Having newly awakened to the novel attributes of magic, the question arose: how should one deter a student eager to pursue this path?
It was enough to inform them that stepping onto this path could lead to death.
Professor Boladi swung the bead like a madman. It was no joke; a serious murderous intent was palpable. Furthermore...
‘The weight of the bead has increased!’
Yi-Han realized from the sensation felt during the collision of the beads that Professor Boladi had increased their weight. It was as if he was urging Yi-Han to not focus on frivolous spinning but to compress the water bead even more… But Yi-Han would have understood even if he had just said it.
In the classroom, where only the two of them were present, sparks flew. In the tense atmosphere, different from before, only the sound of explosions could be heard.
Silently, they glared at each other as they controlled the magic beads.
'...Should I kill the professor?'
This wasn't the first time such a thought had crossed Yi-Han's mind.
Of course, the notion of killing was just a joke; it was more about breaking a bone or two to inflict pain.
It wasn't an emotional decision. Currently, Professor Boladi was seriously hurling the beads with murderous intent. However, Yi-Han's control over magic had improved significantly in a short time, but he was not yet at a level to defeat the veteran Professor Boladi in a one-on-one battle. In such a situation, how could Yi-Han survive?
Kill the professor... Not exactly, but at least distract him enough to prevent proper concentration.
'Can I do it?'
Yi-Han concentrated with all his might, maintaining the compressed water bead while a new spell flowed from his lips.
"Spring forth!"
With the incantation, new water began to form and appear in the air.
For a freshman with little magic experience, such simultaneous magic was almost taboo, but it was insignificant for Yi-Han.
Having confirmed several times through experience that a bit of mana waste was not a problem, the immediate threat was Professor Boladi, more dangerous to his life than the waste of mana.
"!"
A flicker of emotion passed through Professor Boladi's impassive eyes.
'Is he thinking of increasing the number of beads?'
It was a thought befitting a cornered freshman, but not a good one.
Increasing the number of beads would only make control more difficult, and Professor Boladi could easily break through them.
Acting was good, but the direction was wrong...
"Shield, unfold!"
Yi-Han shouted with a strong desire, and in an instant, a massive water mass transformed into a solid shield, enveloping him. At this sight, the corners of Professor Boladi's mouth twitched slightly upward.
<Water Shield> was a 2nd circle spell that summoned water and fixed it into a shield shape.
The spell itself was not particularly difficult. However, the boy from the Wardanaz family had never directly learned <Water Shield>.
He had deduced the spell himself. Summoning water was a 1st circle magic, <Water Creation>. And moving the water and shaping it was <Lesser Control>, also a 1st circle magic.
While some might not grasp a spell even if taught the incantations and gestures, self-reasoning and developing spells was a very good sign. To become an exceptional mage, it wasn't enough to just follow the spells written in a spellbook; one needed to innovate and create.
'While better than increasing the number of beads, the water shield is still not a good choice.'
Admiration was admiration, but Professor Boladi was ready to teach his student a lesson. The bead, with concentrated mana, rushed towards the shield with deadly speed.
The shield, created on the spot, would simply be pierced through…
Clang!
"!"
Professor Boladi's eyes widened ever so slightly. The water shield was stronger than he had anticipated. Only then did he realize the true nature of the water shield.
It was imbued with several times the amount of mana compared to a normal water shield.
Since it didn't need to move as quickly as the beads, Yi-Han had poured an abundance of mana into it, increasing and compressing the water to enhance its strength.
While water beads required control, the water shield's relative ease of control allowed its overwhelming mana to shine.
Before he could even admire it, a water bead circumvented the shield and flew toward Professor Boladi's head, intending to crush it. The tables had turned.
Professor Boladi tilted his head slightly to dodge. Not a hint of panic was visible on his face.
"Go, tear it apart!"
Yi-Han commanded his bone summon. The bone summon, waiting on his belt, lunged forward.
Simultaneously, Yi-Han kicked a chair from under the water shield toward the professor, his determination to shatter Boladi palpable.
In response to all these attacks, Professor Boladi merely smiled. Yi-Han felt as if he had encountered a Demon Prince of Hell.
Behind Professor Boladi, who had so far only handled one bead, another appeared.
This new bead annihilated the bone summon (Crack!), shattered the incoming chair (Smash!), and cleaved through the water shield in a single stroke.
Professor Boladi looked at Yi-Han, who watched back, wondering what the Demon Prince of Hell would say.
"Well done."
"..."
Was he not a Demon Prince of Hell, but the Demon King of Hell?
It took seventeen questions before Yi-Han could understand, or rather guess, what Professor Boladi was thinking.
Indeed, completely understanding Professor Boladi's thoughts might forever remain an impossibility.
'Ah. So...'
Although the lesson was supposed to be about controlling water beads, Professor Boladi fundamentally appreciated creative attempts by students (if they were effective), and that's why he approved of Yi-Han's use of the water shield, chair-kicking, and bone summon.
