Yi-Han was disappointed.

'Damn. Impenetrable as a fortress.'

It wasn't all that surprising, though. The imperial bureaucrats were known for their integrity and uprightness, so they were unlikely to be swayed by such personal connections.

Still, he had thought that since they were from the same tower, there might be some way to get through, but…

"If I were to work in the government, what position do you think would suit me?" Yi-Han asked bluntly, unable to give up.

Normally, he wouldn't have gone this far, but that's how much he wanted it.

Of course, Eunrad Lee made a face as if he had heard the most absurd joke in the world. Seeing his expression, Yi-Han quickly changed his words.

"It was a joke."

"Haha. I thought so."

Yi-Han clicked his tongue inwardly.

To think he would be this upright and incorruptible. No wonder he was dispatched to Einroguard.

"Anyway, student Wardanaz... thank you for kindly agreeing to the consultation today."

"No, it was something I had to do."

"As your senior, I'm cautiously worried that you might be carrying too much of a burden on your shoulders, student Wardanaz."

Yi-Han's face brightened.

"But I have no intention of stopping you, so don't worry. Isn't hardship a blessing and a gift for those with talent?"

Yi-Han's face darkened.

'As expected of a graduate, he can naturally say such crazy things.'

While Eunrad Lee was worrying about the shock the Emperor and the imperial bureaucrats would receive, there were people sweating bullets elsewhere.

The adventurer Kilvedek wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve and looked at his companion.

"How is it?"

"I think it's still a bit lacking."

"Don't bullshit me! This is enough! I didn't prepare this much even when I went to hunt a rampaging cave troll!"

"Don't get angry. I'm not doing this because I want to either. You know that crazy mage won't be satisfied with this."

"..."

Kilvedek shut his mouth.

Even if they were adventurers who had never seen each other's faces before, there were cases where they quickly became close when they got involved in a dangerous mission together.

That was exactly the case for Kilvedek now.

The situation of being caught and dragged here while trying to scam a mage from Einroguard!

-If we had known he was a mage from Einroguard, we obviously wouldn't have tried to scam him!-

Kilvedek and the other adventurers wailed like that, but it was already too late.

The lunatic mage asked the adventurers who had used trickery whether they would help with his work or receive proper punishment according to imperial law…

And the adventurers naturally said, "We will help with the work!"

The so-called proper punishment according to imperial law meant nothing to high-ranking mages.

If they had chosen the latter, they could have been buried alive in secret.

-What the hell is he trying to make us do?-

-I heard the grounds of Einroguard are vast, so maybe we'll have to gather ingredients?-

-Maybe we'll have to conquer a dungeon…-

-Nonsense. Why would a mage belonging to Einroguard call adventurers like us?-

-Th-then?-

-Human experimentation... Maybe he wants to do human experimentation?-

The captured adventurers trembled in fear.

But fortunately, the situation unfolded differently from their expectations.

-Work together.-

-Pardon?-

-Assuming there is one intruder, work together to subdue them.-

-...!-

It wasn't about collecting ingredients, conquering a dungeon, or offering their bodies for magic.

The lunatic mage wanted the adventurers to work together to subdue one intruder.

-We can do that much right now!-

-I know my reputation isn't that great, but I'm someone who has solved dozens of requests in the west!-

-I see. Let's test it out.-

And the lunatic mage effortlessly neutralized their joint attack without blinking an eye and beat the adventurers to a pulp.

-Again. Prepare properly this time.-

-Ugh... Ugh... Ughhh…-

The lunatic mage beat up the adventurers, made them prepare again, beat them up again, and made them prepare again.

No pleas, excuses, persuasion, or bribery worked.

He was truly the embodiment of the lunatic mage that adventurers feared.

There was a saying among adventurers, "Don't get involved with mages."

Having a high-level talent like a mage in the party couldn't be more useful.

Nevertheless, the saying "Don't get involved with mages" existed precisely because of beings like this lunatic mage.

Once you got entangled with them, you couldn't escape until you died!

"...Let's prepare again."

Kilvedek let out a long sigh. He wanted to spit, but he was too scared to do so.

Since he couldn't run away either, all he could do was prepare until the mage was satisfied.

"I think it's a good idea to shoot arrows the moment the basement door opens. But the attack after that is a bit ambiguous."

"What about setting up a trap that activates when someone steps in front of the door?"

"Good. Let's add a bit more. How about having someone wait on the side and launch an attack?"

"Can we match the timing?"

"Damn... Now that it's come to this, we have to try."

"Okay. Then I'll also pull the crossbow and charge forward."

"What about the potion?"

"I've set it up. It will fly out as soon as I pull it."

The adventurers passionately devised a plan to repel the intruder who would open the door and enter the underground workshop.

Not only Kilvedek but also the other adventurers were preparing with their full strength for the first time.

It wasn't like adventurers received lacking training in their spare time and prepared for the next mission in advance.

Rather, there were more types who indulged in eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves extravagantly.

It was a dangerous profession, and since they earned a lot and spent a lot, it was only natural in a way.

But today was different.

Thanks to the lunatic mage, the adventurers were all united and bringing out 200% or even 300% of their own abilities with their full strength.

"What about changing the spear? Let's try increasing the length."

"It might not be bad... Okay. Should we also reinforce the shield a bit?"

"My serrated blade and your iron mace. If we swing them together, it will be quite effective. Let's match our moves."

Bang!

"!!!!"

At the sound of the door opening, the adventurers instinctively flinched.

The lunatic mage had returned.

"Pl-Please give us a little more time!"

"It's not finished yet!"

Knowing that they would be beaten up by the lunatic mage once the breakthrough started, the adventurers begged and pleaded.

