The sun was setting at 7 PM.
Tonight, there was a special class, so after finishing dinner, I headed to Room 503 in the main building.
Upon opening the door, I saw numerous students seated. I found the designated spot for second-year students and sat down.
As soon as I took my seat, Lee Seo-jun and Shin Young-joon greeted me warmly, while Yoo Ara, sitting next to me, glanced at me and gave a short greeting.
“…….”
I sat quietly, waiting for the class to begin.
At some point, I found myself looking at Jang Ye’s back as she conversed with the third-year students in the distance. Suddenly curious about her information, I used Character Insight.
━━
Name: Jang Ye
Age: 19
Race: Demonkin
Status: Tense
Magic Grade: A-
Interest Level: 0
━━
As I absentmindedly read through her information, a particular detail caught my attention.
‘Her magic grade is A-?’
I frowned slightly and looked again.
It was clearly A-, no matter how many times I checked.
That was a significant difference from the original story, where she was described as a B-grade demonkin.
What was going on?
There was no way the original novel’s description was wrong.
That meant the events had changed.
‘Did the Ten Demon Council do something?’
That was a possibility.
Demonkin gain strength by absorbing human blood. If the Ten Demon Council had provided her with the blood of a high-magic-grade mage, then her reaching A- grade wasn’t impossible.
That also meant their top priority target was, without a doubt, Lee Seo-jun.
“Hmm…….”
“What are you thinking about?”
As I maintained a serious expression, Yoo Ara, sitting beside me, asked.
“Nothing, really.”
I shook my head, and Yoo Ara narrowed her eyes.
She seemed to have something to say but firmly kept her mouth shut.
“If you have concerns, just say so.”
Her voice was serious. She was always serious, but now, even more so.
“I really don’t.”
“……Fine, whatever.”
Yoo Ara quickly turned her head. Just then, the front door slid open, and the instructor, Park Jungwan, entered.
“Alright, it looks like everyone is here. Today, we’ll have a theoretical lecture on the control and flow of magic.”
The class continued.
It started with theoretical concepts and eventually moved into practical training.
“Now, we’ll practice transforming the shape of magic. Everyone, manifest magic above your hands in your own way.”
At Park Jungwan’s words, everyone conjured magic above their palms.
Even those who weren’t specialized in manifestation magic could handle basic magical projection, so no one failed.
“Now, you will develop flexibility in your imagination.”
Park Jungwan created a magic construct above his hand.
At first, it was a sphere, then it changed into a thin semicircle, then into a star shape—continuously shifting forms.
“Wow…….”
Some students let out impressed murmurs. I, too, watched in a daze.
Altering the form of already manifested magic was quite a difficult task. As he said, a great deal of imaginative flexibility was required.
“Hmm…….”
I tried to move the magic sphere in my palm as much as possible.
But it wasn’t working well.
I glanced sideways and saw Yoo Ara effortlessly shaping her magic into all sorts of forms, creating impossible structures.
“……Wow.”
Hearing my muttered remark, Yoo Ara glanced at me.
“You can’t do this?”
“Uh, no, I can’t.”
“Liar.”
“……I’m serious.”
Yoo Ara frowned.
“How can you handle compression manifestation yet not do this?”
What was this? Some kind of new humiliation tactic?
“Hey. Compression manifestation and shape transformation are completely different fields.”
“……What do you mean by that?”
Yoo Ara looked confused.
“Think of it this way—compression manifestation is something you can brute-force with control over magical power, whereas shape transformation relies more on imagination.”
I wasn’t explaining it well, but that was the gist of it.
Then, Yoo Ara briefly summarized my words.
“So basically, compression manifestation is about experience, while shape transformation is about innate creativity?”
“Oh? Yeah. That’s exactly right.”
She took it as a compliment and shrugged. Then, after a moment of thought, her expression turned puzzled.
“But then, how did you master compression manifestation? Isn’t that an experience-based technique?”
“Uh? That’s…….”
I thought for a moment before answering.
“I just put in a lot of effort?”
“…….”
Yoo Ara stared at me for a while before nodding.
“Yeah. That’s the only way to explain it.”
“Uh, yeah. Right.”
“……I feel like I worked hard too, though.”
Muttering quietly, Yoo Ara resumed her shape transformation training.
I watched absentmindedly as the magic orb in her hand changed smoothly into various forms.
Honestly, this kind of shape transformation training was unnecessary for her.
“Yoo Ara.”
Hearing me call her name, she stopped and looked at me.
“Instead of practicing transformation and control, why not focus on manifestation or projection training?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve already practically mastered the other aspects. Don’t waste your time.”
Yoo Ara frowned slightly at my words but then seemed to realize something, her mouth opening slightly.
“……You’re right. That makes sense. Wait, why didn’t I think of that?”
Lost in thought for a moment, Yoo Ara then looked at me.
“You have a good eye.”
“It’s just obvious when you look.”
Most mages struggle to objectively assess their own abilities.
“Hayoung told me that whenever she’s stuck in magic, you always manage to give a single remark that helps her break through.”
“…….”
“She was right. It feels like something just clicked.”
Yoo Ara grinned.
“Thanks. Now I know how to adjust my training.”
“……That’s good, then.”
“Oh, by the way. I have a question.”
She fixed her sharp gaze on me.
“So, what’s blocking you?”
‘What’s blocking you?’
That question echoed in my head.
It felt like I’d been struck with a hammer.
I had never thought about it before.
Where exactly was I stuck? What was preventing me from progressing?
“Hmm…….”
It was now 9 PM at the magic training ground.
