Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 303

Salco was surprisingly friendly. Usually, he would glare and pretend not to see any students from the Blue Dragon Tower at school, always with a scowl on his face.

Salco: “So, you’re really not going to ask your family for money then?” Salco asked, his voice sounding genuinely impressed.

Lee Han: “Something like that,” Lee Han replied, trying to sound casual.

Salco: “Wow, Wodanaz, you’re a real noble!” Salco said, meaning it as a high praise.

Lee Han thought to himself, *If I could just borrow money from my family, I wouldn’t be in this trouble, you idiot.* He knew his family name wasn’t helpful for what he was trying to do – make money on his own. They would only help if it was for studying, and if he asked for good-paying jobs, they’d probably say, ‘Excuse me? Why would you want to do *that*?’

Lee Han: “Hey, Salco, don’t you work at the guild? Shiles always seems busy.”

Salco: “Yeah, but the Stonemason Guild has a slow time right now, unlike the Transportation Guild.”

Lee Han: “Ah, I see. So you’re looking for other work to do?”

Salco: “Exactly.”

Lee Han and Salco looked at each other. They both understood that feeling – the need to always be working, something only people who loved to work could truly understand.

Salco: “Come on, Wodanaz, let me show you how it works.” Salco turned to lead him.

Just then, Salco’s friends spoke up all at once.

Friend 1: “Wait, Tutantha!”

Salco: “What is it now?”

Friend 2: “Pay back the silver you owe Wodanaz!”

Friend 3: “Me too, me too!”

Friend 4: “Yeah, me too…”

Salco stopped and stared at his friends, completely surprised. *How much had these guys been borrowing from Wodanaz without him even knowing?* he wondered.

They sat on chairs, each with a box in front of them. The job was simple: open the box, take out a potion, and feel the magic inside. If the magic wasn’t the right amount, or if it felt wrong in any way, or if there was anything else wrong with the potion, they had to throw it away. It wasn’t hard work, but it was very boring and took a lot of patience.

Lee Han: “Actually, this could be good training! What do you think, Gainando? It’s good practice for learning to tell different materials apart.”

Gainando didn’t answer. He just stared at Lee Han, thinking his friend had completely lost his mind. While Salco was busy helping Lee Han with something else, Gainando whispered urgently to the others.

Gainando: “He’s crazy! Lee Han’s gone mad! He’s actually enjoying this!”

Yonel looked up, tossing another potion into the discard box. “Huh? It’s not so bad, is it?” Yonel said. He was thinking about his future plans to start his own businesses. Saving money now, even in a boring job, was a good thing in his mind.

Gainando: “You guys?! Are you serious?!”

Nilia looked at Gainando, surprised by his outburst. “What? We should be thankful! We’re getting paid so much for such easy work.” She remembered her life in the Northern Mountains. There, she would hunt dangerous beasts for three whole days, and all she would get was a few copper coins from the Empire, which she had to share with all the other hunters. But here, in this warehouse, she could earn silver coins just by sitting and sorting potions for a few hours! *This is amazing,* she thought. *This is why everyone wants to be a wizard.*

Ratford: “That’s right. I’m almost sad we won’t get any more silver after this job is finished.”

Nilia: “Me too! I’m really going to miss it,” Nilia agreed, nodding her head. Ratford nodded too. It was such a good job, and it was only for one time.

Yonel: “But we can’t do anything about it, right? A job this good can’t last forever.”

Ratford: “Yeah, they’re probably paying us so much because it’s really urgent, right?”

Gainando was getting more and more upset. “You’re all crazy… completely crazy!” he muttered. “Dalcard! Dalcard!” he called out to his last hope, Asan.

Asan looked at Gainando with a serious face. “This *is* a good opportunity, Gainando.”

Gainando was shocked. “Are you mad too?! What’s wrong with all of you?! Wake up! Why are you all like this?!”

*(Earlier, Lee Han had spoken to Asan quietly.)*

*Lee Han (in Asan’s memory):* “Asan, think about it. What if you earned silver with your own strength? What would your brother and sister think?”

*Asan (in his memory):* “Well… if I gave them gifts with silver *I* earned, maybe even my brother and sister would finally respect me.”

*Lee Han (in Asan’s memory):* “That’s… not exactly what I meant by gifts, but yeah, that’s the idea.”

