Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 785

Chapter 785

"You... you're saying there's such a senior?"

"Huh? Yeah."

Carnela thought the junior's voice seemed to rise a bit as if slightly excited.

'Must be my imagination?'

"Why haven't I known about such a senior until now?"

"Because, as I just said, they're unsociable and eccentric?"

"Are there only one or two unsociable and eccentric people at Einroguard? That's not even a flaw. In my opinion, this senior seems to be someone who doesn't waste time on unnecessary things and diligently focuses on their work."

"Professor Verduus is like that too, but no one likes..."

"How dare you say such a thing!"

"S-sorry, hey. You took the enchantment magic school too, right?"

Carnela belatedly remembered the junior was also part of the enchantment magic school and apologized.

To be precise, enchantment magic school mages didn't get angry at people cursing Professor Verduus.

They just got angry saying it was ominous and unlucky to mention Professor Verduus's name in any situation.

"...No. Senior. I failed to control my emotions. I apologize."

"Anyone can be like that when it comes to Professor Ver-. Don't worry. This Hormasi doesn't care about such things at all."

"Then how about preparing a gift before meeting that senior?"

"..."

Carnela felt slightly hurt.

She was a transformation magic school senior too, so why did he only respect that crazy eccentric senior?

  *

If there was a great mountain range in Einroguard's territory, there was a small mountain range in the 7th floor area.

Of course, from the students' perspective, there wasn't much difference between great or small. Reducing a few mountain peaks didn't reduce the hardship of students climbing them.

But fortunately, there were several climbing methods prepared by students in the 7th floor area.

Rumble!

After entering an abandoned basement, Carnela boarded a mine cart and knocked on the side three times.

Then the mine cart started running quickly on the rails by itself.

"Living in an underground cave. He seems like a frugal and unassuming person."

"Is... is that so...?"

Carnela looked incredulously at the package the junior was preciously hugging.

No matter how she looked at it, she wondered if such a gift was really necessary for the senior they were going to meet.

Clack!

The mine cart stopped after just a few minutes. In that time, they had descended so deep that the surroundings were pitch black. All that could be seen were the faint glimmers of plants and minerals shining far away across the underground valley.

Carnela, who had stopped in front of a large cave, stretched her hand out in front of Yi-Han.

"Junior. Don't move carelessly from here on. You could fall into traps."

"Thoroughly guarding his own workshop. He's a person with a strong sense of security."

"...Senior Jarun! Senior Jarun! Hormasi is here! Please open the door!"

There was no sound.

Carnela spat out a curse and shouted again.

"Senior Jarun! It's lecture time! If you don't come out, I'll set fire to this place!"

Still, there was no sound.

Carnela spat and muttered.

"Having to do this every time I come here. Fierce flame, transform into a mouse and go inside!"

The powerful flame poured from a bottle transformed into a mouse and started scurrying inside.

How much time passed?

Flashing flames, curses, and shouts burst out from inside.

"Hormasi, you cursed bastard! I'll claim compensation!"

"Do it to the professor! The professor ordered it!"

"The professor says he won't pay!"

With panting sounds, a short dwarf burst out from inside.

As if he had just been putting out a fire, the ends of his beard and hair were singed, and the rest of his appearance was old and shabby like an eccentric hermit.

This was Senior Jarun from the western Steelshoe dwarf family.

Jarun looked around with bulging eyes while holding a hammer-shaped staff. He looked as if he was watching out for other attackers.

"Where are the others?"

"There aren't any, Senior Jarun. I said I came for the lecture!"

"Hmph. You say that and then try to attack me and extort gold. Do you think I've only been fooled once or twice?"

Saying that, Jarun took a step back.

Among Einroguard students, there were several who would reassure him saying "The lecture's started Jarun come out haha" and then attack and plunder his gold.

Seeing that, Carnela muttered in an irritated voice.

"Completely crazy. That senior. At this rate, he won't even graduate and will remain forever as Einroguard's madman."

"That's not true, Senior. Senior Jarun just has many wounds."

"...Junior, have you perhaps met that senior before?"

Carnela couldn't understand Yi-Han's strangely favorable attitude towards Jarun.

Until now, there had been no student who showed a favorable reaction to Senior Jarun...

"I haven't?"

"Then why do you like him so much?"

"I'm just respecting him. Like how I respect you, Senior."

"Hmm. It seems you respect him more than you respect this Hormasi."

Carnela looked at Yi-Han suspiciously.

'You're quite perceptive.'

Of course, Yi-Han liked a senior who piled up gold more than a senior who wanted to check a basilisk's defecation cycle.

"Let's hurry and leave for the lecture."

"...Tell them to self-study today. I have something to do."

"Are you trying to go to the punishment room again?"

"So what if I go! Don't interfere!"

Seeing the senior who seemed unlikely to be easily persuaded today, Carnela expressed her dissatisfaction by tapping the wall with her riding crop.

"I came here for work too. Then let me in. I need to see what you're doing to at least make excuses to the professor."

"What? No! You're trying to covet my gold, aren't you?"

"Ah, Senior Jarun! I'm telling you I have no interest in your smelly rocks! What property when you don't even raise a single mouse! Do you think everyone is crazy about yellow shiny rocks like you?!"

Yi-Han flinched slightly.

Jarun seemed to think Carnela's words had some point, as he pondered and then pointed at Yi-Han.

