Asan spoke urgently, his words causing both the Black Turtle Tower and Blue Dragon Tower students to look at him in shock.
How could he say such a thing?
"Hey, even if the White Tiger Tower guys are like that, there are priests here too."
"We can't just abandon the priests."
"How can you think so coldly?"
The reactions of the other students made Yi Han feel a pang of guilt.
Truth be told, he had been thinking the same thing as Asan.
"It's too late to leave them now! Everyone, scatter!" Nillia shouted urgently.
Having faced dangerous monsters in the mountains multiple times, Nillia was well aware of how to handle such situations.
Running away blindly with a monster chasing you from behind was even more dangerous.
The best course of action was to scatter, tie up the monster's movements, and then escape step by step.
Rowena, running alongside, asked anxiously, "Can you use that <Yumidifus's Water Orb> spell again?"
"What? I don't even know what that is, but I can't use it now! Just focus on getting everyone to safety!"
As he answered, Yi Han belatedly remembered who Yumidifus was—a famous imperial mage who had created many water-based spells.
But regardless of that, he couldn't use the spell right now.
It had taken him dozens of minutes to complete it earlier, and now the mud golem was charging at them...
"I hide in the night!" Yi Han chanted, and his body disappeared into the rain.
He had already confirmed that the mud golem relied on sight to locate its enemies.
'What a waste...'
Yi Han, now close to the mud golem, pulled out a smoke chalk from his pocket.
It was one of the incomplete artifacts he had bought from the Black Turtle Tower's black market.
'Go!'
With a crack, smoke billowed up near the mud golem, blocking its vision.
The sudden loss of sight made the golem hesitate.
Yi Han drew the sword Dawnstar, a gift from the headmaster, an anti-magic weapon of the empire.
The black-purple stone blade absorbed the surrounding magical energy, emitting a strange sound.
The bone summon nearby recoiled in disgust.
'Aim for the legs!'
Thud!
Yi Han had no intention of capturing the mud golem from the start. 'Stealing its vision and tying up its movements is enough.
Mud golems are different from other monsters.
Once the students are gone, it won't keep chasing.'
The effect of Dawnstar was better than expected.
The mud golem, its heel cut where the thick leg connected, couldn't recover immediately and lost its balance, kneeling on one knee.
Then, something fell from above.
"?"
Yi Han instinctively caught it.
It was a dwarf from the White Tiger Tower.
"???"
Bartrek Bark, who had been caught in the mud golem's fist, looked around in confusion.
Someone invisible was holding him.
"What are you doing? Not getting up?"
At the indifferent voice of the invisible person, Bartrek quickly stood up, startled.
"Are you Wodanaz?"
"?!"
This time, it was Yi Han's turn to be surprised. 'What's with this White Tiger Tower guy? How did he know?'
"How did you know?"
"I just thought the only one who would do something like this in the Blue Dragon Tower would be Wodanaz..."
"......"
Yi Han was speechless.
That didn't make any sense...
"Help Bartrek! Help Bartrek!"
"Bartrek! We're coming!"
As the mud golem stopped, the White Tiger Tower students regrouped and prepared to attack again.
It was truly impressive how their fighting spirit hadn't wavered despite being beaten and running away.
Of course, Yi Han was furious.
"Those unnecessary brats are really something!"
Bartrek pretended not to hear, for the honor of Wodanaz who had just saved him.
'Can't these brats even evacuate properly?!'
Yi Han's plan was simple.
Using the mud golem's weakness he had discovered earlier, he would confuse its vision and buy time.
Meanwhile, the students would evacuate on their own.
Once all the students were gone, Yi Han would use the power of his invisibility belt to disappear gracefully.
It was a simple and decent plan, but the White Tiger Tower students had completely ruined it.
Of course, they hadn't heard Yi Han's plan, so there was room for understanding, but that didn't mean much to Yi Han.
"Hey, I told you to run away!"
"Everyone, get out of here! Don't come to help me!"
Bartrek was flustered but followed Yi Han's instructions.
After all, it was Yi Han who had blocked the mud golem's vision and saved him, not another student.
Given the pride of the tower and basic conscience, it was a situation he couldn't refuse.
But the White Tiger Tower students ignored Bartrek's words.
"Bartrek! We're coming to help you!"
"Bartrek, we're on our way!"
"......"
Bartrek unconsciously glanced at Yi Han, though he couldn't see him since he was invisible.
Thud—
With the smoke still billowing around and the mud golem recovering its leg, it slowly began to move again.
The White Tiger Tower students running through the smoke seemed to have provoked the golem, as it turned its head to stare directly at them.
'It looks like it's targeting and tracking them.'
"Hey, how did you get through here? The mud golem wouldn't have just let you pass easily."
Yi Han asked Bartrek.
While Yi Han had used his invisibility magic to get behind the mud golem, the White Tiger Tower students didn't have such a method.
"We made a mud-dissolving potion and threw it. Priest Siana knew how to make it..."
"!"
Yi Han was surprised.
He hadn't known such a thing existed.
If they had that, weakening the mud golem itself wasn't impossible.
"That's great! Where's the potion now?"
"We used it all..."
"......"
Yi Han almost smacked the back of Bartrek's head in frustration.
To waste such a precious potion so carelessly...
Are your heads just for wearing helmets?
'Sigh.'
After letting out a sigh, Yi Han focused again.
The White Tiger Tower guys didn't seem like they were going to back down...
In this situation, he had to deal as much damage as possible to the mud golem before the smoke completely cleared.
What was the best way now?
'Even if I slash with Dawnstar, the wounds would be too small compared to its size, and the water orb would take too long.'
There was no time to think as the White Tiger Tower students were getting closer.
The mud golem had already raised its fist.
'Damn it!'
"Burn!"
