Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 145

There were several things that mattered when grading enchantment magic.

For example, neatness.

Neatness meant that if a scroll was torn, the spell would still work quickly and correctly, without any unexpected problems.

This neatness came from the wizard not adding unnecessary extras when creating the spell.

Another thing that mattered was beauty.

It might seem odd to think about beauty in magic, but it was actually very important.

A small, light ring was always better than a big, dark lump of metal for the same magical effect.

Of course, making magic work in a small, light ring needed more careful and complex work than putting it into a big, dark lump of metal.

Wizards who kept trying to do this difficult work were the ones who truly cared about beauty in enchantment magic.

And output was also very important.

Output was a key part of enchantment magic.

If two scrolls had the same magic, but one made the effect work at 80 and the other at 100, it was always better to use the one that worked at 100.

So, enchantment wizards always tried to get the highest output they could.

Like the other things, this wasn’t something you could get just by trying hard.

Some enchantment wizards just knew how to make strong output, while others couldn’t get past a certain level no matter how hard they tried.

And now…

The boy in front of Professor Biber wasn’t very good at other things, but his output was amazing.

“Amazing!”

“Is that so?”

Lee Han thought he had failed.

The light had flashed much brighter than he expected.

“No. It’s really amazing!”

“Did I do that well?”

“Not exactly well made. Actually, your skill is not that good.”

Professor Biber was firm.

A skilled enchantment wizard would have quickly made the light magic firework in one try, without mistakes.

And they would have made the light more colorful or added other decorations.

Lee Han was only a first-year student, and Professor Biber hadn’t taught him properly. Plus, Lee Han had a lot of natural magic power, which made those parts of enchantment magic harder for him.

The professor forgot all about those things.

“Is that so?”

“But even with those problems, you have a real advantage! Your output is very good.”

Professor Biber was excited and kept talking about things only he knew.

When making things with magic, there’s how they look, how neat they are, how detailed they are, how complex they are, and output is a very important part of all of that…

‘Think happy thoughts.’

Lee Han tried to stay calm by thinking happy thoughts.

That way, he could smile and handle it even if Professor Biber kept talking about things only he knew.

Professor Biber was the kind of person who could talk about his favorite things for hours.

And Lee Han was the kind of person who could handle the professor talking about things only he knew for hours.

When the two met, the conversation never seemed to end.

“…So that’s why enchantment magic is fun. Isn’t it fun?”

“Yes. It was really fun.”

“Very good! I didn’t expect Headmaster Skull to give me such a gift!”

Professor Biber was very happy with the freshman’s good response.

Enchantment magic was a truly interesting world, but sadly, most students didn’t know how fun it was.

But the student in front of him seemed to know the fun, even if he wasn’t very talented.

He was listening so closely.

That was enough.

“If it’s fun, that’s all that matters. Right? Who cares if you don’t have talent? If it’s fun, that’s what counts.”

‘Hmm. Should I skip enchantment magic?’

Lee Han thought to himself while listening to Professor Biber.

He was interested in enchantment magic, but if it wasn’t a good fit for him, trying to add it could be dangerous.

As Professor Garcia had warned, trying to learn too many magics at once would make life hard.

Listening to the professor, it didn’t seem like he was very well suited to enchantment magic…

The only good thing was that the professor was nice, so he had to make a tough decision.

“Then, Professor, I want to make fun fireworks.”

Lee Han spoke politely, having made his decision.

Now that he had a rough idea, it seemed like he just needed to quickly do what he had to do to get away from Headmaster Skull.

‘Headmaster Skull won’t want any fancy art in the magic fireworks, so I should just quickly enchant the smallest amount of magic needed.’

“Yes. You were really wanting to make them, weren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s start quickly!”

“I’ll start by making a light magic firework.”

Lee Han first made a magic firework that he had learned before and knew well.

The new light magic firework was made with fewer mistakes than before.

Then Professor Biber shook his head.

“No. No.”

“Yes? Was there a mistake in the spell?”

Lee Han picked up the magic firework and looked it over.

He didn’t think he had made any mistakes.

Was there a mistake that Lee Han couldn’t see but the professor could?

“It’s too boring.”

“…Professor. Actually, I like boring fireworks.”

“No. Then it’s not fun. You just don’t know other ways yet. If you do it another way, it will definitely be more fun.”

Professor Biber took his student, who liked enchantment magic, by the hand and pulled him in so that he could feel more fun.

Wasn’t fun more important than talent?

Besides, his student had the advantage of output.

If he used that advantage well, enchantment magic would become even more fun.

‘I have a bad feeling about this.’

Of course, Lee Han was starting to feel worried.

