Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 774

It was an absurd suggestion, but Caton, always happy to be in the *punishment room* – which was actually a tough training area – nodded.

“Seriously! What’s better for you, and scarier, than the punishment room?”

“Ha, haha.”

“Well, now that I’ve explained the lecture enough, it’s time we started learning, don’t you think, Junior!”

Caton smiled brightly and clapped Lee Han on the back.

It seemed like a light tap, but Lee Han felt the shock go through his body.

‘Ugh.’

Such destructive power was hidden in every ordinary gesture.

And so, the lecture began in earnest.

“So, you cast this fire resistance spell and then practice the >Lesser Flame Barrier>… Hmm. If you ask me, it would be better to try it without the resistance spell.”

“What?”

“The fire resistance spell is supposed to protect you, but we don’t want to dull your senses, right?”

“But you could get seriously hurt.”

“Haha! Junior, just dodge! Ah, I remember you saying you had trouble controlling your magic? Maybe you should try casting without the resistance spell too?”

‘…I wonder if Professor Volardi paid him.’

Lee Han was shocked to see his senior speaking so cheerfully.

To make it more dangerous so he could adapt faster.

That was exactly Professor Volardi’s idea!

“I’d like to practice with the resistance spell, if you don’t mind.”

“No, Junior. I’ll help you if it gets dangerous. Trust me.”

“No… I’ll learn it eventually even if I practice with the resistance spell.”

Lee Han was different from Caton.

Caton had to learn magic purely through instinct, without thinking, so he cared a lot about his senses. But Lee Han only needed to control his magic.

Lee Han knew the Flame Barrier spell. His problem was controlling it. He could make flames, but not control how strong they were.

So why do such a reckless thing…

“Junior.”

Caton called Lee Han in a serious voice.

“You, unlike me, are a real genius.”

“…And?”

“For a genius like you to waste time practicing magic is almost insulting to people like me.”

“No, that’s not…”

“So let’s do it together! I might not be helpful with the magic itself, but I’ll definitely help you if you’re about to get hurt. Come on, Junior. Watch me first! Flames, rise up and become a barrier!”

Caton chanted the spell confidently.

But instead of creating a flame barrier, his magic went wild and all over the place. Only sparks flew around before it stopped.

It was a complete failure, but Caton didn’t give up and got ready to cast again.

“Junior, you too, quickly!”

“…Flames, rise up and become a barrier.”

Lee Han carefully cast the spell.

Flame magic always needed to be approached with caution.

If he lost focus or used even a little too much magic, it would swell up and burn everything around him.

Unlike Caton, a near-perfect flame barrier rose.

Lee Han was worried about controlling the amount of magic, so he focused even more.

Whoosh!

In an instant, the flame barrier got thicker and tried to spew fire everywhere.

Before Lee Han could react, Caton rushed over, knocked Lee Han away, and swung his sword to get rid of the flame barrier.

“Are you alright, Junior?!”

“…I think I was fine before you knocked me away, Senior.”

“That’s good. Let’s practice again, Junior.”

“I think I need to get some magic back.”

“But I heard you have infinite magic, Junior?”

“……”

Lee Han decided he would have to attack the White Tiger Tower students when he got back.

Caton picked up the sitting Lee Han and got ready to try the magic again.

Caton was always curious about magic and never gave up.

“Alright. Again!”

“Ugh.”

Lee Han was hit and sent flying by Caton every time he lost control of the flame barrier or it tried to go out of control. Sometimes, he was even hit and sent flying when the shape only wavered slightly.

-Why did you knock me away just now?!

-Wasn’t it about to go out of control?

-The shape only wavered slightly!

-Oh… I’m sorry, Junior. I don’t know much about magic…

At this point, Lee Han thought Professor Volardi’s lecture was better.

Professor Volardi, at least, knew what kind of magic he was trying to teach.

Caton relentlessly pushed Lee Han, even though he didn’t know much about the magic.

He just believed that Lee Han could definitely do it, no matter how difficult the flame barrier was.

“Huff, huff. Junior. Let’s rest for a bit.”

Luckily, Caton’s magic wasn’t infinite.

As magic used up even a small amount of magic when it kept failing, Caton was panting after repeating it a few times.

“Oh dear. Senior. Magic doesn’t come back that easily. I think it would be better to just rest completely.”

“Hmm. Well, you’re right, Junior.”

Caton agreed with Lee Han.

Lee Han was a little disappointed that he couldn’t get revenge on his senior, but he let it go.

It was better to rest like this than to refuse and not be able to rest at all…

“Then draw your sword.”

“What?”

“Since you can’t use magic right now,” Catton said, his eyes bright with energy, “training your swordsmanship would be smart, don’t you think?”

Lee Han frowned, wiping sweat from his brow. “But… if your mana is low,” he asked, panting slightly, “shouldn’t you be careful even with swords?”

“Ha!” Catton chuckled, his sword flashing in the training room light. “Don’t worry! Even with low mana, I can still teach you a lot!”

Unfortunately for Lee Han, Catton’s words were not empty.

Even though Catton had almost no mana, he skillfully deflected Lee Han’s attacks, redirected them, and sometimes even used his limited special skill to defend like an iron wall.

Even without magic power, Catton could still use a special skill to make up for it.

Catton was happy with Lee Han’s strong swordsmanship, but he still felt that more focus was needed.

“Hmm. The punishment room is indeed a good place to focus,” Catton said.

