The more inexperienced and less skilled a mage was, the more they would flail their wand and shout their spells loudly.
The weaker they felt, the more they needed to act strong to solidify their own mental image.
In that regard, Yi Han was almost the opposite.
He barely moved his wand, and his voice was as soft as a whisper.
Yi Han himself didn’t realize it, but the harsh training Professor Voladi had put him through was clearly showing its effects.
"...!" Yonel was surprised by the natural way the assignments flew through the air.
Like paper birds, Yi Han and Yonel’s thick stack of assignments smoothly cut through the air, heading toward the professor’s pile of papers.
Even though it was just a simple task of sending the assignments flying, it was impossible to look away.
This was on a completely different level from the stiff and jerky <Low-Level Control> magic Yonel had seen before.
‘Focus.’ Yi Han concentrated his mind.
It wasn’t just about placing the assignments into the pile.
He had to avoid being noticed by the professor.
- Focus.
It was as if Professor Voladi’s voice was whispering in his ear.
"It’s a simple task, just slipping the paper in between."
Professor Voladi’s voice in his ear became clearer.
"But there’s a barrier, isn’t there?"
"You can break through it. You’ve already learned how to, haven’t you?"
The voice became so clear it was almost overwhelming.
This... wasn’t a voice in his head.
Yi Han shuddered in fear and turned his gaze.
Behind him, two professors were staring right at him.
Yonel was so shocked he could barely breathe.
Professor Voladi spoke in a cold voice.
"Why are you looking away? Focus."
Yi Han instinctively turned his head back.
Then, the unfamiliar professor next to Professor Voladi spoke.
"Maybe it’s better to just give up and step back..."
"Ignore him. You can do it. Remember what you’ve learned."
"......"
Yi Han thought about the streak of bad luck he’d been having this week.
No matter how he looked at it, it was just too unlucky.
Had he been cursed or something?
‘Of all people, I had to run into these professors.’
He’d rather have run into Professor Garcia than Professor Voladi.
Yi Han was seriously considering whether he should look for a luck potion.
"No, really? That barrier is more difficult than you think."
"You can do it. Do it."
"Um, professors... Could you maybe agree on one piece of advice...?"
Yonel couldn’t help but speak up, but the two professors ignored him.
Professor Voladi insisted he could do it, while the unfamiliar professor advised him to back off.
It was a maddening situation, but Yi Han managed to figure out a few things.
‘So there’s a barrier.’
He had expected some magic to be at play since the pile of assignments was floating in the air and following the professor around, but he hadn’t anticipated a barrier.
The unfamiliar professor spoke again.
"That barrier makes a loud noise if someone touches it. You might not feel it, but there are several layers of invisible magical bands rotating around that pile of papers."
Yi Han focused, trying to sense the magic.
It was easy to miss because of the overwhelming amount of magic radiating from his body, but Yi Han’s talent wasn’t just limited to magic.
His tenacity, his ability to remain calm and calculated in moments of crisis, and his knack for detecting magic were all exceptional.
‘I see it!’
As he concentrated, he could feel the magical bands slowly rotating around the pile of papers.
"It’s nearly impossible for a student at your level to approach without touching the magical bands. So don’t let Professor Bagrek’s words push you into doing something reckless. It’s better to wait for the next opportunity. Professor Bagrek, as you know, doesn’t think about students at all."
‘That’s true.’
Yi Han agreed wholeheartedly, but he said something different out loud.
"No, Professor Voladi always thinks about the students."
"That’s what I thought."
Professor Voladi took Yi Han’s words at face value.
If Yi Han had agreed, Professor Voladi would have thought, ‘Ah, I guess I don’t think about the students enough.’ But since Yi Han said that, Professor Voladi concluded that his current teaching method was indeed considerate of the students.
There was no other possibility.
"Really? Your student is so kind."
"That’s not logical. Wodanaz. Do it. The target is moving."
"It’s impossible...!"
Professor Voladi urged him on, while the unfamiliar professor tried to stop him.
And then, Yi Han moved.
Snap!
The thick stack of assignments flew smoothly, passing through the gaps between the rotating magical bands.
If there had been even the slightest mistake, the bands would have torn, creating a loud noise.
Without hesitation, Yi Han sent the next assignment flying.
Yonel’s assignment also landed perfectly on the pile.
Yonel clapped without realizing it.
Professor Voladi gave a faint nod.
"... That’s impossible! How?!"
"I learned it."
"Yes, thanks to Professor Voladi’s guidance."
Yi Han spoke without showing any emotion.
The unfamiliar professor was even more impressed.
"Really, isn’t this student too good?! Nice to meet you. You must be Wodanaz, right? I’m Professor Kirmin Ku. Normally, I’d shake your hand, but I don’t recommend shaking hands with me. There’s a... racial issue."
Professor Kirmin was the complete opposite of Professor Voladi.
He had a cheerful, lively voice and was dressed impeccably, without a single wrinkle.
It was almost surprising to see him chatting so amiably with Professor Voladi.
"What field do you teach?"
"I specialize in illusion magic, particularly barriers. You just saw it, didn’t you?"
"!"
Yi Han’s eyes lit up.
He had suspected it, but to hear that Professor Kirmin was an expert in barrier magic...
