Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 773

Chapter 773

'Could this person have been going around doing this to everyone he met?'

If he had been going around to everyone he met saying "Senior, junior, please teach me some magic", such a notorious reputation would be understandable.

Of course, having a burning passion for learning was better than having none, but there should be limits, right?

It was understandable that people would be disgusted if he kept chasing and harassing them for years.

'Oh no. This isn't the time for that.'

Yi-Han quickly came to his senses.

There was a robber with a sword, no, a senior with a sword right in front of him.

And for some reason, that senior with a sword was greatly overestimating Yi-Han.

"I think there's been some misunderstanding, Senior. How can you determine whether I pass or fail based on that brief conversation?"

Yi-Han spoke firmly, as he didn't want to teach a 5th year senior.

And this statement wasn't particularly wrong either.

'Passing me after just one conversation. It's suspicious no matter how I look at it.'

There was a high possibility that he intended to force Yi-Han to teach him regardless of what he said.

"Haha. Junior. Do you know how many mages have tried to teach me? I can tell whether someone has the ability to teach me or not just by hearing one word."

Caten laughed while proudly saying something that didn't seem like much to boast about.

Of course, Yi-Han couldn't laugh. It wasn't funny at all.

"Is... that so? Exactly which part?"

"First of all, the mages who tried to teach me all started with basic arithmetic and tried somehow to put numbers into my head. But you didn't do that."

"..."

Yi-Han wanted to say 'That's because Senior Direth told me in advance!', but he couldn't bring himself to report on Direth, so he held back.

'Oh no. I should have said Senior Yukbeltire told me.'

"Just from that, I can tell you're one of the top people among the mages who have tried to teach me."

"That seems like an exaggeration... Well, weren't there any such people among your White Tiger Tower friends?"

"Hmm. They all tried to forcibly teach me numbers first."

'Damn it. Moradi. You clever bastard!'

Yi-Han inwardly raged at Jijel, who had done nothing wrong.

To be caught out like this!

'I should have said I'd teach numbers first too.'

He had passed because of the facts he heard from Direth and his experience teaching 1st year failing candidate students.

"Moreover, junior, you suggested a different method from the usual magic practice? I've heard explanations of <Lesser Fire Barrier> dozens of times, but you're the first person I've seen willing to cast it prepared to set your body on fire."

"..."

This time it was Professor Jorzik of the Benmalpa family's turn to be blamed.

Yi-Han cursed that Professor Jorzik would never become principal.

"That's because I had difficulty controlling due to having too much mana..."

"You experienced such difficulties!? That's even better! Junior, you really might be able to teach me!"

Caten was very pleased at the hardships his junior had experienced.

If he was a genius who could succeed in taking all schools despite experiencing such hardships, he might be able to teach Caten himself.

"...Please don't be too disappointed if I can't teach you."

Yi-Han said, half giving up.

He thought that if it didn't work out, Caten would give up on his own.

The 5th year senior smiled while stroking his long, sideways-protruding whiskers characteristic of cat mixed-bloods.

"Disappointed? How many times have I failed until now, why would I be disappointed by that? Junior. Don't worry too much. Come, this way."

Caten pulled Yi-Han forward with small steps.

Yi-Han asked, puzzled.

"Where are we going?"

"Ah. As I said, just as you teach me magic, I must also pass on swordsmanship to you. In my opinion, if you learn more swordsmanship, it will surely help with magic training too."

'Is he telling me to cut down the professor and run away?'

From Yi-Han's perspective, the only way swordsmanship could help with magic training that came to mind was cutting down professors and running away.

"Will I really be able to learn your swordsmanship, Senior?"

"From what I've heard from the tower juniors, it's definitely possible!"

"..."

Resolving to catch the White Tiger Tower 2nd year students like mice when he returned, Yi-Han moved his steps.

"You would have taken the swordsmanship lecture last year, so you must have learned about will, junior."

"Yes."

In the secret teachings passed down orally among the empire's ancient swordsmen, there were vague phrases like 'Fill your sword with anger' or 'Fill your sword with faith'.

This wasn't simply an emotional training method. Swordsmen could actually change the properties of mana through sensation and instinct.

Professor Ingurdel had explained this as filling the sword with will.

"When you become skilled at handling mana, completely comprehend the forms of swordsmanship, and finally know how to condense will into a single point beyond just filling the sword with it ordinarily...!"

For a moment, the sword shone like a star.

Although any mage could easily see light sources, the light emanating from the senior's sword now contained a fundamentally different mysteriousness from such light.

It was an aura, a crystallization of mana condensed beyond what a mage's reason could understand.

"That's amazing! How did you realize this..."

At Yi-Han's flattery, Caten pondered seriously.

Then he answered.

"I think the punishment room played a big part, junior. As I kept staying in the punishment room, I ended up deeply contemplating swordsmanship."

"I-I see."

"If you don't know how to handle mana, you can't gather it in the sword, if you don't know how to handle forms, you can't control it, and if you don't know how to gather will, you can't condense it. You can't lack any of the three."

Yi-Han nodded.

He knew well, as he himself had attempted to create a pseudo-aura by forcibly pouring in mana.

In the end, as this aura was essentially mana condensed beyond limits, it was impossible to create with just mana without enlightenment.

