Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy
chapter-492

"Is that so."

Professor Bagrak didn't pay much attention to Yi-Han's excuse and took out a glass bottle containing a red potion from his bosom and took a sip.

At first, Yi-Han thought it was a mana recovery potion, but...

'It's blood, isn't it?'

Yi-Han realized that Professor Bagrak had used blood magic to amplify his mana.

Indeed, considering the power of the blood sword he had just shown, even for Professor Bagrak, it would have been difficult to cast it so quickly without any cost.

"Is your mana alright?"

Yi-Han asked out of concern for the professor.

It was easy to forget when seeing the otherworldly appearance occasionally shown by the Einroguard professors, but the professors were also ultimately people made of flesh and blood.

...Of course, there was also a lich...

Magic was not a convenient discipline that could only gain rewards without any cost, and naturally, after such an intense battle, there was a burden on the mage as well.

"It's fine. It doesn't seem like something you should worry about."

It was understandable for a teacher to worry about a disciple, but there was no need for a disciple to worry about a teacher.

Professor Bagrak glanced over Yi-Han.

Despite engaging in a quite intense battle, there seemed to be no abnormality in his mana.

It was truly an overwhelmingly large amount of mana, which was newly impressive.

"Do you remember the magic you just used?"

"Huh? Do you mean <Pengerin's Cold Element Doppelganger>?"

Professor Bagrak slowly shook his head.

Of course, successfully casting <Pengerin's Cold Element Doppelganger> was also impressive, but that wasn't what the professor was trying to say now.

"The magic you used after that."

"Ah, the one where I added the spin attribute to the water orbs..."

"Yes. I think it deserves a name."

"...!"

Yi-Han was surprised.

Naming a magic was never a light matter.

It was possible when that magic had a distinct value that clearly distinguished it from other magics.

If Gainando looked at the Magic Missile magic written in a book, cast it, and said, "My magic is much slower and weaker than the magic written in the book, so I'll name this <Gainando's Magic Missile>! It's a magic that anyone can easily use!" who would listen to him?

Since it wasn't something that could be done by the insistence of a single mage, it was quite surprising for Professor Bagrak to say that.

"A name, you say? I don't think it's a magic of that level."

It wasn't that he wasn't proud.

The joy of successfully casting a magic that he had been forcibly casting by dividing the casting process was a sense of accomplishment that only mages could feel.

It was similar to the feeling of perfectly fitting together a complex puzzle that was scattered into dozens of pieces.

However, just because he succeeded in a difficult magic didn't mean he could name them all...

"You don't have to create something out of nothing to name it. Improvements can also be named."

"That's true, but..."

As Yi-Han hesitated, Professor Bagrak explained in a bit more detail.

"The magic you just used looks similar to Lady Eumidiphos's Water Bullet, but it's clearly different."

Although it was a water element magic that was evaluated as lacking destructive power, the one who reversed that evaluation was none other than Eumidiphos.

A mage who maximized the destructive power by combining various advanced attributes with the water element!

One of them, <Eumidiphos's Water Bullet>, was a magic that fused the spin attribute to the extreme with the water element.

The penetrating power and destructive power concentrated on this one point were famous for the anecdote of Eumidiphos, the creator of the magic, directly using it to instantly kill a demon duke.

As Professor Bagrak had learned under Eumidiphos, it was natural for him to teach this magic to a brilliant disciple who eagerly sought the advanced wisdom of elemental magic.

And this disciple, who had greedily demanded, eventually reinterpreted and improved the Water Bullet in his own way to complete it.

Cutting out unnecessary processes from the original magic and intuitively compensating for the missing parts using mana.

The power was weaker than when Eumidiphos directly cast it, but this was enough. If it could deal damage to the Sea Serpent and bind its feet, it was excellent in terms of power.

Above all, the significantly reduced casting speed was impressive.

What was needed in magic combat was the minimum accurate force to defeat the enemy, not a show of strength.

"It would be much more suitable for person-to-person combat."

"Isn't the mana waste a bit severe?"

Yi-Han was pleased with the unexpectedly big praise but approached it realistically.

By hastily omitting unnecessary processes, the cut-off parts were used close to wasting mana.

"Every magic has its pros and cons."

"...Thank you. I will consider it an honor."

Yi-Han expressed his gratitude honestly and decided to enjoy it.

'Not bad.'

Of course, he didn't think this <Wardanaz's Water Bullet> magic would become a widely spread magic throughout the Empire.

It would be nice to be able to live a life of leisure with a single magic, but Yi-Han didn't have such vain expectations.

'Objectively, the flaws are a bit big, but...'

First of all, water element combat magic itself was a bit minor, and adding the spin attribute made it even more minor, and if the disadvantage of mana overconsumption was added here...

The mages who could use it were too limited.

However, even considering that, it was true that he was happy to have his own magic named.

Wouldn't it look much more plausible if he added a line like "I have completed the 4th Circle magic <Wardanaz's Water Bullet>" when submitting a proposal or receiving investment later?

Professor Bagrak nodded in satisfaction as his disciple was pleased.

Then he opened his mouth again.

"When you return to Einroguard, write a book organizing the water element magic you realized this time."

"...Pardon?"

Yi-Han, who was happy, hesitated.

'What did he just say?'

It wasn't uncommon for mages to organize their realizations about magic and make them into books, like <Basic Lightning Element Magic and Its Applications> or <Basic Blood Magic and Its Applications>.

Einroguard students also often made books by organizing their realizations for training and learning.

