Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 151

Professor Garcia stopped counting. The numbers blurred in front of his eyes, pointless now. It didn’t matter how high they went; it wouldn’t change what was about to happen. His best student, Ihan, was pushing himself too far, about to be overwhelmed by magic right here, in front of him.

*Should I stop him?* The thought flashed through his mind, making him freeze. He opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated. Did he even have the right to interfere?

It was true that Ihan possessed a genius-level talent for enchantment magic.

Suppressing that talent could be a great loss to the Empire, the magical community, and Ihan himself.

Professor Garcia himself hadn’t hesitated to attend every lecture possible when he was at the magic school.

Did Professor Garcia really have the right to stop Ihan?

He didn’t think so.

Alright, just this one time. Let him learn just this one.

From the next spell onward, he would truly stop him…

“Good luck, Ihan.”

“Thank you as always, Professor.”

Ihan bowed politely and stood up. Professor Garcia, suddenly curious, asked,

“Are you going to enjoy the festival with your friends now?”

“Yes.”

Professor Garcia smiled, seeing the treasure chest Ihan had tucked under his arm.

It wasn’t good to be too absorbed in magic as a freshman.

Building friendships and memories with friends was also something he should do…

“After meeting Master Yumidihus to receive guidance, and meeting the priests of the Aphah Order to train in fire elemental magic.”

Watching Ihan’s retreating figure after he bowed, Professor Garcia regretted not stopping him.

But Ihan wasn’t going to the festival yet. He had another important meeting first.

Yumidihus was dressed and waiting as if he were about to go on a picnic.

A wide straw hat that hid his face in shadow and sturdy trousers, like a farmer’s, gave off the air of someone who directly managed a rural farm.

But Ihan wasn’t careless.

‘That man is Professor Voladi’s teacher.’

That alone made Yumidihus one of the most dangerous people in this magic school.

“Shall we depart?”

“Are we heading up into the mountains then, Master Yumidihus?”

Ihan didn’t ask, ‘What are you planning to do in the mountains?’

“If we’re going to climb a mountain, I’ll pack some food and drinks.”

“Oh… haven’t you had lunch? You could have eaten before coming.”

“No, I had lunch as well, but wouldn’t you be hungry if we climb the mountain, Master Yumidihus?”

“…!”

Yumidihus was astonished.

A student trying to take care of his teacher.

It was an amazing sight that he had never seen from the fellows who had come to learn magic from Yumidihus until now.

He remembered students who rushed him, saying ‘Let’s start now, I don’t have time!’ or who complained, ‘Is this magic even good?’

Closing his eyes, the words and actions of the fellows who had come to him flashed through his mind.

In fact, this was partly Yumidihus’s fault.

Basically, the more talented and skilled a wizard was, the more arrogant they tended to be.

Yumidihus had set up all sorts of trials and traps around his secluded tower.

Most of the wizards who broke through those obstacles and came to him were bound to be arrogant and rude.

‘How could such a student come from someone like Voladi Begreck?’

“Are you alright?”

Ihan asked, flustered, as Yumidihus stood still with his eyes closed.

“I was a little surprised, but I’m fine. Then, I shall accept your hospitality.”

“Yes.”

Ihan turned and went to the cabin.

Professor, please give me something to eat.

“…Do you think I owe you something!?”

Master Yumidihus said he wanted to see the mountain range. We can’t just go empty-handed.

“…I’m giving it to you because I know you’re working hard at the festival. Understand?”

Of course. Thank you, Professor. You’re the only one for me.

You don’t mean that…

Ihan brought back a generous amount of food and drink in a basket.

Large hams and sausages that had been smoked, jars filled with sourly pickled cucumbers and vegetables, white bread with soft jam and sauces to spread on it. He even borrowed some black tea and milk that Professor Uregeoreum had just brewed.

Yumidihus, who had expected at most some jerky or water in a leather canteen, was taken aback.

“All of this?”

“Oh. Is it not enough? I’ll bring more.”

“No, no. It’s enough! It’s enough!”

Yumidihus was bewildered by the generous snacks, but also intrigued.

Yumidihus knew how the freshmen at this magic school were being tormented by Gonadaltez.

But the boy before him was getting food as if he were pulling things out of his own pocket.

It was truly remarkable resourcefulness.

“Then let’s go, Master Yumidihus. I’ll carry the luggage for you.”

“It’s magically enhanced, so it’s not heavy at all?”

“Even so, you’re about to give me guidance, so I think it’s right for me to carry it.”

“…Are you planning to keep learning from Voladi Begreck?”

Yumidihus blurted out without realizing it.

The thought of a fellow like Professor Voladi living comfortably with such a kind student made his blood boil.

Amazing. Truly amazing!

Yumidihus shook his head in wonder. *Amazing,* he thought again. *Truly amazing.*

He wasn’t amazed by Ihan’s magical abilities or talent. He had already seen enough of that in the underground dungeon last time.

In the first place, if a freshman could take down a Rakshasa Ogre alone, there was no need to ask about magical abilities or talent.

What Yumidihus was marveling at was Ihan’s upright character.

A brilliantly shining character that could never be seen in the Empire’s outstanding wizards!

