All-around teacher at the magic academy

In a desolate corner of the academy, a boy was practicing magic with complete concentration.

He slowly raised his palm, facing the void in front of him. Suddenly, a chill surged from his palm, quickly condensing into sharp ice spikes.

The ice spikes shot out at an astonishing speed, striking the target erected in front of them with perfect accuracy.

However, this scene did not bring much satisfaction to the boy's face.

In his eyes, this achievement was far from meeting his expectations. He took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and resolved to test the limits of his magic.

He began to adjust his breathing, and the hot air he exhaled gradually turned cold, causing the surrounding air temperature to drop sharply.

His eyes snapped open, a resolute light flashing within them. Centered on him, the surrounding environment began to freeze rapidly; in the blink of an eye, everything within a 20-meter radius around him was encased in ice, solidified into a cold sculpture.

He collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. As he adjusted his breathing, the frozen environment gradually melted and returned to normal.

But that was far from enough. He knew in his heart that with his current strength, he wouldn't even be able to qualify for the competition. He couldn't even get past the internal selection process within the academy, let alone represent the academy in the competition.

How can he demonstrate his abilities to his father and gain his approval?

His resentment drove him to slam his fist into the ground, as if only in this way could he vent his frustration.

"Hansen, is that you?" A voice sounded from behind him. Hansen immediately struggled to stand up, hurriedly straightened his clothes, and turned around to answer.

“It’s me, what’s wrong, William?” Hansen’s voice was tinged with weariness.

William, his childhood friend, came from a noble family, and they had always had a harmonious relationship. Hansen was happy to share his innermost thoughts with him.

"I've been looking for you for ages. You weren't in your room, so I figured you might be practicing magic here." William walked over with an easy gait, a knowing smile on his face. No wonder he's Hansen's best buddy.

“It’s quiet here, which is good for me to concentrate,” Hansen replied, his tone revealing no intention of hiding anything.

"You're working so hard, I'm starting to feel the pressure. What's wrong? Are you planning to participate in the upcoming competition?" William asked in a teasing tone.

“That’s right.” Hansen’s answer was firm and direct.

“I say, Hansen, isn’t it a bit unrealistic for us to participate in this kind of competition? Think about it, there are so many older students, how could it possibly be our turn?” William tried to persuade him with rational analysis.

“The selection competition is only a week away. How can we possibly close the gap between us and the seniors so easily?” William continued, hoping that Hansen could face reality.

"I'm going to try no matter what. How can I know my limits if I don't even have the courage to try?" Hansen insisted, unwilling to give up easily.

"Okay, I understand." Seeing this, William stopped insisting, knowing Hansen's stubborn nature.

“How about we have a practice match? Let me see how your recent efforts have paid off,” William suggested, also wanting to personally test Hansen’s abilities.

“Then let’s do it.” Hansen accepted the offer.

Two and a half minutes later...

Hansen's gaze fell on the frozen figure not far away, and he couldn't help but sigh softly. Then he gently waved his hand, dispelling the magic cast on William.

"Huff!" William collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. "Hansen, you've improved so fast! I remember you weren't good at ice magic before, how come you're so skilled at it now?"

His eyes were filled with shock, incredulous that Hansen had widened the gap between them so much in such a short time.

"Didn't Professor Leon explain that in class?" Hansen's reply sounded somewhat indifferent.

"I have explained it, but those theories are so abstract, how did you grasp them?" William's doubts remained.

"Hmm... practice a few more times and you'll naturally learn it." Hansen didn't seem to want to explain further, simply brushing it off casually.

“Something’s not right. You’re definitely hiding something from me. Did you secretly go to the teacher for advice?” William scrutinized Hansen, sensing something amiss in his ambiguous answer.

He was surprised because, having known Hansen for so long, he had never seen Hansen take the initiative to ask any teacher for advice.

"Yes, you're right." Facing William's direct gaze, Hansen gave up on hiding it and admitted it honestly. He thought to himself, so what if he was ridiculed? As long as his strength had indeed improved, that was enough.

"Sigh, Professor Leon is indeed no ordinary person." William seemed to have suddenly lost his fighting spirit, his tone revealing a hint of admiration.

"Yes, he is indeed very capable." Hansen agreed, his voice tinged with respect.

"Do you think Professor Leon will personally participate in this competition?" William suddenly thought of a possibility and asked Hansen curiously.

"I'm not sure either, but I think he might participate," Hansen replied uncertainly. He didn't know much about Professor Leon; they hadn't had a deep conversation during his last inquiry, only that the professor was unfathomable and extremely knowledgeable.

“Let’s go, it’s already noon, we should go have lunch.” William stood up and made a new suggestion.

Hansen looked up at the time; it was indeed lunchtime. "Okay, let's go eat," he said, and walked towards the restaurant with William.

...

After lunch, Hansen pondered for a long time and finally made up his mind to go to Professor Leon's office again, hoping to learn some more powerful magic from his teacher.

Although he felt his request was somewhat shameless, he was willing to set aside his so-called aristocratic dignity in order to improve his strength. After all, what did dignity matter in the face of absolute power? Could it feed him? Could it make him stronger?

He knocked on the office door, and a calm voice inside said, "Come in."

Hansen pushed open the door and saw Professor Leon sitting behind his desk, and a beautiful girl standing next to him.

She had fair skin and striking beauty. Hansen didn't recognize the girl, nor had he seen her at the academy, but judging from her interaction with Professor Leon, she must have attended his lectures. However, Hansen had absolutely no recollection of her.

Teacher Leon looked up at Hansen, a question in his eyes: "Hansen? Is there something you need?"

Hansen answered somewhat hesitantly, "Professor Leon, I have some questions I'd like to ask you."

Seeing this, Leon roughly guessed Hansen's embarrassment and said to the girl next to him, "Ilya, you go back first, I'll explain it to you later."

Ilya seemed to understand Leon's intention, turned to Hansen with a smile and a nod, and then gracefully left the office.

Hansen thought to himself, "Ilya, what a beautiful name."

“Alright, Hansen, you can speak now,” Teacher Leon encouraged.

“It’s like this, teacher…” Hansen began to explain his request and thoughts in detail.