Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 668

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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 668

Lee Han cursed inwardly, but from his friends’ perspective, it couldn’t be helped.

When the hunters asked “Can you guys do that too?”, they couldn’t lie and say “Yes!”

After landing, the hunters tied up the poachers tightly and confiscated their equipment.

“Keep walking east. If you look back, we’ll shoot.”

“Pl-please, if you could just return the armor…”

“No.”

Lee Han agreed with the unnamed hunters’ firmness.

While taking weapons was one thing, confiscating other equipment might seem excessive, but the Empire’s poachers were as persistent and vile as their prey.

Frankly speaking, they could hide other weapons nearby and jump back into poaching.

Only by removing all their equipment would they reluctantly descend the mountain…

“Poachers’ equipment brings bad luck, so we have to throw it far away.”

“…”

At this superstitious reason, different from his thoughts, Lee Han was at a loss for words and made a sour expression.

‘Well. At least the result is the same.’

Lee Han thought he should stop observing the hunters’ work and set up camp instead.

The hunters had been trying to hide their faces with their coats every time Lee Han looked at them.

He didn’t know what kind of traditional meaning it had, but it didn’t feel very good.

“Maybe they think you’re going to use petrification curse, Lee Han?”

Ponrig nodded as if agreeing, growling.

The basilisk also tapped his wrist with its tail as if telling him not to worry.

‘Isn’t it because of these two?’

Lee Han looked at the two with slightly suspicious eyes but didn’t voice it.

Both were quite narrow-minded creatures, so if he brought it up, they might sulk.

“Let’s prepare the campsite.”

At Lee Han’s words, Yoner tied his hair back tightly and called his friends.

It was to divide the work.

“First, the wall…”

“I’ll do it.”

“The pit in front…”

“I’ll dig it.”

“Securing drinking water…”

“I’ll make it.”

Yoner stared at Lee Han intently. Lee Han asked awkwardly.

“Did I take on a bit too much?”

“If you take three out of three, it’s not ‘a bit.’ Anyway, Lee Han, you stay quiet now. You’ll probably make light too…”

“Ah. I think I’d be better at that though.”

Yoner gestured to Siana and Durgyu. The two dragged Lee Han away.

“He used a lot of magic just now, so let’s just do it ourselves.”

“That would be better.”

At Siana’s answer, Gainando asked in an anxious voice.

“But what if it’s worse than the campsite Lee Han would make?”

“Then you sleep outside.”

“…Come to think of it, it’s okay if it’s a bit worse. We don’t need to make the campsite perfect!”

Two hours later.

The students who had completed the campsite (Lee Han also sneakily came out midway to help his friends) checked the surroundings.

“You understand, right? Mountain ranges are basically dangerous places. Even with a campsite like this, you never know what monsters might crawl in.”

Nilia pointed out meticulously, befitting her hunter background.

But despite the warning, the friends didn’t seem too worried.

The completed campsite’s defenses were sturdier than expected.

A moat and repelling herbs to prevent wild beasts from approaching, alarm magic prepared for possible attacks on the campsite’s main gate, wooden walls with windproof magic…

Noticing her friends’ complacency, Nilia spoke firmly.

“Mountain ranges are more dangerous than Einroguard!”

“Gasp!”

Only then did the friends inspect the campsite surroundings with tense expressions.

Professor Lightningstep and the hunters had departed to check this nearby area.

Explorer Seorigugeol-eom would only check the waterfall area behind and return soon, but they had to make sure until then at least.

Lee Han rode Ponrig and leisurely circled around the fortress. Seeing this, Nilia asked puzzledly.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m spreading griffin scent in case monsters come. This alone is enough for weak monsters.”

“…”

Nilia looked down at her palms.

She had been diligently clearing thickets and breaking branches to block paths for snake-type monsters…

Come to think of it, there was a better method.

“Could you lend me the basilisk?”

At Nilia’s question, the baby basilisk struggled as if absolutely refusing.

* * *

“Did the wyvern scent stick?”

At Professor Lightningstep’s words, one of the unnamed hunters brought his hand to his mouth.

It was a signal to reduce noise.

“Are there many monsters?”

Professor Lightningstep accepted the advice and lowered his voice.

The Empire’s mountain ranges were dangerous places for various reasons, and there were just as many different precautions to take.

In the case of Bitong Mountain Range, one had to be extremely careful with sound from sections beyond the middle entrance.

Since there were many monsters that reacted to sound, caution was necessary.

Though this was still the mountain range entrance area, seeing the unnamed hunters telling them to reduce noise meant monsters from deep inside had come out quite a bit.

“No, Professor. That friend has a tradition of maintaining silence during even-numbered evening mountain trips.”

“…”

Professor Lightningstep made an annoyed expression.

The unnamed hunters were certainly excellent individuals, but the dozens of superstitions they held were irritating.

“The wyvern scent seems to have stuck. Monsters aren’t approaching.”

“Even after all that deodorizing, it can’t be helped. We’ll have to hope time solves it.”

The wyvern’s scent prevented other monsters from approaching.

Even unicorns.

So instead of keeping the wyvern at the campsite, they tied it down below, and the professor and hunters attempted deodorizing with the alchemist’s potions…

But there was still a faint smell remaining. The wyvern wasn’t an ordinary monster either.

“Let’s walk around a bit more until the mountain range’s scent naturally sticks.”

“Will the students be alright?”

At Patroller Meurangse’s question, Professor Lightningstep answered as if there was nothing to worry about.

