Episode 82
Episode 82
Lee Han stared at the Burning Puppy with an indignant expression. But the Burning Puppy had already run far away.
The students of the White Tiger Tower were whispering among themselves with looks that said, "I knew this would happen."
Lee Han felt inexplicably annoyed.
"Cheer up, Wardanaz! Just because the puppy is scared of you doesn't define your character!"
"That's right, Lee Han of the Wardanaz family!"
Though friends from other towers cheered him on, his mood didn't improve.
'If they're not either vicious enough to try to kill me or undead, I should just assume they'll all run away.'
With this sad realization, Lee Han rummaged through his coat pocket. The Burning Puppy barked fiercely at him.
"?"
Professor Lightning Step wondered what Lee Han was up to.
Surprisingly, what Lee Han pulled out was a sweet potato. Gainando instinctively tried to step forward but was held back by his friends.
"Come here."
Lee Han wiggled his fingers and shook the sweet potato. The Burning Puppy stopped barking, sniffed the sweet potato, and slowly began to approach.
'Not bad.'
Professor Lightning Step smiled.
Technically, this was a lesson on enduring the temper of a vicious Burning Puppy, not on luring one with sweet potatoes...
But it was a good idea.
Instead of stubbornly forcing a reaction from the monster, flexibly figuring out what the monster wanted.
That was the first step in taming a monster.
The boy from the Wardanaz family seemed to know that instinctively without being taught. Seeing him act like this...
Thump!
As the Burning Puppy, distracted by the sweet potato, turned its gaze away, Lee Han swiftly pounced and hugged it tightly.
Then he lay down to prevent it from escaping.
"Got you."
"......"
Professor Lightning Step was dumbfounded.
Hey!
-Bark! Grrr! Bark! Bark bark! Whimper... whine whine whine.
At first, the puppy barked in surprise, but within seconds, it succumbed to fear. In an instant, it became as docile as a lamb and looked up at Lee Han.
Still lying on the ground, Lee Han scratched the puppy's belly. The puppy panted and wagged its tail.
It was slightly different from the intimate taming Professor Lightning Step had envisioned, but this was still taming nonetheless.
...Even if it involved fear and deception.
"Professor. Look. We've become friends."
"Yes. Well done. Keep hugging it for a while."
Raphael of the White Tiger Tower made a disgusted face as he watched Lee Han lying on the dirt, still hugging the Burning Puppy.
He was truly a ruthless guy.
And he wasn't even from a knightly family but from a high noble family!
Did one need to be that ruthless to possess such Black Magic abilities?
"Yaaawn."
How much time had passed?
Someone yawned, and several students yawned in response.
Only then did Professor Lightning Step realize something was off.
'Has it been that long?'
Actually, the Flame Resistance Potions he had prepared for the students each had different durations.
This was to prevent the students from predicting them in advance.
But even at their longest, they shouldn't have lasted this much.
'What the...'
Professor Lightning Step scrutinized Lee Han closely.
And then he realized.
To his surprise, the potion's effect had already worn off. No trace of flame-resistant energy could be found in Lee Han's body.
Lee Han was simply...
Repelling the Burning Puppy's flames by releasing mana from his entire body.
Even as the puppy whined and spat out flames, they couldn't reach Lee Han at all—instead, they were pushed to the ground and extinguished.
He wasn't casting a mana shield or using any other spell. He was just blocking the flames with pure mana emission.
That wasn't a mage's technique—it was a swordsman's technique.
'What a brute!'
Lee Han misunderstood the gaze Professor Lightning Step was giving him.
'Professor. I have to survive too, don't I?'
Lee Han also had something to say.
Wasn't it dangerous to stake his life on hugging a Burning Puppy while relying solely on a single potion in the first place?
Since Lee Han had instincts too, he had no choice but to protect himself in his own way.
Of course, that method happened to be something so extraordinary that others could never imitate it...
Lee Han still hadn't realized that the Flame Resistance Potion's effect had worn off. No matter how much he protected himself with mana, he thought he would still feel the heat if the potion's effect had ended.
'But stroking this puppy gives me a strange feeling.'
A sort of grandiose delusion.
It felt as if he had gained confidence that he could wield fire elemental magic a little better now.
It was similar to how he'd felt more certain about handling orbs better after nearly dying to Professor Voladi.
While the latter had some basis, the former had none.
'...Is this a trap?'
Lee Han stared intently at the puppy. The Burning Puppy wagged its tail while panting.
Lee Han seriously considered whether this puppy was playing tricks to get revenge for being fooled by the sweet potato.
"The potion wore off a while ago."
"Eh? Really?"
At Professor Lightning Step's words, Lee Han snapped back to reality in surprise.
Seeing this, Professor Lightning Step thought to himself:
'Next time, I should bring something that can't be blocked with mana.'
Unaware that he was digging his own grave, Lee Han asked the professor:
"Professor. Can the Burning Puppy perhaps cast hypnosis too?"
"...Did you drink alcohol instead of the Flame Resistance Potion?"
After hearing Lee Han's explanation, Professor Lightning Step spoke as if it was no big deal.
"That's not hypnosis or trickery—you've genuinely gained a deeper understanding of the fire element."
"Haha. Is that so?"
Lee Han replied in a tone that clearly showed he didn't believe it at all. Professor Lightning Step nearly hit him but held back.
"It's true. You're learning basic elemental magic now, right? What's important when using basic elemental magic? Familiarity with that element."
