Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

Not only was he carrying a mountain of supplies, but he was also employing on the boxes floating behind him.

In situations like this, any other mage would have resorted to higher-level spells, as was not meant to be utilized in such a manner!

Its intended application was to assist the user in moving objects like quills and erasers. At best, it could lift a marble…

Such performance was beyond impressive. In fact, it was even freakish to some extent.

Could this still be considered a first-circle spell??

“And he’s using a physical enhancement spell as well! Who taught him that??”

Professor Garcia, who had been marveling at the boxes floating behind Yi-han, finally took notice of the aura of magic that surrounded his body.

The mana was arranged in an intricate manner, assisting his movement.

There was only one such type of magic: physical enhancement.

Physical enhancement spells were popular as their effects were immediately apparent, but they required channeling magic into a human body, so the repercussions were just as great.

Unlike seasoned mercenaries and veteran adventurers, most students had frail bodies as they spent most of their time sitting before a desk with a quill in hand. This was why they weren’t taught physical enhancement spells early on…

‘Then where could he have learned it?’

That’s a great question.

Principal Skelly feigned ignorance, maintaining a constant expression that truly embodied a lich-like demeanor.

“Maybe he learned it through one of the books in the library. I should’ve given him a warning…”

Oh, don’t be like that, Professor Garcia. The students won’t be able to grow properly if we keep imposing restrictions like that.

‘Is he the one behind this?’

Professor Garcia grew suspicious of Principal Skelly.

She had no physical evidence, but her intuition told her that he was the culprit!

***

, the spell that Yi-han was forced to learn, was quite unique in nature.

Usually, physical enhancement spells only affected one particular aspect or field, such as strength or agility.

This was especially true of lower-circle magic.

After all, if one became too greedy with a lower-circle spell, it could turn into a bizarre magic that nobody could master.

was precisely one such example.

A bizarre first-circle spell that enhanced the user’s strength, agility, cardiovascular endurance, and reflex!

And for that reason, it was difficult to learn as well.

If it was a simple magic that only enhanced the user’s strength, all one had to do was imagine an invincible warrior. If it enhanced the user’s agility, an image of a swift bird would suffice.

Combining all four into one image wasn’t as easy.

-I see why it has Gonadaltes inside its name.

Yi-han gritted his teeth as he complained to the black book.

In some cases, a spell would bear the name of the mage who created it.

This served both as an honor to the mage for their accomplishment and as a signpost indicating the nature of the magic.

The fact that “Gonadaltes” was included in the spell’s name was a clear indication that it was a dogshit of a spell to learn!

‘Since it contains the phrase nimble footsteps, shouldn’t it only boost the user’s agility? At least make the name match the spell’s effects!’

Yi-han had to go through countless trials and errors to roughly figure out the approach to this spell.

He possessed a rich imagination and was flexible in his thoughts, which, unbeknownst to him, were even greater advantages than his abundant mana.

Utilizing these strengths, Yi-han imagined what Principal Skelly would’ve been like in his youthful days.

As a matter of course, he had no idea what Principal Skelly actually looked like in the past, but he tried to envision what he may have looked like by tapping into his creativity.

Someone composed, yet with a hint of madness in his eyes. A nasty personality to go along his sharp and aggressive nature. Agility and physique that only a battle junkie would have…

He also imagined the individual adorned in dark attire and wielding a staff in a menacing manner, creating the perfect image of a malevolent mage that could appear as an antagonist of any story.

‘He’d have to be one hell of a monster.’

A mage that was strong, agile, tough, and had quick reflexes.

And the image worked. The spell which he kept failing at had begun to take shape.

–My footsteps reign over the earth!

-My footsteps reign over the earth!

-My footsteps reign over the earth!

He kept chanting and chanting.

After what felt like an eternity, Yi-han finally managed to pull it off. The mana from the spell enveloped him, embedding itself in his body as a tattoo would.

Not only did he experience a boost to his strength and agility, but his cardiovascular endurance and reflex grew as well.

Paririririk!

The black book flap, as if to congratulate Yi-han’s success.

However, the satisfaction that he felt was short-lived as he suddenly remembered something.

-Wait a second. What about the repercussions? Since it affects so many aspects of my body…

Before he could finish his sentence, the black book chased him out of the imaginary space.

***

Despite feeling ill at ease, Yi-han had no choice but to use the spell as he had too many things to carry back.

After casting , he used the method that Professor Ingurdel had taught in class to circulate mana within his body.

…Quite frankly, however, he wasn’t circulating the mana.

Due to his lack of sufficient control, he ended up releasing most of it into his surroundings.

But that was enough to lighten the burden and keep his body well-protected.

Afterwards, he blasted the boxes with .

At this point, even Professor Ingurdel would’ve struggled to circulate mana properly.

Taking into consideration the enormous amount of mana involved, a regular mage would’ve fainted after taking a few steps…

‘How boring, he’s still overflowing with mana.’

Principal Skelly complained in his heart.

Yi-han must’ve used , but he seemed just fine, much to the principal’s dissatisfaction.

‘It’s just a first-circle spell. How bad could it be?’ Those that learned the spell before him had all arrived at this conclusion, only to miserably collapse after depleting their mana, a sight which brought great pleasure to the spell’s creator.

