Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 857

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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 857

‘Well, since it’s Wardanaz, he must have his reasons.’

‘It’d be troublesome if we ask carelessly and he gets angry.’

The upperclassmen quietly remained silent.

It was easy to mistakenly think that Falkrious held the power in the Cooking Club, but in reality, the Cooking Club didn’t operate that way.

The power in the Cooking Club belonged solely to whoever secured the most ingredients (and when they were willing to share them).

In that regard, Lee Han’s authority was inevitably higher than the ruthless Falkrious who never helped the underclassmen cook, since Lee Han took out his own ingredients to share and cooked together with them.

Let’s not be the first to bring it up!

* * *

“Wardanaz. Do you know what you need to be careful about when raiding herb gardens?”

Falkrious asked while watching his junior climb up the slope path.

Lee Han momentarily wondered if this was the Teleportation Club or the Cooking Club, but quickly came to his senses.

Come to think of it, wasn’t all of Einroguard like one giant Teleportation Club?

“Shouldn’t we check if there’s an owner or not?”

“Heh. That’s also a good answer. But before that, you need to check who the owner is first.”

Falkrious’s voice contained the seasoned expertise of a veteran herb garden raider.

The other Cooking Club members nodded at his words.

“Who owns the herb garden is very important. The hardships that Arkan of the great alchemist Meikin Family endured when he entered the dragon’s herb garden are famous.”

‘What on earth did Yoner’s ancestor do?’

Lee Han mentally resolved to ask Yoner what had happened when he met him later.

But aside from that, figuring out who the owner was certainly important.

Basically, herb gardens were cultivated and tended by fellow mages.

There was no way such herb gardens wouldn’t have defenses when someone tried to raid them. Depending on what kind of mage it was, those defenses varied tremendously.

‘There could be retaliation too.’

“In that regard, we already know it’s Professor Thunderstep. We could say we’re at a great advantage.”

“What type of owner is Professor Thunderstep?”

“Hmm. He’s petty and mean, but he doesn’t install lethal traps for students.”

“…Are there professors who do install lethal traps?”

“The Principal and Professor Verdus.”

“Ah.”

Lee Han immediately understood.

Those two seemed like they would do that and more.

“Still, Professor Thunderstep isn’t one to be generous. We need to be careful not to leave traces or we might get tracked. Senior Falkrious. Can we hear what you recorded about the herb garden?”

Falkrious replayed the testimony contained in the paper that the student had handed over earlier.

Notes were good, but it was also important for everyone to hear the words the witness himself had directly left behind.

-I was staying at the cliff, and Professor Thunderstep passed by below. Professor Thunderstep said this: ‘That lunatic Bendozol has really gone too far, how is he doing Wardanaz’s chores for him…’?

“…”

“…”

The upperclassmen stared intently at Lee Han. Lee Han said calmly.

“Professor Bendozol forcibly insisted on doing it for me.”

“…I, I see.”

‘Is that possible? I don’t think so.’

-The professor went into a hidden cave below the cliff, pulling three cargo carriages. After the professor left, I checked and it was definitely an herb garden. I could see various related magics…

“You couldn’t check inside the herb garden?”

“The professor properly camouflaged the entrance. It would have been difficult to break through alone. There was no need to overdo it since it wasn’t even his own lecture. Over there.”

Falkrious pointed below the cliff.

The green terrain where thickets had grown densely looked so thick from the outside that nothing could enter.

However, it couldn’t escape the eyes of experienced Einroguard bandits—no, students.

“Clear it away.”

“Yes.”

Some of the upperclassmen wielded potion bottles, others waved their wands.

The flame streams that shot out merged in the air and transformed into a giant of flames when combined with the power of alchemy.

The flame giant cleanly cut and burned away the thickets near the cliff like a harvesting farmer. Each time it swung its arm, flames erupted and space was created.

Lee Han felt the comfort of not having to do anything for the first time in a while.

‘It’s nice coming with the upperclassmen like this.’

Normally, he would have had to do about five people’s worth of work, but coming with the upperclassmen, he could sit back and leisurely watch from behind.

The upperclassmen also didn’t give him any particular tasks, perhaps because Lee Han was their junior.

“Should I do something too?”

“Huh? Wardanaz, you don’t really need to?”

“…Thank you. I think I made the right choice joining the Cooking Club.”

“???”

The club member was flustered by the sight of his junior who didn’t need to follow but did anyway, then suddenly became moved by himself.

Why is he acting like this?

Whoooosh-!

“Found it! Senior! Over here!”

“Move aside.”

Falkrious rummaged in his backpack and pulled out a single boot.

Lee Han looked at it puzzledly.

“What’s that?”

“Professor Thunderstep’s shoe. It’s easy to track in places like this. Now, show us the owner’s trail!”

When Falkrious shouted, the boot moved along the footprints on the ground.

The upperclassmen naturally followed as if bringing a professor’s boot was obviously standard equipment for such tasks.

Only Lee Han was confused inside.

‘Is it normal to just steal and bring a professor’s boot for things like this?’

Perhaps Lee Han should have stolen Professor Verdus’s wand in advance too.

With the obstructing thickets cleared and even the exact footprints found, the tracking proceeded quickly.

The students who discovered the entrance to the cave hidden below the cliff whistled.

“Should we go in?”

“No. The professor set up a final trap. This is troublesome.”

Falkrious, who always smiled, frowned for the first time in a while as he glared at the entrance.

A very faint fragrance was subtly flowing out from inside the entrance.

Thunderstep’s Submersion Incense!

