Valdoron panicked when he heard the request.

He felt distressed knowing that his offhand comment had given the young mage false hope.

The method he was referring to was a dangerous one, one that could cost the mage his life.

Breaking apart spells required a tremendous amount of mana, and if the student wasn’t familiar with the spell, it could lead to devastating consequences.

However, Yi-han wasn’t about to back down.

“Please tell me the method. I promise to be careful when using it.”

“Still…”

“You’ve accepted my payment.”

“…Very well.”

Valdoron ended up conceding.

Having accepted the payment, he was duty-bound to fulfil the customer’s wishes.

“First of all, you’ll need a lot of mana. Much more than what you have in your body. I suggest getting some mana stones and setting up a formation.”

Formations and mana stones were often used by mages to make up for their lack of mana.

Casting high-level magic required an equally high amount of mana, and sometimes it wasn’t realistic to use one’s own mana reserve.

Hence, mages drew formations to gather mana in one place or carried jewels charged with mana to serve as extra batteries.

“Have you learned how to draw formations?”

“We’re learning to draw them right now.”

Yi-han recalled his lessons on .

Drawing formations was like solving complicated math problems.

Rather than intuition, it demanded patience and an understanding of mathematics, which meant students had to put in a lot of time and effort.

This was why many students were struggling in class.

Most students only knew how to add or subtract numbers. Having them solve equations involving postulates and rules was way out of their comfort zone, and some students developed mental trauma as a result.

“Good. Once you’ve drawn the formation, you must control the mana that flows out of it.”

Yi-han would have to control the mana that the formation has gathered before dumping it all on the spell he was trying to break.

It sounded simple enough, but this was a difficult task when put into practice.

Controlling it was one thing; dumping it all out without hesitation was another matter altogether.

Having the mana flow out like a river wouldn’t suffice. It would have to gush out relentlessly like a broken-down dam.

This was something most mages weren’t familiar with.

After all, they were used to meticulously calculating the amount of mana they used in each of their spells. They rarely had any experience dealing with such a massive quantity of mana.

“Hmm…should be easy enough.”

Valdoron let out a deep sigh when he heard this.

Despite all his warnings, Yi-han wasn’t taking this seriously.

Hubris, a flaw all geniuses suffered from.

This was also why those with talent often died before those without. They would blindly trust in their talent and engage in reckless experiments that ultimately get them killed.

To some extent, this was to be expected of someone that had enrolled into Einroguard and escaped in their freshmen year.

‘Alas.’

Valdoron decided to confront the young mage overflowing with talent with the harsh reality.

The youngster before him would no doubt become a grand magus in the future. He felt unqualified to teach such an outstanding individual, but he felt compelled to do so.

“Coveting the moon, I draw upon the water that reflects it.”

Valdoron took out some powder that had been ground from a Moon-night Stone and began chanting a complicated spell with his staff in hand.

He drew upon his mana as he completed the lengthy incantation, successfully casting the third-circle spell, .

This illusion spell had the power to neutralize enemies that ambushed him during the night. It was a spell that all illusion mages aspired to learn and one that brought Valdoron great pride and joy.

“!”

Yi-han was stunned.

Valdoron should’ve been sitting on the other side of the table, but it felt as if the distance between them was much greater.

He had a sneaking suspicion that he would be brought to a foreign space if he tried to take a step forward.

Valdoron, who had cast the spell, opened his mouth to warn Yi-han.

“It might not look like much, but I advise against moving around.”

“The moment I do, I’ll find myself trapped in a maze, correct?”

“…..”

Valdoron didn’t know what to say in response.

He was wondering how Yi-han had figured it out so quickly.

Did he know about this spell beforehand? From the boy’s expression, that didn’t seem likely.

That left only one explanation.

The youngster had deduced it based on the nature of the mana emanating from the spell.

‘What an amazing sensitivity to magic.’

“…Yes. Anyway, the reason why I cast this spell was to show you how difficult it is to forcibly break a spell.”

“I see…”

Yi-han was impressed by the kindness Valdoron was showing him.

At the very least, Valdoron was a much better teacher than the professors in Einroguard.

He first explained the theory behind what they were learning, helped Yi-han set realistic goals, and even told him why these goals were important.

Tears welled up in Yi-han’s eyes as he compared this lesson with the times he had spent suffering under Professor Bolady’s ruthless training,

“Now, try having a go at it. Take as much time as you need, but you must stop before it gets too dangerous.”

“Thank you.”

“?”

Valdoron noticed the look of respect in Yi-han’s eyes and grew confused.

‘What’s with the exaggerated response…?’

***

Kwang!

The explosion was contained inside the workshop, but Valdoron had clearly heard the distinct sound of a spell breaking down as mana collided.

‘How is this possible!?’

Valdoron’s eyes were about to pop out.

Once. It only took Yi-han once to succeed.

To make matters worse, it didn’t seem like Yi-han had exerted himself in the slightest.

The youngster didn’t even bother drawing a formation. He lightly tapped into his mana and threw it at the spell, almost as if to test the waters.

Yet that alone had been enough to shatter .

Yi-han’s mana had surged like a tsunami, obliterating the spell that Valdoron had painstakingly created.

