Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 718
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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 718
“I can sleep later.”
Despite his senior’s concern, Lee Han’s eyes blazed with passion for club activities.
Sevius unconsciously took a step back and said,
“…We’ve found all the books for today. And it’s important not to overdo it. If you push too hard, you’ll make mistakes.”
“This isn’t overdoing it though.”
Lee Han was about to mention his longest sleepless record, but Sevius waved his hand as if he didn’t want to hear it.
“And if you’re doing this for the payment, don’t be too greedy. Someone like you will have plenty of opportunities to earn big in the future. I’m paying this personally, which is why it’s like this. I don’t have much money.”
‘What nonsense.’
Lee Han snorted inwardly.
Right now, Sevius was the second richest person in Lee Han’s mind, after Gainando’s Mother.
How else could he casually hand out gold coins to a junior like this?
“If you need gold coins, I’d rather recommend working hard in the Kitchen Club or Masonry Club activities. Those are much more stable. And the income is better too.”
Worried that his junior might become addicted to location transfers after tasting the sweetness of his first successful commission, Sevius spoke firmly.
Most location transfers ended without any profit.
You couldn’t have fantasies when you had to earn big once to cover all the subsequent expenses.
The Location Transfer Club had the advantage of being able to obtain rare items or materials more easily than others, but it wasn’t actually a club where you could stably accumulate gold coins.
Those kinds of clubs were rather the Kitchen Club or Masonry Club.
Listening, Lee Han suddenly became curious and asked,
“But senior, even if the Kitchen Club is stable, it doesn’t seem like it would make much money.”
“It’s the power of small profits and quick returns. Even if you only charge one coin each, how much would that be?”
“If you collect one silver coin…”
“What are you talking about?”
When Lee Han tried to calculate, Sevius looked at him as if asking what he was saying.
“?”
“It’s one gold coin. Past and present, one gold coin per meal.”
“…”
Lee Han felt horror at Einroguard’s ridiculous prices.
It was more terrifying than when the Skeleton Principal appeared using ancient magic.
“Th-th-th-that makes sense? How can they charge such outrageous prices? Don’t they get attacked?”
Sevius was more flustered by Lee Han’s question.
“Hey. Calm down, calm down. Come to think of it, I forgot you’re just a 2nd year. One gold coin is actually cheap by Einroguard standards. The Kitchen Club members have principles, so they sell at that price.”
“What principles? The principle of gathering all of Einroguard’s gold coins in one place?”
“Do you have some grudge against the Kitchen Club?”
Basically, Einroguard had scarce supplies, and the materials students used for magical research were often very expensive.
On top of that, Einroguard graduate mages were fundamentally among the Empire’s top talents, so they received quite generous compensation when taking outside commissions.
When these factors combined, the following things happened:
-Please! My artificially created Hell Sulfur Bull is starving. I need two bundles of Soul Frost Grass!
-Of course I can give it to you. Just pay twenty gold coins.
-Are you crazy?! Outside, you can buy it for three Empire silver coins!
-That’s right. The Noon Mistletoe you sold me also costs one and a half Empire silver coins outside. So it just went up to twenty-five gold coins.
-…Ugh! Fine, I get it!
Since most things were priced at whatever people asked, everything in the Einroguard student market was measured expensively.
Naturally, the Kitchen Club, which had to cover research costs through club activities, had no choice but to match their prices accordingly.
Some Kitchen Club members even grumbled that ‘prices should be raised higher’…
‘My entire fortune would disappear like melting snow after just two or three months of living at Einroguard!’
Lee Han felt a more intense desire to escape than ever before.
“It’s hard to believe.”
“You’ll adapt soon. Earn a lot and spend a lot.”
“Do you perhaps do credit transactions? Like paying back after going outside…”
Sevius looked at him as if he’d asked the stupidest question in the world.
At least any Einroguard student who’d spent 2nd year or more had no reason to keep promises made inside when they were outside.
“…I asked a pointless question. I’m sorry.”
“Right. I was a bit flustered too.”
* * *
With a restless heart, Lee Han walked toward Blue Dragon Tower.
Who would have thought that Einroguard’s clubs were engaging in such insane profiteering.
‘It’s really too scary to live here.’
Just imagining selling meals for one gold coin instead of the one silver coin Lee Han had charged was enough to send chills down his spine.
Even a demon duke probably couldn’t think of such a thing.
“Ni… Nice to meet you!”
“Oh. Nice to…”
When a Blue Dragon Tower student he’d never seen before greeted him in front of the forest, Lee Han was about to wave back without much thought when he felt a chill.
He sensed a strange uneasiness.
‘Doesn’t seem like a senior. If it were a classmate, I couldn’t not know them. Then…?’
Lee Han quickly checked the other person’s attire. Then he gritted his teeth.
The other person was a 1st year new student.
‘Damn!’
He had let his guard down after being shocked by club activities and Einroguard’s prices.
“…Nice to meet you. I’m… uh… Gainando, a Black Turtle Tower student. I’m also a new student.”
However, Lee Han had too much time and experience to panic like an amateur.
In that brief moment, Lee Han decided to disguise himself as a new student.
If the other person didn’t notice and let it pass, the Skeleton Principal wouldn’t notice either, right?
“Black Turtle Tower!”
“What. Why. Do you look down on me because of my low status?”
“N-no. I don’t think that way!”
The Blue Dragon Tower junior waved his hands in shock. Thinking he had successfully disguised himself as a Black Turtle Tower student, Lee Han nodded.
