Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 401

Actually, that’s not the main thing right now.

“Then what *is* important?”

Professor Thunderfoot sighed heavily, his eyebrows furrowing.

He was eager to hear what his student had been up to.

“When we heard Yoanen Maykin’s words, we were discussing whether we should try to manufacture the Paragranum Shroud with her help. But we didn’t know you were a first-year student.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course, it is.”

Professor Thunderfoot grumbled.

Who would hear only that and think he was a first-year student?

“Will you help us?”

“Of course.”

Lee Han wanted to be helpful anyway. There was no reason to refuse.

“Professor, would it be alright if I borrowed the workshop for a bit?”

“Do as you please.”

The alchemists bowed their heads with very grateful expressions.

They walked towards the workshop’s laboratory, a room filled with bubbling beakers and the strange smells of alchemy.

Professor Thunderfoot suddenly realized.

‘That’s learning a Vision, isn’t it!?’

Just like that, flowing as smoothly as water?!

“But I don’t have much experience in alchemy.”

“Is that so? We heard you worked in Yoanen Maykin’s workshop, so we assumed you had a lot of experience.”

“About half a year…”

At Lee Han’s answer, the Paragranum alchemists stared at him with shocked faces, as if they had heard something unbelievable.

Seeing the alchemists, who had shown no particular emotional changes until now, act like this, Lee Han felt a bit of pressure and said,

“…It might have been a little longer than that.”

“Really? About how long?”

“Maybe about a month more?”

The alchemists suddenly began whispering among themselves. Lee Han regretted saying something unnecessary.

“Lee Han, are you perhaps interested in the Paragranum Guild?”

Fortunately, the alchemists didn’t say anything strange and made a pure suggestion. Lee Han replied with relief.

“I have always respected the Paragranum Guild. Isn’t it the alchemy guild in the Empire that is always dedicated to new discoveries? I still remember when you created the cure for Hemophilia two years ago.”

“That’s an overestimation.”

The alchemists weren’t swayed by a few words of praise, but they took Lee Han’s goodwill towards the Paragranum Guild quite highly.

If he had goodwill towards the guild, there was a high possibility that he would try to join after graduation.

“However, it’s hard to deny that our guild has some advantages that other alchemy guilds don’t have.”

“Is that so?”

Lee Han suddenly became interested.

After all, isn’t the evaluation of those working inside more accurate than rumors heard from the outside?

What advantages do these alchemists think they have?

The Paragranum alchemists said with a faint sense of pride.

“First of all, once we start a study, we don’t stop with excuses like taking a break.”

“…?”

Lee Han felt something was strange, but the alchemists continued to speak.

“And dangerous research that other guilds don’t do is also conducted in our guild.”

“Oh… perhaps the alchemists receive less compensation than other guilds?”

“You know it well? That’s right. Instead of taking gold for useless things, we can use it for research.”

“What a truly wonderful guild.”

“That’s right.”

After the conversation ended, Lee Han nodded with a smile.

And he thought to himself.

‘I shouldn’t even go near the Paragranum Guild’s building.’

It was a more insane guild than he thought.

“So, what kind of potion is the Paragranum Shroud? I don’t remember hearing about it…”

If it was a potion that had been released on the market, Lee Han would have likely heard the name, but strangely, it was the first time he was hearing it.

“You obviously haven’t heard of it because it has never been released.”

“That’s… wait. Then is it a Vision?”

Lee Han was taken aback.

If it’s a potion that hasn’t been released to the public, it’s the guild’s Vision, so is it okay to tell him like this?

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Are you sure it’s alright to tell me this?” Lee Han asked, a little surprised.

“Well, you need to know for the research, don’t you?” the alchemist replied, as if it were obvious.

Lee Han had to feel like he had become a strange person.

‘Hmm. I should have brought Professor Thunderfoot with me.’

“…I understand.”

“I knew you would. The Paragranum Shroud is a type of stealth potion.”

“Stealth… potion?”

Lee Han was amazed.

Stealth potions were among those with quite limited effects.

‘Is there anything besides the principles of transformation magic or enchantment magic? Improvement is possible, but…’

He could change the method and principle and increase the duration or effect, but it was quite a minor potion for the Paragranum Guild to be researching.

“Yes, but it will be a bit different from what you’re thinking. What we’re trying to hide isn’t a shape or form, but a specific aura.”

The aura that an existence emits.

It could be the pressure from magical power, the aura of an attribute emitted by a spirit, or the murderous intent emitted by a knight.

Cutting off only these specific auras was an unexpected idea.

“Is that possible?”

“Theoretically, it’s in a somewhat complete state. All that’s left is experimentation. There are two things we want to get help from Lee Han. One is magical power. We heard that you inject an abnormal level of magical power when magically treating the ingredients.”

“…I don’t think it’s an abnormal level…”

Lee Han muttered, but the alchemists ignored him.

“Originally, it’s not a method that’s generally used in alchemy.”

Alchemy is a science of thorough calculation without a single error.

If the calculation is accurate, there was no reason to over-inject magical power to an abnormal level like Lee Han.

Besides, if you did it that way, the alchemist might collapse before the potion was even completed.

