"Why did you catch that!"

Even though Professor Bungaegor was one of the most experienced adventurers in the empire, she automatically screamed when she saw her 1st year disciple grabbing the back of a siren's neck and dragging it up.

"Is, is it not allowed?"

Yi-Han asked back in confusion.

His face was filled with innocence, as if thinking 'Of course sirens are also aquatic creatures, right?'

Professor Bungaegor covered her face with both hands and let out a deep sigh.

"No... no. It is an aquatic creature..."

Come to think of it, Yi-Han did nothing wrong.

Professor Bungaegor had told them to catch an aquatic creature.

However...

'Even so, to think he would catch a siren.'

If you told someone to go to the mountains and catch some food, they would appropriately bring back mushrooms or wild vegetables, or at most a wild boar if you were very generous. No one would go find and catch a dragon.

Similarly, in an exam where they had to enter an underwater cave and catch a rare aquatic creature, no one would catch a siren...

"...How the hell did you catch it... no, first let it go. It's angry right now, isn't it?"

-! !! !!!-

The siren sang in an intense soprano voice. Even though Yi-Han was not well-versed in singing, he could guess that the other party was angry.

"Ah. I thought even getting angry was part of the exam. I apologize."

Yi-Han let go of the siren's neck. The siren immediately went into the water with a splash and then poked its head out, singing fiercely.

- !!!!!-

"I don't know what it means, but I'm sorry."

"I, I'll apologize, so please stop singing. The students are collapsing."

Professor Bungaegor apologized on his behalf and spoke to the siren.

The siren must have felt so wronged that it kept singing, trying to control Yi-Han somehow, but only the innocent students were staggering as if enchanted.

After singing nonstop for a while, the siren finally seemed tired and coughed. Then it approached Professor Bungaegor, panting.

It's not that I did it on purpose... no. I'm sorry. I didn't know you would be caught either. And honestly, who would have thought a 1st year mage would catch you underwater

-!!-

"I'll give you double the promised compensation, so please calm down. And other 1st years are definitely not at that level, so don't worry too much... I'm serious. Think about it. Have you ever seen a 1st year student like that at Einroguard?"

Professor Bungaegor appeased the siren, sweating profusely.

Finally, the siren's anger subsided, and it went back into the water with a splash. Professor Bungaegor let out a sigh of relief.

'I persuaded it somehow.'

There was no one more suitable than sirens as exam proctors for the underwater cave.

If they got angry and left, she would have had to rethink the exam.

"Is it not allowed to catch sirens?"

"The siren is definitely gone, right?"

Professor Bungaegor checked the water surface and then spoke.

"Well done. It's a perfect score."

Once the surprise and absurdity faded, Professor Bungaegor regained her senses to praise her disciple.

She still didn't know how he caught it, but catching a siren underwater was truly remarkable.

If this fact became known, some adventurer ship captains might come running with fire in their eyes.

"Ah. I knew it... Catching a siren was also part of the exam content, right? I thought so."

Yi-Han looked at the professor with a gaze of respect.

When the proud siren really got caught and got angry, the professor pretended not to know to appease it.

As expected, a professor could not be half-hearted.

"...Th, that's right."

Professor Bungaegor decided to just let it slide instead of explaining.

"Tell me how you caught it. I'm curious."

--

Yi-Han, who had slapped Gainando's cheek, realized it had no effect and immediately took action.

'Sirens!'

The cruel pranksters of the sea, hybrids of mermaids and spirits, had appeared.

'Were the aquatic creatures the professor mentioned sirens?'

Yi-Han pulled the rope tied to his enchanted friends' bodies three times. Those above began to pull up the rope upon receiving the signal.

Feeling relieved, Yi-Han immediately plugged his ears, chanted a spell, and rushed at the siren.

As the mage rushed at it without being enchanted, the siren was startled and sang louder.

-... ?!!-

However, no matter how loudly it sang and concentrated the power of the song, Yi-Han did not change at all. It was thanks to plugging his ears in advance.

"...It's not because you plugged your ears, but because your resistance is monstrous. Plugging your ears doesn't block a siren's song. It's a common misconception."

"Ah. Is that so?"

However, no matter how loudly it sang and concentrated the power of the song, Yi-Han did not change at all. It was thanks to his innate mana.

The siren, witnessing a pursuer approaching in their right mind for the first time in its life, turned pale and began to distance itself.

-! ! !-

'What curse is it casting?'

The siren sang in a panic, telling him not to come, but unfortunately, it did not reach Yi-Han, who did not know the siren language.

'Sirens are beings who inherited the bloodline of ancient spirits. They may be able to use sinister abilities that I don't know about.'

Rather, it only heightened Yi-Han's vigilance.

Yi-Han decided to give everything he got instead of playing on the siren's palm.

-Drive them away... O lightning of Ferkuntra!-

The lightning that would have normally been fired in a straight line was cast as if it were a wide-area magic, discharging in all directions.

It was a unique phenomenon that was only possible underwater.

Of course, the lightning also struck Yi-Han, but he endured it with his innate resistance. The siren floundered even more at the tingling sensation of paralysis it felt for the first time in its life.

Pak!

The siren stopped its paralyzed tail fin and sang to mobilize the water spirits.

