Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 972

“Senior, wake up!” Lee Han’s voice echoed in the damp, cold tunnel. His breath puffed out in white clouds in the dim light. He shivered, pulling his cloak tighter around him.

Jarun, slumped against the rough mine wall, didn’t move. Lee Han watched him closely. He suspected this was a trick, a way for Jarun to break their promise and avoid talking about the orichalcum. But Lee Han was determined. He would not be fooled.

The second hand of the pocket watch was already ticking.

“Thirty seconds have passed.”

“……”

Jarun barely managed to stand. The dwarf’s short but thick limbs trembled, and it didn’t seem to be just from hunger.

“…How much do you know about orichalcum?”

“I know it’s an extremely rare and expensive metal.”

“That’s right.”

“The most recent officially recorded imperial auction was eight years ago at the Western Festival Hall. The price then was…”

“…Why do you remember things like that?”

Jarun was surprised.

It was certainly surprisingly detailed knowledge, but it had little to do with what he was about to say.

In the first place, a metal as rare as orichalcum couldn’t be bought just with gold coins. There simply weren’t enough items for sale compared to the people trying to obtain it.

“What I want to talk about is the properties of orichalcum.”

“I know it has the property of condensing magical power at high density.”

Jarun slowly shook his head at his junior’s answer.

“Isn’t that right?”

“To be precise, that’s just one of the more visible properties, so you’re mistaken. Orichalcum is a mineral, but it has unique properties like a plant. It grows as you cultivate it.”

Lee Han looked at his senior with pity.

People tended to go crazy when they wandered alone in underground mines.

And he was even trapped inside a vein…

Jarun got angry, realizing what his junior’s eyes meant.

“It’s true! Don’t doubt me!”

“I’ve never heard of that.”

“Well, even fully grown orichalcum is rare, so records of orichalcum before it grows would only be found in ancient times!”

Most orichalcum completed its form and properties before it was even noticed by people.

And most of those orichalcum became the most common high-density magical power condensates.

But real orichalcum could originally have its properties freely changed and completed by the miner as desired.

‘Amazing.’

Lee Han was already listening to Jarun’s words.

There was still a possibility that it was just the nonsense of a crazy senior, but it was still a fascinating story.

“Is it possible to create a metal that continuously produces gold, for example?”

“…It probably can’t defy magical laws. Maybe.”

“Aww…”

Jarun ignored his junior’s weak reaction with great patience.

“Listen carefully. I’ve found the location of an orichalcum vein that hasn’t been formed yet. Do you know why I’m here empty-handed like this?”

“I’m not sure. Isn’t it because you were running away from pursuers?”

“It’s because that’s the only way the vein would allow me to approach.”

“!”

The orichalcum vein that Jarun found was in an incomplete state, not yet fully crystallized, but it already had some properties.

One of them was the property of repelling intruders.

“At first, I thought the problem was other metals. It melted all my pickaxes and equipment. So I brought a metal-free mining artifact, but it broke as well.”

“Ah, so that’s why you’re trying to approach empty-handed.”

It might seem a little crazy, but using magic logic, it wasn’t that strange of a choice. You had to approach it to do anything. Jarun nodded.

“But…”

“?”

“Approaching empty-handed wasn’t the right method either. When I came to my senses, I was trapped in this vein. It moved the surrounding terrain to push me out.”

Hearing that, Lee Han felt that the power of orichalcum was more significant than he thought.

It had plant-like properties, but even the strongest natural forces had limits.

He had seen them move to eat intruders, but he never thought they would move the entire surrounding terrain to swallow them up…

“Could it be that it developed the property of repelling intruders because of you, Senior?”

“…It could be… possible.”

Jarun was slightly discouraged.

Jarun had been thinking about his junior’s point himself.

Could it be that his greedy approach had caused hatred to arise in the pure white orichalcum?

“That’s why I’m telling you.”

“Yes? Telling me what?”

“…In my opinion, someone like you, not someone like me, should approach the orichalcum. Someone kind and foolish.”

“?????????”

Lee Han looked around for a moment.

He wondered if he was talking about someone else.

“No. Are you insulting me now because I just treated a senior who’s about to die to a meal?”

“Why, why are you getting angry? It’s a compliment!”

Jarun was flustered by his junior’s fierce reaction.

From Jarun’s perspective, who rarely praised his juniors, he had really made up his mind to give a compliment…

“How is being called foolish a compliment? Then, saying I’m like Professor Verdus would also be a compliment!”

“Is… is that the same thing!? How can you say such insulting words!”

Even the mighty Jarun couldn’t properly continue his words when he was treated the same as Professor Verdus, and he choked up.

For Jarun, who had spent most of his time in the underground and mines since entering Einrogaard, his junior, who occasionally brought down even the headmaster with his clever talking, was too much to handle.

-Wodanaz! Let’s get going! Steel-Shoes Senior isn’t threatening you, is he?

“Enough, take this!”

Jarun brushed off one arm in annoyance. Then, a map was drawn on his skin and popped out.

It was amazing transformation magic. It was so good it even fooled Yukbertire and the other students.

“The location is here, so you can go find it yourself later. I’ve clearly told you!”

As if he didn’t want to deal with Lee Han any longer, Jarun quickly left. Lee Han, who had received the map unexpectedly, stared in bewilderment.

‘No. Can I even go find it?’

Even if being called foolish was Jarun’s nonsense, his own greed didn’t seem to be any less than his senior’s.

He felt like he would be trapped in the vein just like Jarun…

And in some ways, the other Einrogaard students were more dangerous than orichalcum.

Even if they couldn’t find it, they could trap Lee Han in the vein. He had to find trustworthy people to go with him later.

