Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 285

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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 285

The incident of nearly getting trapped while raiding the kitchen yesterday had become a lesson for Lee Han.

In Einroguard, suspect everything!

‘I didn’t expect water cannons to come flying.’

Just obediently jumping over the installed obstacles.

Wasn’t that too easy?

Lee Han naturally expected there would be additional traps.

Thanks to that, only the students who had dared to carelessly rush forward in Einroguard were getting a harsh taste of reality.

“Wardanaz! That’s too much…”

“Wardanaz didn’t shoot that!”

“Oh. Really?”

“…”

“Professor! The spirit seems to have been summoned incorrectly!”

“I set it up, so try to avoid it well.”

“What? What do you mean…”

“You’d better focus instead of chattering. Points will be deducted if you fall.”

The students who had started with great momentum became flustered, slowed down, and scattered.

They realized that just running fast wasn’t everything.

If they carelessly increased speed and got ambushed and fell from their horses, the loss would be even greater.

“Gather over here! Let’s go this way!”

“Are you sure there are no traps?”

“This side was fine just now! If we gather together and go all at once…”

Whoooosh!

“Don’t try to memorize it. I didn’t arrange them that easily.”

“No way… Professor!!”

The student whose hair tips had burned looked at Professor Lightningstep with bewilderment.

Why on earth was he so serious about obstacles?

Couldn’t he just set up hurdles that could simply be jumped over?

“Everyone, over here.”

Lee Han called his friends to gather.

As he had felt before, it was basically advantageous to form a group and pass through the riding training lecture.

When the group got larger, it became easier to withstand attacks coming from outside, and having more mages meant more magic could be used.

“Don’t rush, let’s just go at a trot. Asan. You take the left side. Yoner. Please take the right. Nilia. Please take the rear.”

“Am I in front?”

Gainando asked naturally.

“No. You just stay next to me and cast magic when I tell you.”

“I see. Like a secret weapon prepared for emergencies. Right?”

“…”

“…Y, yeah.”

The friends were impressed by Gainando’s positive attitude.

“Let’s go. Once we fall behind, it’ll be hard to catch up.”

Lee Han and his friends nodded once and set off.

Professor Lightningstep, seeing this, gave them high evaluation inwardly.

‘They organized well in such a short time.’

Coordinating with others while riding horses was completely different from coordinating with bare bodies on flat ground.

Since they had to handle rough horses while matching each other’s speed, not only was handling horses well important, but mutual understanding was also crucial.

They weren’t even students from the same tower, yet they coordinated so quickly.

“Right side!”

When Lee Han, who felt the flow of mana, spoke first, Yoner immediately took out a potion.

Attempting to cast magic on a shaking horse could result in failure. In that case, a pre-made potion was safer.

Crash!

With the sound of the potion bottle breaking, the incoming magic missiles scattered.

‘A 【Low-Grade Magic Nullification Potion】.’

“Left side!”

Asan swung his staff as if he had been waiting. Since he had been preparing from earlier, the magic was cast safely.

The mud clumps flying with strong wind changed trajectory.

For attacks coming from behind, Lee Han didn’t even need to tell them. Nilia, who noticed first, immediately shot an arrow and knocked them down.

‘Good start!’

‘If it continues like this…!’

The friends could feel that they were understanding each other even without exchanging glances.

The sense of unity that could only be felt with perfect coordination!

Whoooosh!

However, the crisis was just beginning.

Green fog spread and flew in from behind.

It was an obstacle that couldn’t be shot down with arrows or blocked with available magic. Nilia’s hand stopped for a moment.

“Evaporate!”

When it seemed Nilia couldn’t respond, Lee Han immediately swung his staff. The green fog scattered in the air.

Professor Lightningstep was startled seeing this.

‘Evaporation?!’

The evaporation attribute, an advanced domain of water elemental magic.

Since it was a difficult and complex domain, it naturally wasn’t something a 1st year student should be handling.

Moreover, to disperse distant fog in one go while maintaining balance on horseback.

It was nothing new, but it was truly surprising every time he saw it.

Not just the talent, but that scholarly enthusiasm for exploring magic without resting even a little was really…

Pop pop pop pop pop!

“!!!”

This time, crisis struck from Asan’s side.

When more than ten mana spheres flew in simultaneously, he became tense.

“Earth… *cough, cough*!”

Since it required high concentration, using magic in combat was more difficult than expected.

No matter how skilled a mage was, if they weren’t professionally trained in magical combat, they could make mistakes at any time.

Although this wasn’t a combat situation, it was enough to make a 1st year student make mistakes.

“Shield, unfold!”

Lee Han quickly summoned water and transformed it into an elongated shield shape. Mana spheres struck down on it, making dull sounds.

“I used up all the potions!”

Gainando shouted urgently. While blocking the other side, attacks were also flying from Yoner’s direction.

“Flash!”

After even shooting lightning to block the attack, they could finally catch their breath.

When a moment to breathe arrived, Lee Han said to his friends.

“Everyone worked hard. We were able to break through thanks to everyone joining forces.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Why is everyone like that?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

The friends waved their hands.

…It seemed like Wardanaz alone could have broken through even if he had run by himself…

* * *

As time passed, students who had successfully broken through began to emerge one by one from various places.

No matter how many obstacles there were, if you kept charging at them, your ability to overcome them would inevitably improve.

“Pick up the pace!”

Shailes of the Richmond family swung his arm wide to signal.

Not only was he himself an excellent rider, but the friends moving with Shailes were also among the top riders in the tower.

These students were so confident with horses that they enjoyed playing polo on horseback during their free time, so it was natural for them to stand out.

If Lee Han’s group had formed a solid formation and chosen a frontal assault, Shailes’ group chose to break through by increasing their speed.

