"Success," Lee Han thought to himself.
Even though he wanted to curse the professor internally, he didn’t show it on the outside.
That was the mark of a seasoned graduate student.
Lee Han maintained his expression and bowed his head.
"Thank you."
"There’s nothing to thank me for. You solved it with your own strength."
"......"
Despite the praise, Lee Han felt a slight pang of frustration.
Professor Voladi had genuinely fired that orb at him with full force.
If it had hit him directly, his bones would have at least cracked.
If he hadn’t used <Low-Level Manipulation> to hastily lift the orb and block it, it would have been a truly dangerous moment.
‘Professors are really...’
"Let’s try again."
This time, Professor Voladi took out an ordinary iron ball instead of a spirit stone orb.
Before the fist-sized iron ball could fall, Lee Han’s <Low-Level Manipulation> spell took effect.
"Move!" The iron ball stopped in mid-air.
Lee Han secretly hoped the ball might accidentally fly out and knock Professor Voladi’s jaw, but once he got the hang of <Low-Level Manipulation>, it wasn’t easily shaken.
Professor Voladi pointed upward with his hand.
"Up."
Lee Han moved the iron ball upward.
It trembled slightly, unstable, but it moved quickly.
"Down."
The iron ball descended again.
"Left. Right. One full circle clockwise. Two full circles counterclockwise."
Professor Voladi, who had been giving instructions non-stop, nodded his head.
"It takes a lot of effort, but this level is acceptable. From now on, we’ll train with this iron ball instead of the spirit stone orb."
"But I haven’t perfectly drawn a circle with the spirit stone orb yet. Is that okay?"
"Try again."
Lee Han put down the iron ball and poured his mana into the spirit stone orb.
Then, he drew a circle.
"!" Surprisingly, the circle he drew was much more perfect than before, even after nearly dying.
"Intense experiences make a mage grow. The spirit stone orb was just a tool for mages who lack ability. You don’t need it anymore."
"I understand."
"Now, draw a circle with the iron ball. Once your skills improve a bit more, I’ll prepare another trial like before."
"... Yes?" Professor Voladi believed there were two types of people in the world.
Those who freeze when faced with a life-threatening crisis, and those who react more fiercely and sharply.
Naturally, the latter were more suited to be battle mages, and the boy from the Wodanaz family in front of him had that quality.
Then, it was only natural to make use of that quality.
"......"
Of course, from Lee Han’s perspective, who had just received what felt like a death threat, his feelings were complicated.
Ah, this school is really something!
Even though he had nearly died earlier, the school continued to function as usual.
When the class ended, Professor Voladi handed Lee Han the iron ball.
"Practice drawing circles whenever you have time."
"Yes."
"And never let your guard down, no matter the situation."
"... What do you mean... No, I understand."
Lee Han felt uneasy even as he left.
Surely Professor Voladi wouldn’t follow him around and ambush him, right? Of course, he knew it was a crazy thought, but this school was making him increasingly paranoid.
"Did you wait long?"
"Not at all."
Lee Han waved to a half-demon girl in priestly robes.
She was Tiziling, a priestess of the Freesinga Order.
"Could you perhaps look after Tiziling for a bit?" Since the students of the Phoenix Tower were mostly from priestly backgrounds, they were naturally frugal.
Priest Mehrid was worried that Tiziling, who was still growing, might collapse from exhaustion.
In exchange for three baskets of groceries, Lee Han intended to keep his promise.
‘I’ll feed her well so I can get more baskets next time.’ With that determined thought, Lee Han sat down with Tiziling.
The sky was already turning red as evening approached, and the mountain range surrounding the school looked as if it were on fire.
‘If only this weren’t a school...
No, wait.
Why do I feel like a prisoner?’ Lee Han snapped out of it.
He wasn’t a prisoner.
Sure, this place had a bit of a prison-like vibe, but it was still a school.
"Here’s the priestly robe."
"Ah, thank you."
Lee Han took the robe Tiziling handed him and in return, offered her a round bread thinly spread with marmalade.
It was a soft, sweet bread, incomparable to the ones served at the school.
"I’m fine, thank you."
Tiziling declined.
"Is there a reason you’re refusing?"
"Priest Freesinga suffers for us, so it feels wrong for me to enjoy such delicacies alone."
Lee Han almost said, "What nonsense is that?" but stopped himself, remembering that he had joined the Freesinga Order.
‘Oops.
I almost added another stain to the Wodanaz family’s reputation.’ Lee Han calmly nodded.
It wasn’t easy to force food on someone with such strong faith.
He had to tread carefully.
"Ah, this bread really doesn’t taste good. It must have gone stale. Surely you wouldn’t feel guilty eating this, right?" He shook his head.
"This pickled beef canned food tastes terrible. Wouldn’t it be fine to eat this?" He shook his head again.
"The person who baked this bread must have put their heart into it for you, and the person who made the jam must have worked hard to serve you. If you don’t eat it, it’ll just go to waste..."
"......" ‘Did it work?’ Lee Han thought as he saw Tiziling’s eyes waver with guilt.
"... Wait. That bread wasn’t specially baked for me, was it? I saw it on display last time." ‘Tsk.’ When Tiziling caught on, Lee Han clicked his tongue.
He had almost pushed her over the edge...
As Lee Han continued to try to feed her, Tiziling looked apologetic.
