"It wasn't really anything special," he admitted modestly.

"Observation is crucial," came the retort.

Professor Boladi never underestimated the value of emotion perception magic.

A duel between mages was like a collision of two different worlds. To gain the upper hand in such a collision, one needed the keen ability to read the opponent's world first.

"And you must have also mastered emotion control magic (<Ogonin's Abundant Satisfaction>)," he guessed.

...

There was a pause. Though prepared, the revelation that his secret was already known was bitter.

"Mages may not fall for it, but it's useful against those who can't handle mana," he pointed out.

"?"

Yi-Han hesitated.

'But it worked on all the students of the Blue Dragon!?'

Yi-Han scoffed at his friends. How carelessly must a mage live to fall for such magic?

"Keep practicing. Your transformation magic is still focused on iron, I presume?"

"Yes."

Professor Boladi seemed to know more about the transformation magic curriculum than the students themselves. The current course was focusing on the most basic aspect: transforming the clothes a mage wore into iron. Familiar objects were easier to transform, and iron was one of the most common and accessible materials for mages.

Swish!

With a swift motion, Professor Boladi whipped out a handkerchief from an unseen angle. It transformed into iron, lashing out like a whip.

Caught off guard, Yi-Han reacted instantly, throwing his coat and shouting, "Cloak, turn into iron!"

Fortunately, he timed it right. The handkerchief hit the coat and fell.

Professor Boladi, who almost struck his student's chin, spoke calmly, "Increase your speed."

"Yes..."

Yi-Han wanted to say 'Stop the ambushes, please,' but held his tongue. Speaking out would be as effective as talking to the walls of the Blue Dragon Tower.

"Don't be too greedy with divination and healing magic."

"Yes... Yes?"

Yi-Han paused, surprised.

'Don't be greedy? Is he asking me not to divine the future a thousand years ahead or not to heal even if several holes are blown through the body?'

'If anyone hears it, they would think I'm greedy...'

"What do you mean by not being greedy?"

"Just as I said. Divination magic is unstable and capricious. Forcing it might exact a great toll."

...

Yi-Han felt uneasy. He had used divination magic a few times, but realizing its real danger was alarming.

'Divination magic is indeed perilous.'

When Professor Boladi said it was dangerous, it carried a different weight.

"Wait, is healing magic also unstable and capricious?"

Yi-Han asked, puzzled.

"It's different."

The reason to not be overzealous with healing magic was similar yet different from divination. Healing magic, without enough experience, could backfire until one was fully capable.

Acting hastily could only lead to greater harm.

"Aha."

Yi-Han was grateful to Professor Garcia for keeping his secret. Successfully using healing magic on people seemed like a secret to take to the grave.

Although Professor Boladi didn't assign any specific homework, he provided numerous pieces of advice on various magics.

-Develop the ability to move skeletons and combine poison with curses to enhance them.-

-Master Mr. Ogonin's illusion magic. Aim to reach the 4th Circle as quickly as possible.-

-I heard you've completed the iron shield. Now, try casting it without the aid of a magic circle.-

Yi-Han thought to himself, 'Why not just give me an assignment instead?' He kept his thoughts internal, knowing well that voicing them might actually lead to a real assignment.

"Be careful with fire magic."

"Yes?"

Yi-Han looked up, puzzled by the sudden advice. Fire magic was a widely known elemental magic, but for him, it was a different story. Due to the nature of the fire element and his abnormally large amount of mana, a moment's carelessness could turn him into an arsonist.

As such, Yi-Han always wore several layers of cursedor rather, fire-diminishingartifacts when using fire magic and kept the scale of the magic as safe as possible.

Professor Boladi must have known this, so why the warning?

"Are you always cautious?"

"It's better to be more careful."

According to Professor Boladi, a slight aura of fire magic was being detected in the academy mana flow. Naturally, the environment strongly influences the natural mana.

In the hot summer, the aura of fire.

In the cold winter, the aura of cold.

In Einroguard, one of the places with the most amount of mana in the empire, the impact of seasons was even more pronounced.

"But summer hasn't even arrived yet. Is it still dangerous?"

"It must be because of the festival."

"Yes?"

"The Phoenix Festival. The students must be celebrating it."

Mages, those who change the world with their will, naturally influence their surroundings, whether consciously or unconsciously. A festival commemorating the Phoenix, heralding the onset of early summer, naturally strengthened the power of fire.

Yi-Han was speechless. The already distracting and chaotic festival atmosphere was now causing this sort of problem!

He was already starting to dislike the festival.

Swordsmanship class.

...One hour before it started.

Yi-Han relentlessly hit the backs of the White Tiger students with a branch he was holding.

"Is that what you call calculation? Do it again! If you mix potions like that, the pot will melt and get holes!"

He had promised to help the White Tiger Tower with their studies, so he was aiding his friends before the swordsmanship class.

Of course, the White Tiger students were miserable.

"Take a short break. Rest for just five minutes, but don't stray far!"

"Why is Wardanaz being like this? He's several times worse than usual!"

"Who messed with Wardanaz?"

"Did someone get caught insulting Wardanaz?"

"Damn it, I told you not to curse him!"

