“What’s…what’s going on?”

“The artifact’s activating! Wardanaz, did you do this?”

Yi-Han frowned and replied, “No. It just started on its own.”

“What? That’s impossible. An artifact activating on its own? Which idiot designed it like that?”

Salko sounded incredulous.

Safety was one of the fundamental principles of artifact creation—it should only activate when the caster wished. An artifact that ran without permission wasn’t even called an artifact; typically, it was labeled a trap.

“Our seniors did.”

“…”

“…”

Silence fell over the group as they processed this.

“Seniors…seriously?”

“Yeah, well, I’m speechless too, Salko,” Yi-Han sighed as he observed the dimension gate artifact that blinked with flickering lights. Hard as it was to believe, the seniors who created this device hadn’t bothered with safety features at all.

Normally, to activate an artifact, one would need to recite specific commands or perform precise gestures. But the seniors, striving for the highest efficiency, had left out all such precautions. This “gate” just absorbed any mana within its vicinity and triggered itself.

It might sound simple and straightforward, but it was reckless. Seniors, with experience and understanding of its dangers, could step back if things went wrong. But inexperienced juniors could end up drained of mana in one careless moment. Shouldn’t those seniors have thought to install some sort of safeguard for future generations before they graduated?

“Are all seniors just complete jerks?”

“No, Wardanaz, I meant *you* when I said it was unbelievable.”

“…?”

Yi-Han looked at Salko, confused.

“Why didn’t you notice the artifact was absorbing that much mana?”

“Well, maybe I was busy reading the journal, you idiot.”

Yi-Han grumbled, annoyed at Salko’s insistence on pointing out his mistake.

Of course, the students learning enchantment magic didn’t quite buy his excuse.

‘Says the guy who notices even the faintest mana flow from several meters away…’

Vwoooom. Vwoooom. Vwoooooooom—

The dimension gate artifact continued to blink and emit loud noises. The light around it grew stronger, and sparks filled the air. Yet, it kept functioning.

“Wardanaz, are you sure this is okay? What’s happening? The artifact is active, but…”

“It’s probably just started.”

Though it had absorbed an immense amount of mana, enough to shake the surroundings, the dimension gate artifact was only in its initial stages. To form a proper gate, it would need to draw in several times more mana than it already had.

Yi-Han, now aware of the artifact’s hunger for mana, waved his friends away. “Don’t come closer. If the mana absorption area expands, you’ll end up mana-drained too.”

“Wardanaz…”

“Come on. This is basic concern,” he said, his voice reassuring. After pushing his friends so hard earlier, it didn’t hurt to show he cared a bit now.

“No, I meant…aren’t you coming out?”

“…”

The group whispered to each other, casting worried glances at Yi-Han.

Even if he had considerable mana, was it wise to let Wardanaz stay close to it? The amount of mana the artifact had absorbed so far was disturbingly excessive. If it had only begun by absorbing so much mana, how much more would it need to properly form the gate?

“I’ll be fine.”

“People usually say that right before they’re *not* fine,” Gainando muttered.

Gainando’s habit of saying, “I’ll be fine!” rarely ended well for him.

“You jinxing idiot!”

“Stop saying pointless stuff!” The Blue Dragon Tower students scolded Gainando, landing a few smacks on his back.

‘They’re worrying about the wrong thing,’ Yi-Han thought, more embarrassed by their concern. If the mana drain felt unbearable, he’d planned to pull away immediately, but he was completely fine, with no discomfort whatsoever.

What Yi-Han worried about was the artifact’s durability.

The artifact had been stripped of every possible feature to maximize efficiency and functionality, leaving it fragile. If it overloaded and exploded…

‘The skull principal would laugh himself silly.’

Imagine defeating a powerful guardian only to be blown up by an artifact the seniors had recklessly assembled. The skull principal would surely find it laughable for days.

“Everyone, set up the tables over there.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Got it.”

The students quickly propped up the tables as a barrier, just in case the artifact exploded.

“Hm, Salko, could you use earth magic to fill in the gaps behind the tables?”

“Got it.” Salko cast an earth element spell to reinforce the space behind the tables. This would give the barrier more resistance if a blast occurred.

“Princess, would you summon an elemental to strengthen this further?”

Adenart promptly called on an elemental to reinforce the barricade. With a blend of sand, water, and gravel, it was sturdy enough to withstand most impacts.

“Hmm, this still feels inadequate. Gainando, summon some bone elements. Let’s blend them in for added stability.”

“…”

“…”

The students’ expressions grew increasingly uneasy.

If they were going to this length to reinforce a barricade…shouldn’t they just be running?

Yi-Han noticed his friends’ expressions and quickly offered an explanation. “This is all just precautionary. We’re still fine—no issues with the mana flow so far.”

“But you didn’t even notice when the artifact absorbed enough mana to kill several mages…”

“Salko, does it make you feel good to keep harping on your friend’s mistakes?” Yi-Han said with a sigh.

