Magic power, mana, magical energy—some tribes in the east called it "qi," while scholars who liked to show off called it "ether," and stubborn priests referred to it as "divine power."
This force, known by many names, was the source of a mage's strength.
The power to change the world! Every time magic was used, one had to draw upon and expend the magic power within themselves.
It was only natural that young mages, lacking skill and experience, often suffered from a lack of magic power.
But here was someone who had attempted the seventh trial and was still standing perfectly fine.
"Student, what's your name?"
"Ihan."
Professor Troll Garcia chuckled softly.
He was pleased that the student had given his own name instead of his family name.
Nobles—especially those from great noble families—rarely did that.
It aligned well with one of the school's ideals: equality.
"Come here."
"Uh..."
Ihan approached nervously. 'Should I have staggered like everyone else?' It was strange, after all.
Everyone else was staggering from using their magic, but he was standing perfectly fine.
He wondered if he had even cast the spell correctly.
"Hmm. Hmm. I see."
As Garcia nodded while holding Ihan's wrist, Gainando whispered to Yoner from behind.
"Hey, shouldn't we save him?? What if he gets eaten??"
"... Idiot, the professor can hear you."
"!?"
Garcia let go of Ihan's wrist and said, "Ihan, stay behind after class."
"Ah, yes."
After that, <Understanding Basic Magic> didn't involve much actual magic training.
Instead, Professor Garcia sternly lectured them on the mindset of a mage.
"When you've used up all your magic power, you must rest. Especially when you're still inexperienced! Don't get anxious about lacking magic power. As you train, your magic reserves will grow, and as you gain experience, you'll learn to conserve it. Every year, there are freshmen who, overflowing with enthusiasm, secretly practice magic and end up collapsing. If you're unlucky, you could get seriously hurt, so never do that. And, student, I don't eat students."
"Sorry..."
Gainando trembled as he apologized.
"Alright, that's it for today's lecture. Besides the required courses, there are elective courses being held all over the school. Go check them out and think about what you want to learn. If you're unsure, you can come to my office and ask."
"......"
"......"
The students exchanged glances.
-Can you really go to the troll hybrid professor's office for a one-on-one consultation?
-Are you crazy?...
That's what their glances said.
"Wodanaz, be careful."
"Right. A troll's weaknesses are fire and acid."
"But there's none of that here, right?"
"... Wodanaz, be careful."
Hearing the other students' encouragement, Ihan stood before Professor Garcia.
"Actually, I've heard about you before, Ihan."
"??"
Ihan was taken aback by the unexpected remark.
What was this about?
"Would it be quicker if I said I heard it from the headmaster?"
"...!"
When Garcia mentioned that he'd heard it from the crazy lich headmaster, Ihan's face stiffened.
Garcia smiled and continued.
"Don't worry. The headmaster might seem like a lunatic at times, but deep down, he's a good person."
"... Huh??"
Does that even make sense? But Garcia ignored Ihan's confusion and went on.
"Every year, the headmaster observes the freshmen and gives us professors a brief rundown."
The students didn't know this, but Headmaster Lich had a sharp eye.
The freshmen entering this school were young men and women who had just come of age from all over the empire.
To prevent disasters, a keen eye was necessary.
-That dwarf kid, be careful.
He looks like he'll burn down the dorm three times.
-Ha! That one's a demon hybrid.
Professors who use holy magic, be cautious.
Don't get hurt unnecessarily.
-That one's a pickpocket from the <White Crow> guild, right?? Professors, be careful.
Surely no one would complain about being pickpocketed by a student, right? If they do, we'll throw them in the dungeon.
Of course, some professors ignored the headmaster's warnings.
Headmaster Lich had a sharp eye, but... he was equally known for his eccentric personality.
-That orc girl...
I feel like she'd be good with a spear.
-She's from a long line of swordsmanship masters, though?
-Shut up! Tell her to use a spear.
-......
As for Ihan, the headmaster had this to say:
-That kid has the makings of a Great Fool.
-...??
Great Fool.
It meant "extremely foolish."
Of course, the professors weren't stupid enough to take that at face value.
There was a famous saying in the eastern part of the empire:
-A Great Fool is akin to a Great Wisdom.
A seemingly foolish appearance often hides great wisdom.
It was an old adage warning not to be deceived by appearances and to seek true wisdom.
So, the headmaster's words likely meant:
-It's hard to tell now, but I see the potential for greatness in him.
The professors' reactions were split.
Some thought, "If he's saying that, there must be some talent," while others wondered, "Did he get drunk with someone from the Wodanaz family last night?"
And now, Professor Garcia thought he understood what the headmaster meant. 'So that's what he meant.'
"Uh... what did the headmaster say about me?"
Ihan felt a bit uneasy.
Being favored by a professor had its pros and cons.
On one hand, it could lead to good grades and recommendation letters—undeniable advantages.
But... if the favor went too far, conversations like this would start:
-Kid, it's a waste to let your talent rot like this.
-Thank you!
-You should come to graduate school!
-Huh? I haven't really thought about that...
