Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 281

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 281

“What are you talking about?”

“Look at his face.”

“I can’t see because of the smoke?”

“…Are you a first-year?”

At those words, Cohorti pulled out a monocle with a jeweled lens from his pocket. It was an artifact that could see through even smoke.

“Ah!”

Cohorti recognized the junior’s identity and let out an exclamation.

Last time he…

“The poor new student who got wrongly caught by Professor Muje!”

“He’s the grateful junior who cleaned up the mess you caused. You piece of trash.”

Diret looked at Cohorti with contemptuous eyes.

If you received help from a first-year, you should bow your head for several years, but all you have to say is this!

Cohorti also seemed to realize this and coughed awkwardly with an embarrassed face.

“Of course I’m grateful. I’m still grateful now. It’s just that seeing him with Professor Muje was so impressive…”

‘That certainly was true.’

Diret couldn’t deny that much.

He would never forget Professor Bagrek pushing a first-year new student’s back to fight the Frost Giant King.

He had seriously considered for several days whether to send an anonymous letter to His Imperial Majesty.

Though the person involved seemed to be doing fine…

“Anyway, he’s special, so you don’t need to worry too much about it.”

“I thought he was only good at subduing demons, but he’s really good at other dark magic too? Professor Mortum would be pleased.”

Cohorti admired the talent of the newly enrolled junior.

To be so proficient in dark magic already as a first-year.

Professor Mortum, who had been sad about having no disciples to teach, would surely be very pleased.

Originally, one genius is more precious than a hundred mediocre people.

“Well…”

“??”

When Diret trailed off, Cohorti looked puzzled.

“He might not continue taking dark magic…”

“What kind of ridiculous talk is that?”

Cohorti couldn’t understand.

Of course, it was true that dark magic was less popular compared to other magic.

However, with that level of talent, it would be difficult for the mage himself not to learn it, no matter how unpopular it was.

Just reading grimoires and practicing spells would continuously increase his achievements – what mage could escape such temptation?

“That’s true, but…”

Diret looked at his junior with complicated eyes.

If he only had talent in dark magic it would be one thing, but the problem was he was too good at other magic as well.

‘At this rate, won’t he not come back in the second semester?’

* * *

Gainando, who had finished the dark magic exam last, spoke to Ymirg and Raphadael.

“How was it? How was it?? Did you all do well? Did you do well?”

“…”

When Raphadael’s expression crumpled, Gainando’s eyes sparkled.

Gainando shouted with a voice full of joy.

“You did poorly!”

‘Is that something to say while being so happy about it?’

“Right? You did poorly?!”

“Shut up! You prince bastard!”

Raphadael got angry.

That prince might not know about other lectures, but he showed considerable ability specifically in dark magic.

Compared to Raphadael, who didn’t like dark magic that much, it was natural for him to do well.

Of course, separate from that, running over so excitedly saying he did well was annoying as hell.

The guy who hung his head after other lecture exams as if the world had ended!

“I, I didn’t do that well. The exam was difficult.”

“Haha. I understand. The dark magic exam was a bit difficult.”

Gainando burst into a generous laugh and answered Ymirg’s words.

“I, I succeeded at curses and poison in one try, but bone magic took three tries…”

“…Huh? You succeeded in one try?”

Gainando hesitated.

Ymirg had done better than he thought.

“Y, yeah.”

“I… I also succeeded at bone magic in one try.”

Raphadael, who was listening, asked without much thought.

“What about curses and poison?”

“You don’t answer how you did but shamelessly ask! How can you still call yourself a knight!”

“What kind of crazy bastard…”

“Wa, what did Wardanaz say he did?”

At Ymirg’s question, Gainando answered with a serious expression.

“It would be rude to ask such things.”

“…”

“…”

At the cowardly behavior of never asking about grades from a friend who certainly did better than him, the two students couldn’t help but be amazed.

So this is what imperial family is like!

* * *

“The lecture hall is currently under a spell that temporarily nullifies contracts.”

Professor Milay spoke in her usual stern voice.

The students facing the exam looked at Professor Milay with tense faces.

“You all remember making contracts in other realms last time.”

Most students in the Spirit Realm.

Students like Lee Han in the Undead Realm.

Everyone had attempted contracts as an assignment before the final exam.

“Please try calling forth the beings you contracted with, one by one in order.”

“…?”

One of the listening students didn’t understand and asked again.

“Professor? Aren’t contracts currently nullified inside the lecture hall?”

Beings from other realms were fundamentally unpredictable, capricious, and dangerous existences.

Such beings couldn’t be summoned recklessly.

Accidents happened even when bound by strict contracts, so how much would they run wild without contracts?

Of course, the beings that first-year students contracted with were at most existences that could light campfires and refill empty water pouches…

But first-year students were correspondingly weak enough that they absolutely couldn’t let their guard down.

“Good point. The purpose of this exam is to learn how to protect yourself when there’s no contract protecting the mage’s body.”

“…”

The words sounded reasonable, but the students were already getting anxious.

“Isn’t Professor Milay being too harsh? How is that different from just throwing monsters at us and telling us to fight?”

“I’ve done something similar in swordsmanship lectures before. I didn’t know summoning magic would be like this too.”

While his friends were murmuring, Lee Han rummaged through his pocket and pulled out bone fragments.

