Episode 206
Episode 206
"The King of the Frost Giants is an honorable being who takes pleasure in legitimate challenges from worthy opponents."
Professor Voladi kindly explained when Lee Han showed curiosity.
Truly, it was the erudition one would expect from a professor.
For a moment, Lee Han suspected that Professor Voladi might have known in advance who the being inside the twisted dimensional corridor was.
'Somehow, it feels that way.'
"I've... heard of him too..."
Diret spoke in a trembling voice.
Among the spirits, demons, angels, and other beings residing in different dimensions, there were those with considerable renown.
The King of the Frost Giants was one such being.
An honorable existence who enjoyed legitimate challenges from worthy opponents and granted appropriate rewards for such challenges.
...Of course, that was one thing, but it didn't change how bizarre the current situation was.
No matter how much the opponent enjoyed challenges as an honorable being, pushing a first-year student into this was just wrong, wasn't it!?
Diret couldn't hold back and spoke up.
"Professor. It seems too early for a freshman to challenge the King of the Frost Giants."
"You're wrong."
"......"
Having mustered the courage to speak, Diret felt anger when the immediate reply came without even a second's hesitation.
The fourth-year friends panicked and grabbed Diret's sleeve.
"Diret. Hold back. You're dealing with a professor!"
"A No-disciple Professor at that!"
...Isn't this too reckless? It feels somewhat foolhardy.
However, an unexpected ally came to Diret's defense.
It was none other than the King of the Frost Giants himself.
The King of the Frost Giants tilted his head as he looked at Lee Han.
Though mages were known to be prodigies who displayed exceptional abilities from a young age, the mage before him seemed far too young.
As one who preferred fair challenges, the King of the Frost Giants had no desire to face such an immature challenger.
"King of the Frost Giants. I vouch for this challenger's abilities on my name."
Professor Voladi declared firmly. Sensing the strength emanating from the opposing mage, the King of the Frost Giants nodded.
If a mage stakes their name on it...
"......"
Lee Han, who had been listening quietly, wore an awkward expression.
Did he really have to go through with this challenge, especially when the other party was making such claims and even staking his name on it?
"Lee Han of the Wardanaz family."
Very well, young challenger.
The King of the Frost Giants pointed to the Blue Ice Crown resting upon his head.
If you can mar this crown, symbol of my pride, victory shall be yours.
'Better than expected...?'
The King of the Frost Giants' unexpectedly kind and gentle demeanor prompted Lee Han to quickly formulate a plan in his mind.
Judging by appearances, the King's current attitude was far from genuine.
Not only was he willing to concede victory if the crown was merely scratched, but his stance was also noticeably relaxed.
Well, it would be stranger if he were seriously on guard against a first-year student...
Regardless, this was an advantage Lee Han had to exploit to the fullest.
The powerful strategy only Lee Han could execute—one he had employed time and again.
Strike first and finish the fight while the opponent is off-guard!
"But, King of the Frost Giants."
What is it?
"Given that the surrounding dimensions are currently distorted, will defeating you resolve this issue as well?"
If that is your wish, so it shall be. It is the rightful privilege of the victor.
The King of the Frost Giants readily nodded.
From the looks of it, the King seemed to be one of the key forces maintaining this distorted dimensional corridor.
If the King departed, the twisted corridor would soon return to normal.
Lee Han subtly took a step forward.
Truthfully, the content of their conversation wasn't particularly important.
What mattered was closing the distance!
'Just one more step.'
"King of the Frost Giants. One last question, if I may."
Ask.
"Is that being behind you one of your subordinates?"
The King of the Frost Giants turned his head.
In that instant, Lee Han thrust out his staff and shouted:
"Strike forth, Perkuntra's Lightning!"
It was the fastest and most fiercely cast spell Lee Han had ever unleashed.
'Just one more step.'
Since the opponent mustn't notice, he couldn't gather any mana in advance.
The moment the Frost Giant King turned his head, Lee Han drew out as much mana as possible, chanted the incantation, and unleashed an explosive burst from his staff!
"!"
The fourth-year students' eyes widened. The lightning magic that shot forth was far more powerful than they had expected.
Until now, the freshman's magical combat had relied on spamming simple spells to overwhelm with sheer volume.
They had been impressed, but the difficulty level was something any fourth-year could achieve with enough time.
The spells themselves weren't particularly difficult.
But the ambush he had just executed was several levels above that.
To handle lightning, one of the most unstable elements, and complete the spell so quickly...
This wasn't just about casting speed.
It was impossible without strong control and deep understanding of the lightning element!
'Back in my first year, I couldn't even control fire properly, let alone lightning...'
They were so stunned that they didn't even register the fact that the freshman had deceived and ambushed the Frost Giant King.
The students of White Tiger Tower, who didn't fully grasp how remarkable that spell was, whispered among themselves.
"Uh... is it okay to cheat like that?"
"If you're at a disadvantage, isn't it allowed?"
Boom!
Yet Lee Han's attack never reached the crown.
A wall of blue ice formed in front of the Frost Giant King's crown, blocking the lightning.
"......"
Lee Han now understood why Professor Voladi had insisted he master the floating Frost Shield spell.
'Its performance... is impressive.'
Despite the ambush, the Frost Giant King didn't lose his temper.
If anything, he seemed intrigued.
He truly has the qualifications.
"Thank you—"
Lee Han began his thanks while preparing to launch a water orb.
But the Frost Giant King wasn't fooled twice.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
From behind the Frost Giant King, ice erupted in a semicircle.
