# Episode 4
The personal rooms provided to each student were surprisingly spacious and comfortable.
The skull principal seemed not to have taken away personal rooms, even though he provided nothing else.
Of course, this was according to Lee Han's standards, and the other nobles were probably horrified at the bare and empty rooms by now.
- Is this where beggars live?
- Could someone have robbed my room?
Thud-
With nothing but a desk, chair, and bed, the room felt even more spacious.
Lee Han quickly organized the clothes he received, placed his belongings in a corner, and took out a book.
>About Einrogarde>.
A thin book each student received before entering, containing a brief explanation of the school.
'Mandatory courses must be attended, and the rest can be freely chosen. During the first month, you can wander around and decide which lectures are good…'
The school was strict yet free in this regard.
Once you entered, they didn't care what you studied.
- A wizard is one who explores the truths of the world. Even if seniors and teachers help, one's path must be determined by oneself. - Osu Gonadaltes.
'So the principal's name is Osu Gonadaltes.'
Having learned this uninteresting information, Lee Han finished his work and got up.
Since he could go to the freshman lounge, he thought he would chat with others.
* * *
"I want to learn alchemy."
Yoner was already there. Seeing Lee Han arrive, Yoner waved cheerfully.
"Alchemy?"
"Yes. I've been interested in alchemy since I was with my family. My dream is to set up my workshop and supply the royal family."
"That sounds profitable."
"Would you join me?"
"Hmm. I'll think about it. The alchemy business isn't that easy."
Lee Han didn't accept immediately.
Just as Yoner had been interested in alchemy since she was with her family, Lee Han had been interested in business.
Alchemy sounded impressive, but the alchemy business in the empire was fiercely competitive.
Guilds of excellent alchemists were fiercely competing to dominate the market.
From giving out free potions to adventurer guilds, spreading bad rumors about rival guilds' potions, to monopolizing herbs used as potion ingredients.
Each rumor was more daunting than the last.
'Maybe something more stable would be better.'
Lee Han's primary goal was to become a royal official, a bureaucrat.
Being a bureaucrat had never been a bad choice, then or now.
"So, what are you interested in?"
"Me?"
Lee Han was slightly flustered by the question.
Because…
'I was thinking of taking courses with less competition and easy credits.'
Regardless of academics, the grades received here would be a part of his resume outside.
Lee Han naturally cared about his grades.
"I have a month to look around and decide. It's not wise to judge hastily."
"Wow… that's impressive."
"??"
Lee Han looked at Yoner, not understanding what was impressive.
What's impressive about that?
"Most people come with an idea of what magic they want to learn. Something that suits their tastes. But that's not always the best method…"
It was hard to know what magic suited someone until they tried it.
Forcing oneself to learn magic that didn't suit them wasn't very efficient.
A wizard pursuing truth should be able to set aside their stubbornness and choose a better path.
But as humans, they had desires, and with desires came the urge to follow the path they wanted.
Abandoning those desires wasn't easy.
"Is that a rule of the Wodanaz family?"
'Why does every conversation come back to the Wodanaz family?'
Lee Han was dumbfounded.
He hadn't realized it inside the family, but outside, he felt the power of the family name more keenly.
Like the looks from the students of the Black Tortoise tower earlier…
Maybe the Wodanaz family's image was much stronger than Lee Han had thought.
"Big trouble!"
"??"
Gainan, who arrived late, yelled frantically.
"What happened?"
"I think someone robbed my room! There's nothing in there!"
"..."
* * *
Understanding Basic Magic.
A mandatory course for first-year students at Einrogarde.
It seemed only students from the Blue Dragon tower were attending; other tower students weren't visible.
"Why do you all look so strange?"
"I'm hungry, I couldn't sleep well, and my clothes are so rough that they bother me when I move."
Gainan nodded in agreement with Yoner's words.
When he woke up early in the morning, Gainan thought yesterday's events were a dream.
He expected freshly baked white bread with butter and hot soup with chicken and spices.
But it wasn't a dream, and what greeted Gainan when he got up was hard black bread, hard rice balls, and a cup of cold water.
'I found it edible…'
Lee Han thought so.
Though he had lived in luxury in the Wodanaz family, Lee Han originally had a tough life.
- Uh… did I see it wrong? Senior, if I work from 9 AM to 9 PM, when do I eat?
- Here. Energy bar. It's breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so eat sparingly.
- … Are you kidding?
- Don't blame me. I have to make do with energy bars too. But there's a feast waiting when we finish.
- If it's instant noodles, I'll kill you.
- … Sorry. It's instant noodles.
-...
- But there's also a rice ball…
'This seems better.'
Except for Lee Han, all the students from the Blue Dragon tower looked exhausted.
It had only been a day since they entered the school.
