"You seem to be under a misconception..."
"The use of lightning magic was indeed correct."
'Damn.'
Professor Boladi, having seen the traces, couldn't have failed to notice.
The professor had completed his assessment of the situation through the traces of the fallen monster and the faint remnants of the lightning spirit lingering on Yi-Han's arm.
"How interesting..."
Professor Boladi's head nodded ever so slightly as he muttered to himself, a sight more intimidating to Yi-Han than any ordinary monster.
"Just a moment. Just a moment."
Professor Garcia interjected.
Yi-Han felt a lump in his chest at the sight.
Professor!
"Professor Bagrak. Why do you ask about the lightning magic? What are you planning to do?"
"It is necessary for my teaching."
"Wait. Yi-Han, are you attending th… Professor Bagrak's class!?"
Professor Garcia, who initially intended to say 'that professor,' quickly changed his words.
However, Yi-Han had fully grasped what he had been about to say.
"Yes..."
"..."
Professor Garcia held his forehead.
Professor Garcia was a true person of character who respected everyone at the magic academy, but this did not extend to classes.
Several classes by a few professors always made Professor Garcia uncomfortable.
One such class was Professor Boladi Bagrak's.
To Professor Garcia, it was an excessively harsh and cruel class!
It seemed absurd that freshmen should be learning such material.
Rather than teaching how to avoid fights, teaching freshmen how to maintain composure and fight in extreme combat situations...
Thankfully, the students did not attend those classes.
As difficult as they were, every year, the students would run away after attending just once.
Thus, Professor Garcia had comforted himself, thinking 'Perhaps one day Professor Bagrak will realize and change his classes?'
Surprisingly, there was a student who was attending.
Professor Boladi spoke as if asking why.
"I remember from the last time."
"What are you talking about?"
"The fight with the anti-magic extremists. I told you then that I had taught it."
"!"
Professor Garcia felt a flash of insight in his mind.
The iron bead Yi-Han had used.
At the time, he had been too preoccupied with the anti-magic extremists to think deeply about how that bead was handled...
But on reflection, that was Professor Boladi's method!
-You have a talent for magic combat. Professor Boladi, did you teach him? Remarkable.-
-It's not that surprising.-
On reflection, the conversation between the principal and Professor Boladi afterward had also been very meaningful.
He had thought it was just a casual few words of teaching, but it turned out to be intensive training in the classes!
"Are you okay????"
"..."
Yi-Han hesitated at Professor Garcia's question.
It was a 'Are you okay' laden with too many meanings.
What should he respond?
"He is fine."
"..."
Professor Boladi answered for him. Both Yi-Han and Professor Garcia looked at Professor Boladi with astonished eyes.
"Wardanaz is successfully following the teachings."
"Following them, you say?"
Initially, Professor Garcia was shocked, then he understood.
Sometimes exceptional talent could be a curse.
That saying applied even in the current situation.
Yi-Han's extraordinary talent had made him not give up and keep up with the class!
'Such a tragedy...!'
Professor Boladi spoke as kindly as he could in his own way.
"I believe you now understand why I confirmed the manifestation of lightning magic."
"Just a moment, please. I understand that he's keeping up."
Professor Garcia attempted a final resistance. It was genuine goodwill.
"But isn't it too hasty to move on to lightning elemental magic just because he's improved his <Lesser Control> spell? Shouldn't he first master other safer elemental magic..."
Professor Garcia's words halted, his face stricken with fear.
Professor Boladi was faintly smiling.
What???
"That's why I first had him learn water elemental magic."
"Already?"
"Yes."
There was a faint certainty in Professor Boladi's affirmation.
Professor Garcia, as a fellow professor, could feel that emotion.
-Seeing that there is a student keeping up, I must be teaching correctly.-
...It was that conviction.
'No!!'
Professor Garcia screamed internally. Why of all things!
Even if Professor Boladi's distorted world was changed later, the immediate priority was to protect this exceptional student.
Professor Garcia persisted.
"Actually, many students easily manage to shape water, don't they?"
'Is that so?'
Yi-Han, unaware of Professor Garcia's inner thoughts, was amazed.
Somehow...
"It must be due to the nature of the water element, right?"
"I don't particularly think so..."
"From that perspective, shouldn't we expand the range into different shapes and become more familiar with the element before moving to the next stage, rather than just succeeding in shaping?"
Professor Boladi nodded.
"That's why I also let him discover the water shield magic on his own."
"..."
Professor Garcia looked at Yi-Han in astonishment. Yi-Han felt somewhat guilty.
Learning the water shield magic wasn't just about learning; understanding it on his own was almost akin to mastering elemental shaping.
If he figured out the principles and rationale on his own, he could create any form.
That level of self-discovery was significant.
"However, even if one masters shaping, the path to elemental control is long... At least the shaped water elemental magic should be controlled as naturally as manipulating iron beads..."
As Professor Garcia spoke, his heart sank seeing Yi-Han bow his head.
Could it be?
"I also had him learn what you just mentioned. I stopped him from adding a rotational attribute."
Professor Garcia had never imagined, not even in his worst nightmares, that Professor Boladi would say something akin to 'This is how I care for my student.'
This was more terrifying than any nightmare.
