Demon-Hunting Genius Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 35

“Dean, this is Yuhan, the one I mentioned last time.”

“Oh, is this him?”

Brown beard, sharp eyes, angular jaw.

A man reminiscent of a tiger scanned me from head to toe.

Based on the conversation with Roan, this must be the Dean... He's younger than I expected. Maybe in his mid-40s at most.

“It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Yuhan.”

“Nice to meet you. I'm Asion Gale.”

Dean Gale greeted me with a gentle smile and extended his hand.

The moment I casually grasped his outstretched hand...

“Ugh.”

As soon as our hands touched, I felt a strange energy being sucked into my body.

It wasn't a pleasant feeling, so I instinctively raised my mana, but the energy had already coursed through my body and escaped.

I glared at the Dean with the most unpleasant expression I could muster.

“...What did you just do?”

“Ah, don't misunderstand. I was simply checking how your mana circuit is structured.”

‘...Checking my circuit?’

It didn't seem like a lie.

If he had any malicious intent, my heart would have reacted first.

But that didn't make it any less unpleasant.

“I would appreciate it if you could give me a heads-up next time.”

I didn't hide my displeasure, and the Dean let out a hearty laugh.

“Haha, as Roan said, you're quite a character. My apologies. I'll be sure to ask for your permission next time.”

The Dean said so with another gentle smile.

At first glance, it seemed like he was sincerely admitting his mistake, but I wasn't so sure.

Somehow, that smile seemed to carry an inexplicable sense of pressure.

Well, maybe it's because I know this man is the Dean.

‘He's at least on par with Dercion.’

Anyway, the important thing was that this man was comparable to a former Aldeon Magic Tower Head.

The fact that he could personally perform a mana circuit scan, a service usually requiring a separate request at a private facility, was proof enough of his skill.

‘No, if we're just talking about combat power, he might be even stronger.’

The mana swirling around the man spoke for itself.

Unlike Dercion, who focused on theoretical research like illusion magic and light magic, this man specialized in combat magic.

With my guard up, I spoke.

“So, how is my mana circuit?”

I was curious.

How exactly is the mana circuit in my body structured?

I hadn't visited a private facility because of the cost, but I figured it would be good to find out now.

Just as I was thinking that...

“Your mana circuit? Hmm, it's terrible.”

“...Excuse me?”

An unexpected answer.

I thought it would at least be decent since I have a mythic tier trait...

“Terrible enough to call it that?”

"It certainly is. Not only is the number of circuits themselves insufficient, but above all, they are arranged in a very inefficient structure for handling mana. To be honest, I wonder how you even used magic with a mana circuit like this."

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"..."

He wonders how I even used magic?

I've never heard such harsh criticism.

'...But I haven't felt any discomfort so far.'

There was no need to be discouraged.

I haven't had any problems using magic so far, and the fact that my circuit is terrible also means that there's more room for growth.

'I'll need to add this to my build.'

It seemed like I would need to take some time to restructure my circuit when I had the chance.

"By the way, is it true that you surpassed Roan in the Aldeon’s entrance exam?"

When I looked up at that question, I saw the Dean with his eyes narrowed.

He seemed surprised as well.

It was no wonder, considering that someone with such a terrible mana circuit had defeated the Academy's promising student.

I glanced at Roan, who seemed somewhat discouraged, and then answered the question.

"Yes, well, it just happened... but I still have a lot to learn."

"Hmm... Is that so?"

The Dean stroked his chin, deep in thought, and then patted my shoulder.

"Anyway, welcome. I heard you came here today for sightseeing without any particular purpose, so enjoy your stay."

"Yes."

"Roan, this guest has come to visit us, so make sure he has everything he needs."

"Yes, Dean."

Roan bowed his head to the Dean and tugged at my sleeve.

"Let's go, Yuhan."

This was the beginning of my official tour of the Academy.

***

"This is Building A. It mainly consists of facilities for magic research. The spire next to it... is the Academy's magic tower. It's where the Dean and many of the directors reside."

"It's incredibly large."

"It is, indeed. It's like the heart of the Academy. As such, it also has a very strong defense system."

Roan turned his gaze and pointed to the left.

"And this is Building C. This is where we'll be spending most of our time today."

"Ah, is this it?"

"That's right. This is the most prestigious academy in Asternon, the Asion Academy. It's where I study."

I examined the building as I listened to Roan's explanation.

Unlike the other buildings, it was a bright color with windows clustered together, and it consisted of two five-story buildings and one single-story building.

I pointed to the single-story building and asked,

"What's that building used for? Is it an auditorium?"

"Something like that. It's a place where we gather for special events or hold duels with mutual consent."

"Duels?"

"Yes."

Seeing students coming and going, it seemed like duels were quite frequent.

'Is that why Roan is such a good fighter?'

I was wondering where he gained his combat experience, and it seems like it was through that place.

'I'll have to stop by there later.'

Perhaps if I go there, I can get a sense of how strong the mages of this era are.

"Follow me."

Roan started walking again, leading the way.

He headed towards the five-story building at the very front. As soon as I passed through the entrance, a luxurious lobby greeted me.

From the gleaming marble to the massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and the walls filled with paintings that looked expensive at first glance.

