Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 482

The Shadow Patrol hunters were surprised. This young boy, Lee Han from the Wodanaz family, was usually gentle and kind, even if people were not nice to him. But now, he asked in a cold voice, “What are you talking about?!”

Hunter 1: “Hey, kid, these arrows are cool! Can we try them?” (grabbing arrows)

Lee Han: “What are you talking about?!”

Hunter 2: “Do we look like we would break them? We just wanted to see them up close!”

Hunter 3: “Yeah, we just liked them!”

Lee Han: “Well… give them back for now and come back later.”

Lee Han called the hunters closer. They seemed surprised by how serious he suddenly was and walked towards him slowly.

“Okay, listen,” Lee Han said, pointing at two arrows. “There’s a big difference between this arrow and that arrow.”

He started to explain, even more excited than before. He talked about how one arrow was made quickly with magic right here, and the other was made carefully in a special workshop using Zenbaya magic.

He said the first arrow had magic spells pushed onto it quickly, like stacking blocks that might fall over. But the second arrow had magic layers built perfectly, like a strong, stable wall.

The hunters just stared at him, blinking. They didn’t understand anything he said.

One hunter whispered to another, ‘Do you understand him?’

‘No idea,’ the other whispered back.

‘But we can read! Why can’t we understand?’

‘It’s like he’s speaking a different language, not even our own.’

Lee Han finished his long speech and asked.

“Do you understand now?”

“…Ye…sort of?”

The hunters, afraid that Lee Han would explain again, hurriedly shouted after speaking.

“Wizard! We understand the… shiny theory of magic very well.”

“…Not shiny, but mana color application…”

“Seriously though,” Lee Han continued, “this arrow *is* better. Look! A good arrow is heavier, faster, and goes deeper, right?”

The hunters quickly grabbed an arrow and shot it at a rock in the distance. Then they shot one of their own Meykin family arrows at the same rock.

To their surprise, Lee Han’s arrow really did go deeper into the rock!

The hunters looked at Lee Han, their eyes shining with excitement. *See? We were right!* they thought.

But Lee Han frowned. “Wait a minute,” he said. “Did you pull *my* arrow back further than your own? Did you pull it harder?”

The hunters went quiet.

They felt confused, just like Nilia had felt before.

“Let me try,” Lee Han said. “I’ll shoot one.”

“You? Wizard, do you even know how to use a bow?” one hunter laughed.

“I learned from Nilia,” Lee Han replied simply.

“Pfft…” The hunter started to laugh, but then stopped, staring at Lee Han. Lee Han had taken the bow and stood in a perfect shooting position. It was exactly how the Shadow Patrol taught them.

The hunters exchanged surprised looks. *Uh… wait… Huh??*

“Are you… are you really friends with Nilia?” one stammered.

“What are you talking about?” Lee Han said, focusing on the bow. “Unless I threatened her with a bow, would she even talk to me?”

Another hunter mumbled, “I tried that once in a village inn… wanted to buy some adventurers a drink… they just ran away when I pointed my bow.”

Lee Han ignored him and said, “Maybe I should aim better than you did. Nilia would probably hit the target perfectly.”

While the hunters whispered behind him, Lee Han ignored them and focused on the bow. It was hard to shoot straight on a ship that was moving so fast. You needed to really concentrate, even with magic arrows.

*Thwack!* Lee Han shot.

“!” He looked surprised. He shot both arrows and then looked at the rock again.

*Wow…* he thought. *The arrow *I* made really did go deeper!*

“Wizard! See! What did we tell you!”

“We said it was better, and it *is* better!” the hunters shouted, excited.

“Enchant more arrows for us! Quickly!”

“Don’t be shy! We know you can do it!”

The hunters started to complain that Lee Han was being too modest. *Wizards are always like this,* they thought. *They can do amazing things, but they pretend they can’t.*

“Well, it’s not usually this easy,” Lee Han explained. “The magic spells I put on these arrows are ones I know well. I’m even forcing them to work together, which is hard. Normally, if you put this many spells together, it would be unstable and might explode…”

“Yes, yes! We understand perfectly!” the hunters said quickly.