Slightly flustered by the unusual appeal to emotion, Salko shrugged. “No, that wasn’t my point…”

Crackle! Crackle!!

“!”

“Look at that! It’s a crack!”

The students stared, wide-eyed.

A crack had appeared in the air, shimmering with an entirely different landscape beyond, as if a powerful being from another dimension was forcing its way through.

“War…Wardanaz!!!”

“You’re a hero! Our hero!!!” Just moments ago, White Tiger Tower students had grumbled that if Wardanaz took another divination potion, they’d all end up dead. Now they were cheering.

Seeing a spatial rift form confirmed that the dimension gate artifact was indeed working.

“Check it out! Where does it lead?”

“I’m looking, but…it’s hard to see! Ugh, Wardanaz! Can’t you get closer?”

“Feel free if you want to risk getting drained dry.”

“Did you have to put it that way?”

Yi-Han strained to take in the view beyond the flickering dimensional gate.

‘Is that…a mansion?’

Even at a glance, the dimension gate seemed to open into a luxurious, old-fashioned mansion. It might lead to a noble family’s estate in a village or city not far from Einroguard. If a Blue Dragon Tower student among their seniors had set this up, linking it to a family mansion would have been the safest choice.

Creeeeak—

“!”

The artifact emitted an unsettling noise, and Yi-Han’s attention snapped back to it.

The dimension gate artifact, which looked like a haphazard assembly of scraps, was creaking and twisting under the overload of mana.

Its durability had been a concern from the start, but it was already deteriorating?

Gritting his teeth, Yi-Han quickly moved away from the artifact.

“Is it…going to explode!?”

Seeing Yi-Han rush over, Gainando practically screamed.

“No, I’m shutting it down!” he called.

“Oh…okay,” Gainando muttered, now a little smaller in voice. “Is it…going to explode?”

“…It’s not going to explode,” Yi-Han replied, smacking Gainando lightly for thinking he’d give him special information.

Thankfully, with the mana source gone, the artifact gradually cooled. The dimension gate closed, and the spatial rift disappeared, leaving the area silent once more, as though nothing had happened.

“…”

“Phew. At least it’s not broken.”

The students gazed at the dimension gate artifact with fondness, like it was a final exam paper they’d just barely passed.

“Wardanaz, when will you activate it again?”

“Do you even know where it leads?” Yi-Han asked, exasperated at his friends’ eagerness to rush in without knowing the destination.

But his friends had their own logic.

“Who cares? Anywhere’s better than Einroguard.”

“…”

Yi-Han was momentarily speechless.

Could that…actually be true?

“Give me a moment. I’ll check the journal again,” he said, grabbing it with his staff.

‘Where does this even connect to?’

Yi-Han’s face went rigid, as if he’d looked straight into the eyes of a basilisk. Yonaire, noticing his reaction, peeked at the journal.

‘What’s up with Yi-Han?’

The mad skull will never imagine where we’re aiming. Ha-ha. Once it’s complete, your estate will be ours, and we’ll loot every last treasure before burning it to the ground!

“…”

“…”

Yi-Han sighed deeply.

Of all the places, why *here*?

‘Seniors really are no help.’

“Yi-Han, we’re still going, right?”

“Wardanaz, this is great! The principal’s estate should be empty, right?”

“Silence. Everyone close your eyes,” Yi-Han said, tapping his staff on the ground to hush his friends.

Gainando tried to peek and got another smack.

“Now, as you know, we don’t know how many more times we can

 activate this artifact. We need to make the most of it. So…honest opinions, please.”

Though a few students were practically drooling at the idea of escape, Yi-Han remained cautious. If they ended up in the skull principal’s estate, they couldn’t predict what might happen. He might have put on a brave front, but forcing someone along if they weren’t fully on board didn’t sit well with him.

“So, who’s willing to go through this dimension gate, even if it leads to the principal’s estate?”

One by one, all the students raised their hands.

“…”

Yi-Han was dumbfounded.

‘Are they that desperate to get out of Einroguard?’

* * *

“That was…a long night.”

“Everyone did great.”

Yawning, Yi-Han and his friends made their way outside. They’d been fighting all night, and by the time they reached the main building, dawn was breaking.

“Wardanaz, we’re all going on the weekend.”

“Yes.”

“Wardanaz, you’re not leaving us behind this weekend.”

“Yes.”

“Wardanaz, on the weekend—ow, ow!”

Yi-Han chased off the White Tiger Tower students with his staff. They’d been pestering him endlessly about the weekend escape they’d agreed to.

“No morning classes, right? Let’s go get some rest.”

“I’m too excited about getting out this weekend to sleep.”

“True. The principal’s estate won’t be a walk in the park.”

Yi-Han nodded thoughtfully. “Which is why I have an idea.”

“Oooh, what’s that?” His friends were immediately intrigued.

What kind of clever plan had he come up with?

“Well, my divination potion is almost ready, so if I drink it…”

“No!”

“Don’t you dare!”