Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 492
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 492
“I see.”
Professor Boladi didn’t pay much attention to Lee Han’s excuses and pulled out a glass bottle containing a red potion from his robes, taking a sip.
At first he thought it was a mana recovery potion…
‘That’s blood?’
Lee Han realized that Professor Boladi had used blood magic to amplify his mana.
Come to think of it, considering the power of the blood sword he had just displayed, even Professor Boladi would have found it difficult to cast so quickly without any cost.
“Is your mana alright?”
Lee Han asked out of concern for the professor.
It was easy to forget when seeing the otherworldly displays that Einroguard’s professors sometimes showed, but the professors were ultimately people made of flesh and blood too.
…Though there was a lich among them…
Magic wasn’t a convenient discipline where one could gain rewards without paying a price, and naturally after such intense combat, there was a burden on the mage as well.
“I’m fine. That doesn’t seem like something you need to worry about.”
A master worrying about his disciple was one thing, but there was no need for a disciple to worry about his master.
Professor Boladi looked Lee Han over once.
Despite having engaged in quite intense combat, there seemed to be no problems with his mana whatsoever.
It wasn’t surprising anymore, but it truly was an overwhelming amount of mana.
“Do you remember the magic you used just now?”
“Yes? You mean 【Penguerin’s Cold Elemental Clone】?”
Professor Boladi slowly shook his head.
Of course, successfully casting 【Penguerin’s Cold Elemental Clone】 was impressive too, but that wasn’t what the professor was trying to say now.
“The magic you used after that.”
“Ah, the one where I added rotational properties to the water orb…”
“Right. It seems worthy of having a name.”
“…!”
Lee Han was surprised.
Giving a name to magic was never a light matter.
It was only possible when that magic had value that clearly distinguished it from other magic.
If Gainando looked at a Magic Missile spell written in a book, cast it, and then said ‘My magic is much slower and weaker than the one written in the book, so I’ll name this 【Gainando’s Magic Missile】! It’s like magic anyone can use easily!’ who would listen to him?
Since it wasn’t something that could be done by one mage’s stubbornness alone, it was quite surprising that Professor Boladi would say such a thing.
“A name? I don’t think it’s that level of magic though.”
It wasn’t that he wasn’t pleased.
The joy of succeeding in one stroke with magic that he had previously cast by forcibly dividing the casting process was a sense of achievement only a mage could feel.
It was similar to the feeling of fitting together dozens of scattered, complex puzzle pieces into one perfect match.
However, just because one succeeded with difficult magic didn’t mean it could all be given names…
“You don’t have to create something from nothing to give it a name. Improvements can also be named.”
“That’s true, but…”
When Lee Han hesitated, Professor Boladi explained in a bit more detail.
“The magic you just used appears similar to Master Yumidifus’s Water Jade Bullet, but it’s clearly different.”
Though water elemental magic was evaluated as lacking in destructive power, it was Yumidifus who reversed that evaluation.
A mage who maximized destructive power by combining various advanced properties with water elements!
One of them, 【Yumidifus’s Water Jade Bullet】, was magic that fused rotational properties with water elements to the extreme.
The penetrating power and destructive force concentrated at this single point was famous for the anecdote where Yumidifus, the creator of the magic, used it directly to instantly kill a demon duke.
As Professor Boladi had studied under that Yumidifus, it was natural for him to teach this magic to an intelligent disciple who thirsted for advanced wisdom of elemental magic.
And this disciple, as greedily demanding as he was, eventually reinterpreted and improved the Water Jade Bullet in his own way to complete it.
He cut out unnecessary processes from the original magic and intuitively compensated for missing parts using mana.
Though the power was weaker than when Yumidifus cast it directly, this was sufficient. If it could deal damage to the Sea Serpent and bind its feet, that was excellent in terms of power.
Most impressively, the casting speed was greatly reduced.
What was needed in magical combat was the minimum accurate force capable of defeating the enemy, not a show of strength.
“It would be much more suitable for combat against people.”
“Isn’t the mana waste a bit severe?”
Though he felt good about the unexpectedly high praise, Lee Han approached it realistically.
The parts that were hastily omitted by skipping unnecessary processes used mana almost wastefully.
“All magic has advantages and disadvantages.”
“…Thank you. I’ll consider it an honor.”
Lee Han honestly expressed his gratitude and decided to enjoy it.
‘Not bad.’
Of course, it didn’t seem like this 【Wardanaz’s Water Jade Bullet】 magic would become widely spread throughout the Empire.
It would be nice if he could live comfortably for life with one magic spell, but Lee Han didn’t harbor such vain expectations.
‘Objectively speaking, the flaws are quite significant…’
First, water elemental combat magic itself was somewhat minor, and adding rotational properties made it even more minor, and adding the disadvantage of excessive mana consumption on top of that…
The mages who could use it were inevitably too limited.
But even considering that, it was truly joyful to have his own magic named.
Later when submitting proposals or receiving investments, wouldn’t it look much more impressive to add a line saying ‘I have completed the 4th Circle magic 【Wardanaz’s Water Jade Bullet】’?
Professor Boladi nodded with satisfaction as his disciple rejoiced.
Then he spoke again.
“When we return to Einroguard, organize what you’ve realized about water elemental magic this time and write a book.”
“…Excuse me?”
Lee Han, who had been happy, paused.
‘What did he just say?’
Like 【On Basic Lightning Elemental Magic and Its Applications】 or 【On Basic Blood Magic and Its Applications】, it wasn’t uncommon for mages to organize their realizations about magic into books.
Einroguard students also sometimes organized their realizations into books for training and learning.
