"That shield!"
"Ah, this shield."
Yi-Han stifled a yawn and nodded his head.
True to his diligent student nature, Dolgyu had a keen eye.
"Isn't it astonishing?"
"Of course it's astonishing...!"
"Yes. I didn't enhance the magic duration, yet it's still maintained. Even I didn't expect this."
The shield had been spinning for over six hours now.
Originally, it should have been deactivated after he moved around for a bit, but Yi-Han left it to see how long it would last.
'I need to see how long it lasts before deciding whether to use it or not.'
The fact that the enchantment was maintained without a magic duration amplification process was genuinely surprising.
No matter how much mana one had, this was beyond expectations.
An unforeseen event, even for Yi-Han.
However, even given this stroke of luck, one must not become complacent. It was crucial to determine the limits of what was possible.
...And if the duration lasted about a day, Yi-Han planned to immediately submit it.
'I hope this wraps up here.'
"But that's impressive, Dolgyu. I didn't expect you to recognize it so quickly. That I didn't enhance the magic duration of this shield..."
"...I, I studied enchantment magic diligently, so I guess I was lucky."
Dolgyu, who obviously hadn't recognized it, stuttered.
He was just surprised by the completed work...
"More importantly, Yi-Han. I was planning to ask while working together."
"It's fine to ask separately, Dolgyu."
"Thank you so much. Wait, can Moradi also ask?"
"It doesn't matter, but I hope you don't ask me and then disrupt my final exams. A person should have a conscience."
"Of course, Moradi wouldn't do that."
"But Moradi has no conscience."
"Yi-Han..."
"It's okay. She probably didn't hear."
'I think she heard it.'
A student raised in a knight's family would have heard from this distance.
"Then just ask Moradi directly, Yi-Han."
"That's a good idea. Moradi. Would you promise, on your family's honor, not to disrupt me during the finals?"
"...Fine. I promise."
"If even one student from the White Tiger challenges me, will you take responsibility?"
"Why would that be my responsibility?!"
Jijel, about to nod carelessly, was shocked.
Trying to deceive her at an inattentive moment.
"Aren't you like the leader of the White Tiger students?"
"Many of them don't listen to me... Do you think our tower is like yours, where they obey?"
"One might misunderstand. Our tower is actually the least obedient of all, Moradi."
'Thank goodness the other friends didn't see this argument.'
Dolgyu thought to himself.
The students of the Blue Dragon, who trusted and followed Yi-Han, and those of the White Tiger, who trusted and followed Jijel, would have been upset if they heard this conversation, wondering 'What did we do so wrong?'
"Okay. Let's agree on this."
Having mutual needs, Yi-Han and Jijel each made concessions.
"Don't forget to lend me the White Tiger guys when I need them later."
Yi-Han secured the right to call upon the White Tiger students when needed.
In exchange, Jijel agreed to let Yi-Han teach the White Tiger students.
Seeing the disastrous midterm results, leaving things as they were would mean only a few, including Jijel, could enjoy the vacation.
"Don't forget to teach them yourself."
"Is teaching really that difficult?"
“...”
“...”
There was a lingering silence from both Dolgyu and Jijel upon hearing Yi-Han's words.
Yi-Han felt a slight unease at their reaction.
"Still, shouldn't everyone admitted to Einroguard have at least some basic talent?"
"Yes, that's true."
"Of course."
"The issue isn't that our friends are unintelligent; they just lack interest in their studies."
Yi-Han's unease grew. Typically, those who made such excuses proved challenging to teach.
"Let's focus on the immediate tasks at hand, teaching can wait," Yi-Han said, stifling a yawn.
Jijel was internally puzzled by his demeanor, a stark contrast to his usual self.
'Could he have stayed up all night? No, that seems unlikely.'
Considering Wardanaz's meticulous nature, it seemed improbable he had stayed up all night given their mountainous expedition planned for noon.
"Yi-Han looks tired. Did he stay up all night?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Wardanaz wouldn't do that," Jijel retorted sharply to Dolgyu.
"But what about the enchantment magic assignment..."
"He must have completed it yesterday."
"Is that so?"
Dolgyu was skeptical, considering the limited time, but...
'If Moradi says so, it must be true.'
"So, let's share what we know about the monsters in these mountains."
It was doubtful even Einroguard graduates fully grasped the extent of this vast, deep range.
Even their last foray took hours, and they barely explored the mountain's outskirts.
However, the students at the magic academy had accumulated knowledge and rumors.
"Bears, wolves, boars, and crocodiles."
"Crocodiles, really?!"
Dolgyu was visibly startled. Jijel responded with a slight nod.
"There are swamps."
"Swamps, really?!"
"Dolgyu, if you're this startled now, what will you do later? Anything could appear, even in volcanic areas."
'That would be surprising.'
'It's only natural to be surprised by that...'
"Slimes and various chimeras."
Yi-Han grimaced at the mention of chimeras.
Why would these artificially fused magic creatures, chimeras, be in such a pristine mountainous area? They must have originated from the experiments of mages, likely from Einroguard...
'Annoying, those seniors who don't follow safety protocols in their experiments.'
"That's about it."
