Thud!

Despite the advice, Gainando collapsed to the ground. It seemed he had been attacked by a monster and knocked unconscious.

I didn't notice it at all.

Even in the darkness, it was surprising that he hadn't noticed the monster approaching so closely. The creature must have had the ability to conceal its presence.

"Light!"

Yi-Han conjured a sphere of light, illuminating the surroundings, while simultaneously rendering himself invisible.

"Heat, distort the air!"

His actions didn't stop there.

In the place where Yi-Han had become invisible, an illusion appeared in his stead.

"Sharakan, attack when the enemy approaches!"

With a growling sound, Sharakan burst forth, barking ferociously into the darkness.

Its over there!

Yi-Han created another sphere of light. The pitch-black darkness was swiftly pushed back.

The outline of the opponent became vaguely visible. It looked like a monster formed from shadows, as if clay had been shaped into a shadowy figure.

The shadow monster, startled by the approaching light, quickly widened the distance between them, blending back into the darkness, its form disappearing instantaneously.

This doesn't seem like an ordinary monster.

Yi-Han gazed in the direction where the shadow monster had vanished, lost in thought.

Unlike living monsters, the shadow creature lacked any sense of vitality. It seemed as if someone had artificially summoned it.

And this was a magic academy.

There were too many who could summon such a creature, which was a problem.

First, I must subdue it!

"Blaze forth!"

A flame was ignited, piercing through the darkness. Realizing the nature of his adversary, Yi-Han decided to press on more aggressively.

A creature that feared light would likely fear flames just as much.

Whoosh!

As a flame erupted in the air, the shadow monster, as if mocking him, easily widened the gap once more.

Its initial panic upon encountering the light had vanished, replaced by calmness.

Light and fire were of little use in the dead of night.

There was plenty of darkness around to hide in.

However, the shadow monster had underestimated Yi-Han.

"Blaze forth."

-?-

"Blaze forth, blaze forth, blaze forth, blaze forth..."

-!-

The shadow monster should have fled immediately instead of taunting and circling around when it first distanced itself.

Yi-Han had swiftly summoned dozens of flames around him.

Whoosh!

A rapidly formed net of fire.

Before the shadow monster could escape to another location, it was surrounded by flames erupting from all around.

The overwhelming mana left no room for the monster to use its evasion or stealth abilities.

Caught in the little remaining darkness, the shadow monster lay in wait, barely breathing, as Sharakan growled as if to coax it out.

"Got you."

The shadow monster dared not emerge from the darkness.

Instead, it waited for the surrounding flames to die down.

It had judged that Yi-Han's youth meant that the excessively summoned flames would become a liability over time.

-...???-

But even as time passed, the flames showed no sign of weakening.

Yi-Han, waiting patiently, spoke coldly.

"If you don't come out, I'll burn you along with the darkness. Three. Two. One..."

It was because he lacked confidence in handling fire magic that he had lit fires all around and waited, not because of fear of the shadow monster.

Feeling the threat in Yi-Han's voice, the shadow monster emerged, completely intimidated.

Tap tap tap tap tap-

"?"

Footsteps were heard in the distance.

Yi-Han turned his head, casting his gaze. A familiar face was running desperately through the night's darkness.

He was the keeper of the magic academy's warehouse.

-"For this festival, these are the monsters I have prepared. How do they look?"-

-"There are many of them."-

-"...How dull. Anyway, these monsters must be well managed."-

The skull principal spoke to the warehouse keeper in a solemn voice. The monsters summoned for the festival were not merely for one-time use. They were beautiful chess pieces meant to shine in the perfect plan laid out by the skull principal.

-"I will do my best."-

However, in truth, the number of monsters summoned by the principal was too great for the warehouse keeper to manage alone. Moreover, the monsters were not exactly docile.

-"Stay still, do not move."-

Thump! Thump!

The monsters, ordered by the principal to track and ambush the students who had found the outing pass, struggled as if they were about to break out of their cages at any moment.

The warehouse keeper did his best to manage them, but eventually, an accident occurred. Several cages broke, and the monsters inside escaped.

Despite the sudden turn of events, the warehouse keeper did not panic. He calmly captured the ones nearby, locked them up again, and pursued the traces of those who had escaped.

"!"

The warehouse keeper hesitated momentarily, sensing an immense mana from afar. Although he had lost his sight and gained a powerful ability to detect mana, this was an enormous mana that he couldn't fully grasp.

Normally, he would have asked, 'Is that you, Principal?' But he had just been reprimanded by the skull principal.

"Is that you, Principal, or a student?"

Yi-Han quickly pondered. If he said it was the skull principal...

'I'm not sneaking around, so there's no need for that.'

"I am a student."

"Is that so."

Fortunately, the warehouse keeper did not attack Yi-Han, thinking 'He must have been the one that tricked me last time!' Instead, he looked at the shadow monster, which was surrounded by flames, that Yi-Han had caught.

Although his pupils were not visible, Yi-Han felt the warehouse keeper was intrigued.

"Did you catch it by setting fire around it?"

"Yes."

"Didn't it try to escape?"

"I didn't give it a chance and set fires on all sides."

