Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 678

Chapter 678

Gawon, a mage belonging to the Daylily Magic Tower in Flaher City.

Gawon was a person with strong self-pride.

In fact, it was rare to find a mage with weak self-pride. Not just anyone could step into a field of study that changed reality with one's will, and innate talent was necessary.

As such, it wasn't strange for mages to think of themselves as chosen ones.

Even half-baked mages who couldn't find proper masters and learned magic from spellbooks picked up on the street were treated with great respect, let alone mages belonging to magic towers.

Mages like Gawon couldn't help but have strong self-pride.

However, there's always a higher sky above the sky.

There was an opponent to whom the name of Daylily Magic Tower didn't matter, and that was Einroguard.

The orthodox lineage of imperial magic!

"Thank you for lending it to us. My name is Yi-Han."

"Pl-please make yourself comfortable. I'm Gawon from the Daylily Magic Tower."

"Thank you!"

Gainando immediately sprawled out next to him. Yi-Han kicked Gainando's back. Gainando quickly got up.

"Everyone's condition... What happened to you all?"

"We had some things happen."

Yi-Han spoke with a bitter expression.

Too many things had happened in the Grief Mountains.

However, Gawon seemed to understand Yi-Han's expression differently.

"It seems you've been doing some dangerous and difficult magic research... I won't ask further."

"That's not it, but."

"Yes. We'll leave it at that."

"..."

Yi-Han smelled the scent of someone who only said what they wanted to say.

It wasn't very surprising. Poor communication was one of the characteristics of mages.

"Are you perhaps also participating in tonight's exchange meeting?"

"What exchange meeting are you talking about?"

"The magic tower exchange meeting. The one being held in Flaher City this year."

The field of magic was so vast and endless that no matter how much of a genius one was, it wasn't easy to delve into it alone.

That's why mages created guilds and built magic towers to hone their skills together.

Not stopping there, a place to share and exchange the knowledge and visions they had gained.

That was the exchange meeting.

Although not as large as the huge conferences where the empire's magic schools gathered, exchange meetings where nearby guilds or magic towers gathered were more frequent than expected. It seemed this exchange meeting was being held in Flaher City.

"Ah. No. We weren't invited."

"It has nothing to do with invitations! It's a free event. Students from Einroguard are more than welcome to attend."

Gawon spoke sincerely.

It wasn't such a formal event, and no one would say Einroguard students were unqualified to visit.

They could participate comfortably.

"As far as I know, I heard another Einroguard student is participating."

"Really?"

Yi-Han was puzzled.

Einroguard wasn't a guild or magic tower from this nearby area.

"As I said, it's a free event. Anyone interested and qualified can visit. Isn't that person also interested in the magic presented at the exchange meeting?"

'Another senior?'

Yi-Han thought that if an Einroguard senior was participating, it wouldn't be bad to have a conversation with them.

The new semester would start soon and he would meet various seniors, so it wouldn't hurt to get acquainted in advance.

"I'll think about it. By the way, do you have anything to present at today's exchange meeting?"

At Yi-Han's question, Gawon answered with an expression mixed with pride and confidence.

"Of course."

"Oh. What are you presenting?"

"Ahem. Would you like to see this?"

Gawon created three overlapping magic circles on the carriage floor, placed reagents, and began to chant a spell.

Yi-Han, who was watching from the side, spoke with interest.

"I see you're maintaining a spherical shape with water element magic and then adding additional properties. Classifying and amplifying mana..."

"Cough, cough."

Gawon, who had been chanting the spell, choked and coughed.

He hadn't expected the boy next to him to guess the magic immediately without any explanation.

"H-how?"

"Huh? I'm a mage too."

'So this is why Einroguard graduates...!'

If being a mage meant one could do all that, there would have been no reason for Gawon to struggle like this.

Gawon felt like laughing but held back. Making enemies with an Einroguard mage could lead to lifelong regret.

"Even among mages, one can't immediately recognize such complex magic."

'It doesn't seem particularly complex though...'

Compared to the magic of the skull principal or the professors, the magic Gawon was preparing was simple and easy to understand.

Of course, saying that would be rude, so Yi-Han spoke as positively as he could while phrasing it carefully.

"I think I recognized it quickly because I've seen similar magic before. And I was a bit lucky too."

"Ha... haha. Is it perhaps too simple?"

Gawon watched Yi-Han's reaction.

This magic was one that summoned a water sphere in the air and then turned it into a device for filtering and amplifying mana.

It was quite practical and good, receiving positive reviews within the magic tower, but Gawon was a bit concerned that it didn't seem to have developed much from the <Ota's Brilliant Prism> magic presented five years ago.

After all, once similar magic has been presented, latecomers need to show more novel and excellent attempts to receive good reviews.

"I don't think it's important whether magic is complex or simple. What's important is what effect it has, isn't it?"

"That's right?!"

Gawon's face brightened.

He gained confidence from the Einroguard student's encouragement.

"But in my opinion, this part of the magic circle seems unnecessary."

"Huh? This plays a role in shaping the left side..."

"It should be fixed by the force from the other side even without it."

"Wai-wait..."

