Controlling the orb with willpower was no easy task.
Like the student who had been hit by the orb earlier, the orb would dart off on its own if even a little focus was lost.
It felt like having a third arm—a strange sensation.
The only saving grace was that Yi Han didn’t have to worry about collapsing from exhaustion due to depleted mana.
In fact, even after continuously lifting the orb and drawing circles with it, he didn’t feel any drain on his mana at all.
"......"
Professor Voladi didn’t say a word and simply stared at Yi Han.
‘Is he staring because my mana isn’t running out?’ Yi Han wondered why the professor was looking at him like that.
It couldn’t be because he was controlling the orb too well (even Yi Han could see that the circles were a bit wobbly), and it probably wasn’t because he was amazed that Yi Han hadn’t tired out after controlling the orb for so long.
‘No. He’s just staring at me because there’s no one else here.’
But Yi Han soon realized that the professor was just staring at him without any particular thought.
If he were curious about Yi Han’s large mana pool, he would’ve just asked! Well, since Yi Han was the only one in the lecture hall, the professor had nowhere else to look.
Yi Han decided to focus on diligently spinning the orb, regardless of whether the professor was watching or not.
He didn’t quite understand the purpose of this exercise, but...
‘Let’s just think that spinning it hard will earn me a good grade.’
A magical orb that grants grades if you spin it diligently.
Thinking of it that way made it bearable.
Yi Han had become overly accustomed to enduring unreasonable tasks under professors.
‘Interesting.’
Professor Voladi was genuinely intrigued.
Of course, his expression didn’t show it, but he was feeling a sense of curiosity for the first time in a long while.
The freshman in front of him was the reason.
Every year, a flood of freshmen would enroll in <Basic Repetitive Magical Combat Training>, only to disappear like the ebbing tide.
Last year, not a single student had stayed.
But Professor Voladi didn’t care.
His contract with Headmaster Osso Gonadaltes was to “teach <Basic Repetitive Magical Combat Training> every year,” not to “gather many students.” In fact, even if no students showed up, Professor Voladi would sit in the lecture hall, place the orb, and wait until the lecture time was over before leaving.
Others might not understand, but this was Professor Voladi’s principle.
Years of repetition.
And today, that repetition was broken by the appearance of a peculiar freshman.
A handsome boy with a chiseled appearance, clearly a student of the Blue Dragon Tower.
From his demeanor and accent, he was likely from a prestigious imperial family.
Yet... he was diligently spinning the orb without a single complaint.
Even the lowest-ranking students from the Black Turtle Tower would curse and leave after a while, so it was unusual for a Blue Dragon Tower student to sit quietly and focus.
Moreover, he showed no signs of fatigue despite continuously spinning the orb.
He clearly had an innate abundance of mana.
If Professor Voladi had been on friendly terms with other professors, or if he had spoken with Professor Garcia Kim, the troll, he might have heard about Yi Han’s mana capacity.
But Professor Voladi didn’t mingle with other professors.
His contract with the headmaster didn’t include such things.
So, while he could guess that Yi Han had a considerable amount of mana, he couldn’t tell exactly how much.
‘I hope he stays.’
For the first time, Professor Voladi wished for a student to remain in his lecture.
If this student continued to attend, Professor Voladi might finally be able to move on to the next part of the curriculum—something he had never done before.
“I’ve really found a great lecture,” Yi Han said seriously.
Normally, Yi Han wasn’t the type to be this kind, but Yonell and Gainando were exceptions.
Yonell might become a business partner in the future, and Gainando’s mother might give him some pocket money.
It never hurt to be nice to friends from good families.
“I don’t think anyone else will come to this lecture. If you attend, you’re guaranteed an A+.”
“... Uh...”
Yonell’s face showed deep concern, as if she was struggling to figure out how to politely decline Yi Han’s suggestion.
A lecture that no one attends? Just the thought made her want to avoid it, but Yi Han was recommending it so enthusiastically.
How could she refuse without offending him?
“... No, it’s fine if you don’t want to attend,” Yi Han said to Yonell.
He wasn’t going to force her.
He had only recommended it because it was an easy way to get a good grade in one course...
“Hmm. Tell me more,” Gainando, on the other hand, seemed intrigued.
“What do they teach?”
“There’s an artifact orb made by the professor. You infuse it with mana and lift it.”
“Oh. And then?”
“You practice drawing circles with it.”
“I see. And after that?”
“There’s nothing else.”
“......”
“......”
Yonell and Gainando stared at Yi Han in disbelief.
“Is... is this professor even real?”
“Real or fake, who cares? What matters is that he’s giving me grades.”
Yonell was impressed.
When she first enrolled, she had thought:
-‘I must be one of the most practical thinkers among the students here.’
After all, many students from the Blue Dragon Tower came from prestigious families and often had rigid ways of thinking.
Yonell had noticed this several times.
But after talking with Yi Han, she realized how vast the world was and how high the sky stretched.
This boy from the Wodanaz family was on a whole new level of practicality—one that even Yonell couldn’t match!
