Episode 138
Episode 138
The white horse was making a huge fuss as if it was exactly that.
Just when they thought they'd barely cleared up the misunderstanding with the potion Sharkan had painstakingly brought, seeing the two students made it clear there was some other misunderstanding at play.
They couldn't just leave things like this!
But Yoner looked at Lee Han with an expression asking what nonsense he was spouting.
"'Whether it's really a griffin'? What kind of nonsense is that?"
"You said there were two distinct green potions earlier."
The curse-breaking potion and the animal transformation potion.
Both were potions of the same color, so even Yoner hadn't been able to distinguish them immediately when Sharkan had rummaged through the potion box and fled.
What if the white horse had drunk the curse-breaking potion instead of the griffin transformation potion?
"But... Lee Han."
Yoner hesitated as if unsure where to even begin pointing out the flaws.
Lee Han's claim was utterly absurd.
"Even if that were the case, there's no way Professor Lightning Step would turn a griffin into a horse and force it on students."
"......"
-......
Both Lee Han and the white horse fell silent.
Yoner's logic was simply too flawless.
Yet Lee Han didn't back down easily.
'Yoner still has some trust in the professors, but I don't.'
The professors at the magic school were capable of absolutely anything.
Even turning a griffin into a horse and forcibly giving it to a freshman!
It was an improbable scenario, but Lee Han felt an inexplicable unease.
Moreover, the white horse and Sharkan kept making a fuss and seemed frustrated...
"I still want to check."
"If you insist... how do you plan to verify it?"
"Let's test the other green potion."
"Carelessly feeding transformation potions to animals is dangerous."
Yoner spoke with a worried expression.
Unlike rational beings, it was hard to predict how an animal would react when its body underwent changes.
"Of course I'm not planning to feed it to Ponlig. I was thinking of giving it to Gainando..."
Lee Han trailed off mid-sentence.
Suddenly, the white horse's name was bothering him.
...Surely not?
'Though Professor Lightning Step is exactly the kind of person who'd name a griffin by just reversing the letters...'
Lee Han looked at the white horse.
The white horse stared back at Lee Han with its deep, large eyes and nodded its head.
Trust me!
"You're going to feed it to Gainando?"
"Yeah. Is that... a bit much?"
"No. That's actually a great idea."
Yoner agreed without a second thought.
While he was against feeding transformation potions to animals, Gainando was an exception.
"Wait. Yoner. Thinking about it, we could just ask the priests to verify it again."
At Lee Han's words, Yoner's eyes widened.
Oh right?
"That's true...?"
"But they must be busy verifying the other potions too. Should we just test it on Gainando?"
"I'll leave it to your judgment, Lee Han. Whatever you decide seems fine."
The two Blue Dragon Tower students exchanged suspicious glances before heading back to the tower, scheming something.
The white horse tapped its hooves against the ground and watched Lee Han's retreating figure with hopeful eyes.
Soon, this absurd false accusation would be cleared!
Sharkan barked as if telling it to wait just a little longer. The white horse bowed its head gratefully.
Monday.
Though a new week arrived with the Spring Festival after the weekend, Lee Han's heart was far from feeling warm excitement.
From morning, he had Professor Voladi's lecture.
Professor Voladi let out a light sigh upon seeing Lee Han enter. It was the first time Lee Han had seen such an expression from him.
'What's this? It's creepier than usual.'
When someone acted out of character, it was always unsettling. And if that someone was Professor Voladi, it was twice as terrifying.
Professor Voladi spoke slowly.
"I believe I told you not to be overambitious."
"Excuse me?"
Professor Voladi's habit of cutting straight to the point without any preamble was always disorienting.
Lee Han tensed up.
There was no telling what the professor might do next.
"Do you remember when you defeated the golem?"
"Yes."
Trapped by Professor Thunderstep's scheme, Lee Han had been forced to defeat a mud golem blocking his path to survive.
He had poured an enormous amount of mana into creating a massive water orb imbued with the rotation attribute.
And then Professor Voladi had somehow heard about it and came to say things like "Why are you so greedy? Already pursuing the rotation attribute?" which had thoroughly unsettled Lee Han.
Not only did Lee Han have no such greed, but even if he did, Professor Voladi had no right to say such things.
Wasn't he currently the most ambitious professor in the magic school when it came to magical progress?!
"I believe I told you not to be impatient back then."
"That's why I haven't used the rotation attribute since then...?"
"I heard you attempted to manipulate multiple water orbs simultaneously."
"......"
Lee Han despaired.
Just how much had Professor Ingoldel been telling people?
'This is insane.'
There must have been regular meetings among the magic school professors. Otherwise, information wouldn't spread this efficiently.
"The situation was urgent. I had no choice."
"I suppose so."
Professor Voladi nodded readily. This didn't reassure Lee Han in the slightest.
Professor Voladi was the type to appear understanding while privately formulating his own conclusions based on his unique logic.
Lee Han's guess was correct.
Professor Voladi was thinking something else entirely.
'How difficult teaching truly is.'
Those who see a path before them but refuse to walk it have no right to call themselves mages.
And before him stood a boy from the Wardanaz family—young in age, yet more of a true mage than anyone else.
The reason Lee Han had stopped pursuing the rotation attribute last time wasn't because of Professor Voladi's advice.
