Magic weapons are weapons that have the ability to absorb or disperse magical energy.
These weapons are typically used by swordsmen who often face mages or by anti-magic factions within the empire.
They are certainly not the kind of weapons a freshman at a magic school would wield.
"But the one who gave this to me is the headmaster of this school," Lee Han quickly rationalized.
He swung his sword again.
Crunch!
"Why did the headmaster even accept this freshman into the school...! Such an arrogant brat should be kicked out immediately...!" Lee Han almost retorted without realizing it.
He nearly snapped back, "Your master taught me this way."
"That was close. This guy is quite skilled at handling people," Lee Han thought.
It was no wonder he was a summoner—he was adept at manipulating emotions.
Crash!
The undead summon, which had been struck twice by the Morning Star, had lost a significant amount of its magical energy.
Even a powerful undead summon wasn’t immortal.
If it exhausted all its magical energy, it would be forcibly sent back.
Realizing that this freshman was fighting like a madman, the undead summon changed its strategy.
It began to summon sand to envelop itself, forming a kind of armor.
"I won’t treat you as a freshman anymore. I swear on the honorable name my master gave me, Jorvan II, that I will defeat you!"
"He even has a name?" Lee Han thought.
Usually, a summon with a name meant it was a well-crafted and powerful one.
Lee Han felt a slight regret, thinking he might have gone a bit too hard.
"Reveal yourself, mage! If you don’t show yourself now, I have my own plans," Lee Han said, but of course, he ignored the summon and created some distance.
Jorvan II slammed its front leg on the ground, and sand cones began to form in the air.
A warning!
Jorvan II’s strategy was simple: create a barrage of sand to prevent Lee Han from getting close.
Each hit had the power to break bones, but Jorvan II no longer saw its opponent as a freshman.
It had no intention of holding back.
As the sand cones flew, shattering the surrounding bushes and branches, Lee Han had no choice but to create more distance.
"I need to deal more damage before it recovers," Lee Han thought.
Dragging this out would only benefit the enemy.
He pondered his strategy again.
Iron or water orbs lacked destructive power, and lightning magic, while powerful, was ineffective against the sand armor.
"Using rotation like last time... that’s not going to work. This guy won’t wait around," Lee Han thought.
He needed a way to disrupt the summon’s magic and create an opening.
Did he have such a method?
"......"
Actually, he did.
The professors and even the spirits had warned him not to use it because it was dangerous... but they probably hadn’t anticipated a situation like this.
"Burn!"
What is he trying to do...? Jorvan II turned its head in disbelief as Lee Han cast a 1st-circle fire spell from behind.
What could he possibly do with such a small flame?
......
But when Jorvan II turned its head, the flames that greeted it were much larger than a mere candle flame.
"Cough!"
Angaro and Duke Ma coughed up sand as they crawled across the sandy field.
Just moments ago, they had been dragged into some unknown dungeon, buried up to their necks, and then suddenly found themselves back on the sandy field.
In the process, they had swallowed some sand, leaving their mouths dry.
"What happened... Wodanaz?" From a distance, Lee Han staggered toward them.
It was a sight never seen before—Wodanaz, usually composed, was now a mess.
His hair was disheveled, and one arm was in a splint, as if he had been injured in a fight.
His usually shadowed face now looked even more expressionless and cold.
Angaro was more shocked than when he had seen the skeletal headmaster appear in the mountains at midnight.
Just who could have done this to Wodanaz?!
"What method did they use to deal such damage?!"
"W-Wodanaz! Are you okay?"
"Don’t come closer," Lee Han said with a grimace.
It was never a good idea to let enemies get close when you were weakened.
But the White Tiger Tower students seemed to think differently.
"We’re fine."
"We won’t sink like before! We’re coming to help!"
"......"
As they rushed toward him across the sandy field, Lee Han considered striking first. 'No. I don’t know what’s left on the island.
I might need every hand I can get.'
"What exactly happened...?" Lee Han gave a brief explanation.
He told them about the sinking sandy field and the skeletal headmaster’s summon, Jorvan II.
But he remained vigilant.
If the White Tiger Tower students made any move toward their weapons, he was ready to strike first.
However, Angaro and Duke Ma, foolishly, didn’t even think of taking revenge in this perfect opportunity.
They were truly foolish.
"Wodanaz. Let me take a look at your arm. I’m an expert in this area," Duke Ma said seriously.
Students from knight families were generally trained in first aid and bone-setting.
Duke Ma, in particular, was exceptional.
He had even entered the magic school to specialize in healing magic.
"I’ve already taken care of it. It’s fine."
"Wodanaz. Among the White Tiger Tower students, there’s no one better than me... No, you really did a good job."
Duke Ma, who had been trying to persuade Lee Han, ended up being convinced himself.
The first aid had been done perfectly.
...
But this guy is from the Wodanaz family.
Why is he so good at this? He’s not even from a knight family...
"But there might still be some areas that need attention. Let me just..."
"Why are you doing this, Duke Ma? The splint is already well done. Taking it off would just make things worse," Angaro stopped Duke Ma.
Duke Ma fumbled for a bit but eventually gave up and stepped back.
