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Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 786
🕑 Added 2024-08-26 05:12:32 +0000 UTCChapter 786
What Yi-Han liked was a senior who had a lot of gold and knew how to shower it on juniors, not a senior who tried to exploit them for free.
How could an Einroguard senior commit such a shameless and heinous act?
"Ah, no. Junior. Senior Jarun is originally crazy about gold. He's always been like this."
When the junior glared coldly at Jarun, Carnela became flustered and stepped in to defend him.
The reason Jarun was said to have the best talent for making money wasn't simply because he kept mining in his spare time.
If that was the case, there were several other students doing magic research that could bring in high income.
What made Jarun special was his thorough spirit of frugality that others couldn't dare to match.
Not wasting even a single coin!
-Jarun. I heard the kitchen club menu is good today. You should go eat too.-
-I don't need it.-
-Why? It's noodles with plenty of serpent meat for one gold coin. Do you know when such a day will come again? Do you want to buy stone bread with salted meat inserted for one gold coin?-
-Hmph. If I don't buy anything at all, I won't spend even one gold coin.-
Jarun's legendary anecdotes didn't end there.
-Jarun. Stop being stubborn and buy reagents! If you don't buy them with money, you won't finish within this semester!-
-I'd rather go to the punishment room than spend money to buy this!-
Refusing to buy reagents, refusing to use staff motions for fear of wearing out the staff, hanging gold jewelry in the air to look at instead of wearing it...
These were extraordinary incidents known to all transformation magic school students.
As Carnela spoke, her voice grew louder as if feeling indignant.
"Do you know what happened when I came to get him last time? The chair disappeared, the chair! When I asked, this damn senior had removed the chair! He said it was a waste because it wore out when I sat on it!"
"Hmph. Do you think chairs are free?"
Jarun grumbled.
Even now, he felt it was a waste that the chair wore out from Carnela sitting on it.
'So that's why there are no chairs.'
Yi-Han belatedly understood why there were no chairs in this workshop.
"Senior Hormasi. I understand well that Senior Jarun is frugal."
"Hey. This isn't frugality, it's madness."
Yi-Han pretended not to hear and said what he wanted to say.
"But that's that and this is this. I've always received payment for what I've done. Even from Professor Verduus."
"...!"
Carnela was shocked.
She knew this junior had genius talent in magic, but to think he even extracted payment from Professor Verduus.
'Ama... amazing! How!'
It was an interesting story that even Carnela, who was from a school unrelated to Professor Verduus, wanted to see how he did it.
"Th-that's impressive... But as I said, you can't squeeze even a drop of blood from Senior Jarun. He's someone who puts it all back in with transformation magic because he thinks blood is precious."
Carnela had actually stabbed Jarun with a needle once, beyond simple metaphor.
She had attacked Jarun along with other transformation magic school students.
Even in that chaotic moment, Jarun had reluctantly collected his blood drop by drop with transformation magic because he thought even a single drop was precious.
Such a person would surely...
"Just reject your proposal."
"Nnngh."
"?!"
Carnela was startled by Jarun's groan from behind.
"Nnnnngh..."
Jarun was groaning with an expression as if suffering from a serious illness.
"What's wrong, Senior Jarun? I told you not to skimp on food! I heard the kitchen club food is good these days!"
"It's not hunger, you idiot! It's pain!"
"Of course you're in pain if you don't eat!"
"It's heartache!"
Jarun growled angrily.
It was because of the junior's cruel and outrageous proposal demanding payment in gold coins.
The proposal itself was painful, but the reality of not being able to refuse was even more bitter.
He needed a capable assistant to proceed with the research he was currently working on.
'The progress is too slow. I started it up today for the first time, but at this rate, completion is impossible. I do need an assistant...'
And the junior in front of him now was indeed a talent hard to find elsewhere.
Not only had he perfectly mastered various necessary magics, but he had even assisted in producing Dobruk's Soul Amplification Potion in an alchemy workshop.
Such talent was hard to find anywhere. Especially since Einroguard upperclassmen were all busy with their own research.
'If I think of it as an investment for research progress? Kuk. That's nonsense. How can I deceive myself with such a contradiction? But I need an assistant. Kuk. Kuuk. Kuuuk.'
"Junior. I think it's better if you just leave. Senior Jarun seems to be broken."
"I understand. Next time..."
"...Wait!"
Jarun stopped Yi-Han with a desperate voice like metal clashing against metal.
"I'll... pay you...!"
"Is that really such a painful thing to say?"
The dark elf student shook her head in disbelief.
*
The negotiation, which started at three and a half gold coins per hour, had to stop briefly each time due to Jarun's desperate screams as the gold coins increased.
Nevertheless, Yi-Han pushed the negotiation without changing his expression.
No concessions!
'I seem to have grown too.'
Yi-Han felt for the first time since entering 2nd year that he had matured a little.
He had always been deceived by professors, but for the first time, he had pushed through his own assertion.
"...Look at this."
Jarun spoke with a hoarse voice from screaming.
His chest hurt, but the more it did, the faster he had to proceed. Every minute and second was precious since he was paying gold coins.
"My current research, this... <Gold Come Out Presto> is..."
"...You mean the Realm Transformation Gold Observation Collection research?"
"Why?"
