Lihan was briefly flustered but quickly regained his composure and spoke.

“I practiced a lot, Professor.”

*Cough.* “Yes, but…”

“It’s an Abyssal Skeleton Warrior.”

*Cough, cough.* “That’s…”

“I summoned it with ancient necromancy. It can even perform complex movements.”

“Wait… That sounds interesting.”

Momentarily forgetting his coughing fit, Professor Mortum was intrigued at the mention of a dancing skeleton.

To animate a Skeleton Warrior with ancient necromancy—one that could dance, no less—would require significant talent and dedication.

“Ah, I almost forgot. Even so, it’s unnecessary.”

“Why not?”

*Cough.* “If Rafadel sees your undead summon, he might feel discouraged.”

“…”

Faced with such a sound argument, Lihan couldn’t object.

Rafadel had only recently shown enthusiasm for necromancy, and it wouldn’t be helpful to shatter his confidence. Given the small number of students in the necromancy department, it was better to nurture any who showed promise.

“Besides, you’re already guaranteed full marks. *Cough.* Now, go on and prepare for your next exam.”

Feeling slightly deflated, Lihan left the Dark Hall.

“Is this really what an exam should be like?”

---

Before the start of Professor Millay’s summoning magic test.

The classroom was thick with tension.

With so many students attending, the atmosphere was much more intense than in necromancy. Each one was wondering who would score the highest.

Salco from the Tutantha family wasn’t one to back down from competition.

“Tutantha, looks like you’re well-prepared.”

“Hmph. I didn’t have much time to prepare, what with studying enchantments.”

“Yet your book looks pretty worn out.”

“It was old to begin with.”

Salco carefully deflected the scrutiny from his rivals, pretending he hadn’t studied much.

True competition began well before the exam. The strong knew how to keep their claws hidden.

‘I did prepare a lot, though.’

Nillia felt a bit thrown off by Salco’s words.

Hearing that her friend hadn’t studied much left her feeling uneasy. What if she was the only one who’d put in the effort?

‘I’d be embarrassed if I got a lower score than everyone else…!’

“I didn’t study much either.”

“Same here. Just played ball last night and went to bed.”

“Me too.”

Salco’s nonchalance spread like wildfire, infecting the room with a sense of indifference.

Soon, the students were competing to see who could act the most casual about the test.

“Look at this spellbook on summoning. It’s practically brand new!”

“That’s not even this semester’s book.”

“Oh dear, my reagent pouch is too heavy since I barely used anything!”

“Looks like you recently refilled it—there’s powder around the opening.”

Tension simmered as students cast wary glances around, until they noticed a new arrival.

A student entered with a spotless, completely new basic summoning spellbook.

Who could that be?

“Huh? What’s everyone looking at?”

Gainan looked around, puzzled by his friends’ stares.

“Nothing, Gainan. Guess you didn’t study much, huh?”

“Prince, you should at least do some studying.”

“What? No way! I studied a lot!”

Despite his protests, his friends gave him supportive pats on the shoulder, their smiles filled with amused admiration.

Lihan, arriving a moment later, was surprised to see such a friendly atmosphere before the test.

“Why is everyone so cheerful before an exam?”

“Lihan! They’re accusing me of not studying…”

Lihan glanced over Gainan’s book and reagent pouch and said, “It’s because you didn’t.”

“H-how did you know?! Is this magic?!”

Whack!

Realizing he’d been caught, Gainan stammered in defense.

“It’s because I was busy preparing for necromancy!”

Whack!

“?!”

“By the way, what answer did you put for the undead creature question?”

“Oh, that one? Sand Octopus.”

“…”

Lihan was momentarily stunned.

He had been ready to scold him for choosing “Skeleton,” but…

“Why Sand Octopus?”

“Because it’s a living creature?”

“Well, yes… but Sand Octopuses have never been found in the undead realms.”

“Just because they haven’t been found doesn’t mean they don’t exist, right? They might be discovered someday.”

“!”

Lihan was impressed by Gainan’s surprisingly logical reasoning.

“Well, that’s one way of looking at it.”

“Does that mean I got it right?”

“No, not really.”

Lihan began explaining “inductive reasoning” to Gainan, who quickly admitted defeat with a groan.

---

As Professor Millay entered the room, he waved his staff. The classroom doors shut, the curtains drew closed, and the scattered chairs returned to their places, forcing the students to take their seats.

“I wonder if you all studied enough.”

“Yes, Professor!”

“Usually, students who are overly confident in their preparation tend to underperform. Confidence is good, but overconfidence is dangerous.”

Gainan, feeling reassured, grinned proudly, only for Lihan to smack him on the arm.

“Students who studied this year would know that summoning magic relies heavily on following the experiences of our predecessors.”

Millay began his lecture calmly.

Summoning magic involved drawing beings from other dimensions into this one. Naturally, such a process could be dangerous, so summoners had developed various safety measures to protect themselves.

