Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 268

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

Chapter 268

‘Are all Einroguard students like this?’

Baishada thought in amazement.

Well, it was a place that gathered and taught the Empire’s finest talents, so perhaps this was only natural.

These were people who, even after embedding half an arrow into rock, would lament ‘Ah, the arrow only went halfway into the rock.’

“Tell your friend to stop talking nonsense.”

“He’s your accomplice too.”

Baishada didn’t hear the conversation between Giselle and Durgyu.

‘Come to think of it, I heard there was a young patrol member from another fortress who entered Einroguard last time. Is that patrol member like this too?’

If all Einroguard students had this kind of personality, then the young patrol member who entered from another Shadow Patrol fortress would be similar.

Baishada was newly impressed by the young patrol member whose face he didn’t even know.

You had to be at least this good to enter Einroguard!

“How about reducing the power if you want more accurate aim?”

“The power?”

“Yeah. It seems like you’re too obsessed with power. You don’t need that much power.”

“But among monsters like Rakshasa Hungry Ghosts, aren’t there some with particularly tough armor? I think this much power would be necessary to take down such creatures.”

“Well, that’s true, but normally a 1st year wouldn’t encounter such monsters, right?”

Baishada was flustered.

Of course, there were monsters with solid defensive capabilities among them, but usually such monsters were rarely encountered.

Especially for a 1st year at magic school.

Lee Han smiled bitterly. Baishada couldn’t quite understand why the boy in front of him was acting this way.

“You’re right. Then I’ll give up on power and focus on aiming.”

“Why don’t you try using 【Low-Grade Guidance】 too?”

Giselle said sarcastically.

Of course, it wasn’t serious advice.

The ‘guidance’ attribute in enchantment magic that made objects move toward their target on their own was quite a difficult attribute.

An attribute with much higher difficulty than ‘acceleration’ or ‘weight increase’.

“Ah. Thanks. Moradi.”

However, for Lee Han who was already handling the ‘automatic defense’ attribute, 【Low-Grade Guidance】 was within the range of manageable attributes.

Since the two had some compatibility, Lee Han was able to successfully cast 【Low-Grade Guidance】 in one try.

“…”

Giselle was at a loss for words. Durgyu beside her said with slight surprise.

“I didn’t know you’d give advice.”

“Shut up.”

“?!”

Lee Han reduced the power enhancement magic and added 【Low-Grade Guidance】.

After several trials and errors, quite an appropriate combination was completed.

‘【Low-Grade Accuracy Enhancement】, 【Low-Grade Aiming Enhancement】, 【Low-Grade Guidance】 twice, plus 【Low-Grade Penetration Enhancement】. This seems about right.’

Cast precariously to the limit, the best combination possible with his current skills.

When he drew the bowstring, the arrow struck precisely in the center of the distant rock.

Baishada clapped with a delighted expression.

“Excellent!”

“Thank you. I didn’t know it would work this well.”

Lee Han was also somewhat bewildered.

To think archery could be replaced so easily with magic (though it definitely wasn’t just one spell).

He thought there was good reason why mages were cursed at for being insufferable.

“I almost feel like it’s too easy to shoot arrows like this.”

“It’s fine.”

Baishada spoke with the pride of a skilled archer.

“Rather than a beginner wasting time and giving up, it’s better to enjoy it using convenient and useful tools. Don’t excellent archers use good bows and good arrows? In fact, they seek out and use such things even more.”

Archery was a profound skill with no end when deeply pursued.

Archers walking such a path didn’t mind much when mages replaced archery with magic.

This was possible because they had strong confidence in their own archery.

“Indeed, that’s true. Thank you for the good advice.”

Lee Han shot several arrows in succession. Baishada hesitated slightly at the sight of arrows precisely splitting the ends of previously shot arrows.

…Magic really is overpowered!

“Moradi. Thanks. For the advice.”

“…”

“I should practice a few more times.”

Lee Han picked up arrows with slight excitement.

One might ask why learn archery when you have magic, but bows had advantages that magic didn’t.

First, their overwhelming range was an advantage.

A range that could easily exceed a hundred meters when used well would have insanely increased difficulty if implemented with magic.

New students like Lee Han who often faced monsters needed to prepare methods to attack from as far away as possible.

Swish, swish, swish, swish!

Baishada was flustered seeing Lee Han so earnestly embedding arrows into targets.

He had recommended it lightly as a change of pace, but Lee Han was practicing far too earnestly.

“Monsters don’t come down to Einroguard or anything like that, do they? Haha.”

“…”

“…”

“…Stu, students. That was a joke.”

* * *

Professor Thunderstep lit his tobacco pipe and puffed out smoke heavily.

Students often mistakenly thought ‘Professors are truly evil beings for giving such assignments and exams,’ but in fact, professors didn’t particularly like assignments and exams either.

When they gave assignments and exams, it was the professors themselves who had to evaluate them.

Yet students, unaware of their master’s such toil, just said things like ‘Why do you make them so difficult’!

“This is really problematic! These young ones, really!”

“It’s true that you made it difficult though?”

“No. Does that mean I should forcibly make it easy?”

Professor Thunderstep grumbled and poured tea for Professor Lightningstep.

On the table, potion bottles that students had made and submitted were scattered messily.

“This one’s missing Setrivi’s Dew Potion. This one has insufficient Low-Grade Mental Enhancement Potion. I told them to make Dobruk’s Blood Drop Potion, but did they scoop water from some sewer? Look at this terrible smell!”

“Be quiet while I’m drinking tea.”

“Yes.”

An alchemist of Professor Thunderstep’s caliber could actually determine a potion’s composition to some extent just by looking and sensing mana.

