Episode 175

“Feet, seize the earth.”

Lee Han didn’t wait and chanted his spell.

Since the White Tiger Tower student was rolling around in front of the Demon Ghoul, he couldn’t give him much time.

“Space, be perceived.”

magic.

It was a simple effect, but in a dark dungeon like this, it was a spell that exerted several times its usual power.

Especially when you considered how rocks and stones scattered on the ground could create variables in an actual fight.

“Hands, split the enemy. Eyes, pierce the darkness.”

Lee Han quickly cast enhancement spells in succession.

At this, Deorgyu nodded with a tense expression.

This friend before his eyes was a first-year, but already a master of magic on par with upperclassmen.

Even though Deorgyu didn’t know much about enhancement magic, he at least knew that casting enhancements in succession like this wasn’t normal.

‘Amazing, Lee Han!’

Deorgyu gripped his sword tightly.

Once those spells were finished, Lee Han would jump down, so Deorgyu planned to go with him.

“Flash!”

“?!!”

Lee Han swung his staff and fired a bolt of lightning.

The charging Demon Ghoul was struck and screamed in pain.

-■■!

Among the elements, lightning was the most destructive and fierce, and even a simple spell could deal damage to a Demon Ghoul.

Even if you shot water orbs quickly, the creature could withstand them with its thick armor, but it couldn’t block electricity.

“Flash, flash, flash, flash!”

Lee Han rapidly chanted the spell.

Flashes of lightning bloomed from the tip of his staff like flowers, striking the Demon Ghoul.

Each time, the Demon Ghoul flinched and stopped moving.

Deorgyu, who had been staring in a trance, came to his senses and asked,

“L-Lee Han. Weren’t you going to go down?”

He was a bit flustered that Lee Han kept firing lightning instead of going down after casting all those enhancements.

When was he going to go down?

“Why should I go down?”

“Uh?? No… you cast all those spells…?”

A wizard’s mana wasn’t infinite. Using everything you could just because you could was foolish.

Always efficiently.

Only the magic needed for the situation.

If Lee Han cast enhancement spells, it was for close combat…

…Or was it?

“Oh. Enhancement magic? I just cast it out of habit. If I can take it down from a distance, there’s no reason to go down.”

“……”

Deorgyu relaxed his grip on his sword.

‘He’s going to kill it slowly.’

Lee Han didn’t rush.

His position was advantageous, and the situation was in his favor.

A single bolt of lightning didn’t deal massive damage to the Demon Ghoul, but it was definitely stacking up damage steadily.

Constant dripping water eventually pierces the rock.

…Of course, this was a hunting method only possible for Lee Han, who had an enormous amount of mana.

Other wizards wouldn’t even think of endlessly spamming weak spells to take down a monster.

If they tried, even the weakest spell would drain their mana first and make them collapse.

“Flash, flash, flash… Shield, unfold!”

Lee Han changed his chant.

Instantly, water appeared in the air and formed a shield.

A sharp rock thrown by the Demon Ghoul struck it squarely.

Thunk!

“Hmm. Strange. I thought it would be fine since there was an enemy with a sword right in front of it.”

Deorgyu looked at Lee Han in disbelief at his muttering.

‘If you keep hitting it with lightning like that, of course it’ll get mad no matter who’s in front of it!’

Even if there was an enemy with a sword right in front of it, if it got hit that much, it was only natural for it to target Lee Han first.

“It’s coming up!”

“Block it!”

The White Tiger Tower students formed a line at the top of the slope. At the same time, other students’ spells rained down from above.

But unlike ghouls, the Demon Ghoul’s thick armor deflected mediocre curses and low-circle spells.

The Demon Ghoul, now riled up, hooked its fingers like claws and climbed the steep slope.

As it leapt up in an instant, the White Tiger Tower students’ faces filled with shock.

They hadn’t realized it was this fast, only having seen it get hit from below.

‘It’s charging in!’

Deorgyu gripped his sword again.

Seeing this, Lee Han’s enhancement magic wasn’t entirely useless.

Even in this kind of situation, he could respond…

“Everyone, duck your heads.”

Whoosh!

Water orbs spun irregularly and struck the Demon Ghoul’s face as it climbed the cliff.

Not just one, but dozens in a row!

No matter how thick its armor, if it got hit like this in an unstable posture, it couldn’t withstand it. It tumbled back down.

Lee Han swung his staff again and fired lightning.

“Flash!”

“……”

So why did he cast enhancement magic?

• * *

The Demon Ghoul couldn’t climb up and eventually collapsed.

Deorgyu silently went down the slope.

“Are you alright?”

“T-Thank you, Choi.”

The White Tiger Tower friend stood up awkwardly.

Then he said, as if he didn’t understand,

“You said there definitely weren’t any Demon Ghouls around here, so where did it come from?”

“…Who knows. Anything can happen in a dungeon. It’s best to just forget about it.”

“R-Really?”

When they came back up, the students who had been celebrating the successful hunt glared at the White Tiger Tower friend.

“We told you not to move so recklessly.”

“S-Sorry, everyone.”

The White Tiger Tower student shrank under those stares. Not many could withstand everyone glaring at them.

Even if they were from a knight family.