And the most terrifying part was that Professor Garcia no longer had any means to persuade.
With a dejected voice, Professor Garcia sadly said,
"Please take good care of student Yi-Han..."
"I always teach consistently, Professor Garcia."
As the conversation between the two professors ended, Yi-Han also came back to his senses.
"...?!!"
Is this it?
Isn't he going to intervene more??
"Professor...!"
"Yi-Han. Do your best."
Yi-Han felt like a cow being led to slaughter.
He didn't know what would happen next week...
Ominous!
'...From now on, I should tell myself to check if other professors are around when asking for help from a professor...'
Asan walked towards the black market with his friends.
"Let's treat ourselves this weekend."
"Do we really have to do this?"
Gainando wanted to complain but had to keep his mouth shut. He had already been scolded repeatedly for voicing his displeasure.
The current food situation for the new students at the magic academy was roughly as follows:
Thanks to Yi-Han, who had secured a large amount of supplies from outside, the students of the Blue Dragon were able to enjoy the most luxurious and plentiful meals.
The students of the Immortal Phoenix would accept any meal without complaint, regardless of what was served.
The students of the White Tiger, who aggressively hunted in nearby forests, fields, and mountains, gradually achieved success in their hunting endeavors.
And the students of the Black Tortoise, who supplemented their limited food supplies through periodic gathering, occasional hunting, and bartering with other students.
Among them, the students of the Blue Dragon were well aware that they were utterly dependent on Yi-Han's help.
Even though Yi-Han had considerately told them to just pay a small amount and not worry, they couldn't just stand by idly.
The students of the Blue Dragon were also exploring various ways to procure food.
One such method was the current black market.
A bartering spot opened near the Black Tortoise Tower by its students!
"The last time I went there, there wasn't much to eat..."
"No, I went there a few days ago, and the goods had increased significantly. There was quite a bit of food."
"I heard they made deals with the kids from the White Tiger?"
Asan nodded at his friends' words.
"As time goes by, the market is bound to grow. I'm not going for no reason. And..."
Asan carefully took out some glass bottles from his pocket.
These were the spoils from their recent ‘expedition’ to Professor Uregor’s Workshop.
All the students who participated had shared the potions and reagents.
"...The Black Tortoise guys know how valuable this is right now. It's better to trade our extras now before they become less rare."
"You're always on point, Dargard!"
The students of the Blue Dragon headed towards the black market with bright smiles.
A student from the Black Tortoise, standing at the entrance of the market, recognized them and his expression changed.
"Good to see you. Can we go in?"
"Sorry..."
"??"
"There's a new rule. You guys can't come in."
Asan felt more incredulous than surprised.
"Just exchanging among yourselves? The market will shrink!"
"It doesn't matter."
With a deep, heavy voice, someone emerged from behind the Black Tortoise student.
He was of short stature, like a dwarf, but with a more muscular body than the students from the White Tiger.
His bulky frame was evident despite the loose overcoat.
'Not a dwarf...?'
Asan was taken aback. He had thought it was a dwarf, but on closer inspection, it was an elf.
A short, extremely muscular elf!
"I am Salko of the Tutanta family."
The Tutanta family.
A fairly renowned stonecraft guild family in the empire.
He had thought they were a family of exceptional dwarf artisans, but...?
"Tutanta. Why are you blocking the entrance? Because we're from the Blue Dragon?"
"No. While it's true I don't particularly like you Blue Dragon students..."
"..."
"..."
"...I don't involve my personal feelings in such rules. The reason you can't enter is because of the rule."
"What rule?"
"If it's not something you've earned through your own work, you can't bring it in!"
Behind Salko, students from the Black Tortoise began to gather.
From fierce-looking ones to more delicately raised ones, the variety was evident, but it was clear Salko had leadership qualities.
Asan, annoyed, pulled out the reagents he had brought.
"We earned these ourselves!"
"Really? Where did you get them from?"
“...”
Asan was rendered speechless, unable to admit that the reagents were from Professor Uregor's workshop.
Gainando stepped in to make an excuse.
"We mined them outside!"
"Mined them from the fields and gathered that much? It must be stolen. If you can't prove its source, I'll consider it stolen goods. And as long as I am part of the Black Tortoise, I'll make sure the market doesn't deal in stolen goods. That's nothing but defiling the sweat and effort of people and disrupting the market."
Faced with such a valid argument, the students of the Blue Dragon were at a loss for words.
Gainando, feeling unjustly accused, shouted in protest.
"But then where are we supposed to trade stolen goods? What are thieves supposed to live on?"
"Hey... Gainando... keep it down, it's embarrassing...!"
The Blue Dragon students, realizing their embarrassment, quickly silenced Gainando.
At that moment, Yi-Han appeared, carrying a basket.
Seeing his friends gathered at the entrance, Yi-Han looked puzzled.
"What's going on? Aren't you going in?"
"Yi-Han!"
Asan quickly recounted everything that had happened.
Yi-Han, after listening, turned to Salko and asked.
"I personally grew these in my garden, can I go in then?"
"…!"
Salko looked at Yi-Han with surprise, then nodded.
"See you later then."
Watching Yi-Han enter, the friends from the Blue Dragon belatedly came to their senses.
"?!?"