In the process, one or two unlucky ones might fall behind, but they were prepared to accept that much.

‘I’ll get the highest grade in this lecture!’

With the sound of hoofbeats rapidly pounding the ground, Shailes charged forward.

Increasing speed like this in a situation with obstacles scattered everywhere was impossible with ordinary skill and courage. Shailes was certainly an excellent rider.

“There’s the turning point!”

‘Finally!’

Shailes’ heart swelled with excitement at the thought of reaching the turning point visible in the distance and returning.

At that moment, a massive monster emerged from underground with heavy vibrations.

“…?!”

Before the dust could even settle, a loud shout came from behind.

“It’s a hydra!”

“What?! A hydra?!”

The students were startled and shrank back.

However, when the dust cleared, what emerged was not a hydra.

It was just an ordinary sand octopus.

“Th-thank goodness. It wasn’t a hydra.”

“It’s not really good news!”

The sand octopus with its massive body was definitely not a monster to be taken lightly.

Of course, compared to a hydra, it was a much less vicious monster without deadly poison, but in this situation…

Whack!

The sand octopus’s long leg flew like a whip. With a sharp sound, sand burst up, obscuring their vision.

“Don’t attack it since it’s my precious monster!”

Professor Lightningstep spoke contentedly from behind.

It had been worth feeding it expensive feed and raising it.

“Professor! Even so, this is too much— Aaahhh!”

One student who was about to protest got wrapped up by the octopus’s leg and dragged away.

“Instead of complaining, think about quickly reaching the turning point and getting out of there.”

“So it wasn’t a hydra.”

Lee Han, who arrived late, muttered as he watched the chaos unfolding at the turning point.

When a large monster suddenly burst out from below, he had first thought of the hydra he’d heard about before.

“Wardanaz! It’s not a hydra! How could you use such trickery!”

At the protest coming from another direction, Lee Han was about to answer that it was a mistake.

However, Asan and Gainando answered first.

“The one who got fooled is the stupid one!”

“Who trusts others in competition! That kind of complacent mindset is why you lose!”

“Grr…! You bastards!”

“…”

Lee Han stared at the backs of their heads, then turned his gaze away.

Right now, reaching the turning point and getting out was more important than clearing up the misunderstanding.

‘I need to do this as quickly as possible.’

The longer they delayed, the fewer other students there would be to draw attention, making it more difficult.

“Mirage!”

One of the Black Turtle Tower students seemed to have talent in illusion magic, managing to conjure an illusion in the midst of the chaos.

It wasn’t a very good illusion. The form was distorted and unclear, so anyone looking closely could tell it was an illusion.

But in such a chaotic situation, it was easy to be fooled at a glance. Moreover, the opponent was a monster.

Swoooosh!

However, the sand octopus didn’t even glance at the illusion and simply extended its leg to grab and carry off a student.

“!”

Seeing this, Lee Han realized.

‘It’s not detecting through sight!’

Having learned quite harshly about illusion magic, Lee Han knew that illusion magic was divided into several categories.

The illusion just used was visual illusion magic.

It was magic that created illusions by distorting the surrounding air with heat or freezing it with cold.

But if the opponent wasn’t looking with its eyes, it was meaningless. Indeed, the sand octopus had about half its body buried in the ground.

‘So that’s why it has such good vision…’

It was clearly detecting enemy approaches through vibrations on the ground.

In that case, that type of illusion was meaningless.

‘Pahait’s illusion magic won’t work. The method is…’

Lee Han prepared to use 【Gonadaltes’ Invisibility Cloak】 and the invisibility necklace.

Unlike Pahait’s illusion magic that created illusions with heat, Gonadaltes’ invisibility cloak and the invisibility necklace were illusion magic that directly approached perception.

“Cloak, swallow me!”

“Wardanaz. It’s impossible to coordinate while on horseback!”

“I know. Let’s break through one by one. Everyone else draw its attention!”

Instead of everyone breaking through at once, Lee Han chose to break through separately.

It would take a bit more time, but it was safer. The range of invisibility magic wasn’t wide enough to include all the friends on horseback.

“Let’s go!”

Lee Han set off with Yoner. The other friends scattered to draw attention so the sand octopus wouldn’t become suspicious.

Whoooosh!

“!”

The sand octopus suddenly inflated its body. Lee Han and Yoner tensed at the unexpected situation.

Shiiiiiiiii!

Sensing something ominous, the sand octopus began exhaling fierce winds.

Wind mixed with sand engulfed the students like a storm. The sudden gust made it difficult to even secure visibility.

‘This is bad!’

Even if Lee Han himself could endure, Yoner’s horse was panicking and flailing about in the sudden sandstorm.

The moment they broke free from invisibility, the sand octopus would notice their approach.

Just as Lee Han was about to forcibly restrain Yoner’s horse, help came from behind.

It was Gainando.

“Get itchy!!!”

Gainando, who had cast curse magic with great vigor, didn’t stop and charged forward.

At the sight of Gainando rushing forward like a madman, the sand octopus lost interest in the other students and focused intensively on Gainando.

The impudent curse magic had offended the sand octopus.

“Gainando…!”

Lee Han was truly surprised.

He knew Gainando had talent in dark magic, but he never expected him to perform like this in a situation like this.

“Lee Han!”

“Got it! While you draw its attention, I’ll quickly pass through…”

“Save me!!! This damn horse won’t listen!!!”

Gainando left those words and shot forward like an arrow, or rather, was dragged away.

“…”

Yoner, who had barely calmed his horse and returned, asked Lee Han.

“What was Gainando shouting?!”

“He told me to quickly break through while he draws their attention.”

“!?”

Yoner was startled.

That couldn’t be right?

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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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