Episode 58

Episode 058

He couldn’t even remember how many hundreds of times he had tried.
That’s how barely he managed to complete the orb.
“…Lee Han?”
“?”
“I don’t know much about that magic, but didn’t it get too big?”
Yoner asked with a bewildered expression.
The other students were similarly flustered.
At first, the water orb had clearly been about the size of a fist, but now…
It had grown as big as a gigantic boulder.
By that point, you’d wonder, ‘Can you even call that an orb?’
Ssssh ssssh ssssh ssssh—
The gigantic water orb spun with a menacing sound.
Asan spoke to his friends as if wondering what they were talking about.
“Wardanas wouldn’t fail to control a spell. 100% that’s just how the magic is supposed to be.”
“R-Really? For a first-year, it looks… a bit too dangerous, though.”
As Rowena stammered, Nilvia instead got angry on his behalf.
“What do you take Wardanas for! Of course Wardanas can do that much!”
“……”
Their faith was appreciated but could also be a burden at the same time.
Lee Han suddenly felt the pressure.
‘Did I push myself too far?’
There was an old saying for young wizards.
-Don’t mess with a well-constructed spell.
A single spell was a completed formula and a world unto itself. An inexperienced wizard tampering with it was never going to end well.
What Lee Han was doing now wasn’t an extreme modification, but it was still a modification.
‘Is my method wrong?’
Maintaining the rotational force while keeping the water tightly compressed in orb form was difficult for Lee Han.
Lee Han didn’t know, but this was magic even upperclassmen could barely handle without specialized training.
A high-level spell requiring one to hold an orb form with set magic power and also make it rotate inside!
Of course, Lee Han didn’t know any of this.
So he simply poured more magic power into it.
To keep the rotation going.
As he forced more magic in, the orb started to spin, but the orb’s shape warped under the strain.
So, since there was plenty of water around, Lee Han just made the water orb bigger.
But as the orb increased in size, the rotation began to weaken again.
…So Lee Han forced even more magic power in.
Normally, either the magician would collapse or the orb would explode somewhere along the process.
But Lee Han’s mana reserves were too vast for him to collapse, and Lee Han’s concentration was more formidable than expected for the orb to fall apart.
The result, many minutes later—
Lee Han finally completed it.
A water orb barely holding its shape, rotating at last; the perfected form!
…Though it was dozens of times bigger than it should have been!
‘No, it feels like I still have control.’
Lee Han aimed the water shell—no, the water orb—at the golem.
He was barely maintaining the spell, so even that was hard.
‘Go!’
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, the orb shot out. Unable to withstand its own power, the orb veered slightly off from the target.
‘Oops!’
He had aimed for the golem’s back, but instead hit its shoulder.
Lee Han clicked his tongue in regret.
‘Can I even manage to make another one right now? Just making this one is giving me a headache…’
Thwack!
“……”
“……”
“?????”
The students at the scene blinked in disbelief at what had just happened.
The mud golem, struck in the shoulder by the water orb, literally exploded into pieces.
“W-Wowwwww!”
“Wardanas! Wardanas! Wardanas!”
“See!? What did I tell you!”
“……”
Lee Han stared blankly at the remains of the mud golem.
For this much, even with a glancing blow…
He couldn’t tell if it was because the orb was that powerful, or the golem was just weak.
‘Still, Professor Voladi’s teaching was correct. Thanks to it, I survived.’
Of course, Professor Voladi had never exactly taught him to do something like this.

