Episode 226
Episode 226
Whether Lee Han felt wronged or not, Professor Voladi continued speaking in a lecturing tone.
"The Rock Drake isn't a monster you should be hunting at your current level."
'Then is the Rakshasa Hungry Ghost something I should be hunting at my current level?'
Lee Han swallowed his words internally.
Hearing this from the person who'd forced him to hunt a Rakshasa Hungry Ghost made it several times more irritating.
"As I've said before, impatience can ruin a mage."
"Yes. I'm aware."
"You shouldn't be impatient about your goal. Keep that in mind."
"Yes. I'm aware... Wait, my goal?"
Lee Han paused abruptly.
His goal?
'Did I ever tell Professor Voladi I wanted to become an Imperial Bureaucrat? Or that I wanted to become the richest man in the Empire?'
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't recall saying anything like that.
If it was another goal...
'Well, I did want to punch the Skeleton Principal once.'
"Excuse me, but what exactly are you referring to as my goal?"
"Weren't you trying to perfect the form of complete Combat Magic through multi-magic training?"
"...!"
When faced with something utterly absurd, sometimes you can't even muster a simple "What?"
That was exactly Lee Han's current state.
While magic as a discipline was inherently dangerous, few faced as much peril as Combat Mages who applied magic in battle.
These battle mages always grappled with the same dilemma:
-How can I refine magic to be more suitable for combat?
In some ways, magic was actually the least suitable technique for combat.
If you wanted to kill someone up close, you'd swing a sword. For long-range, you'd shoot an arrow. Spending years training just to create blade-like hands or wind-formed arrows seemed incredibly inefficient.
Of course, no one denied the devastating power of high-Circle magic.
...It's just that casting such magic on the battlefield usually came with enormous constraints.
Preparation time, reagents, concentration...
Moreover, opponents wouldn't just stand still when you tried casting such spells. They had eyes too and would prioritize killing the mage first.
Already struggling to maintain focus for high-Circle spells (which could kill the caster if failed), having to simultaneously worry about enemy attacks made magical combat notoriously difficult. Even brilliant mages became useless on the battlefield without specialized training.
Given these challenges, Combat Mages constantly sought ways to compensate for their weaknesses.
-I've trained in Fire Element magic my entire life. But after getting hit by an arrow from behind in the last battle, I've been troubled. What should I do?
-Cast wide-area Fire Magic to block all approaches.
-That's impossible. I have allies moving with me.
-Then learn to create fire barriers or shields.
-I tried, but the mana consumption is too high, and specially treated arrows pierce right through fire's properties.
-No choice then. Take this robe.
-Is it enchanted with defensive magic?
-No. It's what Earth Element mages typically wear. Archers will target others first when you wear this. Earth mages are notoriously hard to kill.
-......
As any experienced mage knows, completely overcoming one's weaknesses using only a single school of magic is no easy task.
There are things only Enchantment Magic can do, just as there are things only Summoning Magic can achieve.
While reaching exceptional mastery might allow compensating through a single school's applications, that requires truly archmage-level skill...
The simplest solution was studying multiple magical disciplines.
Of course, there were good reasons why most Combat Mages avoided this "simplest" approach.
-To block battlefield ambushes, I'll learn Divination Magic. To summon protective shields, Summoning Magic. To mitigate damage when hit, Enhancement Magic. And finally, Healing Magic for injuries. What do you think of this training plan?
"Don't you think there's something fundamentally strange about this idea when you really consider it?"
...Even mastering a single school of magic through dedicated training is immensely difficult, let alone studying multiple schools.
Even at Einrogard, which gathers the Empire's most elite talents, no student has ever trained in more than two or three schools.
While there's undeniable synergy in learning complementary magics, the human body and mind have their limits.
"Wait. I understand the explanation, but why are we having this conversation?"
Lee Han, noticing the odd direction of the discussion, asked with genuine puzzlement.
"Weren't you trying to master combat magic by studying all schools of magic?"
At Professor Voladi's question, Lee Han straightened and answered firmly:
"That was purely coincidental!"
"Coincidental, was it? I see."
'Did he actually buy that?'
"Intuition often guides us better than reason. Especially for one with aptitude in Divination Magic."
"......"
'I'm going to lose my mind.'
Upon reflection, Professor Voladi was the type who focused on outcomes rather than questioning causes or reasons.
Having seen Lee Han attend lectures across multiple magic disciplines, he'd naturally conclude, 'Then becoming a combat mage utilizing all those magics would be ideal.'
"Professor. While creating flawless combat magic through multi-magic training sounds theoretically perfect... isn't it realistically impossible?"
Lee Han attempted to reason with the professor.
The method sounded ideal in principle but utterly impractical in reality.
Professor Voladi nodded.
'He understands...?'
"But you're different. You've received top marks in every course."
"......"
Lee Han felt betrayed by his professors.
Why did they all have to be such gossips?
Shouldn't student aptitudes and grades remain confidential?
"Then the possibility isn't low."
Professor Voladi's reasoning unfolded thus:
Currently, Lee Han had completed his 'basic' elemental training without delay.
