Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 719

Chapter 719

Ominous feelings always tended to come true.

After rejecting several suggestions Professor Bagrak had come up with after much deliberation (among which were methods to ambush, blind, or knock out juniors as soon as he saw them), Yi-Han inwardly regretted.

'I should have asked another professor!'

"Professor. I'd like to choose a method that's as peaceful as possible."

"Why?"

"...Because I don't want to remain as a strange rumor among the juniors? And I don't want to be revenged upon when the juniors become 2nd years either."

"Hmm."

Professor Bagrak inwardly wondered if someone with Yi-Han's skills wouldn't be fine even if juniors ganged up on him, but he didn't voice it.

It was never bad to be careful, after all.

As a combat mage, reducing the number of enemies was a good strategy.

"What I want is, um... a quick invisibility magic, or magic that detects when juniors approach, Professor."

"But that would be too easy."

"...It's painful, but I'll have to bear with it. I suppose I need to learn such magic sometimes too."

Yi-Han couldn't understand why the word 'too' was attached before 'easy' and why 'but' was attached to it.

And he was too scared to ask.

Professor Bagrak nodded, respecting Yi-Han's wishes.

"I understand."

"Thank you."

"You know about non-verbal magic, right?"

Yi-Han was shocked at Professor Bagrak suddenly bringing up the highest difficulty magic technique.

In magic, the process of chanting incantations was an essential process that firmly wove the mage's will and focused it into magic.

Even if one didn't use gestures or reagents, there was no magic that didn't use incantations, to that extent.

That's how much this seemingly simple incantation chanting was a core element of the current imperial magic system.

'Is he telling me to die?'

Such incantation chanting couldn't be omitted just to shorten time. It was taboo to do such a thing, even for the mage's safety.

If magic could be cast with just the mage's will without incantation chanting, magic could be triggered just by the mage dreaming or becoming emotionally agitated.

In fact, one of the magic accidents that consistently appeared in imperial newspapers was mages who clumsily practiced non-verbal magic and ended up summoning monsters or demons from other realms.

To cast magic without incantations was impossible without reaching the pinnacle of self-control...

"It's impossible!"

"I know. Don't try it secretly because it's dangerous."

"..."

Yi-Han marveled at Professor Bagrak's way of speaking that made people even more angry.

To think he could make people angrier than last year.

Not knowing that his disciple was cursing inwardly, Professor Bagrak continued his careful warnings.

"What you need to practice is incantation shortening."

Incantation shortening, also called abbreviation, was a technique that literally compressed incantations to make them shorter.

It was much safer than non-verbal magic, but it consumed massive concentration and mana compared to normal incantation chanting.

Fortunately, in Yi-Han's case, he had the advantage of being fine with mana.

"Wait. What about concentration?"

A person's mental strength wasn't infinite, and even if mana remained, magic wouldn't be cast if concentration was impossible. Rather, the mage would collapse.

Professor Bagrak understood Yi-Han's question differently and answered.

"It's fine."

"..."

Yi-Han, who had asked about ways to protect concentration or recover mentally, looked at the professor as if dumbfounded.

What was fine about it?

"Practice magic storage along with incantation shortening."

Magic storage.

Simply put, all methods of storing magic in advance fell under this category.

Primitive but applicable were magic scrolls. It was storing magic in scrolls and activating it just by tearing them.

However, magic scrolls weren't preferred by combat mages as they consumed quite a lot of cost to make each one and took up space.

Outstanding combat mages drew patterns with magic pigments on their skin to consume during each battle, or stored magic on cloaks or objects.

Spirits or summons were also good storage targets if persuasion was possible...

'It's reasonable.'

Professor Bagrak's words had no logical flaws.

If you don't want to beat or knock out juniors, cast invisibility magic faster.

If you load it in advance, you can respond much faster.

"How do you store magic, Professor?"

"On the forearm part."

From elbow to wrist. As it was the most accessible part for mages, it was also good for storing magic in advance.

Professor Bagrak rolled up his sleeve and showed several magics drawn on his wrist. They were complex and powerful magics that couldn't be grasped at a glance.

"These are magics that activate the moment I'm attacked. In order, <Bagrak's Retaliation>, <Random Displacement>. And this one I can't tell you about."

Yi-Han was puzzled by the words that he couldn't tell about the third magic.

"Is it such a dangerous magic?"

"It's a magic that attacks when its identity is known."

"!"

Combat mages roaming the battlefield were objects of fear and at the same time targets for elimination.

A mage's power came from the magic they summoned, but the mage themselves were just mortals made of flesh and blood.

As such, it was better to hide the magics a mage could use to some extent.

Even Yi-Han had magics he saved for later to prepare for the aftermath when beating up White Tiger Tower friends.

But to think there was a magic that attacked just by knowing its identity.

'Is this what you need to do to make a name as a combat mage?'

Professor Bagrak, who understood Yi-Han's shock as curiosity, encouraged his disciple.

"You'll have a chance to learn it someday."

"Yes... well... Wait, Professor. If I happen to learn that magic by chance, wouldn't I realize its identity when I see that magic?"

"That's right."

"Then I'd be attacked by that magic, wouldn't I?"

Professor Bagrak nodded. Yi-Han cursed inwardly.

'Isn't this person crazy?'

