Life of a Magic Academy Mage – 5



Chapter 05 

Mana also known as magic power was the fuel of all magic. In some tribes of the East it was referred to as ‘Qi.’ Scholars fond of formality called it ether while obstinate priests named it holy power. This multifaceted force was essential for changing the world.

Every use of magic required drawing out and expending one’s internal mana. Therefore it was common for inexperienced and clumsy young mages to suffer from a lack of mana.

But for someone to still stand unscathed after seven attempts was extraordinary.

“What’s your name student?”

“Yi-Han.”

Garcia the troll professor smiled faintly.

She was impressed by the student’s choice to introduce himself with his own name rather than his family’s. It was rare for a noble especially of high lineage not to mention their family name. Yi-Han’s demeanor aligned well with one of the academy’s principles: equality.

“Come here.”

“Uh…”

Yi-Han approached his anxiety evident.

‘Should I have pretended to stagger?’

It was indeed strange to stand firm while others stumbled from using their mana. He wondered if he had failed to properly chant the magic.

“Hmm. Hmm. I see.”

As Garcia examined Yi-Han’s wrist and nodded Gainando whispered to Yonaire in the back.

“Hey. Shouldn’t we help him? What if he gets swallowed up?”

“Keep it down idiot. The professor can hear you.”

“!?”

Garcia released the wrist and announced.

“Yi-Han stay behind after class.”

“Ah yes.” 

—

The rest of the <Basic Magic Understanding> class involved no further magic training. Instead Professor Garcia delivered a stern lecture on the mindset of a mage.

“You must always rest when your mana is depleted especially if you’re still lacking in skill. Don’t be anxious about low mana; it will increase with training and you’ll learn to use it more efficiently. Every year freshmen overwhelmed with enthusiasm faint from practicing magic in secret. It’s dangerous; you could get seriously hurt. And you student I don’t swallow students.”

“Sorry… sorry.”

Gainando trembled as he apologized.

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“Alright. That’s all for today’s lecture. There are elective classes happening around the academy outside of the mandatory ones. Go and see what interests you. If you’re unsure you’re welcome to come to my office and ask.”

The students exchanged glances.

‘Would you dare to visit the office of the troll mixed-blood professor for one-on-one counseling?’

‘Are you insane?’

Their exchanged looks said it all.

“Be careful Wardanaz.”

“Right. Trolls’ weaknesses are fire and acid.”

“But there’s neither here right?”

“…Wish you luck Wardanaz.”

Encouraged by his fellow students Yi-Han stood before Professor Garcia.

“I’ve actually heard about you Yi-Han.”

“??”

Yi-Han was taken aback by the unexpected remark.

What?

“Would it be quicker to say I heard it from the principal?”

“…!”

Yi-Han’s face stiffened at the mention of the insane lich principal.

Garcia continued with a smile “Don’t worry. The principal may seem like a mad bastard sometimes but he’s fundamentally a good person.”

“…What?”

Did that make any sense?

Yet Garcia continued seemingly ignoring Yi-Han’s confusion “Every year the principal skims through the new students and gives us professors a brief. The students may not know but the lich principal has a very sharp eye.”

The freshmen entering this academy were a diverse group of young boys and girls just reaching adulthood from across the empire. To prevent mishaps keen discernment was necessary.

-“Watch out for that dwarf. He looks like he could set his dorm room on fire at least three times.”-

-“Ha! That one’s a demon mixed-blood. The professors who use holy magic should be careful. We don’t want any unnecessary injuries.”-

-“Isn’t that one a pickpocket from the <White Crows> guild? Professors be wary. Surely no one wants to come complaining about being pickpocketed by a student. If so they’ll end up in the underground prison.”-

Of course there were several professors who disregarded the principal’s words.

The lich principal had a sharp eye but…

He also had a character as mad as a hatter.

-“That orc… he seems like he’d be good with a spear.”-

-“But he comes from a family famous for swordsmanship.”-

-“Silence! Tell him to use a spear.”-

-“…”-

Regarding Yi-Han the principal had said this:

-“This boy has the qualities of a Great Fool.”-

-“…??”-

A Great Fool.

It meant extremely foolish.

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However the professors were not foolish enough to take these words at face value.

There was a famous saying from the eastern part of the empire:

“A great fool is also a great sage.”

What seems extremely foolish may coincide with great wisdom. An old saying advised not to be deceived by appearances but to seek true wisdom. Thus the principal’s words meant this:

“It’s hard to see now but he shows potential for great achievements.”

The professors’ reactions were divided.

Some thought ‘He must have some talent for the principal to speak like that’ and others wondered ‘Did he perhaps have a heavy drink with someone from the Wardanaz family yesterday?’

And Professor Garcia seemed to understand what the principal meant.

‘So that’s what he meant.’

“Uh… what did the principal say?”

Yi-Han felt slightly uneasy. Being favored by a professor had its advantages and disadvantages. Favoritism could lead to good grades and recommendations which were undeniable benefits. But…

Receiving too much favoritism could start conversations like this:

-“Young man your talent is too precious to waste.”-

-“Thank you!”-

-“Yes. You should go to graduate school!”-

-“Eh? I haven’t thought about that…”-

-“Do you know how competitive it is out there? Going to graduate school earning a degree will lead to better job prospects and more importantly you can delve deeper into the field you love. Isn’t that great?”-

-“It does seem so when you put it that way.”-

Meeting a kind-hearted professor was always better. But encountering a malevolent mad professor would be the beginning of hell. And the lich principal…

‘He’s definitely someone I don’t want to get close to.’