"What about that guy? Who is that guy? I've never seen his face before. How can I trust him?"

"Huff. Senior Jarun. This kid is from the Wardanaz family. He's taking all schools. He's the least interested in gold. He's just a guy crazy about magic!"

"..."

Yi-Han had a lot to say, but he stood still with the most harmless and gentle expression possible.

He wanted to go inside and see.

Carnela's shout seemed to have quite an effect as Jarun flinched.

"A-all schools?"

"That's right!"

"Isn't that guy crazy?"

'That's too much.'

Yi-Han was slightly hurt.

Carnela paid no attention and defended her junior.

"Is he any worse than you? Anyway, hurry and open the door. I need to check what you're doing to report."

Jarun grumbled while stopping the magic spells installed along the cave one by one.

'What is he muttering?'

-That Hormasi bastard... She might have joined hands with those who covet my gold... I must never let my guard down... That guy beside her too... Seems crazy... All schools...-

"..."

Yi-Han pretended not to hear.

Finally, when they reached the end of the cave, an iron door revealed itself. Jarun opened the door and went inside.

'This is...?'

It was a strange space that looked like both a mage's workshop and a miner's workplace. It might become such a space if you mixed the two half and half.

On one side, small golems were diligently mining ores with mining equipment. The ores mined like this were immediately placed in handcarts and moved to the workshop.

The transported ores were broken into small pieces by transformation magic and then soaked in alchemical solutions to extract the essence.

"Gather, my children."

When Jarun chanted a spell, pure ingots began to appear from the essence where the ores had melted.

Even to Yi-Han, a non-expert, the completed metal ingots looked very high in purity and clean.

"Ugh. Why treat ores like children."

Carnela muttered with disgust. Jarun shouted as if displeased.

"It's better than you treating an ugly wyvern like a child!"

"Are you crazy, Senior? How can you compare the cutest creature in the sky with these lumps of rock??"

"Senior Hormasi. Does Senior Jarun do this work every day?"

Yi-Han, who was looking around the workshop, carefully asked. Carnela nodded and answered.

"He does this to death."

'My goodness!'

He understood why they said he had the best talent for making money at Einroguard.

While Einroguard was the empire's best magic school, it was also the territory with the most abundant reagents.

If he abandoned lecture times and just went around mining areas constantly, how much wealth would accumulate by graduation?

'This senior... I want to be close friends!'

Not knowing Yi-Han was rejoicing, Carnela clicked her tongue.

She couldn't help but be annoyed that the senior was only doing things to drive away the good junior who had just entered.

"I heard other dwarves make moonshine and serve it when juniors come in, and feed them until their stomachs burst, but what's wrong with you?"

"That's eastern dwarves, you idiot! I'm a western dwarf!"

Jarun retorted irritably.

Unlike eastern dwarves who were sociable, liked alcohol, and enjoyed feeding others, western dwarves enjoyed quiet and solitary mining.

Of course, Jarun was a bit extremely introverted even among them...

"Senior. I'd like to help with your work."

"What?"

Jarun was slightly flustered at the junior who suddenly spoke up.

"You want to help with the work?"

"Yes. I've worked in workshops before, not just transformation magic but alchemy too."

"Hmph. You're still just a greenhorn. Try changing this to sand."

Jarun took out a hard stone and held it out.

Rock to sand transformation magic was a simple basic transformation magic, but it was enough to gauge the other's skill.

How finely and minutely it was ground showed how familiar one was with transformation magic.

If this couldn't be done, he couldn't let them work. If he forced them to work, it would only increase losses unnecessarily.

Pop!

"...Not bad. Can you use <Component Amplification> or <Component Transformation> magic..."

"I can use them."

"What's the most difficult potion you've handled when working in an alchemy workshop?"

"I assisted in producing Dobruk's Soul Amplification Potion."

"...!!!"

Jarun looked at Yi-Han with shocked eyes.

For a mere 2nd year to be at this level. It was unbelievable.

'Indeed, not just anyone can take all schools...!'

"Senior Jarun. So what's preventing you from going to the lecture. Tell us."

"...Follow me. I'll show you."

Jarun walked forward with clanking steps.

Inside the workshop was a fist-sized golden sphere. Yi-Han instinctively stared at the golden sphere.

"What is this... Wait, it's growing?!"

Carnela screamed in surprise.

Current imperial transformation magic couldn't create gold from nothing. At most, it could only be temporary or fake gold. This was due to the perfection gold possessed.

But for gold to be increasing even a tiny bit.

Did this crazy senior make a new discovery that surpassed the limits of imperial magic?

"You created gold?!"

"Don't be stupid. How could I make gold? It's an application of realm connection."

Jarun explained while scolding his junior.

Even if it was impossible to create gold, it was possible to bring gold from another realm.

Jarun had created a magic circle where countless connected realms transformed and flickered in brief moments, then built magic to secure gold when observed.

Even Carnela let out an exclamation of admiration at the completeness.

"Amazing, Senior. With this, graduation would really be easy."

"It's still far from complete. There are many materials needed to build it stably. I just started it up today. So, you want to help with my work?"

"Yes!"

Yi-Han answered, full of desire to receive teachings under this admirable senior.

Not knowing Yi-Han was rejoicing, Jarun muttered.

"I can't pay you though?"

"What nonsense are you saying?"

Yi-Han, who suddenly came to his senses, glared coldly at the senior with a serious expression.