Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 491

“The Wodanaise family always has a few surprises, doesn’t it?”

“They’re all so unique.”

Professor Thunderfoot felt a twinge of guilt as the Maykin family readily accepted his explanation. He’d told a fib to make his job easier, but it wasn’t exactly pleasant seeing his student mistaken for a work-crazed maniac.

“Wodanaise isn’t as obsessed with magic as other families, he just…”

“I heard he’s taking every school of magic available to first-years, all at the same time.”

“That’s really something!”

“…is quite obsessed with magic. A real magic fanatic, that one.”

Professor Thunderfoot quickly abandoned his excuses and changed the subject. ‘This is what I deserve,’ he thought. Lying never makes things easier.

“He’s coming!”

From far across the harbor, which was bright with lamps, the sea water suddenly started to move wildly. Big waves crashed and foamed. Then, a huge tentacle rose from the water. It was thicker than a tree trunk and moved like a giant snake, twisting and turning in the air.

The Shadow Patrol hunters went out on a speedboat. They bit their fingers to get blood, and smeared it on their arrows. Then they aimed at the Sea Serpent.

“Your servants, who began their pursuit in the shadows, now commence the hunt. May the Master of the Mountains look kindly upon us.”

The Shadow Patrol hunters briefly swore their oath, stoking their fighting spirit. Such an oath wasn’t necessary for an opponent easily felled with a single arrow, but against strong enemies, warned by the hunters’ instincts, it served as the opening shot, heralding the battle.

The Patrol’s blood-soaked arrows, like an unbreakable curse, would neither snap nor bend. Embedded deep within the prey’s body, they remained as a symbol until the long hunt concluded.

Thwack!

A bow and arrow enhanced with magic. The Shadow Patrol member’s strength, augmented with potions and additional enchantments. And the resolve, focusing all their magical power to pierce the Sea Serpent’s thick, tough hide. All of it combined to bore straight through the Sea Serpent’s massive torso.

The hunters saw the Sea Serpent’s tentacle burst and be cut off cleanly, like it was nothing. They were shocked. It had been a long time since they were this surprised.

“Why… why didn’t it stick? Why did it go right through…?”

“How hard did you pull that thing?!”

“Start firing! Start firing! Begin the hunt!”

The Shadow Patrol hunters might have been traditionalists, but they weren’t fools enough to let tradition stop them when things went awry. A brutal volley began in an instant. Dozens of arrows flew from the speedboat, slamming into the Sea Serpent’s body as if fired from a ballista.

Thwack thwack thwack thwack thwack!

“…W-what…?”

The Sea Serpent now had many holes, like a toy that had been shot with arrows. It started to move wildly.

“Who swore the oath?! It’s just a fish! Don’t you know the Mountain Spirit gets angry if you swear oaths carelessly?!”

“No, you all agreed! Why are you talking nonsense now? If that giant monster isn’t a strong enemy, then who is?!”

“Just finish it off, you morons!”

Fortunately, the hunters’ conversation on the speedboat didn’t reach the people on the harbor. The soldiers on the harbor could only marvel.

“Good heavens, I’ve heard a lot about the Shadow Patrol, but I never imagined they were this capable…!”

“Huh? At this rate, won’t it just end there?”

Lee Han, who was enchanting the soldiers, was astonished by the spectacle unfolding on the sea. The soldiers were diligently receiving potions and Lee Han’s magic, but wouldn’t it all be over there? ‘Feels like I’m wasting my effort…?’

As he pondered whether to be grateful or aggrieved if it ended like this, a massive pillar of water erupted in the distance. The waterspout erupted far beyond the ongoing battle.

“Another one! There’s another one, mage!”

A soldier, having drunk an eyesight enhancement potion, screamed from the harbor watchtower. Lee Han focused his magical power into his eyes, confirming the creature’s movements. A Sea Serpent, resembling a massive blue marlin, twisted its body towards them, its blade-like jaws glinting.

“It’s flying!”

Whoosh!

With a sound that tore through the air, the Sea Serpent flew like an arrow. The soldiers, never imagining it would soar through the air instead of swimming through the sea, screamed in terror.

“Blast and damn my ancestors’ whiskers!”

Professor Thunderfoot bellowed curses, pulled a potion bottle from his robes, and quickly hurled it towards the sea.

Bzzzzzt!

The seawater filling the harbor suddenly surged, transforming into a thick wall of ice.

“By Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the contract, I summon the following demons: Betrug, the Iron-Armed Gladiator; Ihil, the Swift Demon Lancer…”

Professor Lightningfoot also pulled a scroll from his belt, tore it open, and summoned the contracted familiars. The emerging demons spewed crimson smoke and charged at the Sea Serpent that had collided with the ice wall.

Screeeech!

The Sea Serpent swung its massive, blade-like upper jaw like a master sword. With a single swing, a brig and harbor facilities within its path were cleanly sliced through. The demon familiar dodged the attack but cried out in agony, seemingly suffering a severe injury.

“You useless thing! And I paid the contract fee!”

-I’m… I’m sorry.

The demon replied with a face full of humiliation at Professor Lightningfoot’s scolding.

“Start firing.”

“Start firing!”

As the Sea Serpent’s feet were trapped at the front of the ice-covered harbor, the city guard began firing. Flaming arrows and siege weapons launched their projectiles, creating a sharp sound against the Sea Serpent’s scales.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The creature wreaking havoc in the harbor was far more intelligent than the one being hunted by the Shadow Patrol in the distance. The latter was merely large and lacked any special abilities or cunning, so it was being pummeled, but the former immediately recognized the danger and reacted the moment it was attacked.

Crack!

It shattered the frozen surface and dove deep below.