Asan: “Gainando, how long are you going to depend on your family’s money?”

Gainando: “What are you talking about?! My family’s money *is* my money! It’s the same thing!”

Just then, Lee Han came back to his seat. Gainando quickly sat down, trying to look normal. Lee Han looked at him, confused.

Lee Han: “What are you doing?”

Gainando: “N-nothing! Just… stretching my legs a bit.”

Lee Han: “Okay. Let’s get back to work then.”

Gainando: “Okay…”

Gainando’s protest was over. He sighed and started sorting potions again. *Sniff. I really want to go home,* he thought miserably.

When they finally left the warehouse, the sun had already gone down, and the sky was filled with the soft colors of evening. Magic lamps along the city streets flickered to life, one after another, casting a warm glow on the cobblestone paths. In the fading light, they could see night watchmen putting on their dark uniforms, ready for their shift.

Company Employee: “Thank you all so much for your hard work, wizards!” The company employees bowed deeply, showing how grateful they were. They had been worried when these students, especially the ones who looked like noble students, had arrived. *Will they be okay with this?* they had wondered. *Won’t they complain about doing such boring work?* But the students had finished the job quickly and perfectly. The employees really wanted to hire them again if they had more work. *But would it be rude to ask them again?* they thought. *If we ask these noble students, ‘Could we call you again for work?’, they might get angry and think we’re being disrespectful.*

Lee Han: “Um… excuse me?” Lee Han said quietly to one of the employees.

Employee: “?” The employee looked at him, questioningly.

Lee Han: “If you have any more work like this in the future, please contact me.” Lee Han quickly slipped a silver coin into the employee’s hand and whispered his request.

The company employee was amazed. Lee Han was better at making connections than any worker he had known in ten years! *Who *is* this guy?!* he thought, completely surprised.

Lee Han winked at the employee and turned to rejoin his friends. *Looks like that worked out well,* he thought to himself. He knew that in this world, who you knew was everything. If you did a good job for someone once, they would remember you for future work, or recommend you to others.

Lee Han: “Everyone worked hard today! Gainando, how about we go buy you a toy?” Lee Han asked, noticing Gainando was still clutching his silver pouch and staring at it intensely while everyone else was stretching. He was worried Gainando might run home and cry to his mother, *Lee Han made me work hard!*

Gainando: “What nonsense are you talking about?!” Gainando yelled, surprising Lee Han. Gainando usually wasn’t so loud.

Lee Han: “No, I just thought… you said you wanted a toy. Do you like playing cards?”

Gainando rolled his eyes dramatically and hugged his silver pouch tightly to his chest. He looked like he would cast a spell on anyone who even looked at it.

Gainando: “How do you think I earned this silver?! There’s no way I’m going to waste it on toys! I’m going to lock it up in the safest vault in my room!”

Lee Han: “O-okay, sure,” Lee Han said, surprised but also pleased. *Well, that’s actually a good thing!* he thought.

Asan reached out to pat Gainando on the shoulder, wanting to praise him. But Gainando suddenly growled like an animal and snapped at Asan’s hand, trying to bite him!

*Thwack!* Asan quickly pulled his hand back.

Asan: “Hey, you crazy guy! What are you doing?!”

Gainando: “I told you not to come near me! I’ll bite anyone who tries to touch my silver!”

Lee Han looked at Yonel and raised his eyebrows.

Lee Han: “Did we bring him along for nothing?”

Yonel: “No, no… it’s still better this way, I think…”

*I think I’ve done my best today,* Lee Han thought, back in his study at the Wodanaz family mansion. He was organizing his notes on paper, feeling satisfied. He had told his friends from the Black Tortoise Tower, ‘Since you helped me, let’s work together if any good jobs come up again.’ And he had asked everyone he met, ‘Let’s team up if you hear about any work.’ He was hoping that soon, job offers would start coming his way.

Alarong: “Lee Han, you’re back?” Alarong knocked gently on the study door. Lee Han called out for him to come in. Alarong entered. “If you’re feeling up to it, I was wondering if you’d like to spar for a bit? It’s been a while.”

Lee Han: “Yes, that would be great. Thank you, Sir.”

