Episode 244

Episode 244

‘Oh no. What a mistake I made.’

Lee Han regretted it after answering.

Maybe he was still tired, but he spoke before thinking.

Have you ever worked as a professor?

What an insulting thing to say…

-I’m not that wise.

The giant answered, looking a bit shy.

“…Ah. I see.”

Fortunately, it passed without any issue.

“Alright. Then, would you like to play another game of chess?”

What could he do if the opponent seemed a bit like a professor?

Since he owed him for being saved, Lee Han decided to respect the giant even if he was being a bit unreasonable.

…And he did seem very strong.

-No. A bet should be fair for both sides.

“What game is more fair than chess…”

The giant ignored Lee Han, pretending not to hear.

-I’ll have to find another bet. What would be good?

“…I think we got the wrong one.”

Lee Han whispered to Giselle. Giselle nodded slightly as if agreeing.

“Is there no way to subdue him?”

“Moradi. Don’t you see that big guy?”

Lee Han was dumbfounded.

To ask if there was a way to subdue such a powerful giant.

Why not just tell him to die?

“The king of the frost giants was even bigger, but you fought him.”

“…Then why did you move the rook earlier?”

Lee Han, at a loss for words, cowardly changed the subject. Giselle was left speechless at the cheap attack.

“You call that a conversation…?!”

-What would be good… Polo doesn’t have the right numbers, riddles were done last time… Drinking contest…

Giselle couldn’t hold back and shot back sharply.

“You say a bet has to be fair, so how can a drinking contest be a fair match?”

-There seems to be a misunderstanding. It’s not about who drinks more.

“Then what is it?”

-If you’re an alchemist, it’s a common bet, but since you’re only first years, you probably don’t know.

The giant kindly explained what kind of bet a drinking contest was.

When the match started, alchemists would use various ingredients and potions to make the drink the opponent would have to consume and hand it over.

The receiving alchemist had to drink it and then make a new drink to hand back to the opponent.

-If you collapse first, you lose.

“…Wait. That’s not alcohol, that’s a potion, isn’t it?”

Lee Han, who was listening to the explanation, hesitated.

If you make it with ingredients and potions, isn’t it just a potion?

-That’s right? It’s a metaphor. And as I said, if you think it’s unfair, you don’t have to accept.

“Uh… No. It actually sounds doable.”

-Really?

The giant looked at Lee Han as if puzzled.

In fact, just like the student next to Lee Han said, this contest was advantageous for the giant.

Magicians who could handle mana had a strong resistance to potions, but giants had an even stronger natural resistance.

-I’ll give you another chance to choose.

“No. Even if I look like this, I was top of my class in alchemy lectures.”

“……”

-……

Giselle and the giant looked at Lee Han with eyes that seemed unsure what to say.

‘This Wardanaz bastard… Did he not fully wake up yet?’

-Hmm. Even if you were top of the first-year class, that doesn’t mean you learned everything about alchemy.

The giant spoke as if he was worried.

Of course, Lee Han had a different motive.

‘If it’s a contest of resistance, I’ll never lose.’

Having experienced it a few times before, Lee Han was confident.

Great mana meant great resistance.

But if the opponent found out about this, the contest could change. Lee Han tried to look as dumb as a first-year as possible.

‘Think of Gainando.’

“A genius like me can learn almost everything just from first-year lectures. Why even study?”

“……”

Giselle felt like she was going crazy.

• * *

The giant clearly had a deep knowledge of alchemy.

He rummaged through piles of junk and pulled and poured things at random, but his movements were unimpeded.

Just as Gainando’s private room looked like a garbage dump but had its own order for Gainando himself, the giant’s cave definitely had a similar kind of order.

Of course, this all worked against Lee Han.

An alchemist who knew all the ingredients at hand, and an alchemist who had to make something in an unfamiliar place.

There was no need to say who had the advantage.

‘Should I just leave him?’

Giselle thought quietly.

No matter how she thought about it, it didn’t seem like Wardanaz could win.

And above all, his current behavior was very worrying…

Thud!

-It’s done! I call this -Giant’s Mead-.

After an hour, the giant finally completed his potion.

“May I ask for the recipe?”

Even in this situation, Lee Han asked in case he might use it later. Giselle had no more capacity left to be dumbfounded.

-I can’t tell you everything, but simply put: honey and rose petals. Sleep grass and two-headed snake’s blood. Mud from an acidic swamp. That should give you a rough idea, right?

“…Ah. Yes.”

No matter how you looked at it, Lee Han’s expression soured at the ingredients that were far from being any sort of alcohol.

At this point, calling it -Giant’s Mead- was an understatement; -Giant’s Poison- would have been more fitting.

‘I believe in myself.’

Thinking so, Lee Han gulped down the huge cup.

Gulp, gulp—

Surprisingly, the mead tasted better than expected. However it was combined, the sweet and cool flavor slid down his throat.

