Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 671
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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 671
Lee Han fell into thought.
‘In the current situation, if I had to choose my strongest magic…’
A swordsman who had honed a single secret technique to its limits might have their strongest skill, but for mages the story was a bit different.
A mage’s strength lay in their flexibility and versatility, and accordingly their strongest magic would vary depending on the situation.
If there were many enemies requiring a battle of numbers?
In Lee Han’s case, he would take out bone reagents tempered with dark elements and summon skeleton warriors.
On top of that, he could now borrow the power of Sharkan and Gonadaltes, Ponrig or the basilisk.
If the opponent moved quickly and seemed to have weak elemental defenses?
Lee Han would approach with lightning spears or Perkuntra’s lightning.
Among the magic he could currently use, their attack speed, casting speed, and power were all equally excellent.
If strong impact force was needed, he would take out water jade bullets. Even if slower than lightning elemental magic, the impact force was certain if they hit.
If only penetrating power was needed regardless of damage, he could cast enhancement magic repeatedly over time, and if the opponent was a spirit-type enemy composed mainly of mana, then Dawn Star, or if that didn’t work…
‘I don’t really want to go as far as the Bracelet of Ten Thousand Demons or Perkuntra.’
Both were hidden cards Lee Han possessed, but he didn’t have many pleasant memories of using them.
‘Wait. I think there was one more thing.’
“Intruders, get lost! Unless you want to taste the mountain’s wrath!”
While he was pondering, a gruff voice came from outside.
“I’m sorry, Professor.”
“Never mind. I was joking. You couldn’t attack a professor, could you, Wardanaz.”
Professor Lightningstep knew well that even though Lee Han grumbled at the professors, he was quite loyal.
Just look at Professor Bagrek – didn’t he follow obediently without stabbing anyone in the back?
“No, that’s…”
Lee Han tried to explain in disbelief, but Professor Lightningstep was too busy dealing with Professor Bendozol to listen to his response.
“Professor Bendozol! I am Lightningstep of the Choidar family!”
“Who the hell are you!”
“…”
Professor Lightningstep clenched his fist. It was enough killing intent to kill a person or two.
Lee Han was worried.
Not worried that Professor Lightningstep might bury someone, but worried about what would happen if that Professor Bendozol returned to school.
‘Maybe it would have been better if he had stayed missing.’
“I’m currently teaching students at Einroguard in your place. Didn’t we meet once in the Einroguard mountain range three years ago?”
“You’re teaching students?! Why are you doing such useless things!”
“…”
“…”
The students present made gloomy expressions.
To think such a crazy professor might return this semester!
“Professor Bendozol. Why I teach students isn’t important! I heard rumors that a unicorn appeared in the Bitter Mountain Range. Poachers are flocking here. We need to cooperate!”
“What kind of trick is this, you dwarf swindler bastard! Gonadaltes ordered me to catch the unicorn!”
“Are you insane??”
Siana whispered in shock.
The professors of Einroguard were each crazy in their own different ways, but they basically followed the rule of respecting each other.
It was already hellish enough – there was no reason to make it even worse.
However, Professor Bendozol was acting like he didn’t need such rules or anything.
Professor Lightningstep let out a deep sigh.
“Wrong. He’s completely lost his mind because of the unicorn.”
“Lost his mind?”
“I told you. He becomes a madman when rare animals are involved. He wasn’t sociable to begin with, but now it’s especially bad. We should assume something happened to the unicorn.”
Professor Bendozol became half-mad the moment he had a rare animal in his care.
If anyone approached, he would go berserk thinking ‘You bastard, you’re approaching to steal the animal I’m caring for!’
If that rare animal was even sick, his sensitivity became even worse.
“Isn’t there a possibility that the Principal ordered him to catch the unicorn?”
“…Wardanaz…”
“Ah, no. I was asking seriously.”
“If you were asking that seriously, that’s even more surprising.”
While they were talking inside the camp, Professor Bendozol shouted.
“I’ll bury all those poacher bastards myself, so I don’t need help. Get lost!”
“What should we do?”
“What do you mean what should we do.”
Click!
Professor Lightningstep took out a crossbow and finished loading it. Then he fired a shot toward the outside.
“Bendozol. Get ready to lose to a dwarf swindler! I’ll make you permanently missing this time!”
“!”
Lee Han was shocked to see the arrow that exploded in the air create complex mana patterns.
‘Magic interference field!’
He hadn’t seen Professor Bendozol’s skills, but he was probably an excellent mage. Otherwise, it would be hard to work as a professor with that damn personality.
In comparison, Professor Lightningstep was from an Imperial explorer background, so he was at a disadvantage in a direct magical confrontation. That’s why he laid down a magic interference field at the start of combat to gain the initiative.
“You poacher bastard!”
Professor Bendozol growled and waved a staff with a blunt end and short length, trying to tear through the field.
Naturally, Professor Lightningstep didn’t let that slide.
“Space, bring my enemy to me!”
When the gauntlet artifact activated, Professor Bendozol was suddenly pulled as if by a strong gravitational force.
Thud!
“I suffered for a whole year because you went missing, you bastard!”
Professor Lightningstep’s punch landed squarely in Professor Bendozol’s solar plexus. Professor Bendozol’s waist bent deeply forward.
“…Professor…”
“It’s not that teaching you all wasn’t rewarding!”
Professor Lightningstep explained to the students while hitting Professor Bendozol once more. It felt completely refreshing.
However, Professor Bendozol managed to complete his magic even while being hit. Transformed into a giant mole, Professor Bendozol instantly burrowed into the ground.
