[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil":3,"chapter-how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-chapter-5":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1473911,1923,"Chapter 5","how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-chapter-5",5,"\u003Cp>‘Survival probability?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dawn777\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―Final outcome ‘Chapter X. Death’ in 774 days, 0 hours, 1 minute, and 19 seconds\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―Chance of change: 0.3% (+0.1%p)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It increased by 0.1%p.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That means I’m on the right track.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, I won’t go out of my way to respond, but I’ve realized I don’t need to act like a social misfit as I did at home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I can’t live as the original Luca forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To catch up with my brother, who is highly esteemed in the Empire and neighboring countries, I need to start moving as soon as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, my brother won’t tolerate my changes forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One day, he’ll either assign a monitor to me or come to check on me himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, I need to improve my skills and lay the groundwork to dispel any ridiculous rumors before then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first day of classes ended smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the practical classes were also just orientation, so there was no need to use magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking it best to postpone magic training until the effects of the potion wear off, I spent Friday evening and the weekend in the library. Immersed in studying divine power to raise my skill scores, the weekend flew by in the blink of an eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Monday arrived, and the first practical magic class began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello, everyone. Did you have a good weekend? Today, we will practice a simple attack spell.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The professor, who had called all the students to the training ground, amplified his voice with a spell and guided us. After a tedious introduction, the professor called each student to use magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘They’re all quite good.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected of the Empire’s top magic academy, the students' skills were impressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then… when it was Leo’s turn, I retracted my previous evaluation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...Not just anyone can be the protagonist’s friend.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the novel, Leo was clearly not one of the stronger members of the protagonist’s group, but here, he stood out starkly among the other students.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything is different from an extra who dies at the age of twenty by his brother’s hand. If I had to enter, I should have entered a character like him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While I was having these idle thoughts, the students' names continued to be called, and dazzling magic flashed incessantly before my eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cruelly, the practical magic class didn’t exempt anyone unless they were absent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Until now, Luca couldn’t do anything.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even then, that Leo guy always kept an eye on Luca. According to my memory, Leo used to send Luca a look of contempt every single time. It must have made Luca think of quitting every hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the professor called a familiar name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Next, Lucas Askanian!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was surprised. Isn’t this almost the first time you’ve walked around looking like a human?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Friday, the day the new semester began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One student entered the training ground used by the magic department, speaking in an excited voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although there was no subject, it was obvious who they were referring to. Other students who had been resting on the floor responded with intense reactions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, I almost fainted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I saw his face for the first time today. Does it make sense that I’ve been at this school for this long and only just saw his face?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You must not have been attending school properly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you talking about, XX.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The students burst into laughter among themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring his friends, one student brought up Lucas again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But he seemed like a completely different person. Don’t you think he did more than just cut his hair?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s so surprising? He probably spent the two-month vacation at home learning how to walk again. And how to open his eyes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha! I guess he’s planning to live properly now. I was really surprised when he answered in class.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A student who had been sitting with a dark face without participating in the conversation the entire time shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know, a guy who was a rat at school now acting normal….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At those words, the constant undercurrent of laughter in the conversation died out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t because there were always stories criticizing Lucas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silence dragged on for a while until one student, trying to lighten the mood, spoke with a playful expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t that a ridiculous rumor? No matter how it is, that’s a bit….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you so complacent? What if the fact that he dressed properly now means he plans to shamelessly drink blood like other Pleroma bastards?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well… would he really do that openly while tied to the school? The royal family would come after him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And has the royal family ever succeeded? Why did everyone avoid him? It’s because they feared he might really be with Pleroma.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The follow-up comments weren’t important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Has the royal family ever succeeded?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those words could lead to charges of blasphemy, and the other students exchanged tense glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, one student raised his hands and stepped in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, guys. We weren’t trying to talk about this. Calm down a bit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, you go out and get some air. We were just curious how long he’d keep this up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The student furrowed his brows and shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you so complacent? At this rate…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop spouting nonsense.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cold voice from above made the students look up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leo, who had been listening silently to his friends' conversation, answered with a frosty expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Changing appearances doesn’t change the essence. What can a guy who can’t even use magic do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t typical for Leo, who usually didn’t engage in others' conversations, to say something like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, his friends weren’t surprised at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leo, who usually softened situations with a smile, had always criticized Lucas, so there was no reason to find it strange now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One student laughed nonchalantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha, that’s true. How is it that he can’t even do the basics? It seems like he can’t cast any magic at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if he knew how to, everyone here knows he’s just a charity case. Showing some shitty magic skills won’t change anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t they say he can’t use magic because he can’t drink blood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pleroma folks know how to use magic without drinking blood. Regardless of the process, he can’t use magic at all, so why is he even here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the time allotted for training passing by, the students' conversation didn’t stray from Lucas's defamation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, Leo had tuned out his friends' words, lost in his own thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…But you never know.