Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 212

The Skull Headmaster thought, “I guess this is how it has to be.” He did not know what Lee Han really felt. Ogoneon was not a wizard who taught if you scared or insulted him. So, seeing Ogoneon act like this… Lee Han must have been very polite and kind. It was too bad he could not make Ogoneon feel more embarrassed. But if Ogoneon agreed to teach, he had to accept it. It was not every day someone got to learn from a great wizard like Ogoneon. Even wizards in this tower rarely got such a special chance. *Sigh*. Ogoneon, think of this as paying back what you owe me. You better teach him well.

“I will… do my best,” the Skull Headmaster said. He floated out of the room. It would be rude to stay while another wizard was teaching.

“Are you okay?” Lee Han asked.

“Hmm?” Ogoneon smiled a little. It seemed Lee Han was wondering if it was right to get private lessons from a great wizard like Ogoneon without giving something back. It was normal to think that, since Lee Han was young.

“I am fine,” Ogoneon said. “I am doing this because I want to. Not because I am forced or scared. You don’t need to worry.”

“It’s not that,” Lee Han said. “I was just worried the Headmaster might bother people outside…”

“…He, he should be okay. Probably,” Ogoneon said. He was a little surprised by how serious and practical Gonadaltes’ student was. *Is he really his student?* Ogoneon wondered.

Ogoneon listened to Lee Han talk about illusion magic, then nodded. “Phাইট’s illusion magic, huh? That Phাইট is a good illusionist.” *How rude,* Lee Han thought. He did not know Ogoneon and Phাইট knew each other.

“Using fire makes it easy for beginners to learn. But it works less well in cold places.”

“Um… I used it in a cold place, and it worked fine,” Lee Han said.

“Hmm? Ah. That must be because you have so much mana,” Ogoneon nodded, like he understood. But Lee Han looked a little suspicious.

“Phাইট’s magic is good, but I will teach you different magic,” Ogoneon said. “It might not be perfect, but it will be very useful.”

Actually, Ogoneon was being too humble. The magic he was going to teach was a secret magic he made himself. Other illusionists respected this secret magic and called it ‘Ogoneon’s Illusion Magic’! Many wizards liked how clear, clever, and effective this magic was. But Ogoneon did not tell many people about it. This was very different from his other magic, which he put in books. There was one reason. It was so difficult and complicated that he was not sure he could teach it unless he taught it himself.

*But this boy deserves to learn it,* Ogoneon thought. It was not just because he promised the Skull Headmaster. Ogoneon was not so humble that he would easily give away his secret magic just to pay back a debt. Ogoneon knew Lee Han was a special boy who was polite and kind. He saw it at the magic school festival and in today’s fight. And if Lee Han had the magic talent to learn from the Skull Headmaster… Ogoneon could teach him without any doubt.

“What kind of magic is it?” Lee Han asked.

“Hmm. I haven’t given it a special name,” Ogoneon said. “But other wizards call it Ogoneon’s Secret Illusion Magic, so you can call it that too.”

*I’ve never heard of it,* Lee Han thought. The Empire had a very big magic system, and there were many strange spells Lee Han did not know. But he trusted magic he knew more than magic he did not know, even if people said the new magic was great.

*Is this really okay?* *Hoo,* Lee Han thought calmly. *I am thinking too negatively.* Ogoneon did not seem like a completely bad wizard. He ran this tower, other wizards respected him, and he had written many books. *Of course, he acted badly in front of me,* Lee Han thought, *but people get less skilled when they stop working. Maybe his skills are worse now that he has retired. But he must have been a great wizard when he was younger.* Ogoneon, who had never retired, kept talking, not knowing what Lee Han was thinking.

“Phাইট is not just good at illusion magic, but also at using fire magic. So he made spells that mix fire and illusion magic. Like I said, these spells are easy to use.”

Magic in the Empire, like other subjects, has changed over time. It is normal because later wizards learned from old magic and made it better. And the way magic was changing was mostly to make things easier and faster. If a spell took 100 units of effort to learn, they would make it take 10 units. If a spell took 100 units of mana to use, they would make it take 10 units. When spells like this came out, they replaced the old spells that did not work well and made new trends. Phাইট’s illusion magic that Lee Han learned was also this kind of magic. It was easy to learn and use because it used fire, but…

“But if there are good things, there are also bad things. Phাইট’s illusion magic is not good for truly understanding illusion magic. Other illusion spells that use other elements are also not good for that.”

Making illusions with fire, cold, or earth might make learning magic easier, but it would take you away from the main idea of illusion magic. Ogoneon thought that to really learn illusion magic, even if it was hard, you had to start with the hard way.

Lee Han was writing everything down carefully. He asked, “Then how do I make illusions?”

“Only using pure mana,” Ogoneon said. “It is hard to imagine and control, but it is the best way.”

Ogoneon pointed to the chair next to him. So smoothly you almost didn’t see it, a second Ogoneon was sitting there.

“Touch it,” Ogoneon said.

