Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 985

Chapter 985

The mad doppelganger nodded at his disciple's answer.

Just as erasing the world's eight sufferings with magic wasn't easy, transmitting the robe of dharma to a disciple within limited time wasn't easy either.

Amid such difficulties, his disciple's maturity shone like a lamp. It was clearly different from his past immature behavior.

"Well thought. Then let's depart. You, mage, will be in charge of carrying luggage."

"I apologize. I'll carry the luggage, so don't worry about it."

Yi-Han apologized on behalf of his master. Caten smiled as if not minding at all.

"The stronger person should carry the luggage, Junior."

'Then shouldn't Master carry it?'

Of course, even if the mad doppelganger was in a good mood, Yi-Han wouldn't say that out loud.

Instead, he waved his staff to summon a skeleton golem. This medium-sized summon was more than sufficient for the role of porter thanks to its bulk.

Though it consumed a lot of mana accordingly...

"Well then, shall we go!"

"..."

"Senior?"

"Ah. Sorry. That summon just looks so cool... Could I perhaps learn it later?"

"...Master! Would you open the realm gate?"

Yi-Han quickly pretended not to hear and changed the subject.

  *

"Hmm. Moradi. Shouldn't we start preparing for the final exam soon?"

"...!"

Jijel turned her head in surprise.

To think fellow tower students would say such things.

"Am I hearing things because I'm tired? I can't believe it."

"...Don't be like that, Moradi."

The White Tiger Tower friends blushed slightly.

They recalled memories of desperately avoiding study in their 1st year.

But after becoming 2nd years and experiencing the midterm exam, the White Tiger Tower students gradually started to grasp reality.

Perhaps...

Perhaps exams were something one should study for regularly?

Rather than frantically preparing a week before, shouldn't one prepare at least 2-3 weeks in advance??

Actually, maybe Wardanaz, who had prepared for exams since the semester started, was normal and they were abnormal.

"Maybe Wardanaz finishing the midterm exam before the midterm was normal..."

"That's not it."

"It's not?"

"I said it's not. Get a grip."

Jijel shot back coldly.

The White Tiger Tower students seemed to have slightly decreased intelligence, perhaps due to fatigue and pressure.

No matter how generous one was, finishing the midterm exam completely before it even started was definitely abnormal. Even among seniors, there was no one like that.

"So you want to start final exam preparation early? Wow. Amazing. To think the day would come when you'd say such things."

"We said we're sorry..."

"And you people are going to play ballgame?"

"W-we didn't go to the punishment room at least."

Jijel looked at her friends with eyes that said 'Are you bragging, you bastards?'

Currently, a certain student from White Tiger Tower had been dragged to the punishment room after trying to escape to watch a ballgame match.

Among ballgame-loving students it remained as a romantic and legendary tale, but in front of Jijel it was just foolishness that brought shame to the tower all by itself.

"This damn ball game should have been banned by imperial law."

"H-how can you say that...! You like it too, Moradi!"

"I don't like it. And I told you I'd break your ballgame stick if you said that one more time."

Jijel growled while barely suppressing her disgust.

Basically, those from knight families couldn't imagine that others might not like ballgame.

And every time she saw that, Jijel wanted to hit them once to broaden their imagination.

That damned ball game!

"Anyway, I accept the final exam talk. It's the most admirable and pleasing thing you've brought up. Let's start immediately after this is over."

"Right away?"

"Right away."

"...Couldn't we start a bit lat... No, no! Let's start right away!"

When Jijel looked like she might hit them, the White Tiger Tower student quickly changed their words.

Then they turned their gaze to the huge vein in front.

Frost steel ore was embedded throughout the vein.

'I want to mine it all within this week.'

These days, Jijel and the White Tiger Tower students were spending quite a lot of time in another realm.

They had accidentally discovered frost steel ore while further exploring the realm given during <Tragic History of Ancient Artifacts and Summoning Magic> lecture time.

Actually, frost steel wasn't particularly attractive material to students from other towers.

This metal's characteristic was becoming sharp and keen when infused with mana, but Einroguard students rarely had use for such things.

However, it was different for White Tiger Tower students, who were mostly from knight families.

For White Tiger Tower students who had left all their cherished weapons and armor behind when entering, such usable metal was rare.

Though not a masterpiece, it was sufficient to make one sword to wield while attending school.

Moreover, now that the White Tiger Tower students were 2nd years, they had enough experience to refine and craft themselves...

The problem was that mining it took quite a lot of time.

They had come prepared with various mining potions and magic scrolls, but who knew it would take this long.

"This is damn hard."

"There's only one way."

To the obstacle blocking them, the White Tiger Tower students responded with an extraordinary solution.

Namely, brute forcing it.

"Blaze forth, pickaxe!"

"Boil up, power!"

It was a sight that students from other towers would have sneered at saying 'Those bastards have gotten even more crude as they advanced years.'

But this was originally White Tiger Tower students' strength.

Though this method of boldly combining enhancement or transformation magic based on trained bodies might receive mockery for being crude and simple, its destructive power was not something anyone could easily match.

"What are you doing here?"

"...!?"

Jijel turned her head in surprise.