“However, the case is a bit different with this Paragranum Shroud. We expect that pouring in so much magical power will complete the effect of this potion.”

“Indeed… wait. If there are two things, what’s the other one?”

“We heard that you emit a sense of intimidation with your magical power, scaring the spirits, and we want to erase that intimidation once the potion is completed. Would you allow us to do that?”

Among the various auras, the aura that sensitive beings like spirits detect is the most difficult to hide.

If the potion works successfully on someone who scares spirits, then this potion has essentially succeeded.

“…I don’t mind, but where did you hear that?”

“Yoanen Maykin told us.”

‘Yoanen!’

Lee Han cried out for Yoner’s sister in his heart.

Why did she have to tell them even that…

‘Again,’ one alchemist called out, his voice losing patience. Lee Han sighed, measuring the ingredients once more. ‘Again!’ another echoed, and Lee Han repeated the process, his movements becoming mechanical.

Professor Thunderfoot, who had come to watch, was impressed by Lee Han’s patience.

Back when Professor Thunderfoot was learning, if they taught like that, five out of ten would give up, three would run away, one would punch the master in the face, and one would endure to the end.

And Lee Han belonged to the last case.

The alchemists of the Paragranum Guild shouted ‘Again’ like madmen, but Lee Han measured the ingredients, waved his staff, and adjusted the intensity of the fire without a change in expression.

“Is everything going well?”

“Yes. It’s thanks to Lee Han’s outstanding talent. Wait. Please do it again.”

Professor Thunderfoot glanced at Lee Han. Fortunately, he wasn’t clenching his fist.

As Professor Ingoldel knew about Lee Han’s swordsmanship skills, Professor Thunderfoot couldn’t help but worry.

“Still, it’s the weekend, so wouldn’t it be better to rest a bit?”

He told the students to work hard and learn, but Professor Thunderfoot also had a conscience.

He couldn’t help but feel sorry for his student, who had been standing in front of the cauldron for about 12 hours without rest, repeating while listening to ‘Again.’

“Professor, do you know one of the things that Lee Han highly values about the Paragranum Guild?”

“…Uh… setting fire to the capital?”

“No. He highly values that once research begins, they don’t stop with excuses like taking a break.”

Professor Thunderfoot could see Lee Han, who had been stirring the ladle with a blank expression, clenching his fist for the first time.

…I hope he doesn’t get hit?

“Th-that’s right. I clearly stopped you. Got it? I clearly stopped you.”

“??”

The alchemists, who didn’t know who Professor Thunderfoot was talking to, tilted their heads.

It was at that moment.

“Aaaah!!”

One of the alchemists screamed, and Professor Thunderfoot hurriedly turned his head.

He was worried that Lee Han, unable to bear it any longer, had pushed the alchemist into the cauldron. It used to happen often in the old days.

But fortunately, it wasn’t that kind of accident. Silver smoke was rising from the cauldron.

“Is it complete?”

“Yes! Finally!”

Professor Thunderfoot felt with the intuition of an excellent alchemist that the potion in front of him was now complete.

He hadn’t yet figured out what kind of potion it was, but this was something to celebrate.

“Congratulations. You’ve suffered so much.”

“No. It would have been difficult to complete with our strength alone.”

“It’s amazing that the answer was to pour in so much magical power! Everyone will be surprised to hear that. Isn’t that right, Lee Han?”

It was natural for the alchemists to be amazed.

The potion had been failing right before completion, but the answer was to crazily increase the magical power of the magic cast on the ingredients.

It wasn’t just a general level, but really pouring in ‘Do I really have to pour in this much magical power?’ was the hidden answer.

“You seem tired from consuming too much magical power.”

“I don’t think I am…?”

Professor Thunderfoot denied it, but Lee Han didn’t say anything. He just stood there with a tired face.

‘I am tired.’

He had been continuously repeating the potion making process for an incredibly long time without rest, so he couldn’t help but be exhausted.

No matter how much the alchemists helped, the burden was bound to accumulate.

But still, it was definitely a good opportunity. Lee Han could understand why Professor Thunderfoot had invited external alchemists.

‘From the way they handle the ingredients to the magic they use. It was different from Einroguard’s method.’

Just watching the work of other alchemists made him feel like the boundaries of his thinking were widening.

If Lee Han remade some of the potion recipes he already knew by mixing in a few of the Paragranum Guild’s secrets, he would get better results than now.

This was probably why the guilds kept their know-how hidden as Visions.

‘Right. I should definitely be grateful for learning this…’

“Lee Han, are you alright?”

“Yes.”

“And your magical power?”

“Yes.”

“What did I tell you.”

Professor Thunderfoot retorted as if to say, ‘See?’

“Then we will summon a spirit and proceed with the potion test.”

While Lee Han was speechless with disbelief, the alchemists made their own decisions and headed outside.

It was to summon a spirit in a large space and have it face Lee Han.

Thunderfoot, left alone with Lee Han, made excuses again without realizing it.

“…Next time, I will never call the Paragranum Guild alchemists.”

“No. Please be sure to call them if possible.”

“Really?”

“Yes. How can I take away the opportunity for my juniors to learn?”

For some reason, ‘learn’ sounded like ‘suffer’ in Professor Thunderfoot’s ears.