Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

Of course, declining didn't work.

Professor Bagrak, who understood his disciple's refusal as admirable humility to avoid inconveniencing his mentor, picked up his staff.

Yi-Han also picked up his staff as if he had been waiting.

"???"

Alcicle, who hadn't grasped the situation, looked at the two in confusion.

They were glaring at each other tensely as if they were about to duel.

"What are you doing now? What are you doing?"

Instead of explaining, Professor Bagrak showed it through action.

Swish!

Water droplets from the water orbs floating in the air began to transform into needles and fire.

Professor Bagrak properly demonstrated how the 'firing' attribute was different.

Even without complex trajectory changes, each water droplet made a brutal sound as it shattered the walls and pierced the floor.

"What is it?! What are you doing?!"

However, Yi-Han was no pushover either. The moment Professor Bagrak picked up his staff, Yi-Han was already chanting a spell from his mouth.

"...Grasp the earth!"

Casting possible enhancement spells, Yi-Han dashed through the inside of the magic tower. If he stopped even for a moment, the water droplet needles would pierce through him.

Fortunately, he had pre-cast the <Spatial Perception> spell. Yi-Han aimed at the orbs summoned by Professor Bagrak while gaining distance.

"Ice, become arrows and shoot forth!"

Professor Bagrak's brutal pressure sharpened Yi-Han's instincts even further.

The spell was chanted quickly, and cold energy condensed at the end of the staff, transforming into the shape of an arrow and firing out.

Even while Professor Bagrak was destroying the surroundings, Alcicle was startled and widened his eyes in surprise.

'Again in one go?!?!'

He thought it would take time to compress those processes and achieve it, but he did it again in one go.

From Alcicle's perspective, who didn't know how rigorously Yi-Han had trained during the first semester, it was bound to be surprising.

Sizzle!

'Too late!'

The magic succeeded, but the orb summoned by Professor Bagrak leisurely changed its position and dodged the ice arrow.

Yi-Han clicked his tongue, having failed to shoot it down.

'With this...'

He had just succeeded in bundling several processes together at once, but in terms of time, it took a bit long.

Professor Bagrak had moved the orb after seeing Yi-Han chanting the spell.

'...Faster. I need to cast faster to shoot it down.'

To overcome this situation, he had to shoot the arrow faster than he had just cast to bring down the orb.

"...Stop it, you crazy bastards!"

Alcicle swung his staff and began scattering cold energy everywhere.

The magic core summoned on the ceiling controlled the surrounding mana with a powerful force.

The orb summoned by Professor Bagrak lost power and dispersed, and the ice arrows shot by Yi-Han also lost power and disappeared.

"What the hell are you..."

"Why are you interfering?"

"...What are you saying?! Fighting with your disciple in someone else's magic tower!"

"It's not fighting."

At Professor Bagrak's words, Alcicle was dumbfounded.

If what just happened wasn't fighting, then what was it?

Was he saying it was education?

"What is it?"

"Teaching."

For a moment, Alcicle thought Boladi Bagrak had finally lost his mind and looked at Yi-Han.

"It is teaching."

"..."

'Should I send a petition to His Majesty the Emperor?'

Alcicle sat on a chair with Eumidiphos and watched Boladi and Yi-Han's du... no, teaching.

"...No matter how I think about it, that's a bit much, isn't it??"

"But it's effective. At least that's what Boladi Bagrak claims."

'I knew he was crazy, but I didn't know he was this crazy.'

Since they had both learned under Eumidiphos, Alcicle thought he knew Boladi Bagrak to some extent.

Although he wasn't from a prestigious family like Alcicle, as a renowned combat mage and duelist in the empire, Alcicle thought he would act within common sense, but...

"Ugh!"

Yi-Han was hit by a water droplet and tumbled. He had been constantly moving and finally got surrounded and hit.

However, Professor Bagrak didn't give him a chance to rest and launched another attack at the fallen Yi-Han.

Despite being knocked down, Yi-Han didn't show any openings and immediately bounced back to gain distance.