Alarong: “You’ve been going out a lot lately. Are you sure you don’t need any help with anything? Please, don’t hesitate to ask me if you do.”

Lee Han paused, thinking for a moment. Then he looked at Alarong.

Lee Han: “Actually, Sir, do you happen to know of any short-term jobs where a magic student or wizard could earn a lot of silver?”

Alarong looked surprised. “Excuse me?”

Alarong: “I’m sorry, but… why are you asking about that? If you need anything for your magic studies, I can provide all the support you need…”

Lee Han nodded, as if he had expected this reaction.

Lee Han: “Let’s go spar now.”

Alarong was still clearly confused, but he nodded and followed Lee Han to the training grounds.

They arrived at the training grounds. Alarong drew his sword. Usually, Alarong had a gentle, kind face, like an old knight. But the moment his sword was in his hand, he seemed to change completely. He became serious and powerful, like a solid mountain. Lee Han also drew his sword. He knew he had no chance of actually beating Alarong, a Master Knight – a title only given to the best swordsmen in the Empire. But… *I’ll use everything I’ve learned,* Lee Han thought determinedly. He remembered the two main sword techniques he had learned in Einrogard. One was supposed to be about carefully controlling magic and flowing it into the sword. *Actually,* Lee Han thought, *the real technique is probably much more complicated, about perfectly uniting the sword and magic. But I’m just going to blast magic into it.* The other technique was about changing the magic itself, making his swordsmanship unpredictable, like magic itself.

Alarong: “Then, I’ll begin,” Alarong said, and lunged forward.

An hour later, *Clang!* Lee Han’s wooden sword fell from his hand. He collapsed onto the training ground, completely out of breath. Magic still flowed around him, but his body was utterly exhausted.

Alarong wiped sweat from his forehead and said, “Excellent, Lee Han.”

Lee Han, still catching his breath, said, “Doesn’t really… feel like it.” His body ached all over. But Alarong was serious.

Alarong: “I didn’t realize you could control so much magic in such a short time. It’s something most swordsmen would take decades to achieve. You are truly gifted in magic, just as you are talented in swordsmanship. But there’s something I need to ask you…”

Lee Han: “What is it?”

Alarong held out his palm, which was still throbbing. “Did you use any special way of controlling your magic just now? The power…” Alarong explained, “Your sword was incredibly powerful, Lee Han. If I hadn’t protected my hand with magic, it would have been badly injured.” He was impressed by Lee Han’s progress, but also worried. *It’s good that he’s learning so quickly,* Alarong thought, *but if he’s using a technique that’s harmful to his body, I need to stop him.*

Lee Han: “Ah… well…” Lee Han hesitated, trying to explain without sounding completely crazy.

Alarong listened carefully, his expression changing to one of complete bewilderment.

Alarong: “So… you’re not actually *infusing* magic into the sword, letting it flow through, and controlling it… you’re just… releasing it all at once?”

Lee Han: “Yeah, well, I don’t usually do it like that. Only when I really need to.”

Alarong was speechless. He stared at Lee Han, wondering if he should stop him from using this dangerous method. *Any other swordsman would collapse from magic exhaustion after just one or two swings like that,* Alarong thought. *But Lee Han says he’s fine because he has a lot of magic…*

Alarong: “I have fought against countless swordsmen across the Empire, and I’ve seen all kinds of secret techniques and unusual methods. But I’ve never heard of anyone using a sword style like yours, Lee Han.”

Lee Han: “Really? Is that so?” Lee Han sounded a little disappointed. He had thought maybe at least a few other people would use a similar technique.

Alarong: “It seems to be okay for now, but please, be careful. Somehow, that’s why your sword keeps… Ah, but there’s one more thing I wanted to ask. ”

Lee Han: “Go ahead.”

Alarong: “You clearly changed the nature of your magic earlier… was that the Absorption Sword technique? Where did you learn that?”

Lee Han: “Oh, that. I fought against a swordsman from the Enge family once.”

Alarong’s eyes widened in surprise. “Are you saying a swordsman from the Enge family *taught* you their family’s secret sword style? Why would they ever do that?”

Lee Han: “No, they didn’t teach me. But after we fought, after some time passed, I just realized I could change the nature of my magic. So I’ve been trying to use it ever since.”

Alarong was completely stunned. He almost fell over in shock.