“They’ll be fine, nothing to worry about.”

“Well, Seorigugeol-eom is there too…”

“Ah. Right. He’s there too.”

“…”

At Professor Lightningstep belatedly remembering his relative, Meurangse was dumbfounded.

Then what had he trusted when he said it was fine just now?

“The Einroguard students must be really reliable. Well, I have a friend named Gretse. He said Einroguard students are amazing. First-year students layering several enchantment spells to smash rocks…”

“I think he was teasing you? No matter how amazing Einroguard first-years are, they’re not that good.”

“Is that so? No, but Gretse isn’t that kind of friend…”

“Anyway, the Einroguard students will be fine. There are some reliable ones too.”

The unnamed hunters began whispering among themselves.

Even without listening, it was obvious who they were talking about, so Professor Lightningstep said with annoyance.

“The griffin and basilisk were tamed by chance! There’s no need to worry unnecessarily with strange superstitions.”

“Basilisk?”

‘Oops.’

Professor Lightningstep thought ‘oops.’

Come to think of it, the hunters only knew about the griffin being tamed, but didn’t know about the basilisk being tamed.

The unnamed hunters whispered frantically. Meurangse worried that the Wardanaz Family Boy might be banned from entering several mountain ranges in the Empire.

“There are more poachers than expected, Professor.”

One of the unnamed hunters who had gone scouting returned and reported with a serious face.

“That many?”

“Yes. It seems the rumors about the unicorn have spread widely. Just around this area, I saw three groups lurking about.”

Meurangse made a worried expression at those words.

When they barely had enough time to quickly find the unicorn, they would waste time because of those poacher bastards.

Still, it couldn’t be helped.

Among the sayings of the Wasteland Stargazers was this:

Sometimes the roundabout path is the fastest path.

“Let’s go to the camp first. After catching all those poacher bastards…”

“Hm? It’s fine. Let’s finish checking the area first. Keep in mind that the wyvern scent hasn’t completely disappeared yet…”

“Pro, Professor. I understand you want to find the unicorn, but there are three groups of those poacher bastards.”

Meurangse was flustered.

The poachers weren’t simple and stupid dim-witted mountain bandits.

If they faced the Einroguard students head-on, they would naturally be unable to break through the storm of magic and be shredded to pieces, but if the poachers discovered the camp, they would naturally use cunning schemes.

Moreover, since some time had passed after they flew in earlier, rumors about what kind of group had newly entered the mountain range might have spread among the poachers. Then the students would be even more dangerous.

There was no existence more threatening than hunters who knew their prey well.

“I heard, but it’s fine. Now, let’s go.”

“No, no…!”

“I said it’s fine. Everyone move! Considering the time we’ll be hindered by those poacher bastards, we need to move faster!”

* * *

The poacher Jyulban was a hunter who had cut his teeth in several mountain ranges including the Sorrow Mountain Range.

In fact, an excellent poacher had to be an excellent hunter.

How could one not be excellent when sneaking into mountain ranges while avoiding the Empire’s watchers, catching forbidden monsters, and bringing them out?

As such, Jyulban also possessed excellent hunting skills.

But Jyulban had an ability that other hunters didn’t have, and that was sociability.

For most hunters, taking the beasts they caught down to villages or cities below the mountain to sell was the extent of their social activities.

But Jyulban was different.

Jyulban knew how to meet merchants in cities who were looking for forbidden monsters and make deals, how to visit nobles who urgently needed those monsters to win their favor, and how to entice wandering mercenaries or adventurers to work under him.

A poacher of this scale could be said to be almost like a bandit group.

“Explorers arrived leading hunters and mages?”

“They’ve already set up camp!”

“We absolutely cannot let them have the unicorn…”

Jyulban let out a groan.

There wasn’t just one client currently looking for the unicorn. If they could just obtain the unicorn, massive amounts of gold would roll in, enough to retire immediately.

‘But I’m really reluctant to clash with mages…’

“You don’t need to worry, Jyulban! There’s someone who saw the camp now, and they’re all young ones!”

“Is that really true!”

“There aren’t even any hunters at the camp right now!”

“!”

The opportunity was so good that Jyulban momentarily wondered if it might be a trick.

But thinking about it, it was nonsense. Who would come looking for a unicorn and set such a trap?

“I’ll check it myself.”

Jyulban climbed up onto a distant rock and confirmed the camp.

It was a well-made camp as if showing off that there were mages there, but certainly there were gaps visible as his subordinates had said.

Unlike hunters, mages had many geniuses who were active even at relatively young ages.

It was natural since they just needed to know how to use magic, but to seasoned poachers like Jyulban, they only looked like prey.

“Good! We’re going to subdue them. Since they’re mages, their ransom should be decent too!”

* * *

“You endure it.”

Lee Han soothed Ponrig when the griffin got angry after entering the temporary stables at the camp.

After covering the surroundings with scent, Lee Han ruthlessly stuffed Ponrig into the stables.

Although unicorns didn’t mind the scent of griffins, he couldn’t know how they would react if they saw a griffin present.

Ponrig protested, ‘Are you treating me the same as unicorns avoiding lowly creatures like wyverns!’ but it didn’t reach Lee Han.

He was already annoyed because someone kept staring from afar…!

“Someone keeps staring? Probably poachers. Don’t worry. Unless they’re crazy, they won’t approach.”

-Excuse me, might you be mages by any chance?

“!”

Lee Han was startled by the voice coming from outside and climbed up to the watchtower.

And immediately cast a spell.

Crackle!

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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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