The White Tiger students whispered in shock and fear.

They were going crazy with comments like, 'Your potion is so weak that selling it would land you in jail!'

Some even preferred when Yi-Han resorted to violence over this torment.

The White Tiger students were fundamentally not used to sitting and studying for long periods.

"Wardanaz. You might not understand, but we come from knightly backgrounds, so studying isn't really our...

"Shut up and sit down, or would you prefer to get hit and then sit?"

"..."

Normally, Jijel would find anything Yi-Han did irksome, but this time it was different.

'Insult more. Wardanaz. Keep insulting.'

Jijel didn't regret joining the White Tiger, but sometimes there were moments of regret.

One of the reasons was that she couldn't strike her fellow tower students too hard, given they were from the same tower.

Normally, these students avoided studying at all costs, but the presence of Wardanaz had them suddenly attentive and struggling with their studies.

"What are you all doing?" asked Professor Ingurdel, an elf, in bewilderment.

To his surprise, he found the students in the hallowed hall of the swordsmanship class, hunched over tables, deeply engrossed in their work.

"Professor!!"

The students, seeing the professor arrive 30 minutes early, were so relieved they almost cried tears of joy.

"Wardanaz... he forced us to study..."

"Aha," responded Professor Ingurdel, looking at Yi-Han. "You're doing a good deed for your friends, even though you're not from the same tower. I'm touched."

"No, Professor. We're all comrades in swordsmanship training," Yi-Han replied insincerely, to which Professor Ingurdel seemed genuinely moved. A student from the White Tiger, sensing trouble, quickly suggested, "Since you're early, why not start the class?"

"No, there's still time. Continue studying a bit more. I'll wait."

"..."

"..."

The White Tiger students were drenched in sorrow and agony. Professor Ingurdel remarked, "It's been common for those learning swordsmanship to neglect their studies. Don't be like that."

"Yes..."

After enduring an additional 30 minutes of study, the White Tiger students stretched and stood up, feeling as if their bodies had turned to stone from sitting for so long.

Professor Ingurdel, holding a sword, waited for them with a smile.

"You've all worked hard studying. I wonder how you're preparing for the final exams?"

"You don't need to worry!"

"Yes, it's like turning mountains into gardens now."

'What shameless braggarts.'

'That's such an outrageous boast.'

Yi-Han and Jijel were appalled at the remarks of their White Tiger friends. These were the same ones who had nearly met their end when the Curare Lizards appeared, now boasting as if they had ironclad faces.

"I'm glad to hear that. But, thinking you might still need help... I've invited someone to assist today."

"!"

"Is it the White Wood Knight Order?"

The students wondered if the knights from the White Wood Knight Order, who had visited previously, had returned.

"Did those guys really help? They seemed clueless about the mountains."

"Let's take them to where the Curare Lizards appeared."

'Are these guys really knights?'

Yi-Han was dumbfounded by his White Tiger friends, scheming as if they had already lost.

"It's not the White Wood Knight Order. It's them."

As Professor Ingurdel called out, two strangers, never seen before, walked forward. They looked far more equipped than any adventurers Yi-Han had seen in the town the day before.

Though their gear appeared rugged and worn, it radiated complex mana, clearly artifacts. The potion bottles and tools on their belts, their steady gait and posture...

'Are they famous adventurers?'

"Here is Mr. Baishada from the <Shadow Patrol>. And this is Mr. Ghetse from the <Wasteland Stargazers>."

Yi-Han was surprised.

He knew very well about the <Shadow Patrol>, often mentioned in his conversations with Nillia - the patrollers of the northern mountains. The <Wasteland Stargazers> patrolled the western wilderness of the Empire.

Both were renowned groups, but their notoriety differed significantly. The <Wasteland Stargazers>, with their intriguing name, active in the more populous western part of the Empire and known for producing famous personalities, were more recognized.

Thanks to their frequent appearances in fairy tales and the Imperial newspaper, the <Wasteland Stargazers>'s recognition was incomparable to that of the <Shadow Patrol>.

-Those <Wasteland Stargazers> are so sly! Really, really sly! They must have bribed the Imperial newspaper! We don't even come down from the mountains but dedicate ourselves to the people of the towns below! Those guys just wander the wilderness and take long rests in towns, all the while pretending to be the coolest in the Empire!-

'Hmm, I better not mention this to Nillia.'

Already stressed about the finals, Nillia might collapse upon hearing that the <Wasteland Stargazers> were here.

"These two will advise you on how to spot monsters and how to strategize against them," announced Professor Ingurdel.

Before he had even finished, the White Tiger students began to subtly move, naturally gravitating towards Ghetse of the <Wasteland Stargazers>.

In contrast, Baishada of the <Shadow Patrol> stood still, seemingly not expecting much attention.

"!"

Baishada was taken aback.

Three students had gathered in front of him.

"Moradi, it was decided by majority vote, so no complaining."

"How is it a majority vote when Dolgyu is on your side...!"

"If you feel it's unfair, then you should have bribed Dolgyu too."

"I wasn't bribed. I just thought it would be better to learn from someone from the <Shadow Patrol>."