“P-Professor.”

Hearing the familiar voice, Professor Thunderstep turned, only to gape in astonishment.

“Was there really a war here?!”

I-han looked as if he’d been through three days on the battlefield, his cloak half-shredded, hair disheveled, and face smudged with dirt and dried blood.

"What in the world happened to you in such a short time?” Thunderstep demanded.

I-han coughed, brushing some dust off his cloak. “It… couldn't be helped.”

“Couldn't be helped? What exactly couldn’t be helped?”

“The corrupted entities… they were attacking the spirits.”

“W-wait, wait a minute.”

Professor Thunderstep was initially touched by his student's apparent compassion for the spirits, but something seemed off.

"Uh… weren't you all safe inside the cabin? Protected by the barrier?”

“We were, at first,” Yonir and Siana chimed in wearily.

Although they hadn’t fought as fiercely as I-han, they were also covered in dust and looked as if they had gone through a hard-fought battle.

“Then why did you go outside?”

"To protect the spirits.”

"Ah, I see, to protect… wait, what?!” 

Thunderstep couldn't comprehend the logic. They could have stayed safe inside the cabin—yet they’d charged out to help some spirits? What kind of favor did they owe the spirits?

---

‘I still have a long way to go,’ I-han mused, watching the squirrel spirit affectionately cling to him.

In that moment, he understood that the spirits’ lack of affection for him wasn’t because of them; it was due to his own lack of effort. He hadn’t shown them his best, hadn’t given them a reason to appreciate him. But now he had a plan.

‘They need to see me take risks for them, to help them in their time of need,’ he reasoned.

He was convinced. If the spirits saw him fighting for them, they might come to respect him.

Yonir, seeing the fervor in his friend’s eyes, felt an immediate sense of dread.

“I-han, I’m usually all for helping out with whatever you come up with… but this idea of yours sounds… a little… reckless.”

Of course, helping a spirit could endear it to the helper, but I-han’s tone made it seem like he was actively planning to create situations just to earn their favor. 

‘Surely it’s just a misunderstanding,’ he thought.

Siana chimed in, apparently oblivious to the implications of I-han’s new theory. “I think it’s a wonderful idea! Helping spirits in need is a kind thing to do.”

“Well, yes, but…” Yonir hesitated.

“And I’m sure there’s no way I-han would purposefully put them in danger just to win them over.”

I-han’s stride faltered, but he said nothing.

“I-han?” Yonir called worriedly.

“Corrupted entities, coming in!” I-han cut in.

Having trained as a battle mage, I-han moved with precise efficiency, immediately casting an invisibility spell around them before adding further protections: *Ogonin’s Mist*, *Pengerin’s Ice Doppelganger*, and finally, a protection spell. With the mist hiding them and doppelgangers moving around the perimeter, pinpointing their location would be nearly impossible.

“Are you going to use a speed boost spell too?” Siana asked.

“No, that one has side effects.”

“Side effects?”

She started to ask if he’d used it on the White Tiger Tower students, but I-han had already moved on, conjuring skeletal warriors on the opposite side of the mist.

These were no ordinary skeletons—they were infused with dark elemental energy, amplifying their strength. The corrupted spirits, sensing kindred energy, turned their focus on them.

“All set. Let’s go on the offensive!”

With their defenses complete and the skeleton warriors providing a distraction, it was time to take down the corrupted spirits.

“Strike, lightning of Perkuntra!”

Thunderbolts rained down upon the corrupted entities. Though most would have been incinerated immediately, the more resilient ones held their ground. Some merged, growing larger and more armored, while others burrowed into the ground to evade the attack. 

Yonir and Siana threw fire potions and elemental attacks into the fray, but the power of the flames was visibly weakened by the season’s cold.

“It’s… not burning as well as it should.”

“It’s the winter chill dampening it,” Yonir noted.

“Fire not strong enough?”

“Huh?”

“Burn!” I-han chanted, igniting the nearest corrupted entity with an intense blaze. The creature shrieked before collapsing in ashes.

Yonir was wide-eyed. It took tremendous control to summon that level of fire in the dead of winter.

Siana cried out, “Keep pushing! The spirits are escaping!”

The corrupted entities, being bombarded from both sides, could barely react. Enraged, they fused together, growing monstrous claws and limbs to lash out, but the combined assault had weakened them.

