Monday afternoon, the start of a brand-new week.
With all the regular classes over, it was time for elective activity.
The activity I chose was Herbology.
I headed to the large lecture hall on the third floor of the main building.
Creak.
As I opened the door, I saw students seated around the room.
Among them were quite a few unfamiliar faces. Actually, “most” might be more accurate.
“Hey, isn’t that Senior Kim Sunwoo?”
“Yeah, I think it is.”
As I walked into the classroom, I heard whispers and saw glances shot my way.
All the stares came from first-years.
Because of scheduling conflicts, elective activities sometimes mixed different years and sections together like this.
I sat down in an empty seat, and the first-years stared at me with curious eyes.
What’s so fascinating?
Feels like I’m an animal in a zoo or something.
“Hm…”
Sitting there, I started to feel bored.
It would’ve been nice to have at least one familiar face. It’s kind of lonely.
I had heard Yoo Ara and Yoon Hayoung went to take a course on the History of Classical Magic.
Lee Seo-jun and Shin Young-joon were supposedly heading to a Magi-tech class.
No matter what, that class is way too boring. I really don’t get how they can sit through that.
As I gathered my thoughts, I decided to kill some time by checking out the point shop.
I’d saved up some points, so I figured I’d do a little window shopping.
[You have entered the Point Shop.]
[Current Points: 101,200]
“Hm…”
As I browsed the point shop, my current point balance suddenly caught my eye.
A hundred thousand points.
I’ve thought this before, but if I hadn’t spent on consumable “special” items like the Concealment Elixir or the Demon Detection Compass, I’d have even more points saved.
With the amount I’ve already used, I could’ve bought at least one S-rank trait.
Tsk. Well, it is what it is.
I needed them for safety. The Concealment Elixir is just too effective to pass up.
Chatter, chatter…
While I was browsing, a commotion started behind me.
Curious, I turned around and spotted Choi Seo-yoon surrounded by a crowd of students.
“Huh?”
At that moment, her gaze met mine.
“Sunbae-nim?”
Choi Seo-yoon called out to me and then said,
“Guys, I’m heading out!”
“Huh? Where are you going?”
She slipped away from the group and came toward me, then sat down next to me with a smile.
The students behind us stared at us with curious eyes.
“Sunbae-nim, you chose Herbology too?”
“…Yeah. Didn’t know you were taking it too.”
“Yup. I’m interested in the subject.”
She smiled brightly, looking pleased.
“Oh, right. You heard about it, right, sunbae?”
“Heard about what?”
“The team announcement for the Captain’s Match today.”
“Ah.”
The Captain’s Match team announcement.
It referred to the upcoming “All-Year Combined Captain’s Match” being held as the final exam.
Students are split into three teams, balanced based on year and grades.
“They said the announcement is at 9 p.m. tonight, right?”
“Yeah, they’ll notify us by message.”
“Wonder what the teams will look like…”
To make the top five, we have to come in first.
To be first, I need solid teammates.
Having more third-years—who’ve got experience—would definitely be an advantage over first or second years.
“Oh, right, sunbae-nim, by any chance…”
Just then—
Creak.
The door opened, and Lee Seo-jun and Shin Young-joon came in.
“Huh? Kim Sunwoo, you’re in Herbology too?”
Lee Seo-jun looked surprised to see me.
Then he turned to Choi Seo-yoon, who was sitting next to me.
“Seo-yoon’s here too.”
“Ah, hello.”
Choi Seo-yoon gave a slight bow after glancing at me nervously.
I looked at Lee Seo-jun with confusion.
Why was he here?
“Weren’t you taking the Magi-tech class?”
“Ah, well…”
Before he could finish, Shin Young-joon cut in.
“I accidentally messed up the registration, heh.”
“…”
Considering it’s Shin Young-joon, I could totally believe that.
Lee Seo-jun and Shin Young-joon naturally took the seats beside me.
Before I knew it, I was surrounded by a bunch of campus celebrities.
“Oh, right. Hey, Kim Sunwoo. Did you see that?”
Shin Young-joon put a Herbology textbook on the desk and asked.
“See what?”
“The survey in Daesup.”
Daesup, short for “The Forest of the Great Sage,” is the online community for the Korean Mage Academy.
Almost all students use it, and posts go up constantly.
Not that I use it much.
Most of the content is useless, and I don’t relate to it.
I do log into the pro mage community once in a while to check for news, though.
“What kind of survey was it?”
“A popularity poll for the Captain’s Match team picks.”
Right. They had something like that in my previous life too.
“Bet Seo-jun came in first, no surprise.”
Hearing that, Seo-jun gave a awkward smile.
He wasn’t denying it. He knows he’s good. Tsk.
At my comment, Shin Young-joon chuckled and continued,
“Yeah, Seo-jun took first. Want to guess second and third?”
“Second is Choi Seo-yoon.”
When I said her name, she looked at me with wide eyes.
But it’s no surprise she’s second.
She’s talented, pretty, and has a great personality.
I’m sure tons of the guys voted for her.
There’s Yoo Ara too, but she intimidates a lot of students with her personality.
“Third must be Kim Chang-hyun.”
“It’s Senior Kim Chang-hyun. Geez, Kim Sunwoo, show some respect.”
Shin Young-joon shook his head in disappointment.