Sharakan growled as if proud.

The warehouse keeper was amazed at Yi-Han's words. If what he said was true, it meant that he had quickly lit many fires without giving the shadow creature any chance to escape. So many flames, like that?

Even with a talent specialized in fire elemental magic, it was a difficult feat for a freshman to show.

"You will become a great mage."

"Thank you."

"Then, may I take the monster?"

"...Is it one that escaped while avoiding the Principal's eyes?"

Yi-Han was much quicker than the warehouse keeper had thought. He immediately thought of the skull principal upon hearing about the monster, the warehouse keeper, and the intent to take it away.

The warehouse keeper did not show it, but he was slightly flustered. A freshman knowing so much was unexpected.

"Did the Principal tell you?"

"In a way, that's not entirely untrue."

Yi-Han responded indirectly. Of course, the skull principal hadn't told him, but he had suspected it by observing the principal's actions, so in a way, it was as if the principal had told him.

The naive warehouse keeper couldn't imagine that a freshman would already possess such a cunning tongue.

"Yes, it is one of those that escaped."

"Are there still many that have escaped?"

"Yes."

"..."

Internally, Yi-Han cursed.

This academy should forbid summoning anything if it cannot be managed, Yi-Han muttered.

"May I assist you?" Yi-Han offered.

The warehouse keeper was surprised by Yi-Han's proposition. He hadn't expected such a commendable offer from a freshman. While other freshmen might have refused to help, this boy had just subdued a shadow monster, proving his capability. Besides, he was practically a disciple of the principal. Working together with him seemed to pose no problems.

"Would you do that?"

"Yes. It would be an honor to help someone dedicated to this magic academy."

"You will surely become a great mage."

"Haha, thank you."

'It's easy,' Yi-Han thought. Dealing with the warehouse keeper was a breeze compared to the continuous schemes and tricks of the skull principal. Yi-Han was well-trained by these experiences.

'There must be a plan by the skull principal.'

While helping, he would dig for information. Yi-Han knew well that one must seize opportunities to survive in this magic academy.

"Wait a moment. I'll wake Gainando."

"Please do."

Yi-Han conjured a mass of water and poured it over Gainando's face.

"Ugh-choke!"

"Gainando! Are you alright?"

"Fine... cough, cough. My pass! What about my pass?"

"It's safe. Just stay inside the tower today."

Gainando had the advantage of not asking unnecessary questions. Taking Yi-Han's words seriously, he nodded in agreement.

"Alright."

"Be careful going back."

"But when you return, how about a game of cards?"

"..."

While working with the warehouse keeper, Yi-Han caught three more shadow monsters. These creatures, summoned from the dark world of shadows and negative energy, were favored by cunning and vile dark mages for their specialized abilities in stealth, tracking, and ambush.

'Very much like the skull principal,' Yi-Han thought. He continued to extract information from the warehouse keeper, confirming the shadow monster's weaknesses. As he had previously experienced, they were indeed terrified of light and heat.

'It's good to know for sure, in case I encounter them again.'

"So... these creatures were summoned to track students with outing passes," Yi-Han concluded.

"That's correct."

"..."

'Really unbelievable,' Yi-Han thought, reconfirming the information he had gathered.

What nonsense...

He had suspected that the principal was too lenient with outing passes, and indeed, there was a sinister plot behind it.

As students excitedly head towards the main gate on a Saturday morning after the festival...

An ambush awaits!

'It's a relief to know in advance.'

Yi-Han inwardly sighed in relief. If he hadn't known, he could have been caught off guard...

'Wait a moment.'

As he relaxed, Yi-Han suddenly sensed something ominous.

'Let's think from the skull principal's perspective.'

Would he go to the trouble of summoning and preparing these monsters just to ambush students leaving for the weekend and take their passes?

...Wouldn't he also use them to ambush students returning?

Yi-Han casually, without arousing suspicion, spoke to the warehouse keeper.

"By the way, where will the monsters be waiting when the students return?"

Yi-Han's question was so natural, as if he already knew the answer, that the warehouse keeper didn't doubt him for a second.

"They will be waiting near the hill in front of the main gate."

"If students are late dealing with the monsters... they can be sent to the punishment room."

"Yes, that's correct."

"...Now that you mention it, aren't midterms next week?"

"Yes, they are."

"If students get trapped when they return this weekend, they won't be able to study properly for the midterms... that's even better."

"Indeed. You truly are the principal's disciple. You will be a great mage."

"..."

In that moment, Yi-Han nearly dropped his facade and threw a punch at the warehouse keeper.

"Why such a long face?"

Uregor, from early in the morning, was perplexed by Yi-Han's dejected appearance as he sighed heavily in front of the alchemy tent.

However, instead of responding, Yi-Han only sighed again.

"You should have listened sooner. Here, this potion will cheer you up."

Uregor offered a glass filled with a barley potion, bubbling with golden foam.

The people around had already drunk their barley potions and were in a state of bliss.

"Professor."

"What is it?"

"If you had to break through a place where someone is laying ambush, how would you do it?"

"...What exactly are you planning?"

Professor Uregor was aghast.