Episode 171

“You know one?”

“Yeah.”

Lee Han confessed that Professor Voladi’s lecture location had changed from the classroom to the underground dungeon.

It was for the sake of efficient lectures…

“Don’t joke around. …You’re not joking?”

Nillia, who had replied in disbelief, became flustered when Lee Han gave her a sorrowful look.

He wasn’t joking?

“Why on earth are you having lectures in the underground dungeon?”

“There’s a long story behind that.”

Lee Han sighed.

Telling that story now wouldn’t change anything anyway.

“Let’s just plan how to enter the underground dungeon. We need to get bone-healing flowers. Considering trial and error, we’ll probably need five or six per person.”

“What comes out in the dungeon? Slimes? Skeletons?”

“Demon Ghouls show up.”

“……”

Nillia couldn’t tell if Lee Han was teasing her or being serious, so she tilted her head.

But Lee Han’s expression was very serious.

“If Demon Ghouls show up… shouldn’t we just find another dungeon?”

“Finding another dungeon takes time too.”

“That’s true, but…”

Normally, would you push into a dangerous dungeon just because finding another one takes time?

‘Is Wardanaz getting corrupted by the school, or is it just my imagination?’

Nillia was worried seeing Lee Han suggest pushing into a dungeon with Demon Ghouls just because the odds of finding another were slim.

He seemed a bit more cautious when they first met…

“We’ll have to take the other friends with us once they recover. At least the principal’s exam is over, so that’s a relief.”

“Lucky you. I have to go back and take it again.”

“Really?”

Lee Han looked at Nillia with a puzzled expression.

“What kind of score are you aiming for that you’re going back?”

“…My only goal is to avoid failing.”

“Really? Then you don’t really need to go back, do you?”

“Wardanaz… what do you think my score is right now?”

Nillia’s voice turned a bit sharp.

This is why friends who are good at studying are the worst!

• * *

Lee Han was only able to soothe Nillia’s mood after promising to help her study for .

‘I don’t get it. The questions weren’t that hard.’

“Deorgyu.”

“Lee Han.”

From afar, his orc friend with a tired face appeared. Lee Han asked, just in case.

“Did you drink?”

“…A little…”

“Deorgyu. You shouldn’t just drink whatever the school gives you.”

“I know. I regret it. Lee Han.”

It was a strange conversation for first-years, but no one found it odd.

“Are the White Tiger Tower students studying hard?”

“Not really?”

Deorgyu answered without a hint of embarrassment.

For White Tiger Tower students, grades at the magic school weren’t that important.

They were here to learn magic to be active as knights in the first place.

Learning the necessary magic and leaving was important; grades weren’t.

‘What terrifying guys.’

Lee Han shuddered at the fact that White Tiger Tower students didn’t care much about studying.

The Blue Dragon Tower students from prestigious families at least cared about their family’s honor and name and tried to maintain some dignity (except for Gainando), but the White Tiger Tower students were like wild beasts.

Honestly, he was a bit jealous!

They could act so bold because they already had jobs lined up after graduation.

‘Still, it’s nice to have guys like that at the bottom.’

Lee Han nodded, thinking so.

“Studying isn’t a must.”

“Lee Han. It sounds weird when you say that.”

Deorgyu felt a sense of incongruity.

He seemed to be the most diligent student in the magic school right now…

“Hah! Haat! Huaaah!”

“Hut! Huuk! Heup!”

As they walked forward, they saw White Tiger Tower students clashing wooden swords and sweating.

“Are they doing that because they don’t want to study?”

“Ah… no. The swordsmanship class has an exam soon…”

Deorgyu defended his friends.

Of course, there was a part of the White Tiger Tower students that escaped into swordsmanship because of the stressful exams.

Knights from knightly families tended to swing their swords to clear their heads when faced with headaches.

“Well, that makes sense.”

“Deorgyu! Come swing your sword too! You need to sober up!”

“After struggling with books, swinging a sword feels so refreshing!”

“……”

At the White Tiger Tower friends’ shouts, Lee Han stared at Deorgyu. Deorgyu quickly walked ahead.

“Moradi.”

“Wardanaz.”

Giselle frowned when she saw Lee Han. Lee Han frowned at Giselle as well.

Both were thinking, ‘I wish that guy would just disappear.’

“Didn’t drink?”

“Only idiots drink. Why didn’t you drink, Wardanaz?”

“I don’t put anything the principal gives in my mouth.”

“……”

Giselle was appalled by the reason—it was even crazier than she thought.

What the heck?

“Everyone else is training swordsmanship. Is it okay for you not to?”

The other White Tiger Tower friends were swinging their swords hard, either because they didn’t want to study or to prepare for the swordsmanship exam.

But Giselle was sitting alone, reading a book.

“Studying is something you do all the time.”

‘Wait, is she saying the same thing as Gainando?’

Of course, Gainando and Moradi were completely different. Comparing them would be an insult to Moradi.

“Still, you need to prepare right before the test.”

“What are you trying to say?”

When Giselle curtly asked him to get to the point, Lee Han got straight to it.

“You’re unusually calm right before midterms. Do you know something?”

With a ‘thud,’ Giselle closed the book she was holding. The title was .

