Episode 65
Episode 65
Valdororn was taken aback by Lee Han's words.
His careless remark had given this first-year student unnecessary expectations.
Moreover, this method was dangerous—a single mistake could threaten a mage's life.
Breaking magic through sheer force required an enormous amount of mana, and if an inexperienced student misused it, they could even risk their life.
But Lee Han didn't back down easily.
"I won't recklessly attempt it, so please tell me the method."
"But..."
"I paid the consultation fee."
"Well, that's true. Very well."
Valdororn had no choice but to concede.
Having accepted the fee, he couldn't refuse to explain.
"First, you'll need an immense amount of mana. An individual's power won't be enough. Use magic circles and mana stones."
Magic circles and mana stones.
Both were methods mages used to supplement their insufficient mana reserves.
The higher the level of magic, the greater the mana required. No one could handle all of that with personal power alone.
They either drew magic circles to amplify and concentrate mana in one place or used pre-charged gemstones as additional batteries.
"Have you learned how to draw magic circles?"
"I'm in the process of learning."
Lee Han recalled the <Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic> lectures he was attending at school.
Drawing magic circles was closer to solving complex mathematical problems.
It required mathematical persistence and effort rather than intuitive sense.
Naturally, the students suffered for it.
Forcing those who were barely confident in addition and subtraction to unravel intricate laws and calculations had blurred the line between whether "geometry" referred to the lecture name or the students' screams.
"Good. Anyway, once you've successfully gathered mana that way, stand at the release point of the magic circle and control the mana."
After concentrating mana through the circle, the next step was to control it and strike the magic with full force.
"Striking" might sound simple, but it was actually harder than gathering the mana.
Control was one thing, but above all, to deliver a powerful impact, you had to release all the accumulated mana in one go without hesitation.
Not letting it flow like a gentle river, but unleashing it violently at once—like a dam bursting into a raging waterfall!
This wasn't something most mages were accustomed to.
They were used to releasing mana steadily, not expelling it at such an uncontrollable level.
"Hmm... It doesn't seem too difficult."
At Lee Han's words, Valdororn sighed deeply.
Despite all the warnings, this freshman was taking Valdororn's words lightly.
Arrogance.
It was an inevitable weakness that geniuses couldn't escape.
Why did talented mages die sooner than untalented ones? Because they trusted their gifts, thinking, "I'll be fine, I won't die," and perished in magical experiments.
Given that this freshman had not only entered Einrogard but also possessed the talent to escape as a first-year, it was only natural that he carried this flaw of arrogance.
'What can I do?'
Valdororn decided to show this talented boy before him the harsh reality.
It was a bit embarrassing to be teaching a future archmage, but what else could he do?
"I covet the moon and draw its waters!"
Valdororn pulled out a pouch of powdered Moonlight Stone, grabbed a handful, and swung his staff, tracing an intricate pattern.
As he chanted a long incantation, he channeled his mana.
It was the 3rd Circle spell <Lunaryon's Moonlight Maze>.
An illusion spell coveted by anyone studying illusion magic—a barrier against midnight assailants.
One of Valdororn's proudest creations.
"!"
Lee Han was startled.
Valdororn had clearly been sitting across the table, but now he seemed distorted, as if the sense of perspective had warped, making him appear far away.
A foreboding feeling that stepping forward would plunge him into some other space.
Valdororn, who had cast the spell, opened his mouth.
"Do not move recklessly. Though it may appear completely normal on the surface..."
"The moment I step forward, I'll fall into the maze, correct?"
"......"
Valdororn was momentarily taken aback.
He couldn't fathom how the boy before him had discerned this.
At first, he wondered if the boy had prior knowledge of the spell, but judging by his expression, that wasn't the case.
That left only one explanation.
This boy had sensed the incongruity purely from the mana emanating from the magic.
Truly remarkable perception.
"...Correct. In any case, the reason I cast this spell is to demonstrate just how difficult it is to shatter magic through brute force."
"I see..."
Lee Han was impressed by the other's kindness.
This mage named Valdororn seemed like a far better teacher than the professors at the Magic School.
He kindly and thoroughly explained what needed to be learned, presented achievable goals once the concepts were understood, and never forgot to clarify why those goals existed...
After being beaten by Professor Voladi and then receiving such instruction, Lee Han suddenly felt his eyes stinging.
"Now. Try it carefully once. I'll give you all the time you need. However, you must stop immediately if it seems dangerous."
"Thank you."
"?"
Valdororn felt something was off.
For some reason, Lee Han was gazing at him with a look of reverence.
Why on earth...?
Crash!
No sound reached the outside, but Valdororn heard it clearly.
The distinct roar that occurs when mana collides with mana and a spell shatters.
'This can't be!'
Valdororn was astonished.
Just one attempt.
It had taken only a single try.
And it wasn't even a serious or desperate attempt at that.
The boy before him hadn't even drawn a magic circle—he'd simply gathered mana briefly, then casually flicked it toward the spell as if testing it. Yet that alone had been enough to shatter <Lunaryon's Moonlight Maze>.
The torrent of mana, erupting like a waterfall, had obliterated the meticulously constructed spell in an instant.
Valdororn couldn't comprehend it.
He'd known the boy was talented.
