Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 102

As the water spirit swam away quickly, Lee Han stopped his spell and shouted, “Hey! You! Stop!”

Lee Han thought this was all the water spirits’ fault. If they hadn’t bothered him first, he could have finished burying those students from White Tiger Tower in the sand and checked everything!

“Wodanaz, fighting a spirit when you are hurt might be dangerous!” Dukehma said, trying to stop him at first. But when he saw the spirit running away, Dukehma changed his mind. “No! Maybe it’s not dangerous after all! Let’s chase it! Angalo!”

“Wait!” Angalo quickly wrapped the food in leather. He couldn’t leave good food behind.

“Chase it! It must be one of the Headmaster’s helpers!” Lee Han ordered. His voice was sharp, and a faint blue glow flickered around his hands, showing his magical power. It was colder than the night air.

The two White Tiger Tower students ran after the spirit. They felt like they were doing something wrong, even though they hadn’t done anything bad.

Angalo moved quickly to the left. A bead of water, like a hard, glassy marble, shot towards where he had been, but missed.

Dukehma turned right. A sharp spike of water, like a frozen needle, flew at him, but Dukehma was short, so it went right over his head.

‘These water spirit attacks are really simple,’ Lee Han thought as he walked forward. The water spirit sent an attack at Lee Han too. But Lee Han didn’t move. He made his own water bead and knocked the spirit’s attack away.

Jorban II, his undead summon, was big and strong. This small water spirit was no match for Lee Han. Lee Han walked closer, and the water spirit wobbled and shimmered, its watery form shaking with fear.

“Don’t run away, water spirit. I don’t want to hurt you,” Lee Han said.

“…?”

Angalo held his wooden sword, pointing it at the water spirit, but he thought, ‘Would it even believe us if we said that?’ If Angalo was the water spirit, he wouldn’t believe it at all.

“You are one of the Skull Headmaster’s helpers, right?” Lee Han asked.

The water spirit shook its head quickly.

They weren’t good at talking to spirits, but the White Tiger Tower students understood what the water spirit meant.

‘So, it’s not working for the Headmaster.’

The water spirit made you feel sorry for it. It was a round shape of clear water, like a large bubble. It seemed to give off a soft, calming feeling, making it hard to be angry.

But Lee Han didn’t change his mind. “Don’t try to trick me. The Skull Headmaster told you to do this, didn’t he?”

“…!”

Dukehma was surprised. ‘Could that be it?’

But the water spirit shook its head again, even more desperately. Lee Han pointed out coldly, “Then why did you attack us when we crossed the lake, and even attack us while we were resting here?”

“That’s true…” The two students had to agree with Lee Han’s reasoning. It was strange that the water spirit kept following them and attacking.

The water spirit moved back and forth, pointing at Lee Han.

“?”

“What is it saying?”

The two students still didn’t understand. But Lee Han understood right away.

‘It’s saying it thought I was going to attack them…’

Lee Han felt a little awkward. He *had* used strong magic on the lake first.

“Wodanaz, what is the spirit saying?” Dukehma asked.

“It says it thought you were attacking it because you hit it with an oar,” Lee Han said.

“Heh.” Angalo didn’t know what to say.

“That was a mistake,” Angalo said to the water spirit. “If I knew you were there, I would have rowed much more carefully. I hope you believe me…”

The water spirit looked confused at Angalo’s explanation, as if saying, ‘What are you even talking about?’ Lee Han was scary, but this made no sense.

Lee Han nodded for the spirit. “It says it understands you could make a mistake.”

“That’s a relief!” Angalo said.

“But even if we forget about what happened on the lake, you still attacked us while we were resting here. There’s no excuse for that,” Lee Han said, quickly changing the subject. He didn’t want to talk about the lake anymore.

The water spirit fell for Lee Han’s clever plan. It forgot about the lake and pointed right at the campfire.

“It was because we lit a fire at night?” Dukehma asked, surprised.

“What the…!” Angalo was angry. The White Tiger Tower students were both annoyed.

Of course, if you thought about it from the spirit’s point of view, it might be unhappy that people who came into its home were lighting a fire and making smells while cooking.

But instead of just warning them nicely, it tried to attack them first! That seemed too mean, no matter how you looked at it!

The water spirit looked flustered and shook its whole body. It meant they had been wrong about why it was angry.

The spirit pointed to the campfire, then to the black burn marks on the ground around it, and then to Lee Han’s staff. The fire had spread further than they realized, leaving ugly black marks. The water nearby was no longer clear, but cloudy and grey with ash.

The two students still didn’t understand, but Lee Han understood right away. ‘Hmm. It was angry because I burned the area around it.’

The fire he used to fight the undead had burned the ground and made the nearby water dirty. The water spirit, who lived there, had to be angry.

“Wodanaz, what is the spirit saying now?” Dukehma asked.

“It says it is very sorry for being unfair and not understanding,” Lee Han said.

“Hmph… Should we forgive it?” Angalo asked.

“Yes. It’s just a spirit, after all,” Lee Han said.

The two White Tiger Tower students decided to be very kind. Spirits were different from undead creatures. It was hard to be too harsh with them, especially a water spirit.

The spirit looked closely at Lee Han, as if it knew something strange was happening. But Lee Han ignored it, pretending not to notice.

The water spirit wasn’t working for the Skull Headmaster, but it was someone who had seen from a distance when the Headmaster came to the island.

Following the spirit, Lee Han asked, “What spell did the Headmaster use exactly?” Lee Han didn’t know all of the Headmaster’s magic, but knowing what kind of magic to expect would help.