It was on the level of cursing him to die someday.

After one round of cursing ended, Professor Bagrak explained in detail about the method of drawing magic onto the skin to store it.

3rd Circle magic, <Lesser Magic Storage>.

It was a magic that stored two magics of one's circle or below.

This magic originally had quite deep principles of enchantment magic involved, so its casting difficulty was higher than same-circle magic.

The more complex principles from various schools were used, the higher the magic difficulty rose.

However, Professor Bagrak knew Yi-Han's skills well as he learned under Professor Verduus, so he didn't say anything separate.

Sure enough, Yi-Han grasped it right away after consuming reagents a few times to draw the magic.

"Is this how you do it, Professor?"

"That's right. You're doing well."

"Is it perhaps on the lower end of difficulty?"

Professor Bagrak smiled faintly like morning dew instead of answering. Yi-Han understood that smile as kindness.

'It must be an easy magic.'

However, the next part was unexpectedly not easy.

Although he had perfectly drawn in the magic, strange errors occurred every time he tried to activate it.

"?"

Yi-Han wondered if 3rd Circle magic was still not easy to master even if the difficulty was low.

Professor Bagrak, who was watching from the side, opened his mouth.

"There are many patterns."

"Pardon?"

"There are many patterns engraved by powerful beings."

Whether spirit patterns or patterns of other beings, such patterns naturally had power.

The more powerful the being that engraved the pattern, the more powerful the pattern's power became.

For a mage like Yi-Han who had patterns of great spirits like Ferkuntra or Upinum embedded in his wrist, errors were bound to occur when drawing magic on top of that.

"I didn't think of that."

"Usually people don't engrave that many."

"...Is there no way?"

"Calculate the errors."

"..."

At Professor Bagrak's words, which summarized to 'do well' by saying to calculate and draw in the errors too, Yi-Han held back from frowning and asked again.

"Isn't there an easier way?"

"Move the location upwards."

It was a simple yet good method that made one wonder why they hadn't thought of it. Yi-Han nodded.

"That seems good. Then..."

"Here."

Professor Bagrak pointed with his staff to the part between the upper arm and forearm, the crook of the arm.

Yi-Han answered with an embarrassed expression.

"There's a phoenix pattern there, so it overlaps."

The professor moved his staff a bit more towards the upper arm. Yi-Han answered with an even more embarrassed expression than before.

"There's Verduus's pattern there..."

"..."

  *

-Wardanaz. It's been quite a while since we haven't been able to meet after the new semester started. Although we're from different towers and not on good terms, we can't deny the fact that we respect each other as mages. If you're thinking of meeting to catch up and exchange information, come to where we all gathered last time.-

-Salko Tutanta-

"It's not a trap, is it?"

"Salko isn't the type to set such a trap... Well, he is, but probably not this time?"

Yi-Han spoke while moving with his Blue Dragon Tower friends.

In fact, not just Yi-Han but all his tower friends felt a similar need.

Even though it hadn't been long since they moved up to 2nd year, too much information had poured in like a flood.

If it had been last year, they would have met comfortably to exchange information, but this year it was difficult to do so.

-If White Tiger Tower guys attack, tell me. I'll take revenge for you.-

-Thank you, Senior.-

-It's nothing. I should do this much as a senior.-

-Then could I perhaps have a piece of the bread you're eating, Senior?-

-Are... are you crazy? How can you say such a rude thing?-

Blue Dragon Tower seniors weren't often visible or kind people, but they were very active in fights with other towers.

Things like this even happened:

-Oh. It's Anglago. He's waving.-

-How dare that bastard make an insulting gesture to my junior?!-

-Uh, Senior. Anglago just waved his hand?-

-You must have seen wrong. White Tiger Tower guys don't just wave their hands. He must have raised his middle finger when you weren't looking!-

In this situation, it was true that juniors felt a bit awkward about gathering openly.

There was a reason Salko said to meet in the 2nd floor warehouse where they had gathered last year.

Yi-Han checked the surroundings with his friends, entered the 2nd floor warehouse, checked the basement door, and went down.

It was a place with memories of trying to make a great escape to the skull principal's villa after dealing with the teleportation statue last year.

"It's Wardanaz!"

"Wardanaz. Is it true you joined all the clubs? Really?"

"..."

Yi-Han made a bitter expression at the questions his friends from other towers asked as soon as they met.

His friends were already making expressions that said 'If it's Wardanaz, it might be possible'.

"...That's right."

"That's impossible. Wardanaz doesn't have two bodies!"

"Wouldn't two be not enough?"

"Everyone come this way. Don't crowd over there!"

Salko's husky voice was heard.

Yi-Han walked inside.

Then he saw most of the 2nd year students from each tower gathered and talking.

"Moradi. Good to see you."

"Yes. Good to see you too."

"...Uh, did you eat something wrong?"

"Hey. Let's switch sea..."

Jijel stood up in annoyance. But thinking about it, if she switched seats, Salko would be next to her.

Salko openly growled, showing signs of telling her to get lost.

"...Come to think of it, Wardanaz is better after all. Sit down."

"Can't I just sit somewhere else?"

As Yi-Han asked, thinking it would be noisy if he sat between them, Salko and Jijel each grabbed one of Yi-Han's arms and forcibly sat him down.