Episode 517

For a moment, Lee Han’s momentum was so fierce it made onlookers think so.

But Phil quickly regained his composure and realized something was off.

“No, he isn’t just angry! That’s something else entirely…!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Lee Han finished off the ice elementals that had jumped him and launched a counterattack.

The ice elementals rushing in from behind seemed nervous after witnessing Lee Han’s power and quickly assumed formation to block his approach.

Long ice spears jutted out, blocking the path like a thickly tangled brush.

Not just plain ice, but magic spears emitting intense cold, making it impossible to get close.

“What are you going to do?”

Lee Han asked Anpursas.

You shouldn’t recklessly approach an opponent bristling in a defensive formation like that.

You had to disrupt the enemy with various strategies before going on the offensive.

As annoying and noisy as Anpursas was, it was true he was a skilled and seasoned warrior.

Honestly, Lee Han was curious how Anpursas would deal with it.

Crash!

“……”

Like the skilled and seasoned warrior he was, Anpursas charged straight in head-on.

He drew out aura, slashing through the ice spears again and again to make an opening, then leapt inside and engaged in fierce close-quarters combat.

At first, the ice elementals tried to hold out, but they couldn’t withstand the overwhelming aura from Anpursas up close and were eventually destroyed.

‘This guy. I really shouldn’t ever summon him from the bracelet again…’

Lee Han was dumbfounded by Anpursas’s brute force tactics.

Wasting so much mana and not even his own body to do it!

He really was a demon.

Thud!

As the aura-imbued Morningstar grazed it, half of an ice elemental’s body was blown apart.

Not just the power of aura, but Morningstar’s mana absorption drained away the ice elemental’s strength.

Watching this, Lee Han suddenly wondered.

“Wait. How are you imbueing Morningstar with aura?”

Anpursas didn’t answer.

He just mumbled like he was entranced.

-Give me the next foe, and the next, and more foes!

“……”

Lee Han, once again, resolved never to summon Anpursas again and checked for himself.

Looking closer, the flickering aura on Morningstar wasn’t stable, constantly blinking and reforming.

Lee Han realized the truth and felt incredulous.

‘Wait…!’

Morningstar was a sword that absorbed mana.

Of course it absorbed aura too, which was the essence of mana.

Yet Anpursas kept pouring mana into the quickly absorbed aura.

A simple and brutish logic: as long as more mana went in than was being drained, aura would persist.

After seeing that, Lee Han thought to himself.

‘I’ll have to try that later too.’

Anpursas was a crazy demon but definitely a fine warrior.

• * *

Bang!

By now, the number of ice elementals had been cut by more than half.

Lee Han’s body shot out like a projectile and thundered forward. In the spot where Lee Han had just been, sharp icicles fired by the ice elementals were viciously embedded.

With a tearing sound, an icicle was hurled backwards. Lee Han caught a flying icicle, then threw it right back, knocking out three ice elementals.

“What the?!”

Third year, Valpatan of the Moradi family, was locked in sword combat with a penguin swordsman and was startled by the spectacle beside him.

Even within Einrogard, and even in the North, such a swordsman was hard to find.

Sizzle—

An ice elemental raised a thick shield to block, but the aura suddenly flared, then exploded. The resulting shockwave swept away several ice elementals at once.

Just forming complete aura was an incredible feat, yet this swordsman was displaying all kinds of techniques with fully-formed aura.

It was something only a master swordsman could achieve.

Crunch!

His swordsmanship also caught Valpatan’s eye.

If aura was a blossoming flower, then swordsmanship was the stem and root supporting it.

No swordsman could fail to recognize the value of that swordsmanship.

It was wild and domineering, but swordsmanship that pressed in from all sides, crushing and destroying the ice elementals completely.

“Did such a guy exist?”

“Who is that guy?”

“First year… wasn’t he? Just now, was that really a first year…”

“You must have mistaken him. Or maybe the headmaster’s henchman is disguised as a first year.”

Hearing his friends chatter, Valpatan tilted his head.

For some reason, he seemed familiar.

Your skill has improved!

The King of Frost Giants was impressed.

Mortals were always astonishing.

They grew at an unbelievable rate in just a short absence.

But even knowing that, this mortal before him was truly incredible.

How could it be?

Watching him breaking through the ranks of ice elementals looked like a battle-hardened veteran at war.

Even among other dimensions, such a warrior was rare.

“Give me… your head!”

What excellent courage!

The King of Frost Giants wasn’t displeased to hear Lee Han call out to him.

A warrior who has grown like that had every right to say such things.

Let them face you.

-Yes.

The ice elementals stopped their attack and began stepping back. At the overwhelming presence radiating out, Lee Han also frowned and held up his sword.

What appeared was a penguin, several times larger than the other penguin swordsmen.

-I ask for your best.

“What’s the point in talking? You’re going down under my sword anyway.”

-You never know who will be standing at the end of battle!

Baron Penguin swung one wing, generating a whirlwind. Calling it a whirlwind didn’t do justice to the deadly attack that shredded the area like blades.

Of course, Lee Han didn’t fall for it. He instantly widened the distance and kicked the remaining ice shards, sending them flying.

Baron Penguin stepped on the ice shards, leapt into the air, and channeled aura into the other wing, stabbing at Lee Han.