-You know how competitive it is out there, right? If you go to grad school, get a degree, you'll have better job opportunities, and more importantly, you can delve deeper into the studies you love.
Doesn't that sound great?
-When you put it that way, it does sound good.
It was better to meet a kind professor.
If you met an evil, crazy professor, hell would begin.
And Headmaster Lich... 'He's definitely someone I don't want to get close to.' Ihan wanted to graduate with good grades and build a solid network, not get involved with the skeleton headmaster and walk some suspicious magical path.
"Ah, sorry. I can't tell you exactly what the headmaster said... but I can tell you about your talent. What the headmaster said was along these lines."
"!"
Ihan's eyes widened at the troll professor's words.
His talent? 'Was my talent... worth mentioning separately?' Back in the Wodanaz family, Ihan had never heard much about his talent.
Sure, it was confirmed that he had magical abilities.
His father, the head of the Wodanaz family, had said:
-How is my talent?
-Hmm.
Your magical talent is quite good.
-Thank you.
And that was it.
So now, hearing about his talent out of the blue was a bit startling. 'Is this bad news?' Ihan started seriously considering whether he should team up with Yoner to open an alchemy workshop with some investment.
"Ihan, your magic reserves are enormous."
"... Huh? That's it?"
Ihan was baffled. 'Not something like "you have trouble casting spells" or "your body isn't suited for light magic," but just that I have a lot of magic power?' Well, at least it wasn't bad news... but was it really worth mentioning separately? 'I thought everyone's innate magic reserves were different, and that training and technique could overcome it.
Is it really that important?'
"Of course, that's not all."
"Ah... I knew it."
"Ihan, your magic reserves are truly, insanely, ridiculously enormous."
"...???"
"Really, truly, crazily, ridiculously enormous?"
"Oh."
Only then did Ihan understand why Garcia had called him aside so seriously.
After hearing the detailed explanation, Ihan thought, 'Isn't this a good thing?' Magic required magic power.
If you lacked it, you had to draw from external sources, gather it through magic circles, or use magic stones.
But if you had a lot of magic power, you didn't need to do any of that.
It was a very useful talent for a mage...
"Unfortunately, it's not that simple."
"???"
But Garcia was looking at Ihan with a mix of pity and concern.
That look made Ihan realize something was wrong.
"Isn't having a lot of magic power a good thing?"
"Normally, yes. But Ihan, you have an insane amount. It's like handling water in a glass versus controlling the entire ocean. Do you see the problem?"
Ihan's expression hardened as he grasped the seriousness of the situation.
So now...? 'Does this mean the difficulty of magic just skyrocketed?' Even today, when they were learning a very simple spell called "Light Emission," not a single student had succeeded.
Magic was already a difficult discipline.
Drawing out magic power, focusing it, binding it with willpower... all of it required superhuman concentration.
And now, with an uncontrollably enormous amount of magic power, the already high difficulty level had just gone through the roof.
"Here, take this bracelet."
A crude, heavy iron bracelet.
Garcia placed one on each of Ihan's wrists.
"It's a magic-absorbing bracelet. It should help."
"!"
At least the magic school had a solution ready.
Ihan was touched.
"With this, there shouldn't be any major problems, right?"
"Huh? No. Even with this, it's going to be ridiculously hard."
"......"
"Your magic power is so overwhelming that nothing can really control it. This is just better than nothing."
Garcia was relatively kind and gentle, but he was still a mage.
Mages didn't sugarcoat things like this.
"... Any other advice?"
"Hmm... If you use an insane amount of magic to deplete your reserves, it might help a bit. You can practice basic magic training on your own. You won't run out of magic power, so no accidents will happen."
"... Thank you."
In a way, it was a privilege, but Ihan wasn't exactly thrilled.
'Ah, should I take non-magic courses?' Even though it was a magic school, not all courses required magic.
Alchemy, for instance, didn't involve much magic.
Leaving the professor's office, Ihan's head was spinning. 'I need to plan my path carefully from the first year and manage my grades well to avoid regrets later...'
"You made it out alive!"
At the bottom of the stairs, Gainando and Yoner were waiting.
Gainando, genuinely worried, looked Ihan up and down.
"What are you looking at?"
"Checking if the professor bit you."
Yoner's comment made Ihan look at Gainando incredulously. 'Well, with the skeleton headmaster around, it's not strange to be suspicious of professors.'
"What did he say?" Yoner asked curiously.
Ihan shrugged.
"He said I should practice magic a lot."
"How dare he...!" Gainando was furious, as if it were his own business.
How dare a professor tell a noble scion to practice magic a lot! How rude!
'If he gets this mad over that, what's he going to do if he fails an exam and has to retake it? Challenge the professor to a duel or something?'
"Anyway, I'm thinking about checking out some elective courses before the next required one. Any ideas?"
"Alchemy, of course," Yoner said.
Gainando openly sneered.
"Pfft. Alchemy is for servants and slaves!"
"......"
Ihan could clearly see Yoner's fist clenching tightly.