Valdoron couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

While the youngster may be a genius, that was hardly enough time to gather the necessary mana.

And even if he did somehow manage to pull it off in that time frame, it still didn’t make sense for him to control it so effortlessly.

Unless he’d been born with an immense mana supply and had grown accustomed to handling it, much like how people breathe in air, such a precise control seemed absurd.

It was as preposterous a notion as a first-time sailor knowing what to do when faced with a storm.

How in the world…?

“Thank you for your guidance!”

Yi-han expressed his gratitude, unaware of what Valdoron was experiencing.

“Huh…?”

“It was thanks to Mr. Valdoron’s teachings that I had this epiphany!”

“…..”

For a brief moment, he wondered if Yi-han was mocking him.

Perhaps a deranged professor from Einroguard had disguised himself as a freshman and left the academy just to pick a fight with him.

But the innocence in the youngster’s eyes seemed too genuine for that to be the case.

For the time being, he decided to accept the gratitude.

“…It’s nothing worth mentioning. The credit’s all yours…”

“No, this is my first time meeting someone that can teach as well as you, Mr. Valdoron.”

“Please don’t say that when you’re with others!”

Valdoron was about to be at his wit’s end.

If one of Einroguad’s crazy professors heard this, they might turn him into a frog out of spite.

Yi-han gave a serious bow.

“I’ll visit Mr. Valdoron again the next time I visit the town.”

“No need, no need. There’s nothing for me to teach you anymore.”

What he wished to say was “Don’t come anymore!” but he couldn’t in good conscience voice this out loud to a customer that had paid.

In the end, he could only resort to saying he had nothing to teach.

However, this only served to further Yi-han’s respect.

‘How modest of him!’

The boughs that bore most hung lowest. In Yi-han’s eyes, Valdoron’s modesty was a sign of his virtue.

He admired Valdoron for serving the community by setting up a workshop in a small town.

‘The more exceptional a mage is, the less they like to travel. Valdoron must’ve set up his workshop as a pastime of sorts.’

“Until next time!”

Yi-han left while feeling grateful for this encounter.

For quite some time, Valdoron sat there, dazed, but eventually stood up and flipped the signboard on the door that read “Open” to “Close”.

Then, he flipped open his textbook on illusions that he’d been neglecting.

…Whether this would be of any help, no one knew, but at least it was better than nothing.

***

“…Sir, why are you here…?”

Principal Skelly was floating next to Professor Garcia, who was standing guard at the front gates.

There was absolutely no need for the principal to be there.

Principal Skelly seldom went out of his way to do something that wasn’t part of his responsibilities, which meant he was doing this for his own amusement!

‘He must be hoping that Yi-han arrives late.’

The number of students that received exit permits was abysmal compared to the number of students attempting to escape from the academy.

Those that were fortunate enough to receive one would leave in a jubilant mood, but the academy wasn’t exactly sending them off with their best wishes.

All sorts of traps would lie ahead of the students.

They would soon realize the hopelessness of their situations and despair.

Without a penny to their name, they would barely hold out until they were dragged back, kicking and screaming.

And that would be their last time stepping out of the academy, as the requirement for receiving the second exit permit was much higher than the first.

“Since exit permits are meant to be rewards, shouldn’t we let the students enjoy themselves when they’re out…?”

Ah, you’re still too naïve, Professor Garcia. If you’re too soft on the students, they would become spoiled and weak.

“…..”

A true mage is one that’s born from—

“Alright, let’s stop right there.”

Garcia interjected before Principal Skelly could finish.

She was sick and tired of hearing him say ‘A true mage is one that’s born from trials’ all the time.

What were they going to do with this ancient mage…

I’m looking forward to seeing his expression.

“…You might be disappointed. After all, Yi-han’s not your average student.”

Hm, you have a point.

Surprisingly, Principal Skelly didn’t refute her claim, showing how highly he evaluated Yi-han.

But this has nothing to do with his talent in magic or his strong mentality. He would need to have money to purchase items, but he won’t have anywhere to earn them. Even if he does acquire funds, he’d be limited in the things he could bring back… And the deadline’s fast approaching! The smarter he thinks he is, the more challenging the time he’ll have to decide what to bring back. Oh, how I wish time would flow faster! Hunting him down would be so much fun.

“You should keep your thoughts to yourself, sir.”

Though she said this, Professor Garcia agreed with most of what Principal Skelly said.

The majority of students that left using an exit permit returned after being captured. This was the result of them being too greedy, thinking to themselves, ‘Things might turn out for the better if I have a bit more time!’

Upon arriving in town and confronting the harsh reality, students would have to swiftly recalculate what to bring back. If they attempted to acquire everything they needed, they would find themselves caught in Principal Skelly’s trap…

“?!?!”

Pak!

A massive figure appeared atop the hill in front of the academy’s main gate.

For a split second, Professor Garcia thought it was a Giant or a Troll, but that turned out to be wrong.

It was Yi-han, carrying a mountain load of luggage.

“…..”

The two senior mages were dumbfounded by the “solution” that the young mage had come up with.

However, that was just the beginning.

When he reached the top of the hill, they saw several boxes floating behind him.

Principal Skelly had to give it to him.

…Professor Bolady has done a bloody good job of teaching his student.