No way. Youve got to be kidding.

Yi-han shut his eyes, but the reality was cruel.

Youve taken the bait! And on the first week too! Hahaha! Hahahahaha!

Whats going on??

Nilias voice was trembling, and she was still trying to make sense of the situation.

It seems weve fallen under the principals trap, replied Yi-han in a calm manner.

How Jijel discovered the escape path still eluded him, but it was clear she had been dancing on the palms of the principal.

The problem here was that Yi-han and his party had followed after her, and they were at risk of being exposed as well!

Since you guys are here on your first week, someone must have found one of the fake maps Ive scattered around the Empire! Let this be a lesson: do not trust a map thats from an unknown source! You might think its a treasure map, but it could be a trap laid down by a sinister lich!

Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with him? Yi-han wondered.

Principal Skelly had just admitted to making fake maps and hiding them in various places. And he had done this without the knowledge of when or whether they would be discovered by freshmen entering the academy

Hes clearly doing this for entertainment.

The principal might be saying its all part of students education, but Yi-han knew about professors like this, and they loved to do things just for fun.

Students of the White Tigers, listen well! Your escape ends here. Its now time for you to return. The rules are simple. I wont chase you myself. Instead, Ill be sending my minions to pursue you. Return to your dorm without getting caught! Guilty if caught, innocent if not! Use whatever is at your disposal. You may take down my minions as well!

With that, a giant skull emitting a green light appeared in the dark sky, and undeads began pouring out of its mouth.

Hounds and pursuers made of bones fell one-by-one onto the mountain they were on.

Flash!

Lights flashed at various locations as the skeletons brought out torches to begin the pursuit.

***

Run!!

Nilia whispered in a panic, her eyes shaking in terror.

Calm down, Nilia.

How am I supposed to calm down in this situation!? Were dead if were caught!!

No, were not.

Yi-han had already talked to the principal several times, and he was used to dealing with crazy professors. However, Nilia, who didnt have such experience, found Principal Skelly terrifying.

From Yi-hans perspective, the principal seemed to be toying with the students, but Nilia thought otherwise. She believed he was enraged at the freshmen for committing such a horrendous offence.

R-really?

Even if were caught, well at most be sent to the punishment room.

P-punishment room? And well be tortured for all eternitynever to see the light of day again

I never said that.

Nilias pessimistic imagination was running wild, so much so that Yi-han had to cover her mouth before looking around at their surrounding.

Are they skeletons?

He heard the sound of bones rattling as their pursuers moved forth while rummaging through the bushes.

Bark! Bark!

He could also hear the bone hounds growling.

Run!! If any of them catch up to you, take them down!

For honor! Dont forget your code of chivalry!

The students of the White Tigers shouted as they pulled out their wooden swords, deciding to fight them out if they had to.

How does this have anything to do with honor or your code of chivalry?

They had been caught while trying to sneak out of the academy. It didnt seem remotely connected to honor or anything of that sort

Theres only one thing we can do in this situation, Dolgyu said in a low voice.

This wasnt the time to be arguing over which tower they belonged to. They had to work together in order to take down their enemies!

Youre right, Dolgyu.

Okay, then Ill head out first and-

We should flee while theyre drawing the attention.

Dolgyu stared at Yi-han with his mouth agape. However, Nilia, Yonaire, and Gainando immediately agreed to the plan.

Agreed!

Dolgyu was about to open his mouth, but decided not to at the last second. After all, Yi-han was the leader of their group.

We should attempt to break through by targeting the place where the encirclement is the thinnest.

Yi-han kept on observing. He wanted to make a run for it immediately, but he endured the urge to do so.

It was always best to wait and watch rather than lash out in a panic.

He looked around for the weakest link in the encirclement. Fortunately, the students of the White Tigers were attracting all the attention by running around and screaming, giving him plenty of time to do so. He wasnt about to let this chance go.

But isnt this going too far?

He had been silently watching in the bushes, but he was soon dismayed to find out that the undeads were pouring out endlessly from the skull floating in the night sky. They were coming in droves, determined to overwhelm the offenders through their strength in numbers.

It seems Ive underestimated the craziness of the principal!!

Yi-han inwardly groaned.

The principal was more deranged than he had expected. Since he claimed that those that escape would be deemed innocent, Yi-han thought the principal would at least give them a chance. As it turned out, he had created a total blockade.

No, maybe he thinks hes going easy already. The brains of professors are wired differently after all.

Maybe the principal thought the students would only grow if they can break through an encirclement of this calibre.

The issue here was that Yi-han had to break through this encirclement as well.

Uhheven with the White Tigers drawing most of the attention, I dont think this is possible. Should we just surrender?

All the paths leading downward were being guarded by skeletons with torches, lighting up the night.

And more of them were coming down.

And even more of them

With their number steadily climbing, the foot of the mountain became so bright it was like morning.

Wait a second.

Yi-han noticed something strange.

The skeletons and bone hounds werent paying attention to their group at all.

Isnt that weird?

