Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 1164

Ethan felt a sharp, annoyed voice in his mind. “Could it be because you’re wielding a spirit…?”

“Don’t ask,” Saratan snapped back, his mental voice like a growl. *That little rascal, he knows perfectly well, and he’s asking again!*

If it wasn’t because of the spirit, then why else would the doppelganger mistake Ethan for Bakhantallana?

“No, it’s not!” Saratan insisted.

“Huh? Not because of the spirit?” Ethan thought back, surprised.

Saratan was even more taken aback by Ethan’s confusion. He had just assumed it was obvious – the doppelganger must have seen Ethan commanding the spirit, just like a master commands a slave!

*It mistook you for its master because it saw you torturing the spirit with magic.*

Ethan paused, a frown deepening on his face. He actually felt a strange pang of disappointment. It would have been almost *better* if the doppelganger had mistaken him for Bakhantallana simply because he was wielding a spirit. The idea that it recognized him as the powerful wizard because he was *torturing with magic*… that was unsettling.

“I didn’t know, but it seems this method is more traditional than I thought,” Ethan said, sounding intrigued.

He had simply used his overflowing magic without a second thought, but to think it was such a traditional method that Bakhantallana himself used it.

“Tradition, my foot!” Saratan retorted. “Is threatening with force without even a shred of intellect what a wizard should be doing!”

It sounded odd coming from a spirit who preferred violence more than anyone, but Saratan’s words were filled with sincerity.

Spirits and wizards should communicate with each other, not use violence.

*I seem to recall him trying to kill me when we first met.*

“The trial to prove your worth will begin soon. If you lack confidence, please step aside.”

“The doppelganger is trying to use magic! Be careful!”

“Didn’t you say there was a high chance it wouldn’t be there?”

“…Is that important right now! Just relay the information quickly!” Saratan shouted even louder, perhaps embarrassed himself.

Honestly, this was a bit unfair.

Bakhantallana only placed these doppelgangers in ruins where he kept his cherished magic.

How many such ruins could there be? To hope that a small entrance to a ruin discovered in the north would be such a precious ruin…

“Statistically…”

“If you talk about anything other than the doppelganger’s magic, I’ll make sure you experience the Bakhantallana method of conversation.”

“Listen up, everyone,” Ethan began, addressing his friends. “The information I’m about to give you is worth considering, but it’s not very reliable. So, be careful not to trust it too much!”

*You little jerk.* Saratan cursed inwardly.

Of course, Saratan had wasted a bit of the limited time on his own excuses.

But after that, hadn’t he really worked hard and done his best to convey the information he knew!

Instead of praising him, Ethan was putting him down like that…

“How do you know this information?”

“I heard it from a spirit who participated in the construction of the ruins several times.”

“…Isn’t that pretty reliable information?” Giselle, as well as the other friends, murmured among themselves.

Of course, preparing for the worst was a good habit, but information obtained from a spirit who participated in the construction of Bakhantallana’s ruins seemed quite reliable.

“I told you to be careful not to trust it too much; you’re already breaking that rule. Think of that spirit as being a bit like Gainando, someone who often gets things wrong.”

“Ah!”

“Indeed!”

Saratan didn’t fully understand the wizards’ analogy, but he could definitely sense that it was unpleasant.

*If only Bakhantallana were alive, I would have just asked him to take me away.*

“First, the doppelgangers basically have the magic cast on their eyes. It’s a type of information absorption magic, so you should assume that most illusion magic won’t work.”

Doppelgangers are artificial summons. They follow set commands, which usually makes them weak against illusion magic.

As such, giving the doppelganger the magic, which quickly absorbs information from the vicinity to assist the wizard, was a natural thing to do.

Otherwise, the trial could end too easily.

“Kraah. What a pity. If it weren’t for the Azure Eye, I would have solved it with illusion magic.”

“How truly unfortunate.”

As some White Tiger Tower students uttered insincerely, Garco looked at them with admiring eyes.

