Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 196

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 196

However, it was already too late for regrets.

Professor Boladi’s magic lecture was continuing.

“I heard from Professor Verdus. You’ve decided to major in enchantment magic too.”

“…I’m just casually listening to it a bit…”

“It’s a good choice.”

Enchantment magic was easy to combine with other magic thanks to its broad versatility.

Ice element magic in particular worked well in combination with enchantment magic.

People who didn’t know much about it often had several misconceptions about ice element magic.

The intense image felt from blade-like cold, the difficulty of learning and using it.

-Perhaps the ice element is the most destructive and combat-oriented element among all elements?

But that wasn’t the case.

In terms of instantaneous destructive power, the fire element was much better. Fire would ignite and devour its surroundings on its own the moment it was lit.

In comparison, the ice element didn’t freeze opponents immediately just by being summoned once.

The mage had to continuously pour mana and maintain the cold until the opponent froze solid.

It was quite an inefficient method.

‘Hmm. I shouldn’t just freeze things brutishly from now on.’

Lee Han reflected on how he had recklessly poured mana to create ice at the lake because he was in a hurry.

It was fortunate that only his friends were there, but if other professors had seen it, they might have called him ‘such a crude fool.’

In any case, the ice element was also ambiguous in other characteristics.

Form transformation or sustainability?

The water element was better.

For pure penetration power, the earth element was better, for speed, the lightning element…

The ice element was more ambiguous than expected and difficult to use, except for its freezing properties.

But it wasn’t without methods. If you knew how to use it, the ice element certainly had advantages that other elements couldn’t match.

One of those methods was enchantment magic.

Clack-

Professor Boladi drew his rapier. From that stable stance, Lee Han realized the professor had learned swordsmanship.

‘Well, someone who stakes their life on magical combat wouldn’t neglect close-quarters fighting.’

Swoosh!

Lee Han could feel cold mana rising above the rapier’s blade.

“Come at me.”

“…!”

Lee Han managed his expression so he wouldn’t show how excited he was and stood up.

As he picked up his wooden sword and took his stance, the professor immediately went on the offensive. The distance closed as if sliding, and a thrust came flying.

It was a fast and sharp thrust, but Lee Han hadn’t learned swordsmanship carelessly enough to be hit by an attack that came straight from a distance without any deception.

He immediately pushed his wooden sword forward and deflected the thrust.

Crack!

At that moment, part of the wooden sword froze.

Lee Han forcibly injected mana to shake off the ice. He couldn’t end it like this.

‘Professor Boladi likely doesn’t know my swordsmanship style in detail. Somehow, if I can just land one hit…’

“Do you understand?”

“Pardon?”

Lee Han hesitated, feeling like his inner thoughts had been discovered.

“I’m talking about enchantment magic.”

“Ah… Yes. It has good compatibility with the cold element.”

The mage didn’t need to concentrate mana to scatter cold or create and shoot crystallized cold.

By enchanting objects with cold, he could continuously deal damage to enemies.

While he couldn’t knock someone down with just one graze, that was sufficient.

Having properly learned swordsmanship, Lee Han was feeling just how effective this cold enchantment was.

‘When swordsmen fight each other, they have to keep clashing weapons, and after five or six times, they’d be incapacitated.’

When Professor Boladi saw that Lee Han understood, he nodded and sheathed his sword. Lee Han felt disappointed inside.

“Throw it.”

“Yes.”

Professor Boladi gestured with his chin toward the iron orb. Lee Han managed his expression like before and grabbed the orb.

‘Stay calm.’

Without alerting the other person, maintaining maximum composure…

Lee Han drew mana from his entire body and injected it into the orb.

Having been told by Professor Ingoldel that ‘injecting that much mana into a sword is dangerous,’ Lee Han was being as careful as possible.

However, sometimes there were unavoidable moments.

That moment was right now.

Whoosh!

With the sound of air being torn, the iron orb flew menacingly.

At that moment, the dagger at Professor Boladi’s waist moved as if it were alive.

With a clanging sound, the dagger precisely penetrated the orb. The speed of the rapidly flying orb instantly decreased and it froze.

It was an unrealistic stopping phenomenon that only cold summoned by a mage, not natural cold, could demonstrate.

While Lee Han was amazed, Professor Boladi focused on a different aspect.

The vampire professor asked with apparent interest.

“You didn’t circulate the mana but instant cast it before throwing?”

“…Yes.”

“It would strain the equipment, but for consumable throwing weapons, it should be fine. That’s a good method.”

Lee Han inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the killing intent he had harbored wasn’t discovered.

“You practiced this kind of thing in swordsmanship lectures.”

“Pardon?”

Lee Han hesitated.

He sensed that the topic seemed to be flowing in a strange direction.

Professor Boladi’s words sounded exactly like, ‘So you were attending swordsmanship lectures to add this kind of method to magical combat.’

For Lee Han, who was taking the class for credit management, this was quite an unfair accusation.

“I didn’t do it on purpose…”

“Well done. Try summoning a cold shield.”

Professor Boladi changed the subject as if this conversation was already over.

Lee Han was anxious but had no chance to clear his name.

‘…It should be fine. Surely.’

* * *

The 2nd circle magic, 【Cold Shield】, was much more difficult than 【Water Shield】 magic despite being in the same circle.

Element difficulty, mana consumption, mana maintenance – everything.

To this extent, it felt unfair to call them the same circle magic.

However, 【Cold Shield】 had the right to possess such difficulty.

‘It freezes attacks that touch it!’

It didn’t just end with freezing, but significantly reduced the power of attacks, making it truly an excellent magical shield.

