"????"

The two White Tiger Tower students were taken aback by their friend's sudden question, but they answered anyway.

"He probably won't react well. Maybe."

"Even though Professor Ingurdel is a lenient person, I don't think it would be good to meet him. Yi-Han."

"Hmm. I see. There's a high possibility that Anglago's gang is currently skipping the lecture and playing in the forest."

"?!"

The two couldn't believe how that made sense.

"Yi-Han. Even though Anglago doesn't like studying that much, to skip the swordsmanship lecture..."

"To fix the golem."

"Ah. If it's that, it makes sense. I can understand."

Dolgyu immediately understood.

Anglago and his friends had been whining inside the tower, saying 'The golem is broken, how can you not fix it?'

So much so that Jijel couldn't stand it and swung her dual swords.

"We should tell them to avoid it well. I don't want to see an angry professor."

"...How?"

"Uh... Don't you guys have a means of communicating with each other? Like a secret sign..."

At Yi-Han's question, the two students looked at him as if asking what nonsense he was talking about.

Why would they have such a thing?

"Are you being serious? Yi-Han? Does the Blue Dragon Tower have that?"

"Yeah. I learned it from someone from the Shadow Patrol and we're using it. When entering places like forests, we leave signs before going in."

"..."

"..."

The two were overwhelmed by the unexpected crazy talk.

Jijel inwardly vowed that from now on, she should tell the White Tiger Tower students to leave signs like that too.

Anglago swung his wooden sword and cut down the bushes blocking the path.

Kiiiiit-

"Blade flies again?!"

"Duck!"

A sparrow-sized insect flew in with a sharp sound. The continuously vibrating wings were sharper than expected, so if hit wrong, it could inflict a deeper wound than a blade.

However, unlike before, the White Tiger Tower students' senses had been sharply honed through rigorous training.

Not to mention the missions they completed during the 1st-semester break...

"Burn!"

As the burning wooden sword brushed past, the insect crashed down.

"Hmph. Compared to that guy Wardanaz's magic, you're nothing."

"Hey. Do you have to say that?"

"So, sorry. I didn't mean to."

"...No. I'm sorry."

Anglago and his friends looked at each other passionately.

The close friendship formed while facing an evil great mage could not be destroyed by a trivial argument.

"According to the map, it should be around here..."

"The Black Tortoise Tower guys didn't trick us, right? Those guys have no conscience."

"No way. Even so, would they do that? Wardanaz also deals with them."

"...Even if they can't trick Wardanaz out of fear, they can still play tricks on us, right?"

"..."

Anglago suddenly started to feel suspicious of the forest map he was holding.

Thud!

"!"

The White Tiger Tower students were startled.

A heavy sound echoed from inside the forest.

"...What is it?"

"Be careful. Strength, dwell in me!"

"Sound, linger in my ears."

The White Tiger Tower students cast enhancement magic and raised their guard.

Although they were mocked by other tower students, saying 'If you're going to fight with your body, why did you enter Einroguard instead of joining a knight order?' the White Tiger Tower students also had areas they excelled in.

Especially for enhancement magic, which required a skilled sense of the body, their progress was faster than other tower students.

The magic they just cast was not as high-level as comprehensive enhancement magic like <Gonadaltes' Agile Steps>, but even this much had a substantial effect.

...And the magic Wardanaz cast for them had too many side effects.

"I don't see it..."

The White Tiger Tower students walked forward with tension.

It would have been a scene that Yi-Han would have lamented if he saw it.

If a strange sound was heard and the identity of the enemy was not visible, one should explore in as many ways as possible and gather information, not just recklessly go in.

And that carelessness immediately paid the price.

Swish!

Thick branches shot up from the ground and grabbed the White Tiger Tower students' ankles, lifting them upside down.

"!!!!"

"It's a ghost tree!"

It was a monster where an evil spirit, instead of forming a spiritual body, merged with a tree.

The 'thud' sound heard earlier must have been the sound of the tree waking up.

"Burn... Ugh!"

The White Tiger Tower student who tried to chant a spell dropped his staff from his hand.

The monster, instinctively sensing mana, suppressed him by applying force.

