Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 387

While Ihan was looking away for a moment, the Phoenix Tower students quickly held a lottery to decide who would go first.

Ihan couldn’t help but be impressed by how hard the Phoenix Tower students worked together.

If it were the Blue Dragon Tower students, they would still be arguing about who got to pick the numbers first.

A priest with a friendly smile stepped forward. “Sharukal, here,” he announced.

Ihan nodded. He knew that people who worshipped Agltaqua, the god of the sea and storms, were often sailors or people who were part beast and lived in the water. Sharukal, with his slightly pointed teeth and the faint scent of the sea about him, was clearly one of them – a shark beast-person. It made sense he’d be chosen to talk about his faith near water.

Sharukal beamed, gesturing towards the lake. “I think this is fate!”

Ihan raised an eyebrow. “Fate? What do you mean?”

“Isn’t this just perfect?” Sharukal exclaimed, his voice full of excitement. “Look at this… this sea! It’s the ideal place to show you the power of Agltaqua’s teachings!”

Ihan glanced at the water. “Uh, Sharukal,” he said gently, “it’s actually a lake.”

“When I see this sea, I think of Agltaqua,” Sharukal continued.

“Uh-huh,” Ihan replied.

Ihan decided to just listen for now.

Even though priests were usually quiet, they became talkative when they spoke about their faith.

Ihan remembered once feeding a Tizling priest snacks and accidentally asking, “By the way, why is Frizinga sacrificing himself to support the world?” He ended up listening to an explanation for three hours.

He had to be as careful as possible in situations like this. If he made them talk more than needed, the explanation could go on for a very long time.

“So, Agltaqua got drunk and spilled his liquor, and that became the sea… Right. Ihan of the Wodanaz family. I heard you’re the most interested in magic among the students,” Sharukal said.

“You don’t have to be so formal. Just call me Ihan. And I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” Ihan replied.

“How modest,” Sharukal chuckled.

“Misunderstanding…” Ihan muttered.

Ihan was about to explain in detail but gave up.

Ihan thought, ‘If I were Sharukal, I would think this is nonsense.’ It sounded strange for someone taking all the magic classes to say they weren’t interested in magic.

“…So, why?” Sharukal asked.

“Ah. I was wondering how I could get Ihan interested in Agltaqua. Wealth? Power? Those things would mean nothing to Ihan,” Sharukal pondered.

‘That’s not true,’ Ihan thought.

Ihan was surprised by Sharukal’s words.

If any religious order announced, ‘If you believe in our order, we will give you a gold coin every time you pray,’ Ihan was sure he would become a devoted believer immediately.

“Then I realized!” Sharukal exclaimed. “The only thing that would interest Ihan, who has no interest in wealth or power, is magic. So, I prepared to show you Agltaqua’s divine magic.”

“Oh,” Ihan responded.

Ihan suddenly became interested in Sharukal’s words.

‘But I won’t be able to learn divine magic,’ Ihan thought.

Ihan knew what great wizards had said about divine magic.

Headmaster A once said, “I am not very interested in faith either. I am too smart to believe in God.”

Head of Family B stated, “Trying to learn divine magic is a good idea, if you want to waste your time. They say that compared to true magic, which used careful plans and ideas, divine magic was like the shouts of wild people who were too emotional and just believed strongly.”

Even if he didn’t go to such extremes, Ihan agreed with the principles of divine magic that those two wizards argued for.

The magic of the Empire was based on theories and knowledge that had been built up for a long time.

What was the most efficient and accurate magic to create a certain phenomenon?

And would the same result happen when this magic was repeated? Would it work the same way every time, even if a different wizard used it?

These histories and principles were the driving force behind the vast number of wizards in the Empire communicating, exchanging ideas, and developing together.

Without these things, the wizards of the Empire would still be playing separately in their own regions with their own rules.

However, even this magic of the Empire could not explain everything in the magical world.

There were other kinds of magic too. There was simple magic from wild places, old magic that no longer existed, natural powers that some people had without learning, and divine magic that worked because of faith, not just rules.

Magic that ran on individual ability and senses rather than theory and knowledge still remained. Some Imperial wizards even made it their job to analyze and explain this magic.

‘Divine magic… requires faith,’ Ihan mused.

Among the magics that ran on individual ability and senses, ‘faith’ was important for divine magic.

A strong belief in God.

That belief made possible a unique phenomenon that was different from Imperial magic.

But Ihan didn’t have that kind of faith. He was just pretending to believe because of the perks.

‘Honestly, I think the Skull Headmaster is right,’ Ihan thought.

Wasn’t it that the will of the numerous believers, rather than God actually existing and lending that power, was affecting reality?

Just as a wizard changes reality with his will, it was not strange that the will sent collectively by many people created a powerful force that shook reality.

“So, what kind of magic is it?” Ihan asked.

Ihan couldn’t guess what kind of magic Sharukal would use.

Divine magic varied greatly depending on individual abilities and senses, so the magic that appeared was more diverse than consistent.

Of course, there was a general tendency depending on the characteristics of the religious order and the god they served…

“Agltaqua, who sees through the deep sea. Send me your limbs,” Sharukal chanted in a low, heavy voice.

It was different from concentrating his mind or arranging the flow of magic while waving his staff.

Splash-

A sound of something moving came from under the lake, and fish began to gather near Sharukal’s feet.

Ihan was amazed by the sight.

“Is he summoning marine life?” Ihan wondered.

“That’s right, Ihan,” Sharukal confirmed.

Judging by the admiration of the priests next to him, Sharukal’s divine magic was clearly at a considerable level.