Professor Boladi asked with an expressionless face,

"How long will it take?"

"One hour... No, no. 30 minutes! 30 minutes will be enough!"

"I see. We'll start in 30 minutes. The opponent is a student."

"Thank y- Who?"

Professor Boladi didn't answer twice. He gestured as if telling them to prepare and left the underground workshop.

The remaining adventurers' eyes widened as they clung to the workshop window.

...So you're saying we have to attack that young, green student coming over there?

It was better than the lunatic mage, but now they were worried in a slightly different way.

Is it really okay to attack?

"A-Aren't we going to get caught?"

"We're already caught."

Despite arriving at the gloomy underground workshop following Professor Boladi's guidance, Yi-Han was not surprised.

'I was prepared for this.'

Final exam week.

If Yi-Han hadn't anticipated this even after seeing Professor Boladi put the adventurers in coffins and ship them to the academy last time, he wasn't someone who deserved to survive at Einroguard.

Professor Boladi lightly nodded at Yi-Han's appearance, not loosening the string of tension throughout his body.

It was the attitude of an excellent combat mage.

"The adventurers are waiting inside. Break through."

"Understood."

A combat mage had to know how to flexibly deal with all kinds of situations.

They had to be able to handle it even when enemies were hiding and waiting inside a building.

...Although he didn't quite understand why he had to do this in his first year, Yi-Han tightened his grip on his staff instead of objecting.

'I prepare for all possible situations.'

Cast various enhancement spells, disrupt the enemies' vision with illusion magic, send summons inside…

He wasn't surprised because he knew this day would come from the moment Professor Boladi brought the adventurers, but his heart was heavy.

He had to enter the basement where experienced adventurers who had gone through all sorts of battles had prepared with determination.

No matter how thoroughly Yi-Han prepared, he could lose.

'Let's consider it fortunate that there are no phoenixes or Cerberus.'

With that thought, Yi-Han steeled himself.

Suddenly feeling a gaze, he looked to the side and saw adventurers observing him through the window of the underground workshop.

Yi-Han hardened his face.

'As expected of adventurers.'

The experience accumulated by adventurers was not something to be taken lightly. They were already closely observing Yi-Han's capabilities.

If he accidentally exposed his magic here, he would be immediately countered.

'I don't know if it will work, but...'

"Professor. I'm so scared."

"?"

"Can I really defeat the adventurers inside?"

"Perhaps you have a headache?"

Professor Boladi expressed his bewilderment briefly and simply.

The adventurers who heard the student's frightened and anxious voice from outside the window became troubled.

They wondered if it was really okay to attack like this.

"We're not falling into a conspiracy, are we?"

"What kind of conspiracy?"

"Maybe he wanted to kill a disobedient disciple but didn't want to get his hands dirty, so he called us."

"..."

Hearing that, it sounded plausible. The adventurers fell into silence.

That loosened vigilance gave Yi-Han precious time.

Bang!

Yi-Han immediately kicked open the door to the underground workshop. Arrows flew in from inside.

Thud, thud-

The arrows stuck into the water shield that Yi-Han had set up in advance. Having pre-cast various enhancement spells, including <Spatial Perception>, Yi-Han knew without looking.

"...Light!"

Instead of entering, Yi-Han intensely released mana towards the inside of the underground workshop and cast the <Light Creation> spell.

A bright sphere of light reminiscent of the burning sun rose inside the underground workshop.

"Light, light, light...!"

Normally, there was no need to invest this much mana in a mere 1st Circle spell.

Mana was a limited resource, and distributing that resource was also part of a mage's skill.

However, Yi-Han ignored such calculations and poured light into the workshop. Although there was a light source, the adventurers who had become accustomed to the darkness had their vision temporarily obscured.

"Rise, skeleton warriors! Heat, distort the air!"

Yi-Han threw bone fragments and summoned skeleton warriors. They couldn't move properly yet, but they were sufficiently threatening to the adventurers who didn't know that fact.

"Undead! Dark magic!"

"Prepare!"

Even in that chaos, there was no excess in the adventurers' movements, and their coordination didn't break. Yi-Han couldn't help but admire them.

'I thought they were scammers, but it seems they have real skills. Well, if they didn't have skills, they wouldn't have dared to scam an Einroguard professor.'

Inside the underground workshop, bright enough to not see ahead.

The summoned skeleton warriors, under the influence of illusion magic, felt like more than a dozen.

Nevertheless, the adventurers accurately swung their weapons and brought down the skeleton warriors.

That's how much bloody practice they had done inside this underground workshop.

"I-I got it!"

Kilvedek was surprised even after he brought down a skeleton warrior.

"Bones, seize the enemy!"

Yi-Han immediately went for the next attack.

From the beginning, the purpose of detonating the light and sending skeleton warriors inside was not to attack but to draw attention.

It was enough that the enemies couldn't pour out what they had prepared onto Yi-Han.

Using the bones of the shattered skeleton warriors, Yi-Han recklessly fired bone magic.

"Bones, seize the enemy!"

With a nerve-grating sound, bone fragments gathered from all directions, creating restraints.

The remaining adventurers dodged to blind spots invisible from the entrance and shouted,

"It wasn't a young student!!!"

"Hold on! If he uses magic like that, he can't last long! Exhaustion will come soon!"

"Ugh...!"

An unlucky adventurer was hit by the barrage of bone magic and collapsed.

The other adventurers endured tenaciously. It was thanks to the lunatic mage's ordeal that had made them grow.

'The end is coming soon!'

'Even a mage's mana isn't infinite...'

...But why is it taking so long?