"I’m really fine. I’ll tell Priest Mehrid that I ate, so please give it to someone else."
"Hmm..."
Lee Han was tempted.
Honestly, it would be easier for him.
It was just a bit uncomfortable to lie.
Priest Mehrid had asked Lee Han to look after Tiziling (even giving him extra baskets), and it felt wrong to ignore that.
If it were a promise made to the skeleton headmaster, he wouldn’t have hesitated to break it, but Priest Mehrid was a kind person.
While Lee Han was pondering, Tiziling took out a rough wooden cup, put in some green tea leaves, and poured hot water over them.
Steam rose gently.
"Wait."
"Huh?"
"Can I make some tea for you?" After a moment of thought, Tiziling nodded.
She couldn’t refuse after turning down the food.
"Yes, thank you."
"You’ll really drink it, right?"
"Of course. Why...?"
"Nothing."
Even in the Freesinga Order, they enjoyed coffee or green tea.
Of course, it was a drink with no sweetness at all, just coffee grounds or tea leaves.
It wasn’t just the Freesinga Order; other orders were the same.
They mostly drank beverages without any additives.
The stimulating effects of coffee or tea leaves helped priests meditate for long periods.
Naturally, Tiziling thought the tea Lee Han was making would be bitter and deep, aiding in spiritual cultivation.
But that was a misconception.
‘I’ll pack it full of nutrients.’ Lee Han borrowed Tiziling’s kettle, filled it with water, and added black tea leaves to boil.
To enhance the flavor, he lightly ground some ginger and cinnamon he had brought from the Oregal hut and added them.
That wasn’t all.
Once the black tea was boiling, Lee Han generously added sugar.
Tiziling’s mouth fell open in shock.
"What are you doing!?"
"Are... are you saying you don’t like the tea I’m making? This is a secret recipe from my family."
Lee Han looked genuinely hurt.
Flustered, Tiziling said, "Ah, no. It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just too luxu..."
"My family’s secret recipe is too luxurious!?"
"... It’s nothing..."
Tiziling shut her mouth, afraid of hurting his feelings further.
Lee Han nodded with a satisfied expression.
Tiziling gave him a slightly suspicious look.
Was he acting...?
‘What a blasphemous thought.’ As a fellow believer and a member of the Wodanaz family, Lee Han wouldn’t lie, especially not using his family’s name.
Unlike Tiziling, who was a half-demon, the Wodanaz family was one of the empire’s most renowned magical families.
Meanwhile, Lee Han finished adding sugar and poured in milk, completing the spiced milk tea.
"Here, try it."
Tiziling cautiously brought the teacup to her lips.
A sweet, rich flavor she had never experienced before spread through her mouth.
‘She likes it.’ Lee Han noticed Tiziling’s expression soften.
After all, after eating bitter and tasteless food, something sweet would naturally be delightful.
Tiziling finished it faster than expected.
Lee Han immediately poured her another cup.
She sipped it without refusal, then startled belatedly.
"Surely you wouldn’t leave behind tea made with my family’s secret recipe..."
"Enough, I get it."
Seeing how well the milk tea worked, Lee Han prepared the next drink.
He boiled water, added sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and milk, stirring well before adding cornmeal.
The thick mixture was more like soup than a drink.
‘Truly an evil scheme.’ Lee Han marveled at his own plan.
Starting with a drink and gradually moving to something more soup-like to break down the other person’s values.
Once the cocoa soup was ready, Lee Han floated some biscuits on top.
By the time Tiziling realized, she had already emptied the bowl.
"Since you’ve eaten today, you can’t say you won’t eat in the future. Come here at the appointed time from now on."
"... You don’t have to say it so dramatically..."
Tiziling was grateful to the Wodanaz boy for caring for her, but his villainous tone was baffling.
Anyone watching might think he was threatening her.
Night.
A time when freshmen clutched their hungry stomachs with sad expressions, heading to their rooms or playing chess or cards in the lounge for a piece of bread.
At that time, Lee Han was leaving the tower.
‘I am a priest of the Freesinga Order.
I am a priest of the Freesinga Order.’ Dressed in priestly robes, Lee Han looked like any other Phoenix Tower student out for prayer.
Lee Han’s goal was simple: to find the passage used by outsiders entering and leaving the school! Once he found that passage, he could disguise himself as an outsider and escape the school.
‘I’ll save the invisibility spell as much as possible.
Who knows what traps are out there.’ The reason he disguised himself in priestly robes despite having an invisibility spell was because the school was full of traps.
If he entered somewhere and the invisibility spell wore off, his life would be in danger.
Surviving in this school required more than one method.
‘...
Suddenly, I’m not sure if I really enrolled in this school.’ Lee Han felt a pang of sadness.
How did it come to this...?
The first floor of the main building, usually bustling with passing freshmen, was eerily empty.
The massive central staircases leading to the second floor or basement, and the corridors connecting to the lecture halls on either side.
While they looked elegant and noble in the sunlight, they exuded an ominous atmosphere in the dark.
‘If there’s a passage for outsiders, it’s most likely on the first floor.’ Lee Han’s gaze fell on the area behind the central staircase.
It was the area with banquet halls and large halls, not the lecture halls, where freshmen hadn’t set foot since the entrance ceremony.
"...?!" Lee Han was startled.
In the darkness ahead, another student was sneaking toward the area behind the central staircase.