“Thank you, Wizard! You’re the best!”

In their minds, they thought, *Wizards are so amazing, but they always act like it’s no big deal.*

Professor Thunderstride was leaning over a map at the front of the ship, his eyes fixed on finding the Sangoria flower. He looked up when he heard the hunters shouting and was surprised to see Lee Han laughing with them.

It seemed like just a few minutes ago, Lee Han was arguing with them. Now, he was chatting and joking like they were old friends. Professor Thunderstride knew Lee Han was good at talking to people, but this was still unexpected.

*Is this kid really from the serious Wodanaz family?* he wondered to himself.

Professor Thunderstride frowned. “Lee Han, what are you doing?” he asked, surprised.

“I was enchanting their arrows.”

“I see… Wait, don’t you have arrows you received?”

“They said my magic is better…”

Professor Thunderstride, who was about to bury his nose in the map again, looked at Lee Han with a shocked expression. *What on earth are you doing?!*

“I see one!” Professor Thunderstride called out. “Steer the ship that way!”

“Turn the ship!” the captain shouted back.

The coast to the south was full of islands and rocks close together. It was a dangerous place for ships. Monsters often appeared here, and it was easy to crash if you weren’t careful.

Luckily, the sailors on the fast ships from the Meykin family were very experienced. They turned the ship quickly and smoothly when Professor Thunderstride asked, without getting worried.

“Professor Lightningstride, is it really on this island?”

“Yes. The box-billed bird is flying above. It likes Sangoria flowers, so it’s doing that to eat them. You’ll find it if you search through the bushes.”

“I understand. We’ll anchor for a while and ask the hunters to clear the area.” Professor Lightningstride looked around. The surroundings were still quiet, but there was quite a bit to do. From the monsters waiting in the water to the ones on the island, they had to be dealt with to make it easier for the fishermen and gatherers to come and go in the future.

Professor Lightningstride frowned when he saw Lee Han. “Shadow Patrol, everyone… wait, Lee Han, what are you doing?” he called out, surprised.

He stared at Lee Han, who was now standing with the hunters, holding a bow and laughing. Some of the hunters were even offering him drinks from leather flasks, urging him to try their northern liquor.

Getting close was nice, but was it happening a bit too fast?

“I’ll cast a spell and then practice archery…”

“Yes, well. I’m not sure how that connects… Anyway, everyone, I need you to clear out this area.”

The Shadow Patrol hunters, who had been waiting, stood up from the deck, ready for action.

The people who had been relaxing in worn, simple clothes just moments before now stood tall. A sudden seriousness filled the air around them, like the glint of steel in the sun. They were ready.

“Let’s begin,” one of them said, his voice now sharp and focused.

“Zalbar, cover my back. Andaltan, take the other side.”

“Wait.”

Professor Voladi raised a hand and spoke.

The hunters, already reaching for their bows and spears, paused and looked towards the tall wizard. These Shadow Patrol hunters valued strength above all else, and Professor Voladi, the vampire wizard, had proven he possessed it. They waited for his words with respect.

“What is it?”

“Do not kill the monsters on this island.”

The hunters’ faces turned serious and questioning.

“Is there something we’re missing?”

“What kind of monster is hiding that we need to avoid…?”

“Wodanaz must eliminate them.”

Silence fell over the group.

The atmosphere became very cold.

Lee Han, as well as the Shadow Patrol hunters, were whispering amongst themselves in low voices, clearly flustered.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It seems that the Wodanaz family wizard is going to catch the monsters on the island…?”

“Alone? Did I hear wrong?”

Even the hunters wouldn’t send a rookie to the island alone to die.

That was something a madman would do, not a hunter.

Feeling the atmosphere turn cold, Professor Thunderfoot cleared his throat.

‘Damn it. This is why I hate being outside Einrogard.’

