Without any chance to stop or change direction, the small boat slid right onto the soft sandbar of the island.
However, Angaro and Duke Ma, far from realizing the situation, kept their heads down and continued rowing on the sand, terrified that the enraged water spirits might attack them.
Yi Han was starting to regret why he had ended up sharing a boat with these idiots from the White Tiger Tower.
Even if it wasn’t Durkyu, someone like Moradi would’ve been smarter than these two...
“We’re stuck, you fools.”
“!”
Only then did Angaro realize that his oar was paddling through the soft sandbar.
His face flushed with embarrassment as he spoke.
“Ahem. Well... at least we managed to escape.”
“Right, Wodanaz. Look on the bright side. We’ve shaken off the enraged water spirits on the lake.”
Instead of replying, Yi Han simply twitched his staff.
It was a signal for them to get off the boat and push it back into the water.
The two students thought it would be better to comply rather than keep resisting...
Besides, it seemed like they had managed to escape the water spirits thanks to Wodanaz...
“Wodanaz.”
Angaro spoke cautiously after getting off the boat.
“Speak. I’m listening.”
“Can we rest on the island for a bit? I’m not tired, but my arms are a bit sore from rowing for so long...”
“I’m not tired either, but Wodanaz, you must’ve used a lot of mana... and there might still be spirits around...”
So, let’s rest for a while!
Yi Han clicked his tongue inwardly.
These guys had a knack for beating around the bush instead of just saying what they meant.
“Do as you please.”
“Th-thank you!”
Angaro was oddly grateful.
‘Did this guy really think I wouldn’t allow it?’
Yi Han felt a bit awkward at the reaction.
After all, he had just saved their lives...
“?”
Yi Han frowned as he looked at the dwarf student, Duke Ma.
Something felt off.
“Hey.”
“Wh-what? Why? Are we leaving already?”
“You seem a bit shorter.”
Duke Ma jumped up in anger, his face turning red and his body trembling.
“How dare you?! Just because no one’s around, you think you can insult me?! Do you think no one will stop you if you attack me?!”
‘Should I just hit him?’
Yi Han felt his grip tighten on his staff.
If they knew there was no one around to stop him, they should’ve kept their mouths shut...
“No, Duke Ma! You’re sinking!”
“??!!”
Only after hearing Angaro’s shout did Duke Ma realize something was wrong.
It wasn’t that he had gotten shorter—he was sinking into the sandbar.
“...!”
Yi Han’s expression hardened.
He had been too busy looking around the island to notice, but the boat was already half-sunken.
‘This is dangerous!’
Yi Han realized that his booted feet were also sinking softly into the sand.
Angaro was about to run in panic.
“Everyone, run forward! We need to get off the sandbar!”
“Wait—”
Before he could stop him, Angaro hastily stepped forward and sank even faster.
In an instant, he was waist-deep, flailing like he was stuck in quicksand.
‘Too late.’
Yi Han quickly gave up on Angaro and Duke Ma.
The only telekinetic magic Yi Han could use right now was <Low-Level Manipulation>.
This spell could only handle small objects like marbles—it couldn’t lift someone as large and heavy as Yi Han.
The structure of the spell itself would collapse under the strain.
But...
“Move!”
Yi Han fixed a steel marble in mid-air as if nailing it there.
Then, using his other arm, he grabbed the marble tightly and pulled himself up.
It was like doing a one-handed pull-up as Yi Han’s body rose from the sandbar.
It was a sight Professor Voladi would’ve loved.
Originally, <Low-Level Manipulation> was a spell meant for controlling small objects like quill pens—it wasn’t a combat spell.
If you wanted to use telekinetic magic in battle, there were plenty of other spells that, while taking a bit longer to cast, were far more effective.
No one insisted on using a basic teaching spell for combat...
Except for Professor Voladi, of course.
Professor Voladi had focused on the fast casting speed of low-circle spells like <Low-Level Manipulation>.
Whether it was a low-circle or high-circle spell, as long as it hit the enemy’s weak point, it could be fatal.
Why obsess over high-circle spells? What mattered was efficiency.
With enough training, even <Low-Level Manipulation> could be powerful!
Yi Han was now proving this with his own body.
The steel marble held firm in mid-air, supporting his weight.
Gritting his teeth, Yi Han slowly flew across the sandbar.
From maintaining the marble to using his arm and back muscles to hold on, every part of it was exhausting.
Thud!
Finally, Yi Han managed to escape the sandbar and landed on solid rock.
He turned his head to look back.
The boat had completely disappeared beneath the sandbar.
“Damn it...”
Yi Han let out a sigh of regret.
Come to think of it, Angaro and Duke Ma were also gone.
That was unfortunate too.
‘It must be the headmaster’s trap.’
—There are no coincidences; everything is inevitable.
If Yi Han could inscribe a phrase on the school gates, he would’ve chosen that one.
To warn the new students not to be fooled.