If I had entered without knowing this was an academy, I would have mistaken it for the mansion of some famous and wealthy noble.

'...Crazy. Is the Academy overflowing with money?'

It seemed that the status of mages had risen significantly compared to 100 years ago. Otherwise, there's no way they could have accumulated such wealth.

'It's only hard for me, only hard for me.'

As I was feeling a bit envious, Roan, who was looking at a notice on the wall, asked,

"If you're interested, how about observing a class? I think it would be a good experience."

"Observe?"

"Yes, there's one that fits the time perfectly. It's a class called 'The Relationship Between Mana and Attributes.'"

"An attribute class..."

I didn't hesitate for long.

"Sure."

***

And so, Roan and I arrived at the lecture hall.

We took seats in the very back row, and thanks to that, I could feel the other students glancing at me.

"They're quite curious."

"This kind of situation isn't common. Everyone's probably curious. It's not every day that an outsider of their age observes a class."

"Hmm."

Indeed, visiting the academy without going through the admission process was a rare occurrence even in the game.

Creak-

Soon, the door to the lecture hall opened, and a middle-aged woman with white hair entered.

"Hello, everyone."

She had a kind impression, but the aura she exuded was anything but kind.

'...So this is an Academy's professor.'

Even at the lowest estimate, she was at the level of an elder in the Aldeon. Since it was a class conducted by such a person, I naturally had high expectations.

The professor quickly scanned the students and immediately started the lecture.

"Today, as I mentioned last time, we'll be learning about attributes and the combination of attributes. As you all know, attributes are classified into two categories: lower attributes and higher attributes..."

'Combination of attributes.'

The combination of attributes was one of the essential things I needed to learn in order to proceed with my build. I was completely focused from the beginning.

"First, the combination with lower attributes is... like this."

Two attributes of mana mixed above the professor's staff, showing a color I had never seen before.

"This is an area that can be easily achieved if you have a proper understanding of the principles of each attribute."

It seemed that she was helping students understand by demonstrating magic in this way from time to time.

-Magic learning ability increases.

Every time she did that, I focused all my attention.

Since this wasn't a lecture that just anyone could attend, I had to make everything the professor was showing me my own.

After a while of being completely immersed in the lecture...

"Now, one by one, come out and try combining attributes."

The professor suddenly asked the students to try combining attributes themselves.

'They do this here too?'

I was surprised by the proactive nature of the lecture, but when I glanced around, the other students had calm expressions, as if they already knew.

This probably wasn't the first or second time this had happened.

Of course, it was a good thing for me.

Because I could learn the process of attribute combination in more detail.

And it was a bonus to see what the level of the academy students was.

"Now, try combining them as I've shown you."

"Yes. Hoo-”

At the professor's request, the young man who had come to the front of the lecture hall took a deep breath.

And then.

Swirl-

Mana containing two attributes formed a sphere above the young man's staff.

It was smooth sailing so far. The problem was what came next.

"Heave-ho!"

As the young man pulled his arms together as if clapping with his staff, the two spheres collided violently.

It was completely different from the smooth combination the professor had shown.

Poof.

The spheres, which had failed to merge, soon created a small explosion and disappeared.

"Ugh..."

The young man's face darkened, and the professor patted his shoulder and said,

"Try again. I'll help you this time."

"...Yes."

With a dejected look, the young man once again floated two spheres and tried to combine them.

However, the spheres repelled each other once more.

Crackle!

Sparks flew as if it was about to explode again.

That's when the professor stepped in.

"...Like this."

The professor, who was holding the young man's shoulder, carefully channeled her mana, and the violently shaking spheres instantly stabilized and soon merged.

"Wow..."

The students let out a chorus of admiration.

I was also amazed.

'...This can't be easy.'

Directly interfering with another person's mana manipulation is not an easy task.

In fact, even Ollie Didan, one of the Aldeon elders, couldn't teach us this way.

This meant that the professor's understanding and control of mana were at a very high level.

'It wouldn't be bad to slightly adjust my path in this direction.'

Originally, the mage build I had planned didn't include attending the academy, but I changed my mind a bit.

If this was the level of education provided here, it would surely be quite efficient.

Of course, since I wasn't a noble, this would only be possible if I made good use of Roan... but there would be no harm in trying.

"...This is how it feels. Thank you, Professor."

"Once you have a good understanding of the fire attribute, you'll be able to do it on your own next time."

The attribute combination practice continued, and finally, it was Roan's turn.

Whoosh-

Roan effortlessly combined the water attribute and the cold attribute to create ice.

Well, I had seen ice countless times, so it wasn't surprising anymore.

"As expected of the top student. That was an excellent combination, Roan."

"Haha, it was nothing, Professor."

Roan shrugged and grinned at me.

His face seemed to say, 'You can't do this, can you?'

'Did he bring me to this class just to show off?'

Just as I was having such reasonable doubts...

"Professor, I have a favor to ask."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"I was wondering if it would be alright to have Yuhan, who came to observe today, give it a try."

"Oh?"

He pointed at me with that annoying smirk again.

Yeah, it seems like... he was right. He brought me here to boost his own ego.

"That's a good idea. Would you be okay with that, Yuhan…?"

"Yes, I'll give it a try."

Well, there's no reason for me to refuse.

[Translator - Prøks]

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