“Now. Instead of just bursting light magic, you’re going to change the shape of the light and then keep it that way. Do you see this pattern of enchantment magic? Do you feel anything?”

“Based on light magic… it seems to be magic that changes and keeps the shape… is it an animal shape?”

Only wizards with very sharp senses could feel the magic and guess what it was from the pattern on the paper.

However, Professor Biber was so excited to tell his story that he didn’t notice any of that.

“Yes. That’s right! A cute and simple animal. Wouldn’t it be more fun if it appeared?”

“…Yes. I guess so.”

Lee Han wished he hadn’t said that.

But what could he do?

The other person was a professor…

‘Still, if it’s a cute and simple animal, it won’t be too hard. That’s a relief.’

Lee Han thought of a simple-shaped monster like a slime.

It would be easier to keep its shape with light if it was something like that…

“What kind of animal is it?”

“A dragon.”

“…A dragon.”

“A dragon. It’s cute and simple, isn’t it?”

Professor Biber waved his wand and chanted a spell as if to show how it was done.

Just looking at the twisted flow of magic power, you could tell how complex that magic was.

Growing, stretching, pulling, twisting, grabbing, and shaping the light…

Lee Han thought he had tried everything when it came to controlling elements while fighting Volardi, but seeing Professor Biber, he realized he was wrong.

The world of magic was truly endless.

‘…The problem is that this endless world is being forced on me.’

Could Lee Han really make that dragon-shaped light magic at his level?

Surprisingly, he could.

“Well done! Well done! Was it fun?”

Professor Biber said with a bright smile. Lee Han wanted to punch Professor Biber.

Professor Biber didn’t get angry, didn’t swear, and didn’t pressure Lee Han.

He just said, ‘Did you fail? Why is that? Oh dear. It’s not difficult…’ every time Lee Han failed.

It didn’t take long for Lee Han to realize that he couldn’t argue with Professor Biber.

“Now. Pull it! Pull it!”

Lee Han was so tired that he could barely answer. He pulled the finished firework as the professor told him to.

Bang!

A magnificent dragon of shimmering light soared into the air above the workshop.

It was still rough, but anyone could tell it was a dragon.

Professor Biber took out his pocket watch and started timing as soon as Lee Han pulled the magic firework.

“What are you timing?”

“How long it lasts.”

“How long does it usually last?”

“It usually disappears right away.”

“…Oh.”

Lee Han felt a little proud of that.

He didn’t feel like he was doing well with enchantment magic, but at least it lasted a long time.

Of course, even with that, enchantment magic was harder than he thought.

To be exact, Professor Biber was too much, but anyway…

‘I need to finish the fireworks quickly and get out of here.’

Headmaster Skull arrived.

Then he blinked at what was happening in the workshop.

A dragon made of light was floating in the air.

Professor Biber was supposed to make magic fireworks, so why was he trying useless art?

‘Did I give him too much time?’

How quickly did he make the fireworks? And why was it floating?

“I didn’t do it?”

What?

“I didn’t do it. This kid did it.”

Headmaster Skull was so shocked he couldn’t speak. That didn’t happen often to the experienced lich.

He didn’t know what to say.

He had asked him to make magic fireworks, but he was teaching some crazy illusion enchantment magic, and the student was doing it…

I told you to make magic fireworks!

“This is made with magic fireworks.”

…Wait! Why isn’t that disappearing?

Headmaster Skull realized that the dragon made of light wasn’t disappearing.

There was only one reason.

It was because of the special power of the boy from the Wodanaz family.

That’s it. I was wrong to leave them alone.

“You’re always like that. It’s okay.”

So, are the magic fireworks all finished?

“Uh…”

Professor Biber hesitated.

He had spent all his time making one magic firework that he had just shown.

Headmaster Skull knew the situation even without Professor Biber saying anything.

…Are you even a professor?!

“I, I’m sorry. I’ll definitely make them next time.”

What next time! You always do that… You’re doing that on purpose!

Lee Han felt wronged when Headmaster Skull got angry.

Who was doing the enchantment magic over and over during the festival because of whom…!

“Headmaster. Think about it. Why would I try such a hard magic firework instead of making simple magic fireworks?”

That was true.

“Why? Isn’t it natural to want to try it because it’s so fun?”

Lee Han and Headmaster Skull ignored Professor Biber at the same time.

Headmaster Skull clicked his tongue and said.

That’s it. There’s nothing I can do, so go back today.

“Headmaster! You have to send that student back to me! He likes enchantment magic!”

You should think about what you’ve done! When will you listen to me!

Looking at Headmaster Skull taking him out of the tower, Lee Han felt grateful for the first time.

“Thank you.”

“Yes. But I’m going to send you again tomorrow.”

……