A person’s character could not be hidden until the end.

Even if they hid their intentions once or twice, their true feelings would be revealed if they continued to converse.

But Ihan didn’t reveal a hint of conceit or arrogance even while talking to Yumidihus.

He simply listened intently with a very polite attitude, even if Yumidihus said something simple.

At this point, Yumidihus was seriously contemplating.

Why was the way of the world like this?

‘Why do Gonadaltez or Begreck have such a student?’

Of course, Yumidihus knew that it wasn’t always the righteous who were rewarded, as old as he was…

Still, there was no need for fellows like Gonadaltez or Begreck to be rewarded.

This was really too much.

‘I don’t know what that look means.’

Ihan became even more nervous when Yumidihus looked at him with a complex and subtle gaze.

Ihan was already acting more thoroughly than usual so as not to be found fault with, having heard that he was Professor Voladi’s teacher.

‘What is he thinking?’

Yumidihus simply looked at Ihan with pity.

Then, the old magician clicked his tongue a few times and opened his mouth.

“Look at that river.”

There were several fairly thick rivers in the mountain range. Yumidihus pointed to the river with his staff.

“If you’ve heard the rumors about me, you’ll know that I’m quite skilled in water element magic.”

Ihan nodded.

In fact, the expression ‘quite skilled’ was a very modest expression. If he was really just ‘quite skilled,’ his reputation couldn’t have spread so widely in the Empire.

“Can you guess why I’m researching water element magic?”

“Is it related to aptitude?”

“That would be one of the correct answers.”

Yumidihus swung his staff.

With a deafening boom that echoed through the mountains, the river exploded.

A tower of white steam erupted from the river, rising like a ghostly pillar before spreading into a cloud that blotted out the sun.

The birds in the mountains were startled and flew in all directions. But Yumidihus said without batting an eye,

“But the real answer is that water element magic is the most suitable for combat.”

The young student before him didn’t change his expression at all. His sculpted face was silently looking at the river.

Seeing that, Yumidihus nodded in satisfaction.

‘Ambitious.’

A person who froze upon seeing great magic that they couldn’t understand could not become a great wizard.

A good wizard had to burn with ambition and try to surpass that great magic.

‘As expected of Professor Voladi’s teacher, he’s suddenly doing crazy things.’

Ihan thought to himself.

To go to such violent lengths just to show that water magic is combative…

Simply evaporating water wouldn’t cause an explosion. It was the rapid evaporation that caused the explosion as the volume quickly expanded.

Yumidihus had used that principle to implement a steam explosion with magic.

It was amazing and fascinating, but there was no need to explode the water right away without saying a word to his student…

‘Was there?’

But Ihan didn’t say anything.

It was because he was afraid of Yumidihus.

Yumidihus, misunderstanding the silent student’s attitude, asked in a slightly cheerful voice,

“Can you guess what kind of magic I just showed you?”

“Didn’t you create an impact by rapidly evaporating water?”

“!”

Yumidihus was truly surprised.

Beyond simply having a lot of mana, being able to handle mana delicately, and having strong control…

‘He’s sharp!’

An outstanding wizard had to be able to think deeply and richly.

Wizards learning magic would often complain like this.

I’m just studying one magic, so why do I need so many abilities?

But it couldn’t be helped. That was the reality.

Deep and rich thinking ability was a necessary ability for a wizard who had to bring their own imagery into reality.

And the boy before him already had it.

To already have something that other wizards could only gain after traveling around the Empire for years to hone their observation skills…

Yumidihus admired the boy’s talent and really wanted to kill Voladi Begreck.

‘That fellow who hasn’t done anything…’

“You’re right. You’re sharp.”

“Thank you.”

Ihan had no idea what was going through the old magician’s head.

“Wizards who don’t know much about water magic or are clumsy at it think that all they can do is summon water, gather it, and change its shape here and there. But that’s just the beginning. The world of water is… much wider and deeper.”

Yumidihus clenched his fist.

Then the water level of the river dropped sharply, and the surrounding land began to lose its vitality.

‘Moisture absorption!’

It was certainly amazing.

When it came to water magic, he had only thought about shape transformation and manipulation because he had been so tormented by Professor Voladi…

But it was possible to expand the area as much as he wanted, such as evaporation and absorption.

‘I thought water magic was a bit subtle for combat, but I was wrong.’

“You’ve already mastered the basics of shape transformation and manipulation. Haven’t you?”

“Not to that extent.”

Ihan said sincerely, but Yumidihus just thought it was modesty and let it go in one ear.

“So you’re practicing the rotation attribute. Right?”

“No. That was an accidental accident.”

“That’s a natural process and a path that a wizard should take…”

‘Is he deaf or something?’

Ihan only thought to himself.

Yumidihus might dry up Ihan’s blood as it is if he blinked an eye.

“At the same time, being too focused on manipulation can narrow your vision. The reason I called you here today was to show you that there are other areas of water element manipulation.”

Yumidihus spoke like a kind grandmother. Of course, Ihan wasn’t fooled by the atmosphere because of what he had just done.

“Now. Go ahead and try.”

“…Huh?”

What?