The incident from yesterday, where Yi-Han almost got trapped while raiding the kitchen, served as a lesson for him. At Einroguard, one must be suspicious of everything!

'I didn't expect a water cannon to come flying,' he thought. She said to just jump over the obstacles set up obediently. Wasn't it too easy?

Yi-Han naturally expected there to be additional traps. Thanks to that, only the students who dared to run out carelessly at Einroguard were tasting the bitter consequences.

"Wardanaz! This is too much..."

"It wasn't Wardanaz who shot it!"

"Ah. Really?"

"..."

"Professor! I think the spirit was summoned incorrectly!"

"Since I set it up, try to dodge it well."

"Pardon? What do you..."

"Rather than chattering, it would be better to focus. If you fall, points will be deducted."

The students who started off with great momentum slowed down and scattered, floundering. They realized that simply running fast wasn't everything. Recklessly increasing speed only to get ambushed and fall off the horse would be a bigger loss.

"Gather here! Let's go this way!"

"Are you sure there are no traps?"

"This way was fine just now! If we gather together and go at once..."

Fwoosh!

"Don't try to memorize it. I didn't arrange them that easily."

"No... Professor!!"

The student whose hair got singed looked at Professor Bungaegor in disbelief. Why was she so serious about the obstacles? Couldn't she just set up hurdles they could jump over?

"Everyone, come this way."

Yi-Han called his friends together. He felt it last time too, but in the riding training lecture, it was advantageous to form a group and pass through. Not only was it easier to endure attacks coming from outside as the size increased, but more mage hands meant more magic that could be used.

"Let's not rush and go at a trot. Asan. You take the left. Yonaire. I'll leave the right to you. Nillia. Please watch the back."

"Am I at the front?"

Gainando asked naturally.

"No. You just stay next to me and use magic when I tell you."

"Indeed. Like a secret card prepared for contingencies. Right?"

"..."

"...Ugh, yes."

The friends were impressed by Gainando's positive attitude.

"Let's go. Once we fall behind, it'll be hard to catch up."

Yi-Han and his friends nodded and set off. Seeing that, Professor Bungaegor highly evaluated them inwardly.

'They put it together well in a short time.'

Matching breathing while riding a horse with other people was completely different from matching breathing barehanded on flat ground. As much as one had to handle a rough horse and match speed with each other, handling the horse well and understanding between one another were important.

To think they harmonized so quickly even though they weren't from the same tower.

"Right!"

As Yi-Han, who felt the flow of mana, spoke first, Yonaire immediately took out a potion. Casting magic while on a shaking horse could fail. In that case, a pre-made potion was safer.

Clang!

With the sound of the potion bottle breaking, the magic missile flying towards them scattered.

'It's the <Lesser Magic Nullification Potion>.'

"Left!"

Asan swung his staff as if he had been waiting. Since he had been preparing for a while, the magic was cast safely. With a strong wind, the lump of mud flying towards them changed trajectory.

There was no need for Yi-Han to even mention the attacks coming from behind. Nillia, who noticed first, immediately shot an arrow to bring it down.

'The start is good!'

'At this rate...!'

The friends could feel that their intentions were being conveyed even without exchanging glances. The sense of unity that could only be felt in perfect harmony!

Swish!

But the crisis was only just beginning. Green mist spread and flew in from behind. It was an obstacle that couldn't be brought down by shooting with a bow or blocked with the magic they had. Nillia's hand stopped for a moment.

"Evaporate!"

As Nillia seemed unable to respond, Yi-Han immediately swung his staff. The green mist scattered in the air. Seeing that, Professor Bungaegor was surprised.

'Evaporation?!'

The evaporation attribute, an advanced area of the water element attribute. As it was a difficult and abstruse area, it naturally wasn't something a first-year student could handle. Moreover, to blow away mist at a distance while maintaining balance on a horse all at once.

It was obvious anew, but it was really surprising every time she saw it. Not only talent, but that studiousness that explored magic without resting at all was really...

Papapapapak!

"!!!"

This time, a crisis struck from Asan's side. As more than ten spheres of mana flew in simultaneously, he got tense.

"Earth... Cough, cough!"

Using magic in combat required a high degree of concentration, so it was more difficult than one might think. No matter how skilled a mage was, if they didn't train specifically for magic combat, they could make mistakes at any time.

It wasn't a combat situation now, but it was enough to make a first-year student make a mistake.

"Shield, unfold!"

Yi-Han quickly summoned water and transformed it into an elongated shield shape. The spheres of mana struck down on it, making a dull sound.

"I used up all the potions!"

Gainando shouted urgently. While blocking the other side, attacks were flying in from Yonaire's direction as well.

"Flash forth!"

Only after shooting lightning to block the attack could they catch their breath. As a brief moment to breathe came, Yi-Han spoke to his friends.

"Good work, everyone. We were able to break through thanks to everyone combining their strength."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"What's with everyone?"

"Ah, it's nothing."

The friends waved their hands.

...It seemed like Wardanaz could have broken through alone...

As time passed, students who succeeded in breaking through started coming out one by one from various places. No matter how many obstacles there were, if they kept charging, their skills at blocking would inevitably improve.

"Increase the speed more!"

Shyles of the Richmond family waved his arm to signal. He was an excellent rider himself, and the friends moving with Shyles were also among the top in riding skills within the tower.

As they enjoyed polo while riding horses during breaks, to the extent that they were confident in their horses, it was only natural for them to stand out.

While Yi-Han's group chose a frontal breakthrough by forming a solid formation, Shyles' group chose to quickly increase their speed and break through. In the process, one or two unlucky ones might drop out, but they intended to take that into account.