“Wait… they’re escaping?” I-han suddenly asked.

“Yes! They’re finding a way out through the forest!” Siana cheered.

“...”

I-han hesitated, his mind racing.

Seeing him waver, Yonir called out in alarm, “I-han, wait—you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking, are you?”

"We have to help the spirits!”

Without another word, I-han threw off the invisibility spell and bolted toward the spirits’ escape route.

The corrupted entities immediately targeted the new movement, their bodies shifting and stretching like whips as they lunged at him.

For any other mage, such an unpredictable attack might have been fatal, but as the top student in dark magic, I-han was prepared.

“Gather, dark energy!” 

The spell was meant to absorb ambient dark energy, but here it became a battle of dominance over the corrupted spirits’ dark essence. Their forms began to dissolve as the energy pulled away from their bodies.

I-han quickly drew his artifact dagger, *Morning Star*, and lunged. Few weapons could disrupt these magic-infused monsters, but *Morning Star* was an exception.

With a swift strike, he severed the weakened entity in two.

“Flee, spirits! I’ll hold them back!”

The spirits glanced back at I-han and chittered gratefully before escaping into the trees.

‘It worked!’

I-han felt his heart swell as the spirits acknowledged him with glances of appreciation.

Just then, his skeleton warriors flew across the field, dissolving back into their elementals.

■■■■■...

The largest corrupted entity he’d seen yet emerged from the shadows, towering over the battlefield.

I-han turned to the fleeing spirits. “Run, I’ll hold it here!”

“I-han! For the last time, get back in here!” Yonir shouted desperately from the cabin.

---

“So?”

Thunderstep tossed a salve to I-han, sighing heavily.

“How… did you survive?”

“I defeated it.”

"...You did what?”

"Yes."

“How?”

“I just kept dodging and throwing spells until it fell.”

“…”

Thunderstep gaped at the absurdity. For a mage to engage in a battle of endurance was unheard of. A monster’s life force would outlast a mage’s mana reserves tenfold, yet I-han had pressed on regardless, battling through sheer grit.

No wonder the field looked like a war zone.

“In my life, I have never seen anyone go to such insane lengths to win over a spirit!”

“I didn’t do it to impress them, Professor. I just wanted to help,” I-han replied innocently.

“Right. Sure you did.”

He couldn’t help but marvel at this student, so passionately devoted to proving himself to the spirits through what amounted to reckless heroics.

“Thank you, Professor,” I-han murmured, smearing the salve on his wounds.

“Where are you going?” Thunderstep demanded.

“The spirits fled deeper into the forest. If I call, maybe they’ll answer.”

Professor Thunderstep grabbed his arm, holding him back. “Judging by these corrupted entities, something has clearly gone wrong in the forest. Stay put for now.”

“Yes, Professor. I’ll find the spirits and be right back,” I-han replied cheerfully, already preparing to head back out.

The basilisk clung to his sleeve, and the squirrel spirit perched on his wrist, seeming to protest the idea.

Yonir and Siana each took one of his shoulders, firmly restraining him.

“I-han, you’re exhausted. Even if your mana is fine, your body must be drained.”

“But…”

“No ‘but’s.”

Siana’s voice was unexpectedly stern. “Is it really worth risking your life?”

“Well…” I-han hesitated. “Siana, how many spirits have you bonded with?”

“Three?”

He pushed her hand away, suddenly determined. “It’s the principle! You wouldn’t understand.”

“Uh, not to undermine the principle,” Yonir interjected quickly, “but Professor Thunderstep can clear out the rest of the corrupted creatures while you rest.”

“Oh?”

Thunderstep, who had been silently listening, looked startled as the suggestion pointed his way.

“…Maybe that is a better idea.” I-han nodded.

“See? Spirits don’t forget kindness, and they’ll still be there once the area’s clear.”

The professor scratched his head, feeling trapped. As much as he valued a good rest, his enthusiastic student had other plans.

“Professor, let’s go,” I-han said, eyes gleaming with resolve.

“Oh… why must I…!”

“Together, Professor,” I-han insisted, his determination unyielding

.

Defeated by his student’s fiery gaze, Thunderstep could only sigh and mutter to himself as he followed.