“I think I judged you correctly. Right. You did seem different from other Blue Dragon Tower students.”
“Is… is that so? But you seem really relaxed. It’s nighttime right now…”
‘Oops.’
Lee Han belatedly realized his mistake once more.
Einroguard’s prices must have been truly shocking today.
“I’m trembling inside but not showing it. In Black Turtle Tower, you die if you show weakness.”
“What?! That’s…!”
“Which family are you from?”
“I’m Arman from the Dalcard Family.”
“!”
The 1st year student before him was surprisingly Asan’s relative. Lee Han carefully asked a question.
“Do you know Asan from the Dalcard Family?”
“Ah. I know him! He’s my cousin. …But why didn’t he tell me Einroguard was like this?”
Arman muttered with a gloomy face full of betrayal.
“…It’s probably because of the Skeleton Principal’s prohibition. You saw the Principal use magic, right?”
“Ah, yes. I saw it during admission. He ate someone.”
“…?”
Inwardly shuddering at the Skeleton Principal who showed new performances to new students every year, Lee Han said without showing it,
“When someone does that kind of thing, do you think he’d just let seniors go when they leave?”
“True… He might make them swear an oath.”
“That’s right.”
“Then when Asan hyung sang me that song about how Einroguard is such a wonderful place, ‘Einroguard. Einroguard. So wonderful. A place with warm meals and soft beds. Einroguard.’ – was that also because of the Principal?”
“…Well, something like that.”
Lee Han resolved to tell Asan not to torment his relatives when he met him later.
He would protect his friend’s honor, but wasn’t this going too far?
“Gainando. Do you know where Blue Dragon Tower is? I snuck out but got lost.”
“I’ll guide you. But why did you sneak out?”
“I was hungry. I was trying to find something to eat.”
“…I heard rumors that Einroguard students boil and eat leather boots.”
“I already tried that earlier.”
Lee Han was horrified at the response to what he thought was a joke to lighten the mood.
What had he been doing when he hadn’t even been here a week?
“It didn’t amount to much. Alhi told me to study instead of doing that, saying I’d fail first year if I don’t study.”
“Usually failing first year isn’t… wait. Who? Alhi? Alhi from the Penguerin family?”
“You know him really well?”
“Memorizing noble family names is my hobby.”
Lee Han recalled the prodigy from the Penguerin family he had met during winter break.
It was just unfortunate that the despicable Archmage had used Lee Han to crush his pride, but Alhi was definitely an excellent underclassman.
‘I feel bad for no reason.’
“What kind of friend is Alhi? Is he rude by any chance?”
“Huh? Alhi is really humble though. Ah. Did you also fall for the rumors? I used to hear rumors that Alhi was rude and arrogant, but when I met him in person, he wasn’t like that. Someone must have spread false rumors.”
“?”
Lee Han was puzzled by the story that Alhi was humble.
‘Is it a different person?’
“Except for being a bit crazy about studying, Alhi is a good friend.”
While speaking, Arman’s stomach made a growling sound. Lee Han couldn’t bear to watch and took out some bread, cheese, and ham to give him.
“Take this.”
“Wha, wha, what… How?!”
“I raided the kitchen at Black Turtle Tower a bit. You guys should think about raiding too.”
“Gainando… you… you’re an angel! No priest would be as kind and gentle as you!”
Arman tearfully gathered the food. The thought that he could go back and share this with his friends gave him strength.
Lee Han looked at his underclassman as if his heart was breaking.
“But did, did Eandurude do the raiding?”
“Huh?”
“Eandurude, you know. The leader of your tower.”
“…”
Lee Han was inwardly surprised that his underclassman was already leading Black Turtle Tower after such a short time.
“I can’t talk about that.”
“Right. You’d be scared of Eandurude too. I was also shocked when I saw that. The White Tiger Tower student and our tower friend were completely…”
‘What on earth did she do?’
“Gainando. If Eandurude ever tries to kill you too, run to Blue Dragon Tower anytime. I’ll let you in.”
“…Ri, right. Thanks. Arman. But you should be careful about letting friends from other towers in.”
When they arrived at Blue Dragon Tower, Lee Han let his underclassman in and sighed.
‘How truly unfortunate.’
How many more underclassmen would have to inherit this suffering?
* * *
But regardless of that, Lee Han had to live his own life at Einroguard.
When day broke, Lee Han entered the lecture hall where Professor Boladi was waiting and shouted.
“Professor. There’s something I want to learn.”
“!”
Professor Boladi looked at him with surprised eyes at Lee Han’s shout as soon as he entered.
He had always been an enthusiastic disciple who eagerly sought magical combat techniques, but to show even more enthusiasm?
He wondered if there had ever been a disciple so greedy for learning throughout past and future.
“What is it?”
“I want to avoid the underclassmen!”
“I see.”
Professor Boladi immediately understood what he meant.
The Skeleton Principal had already excitedly told the professors.
-If Wardanaz contacts first-year underclassmen, punishment room! If Wardanaz contacts first-year underclassmen, punishment room!
-Principal. Please moderate yourself.
“You’ll definitely need it.”
“Thank you for understanding, Professor.”
Lee Han thought inwardly that this was a perfect plan.
He could prepare a way to avoid first-year underclassmen and skip Professor Boladi’s lectures for about a week…
“The great magic that the Principal uses to make people forget the existence of the target…”
“Professor. Isn’t there something a bit easier than the Principal’s magic?”
“Hmm.”
Lee Han felt a slight sense of foreboding at Professor Boladi’s contemplative expression.
‘…Should I have just asked a different professor?’
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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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