Anti-Magic Weapons.
Weapons imbued with the power to absorb or disperse mana.
Such weapons were commonly used by swordsmen who often faced mages, or by the anti-magic extremists of the Empire.
At the very least, they were not meant for freshmen at a magic academy.
'But the one who gave this to me was the principal of the academy,' Yi-Han thought to himself, quickly justifying his possession of the weapon. He swung the sword again with renewed vigor.
"Curses! Why would the master admit such a freshman to the academy...! This insolent brat should be expelled immediately!"
Yi-Han almost retorted without thinking, 'Your master taught me this way.'
'It was dangerous. This thing is quite adept at manipulating people.
Indeed, as if to prove it's not just someone's summon, it was skilled at manipulating the enemy's emotions.'
Crack!
The undead summon, slashed twice by the Morning Star, had lost a significant amount of mana.
Even a powerful undead summon wasn't immortal. Depleting all its mana would inevitably lead to it being unsummoned.
Realizing that its opponent, despite being a freshman, fought with a crazed proficiency, the undead summon changed its strategy.
It started to surround itself with summoned sand, forming a kind of armor.
“I will no longer consider you a mere freshman. In the name of my honorable name given by my master, Giorvan the Second, I shall defeat you!”
'It had a name?' Yi-Han pondered. Usually, a summon with a name meant it was well-crafted.
He slightly regretted not being gentler, thinking, 'Maybe I should have gone easier on it.'
"Show yourself, mage! If you do not reveal yourself immediately, know that I have plans of my own."
Yi-Han, of course, ignored this and increased the distance between them.
Giorvan the Second struck the ground with its forepaw, and cones of sand began to form in the air.
"I warned you!"
Giorvan the Second's strategy was simple.
It created a barrage of sand projectiles around it to prevent Yi-Han from approaching.
Although a single hit would be enough to break bones, Giorvan the Second no longer considered its opponent a mere freshman and showed no mercy.
As the sand cones flew, shattering the surrounding bushes and twigs, Yi-Han had no choice but to retreat even further.
'I need to inflict more damage before it recovers.'
Delaying the fight was to the summon's advantage. Yi-Han reconsidered his strategy.
Beads of iron or water lacked destructive power, and lightning magic, while powerful, was ineffective against the sand armor.
'Rotating it like I did last time... it's too risky. He won't wait for that.'
A way to startle the solidly entrenched opponent, to disrupt its magic and create an opening.
Did Yi-Han have such a method?
"..."
Actually, he did.
He had been warned by professors and spirits alike not to use it because it was dangerous...
But a situation like this was something neither professors nor spirits could have anticipated.
"Blaze forth!"
What was he thinking...
As Yi-Han cast a 1st circle fire ignition spell from behind, Giorvan the Second started to turn its head in disbelief.
“What could you possibly achieve with such a candle flame?”
…
But when Giorvan the Second turned its head, the flame that met it was significantly larger than a mere candle.
"Cough!"
Anglago and Dukma coughed up a mix of sand as they crawled across the sandy beach.
Moments ago, they had been dragged into an unknown dungeon and buried up to their necks, only to suddenly reappear on the beach.
Their mouths were dry and gritty, as if they had swallowed sand in the process.
"What happened... to Wardanaz?"
From afar, Yi-Han staggered towards them.
Wardanaz appeared in a state utterly unlike his usual self, disheveled and unkempt. His hair was a mess, and one arm, seemingly injured in a fight, was braced with a splint. This only made his typically shadowy face seem even more expressionless and cold.
Anglago was more shocked than when the skull principal had appeared on the mountain at midnight. What could have possibly happened to Wardanaz?
'How did someone manage to inflict such damage on him!?'
"Wardanaz! Are you alright?"
"Stay away from me."
Yi-Han grimaced as he spoke. It was never a good idea to let foes, especially weakened ones, get too close.
However, the students of the White Tiger seemed to misinterpret his intent.
"We're fine."
"We won't back down like before! We're here to help!"
"..."
Watching the figures hustling across the sand, Yi-Han considered striking first.
'No. It's better to keep at least one of them around, considering what might still be on the island.'
"What happened?"
Yi-Han gave them a brief explanation about Giorvan the Second, the summon of the skull principal, who had been lurking in the sinking sands.
He remained vigilant, ready to strike first if any of the White Tiger students reached for their weapons.
But Anglago and Dukma, foolishly, didn't seize this perfect opportunity for revenge. They were truly naive.
"Wardanaz. Let me take a look at your arm. I'm an expert in such matters," Dukma said earnestly.
Students from knightly families generally knew basic emergency treatment and bone-setting. Dukma, particularly skilled in this area, had even joined the magic academy to specialize in healing magic.
"I've already taken care of it," Wardanaz replied.
"Wardanaz. Among the students of the White Tiger, no one is better than... Wait. You really did a good job."
Dukma, intending to persuade Yi-Han, ended up convincing himself instead. The first aid was indeed impeccably done.
...But why was Wardanaz, not of a knightly family, so proficient?
"There might still be something lacking. Let me check..."
"Why bother, Dukma? If you undo this fine splint, it'll only cause more trouble."
Anglago halted Dukma, who was persistently trying to help but eventually gave up and stepped back.
"Ugh...!"
Yi-Han withdrew his arm and glared coldly at Dukma.