...Usually the senior students!

While Yi-Han was shocked, thinking 'Is this person crazy right now?' the professor continued.

"Ah. Wait. I was mistaken."

"I knew you would say that."

Yi-Han inwardly hoped that Professor Bagrak would tell him to try again when he was in his 4th year.

'No? Since he's an unscrupulous person, he might make me do it in my 3rd year. Then I'll avoid taking his class in my 3rd year...'

"Write two books. One about the magic you realized, and the other about the direction of improving the magic."

If one was about organizing the magic, the other was for the purpose of contemplating how to further develop that magic.

Professor Bagrak added one more to satisfy his disciple's endless intellectual curiosity, like his mana.

Otherwise, he didn't know what crazy thing he might do, like rushing at the Sea Serpent today.

"..."

While Yi-Han was too dumbfounded to say anything, Professor Uregor came running.

His face was full of fatigue thanks to somehow persuading and comforting the people from the Maykin family and the city people who almost had a heart attack because the student had rushed into the battlefield.

"You crazy bastard! Why the hell did you rush in front of the Sea Serpent?!"

Professor Uregor, who shouted while panting, flinched when he saw Yi-Han's granite-like expression filled with anger.

"...D-Did I say something too harsh?"

Ianop, who had finished preparing the magic to show to the student from Einroguard, headed to the port with the mercenaries.

The mercenaries carefully asked.

"Mage. Shouldn't we hurry?"

"The Sea Serpent hunt doesn't end that quickly."

A battle with a large monster with tenacious vitality was usually a battle of endurance.

It would be more than enough even if they went later than now.

'If I just show this magic...'

What Ianop had prepared was a terribly beautiful weakening magic.

It was easy to be misunderstood as dark magic, but it was absolutely not, and it was an enchantment magic that, once cast, would dwell in the target's body and reverse their regenerative power.

It would be even more effective against a target like the Sea Serpent.

"Ma-Mage. The port is lit..."

"?"

"The port is bright!"

"!"

Ianop was startled to see the dazzling appearance of the port.

Spheres of light were densely embedded like broad daylight, driving away the darkness.

'Even if they're mages from Einroguard, how can they waste like this? It doesn't make sense!'

Ianop thought that Einroguard might have created a new magic.

No matter how lacking the light was, there was no need to waste mana by summoning these spheres of light one by one before the Sea Serpent hunt, right?

"Wow. It's amazing."

"As expected of mages..."

The mercenaries spoke as if flattering, but Ianop's mind was too complicated to even hear it.

No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't even guess how the structure of that magic was.

Ianop felt a deep sense of humiliation, just like he had felt long ago.

To think he couldn't even read the structure of such a simple magic.

'I have no idea...! How did he do that at once...'

"...Mage. Mage!"

As Ianop was distracted, the mercenaries urgently called the mage.

"What is it?"

"The hunt..."

"Is about to begin?"

"It's over, they say?"

"...What?"

Ianop took his eyes off the spheres of light and turned his head.

Surprisingly, the corpse of the Sea Serpent was lying on the pier below.

At a glance, it was evident that fierce magic had been exchanged.

The remaining ice and the uniquely cut corpse of the Sea Serpent.

What kind of magic...

"It's over?!"

"Yes, yes..."

Frightened by the mage's unusual appearance, the mercenaries hurriedly brought a nearby sailor.

"You said you definitely saw it?"

"How many times do I have to say it? I saw it from the very bottom!"

"I understand. I understand, so speak well. He's a very great person."

"What... a mage from Einroguard?"

The sailor, who was brought by the mercenaries, asked as if puzzled when he saw Ianop in the carriage.

In this city right now, the only great person with such attire was a mage from Einroguard.

"It's not for you to ask about his identity. Do you want me to take back the silver coin?"

The mercenary spoke with irritation, but the sailor who had been through rough seas was not easy either. He retorted with anger.

"Damn it... You called me urgently, and what is this..."

Instead of answering, Ianop flicked one more silver coin.

Then the attitude of the sailor, who had been irritated, suddenly became gentle.

"What are you so curious about?"

"Who cast that light magic? Do you remember which professor it was? Did they use any special potions or scrolls when casting?"

"It was cast by a student. And uh... potions or scrolls? If you mean those scroll-like things, he didn't use them."

"...!!!!!"

Ianop was so shocked that he unknowingly let out a groan.

If it was a student, there was only one.

"Is it the student from the Wardanaz family?"

"Oh, that's right! That was the name."

"Don't lie!"

"It's not a lie! Call anyone else and you'll know."

The sailor's attitude was so confident that Ianop instinctively felt there was not a single lie in those words.

'He did that at once? How did he do it at once?'

In fact, he didn't cast it at once, but Ianop unconsciously thought so.

"How did they subjugate it? How did they subjugate it?"

As Ianop fell into shock, the mercenaries asked out of curiosity.

"They defeat one by shooting magic-enchanted arrows."

"Was that also done by the Einroguard mages?"

"No. That was also done by the student mage from the Wardanaz family."

"..."

The mercenaries' voices diminished as they gradually became amazed, even though they were ignorant of magic.

They got a sense of why Ianop was shocked.

"What about the other one?"

"The Einroguard mages defeated it directly."

"I guess the student you mentioned earlier didn't participate this time."

"No. He participated together and fought?"

"..."

"...Twins?"

"Triplets... or maybe quintuplets..."

Only the mercenaries' murmuring voices quietly spread through the nightly port street.