LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Crawling here of his own volition. He was definitely the madman Han Siha from the novel.
“Huff… Huff.”
I climbed several floors, barely breathing to avoid making any noise.
Yet, I still couldn’t escape this eerie cave.
Because…
“How does this path even work?”
It’s only been two hours since I possessed a character in *Smart Academy Life.*
Let’s assess the situation.
So far, everything has unfolded according to the storyline I know.
Han Siha stupidly joined the group of black magicians on his own and grew stronger while serving them.
Just like the backstory of a third-rate extra villain.
However, there’s one downside.
I remember this novel from the protagonist Lee Han’s perspective, so I don’t really know much about the character Han Siha.
The only thing I recall about this guy is…
“He’s just the one who dies.”
Of course, he died inside the academy, not in some nameless cave like this.
I thought I had escaped, but it feels like I’ve only shortened my lifespan.
Clenching my fist, I muttered softly.
“I need to think.”
I have to stay focused if I want to survive. My brain was working so fast it was almost overheating.
I’m confident in my thinking ability. The problem is that I’m terrible at physical tasks.
The direction where the light is coming from…
I stretched out my hand to touch the cave wall. As I got closer to the light, it seemed like I was heading in the right direction.
As I hurriedly moved forward, surveying the end of the corridor, voices reached my ears, filling me with terror.
“What’s going on? Why is everyone so busy?”
“They said a kid escaped from the third basement level.”
Damn.
They’re talking about me.
I pressed myself against the wall, covering my mouth.
“A kid?”
“They say he’s an Ardel Academy student.”
The place where Smart Academy Life is set is none other than Ardel Magic Academy.
As soon as that name was mentioned, the man’s eyes changed.
“Name? Family?”
“Not sure. Maybe they were up to something, but we don’t know yet. The kid suddenly showed up here, saying he wanted to learn black magic, and then made a run for it. We let him in, and this is how he repays us.”
“Huh… Could he be a spy?”
“If he’s just some unimportant kid, it’s whatever, but if he’s from Ardel Academy, we should check him out. He probably didn’t get far.”
So annoyingly perceptive.
“If he gets caught, it won’t be pretty.”
“How long do you think it’ll take?”
“I bet my staff he’ll be dead within an hour.”
“Haha.”
Hearing the black magicians gleefully barter my life like a game item, it felt like a stone had lodged in my heart.
Wiping cold sweat from my sleeve, I bit my lower lip hard.
For now, I must avoid getting caught, no matter what.
“….”
Thud. Thud.
If they had gotten a bit closer, they might have sensed my presence, but fortunately, the two black magicians walked away without turning back.
“Phew….”
I thought I was done for.
I carefully took a step forward.
They mentioned the third basement level earlier.
It seems like I’ve climbed about three floors.
And that iron door where light has been seeping through since earlier…
If those guys came down from that direction…
“Is that the exit?”
The only thing I can rely on is my gut feeling.
Swallowing hard, I reached out and tried to gently push open the iron door. I pushed as cautiously as I could, but…
“…Of course, it won’t open.”
Clunk.
It only made an unsettling noise without budging an inch.
There’s no other exit, though…. The thought of being trapped here to die slowly made me laugh in resignation.
“Ha, this is bad.”
With sweat dripping from my clenched fists, I began thinking again.
In this situation, the only things I can trust are my memory and Han Siha’s abilities.
Han Siha lacked talent in white magic, but he had innate magical power.
He couldn’t control his surging magical power, harming both allies and enemies.
To control Han Siha’s magic, black magic became the conduit.
Magic that harnesses power by harming other living beings.
Thanks to that, Han Siha grew absurdly fast.
In other words…
“If I can just control it.”
If I could properly control and use my magical power, I could break through that sturdy iron door with my own strength. Although it’s only been three hours since I fell into this strange place, that’s the only hope I have.
“….”
I slowly opened my hand and started focusing power at my fingertips.
Wasn’t this how the protagonist Lee Han first learned to use magic?
Magic. A concept I’ve only ever seen in games or novels.
Right now, the only thing I can rely on is that thin knowledge.
The method of using magic. Its source.
I carefully followed the steps, going over each sentence in my mind.
If I can focus all my energy into one spot…
If I think of that as the concept of magical power…
“Is this how you do it?”
Crackle.
A blue shimmer flickered at my fingertips and then faded away.
It seems right, but…
My skills are still too lacking.
“One more time….”
My breath became ragged.
Even when I first held a scalpel in the operating room, my hands didn’t tremble this much. As I bit my lower lip hard enough to draw blood, the blue light began to grow a little brighter.
A solid iron door that looks too tough to cut with a knife.
I directed the blue magical power towards the firmly locked padlock.
The unmistakable inexperience in my movements was evident.
Trrrkk.
“Huff… Huff.”
It’s still not easy.
It would have been much easier if I had used an unlocking spell, but in my current state, barely able to control my magical power, that’s out of the question.
As I lamented my blank slate of skills and gathered my magical power again…
Snap.
“…!”
Suddenly, I felt a presence.
Did they find me?
My heart, which had dropped to the floor, barely steadied.
Damn it. Am I heading to the afterlife already? I haven’t even done anything since I possessed this body….
As I hid my trembling hands behind me and turned my head…
“Huh?”
What?
The robed men were nowhere in sight, and I couldn’t sense any human presence.
It’s a relief that it wasn’t a person, but…
What is this…?
“Coo… Coo….”
With a red tail and big round eyes.
The creature looking up at me and making strange noises was…
A dragon.
Huh?
“…A reptile.”
