'Perhaps the professor was right,' Yi-Han thought as he finished his work in the vegetable garden and headed back.

While the phoenix was currently driving the students' focus on their studies to insanely low levels, getting too caught up in this matter might be a mistake. Trying to stop something that couldn't be stopped, no matter how hard one tried, would only lead to frustration. It might be better to accept the phoenix as an existence like the skull principal and just focus on one's own tasks.

"Wardanaz!! Wardanaz!!!"

Students from the White Tiger Tower ran towards Yi-Han as he walked from the direction of the cabin. Due to the rarity of people in the vicinity, Yi-Han warned them first.

"Wait. Speak from there. Don't come any closer."

"Now's not the time for that!! Follow us!!"

"That's even more suspicious."

"...Ah! I'm serious!! Please believe me!!!"

The White Tiger Tower student screamed and rolled on the ground. Even his friend beside him was shocked by the unsightly display.

"...O-Okay. Lead the way."

If that was an act, it was desperate enough to make one feel obligated to follow, even if it turned out to be a trap.

"..."

"..."

Yi-Han was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth. The students from each tower who had gathered earlier had similar expressions.

Crackle!

The warehouse where the final assignments for <Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic> were stored was on fire.

"...The warehouse should be fireproofed, right? How is it burning?"

"The phoenix broke the warehouse door and went inside."

"..."

Even if there was a fireproofing spell on the outer walls of the warehouse, there was no way it could withstand the phoenix entering through the open door and rolling around inside.

Yi-Han looked around. From students who seemed to have lost their minds, bursting into laughter, to those who were crying and pounding the ground with their fists. It was a natural reaction, considering the <Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic> final exam was burning to ashes in an instant.

"Let's put out the fire first, everyone."

"Huh? Uh... okay."

"Isn't it too late to put it out now?"

The students murmured, but Yi-Han responded with action. He summoned water from the air and threw it. It was a simple spell, but summoning a huge mass of water continuously in the face of the flames set by the phoenix was something only Yi-Han could do.

After repeating it dozens of times, the fire subsided. Yi-Han looked at the warehouse, now reduced to ashes, with a bitter expression.

'We worked so hard on those.'

"This won't do."

"???"

"Let's catch the phoenix first, then study."

"Wardanaz...!"

The students' eyes widened at Yi-Han's words. Did he really intend to catch the phoenix?

"I will join you!"

"I offer you my sword, Wardanaz!"

"At this point, the final exam doesn't matter at all!"

"That's not it."

"Uh, uhh."

Of course, no matter how angry he was, Yi-Han wasn't foolish enough to take only his friends to catch the phoenix.

"Professor, would you please help us hunt the phoenix?"

"...Pardon?"

Professor Garcia was dumbfounded but didn't stop or refuse the students.

"Of course, these experiences help mages grow, but I think phoenix hunting might be too difficult..."

"I plan to ask other professors for help as well."

At Yi-Han's words, Professor Garcia hesitated.

'It doesn't seem like it will work.'

Usually, professors at the magic academy didn't like helping students too much. It was an old belief that mages had to explore on their own to grow, but Professor Garcia suspected it might be because professors found it bothersome to help students with every little thing.

"Um, Yi-Han. Actually, the professors are busier than you think..."

Professor Garcia tried to persuade Yi-Han without hurting his feelings. However, Yi-Han already knew.

"I know."

Professors were originally meant to make students work, not help them with their tasks. But there were occasional exceptions.

Bang!

"Professor Verduus! Please help us freshmen a bit!"

"What? No!"

When they opened the door to the Artifact Hall and entered, Professor Verduus, who was in the midst of working with a hammer and chisel, flatly refused.

Yi-Han spoke without being discouraged.

"If you help us, I will help you with your work as well!"

"Then I'd love to!"

Professor Verduus leaped from his chair. Seeing this, Professor Garcia asked with concern.

"Um, Yi-Han? Professor Verduus is one of the busiest professors..."

No matter how much they needed Professor Verduus's help, making such a promise rashly was dangerous.

"You don't have to worry."

"??"

"We didn't specify what kind of work it would be. I can just do some simple tasks and make excuses."

"..."

Professor Garcia blinked.

"...S-So, you're deceiving him?"

"No, Professor. It's not deception, but a clever way with words. The principal would agree."

"..."

Professor Garcia couldn't help but question whether character education was being properly conducted.

Bang!

"Professor Bagrak! We're trying to hunt the phoenix. Please help us a bit!"

Professor Boladi, who was sitting, slightly raised an eyebrow, nodded, and stood up from his seat. Then, noticing the gathered students, he gave them a slightly puzzled look.

"I thought it was supposed to be a one-on-one confrontation?"

"...I'm not at that level yet."

At first, Professor Garcia was hesitant, but when Professor Verduus and Professor Bagrak joined, her thoughts changed. Of course, professors at Einroguard were supposed to help students only to an 'appropriate' level. They couldn't just eliminate the phoenix because the students asked them to.

However, if they received an appropriate level of help from multiple people, the story would be different. And who would say anything if they helped a little more when no one was watching...

Alright! I'll join too!

"..."

"..."

The warm atmosphere between the professors and the first-year students froze. The skull principal asked as if wondering why they were acting like that.