"By the way, you’ll be visiting Professor Garcia’s classroom at least once this semester. I need to show the students how fun and delightful illusion magic can be."
"Illusion magic is useless."
"......"
Yi Han was shocked by Professor Voladi’s words.
To dismiss another professor’s field like that...
Wasn’t this grounds for a duel?
But Professor Kirmin simply ignored Professor Voladi’s comment.
"It’s several times harder to deceive a mage above a certain level with illusion magic than with other types of magic."
"Right. You’ve said that a hundred times. But the number of mages at that ‘certain level’ in this vast empire is less than a handful. So, Wodanaz, why were you trying to put those papers there?"
Yi Han thought for about a second.
He considered the professors’ moods, whether lying would work, and made the best judgment.
‘It’s better to just be honest.’
"I was late submitting the assignments?"
"......"
Yonel’s face turned red with embarrassment.
Professor Kirmin also seemed taken aback by the unexpected reason.
‘Just because you were a little late with the assignments?!’
"I’m sorry, Professor."
Yi Han apologized to Professor Voladi as well.
But, as expected, Professor Voladi didn’t seem to care.
"Why?"
"I was late with the assignments?"
"Were they my assignments?"
‘I knew it.’
"Well, I guess so."
Professor Kirmin looked at the two of them as if they were some strange sight.
Honestly, it had been a long time since he’d seen someone who could get along with Professor Voladi like this.
Whether it was a professor or a student, after a few minutes of conversation, they’d usually leave, muttering something like, ‘I hope the sun rises above your head, you damn vampire brat.’
"So, what class was it?"
"<Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic>."
"Professor Alpen Naiton?"
Yi Han tensed at the mention of the professor’s name.
In the face of the professors’ friendship, a student’s promise was insignificant...
"Well done. Well done. Honestly, that professor’s assignments aren’t worth doing."
"???"
Professor Kirmin actually praised Yi Han.
Professor Voladi also added, which was rare.
"Professor Alpen Naiton is a mage who used to work as a high-ranking imperial administrator. He’s more skilled at handling power than magic."
"Do you know that guy once cut my research budget in half?"
The two professors grumbled and cursed the <Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic> professor.
Seeing their familiar dynamic, Yi Han let out a sigh of relief.
Not all professors got along.
Especially those who pursued pure magical research.
They didn’t look kindly on mages who held high-ranking positions in the empire and were actively involved in politics.
The reasons were roughly along the lines of ‘the purity of magic this and that’ and ‘the temptations and corruption of the secular world this and that,’ but from Yi Han’s perspective, it was probably because the latter could mess with the former’s research budgets.
Even a mage who could bring down the heavens and split the earth couldn’t conduct research without a budget.
In that sense, mages who worked in high-ranking imperial positions and reviewed research budgets were the enemies of all other mages.
- My lifelong intuition is telling me! We must excavate this dungeon, even if it means using the entire territory’s budget.
Call all the adventurers nearby...
- Didn’t you say the same thing last time? This proposal is rejected.
- I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you! You’d better watch your back at night!
- If you want to target me at night, you’ll have to wait in line.
There are already thirty-three people ahead of you...
Such dignified conversations happened every year.
But Yi Han’s thoughts didn’t change even after hearing the two professors’ conversation.
In fact...
‘Wait, he was a high-ranking imperial administrator?’
When he heard that the professor had been a high-ranking imperial official, Yi Han’s eyes sparkled.
What did that mean? It meant he had strong connections in the imperial bureaucracy.
And one of Yi Han’s top goals was to become an imperial official.
Suddenly, Yi Han felt his resentment toward Professor Alpen Naiton melt away like snow.
Even the ridiculous amount of assignments now felt like the responsibility of a high-ranking official carrying the weight of the empire.
‘I’ll have to make an even better impression from now on.’
"Wodanaz. I’ve heard rumors that you’re exceptionally talented. Be careful. Don’t get dragged into becoming an imperial official. If you’re too outstanding, they’ll send all sorts of temptations your way."
Professor Voladi frowned and spoke at length, which was rare for him.
"Enough with the jokes, Ku. There’s no way Wodanaz would take such a trivial path of anti-magic."
"Right, what was I thinking? Coming from the Wodanaz family, there’s no way you’d become an imperial official. Right?"
"......"
For the first time in a while, Yi Han felt cold sweat running down his back.
After hearing Professor Kirmin Ku’s suggestion to meet during the next illusion magic class (Professor Kirmin even recommended seriously learning illusion magic, ignoring Professor Voladi’s interference), Yi Han headed to meet his friends from the Blue Dragon Tower with Yonel.
From the looks they exchanged outside the classroom earlier, it seemed everyone had made it back safely.
‘That’s a relief.’
Now, to get the materials and make the potion...
"Everyone, you worked hard yesterday..."
"Wodanaz! Gainan has been kidnapped!"
"!"
The Blue Dragon Tower students gathered in front of the tower rushed over to Yi Han as soon as they saw him.
They all looked like they’d just been in a fight.
Yi Han was startled and asked, "By whom? Don’t tell me it was the White Tiger Tower guys?"
"No! By a freed summon!!"
Yi Han was about to feel relieved but then stopped.
Thinking about it, this wasn’t a situation to feel relieved about.