There was a familiar Blue Dragon Tower friend, a 5th year senior, and the skull principal's doppelganger with a skeleton golem porter.

"Wha... What are you doing here, Wardanaz?!"

At that question, Yi-Han showed sad and gloomy emotions.

Jijel was slightly flustered at this rare show of weakness from her Wardanaz family friend.

What on earth happened?

"Senior Caten said he's checking Professor Ingurdel's final exam location, so I followed."

"..."

Indeed it was something to be sad and gloomy about. Jijel whispered in shock.

"Unless he was hit in the head with an arrow, why would he hold the final exam here? There are dozens of places in the empire good for checking swordsmanship!"

Right now, the White Tiger Tower students were highly predicting the training grounds of Granden City's swordsmanship guild as the final exam location.

Other seniors' testimonies pointed that way too, and it was the most suitable place.

But why such a remote realm?

Yi-Han paused for a moment, then answered quickly without taking a breath.

"I think Professor Ingurdel has finally gone mad. He's finally been infected by Einroguard's poison."

"Kuk. Indeed... It can't be helped. The professor is human too."

Though students from other magic schools wouldn't have fallen for such nonsense, Einroguard students had no choice but to accept it.

Even relatively normal people gradually went off when they stayed at Einroguard for a long time.

"Don't worry everyone. I'll follow Senior Caten and thoroughly investigate about the exam. And get the Frost Giant's relic while I'm at it."

"Wardanaz...!"

The White Tiger Tower students looked at Yi-Han with eyes seeing reliability itself.

How could they have such a reliable friend?

"Why are you dawdling?"

"Ah. Master."

When Yi-Han stopped moving to talk, the mad doppelganger approached from behind.

After hearing his disciple's explanation, the mad doppelganger nodded.

"Break."

Crack!

The huge rock face and vein broke apart right there.

"Rock to rock, iron to iron."

Stone clumped with stone and ore with ore. The classification was done in an instant.

"Done. You mages follow too."

"?????"

The White Tiger Tower students looked at Yi-Han with eyes of pure bewilderment.

Why us??

Of course, even Yi-Han had no answer to give.

"I don't know either."

"...Don't lie, Wardanaz! There's no way you don't know!"

"Is this because we're not doing magic and doing other things?! We were planning to go back after just mining this!"

The students shouted words that felt somewhat unconvincing even to themselves.

But it was true.

They were planning to go back after just finishing this!

"No... I really don't know either. Why did he tell us to follow?"

Yi-Han tried to ask the mad doppelganger. However, Jijel grabbed his arm and shook her head.

"...Give up. Let's not provoke him needlessly."

"Moradi. Today Master is in a better mood than usual. It should be fine to ask."

'Is that possible?'

Though Jijel was puzzled, she expressed denial again.

"I said give up. You'll just get beaten up again."

Put that way, it was certainly hard to deny.

Though the mad doppelganger had become a kind and friendly doppelganger lately, there were few beings as hard to predict as an originally mad great mage.

"If you say so. But is it okay for others to follow?"

"It's checking the final exam in advance, so of course it's okay. Work finished early too."

At Jijel's answer, their friends grumbled behind.

'It's not okay at all!'

Though Wardanaz and Jijel differed in opinion on most things, they always agreed when it came to tormenting and pushing their friends.

Why only in such aspects...

  *

"Senior. But exactly what aspects of the realm are you trying to check?"

At Yi-Han's question, Jijel nodded as if he had done well.

Actually, Caten's judgment might be the most important thing in this companionship.

Depending on how Caten judged, the location might change back to Granden City's swordsmanship guild training grounds.

"First, I plan to ask if the Frost Giants can help with the exam, Junior."

"..."

"..."

Yi-Han and Jijel's eyes were colored with shock. The students behind fortunately hadn't heard, as there was no reaction.

"...Is that what checking an appropriate location meant???"

"What else would it be? Checking the scenery?"

Caten laughed, seemingly pleased with his own joke. The two juniors didn't find it funny at all.

'If Frost Giants give the exam...'

'Do we have to face Frost Giants with swords?'

When Jijel's face hardened, Caten asked curiously.

"What's wrong, Junior? If you have any concerns..."

"...It's nothing. I was just wondering if my swordsmanship skills would be enough to face a Frost Giant."

As she answered, Jijel secretly probed the other.

Was he really thinking about fighting Frost Giants?

"Someone of Junior's level can do it!"

'Damn.'

It seemed that was indeed the case. Jijel lamented inwardly about why Professor Ingurdel had gone so mad and said.

"My aura is still immature."

"But Junior has stepped into the realm. The realization could come tomorrow, or even today. You don't need to worry too much."

The reassuring advice from a senior who had walked the path of the sword first provided deep comfort.

Jijel nodded slightly.

The path a swordsman must walk was a long and distant path whose end couldn't be seen.

There was no reason to be anxious about how quickly one ran a short section of such a path.

"That's right, Moradi. Besides, you have a lot to worry about with the White Tiger Tower guys."

"Thanks, Wardana..."

Jijel, who was about to express gratitude to her friend too, paused.

...For someone who realized aura first while taking care of all four towers' students to say such things?

"...You be quiet."

"!?"