Anglago, left alone, was in a dilemma.

'What I can do now is...'

Anglago suddenly thought of Wardanaz.

What would Wardanaz have said if he were here?

-If you don't have the ability to catch it alone, you should at least call for support, what are you doing?-

"My friends! If we wait, support will..."

"Anglago! Save us quickly!"

"What are you doing! Attack!"

"...Ah, no. Support..."

"What are you saying! You're going to leave us?!"

"...Damn it. I'm coming!!"

Anglago changed his mind and gripped his weapon tightly.

But he couldn't help feeling uncomfortable in a corner of his heart.

"Yi-Han. Then in a situation like now where there are no signs, what should we do?"

"Huh?"

Yi-Han looked at Dolgyu as if asking what he was talking about.

Dolgyu was slightly taken aback.

'Did I say something strange?'

"That... If what you said is true, didn't Anglago and his friends enter the forest first? I think we should quickly send a message and make them come out now. The professor might get angry, and above all, it's not right to skip the lecture and search for them."

Dolgyu pondered the methods they could use now.

If it was a mage like Yi-Han, he could send a paper bird, or maybe tame a messenger pigeon and send it...

"I can't do that?"

"You, you can't? Then is there another way?"

"There isn't."

"...There isn't?"

Yi-Han nodded. Dolgyu was at a loss for words and just blinked.

"Dolgyu. I appreciate you highly evaluating me, but I'm not skilled in all magic. Now that there are no signs or ways to contact them, what we should do is something else."

"What...?"

"Insist that we don't know even if those guys are discovered. In that sense, I'm at an advantage since I'm from the Blue Dragon Tower, but you two will have to cut ties quickly."

"..."

Dolgyu's mouth gaped in absurdity, but Jijel agreed.

"That's right. There's no need to take joint responsibility for no reason."

"Dolgyu. The living must live. There's no need to get points deducted for nothing, right?"

"Ah, no..."

"What are you all doing there?"

While they were talking, Professor Ingurdel, who had gone ahead, called the three of them. Yi-Han and Jijel immediately answered.

"We're coming now!"

"Come up quickly. Oh. Wardanaz. I received a message from the White Wood Knight Order and was very surprised. What did you do to receive such praise?"

"...I think it's because the knights of the White Wood Knight Order were kind."

"I don't think they had that kind of personality..."

Professor Ingurdel tilted his head.

Thwack!

"Ack!"

"!"

A student who was walking ahead screamed and tumbled.

A human-sized wooden puppet with a weapon had popped out from the side.

"Pro, Professor! There's a strange guy here!"

"Ah. I prepared that for today's lecture."

"...We, we're surrounded!!!"

Another student belatedly realized the situation and screamed.

He realized that Professor Ingurdel had not just set up one, but densely placed them around the forest.

"Don't fight with strength, fight cleverly using the terrain. Fighting in the forest is different from fighting in an open space."

Professor Ingurdel gave advice to the students.

Fighting in a forest packed with bushes and branches, with slopes and rocks that could bind your feet at any time, was a fight against yourself.

Only a swordsman who could save stamina, calm down excitement, calmly grasp the surrounding terrain, and flexibly utilize the situation could fight for a long time in the forest...

"This way! Break through the encirclement!"

"Break through the side!"

"Scatter! Scatter!!"

Professor Ingurdel was taken aback for the first time in a long time at the sight of the students scattering in groups of three or five, trying to break through the encirclement and run away.

"Ah, no. If you all fight together..."

He had prepared for everyone to fight together in the forest, but they were trying to escape leaving their other friends behind?

Professor Ingurdel didn't know that the students who had been dealt with by the skull principal had become accustomed to this situation.

When caught in an encirclement of unknown scale, the most strategic choice was not to fight together and get caught, but to scatter and survive as many as possible!

'Professor. I'm sorry.'

Yi-Han, of course, knew that principle, so as soon as the wooden puppets appeared, he was breaking through the encirclement at the shallowest point.

"Space, be perceived! Dolgyu. This way! Moradi! That side might be weak!"

"Is this the time to play tricks?!"

Jijel got angry. Yi-Han was playing useless tricks.

