I couldn’t even remember how many times I had tried.
The orb I had barely managed to complete was the result of countless attempts.
"... Lee Han?"
"Huh?"
"I’m not an expert on magic, but... hasn’t it gotten too big?" Yonell asked with a bewildered expression.
The other students seemed equally confused.
The water orb, which had initially been the size of a fist, had now grown to the size of a massive boulder.
At this point, it was hard to even call it an "orb."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
The enormous water orb spun with a menacing sound.
Asan, as if to reassure everyone, spoke up.
"Wodanaz wouldn’t fail to control a simple spell. There’s a 100% chance this is how the magic is supposed to be."
"R-really? But for a first-year spell, it looks... too dangerous," Rowena stammered.
Nilia, standing beside her, snapped in defense.
"What are you even saying? Wodanaz can handle this much!"
"......"
While I appreciated my friends’ support, it also felt like a burden.
Suddenly, I felt the weight of it all.
‘Did I push myself too hard?’
There’s a saying among young mages:
"Don’t mess with a well-crafted spell."
A spell is already a complete formula and a world in itself.
An inexperienced mage tampering with it would only lead to disaster.
What I was doing wasn’t a massive transformation, but it was still a modification.
‘Did I do it wrong?’
Maintaining the rotation of a highly compressed water orb was proving difficult for me.
Unbeknownst to me, this was a high-level spell that even upperclassmen struggled with unless they specialized in it.
A spell that required maintaining the orb’s form with a fixed amount of mana while also keeping it rotating!
Of course, I didn’t know that.
So, I poured more mana into it.
To maintain the rotation.
As I injected more mana, the water orb began to spin, but its form started to distort under the strain.
Thinking there was plenty of water around, I simply increased the size of the orb.
But as the orb grew larger, the rotation began to slow again.
...
So, I poured even more mana into it.
Under normal circumstances, either the mage would collapse, or the orb would explode.
But my mana reserves were too vast to collapse, and my concentration was far stronger than expected, preventing the orb from falling apart.
After what felt like dozens of minutes, I finally completed it.
A barely stable water orb, spinning in its completed form!
...
Though it was dozens of times larger than before!
‘No. I can definitely control it.’
I aimed the water cannon—no, the water orb—at the golem.
Just maintaining the spell was exhausting.
‘Go!’
Boom!
With a deafening roar, the water orb shot forward.
Unable to fully control its power, it veered slightly off course.
‘Oops!’
I had aimed for the golem’s back, but it hit its shoulder instead.
I clicked my tongue in frustration.
‘Can I even recreate this? My head’s already pounding from making just one...’
Thud!
"......"
"......"
"?????"
The students blinked in disbelief at what had just happened.
The mud golem, struck by the water orb on its shoulder, shattered into pieces.
"W-whoaaaaa!"
"Wodanaz! Wodanaz! Wodanaz!"
"See!? What did I tell you!"
"......"
I stared blankly at the remains of the mud golem.
Even though it missed, the power was still...
I couldn’t tell if it was due to the water orb’s strength or the golem’s weakness.
‘Still, Professor Voladi’s teachings weren’t wrong.
They saved me.’
Though, to be fair, Professor Voladi had never taught me anything like this.
"Wodanaz. Are you okay? Let me carry you."
"No, I’ll carry you."
"I’ll carry you."
As I staggered from the aftereffects of the spell, my friends rushed over.
Grabbing my limbs and pulling, they nearly gave me a headache I didn’t even have.
"... I can walk on my own."
"Oh, really?"
After resting for a bit and downing the remaining coffee, my mind cleared.
My recovery speed was almost ridiculous.
‘Maybe coffee is a magic potion no matter where you are.’
Gulp—
"Hmm. The rain’s let up a bit. Nilia, is it okay to head out now?"
"Normally... I’d want to wait a bit longer, but..."
"Let’s go!"
"Wodanaz says it’s okay!"
"... Listen to the end of what I’m saying, you brats!"
Nilia was fuming as the friends started moving before she could finish.
I called them back to order.
"I’d like to wait a bit longer, but seeing that mud golem earlier, we can’t let our guard down. Let’s move now that the rain’s lighter. I’ll take the lead, so just follow behind me. Don’t stop, don’t wander off, and don’t get distracted by anything interesting..."
"Ah. Isn’t that an ulum fruit? Looks tasty."
Thwack!
I smacked the Black Turtle Tower student on the back with my staff.
The student yelped.
"S-sorry, Wodanaz-nim!"
"Sorry!"
The atmosphere instantly became orderly.
The Black Turtle Tower students straightened their clothes and posture.
Nilia gave me a grateful look, but I sighed inwardly.
‘Damn.
I should’ve made someone else do it.’
Nilia had taken on the role of the nice teacher, while I ended up as the strict one.
It was an effective setup often used during training trips or outings, but...
...
I wanted to be the nice teacher too.
‘I should’ve just let Nilia handle it.’
