Academy’s Genius Mage

The battle plan established by Ian, Milo, and Edel was simple.

While Milo took the lead to distract the monsters and prevent them from penetrating their formation, Ian supported from a distance, contributing firepower to repel the monsters.

Edel assisted in the battle by sprinkling potions or using healing magic.

In short, they returned to the principles they had set before entering the dungeon.

This was also why Ian and Milo had engaged in a debate.

“No mage should stand at the forefront of battle. They should either support from the sidelines or concentrate firepower from a distance.”

Milo pointed this out, suggesting that it was safer, even if slightly risky, to eliminate monsters from afar.

However, Ian’s perspective diverged.

“We need to break away from the stereotype surrounding the mage class. The best approach involves tailoring strategies to our unique abilities.”

He had accounted for the fact that Milo was from the Vinettia Family and had learned their house swordsmanship.

Naturally, Milo insisted that such thinking was inappropriate.

It wasn’t because Milo was inflexible.

Had it been a simple exploration without assessments, Milo would have freely engaged in battle following Ian’s approach.

“Still, considering it’s a practical session for the Department of Magic, wouldn’t it be better to handle things conventionally?”

“Conventions are bound to break eventually. Finding our own way will be more beneficial.”

“That seems a bit extreme.”

Their opinions didn’t easily converge, but eventually, the debate concluded with Edel taking Ian’s side.

“This unfair world. What is this about majority rule?”

“Monster incoming. Tank, do your job!”

Ian’s strategy yielded quite excellent results.

A crisp sound of something slicing through flesh echoed.

Milo’s sword cleanly severed the arm of a beastly, hairy monster.

“Graaah!”

The monster, having lost its arm, rampaged madly.

The monster, about the height of a human, was called a ‘Gnoll.’ It was a more formidable creature than the goblins they had encountered earlier.

The enraged gnoll swung its spiked club viciously.

“You persistent brat!”

Milo effortlessly rolled along the ground, evading the attack.

Boom!

The gnoll’s club created cracks in the cave floor. Had he been even slightly slower, he’d have been flattened.

“Even after losing an arm, are you unfazed? Are you a troll?”

Whoosh!

As Milo invoked his mana, flames enveloped the sword he wielded.

It was a low-level enchantment. Yet, having it was better than not.

“Let’s see you enjoy this fiery play!”

The flame-wreathed sword chopped off the gnoll’s remaining arm.

“Groooaaar!”

The armless gnoll howled in despair.

It was truly a clean and flawless display of swordsmanship.

One couldn’t help but wonder how strong Milo would become if he fully mastered the Vinettia-style swordsmanship.

“Hiyah!”

Milo shouted as he closed in on the gnoll.

The startled gnoll attempted to swing its club, but all its limbs lay on the ground.

Milo swung his sword towards the exposed neck of the defenseless gnoll.

Ssssss!

With the sound of burning flesh, the gnoll’s head fell to the ground.

Boom! Boom!

Simultaneously, Ian’s fireball scorched the remaining gnolls to ashes.

The strategy exploited the fundamental weakness that hairy monsters have towards fire.

There were three gnolls that attacked them.

Ian took care of two, while Milo blocked the one trying to close in.

Though their numbers were half that of the previously appeared goblins, the difficulty was more than twice.

Gnolls were tall, strong, and difficult monsters to deal with.

“Ugh!”

“Milo!”

Suddenly, Milo collapsed. Edel rushed over in a panic.

“Milo! Are you alright?”

“Ugh!”

Milo grimaced as he held onto his ankle with his hand.

“Did you get attacked? Was it a trap? Or…”

“Ah, damn! I twisted it stepping on a stone.”

Edel paused.

They had taken down all the monsters, but getting injured in such an unexpected way was a first.

“First, let go and sit down comfortably.”

Edel sat Milo down, removed his shoe, and examined his foot.

His ankle was swollen. When Edel’s fingers touched it, Milo cried out in pain.

“Aaah! Gently! You quack!”

“I’m not a quack! Not yet… because I haven’t become a healer.”

Watching Edel talk back so clearly, Ian chuckled.

“If you leave it like this, it’ll swell more and hurt. I’ll treat it.”

“Please, take it easy.”

Edel opened a potion bottle and poured it onto the injured area. Then, he reached out and cast a healing spell.

Whoooosh!

A pure white light poured onto Milo’s injured area.

Simultaneously, the pain diminished, and Milo’s previously scrunched-up expression began to ease.

“Crybaby.”

Ian approached and nagged him.

Milo’s expression twisted again.

“What? Is that what someone who told a great mage to swing a sword has to say?”

“A great mage doesn’t twist their ankle stepping on a stone.”

“……”

“The enchantment was quite decent. I liked the idea of activating a level 3 spell as a level 2. The enemies were intimidated by the blazing fire. Doesn’t seem like it’s your first time doing it.”

“Tch. Were you observing from behind?”

Enchantment spell involves imbuing weapons with mana.

Typically, it’s cast on someone else’s weapon, but there are also instances where a mage enchants their own weapon.

In the distant past, when the concept of combat mages was blooming, mages bearing swords, spears, and other various weapons actively utilized enchantment spells.

However, now it’s just an old method recorded in history.

As times changed, the combat style of mages changed as well.

“So, you aimed for that and made me wield a sword. You sly devil!”

“Isn’t it better for you to wield the sword than me? Besides, our other teammate seem unable to make use of enchantment spell.”

“I didn’t realize I was so close to being a slave for grades.”

Ian planned to record the close-combat use of enchantment spell in his report.

‘What Professor Frost wants from us is a variety of experiences.’

