"Chase after him!"
"What?!"
"We can't lose to Wardanaz! Are you planning to lose in horse riding as well?!"
"But..."
One of the students hesitated.
Rushing out in such a frenzy right now would make it impossible to catch up later.
Horses are living creatures.
They would quickly tire if they ran like that...
"Alright! I'm going!"
"Me too!"
However, eventually, the students, without distinction, began to pick up their whips and drive their horses.
Regardless of which tower they belonged to, all the students had immense pride in their horsemanship.
Be it from noble families, knightly families, or merchant guilds, none had ever been heard to be unable to ride a horse.
And then...
'There must be a reason Wardanaz is running like that!'
'Wardanaz wouldn't recklessly rush out without any thought, would he?'
The students unconsciously trusted Yi-Han.
Surely Yi-Han wouldn't have rushed out without any plan?
There must be a way.
If they followed that way...
The leading group of students began to race out like mad.
Nillia, seeing her friends take off, became anxious and looked around nervously.
“?”
Surprisingly, Yonaire remained still in her place.
"Yonaire? What's wrong? Are you okay?"
Yonaire sat on her dark brown horse with a face full of worry. Nillia couldn't understand.
"Let's chase them now! We can catch up quickly if we do! I can even trip the others up!"
Nillia, nonchalantly ready to break the rules, but Yonaire did not point this out.
She was more startled by something else she had just seen.
"It's not that..."
Yonaire wondered how to explain it. A griffin, transformed into a horse, had ignored Yi-Han's commands and dashed out like a runaway beast!
'Am I paying the price for trusting a monster?'
Sensing Yi-Han's distrust, the griffin snorted fiercely. Yi-Han tried to calm it.
"You misunderstand. Slow down. I'm worried you'll tire yourself out."
Of course, Yi-Han intended to dismount and strike the moment the griffin slowed down.
The griffin might not have realized his deceitful intent, but something else had pricked its pride.
I do not tire!
-Phuihihiing!
The griffin ran even faster. It seemed to vent years of frustration for not being able to run.
'I should never trust a transformed monster again.'
Yi-Han held on tightly to the griffin. It was running so fast that even he couldn't afford to be careless now.
If unlucky, it might even throw off its rider!
Scraa-caw-kawk!
A fierce-looking new monster, resembling a mix of a hawk and a chicken, swooped down from a nearby tree.
'Rakshasa Bird!'
The arrival of the aggressive new monster tensed Yi-Han.
But the griffin, with a snort, accelerated even more.
Bang!
Rakshasa Bird tried to follow in flight but soon gave up, panting heavily, and flew away.
“...”
It wasn't just Rakshasa Bird.
A rock on the roadside suddenly rose, swinging threateningly.
The griffin ignored it and dashed past.
A bridge over a river vanished in smoke.
The griffin ignored it and leaped over.
A dense fog obscured the path.
The griffin ignored it and broke through.
"...Do as you wish."
Yi-Han gave up.
At this point, he was curious to see how far it would go.
Perse, a third-year student of Blue Dragon, sighed deeply, his face full of concern.
Then, a friend asked,
"What’s wrong, Perse?"
"Our strikers are all too slow."
"Don't worry. Once they adapt, the horses will get faster. They need time to build up their strength."
"It's not just the horses. The riders are a problem too."
Perse stated firmly.
In the fierce sport where players clashed fiercely, speed wasn't determined solely by the stamina of the horses.
Rather, it was the rider's courage and skill that mattered more.
Even if enemies with sticks came charging, the spirit to drive the horse as if ready to die was what made the speed...
Clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter!!!
“...”
“...”
The wind from a horse galloping so fast blew away their hats.
It was so swift that even the monsters blocking the path hastily moved aside.
“What, what was that? That was a student, right? It was a student, wasn’t it?”
“A freshman... seemed like a freshman? The freshmen’s test...”
“That's it! That’s exactly it!”
Perse exclaimed with shining eyes.
That guts to drive like a madman, regardless of monsters in the way.
That was precisely the spirit a striker should have.
"But that's a freshman, Perse..."
"We have next year! We can recruit him next year!"
"What if he’s not interested in the ballgame club?"
"Don’t worry about that."
“?”
"With such skill, there's no way he's not interested in ballgame!"
Finally, Niffirg stopped.
-Phuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuung!!
“Feeling better now?”
Niffirg nodded its head. Then, shaking off the sweat, it leaned towards the stream to quench its thirst.
'We've come really far.'
Yi-Han surveyed his surroundings.
He knew the magic academy’s grounds were immensely vast, but he hadn't expected to come this far.
They had raced like mad along the base of the mountains.
What unfolded before Yi-Han was a desert.
"...?"
Why is there a desert inside the academy grounds?
-Phuihihing.
Niffirg, having finished drinking, suggested they should leave.
“Niffirg.”
-Phuh?-
“If we don’t get back within the time limit, I'll be disappointed in you.”
-...-
Realizing the seriousness in Yi-Han's words, Niffirg looked around, suddenly alert.
Of course, Niffirg couldn’t possibly recognize the area. Niffirg began to sweat profusely.
...Can we make it back in time?
“Let's go, Niffirg.”
Niffirg started to gallop towards their destination, even faster than on the way there.
Yi-Han fixed his gaze ahead, securing his body firmly.
“...?”