“?”

Yukbertire was puzzled when Lee Han looked at him closely.

“What is it, junior from the Wodanaz family? Do you have something to say?”

“Haha. It’s nothing.”

‘I should never come with this person.’

Returning the way they came, the group repeated their work.

The students from the Enchantment Magic School took out artifacts to illuminate the surroundings and create a path, and Lee Han…

“I’ll do it, so rest.”

“?????”

Lee Han was horrified when Yukbertire stopped him.

In fact, not only Lee Han but also the other seniors were horrified.

“Senior Yukbertire. Get a grip immediately…”

“I’m perfectly fine. I can prove it.”

Before everyone suspected that he had been attacked by madness or mental magic, Yukbertire immediately took out his pendant. The blue gem embedded in the pendant proved that the user’s mental state was fine.

“……”

“…I understand. Everyone, don’t forget to be careful. Something’s suspicious.”

Anfagon whispered to the two of them.

Anfagon usually didn’t care about others, but if a senior who had to lead the students back was doing crazy things, the story was a little different.

“I was also surprised, but isn’t he just acting like this because of what he received from me?”

If you were a person, you might feel a little sorry after being treated to a meal and a potion by your junior.

Unlike Professor Verdus, Senior Yukbertire had a kind friend named Dirette.

A wizard who put a warm heart into a small golem in human form!

“Wodanaz. Are you tired? You’re saying strange things.”

“Don’t overdo it just because you have a lot of magical power, and take a break if you’re tired.”

“……”

Lee Han reflected when the other two seniors told him sternly not to talk nonsense.

‘I guess it is strange.’

Consideration and kindness for juniors.

It was definitely strange. Lee Han pulled himself together and raised his guard a little.

While the three juniors were all looking at him suspiciously, Yukbertire was also observing Lee Han.

‘It’s highly likely that the junior from the Wodanaz family doesn’t know about the Small World Magic.’

Considering it from a common-sense perspective, there was no possibility that a second-year student would have independently entered the Small World Magic.

Then, he must have been involved in that magic due to some action.

He had to find out the identity of that magic through careful and detailed watching.

Yukbertire wanted to explain it directly and then ask questions, but he kept trying.

If that magic was taken by force, he didn’t know what unexpected things might happen if his junior recognized his identity.

If he was lucky, it would end with the junior being hit, but in the worst case, the magic might disappear altogether, and Yukbertire would no longer be able to observe it.

That was a truly terrible thing. Yukbertire was determined to study the Small World Magic.

And to do that, he needed to deceive his junior a little bit. His junior had to act as usual without noticing anything.

‘If I show kindness, he will surely be moved and invite me often. I will observe secretly.’

‘…His eyes look like a magical criminal’s eyes?’

Of course, his junior was already very suspicious of Yukbertire.

If someone who doesn’t usually do it shows fake kindness, it can’t go unnoticed.

“Group of undead creatures ahead. More than ten.”

“Let’s avoid them.”

“Tha… No. It’s Dirette.”

“!”

Lee Han was startled by Yukbertire’s words and raised his head.

The students from the Dark Magic School were indeed gathered together and walking from afar.

“Senior Dirette!”

“…Junior! You’re alive!”

Dirette shouted with a voice full of relief. Lee Han was slightly taken aback by that voice.

“Were you worried about me? I was moving with the seniors here.”

“I was talking about Yukbertire. Junior. I was worried that everyone would explode and attack Yukbertire.”

“……”

Lee Han was deeply moved by their friendship.

Even a heartless golem had such a friendly friend.

“I’m so glad. Nothing happened, right?”

“It’s a long story.”

‘A lot happened.’

Dirette immediately sensed it.

Well, he had been guessing since the students from the Transformation Magic School came out saying, ‘There’s no orichalcum’…

Lee Han explained what had happened to his respected senior.

And the orichalcum map too…

Dirette, who had been trying to hide his surprise, was very shocked.

“Y-Y-You didn’t tell Yukbertire, did you??”

“Ha. Senior. Do I look that stupid to you?”

“Y-Yes, you do.”

Dirette felt a slight sadness even while answering.

A senior who couldn’t gain that much trust from his own school’s junior…

‘Yukbertire, get a grip!’

“I’m thinking of going with trustworthy people later, do you have anyone to recommend?”

“Um… no.”

“You mean you can’t think of anyone right now?”

“No. I just mean there’s no one.”

“…Oh, I see.”

Lee Han changed the subject.

“By the way, Senior. I heard about the Small World Magic from the Yacha guy.”

“The Yacha guy?”

“The Yacha King.”

“You didn’t call him ‘guy’… Hey. That’s not important. Anyway, you heard about the Small World Magic?”

“Yes. I wanted to ask a few things…”

“Should I call Yukbertire too?”

“I’d appreciate it if you would.”

Dirette called Yukbertire, who was moving suspiciously in the back (Dirette didn’t care because he was originally a strange friend).

“Yukbertire. My junior has something to ask you about magic.”

“You answer him. I have something to do.”

“What’s so busy? You’re just answering him.”

However, Yukbertire shook his head.

He had to observe his junior now. Maybe the clue to the Small World Magic he saw earlier would reappear.

“Hmph. You’ll regret it later.”

‘Dirette always threatens like that.’

Yukbertire didn’t pay attention to it.

What could he possibly regret with something like that?

Lee Han watched Yukbertire walk away, a thoughtful expression on his face. He glanced back at the map Jarun had given him, a mix of curiosity and apprehension swirling within him. The orichalcum vein was out there, somewhere, and despite the dangers, he knew he couldn’t ignore it.