“It’s coming back up!”

“I know, I know!”

Professor Thunderfoot, looking distraught, pulled out another potion. To have to use a second potion worth several houses in the capital! He knew some Sea Serpents had peculiar traits, but he never imagined there would be one this troublesome.

Thud-

Professor Volardi flew through the air and landed on the ice wall. Professor Thunderfoot nearly wept.

“Professor Begreck!”

Dozens of light orbs appeared in the air and bombarded the Sea Serpent. The Sea Serpent, preparing to launch an attack from underwater, screamed and dodged.

‘Amateur,’ Professor Volardi thought.

Professor Volardi quickly drank a magic recovery potion and scanned the Sea Serpent’s movements. He had launched the fastest attack to prevent its launch, but it had only alerted the creature.

“Professor!”

Lee Han arrived last, having been busy enchanting the soldiers.

“Freeze according to your master’s command!”

The incomplete Pengairn’s Frost Elemental Doppelganger spell was cast. Originally, he wanted to use a different doppelganger spell, but it was difficult to replicate movements. Even if incomplete, only the higher-level magic Pengairn’s Frost Elemental Doppelganger could replicate movements.

‘Move!’ Lee Han thought.

Originally, the 4th Circle magic Pengairn’s Frost Elemental Doppelganger should have had an appearance nearly indistinguishable from the caster, shared vision, and the ability to use frost elemental melee attacks in a pinch. Lee Han discarded the unnecessary aspects and only chose appearance and movement. An ice doppelganger resembling Lee Han quickly dashed across the sea.

Provoked, the Sea Serpent angrily swung its sharp jaws.

“Frost, become arrows and be fired!”

The moment the Sea Serpent revealed itself, Lee Han began to unleash a barrage of ice arrows with sharp focus. Only one or two pierced its scales, but it didn’t matter. As ice clung to it, the Sea Serpent howled in annoyance.

Professor Volardi immediately cast a spell.

“Vaporize!”

Lee Han was horrified as the ice clinging to the Sea Serpent vaporized, inflicting immense damage. ‘Such application!’ he thought.

It was clear that Professor Volardi, a combat fanatic, had learned a thing or two under Yumidihus.

“Are you crazy!?”

“Why are you interfering!?”

The two dwarven professors shouted in disbelief.

Lee Han, flustered, asked back.

“Huh? Wasn’t I supposed to participate too?”

“Are you out of your mind?! Is that even a question!?”

Professor Thunderfoot shouted in astonishment. Professor Thunderfoot was so bewildered that he wondered if Lee Han was rebelling against being told to stay in the rear. He had asked Lee Han to respond flexibly at the rear with his overflowing magical power, not to directly participate in the front-line battle!

The Maykin family members were so shocked that they fell backward, screaming.

‘Hmm,’ Lee Han thought.

Lee Han belatedly realized that he had done something quite insane, judging from the atmosphere of the harbor. His common sense had been somewhat warped by Einroguard. ‘Damn it. It’s the habit from inside the school,’ he thought.

Lee Han glared resentfully at Professor Volardi, who was most responsible for this situation. Professor Volardi said sternly.

“Participating directly is reckless.”

“…No… No…!!”

The same words could sound different depending on who said them. Lee Han nearly had a heart attack from the unfairness. However, Professor Volardi was very composed. Such reckless actions were permissible inside Einroguard, but acting arbitrarily outside could endanger one’s life.

‘Should I just bury him in the sea with the Sea Serpent?’ Lee Han wondered.

Rumble-

“Summon the doppelganger.”

Professor Volardi shouted as the Sea Serpent stubbornly tried to move even after taking damage. Lee Han immediately created an ice doppelganger.

“Add shared vision and elemental attacks.”

“That’s…”

Lee Han wanted to retort, ‘If it were that easy, I would have completed this magic a long time ago,’ but the Sea Serpent glared at Lee Han and Professor Volardi with fierce eyes, even in its wounded state. Lee Han gritted his teeth and added the magic.

Originally, the doppelganger should have dissipated, unable to withstand the magic. However…

‘It’s done?!’ Lee Han thought.

The Sea Serpent’s pressure stimulated Lee Han’s instincts, and surprisingly, Pengairn’s Frost Elemental Doppelganger was completed. Professor Volardi, as if expecting it, instructed with a blank face.

“Advance it.”

Lee Han’s doppelganger immediately dashed forward. The Sea Serpent instinctively lunged to slash the doppelganger.

Zap!

The moment it slashed the doppelganger, the power of the frost element erupted, momentarily freezing the Sea Serpent’s upper jaw.

Thwack!

Professor Volardi immediately vaporized the ice, blasting it away. The Sea Serpent rolled to the side once more.

“Buy some time.”

“Huh? Uh… uh…”

Professor Volardi turned his back defenselessly on the Sea Serpent, which was now seething with rage. Lee Han was flustered but couldn’t argue now. ‘With frost? No, it’s too late to slow it down with frost! To inflict… to inflict damage…’ he thought.

Instinctively, water orbs surged around Lee Han and began to rotate. The rotation became increasingly sharp and fierce, flying towards the Sea Serpent with a chilling sound. ‘…Did it work!?’ he wondered.

The heavy sensation at the end of the magic felt different from when he hastily added rotation to his spells. Lee Han was skeptical.

Bang!

The moment it hit, the Sea Serpent’s scales shattered, leaving a deep gouge. It was as powerful as being struck by a boulder.

At that moment, Professor Volardi turned around. A line of red magic flashed and cleaved the Sea Serpent in two.

“The rotation has improved.”

“…Actually, it was always fine.”

Lee Han emphasized that it certainly wasn’t thanks to the Sea Serpent.