Who was he trying to use as bait now?

If caught, one should be a bit embarrassed, but Yi-Han didn't even blink an eye.

He shouted at another White Tiger Tower student.

"I think that side is weak!"

"Thanks! Wardanaz... Ugh!"

"Let's go!"

Yi-Han, who sent another student first to shake the encirclement, hurriedly ran out.

As the wooden puppets rushed in, Yi-Han drew his wooden sword and chanted a spell.

"Cold, dwell in me!"

The strength of cold magic was that even if you couldn't land a direct hit, you could still damage the opponent.

Frost swirled and stopped the wooden puppet's feet.

Yi-Han thought it was enough for the open space ahead.

'I broke through!'

Although there were still many wooden puppets left, they were far away and many students had scattered.

If they suppressed the other students first, they wouldn't chase after Yi-Han's group...

"I underestimated you all. I should have thought of it as a real battle."

Professor Ingurdel's serious voice was heard from behind.

Yi-Han suddenly became uneasy.

It was rare for things to go well when professors spoke seriously.

Swish!

With the sound of tearing a scroll, a powerful wave of mana spread out.

And the number of wooden puppets started to increase like crazy.

"Although it's different from the plan, a chase in the forest will also be a good experience. Everyone, try your best to avoid them!"

'Damn it.'

Yi-Han vowed that from now on, he must stop the students if they try to ignore the professor's curriculum and act on their own.

"Turn into iron! O cloak!"

Clang!

The cloak, turned into iron, blocked the wooden puppet's attack and made a dull sound.

Five wooden puppets popped out at the same time and tried to beat Yi-Han. Yi-Han defended against the attacks with his cloak and rolled his feet. The footwork he learned from Arlong saved his life.

'Too many!'

He newly realized that numbers were a formidable weapon.

Seeing that the numbers were still increasing...

Yi-Han gritted his teeth and glanced at Professor Ingurdel in the distance.

"Wardanaz, you can't fight with magic other than enchantment or transformation magic!"

"...Tsk."

How did he know?

Yi-Han, who was trying to secretly use other magic, clicked his tongue.

Jijel twisted the wooden puppet's legs with her dual swords, knocking it down, and shouted.

"Let's scatter too!"

In a situation where the enemies had become several times more than before, it was a luxury for the three of them to stick together.

Yi-Han nodded and raised his hand. Jijel also raised her hand.

Dolgyu looked at the two in confusion.

Why were they raising their hands...?

"...I won! I won!!"

Jijel shouted with a highly excited face. It was the first time Dolgyu saw Jijel so happy.

"Damn it."

"...Did, did you just decide who gets to choose the direction to escape first...?"

"What. You didn't know? It can't be helped. Dolgyu, you choose first."

Yi-Han yielded the second turn.

Dolgyu had many things he wanted to say, but there was no time left now. He had no choice but to hurry and run out. Yi-Han, who was left last, looked at the wooden puppets rushing from behind and took out an iron orb.

"Move!"

It wasn't taken out to use in battle.

The method he thought of earlier but postponed.

Yi-Han ran towards the cliff with no path, grabbed the iron orb, and hung his body in the air.

Thud!

However, the wooden puppets were more persistent than expected.

They started jumping into the air together to grab Yi-Han.

'Which professor's summons are these!?'

Yi-Han cursed inwardly and swung his staff.

Although it was a confusing situation, it wasn't unexpected.

"Water..."

With the incantation, water quickly took shape and gathered from below.

Even in a desperate situation where he was holding the iron orb with one hand, supporting his body, and wooden puppets were jumping down in front of him, the incantation was completed without wavering.

"...Unfold!"

Professor Ingurdel had no choice but to admire it honestly.

He wanted to see only swordsmanship, but how could he criticize a student who cleverly escaped like that?

Splash!

Yi-Han, who landed on the water, rolled to the side and quickly took a stance.

The wooden puppets shattered as they fell behind, but he couldn't let his guard down. They might resurrect.

'Quickly escape and go down...'

"Wardanaz!!"

"...What are you guys doing??"

Yi-Han was genuinely taken aback when he saw Anglago and his friends hanging upside down.