• * *
  “Wardanas, are you okay? I’ll carry you on my back.”
  “No, I’ll do it.”
  “I’ll do it.”
  As the staggering Lee Han returned, suffering aftereffects from the spell, his friends all rushed to help.
  They grabbed his arms and legs, pulling him until even his nonexistent headache was about to become real.
  “…I can walk on my own.”
  “Oh, okay?”
  After a quick break and finishing his leftover coffee, his senses returned to normal. Even Lee Han was amazed at his own recovery.
  ‘Maybe coffee is actually a magic potion wherever you go.’
  Slurp—
  “Hm. The rain’s let up a bit. Nilvia, is it alright to head out now?”
  “Normally… I’d rather wait a bit longer, but…”
  “Let’s move out!”
  “Wardanas says we can go!”
  “…Will you guys let me finish just once?!”
  As her friends started moving before she finished, Nilvia burst out in frustration. Lee Han gathered everyone back to their place.
  “I’d rather wait longer, but since the mud golem already showed up, I don’t think we can relax. Let’s move while the rain is lighter. I’ll take the lead, so just follow me. Don’t stop along the way, don’t wander off, and don’t get distracted by anything interesting…”
  “Oh, aren’t those eorum fruits? They look tasty.”
  Whack!
  Lee Han smacked the Black Turtle Tower student’s back with his staff.
  The student shouted in surprise.
  “S-Sorry, Wardanas sir!”
  “Sorry!”
  In an instant, the atmosphere became orderly. The Black Turtle Tower students straightened their attire and posture.
  Nilvia looked at Lee Han as if to thank him, but Lee Han lamented inwardly.
  ‘Damn. I should’ve made someone else do it.’
  As Nilvia took on the role of the kind teacher, Lee Han ended up as the strict one.
  Of course, this dynamic is effective on field trips or retreats…
  …But Lee Han wanted to be the nice teacher too.
  ‘Should’ve let Nilvia do it.’
  Unaware of Lee Han’s feelings, Nilvia finished the explanation.
  “Everyone, form groups. Make sure nobody goes missing. Report any issues immediately. Got it? Let’s go!”
  The students lined up and started moving.
  Anyone seeing it wouldn’t believe these were students from a magic school, they were so orderly.
• * *
  “Light!”
  Lee Han floated a mass of light above to illuminate the surroundings.
  It was to help the students following behind.
  Not only Lee Han, but all students who could use magic cast spells to help their friends.
  Watching this, Lee Han suddenly thought:
  ‘Maybe I could try a fire spell now?’
  Given the current situation, fire magic might actually be the best fit.
  Though the rain had eased, the students were all shivering from the cold.
  ‘Professor Garcia told me not to…’
  Professor Garcia had told Lee Han not to use flame-element magic inside the school until he was more skilled with his magic.
  He could get hurt if he made a mistake.
  But in this rain, it didn’t seem that dangerous.
  It was more a question whether he could even light a fire in this weather.
  In fact, even the students who could use magic were failing in the rain.
  The constant rain and the cold, wet environment were affecting the magicians’ minds as well.
  -Could I really ignite a fire in this situation?
  The moment that doubt arose, the spell was already half-failed.
  ‘Let’s try.’
  “Burn!”
  Lee Han pictured fire in his mind and chanted.
  He remembered the gestures perfectly, having stolen glances at his friends during Professor Garcia’s lecture in envy.
  Fwoooooooooosh!
  “!!!!”
  “!!!!!!”
  Nilvia, walking alongside him, perked up her ears and jumped.
  Lee Han had blasted fierce flames ahead.
  The fire vanished instantly, but the shock remained.
  “?!?!?!”
  “S-Sorry.”
  Nilvia didn’t shout, fearing it would startle the students behind. As expected of someone from the .
  Instead, she expressed her shock with her whole body. Waving her hands, widening her eyes, stamping her feet—it all clearly conveyed what she wanted to say.
  “Really sorry. I didn’t know it’d be so hard to control.”
  “What did you just do?”
  Nilvia asked in a shaken voice.
  “Conjure flame.”
  “…???”
  Nilvia doubted her ears.
  Since when did a simple flame spell turn out like that?
  “It was my first time, so I failed to control it. But now I’m fine. I got the feel for it.”
  Lee Han, as if to prove it, adjusted the size of the flame. A sphere of flickering fire hovered in the air.
  As the fierce warmth spread, Nilvia’s expression grew relaxed.
  “Burn!”
  “??”
  “Why?”
  “Uh… nothing.”
  Nilvia thought, ‘It’s just a first-circle spell, but is it really okay to cast it this many times?’ but kept it to herself.
  Just like Lee Han respected Nilvia’s skills as a hunter, Nilvia decided to respect Lee Han’s skills as a magician.
  That’s what friends did.
  “By the way, is it really okay to have this many flames floating around?”
  “……”
  Nilvia glared at Lee Han.
  At any rate, thanks to the fire and light, the students moved much faster.
  The balls of flame Lee Han had conjured thawed the frozen hands and feet of the students.
  ‘Professor Ingeldel still isn’t here.’
  Lee Han looked around as he arrived at the spot where Professor Ingeldel had been.
  He didn’t see Ingeldel, but didn’t feel disappointed. He’d already suspected as much.
  ‘Figured it was a professors’ trap.’
  Eek eek—
  “?”
  The bone summon suddenly shook with fear and hid behind Lee Han.
  As if it was afraid of the spot where Professor Ingeldel had disappeared.
  ‘What’s this?’
  Lee Han focused his senses.
  A vaguely familiar magic was present where Ingeldel had vanished.
  Where had he seen it before?
  Boom!!!
  “?!?”
  The students turned in shock.
  A mud golem was rampaging and charging at them from the opposite direction from where they had come.
• * *
  Lee Han’s group had a leader in Lee Han, but the Phoenix Tower and White Tiger Tower groups didn’t.
  When a mud golem appeared for them, each student put forth their own ideas.
  -Throw potions at it to defeat it.
  -Let’s all attack at once. If we distract it from all directions, we have a chance.
  -Why not attack with spells?
  -Let’s just do everything.
  -Good idea, that.
  If, in a project, you put dozens of ideas together and tried them all?
  Of course it’d turn into a mess.
  -Throw it! The potion works! Must be one of Bartrek’s potions!
  -Isn’t that one of Priestess Siana’s potions?
  -Oh, really? My mistake.
  -Spread out and stab the thing! Don’t let it regroup!
  For a disorganized rush, the students actually fought fairly well.
  They weakened the mud golem with improvised potions, White Tiger Tower students slashed away with spears and swords, chipping away its body—as expected from knight family scions.
  But that was as far as it went.
  When they failed to defeat the golem before the potion’s effect wore off, the students immediately began to fall back.
  -…Retreat! Retreat! If we keep this up, we’re done for!
  -Run! If you want to live, run!
  Realizing their weapons were useless now, the students started yelling and running away.
  Right toward the direction where Lee Han’s group was!
  Lee Han muttered as he watched the chaos running in from afar.
  “Worthless bunch of good-for-nothing…”
  Nilvia decided to pretend she hadn’t heard for Lee Han’s image’s sake.