Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

‘It's just like him to try and learn all the academy's magic,’ Chil thought, looking at Yi-Han with a mixture of pity and admiration.

In fact, when Chil had said, "If you're interested, you can try practicing it in advance," he hadn't actually expected Yi-Han to really do it.

Yi-Han would soon be taking his own first-year final exams, so he should be focusing on that. Why would he practice for the second-year final exams?

Even if he was interested, it was something he could do later when he had the opportunity.

However, the way of thinking of a genius was different from that of an ordinary person.

Chil had thought it unlikely, but this junior who wanted to learn all the schools of magic actually stepped up to practice even though his own exams were right in front of him.

Now that it had come to this, there was nothing Chil could do.

He could only silently cheer him on.

"Still, don't overdo it. You have your own exams coming up soon, you know."

"Thank you."

Yi-Han, who still didn't know it was the second-year final exam, was sincerely grateful.

If he had known the truth, he might have grabbed his senior by the collar, regardless of their status.

'An opportunity kindly bestowed by a senior. I absolutely can't miss it.'

The cow, which seemed to have injured its leg and couldn't get up from lying down, looked at Yi-Han with pitiful eyes.

"I'll give it a try."

"Go ahead."

Chil stood next to Yi-Han.

If Yi-Han accidentally worsened the cow's injury, Chil intended to step in immediately and handle the situation.

'Don't make the cow suffer too much.'

Since he was giving a first-year junior a chance to practice, Chil didn't expect Yi-Han to completely heal the cow.

It was absurd for a first-year student to treat a living creature in the first place.

It was the same whether it was a person or an animal. It wasn't a second-year exam for nothing.

What Chil hoped for was that this outstanding junior wouldn't worsen the cow's injury.

At first glance, it sounded strange, but for a lower-year student learning healing magic, it was truly remarkable if they could even do that much.

Worsening an injury was common.

Not worsening an injury was remarkable in itself.

If they could even slightly improve an injury, they had to be dragged to the Tower of Healing Magic with shackles on their hands and feet.

That's how high the initial difficulty of healing magic was.

"It's swollen and feels hot, so it seems to be a fracture."

"Excellent. You observed well."

Instead of immediately casting healing magic, Yi-Han tried to assess the subject's condition first, which earned him high marks from Chil.

A healing mage had to possess all the virtues a mage should have. Especially among them, prudence was an absolute must.

"Arise, emotions. Judging by the pain when pressed, it seems this part is fractured..."

When Yi-Han even used magic to find the fracture site, the corners of Chil's mouth turned up.

It was gratifying for seniors to see juniors with such potential in healing magic, even if it meant discomfort for the younger mages.

"Yes. Yes. You're doing very well."

"I'll give it a try."

After saying that, Yi-Han concentrated his mind.

He had the knowledge learned from books and the information obtained through magic, but he couldn't let his guard down.

'Imagine the bones fusing together and focus. Calmly. I've done it to that White Tiger Tower bastard before...'

Yi-Han thought that treating these animals wouldn't be that difficult.

Because if it was highly difficult, it wouldn't have appeared on the first-year exam.

Then Yi-Han should also be able to handle it.

"Fuse together!"

As the concentration ended, the staff was swung and powerful mana was released.

The cow, which had been letting out pitiful cries until just now, blinked its eyes and smiled brightly.

"...????!???!?"

And Chil almost fainted.

'What?!?!?'

No matter how many times he closed and opened his eyes, it was true that the first-year junior had healed the cow's fracture.

What the???

"Senior? Senior?"

"Huh? Uh-huh?"

"Well, I think you need to check it. Is it done correctly?"

"Per, perfect."

"Is that so?"

Yi-Han's face brightened.

"If you were to grade it, senior, do you think you would give me full marks?"

"No... of course... it's full marks... even if you didn't heal it, it would be full marks..."

When Chil turned pale with shock, Yi-Han also began to feel a sense of discomfort.

'What's going on?'

Suddenly, a familiar uneasiness rushed in.

"Even if I didn't heal it, it would be full marks?"

"It's considered good if you just don't make it worse."

"...Ah."

Yi-Han was surprised.

Come to think of it, it wouldn't be strange to have that kind of evaluation criteria.

'Damn it. Should I have asked that first?'

Since healing magic had so many side effects, it was clear that one could get a high score just by not making it worse.

Still, Yi-Han wasn't very flustered.

"But there hasn't been a first-year student who has healed it so far, right?"

"No, there hasn't."

"Pardon?"

"Well... this is the second-year exam, you see."

"..."

Yi-Han was at a loss for words for the first time in a long while.

'Is he crazy?'

What grudge did he have against Yi-Han to recommend trying the second-year exam?

Yi-Han pondered whether to attack the other person, but held back and asked as calmly as possible.

"Why did you recommend that... to me?"

"Huh? You seemed interested in it."

"..."

Of course, Yi-Han had shown signs of interest.

Because he thought it was the first-year exam!

When a first-year junior shows interest, isn't it the senior's role to sternly say, "But this is the second-year exam. Junior, you should focus on the first-year exam"?

'He must have aged incorrectly or spat out the wrong thing.'

Yi-Han gritted his teeth and maintained his composure. Then, to handle the situation, he opened his mouth.

"I misunderstood."

"But what you did is really amazing..."

"Senior. This is just between u..."

Bang!

Before he could finish his sentence, Phil opened the door and entered. Seeing Yi-Han and Chil standing in front of the cow, Phil asked,

"What are you two doing there?"