* * *
Ah, my occupational habit.
As if responding to my words, the small creature, barely reaching the height of my calves, spread its wings.
‘’Flash’’.
The creature puffed itself up, trying to look brave.
“Oh, isn’t it a reptile?”
“Cooong….”
No, it says.
Scratching my head, I took a step back.
I’ve seen dogs and cats all the time, but reptiles are quite unfamiliar to me.
“Coo….”
I pondered what to do with this creature that was eagerly approaching me.
“Taming?”
This seems like the most likely option.
Even though it has lost much of its past power, the dragon is still a monster with one of the strongest forces in the academy.
If it could be tamed, it would be a target that many tamers would eagerly wait for with shining eyes.
But in reality, taming one is extremely difficult, and it’s rare to even encounter one.
That’s the problem.
Han Siha, the first-year student whose body I’ve taken over, couldn’t even tame a single slime properly and failed his class.
If I could tame that creature, I might be able to break through that door and get out, but otherwise, it’s just dead weight.
Anyway,
Why is a hatchling that seems to have just been born here?
As I observed the creature closely in curiosity, a possibility suddenly came to mind.
“Could it be?”
A facility used by dragons and black magicians.
A thought quickly crossed my mind.
Black magicians drain life force to recharge their power. If they could extract magical power from a dragon, which has a life span close to immortality compared to humans, it would be an unparalleled source of power.
It seems they had brought in a hatchling that lost its family and were using it as a test subject.
“Such a dangerous thing to do….”
Even if the dragon’s power has weakened, getting caught could lead to the place being wiped out.
If I recall correctly, in the novel, when they got caught, more than half of the black magicians ended up dead.
Thanks to that, the protagonist Lee Han was able to easily find their base with the gap in manpower. I remember it being mentioned in passing dialogue.
Which means…
Did it escape on its own?
I don’t know how it managed to get out, but…
“I shouldn’t take it with me.”
“…!”
Forget taming or whatever.
“If I get caught running away, I might die, but if I get caught while taking you with me, I’ll probably die a horrible death… I’m sorry.”
If I can’t tame it or take responsibility for it, the best thing is to send it back here.
I patted its head a couple of times and was about to step back.
“Kee… Keeee.”
Rubbing, rubbing.
The creature gently approached and buried its face in my leg. It even started clinging to my leg.
Did it understand what I said?
Is it asking me to take it along?
With its big round eyes blinking at me, it seems like it’s desperately pleading.
I firmly said, “No.”
“Kee… Keeee!”
Damn it. Trying to get us caught, are you?
I urgently covered its mouth and pressed myself against the iron door.
It didn’t strongly resist my hand but rather looked at me with round eyes as if asking if I was really going to take it along.
No, I’ll take you only if we manage to get out of here. If you could use your dragon power to break that lock and get us out….
Break it….
“Is it possible?”
Why didn’t I think of that?
Why didn’t this idea occur to me sooner…?
It’s definitely worth a try.
As I hurriedly put the creature down and prepared to attempt it.
*Ding.*
A familiar notification sound rang in my ear.
[Stats are being synchronized according to the possessor’s disposition.]
My disposition?
[Affinity increased!]
[Affinity increased!]
[Affinity increased!]
What is this?
Unknown windows quickly scrolled down.
The final message left me in disbelief.
*Ding.*
[The ‘Taming’ ability is awakening.]
[Do you want to tame the ‘Suspicious Hatchling’?]
Suspicious Hatchling.
It’s very friendly towards you.
Level: 2
Magic Power: 50
Strength: 60
Agility: 35
Intelligence: 10
[Fire Breath Lv 1]
What?
I should have realized something was off when the creature started liking me.
If I were Han Siha, I would have freaked out and run away the moment I saw it.
The fact that its attitude has turned so friendly means something must have changed.
“Coo!”
Could it be?
If, as the message says, my past disposition has been carried over….
With trembling hands, I reached out toward the creature.
How do I do this?
Shouldn’t there be some explanation?
“Ah, crap.”
Am I supposed to say something cheesy like “I will tame you”?
Or do I need to command it with confidence that I’ll tame it?
Either way…
This is embarrassing.
“Sigh.”
But it’s better than dying right now.
Especially when it comes to taming, I actually have some experience and talent.
I’ve seen countless dogs that come into the hospital with their hackles raised, snarling and trying to bite my hand.
And I’ve tamed countless such dogs.
With a few gestures, using my own techniques.
I placed my hand on the creature’s head.
First, provide reassurance.
Then, give trust.
I softly spoke.
“…Trust me.”
And then.
“Follow me.”
I really don’t know if this is right.
But what else can I do if this is the only thing that comes to mind?
Please.
As I closed my eyes and firmly solidified my intent to tame it, an unfamiliar notification sound echoed in my ears.
[Taming successful!]
“Oh… It worked?”
There wasn’t any special ritual or anything. Was it this simple?
I turned to look at the creature with a bewildered expression.
Flash.
A white light enveloped the creature’s body, accompanied by the message window.
As it gently floated in the air and then settled back down, the light surrounding it disappeared without a trace.
“Did it really work?”
“Coo?”
Its big, round eyes still stared up at me.
It didn’t seem like anything had changed, but now wasn’t the time to test its abilities.
The important thing was to get out of here.
Without a moment’s hesitation, I reached out toward the iron door.
Then, I quietly spoke.
Pouring all my resolve into it.
My first command.
“Bite it.”
“Wooong!”
Thud-thud-thud.
The creature quickly dashed toward the iron door….
Snap.
“…!”
And tore it off in an instant.