It was more instinct than thought.
The spell was aggressive and had the range to reach the mud golem from this close...
But the effect was far better than Yi Han had expected.
Whoosh!
"?!?"
Bartrek was startled and fell to the ground.
A fierce flame suddenly surged up, engulfing the mud golem completely.
Normally, the rain would have extinguished the flames, but fueled by Yi Han's magical energy, the fire continued to burn fiercely.
"This... this is amazing!!"
Bartrek couldn't help but admire it.
Even among the White Tiger Tower students who disliked and envied Wodanaz, this was something they couldn't deny.
For a fellow freshman to burn a mud golem like this with a single spell...
The gap was so wide that it inspired awe rather than jealousy.
"This is insane!"
"??"
But instead of admiration, Yi Han cursed. 'I'm sorry, Professor Garcia!'
Yi Han now understood why Professor Garcia had told him to practice fire elemental magic later.
In his haste, he had poured more magical energy into the spell than he could control, and the flames immediately went out of control, rampaging on their own.
He had become too arrogant from his earlier success.
The only saving grace was that the mud golem had absorbed all the raging flames into its body.
Otherwise, the fire would have spread in other directions.
Crack!
'What's that?'
Yi Han looked up at the sound of cracking.
The mud golem was crumbling as it was baked by the flames.
It was commonly thought that baking mud would make it harder, but unless the mud was properly prepared, it wouldn't harden when baked.
Instead, it would become brittle and crumble like this.
"... So this was your plan all along...!"
Bartrek was beyond admiration now.
And Yi Han was beyond responding.
Yi Han released his invisibility spell.
Together with the White Tiger Tower students who had rushed over, they slashed and stabbed at the mud golem.
Already cracked and crumbling, the mud golem couldn't hold on any longer.
It collapsed and fell to the ground.
"Wahhh!"
"We got it! We got it!"
"Thanks to you! You did great!!"
"?"
Yi Han was puzzled as the White Tiger Tower students crowded around him, thanking him. 'What's going on?'
Of course, he understood they were happy about defeating the golem, but after all the fighting, why were they suddenly acting so friendly?
"... By the way, who are you? I don't remember seeing you before..."
"Which family are you from?"
"???"
The White Tiger Tower students, who had been thanking Yi Han, suddenly felt something was off.
They had assumed he was a fellow White Tiger Tower student since he was fighting alongside Bartrek with a sword...
But the more they looked, the less he seemed like one.
Unable to stand it any longer, Bartrek stepped in.
"He's not from our tower. He's Wodanaz from the Blue Dragon Tower."
"... Whaaaat?!"
The White Tiger Tower students, who had just been thanking him, were so shocked they stumbled backward.
Some even fell over.
'They seem more shocked now than when the mud golem attacked.'
"What... what are you plotting... with us?"
"No, more importantly, how did you trick us? Did you use the rain? But that still doesn't make sense..."
"Did you use magic to deceive us??"
As the White Tiger Tower students babbled and let their imaginations run wild, Yi Han shook his head in disappointment.
Bartrek, limping, spoke up.
He had been injured when the mud golem grabbed him earlier.
"This Wodanaz came to help us. He saved me. Everyone, stop talking nonsense."
"Bartrek! Are you okay?"
"I think I sprained something, but I'm fine. Can you gather the other students? It's better to regroup before they scatter too far."
At Bartrek's words, the White Tiger Tower students nodded.
Not all of them were hot-headed and charging in.
The Phoenix Tower priests and the more cautious (or in Yi Han's eyes, wise) White Tiger Tower students had chosen to run instead of fight.
They needed to be called back before they got lost in the mountains.
"But..."
"?"
"Is it really okay to leave Bartrek alone? Wodanaz, you won't do anything to Bartrek, right?"
"......"
"Ah, no, it's not that we don't trust your honor, but Bartrek is injured now..."
Faced with Yi Han's cold gaze, the White Tiger Tower students stammered excuses.
"Is everyone accounted for?"
"Yes. We've checked everyone."
Yi Han confirmed the numbers of the Blue Dragon Tower and Black Turtle Tower students.
Looking around, it seemed the White Tiger Tower and Phoenix Tower students had also regrouped.
On Yi Han's side, no one was injured, but the White Tiger Tower students had the most casualties.
Having recklessly charged at the mud golem, few were without bruises or fractures.
The Phoenix Tower priests provided first aid to their injured friends.
Priest Siana, in particular, true to her Flaming Sect origins, made pain-relief and bruise-healing potions to distribute.
Yonell admired her skills.
"As expected, you're amazing! Coming from the Flaming Sect, you know so many recipes, and your speed and skill in making them are top-notch..."
"......"
But Yi Han, who had heard about Siana's jealousy, felt conflicted. 'If only you were gone, I'd be first!' Such thoughts suddenly crossed his mind.
'I've already made enemies with the White Tiger Tower.
I don't want to make enemies with the Phoenix Tower too...'
As Yi Han thought this, Priest Siana approached him.
"I heard you fought the mud golem directly. Here, drink this. It's a bruise-healing potion."
"Yi Han isn't injured..."
Yonell tried to explain kindly, but Yi Han was quicker.
He swiftly took the potion, downed it in one go, and then praised it with all his might.
"This is... the best potion I've ever tasted!!"
"Huh?"
Yonell was puzzled by Yi Han's exaggerated reaction.
Of course, Priest Siana's skills were impressive, but a hastily made potion couldn't be that good...?
But Yi Han's enthusiastic response was just beginning.
His skills, honed by enduring the headmaster's boring lectures, were now on full display.
"Did you make this yourself? I can't believe it! This should be sold for money! Oh, gods!"
As Yi Han praised, he glanced sideways.
And there, he clearly saw it—Priest Siana's face brightening with a smile.