Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 668

Lee Han was annoyed inside. But he knew his friends would think it was necessary.

The hunters had asked, “Can you do magic like that too?” His friends had said “Yes!” They couldn’t lie.

Once they landed, the hunters quickly tied up the poachers. They took all their equipment.

“Keep walking east. If you look back, we’ll shoot.”

“Plea-Please, just give back the armor…”

“No.”

Lee Han thought the hunters were right to be so firm.

Taking all their things, not just weapons, might seem like too much. But poachers from the Empire were strong and bad, just like the animals they hunted.

They could hide other weapons nearby and return to poaching, after all.

If they lost everything, they would have to go down the mountains, even if they didn’t want to.

“Poachers’ equipment brings bad luck, so we have to throw it far away.”

“……”

Lee Han didn’t know what to say. He looked awkward. This superstitious reason was not what he expected.

‘Well, the result is the same anyway.’

Lee Han decided to stop observing the hunters and set up camp instead.

The hunters had been trying to hide their faces with their coats every time Lee Han looked at them.

He didn’t know their tradition, but it made him feel uneasy.

“Maybe they think you’re going to use a petrification curse?”

Phone Ring rumbled in agreement, nodding his head.

The Basilisk tapped his wrist with its tail, as if telling him not to worry about it.

“Is it because of these two?”

Lee Han looked at them, his eyes narrowed slightly, but he stayed quiet.

They were both easily annoyed. He thought they might get upset if he said anything.

“Let’s get the camp ready.”

Yoner quickly tied her hair back, ready to work. “Okay, everyone!” she called to her friends. “Let’s get this camp set up. We need to divide the jobs.”

“First, the wall…” Yoner started.

“I’ll do it,” Lee Han said quickly.

“Okay, good. Then, the pit in front…” Yoner continued.

“I’ll dig it,” someone else offered.

“And we need drinking water…” Yoner looked around.

“I’ll make water magic,” Lee Han said again.

Yoner looked at Lee Han, her eyes wide. Lee Han felt a little embarrassed. “Did I take on too much?” he asked.

“You’re doing everything!” Yoner said, surprised. “Okay, Lee Han, you can rest for a bit now. We still need to make a light…”

“Ah, actually… maybe I should make the light too. I’m good at light magic,” Lee Han offered, though he was starting to feel a little tired.

Yoner nodded to Siana and Deurgyu. They gently pulled Lee Han away.

“He just used a lot of magic, so let’s just do it ourselves.”

“Yes, that’s definitely better,” Siana agreed.

Gaynando asked in an uneasy voice at Siana’s answer.

“But what if it’s not as good as the camp Lee Han makes?”

“Then… well, maybe you’ll have to be extra brave tonight,” Siana joked, but her eyes twinkled.

“…Come to think of it, it’s okay if it’s a little bad. We don’t have to make the camp perfectly!”

Two hours later, the camp was finished. Lee Han, who had secretly helped his friends even though they told him to rest, joined them to check everything.

“Listen up! This mountain range is really dangerous. Even with this camp, we don’t know what kind of monster might attack us.”

Nilia spoke firmly, her voice serious. She was from a hunter family, so she knew about these dangers.

But her friends didn’t look too worried. They were looking at the camp they had built, and it seemed very strong.

The camp was impressive. Around it was a deep ditch, a moat to stop animals. They had used special herbs that smelled strong, to keep monsters away. At the main gate, you could see small glowing lines – alarm magic, ready to warn them if anything came close. And the wooden walls were tall and thick, with magic woven in to block the wind.

Nilia, noticing her friends’ carelessness, spoke strongly.

“The mountain range is more dangerous than Einrogard!”

“Gasp!”

Only then did her friends check the area around the camp with tense expressions.

Professor Lightning Foot and the hunters had set out to check this nearby area.

Explorer Frost Foot would only check the waterfall area behind them and return soon, but they had to make sure everything was secure at least until then.

Lee Han climbed onto Phone Ring’s back and rode around the camp walls. Nilia watched him, confused. “What are you doing?” she asked.

“I’m spreading the Griffin’s scent in case any monsters come. That’s enough for the weaker ones.”

“……”

Nilia looked down at her palm.

She had been working hard to clear bushes and break branches to block the path for snake-type monsters until just now…

She thought, *There was an easier way…*

“Could I borrow the Basilisk for a bit?”

The baby Basilisk writhed as if it absolutely hated the idea at Nilia’s question.

“Does it smell like Wyvern?”

When Professor Lightning Foot spoke, one of the hunters put a hand to his mouth. It was a signal to be quiet.

“Are there many monsters?”

Professor Lightning Foot nodded and lowered his voice.

The Empire’s mountains were dangerous for many reasons. In some places, like the Bitong Mountains, even a small sound could attract monsters. Although they were just at the edge of this mountain range, the hunter’s warning made Professor Lightning Foot realize they needed to be careful here too.

They were still near the entrance, but the hunter’s signal to be quiet made Professor Lightning Foot think. Maybe monsters from deeper in the mountains had come closer.

“No, Professor,” another hunter said, sounding a little embarrassed. “He… uh… he has a tradition. He doesn’t talk on evening walks on even days.”

“……”

Professor Lightning Foot frowned, looking annoyed.

The hunters were clearly skilled, but their strange superstitions were starting to annoy Professor Lightning Foot.

“It seems to smell like Wyvern. The monsters aren’t approaching.”

“Even though we took the Wyvern scent like this, there’s nothing else we can do. We just have to wait and hope the smell goes away soon.”

The Wyvern’s scent prevented other monsters from approaching.

Even the approach of a Unicorn.