“If possible, I’d prefer another way to focus…” Lee Han replied.

Lee Han trembled as he held his sword.

He was one of the best swordsmen among his friends, but Catton’s swordsmanship was far better.

Even though Catton had little magic power, his amazing swordsmanship made the fight close. Lee Han, who had been trying to win with immense mana and power, was forced into a long battle.

“Hmm! My magic power is coming back a little. Let’s try magic again!” Catton said.

“……”

Lee Han thought, ‘This training is already like a nightmare.’

“Flame, rise as a barrier.”

Whirr-

This time, a strong, steady wall of flame appeared.

Lee Han was surprised by the magic that was so stable, even though he had cast it himself.

‘…Huh?’

Catton, who was watching, asked with a confused look, “Oh. It seems to be finished.”

“…I’m not sure,” Lee Han said. “Everyone has a different idea of what ‘perfect’ magic is.”

“But don’t you think it looks finished? Look! It’s not shaking at all!” Catton said.

“It might start shaking later…” Lee Han replied.

“No! I can feel the magic in this barrier, and it’s perfectly stable! You learned a new spell today! Congratulations!” Catton exclaimed.

“……”

“Seeing this makes me believe in your training even more! I need to train harder too!” Catton said.

While heading to the “Imperial Languages That Become Blood and Flesh” lecture, Angalo saw Lee Han and waved.

“Lee Han, I’m really jealous of you,” Angalo said.

“…Why?” Lee Han asked.

“Don’t act like you don’t know why! Senior Catton chose *you*! Everyone wanted to be taught by him. Yes, I’m jealous!” Angalo exclaimed.

Angalo nodded, humming in agreement.

Even though Catton’s magic wasn’t the best, he was still admired by the students of the White Tiger Tower.

It was already amazing for a student to master ‘aura’ swordsmanship, but Catton was even more advanced, using a special skill called ‘microcosm’.

Professor Ingledel was also a very skilled swordsman, even better than Catton. But students in the White Tiger Tower looked up to Catton more, since he was one of them.

Angalo really wanted Catton to teach him swordsmanship too.

“I’m going to study harder this term and ask Catton to teach me next term. Lee Han, don’t relax! You’re just keeping his attention for now. Someone else might take your place!” Suddenly, Angalo gasped, “Ack! Ack!”

The students behind them looked confused as Lee Han started hitting Angalo on the back.

“What’s wrong with Angalo?” one student asked.

“Is Angalo making up another weird excuse again?” one student asked. “We haven’t even had many assignments yet.”

“H-Help me! You guys!” Angalo cried.

Angalo called out to his White Tiger Tower friends, but they ignored him and went into the lecture hall.

If the White Tiger Tower was attacked, these students would fight bravely for each other. But when Angalo and Lee Han acted like this, it was usually Angalo’s fault.

“Kuh, Kraaah! Slippery Hands!” Angalo shouted.

Even while being hit on the back, Angalo managed to cast a slipping spell and escaped from Lee Han’s grasp.

The spell made his clothes so slippery, Lee Han couldn’t hold on anymore.

“W-What did I even say…? Just you wait, Lee Han!” Angalo shouted.

Shouting that, Angalo dashed into the lecture hall, only to freeze as a giant wyvern blinked at him.

“…D-Did I come to the wrong lecture hall?” Angalo stammered.

“Ah! You’ve come to the right place. Everyone, sit down! Sit down!” Professor Rosine said.

Professor Rosine seemed like one of the more normal teachers at Einrogaard.

Maybe it was because she used to work for the Empire.

But even Professor Rosine seemed to be getting stranger now that they were second-year students. The students in the room looked worried.

‘But didn’t the professor bring demons around last year too?’ Lee Han thought to himself as he sat down.

That’s what they wanted to believe, but actually, Professor Rosine was also quite strange…

The guy next to him, Gainando, was trying his best to lower his posture and get out of the wyvern’s sight.

“L-Lee Han. That thing seems to be looking only at me,” Gainando whispered.

“Ah. Wyverns probably like blondes a bit more,” Lee Han joked.

“S-Such an impolite monster…!” Gainando exclaimed.

Professor Rosine cleared her throat once after all the students were seated and began to speak.

“Okay, everyone! You might be surprised to see a wyvern today! But don’t worry. We won’t be riding them or hunting them. I brought a wyvern here to show you how to talk to one.” Professor Rosine said.

After finishing her words, Professor Rosine conversed with the wyvern in a very complex and bizarre cry that the students could not understand.

After a few exchanges, Professor Rosine nodded.

“Perhaps Gainando could sit at the very back?” Professor Rosine suggested.

“……”

Gainando turned pale and quickly ran to the back.

“Learning monster languages is more useful for wizards than you might think. If you learn them well, they can be even stronger than powerful spells. I’ve listed some monster languages I recommend for each of you. Take a look!” Professor Rosine said.

With those words, paper birds flew to the students.

Lee Han, who received the paper and read it, asked with a puzzled expression.

“Professor. I have a question,” Lee Han said.

“Yes, yes. What is it?” Professor Rosine asked.

“Professor, is it really necessary to learn Basilisk language? They’re very rare in the Empire. Wouldn’t it be better to learn languages of monsters we see more often?” Lee Han asked.

-……

Professor Rosine’s eyes widened, and she pointed a trembling finger. “…That… on your sleeve…”