Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 548

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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 548

“No… think about it carefully.”

Perhaps sensing his disciple’s sorrowful gaze, Professor Thunderstep began to explain.

“Right now I’m trying to keep the spirits from coming, not trying to make enemies with the spirits.”

Mages who could command spirits were largely divided into two groups.

One group consisted of those who commanded spirits through threats and oppression.

These were not the mainstream in the Empire. Basically, this method had more harm than benefit.

Just look at how much effort dark mages put into winning the favor of fierce undead.

There was nothing good about having bad relations with beings from otherworlds.

Moreover, such notoriety was contagious, so if you kept associating with a notorious mage, that mage would also gain notoriety among the spirits.

As such, those who commanded spirits through threats and oppression were usually active in the shadows and dark corners of the Empire.

But those who conversed with spirits, built friendships, and made contracts were different.

These mainstream figures in the Empire were relatively safe from spirit threats, and good reputations built with one spirit were often passed on to other spirits.

When such people maintained close relationships with each other, they gained even more praise from spirits, making it advantageous to negotiate with more powerful spirits…

“Professor. Professor.”

“What?”

“Why are you telling me this right now?”

Lee Han asked with a slightly serious expression.

“Don’t tell me you think I belong to the former group…?”

“No, no!”

Thunderstep felt a pang of guilt.

Truth be told, he had been subtly making that comparison while speaking.

“You’ve never threatened or oppressed spirits, have you?”

“Uh. Fighting spirits fair and square is okay, right? It was close to self-defense.”

Professor Thunderstep naturally took a step back before speaking.

“Anyway, the important thing is that I’m trying to keep spirits from coming, not trying to make enemies with them.”

Someone like Professor Thunderstep, who valued friendships with spirits, tended to respond gently even when spirits played pranks or caused damage.

Even when ice spirits appeared and messed up the inside of the cabin, he would only block them from entering?

With Professor Thunderstep’s level of skill, he could easily banish the spirits if he wanted to, but he didn’t want to make the spirits sulk unnecessarily.

“…??”

Lee Han tilted his head once again.

Even after hearing everything, he still didn’t understand.

“Uh… so you’re saying to gently block their approach so the spirits won’t get angry?”

“That’s right.”

“But what does that have to do with my contract being too much?”

“Well, if you, Wardanaz, chase after them asking for contracts, it might feel like threats or oppression…?”

“…”

Lee Han suddenly fell silent.

Professor Thunderstep felt a bit sorry, thinking the Wardanaz family boy seemed genuinely hurt.

“Hey. Don’t be too sad. You don’t necessarily need to be loved by spirits. Look at the Principal. Even though spirits hate him so much, isn’t he still a great archmage?”

“I’m not as strong as the Principal.”

“It probably won’t take long…”

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

Professor Thunderstep was truly a wise person, so he showed the seasoned wisdom of not making an enemy of a disciple who could become a powerful archmage in the future.

“Right. You said you made a contract with a spirit last time?”

“Yes… I barely managed to contract using the crest of a spirit with the title of Guardian of Great Seas and Storms.”

“…”

Professor Thunderstep regretted bringing up the topic.

There was no need to bring up the sad fact that he could barely make a contract only with the help of a spirit lord in this situation.

“What happens once can happen again. The spirits will surely be the same. Trust me, Wardanaz. The spirit realm is an infinite place.”

“Then can I try to contract if I see a spirit that doesn’t avoid me?”

“No.”

“…”

* * *

Professor Thunderstep appeased Lee Han by doubling his food rations, but Lee Han continued to grumble.

“A master blocking his disciple’s challenges.”

“…”

“…”

Priest Siana and Yoner, who had come along to help Lee Han, exchanged bewildered glances.

-Did something happen?

-It seems like he was prevented from contracting with spirits…

-Why?

-Because if bad rumors spread among spirits, it would be troublesome when the professor calls them.

-Why would bad rumors spread among spirits?