…Usually upperclassmen!
While Lee Han was horrified thinking ‘Is this person crazy right now?’, the professor continued.
“Ah. Wait. I made a mistake.”
“I thought so.”
Lee Han secretly hoped Professor Boladi would tell him to try again around his fourth year.
‘Or not? Since he’s a shameless person, he might make me do it in my third year. Then I’ll avoid taking his courses in third year…’
“Write two books. One about the magic you’ve realized, and another about directions for improving the magic.”
If one was organizing the magic, the other was for contemplating how to further develop that magic.
Professor Boladi added one more to satisfy his disciple’s endless intellectual curiosity, like his mana.
Otherwise, he didn’t know what crazy thing he might do, like rushing at the Sea Serpent today.
“…”
While Lee Han was too dumbfounded to say anything, Professor Thunderstep came running.
His face was full of fatigue from somehow coaxing and soothing the Meikin clan members and city people who had nearly suffered heart attacks because a student had jumped into the battlefield.
“Hey, you crazy bastard! Why the hell did you rush at the Sea Serpent!”
Professor Thunderstep, who shouted while panting, flinched when he saw Lee Han’s granite-like expression filled with anger.
“…Did, did I speak too harshly?”
* * *
Having finished preparing the magic to show the Einroguard student, Ianop headed to the port with the mercenaries.
The mercenaries asked cautiously.
“Master mage. Shouldn’t we hurry?”
“Sea Serpent hunting doesn’t end that quickly.”
Combat with large monsters that had tenacious vitality was usually a battle of endurance.
Even if they went later than now, there would be plenty of time.
‘If I just show this magic…’
What Ianop had prepared was a sickeningly beautiful weakening magic.
Though it was easily mistaken for dark magic, it absolutely wasn’t—it was enchantment magic that, once cast, would dwell in the opponent’s body and reverse their regenerative abilities.
It would be even more effective against opponents like Sea Serpents.
“M-Mage sir. There’s fire at the port…”
“?”
“The port is bright!”
“!”
Ianop was startled by the brilliantly illuminated appearance of the port.
Light orbs were densely embedded like broad daylight, driving away the darkness.
‘Even if they’re Einroguard’s mages, how can they waste magic like this? It doesn’t make sense!’
Ianop wondered if Einroguard had created some new magic.
No matter how lacking the light was, there was no need to waste mana by summoning light orbs one by one like this before hunting Sea Serpents.
“Wow. That’s amazing.”
“As expected of mages…”
The mercenaries spoke flatteringly, but Ianop’s head was too complicated to hear them.
No matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t even guess how that magic’s structure worked.
Ianop felt the deep humiliation he had experienced long ago.
To think he couldn’t read the structure of even such a simple magic.
‘I have no idea…! How did they do all that at once…’
“…Mage sir. Mage sir!”
As Ianop was distracted, the mercenaries urgently called the mage.
“What is it?”
“The hunt…”
“Is about to start?”
“They say it’s finished?”
“…What?”
Ianop turned his gaze away from the light orbs and turned his head.
Surprisingly, the Sea Serpent’s corpse was lying down at the port dock below.
At a glance, you could tell that intense magic had been exchanged.
The remaining ice and the Sea Serpent’s corpse cut in a peculiar way.
What kind of magic could have…
“It’s finished!?”
“Y-yes…”
The mercenaries, frightened by the mage’s ominous expression, hurriedly brought over a sailor who was nearby.
“You said you saw it clearly?”
“How many times do I have to say it? I saw it from the very bottom!”
“I understand. I understand, so speak well. He’s a very important person.”
“What… a mage from Einroguard?”
The sailor brought by the mercenaries looked at Ianop in the carriage and asked as if puzzled.
In this city right now, the only important person dressed like that was a mage from Einroguard.
“Identity isn’t something for you to ask about. Do you want to give back the silver coin?”
The mercenary spoke with irritation, but the sailor who had rolled around on the rough seas wasn’t easy either. Instead, he got angry and said,
“Damn it… calling someone urgently and then what…”
Instead of answering, Ianop flicked another silver coin.
Then the sailor’s irritated attitude suddenly became friendly.
“What are you so curious about?”
“Who cast that light magic? Do you remember which professor it was? Did they use special reagents or scrolls when casting?”
“A student cast it. And uh… reagents or scrolls? If you mean those scroll-like things, they didn’t use any.”
“…!!!!!”
Ianop was so shocked that he unconsciously let out a groan.
If it was a student, there was only one.
“The student from the Wardanaz family?”
“Oh, that’s right! That was the name.”
“Don’t lie!”
“I’m not lying! You’ll know if you call anyone else.”
The sailor’s attitude was so confident that Ianop instinctively felt there wasn’t a single lie in those words.
‘All that at once? How all at once?’
Actually, it wasn’t cast all at once, but Ianop unconsciously thought that way.
“What about the catch? How did they catch it?”
As Ianop fell into shock, the mercenaries asked out of curiosity.
“One was caught by shooting arrows with magic on them.”
“Did the Einroguard mages cast that magic?”
“No. That was also done by the student mage from the Wardanaz family.”
“…”
Even the mercenaries, who were ignorant about magic, gradually became amazed and spoke less.
They roughly felt why Ianop was shocked.
“What about the other one?”
“The Einroguard mages caught it directly.”
“I guess that student didn’t participate this time.”
“No. He participated and fought together?”
“…”
“…Isn’t he twins?”
“Triplets… no, maybe quintuplets…”
Only the mercenaries’ murmuring sounds quietly spread through the midnight port district.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————