Yi-Han wanted to graduate with good grades and a strong network not get close to the skull principal and delve into suspicious magic.

“Ah sorry. I can’t repeat exactly what the principal said but… I can tell you about your talent. It’s similar to what the principal mentioned.”

“!”

Yi-Han’s eyes widened at the troll professor’s words.

Yi-Han’s talent.

‘My talent… was it significant enough to be mentioned separately?’

During his time with the Wardanaz family Yi-Han hadn’t heard much about his talent. Of course he had been confirmed to have the qualities of a mage. Even his father the Patriarch of the Wardanaz family had said so. 

-“How is my talent?”- 

-“Hmm. Your magic talent is quite commendable.”-

-“Thank you.”-

And that was all.

However the sudden discussion about his talent at this point left Yi-Han somewhat bewildered.

‘Is this bad news?’

Yi-Han seriously began to contemplate whether he should join Yonaire in securing investment to start an alchemy workshop.

“Yi-Han your mana is extraordinarily abundant” the professor revealed.

“Is that all?” Yi-Han asked clearly taken aback.

It wasn’t an issue like ‘having trouble casting spells’ or ‘being unable to use light magic due to a physiological incompatibility.’ It was simply a matter of having a vast amount of mana.

While it was a relief that it wasn’t anything negative he wondered if it was necessary to mention it separately.

‘Don’t people have varying amounts of innate mana that can be overcome with training and technique? Is it really that important to mention it separately?’

“Of course that’s not all” the professor added.

“Ah… I see” Yi-Han realized.

“Your mana is truly really insanely incredibly immensely abundant.”

“???”

“Really truly crazily incredibly a lot.”

“Wow.”

Only then did Yi-Han understand why Professor Garcia had called him aside for a serious discussion.

—

After hearing the detailed explanation Yi-Han thought. ‘Isn’t this a good thing?’

Magic required mana. Without it one had to draw from the ambient mana gather it through magic circles or use mana stones as substitutes. But with an abundance of mana there was no need for such measures. It was a highly useful talent for a mage…

“Unfortunately” the professor interjected her eyes filled with a mix of pity and concern.

Yi-Han realized something was amiss in the professor’s gaze.

“Isn’t it good to have a lot of mana?”

“Usually yes. But in your case Yi-Han it’s extremely immensely a lot. Controlling water in a bottle is easy but controlling the vast ocean is incredibly difficult isn’t it?”

Yi-Han’s expression hardened as he grasped the gravity of the situation.

So now…

‘The difficulty of casting magic skyrockets?’

Today not a single student succeeded in casting ‘Light’ a very basic spell. Magic was a challenging discipline.

Drawing out mana focusing and shaping it with willpower… All these required superhuman concentration. But with an overwhelming amount of mana the already high difficulty soared even higher.

“Here. Take these bracelets.”

Hefty plain iron bracelets. Professor Garcia placed one on each of Yi-Han’s wrists.

“These bracelets absorb mana. It will help a bit.”

“!”

Yi-Han was moved by the immediate solution offered by the magic academy.

“Wearing this should prevent any major problems for me right!”

“No? No. Even with this it’ll still be incredibly difficult.”

“…”

“It’s such an immense amount of mana that it’s problematic regardless. We do this because it’s better than nothing.”

Professor Garcia was relatively kind and gentle but as a mage she was blunt in such matters.

“Perhaps any other advice?” Yi-Han ventured hoping for more guidance.

“Hmm… Using a lot of magic to deplete your mana might somewhat alleviate the issue. You Yi-Han can practice basic magic training on your own. You certainly won’t have any accidents due to depletion of mana.”

“…Thank you.”

In a way Yi-Han had been granted a privilege but he was not particularly thrilled about it.

—

‘Ah. Should I take classes that don’t involve using magic?’

Despite being a magic academy not all classes required the use of magic. For instance alchemy involved minimal use of magic. Exiting the professor’s office Yi-Han was deep in thought.

‘I need to plan my path and manage my grades well from the first year to avoid regrets at graduation…’

“You survived!”

Gainando and Yonaire were waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. Gainando seemingly genuinely concerned scrutinized Yi-Han.

“What are you looking at?”

“I’m checking to see if the professor bit you or something.”

Yi-Han looked at Gainando incredulously amused by Yonaire’s remark.

‘Well given the skull principal it’s not strange to be suspicious of the professors.’

“What did you hear?” Yonaire asked evidently curious.

Yi-Han shrugged.

“Been told to practice magic a lot.”

“How dare they…!”

Gainando reacted as if it was a personal insult.

How dare they tell a descendant of a great family to practice magic extensively!

What an impudent suggestion!

‘If he gets angry over this what will he do if he fails an exam and has to retake it? Challenge the professor to a duel?’

“Never mind me. I want to check out some elective courses before the next mandatory class. Got any in mind?”

“Alchemy of course” Yonaire declared.

Gainando scoffed openly “Pff. Alchemy is something servants and slaves do!”

“…”

Yi-Han could see it clearly.

Yonaire’s fists were clenched in anger!

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