Lee Han touched the second Ogoneon. Surprisingly, it did not change shape or vanish. It felt solid and real. It was very different from Phাইট’s illusions.

“It is an illusion that is like a copy of me,” Ogoneon said.

“Amazing!” Lee Han said honestly. *Even though he had retired, he was still skilled,* Lee Han thought.

“You will learn it soon too,” Ogoneon said, looking pleased at the future great wizard.

“But what level of magic is this?” Lee Han asked.

“…5th level…” Ogoneon suddenly understood his mistake when he saw Lee Han’s shocked face. He had forgotten that Lee Han was a beginner student because he had been spending time with the wizards in the tower.

“I didn’t mean you have to learn this now,” Ogoneon said quickly. “Just know that this is magic you will learn someday.”

“Ah. Yes. I see,” Lee Han said. Ogoneon quickly changed what he said. But Lee Han’s eyes looked a little cold.

“The magic I teach is not just hard things like making a copy of yourself,” Ogoneon said. “There are many easier ones too.”

“I see. Wait. But why didn’t you teach me those first?” Lee Han asked. Ogoneon pretended not to hear and changed the subject.

Making an illusion copy of yourself was very hard magic. There were much easier illusion spells. *1st level magic: Ogoneon’s Emotion Reading*. This was very important magic for illusionists. It let them read the emotions coming from people and animals around them. The illusion magic they used would change based on how the other person felt. *2nd level magic: Ogoneon’s Rising Worry, Ogoneon’s Surging Fear, Ogoneon’s Gathering Sadness*. This was illusion magic that messed with your mind. It made the other person feel those emotions. To learn harder mind magic later, you need to learn these spells first. *3rd level magic: Ogoneon’s Mist*. This magic made an illusion mist around the wizard. It made it hard for enemies to see and aim when they attacked. If the magic was used well, it could protect many friends from attacks from far away.

*…Something is strange,* Lee Han thought. He was practicing while listening to the explanations. He felt worried. The magic was too… Hard. Even if spells were the same level, some were harder than others. But the magic Ogoneon was teaching now was too hard. Lee Han felt uneasy.

“Hmm. Is it too hard after all?” Ogoneon asked carefully, like he knew what Lee Han was thinking.

“Yes. I don’t know if it’s because I am not good enough, but it’s not easy,” Lee Han said.

“It’s not because you are not good enough. This magic is hard by nature,” Ogoneon said.

“No. It must be because I am not good enough,” Lee Han said again.

“No. It’s really hard magic,” Ogoneon said kindly, thinking Lee Han did not understand. Like he said the bad things about Phাইট’s illusion magic, Ogoneon did not like mixing other things with illusion magic. He did not want to make it easier or change it, only pure illusion magic! It would be harder, but he thought that in the end, it was the fastest way to learn. So, Ogoneon’s secret magic was very strict illusion magic that did not change or get easier. Even *Ogoneon’s Emotion Reading* would have used things like looking at the person’s eyes, muscles, or body heat if it was other illusion magic. But *Ogoneon’s Emotion Reading* only focused on one thing. It only focused on the person’s soul. So it was very hard.

“……” Lee Han looked unbelieving after hearing this. *As I thought, for a wizard who had retired, his teachings are a bit…* Lee Han thought.

“Did you learn well?” the Skull Headmaster asked.

“The teachings were so hard that I feel like I have only taken my first step,” Lee Han said.

“That’s probably true. Ogoneon is someone who likes things pure and simple,” the Skull Headmaster said. “There are not many wizards in the Empire who only use pure, old-style illusion magic like Ogoneon. Learning it well will help you a lot.”

“I will try my best,” Lee Han said. But he doubted he would really focus on the magic he learned today. He already had so much magic to learn, and this magic was so hard… *Still, you are lucky,* the Skull Headmaster thought.

” ?” Lee Han looked questioningly.

“Ogoneon must like you. He said he will teach you every week. Come here every weekend. I will set it up with Ogoneon.”

“……” Lee Han’s face became serious.

“Even if you don’t like learning magic on weekends, you have to do it. This is a very good chance. I am not being mean.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Lee Han said.

“Your eyes are saying you are angry, what do you mean?” the Skull Headmaster asked.

As Lee Han was getting into the carriage, the illusionists ran out of the tower. The Skull Headmaster frowned, disgusted by how friendly they were.

“I will never forget today’s fight! I really hope you do well!” one illusionist said.

“I hope people will know your name in duels one day!” another said. “By the way, what is your family name and your name?”

“I am Lee Han of the Wodanaz family,” Lee Han said.

“I see. Lee Han of the Wodanaz family. As expected of a great knight, your family is also… hmm?” The illusionists stopped talking. *Huh?*

In that moment, the Skull Headmaster closed the carriage door.

“W-wait a minute, Your Excellency!” one illusionist called.

“Don’t bother me and go away! Or I will whip you!” the Skull Headmaster yelled.

“You just said the Wodanaz family… Ack! To use a whip for this!” another illusionist cried.

“A great wizard does not lie. Go away!” the Skull Headmaster shouted.