Indeed, one could never let their guard down around the students of the White Tiger.
"Wardanaz. Did you... defeat that undead summon?"
"Yes."
"!"
Anglago and Dukma couldn't hide their astonishment. They had suspected, but now it was confirmed. Yi-Han had single-handedly defeated the summon placed by the skull principal on the sandbank.
'So that's why his arm was broken...'
'It must have been an intense battle.'
They imagined the scene in their minds: Yi-Han of the Wardanaz family, a first-year student who had mastered various secrets of dark magic. On the other side, Giorvan the Second, the undead tortoise serving the skull principal, master of the sandbank.
A fierce exchange of dark magic beyond their wildest imaginations must have taken place.
As they surveyed the surroundings, the extent of the battle's ferocity was evident, from the trees to the bushes, everything lay in utter disarray.
Truly impressive!
Anglago stared intently at the burnt remains nearby. The extent of the damage, from the ground to the fallen trees, was extraordinary.
"Did you do this as well?"
Yi-Han nodded in affirmation.
Anglago struggled to conceal his surprise.
He couldn't fathom what kind of flame magic could have scorched the entire area like this.
Presumably, the injury to Wardanaz's arm was a result of using such powerful flame magic against the attacking undead summon.
Among those from knightly families, few could stand and fight in such circumstances.
While many students from the White Tiger only focused on Wardanaz's sinister and prodigious magic skills...
Anglago had to admit, the courage displayed by Wardanaz was rare, even among the students of the White Tiger.
'Incredible...!'
However, the actual battle had unfolded a bit differently than Anglago imagined.
“What a foolish guy!”
When Yi-Han summoned a flame so vast it engulfed the surroundings, Giorvan the Second panicked.
In truth, if Giorvan the Second had remained calm and composed, it could have countered Yi-Han's attack.
The flame was immense but lacked precise control.
Moreover, Giorvan the Second could have summoned enough sand to block it. All it needed was to reinforce its sandy armor and hold its ground.
But, flustered, Giorvan the Second made a mistake. In haste, it dispersed its sandy armor, trying to extinguish the fire prematurely.
Yi-Han didn't miss this opportunity.
The sword technique he learned from Arlong, the Azure Rock Style, unfurled from the tip of his sword, delivering a massive, rock-like blow to Giorvan the Second.
It wasn't a mere strike that blew off a leg, as before. This blow struck Giorvan the Second's entire body, absorbing all its remaining mana and leading to it being reverse-summoned.
Giorvan the Second growled in frustration.
“Wait and see, freshman. I will remember your name. What is it?”
"...I am Jijel of the Moradi family."
“Remember that, Moradi! Next time we meet, I won't go easy on you just because you're a freshman!”
"..."
Yi-Han watched as Giorvan the Second dissipated, not letting his guard down.
Because of this, he reacted late when a tree behind him broke and fell.
Already hit by a sand cone and caught in the fire, the tree couldn't hold and collapsed.
"…!"
Yi-Han responded too late, inevitably striking his arm hard.
Wincing from the throbbing pain, Yi-Han cursed Giorvan the Second inwardly.
'Damn it. Because of that undead summon... should have just died quietly.'
"Wardanaz. You could have just given up... Why did you fight like that?"
Anglago asked, not realizing he had spoken aloud.
Why didn't he just surrender and be dragged under the sands? He couldn't understand.
"Well..."
Yi-Han was about to say 'I didn't want to face the trials with you guys' but hesitated.
Provoking two knights while unable to use one arm was not wise.
"...To give up like that would be dishonorable."
Yi-Han had recently realized that the word 'honor' was surprisingly useful.
-Wardanaz, I can't find that passage in the book anywhere. Can't we just give up?-
-That would be dishonorable.-
-Wardanaz, I feel bad always relying on you. I'll try to sort it out myself.-
-That would be dishonorable.-
-Yi-Han, I can't solve this at all. Can't I just copy it?-
-If you don't want to get hit, shut up and work it out.-
-Why only me...!-
Whenever he was in a bind, attaching 'honor' to his response usually led others to interpret it positively.
The students of the White Tiger were no exception.
"...I see...!"
"The honor of the Wardanaz family..."
Anglago and Dukma nodded heavily, their faces showing understanding.
The Wardanaz family was known for its merciless and ruthless nature, but equally recognized for the weight of its honor.
For Wardanaz, bearing the honor of such a family, such actions were natural.
'He may be an enemy of the White Tiger, but I must acknowledge that.'
'He might be the enemy of knights, but that is indeed commendable.'
"Wardanaz. While your arm heals, we will be your arm!"
"Here, give me your backpack! I'll carry it for you!"
"If anyone touches my backpack, they'll end up with broken bones."
"..."
"..."
"It was a joke."
Until Yi-Han revealed it was a joke, the two students from the White Tiger were frozen, not even breathing.
What a deadly serious way to make a joke.
"Right, right? It was just a joke, wasn't it?"
"To joke with such a serious face... Ha-ha. Ha-ha-ha."
"What face are you talking about?"
"Nothing. Let's go, Wardanaz!"
Dukma hastily took the lead and walked ahead.
Watching this, Yi-Han asked Anglago.
"Does that guy know the way?"
"...Dukma! Where are you going? Come back!"