Before Gawon could stop him, Yi-Han cut out part of the magic circle.

However, surprisingly, the magic was maintained as it was.

"!!"

"The mana on this border also seems unnecessary."

"That's really not true! We need to amplify and secure the mana needed for the magic..."

"You can just compress mana into this part."

Yi-Han redrew part of the magic circle drawn with luminous spirit ink, and instantly compressed mana into the black shadow sand.

It was a simple modification that took less than a second, but with just that, the mana required for this magic circle was reduced by 1/3.

Gawon blinked in shock.

'Ei... Einroguard...!'

Truly terrifying!

***

"Mr. Pengerin. Will you go together?"

"Hmm. You should go. You'll learn a lot."

Alcicle actively recommended the exchange meeting after hearing about it.

It was generally better for mages to know and associate with many other mages.

"What about you, Mr. Pengerin?"

"I don't want to."

"You don't have to eat sardines."

"...It's not because of the sardines, it's because of my research results. If I go there, questions will fly about how my research is going."

Alcicle shuddered as if the mere thought was dreadful. Yi-Han looked at Alcicle with pity.

It was a future that not only Alcicle but also Yi-Han might experience someday.

'I might go crazy if professors ask how the magic I'm practicing is going every time we meet.'

"How was the Grief Mountains?"

"I met a unicorn."

"What? Really?"

Alcicle was surprised.

Although Professor Bungaegor was an excellent adventurer, wasn't a unicorn just as rare an animal?

Meeting one required luck, so how did they manage to meet?

"Wow. Congratulations. Did you at least get a unicorn hair?"

"I got hair and a horn fragment... We decided to raise it at Einroguard."

"...What?? Why?!"

Alcicle, who had been lying askew, sat up abruptly.

Unicorns didn't usually make their homes in places with many people.

What on earth had happened?

"Well, we found a missing professor who was taking care of the unicorn."

"Ah. That cra... Professor Bentozol?"

'He's famous!?'

Yi-Han was surprised that Alcicle immediately recognized who Bentozol was.

"There wasn't just one Taotie but several, so when the unicorn was in danger..."

"Oh no."

"The principal came and took Professor Bentozol away and moved the unicorn to Einroguard."

"...Wait. Wait a minute."

Alcicle was dumbfounded as he listened.

This wasn't some ancient play, how could the story end with the skull principal suddenly coming and solving everything?

"It seems like a lot has been omitted in between..."

"Ah. Mr. Pengerin. I have to leave."

"O-okay. Have a good trip. Don't forget to tell me the story next time."

"It's nothing special."

"Which part of what you just said is nothing special?"

Alcicle grumbled but still saw Yi-Han off.

His friends couldn't even come out because they were sprawled out from mana motion sickness and fatigue. Even Eandurde was groaning.

'Is this the place?'

As he moved to the location he had heard from Gawon earlier, an old and shabby mansion appeared.

Not only was it small, but weeds were overgrown in the garden, and even just looking at the exterior of the mansion, broken parts could be seen here and there.

Normally, one might think they had come to the wrong place, but Yi-Han realized he had come to the right place from the mana he felt from that mansion.

'There must be magic cast inside.'

Such an exterior appearance meant little to a mage who could expand space.

Yi-Han looked around.

People who looked like mages were packing their belongings and entering the mansion.

And a familiar-looking crow mixed-blood mage with her hat pulled low...

"...Senior Direth?!"

"Who is it?!"

Direth turned her head in surprise, flapping the wings on her back. Fortunately, it was a familiar junior.

"Junior. What are you doing here?!"

"I was resting since it's the break. I was invited to the exchange meeting by chance."

"Ah... Ah. I see."

Direth wondered how Yi-Han, who had just finished his first year, had been invited to the exchange meeting.

Although it was a casual event, first-year students usually weren't invited.

'No. It's possible for this kid.'

But it didn't take long for Direth to convince herself.

This junior seemed more than capable of receiving an invitation.

"Are you hiding your identity?"

"It-it's not that grand... I just hope no one recognizes me."

"Perhaps your research has hit a snag...?"

"?!"

Direth was surprised.

How did he know!?

"How did you know?!"

"I heard that when research hits a snag, people don't often participate in these events."

"That's right. You're quick-witted. I wore a hat because I didn't want to get questions."

"If it were me, I think I wouldn't attend at all..."

"I can't not leave my name in the guest book after receiving an invitation. And the exchange meeting is quite helpful too. I thought I might get some inspiration."

Direth sighed once and then changed the subject.

"Junior. What did you do during the break? You didn't just work, did you?"

"Don't worry. Recently, I chased a unicorn with a professor in the Grief Mountains."

Yi-Han felt pleased, thinking it sounded quite plausible even to himself.

"Cough."

Direth almost dropped her hat from a cough.

"Why with a professor?"

"Because there was a bounty?"

"On the unicorn??"

"No. On Professor Bentozol."

"...?"

Direth wanted to ask what on earth that meant, but she realized it was time to go in when she heard the bell ringing inside.

"Follow me. Tell me that story again later."

"Yes."

"...Did you find the unicorn?"

"Yes. The principal took it to Einroguard."

"..."