Chapter : 02
“What? I thought Measure of Madness only worked on items?”
Measure of Madness.
One of the skills belonging to the Mad Engineer class.
When observing an object, it allowed the user to obtain its construction blueprint.
In his previous life, Tae had made quite a tidy profit thanks to this skill.
“Ah… I get it. I know how to use it…”
The moment Tae acquired the spell, he instinctively understood how to cast it.
It was an incredibly strange experience.
After all, with the Mad Engineer class, you didn’t actually learn how to make things yourself. You simply activated a skill, and the skill handled the creation.
The process itself was practically skipped.
But this time…
With Lesser Demon Summoning, he hadn’t merely obtained a skill. He had personally comprehended the magic itself and knew how to cast it.
“Amazing. Is it because this is a different world? In the Hunter System, you never instantly learned magic or skills just by seeing them. So why does it work here?”
While he was pondering that…
Selton led his disciple to the black mage apprentice standing in the front row. He had the apprentice drip blood onto the magic circle before teaching him the incantation.
Then…
A demon emerged from the summoning circle.
An Imp.
About fifty centimeters tall, it had crimson membranous wings, a tail tipped with a small flame, a mischievous face, and two tiny horns growing from its head.
It was a fire demonāan Imp.
But then…
“AAAAAAAH!”
The apprentice who had completed the summoning clutched his head and screamed in agony.
- You have been exposed to the aura of Minor Mental Corrosion.
- [Madness Accumulation] Lv. MAX has activated.
- Madness has been accumulated.
“Hmm. I’d always heard that summoning demons gradually erodes your sanity, so that’s nothing new… But seriously? My skill actually blocks it? What the… This is completely…”
A grin spread across Tae’s face.
“This is incredible! Forget what I said about the classes having poor synergy. Their compatibility is amazing!”
It was true.
The Black Mage and the Mad Engineer classes were far more compatible than anyone could have imagined.
Demons…
Every one of them was an incomplete existence.
The instant they were summoned, they corroded the minds of those around them and spread madness.
Even to the very black mage who summoned them.
What kind of useless summon harmed its own master?
You never heard of spirits or divine beasts doing something like that.
In fact, this was precisely why black magic remained such an unpopular profession.
It was indispensable in wars and dungeon expeditions, yet drawbacks like this kept people away.
But Madness Accumulation, one of the Mad Engineer’s skills, completely negated that weakness.
Actually, it did even more than that.
Because Madness Accumulation didn’t merely store madness endlessly.
Madness itself was an extremely valuable resource.
As the class name Mad Engineer suggested, accumulated madness could be used as material for crafting powerful items.
“Stay away from me!”
“Kyaaaah! M-Mom! I’m sorry! Mom!”
“O Almighty Light, protect me! O Almighty Light, protect me! O Almighty Light, protect me…”
“Tsk. Tsk. Half of you are weak-minded fools. Restrain them!”
Several of the black mage apprentices saw the Imps and immediately descended into panic.
Their weak wills had succumbed to the demons’ mental assault.
Clicking his tongue, Selton canceled the summons and barked an order.
Mercenaries from the Black Spear Guild rushed over, restrained those who had gone mad, and dragged them outside.
Those who resisted too violently were knocked unconscious without hesitation.
“Very well. The rest of you are still sane. We will continue the lesson!”
Afterward, Selton walked around the room, helping each apprentice complete their summoning and finalize their contracts.
Eventually, it was Tae’s turn.
In truth, he had already learned both the spell and the method of creating the summoning circle, so he didn’t need the lesson.
Still, he quietly waited.
There was no reason to attract unnecessary attention.
“Now then. Hold out your finger.”
Tae extended his finger.
Selton pricked the tip with a needle.
A drop of blood fell onto the stone summoning circle.
“Recite the incantation and channel your dark mana into the circle.”
Following the instructions, Tae chanted the spell while pouring dark mana into the magic circle through his hand.
Immediately…
The circle activated.
- Magic Spell: Lesser Demon Summoning has been activated.
- A perfect magic circle has been prepared.
- Great Success! Lesser Demon Summoning has activated with exceptional results!
“Whoa? A Great Success here?”
Within the Hunter System, a Great Success occasionally occurred through sheer luck.
When it did, the skill’s effectiveness became dramatically stronger.
He had heard that possessing luck-related items or classes increased the chances.
Then…
An ominous glow spread across the magic circle.
Something slowly took shape.
It was different from the other Imps.