Creak-
>Understanding Basic Magic> was located on the first floor of the main building of Einrogarde.
A considerate arrangement for the freshmen.
The higher floors were more likely to confuse the new students.
"…Huh…?"
"Did we come to the wrong place?"
"No, we're in the right place. Everyone, please take a seat."
As students hesitated at the door and murmured, Lee Han was puzzled.
What's wrong?
The answer soon became clear.
There was a troll in the classroom.
"..."
"..."
"Hurry up and come in!"
"Uh… um…"
The students entered the classroom with faces mixed with fear and dread.
A troll.
Even students who had lived their whole lives in noble families had heard of trolls, known for their ferocity and brutality.
Seeing a troll dressed like a professor waiting in the classroom was bewildering.
They couldn't tell if this was a classroom or the troll's buffet.
"Let me introduce myself. I am Garcia Kim. I'm a half-troll. I know you're all scared, but there's no need to be. I don't eat people unless I'm very hungry."
"..."
"That was a joke, but I guess it didn't go well."
As the atmosphere grew colder, Garcia felt very sorry.
"Alright! Our principal always says time is the most precious treasure. Let's start the lecture, shall we?"
Garcia waved his staff. The students, who were standing awkwardly, were pushed to their seats.
"You are the seeds of wizards who entered with the title of steel. Some of you may have secretly tried magic, but most of you haven't. This lecture is to teach you what magic is and help you find the magic that suits you. The path of magic is a narrow and difficult one, and you must walk it alone, but I want to be your compass before you walk that path."
The gentle words of the troll professor softened the expressions of the students inside.
'He seems much better than the skull principal.'
"Alright. Let's start with something very basic. What is magic?"
Princess Adenart answered in a calm voice.
"It is changing the world with the wizard's will."
"Correct. Changing the world with the wizard's will. The question is 'how'. How do we change the world?"
"With the power of mana?"
"Very good. Mana, magic power… We borrow this fundamental power to change the world. Everyone here should be able to sense mana and be aware of the magic power within them."
Everyone nodded.
Since only those with talent were accepted, they were all aware of their magic power.
"But that's just the beginning. To use magic, you must go beyond that. You must summon your magic power with your will, weave that power delicately, and ultimately create results. People often say magic requires spells, gestures, or reagents… but the most important thing is will. The wizard's own will. You must not forget that. Of course, you will need spells and gestures for now. You are still very inexperienced. Now. This has been a long talk. You must be sleepy? Let's try it out. Take out your wands and gather your magic power."
Wuuunngg-
The aura of magic began to spread throughout the spacious classroom.
The young wizards began to draw out their magic power.
Lee Han also concentrated and began to gather his magic power into his wand. The magic power inside his body flowed out and gathered in the wand.
"Now, while maintaining that magic power… don't lose focus! Imagine the image of light. The image of light you think of. Bright, warm, shining. Anything is fine."
This time, groans began to emerge.
Controlling magic power was like holding and pulling the reins of a wild horse.
If you let go of your concentration even a little, it would just disperse.
"While imagining it more strongly… shout out. Anything is fine. Light! Light! Brightness! Bright light! Any spell that comes to your mind is fine."
"Light!"
"Bright light!"
"Brighter than the sun and beautiful like my glory!"
"Don't use spells that are too long! If you recite a spell that's too long for your level, your concentration will scatter."
Gather your magic power with focus, transform that power with your will, and finally, complete the spell with a recitation.
Lee Han felt he understood what magic was.
Of course, it didn't work perfectly on the first try.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Ouch!" "Ugh!" "Ah…!"
Groans of young wizards who failed to cast their spells echoed from all directions. The troll professor waved his staff with a smile.
When a spell casting failed, the gathered magic power could lose its owner and run wild, injuring the wizard.
Preventing that was the professor's job.
"Don't be scared or flustered by failure… It's normal at first. As long as you have magic power left in your body, try again!"
Second attempt.
Bang! Bang!
Groans and bangs echoed as the students tried again.
The troll professor laughed inwardly.
It usually took over a month to master this simplest spell, 'Illumination'.
Magic was that difficult.
But the professor had no intention of telling the students that. It was something they had to experience for themselves.
"Alright! Again!"
Third attempt.
Now some students were starting to run out of magic power and looked exhausted.
Magic consumed an enormous amount of magic power.
More than half of the students sat down with tired expressions.
"Again!"
Fourth attempt.
This time, almost all the students sat down. Only two or three who were lucky or had good control were still standing.
"Again!"
Fifth attempt.
"Again!"
Sixth attempt.
"Again!"
Seventh attempt.
"Uh… Professor. I'm really sorry to interrupt, but do we have to keep going…?"
The troll professor, who had been shouting without a care, realized something was strange.
It usually ended by the fourth or fifth attempt at most, but one student was still standing on the seventh attempt.