“As expected, Einroguard students are different in some way.”

One could roughly guess the skills of a wizard’s friends by looking at the wizard themselves.

It was widely rumored that Ethan of the Wodanaz family was outstanding, but surely the friends he associated with were equally talented.

Just the fact that they were saying they could solve it now was proof enough.

“…Ah, no. That’s…”

“Jok… Um…”

The White Tiger Tower students were taken aback when an outsider reacted to a joke they had made without much thought.

Originally, Wodanaz was supposed to get angry, but an outsider intervening had made things strange.

“We, we’re not that good.”

“That’s right. We’re just ordinary…”

“Even humble!”

Garco cast an even more pleased gaze.

Talented wizards and humble wizards could both be found in the Empire, but wizards who possessed both were quite rare.

“Why are you saying such unnecessary things?” Ethan chided his friends before continuing with his explanation.

The magic that followed the Azure Eye was quite diverse.

The – magic that was impossible to break through and stopped any other magic from working.

The , known to be impossible to escape once caught.

Not only that, but , …

The doppelganger would use one of the magic spells here, according to the commands Bakhantallana had left behind in his lifetime.

*Bakhantallana really did create a lot of magic, more than I thought.*

*It was annoying when I saw it in the magic tome, but it’s even more annoying to have to face it in person.*

The wizards in the room were having very cheeky thoughts.

But it couldn’t be helped.

No matter how respected a senior wizard was, it was only natural to be annoyed when having to face them.

We know you’re a genius, so couldn’t you have created a reasonable amount of magic!

“Look at those wizards. What amazing concentration.”

“Indeed. Mr. Garco as well, and I believe those over there are wizards from Einroguard. As wizards from the Empire’s top magic school, their level is different from ordinary wizards.”

The adventurers providing security cast gazes mixed with slight respect.

They had come down here because they had met the wrong client, but the sight of the wizards concentrating without a single waver made them reflect on themselves.

Lee Han felt a strange feeling in his stomach. Something was wrong.

Caton leaned closer to Lee Han. “Senior,” he said quietly, “Don’t you think the trial is starting late?”

Lee Han blinked, then frowned. “…You’re right!” He hadn’t noticed it before, but now Caton mentioned it, he felt uneasy.

When Caton said this, Lee Han understood why he felt uneasy.

Come to think of it, the trial was indeed starting too late.

Shouldn’t it have started long ago?

“Maybe they are being easier on him because he looks like Bakhantalla.”

“Is this the time for jokes?”

Saratan felt a little upset.

He thought it was a serious idea.

If it were a doppelganger left by Bakhantalla, it might really judge that way and give more leeway…

“Bakhantalla’s Entrapment!”

Garkoe recognized the magic at once, merely from the sound of the magic power moving.

It was terrible magic that traps people. It uses strong magic power that becomes like nets and chains, tightly binding the enemy.

“I see. It took so long to prepare because there were so many!”

At Saratan’s words, Lee Han wanted to ask if he was wrong again, but the situation wasn’t relaxed.

The binding that immediately surged from the floor was difficult to avoid even for those who had anticipated which magic would appear. In fact, he could see some friends already caught and stuck to the ground.

“Ugh!”

“Sneak attack while we are just talking like this!”

But some Einroguard students were fast and didn’t get caught. Some students moved quickly as they had discussed beforehand.

“Rise, pillars!”

“This way!”

As Bartrec chanted, summoning several rock pillars, the White Tiger Tower students leaped vertically, using the pillars’ sides.

The binding’s speed was fast, but it couldn’t catch the White Tiger Tower students who were already waiting with several enhancement spells cast on their bodies.

Lee Han was quick too. He didn’t climb the pillars Bartrec summoned, because he had telekinesis magic. This magic let him move things with his mind, and it was enough to escape.

Stepping and leaping as if there were invisible footholds in the air, the binding futilely tore through empty space.

