Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

"It's all done."

"What?!"

Alcicle was startled.

While he was talking with Eumidiphos, Yi-Han had finished organizing.

"Already?! All of that?!"

"What have you been doing?"

Eumidiphos looked at Alcicle disapprovingly.

To think he had just piled up and neglected an amount that a first-year student could organize so quickly.

"Ah, no... I was going to organize it too, but... it had that kind of impossible complexity..."

"Stop talking nonsense and follow me. Let's prepare together."

Eumidiphos and Alcicle sat on chairs and began reviewing the organized data.

The data was important, but it was also crucial to show the experiments to the inspector.

Among these, they had to directly show the inspector the experiments with the highest potential and the best ones.

"This 23rd experiment looks good."

[23rd experiment. Why did I start cold element magic? Should I have just done fire element instead? To form extreme cold, I cast magic on all the nearby heat sources. Don't forget to order three boxes of sardines. Observed phenomenon: Confirmed objects falling nearby slowing down.]

'He sure scribbled a lot.'

"If you confirmed objects falling slower, that's quite an achievement too."

"But that requires frost deer horn."

"...Then what about this 44th experiment? The fact that bricks lost their shape and transformed freely is quite a meaningful result."

"But that requires thousand-year snow."

"...Who told you to waste ingredients?!"

Enraged, Eumidiphos created a water club and whacked Alcicle's back.

Alcicle groaned and made excuses.

"Who knew the inspector would come... And even if I had them, there's no guarantee those experiments would succeed. They failed more often."

"Now you're saying good things when we need to show results soon. How great."

Eumidiphos sighed.

Even though she said that, Eumidiphos wasn't entirely without responsibility for Alcicle's predicament.

"If we don't have them, we'll have to make do. This snow emperor pill was probably added to increase stability when controlling the surrounding moisture to maintain the cold. I'll handle it."

"Th-Thank you."

"The thousand-year snow... was probably to amplify the cold element attribute, right?"

"Yes."

"Can't be helped. Wardanaz. Can I borrow some of your mana?"

"???"

"Yes. It's alright."

"?????"

Alcicle was flustered by the conversation between Yi-Han and Eumidiphos.

Huh?

"No, Eumidiphos..."

"Be quiet for a bit, Alcicle. We don't have time."

"But that's..."

The thousand-year snow placed in the magic circle was a powerful reagent that amplified the power of the cold element dozens of times.

It wasn't impossible to substitute that with mana, but even with a rough calculation, it was definitely not an amount a young first-year student could handle.

'Is she tormenting him?'

"The thousand-year ice was probably used to fix the amplified cold... Boladi Bagrak."

"Yes."

When Eumidiphos called Boladi Bagrak, Alcicle felt relieved.

Unlike Yi-Han, he didn't feel too sorry about exploiting that guy.

"I'll control the amplification, so can you fix it using Wardanaz's mana?"

Professor Bagrak nodded.

Of course, Alcicle's eyes widened.

"Eumidiphos!! This is really not..."

"Shut him up. We don't have time."

Eumidiphos, who became too lazy to explain how much mana Yi-Han had, gave an order to Professor Bagrak.

"My goodness! I can see why Your Highness has so many followers!"

"Hoho."

Gainando was having a pleasant time with the inspector.

"I'm telling you, lightning spirit cards are overrated. Avoiding fights and depleting the mage's stamina. That's cowardly!"

"You're right. I've always thought the same."

The two mage card enthusiasts had a heartwarming conversation, evaluating each other's cards.

"By the way, Your Highness, what deck do you use?"

"I use the Dark... Ack?!"

Gainando screamed.

His friends had stepped on both his feet from either side.

"Why are you doing that?"

"Gainando mainly uses honorable knight cards."

"Ooh. As expected."

Gainando wanted to say, 'Why would I use such boring cards,' but his feet hurt too much to shout.

"Inspector. The experiment is ready."

"Ah. Time has already...! I'm sorry. The conversation was so enjoyable..."

"It's alright."

"?"

The inspector felt something strange.

Yi-Han didn't come out from inside the tower and was just standing still.

'Focus.'

Yi-Han shuddered, feeling the flow of enormous mana.

The movement of mana flowing in the laboratory inside would inspire awe in any mage.

Even Alcicle, who had initially resisted roughly, was now desperately cooperating with a determined face as the magic circle was prepared and the mana began to move.

"Are you okay? You're really okay, right? You're not just saying you're okay because you're being threatened, right? Really?"

"..."

Yi-Han couldn't answer because he was concentrating.

Rather, Alcicle talking to him made him lose focus.

Feeling the unstable flow of mana around Yi-Han, Professor Bagrak kicked Alcicle's leg. Alcicle screamed.

"I told you to focus, Alcicle!"

"Y-Yes..."

At Eumidiphos' shout, Alcicle turned his gaze.

Currently, Eumidiphos was on Yi-Han's left, and Boladi Bagrak was on Yi-Han's right, each absorbing mana and transmitting it to the magic circle.

When they said they would substitute a first-year student's mana for thousand-year snow or thousand-year ice, Alcicle thought Eumidiphos had gone crazy without him noticing, but surprisingly, the magic circle was functioning properly.

'Is it okay? Is it really okay? It seems okay for now. Does it make sense? Will he cough up blood and collapse?'

"Alcicle Pengerin?"

"Ah, yes. I'll begin."