‘Well, he’s still a freshman, and summoning creatures from that far away is no easy task,’ Ihan thought.

Ihan forgot that he was also a freshman and admired along with them.

To show the power to reach creatures that far away, even in the harsh conditions of the water, with the magic of the Empire, a complex process, theory, and preparation were required.

But with faith, it could be solved all at once like that.

Divine magic wasn’t as flexible or useful in many situations as regular magic, but in some cases, it was incredibly powerful and unmatched.

“How is it, Ihan?” Sharukal asked, sweating a lot.

Even though he had succeeded in magic through faith, there was no way that there would be no consumption of mental power or magic power.

Ihan answered to quickly relieve Sharukal’s burden.

“It’s amazing. To summon creatures from so far away like this. And it’s very useful. I can catch them right a-”

“Haha. These creatures are like my friends, so they will do their best to listen to me when I ask. I am always grateful,” Sharukal interrupted.

“…That friendship is truly as brilliant as gold! I’m jealous!” Ihan quickly said.

Sharukal continued, completely unaware that Ihan thought of his friends as fresh sashimi.

“When I was young, I went out to sea in a small boat and encountered a storm and was stranded. I prayed to Agltaqua again and again. Fortunately, Agltaqua took pity on me and gave me this magic. I was barely able to return with the help of my sea friends,” Sharukal explained.

Ihan, who was listening, said with a serious face.

“Indeed. So, do I have to go out in a small boat and encounter a storm?”

“…Yes!? You don’t have to do that!” Sharukal replied, sounding tired of Ihan’s extreme ideas.

“Oh? Is that so? But if there is no set method, following the experiences of others is the most likely…” Ihan said.

“That’s too dangerous… I just wanted to say that you should pray with as much sincerity as that,” Sharukal clarified.

“I see,” Ihan replied.

‘That doesn’t seem strong enough,’ Ihan thought.

Apart from his own faith, Ihan was a little skeptical of that kind of prayer.

Why did so many priests awaken divine magic in times of crisis or emergency?

People’s faith tends to become stronger when they are in extreme situations.

Aside from that, Ihan’s magic skills increased dramatically when he was threatened with his life by Professor Voladi…

‘…This is crazy. I’m thinking like Professor Voladi!’ Ihan realized.

Ihan was surprised by his own madness.

It must have been because of Professor Voladi.

If you stare into the abyss for a long time, the abyss will also stare at you…

“Okay. Then I’ll try praying,” Ihan said.

Ihan was going to do his best to pray to repay Sharukal’s sincerity.

Whether he succeeded or not, it wouldn’t hurt to leave a good impression on the priests.

Even if he couldn’t use divine magic, a sincere believer would get something from the religious order.

‘What does the Agltaqua religious order give? Sashimi?’ Ihan wondered.

“Why isn’t that guy doing underwater breathing and doing something else?” one of the White Tiger Tower students said.

“You fool. He’s a Wodanaz. He must have already mastered underwater breathing,” another replied.

Ihan raised his head at the voices of the White Tiger Tower students talking next to him.

“Sharukal?” Ihan asked.

“Yes?” Sharukal responded.

“Let’s practice underwater breathing first,” Ihan suggested.

“Ah, whoops!” Sharukal exclaimed.

30 seconds later.

“I succeeded,” Ihan announced.

The two White Tiger Tower students who were practicing next to him glared at him, but Ihan didn’t notice.

“Sharukal, don’t you need to practice?” Ihan asked.

“I can already breathe in the water?” Sharukal replied.

The two White Tiger Tower students who were practicing next to him glared even more sharply than before.

“Okay. Then how do I… pray?” Ihan asked.

“Try praying with the thoughts you usually have towards the sea. That’s how people who believe for the first time usually start,” Sharukal suggested.

Sharukal was very excited and beaming at Ihan’s sincere behavior towards Agltaqua.

In comparison, Ihan had many thoughts.

‘I have no thoughts about the sea,’ Ihan thought.

If he had to pick something, it would be that he was worried about investing in the herring craze that swept through the southern part of the Empire last year?

“Agltaqua… um…” Ihan started.

Ihan tried to draw out the faith he didn’t have, but gave up.

It seemed right to do it his own way, whether it worked or not.

Imagine the faith of the many people who believe in Agltaqua.

Think of the ocean of that enormous energy.

And…

‘I can’t just ask for it,’ Ihan thought rationally.

Since he didn’t have the faith and devotion that other priests offered, Ihan decided to just think of it as magic.

He would offer his magic power and ask to borrow a little from that ocean of energy as compensation.

At that moment, Ihan’s magic power moved and was used up. The offered magic power disappeared.

‘I guess nothing will happen,’ Ihan thought.

Nothing happened, but Ihan was not disappointed.

This was usually the case anyway.

Not every phenomenon happened as desired just because a wizard used magic power and wanted something. The way the world worked was stronger and more fixed than what a wizard wanted.

Still, Ihan was aware of Sharukal’s gaze and used magic power a few more times.

Anyway, unlike other wizards, it didn’t matter much if he wasted magic power…

Twitch.

Sharukal’s eyes widened.

A strange magic power, different from normal magic, started to come from Ihan.

A magic power that any priest could recognize.

It was divine power.

“That’s it!! That’s it!! Ihan! Your true faith in Agltaqua was deep in your heart! More! Pray more! That’s the beginning… Wait. Why are you all coming here?!” Sharukal quickly shouted, realizing the gazes he felt from behind.

The Phoenix Tower priests had already gathered and were making very anxious expressions.