Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 1186

“Calm down,” Lee Han whispered. “Nothing’s decided yet.” He gently stroked the small Basilisk hidden in his sleeve. Lee Han himself wasn’t sure what animal to transform into for the upcoming lecture. He sighed. That’s why he had gone to see Carnella, a senior student in his magic school, for advice. He hoped she could help him decide.

“Senior, I have something to discuss with you regarding the Practical Self-Transformation lecture…” Lee Han began.

“Junior, you’re transforming!? Into what!?” Carnella asked excitedly.

“That’s what I can’t decide, so that’s what I wanted to…” Lee Han replied.

“Let’s do a unicorn! It’ll be great to ride during Quidditch!” Carnella clapped her hands together, her eyes bright with excitement.

“You’re not perhaps thinking of using me as an emergency mount, are you?” Lee Han asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

“Surely not! Haha. Haha,” Carnella laughed loudly, but her eyes didn’t quite meet Lee Han’s.

Lee Han asked Jarun for advice. Jarun said he would talk to Carnella too. But now, listening to them, Lee Han felt tricked. ‘Is this person really recommending a unicorn because of Quidditch?’ he wondered.

However, Jarun was also quite favorable to the unicorn transformation.

“A unicorn… it would be good if you could do it. It has many advantages. It is welcomed by most races,” Jarun said thoughtfully.

“What does that little runt know!” The baby Basilisk cried out from inside Lee Han’s sleeve.

“Ahem,” Jarun cleared his throat.

The baby Basilisk cried out as if it was too unfair, but reality did not change. He puffed out his tiny chest and stamped his foot, even though no one could see it in Lee Han’s sleeve.

Transforming into a Basilisk and transforming into a Unicorn were similarly difficult, but if you transformed into the former in the city, people would scream and the guards would rush over in a fluster. If you’re going to transform, it’s advantageous to transform into a beautiful and popular creature.

“But are you sure I can even become a unicorn? We don’t even know if it’s possible for me. Are we just getting our hopes up for nothing?” Lee Han asked.

“Ah. What do you take this Hormach for, saying such things… I’m telling you, there are plausible grounds for it. This junior here saved a unicorn, didn’t he? And that unicorn showed affection, too. With that much of a connection, it’s very advantageous when transforming into a unicorn,” Jarun explained.

“Indeed. That’s certainly advantageous,” Carnella agreed.

Saving a unicorn, and gaining the affection of a unicorn. Neither was an easy task. This level of deep connection was rare.

“From the sleeve! Always! Receiving and drinking magic power! I am!” The baby Basilisk protested.

“Calm down, I said,” Lee Han whispered to the Basilisk.

The baby Basilisk roared, but the two seniors didn’t listen. Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed half-confirmed as a unicorn already.

Lee Han looked unsure. “Actually,” he said slowly, “what about a griffin or a Sharkan?”

Jarun frowned. “Griffins and Sharkans? Why are you suddenly asking about *them*?”

“He’s asking because he’s raising one. You don’t know because you’re not interested in your junior. Didn’t you know he was raising one?” Carnella retorted.

“What!? Why?!” Jarun exclaimed, surprised.

“Of course, it’s for Quidditch! Unicorns are great for riding in Quidditch games, remember?” Carnella said.

Lee Han shook his head firmly. “No, definitely not for Quidditch.”

Carnella, who was trying to manipulate the records, clicked her tongue as if she was disappointed.

“If both were possible, they’d be as good as a Basilisk…” Carnella mused.

The baby Basilisk, whose mouth Lee Han covered, struggled. It wasn’t clear what it was saying, but it probably sounded like swearing.

“…Isn’t a unicorn better?” Jarun asked.

“A griffin is good too, but you can get more benefits from a unicorn,” Carnella added.

It was really fortunate that Ponryg wasn’t here. If he had been, he would have been heartbroken along with the baby Basilisk.

“It’s even more so with a Sharkan. Even a griffin is threatening if you transform into one in the city, so what about a monster like a Sharkan?” Jarun pointed out.

“Then, Junior, shall we try to get on track with the unicorn?” Carnella asked.

The baby Basilisk became dejected and lowered its tail.

Patting the Basilisk inside his sleeve, Lee Han asked a question. “But in the end, you can’t know until you try, can you? Even if you get on track with the unicorn, a Basilisk might keep coming out…”

“That could happen,” Jarun admitted.

-!

“But there’s probably not much chance of that happening?” Carnella reassured.

Unless you’ve only lived with Basilisks since birth, or there’s someone in your ancestry who contracted with a powerful Basilisk, the chances of that happening were slim. You have a connection with unicorns and griffins, so there’s no reason for a Basilisk to come out forcibly, is there?

“-Do I really have to be close with those wizards?” The Basilisk grumbled.

“…They’re my seniors…” Lee Han said, trying to soothe the Basilisk.

While Lee Han was soothing the baby Basilisk, the seniors prepared a space to practice. The seniors led Lee Han to a dusty attic. Sunlight streamed through cracks in the wooden walls, lighting up floating dust motes. Strange magical tools and forgotten spell books were piled in corners. It smelled faintly of old parchment and ozone.

Transformation magic, especially the transformation of the wizard himself, brought more dangers to the surroundings than expected. Transformation magic was known to be risky. Carnella pointed to scorch marks on the wall from a previous student’s failed attempt. ‘Be careful,’ she warned, her usual cheerful tone turning serious.

The shock or explosion caused by a failed transformation was obvious, and even if it succeeded, it could be dangerous. Once you suddenly get your hands on the body of a ferocious beast, it’s not as easy as you think to control the boiling desire for destruction or the competitive spirit.

Once you gain some experience, you can contemplate the wizard’s own soul and manage the emotional fluctuations caused by the changes in the body… It was impossible for a wizard attempting it for the first time to manage all of that. Of course, the surroundings had to be prepared.

“Senior. Cast some elastic rubber magic on the wall here,” Lee Han requested.

“Do you think I’m your servant?! Do you even know how much the potion costs?!” Jarun grumbled, but he was already reaching for his wand.

“Then you can just let your senior’s attic be destroyed,” Lee Han retorted.

Jarun cursed the two juniors and cast the magic. ‘I shouldn’t have told them the location here…’ he thought.

After installing magic to absorb damage on the surrounding floor and rock walls, and casting protective magic on the hideout Jarun had created, the preparations were roughly finished.

The two seniors gestured to Lee Han.

“Junior, give it a try,” Carnella said.

“At first, it’s best to do it naturally, just instinctively without thinking of anything,” Jarun advised.

“-I think it would be good to think of a Basilisk,” the baby Basilisk whispered.

“……”

-…I’ll be quiet…

The baby Basilisk quietly shut its mouth when its attempt at brainwashing was discovered.

Lee Han stood in the middle of the space and entered a state of concentration. Transformation magic had relatively fewer elements such as complex magic circles, spells, or formulas like other magic, but that didn’t mean it was an easy magic. In particular, the wizard’s own mental concentration was very important. If you acted distracted or if any other stray thoughts crept in, strange results could come out.

“By the way, what did that guy usually transform into when he practiced?” Jarun asked Carnella, who had been waiting.

No matter how much of a genius you are, you didn’t just learn transformation magic. You start by practicing transforming parts of your body over a period of at least a year, and gradually increase the range of familiarity.

“What was it? Just a moment… Ah, yes. He transformed his arm into a Basilisk head during Professor Bendozol’s lecture,” Carnella said after checking the records she had written down.

“……”