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leo, who had been half-listening to his friends' chatter and staring into space, shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Changing appearances doesn’t change the essence.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though he said that, it wasn’t true that Lucas had no magic abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dazzling magic he saw ten years ago was still vivid in his memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Askanian family was renowned in the Empire for their magic, known for their bright and flamboyant spells, unlike any other family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the magic he witnessed was not just a typical spell passed down through the family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who saw his magic once would never forget that moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Lucas's magic made me, who had no talent for magic, seriously study it and come this far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The period when he turned into the wreck he is now coincided with rumors spreading across the Empire that he had joined Pleroma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t know the details as it happened before he entered this academy, but I heard he stopped using magic around that time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Pathetic.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were me, I’d flaunt my magic even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wouldn’t let such insulting and rebellious rumors reach my ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this society where magic supremacy is extreme, magical prowess is the most powerful authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With magnificent and strong magic that could shut everyone’s mouths, why does he act like he’s committed a mortal sin all by himself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were me, even if I really belonged to Pleroma, I wouldn’t live like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just thinking about it made me angry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was the magic I saw just an illusion?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, that seems like the only possibility. Otherwise, that guy must be the biggest idiot in the Empire for doing nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Still.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lucas I saw during the day was completely different from usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just a haircut that made me think this. His gaze, his walk, his attitude towards people—all had changed. He even actively participated in class. It was as if he had become a completely different person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps he has decided to turn over a new leaf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Maybe… I can see it again.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Caught by a sudden hope, Leo shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, I shouldn’t get my hopes up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I first came here and saw how he lived, I was so disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, I couldn’t help but grip my wand tightly. No matter how much I tried to kill it, that glimmer of hope never completely vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Monday, the first magic class of the week.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excellent, Leo. Next!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing his turn, Leo returned to his seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His friends, who had gathered around, didn’t spare their praise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, that was awesome. You seem even stronger than last year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do I?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their flattery fell on deaf ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just more flattery for his family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had always been like this since childhood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leo’s gaze naturally turned to Lucas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting far away from the other students as usual, but something was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before, he would be trembling with fear, but now he showed no emotion at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That he could be so calm in a magic class was honestly surprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He has definitely changed.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leo wasn’t the only one who thought so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The change was so shocking that all he could hear around him was talk about Lucas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t it his turn soon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah. He’s up in about three turns? Oh, now only two more to go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Students calculated Lucas’s turn and debated whether he would use magic or not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Don’t get your hopes up.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leo gritted his teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much he’s changed, how much could he have changed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He might not even think of using magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe the rumors are true, and he can’t use magic because he can’t drink blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If so, then there’s nothing more to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Next! Lucas Askanian!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leo quickly looked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lost in thought, he hadn’t noticed it was already Lucas’s turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike usual, Lucas walked forward with a rather normal gait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Begin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the professor’s indifferent command, Lucas raised his wand to his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…What?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leo frowned as he watched Lucas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The professor, who had been absent-mindedly watching, raised his eyebrows in surprise. It was unexpected for a student who usually stood still with his head down to be raising his wand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From where the students were waiting, there were sounds of sharp intakes of breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crackle―!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a red light flickered at the tip of the wand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, it immediately died out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What was that?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exclamations erupted from the students.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it wasn’t the kind of magic a near-adult mage should use, the classroom was shocked by the faint magic. Some students stood up from their seats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did he just use magic?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What was that? Wasn’t he supposed to be unable to use it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leo, who had been frozen with wide eyes, slowly stood up in the now chaotic classroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This can’t be.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t an illusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emotion from that day surged again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That moment, which had inspired him to pursue magic despite not being born into a proper mage family, replayed vividly in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the excitement was short-lived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas lightly shook the hand holding the wand, then, without doing anything more, he bowed his head and stood still.\u003C\u002Fp>",1966,"2026-06-06T03:11:08.023Z",1,"novelbin.me","01c602e7fbd405564ed97eff3966a75f53c0823538ccd995b99b9604db5868ee","how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-chapter-6","how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-chapter-4",367,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhow-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-cover.jpg"]