When you’re outside Einrogard, you have to carefully watch every move of other wizards.

Otherwise, the atmosphere would turn cold like this.

“There seems to have been a misunderstanding. Professor Begreck, isn’t that right?”

Professor Thunderfoot desperately winked as he spoke, hoping that Professor Voladi would understand his intentions.

‘I know you want to train Wodanaz, but there will be many opportunities next time, so let’s just skip it this time! It looks too strange!’

However, Professor Voladi remained cold.

“Are your eyes injured?”

“…No… It’s just… I got some dust in my eye.”

Professor Thunderfoot quickly gave up.

Well, there was no way that Professor Begreck would listen to Professor Thunderfoot.

“And there was no misunderstanding.”

“Yes… there wasn’t…”

Professor Lightningfoot gave Professor Thunderfoot a pathetic look.

Professor Thunderfoot thought he would have grabbed him by the collar if he wasn’t an elder of his family.

“Let’s go in.”

“Yes.”

Lee Han answered with a face devoid of any emotion.

Lee Han’s emotionless face could have been seen as giving up, but the others in the room saw it differently.

‘He’s just accepting that!?’

‘What on earth are the wizards of Einrogard…!?’

It looked very strange not only to the sailors and hunters but also to Professor Thunderfoot and Professor Lightningfoot.

‘The student resembles the teacher.’

‘He must have learned a lot from Professor Begreck, so he’s not afraid of this anymore?’

Both dwarves had thoughts that Lee Han would have immediately attacked if he had heard them.

Lee Han, stepping onto the island with Professor Voladi, realized one thing: his skills had improved a lot.

“Water!”

A wizard skilled in water element control would have his power further increased when there is water around.

In Lee Han’s case, who forcibly squeezed water out of space and used it even when there was no water, it was even more advantageous.

Lee Han summoned seawater, immediately created a barrier, and lowered his stance. Then, after firing illusions to both sides, he concentrated his mind on the water and rotated it.

Whoosh!

It took a little time, and the rotation was still insufficient, but he felt that it was definitely shortened compared to last time.

‘Even if the rotation isn’t perfect, the power is enough!’

The water sphere flew menacingly and struck the man-eating plant that had just attacked Lee Han.

The rotating water sphere blew away a wider area than the area it touched, like a cannonball. The sharp flower bud of the man-eating plant was blown away in one blow.

“Well done.”

Professor Voladi said, revealing a faint sense of satisfaction.

“Your skills have improved.”

“Thank you.”

Even Lee Han himself thought he was admirable.

During that time, he had not only trained in rotation, but Professor Voladi had also added all the advanced courses as punishment for taking other schools.

“But you need to shorten the time further.”

“Yes.”

The hunters, who were riding a rowboat on the sea next to him and dealing with monsters, were whispering.

“Is that how wizards are trained?”

“It’s too terrible. Why do the Empire guys threaten the kids that they’ll be sent to the Northern Mountains if they don’t listen? Seeing that, our patrol seems like nothing.”

Lee Han turned his gaze.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

Lee Han was about to say to Professor Voladi, ‘Those outsiders have strange prejudices,’ but stopped, because it wouldn’t be of any use anyway.

“Wait.”

Professor Voladi went forward to check something and then came back.

“It’s a good opportunity to check Begreck’s Instant Foresight. There’s a Seed Shrapnel Vine in front.”

Seed Shrapnel Vine was a plant-type monster that Lee Han had only seen in books, and it shot out seeds like buckshot in an irregular pattern.

Since the combat-type foresight magic Begreck’s Instant Foresight only works properly if you know the enemy well…

“…Turn into steel, cloak.”

Lee Han raised his defense, prepared to take a few hits.

It was a desperate attempt to get hit a little less, but it looked a little different to the Shadow Patrol hunters watching from afar.

“As much as wizards know how to use magic, they are also very good at fighting.”

“The Empire wizard who came to the mountains before only whined that he couldn’t fight, but it was a lie after all. I’ll never be fooled by such lies again!”