And as if alive, the ice surged toward Lee Han.
"...Burn!"
Lee Han chanted and flung himself aside.
The true challenge had begun.
"Bones, seize my foe. Cloak, swallow me whole!"
As Lee Han summoned the Bone Shackles and cast Gonadaltes' Invisibility Cloak, the Frost Giant King watched with interest.
He had wondered what this mage behind the barrier was relying on, but seeing him fight now, the young mage clearly had the qualifications of a challenger.
First, an almost inexhaustible reserve of mana.
His spells still felt incomplete, but the sheer volume of mana compensated for their flaws.
This was especially evident when casting fire magic.
Given that this was the Frost Giant King's domain, where ordinary flames shouldn't even ignite, the boy's spells flared up defiantly against the cold.
And fiercely at that!
Whoosh—
Since fire countered ice, the Frost Giant King's icy attacks slowed in the face of the flames.
Of course, that alone wouldn't have let him last this long. The young mage had other strengths.
'He has instincts.'
Even the Frost Giant King was impressed by his danger sense.
The way he detected the shifting elements a step ahead and dodged in the opposite direction made one question if he was truly human.
Combined with the vast mana reserves needed to sustain multiple enhancement spells, his reflexes made him elusive even to the Frost Giant King.
And finally, his flexibility in combining spells.
The Frost Giant King asked curiously:
Most mages delve deep into their specialization, yet you cover an unusually broad range. Is there a reason?
Just the magic displayed by the challenger before him already encompassed a diverse range—elemental (fire, lightning), illusions, enchantments, black magic, and more.
Considering he was still a young mage, it was all the more astonishing.
Lee Han didn't answer.
In truth, it was closer to him being too strained to respond.
With a massive block of ice writhing like a living creature right before his eyes, there was no way he could leisurely reply.
If he let his guard down even slightly, sharp shards of ice would come flying at him like rain...
Professor Voladi answered in his stead.
"He learned it himself because he needed to."
Indeed. To have taught himself combat magic at such a young age to perfect it—impressive.
The Frost Giant King was impressed.
There were many mages who recognized their weaknesses and sought to compensate for them, but it was rare to see one so proactive at such a young age.
Even the fourth-year seniors were amazed.
'So that's how it was?'
The students of White Tiger Tower were also astonished—
BOOM!!
"Lee Han!!!"
Durgyu screamed in shock. A massive ice pillar had just slammed down right where Lee Han had been standing.
"Don't worry, Durgyu."
Lee Han, who had rolled to the side, gritted his teeth as he spoke. Thanks to detecting the movement of the elements before the pillar fell, he had managed to dodge.
Though his body ached all over...
'This is insane. He doesn't give me an opening.'
For the first time in a while, Lee Han felt utterly overwhelmed.
No matter how vast his mana reserves were, if he couldn't weave it into magic, it was meaningless.
If he were given just a little time, he could summon flames from all directions to ramp up his firepower, but the Frost Giant King gave him no breathing room, pressing him relentlessly.
Even focusing solely on dodging was barely manageable—counterattacking was a distant dream.
"Shield, unfold!"
Instead of forcing an attack, Lee Han chose to defend.
It was grueling and exhausting, but right now, this was the only viable path.
The Frost Giant King's eyes gleamed with intrigue at the young mage's uncharacteristic tenacity.
Challenger. Is there a reason you insist on fire magic? You've been using only fire spells among the elemental magics since earlier.
The Frost Giant King pointed at the flame shield Lee Han had conjured and asked.
Truthfully, flame shields were among the least practical of elemental shield spells—
Weak in defense, high in mana consumption, difficult to stabilize in form...
Of course, none of that mattered to Lee Han.
"Because... it counters frost, doesn't it?"
Lee Han answered warily as his opponent paused his assault.
It does counter frost, yes. But a mage is one who adapts to their environment. Is there a reason to stubbornly resist the frigid power saturating this place?
'...Huh?'
Lee Han froze.
Was that true?
Now that he thought about it, it made sense.
Another mage would have noticed that fire magic wasn't working and switched to frost magic, but...
Lee Han had been so engrossed in the thrill of finally controlling his fire magic—which he had struggled so hard to master—that he had stubbornly stuck to it.
'Did the cold freeze my brain?'
I understand, challenger. Pride as a challenger, perhaps. I hold that pride in high regard.
"No, that's not—"
But this trial is not a battle to the death. Sometimes, one must set aside pride and learn to wield other forces.
Instead of explaining, Lee Han tightened his grip on his staff.
And he shouted.
"Freeze!"
CLANG!
Instantly, a massive block of ice materialized in the air.
Its size was incomparable to his flames—colossal beyond measure.
Lee Han swung his staff, attempting to alter its form.
"Split apart!"
Just as he had once manipulated multiple water orbs simultaneously, he now controlled the shards of ice.
Dozens of ice fragments broke away from the mass and shot forward at high speed.
Yet the Frost Giant King showed no surprise. He summoned the same blue ice wall that had blocked the lightning earlier.
At that moment, Lee Han's hand moved instinctively. Before his mind could process it, his body acted on what it had learned.
The advanced application of water-element magic—taught to him by Yumidihus.
"Evaporate!"
In an instant, the blue ice wall thinned and vanished.
It reformed immediately, but the ice shards were faster.
Lee Han's full-powered ice fragments pierced through the barrier.
'Got him!'
With a sharp metallic clang, one of the ice shards embedded itself into the crown worn by the Frost Giant King.
