Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 457

Of course, he couldn’t challenge a dungeon submerged in water. Professor Volardi wouldn’t let his student risk going into an unfinished dungeon.

Ikrusha thought, ‘Professor Volardi is a better teacher than me, that’s true. But this is about giants, so it’s hard for me to let him take over teaching Yihan about giants.’

Ikrusha believed that if Yihan was going to be tested by giants, he needed to get to know them first.

Meeting giants without being ready could cause unexpected problems.

It would be dangerous if a young wizard like Yihan started to hate giants because of a mistake.

What if a great mage with a title like ‘Giant Slayer’ appeared in the future?

‘I think I’m already starting to hate them,’ Yihan thought.

Yihan felt that just from what Ikrusha had said to the professors, he was already starting to dislike them.

“I will respect that.”

Professor Volardi said, pretending to be very generous. But he didn’t really care at all.

“Then, let’s go meet the other giants. Are you ready?”

Ikrusha winked to ease Yihan’s tension.

Of course, since Ikrusha was a giant, his wink wasn’t very helpful in making Yihan feel relaxed.

Thud!!!!!!!!

“Hmm. It would be better to wait a bit before going out.”

“It sounds like another mountain goat escaped,” Ikrusha said.

Only after all the mountain goats were caught could Yihan go outside.

As Ikrusha walked ahead, Professor Volardi gave Yihan some advice.

“Don’t lower your wand in front of a giant.”

“……”

‘I really want to punch him,’ Yihan thought.

To call that advice…

“Do you have any other advice?”

“Giants are generally hard to predict.”

Wise and intelligent giants like Ikrusha were rare, and it was hard to figure out what most giants were thinking.

There was a good reason why explorers in faraway parts of the Empire were afraid when giants started talking to them.

If you got caught up in it, you’d be forced to participate in absurd bets…

” ? ”

Yihan tilted his head.

Professor Volardi’s words ended there.

“Is there anything else?”

“Didn’t I just say it?”

“…Ah.”

So, ‘Giants are generally hard to predict’ was the advice.

Yihan closed his eyes.

‘I’d rather deal with giants,’ he thought.

Giants whose thoughts he couldn’t understand were still better than the professor next to him.

As they arrived at the sloping pasture on the ridge where the giants were resting, a huge pot came into view first.

The giants were slowly cutting chunks of rock and throwing them into the pot.

” ? ”

Looking closer, it wasn’t rock but cheese. Yihan had never seen such a large chunk of cheese before.

“It’s mountain goat cheese. Are you interested?”

“Yes? Yes.”

Yihan nodded quickly.

Living in Einrogard, he couldn’t help but be interested in ingredients.

Ikrusha walked up to a giant and asked for the cheese.

“Hand it over.”

“Huh? Why?”

“We must treat our guest.”

“But… why?”

“Just hand it over!”

Whack!

Ikrusha snatched the cheese from the giant’s hand in anger. Then, he cut off a piece and handed it to Yihan.

The giant behind him glared at Yihan with eyes full of sadness, anger, and resentment.

“…Ah, no. You didn’t need to take it and give it to me…”

“Don’t worry about it. They’re easily sulky. They’ll get over it soon.”

Ikrusha said that, but the giant’s eyes glaring at Yihan held such deep emotion.

Yihan took the cheese with unease.

Clang!

” ? ”

The stone-like cheese was as hard as a rock.

…So, is it just a rock?

“Is this a rock?”

“Hmm? Just a moment.”

Ikrusha checked the cheese.

It wasn’t a rock, and it wasn’t old, hard cheese; it was freshly made cheese.

“It’s cheese, alright.”

‘I can’t use this as an ingredient,’ Yihan thought.

Yihan gave up and returned the cheese to the giant. The giant huffed, blowing air hard enough to send Yihan flying, and took the cheese.

“Ikrusha, shouldn’t we be getting along well with the giants? Isn’t this a bit dangerous from the start?”

“It’s fine. It’s fine.”

‘It doesn’t seem fine,’ Yihan thought.

Yihan quickly looked at the situation.

Ikrusha was a wise giant, but since he was a giant, he wasn’t too worried about getting close to other giants.