But with such a brief mana gathering, the quantity should have been insufficient.
Even if—generously assuming—he'd somehow amassed enough mana in that short time (though Valdororn couldn't fathom how),
handling that much mana should have been clumsy at best.
Unless one was born with an overwhelming amount of mana and had grown as naturally accustomed to handling it as breathing, precise control over such gathered mana was impossible.
It would be like a sailor on their first voyage skillfully navigating a massive wave—utterly nonsensical.
What in the world...?
"Thank you!"
Oblivious to Valdororn's inner turmoil, Lee Han expressed his gratitude.
"Eh...?"
"Thanks to your excellent teaching, I was able to achieve this realization."
"......"
For a moment, Valdororn wondered if Lee Han was mocking him.
The situation was so absurd, he half-suspected one of the Magic School's mad professors had disguised themselves as a first-year to pick a fight!
Yet Lee Han's gaze was far too sincere to support such a thought.
It was filled with nothing but pure gratitude.
"No... I really didn't do anything. I didn't even teach you properly..."
"Not at all. You're the first person to explain things so clearly and accurately."
"Don't say that anywhere else!"
Valdororn hastily stopped him, horrified.
If the Magic School's deranged professors heard that, they might turn him into a frog out of sheer rage.
Lee Han bowed his head sincerely.
"If I emerge again, I'll seek you out for more guidance."
"No... no... absolutely not. I have nothing left to teach you."
Frankly, Valdororn wanted to say "Don't come back," but having accepted the consultation fee, he couldn't bring himself to say it outright.
He merely timidly said he had nothing more to teach.
Yet such an attitude only appeared as humility in Lee Han's eyes.
'He's even humble!'
Just as rice stalks bow lower the riper they become, Valdororn's demeanor only seemed more dignified.
Seeing him like this, even running a workshop in a corner of the village somehow looked impressively cool.
After all, wasn't it true that the more exceptional a mage was, the more they enjoyed eccentric hobbies? This mage named Valdororn must have set up this workshop as a sort of pastime.
"Until next time!"
Grateful for this meeting, Lee Han stepped outside.
Valdororn sat there with a dumbfounded expression before finally rising from his seat.
Then, he flipped the sign hanging at the workshop's entrance from "Open" to "Closed."
Afterward, he reopened the illusion magic book he hadn't touched in a while.
...He wasn't sure how much this would help, but he figured he should at least study something.
"...Headmaster. I can handle this alone..."
Professor Garcia spoke while glancing at the Skeleton Principal floating beside him.
At this hour, it was Professor Garcia's duty to oversee the main gate. There was no need for the Headmaster to be here.
The only reason the Skeleton Principal—who never involved himself in matters outside his responsibilities—was here could be summed up in one word:
Amusement!
'He's just waiting for Lee Han to be late, no matter what!'
At Einrogard, students who escaped the school were far more common than those who left with an Outing Pass.
Those rare students who did receive the permit would cheerfully dash outside, but the school didn't send them off with such pure intentions.
Countless traps awaited those naive students.
The usual outcome was that the overjoyed student, upon realizing the harsh reality, would wander the town in despair, penniless, before being dragged back with a miserable expression.
And such students were never given a second chance.
Obtaining a second Outing Pass was far more difficult than getting the first.
"Wouldn't it be fine to be a bit more generous with Exit Permits as a form of reward...?"
Still so naive, Professor Garcia. Teaching students with such lax and lenient attitudes would only make them weak and complacent.
"......"
A true mage is forged through trials!
"Alright, alright, enough already."
Professor Garcia cut him off, sounding exasperated.
He had heard the Skeleton Principal's theory—"A true mage is born through trials"—far too many times to the point of exhaustion.
Ugh, that ancient mage!
He looked positively eager.
"...Perhaps it's best not to get your hopes up too much. Lee Han isn't exactly ordinary in terms of cleverness, you know?"
Admittedly, that was true.
Surprisingly, the Skeleton Principal conceded without argument.
He did hold Lee Han in high regard to that extent.
But this had nothing to do with magical talent or mental toughness. The problem was money—there was nowhere to get it, and even if he could, the amount he could carry was limited. Not to mention, time was running out! The smarter he thought he was, the greedier he'd become, making it harder to return quickly. He couldn't wait for the time to come so he could go catch him.
"Keep it to yourself."
Though Professor Garcia replied curtly, he acknowledged there was some truth to the Headmaster's words.
Why else would students who used Exit Permits usually get dragged back?
It was because of that greed—'If I just had a little more time, I could make it work!'
The moment they arrived in town, they were hit with completely unexpected situations, so the ability to recognize and let go of certain things was crucial.
If they stubbornly tried to get everything they needed, they'd fall right into the Headmaster's traps—
"?!?!"
THUD!
A massive figure appeared atop the hill before the main gate.
For a moment, Professor Garcia thought it was a giant porter or a troll porter.
It wasn't.
It was Lee Han, carrying a mountain of luggage.
"......"
......
The two mages were left speechless by this brutishly un-mage-like solution.
But that was just the beginning.
As Lee Han fully ascended the hill, boxes floated after him in pursuit.
The Skeleton Principal had no choice but to admit it.
...Professor Voladi had taught him disgustingly well.