It was trying to borrow strength somehow and increase its speed.

However, the water spirits that came rushing suddenly flinched upon seeing Yi-Han and ran away like crazy.

-??????-

The siren was shocked by the sudden betrayal of its kin. Meanwhile, Yi-Han cast a magic to block the siren's path.

-Blaze forth...-

-?!-

As the opposing mage summoned the power of flames underwater, the siren was flustered, not knowing what he was doing.

Trying to cast flame magic underwater.

No fool of a mage would do such a thing...

Whoosh!

A meticulously created wall of flames unfolded and blocked the way.

Yi-Han felt his eyes redden for a moment.

To think the flame magic that had been troubling him so much would be completed so neatly, even successfully transforming its shape.

"It was truly moving."

"That... right now, you shouldn't be moved but find it strange that the fire doesn't go out underwater... no. Forget it. Continue."

The siren completely panicked and floundered. Yi-Han could easily swim and catch the siren.

Caught by a strength unbelievably trained for a mage, the siren struggled and tried to meet Yi-Han's eyes.

The ability engraved in the siren's bloodline was not just singing. Sirens could instinctively cast illusion magic by making eye contact with each other.

A powerful ability to read the other person's capacity and show them an illusion of what they desire.

It was an ability that was usually not used because of the singing, but since the singing did not work, the siren desperately tried to make eye contact.

-!!!!!-

And the moment their eyes met, it felt the mana and froze stiff like a log, frightened.

Yi-Han thought the other party had finally given up, so he grabbed its neck and swam up.

"How can you scare them like that when they're difficult to persuade..."

"Pardon? But I didn't threaten them or anything?"

"Threatening with words is not... no. Forget it. Good work and get some rest."

Professor Bungaegor praised her remarkable disciple while feeling absurd.

It was absurd, but it was truly a remarkable feat.

Who would catch a siren in this weather?

"Yes. I understand."

However, instead of wrapping himself in a blanket and resting as Professor Bungaegor expected, Yi-Han approached his friends.

"Guys. Catching sirens is the right answer. It seems to be a target that definitely gives high points."

"Really?!"

"But how do we catch sirens?"

"Wardanaz. I'm really sorry, but could you show us just once?"

At the earnest request of his friends from various towers, Yi-Han nodded.

It wasn't that he didn't want to rest, but as someone who had already finished the exam, it was something he could demonstrate once for his friends.

"Now. Everyone, cast underwater breathing and come into the water. Gainando. Why are you holding your cheek?"

"I don't know. I think I hit a rock earlier."

Gainando grumbled, holding his swollen cheek.

It seemed that while he was unconscious for a moment, the guys above pulled the rope hard, and he hit something.

"The method to catch sirens is... hmm. No. It will be faster to show you catching one directly. I'll try catching one again, so how about you guys watch from afar?"

"To that extent...!"

"Wardanaz...!"

Professor Bungaegor, who was listening, opened her mouth wide in shock.

The students eventually gave up on catching sirens and entered the underwater cave to find rare aquatic creatures.

Seeing the water rabbit Yonaire brought, Yi-Han spoke as if envious.

"I should have brought a water rabbit instead of a siren? The water rabbit looks easier."

"..."

-...-

Professor Bungaegor and the siren looked at Yi-Han as if dumbfounded.

The siren, in particular, glared at Yi-Han like a mortal enemy.

The humiliation of being caught by the same mage three times in one day (Yi-Han showed it one more time because Gainando couldn't understand) did not easily disappear.

Yi-Han felt the siren's gaze and turned his head. Then the siren quickly avoided his gaze.

It had no confidence to curse at that mage now outside the water, let alone before going into the water and running away deep.

"...Now. Everyone, let's say thank you to the siren who worked hard!"

Professor Bungaegor noticed the siren's unpleasant mood and called the students.

If she didn't want her name to be on the blacklist among Einroguard's mysterious creatures, they had to make peace.

"Thank you! Siren!"

"Your singing was really good!"

The students had no particular ill feelings toward the siren.

Being enchanted by the singing was closer to a dreamy and beautiful memory rather than being unpleasant.

And in fact, the students were caught and dragged away much more gently than the siren.

The siren listened to the students' praise with an arrogant chin raised, as if it was unbelievable.

"I was also grateful. Siren."

-...!!-

The siren, who was good at controlling its emotions, exploded and poured out a singing voice at Yi-Han.

Professor Bungaegor hurriedly intervened and stopped it, wrapping up the lecture.

"Good work, everyone! The direct descendant of the sea song spirit also worked hard! You can go back now! Ah. Wardanaz."

"Yes?"

"When wandering around Einroguard, it would be best not to approach places where sirens appear!"

"No... it was just a class exam, isn't that too much?"

Yi-Han was disappointed by the siren's uncool reaction.

"There's the cabin!"

"Throw the hook!!"

"Got it!!"

Morning.

Yi-Han and students from other towers, who had taken a break, were riding on the devouring-ship fish and hunting for whales, no, hunting for cabins.

The hook caught on the drifting cabin, and it slowly began to be pulled.

'Huh? I feel like I've seen it somewhere?'

Yi-Han was puzzled by the familiar-looking cabin.