Chapter 37: The Cursed Hercules

Chapter 37: The Cursed Hercules

Niedern nodded and said, "Very well. You can still laugh, which means your pressure is still too low."

Suye was at a loss for words, saying, "Teacher, you misunderstood. I have successfully inscribed the magic array. I had good luck and guessed it right."

Niedern’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, but in the next moment, he stared intently at Suye.

"Really." Suye was utterly sincere.

Niedern took a deep breath to suppress his shock.

Soon, Niedern regained his composure, nodding and saying, "Like how you channeled mana earlier, channel the magic array, then connect it to the Demon Ox rope I gave you. If it moves, it means your magic array is successful."

Suye placed the Demon Ox rope on the blanket and then took a deep breath.

In an instant, a scene appeared in his mind. The mana leaf suddenly became enormous, as if it were the size of a planet. Then, blue liquid flowed into the magic array on the leaf.

The array was like a river, and mana flowed like water.

As the mana flowed through the fixed pathways of the magic array, the entire array suddenly burst with blinding light.

A strong pillar of white light shot up into the sky, piercing through the Magic Tower and reaching the highest point of the mental realm.

This scene seemed slow but actually took more than two seconds.

Suye felt a warm current surge from his forehead, a hundred times stronger than before.

Instinctively, Suye raised his right hand and pointed his index finger at the Demon Ox rope.

An astonishing scene unfolded—the Demon Ox rope rose slowly as if it were alive, resembling a long snake.

Seeing this, Suye felt an indescribable emotion welling up inside him. He couldn’t believe he could control the rope and that he had truly mastered magic!

Then, Suye continuously moved his right index finger, and the entire Demon Ox rope obeyed like a magical servant, moving according to his direction, vividly alive.

"Amazing."

Suye instinctively entered a state of heightened awareness, focusing on his body’s condition and observing the changes in the Demon Ox rope. This was a skill he had gradually mastered through prolonged meditation.

Seeing this, Niedern sighed softly, saying, "I never expected you to be a fool in learning but a genius in meditation."

The Demon Ox rope fell with a snap.

Suye turned to look at Niedern and said, "Teacher, you can’t be like Hutton!"

At that moment, Niedern suddenly opened a magic book and read a magic letter.

Suye waited quietly.

After a while, Niedern stared at Suye.

Suye felt uneasy because he sensed caution and suspicion in Niedern’s gaze.

He was a Gold Mage after all.

"Teacher... what’s wrong?" Suye deliberately amplified his inner panic.

"The difference between your past and present is too great. If not for your safe entry into Plato’s Academy, walking under the Sea Demon Fountain and being thoroughly investigated, I would even suspect you were possessed," Niedern said.

Suye sighed deeply, saying, "From the seventh day after my parents died, I knew I was different."

Niedern said sympathetically, "I understand. History has many examples of people suddenly awakening their talents due to trauma. Like Hercules, who suddenly went mad and mistakenly killed his teacher, causing his strength to skyrocket. Then he accidentally killed his wife and son, his friend, and now he is almost a hero king. Unfortunately, everyone suspects him, even calling him the ‘Friend-Killing Maniac,’ but every mage can guess that he was cursed."

"Who cursed him?" Suye asked casually.

Niedern shook his head, saying, "We speculate it was at least a demigod, possibly from Greece or another nation."

"I see." Suye didn’t expect the Greeks to be unaware of the truth behind Hercules’s curse. It seemed the world of gods was deeper than imagined.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Suye’s mind.

"I met Lawrence on the first day and Hutton on the second. Could I be cursed too? Probably not. I will definitely have a smooth day today and tomorrow!"

This fleeting thought passed quickly.

Niedern looked at Suye and said, "I really didn’t expect you to have such excellent magical talent. We all misjudged you. However, this is beneficial for both you and Plato’s Academy. In the past, the Four Greats of the Academy overshadowed all of Greece and even the world, but in recent years, the noble academies have produced many geniuses, including some magic prodigies, putting immense pressure on our academy. In recent years, Plato’s Academy has fallen behind. The future of the academy depends on you."

"Teacher, I’m still just an apprentice," Suye said helplessly.

"Yes, you’re still too young. Let’s not talk about that. Your control over the magic rope was very good, indicating your mental strength is already powerful enough to use this spell directly. Now, you need to learn the incantation. Try using the magic rope to attack me. If you can bind me, you’ll have mastered this spell."

Niedern retreated while saying, "Although you can control the magic rope, to instantly unleash all your mana, you must rely on the power of the incantation. Incantation studies is a discipline entirely independent of any language. Neither pronunciation nor meaning can be directly understood; only through the mind can they be comprehended. Therefore, to others, magic incantations sound chaotic, but once learned, they become understandable. You haven’t studied incantation yet, but I can teach you through magic, allowing you to understand it briefly. But afterward, you need to constantly memorize and study it, or you’ll forget quickly."

Suye focused intently on Niedern’s lips, his vision and hearing completely concentrated.

"Skeni!" Niedern said.

Suye was momentarily stunned because the flow of time seemed to change. Niedern seemed to be slowly roaring out each syllable.

This incantation, when viewed normally, should have five syllables, but in the incantation, there were only three sounds. Each sound seemed normal when heard, but in the mind, it automatically transformed into complete sentences.

Suye couldn’t fully comprehend the meaning of the three sentences at once, only vaguely sensing that the incantation consisted of three parts, involving commanding mysterious forces, controlling them, and finally unleashing them.

Ultimately, Suye vaguely realized that "Skeni" could be translated as "Demonic Rope" or simply "Magic Rope."

In an instant, the flow of time returned to normal.

"Did you understand?" Niedern asked.

"Half-understood, still confused." Suye said.

"Pronunciation."

"Skenni!" Suye said.

"No, try again! Skenni..."

After learning it dozens of times, Niedern finally nodded in satisfaction and said, "Not bad. Now try to see."

"Alright!"

Suye watched as Niedern slowly stepped back, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

He was about to use magic for the first time to launch an attack.

However, Suye realized he was too excited, so he instinctively snapped his right index finger and thumb, took a deep breath, stretched his shoulders, and relaxed his body.

Niedern couldn't help but nod slightly, his gaze revealing a look of approval.

Suye took another deep breath, suddenly pointed at Niedern, and called out, "Skenni."