"Senior. Listen to the junior here. I think that's better too. The current name is at a level that would be ignored anywhere you submit it."
Jarun grumbled a bit but changed the name of the research. Meanwhile, Yi-Han and Carnela, befitting transformation magic school students, observed the research closely.
Then, unlike the fresh shock when they first saw it earlier, the flaws in the research became apparent.
"Isn't the speed of transforming connected realms getting slower and slower?"
"Right. You saw well. And this device supporting it... looks too weak. It'll break if we run it for another hour or two."
"To secure gold meaningfully, it seems we need to greatly increase the number of connected realms, and also greatly increase the transformation speed to increase the collection scale."
"But can we afford the cost if we do that?"
"You both spoke well."
Jarun sighed.
"This Realm Transformation Gold Observation Collection research is too slow and the device wear is severe. I started it up for the first time today, but it will stop soon. Now that I've checked the speed... I need to increase both stability and speed."
"How are you going to increase it, Senior? Do you have a method?"
Carnela, who was asking back, clapped her hands as if she had thought of something.
"Ah. Let's change this support device to <Paldar Lji's Gold>. Then it will withstand the shock of realm transformation much better."
"Don't... don't talk nonsense!"
Jarun made an expression as if he had a heart attack at the junior's words.
Paldar Lji's Gold?
He couldn't even imagine how many of the gold coins piled up here he would have to spend to obtain that.
"Why. That's gold too."
"It's a metaphor, you crazy idiot! How is that gold!"
'Hmm. I shouldn't make gold-related jokes in front of the senior.'
Yi-Han thought inwardly while watching their conversation.
After raging for a while, Jarun barely calmed down and opened his mouth.
"I've been constantly pondering this method because I need it. Until now, I've been going around Einroguard workshops collecting and recycling discarded items."
"..."
'Ah. This is really disgustingly embarrassing.'
Carnela glanced at Yi-Han while listening.
It seemed there wouldn't be such an embarrassing place among all schools at Einroguard.
"But recycling discarded items seems to have its limits after all. So I'm trying to create a few new materials."
"Isn't that putting the cart before the horse?"
Changing the properties of materials to create new ones was a specialty of transformation mages.
Armor made from flowing river water.
Books made from hell's air.
Of course, this wasn't easy at all.
Even momentarily changing properties was quite difficult, but finding stable realm properties that could be maintained permanently was much harder.
If one could find such properties and create new materials where transformation was stably maintained...
'...It seems right to just set that as the graduation project.'
"It's not easy. But I have a few directions set."
Jarun's Inelastic Rubber
Jarun's Surface Lava
Jarun's...
"!"
Yi-Han was interested in seeing the list of new materials for research that Jarun was looking for.
He was researching more useful materials than expected.
In the case of <Jarun's Inelastic Rubber>, it was a material that removed the elasticity of rubber and then maximized several other properties, spreading like a swamp and enveloping external materials once touched.
'What if we use this in traps?'
It was a trick that could quite surprise even fairly experienced mages when they first encountered it.
"What you all have to do is keep experimenting in this direction, casting magic and recording the results."
"Senior. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's not 'you all'. It's just this junior."
"...What you have to do. Happy?"
"Yes. Thanks."
Yi-Han nodded after accurately noting Jarun's words.
"I understand, Senior. I'll proceed like this."
"Alright. I'm counting on y..."
Knock knock knock-
"?"
Jarun paused at the sound coming from outside.
"Who is it, Senior? Do you have another guest?"
"I don't. More importantly... I reactivated the magic after you came in. Who could it be?"
"Looks like someone came to steal your gold, Senior. Shall we teach them a lesson?"
"How dare they!"
Sparks of greed flew from Jarun's eyes. Grabbing his hammer-shaped staff, Jarun ran to the door in anger.
Clunk!
"Come at me! You thief!"
"..."
Standing in front of the door was Professor Yonramo of the Reuji family, in charge of transformation magic.
The professor looked at Jarun and asked.
"What are you doing not giving lectures?"
"...Uh, about that, Professor."
Jarun rolled his eyes and quickly tried to close the door.
At that moment, the professor's cloak transformed into dozens of tentacles and swallowed Jarun whole.
Gulp!
The professor sighed deeply.
"I wondered what he was doing not giving lectures. I don't know why all students are like this. Don't you agree, you two?"
"...Yes!"
"I agree, Professor!"
Yi-Han and Carnela quickly answered, afraid the professor's anger might spill over to them.
They were worried he might ask why they didn't bring him and were doing something separately here.
"But what were you two doing here?"
"Uh, we were helping with magic."
"Hormasi was? That's unexpected?"
"No. It was me."
"..."
Professor Yonramo stared at Yi-Han.
He had thought this Wardanaz family boy was being pressured by the principal and several other professors because of his innate talent, regardless of his own will...
'Could it be that he just really likes magic?'
He became slightly suspicious that it might actually be the case, even if he himself didn't acknowledge it.
Professor Yonramo shrugged and said.
"Then finish studying and come out. Today's lecture will be canceled anyway."
"Uh..."
Yi-Han wanted to say 'Can't we leave since the senior disappeared and we won't get gold coins?', but seeing the professor's cloak that had just transformed into tentacles, he couldn't bring himself to speak.