For instance, when students ventured into other dimensions, Millay’s magic circle helped protect their spirits, using interconnected spells to ward off hostile entities.

These protective spells included soul shielding, trace reduction, and affinity enhancement, along with locking coordinates to keep spirits moving along safe paths.

Safer routes, once explored, were more secure. But ironically, only by venturing into uncharted territory could summoners gain new insights.

‘This doesn’t sound good…’

While other summoning students took notes in awe, Lihan’s expression soured. He’d heard similar speeches before.

Professor Voladi had once said something like, “Let’s explore the limits of magical combat!”—right before putting Lihan through the wringer.

Experiences that began with “Let’s go beyond” usually didn’t end well.

“Today’s exam will explore the realm of uncertainty by removing safety barriers.”

“!”

Realizing what Professor Millay meant, the students gasped in shock.

One student, raising a hesitant hand, voiced the general concern.

“Professor, isn’t that a bit too dangerous?”

“Good question. However, I won’t leave you completely unprotected. There will be some level of control.”

Millay waved his staff, and chalk began sketching on the blackboard, drawing a diagram of a portal to another dimension… and a strange tool.

‘A net?’

‘A fishing pole?’

‘A golem’s arm?’

Students whispered, trying to identify the odd artifact.

“I see, Professor. You’re sending in an artifact instead of us.”

Salco nodded in understanding, and the other students, realizing this, immediately nodded as well.

“I was thinking that too!”

“Right, it’s much safer to just send the artifact.”

Millay shot a sharp look over his monocle at the students, who promptly fell silent.

‘That does make sense…’

Lihan pondered.

Normally, summoners directly accessed other dimensions, but this method involved inserting only the artifact. It would be cumbersome and less precise, but undeniably safer.

For someone like Lihan, who often received a cold reception in other realms, it was an appealing idea.

“Professor, would this work in the spirit realm too?”

“Lihan, I wouldn’t recommend using this method with spirits. They’re delicate beings, and kidnapping them like this would…”

“Oh, no, I wasn’t planning to use it for that. Just curious.”

Lihan felt flustered, wondering how the professor had guessed his thoughts.

“Now then…”

Professor Millay checked the time.

“Before the test ends, do your best to find and retrieve a mysterious entity from another dimension.”

Before he finished speaking, the students sprang into action, grabbing an artifact each and returning to their desks.

A gleaming magic circle prepared by Professor Millay was waiting on the tables.

‘This time, I’ll make sure to prove myself.’

Determined to show his abilities after feeling disappointed with previous exams, Lihan resolved to give it his all.

---

“Mm-hmm, thank you,” Nillia nodded as she listened to the whispers of spirits.

While some students recklessly plunged their artifacts into different dimensions, resourceful ones used various methods to gather information first.

Those like Nillia, who were attuned to spirits, sought their guidance.

Even without direct knowledge, spirits could get rough insights from others in their realms.

“Stone, choose either above or below.”

A student casting limited clairvoyance.

“I can’t see through the barrier. The vision breaks down as it crosses dimensions.”

Others applied additional enchantments for visibility.

“In you go. Alright, let’s wait a moment… Hmm, broken again. Next. In you go.”

One student lined up Skeleton Warriors at the edge of the circle, sending them in one by one…

“?!”

“???”

Other students, mesmerized, momentarily forgot their own tests as they watched Lihan.

Using summoning creatures as disposable probes? Wasn’t that a bit extreme?

“Hm. Maybe a bit to the right?”

Spirit sparrows and squirrels on his shoulders offered Lihan advice on where to send his Skeletons.

By now, every summoned Skeleton Warrior had vanished.

Undeterred, Lihan rummaged in his reagent pouch and pulled out a fresh pile

 of bone powder.

“Rise again…”

“W-Wardanaz, won’t your summons get mad?”

“My Skeletons are fine with it.”

Unlike contracted summons, Lihan’s Abyssal Skeleton Warriors were animated solely by his magic, functioning as puppets rather than sentient beings.

It shocked those unfamiliar with necromancy.

“…?!”

“No, Wardanaz’s Skeletons are different,” Nillia quickly intervened, sensing that misunderstandings might spiral out of control.

“They aren’t contracted—they’re directly summoned!”

“Oh, that’s possible with necromancy?”

“Glad I didn’t get the wrong idea.”

While his classmates nodded in understanding, Lihan finally summoned his main Skeleton Warrior, Gonadalthes.

“Gonadalthes, I think I found a safe area. Go in there and guide the other Skeletons, alright?”

Seeing this, his friends chuckled, turning to Nillia.

“I bet he even gave that assembled skeleton a name, right?”

“If you hadn’t explained, we’d think he was talking to it for real. Ha ha!”

“Y-yeah, it’s just an assembled skeleton!”