The key to basic elemental magic was how clearly and strongly one could visualize the element.
Students raised in hot climates had an affinity for the fire element.
Those from wave-crashing shores connected with the water element.
Differences were inevitable based on each person's life experiences.
Put another way, continuous exposure to a specific element naturally increases one's understanding of it.
"Theory is important, but as a mage, don't neglect your intuition, Wardanaz. Your understanding of the fire element has likely genuinely improved."
Professor Lightning Step spoke seriously.
Though Lee Han listened with skepticism, it wasn't bad news.
Just by hugging and enduring the Burning Puppy, his understanding of the fire element had increased.
"But seeing how much it improved, does that mean you had talent for the fire element?"
"Eh? I have talent for the water element though."
Lee Han answered in puzzlement. It was generally difficult to have talents for opposing elements simultaneously.
Professor Lightning Step replied as if questioning what nonsense Lee Han was saying:
"If you had no talent for the fire element, you wouldn't have gained that level of understanding just from petting a Burning Puppy for a few dozen minutes."
"!"
Come to think of it, Lee Han hadn't had many opportunities to test his talent for the fire element.
Professor Garcia had warned him it was dangerous, and the few times he'd tried using it outside, he'd nearly died...
Wait?
'Could I actually have had talent for the fire element all along?'
Perhaps those experiences of burning with rage toward professors had unknowingly developed his fire element talent.
As for the water element, maybe he'd just grown accustomed to it from Voladi constantly tormenting him...
"Wardanaz. Don't set limits on yourself. It's best to try everything yourself and gain enlightenment."
"Thank you."
"You'll learn how to use the Resistance Potion next time. I'll prepare a suitable monster for you."
"Thank— Wait a moment! Professor! Professor!"
Lee Han desperately called after Professor Lightning Step, but the professor coldly walked past the students being pummeled by the Burning Puppies without a second glance.
Evening.
Lee Han was diligently sewing alongside Nilia. The other friends were also sitting around, working their needles.
Everyone's clothes and coats had multiple scorched holes here and there—wounds left behind by the Burning Puppies.
Nilia looked at the fabrics Lee Han had bought from outside with a deeply moved expression.
It was the kind of look an old master craftsman might give their prized apprentice.
"You've got a good eye, Wardanaz. These are excellent purchases...!"
"All thanks to your teachings."
"Sturdy, durable, and water-resistant too. Exactly right. This is what outerwear fabric should be like."
"Speaking of which, we'll need to prepare for camping too."
To complete the assignment given by the Skeleton Principal, they'd have to cross the lake. With bad luck, they might even have to spend the night there.
"Me! I know all about camping!"
At Lee Han's words, Nilia excitedly raised her hand.
All the Blue Dragon Tower students gasped in admiration as they turned to look at Nilia.
Seeing Nilia's long ears perk up, Lee Han suddenly felt a pang of sympathy.
'Those Black Turtle Tower bastards are way too stingy with compliments.'
To someone this kind-hearted...
"What do we need to prepare, Nilia? A camping tent?"
"It's fine. Just one coat is enough."
"Ah. Then what about a sleeping mat for the ground?"
"It's fine. Just one coat is enough."
"...Don't we at least need a blanket?"
"It's fine. Just one coat is enough."
Nilia was practically vibrating with excitement to share the wisdom of the Shadow Patrol with her friends.
The knowledge of how to sleep in cold valleys with just a single coat was something her friends desperately needed.
However, the complexions of the Blue Dragon Tower students were growing increasingly pale.
Unable to take it anymore, Lee Han cut in.
"Everyone, don't misunderstand—Nilia's just joking."
"Hah... haha! So it was a joke! Hahaha!"
"I was 100% certain it was a joke all along!"
Nilia looked at Lee Han as if to ask what he was talking about.
"But I'm not joking? I only need one coat... mmph!"
Yoner hastily covered Nilia's mouth.
Though there were some minor issues, the friends eventually finished mending their clothes and preparing.
The newly made cloaks and masks from dark fabric would protect them in case of emergencies.
Ratford remarked with a satisfied expression:
"You all look like proper thieves now."
"Haha. No need to go that far."
"How embarrassing."
The Blue Dragon Tower students didn't know how to react to Ratford's praise.
Did they really look that cool?
"Time's up. Let's go."
Lee Han and his friends rose from their seats.
Tonight, they would raid Professor Thunder Step's laboratory!
The students were divided into two groups.
Those who had snuck out at night multiple times before, and those who had never done so.
Lee Han was obviously part of the former. By now, he could wander the school at night without any hesitation.
With all the natural ease of someone out for a stroll.
"Honorable Lee Han of the Wardanaz family. Do you have a way to open the Alchemy Hall's door?"
Lee Han nodded.
Physical locks were Ratford's domain.
Magical locks were Lee Han's.
'I've already confirmed everything.'
Since the Alchemy Hall was frequently accessed for classes, checking the main entrance lock on the first floor had been easy. Ratford had already prepared a fake key.
"Follow me quietly."
After instructing his friends, Lee Han approached the Alchemy Hall's main entrance with Ratford.
The others cautiously followed behind.
"!"
Surprisingly, there was already a massive hole in the Alchemy Hall's main door. It looked like something large had charged straight through it.
The students gasped in admiration.
"You prepared this in advance! Amazing!"
"...What the hell is this?"
"???"
At Lee Han's utterly bewildered voice, the students who had been marveling jumped in surprise.