This island was the one the Skeleton Headmaster had told them to go to, the one where he had personally thrown the exit permit.
That meant the inescapable sandbar was also the headmaster’s trap.
Swoosh—
A new student had managed to escape, huh?
As expected, a summon emerged from the sandbar with a low voice.
The energy of death emanating from its entire body made it clear that it was an undead.
“Nice to meet you.”
...
Aren’t you surprised or panicked?
The undead summon, which looked like a large, bipedal turtle, was taken aback by Yi Han’s calm reaction.
New students usually screamed, cried, or even fainted at the sight of an undead summon... but the one in front of him was eerily composed.
“I’m surprised. So, why are you here? What am I supposed to do?”
The undead summon lost its composure again at Yi Han’s questioning.
It was supposed to explain things first, but it hadn’t expected to be interrogated like this.
After regaining its composure, the undead summon spoke.
“Originally, you should’ve sunk into the sandbar with the others.”
“......”
Yi Han had no intention of doing that, but he decided to listen.
Seeing the new student nod expressionlessly, the undead summon continued.
“Once you sink into the sandbar, the trial begins, where new students must cooperate with each other.”
“I see...”
Yi Han gripped his staff.
He felt no gratitude toward the Skeleton Headmaster for preparing such a bonding experience for the students.
After all, the headmaster was the one who caused this mess in the first place.
As Yi Han shifted uncomfortably, the undead summon spoke again.
“Since you managed to escape the sandbar, I’ll explain it to you directly.”
The turtle-like undead summon spoke as if doing a favor.
And it was sincere.
Normally, it would’ve dragged him back, but it was impressed by his skill and decided to explain instead.
“Now, go back in. You need to pass the trial.”
“What happens if I don’t go back?”
The undead summon responded as if Yi Han had said something ridiculous.
“Do you want me to drag you back? Go back in.”
“Understood.”
Yi Han obediently stood up from the rock.
The undead summon nodded, pleased with his compliance.
At that moment, Yi Han swung his staff.
“Move!”
With a flash, the steel marble shot out and struck the undead summon’s head with precision.
Yi Han’s sneak attack on the undead summon wasn’t just because it had been arrogant.
‘I can’t trust those two.’
If it had been Durkyu, Yi Han might’ve chosen to sink into the sandbar.
But with those two? No way.
It was madness to go along with it.
It seemed far more promising to seriously take down the undead summon with a sneak attack.
Crack!
A dull sound echoed as bones shattered.
But of course, the undead summon, being already dead, didn’t fall just because its skull was cracked.
It roared in anger.
“New student, how dare you?!”
“I’m sorry. I made a mistake. It was an accident.”
Yi Han’s sincere apology made the undead summon wonder if it really had been an accident.
But the next attack came immediately.
The steel marble charged in like a cannonball.
The undead summon hastily summoned a wall of sand to block it.
But the marble didn’t hesitate, curving around the wall and striking the summon’s head again.
Crack!!
The undead summon staggered, now furious.
“How dare a new student humiliate me?!”
“I hide in the night!”
Yi Han cast an invisibility spell and ran to the side, simultaneously casting another spell.
“Feet, wrinkle the earth!”
As the headmaster’s spell activated, the undead summon sensed its energy and was horrified.
“How dare you use the headmaster’s magic?! Did you steal it, you insolent brat?!”
‘The summon thinks too highly of its master.’
Yi Han quickly ran off.
The physical abilities activated by <Gonadaltes’ Agile Steps> brought vigor to his movements.
Staying still while invisible would be like asking to be caught.
“Go!”
Yi Han summoned a skeletal leopard.
Much larger than before, the skeletal leopard roared and charged across the sandbar.
“A summon without a body dares to challenge me?!”
The undead summon swung its front leg angrily, sending the skeletal leopard flying with a burst of sand.
It then began scattering sand in the direction Yi Han had been.
“I’ll admit, you’re clever for a new student. But that’s as far as it goes!”
The undead summon scattered sand everywhere, heading toward where Yi Han had been.
It was determined to catch him, even if he had fled deeper into the island.
“Is it here? Or... here? No, it’s here!”
The undead summon made loud noises, trying to intimidate Yi Han into revealing himself.
But it didn’t know one thing.
Yi Han had no intention of fleeing deeper into the island.
Why would he run into the unknown?
Swish—!
Yi Han burst out from the side, where he had been hiding.
The black-purple stone sword, Dawnstar, slashed through the undead summon’s thick leg, which supported its massive body.
As Dawnstar absorbed the death energy, the undead summon’s leg lost its strength and was unsummoned.
Losing its balance, the undead summon toppled over with a loud crash.
“You... you brat...!”
The undead summon, utterly baffled by the sneak attack, screamed.
“A mage using anti-magic weapons?! Have you lost your mind?! Are you even a mage, new student?!”
“......”
Yi Han decided to ignore it.
Not because he had no response, but because he had already planned to ignore it from the start.
It was true.