“Well, if you guys don’t want to attend, that’s fine. Next up is <Basic Swordsmanship>.”
“... Wait, are you seriously going to take that too??”
“Wodanaz, this is getting a bit much...”
Even though his friends tried to dissuade him, Yi Han didn’t listen.
If it wasn’t a mandatory course, he would choose based on his own criteria.
That was the rule of Einrogard Magic Academy!
‘Should we really stop him??’
Gainando seriously considered running to the headmaster for advice.
The Basic Swordsmanship lecture had far more students than the Basic Repetitive Magical Combat Training.
At a glance, over ten students were gathered in the southern courtyard, waiting for the professor.
‘Huh.
There are more than I expected.’
Yi Han quickly realized why.
The students here were from the <White Tiger Tower>.
They were from imperial knight families who had come to learn magic.
Naturally, being from knight families, they were skilled in swordsmanship and took it very seriously.
While students from other families might have learned swordsmanship, they wouldn’t come here specifically for it.
The White Tiger Tower students, however, were the opposite.
‘Well, the Basic Repetitive Magical Combat Training was too much of a freebie.’
Yi Han was slightly disappointed, but upon reflection, it was unusual to be the only student in a lecture.
This wasn’t so bad.
Besides, Yi Han had also been steadily learning swordsmanship.
“... What’s this?”
“Isn’t that a Blue Dragon Tower student?”
Just as Yi Han was surprised, the White Tiger Tower students were also murmuring in surprise.
They hadn’t expected students from other dorms to attend.
“I know who that is. He’s from the Wodanaz family.”
“The Wodanaz family...! The famous magical family of the empire?”
“But why is someone from that family taking this lecture?”
“Maybe he learned a bit of swordsmanship from a private tutor at home?”
“There’s a limit to how much you can underestimate swordsmanship.”
Most of the students showed strong disapproval.
While there were individual differences, the White Tiger Tower students generally took pride in their swordsmanship and trained seriously.
In contrast, noble families from other towers learned swordsmanship more as a form of self-defense or cultural refinement—just skimming the surface.
It was only natural for them to feel resistant to someone like Yi Han joining the lecture.
Yi Han noticed their reactions.
‘Whatever.’
And of course, he didn’t care.
At most, it was just a bunch of teenagers engaging in childish power plays.
Yi Han wasn’t foolish enough to get caught up in that.
“Hey.”
When Yi Han ignored their reactions, one of the students finally stepped forward.
He had the well-built physique typical of a knight family, and combined with his orc heritage, his muscles gave off an intimidating presence even through his shabby uniform.
The orc stood in front of Yi Han and looked him straight in the eye.
Yi Han met his gaze without flinching.
The orc looked rough, but Yi Han had seen worse.
“Got something to say?”
“Yeah. You’re from the Wodanaz family, Blue Dragon Tower, right?”
“That’s right.”
“You must’ve come here by mistake. This is a serious swordsmanship lecture. It’s not about swinging a sword for show.”
“I see. Thanks for letting me know.”
“......”
Even though the orc had spoken politely, Yi Han’s dismissive response made him frown.
“I don’t think you understand. This is a real swordsmanship lecture. We’ll be sparring, and if you’re not careful, you could get seriously hurt. The other students here won’t go easy on you.”
“Got it. If I end up sparring with you, I’ll make sure not to hurt you. If you’re that worried.”
“......”
The orc took a moment to process Yi Han’s words.
When he finally understood, his face turned red with anger.
Just then, a small cough was heard.
The professor had arrived.
“Alright, everyone. Gather around, please.”
The professor’s voice was soft and gentle, but his appearance was the complete opposite.
Despite being an elf—a race known for their beauty—his scars and wounds gave him an intimidating presence.
His face and body were covered in scars, and he had a prosthetic arm and leg.
One of his eyes was also scarred, making it appear different from the other.
“I am Professor Ingeldel. I’ll be teaching you swordsmanship this semester.”
The elf professor leaned on a longsword like a cane as he continued.
“I assume that those of you who have come to Einrogard to learn swordsmanship already have some experience. You’re here to refine your skills or to keep them from rusting.”
Yi Han felt a slight pang of guilt.
While that wasn’t entirely wrong, his main reason for being here was the grades.
“So, I won’t be teaching you swordsmanship from scratch. It’s better for each of you to polish what you’ve already learned.”
The students from knight families listened intently, their eyes shining with excitement.
For them, who were still unfamiliar with magic, swordsmanship was far more appealing.
Tap tap—
“?”
Yi Han turned his head.
Someone was tapping his arm.
It was another elf, but his appearance was the complete opposite of Professor Ingeldel.
He had short golden hair that reached his nape and a slender, androgynous beauty.
‘He must be popular with the girls.’
“What is it?”
“You’re from the Wodanaz family, right? I’m curious why someone from the Wodanaz family would want to learn swordsmanship.”
The elf spoke in a light but not frivolous tone.
Unlike the student who had picked a fight earlier, he seemed skilled at dealing with people.
“It looked like an easy way to get good grades.”
“......”