Chapter 89

Chapter 089

"Move."

The less skilled and inexperienced a magician was, the more they would wildly wave their wands and loudly chant their spells.

The more uncertain they were, the more forcefully they had to act to solidify their mental image.

In this regard, Lee Han hardly waved his wand and his voice was as soft as a whisper.

Lee Han himself did not notice, but the effects of Professor Vlad's harsh training were clearly showing.

"…!"

Yoner was surprised by the natural flight of the assignments.

Like paper birds, the thick assignments of Lee Han and Yoner smoothly cut through the air, approaching the professor's pile of assignments.

Even though it was just a matter of flying the assignments, he couldn't take his eyes off it.

This seemed to be a different level of magic from the stiff and jerky <Basic Control> spells Yoner had seen before.

'Focus.'

Lee Han concentrated.

It wasn't just about inserting the assignments into the pile.

He had to avoid being noticed by the professor.

- Focus.

It was as if Professor Vlad's voice was ringing in his ear.

"Inserting a piece of paper is a simple task."

The voice in his ear became clearer.

"But there's a barrier?"

"You can penetrate it. You've already learned it, haven't you?"

The voice became so clear it was almost burdensome.

This...

It wasn't a voice in his head.

Lee Han trembled with fear and turned his gaze.

Behind him, two professors were staring intently.

Yoner was so nervous he could hardly breathe.

Professor Vlad said coldly, "Why are you looking around? Focus."

Lee Han instinctively turned his head back.

Then, the professor he had never seen before said, "Maybe it's better to just give up and step back..."

"Ignore that. You can do it. Recall what you've learned."

"......"

Lee Han thought about the bad luck he had this week.

No matter how he thought about it, his luck was just too bad.

Was he cursed?

'Just had to run into passing professors.'

It would have been better if it was Professor Garcia, not Professor Vlad.

Lee Han seriously considered looking for a luck potion.

"No, the barrier is more difficult than expected."

"You can do it. Do it."

"Professors... I'm sorry, but could you please agree on your advice...?"

Yoner, unable to bear it, spoke up, but the two professors ignored him.

Professor Vlad said he could do it, while the unknown professor advised him to back off.

It was a maddening situation, but Lee Han could still discern a few facts.

'There was a barrier.'

Given that the pile of assignments was floating and following the professor, he had expected some magic, but not a barrier.

The unknown professor said, "That barrier makes a loud noise when someone touches it. You might not feel it, but there are several layers of invisible magic belts rotating around the pile of papers."

Lee Han focused, trying to sense the magic.

The immense magic power he emitted made it easy to miss, but Lee Han's talent wasn't just in magic power.

His relentless survival instinct, his unshakable calculation in critical moments, and his intimidating presence were not the only things he excelled in; his ability to detect magic was also exceptional.

'I can see it!'

When he concentrated, he could really feel the magic belts slowly rotating around the pile of papers.

"At the student level, it's almost impossible to approach without touching the magic belts. So, don't fall for Professor Bagrek's words and make a futile attempt. It's better to wait for the next opportunity. As you know, Professor Bagrek doesn't consider the students at all."

'Really, that's true.'

Lee Han strongly agreed but said something different.

"No, Professor, you always consider the students."

"That's what I say."

Professor Vlad accepted Lee Han's words purely.

If Lee Han had agreed, Professor Vlad would have thought, 'Ah, I don't consider the students well enough.'

But seeing Lee Han say that, Professor Vlad concluded that his current teaching method was indeed considering the students.

There was no other possibility.

"Really? What a good student."

"That's not logical. Wodanaz, do it. The opponent is moving."

"It's not possible...!"

Professor Vlad urged, while the unknown professor tried to stop him.

And Lee Han moved.

Whoosh!

The thick assignment flew smoothly, passing through the gaps between the moving magic belts.

If there had been even a slight difference, the magic belts would have torn and made a loud noise.

Without hesitation, Lee Han sent the next assignment. Yoner's assignment also landed precisely on top of the pile.

Yoner clapped involuntarily. Professor Vlad nodded faintly.

"...Impossible! How?!"

"Because I learned it."

"Yes, thanks to Professor's guidance."

Lee Han spoke without showing any emotion, and the unknown professor was even more impressed.

"Isn't this student too good?! Nice to meet you. You must be Wodanaz. I'm Professor Kirmin Ku. Normally, I should shake your hand, but I don't recommend it. There are racial reasons."

Professor Kirmin was the complete opposite of Professor Vlad.