He believed that even if the giants got a little angry and sulky, they would soon become friendly.

However, Yihan thought that was too optimistic.

‘I need to get closer to them as much as possible,’ he thought.

“Hello.”

“……”

“……”

The giants sitting around the pot clearly showed they didn’t like Yihan coming closer, hiding their large brass bowls in their arms.

Their faces showed they didn’t want to give Yihan any food.

‘What is this, Gainando?’ Yihan wondered.

“I didn’t come to get food. Everyone, I came to greet you…”

“Give him some!”

Ikrusha rushed over again and scolded them.

Yihan covered his face with both hands in frustration.

“This… humans can’t eat it.”

“They can’t eat it well either.”

The giants protested, but Ikrusha sternly scolded the greedy young giants.

Then, he used a ladle to scoop a large amount of porridge from the pot and gave it to Yihan.

“Th-thank you.”

“He can’t eat it anyway.”

“It’s a waste of food.”

The giants grumbled and complained. Yihan felt even more uncomfortable.

‘I have to eat it and pretend to enjoy it, no matter what,’ he thought.

With the atmosphere as it was, he had no choice but to eat it and make it look delicious.

Yihan looked down at the bowl.

“……”

‘Isn’t this lava?’ he wondered.

Seeing the fiery red liquid bubbling, he couldn’t tell if it was porridge or lava.

“…I will enjoy the meal.”

Yihan cursed the professors of Einrogard and moved the porridge to his mouth.

‘Gack.’

It was a taste that made him scream after a long time.

Spicy, salty, bitter, and sour—it was a fiery taste that seemed to have mixed together all the strongest tastes.

Yihan focused all his mind on keeping a smiling face. And he cleaned the porridge bowl completely.

“It’s really delicious.”

Deep rumbling sounds of amazement came from the giants. “Amazing,” one rumbled, his voice like rocks grinding together. “Human can eat that.”

“Unbelievable,” another giant echoed, shaking his massive head.

Giant food was legendary for being awful. It was said to smell like old socks left out in the sun and taste like dirt mixed with burnt hair. Even brave explorers who faced terrible storms would say, “I’d rather eat my own arm than taste that stuff!” That was the terrible reputation of giant cooking.

The giants’ eyes softened slightly with favor. Ethan breathed a sigh of relief. He wiped sweat from his forehead, his heart still racing.

“I think they like me a little now,” Ethan thought.

It was hard to make them like me again.

If only Ikrusha hadn’t snatched the cheese, none of this would have happened…

Clink-

“Want some?” Ethan asked.

When the Basilisk’s egg clinked, Ethan spooned the last of the porridge onto it.

The Basilisk’s egg then shook violently.

Clink clink clink clink!!!

“…You said you wanted to eat it…” Ethan mumbled.

Ethan frowned. ‘Did I misunderstand?’ he wondered.

To think it would react so violently after claiming to want it.

One giant finished eating with a loud burp. He then reached out and ripped a tall, green tree right out of the ground, roots and all. He used the leafy top like a giant napkin to wipe his mouth, then called to Ethan.

-You. Come. Guide.

“Ah. Yes. Thank you,” Ethan responded.

The giant lumbered forward, each step shaking the ground slightly. Ethan tried to observe the surroundings, noting the location and terrain.

Even after the flood subsided and the waters receded, he needed to avoid this area as much as possible.

‘Must write >Beware Giants> on the map,’ Ethan thought.

In the distance, Professor Volardi, sitting with Ikrusha, pointed at something with his finger. It was the staff.

Ethan cursed the professor and raised the staff again. Professor Volardi! He’s still watching me. And he’s pointing at *that staff* again. Why does he want me to use it?

If that was going to be the case, he might as well have just…

-Here, pasture. We raise. Sheep.

“Are there no fences?” Ethan asked.

-Fences? Giants break fences. No use.

The giant shook his head, answering. Ethan quickly understood what he meant.

‘Indeed, with that sound from before, they could easily break fences,’ Ethan thought.

No matter what kind of fence was built, a giant of that size could easily destroy it.

“Where are the sheep now?” Ethan inquired.