'I will receive the highest score in this lecture!'

With the sound of hooves rapidly pounding the earth, Shyles ran out. In a situation where obstacles were scattered everywhere, increasing speed like this was usually impossible with ordinary skill and guts. Shyles was definitely an outstanding rider.

"It's the turning point!"

'Finally!'

Shyles' heart swelled at the thought of reaching the turning point he saw in the distance and returning. At that moment, a huge monster emerged from the ground with a heavy vibration.

"...?!"

Before the dust cleared, a loud cry came from behind.

"It's a Hydra!"

"What?! A Hydra?!"

The students were startled and shrank back. However, as the dust cleared, what appeared inside wasn't a Hydra. It was just an ordinary Sand Octopus.

"Th-that's a relief. It wasn't a Hydra."

"It's not a relief!"

The Sand Octopus with a huge build was by no means an easy monster. Of course, compared to a Hydra, it had no deadly poison and was much less ferocious, but in this situation...

Kwak!

The long leg of the Sand Octopus flew in like a whip. With a sharp sound, sand puffed up and obscured their vision.

"It's a monster I cherish, so don't attack it!"

Professor Bungaegor said from behind, looking pleased. It was worth raising it by feeding it expensive feed.

"Professor! No matter what, this is, aaargh!"

A student who tried to protest was wrapped in the octopus' limb and dragged away.

"Rather than protesting, think about quickly reaching the turning point and getting out first."

"It wasn't a Hydra."

Yi-Han, who arrived late, muttered as he looked at the chaotic scene unfolding at the turning point. As a huge monster suddenly popped up from below, he first thought of the Hydra he had heard about before.

"Wardanaz! It's not a Hydra! To think you'd use such a trick!"

In response to the protest coming from the other side, Yi-Han was about to answer that it was a mistake. However, Asan and Gainando answered first.

"The foolish one is the one who got tricked!"

"Where are the fools who trust others in a competition! It's because of that complacent attitude that you lose!"

"Ugh...! These guys!"

"..."

Yi-Han stared at the backs of their heads for a moment, then turned his gaze. Right now, more important than clearing up the misunderstanding was reaching the turning point and getting out.

'I have to do it as quickly as possible.'

The longer it took, the fewer other students there were to draw attention, increasing the difficulty.

"Mirage!"

One of the students from the Black Tortoise Tower seemed to have a talent for illusion magic, as he managed to summon an illusion amidst the chaos. It wasn't an illusion in a very good state. The shape was blurred and not clear, so anyone could tell it was an illusion if they looked closely.

However, in a chaotic situation like this, it was easy to be fooled at a glance. Moreover, the opponent was a monster.

Swish!

However, the Sand Octopus didn't even glance at the illusion and stretched out its limb to grab a student and take them away.

"!"

Seeing that, Yi-Han realized.

'It's not detecting with sight!'

As he had learned quite harshly about illusion magic, Yi-Han knew that illusion magic was also divided into several types. The illusion just now was illusion magic using vision.

It was magic that created illusions by distorting the surrounding air with heat or freezing the air with cold. However, if the opponent didn't see with their eyes, it was meaningless. In fact, the Sand Octopus had half of its body buried in the ground.

'The detection was too good, as expected...'

It was clear that it sensed the approach of enemies by the vibrations on the ground. In that case, that type of illusion was meaningless.

'Farhait's illusion magic won't work. The method is...'

Yi-Han prepared to use <Gonadaltes' Cloak of Invisibility> and the Invisibility Necklace. Unlike Farhait's illusion magic that created illusions with heat, Gonadaltes' Cloak of Invisibility and the Invisibility Necklace were types of illusion magic that directly manipulated perception.

"Cloak, engulf me!"

"Wardanaz. It's too hard to coordinate while riding!"

"I know. Let's break through one by one. The rest of you, draw attention!"

Instead of breaking through together at once, Yi-Han chose to break through separately. It would take a bit more time, but it was safer. The range of the invisibility magic wasn't wide enough to include the friends riding horses.

"Let's go!"

Yi-Han set off with Yonaire. The other friends scattered to draw the Sand Octopus' attention, just in case it got suspicious.

Whoosh!

"!"

The Sand Octopus suddenly inflated its body. Yi-Han and Yonaire tensed at the unexpected situation.

Swish!

As if sensing something ominous, the Sand Octopus began to spew out a fierce wind. The wind mixed with sand enveloped the students like a storm. It was hard to secure vision in the sudden gust.

'This is bad!'

Even if Yi-Han himself endured, the horse Yonaire was riding was panicking and floundering in the sudden sandstorm. The moment they escaped from invisibility, the Sand Octopus would notice their approach.

Just as Yi-Han was about to restrain Yonaire's horse by force, help came from behind. It was Gainando.

"Become itchy!!!"

Gainando, who boldly shot a curse magic, charged forward without stopping. Seeing Gainando rushing forward like crazy, the Sand Octopus lost interest in the other students and targeted Gainando intensively.

The impudent curse magic had offended the Sand Octopus.

"Gainando...!"

Yi-Han was truly surprised. He knew Gainando had a talent for dark magic, but to think he would be so active in a situation like this.

"Yi-Han!"

"Got it! I'll pass quickly while you distract it..."

"Save me!!! This damn horse won't listen!!!"

Leaving those words behind, Gainando ran forward like an arrow, no, he was dragged away.

"..."

Yonaire, who managed to calm the horse and returned, asked Yi-Han.

"Didn't Gainando shout something?!"

"He said he would draw attention, so we should break through quickly."

"!?"

Yonaire was surprised.

There's no way that's what he said, right?