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Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 48
🕑 Added 2023-12-29 13:14:11 +0000 UTCChapter 48
"All the priests who entered the Immortal Phoenix were faithful and good people, but..."
"Is that possible in a place where people live?"
"Please be quiet during prayers. Anyway, among such people, there are those who have not yet completely abandoned worldly emotions. Emotions like competitiveness and jealousy do not help faith at all."
Last week, a new novice priest who had just joined the Immortal Phoenix made a fatigue recovery potion for the other priests.
He wanted to use the knowledge he had gained during his temple life for the benefit of others.
It was truly befitting of a priest.
'I would have sold it for money if it were me.'
-"Drinking this potion really relieves fatigue. Thank you very much!"-
-"Priestess Siana of the Flameng Order would be amazed too. It's really well-made. Maybe even better than what Priestess Siana could make?"-
There was a warm and jovial atmosphere as everyone laughed and chatted. The remark was more of a compliment on how well it was made rather than a serious comparison.
Priestess Siana also smiled and nodded in agreement, and no one felt any disharmony.
...However, the next day Priestess Siana brought her own fatigue recovery potion.
-”??”-
-"I've made some too. Please try it."-
-"Oh, thank you."-
-"It's really excellent. You made it well, didn’t you?"-
The day after that, Priestess Siana brought another fatigue recovery potion.
-"Thank you...?"-
-"It's really great, isn't it?"-
And the day after that, Priestess Siana again brought a fatigue recovery potion.
By then, the priests realized.
-"The potion made by Priestess Siana seems to be the best...!"-
-"Who else could compare!"-
Finally, Priestess Siana stopped bringing the potion.
"...She's a bit too competitive."
Yi-Han commented in a jaded voice after hearing the story.
Bringing her own potion until she was acknowledged as the best just because of a joke seemed excessive.
"It wasn’t just that incident."
"..."
'It's not over?'
The priest who made the fatigue recovery potion before Priestess Siana approached her later to praise her.
-"As expected of Priestess Siana. Not just anyone could make such a potion."-
Tijiling, who was present, clearly saw how Priestess Siana pretended not to hear and left the place.
-”...?!”-
It was only days later that Priestess Siana finally acknowledged the priest's greeting.
'How narrow-minded can one be?'
Yi-Han was astonished upon hearing this.
After all, just a little praise for a potion and she reacts like this...
'What compliments have I received in the classroom?'
He seemed to remember all sorts of embarrassing praises, starting from being called a genius in alchemy...
After Tijiling finished his prayer to Presinga, she spoke no more.
Still unconvinced, Yi-Han asked again.
"Surely Priestess Siana wouldn’t poison someone’s food or anything, would she?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Tijiling closed her mouth, indicating she would say no more.
Yi-Han made a decision.
'If I ever have to work with Priestess Siana, I must never eat anything she recommends.'
—
Even as mountains of pain, despair, and tasks loomed, the sun still rose and set.
'Assignments are one thing, but there's something else I'm worried about.'
Yi-Han was currently preoccupied with two major concerns.
How to infiltrate the White Tiger?
And how to gather alchemy materials in the mountain range behind the academy, wondering what kind of crazy traps might be there?
'I'm not sure which one is more difficult.'
But the magic academy didn’t give him time to worry for long.
Immediately, students were sent to the next class, squeezed for every drop of learning.
In the <Repetitive Training of Basic Magic Combat> classroom, Professor Boladi opened his mouth as soon as Yi-Han entered.
"You're 11 seconds late."
"I apologize. I was late because I went to the stable early in the morning to take care of the horse.”
"There's no need to apologize. Being late only harms you."
'I wonder where the professors learn their way of speaking?'
Yi-Han thought to himself as he took his seat.
The silent classroom held only the two of them.
Professor Boladi flicked his finger. Yi-Han took out his staff and started rotating an iron ball.
The struggle against the anti-magic extremists had given Yi-Han a clear epiphany.
His control over the <Lesser Control> spells was incomparably better than before.
The iron ball spun in a near-perfect circle at a constant speed.
‘It’s about two years faster than I expected.’ Professor Boladi thought emotionlessly.
It was fortunate that Yi-Han did not hear this; had he, he would have been taken aback and complained something along the lines of: So you chose a training that takes over two years to even begin mastering as the first content of the class???
"That's satisfactory."
"Thank you."
Yi-Han knew well that when someone like Professor Boladi says 'satisfactory,' it meant 'exceptionally good.'
He hadn't expected praise in the first place.
"I heard you've learned <Water Creation> spell."
"Yes."
"Show me."
"Spring forth!"
At his command, a mass of water appeared before Yi-Han.
Thanks to Professor Garcia's punishment, or rather, teaching, maintaining its form was still within his capabilities.
"Reduce it to the size of a bead."
"I'll try."
Yi-Han grasped his wand, concentrating.
The water mass in the air twisted and contorted, spiking out in different directions.
For Yi-Han, already possessing immense mana, reducing the mass and shaping it into a bead was no simple task.
Professor Boladi picked up the iron ball in front of Yi-Han.
At this sight, Yi-Han felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.
Whoosh!
With a sharp sound, the iron ball flew towards Yi-Han's face.
'Ah, this crazy professor...!'