The giant looked at Ethan with a sullen expression. The giant’s face suddenly changed. His brow furrowed, and his mouth turned down in a pout. He looked like a giant, sulking child.

Another wizard might have been flustered by the giant’s unpredictable behavior, but not Ethan.

He had seen that look before on children who didn’t get their way.

“I dislike eating sheep. I have absolutely no intention of eating them,” Ethan stated firmly.

The giant looked at Ethan with a pleased expression. A contented smile hung on his lips.

-There. In cave. Imprison.

A massive boulder was placed at the cave entrance.

It was an excessively large rock to confine a single mountain goat, but to Ethan, who had heard the sound earlier, the rock felt like a piece of paper.

“Can’t they get out with that?” Ethan asked.

-Get out. Sometimes. So must catch.

The giant grumbled. He seemed upset that the mountain goats didn’t listen to him.

‘Things I can do…’ Ethan thought.

Ethan followed behind the giant, observing the surroundings and noting the giants’ daily routine. Ethan watched as the giant clumsily tried to herd the mountain goats, which scattered like leaves in the wind. He saw another giant struggling to lift a huge pot that looked heavy enough to crush a house.

Helping with these tasks was crucial to befriending the giants, as it…

‘No. Can I even help?’ Ethan wondered.

No matter how he thought about it, these weren’t tasks Ethan could easily assist with.

The thought of the final exam made his stomach clench. Giants were bad enough, but giants *riding* mountain goats? That was a nightmare.

-Caught before. But caught again this time.

“Oh dear,” Ethan said without much thought, trying to appease the grumbling giant.

“Maybe… maybe Ikrusha has some… snacks?” he mumbled, not really expecting anything.

The giant stopped grumbling instantly. His eyes widened like dinner plates.

-Really?!

However, the giant’s reaction was more intense than expected.

-Really?!

“…Uh, no. Just, please wait a moment,” Ethan replied.

-Alright? Take it.

Ethan hesitantly asked Ikrusha, unsure if she would even consider it. Ikrusha looked at him for a moment, then shrugged. ‘Snacks? Alright, I guess so. It’s not a problem.’

Ikrusha handed him something heavy. *Thump*. It was a thick, dark club, covered in what looked like dried mud and strange, dark spices. It smelled… strong.

“What is this?” Ethan asked.

-Dried jerky. Made with plenty of special spices, so everyone likes it.

“…Thank you,” Ethan responded.

Ethan also heard the recipe from Ikrusha for the time being. He might have to learn how to make it since the giants liked it.

‘But the giants aren’t all Gainan, and I don’t know how far I can go with snacks,’ Ethan mused.

An hour later, after Ethan had given the jerky to the giants…

-Human legs hurt. I carry.

-Get out of way! I carry!

Suddenly, the two giants were arguing loudly, pushing and shoving each other. ‘I carry human!’ one roared. ‘No, *I* carry human! You carried him last time!’ shouted the other. They were actually fighting over who got to carry Ethan!

Seeing this, Ethan thought to himself. Befriending the giants might not be as difficult as he thought!

“Sage, water parsley, cloves, turmeric, geranium… five spoonfuls each… boil thoroughly… grind the meat… hmm… what kind of taste is this supposed to be…” Ethan muttered.

As Ethan sat at the table, muttering ingredients and reagents, deep in thought, the other alchemy students glanced at him. They couldn’t help but be intrigued, as it was a potion recipe being studied by the top alchemy student.

“What is it? What kind of combination is that?” one student asked.

“Sister Siana. Do you perhaps know?” another inquired.

Sister Siana went pale. She coughed nervously and whispered, ‘It’s… it’s a very… advanced recipe. Not for beginners. Definitely not.’

The other students gasped. Their eyes widened. Some stepped back as if Ethan was suddenly dangerous.

Adenarte blinked in confusion. Her friends interpreted it for her.

“It must be a dangerous potion after all,” one friend whispered.

“She must be worried that other students might recklessly try it and get into danger,” another added.

“But why is Wodanaz researching that?”

Just then, Ethan closed his book and stood up. His friends cautiously asked.

“Wodanaz. What are you going to use that for?”

“Hmm? I’m going to feed it to the giants,” Ethan replied casually.

The students gasped.