesitantly, he brought the number 2 bone close to the skull.
As if drawn by a magnetic force, the bone in his hand trembled, trying to attach itself.
Simon loosened his grip slightly, and the bone clicked into place with a 'snap'.
'Oh, that's interesting.'
Simon blinked.
"Again, by activating the magic circle, you've completed the entire spell that animates the skeleton. And the skeleton has the property of trying to return to its previous form."
Aaron turned back to the bone diagram.
"Next is bone number 3."
Simon placed the skull on the desk and carefully connected the bones according to their numbers.
"Continue in the same manner up to number 11."
"I-I did it!"
"Alright!"
Excited exclamations echoed throughout the classroom.
The bones attached themselves as they were brought close together.
Simon's skeleton, now complete up to the neck, bobbed its head up and down as if celebrating.
Simon burst out laughing.
'This is fun!'
Perhaps because they weren't human bones, the feeling of discomfort or awkwardness was gone.
It felt like assembling a bone sculpture according to a blueprint, and Simon was completely engrossed in the class.
"Be careful not to confuse the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. The Island Ratman is a bipedal animal, and completing the spine, which supports the back, is crucial."
"If the bones are assembled in the wrong order, the movements will be jerky. It will creak, have trouble moving, and malfunction at critical moments."
"Now, continue up to number 16."
Many students had been worried because of the atmosphere at the beginning of Aaron's class, but the Summoning class turned out to be enjoyable.
Everyone chatted excitedly, showing off their creations and asking questions.
Aaron didn't restrict the free-flowing atmosphere of the class.
"We're almost there. Continue up to number 53. Raise your hand if you're stuck."
"Professor! I'm having trouble assembling the legs!"
"Wah, Professor! My skeleton keeps running away!"
Simon successfully assembled his skeleton in one go without any setbacks.
A skeleton slightly shorter than a human stood on his desk, clicking and clacking.
'...This is the skeleton I made with my Jet Black.'
As he looked at it with a sense of accomplishment, the skeleton tilted its head.
Simon couldn't help but smile.
"Hey! Control your summon! It's hitting me!"
"I told it to hit you."
"Kyaa! Look! I can make it dance!"
"...This is kind of cute."
Cheerful laughter echoed throughout the classroom.
The students who had successfully assembled their skeletons were busy playing with their summons.
And on the other hand...
"Simon! Please take a look at my skeleton!"
Some students were struggling. Rick, sitting next to him, was tearing his hair out.
"Why does this thing keep attaching its leg to its arm?!"
Rick's skeleton had its right leg attached to its shoulder instead of its right arm, and it was hopping around on its one good leg.
The other students burst out laughing.
"Hmm."
Simon observed the one-legged skeleton with a serious expression.
"It seems you've confused the leg and arm parts. That's why the skeleton thinks its leg is an arm."
"I-Is that so?"
"Look. Bone number 21 is a leg bone, not an arm bone."
"Oh, you're right! Why do they all look so similar?"
Time flew by faster than ever in the Summoning class.
"That's enough. Today's skeleton assembly ends here."
Groans of disappointment echoed throughout the classroom.
Aaron returned to the lectern and picked up the attendance book.
"Finally, we'll have a participation exercise. The student whose name I call, please come forward."
The inevitable moment had arrived.
Simon gulped.
Maybe he could skip it just this once...
"Simon Polentia. Come forward."
But there was no escape for Special Admission Number 1.
Simon stood up with a resigned expression.
"Good luck, Simon."
Rick slapped him on the back encouragingly.
A little distance away, Hector and his group snickered.
"And next..."
Everyone avoided Aaron's gaze, except for Meilyn, who was sitting in the front row and craning her neck forward.
Aside from the pressure, the opportunity to showcase oneself to a Kizen professor was like gold.
However...
"Hector Moore. Come forward."
***
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