Alcicle, who had been worrying internally, waved his staff at the inspector's words.

The neatly organized research journal flew in front of the inspector. The inspector admired it.

"Amazing! It's rare for mages to organize it like this."

"O-Of course, it's something that should be done responsibly."

When Eumidiphos and Boladi stared at him, Alcicle blushed.

"The observed phenomena... Ooh! Remarkable. The progress is substantial."

Alcicle didn't mention that those phenomena would barely occur once even if the same experiment was repeated dozens of times.

"With this much, the investors will surely be satisfied. What phenomenon will you show?"

"I-I think it would be better to see it with your own eyes."

Alcicle avoided giving a specific answer.

Since they had removed all the necessary ingredients and were improvising, he couldn't know exactly what phenomenon would occur.

"I understand! Please show me."

"Mana, circulate and amplify as determined. Circulate and amplify. Circulate and..."

Alcicle began chanting in a deep and intense voice.

While combat mages valued fast and concise chants, most mages didn't really care about that.

The purpose of mages was the completion of magic, not combat.

Accuracy was more important regardless of how long the chant was.

"Cold, swell. The price is thousand-year snow. The amplification of that power."

'Was there thousand-year snow?'

The inspector tilted his head.

He didn't seem to see it in the magic circle?

"Cold, linger. The price is..."

Kwajijijik!

In the center of the laboratory's magic circle, dense mana began to distort space as it was compressed.

It reminded him of when the skull principal scattered mana to pressure the incoming students.

However, the purpose was different today.

The mana was converted into cold, and the temperature inside began to drop to near extremes.

Tuk tuk tuk, tuk tuk-

"Ohhh!"

The sword-shaped icicle formed inside the magic circle.

That icicle was imbued with pure mana without any loss.

Seeing the vivid mana flowing along the icicle's blade, the inspector nodded excitedly.

To think it would accept the enchantment magic completely without a single loss of mana.

It was a material that all enchantment mages dreamed of.

"This is what you wanted to show!"

"This absurd thing!!"

"???"

"Ah, it's nothing."

Alcicle was startled and shouted next to the inspector, then belatedly came to his senses.

The result was better than any experiment he had done so far.

'What in the world?'

Swish-

"Look over there! The snowflakes aren't falling!"

"Are you kidding me?!"

"??!"

"I-I developed an illness from researching magic alone for a long time."

"Oh... I see."

From phenomena without mana consumption to time-stopping phenomena.

Originally, he had to throw in reagents just to observe them one by one, even briefly.

But to have two phenomena occur simultaneously, and for several seconds at that.

It was joyful and moving, but at the same time, it was confusing.

'What in the world?! What?!!'

Clap clap clap clap clap-

The inspector applauded. Alcicle was now starting to feel frightened.

"Could it be..."

"Look at the water droplets inside! The properties of the water droplets are changing!"

"..."

"Alcicle Pengerin, you are a genius of magic! To manifest three phenomena for this long!!"

"I... I'm nothing."

"And humble too!"

"I'm telling you I'm nothing..."

The inspector recorded the results in great excitement. To maintain three phenomena simultaneously for 7 seconds.

If the investors saw this, they would say, 'As expected, a genius is different,' and decide on an additional investment out of admiration, and the Cold Element Mage Society would decide on an admiring field trip, saying, 'The genius has done it.'

However, the genius who achieved that great feat was lying inside, groaning.

"Are you alright? You overexerted yourself for the experiment..."

"It might be a mental illness."

"Pardon?"

"It's nothing. Anyway, I'm glad you're satisfied."

"Yes! I truly had an eye-opening experience today. I already knew Alcicle Pengerin was a remarkable mage, but to think he was this amazing! If someone asks me who the best among the empire's young mages is, I will definitely answer Alcicle Pengerin!"

From inside, Alcicle's mournful coughs burst out continuously. Eumidiphos decided to send the inspector away quickly for her disciple's sake.

"Yes. Thank you. It would be nice to meet again."

"Yes! Take care!"

Eumidiphos and Yi-Han approached the penguin mixed-blood mage lying down.

Alcicle turned his body with a gloomy face.

"To think something this simple until now..."

"It wasn't simple, Alcicle. It's because of those countless trials and errors that you were able to do it today. Think positively. You could have struggled even more."

Even with Eumidiphos' consolation, Alcicle burst into tears.

"Enough! The cold element must have been dissatisfied with my research too. If that Wardanaz had researched it, he would have shown the truth much faster."

"What nonsense are you spouting about? The cold element is not a person."

"As soon as I get up, I'll send a letter to the cold element mages... saying that I've wasted my life and Wardanaz will continue my research."

"...?"

Yi-Han, who had been silently listening, flinched.

What?

"What kind of do... No, what absurd words are you saying, Mr. Pengerin?"

Yi-Han had remained silent, thinking Alcicle would come to his senses on his own if left alone, but if it flowed like this, it was a different story.

"My research should be done by a genius like you..."

"No, Mr. Pengerin! What kind of nonsensical words are you saying?! Wasn't it you who prepared this magic circle and magic? If I had to compare, we just sprinkled some salt on an already made soup at most!"

"Is that analogy correct...?"

"Honestly, who can't blow in this much mana?! It's possible with magic stones too!"

"It's impossible."

"Impossible."

"..."

Yi-Han choked up seeing Eumidiphos and Boladi, who were supposed to be comforting Alcicle, arguing about whether it was magically correct or not.