“Same difference. He’s barely older than us.”
“Oh? Then can I talk casually to you too, sunbae-nim?”
Choi Seo-yoon suddenly jumped in.
I paused to think. Talk casually? Well…
“No way. You think you’re on my level or something?”
At my words, she muttered just loud enough to hear—
“…Boomer.”
Boomer? What the hell. I’m not a—
[You’ve unlocked the achievement: “Boomer.”]
[You’ve earned 1,000 points as a reward.]
“……”
What the hell is this?
While I was still stunned by the sudden achievement notification, Choi Seo-yoon spoke again.
“Then if not ‘sunbae-nim,’ what other title would you prefer?”
“What do you mean, ‘what other title’?”
“Uh… like, oppa… maybe…?”
Choi Seo-yoon stuttered shyly, clearly embarrassed. Her awkwardness made me feel strangely self-conscious too.
“……Just call me ‘sunbae-nim.’”
“Even after graduation?”
“Yeah. Forever.”
“Won’t that seem weird to other people?”
“Still, don’t change it.”
“I don’t want to.”
“…You’re really trying to talk down to me, huh? Watch yourself.”
“Che.”
Choi Seo-yoon pouted.
Shin Young-joon looked at the two of us and grinned mischievously.
“What’s going on with you two? You guys are kinda cute.”
“…What are you even saying?”
“Anyway, you were right that Seo-yoon is second. But third? Nope.”
I frowned at Shin Young-joon’s comment.
It’s not Kim Chang-hyun?
“Then is it Yoo Ara?”
At my guess, Shin Young-joon chuckled.
He pulled out his smart student notebook and showed it to me.
━━
Popularity Survey
1st. Lee Seo-jun (35%)
2nd. Choi Seo-yoon (19%)
3rd. Kim Sunwoo (18%)
4th. Kim Chang-hyun (14%)
……
……
━━
What the…
…I’m third?
Time flew by after that. The elective class ended, followed by physical training and a theory lecture, and with that, the school day was officially over.
Time passed again, and the after-school 1:1 combat training session began.
Choi Ilhyeon, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, returned even more brutal than before. Saying we had skipped duels for a few days, he relentlessly pushed me to the edge.
Even with all sorts of recovery-type traits stacked on me, my body trembled as if all my muscles were tearing apart once we were done.
On top of that, I hit full mana exhaustion.
[You’ve gained a small insight through the duel.]
[Your mana control proficiency has increased by 0.5%.]
[Your stamina and mana have increased by 0.1.]
“Your stamina went up a tiny bit. A real tiny bit.”
Choi Ilhyeon looked at me and clucked his tongue, arms crossed.
I had gone all in, but couldn’t even lay a finger on him.
Well, he is one of the world’s top-ranked mages.
With my mana level hovering between B and A-rank, he’s not someone I can realistically challenge.
Still, it stings.
“……Haaah! Haaah!”
I collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. My heart pounded like crazy.
“That’s it for today. We’ll continue next time. But hey, are you even able to move? I pushed you kinda hard today.”
“……I’m fine.”
“No, I’m seriously asking. You’re in mana exhaustion right now.”
“……Huuuuh!”
I took a deep breath and stood up.
My legs were shaky, but hey—these traits aren’t just for show.
In just a short moment, I had already recovered a good amount of stamina.
“……See? I can still move.”
Choi Ilhyeon gave me a look like he was fed up.
“I’ve thought this before, but you’re one stubborn guy. It’s impressive.”
“What is?”
“Every time I see you, your mental toughness stands out. And you seem to have a pretty fast recovery rate too.”
He continued.
“Quick recovery is a rare talent. It means you can endure way more training.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“Since today’s training didn’t break you, I’ll push you even harder next time.”
Choi Ilhyeon said with a chilling smile.
“……”
“You gotta suffer at least this much to grow. Oh, and one more thing.”
He looked me straight in the eye.
“Your martial arts seem decent enough now, so starting next week, I’ll teach you magic.”
“Magic?”
“Yeah. We’ll begin with the basics, like manifestation techniques, and then move on to some applied spells from the projection system.”
Learning applied projection spells from Choi Ilhyeon…
He’s known for his practical mastery of magic—no fluff, just effectiveness.
Just imagining being taught by him made my heart race.
You can never go wrong learning a new technique.
“Yes, sir. Then, I have something planned, so I’ll head out now.”
“Alright.”
I gave him a final bow and left the school training center.
It was now 8 PM.
My next destination: the mountain behind the school.
When I arrived, Lee Seo-jun waved at me under the dark sky.
“Kim Sunwoo!”
“Have you been waiting long?”
“Nah, I just got here too.”
“Cool. We don’t have much time, so let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
Lee Seo-jun and I began climbing toward Jin Cheonwoo’s hideout.
Since we had been there once before, getting back was easier and faster.
Eventually, the entrance came into view.
Just like before—the illusion barrier at the start of the path.
Nothing had changed.
“This is kinda nerve-racking…”
Lee Seo-jun muttered quietly.
I reassured him.
“Nothing to be nervous about. You’ve learned Eunwol Illusion Break, right?”
“…That’s true.”
“Then let’s head in.”
“Yeah.”
I stepped into the illusion barrier—the heart of the main story.
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