'...Is that really teaching? Is it really okay to teach like that?'

"Short break."

When Professor Bagrak declared a break and returned, Alcicle unconsciously asked in a cautious voice,

"Boladi Bagrak. Do you have to teach in such a way?"

"Do you have something to say?"

"Well... I mean. It seems too dangerous, violent, and primitive."

Alcicle tried to say it in a roundabout way, but it didn't really work out. Eumidiphos, who was listening from the side, clicked her tongue and tutted.

However, since the listener was Professor Bagrak, he didn't get angry or react to the rudeness.

"It's effective."

"There's no way such a method can be effecti..."

Alcicle's words were cut off.

Certainly, the achievements of that boy from the Wardanaz family were truly remarkable.

To the extent that it was doubtful whether it was possible with just talent, no matter how outstanding his talent was.

'...Really? Is it true?'

Alcicle became frightened, wondering if Boladi Bagrak's teachings were really effective.

"Compare it to yourself."

"There's no need to say that, Boladi Bagrak!"

Alcicle glared angrily.

Wasn't he being too harsh for a guest visiting another mage's magic tower?

"...Do as you please. You're a professor too, so you must have your own thoughts."

'Alcicle doesn't know well because he's not from Einroguard.'

Eumidiphos clicked her tongue inwardly.

If he were from Einroguard, he would never think, 'Since he's a professor, there must be meaning in his actions.'

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tang!

When the break ended, Professor Bagrak summoned orbs again and began shooting at Yi-Han like crazy.

What was amazing was that the speed of Yi-Han's spell casting was getting faster and faster.

Alcicle was appalled, feeling himself swayed by Boladi Bagrak's teaching method, which he was seeing for the first time in his life.

'...No, no, no. That must be because of talent...'

"??"

Thinking about it, when he acknowledged the talent possessed by the boy from the Wardanaz family, tears welled up in Alcicle's eyes.

To think there was really a talent superior to his own in the world.

Of course, from Eumidiphos' perspective next to him, Alcicle just looked like he suddenly had teary eyes.

"Are you worried about Wardanaz? Don't worry. Boladi Bagrak won't make a mistake in that regard."

"Sob... I'm just sad thinking there's really someone with talent superior to mine, so tears are..."

"..."

Eumidiphos threw a contemptuous gaze and turned her head.

As Alcicle kept sniffling, he felt something strange.

Professor Bagrak, who was unleashing attacks, was occasionally drinking mana recovery potions, but Yi-Han, his disciple, wasn't drinking anything.

'What is it?'

"Lady Eumidiphos. Why is only Boladi Bagrak drinking mana potions?"

"Wardanaz has a lot of mana, so he doesn't need to drink them."

"Still, shouldn't he at least give him one bottle?"

"No, he really doesn't need to drink it."

"No matter how much he has, there's no way he won't be burdened at all engaging in such an intense battle..."

As he spoke, Alcicle flinched.

Eumidiphos was telling him with her eyes.

"Is it true?"

"Yes."

Alcicle quietly walked to the back.

Then, a pitiful wailing sound burst out from the back.

-Why didn't the world give me such talent…-

Crash crash crash!

Yi-Han, who had broken through the autonomous ice shield and rolled to Eumidiphos' feet, coughed and made eye contact with the old mage.

"Ah. Lady Eumidiphos. Where did Mr. Pengerin go?"

"...He went to the restroom for a bit."

"I see. Cold, become fog!"

Yi-Han cast the 2nd circle magic <Lesser Cold Fog>.

It was one of the elemental magics he had learned from Alcicle. The cold fog spread around lowered the speed of the incoming water droplets and cooled them.

Seeing him spamming fog-type magic, which consumed a lot of mana, with cold elements that already consumed a lot of mana, Eumidiphos unconsciously admired him.

"Damn it. It's not hitting properly. Lady Eumidiphos. I'll borrow this for a bit!"

As Professor Bagrak's orbs kept dodging the ice arrows, Yi-Han kicked and shattered the wooden chair Alcicle was sitting on, then cast <Lesser Cold Infusion> on the fragments.