Aurum’s Golden Potion, assigned as a pre-final project.

The difficulty itself wasn’t that high, but it was very troublesome because you had to make and combine all sorts of potions to create it.

You had to mix Low-Grade Mental Enhancement Potion and Setrivi’s Dew Potion to make the base, then add a mixture of Low-Grade Mental Enhancement Potion and Dobruk’s Blood Drop Potion, then again add Low-Grade Mental Enhancement Potion mixed with Belegen’s…

“Isn’t that why students hate it when you assign such things?”

“Alchemy is originally this kind of discipline.”

Professor Thunderstep felt wronged.

Since he himself had endured such stale beer-like tasks to become an alchemist, trials made alchemists grow.

If they got frustrated by just this much, how would they make more difficult potions in the future?

“Uh… huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“This is strange?”

Professor Thunderstep held the potion bottle up to the magic lamp. But even looking again, it was strange.

Too…

It was clean and perfect.

“What’s strange about it?”

“You made it too well.”

“Then isn’t that good?”

“No. This was an assignment I gave out for you to make poorly.”

“…”

Professor Lightningstep looked at his nephew like he was trash, but Professor Thunderstep didn’t care.

Students didn’t receive materials from anywhere – they had to scavenge bits and pieces from all over the school grounds, so naturally it couldn’t be perfect.

There should be all sorts of byproducts and residues remaining…

This Aurum’s Golden Potion was too perfect.

What the hell?

“Th-this… looks like it was made with potions sold at the Alchemy Guild workshop?!”

“Clever.”

“No, this isn’t just clever! Who made this?”

Lee Han Wardanaz

“…”

Professor Thunderstep was speechless after checking the name on the potion label.

How the hell did this kid do it?

“You told them to make it by any means necessary, so the students used any means necessary.”

“Even so, how does one buy potions from outside?! How the hell did this kid do it?!”

“He probably bought it when he went out last time.”

“How could he have known that Aurum’s Golden Potion would be the assignment back then?”

“Who knows? Fascinating.”

Since it wasn’t his problem, Professor Lightningstep found it interesting.

Of course, Professor Thunderstep felt differently.

No matter how much he cherished this disciple, this was a matter of pride.

How dare he not struggle on an assignment meant to make him struggle?

“Blame yourself, Wardanaz. The final exam difficulty will increase because of you.”

Watching his nephew mutter ominously, Professor Lightningstep shook his head.

This is exactly why people have the prejudice that alchemists are gloomy individuals who hole up in small rooms and never come out.

* * *

Tuesday.

Professor Alpen Naiton looked around at the assignments the students were making with serious eyes.

The pre-final assignment for 【Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic】 was drafting structural blueprints.

And the final exam was the actual construction of those structures.

Since the two were connected, most students were already building their structures.

With evaluation next week, it would be very difficult if they didn’t nearly complete it this week. Moreover, next week had final exams for other lectures, making time even more scarce.

“Professor Naiton.”

“Professor Fluewerk. Good day.”

Professor Alpen bowed his head lightly and greeted Professor Rozine.

Since both were former Imperial officials, they were acquainted.

“The students’ assignments look wonderful! I think it’s because you’ve taught them so well.”

“I’m still embarrassed as they’re quite lacking.”

“This is sufficient. They’re first years.”

“Even if they’re first years, they’re mages. The students wouldn’t want to be treated with such consideration.”

“…”

The students working in the back pouted.

That’s not true!

“Mr. Wardanaz. Mr. Wardanaz.”

Lee Han, who was embedding magic stones into a pillar made of red wood, shook his head and answered when Rowena from White Tiger Tower called him.

“I’m too busy to make snacks right now, Rowena. Tell the Imperial Princess to be patient.”

“…”

The Imperial Princess, who was making her own assignment with her followers a little distance away, looked at Lee Han with eyes full of injustice and shock.

“What? No. I didn’t come for snacks.”

“Oh. Really?”

Lee Han put down his hammer and turned his gaze.

“Then why did you come?”

“Could you lend me some mana?”

“…”

“…”

“Isn’t, isn’t that a dark mage?”

Asan muttered in a disgusted voice.

For mages, magic that absorbed others’ mana was close to taboo.

It was a natural reaction since it touched something more important than a mage’s life.

Gainando jumped up and denied it.

“Dark mages don’t absorb others’ mana!”

“Huh? They don’t have such methods?”

“They don’t… well, they probably do.”

“Don’t come near me.”

“You bastard! Other schools probably have such methods too!”

‘They probably don’t though.’

Realizing she had been misunderstood, Rowena urgently shouted.

“I’m not a dark mage!”

“…No. You should say you’re not a dark mage and don’t intend to steal mana.”

“I don’t intend to steal mana…”

“Right. Of course.”

Lee Han roughly grasped the situation.

Just as magic circles consumed a lot of mana due to various trial and error, magical structures were the same.

While Lee Han could continuously pour mana without getting tired, other students had to rest until they recovered.

If Lee Han input mana during that time, the production period could be shortened much more.

“Payment doesn’t have to be barter – credit is fine too.”

“Oh. Really?”

Rowena, who was taking out a whole chunk of meat, was delighted.

Surprisingly, Einroguard students preferred going outside and paying money rather than bartering. Lee Han could only be grateful.

“Wait!”

“?”

When Angrago from the Alpha family interrupted, Lee Han was puzzled.

What is he trying to say?

‘Is he trying to interfere?’

Given the White Tiger Tower students’ personality, they probably didn’t like their friends receiving help from other towers…

“Wardanaz. I’ll pay double, so please start with me…”

“…”

“…”

“Is that really a knight? That’s White Tiger Tower, right?”

Gainando muttered in a confused voice.

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