Then he said to his friends.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you all going to prepare?”

“…We will, but we can complain a little!”

“I understand, so everyone move. If you don’t prepare enough, you’re the only ones who’ll lose out.”

His friends grumbled at Lee Han’s ruthless attitude.

To think he wouldn’t complain even while taking such an unreasonable test.

Wardanaz was definitely someone who made no compromises when it came to magic.

‘This must be a test that’s not too difficult.’

Unlike his friends’ thoughts, Lee Han was slightly pleased.

The test difficulty was easier than he had expected.

* * *

“Wind Spirit. I trust you.”

Asan tried his best to speak in the gentlest voice possible.

However, his voice was filled with unmistakable tension.

“So please listen to m… Gah!”

Thwack!

The formless, rippling Wind Spirit struck Asan’s abdomen precisely.

‘Oh dear.’

From Lee Han’s perspective, the Wind Spirit wasn’t acting out of hostility or malice.

Having fought countless monsters with hostility and malice, if it had those feelings, the attacks should have been much sharper.

That was closer to playfulness.

Since the Wind Spirit was also a lower-grade spirit that wasn’t very strong, rather than being angry at the mage’s command, it seemed to just be showing playfulness…

“Argh! Stop! Stop!”

Asan, who had dropped his staff, rolled to the side to dodge the attacks.

The Wind Spirit persistently chased after him, attempting headbutts.

Unable to watch any longer, Professor Milay waved her staff to separate the two.

“No matter how friendly you are, continuously attempting persuasion through words alone in a situation without a contract is a foolish choice. Remember that firm warnings are also necessary when they won’t listen.”

“S-sorry, Professor.”

Asan’s failure became a lesson for the other students.

The next student to step forward immediately raised his staff, ready to attack if the spirit refused his command.

“Magic…”

Swoosh!

Before the magic could be cast, the Earth Spirit scattered sand.

The spirit had noticed the mage’s hostility first.

“Pfft, pah! Pff pff pah!”

The Earth Spirit continued throwing sand.

Unless they were students trained to maintain composure and cast magic while receiving various attacks, it was impossible for new students to calmly cast magic in such a situation.

The student who failed his incantation due to the sand escaped while shedding tears.

“I trusted you…! I trusted you!”

“You were about to attack right away.”

The students had initially approached with confidence, but more people failed than expected.

Professor Milay had the failed students wait in the back.

She thought there wouldn’t be many students who would succeed on their first attempt anyway.

‘Blindly offering carrots isn’t good, but blindly wielding the whip is the same.’

The method for a mage to persuade spirits when there’s no contract binding them together.

The key was ultimately understanding.

How well do I understand the spirit?

Mages who had somehow formed contracts with spirits but usually just gave commands without any particular communion showed their true colors at times like this.

Not knowing what habits this spirit had or what kind of personality it possessed, they didn’t know how to approach it.

Whether carrots or whips, understanding the other party came first.

The students who failed on their first attempt would naturally become more interested in their summoned creatures as they continued repeating.

“…Don’t attack me. Okay? Really don’t attack me. I’ve been really good to you. Just listen to me once. Please? If you have complaints, I’ll listen next time…”

The Water Spirit that Nilia summoned was a spirit Lee Han recognized.

Wasn’t that the spirit that had avoided Lee Han and contracted with Nilia on the island last time?

Though she had said ‘Hmph, I don’t really like spirits either’ in front of Nilia, he couldn’t help feeling bitter inside.

“Isn’t that method too pathetic?”

Gainando, who was watching from the side, looked puzzled.

No matter what, that seemed too unsightly…

“!!!”

“It worked, it worked!”

The students exclaimed in admiration.

Even without a contract, the Water Spirit didn’t refuse Nilia’s words and faithfully followed them.

‘They’re definitely close.’

Unlike the other students, Lee Han could somewhat sense the mana emotions that Nilia’s spirit was showing.

His innate ability to sense mana.

On top of that, having trained in emotion recognition through illusion magic, it would be stranger if he couldn’t sense it.

The Water Spirit that Nilia had summoned treated her much more warmly than the other spirits did their mages.

“I see. That’s it.”

“What is?”

“Nilia must have summoned the Water Spirit for conversations whenever she was bored, so they’d naturally be closer.”

“…Why would she do such a lonely thing?”

Gainando reacted as if he found it hard to believe, but Lee Han had actually guessed correctly.

Professor Milay highly evaluated Nilia’s approach.

‘She built intimacy from the start.’

Her attitude lacked confidence somewhat, but a spirit that had become this close wouldn’t refuse commands.

It was an excellent method.

“Great Spirit sir! I am… Gah!”

“Please help me just once… Ugh!”

Students who failed to notice the intimacy Nilia had built with her spirit, thinking they just needed to prostrate themselves politely, appeared in droves and were chased away.

Professor Milay shook her head regretfully.

‘Oh dear…’

“Lee Han. It’s your turn.”

“Ah. Right.”

Lee Han cast various enhancement magic and began floating water orbs in the air.

At the sight of him working calmly, the other spirits that had been summoned earlier trembled and hid behind their masters.

Professor Milay felt a different kind of frustration than before.

Of course, that was also one method, but this test wasn’t meant for something like that!

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