Episode 505
Episode 505
"Be Careful—He Has a Lot of Mana."
Professor Voladi gathered the Transformation Magic practitioners in a circle and precisely pointed out Lee Han's weakness.
He warned them that Lee Han had an abnormally large amount of mana, so they should avoid brute-force contests and instead approach him with varied strategies.
Lee Han, standing at the back, was speechless.
'Is he an ally or an enemy?'
No matter how much Professor Voladi wanted Lee Han to experience and overcome diverse forms of Transformation Magic, this was practically cursing him to lose.
What kind of mage reveals their student's weaknesses in such detail before a duel?
At this point, he might as well just confiscate his wand and make him fight bare-handed!
"Oh! So that's his secret!"
Rather than being disappointed, the dwarf mage who had previously dueled Lee Han was astonished by Professor Voladi's words.
Just how much mana did one need for something like this to happen?
"Truly astonishing. Absolutely incredible! I've seen a few mages born with naturally high mana reserves, but even they couldn't do something like this."
"Thank you for the generous praise."
"But... is it really okay to reveal all this before a duel...?"
"......"
Lee Han was left speechless by the dwarf mage's painfully reasonable remark.
But what could he do?
He couldn't just disgrace himself by badmouthing his teacher in front of outsiders.
Gritting his teeth, Lee Han defended Professor Voladi.
"My teacher simply has that much faith in me."
"How touching!"
The dwarf mage was moved as if it were his own affair.
At first glance, he had suspected this might be a mad professor abusing his student, but hearing this made him reconsider.
"Then, who wants to challenge him next?"
"Me! Pick me! Let me try!"
At the dwarf mage's words, a human mage raised his hand this time.
"My, how shameless. You're far too strong for this."
Professor Voladi's expression brightened ever so slightly.
In contrast, Lee Han's face darkened.
"Didn't you also duel him, Professor?"
"I'm nothing compared to you. Don't you remember how you snapped that mercenary's neck in the last duel?"
"That was just an unfortunate accident because the mercenary was being stubborn..."
The Transformation Magic practitioners seemed close, cheerfully chatting whenever they got the chance.
Lee Han listened with a sullen expression from the side.
'If they just keep talking and forget about me, that'd be great.'
"Let us begin."
"Ah. I nearly forgot. Here I come!"
At the professor's words, the human mage stepped onto the dueling platform.
Even at a glance, he looked composed and flawless—clearly experienced in magical duels.
Lee Han glanced at Professor Voladi.
Though his gaze was full of resentment, the professor seemed to interpret it differently, nodding in encouragement.
'You can do it.'
'I don't know what that nod was supposed to mean, but I feel like firing a spell in that direction right now.'
Instead of toying with Lee Han using flashy and varied Transformation Magic, the human mage transformed his wand into chains and lashed out to entangle him.
'What's this?'
Hadn't Professor Voladi repeatedly emphasized to the Transformation Magic practitioners?
Lee Han had abnormally high mana—so they should never engage in a battle of raw power and instead attack from multiple angles.
And yet, here was this straightforward approach.
Though puzzled, Lee Han immediately tried to seize control of the chains.
If he could convert the steel into steel under his own magic...
The human mage gasped in admiration and shouted to the spectators.
"He actually stole control! Look at this!"
"Wow, just how much mana does it take to do that?"
"Let's calculate it together. So, if the mana is..."
"Has there been a similar case before? I recall the Wraith Forest incident 22 years ago, where magic became ineffective."
"That's a great example! We can use that as a reference."
Instead of attacking Lee Han, the human mage engaged in a battle of raw power.
The mage tried to cast spells to reclaim the stolen control, but they kept bouncing off like water droplets hitting a rock.
"Magic really isn't working! Look at this!"
The Transformation Mages in the audience seats erupted into enthusiastic applause, as if they were watching the most popular opera in the empire.
"Me next! I want a turn too!"
"I also want to experience it once!"
"......"
As the atmosphere deviated from what he'd anticipated, Professor Voladi's expression darkened.
A proper, instructive duel should unfold amidst a deadly, razor-sharp tension.
Only when combatants berate themselves for every mistake and seethe with rage at defeat does a truly serious duel emerge.
Yet these Transformation Mages weren't seriously trying to tear into their opponent—they were treating this as 'a rare magical experience one might try once in a lifetime.'
Seeing them happily raising hands and forming lines instead of radiating killing intent filled him with boundless regret.
"Um... I apologize."
Professor Lezhi tried to console him, but Professor Voladi's despondent expression remained unchanged.
The Transformation Mages who lined up to experience the magic deflection left thoroughly satisfied.
The Transformation Mages were happy, and Lee Han—who'd avoided getting pummeled in a duel—was also happy. Everyone was happy except Professor Voladi.
"That was the most satisfying thing I've seen at today's event."
"What nonsense! Didn't you say my magic demonstration was the most satisfying earlier?"
"Oh dear. My apologies!"
"Haha. No matter! It's fine! My magic can be second! This is truly fascinating. May I try just once more?"
"We agreed only one attempt per person! Act like a proper gentleman!"
"I'm considering replicating this for defensive purposes—I'll send you a letter when I return."
"Shall we collaborate? I'd like to participate too."
"I'd be honored."
'Hmm.'