Several students were sprawled out by the roadside, unconscious.
‘What's going on?’
Initially, he thought they were attacked by monsters, but they looked too unharmed for that.
They must have collapsed from exhaustion.
‘It's incomprehensible.’
Yi-Han was dragged along by Niffirg's uncontrollable run, but other students surely wouldn't have been.
It was clear they had run themselves to exhaustion out of greed.
Yi-Han looked at his friends with a sense of pity.
‘It can't be helped. Today's incident will serve as a lesson.’
“...Perfect score.”
“Thank you.”
“...But why?”
Professor Bungaegor, couldn't hold back and asked.
It was natural for the first place to get a perfect score.
Bungaegor had no intention to comment on that.
But for the first place to travel three times the distance of other students (and that too, while scattering all the prepared obstacles in a dash), that was a different story.
"Why did you risk your life running like that?"
"Five students collapsed from exhaustion following you, and three fell off their horses. It was fortunate that you scared off the monsters by rushing ahead. You could have turned back at any point... Did you really want to set a new record that badly?"
Professor Bungaegor, from her perspective, didn't think Yi-Han was the type to show off.
But why did he push himself to such an extent to set a new record?
Was it a strong sense of pride in his riding skills, wanting to leave a legend?
Of course, Yi-Han looked at Professor Bungaegor as if the question was absurd.
"Isn't it because of what you said, Professor?"
Blaming Yi-Han for setting a record when it was the Professor who had saddled him with the griffin. Such brazenness!
Was it the professor's prerogative to be this shameless?
Professor Bungaegor, true to Yi-Han's thoughts, replied just as boldly.
"What nonsense. Griffins don't enjoy running like that. Especially when forced to transform into a horse. It wouldn't have run if you hadn't commanded it."
"…?!"
Yi-Han was shocked by the professor's words.
No way?!
'I thought it was crazy about running?'
Had he underestimated the creature too much, leading it to behave that way to prove its ability?
"I must have underestimated it, so it wanted to prove its capability..."
Professor Bungaegor listened to Yi-Han's words with skepticism.
It was hard for her to believe that the griffin ran so vigorously for just that reason.
"...It's true."
"Alright. I'll take your word for it. You’ve worked hard, now go rest. There are other tests to consider, and you must be exhausted from all that running."
"Niffirg suffered more than I did."
Yi-Han said this and turned to look at the returning students at the starting line.
The students, looking utterly disheveled, returned one by one, gazing at Yi-Han with a sense of awe.
"Did you see that?"
"I did."
"That guy... might become the empire's greatest rider...!"
"..."
Yi-Han decided it was time to just go and rest.
Several students were suffering from muscle soreness, but the magic academy waited for no one.
"We need to gather Bone blossom by this evening. Considering the time, it’s going to be close."
"My thighs feel like they’re on fire."
"I think I've fractured my pelvis..."
Before evening, the students of the Blue Dragon who had gathered on the first underground floor, leaning on their staffs, groaned in pain.
The students from the White Tiger mocked them.
"To complain about horse riding, you really lack training, huh..."
"That Wardanaz guy... why did he ride like a madman..."
Yi-Han ignored the murmuring.
"Alright, everyone. I know you're all not in the best shape, but now is the time for those studying alchemy to come together. If we don’t quickly secure the ingredients, we might all fail."
The rigorous schedule of the magic academy forced students from different towers to cooperate.
Yi-Han planned to gather the students, quickly clear the dungeon, and collect the ingredients.
It would be a loss for him if he went in alone to gather ingredients and failed or got injured.
"Here, take these."
Yi-Han handed over a basket he brought from the lounge, puzzling the White Tiger students.
"Is this a magic potion for dungeon exploration?"
"No. It's a snack for dinner."
"..."
The White Tiger students lifted the cloth covering the basket. Sandwiches were neatly packed inside.
"...What? No thoughts?"
"Wardanaz, don't give it to those who aren't hungry."
At Asan's words, the students from the White Tiger hastily waved their hands in protest.
"No, no! We'll eat well!"
"Alright. If everyone's ready, let's start heading in."
Yi-Han lined up the students. Due to the dungeon's terrain, it was impossible to gather everyone together and form a strategy.
To some extent, the students had to group by their respective towers and coordinate amongst themselves.
'It would be faster for them to move on their own than for me to command each step.'
The princess, curious about what kind of sandwiches they were, started to lift the cloth off the basket.
Yi-Han slapped the back of her hand.
"You should eat later."
Just like Gainando, royals seemed to have a strong appetite. Yi-Han warned her and turned away.
"...?!"
The princess looked at Yi-Han with eyes mixed with astonishment, injustice, sadness, and resentment.
However, Yi-Han was too busy lining up and checking on the students to notice her gaze.
"If there's a problem, adjust the formation and respond on your own. If it feels dangerous, send a signal and then make your own judgment."
"Don't worry, Wardanaz. We are knights."
The students from the White Tiger clutched the basket to their chests as if it were precious. They truly embodied the knightly spirit.
Thump-
While conducting this final check on the first underground floor, someone came up the stairs leading to the dungeon.
It was Professor Boladi.
Seeing who it was, Yi-Han quickly reacted, saying, "...Isn't it fun having a picnic on the first underground floor, everyone? Should we start heading back?"
"What kind of nonsense is that, Wardanaz?"