A true mage wouldn't stop just because of such superficial advice.
That kind of decision could only come from one's own conviction.
That's why Professor Voladi had prepared additional training.
To force him to focus.
'But it must be done.'
Professor Voladi rose from his seat.
Just one look at Lee Han's eyes told him everything.
This boy from the Wardanaz family wouldn't stop.
Unlike last time, Professor Voladi had no intention of offering superficial advice.
"Take this."
"?"
Lee Han was bewildered by the bundle Professor Voladi handed him.
What is this?
"Open it."
Unwrapping the bundle revealed what appeared to be an old cloak. The faint mana emanating from it clearly indicated it was enchanted.
"What kind of magic is on this?"
"Defensive magic."
"......"
Lee Han sighed.
What else could be the reason for Professor Voladi giving him an enchanted cloak?
'He's planning to hit me even harder this time.'
Just how badly does he intend to beat me...
But instead of casting a spell, Professor Voladi turned away. He opened the classroom door and stepped outside.
"Follow me."
"??"
With mild bewilderment, Lee Han followed Professor Voladi out.
The corridor outside the basement-level classroom was eerily dark and devoid of any presence. It felt like an entirely different place despite it being morning.
"Where are we going?"
"We did elemental detection training last time, didn't we?"
"Yes, we did."
Lee Han wanted to snap at being made to answer such obvious questions, but he restrained himself.
This was just how Professor Voladi was.
"Your elemental detection skills are sufficient. More than sufficient—to the point where further training is unnecessary."
"Thank you."
Coming from Professor Voladi, this was high praise indeed. Lee Han accepted it gratefully.
"And I gave you books on basic lightning magic and its applications."
"I've been studying them diligently, though I haven't fully mastered..."
"I didn't expect you to understand everything at once."
"!"
Lee Han was startled.
It wasn't the words themselves that surprised him, but rather the fact that Professor Voladi had said something so... normal.
Wait, Professor Voladi making a reasonable comment?
'...Rather than being pleased, this must mean the book's difficulty level is far more terrifying than I imagined.'
This wasn't a time for celebration. Lee Han's mood darkened again.
"Your elemental detection, control, and transformation abilities... they're all sufficient. Frankly, it wouldn't be strange for you to attempt multi-layered water prison manipulation already."
"Really?"
Lee Han brightened up.
So he was actually at a level where attempting it would be appropriate? What a relief.
Perhaps Professor Voladi's tea— no, instruction would be slightly less brutal now.
The professor fell silent after that remark. Striding briskly down the underground corridor, he suddenly swung his staff at the wall, revealing a hidden staircase.
'Just how many secret passages does this place have?'
Memorizing the route, Lee Han followed the professor.
After a prolonged silence, Lee Han grew puzzled and asked again:
"So Professor... where exactly are we going?"
He'd asked earlier too, but the professor had suddenly launched into that training lecture before going quiet again.
What was this about?
Professor Voladi stopped abruptly and turned to look at Lee Han. His eyes held a faint trace of bewilderment.
Being an experienced student, Lee Han quickly assessed the situation.
'Hmm. Seems he thinks he's already explained everything with what he said earlier.'
He had no idea how that constituted an explanation, but Lee Han didn't show his confusion.
"Could you explain in a bit more detail? Starting with where exactly we're heading right now."
"We're going to the dungeon."
"......"
Lee Han instantly regretted asking.
Dungeon.
An anomalous space governed by different rules due to concentrated mana in a specific area.
It could be an ancient ruin, a tower built by some mad lich to store reagents, or anything in between.
It would be nice if they just contained peacefully pooled mana with different rules, but dungeons usually housed monsters. Naturally so, since creatures are drawn to concentrated mana.
Given this magic school's history, it was unthinkable that there wouldn't be dungeons—natural or artificial—on campus...
'But I never wanted to step foot in one myself.'
How long had they been walking through these hidden underground passages?
The laid bricks gradually disappeared, giving way to natural formations as the mana in the air grew thicker.
And from the deep darkness ahead, eerie sounds—likely from monsters—could be heard.
Lee Han stared at Professor Voladi's back as he strode ahead.
Which would be easier right now: overpowering Professor Voladi to escape, or fighting the dungeon monsters?
Sadly, the latter.
"Professor. Don't you have any armor besides that cloak?"
"It interferes with magic."
Professor Voladi's reply was firm.
While one might assume combat mages would prefer armor in dangerous battlefields, that was a misconception.
A mage must optimize conditions for magical focus. Thick, heavy armor restricts movement and disrupts concentration.
Given how battlefield noise and chaos already hinder spellcasting, it's wise to minimize such obstacles.
'...But what about survival?'
While Lee Han understood the professor's point, one issue remained unresolved.
Sure, no armor might help with casting, but...
Wouldn't attacks be more lethal without protection?
"Ah! So you forgo armor and use defensive magic instead?"
That would make sense.
Lee Han recalled the Water Shield spell he'd mastered. Skilled mages could probably employ even more varied defensive magic.
Professor Voladi, still walking, turned his head to look at Lee Han again.
"Defensive magic interferes with other spells."
"Then... how do you defend?"
"Dodge."
"......"
Lee Han made a decision.
Whatever Professor Voladi said, he'd fight while using defensive magic.
'I used to wonder when having abundant mana would ever be useful. Now I know.'