Professor Thunderstep was an excellent alchemist, but among his skills, his technique for blending incense was particularly outstanding.

Among the Cooking Club members here, few hadn’t fallen victim to Professor Thunderstep’s incense.

“What’s submersion incense?”

“Literally an incense that makes you submerge in water. It’s quite tricky.”

The moment a mage smelled the fragrance, they were dragged deep underwater.

It wasn’t simply an illusion or sensory disruption. It really momentarily dragged the soul to another dimension.

Blocking the nose was useless. The fragrance penetrated through a person’s skin and expanded to all five senses.

“The professor was complaining about not having reagents, but apparently he has reagents to make things like this!”

“Seriously, he’s just disgustingly petty!”

The students who came to raid the herb garden cursed the professor just for having thorough defenses.

Lee Han glanced around and cautiously spoke.

“Should I try to break through?”

“No. What are you talking about? You just rest.”

“Puhh. Wardanaz. Don’t worry. It’s just tricky, but it’s not like there’s no way to break through. Anyone here who’s visited the underwater dimension recently?”

“I visited a week ago, but I happened to get into a fight with a mermaid there…”

“Uhaha. Then that won’t work. You absolutely can’t go in.”

“I’ll just try to break through…”

Lee Han spoke again, but Falkrious waved his pot lid-like hand to stop him.

“No, no. Just stay put. Wardanaz.”

“…”

While the junior sat still with a disgruntled expression, the upperclassmen discussed seriously.

“Should we try breaking through a completely different entrance?”

“We don’t know what kind of herbs they are, so let’s not make too risky attempts. If the herbs get damaged, it defeats the purpose.”

“What if we break through the night before the exam? Even if the herbs get damaged, we won’t have to take the exam.”

“That’s too much of a gamble. Don’t we have any gifts that would work in the underwater dimension? We really need to negotiate.”

“Ah. Those bastards will probably ask for pearls again. Why do they only like expensive things? Why won’t they accept just seashells? …Wardanaz! Hey!”

As the upperclassmen’s conversation dragged on, Lee Han quickly rushed inside.

As Thunderstep’s submersion incense permeated his entire body, his soul momentarily shook and nearly moved to another dimension, but his infinite mana held its ground and pushed away the incense.

Lee Han, who had broken through quickly, swung his obsidian staff to erase the incense’s effects.

The upperclassmen who arrived late were shocked at the sight.

‘Is this why he came along!’

‘A genius really is different…!’

“Wa, Wardanaz. Is this why you said you’d come with us?”

Even Falkrious seemed surprised as he stuttered slightly. Lee Han didn’t understand what he meant and asked back.

“Huh? What do you mean I came along because of this…?”

“Puhh. No. Never mind! Anyway, thanks for opening it. This was originally something we should have done. It’s so convenient having a smart junior.”

Falkrious laughed heartily.

The other Soup Club members beside him also laughed and said.

“That’s right. You don’t know how convenient it is that Wardanaz brings us food too.”

At those words, Falkrious immediately stopped laughing and became serious.

“That’s not right.”

“So, sorry.”

They should feel shame, not laugh, while comfortably living off food from a junior.

“Anyway, let’s go in. Follow me. This is… Nephertem. Oh no. Everyone step back.”

“!”

Blue lotus-like flowers were nestled in the pond inside the cave.

Though they looked like lotus flowers on the outside, pure and transparent mana that was rarely seen could be felt from within them.

Falkrious was very careful, worried about approaching and contaminating the surroundings.

This Nephertem was a plant extremely vulnerable to contamination, requiring great care from cultivation to harvesting.

“This is for a second-year exam.”

“Right.”

Lee Han asked curiously at the upperclassmen’s conversation he heard from the side.

“How do you know? Did you upperclassmen also take an exam using Nephertem?”

“Huh? No.”

Along with his words, the upperclassman pointed to the side with his finger.

There was a sign that Professor Thunderstep had put up.

Nephertem (Vulnerable to contamination, handle with care, for second-year exams)

Lee Han was newly thrilled by Professor Thunderstep’s kindness.

“…Then we just need to harvest this? We’re lucky.”

“That’s not it.”

“?”

“If it were an exam to obtain this, the Professor wouldn’t put so much effort into growing it like this. He’d just tell us to go get it. This is very rarely… an exam where the Professor provides the materials.”

“!”

Lee Han was surprised.

Professor Thunderstep giving reagents for an exam.

“Is that really true?!”

After shouting in surprise, Lee Han paused for a moment.

‘Actually, this might not be that surprising.’

Originally, exams might be where professors provide what’s needed.

In reality, Professor Thunderstep might be the strange one…

“Sometimes the Professor provides materials. Very rarely though. The problem is…”

The upperclassmen looked at Lee Han as if feeling sorry for him.

“Those exams are much more difficult. The logic is that since he prepared the materials, it’s okay to make it harder.”

‘This is really ridiculous.’

Lee Han cursed inwardly but couldn’t refute the upperclassmen’s words.

If it were Professor Thunderstep, since he personally prepared the materials, he would definitely raise the difficulty to not let that effort go to waste.

‘Why is he suddenly trying to raise the difficulty? It’s not like second-years are particularly smart.’

Without realizing he had unconsciously hit upon the correct answer, Lee Han wondered.

“But don’t worry too much. We’ll organize and tell you about potions that would likely use Nephertem. You can focus on studying those.”

“Right. Actually, you didn’t even need to follow us today.”

“?”

Lee Han realized the identity of the discomfort he’d been feeling.

Could it be…?

“…By any chance, did I not really need to follow you today?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“…”

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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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