"You need to complete this first, junior."

"...Do you have any advice to give?"

Caten pondered seriously again.

"Hmm. If you do as I did, during the break in the punishment room..."

"I'll do my best within the lecture time."

Yi-Han answered quickly.

He was overcome by fear that if he answered wrong here, he might not be able to leave Einroguard even during breaks.

"Indeed. As you're a genius taking all schools, junior, you should be able to do it."

'Senior Caten really isn't calling me to torment me, is he?'

He didn't feel very happy even hearing the senior's high evaluation of him.

"Now, once you complete this aura, the next step is..."

With those words, Caten swung the aura towards the lava. The sword burning like a star drew a shining trajectory.

It was an attack with tremendous destructive power, and it actually ended there. Yi-Han was puzzled, not knowing what the other party was trying to show.

"...Now!"

Caten's sword dance had only just begun.

After swinging once and swinging again, the reality of the area the aura passed through began to change very subtly.

"!!!!"

Having directly witnessed Direth's small world magic, Yi-Han realized what the other party was doing now and was shocked.

The other party was now summoning small world magic by swinging his sword!

Of course, it wasn't a small world with the elaborate and systematic order like Direth's <Pentagrammaton>.

It was a primitive and crude, limited and strange small world that only applied for the brief moment of swinging the sword.

But even so, a small world was still a small world.

As the rules of reality changed, the aura suddenly turned into water and explosively scattered.

Caten pulled this water with a shout and created a barrier.

"Huff... Ha!"

The water barrier didn't last long enough to justify such a shout. The barrier maintained for a few seconds before instantly losing power and disappearing.

Unlike magic, which allows for various and complex processes, swordsmanship could produce highly destructive phenomena in an instant, but maintaining a water barrier like that was nearly impossible.

Rather, maintaining it for nearly a few seconds itself was a great achievement.

It was amazing enough to simply form an aura, but to implement a small world with it.

"Huff... huff. Did you see that just now, junior?"

"I saw it."

Caten spoke while panting heavily, as if that secret technique just now had been quite physically demanding.

"This too... I completed... in the punishment room..."

"..."

'Is he a punishment room maniac?'

"It's amazing. To think you could implement a small world with a sword."

"Small world? What's that, junior?"

"..."

Yi-Han hadn't expected a 5th year student not to know what a small world was.

"Well... it's like this. Magic roughly 5th Circle..."

"...Gasp! To think such a thing existed in magic! I thought it only existed in swordsmanship!"

'...He really should go to a knight order.'

Yi-Han was dumbfounded by Caten but inwardly surprised.

Every time he faced knights like Arlong or Jicklin, he had felt a strength beyond simply having outstanding swordsmanship or being able to use auras, and if swordsmen who had reached the pinnacle were capable of this too, it made sense.

Even with just the Azure Rock Style swordsmanship Yi-Han had learned, Arlong hadn't taught the later forms, had he?

'To think even small worlds are possible with swordsmanship.'

Suddenly curious, Yi-Han asked.

"Senior. Is this possible with swordsmanship too?"

"What kind?"

"Well, like this..."

Yi-Han briefly explained about the unique world magic he knew.

The ultimate secret of mages that not only changes the individual mage's world, but recreates a much wider area itself with the mage's individual order.

When he explained that level the skull principal had shown once, Caten burst out laughing.

"Even magic can't do that, junior! How could an individual mage dye such a wide area with their own world!"

"...Senior. This is real magic."

"?!?!"

Caten was shocked.

Only after hearing Yi-Han's full explanation could this 5th year senior sheepishly understand.

"To-to think such great magic existed... Junior. I'm really surprised."

"Have you never heard of it?"

"Well, I only ask about very easy magic..."

Although he had heard about <Lesser Fire Barrier> dozens of times, Caten had never even heard of small worlds or unique worlds.

"And as far as I know, that's impossible with swordsmanship. Hmm. Although I can twist the area where I swing the sword... I can't even imagine how to change such a wide area."

Unlike a mage's small world, a swordsman could only momentarily twist reality in that brief area where they swung their sword.

It was a natural limitation as they unfolded it through instinct and sensation.

Of course, from a mage's perspective, even this felt like an enormous trick, a shortcut...

"Well, that's not important. I don't think I'll get there anyway."

"Junior. What are you saying? Don't define your own limits from the start. You can do it. What mindset did you have when learning swordsmanship last year?"

"Hmm."

Yi-Han pondered, feeling he shouldn't mention that he had taken it with the mindset of getting good grades easily.

"I... I wanted to walk the path of the sword a bit seriously..."

"I knew it! Junior. Just as I don't give up on magic, don't give up on swordsmanship either."

"Th-thank you."

"Ever since I realized these secret techniques, I've been trying to keep expanding them. Hmm. Someday I'll be able to unfold them as diversely as magic, not envying it."

'This is mad swordsmanship...'

Yi-Han listened while inwardly shocked.

"Junior. Think about it. This much with just a few magics I couldn't learn. How many secret techniques could I create if I learn more magic?"

"It's truly terrifying!"

"Hm? Terrifying?"

"I meant terrifying in a positive sense. Like, like the punishment room."