Even though it was an old and forgotten method, they believed that by approaching it with the intent of retracing past footsteps, they could receive good evaluations.

At that moment, Edel finished wrapping and tying the bandage.

“The treatment is done. It’d be best to rest for a while. You shouldn’t strain it until the potion is fully absorbed.”

“What do you think?”

Milo asked. Ian was looking around the area.

“The terrain here isn’t suitable for camping. It’s too exposed on all sides. We need to find a place where we can conceal ourselves.”

“What kind of space could be in this cave?”

“If it’s an educational dungeon, they would’ve factored such spaces in. Finding it would also be part of the test.”

“You’re relentless, relentless!”

In the end, the group resumed their steps.

They adjusted their pace to match Milo’s.

Even so, the injury didn’t seem too severe, as he soon regained his energy.

Perhaps Edel’s healing magic had worked wonders.

Milo continued to lead the way, scouting the surroundings.

This dungeon, shaped like a cave, felt increasingly eerie as they moved towards the center.

“The enemies are getting stronger. It feels like we haven’t even reached halfway yet.”

“Or we might be weaker than we thought.”

“That’s nonsense! If it’s like this, Professor Frost totally tricked us.”

Milo was full of complaints. It was also evidence that he was tense.

Then they came across a fork in the path.

As Ian moved his hand, an orb of light that had been hovering at the ceiling quickly moved to the right.

That side was a dead end, with large stalactites rising where they could hide.

The space was quite spacious, and it seemed they could fight efficiently if a battle occurred.

‘Is this the place?’

Ian judged it as a resting space designated by the dungeon’s creators.

“Wouldn’t it be good to set up camp there?”

“Oh! Finally, we can rest. Let’s go!”

Ian set up a trap in a nearby passage.

It was a device that would make noise if monsters approached.

Milo, who had easily built a campfire, lay stretched out and rested, while Edel wandered around the campsite, observing if there were any herbs worth collecting.

“Ian!”

“What?”

“Look at this.”

Edel pointed to the ground with his finger, as if he had found something.

There were red mushrooms growing, with purple spots embedded on them.

“Is this a poisonous mushroom?”

“Who knows.”

It was a species Ian had not seen before. Edel took out paper and began sketching the mushroom.

Sketching the plant’s shape and recording its characteristics was a method primarily used by those studying natural science.

Edel was doing his best to contribute, making sure to fulfill his part.

“Why don’t you try eating it? If you get a stomachache, it’s a poisonous mushroom. If it tastes good, it’s just a mushroom.”

“What if I die?”

“It’d be recorded as an extremely poisonous mushroom.”

“Ian, you need to rest a bit too…”

Edel genuinely worried, and only then did Ian relax by the campfire.

As the three of them let their guard down and rested, an enormous event was taking place at the Tower of Magic of Sonokin.

* * *

The elder mages, summoned by the tower’s Master, were steadily arriving at the Tower of Magic.

All of them had reached a level that could be called great mages.

The council was composed entirely of battle mages. Therefore, they were all strong.

Sonokin’s council consisted of a total of five members.

Around the round table, four grand mages had taken their seats.

Brussels, who stood by the door, was not a member of the council. He was only there to serve.

Except for Karahan, the other mages had reached the level of the 7th Circle.

Hence, the head of the council was concurrently held by Karahan.

“Hmm, Tower Master, for what reason have you summoned us? It’s been quite a while since we’ve all gathered like this.”

“Wasn’t it since the Sorol War?”

“That’s right. Is there perhaps another war about to break out?”

An elderly mage, Stormbringer, asked worriedly, and Tower Master Karahan shook his head firmly.

“There is no war. Even if there were, it wouldn’t be our concern.”

“That’s a relief.”

“There’s something I need you to do.”

“Me?”

Stormbringer showed a reluctant expression.

Among those gathered, he was relatively ordinary.

The only notable thing was that he had mastered Lightning Spell.

“By the way, is Dean Jessica not here yet?”

Karahan asked sharply, and Brussels, who stood beside him, lowered his head.

“I sent the message with top priority, so she should arrive soon.”

“That arrogant brat! She’s always had trouble arriving on time, hasn’t she?”

“It’s rather unfair to call someone arrogant and complain about punctuality after suddenly summoning them, isn’t it?”

With a spirited voice, Jessica made her appearance.

As if to flaunt her position as the head of the Academy’s Dapartment of Magic, she too was clad in a black robe.

“It’s been a while, gentlemen. Are you keeping well?”

“Haven’t you been lying low for too long these days?”

“Well, no news is good news, as they say.”

“How about returning to the Tower of Magic, then? You could still nurture the next generation here. Surely, a Master-level mage could be sent to the academy?”

“I wouldn’t want to, I find it distasteful.”

It was an enormous act of insolence.

It wouldn’t have been surprising to see her burned at the stake immediately for her words, but the members of the council quietly kept their mouths shut.

Jessica, who could be considered their granddaughter, was always treated with affection, and she knew how to take advantage of it.

“So why did you summon me? I’m on edge as we are currently doing an educational dungeon testing.”

“Amusing, really. A 7th Circle grand mage worried about little children’s playground?”

Karahan scolded, but Jessica widened her eyes and seriously responded.

“Children’s playground? It’s irresponsible of you to say that. Educational dungeons are the kingdom’s future. You disdainful elders don’t concern yourselves with worldly matters. How hard is it when war breaks out, and you don’t even assist?”

“Enough, explain how this happened.”

Thud.

A book was thrown in front of Jessica.

To be precise, it was the thesis submitted by Ian and Isera.