And at the same time, a massive wave of drowsiness surged from within his body.

“!”

It was completely different from any status effect he’d experienced before.

Previous status effects were nullified before Lee Han even noticed…

‘I see. Because I drank the potion directly…!’

Of course, the power of a potion drunk directly was stronger than that of an external attack. Lee Han focused and drew up all the mana in his body.

A huge torrent of mana suppressed the drowsiness brought on by the mead and extinguished its spark.

Once.

Twice.

Thri…

‘Huh? Is it over?’

Lee Han, who had been tense, was slightly bewildered when the effects of the mead vanished in an instant.

He had braced himself for a huge wave, but it ended much too easily.

‘Hmm. I feel like I lost out because I got scared.’

It must have been a potion that put everything into its initial effect. If you got past that, it wasn’t that strong.

Lee Han thought, imagining that the giant would shed tears of humiliation if he found out.

“Then it’s my turn.”

-……

The giant just blinked, scanning Lee Han up and down.

He was so shocked that he couldn’t even answer, just nodded his head.

‘How!?’

He couldn’t believe it.

To be perfectly fine after drinking the -Giant’s Mead- he made himself.

That student couldn’t be an undead or a wizard with the mana of a dragon…

There was only one plausible explanation.

He must have made and drunk an antidote that could withstand the -Giant’s Mead- in advance.

‘There’s no way the level of magic school students has gotten this high?’

But even that was astonishing.

A mere first-year student saw a potion for the first time and immediately prepared an antidote for it. And not even in his own workshop, but in an unfamiliar place.

The giant recalled what Lee Han had said.

-No. Even if I look like this, I was top of my class in alchemy lectures.

-A genius like me can learn almost everything just from first-year lectures. Why even study?

At first, he thought it was just the cocky words of a young student, but now he was chilled to the bone.

If arrogance is proven by results, isn’t that justified confidence rather than arrogance?

No way, could he be the greatest genius among all the alchemists he’d ever seen…

“It’s done.”

-What!?

“What!?”

Not just the giant, but even Giselle was shocked.

It hadn’t even been ten minutes, and he was already done?

“Wardanaz. If you have a problem, just say it! Don’t act stupid like the guys from my tower! I’m about to lose my mind!!”

Giselle finally exploded and grabbed him by the collar. Seeing this, Lee Han thought,

‘The White Tiger Tower students must really stress her out.’

-It’s already been declared, so it can’t be taken back. What’s the name of this drink?

“Uh… I guess it’s something like a Potion to Put a Giant to Sleep.”

-An honest name. Shall I try it, then?

The giant smiled confidently and gulped down the whole cauldron.

Then his expression changed.

-…!!!

Suddenly, an irresistible drowsiness began to overwhelm him.

He was resisting as much as he could, but his instincts told him:

He wouldn’t last much longer before falling asleep.

The giant staggered, looking at Lee Han. Then, with a slurred voice, he said,

-I… I never thought you were such a genius… Your… name…?

“Moradi.”

“Not me. He’s asking you.”

Giselle looked at Lee Han as if to say, what are you talking about?

Apparently, he was still tired.

“Oh, right. I forgot. I’m Lee Han of the Wardanaz family.”

-I… see. I am Ikurusha. Giant Ikurusha.

Earlier, when Lee Han had asked for his name, the giant had changed the subject.

Giants don’t reveal their names to those they don’t acknowledge.

He had changed the subject out of respect for the magician’s pride…

…But a genius of this level deserved to know his name.

-…Your… victory… Take… whatever you… want…

Thud!

With a snoring sound that shook the cave, Ikurusha fell backward.

Lee Han let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you. Bartrek.”

The potion to put a giant to sleep that the White Tiger Tower students had worked so hard to make in their hideout.

Lee Han had thought they did a good job, but he was still nervous in case it didn’t work.

“Bartrek of the Bark Family? Why are you bringing up that name now?”

“Because it’s a potion he made.”

Lee Han took a potion bottle out of his pocket and shook it as he answered.

“…!!!!”

Giselle cursed herself for thinking, ‘To make such a powerful potion in less than ten minutes, that’s… an unbelievable talent!’

What a scammer…!

“Oh. Sorry I couldn’t explain in advance. I was worried Ikurusha would hear and change the contest.”

“…Let’s just get out of here.”

Giselle no longer had the energy to be angry.

“Wait. Since I won the bet, let’s take the reward.”

“Was there anything you wanted…?”

Giselle frowned. No matter how she looked, there didn’t seem to be any treasure worth taking in this mess.

Snip!

Lee Han carefully snipped off the tip of the sleeping giant’s hair.

He had been thinking about it ever since it was mentioned earlier.

“That’s one final exam done.”

“You… are crazier than I am…”

“Why are you suddenly insulting me?”