Granted, they were hiding in the bushes, and most of the attention was being drawn to the students of the White Tigers screaming as they ran down the mountain. However, if Yi-han and his friends had been discovered, there should have been a hound or two sniffing around them, trying to pinpoint their exact location.

Yet their bony pursuers were only chasing after the members of the White Tigers, ignoring them completely as they headed down.

Is the principal unaware that were here?

He had naturally assumed the principal would know where they were hiding. After all, he was a mage completely beyond their realm of understanding.

But what if the principal wasnt here in person?

I wont chase you myself. Instead, Ill be sending my minions to pursue you. Return to your dorm without getting caught!

Now that he thought calmly about it, there was no guarantee that the giant skull here was the real principal. He couldve just sent a clone or an image of himself from afar.

Which means we just have to avoid the eyes of our pursuers!

Rather than fleeing while being chased, it was much easier to flee while hiding.

Lets head up.

Huh??

If we head down, theres no way we wont be spotted. Just look at how many of them there are. The moment were found, theyll come at us in waves.

Nilias eyelashes trembled upon hearing his reasoning.

On the other hand, there arent any pursuers above us. We have a much better chance of not getting caught if we wait it out at the top or take a detour.

Okay, lets go with that!

?

He had been the one to suggest it, but he found it strange how quickly Nilia accepted his suggestion.

I was the one who brought it upbut are you sure youre fine with that decision? We dont know whats waiting above us.

Anythings better than being caught and tortured in the punishment room!

As I said, I think youre misunderstanding something.

***

They carefully climbed up for around 30 minutes.

Theres a cave up ahead. Lets go in there, Nilia said in a whisper.

Are there any monsters inside?

None. Its a small cave, and I dont feel any presence inside. Ive thrown in a rock just now to confirm.

Nilia pointed at her ears while saying so.

Weve been moving for quite a while now. I can continue, but the others are going to need some rest.

I guess youre right.

Nilia, Yi-han, and Dolgyu were fine, but Yonaire seemed rather tired, whereas Gainando was on a brink of death.

They had been walking in the darkness, and they had to flee in the middle while avoiding their pursuers, so they were both mentally and physically spent.

Light!

Yi-han used magic after entering the cave, illuminating it with a ball of light that shone brilliantly like the sun.

Yonaire used her coat and covered the caves entrance, making sure that the light wont escape.

You think theyll chase us all the way up here?

Dont worry. Ive been paying attention while coming up, and I havent heard any rattling coming from the pursuers. They must all be gathered at the bottom of the mountain.

Yonaire felt reassured after hearing what Nilia said.

Fortunately, Yi-han had been right on the mark. The principals summons had not noticed their group, so they didnt follow them up the mountain either.

So the question becomes how long his summons will remain.

Maybe we shouldve brute-forced our way through after all

Yi-han, however, disagreed with Dolgyus words.

No, it wouldve been impossible to do so.

How do you know?

Considering his personality, the principal wouldnt have left such an obvious loophole.

Though the others wondered how hed know that, they decided to remain quiet and respect his words.

Regardless of whether we end up waiting until they disappear or taking a detour, we should rest for the time being. Lets fill our stomachs first.

Agreed!

Yi-han distributed the sausages, bread, and cheese that he brought with him.

Gainando popped a dwarven honey candy into his mouth and savored its taste. He hadnt had anything sweet for the past few days, so his body reacted violently to the candy.

Oh, no. Were out of water

Nilia took out an empty water flask as she said so. They had walked for a long time and had drunk all its content.

Its okay. We have magic.

!

Gush forth!

Yi-han waved his staff with a shout, producing a puddle of water midair.

Nilia hurriedly filled her leather flask with water.

Way to go, Yi-han! Dolgyu exclaimed.

As he was from a knights family, he was slower than the students of other towers when it came to learning magic, so Yi-hans magic almost seemed like a miracle to him.

Gainando and Yonaire also clapped their hands in glee.

I was starting to feel thirsty!

Thanks for the drink, Yi-han.

After filling up her flask, Nilia closed its cap.

I want to learn water magic as well, she said enviously.

Im sure youll be able to do it soon once you become more familiar with magic, Yi-han replied in comfort.

It wasnt that difficult a spell to begin with, and it was something anyone could do once they got the hang of it.

I sure hope so.

After saying that, Nilia waved her staff and began to chant.

Set ablaze!

A small fire appeared and landed on the kindling wood that she had prepared.

The sound of wood burning was soon accompanied by the warmth that came from the fire.

Everyones hands and feet were freezing after wandering around in the cold night, so they collectively let out a sigh of relief upon feeling the warmth.

Phew. Im glad it worked the first time. I learned it last time, but it wasnt the most perfect, so I was nervous.

She seemed to have quite a high affinity with fire as she was able to succeed in one attempt.

Im jealous of you. I wanted to learn water spells rather than fire ones, she said as she looked over at Yi-han.

W-whats wrong?

Yi-han was staring intently at her, making her feel uneasy.

Did she say something offensive?