-Well… um… I’m not really sure?

Yoner trailed off and subtly changed the subject.

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t explain without saying something bad about his friend.

Bubble bubble-

“Do you think this is enough?”

“Excellent.”

Priest Siana looked at Yoner with respectful eyes.

The priests of the Plemang Order respected people skilled in alchemy, but among them, those who made large donations to the Plemang Order received especially more respect.

What was currently boiling in the cauldron was eight kinds of herbs, three lumps of shaded mud, and two handfuls of coarse beast fur.

They weren’t brewing poison to kill someone, but rather a broth that spirits liked.

Mischievous and playful spirits often returned without causing much trouble if fed well.

“Could you call a spirit for a moment?”

Yoner nodded and called a spirit. A spirit that looked like wind shaped into a flying squirrel appeared and quietly approached the cauldron.

“It seems to be eating well? Lee Han, do you want to check too?”

Actually, there was no need to call Lee Han’s spirit, but Yoner spoke up to cheer up the dejected Lee Han.

There was no need to necessarily contract with a new spirit.

If he reminded him of the preciousness of the spirit he currently had contracted, such thoughts might easily disappear.

“Wait.”

Hearing this, Lee Han also took out his staff and called his spirit.

It might have been Yoner’s imagination, but his face seemed to brighten slightly.

Whoosh-

A sparrow spirit made of fierce flames revealed itself in the air and looked around at the students in the cabin with intense eyes.

Yoner and Priest Siana looked at each other for a moment. Even without saying anything, they could understand each other’s feelings.

‘Now?’

“Wow! Amazing!!”

“What a cute sparrow spirit!!”

“Really?”

Lee Han looked at the sparrow spirit with slight joy.

Having struggled so much to make the contract, he couldn’t help but be happy.

“It is pretty smart. When I called it last time, I asked it to fly between books? It flew well without burning anything.”

“That’s really amazing?”

“Totally amazing!”

Lee Han spoke with satisfaction at his two friends’ enthusiastic response.

“Want to try some of this?”

When he pointed at the cauldron with his fingertip, the sparrow spirit nodded with disciplined understanding.

Then it fluttered over, bit into the firewood under the cauldron, and ignited the flames.

Whoosh!

The sparrow spirit returned to its original position without a moment’s rest. There was an ironclad stubbornness that suggested it wouldn’t disobey even the slightest command.

“No… I meant try this soup…”

The sparrow spirit was startled. It flapped its wings as if asking whether it was really allowed to eat such a thing.

“…Just eat some, please.”

The sparrow spirit flew over with understanding. After tapping its beak up and down a few times, the sparrow spirit returned to its original position without being greedy.

Lee Han looked at Yoner’s flying squirrel spirit.

Regardless of what was happening beside it, it was still eating with puffed cheeks.

In comparison, his sparrow spirit looked like a soldier who had been through the battlefield for over ten years, without a moment’s carelessness, almost like…

“It seems scared…”

“Shh.”

Yoner urgently poked Priest Siana in the ribs. Priest Siana realized her mistake and closed her mouth.

“…”

“…”

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.

“Let’s just finish our work.”

“Yes!”

“Good idea!”

* * *

Professor Thunderstep’s work was simple, but the wisdom contained within was extraordinary.

He drew simple magic circles around the cabin and vegetable garden, and along those magic circles, he placed potions that spirits disliked on paths where spirits might enter, and potions that spirits liked on paths where spirits might exit.

Though it sounded easy, it required knowledge of magic circles that could guide spirits’ movements, potions that spirits disliked, and potions that spirits liked.

Yoner and Priest Siana honestly admired it while taking notes.

“Amazing. I thought we just had to chase spirits away.”

“Me too. I didn’t know potions could be used this way.”

Professor Thunderstep seemed pleased with the passionate attitude shown by his talented disciples in alchemy, stroking his beard as he spoke.

“Right. In fact, alchemists don’t just learn during lectures, but also outside of lectures. Did you record all the formulas?”

