Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 121

Chapter 121

Chapter 121

The talking book, realizing the implication of its words, quickly tried to clarify. "Of course, I didn't mean to wish you harm. I just meant that you should visit often."

"Ah, I see," Yi-Han replied, his unease slightly assuaged. He then opened the leather pouch to discover objects resembling solid rock fragments inside. "These are Griffin's gallstones," the book informed him.

"Oh...!" Yi-Han exclaimed, recalling information from the alchemy books he had read. Griffin's gallstones were renowned for their powerful effect on mana recovery. Confirming his knowledge, Yi-Han remarked, "They have a powerful effect on mana recovery, don't they?"

"That's right. You know your stuff," the book responded, impressed with his knowledge. However, Yi-Han appeared disheartened. He had learned from Professor Uregor's class that potions for mana recovery had limited effect on him. Unless it was a potion for reducing mana, the effect of a recovery potion...

The talking book was surprised by Yi-Han's reaction. It was one thing to not know about the gallstones, but quite another to react with such disinterest despite knowing their value. "These are valuable, you know? They are genuine Griffin gallstones," the book emphasized.

"Thank you. But I've rarely been short on mana..." Yi-Han replied. Realizing Yi-Han's unique situation, the book finally understood why he was underwhelmed by the gift. A freshman with Yi-Han's amount of mana would seldom feel a shortage.

The book pondered, mentioning that it knew some demons with the ability to absorb mana, but quickly dismissed the idea as too dangerous. Yi-Han, taking the gallstones, decided to keep a safe distance from a demon summoned by the skull principal.

"You must visit often! Let's talk about Gonadaltes!" the book exclaimed, flapping its pages as Yi-Han left.

Dolgyu remarked, amazed at the kindness the demon book showed towards Yi-Han, attributing it to his talent, as demons naturally favor those with such qualities. However, Yi-Han felt their interaction was different. It seemed to him more like the book had no one else to complain to about the skull principal. Who else would dare to speak ill of the principal?

With these thoughts, Yi-Han felt a tinge of sympathy for the talking book, entangled as it was with the skull principal.

Mathematics is the foundation of all disciplines, and this lecture was no exception. It was of great importance, encompassing topics from mana calculations to magic circle construction and the development of new spells. The more advanced the magic became, the less it relied on intuition and feeling. Understanding this, the students recognized the importance of this class and dedicated themselves to studying hard.

Yi-Han glanced around the classroom. 'Has a sleep spell been cast?' he wondered. The students had already succumbed to sleep, including Gainando, who was nodding off, snoring softly. The only ones still awake were Asan, who was pricking his hand with a quill, Adenart, who remained expressionless (Yi-Han had seen the princess cast a spell to ward off sleep on herself), and Yonaire.

Yi-Han took out some coffee and handed it to Yonaire, who received it as if it were the first coffee given to someone stranded in the mountains for months. "So sleepy..." Yi-Han empathized, nodding in agreement. The classroom air seemed to be getting thinner. Yonaire, having momentarily shifted her focus to doodle a water bottle on a geometric figure, turned to Yi-Han. Somehow, he seemed more upright than usual.

"You stayed up all night?" she inquired.

"Aren't you sleepy?" she added.

"It's impossible to sleep during such a sacred class, Yonaire," Yi-Han replied, his tone unexpectedly solemn.

Yonaire was baffled by her friend's odd response. Why was he reacting this way? She couldn't understand. for new novels

'I must look alert,' Yi-Han thought to himself, trying to appear more attentive. He widened his eyes, fighting the urge to sleep. The professor's voice, despite his determination, was incredibly soporific. Its unique rhythmic quality was almost hypnotic, lulling listeners into a state of sleepiness. If Yi-Han hadn't been aware of the professor's esteemed status, he might have suspected him of being a master of mental magic.

The students, now anxious, instinctively looked out the window. They had plans for the afternoon and evening, but those plans were now in jeopardy. Uncertain of how long Professor Alpen would keep them, thoughts raced through their minds. 'Surely not until night?' 'Do you still not understand this academy?' 'It won't be until tomorrow, right...?'

Frantically, Yi-Han began to write with his quill. It was no longer just about impressing the professor; it was about the ability to leave the classroom.

'I've roughly solved everything...'

Yi-Han surveyed his test paper, marked by circles that appeared magically each time he got an answer right. The test, enhanced by magic, presented a unique challenge. However, the last question was particularly perplexing:

One day, Gonadaltes received 3,892 imperial gold coins from the emperor to build the Vilteron ballroom. The following spells and reagents were used...

(Abridged)

...Given these spells and reagents, how many imperial gold coins remained with Gonadaltes?

'No matter how I think about it, 720 is the correct answer,' Yi-Han thought, utterly baffled. He had meticulously checked the magic circle, verified the amount of reagents, and even confirmed the labor costs. Yet, after all his recalculations, the answer remained the same. Why?

Looking around, he noticed other classmates, who had caught up with him, were also deeply engrossed in this final question. They seemed equally stumped.

'Was the problem not meant to be solved with the given information? Did it require prior knowledge, or a different approach?' Yi-Han pondered. Gonadaltes was the name of the skull principal's castle. Would the skull principal, if he received gold coins, have saved any to return to the emperor? 'It doesn't seem likely,' he thought.

In a moment of impulsiveness, Yi-Han wrote '0' on the answer sheet. It was a wild guess, as there was no penalty for a wrong answer. To his amazement, a circle appeared on the test paper, leaving Yi-Han stunned. 'What is this...??'

Professor Alpen, noticing Yi-Han had finished, remarked, "You're quicker than I thought. Well done. A perfect score, Mr. Wardanaz." Despite receiving the praise he sought, Yi-Han felt more confused than pleased.

"Professor..." he began.

"What is it?" Professor Alpen inquired.

"May I ask about the last question?"

"Ah." The professor, with a strict face now slightly softened by a smile, replied, "It seems you found it amusing. I wanted to bring a smile to the tired students with this test."

"...Oh..." Yi-Han, reflecting on this revelation, wondered if he needed to revise his strategy to catch the professor's eye.

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