Chapter 98

Chapter 098

"I was thinking it was a well-made boat."

"...Hmph. Don't flatter me."

Angaro had to speak in a rough voice to hide his pleased expression.

Lee Han sighed inwardly.

'The fact that this ferry is the best option right now is what makes me sad.'

He couldn't learn enchantment magic right away, nor could he befriend the ice elemental, so this was the only option left.

No matter how reluctant, he had to check it out.

"How many people can it carry?"

"It can easily carry twenty people!"

Angaro's confidence only made Lee Han more skeptical. The ferry looked like it could barely carry ten people, and Angaro's words made him even more uneasy.

"Good timing. Wodanaz, get in!"

Lee Han tried his best to stay calm. His already cold face became even colder.

Seeing this, Angaro involuntarily flinched.

'Did I speak too harshly?'

"Before that... I want to see you row the boat first. When someone else is on board, you won't be able to row as freely as you do alone."

Angaro responded with great enthusiasm to Lee Han's words.

He threw off his coat and immediately climbed onto the ferry.

"See, watch this!"

Angaro grabbed a well-crafted oar in each hand and began to row skillfully.

The ferry, without a sail, glided smoothly over the calm lake.

Angaro's friend, who was watching, was impressed.

"Great, Angaro!"

Angaro looked truly free, as if the lake belonged to him.

A student from the White Tiger Tower felt a sense of freedom he hadn't felt in a long time from watching Angaro row the ferry.

It felt as if this wasn't a magic school but a quiet and beautiful lake.

'The boat doesn't leak.'

While the White Tiger Tower students were lost in romantic thoughts, Lee Han was analyzing the situation coldly.

First, the most important thing: the ferry didn't leak.

And after more than ten minutes of circling the lake, no monsters or the skeletal headmaster appeared. This meant it was relatively safe.

"How about it, Wodanaz. Will you acknowledge Angaro's skills?"

"Sorry, but I can't yet."

"Why not!"

"Anyone can row well alone. But can you row just as well with one more person on board?"

Angaro's friend shouted angrily in response to Lee Han's provocation.

"Angaro! Wodanaz is asking if you can show the same skill after taking him on board!"

"Hmph. Of course!"

Angaro immediately brought the ferry to the lakeside.

He then boarded his friend and shouted.

"Watch this, Wodanaz!"

"Indeed? It's impossible to row the same way with one more person on board."

Lee Han deliberately goaded Angaro, who reacted very effectively.

"Watch this!"

Angaro rowed even more fiercely, cutting through the water. He rowed so hard that he was sweating profusely and his arm muscles bulged.

For over twenty minutes, Lee Han kept encouraging Angaro with phrases like "We can't tell yet," "You can do this for a few minutes," and "Your skills might show soon."

After roughly confirming what he wanted, Lee Han nodded.

'Maybe I can get along with these White Tiger Tower guys, contrary to what I thought.'

* * *

"Huff... huff... huff... Did you see... this... my skill..."

"Sure. I admit defeat."

Hearing Lee Han's words, Angaro wanted to shout in joy but was too exhausted.

He just lay on the grass, panting.

After resting for a while, Angaro finally recovered and stood up.

"Then, let me get in."

"...Again?"

Angaro involuntarily let out a weak voice.

The few times he had rowed had made him fearful.

Seeing his hesitation, Lee Han simply encouraged him.

"Are you not confident...?"

"Get in!"

Angaro jumped up and climbed onto the ferry. His friend, Duke, asked worriedly.

"Shouldn't I get off?"

"Duke! Don't you trust me?"

"...Sorry, Angaro. I disrespected your honor!"

"Let's go."

Lee Han said indifferently. He didn't care much about the friendship between the two knights.

'First, I'll confirm the island's location.'

Now that he knew the boat was safe, he planned to confirm the island's location and secure a route.

Angaro clenched his teeth and began to row. The ferry glided over the lake again.

Lee Han frowned and focused on observing the things on the lake.

'If only I had a telescope.'

If he knew how to use artifacts or magic, it would have been much easier.

Lee Han suddenly remembered something Alarrong had said.

"A swordsman who has reached a certain level can use mana to activate and enhance their body. It's not as sophisticated and systematic as magic, but it's more than enough in a life-or-death battle."

If that was true, he might be able to enhance his eyesight with mana.

Lee Han summoned his mana.

He wasn't at the level where he could control the mana in his body to circulate and enhance a single organ.

But he had an infinite supply of mana to waste.

Lee Han released his mana throughout his body. The mana concentrated in his eyes, temporarily enhancing his vision.

"?!?!"

The two students beside him were startled by the sudden fierce aura Lee Han emitted.

Thinking about it, they were on a lake.

If someone died, it would be easy to throw the body away...!

Plop!

The two White Tiger Tower students hastily grabbed their wooden swords. They couldn't die like this.

At that moment, Lee Han shouted.