Suddenly seated at a table where Transformation Mages were cheerfully gathering, Lee Han began feeling increasingly flustered.
Being the only one not already close with everyone else made the awkwardness unavoidable.
'Shouldn't professors or seniors be handling this by now? I'm just a first-year...'
Normally, when outsiders carried on conversations like this, the hosting side would send an assistant or responsible party to join and mediate. Something felt off.
Why was Lee Han the only one here?
"Wardanaz, do you intend to pursue Transformation Magic?"
"Yes. Though I'm studying other magics as well."
"My! That must be exhausting."
"But where else can one study Transformation Magic alongside it?"
"Well said. Indeed. Wardanaz, you must visit my estate sometime."
"You must visit my domain as well! It's a bit remote, but truly beautiful!"
"......"
Lee Han struggled to maintain his composure.
These weren't the type to casually say, "Let's have dinner sometime."
The moment such words left their mouths, they'd seriously set dates and exchange letters to confirm.
"I primarily research metal transformations. If you're interested, do contact me."
"My focus is biological transmutation. Perhaps we could—"
As the mages bombarded Lee Han with relentless conversation, the seniors watched from a distance.
"Oh..."
"Impressive..."
Their admiration wasn't for the magical prowess displayed earlier.
They were marveling at how Lee Han handled the onslaught of questions without faltering or breaking a sweat, responding with practiced ease.
Truly remarkable!
"Shouldn't we help our junior?"
"Right. ...You go."
"Ah, no. Let's go together. Yeah."
"......"
"......"
The seniors timidly eyed each other, each waiting for the other to take the first step.
None truly wished to insert themselves into that gathering of Transformation Mages.
"Didn't you need to discuss bat transformations..."
"You—you also said you had questions about that new metal..."
Professor Voladi, who had somehow managed to calm down and returned belatedly, was at a loss for words when he saw his students pressed against the wall.
These kids, seriously!
Lee Han bundled up the addresses he had received from the transformation mages. The stack was thick enough to be a small book.
"Professor, please don't worry too much."
The back of Professor Voladi, returning after the lecture, looked unusually sorrowful.
Truthfully, it wasn't Lee Han's business whether the professor was sad or not, but Professor Voladi was a slight exception.
The more sorrowful he got, the more unpredictable his crazy actions became.
"I learned a lot about transformation magic."
This wasn't an empty compliment.
Since each of them specialized in different fields of transformation magic, just listening to them broadened his perspective.
From mages who transformed into various creatures, to those who memorized hundreds of types of metals and mastered the magic to transmute between them.
Or mages who aggressively studied the properties of transformation magic to develop curses that dismantled opponents, or those who focused on altering the flow of mana rather than physical substances.
Of course, Professor Voladi would've been satisfied only if Lee Han had personally experienced these by tumbling around in pain, but there was no need to learn by getting beaten up, right?
"Then, which magic do you plan to learn?"
"!"
Lee Han inwardly cursed at the professor's question. The professor's expressionless face showed no trace of sorrow.
'Damn it. Still not there yet.'
The moment he said he'd learned a lot here, the natural follow-up was, 'Then which of those magics will you learn?'
To make such a careless mistake even after being caught off guard like this...
'Among the magics I heard today, the easiest one would be...'
Lee Han desperately racked his brain. He felt even more desperate than when he'd fought the Ghoul King.
A transformation magic that wasn't so easy the professor would dismiss it outright, wouldn't cause excruciating pain during training, and could buy him some time while showing at least some results—what could it be?
"Transformation magic!"
"?"
Startled by someone answering in his place, Lee Han turned his head.
The dwarf mage he'd seen at the event earlier was cheerfully waving his hand.
"He showed the most interest, and what could be more useful than transformation magic?"
"Hmm."
Professor Voladi looked at the dwarf mage as if urging him to continue.
Filled with the desire to pull the Wardanaz boy into his own field of expertise, the dwarf mage passionately exclaimed:
"I believe transformation magic is the pinnacle of all transformation magics! It's useful in combat situations, and just as useful outside of combat. Infiltration? Turn into a bird or a rat, and you can go anywhere. Escape? How often do you find yourself in a situation with no animals nearby?"
The dwarf mage fervently tried to persuade the professor.
After listening, Professor Voladi nodded, seemingly quite satisfied.
"Good. That's reasonable."
"I knew you'd approve. Then, may I lend him a book?"
"No... no."
Lee Han, who had been listening blankly, instinctively snapped back to attention and cut in.
He sensed danger if he let things continue like this.
"That's too generous. How could I possibly..."
A magic tome wasn't just any book to a mage.
It was akin to their roots, their very foundation.
Such things weren't lent out lightly. Mages wouldn't hesitate to kill over a single tome.
"Wardanaz. Of course, lending out a book isn't common. But neither are connections easily made, no? If a mage like Wardanaz consistently shows interest in transformation magic—and especially in transformation magic—how joyous would that be?"
"You can't just learn transformation magic alone."
Professor Voladi interjected, but the dwarf mage pretended not to hear and ignored him.
Before Lee Han could even respond, he shoved a magic tome into his hands.
"If you have any questions, write to me. You can even visit during break."
"No... what kind of..."
"Oh, and keep my visit a secret from the other mages."
"......"