“Now give this shield commands to make it protect you on its own.”

“Yes… what?”

Lee Han was nodding when he was suddenly startled.

He had worked hard throughout the lecture to learn the techniques of cold element form transformation and barely managed to create a 【Cold Shield】, and now he was being told to grant it autonomy.

Professor Boladi seemed to notice Lee Han’s misunderstanding and spoke up.

“I’m not telling you to do it now.”

“Ah. The final goal…”

“By next class.”

“…”

Lee Han regretted not putting a little more mana when throwing the iron ball earlier.

If he had put in a little more, wouldn’t it have broken through the defense?

“To give commands to a shield and make it protect on its own… wouldn’t that require 4th circle?”

Lee Han made a simple assessment.

To create a cold shield that floats in the air, spins around, and blocks attacks flying toward its master?

…It was at least 4th circle.

“That’s right.”

“Professor. I’m a 1st year student.”

“?”

Professor Boladi looked at Lee Han with puzzled eyes, wondering why he was suddenly saying such a thing.

“…The difficulty of the magic is a bit…?”

“Combining rotation and launch properties with water orbs, granting Azirmo summoning. They’re all 4th circle, aren’t they.”

“…”

Lee Han was truly speechless.

To think he would lose to Professor Boladi in logic.

You have succeeded with 4th circle difficulty magic before->So you can succeed with 4th circle difficulty magic again!

It was perfect logic that couldn’t be refuted.

Professor Boladi continued speaking as if he still didn’t understand.

“Were you joking?”

“…Yes… well…”

“You’re not good at jokes. That’s fine. Jokes aren’t necessary in magical combat.”

Professor Boladi even consoled Lee Han before leaving the lecture hall first.

After the lecture ended, Lee Han was left alone, holding his head in regret.

‘…I shouldn’t have succeeded with the cold element in one try.’

No matter how he thought about it, that was the beginning of this entire butterfly effect.

Who would have thought a single mistake would come back like this…

* * *

The school was still cold, but after about two days, Lee Han seemed to have adapted.

‘I should start clearing the spire path soon.’

Of course, some students like Gainando might say this:

-Do we have to go in this weather!? Let’s go later!

But Lee Han knew well.

If you make excuses about being cold, make excuses about being hot, make excuses about having pop quizzes, and make excuses about needing to play cards, you won’t be able to do anything.

“I get it, so stop nagging me…!”

Gainando, who had received all sorts of scolding after expressing concern just once, wore an expression full of injustice.

‘Do we have to go in this weather!? Let’s go later!’ didn’t seem like the kind of concern that deserved such harsh words!

Clatter clatter-

Evening.

The Blue Dragon Tower students gathered in the common room were scraping the remaining food from their bowls with spoons.

Lee Han, who had finished his meal first, took out the potions he had received as gifts from Priest Siana.

Going out in this weather, and at night no less, he needed to make all the preparations he could.

Gulp-

After drinking all the potions worth drinking, Lee Han stood up from his seat.

“Well then, see you later.”

“Take care of yourself.”

“Thanks for worrying about me.”

“…”

Gainando sent a very displeased look at the heartwarming conversation.

“What’s different about what I said?”

“Are you seriously asking that?”

* * *

“Huh? He came out!”

“Really?”

The fourth year student, Cohorti and his friends were startled.

They hadn’t expected him to actually escape from the tower in this kind of weather.

“Is he really a new student?”

“He’s not exactly an ordinary new student though.”

At Cohorti’s words, his friends nodded their heads.

The sight of him wildly casting magic like a madman in the twisted dimensional corridor last time was still vivid in their eyes.

Ordinary new students didn’t do that.

-I told you, right? The Head of Wardanaz Family made a contract with a great demon in earnest…

-No way the Wardanaz Family would be crazy enough to do such a thing?

-Then my more moderate hypothesis that the Head of Wardanaz Family made a deal with a dragon…

-Guys. It’s fine to debate, but let’s tone down the talk that could get us assassinated by Wardanaz Family people when we go outside.

While Diret was cursing “You bastards solve it yourselves,” Cohorti and his friends approached it realistically.

To solve the twisted dimensional corridor right now requires quite a lot of mana->There’s almost no way to bring that much mana to the twisted dimensional corridor without loss->In this situation, shouldn’t we borrow even a new student’s help?

Of course, Diret and other upperclassmen would criticize them saying “Those bastards are disgracing all fourth years,” but Cohorti and his friends felt not a speck of shame in their hearts.

-Then you guys try dealing with the twisted dimensional corridor while getting scolded by the professor!

So Cohorti and his friends were secretly waiting around Blue Dragon Tower like this, without Diret knowing.

He probably wouldn’t come out, but just in case they got lucky and he did come out, they wanted to make contact.

But to think he would actually come out like this.

“Send a message! A message!”

“Wait. I’m going now!”

The fourth year students calmed their excitement and cast magic.

Making contact with new students was a life-risking endeavor due to the Skeleton Principal’s strict surveillance, but that didn’t mean there was no way to do it.

The fourth year students were also those who had experienced all kinds of hardships at this school.

Thud-

A paper bird flew around in circles and then fell in front of Lee Han’s feet.

“?”

Lee Han picked up the paper with curiosity.

Brave and wise new student. Come to the twisted dimensional corridor that Professor Mortum showed you.

If you do so, faithful mages will repay your devotion!

“…”

Lee Han was dumbfounded.

‘Are there letter scams at magic school too?’

Rip rip rip!

Lee Han tore up and threw away the letter without a moment’s hesitation. He didn’t want to deal with the headache if there happened to be some strange magic cast on it.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————