Its height was about the sameāroughly fifty centimetersāand it possessed the same membranous wings.
But everything else was different.
It wore a tailcoat… or perhaps a tuxedo, the sort a butler would wear.
The creature was astonishingly handsome, with refined features.
It also wore a monocle, while a tiny floating book hovered beside it.
“What is this? There are Imps like this? And… is it male or female?”
“Hah! An Imp Butler!”
Selton cried out in shock.
“Is… that a good thing?”
Tae almost asked aloud, but stopped himself.
One look at Selton’s face made it obvious.
The man looked overwhelmingly jealous.
“It has been quite some time since I was summoned to the Central Realm. Are you the human who wishes to form a contract with me?”
Tae followed the instructions exactly as he’d been taught.
“I, the human Tae, wish to enter into a contract with you. I offer my mana and a fragment of my soul. Will you make a contract with me?”
“This, too, shall be an interesting experience. Very well. I, Glashalavolias, accept your contract.”
The magic circle shone brilliantly.
A chain-like bond briefly appeared between Tae and the Imp before vanishing.
“Then summon me whenever you require my services.”
The intelligent, monocle-wearing Imp smiled politely before disappearing.
Tae already knew that contracted demons vanished immediately after the pact was formed, so he wasn’t surprised.
However, he had no idea what an Imp Butler actually was.
He glanced toward Selton.
The instructor’s face was twisted with envy and frustration.
“Damn it! No matter how many times I tried to summon one in the past, it never appeared. Why him…?”
“Um… Instructor Selton. What exactly is an Imp Butler?”
“It refers to an Imp with exceptionally high intelligence and ability. They usually serve as butlers to high-ranking demons. Though technically still a lesser demon, its capabilities are unquestionably comparable to those of a mid-ranking demon.”
“Wow…”
Tae couldn’t help exclaiming.
“Amazing! Why is my luck suddenly so good today? I got the Hunter System back, and now I’ve summoned an Imp Butler. Could this actually turn into one of those unbelievably lucky days?”
“Wait… this isn’t going to end like Kim Cheomji’s story, is it? …Probably not.”
The thought alone was enough to make him uneasy.
“Tch. Lucky bastard…”
With that, Selton walked away.
The resentment in his gaze sent a chill down Tae’s spine.
It felt great.
Looking around, Tae noticed that the other black mage apprentices were also staring at him with naked jealousy.
His shoulders unconsciously straightened with pride.
Once everyone had finished contracting with their Imps, Selton spoke again.
“Now I will teach you the second spell: Mental Protection. As you’ve just witnessed, even lesser demons can drive weak-willed people insane with nothing more than their presence. If you wish to fight alongside your comrades, this spell is essentialāfor both yourselves and your allies.”
“Shouldn’t you have taught us that first?”
For a brief moment, Tae simply stared at Selton in disbelief.
Everyone else looked equally dumbfounded.
What kind of teaching method is this?
“You all seem to be wondering why I didn’t teach it sooner. This is an ancient tradition used to separate the worthy from the unworthy. A black mage must form their first demon contract while completely clear-minded. Anyone lacking that much willpower will inevitably be seduced by demons and cause a disaster someday. Now then, let’s begin.”
Selton proceeded to explain and demonstrate the Mental Protection spell.
Naturally…
- Measure of Madness has activated.
- You have learned Magic Spell: Mental Protection.
Tae mastered the spell instantly.
“Now, it’s time for practical training!”
The other apprentices sweated profusely as they struggledāand repeatedly failedāto cast the spell.
Tae could have cast it immediately.
But he deliberately pretended to fail.
There was no need to stand out.
By the time class ended, only six peopleāincluding Taeāhad successfully learned Mental Protection.
Everyone else would have to pay additional tuition and retake the class.
Thus…
Tae officially became a Black Mage.
“Human! Human! Die! Die!”
There existed a race known as Ratmen, sometimes called Ratfolk.
More formally, they were known as Wererats.
Although they resembled giant rats, they walked upright on two legs and used both hands like humans.
They possessed intelligence, spoke the common language of the Central Realm, and were capable of crafting weapons and tools.
A fully grown adult stood around 1.5 meters tall.
Their build resembled that of goblins, and their combat strength was considered roughly equivalent.
The primary difference lay in their habitat.
Ratmen lived mainly within ancient ruinsāespecially underground sewer systems.
As a result, in the massive commercial trade city of Harundel, there was never a shortage of work exterminating them.