I stood at a crossroads, seeking an epiphany.
If I could identify the cause of my stagnation, it would be a significant boost to my growth.
“What am I lacking…….”
The first thing that came to mind was insufficient mana.
That was undoubtedly my biggest weakness.
In fact, my battles relied too heavily on mana elixirs and the Heart of the Great Nature.
But could my stagnation really be attributed solely to a lack of mana?
Even if I utilized the effects of the Heart of the Great Nature and mana elixirs, achieving A-grade destruction required over a minute of compression manifestation.
Then, a new thought crossed my mind.
What exactly determines a mage’s rank?
What was I missing that kept me from reaching A-grade?
“……Is it speed?”
Right now, I was capable of using magic with power surpassing the A-rank.
Yet, I had not become an A-rank mage.
The reason was simple.
It took too long for me to manifest A-rank magic.
I was finally beginning to grasp the issue.
I conjured magic above my palm. I compressed it at a faster speed than usual.
But was it because I rushed too much?
The forming magic lost its shape and dissipated.
“Tsk…”
Failure.
If I tried to manifest magic too hastily, it only backfired.
“I need to be more skilled and composed.”
I attempted to manifest the magic again.
3 a.m.
I was taking a short break after a long training session.
The training had lasted longer than expected.
Because I felt like I was on the verge of making progress in my magical abilities, I had lost track of time and kept pushing forward.
As a result, I had ended up consuming most of my mana elixirs.
It would have been nice if my magic had actually improved, but unfortunately, there was no significant progress to speak of.
Still, it wasn’t as if I had gained nothing at all.
[‘Substance Addict’ achievement unlocked.]
[Reward: 3,000 points.]
[Your body adapts to substances.]
[Adaptive trait, ‘Substance Adaptation (C),’ acquired.]
Apparently, drinking too many mana elixirs had earned me this bizarre achievement and trait.
━━
[Substance Adaptation (C)]
Category: Trait
Description: Your body adapts to substances.
[Passive Effects]
▶ Drug Efficacy
The duration of medicinal effects increases by 20%.
The side effects of substances decrease by 30%.
Mana +1.
━━
The funny thing was that this trait’s effects weren’t bad at all.
It extended the duration of medicinal effects while reducing side effects.
For someone like me, who frequently drank mana elixirs, this was quite a useful trait.
“…Tsk.”
It was getting late. I should head back to the dormitory.
I got up from my seat and opened the door of the private training room.
As expected, the training ground was empty.
Well, it was 3 a.m., after all.
Even she wouldn’t still be here at this hour.
Just as I was about to leave the training ground—
“Kim Sunwoo?”
Contrary to my expectations, a voice called my name from behind.
At this hour, there was only one person among all the students who would still be here.
I turned around and, seeing who it was, let out an exasperated sigh.
“…Don’t tell me you’ve been training until now?”
Standing before me was Yoo Ara, her hair tied back in a tight ponytail.
She frowned at my question.
“Says you…”
“Hey, you and I aren’t the same. I do this occasionally. You do it every day.”
“…Shut up. And for the record, I don’t always train this late either.”
Muttering under her breath, Yoo Ara then asked,
“So, did you make any progress today?”
Her voice brimmed with curiosity.
“No.”
I shook my head.
“But I think I’ve figured out the path forward.”
“That’s good. Congrats.”
At her congratulations, I gave an awkward smile.
“And you? Did you make any progress?”
“Yeah. Definitely. Thanks to you. When I thought about it, I realized I had been too selective in my training. Especially when it came to the details of manifestation.”
“That’s great. Congrats to you too.”
I meant it.
The growth of key characters would bring greater stability to the story’s future developments.
Especially when it came to ensuring Lee Seo-jun’s survival.
I stared at her for a moment and used ‘Character Insight.’
━━
Name: Yoo Ara
Age: 18
Race: Human
Status: Very Tired
Mana Rank: B+
Affection: 1
━━
“She really is impressive.”
Whether it was due to her recent growth or if this was her original level, she had an exceptionally high mana rank of B+.
Not as high as Lee Seo-jun’s, but considering her age, it was an incredible figure.
Even by professional mage standards, she ranked among the elite.
The only issue was her lack of real combat experience, which prevented her from utilizing her strong mana at full efficiency.
If she were to face an actual B-rank mage in battle, she would likely lose.
In this world, experience and skill mattered more than raw mana rank.
Still, with her natural potential, she would eventually become a monster given enough time.
“I have to keep pushing myself too.”
The next morning.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I searched for my smartphone beside the bed.
“Ugh… My head hurts.”
Since I had fallen asleep close to 4 a.m., the fatigue still weighed on me.
Thanks to the effects of the music box, I felt slightly less exhausted, but it wasn’t enough.
“Yaaawn…”
Stretching out my arms, I sat up.
With sleepy eyes, I wrote a message.
[Han Se-yeon, are you available right now?]
Sent.
As expected of Han Se-yeon, the reply came instantly.
[Yes, what’s the matter so early in the morning?]
[I have a favor to ask.]
There was a brief pause before she responded.
“…She must be busy.”
I got out of bed and did some light stretching.
Then I entered the shower and quickly washed up.
When I came out and changed clothes, a reply was waiting for me.
[A favor? What is it?]
[I need mana elixirs. But I need more than last time. Would that be okay?]
The response was immediate.
[That’s not a problem. How much do you need?]
I typed out my reply.
[100 bottles.]
TL : To be honest, I feel like Mc might end up with Han Se-yeon. Who knows what might happen?
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