"I found it!"

"??"

"I found the island."

"What?! How did you find it!"

Angaro was shocked.

He hadn't found any trace of the island when making the ferry or after launching it.

He thought it would be impossible to find it without going further.

"Good luck. Why are you holding your wooden swords?"

"......"

"...Because... you suddenly shouted, and... it's a habit."

"You're more scared than I thought."

The White Tiger Tower students were frustrated.

It's because you suddenly emitted mana!

* * *

Lee Han carefully recorded the direction.

"Let's go back. Now that we've confirmed the direction, we can come back next time."

"Sure. Got it."

Angaro was secretly happy.

His muscles had been screaming in pain.

"Oof."

Exhausted, Angaro rowed the oar in vain.

'What is it?'

Feeling something squishy, Angaro flinched.

Splash-

"???"

He soon realized what he had hit.

A lump of water emerged from the lake's surface, changing shape.

The aura of an elemental.

A water elemental.

Whoosh!

The water elemental shot sharp water spikes. Lee Han kicked Duke's back to knock him over.

The water spike narrowly missed Duke's head.

"Sorry! Wodanaz! I... I disturbed the water elemental!"

"Angaro! What did you do!"

Duke, who had fallen forward, shouted in shock.

Angering a water elemental on a lake was an unbelievable mistake.

'No... It doesn't seem angry.'

Unlike the two who were panicked, Lee Han observed the water elemental calmly.

Although it was fierce, it was much weaker than the overwhelming aura of a high-level elemental like Perkuntara.

It was clearly not a high-level elemental, as it lacked proper communication abilities.

The emotion he sensed from the elemental was...

Fear!

Lee Han couldn't understand why the water elemental was afraid of them.

Is it afraid because it got hit by an oar?

'...Damn.'

Lee Han clicked his tongue.

He realized why the water elemental was acting this way.

The culprit wasn't Angaro but Lee Han himself.

The water elemental, which had been in the water, was terrified by the mana he had released earlier to find the island.

Sss, sss, sss, sss!

The terrified elemental shot water spikes to drive Lee Han away.

The White Tiger Tower students screamed at the terrifying attack, but Lee Han didn't blink and swung his staff to counter.

With a dull sound, the water beads that shot up from the lake intercepted the spikes accurately.

'At first glance, it seems threatening, but it's not that strong in reality.'

The White Tiger Tower students were deceived by its appearance, but if they remained calm, they could easily avoid or block the attack.

To Lee Han, who had blocked Professor Voladi's attacks multiple times, the spikes were no longer a threat.

'This... this guy...'

Angaro was more surprised by Lee Han than by the angry elemental.

It was hard to believe they had entered the school and studied together.

What kind of training did the Wodanaz family teach to create such an emotionless fighting machine?

Lee Han turned his head and looked down at Angaro expressionlessly.

With water spikes flying at him, Lee Han deflected them without looking and stared at Angaro, making his heart sink.

"Pull yourself together and stand up. I need your strength."

"Aren't you blaming me?"

"......"

Lee Han was momentarily confused.

'Ah. He thinks it's his fault.'

Angaro seemed to believe that the water elemental was acting this way because he had hit it with the oar.

What a misconception.

"It is your fault. But everyone makes mistakes."

There was no need for Lee Han to correct him.

"The important thing is how you act next."

Angaro was unexpectedly moved.

To think he would be so moved by Wodanaz's words in his life...!

"Right. Leave it to me!"

Angaro drew his sword and stood up.

Lee Han, however, said as if he didn't understand what he was doing.

"What are you doing?"

"Didn't you want me to deflect the spikes with my sword?"

"No. Row the oar."

"......"

Angaro sat down again and grabbed the oar.

Meanwhile, the water elemental realized that no attack could harm that monstrous being.

The trembling water elemental made a different choice.

"...Wait!"

Lee Han noticed too late and tried to stop it, but the water elemental had already started calling its friends.

"Shield, spread out!"

Lee Han spread out a shield instead of water beads.

The terrified water elementals began targeting the ferry instead of Lee Han.

'Cowardly elementals.'

Lee Han vowed never to let his guard down when encountering water elementals in the future.

While maintaining a calm demeanor, he thickened the water shield, but the two White Tiger Tower knights screamed as the water spikes continued to hit.

They were afraid that the spikes might penetrate the opaque water shield at any moment.

Lee Han's calmness made it even scarier.

Aren't you scared?!

'Professor Voladi would shed tears if he saw this.'

Lee Han was exasperated by the elementals' lack of variation in their attacks.

At this point, they should have realized that the water shield couldn't be penetrated and stopped the same attack.

As the intense exchange continued, the ferry's speed increased.

The distance from the terrified elementals grew.

"...Wait. Where are you rowing?"

Lee Han realized the ferry was heading to the opposite side of the lake.

Due to Angaro's frantic rowing, they had ended up heading towards the island.