“Alright. As I said, anyone can make a mistake. Since no one was hurt, let’s just move on.”

“Wardanaz…”

The White Tiger Tower student was moved once again.

Not only had he been saved, but he wasn’t even scolded.

Maybe Deorgyu wasn’t brainwashed by magic, but moved by things like this.

‘I’d better change the subject quickly.’

Before the conversation could turn to ‘So where did the Demon Ghoul come from?’, Lee Han spoke up.

“So why did you go down?”

“Because of this helmet.”

The White Tiger Tower student pointed at the helmet. A bluish light was shining from it.

“Aha. So this helmet called to you.”

“No. I was just curious because it was glowing.”

“……”

Lee Han looked at the White Tiger Tower student the way he looked at Gainando.

Sensing that gaze, the White Tiger Tower student avoided his eyes.

“I… I was careless.”

“It’s fine. Anyone can make a mistake. Still, you did well not to touch the helmet.”

It was dangerous to carelessly touch an artifact you didn’t know about.

Especially if it was an artifact deep in an underground dungeon.

“Uh… I already touched it.”

“…….”

“…Sorry.”

“It’s fine… anyone can make a mistake…”

• * *

Bikelinz, the respected knight of the White Oak Knights, looked at the still-young apprentice knights.

These apprentice knights were not members of the White Oak Knights.

They were boys and girls from various knight families of the Empire.

After harsh training, they would one day return to various knight orders or their own families to become pillars protecting the Empire.

There was only one reason these apprentice knights had come to Einrogard with Bikelinz.

“We can’t lose to those guys who only learn magic.”

“Shh. Watch your mouth. If someone else hears, you’ll get scolded.”

There were wizards even within the knight order, and they were generally respected.

How much work would a wizard stationed in a remote or rough knight order have?

But these were still inexperienced apprentice knights.

They weren’t broad-minded enough to consider such things.

“Aren’t you frustrated? Those guys who don’t even train with the order got so much praise from Sir Bikelinz?”

“Of course I’m frustrated!”

The incident started when the respected Bikelinz returned from Einrogard and praised the students there.

-They were truly excellent. One of the students even defeated me…

-Is that true? That’s truly amazing!

Those words set the apprentice knights’ pride on fire.

They, who were undergoing harsh training, couldn’t stand being outshone in evaluation by knights at the magic school who only learned magic.

It was absolutely unacceptable.

-There must have been some mistake.

-Since it’s a den of wizards, there might have been trickery. Maybe they set a trap with some magic?

-Sir Bikelinz is so honorable and generous, maybe he overlooked the wizards’ tricks…

In the end, the apprentice knights made up their minds.

They would confront them directly and shatter that illusion!

When the apprentice knights all asked to have a match, Bikelinz hesitated but eventually got permission.

They were allowed to enter the magic school under the pretext of midterms.

“Alright, everyone.”

Bikelinz quietly spoke. He even used honorifics with the apprentice knights, but his voice carried an undeniable authority.

“This is Einrogard, which could be called the holy land of wizards. As such, I trust you will not lose your knightly dignity, honor, or pride inside.”

The apprentice knights flinched at Bikelinz’s words.

He had clearly noticed the feelings they were harboring.

“We swear, Sir Bikelinz.”

“We will keep our pride as knights.”

“Thank you, everyone.”

The apprentice knights lined up and walked through the main gate of the magic school.

They saw the haggard, gaunt-faced magic school students wandering around muttering to themselves.

‘This is why wizards are really…’

‘They’re eccentric and untrustworthy folk.’

Up ahead, they saw Professor Ingeldel and the students gathered for swordsmanship class.

The apprentice knights whispered among themselves.

“So which one is it?”

The one rumored to have beaten Bikelinz.

The apprentice knights’ top priority was that guy.

“Is it the Choi family? I heard someone from the Choi family entered the magic school.”

“Maybe the Moradi family.”

“The Dulak family…”

As they chatted, a boy as handsome as a statue approached. The apprentice knights looked him up and down.

From his looks to his movements, he was clearly not from a knight family.

‘Anyone recognize that face?’

‘Nope. Isn’t he from a great noble family?’

If he wasn’t from a knight family, he had nothing to do with the swordsmanship match.

There was no way he could have beaten Bikelinz or received praise, so the apprentice knights relaxed.

“Are you here for the swordsmanship match?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

At that answer, Lee Han’s face brightened.

‘As expected, Professor Ingeldel still has a conscience!’

Indeed, fighting against the White Oak Knights’ knights last time was too crazy.

He had brought apprentice knights of matching age and level.

Of course, even apprentice knights who trained morning, noon, and night were formidable…

‘Everything is relative.’

For Lee Han, who had been bracing himself for the White Oak Knights’ knights, apprentice knights were a perfectly satisfying opponent.

“Welcome, all of you.”

“Thank you for the welcome. Your family?”

“Wardanaz.”

“Wardanaz! That Wardanaz family?”

“Yes. I look forward to it.”

Lee Han waved and returned to his seat.

“…?”

Only then did the apprentice knights sense something strange and looked at each other.

Why did that boy from the Wardanaz family say he looked forward to it, and why was he sitting among the magic school students from knight families?