They didn’t leave the wyvern at the camp. Instead, they tied it up lower down the mountain. Professor Lightningfoot and the hunters used special potions from the alchemist to hide its smell. But a little bit of the wyvern smell still hung in the air. Wyverns are not like normal monsters.

“Let’s fly around a little more,” Professor Lightningfoot said. “We need the mountain smell to cover the wyvern smell.”

Ranger Mransey asked, “Will the students be safe?”

Professor Lightningfoot waved his hand like it was nothing. “They’ll be fine. Really, nothing to worry about.”

“Good point, Ms. Frostfoot is with them,” Mransey added.

“Oh, yes! Her too,” Professor Lightningfoot said, as if just remembering.

Mransey blinked, surprised. *Did he just forget his own family member was there?* he thought. *What makes him so sure they are safe?*

“Einroguard students must be very good,” one hunter said. “My friend Gesse says they are amazing. Even first-year students are very strong.”

Another hunter chuckled. “Maybe Gesse was joking with you. First-year students can’t be *that* strong.”

“Oh,” the first hunter said, sounding unsure. “Well, Gesse is usually serious…”

Professor Lightningfoot cut in, “Anyway, the students will be fine. There’s a very reliable student with them.”

The hunters started to whisper to each other.

Professor Lightningfoot knew who they meant without even hearing them. He sounded a little annoyed when he said, “He just got lucky with that griffon and basilisk! Don’t start believing silly stories.”

“Basilisk?” one hunter whispered, sounding scared.

*Oh no,* Professor Lightningfoot thought. He had made a mistake. He remembered now, the hunters only knew about the griffon, not the basilisk.

The hunters’ whispers grew louder. Mransey frowned. *Will this cause trouble for the Wardanaz family? Will they be banned from some mountains now?* he worried.

“Professor, there are more poachers than we thought,” one of the hunters said, coming back from scouting. His face was serious.

“Really? How bad is it?” Professor Lightningfoot asked.

“Bad,” the hunter nodded. “The rumors about the unicorn have spread everywhere. I saw three groups just hanging around, waiting.”

Mransey’s face showed his worry. They needed to find the unicorn quickly, but these poachers were slowing them down.

*There’s an old saying,* Mransey thought, *Sometimes, the longest way around is the fastest way home.*

“Let’s go back to the camp first,” Mransey suggested. “We can deal with the poachers and then…”

“Huh? No, it’s fine,” Professor Lightningfoot interrupted. “We need to check this area first. Remember, the wyvern smell is still here.”

“P-Professor,” Mransey stammered, surprised by his boss’s stubbornness. “I know you want the unicorn, but you heard him – three groups of poachers!”

Mransey knew poachers were not just stupid bandits. If they attacked the students directly, the young wizards would easily defeat them with magic. But poachers were clever. They would use traps and tricks if they found the camp. And by now, the poachers probably knew who had arrived in the mountains. That made the students even more at risk. A hunter who knows his prey is the most dangerous kind.

“I heard you,” Professor Lightningfoot said firmly. “But it’s fine. Now, let’s go.”

“But Professor…!” Mransey protested.

“I said it’s fine!” Professor Lightningfoot raised his voice. “Everyone, move out! Because of these poachers, we’re wasting time. We need to go even faster!”

Julban was a poacher who had hunted in many mountains, even the dangerous Bitter Mountains. To be a good poacher, you had to be a good hunter. Poachers had to sneak into mountains, get past the Empire’s guards, and catch monsters they weren’t allowed to catch. Julban was a very skilled hunter. But he was also good at something else: talking to people. Most hunters just sold their catches in towns. But Julban was different. He knew how to find rich merchants who wanted forbidden monsters. He knew how to make deals with nobles who needed rare creatures. He could even convince wandering fighters to work for him. Julban was more than just a poacher; he was almost like a leader of bandits.

“Explorers are here? With hunters and wizards?”

“They’ve already made a camp!”

“We can’t let them get the unicorn…” Julban grumbled. He had many buyers who wanted a unicorn. If he caught one, he would get so much gold, he could stop poaching forever. *But fighting wizards… I don’t want to do that,* he thought.

“Don’t worry, Julban!” one of his men said. “A scout just came back from their camp. They’re all just kids!”

“Really?” Julban asked, surprised.

“And there are no hunters at the camp right now!”

Julban’s eyes widened. This was too good to be true. *Could it be a trap?* he wondered for a second. But no, that was silly. Who would set a trap like this just to catch poachers?

“I’ll go see for myself,” Julban said. He climbed onto a high rock and looked at the camp. It was a good camp, maybe even a bit showy for wizards. But it had weak spots, just like his men said. Wizards might be smart and powerful, even young ones. They learned magic quickly. But to experienced poachers like Julban, they just looked like easy targets.

“Okay!” Julban said, a grin spreading across his face. “We’re going to catch them! They’re wizards, we can get a good price for them!”

“Just calm down,” Lee Han said gently to Phoneg. The unicorn was stomping his hooves in the temporary stable, clearly annoyed. Lee Han had just hidden all the smells around the camp, and then pushed Phoneg into the stable. It wasn’t that unicorns hated the smell of griffons, but Lee Han didn’t know how Phoneg would react to seeing one.

*Are you treating me like a wyvern?* Phoneg seemed to complain. *Do you think a unicorn would be scared of such weak animals?* But Lee Han wasn’t listening.

*I’m already annoyed that someone is watching us from far away!* Lee Han thought, frowning.

“Someone’s watching? Poachers, probably,” Lee Han muttered. “Don’t worry, they won’t be stupid enough to come closer.”

Suddenly, a voice called out, “Excuse me! Are you… wizards?”

“!” Lee Han jumped, surprised by the voice so close to the camp. He spun around and scrambled up the ladder to the watchtower. In one swift movement, he raised his hand and shouted a spell. *ZAP!*