While he still needed to master advanced techniques (evaporation, rotation, or floating ice shields)...
...if Lee Han envisioned grand multi-magic training, that ambition deserved respect.
Thus, the professor was preparing ways to apply and combine magics from other schools.
"You'll soon progress substantially in other magic disciplines."
"With all due respect, how exactly?"
"Didn't I tell you to bring books from the library?"
"......"
So that's how the pieces connected.
Lee Han lamented inwardly.
He should have burned that library down!
'Wait. This might not be entirely bad.'
Upon reflection, advancing in other magic schools wasn't necessarily detrimental.
Professor Voladi would focus on applying and combining these learnings, likely slowing the overall pace.
Moreover, other magic disciplines probably wouldn't be as brutally demanding as Voladi's.
'While learning to apply and combine different magics, this course might become more peaceful and warm.'
As Lee Han desperately sought silver linings, Professor Voladi's voice pierced his thoughts:
"Prepare."
"......"
A hailstorm of Magic Missiles readied to strike from all directions.
Lee Han realized Voladi had promised to help apply other magics in combat—not that he'd stop teaching his usual advanced curriculum.
Naturally, they'd continue simultaneously.
"...Freeze solid!!"
Professor Voladi felt genuine regret.
In his haste to hunt the Rock Drake, his Wardanaz student failed to perfect the floating ice shield magic.
Though not a complete failure.
Lee Han succeeded in summoning the ice shield and levitating it.
But the final step—making it "autonomously move to block attacks"—remained unmastered.
Due to still being unfamiliar with Enchantment Magic, the ice shield moved erratically, collided with things, and generally behaved willfully—clearly, there was still a long way to go.
Even so, this much was already an astonishing achievement. Especially considering he was just a first-year student.
Yet, neither the teacher nor the student in the classroom thought of this result as "astonishing."
'Strange. Why is this so exhausting?'
Lee Han exhaled roughly.
His mana was fine, but his mental energy was severely depleted.
Summoning and maintaining the cold energy was far more taxing than usual.
It hadn't been like this last time...
"Ah."
Realizing the reason, Lee Han paused.
"What's wrong?"
"Professor. Unlike last week, the school no longer has the Frost Giant King, so the environment isn't conducive to ice magic right now."
"I see. I'll make sure to bring in cold energy for the next lecture."
"......"
Lee Han was left speechless by Professor Voladi's shamelessly casual dismissal of the fact that he had forgotten.
'...A born professor. Truly.'
"Lee Han. I think there was something off about those snacks..."
His friends eyed his gloomy expression with concern.
He had eaten the Skeleton Principal's snacks, claiming they were fine—but had they actually been a trap?
"It's just that the lecture was exhausting."
"Oh. If that's all it is..."
Gainando, relieved, heard the other students whispering beside him.
—Are we really supposed to relax?
—The extra lectures Wardanaz is taking are roughly...
But what could they do?
Their friend was already walking that path.
The Blue Dragon Tower students forced smiles and spoke up.
"Well, today's Summoning Magic lecture should be a bit easier!"
"Right. Wardanaz, you're especially good at Summoning Magic. It shouldn't be too hard..."
But as soon as the students took their seats, Professor Milley adjusted his monocle and declared firmly:
"Since you've all brought books from the library, today's lecture will cover more advanced material."
"......"
"......"
Lee Han shook his head with a bitter expression. His friends' hearts ached at the sight.
"Wardanaz...!"
"Hang in there! Don't collapse!"
Of course, students from other towers found the scene utterly baffling.
"What's wrong with those Blue Dragon Tower guys?"
"Why are they worried about Wardanaz? If anything, Wardanaz should be the one worrying about them!"
"Silence."
Professor Milley quieted the students. Unlike the Skeleton Principal, this elderly professor didn't need forced magic to command attention.
"Until now, you've all been casting Summoning Magic using magic circles. That's because Summoning Magic is that difficult."
With those words, Professor Milley swung his staff.
Stone fragments rose from the floor, clashing and transforming into metal before shaping into swords.
But the professor wasn't done. With another swing, he cast Enchantment Magic.
The swords came to life, dancing as if they had wills of their own.
"Everyone, do you see these swords?"
"Yes!"
"To complete these dancing swords, I cast several spells."
Lee Han, who had done something similar earlier that morning, nodded.
Professor Milley tossed a polyhedral reagent from his pocket and swung his staff again.
An identical dancing sword was summoned.
"There are dozens, even hundreds of ways to recreate the same phenomenon. Among them, Summoning Magic is the shortest shortcut."
Rather than creating a sword from nothing and then enchanting it to completion, summoning a dancing sword outright was far more convenient.
"But precisely because of that, Summoning Magic requires extensive, complex, and difficult preparation. Whether the summoned being is alive or inanimate."
Students who had heard this many times nodded along.
"Something like these dancing swords—at your current level—cannot be replicated through dozens or hundreds of methods. Which means you also can't summon them through Summoning Magic."
"...?"
Lee Han tilted his head slightly.
'Hmm. I should probably stay quiet.'