He had a cheerful and lively voice, and his attire was neatly and stylishly dressed. It was surprising to see him having a friendly conversation with Professor Vlad.

"What do you teach?"

"I teach illusion magic, specifically barriers. Didn't you just see it?"

"!"

Lee Han was delighted.

He had hoped, but it was really true that Professor Kirmin was an expert in barrier magic.

"By the way, this semester, I'll have to enter Professor Garcia's classroom once. I need to teach the students how fun and delightful illusion magic is."

"Illusion magic is useless."

"......"

Lee Han was shocked by Professor Vlad's words.

To dismiss another professor's field like that.

Was a fight about to break out?

But Professor Kirmin simply ignored Professor Vlad's words.

"Tricking a magician of a certain level with illusion magic is several times more difficult than other types of magic."

"True. I've said it a hundred times. But the number of magicians of 'a certain level' in this vast empire is negligible. So, Wodanaz, why did you try to insert those paper bundles there?"

Lee Han thought for a second.

Considering the professor's mood, he wondered if lying would work, and made the best judgment.

'Just be honest.'

"Because I was late with the assignment?"

"......"

Yoner blushed with embarrassment. Professor Kirmin also seemed taken aback by the unexpected reason.

'Just because he was a little late with the assignment?!'

"Sorry, Professor."

Lee Han apologized to Professor Vlad. But as expected, Professor Vlad didn't care.

"Why?"

"Because I was late with the assignment?"

"Was it my assignment?"

'I knew it.'

"Indeed."

Professor Kirmin looked at the two apprentices strangely.

Honestly, it was rare to see someone who could get along with Professor Vlad.

Anyone, whether a professor or a student, would leave after a few minutes of conversation, saying, 'I wish the sun would rise above your head, damn vampire.'

"So, what class was it?"

"Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic."

"Professor Alpen Naiton?"

The way Professor Kirmin said the name made Lee Han tense.

In the face of the friendship between professors, a student's promise was insignificant...

"Well done. Well done. Honestly, you didn't need to do that professor's assignment."

"???"

Professor Kirmin praised Lee Han instead. Professor Vlad, rarely, added a comment.

"Professor Alpen Naiton was a magician who worked as a high-ranking imperial administrator. He was more skilled at handling power than magic."

"Do you know that he cut my research budget in half back then?"

The two professors cursed the <Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic> professor, grinding their teeth. Lee Han sighed in relief at their familiar behavior.

Not all professors got along well.

Especially magicians who pursued pure magic research looked down on those who held high positions in the empire and were active.

The reasons were roughly 'the purity of magic' and 'the temptations and corruption of the secular world,' but from Lee Han's perspective, it was probably because the latter could influence the former's budget.

Even a magician who could collapse the sky and split the earth couldn't do research without a research budget.

In that sense, the magicians who reviewed research budgets in high imperial positions were enemies to all other magicians.

- My lifelong intuition says! This dungeon must be excavated using all the domain's budget. Call all the nearby adventurers...

- You said the same thing last time. This proposal is canceled.

- I'll kill you! I'll kill you! Be careful on your night walks!

- If you want to target my night walks, you'll have to wait in line. There are thirty-three people ahead of you.

...Such dignified conversations happen every year.

But Lee Han's thoughts didn't change even after hearing the two professors' conversation.

On the contrary...

'Was he a former high-ranking imperial administrator?'

When he heard that the other party was a former high-ranking imperial official, Lee Han's eyes sparkled.

What did that mean?

It meant he had strong connections in the imperial bureaucracy.

And the top goal on Lee Han's list was to become an imperial official.

Suddenly, his grudge against Professor Alpen Naiton melted away like snow.

The ridiculous amount of assignments suddenly felt like the responsibility of a high official carrying the empire.

'I need to show my best from now on.'

"Wodanaz, I heard you're very talented. Be careful. Don't get pulled into the imperial bureaucracy. If you're too talented, they'll send you all sorts of temptations."

Professor Vlad, rarely, frowned and spoke at length.

"Stop joking. Ku. Wodanaz wouldn't follow such a trivial path of half-magic."

"What am I saying? Wodanaz is from the Wodanaz family. He wouldn't become an imperial official, right?"

"......"

Lee Han felt cold sweat on his back for the first time in a long while.

* * *

After hearing Professor Kirmin Ku say he would see him at the next illusion magic class (and even recommending that he seriously consider learning illusion magic, ignoring Professor Vlad's interference), Lee Han headed to meet his friends from the Blue Dragon Tower with Yoner.

From the exchange of glances outside the classroom earlier, it was clear