“Acid, burn the earth!”
When he threw what was obviously a vicious acid potion into the tunnel, Seorigugeol-eom asked in panic.
“Isn’t that too strong a potion?”
“He won’t die from this, so don’t worry. Hunters, what are you doing! Why aren’t you aiming!”
The unnamed hunters moved belatedly after watching. But it was too late. Professor Bendozol suddenly burst out of the ground and grabbed a student.
It was Gainando.
Flash!
A fairy bug from Professor Bendozol’s pocket teleported the professor outside the camp.
Seeing this, Professor Lightningstep realized his mistake.
He thought the man had lost his mind because of the unicorn, but he was surprisingly making calm judgments.
No matter how mad Professor Bendozol was, he couldn’t handle Professor Lightningstep’s entire group that had come with determination.
The most effective method was this kind of hostage situation that tied their hands!
“Don’t follow me, you poacher bastards! If you follow, I’ll feed the hostage to the unicorn!”
“L-Lee Han! Save me! Mmph!”
“Be quiet!”
Professor Bendozol disappeared into the mountain’s darkness. Professor Lightningstep ground his teeth and said.
“He’s using his head more than I thought.”
“What will you do?”
“We chase! He absolutely cannot feed Gainando to the unicorn.”
Professor Lightningstep was also someone who would never lose when it came to guts alone.
Professor Bendozol can never give Gainando as food to the unicorn!
“Why? Does the unicorn dislike him?”
“Priest Siana… stop talking nonsense…”
“It’s because of the Principal. Looking at Bendozol just now, he made fairly calm judgments even in his crazed state. So he knows very well who would come here if he gave a student as unicorn food.”
‘That’s convincing!’
Lee Han felt strangely persuaded.
After all, even people who seemed crazy sometimes regained their sanity.
That was precisely when a truly insane person passed in front of them.
The Skeleton Principal’s madness might be able to suppress Professor Bendozol’s madness…
“From now on, we don’t need to look for the unicorn. If we find that bastard Bendozol, we’ll be able to find the unicorn too. We’re changing strategy! Hunters. Track in pairs with the students. If that bastard Bendozol tries to counterattack, the students will act as shields!”
“Yes!”
Lee Han answered and stood up. It was to move quickly.
However, his friends’ reactions were a bit strange. They were all looking at Lee Han with horrified eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“A-aren’t you scared that we have to act as shields, Wardanaz?”
“Don’t worry. Professor Bendozol will never be able to attack us.”
Lee Han was confident, but unfortunately that confidence didn’t spread to his friends.
“What exactly are you looking at to be so confident, Wardanaz?”
“Wardanaz has something in common with the professors.”
“Isn’t that an insult?”
While his friends whispered among themselves, Lee Han prepared to set out on the hunt.
In a pair with one of the unnamed hunters…
“…”
The unnamed hunter who ended up in the same group looked at Lee Han and made an indescribably subtle expression.
Then he went to Professor Lightningstep and whispered.
“No. What do you want to change? Are you joking? King of Monsters? This isn’t the time for your superstitions. Hurry up and depart!”
“…”
This time Lee Han looked at the unnamed hunter with an indescribably subtle expression.
The hunter shrugged his shoulders and pointed ahead with his hand.
“Let’s depart.”
“Yes, well.”
* * *
The unnamed hunters were individuals scattered across various mountain ranges of the Empire living in solitude, but they were a group with common goals, lifestyles, and countless superstitions.
Having devoted their entire lives to hunting, their tracking skills were so exceptional that ordinary patrollers couldn’t even keep up.
Although Lee Han had learned the Shadow Patrol’s methods from Nilia, there were many new things to learn.
‘Amazing!’
“How did you find this direction? There aren’t any footprints.”
“Sometimes the absence of footprints becomes a clue. This area is where small animals constantly appear, but only this soil has unusually no traces. Someone must have covered the soil after footprints were made.”
“I see…!”
“Keep your voice down from now on. Many monsters in the Sorrow Mountain Range are sensitive to sound.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
The unnamed hunter was very kind for someone who found Lee Han suspicious or feared him.
He answered well to any question, and carefully pointed out things Lee Han should be careful about while tracking Professor Bendozol.
Honestly speaking, his teaching ability was superior to Nilia’s.
‘Nilia taught too carelessly…’
Lee Han shook his head, recalling Nilia who enjoyed expressions like “roughly like this, you know, swoosh swoosh!”
“May I ask you something more?”
“Sure. It’s not a new moon, so feel free to ask.”
Lee Han didn’t waste time with questions like ‘Why not during a new moon?’
Instead, he asked the question he was most curious about.
“What is the King of Monsters? I’ve never heard of it.”
“The King of Monsters is a figure from the old stories of us unnamed hunters. A terrifying being who commands all kinds of demons and monsters.”
The King of Monsters was a character that frequently appeared in stories, feeling like a terrifying villain.
If an arrogant hunter was the protagonist?
He became lazy, sold his bow and armor, played around, then met the King of Monsters and faced a miserable fate.
If a brave young hunter was the protagonist?
He found all kinds of weapons and gave the King of Monsters a good beating.
A truly convenient villain used for moral lessons and scaring children!
“…But that’s a being from fairy tales and old stories! Does it make sense to avoid me because of that?”
“Of course the King of Monsters is a being from old stories. But regardless of those stories, anyone would be scared if there was a person who tamed and carried around a griffin and basilisk.”
“…”
Well, that was true…
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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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