"Phil! Look at this cow."

"Why the cow... The fracture is healed? Did you do it?"

"No. This junior here did."

"?!?!?!?!?"

Phil was as surprised as Chil earlier.

He was so shocked that Yi-Han couldn't find a chance to persuade him again.

"Senior."

"!!!!!!!!!"

"Senior. Senior."

It took about a minute for Phil to regain his composure.

"If you really did this, you are a born..."

Bang!

The door opened again, and the most exhausted-looking dark elf professor entered.

Professor Lagrinde spoke in a rough, hoarse voice. Each word she uttered was filled with a terrible sense of fatigue.

"What are you doing here instead of preparing?"

"Pro, Professor!"

"We, we were looking at a junior's magic."

Phil and Chil froze.

Professor Lagrinde was not a violent or cruel person, but she did not like wasting time or using it inefficiently.

And she was as good at cutting and slicing the bodies of patients as she was at cutting and slicing the bodies of enemies.

"A junior's?"

The irritable professor's face suddenly relaxed. There was a hint of curiosity.

Seeing this, the two seniors thought it was an opportunity and hurriedly explained.

"Yes! He healed this cow."

"It's truly amazing skill for a first-year, so we were talking for a bit!"

"!"

Professor Lagrinde's eyes widened.

She was a professor who didn't like unnecessary questions, but she couldn't help but ask.

"You didn't help him?"

"Yes!"

"That's right!"

"..."

Professor Lagrinde looked at the cow once, looked at Yi-Han once, looked at the cow again, and finally looked at Yi-Han once more before falling deep in thought.

Then she opened her mouth.

"From the second semester, let him observe the practical sessions."

"Professor!?"

"He, he did well, but he's still a first-year..."

Professor Lagrinde looked at the two seniors with cold eyes.

The two seniors who tried to protect their junior froze on the spot.

"Th, thinking about it, it seems fine."

"Si, since he healed the cow, he should be able to heal patients too, right?"

"..."

Yi-Han looked at the backs of the two seniors with mixed feelings.

'They're such cowardly people in front of this authority.'

He had trusted them a little, but he was betrayed right away!

Professor Lagrinde was tired, but decided to explain for the sake of her students.

Since it was an exceptional case, she needed to explain it to her disciples.

"If he completely healed the cow, the next step is real people anyway. There's no point in just giving him useless training and making him lose interest."

Yi-Han wanted to say that what he was best at was enduring pointless work, but the atmosphere wasn't right for that.

"If he doesn't have the ability, I won't make him do it. But if he has the ability and we restrain him because he's a first-year, that's an even more inefficient thing to do. Understood?"

"I understand, Professor."

"We wasted time. We apologize."

"Alright. Start preparing for the exam."

Professor Lagrinde left just like that.

Dazed, Yi-Han suddenly thought of Professor Garcia.

-So don't ever say you healed the ankle of a White Tiger Tower student anywhere else. Okay?-

'I'm sorry, Professor Garcia.'

"I'm counting on you, junior."

"I'm sorry it ended up looking like we were trying to stop you for no reason. Don't misunderstand. It's not that we were trying to pull rank on you because you're a first-year, it's just that it's really hard. Haha. What am I saying... With a junior like you, it'll be something to look forward to, right?"

Phil and Chil left, turning Yi-Han's world upside down.

Yi-Han wanted to confront the two seniors but held back.

He still had the real final exams left.

"What is the first-year final exam?"

"Solving test papers. It covers types of injuries and the structure of the human body. It'll be boring, right?"

"..."

"Doesn't Wardanaz look really upset right now?"

"You thought so too? I thought the same thing."

"Gainando. What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!!"

Gainando flared up.

"Did he do poorly on the exam?"

"I asked and he said he got everything right?"

"..."

"..."

The faces of the two Blue Dragon Tower students who brought it up contorted in pain like Yi-Han's.

They had guessed he would do well, but they didn't expect him to get a perfect score!

'If you got a perfect score, shouldn't you be smiling even if your bones are broken?'

'I think so too.'

"Let's go take the exam."

Yi-Han gave up and started walking.

He decided to worry about the second semester when the time came and go take the remaining exams for now.

"Aren't you all coming?"

"...Wardanaz. We don't take Illusion Magic."

"I don't take it either."

"...O, okay. I'll go alone then."

The Blue Dragon Tower students felt that Yi-Han's back looked somehow lonely.

<Basic Illusion Magic>.

Fortunately, Professor Kirmin Ku's exam wasn't too difficult.

It was a test of observation, distinguishing the illusions laid out in the classroom and finding the flaws if there were any illusions made incorrectly.

'It's not very difficult.'

Yi-Han had been studying illusion magic separately and had experienced it firsthand a few times, so an exam of this level wasn't too challenging.

As he focused on the exam, Yi-Han felt the anger he had experienced during the healing magic exam disappear.

"I'm done, Professor."

"Well done, Wardanaz. It's a shame that your score is lower than the previous midterm exam, though."

"...?"

Yi-Han flinched. Then he asked in surprise.

"My score went down?"

"I'm joking. I'm joking. You got a perfect score on the previous exam, but this time you lost 1 point, so I tried making a joke."

Professor Kirmin Ku naturally thought that Yi-Han would laugh it off.

Even if he lost 1 point, he was already overwhelmingly in first place.

What meaning would losing 1 point have when he was scoring dozens of points higher than the average of the other students?

"You mean I made a 1-point mistake?!"

"...Whoa, Wardanaz. Did I say the wrong number by any chance?"