Why is everyone being like this?

"They seem to be moved by the fact that you're helping, Principal."

Kid... it's fine. I understand everything.

The skull principal spoke generously. Yi-Han cursed inwardly.

'Damn it. I should have somehow kept the death knights' eyes away.'

There was no way the skull principal had come to help out of the goodness of his heart. He must have heard from the death knights that the professors were helping and came to interfere.

How petty!

So... how do you plan to catch the phoenix? Tell me. Surely a student of Einroguard wouldn't rely on professors without any plan, right?

"That's not it."

Shh!

When Professor Garcia spoke, the skull principal quickly covered her mouth.

Be quiet. I won't allow you to communicate with secret codes!

"There's no such thing..."

Regardless of Professor Garcia's bewilderment, the skull principal was thorough. Among the professors here, only Professor Garcia would help Yi-Han.

'He isnt stopping the other professors? ...Hmm. There's no need to stop them.'

Yi-Han looked at Professor Verduus and Professor Boladi and nodded. Seeing the two of them, he understood why the skull principal wasn't stopping them.

"Of course I have a plan."

At first glance, catching the phoenix, which possessed invincible regenerative powers that could withstand any attack, seemed impossible. However, every creature had a weakness. The phoenix was no exception.

The first method was to reduce the phoenix's regenerative power and subdue it by dealing damage.

'It's a good method, but it's beyond my current level.'

Yi-Han had no idea what kind of high-level magic would be needed to reduce the regenerative power of a being like the phoenix.

The other method was to exhaust the phoenix's stamina. To be precise, it was the phoenix's mana. As a mythical beast, the phoenix moved using the vast mana it possessed as its power source.

If this mana was exhausted to the maximum, the mythical beast phoenix would have no choice but to be reverse-summoned to another realm.

"...This is how we exhaust its mana."

You did think about it. It's reckless, though.

The skull principal didn't say it was a completely absurd idea, but he didn't say it was a good method either. It was too crude to be called a good method. Exhausting a mythical beast with immense mana until its strength was depleted. It sounded good, but there was a high possibility of people collapsing from exhaustion first.

Of course, among the methods available to the current first-year students, this was the only viable option...

"Then we'll proceed. Professor Verduus, please cast fireproofing magic on the students."

"Huh? All of them here?"

Professor Verduus, who had been quietly standing, asked in surprise.

"I don't want to. It's a waste of mana."

A mage's mana was a precious resource. Especially for someone like Professor Verduus, who devoted himself to artifacts without any spare time in a day, it was even more so. It was unusual for a mage to waste it like water; it was normal to manage it meticulously.

"Don't worry. Professor Garcia!"

"I'm listening, Yi-Han."

"Please absorb my mana."

"Alright... What did you say?"

The students stirred. The skull principal also asked with a shocked expression.

Have you... absorbed mana before?

"No?!"

Professor Garcia exclaimed in alarm. For mages, mana was like life, so the act of arbitrarily absorbing mana could be misunderstood. Moreover, since the other party was a disciple, they had to be even more careful.

"I would never do such a thing!"

Indeed. You're not the type of person to do that, unlike Beavle. I apologize.

"I didn't do anything like that!"

Professor Verduus grumbled. Seeing that, Yi-Han suddenly remembered something.

'Wait. Didn't Professor Boladi try to absorb my mana before?'

Didn't he attempt mana drain, saying I couldn't control the iron ball because I had too much mana?

Yi-Han looked at Professor Boladi in bewilderment. Sensing his gaze, Professor Boladi showed a puzzled expression.

"Do you still want to have a one-on-one duel?"

"...No, I don't."

"I see."

Yi-Han turned his gaze to Professor Garcia.

"You can absorb my mana and give it to Professor Verduus."

"Do we really have to do that?"

Professor Garcia made a very reluctant expression.

Is it really necessary?

The skull principal also wondered if it was really necessary. He didn't think Professor Verduus needed to be taken care of to the point of dying from mana deficiency.

Professor Verduus held out his arm without paying any attention.

"Give me the mana quickly."

Please just shut up and stay still.

Just as the process of blood transfusion was not easy, the process of transferring mana to another person was not easy either. A mage's inner world was another world in itself. Transferring the elements that formed the order of that world inevitably led to conflicts.

Of course, a mage of Professor Garcia's caliber could mitigate those conflicts.

Woooong-

A sphere of condensed mana appeared in the air. It was a sphere about the size of a human head. However, the amount of mana contained within it was not ordinary. It was a sphere compressed with pure mana, filtered and refined from various attributes and thoughts.

"Yi-Han, tell me if it's too much for you."

"It's fine, Professor. It doesn't bother me at all."

"...From now on, just pretend it's difficult."

"?!"

Yi-Han belatedly realized his mistake.

"Then I'll make the connection."

A line extended from the sphere of mana and connected to Professor Verduus.

"The power... the power...!"

Please receive it quietly.

The skull principal reprimanded him.

"I think this should be enough?"

Already?

"Yes! It's sufficient."

Professor Verduus was the type to be greedy if he was going to be greedy, not someone who would forcibly end it quickly for the sake of his disciple. Knowing this well, the skull principal and Professor Garcia looked at each other.

'The purity of the mana...'

'...How high is it?'