The water spirit couldn’t talk, so it tried hard to explain. It grew bigger and rounder, then changed shape, making itself look like a small hill, then drew lines on top of itself with its watery body, like ropes tied around it. Finally, it made a shape like a key turning in a lock.

‘A tomb? A seal? A lock?’ Lee Han thought. He had a general idea of what the spirit meant. ‘The Headmaster locked something up.’

There was only one thing to lock up: the Outing Pass.

‘It would be strange if nothing happened when we got close.’ Lee Han closed his eyes and tried to think like the Headmaster. *If I were the Headmaster, how would I set this up?*

‘Make a trial dungeon under the sand, and put the Outing Pass at the end, after the dungeon. Yes, the Headmaster would do that.’ And locking the Pass up? That sounded even more like the Headmaster.

*How sad and hopeless would you feel?* Lee Han thought. You go through all the difficulties in the underground sand dungeon, work together to get out, and then find the Outing Pass locked up at the end! That was exactly the kind of thing the Headmaster would enjoy.

“Wodanaz, look over there!” Angalo whispered, surprised.

Beyond where the water spirit stopped, there was a place the Headmaster had made. It was a small place, but it looked very old. It was made of grey stone, worn smooth by time. Lee Han thought it looked like a forgotten temple, rising slightly from the sand. Stone steps led down into darkness, probably to the underground dungeon. Tall stone pillars, carved with strange shapes and lines, stood around it, empty in the middle. In the center was a stone altar. Of course, Lee Han knew there wouldn’t be an offering on the altar, but the Outing Pass.

‘How can I get those two to go in first?’ Lee Han wondered. To find out if there was a trap, he needed someone to go first, a scout.

“Wodanaz, I’ll go first,” Angalo said.

“Angalo. Are you making fun of me? *I’ll* go first,” Dukehma said quickly.

“Dukehma, this is my fault. I made the water spirit angry,” Angalo said.

“Angalo, you built the boat and steered it here. You did your part. I haven’t done anything yet. If I don’t step up now, my honor as a knight…”

Lee Han yawned. He took out a coin and flipped it in the air. *Clink-*

“Heads. Angalo Alpha, you go,” Lee Han said.

“…U, uh.” Angalo walked forward with a confused look. He felt a mix of pride and confusion. He wanted to be brave for Wodanaz, but the coin flip felt strange and unfair.

He had been thinking of going first for Wodanaz, who was hurt, but why did he feel so odd now? ‘Okay, bring it on!’ Angalo thought, trying to be brave. He swallowed his nervousness and looked around carefully.

Being from a knight family, he knew a little about magical traps. Angalo was ready to face any trap that appeared.

But nothing happened. No trap started. Even when he stepped on the stone floor, made of stones that fit together well. Even when he walked between the stone pillars and stood in front of the altar.

Lee Han was a little surprised. ‘Could it be that the Skull Headmaster… made the trap to start when *two* people go up?’ If there were no traps at all, Lee Han felt even more worried.

Lee Han focused all his power to sense any magic that might still be there. But he couldn’t feel anything. Either there was nothing, or the Skull Headmaster was so skilled that Lee Han couldn’t sense it.

‘It’s probably the second one,’ Lee Han thought. He couldn’t believe there was no trap. Lee Han was usually very good at sensing magic. Even professors, and the Skull Headmaster himself, had praised him for his senses in the past.

But Lee Han still didn’t believe it. *No way!* The Skull Headmaster *must* have done something!

“Wodanaz, there’s… writing here, from the Headmaster,” Angalo said.

“What does it say? Does it say the trap is starting now?” Lee Han asked.

“No. Not that,” Angalo said.

Angalo read aloud: “-Congratulations on making it this far, young freshmen. You might have been confused by the sudden tests, but these are all ways to help you grow as young wizards.”

‘Too kind to be true,’ Lee Han thought. When the Skull Headmaster was this nice, it felt even more scary.

Angalo continued reading: “-While coming here, you freshmen will have learned how to work together with friends from different towers. Now, try to work together one last time, using what you have learned. If you put another person inside the stone pillar, the lock on the altar with the Outing Pass will open!”

The three students turned to look at the stone pillars. They were big and empty inside, enough space for a person to stand.

*Put someone in there and lock them up?* Lee Han thought. *Wouldn’t that mean we get further away from the Outing Pass, even if the altar opens?*

“This is ridiculous! There must be another way!” Dukehma shouted, angry. As a knight, he couldn’t accept a trap that separated students who had worked so hard together to pass the tests. There *had* to be another way!

‘I don’t think so,’ Lee Han thought calmly. This was exactly the kind of thing the Skull Headmaster would do. He wasn’t surprised at all. *Even if you work together, only one person can get what they want in the end! If you feel treated unfairly, get better at magic…* ‘And so on, he’d say silly things,’ Lee Han thought.

Lee Han wondered what to do. Should he defeat Dukehma first, or Angalo? Because three of them had reached the altar when only two were meant to, Lee Han was in a worse position. And Lee Han’s arm was still hurt. To win, he needed to attack first, before the White Tiger Tower students could react.

“Wodanaz!” Dukehma shouted. Lee Han stopped, surprised. ‘Have they figured me out?’

“Stop Angalo!” Dukehma yelled.

“!” Lee Han looked up. Angalo, always eager to act, suddenly understood. *Put someone in the pillar? I can do that!* Angalo was already running towards the stone pillar.

Lee Han quickly thought about whether to stop Angalo, or just pretend he couldn’t win and leave him alone.