“Are you alright!”

“Thanks, I’m good!”

Garkoe answered leisurely, returning from bird to human form. Landing on the narrow space above the pillar without shaking at all, Garkoe prepared to transform again.

Since Bakhantalla’s Entrapment had begun, it wouldn’t be easily given up.

“This is good for us!”

“Yes? Is that so?”

Lee Han, checking on the condition of his captured friends, was startled and asked back.

Fortune favors us, he says.

‘What does he mean?’

To be honest, Bakhantalla’s Entrapment felt like a dud. Even when anticipating which magic would appear, he had hoped to avoid Entrapment.

Bitterness, for example, was solid but had corners to avoid or bypass, and Screaming was too advantageous for Lee Han the moment it came out (though his friends would suffer).

But fortune favors us, he says.

Could it be that a seasoned wizard like Garkoe sees something Lee Han doesn’t?

“Entrapment is almost like magic that changes things, and it’s very strong! The doppelganger guarding this place used Entrapment, so the undiscovered magic inside is even more likely to be transformation magic!”

“Wow! That’s really fortunate!”

Lee Han, remembering that the other party was a senior wizard and an outsider from Einroguard, answered as positively as possible.

Otherwise, he might have punched him right away.

“Wodanaes! Look over there!”

Turning his gaze at his friend’s shout, Lee Han looked very surprised.

Everyone else was either moving or caught on the floor, but only one person was acting differently. It was Senior Caton.

“Senior! Come up here!”

“Th-this, Entrapment, is, annoying… me…!”

Caton neither came up nor got caught. Instead, he swung his sword, trying to cut the incoming Entrapment magic.

“That magic cannot be cut! You’d better come up here!”

Garkoe told Caton.

The Bakhantalla’s Entrapment unfolding now looked like a net or chains at first glance, but that was an illusion.

The real thing was magic that kept making itself again and again. It wasn’t that cutting the magic once would stop it, but that small units of magic constantly connected to each other, trying to bind the opponent continuously.

This was precisely why Garkoe thought Bakhantalla was an outstanding transformation wizard.

How could one create such magic if not for an outstanding transformation wizard?

“Hmph!”

Lee Han and Garkoe witnessed a strange sight for a moment.

The cut Entrapment magic no longer regenerated and simply became solid.

Lee Han, who knew well that Caton usually did all sorts of strange things with just one sword, wasn’t that surprised, but it wasn’t the same for Garkoe.

“No way!! How!!! What magic was cast on the sword?!”

“Mr. Garkoe!”

Lee Han warned in surprise.

The Entrapment that missed Caton had begun to fly towards Garkoe. Garkoe, who should have transformed immediately, was late in reacting because he was so astonished.

‘Saratan!’

Pulling the opponent with telekinesis, Lee Han called Saratan. It was an order to do something, anything.

It was a short moment, but Saratan did his best with his not-so-great brain. As the authority of life was used, the nearby plants rapidly grew, protecting Garkoe.

Fortunately, Garkoe also immediately came to his senses. After transforming into a new bird, he flew in a very skilled and twisting way to escape from the Entrapment chasing him.

Lee Han began to dash through the air, borrowing the power of enhancement magic and telekinesis. At the same time, he prepared to cast space- 이동 magic.

He didn’t know how far the Entrapment would chase, but he had to prepare in advance.

Pursuit and escape.

Seeing it chase him in such a strong way, it was clear that the doppelganger had chosen Lee Han as the main target.

“It seems the opponent thinks you’re the most threatening!”

“I know it without you telling me!”

While frantically evading the magic, Lee Han had somehow arrived in an unfamiliar space, distant from the other students.

In the center, there was an unfamiliar stone tablet he had never seen before. Seeing that tablet, Lee Han knew it without thinking.

‘Bakhantalla’s legacy!’

There was also an inscription below it.

I give dark magic to the successor who finds their way to this stone tablet.

‘…Or not?’