"Ugh...!" Lee Han glared coldly at Duke Ma and pulled his arm back.
These White Tiger Tower students were not to be trusted.
"Wodanaz. Did you... really take down that undead summon?"
"Yes."
"!"
They had suspected it, but to think that Lee Han had actually defeated the summon.
The fact that a freshman had single-handedly taken down a summon placed by the skeletal headmaster on the sandy field left Angaro and Duke Ma in awe.
'No wonder his arm is broken...'
'It must have been a fierce battle.'
The two imagined the scene in their minds.
On one side, Lee Han of the Wodanaz family, a mere first-year who had grasped the secrets of dark magic.
On the other, Jorvan II, the master of the sandy field and the skeletal headmaster’s evil bone turtle.
They imagined an intense exchange of dark magic beyond their comprehension.
Looking around, they could see just how fierce the battle had been.
The trees and bushes were completely destroyed.
Honestly, it was impressive!
Angaro stared at the scorch marks nearby.
From the ground to the fallen trees, the scale of the destruction was extraordinary.
"Did you do this too...?" Lee Han nodded.
Angaro tried hard not to show his shock.
He couldn’t even begin to guess what kind of fire magic could burn the entire area like this.
The injury to Lee Han’s arm must have been from the undead summon attacking him even as he unleashed such powerful flames.
Even among knight families, few could stand their ground in such a situation.
Many in the White Tiger Tower only focused on Wodanaz’s dark and genius-level magical abilities... but Angaro had to admit it.
Wodanaz’s courage was rare even in the White Tiger Tower.
'Incredible...!'
But the actual battle had been slightly different from Angaro’s imagination.
What kind of brute is this?!
When Lee Han summoned a massive flame that engulfed the surroundings, Jorvan II was horrified.
If it had remained calm, it could have blocked Lee Han’s attack.
The flame was large, but it lacked precise control.
Moreover, with the amount of sand Jorvan II could control, it could have easily hardened its armor and held its ground.
But in its panic, Jorvan II made a mistake.
It hastily dispelled its sand armor and tried to extinguish the flames prematurely.
Lee Han didn’t miss the opportunity.
Using the sword technique he had learned from Alarong, the Byeokam Sword, a massive rock-like strike slammed into Jorvan II.
This wasn’t like the previous strike that had only blown off a leg.
This strike hit Jorvan II’s entire body, absorbing all its remaining magical energy and forcing it to be sent back.
Jorvan II growled in frustration.
"Just you wait, freshman. I’ll remember your name. What is it?"
"... I am Giselle of the Moradi family."
"Just you wait, Moradi! Next time we meet, I won’t go easy on you just because you’re a freshman!"
"......"
Lee Han watched as Jorvan II dissipated, remaining vigilant.
Because of this, he was slow to react when a tree behind him broke and fell.
It had been hit by one of the sand cones earlier and, now on fire, couldn’t hold its weight and collapsed.
"...!"
Lee Han reacted too late and ended up slamming his injured arm hard.
Lee Han cursed Jorvan II inwardly as the pain throbbed. 'Damn it.
That undead summon... it should’ve just died quietly.'
"Wodanaz. You could’ve just given up... Why did you fight so hard?" Angaro asked without thinking.
He didn’t understand why Lee Han hadn’t just let himself be dragged under the sandy field.
"Well..."
Lee Han almost said, "Because I didn’t want to go through the trial with you guys," but stopped himself.
Provoking two knights while unable to use one arm wasn’t a smart move.
"... Giving up like that would’ve been dishonorable," Lee Han said.
He had recently realized how useful the word "honor" could be.
-Wodanaz, no matter how much I look, I can’t find that passage in the book.
Can’t we just give up?
-That would be dishonorable.
-Wodanaz, I feel bad always relying on you.
Let me try to figure this out.
-That would be dishonorable.
-Lee Han, I can’t solve this.
Can’t I just copy it?
-If you don’t want to get hit, shut up and solve it.
-Why are you always like this...!
Whenever he needed to give a vague answer, attaching "honor" to it made the other party interpret it positively.
The White Tiger Tower students were no exception.
"... I see...!"
"The honor of the Wodanaz family..."
Angaro and Duke Ma nodded solemnly.
The Wodanaz family was ruthless and cold, but their honor carried great weight.
For Wodanaz, who bore that honor, such actions were only natural.
'Even as an enemy of the White Tiger Tower, I have to admit it.'
'Even as an enemy of knights, I have to acknowledge it.'
"Wodanaz. While your arm heals, we’ll be your arms!"
"Here, give me your bag! I’ll carry it!"
"If you touch my bag, I’ll break your bones."
"......"
"......"
"It was a joke."
Before Lee Han said it was a joke, the two White Tiger Tower students had frozen in place, not even daring to breathe.
What kind of joke is that scary?
"R-right? It was a joke?"
"Making a joke with that face... Haha. Hahaha."
"What face are you talking about?"
"Nothing. Let’s go, Wodanaz!" Duke Ma hurriedly took the lead.
Watching him, Lee Han asked Angaro, "Does he know the way?"
"... Duke Ma! Where are you going? Come back!"