Lee Han turned Morningstar sideways to block the attack. Even so, Baron Penguin’s assault drove Lee Han’s body half into the ground.

Baron Penguin felt suspicious at Lee Han’s choice to enter a disadvantageous position rather than avoid it.

A veteran warrior wouldn’t accept such a disadvantage without dodging.

What was he aiming for?

-!

The answer came immediately.

Lee Han’s body, half-buried in the ground, suddenly shot out. His speed exceeded Baron Penguin’s expectations.

Like an arrow let loose from a taut bowstring, Lee Han lunged. Baron Penguin was startled.

‘Using up mana like this?’

If you could strengthen your body with mana, all kinds of techniques became possible.

Concentrating mana in your body and firing yourself like this, too.

But this was excessive waste.

To make the opponent lower their guard and draw them in by sheer recklessness?

Magnificent!

The King of Frost Giants was impressed.

Getting that close to Baron Penguin wasn’t easy.

Baron Penguin was a swordsman who wielded powerful magic with one wing, swordsmanship with the other.

Rather than drag it out with a boring endurance match, this mortal closed in to force close combat.

If you couldn’t overcome fear, you couldn’t display such boldness.

Truly, only a warrior who knows courage and honor could attempt this.

Crash!

The sound of heavy impacts echoed in rapid succession. The two warriors, now up close, exchanged deadly blows.

Not just with swords, but shoulder struck shoulder, legs hit legs. Shockwaves blasted out and blood splattered.

A victor soon emerged. Baron Penguin lowered his wings and stepped back.

That first blow was significant, and his opponent’s attacks absorbed not just aura but mana as well. There was no way to win the longer it dragged on.

-Excellent. Mortal, I shall remember the name of one so fearless. May we have another duel someday!

‘?’

Lee Han hesitated at what he heard.

What did he just say?

An unwelcome guest has arrived.

The King of Frost Giants turned his gaze.

Far away, the furious lord was approaching.

Retreat! Send the withdrawal signal.

The remaining penguin legion and ice elementals swiftly began retreating.

Apparently not wanting to fight the skull principal, the King of Frost Giants withdrew into a remaining dimensional rift.

I won’t forget what I saw today. I look forward to the next time!

“……”

-I am satisfied!

Unaware of Lee Han’s troubled mind, Anpursas shouted gleefully and was sucked back into the bracelet.

Today’s fierce battle had managed to satisfy Anpursas.

“…I’ll never call on you again.”

-???

Lee Han didn’t know just how many future enemies he’d made just to help save his upperclassmen today.

He resolved to avoid places filled with cold or those related to penguins for a while.

The floating skull principal calmly surveyed the havoc.

Upperclassmen who had just fought so fiercely now looked slightly on edge at his appearance.

“Headmaster. We didn’t really cause any trouble.”

“We even closed the rift.”

‘Hmm. Amateurs.’

Watching the upperclassmen babble excuses without being asked, Lee Han felt sorry for them.

That was something only amateurs did.

The pros simply kept their mouths shut and waited for the situation to play out.

The skull principal looked around once again instead of answering.

Not knowing what he was looking for, Valpatan cautiously asked a question.

“Is there something you’re looking for?”

The skull principal wouldn’t act like that just because this area was a mess. Festivals of this scale were everyday life in Einrogard.

Are you looking for something?

Yes.

“And what is that?”

I’m considering which ones to send to the punishment room.

“……”

“……”

“Ah, no, but this was a festival, and the rift was…”

“The buildings didn’t even collapse…”

“The walls are intact…”

“We didn’t even raid the headmaster’s storage… We didn’t, right? If anyone did, just come out.”

“……”

Lee Han was dumbfounded by the upperclassmen’s conversation.

So was the skull principal.

Making the first years fight, and then what about all that?

“Excuse me?”

“Where is the first year?”

At their confused responses, the skull principal clicked his tongue.

At first, he’d thought to lock up everyone who participated in the festival, but on second thought, there were circumstances to consider.

With that Wardanaz kid rampaging like that, how would the upperclassmen know he was a first year?

Fine. Let those who don’t know remain ignorant.

“…?”

But there were still those who should go to the punishment room. Those who asked a first-year for magical help, come out this instant!

Valpatan smiled at that.

“Who would do such a… huh?”

“???”

Students were shocked to see Koholti and Anpagon bowing their heads and stepping forward.

“What is this?”

“What’s going on…?”

Obvious, isn’t it? Shameless scoundrels.

The skull principal floated away with the culprits and Lee Han in tow.

The remaining students watched the retreating group with confused faces.

• * *

You’ve already used the Bracelet of Ten Thousand Demons? How much mana did you pour in?

The skull principal immediately figured out what had happened just by looking at the scene.

“I didn’t really put anything in?”

The headmaster summoned a bony hand and reached toward Lee Han.

Koholti, who was in its path, got smacked and looked bewildered.

“Eh?”

See that? What did you just see?

“I saw the headmaster angry at Koholti, I think?”

I had no intention of hitting anyone, but because he was in the way, he got hit.

‘Looked like you did mean to hit him…’

“Yes.”

Your mana is just like that. You should have checked the bracelet’s condition yourself.

“……”

Koholti, overhearing, mumbled.

“How’s a first year supposed to—?”

Silence!

“Mmph mmph.”