All of Principal Skelly’s disciples had gone through this, pleasing their master to no end.

A first-circle spell it may be, but its difficulty, mana consumption, and effect were far from being at the first-circle!

…and yet Yi-han wasn’t affected by any of this.

Welcome back…

Yi-han was delighted to see the disgruntled look on the lich’s face as it meant he had managed to pass all the traps.

“Thank you, Principal, for this occasion. I won’t forget the kindness you’ve shown today.”

“Yi-han, there’s no need for you to thank him,” said Professor Garcia.

It wasn’t out of kindness that the principal had allowed him to leave. It was because of his stunning accomplishment.

He’s a polite one, isn’t he, Professor Garcia?

The professor ignored the principal’s words.

“Yi-han, once you’re back in your room, make sure to rest after drinking a recovery potion. I recommend taking a long nap.”

“…..”

He had mentally prepared himself, but Professor Garcia’s warning made him nervous.

‘Should I have refrained from using the spell? Was this part of his trap?’

“Understood.”

After nodding, Yi-han gave a bow before entering the academy through the front gates.

Professor Garcia was watching him enter with a smile on her face when Principal Skelly opened his mouth.

Wait. Where did he acquire the funds?

“…!”

***

Before he collapsed, Yi-han did everything that he had to do.

He unpacked, explained what happened to his friends, and drank a recovery potion…

“?”

Afterwards, he slept like a log, but he was surprised to find out the next morning that—

‘I’m completely fine?’

In fact, he felt too fine, to the point where he became nervous. After all, feeling fine when one clearly shouldn’t was a bad sign in itself.

Yi-han carefully walked out of his room.

“Wardanaz!”

Several students of the Blue Dragons were anxiously waiting for him in the resting lounge.

“Wardanaz!! You’ve woken up!”

“We were worried!”

Some of them even had tears in their eyes, which left Yi-han confused.

‘What’s this?’

Are they trying to pretend as if they care after seeing how much food I’ve brought back?

“I did push myself, but aren’t you guys blowing this way out of proportion?”

“Huh? Are we? Gainando told us that you might die…”

“…..”

Instead of replying, Yi-han sat down on one of the chairs.

Some of the items that he had brought back were quietly sitting in one corner of the resting lounge as they were too big to store in his room.

Now that he looked at them…

‘I did bring back a crazy amount, didn’t I?’

Though he was proud of himself, it felt ridiculous at the same time.

How in the world did he bring all these back?

“I took care of your horse while you were gone.”

“Thanks, Yonaire…but that horse has one hell of a temper. Were you okay?”

“Really?”

Yonaire cocked her head.

“Nothing happened, though? I was able to feed it and wash it without any trouble.”

“…..”

Yi-han was about to erupt.

‘This son of a…’

The horse had given him so much trouble, yet it became quiet the moment he was gone?

Maybe it was because he had been too harsh on the horse, and it became grateful to Yonaire.

But still…

‘It better be prepared now that I’m back.’

“Here, have some hot chocolate.”

Yi-han received the cup of hot chocolate. Although his body was fine, he still felt fatigued, so the sweet chocolate came as a great delight to him.

Yi-han rummaged through his pocket, much to Yonaire’s confusion.

“What are you searching for?”

“A silver coin.”

“…I don’t need it. Just drink…”

Yi-han stared at Yonaire, feeling deeply moved.

Yonaire, on the other hand, stared at him incredulously.

After getting himself back together, Yi-han let out a deep sigh.

“So it’s the start of another week…”

Everyone in the room nodded, no longer as energetic as before.

The confidence that they had at the beginning of the second week was nowhere to be found.

What horrifying trials awaited them on the third week?

“Did everyone complete their assignments?”

“Yeah…if you can even call them that.”

“They’re piles of garbage…”

Yi-han felt slightly apologetic after seeing everyone turn away.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.’

“Since we’ve completed Professor Uregor’s assignment, all that’s left is to obtain the White Tiger’s flag.”

“…..”

Everyone’s expression froze at the mention of the White Tiger’s flag.

Professor Skelly’s assignment from .

They still weren’t sure what the purpose of this class was, but they had an assignment to complete.

“Has anyone tried?”

“They won’t budge no matter what we say.”

“Damn it. I tried to bribe one of them using a piece of candy, but it failed at the last step! I was almost there as well…!”

“…..”

The Blue Dragons hadn’t been idle while Yi-han was gone.

They put in a lot of effort trying to come up with a solution.

They tried sneaking in but were bounced off by the tower’s barrier. They attempted bribery, but failed due to interference from other students of the White Tigers. They also resorted to forgery and other methods, but they all ended in failure.

Gainando, who arrived late, raised his voice.

“Can’t we just negotiate and exchange flags?”

“What nonsense are you spouting!?”

“Have you forgotten the pain those bastards inflicted upon Wardanaz!?”

“?”

Yi-han paused for a moment.

‘It wasn’t that bad though…?’

“Relax. I’ve thought of a method.”

“!”

Everyone quieted down to listen to Yi-han.

Gainando tried to guess what he was about to say.

“You plan on exchanging, right? There’s no other way.”

“Nope. We’ll infiltrate their tower at night.”

“…As expected of Wardanaz!”

The Blue Dragons erupted in cheer upon hearing his words.