“Yes.”

The dwarf professor skillfully poured the potions into bowls.

The potions spirits disliked went into bone bowls, and the potions spirits liked went into wooden bowls.

“Hmm. The quantity seems a bit insufficient.”

Professor Thunderstep realized that the amount of potion that spirits disliked was slightly lacking.

“I’ll go get more.”

“No. I’ve already used all the tarasque scales in the cabin. A skilled alchemist should know how to substitute in times like this.”

At Professor Thunderstep’s words, Yoner and Priest Siana’s eyes sparkled.

Lee Han drew the magic circles perfectly and placed the completed potions with an indifferent expression, regardless of what was happening beside him.

“Now. Everyone tell me. How can we substitute?”

Tarasque scales were elements from beings that spirits feared and found repulsive.

How could they substitute if there were no reagents that could provide such intimidation?

“I’d like to try flame tree cloves. Wouldn’t ice spirits feel repulsed?”

“Good thinking. But there are two mistakes. One is that there aren’t only ice spirits. When ice spirits increase, other spirits might come to play too. The other is that the flowing stone in here would cancel out that effect.”

“Ah!”

“Oh no…!”

The two talented alchemists let out sighs of disappointment.

Priest Siana pondered deeply before speaking.

“How about using acal tree leaves? Since they have a confusion effect, the spirits might…”

“Oh my. That’s a method you could use in emergencies, but not in a situation like this. The intoxicated spirits might get angry.”

Professor Thunderstep chuckled and continued.

“What’s needed at times like this is an alchemist’s flash of inspiration. Wardanaz. Come here for a moment.”

“?”

Lee Han, who had finished all the magic circles in the meantime, approached with curiosity.

“Did you call me?”

“Could you lend me a strand of hair?”

Lee Han looked puzzled but plucked out a strand of hair and handed it to Professor Thunderstep.

Professor Thunderstep threw the hair into the cauldron. The potion’s color changed and was completed just like that.

“There. The effect is certainly weaker than tarasque scales, but this should be sufficient. Do you all understand? The method of cleverly finding what you need from your surroundings?”

“…”

Lee Han stared blankly at the professor.

Professor Thunderstep, who had been chuckling but realized belatedly, cleared his throat.

“It’s educational. This is for your friends, so you’re not sulking, are you?”

“…”

“Alright. Alright. Take the pickle jar I brought into the basement too! That’s valuable stuff!”

* * *

After finishing the arrangement and waiting for spirits to come to the vegetable garden, Lee Han began persuading his friends.

“I wasn’t particularly angry or anything. You all know, right? I wouldn’t get angry over something like this.”

“Y-yeah.”

“Of course.”

“There are so many spells to learn, I wouldn’t get angry just because one got blocked.”

In the distance, an ice squirrel appeared. Judging by the spirit energy it gave off, it was an ice spirit.

The squirrel-shaped spirit went round and round following the magic circle’s path, then smelled the repelling potion and quickly retreated.

“It’s working well.”

“It’s working well. Thanks to you two.”

Yoner praised Lee Han and Priest Siana.

Hearing this, Priest Siana felt pressured to praise the two as well.

“Actually, it’s thanks to you two. Especially Wardanaz’s hair… Ah. Aah.”

“…”

“…”

The fireplace fire was clearly blazing brightly, but somehow it felt cold.

Thud-

“?”

Yoner, who was sipping ginger tea, spotted a bubbling form charging fiercely from the distance.

The momentum of it charging while ignoring the installed magic circles was ominous.

‘Should I block it?! Wait, he said we shouldn’t attack spirits…’

“Flash forth!”

Lightning fiercely sparked from the tip of Lee Han’s staff.

The enemy hit by lightning made a pained sound and rolled around. Only then did Priest Siana, who confirmed its appearance, shout.

“It’s undead!”

“What? Was it undead?”

“Lee Han?”

“I misspoke. I meant I thought it was undead.”

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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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