Instinctively, Yi-Han compressed the water mass into a bead shape. The vast water mass shrank to the size of a fist, its strength and hardness intensifying.
Clang!
The incoming iron ball collided with the water bead and lost its momentum, falling to the ground.
"Professor, are you going to keep doing this?"
"What do you mean?"
"You just threw an iron ball at me."
"Ah, that. Yes, I did."
"Isn't that a bit dangerous?"
Yi-Han tried to persuade Professor Boladi just as he had done with other students.
But Professor Boladi was not swayed like the students.
"But wasn't it effective?"
"Excuse me?"
"Like in the fight against the Empire's anti-magic extremists, sudden crises sharpen your concentration and instincts, enhancing your control over mana. Why take the long way when such a method is available?"
"..."
Yi-Han was speechless.
Not because he couldn't argue back, but because he was dumbfounded.
When faced with the utterly absurd, one finds themselves at a loss for words!
"It seems you understand. Now rotate it."
From soul star orb to iron ball, and from the iron ball to the water bead.
Certainly, rotating the water bead was the most challenging task so far.
He had to maintain the created water in a spherical form while rotating it at a constant speed.
Just like when fighting the Empire's anti-magic extremists, he felt his nerves straining.
A shape, not quite a circle, was drawn in the air, time and again.
Then, Professor Boladi launched an iron ball.
Clang!
Yi-Han immediately blocked it.
Though not yet able to perfectly draw a circle, his readiness to guard made it possible to deflect at least one attack.
'I knew it would come to this!'
But Professor Boladi had anticipated Yi-Han's block. Simultaneously, another iron ball whirled from the opposite direction, hurtling towards him.
Thud!
"…!"
Yi-Han hastily turned the water bead, but it was too late. The iron ball struck squarely in his back. Yi-Han clenched his teeth in frustration.
'Damn it!'
Despite bracing his muscles, he felt the impact. Memories of learning swordsmanship from Arlong surfaced.
"Concentrate."
"..."
Yi-Han was now beyond the point of responding, simply moving the water bead frantically to dodge the incoming iron balls.
One thing was certain.
'I'd rather be overloaded with assignments than this.'
—
"Wardanaz looks really tired."
"It must be because of the assignments. I've been losing sleep over them too. Plus, Wardanaz isn’t the type to just take regular classes."
"True, if it's Wardanaz’s classes, they're bound to be challenging."
"When will he enter the White Tiger, I wonder?"
"Who knows…"
In the <Basic Magic Understanding> classroom, students of the Blue Dragon were buzzing with speculation.
Yi-Han, leaning slightly with his eyes closed, looked considerably weary.
It was an aftereffect of his life-threatening bead duel with Professor Boladi.
Not only the Blue Dragon students were buzzing. Black Tortoise students were too.
"Is anyone attending the alchemy class? I heard we’re going up the mountain tomorrow. Is that true?"
"The rumor spread already? Yes, it's true. Students from other towers will join as well."
"I wonder if there's a way out of the mountain."
'Such vain hopes,' Yi-Han thought, feeling sorry for the Black Tortoise students.
To think there might be a way out.
They would be deeply disappointed to learn the truth.
"Wait, so we’re going with Wardanaz? What if we make a mistake and get punished…"
"No, no, that won’t happen. We’re from different towers."
"…"
Yi-Han internally sighed deeply.
"Hello, everyone."
"Good day, Professor!"
Upon Professor Garcia's entrance, the students respectfully greeted her.
They had come to realize something.
That Professor Garcia was perhaps one of the few consciences of the academy.
More fearsome than a troll was a professor unaware of the human heart.
"Until last time, we familiarized ourselves with elemental magic through various exercises. However, in this <Basic Magic Understanding> class, we will briefly learn not only elemental magic but also various other kinds, like illusion, foresight, summoning, and transformation magic. As you progress in your studies, you will specialize in these magics."
The world of magic was infinitely vast and unfathomably deep.
It was impossible for any human to master everything in this realm.
Naturally, mages specialized in certain fields of study.
Yi-Han, aware as much, was not particularly surprised.
"Today, we will explore different kinds of magic. Instead of me teaching, we have a guest professor, an expert in these fields."
At Professor Garcia's words, the students’ eyes sparkled with anticipation and curiosity.
Each had their own area of interest in magic.
Some were keen on elemental magic, others on spirit magic, and yet others on enchantment magic…
"I wish we had a great spirit mage! I want to learn spirit magic…"
"I joined to learn physical enhancement and healing. I hope they teach us enhancement magic."
"Come in!"
As the door opened, the temperature in the classroom suddenly dropped. The students shivered at the abrupt chill.
"Nice to meet you all... cough, cough. I am Professor Mortum."
For a moment, Yi-Han thought the professor was a dwarf, but he was merely a short-statured human.
Professor Mortum coughed so much while speaking that it seemed a mere gust of wind could knock him over.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
"You seem like you need a hospital bed more than a lecture hall…"
"Cough, I'm fine, fine…"
Despite his coughing fits, Professor Mortum spoke feebly. One of the students raised their hand and asked.
"Professor, what kind of magic do you teach?"
"I teach dark magic."
"..."
"..."
The atmosphere in the room turned icy cold.
Dark magic was among those with the worst reputation in the realm of magic.