‘Moradi must be preparing for the exam too.’

Lee Han had finished studying that book two weeks ago.

“I do.”

“Knew it.”

There was only one reason Lee Han bothered to talk to Moradi.

The White Tiger Tower students showed considerable skill when it came to swordsmanship class.

Since they themselves were from knightly families, they could hear all sorts of rumors and knew a lot.

Last time, they’d even found out in advance that the White Oak Knights were coming.

Moradi might know something about the midterms in advance too.

Of course, she wouldn’t just tell him for free.

“What do you want?”

“Who knows.”

Giselle crossed her arms arrogantly. She wore the look of someone who knew she was in a position of power.

“What can you give me?”

“I already took the exam. How about trading the questions?”

“!”

Giselle’s usually expressionless face wavered.

Of course, the exam questions kept changing…

But since she hadn’t gone herself, she clearly didn’t know that.

‘This will work.’

Giselle hesitated.

To be honest, she didn’t really want to make a deal with Wardanaz.

He was so clever and cunning that she couldn’t let her guard down.

And she kind of wanted to just refuse and see Wardanaz’s twisted face.

But…

‘It’s too good an offer to pass up.’

Giselle wasn’t ashamed of being in White Tiger Tower, but objectively, it wasn’t a great place to focus on academics.

Most students said things like, ‘Why bother thinking so hard? Let someone else do it.’

So even students who wanted to study often got swept up in the atmosphere and tossed their books aside, saying, ‘Well, we’re knights anyway!’

For Giselle, who hated stupidity, it was ridiculous.

No one to study with!

Compared to that, Wardanaz was one of the top students in Blue Dragon Tower.

In terms of ability, he lacked nothing. The only problem was that he might calmly teach her the wrong answers while studying together.

“…Fine.”

“Great. Deal.”

Lee Han nodded in satisfaction.

Of course, Giselle might get angry later when she saw the test paper, but what could he do?

At magic school, it was the one who got tricked who was at fault.

“You two already talked?”

As the conversation ended, Deorgyu approached.

“Moradi. Did you tell Lee Han about the midterm?”

“Why would I do that?”

Giselle replied incredulously.

Deorgyu was flustered.

“…Because we’re a team.”

“……”

“……”

Only then did Lee Han and Giselle realize the three of them were a team.

Just like last time, they’d be taking the midterm as this group.

‘…That was pointless.’

If he’d just stayed quiet, Moradi would have told him anyway…

“The deal’s already done.”

“Don’t worry, Moradi. I always keep my promises.”

At Lee Han’s words, Giselle looked at him in surprise.

Then she looked at him a bit suspiciously.

What’s this?

“Suspicious…”

“Moradi. Lee Han really does keep his promises.”

“Don’t talk nonsense, Choi. That’s why there are rumors you’ve been brainwashed by Wardanaz.”

• * *

“…Uh… Did you really have to gather this many people?”

Nillia whispered quietly so only Lee Han could hear.

The group of students gathered around the big library table was beyond imagination.

Starting with Blue Dragon Tower students (surprisingly, even Gainando was there), then Black Turtle Tower students like Nillia and Ratford.

…And even Phoenix Tower priests, plus White Tiger Tower’s Giselle and Deorgyu?

“There are a lot of people who want help, but I have to study too.”

‘Feels like a fight could break out.’

Nillia thought so, but didn’t ask further and kept quiet. She knew Lee Han needed to study too, so she couldn’t take up more of his time.

“Here. I’ve compiled some questions. Memorize these.”

“Uh… We just have to memorize? Isn’t there another way?”

Gainando asked an innocent question. Lee Han answered sternly.

“No. Memorize.”

“U… Uh-huh.”

This wasn’t some advanced applied magic problem, but more like a simple memorization test, so the most efficient way was to make up likely questions and memorize them.

Lee Han tossed papers to his friends.

When the principal had them practice copying with magic, Lee Han had thought, ‘Why go that far?’ but now he saw how convenient it was.

Not that he was grateful…

‘By the way, the White Oak Knights are coming again.’

While reading his own study books, Lee Han thought about what he’d heard today.

It seemed the White Oak Knights were coming again for the swordsmanship midterm.

He’d somewhat expected it, but…

‘They wouldn’t really make us fight someone even stronger, right? They wouldn’t do something so shameless to first-years.’

Honestly, making them fight knights last time was already shameless. Lee Han trusted Professor Ingeldel.

After finishing a book, Lee Han closed it and briefly closed his eyes. Then he immediately picked up the paper next to him.

Gainando, who was muttering and memorizing, asked curiously.

“What class is that?”

“It’s not for the test. I’m just reading it for a break.”

Gainando nodded as if he understood.

He too had been doing all sorts of other things while preparing for midterms.

‘Lee Han’s the same as me!’

“What are you reading? The new Toberiz Series is fun. In the magazine I bought this weekend, there’s a new card introduction…”

“Hmm? The principal’s scribbled magic incantations.”

“……”

“……”

It wasn’t just Gainando who was shocked.

All the other students who had been memorizing diligently looked up at the same time.

And stared at Lee Han with shocked eyes.

“…It’s not that hard. Just for fun…”

Lee Han found himself making excuses without realizing it. Nillia shook her head.