"Alright. What about you, Dolgyu?"
As Jijel finished listing known monsters, Dolgyu spoke up.
"Actually, I heard from friends that they're targeting a giant now."
"A giant?"
Jijel reacted before Yi-Han, disbelief evident in her wide eyes.
"Who's planning to take down a giant? Tell me."
"That's a secret... And it's not just one group."
Giants.
A race with massive stature and formidable defenses, their mere presence intimidating other monsters.
Savage and barbaric, they were considered mere monsters due to their inability to communicate with other races. An encounter with them meant expecting an attack.
Though seemingly an unlikely target for first-year students, some from the White Tiger were seriously considering it.
The catalyst was finding a book about giants in the library.
-Keep this to yourself. See this map? The giant lives across this mountain ridge.-
-Oh...! Hey, keep this to yourself. I heard that a giant lives somewhere across this mountain ridge.-
"Wow... come here. Don't tell anyone I told you. This is really valuable information, but there's a giant across the mountains here..."-
"...Are they seeking their own demise?"
Jijel muttered with a scowl.
She was exasperated by their hushed, exclusive chatter.
They probably thought they were keeping it a secret to avoid others stealing their idea, but who would steal such a thing?
It was absurd to target a giant, even in the name of competition.
"Wardanaz wouldn't attempt such reckless acts."
"That's true. ...Wait, what do you mean?"
Yi-Han felt something was off and was about to question Jijel, but Dolgyu spoke first.
"Still, there seems to be a way to confront the giant... apparently."
"It wouldn't be surprising if the book that detailed the giant's location also contained methods to confront it."
The problem was, reading about methods in a book didn't mean they were easy to implement, especially against a formidable foe like a giant.
"If it were that easy to apply knowledge from a book, why would mages bother training?"
"Right. That...?"
Dolgyu, about to nod in agreement, suddenly looked at Yi-Han.
For a moment, he wondered, 'Should Yi-Han be saying that?'
"You both might be right. Let me try to talk some sense into them."
"Wait. Just a moment."
"Wait."
"?"
When both Yi-Han and Jijel attempted to intervene, Dolgyu was perplexed.
"Is sincere advice really effective in this situation?"
"I don't want to agree with Wardanaz, but he's right. They're preparing in secret; do you think they'd listen if we tried to stop them? They'd just continue covertly."
"That's true. Is there a better way?"
"First, let's confirm their location. Shadowing them seems wise."
"Once we confirm it, we should ensure they can't approach."
"We should even take the book away. If they keep it, they'll just waste the remaining weeks with foolish plans."
"Right. Let's take the book."
There was a stunned silence.
Originally, the plan for the weekend was to traverse the mountains and locate the monsters, but suddenly the topic had shifted to a form of banditry, leaving Dolgyu understandably flustered.
"Isn't taking it a bit extreme?"
"Dolgyu. Don't misunderstand. This is for our friends' safety. Do you think I'm doing this because I fear they might catch the giant and outperform us?"
"Think about it, Choi. Imagine seeing your friends hurt later. Wouldn't you think, 'I should have stopped them then'?"
"...Maybe you're right..."
Yi-Han and Jijel nodded, then each placed an arm on Dolgyu's shoulders.
"So, we're in this together, Dolgyu."
"So who's the one with the book? Tell me."
“...”
In the meantime, Katono of the Dulak family cautiously surveyed the area outside a cave.
He was checking for any followers.
'After all, who would follow me this far?'
"Who's there?"
"Katono Dulak."
"Come in quietly."
Inside the cave, his team members hastily signaled him.
"Is everything going well?"
"Of course. Here's Bartreck, you know, from the Bark family."
Bartreck was renowned in the White Tiger for his exceptional talent in alchemy...
Though slightly overshadowed by geniuses from other towers, his skill was undoubtedly commendable.
"Is this it... the thing?"
"Yes. A potion to put even a giant to sleep."
In the back of the cave, over a fire, a large cauldron hung, bubbling with a foul-smelling potion.
Just as Yi-Han and Jijel had feared, the students of the White Tiger were not lacking in intelligence.
Their plan to confront the giant was, of course, meticulously calculated.
Here, I write about the elixir that puts giants to sleep, so that the juniors do not unnecessarily clash with the enraged giants...
There was no need to kill the giant to subdue it.
It was sufficient to put it to sleep and take its hair or treasures.
By stealthily approaching the vicinity of its dwelling at night and sprinkling the elixir around while it slept...
Bang!
"What was that noise?"
"An intruder! Someone triggered a trap!"
"Could it be... Wardanaz?!"
"Why would Wardanaz be here! Stop talking nonsense!"
"Are we in the right place?"
"It seems like it."
"Wait. Is that the sound of fighting inside?"
The trio, who had been watching from the bushes near the cave, hesitated.
Indeed, sounds of a fight were coming from inside.
"Hand over the book!"
"You cowards! Do you even deserve to be called knights!"
"Hmph. True knighthood is about conquering with strength. If you can't protect your treasure, you don't deserve to have it!"
Jijel and Dolgyu simultaneously hung their heads in shame.
It was a true disgrace to their tower!