Hearing this, Yi-Han wondered if he would receive the same praise from Professor Boladi if he set the classroom on fire.
Next time his life was threatened, he might just set a fire...
'No. Then the skull principal would kill me.'
Yi-Han felt disappointed.
"It seems your thoughts about spinning have diminished."
"Thanks to you, Professor."
Yi-Han struggled to keep his voice free of killing intent.
"Feeling attracted to spinning properties now is natural. But don't be hasty. You will focus on spinning eventually. Sometimes, the longer path is the shortcut."
"..."
Had another professor said this, it might have been touching. But coming from Professor Boladi, who always seemed to chase him down a shortcut with a knife, it wasn't as moving.
'It feels like I'm already on a shortcut.'
"Yes. I will focus only on what I am learning now, not even dreaming of spinning properties."
"You might be guessing already."
"...?"
Yi-Han wasn't surprised by Professor Boladi's habit of leaving things unsaid.
'Let's read calmly.'
"Your next challenge will be just that."
"Excuse me, but what do you mean?"
"The very thing you just demonstrated."
Once the control of a single bead became proficient, it was time to move on. A mage must never pause. They must continuously evolve and explore.
Professor Boladi gestured, and all the tables and chairs around them stood up, as if threatening Yi-Han.
"In the future, you will learn to concentrate amidst surrounding chaos."
"...Wow."
"You may use the same techniques you just demonstrated."
"Is that so?"
Yi-Han was slightly surprised.
He had expected Professor Boladi to demand, 'Increase your skill by blocking only with the beads.'
But allowing the use of a shield...
"Yes. I'll adjust the difficulty accordingly, so don't worry and just focus on the task at hand."
"..."
If Yi-Han could handle the beads while using other magic, there was no need to discourage him.
Using other magic while controlling the beads would indeed be more beneficial.
"Shouldn't I abandon the shield and the summons as I did with spinning, to better focus?"
"No. Spinning directly affects the control of water beads, but shields and summons do not. The sooner you adapt, the better."
Yi-Han was grateful to the skull principal. He hadn't mentioned the incident of causing a fire in the mountains to bake a mud golem.
Had he also spoken about the fire, he couldn't imagine the horrific situation that might have ensued.
Evening.
Professor Bungaegor, noticing Yi-Han's unusually tired face while tending the garden behind the cabin, expressed concern.
Of course, fatigue was common among all students at the school, but the boy from the Wardanaz family seemed much more resilient compared to others.
Yet he appeared so exhausted.
"What have you been doing lately to be so tired?"
"Is that so? I'm fine."
Yi-Han continued digging potatoes and placing them in a basket. Despite trying to appear calm, his fingers greedily twitched around the potatoes.
"Tell me about your daily schedule."
"I'm really fine."
Yi-Han, looking puzzled, described his day.
First, he woke up early, went to the stables to forcibly threaten and feed a disobedient horse, bathed and brushed it, then took it for a walk before returning. He then prepared breakfast with the perishable groceries, opting for recipes that easily increased in volume.
After generously feeding the students of the Blue Dragon, he attended morning classes, prepared lunch, then went for afternoon classes...
"..."
"Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no. Go on. What classes did you have? Now that I think about it, I'm curious."
"Today I attended Professor Boladi's <Repetitive Training of Basic Magic Combat> class."
"..."
Bungaegor's expression visibly contorted.
Why, of all lectures, did he attend one by a madman like Professor Boladi?
"...So, after all that, I'm just tending the garden."
"You truly were born to represent the Blue Dragon."
"?"
"Forget it. So... after such a hard day, you don't have any complaints about working in the garden?"
Yi-Han was momentarily skeptical. Usually, when professors say 'Tell me if you have any complaints,' it was wise to be wary. It was often a trap. But apart from that, he didn't really have any complaints about the garden work.
"Not really?" Yi-Han said, holding a potato and a carrot in each hand. The rewards he got from the garden were very satisfying.
Bungaegor suddenly felt an unnecessary sense of guilt… Should the empire's finest talents be doing this??
"Well... Alright. By the way, there's a cow I brought in the back. If you want, you can milk it whenever you need and take the milk."
"Professor...!"
Yi-Han looked at Professor Bungaegor with an unprecedented level of respect, something he had never shown before. Professor Bungaegor, finding the situation absurd, was about to say something but restrained herself.
While Yi-Han worked in the garden, Professor Bungaegor, seemingly bored, kept asking questions.
They talked about spirits running away in fear (even though there was a tree spirit around?), and how, thanks to the tree spirit, the crops in the garden were growing better than expected, suggesting that it might be a good idea to grow more varieties (don't just admire Uregor, take some)...
After finishing his work, Yi-Han, washing his hands in the flowing stream and shaking them dry, suddenly had a thought and asked.
"Professor, is it possible to get a flying mount from the school?"
"...Why, why do you ask that?"
Professor Bungaegor's voice cracked oddly, but Yi-Han didn't notice.