Unaware of my inner thoughts, Nilia finished her instructions.
"Everyone, form groups. Make sure no one gets left behind. If there’s a problem, speak up immediately. Ready? Let’s go!"
The students lined up and set off.
To anyone watching, it would’ve been hard to believe they were magic school students, given how orderly their formation was.
"Light!"
I summoned a ball of light to illuminate the surroundings, helping the students behind me.
Not just me, but any student who could use magic cast spells to assist their friends.
Seeing this, a thought occurred to me.
‘Maybe I can try fire magic now?’
In this situation, fire magic might be the most fitting.
Though the rain had lightened, the students were all shivering from the cold.
‘Professor Garcia warned me, but...’
Professor Garcia had advised me not to use fire elemental magic within the school until my abilities were more refined.
There was a risk I could hurt myself.
But in this rainy situation, the risk seemed minimal.
The bigger concern was whether fire could even ignite properly in the rain.
In fact, students who knew the <Flame Creation> spell were struggling to succeed in this downpour.
The constant rain and the cold, damp environment were affecting the mages’ focus.
‘Can I really ignite a flame in these conditions?’
The moment such doubt arose, the spell was already half-failed.
‘Let’s try.’
"Burn!"
I visualized the image of fire and chanted the incantation.
Thanks to constantly sneaking glances at my classmates during Professor Garcia’s lectures, I remembered the motions perfectly.
Whoosh—
"!!!!"
"!!!!!!"
Nilia, walking beside me, perked up her ears and jumped in surprise.
I had just unleashed a fierce burst of flame.
Though the flames disappeared almost instantly, the shock remained.
"?!?!?!"
"S-sorry."
Nilia didn’t scream, not wanting to alarm the students behind her.
True to her <Shadow Patrol> origins, she expressed her shock through body language—waving her hands, widening her eyes, and shaking her feet.
It was clear what she was trying to say.
"Really sorry. I didn’t think it’d be this hard to control."
"W-what did you do?" Nilia asked in a stunned voice.
"Flame Creation."
"...???"
Nilia couldn’t believe her ears.
Since when did a simple flame spell look like that?
"It’s my first time using it, so I failed to control it. But I’ve got the hang of it now."
As if to prove I wasn’t lying, I adjusted the size of the flame.
A sphere of fire flickered into existence in the air.
The intense heat warmed our bodies, and Nilia’s expression softened.
"Burn!"
"??"
"Why?"
"Uh... nothing."
Nilia thought, ‘Even if it’s a 1st-circle spell, is it okay to use it repeatedly like that?’ but decided not to say anything.
Just as I respected Nilia’s abilities as a hunter, she respected my abilities as a mage.
That’s what friends do.
"Ah. By the way, can I summon multiple of these?"
"......"
Nilia glared at me.
Regardless, the flames and light sped up the students’ pace.
The fireballs I summoned warmed the frozen hands and feet of the students.
‘Professor Ingeldel really isn’t here.’
Arriving at the spot where Professor Ingeldel had been, I looked around.
The professor was nowhere to be seen, but I wasn’t disappointed.
I had been certain of this for a while now.
‘It really was the professors’ trap.’
Creak—
"?"
The bone summon suddenly trembled in fear and hid behind me, as if afraid of the spot where Professor Ingeldel had disappeared.
‘What’s going on?’
I focused my mind.
From where Professor Ingeldel had vanished, I sensed a familiar mana.
Where had I felt it before?
Boom!!!
"?!?"
The students all turned their heads in shock.
From the opposite direction, a mud golem was charging toward us, rampaging wildly.
While my group had me as a leader, the Phoenix Tower and White Tiger Tower students had no such figure.
When the mud golem appeared, the students each voiced their opinions.
"Let’s throw potions at it to take it down!"
"Let’s gang up on it from all sides. If we distract it, we’ve got a chance!"
"Should we try using magic?"
"Let’s just do everything!"
"That’s a good idea, right?"
What happens when you try to execute dozens of ideas without refining them into one?
Of course, it turned into a mess.
"Throw it! The potion’s working! Bartrek’s potions are the best!"
"Wasn’t that potion made by Priestess Siana?"
"Oh, really? My bad."
"Everyone, spread out and stab it! Don’t let it regroup!"
Despite the chaos, the students fought surprisingly well.
They threw hastily made potions to weaken the mud golem, while the White Tiger Tower students slashed at it with spears and swords, chipping away at its body.
Their knightly lineage showed in their combat skills.
But that was as far as they got.
When the potions’ effects wore off and the golem wasn’t defeated, the students started to get pushed back.
"... Retreat! Retreat! If we stay here, we’ll all be crushed!"
"Run! Run if you want to live!"
Realizing their weapons were no longer effective, the students began to scream and flee.
And they just happened to run in the direction of my group!
I muttered as I watched the chaos approaching from afar.
"Those guys are no help in life..."
Nilia decided to pretend she didn’t hear that, for the sake of my image.