"Cold, infuse!"

Yi-Han manipulated the wood pieces scattering cold energy with telekinesis spells and launched them.

Just ice pieces would shatter after penetrating a few water droplets, but the wood pieces would last a bit longer.

However, Professor Bagrak wasn't flustered and calmly concentrated his attacks, shattering the wood pieces in the air as well.

"This doesn't work either... Lady Eumidiphos. I'll borrow that too!"

Seeing Yi-Han trying to break the table too while Alcicle was away, Eumidiphos momentarily pondered whether she should stop him.

He was definitely achieving rapid progress, but...

When the sun set and the training concluded, Alcicle brought over the frozen sardines he had put in the corner.

"...I'll do the cooking."

"Yeah? These are delicious even if you eat them as is?"

Thanks to the habit of preparing some food before going anywhere, which he had developed from his experience at Einroguard, Yi-Han was saved.

Yi-Han prepared mushroom and vegetable stir-fry for Professor Bagrak and cream stew for Eumidiphos.

Alcicle was amazed as he chewed on the frozen sardines.

"Why are you cooking?"

"It's to show respect for the mentor. You should learn too."

"If I had servants, I would have had them serve Lady Eumidiphos..."

"..."

Eumidiphos didn't know where to start pointing out.

Alcicle, who had swallowed a whole sardine, asked Eumidiphos,

"So how many of the magics taught today did he master?"

Alcicle had taught several more magics besides ice arrows.

Lesser Cold Fog (the moment he taught it, Professor Bagrak pushed him aside and started attacking), Lesser Cold Infusion (likewise, as soon as it was over, Professor Bagrak intervened)...

It seemed he had taught everything he could teach among the low circle magics possible with cold.

Despite it not being his specialty, Alcicle was definitely a mage who had reached a high level in cold magic, being able to teach various things like summoning, illusion, infusion, and transformation.

"He mastered all of them."

"..."

"Ah. Except summoning."

The magic to summon a cold spirit was one of the easiest among what he learned today.

Hearing that, Alcicle's shoulders drooped even more.

"Was it perhaps too easy that you didn't even want to do it?"

"That's not it."

"It seems to be the case... Gulp."

"Just eat your sardines."

Eumidiphos, who became too lazy to explain, threw a sardine into his mouth.

"He still lacks a lot in speed."

Professor Bagrak spoke up.

In fact, it was natural.

Compared to the simplest 1st circle magic, the magics he mastered today were 2nd and 3rd circle.

As there were more processes, it was difficult to keep up with the casting speed.

However, that was Professor Bagrak's dissatisfaction.

'Is that so?'

"That much is enough, you crazy bastard. Do you want to be called a disciple-killing demon...?"

Although Alcicle maintained his dignity as he was from a noble family, his true thoughts slipped out because there were too many shocking things today.

Of course, Professor Bagrak ignored whatever Alcicle was babbling.

He thought Alcicle's teaching skills were inferior to his own.

"The food is ready. What were you talking about?"

"We were talking about how you worked really hard today."

Eumidiphos spoke kindly.

No matter what, it was undeniable that this boy from the Wardanaz family had done well today against the two lunatics.

What mage could perfectly master the basics of cold magic like this under Alcicle and Boladi?

Bang bang bang!

"Wardanaz!! Wardanaz!!!"

"?!"

Someone pounded on the door of the magic tower and called Yi-Han's name.

Realizing it was Nillia's voice, Yi-Han was startled and stood up.

"Nillia? How did you get here... What's the matter?"

"The... uh, the prince is in distress!"

"What?!!"

Alcicle was also startled and stood up.

"The prince is in distress. This is no ordinary matter! I'll go search for him myself. Tell the other followers to stay inside the magic tower!"

"Are there other followers?"

"There aren't..."

Nillia and her friends avoided eye contact with embarrassed expressions.

It seemed that penguin mixed-blood mage was misunderstanding something.

It's not like the empire's nobles would thank them for saving Gainando...