By the time I finished my mana cultivation and personal training, it was already past 11 PM.
As soon as I returned to the dorm, I collapsed onto my bed.
Lying there, exhausted and staring blankly at the ceiling, my smart student notebook buzzed with a notification.
I glanced at the screen to see an unfamiliar message.
“What’s this?”
[Jung Jintae has invited Lee Seo-jun, Kim Sunwoo, Yoon Hayoung, and Shin Jihyuk.]
[Jung Jintae: Let’s give it our best for the next two months!]
[Yoon Hayoung: LOL, hi everyone!!]
[Shin Jihyuk: Hey, hey.]
It was a group chat.
At least the mood seemed pleasant enough. I’d heard stories about other teams that started off on the wrong foot, with fights breaking out right from the beginning.
Despite having three lower-ranked students in the team, ours seemed fairly harmonious.
I supposed it was all thanks to Lee Seo-jun, the reliable anchor holding us together.
I didn’t feel like chatting, so I muted the notifications for now.
We’d be together all day tomorrow, so there was no real need to talk now.
“Let’s check my stats instead.”
[Activating the unique trait ‘Outsider’s Privilege.’]
[Displaying stats.]
━━
[Stats]
- Stamina: 44.06
- Strength: 34.04
- Mana: 24.2
- Speed: 30.04
- Agility: 32.02
- Dexterity: 28
━━
“Hmm.”
My stats had improved slightly overall.
Thanks to consistent mana cultivation and the effect of the “Returnee’s Wristwatch,” my mana had surpassed 24. Of course, I was still far from the average mana capacity of most mages.
The important thing, however, was that I was making steady progress.
Closing the stat window, I began thinking about tomorrow’s dungeon exploration.
It was the first group-based class in the academy.
No matter how well I performed, the final grade depended on the entire team.
The real issue was whether I’d even get the chance to contribute meaningfully.
It seemed more likely that Seo-jun would turn this into a one-man show.
“Ah, whatever.”
Shaking off the thought, I got up and headed to the bathroom.
I’d have to use my body early tomorrow, so I needed to wash up and get some sleep.
Thursday, 9 AM.
Early in the morning, 50 students gathered at the mountain behind the Mage Academy for one of today’s practical courses: 5-Person Dungeon Exploration.
I arrived just in time.
As I approached the meeting spot, I heard someone calling my name.
“Kim Sunwoo!”
I turned to see Lee Seo-jun approaching with three other students following him.
I studied their faces.
The girl with brown hair and youthful features was Yoon Hayoung, a character who would play a significant role in the original storyline’s midsection.
Behind her stood Shin Jihyuk, a large, burly guy with some extra weight, and Jung Jintae, a slim, well-dressed young man with sharp features.
“Hi there!”
Jung Jintae greeted me enthusiastically. Though I didn’t know him well, he seemed to have a cheerful personality.
I nodded in response. “Hey.”
Seo-jun looked over our group and finally said, “Alright, we’re all here. Let’s do our best this semester.”
“Yeah, let’s go, team!” Hayoung chimed in with an energetic cheer.
“But don’t you think our team’s kinda weird? I mean, we’ve got the top rank and the very bottom rank in the same group. Haha,” Jihyuk said, glancing at me.
It wasn’t clear if he was just making an observation or trying to be funny.
“But can you even pull your weight?” he continued. “I mean, during the last test, you couldn’t even cast a single spell.”
From the tone of his voice, it seemed his comment was meant to be mocking.
It wasn’t pleasant to hear, but I let it slide. After placing last in the ranking test, I’d heard my fair share of taunts. By now, I was numb to it.
“Well, Seo-jun put the team together, so I’m sure it’ll work out somehow,” Jintae interjected, clearly planning to ride on Seo-jun’s dick.
With 30 minutes left before the dungeon exploration began, I found myself growing increasingly uneasy about this test.
The dungeon exploration class takes place in a real dungeon located behind the school. Although it was an actual dungeon, it had been cleared long ago and heavily modified by the school, making it more of an artificial dungeon. However, because it was constructed from a real dungeon, its atmosphere and traps were indistinguishable from those of an authentic one.
Dungeon exploration is one of the most dangerous training courses at the Magic Academy. While the school adjusts the dungeon’s difficulty to prevent accidents, dangerous incidents still occur at least once every year.
“The dungeon exploration class will be conducted in two sessions: morning and afternoon. Since today is the first day, we will only explore the first underground floor,” announced Jang Ancheol, addressing the gathered students.
The dungeon consists of multiple underground levels, varying in depth depending on the dungeon. The one behind the school reaches 15 floors. At the end of each floor, there is a boss monster that must be defeated to proceed to the next level.
Dungeon exploration class is structured so that students tackle one floor each week.
“After the morning session, you’ll exit the dungeon for lunch and a break, then continue exploring in the afternoon. The class ends once the first floor is cleared. Now, let me explain how your scores will be calculated for this class.”
Jang Ancheol surveyed the 50 students before him.
“First, speed. The team that clears the dungeon the fastest will receive bonus points. Second, adjusted rank points. Individuals will earn more points if their team includes members with significantly lower ranks. This rewards collaboration across skill levels.”
This information was already familiar to most students.
“Third is contribution. The artificial dungeon is equipped with a unique contribution system that measures how much each team member contributes. Points are awarded based on various actions, including directly attacking monsters or immobilizing them with support magic.”
This contribution system worried me the most.
With my current low mana reserves, prolonged combat is nearly impossible. This puts me at a significant disadvantage in earning contribution points. To make matters worse, my main competitor for these points is none other than Lee Seo-jun.
“Every year, there are students who suffer injuries severe enough to be rendered unable to continue. To emphasize the importance of safety, a penalty is applied to the team for any injured member. Injured students will also be excluded from dungeon-related activities for a month. So, prioritize safety at all times.”
Dungeon exploration and injuries are inseparable. However, the penalty for a single injury—being barred from classes for a month—seemed extreme. Still, it made sense. Despite repeated safety warnings, accidents kept happening, a sign that students often neglected caution. The school likely wanted to emphasize the importance of safety.
“You heard that, right? Let’s avoid getting any penalty points and be careful,” said Shin Jihyuk, glancing at me as if to emphasize his point.
“Right, getting injured hurts the team and yourself, so let’s all be cautious,” added Jung Jintae, though his tone was less pointed.
I ignored their remarks and instead asked, “Fine, now tell me your specialties.”
“Specialties? I’m in support magic. My secondary is manifestation,” Shin Jihyuk replied first.
Support magic, huh? Among the four branches of magic, support is the most versatile but also the hardest to master, so support mages are rare. Considering Shin Jihyuk is ranked in the 40s, Lee Seo-jun must have recruited him for his utility.
“I’m manifestation. My attribute is ice, and my secondary is support magic,” said Yoon Ha-young.
I already knew this about her. At this stage, though, her abilities might not make a significant impact.
“I’m enhancement. My secondary is manifestation, but I’m not great at it,” admitted Jung Jintae.
At least he was honest about his limitations.
“I’m manifestation with no attribute. My secondary is enhancement,” I said.
“Heh, everyone already knows that. Probably the whole school,” Shin Jihyuk replied with a smirk.
“…Well, just so you’re informed.”
Once we finished sharing our specialties, Jang Ancheol’s voice echoed again.
“All right, teams will now enter the dungeon.”
In the dungeon control room behind the school, ten large screens displayed live footage of the students exploring the dungeon. Jang Ancheol and three other supervisors monitored the feeds in real time, prepared to activate magical tools to neutralize monsters in case of emergencies.
“Wow, those kids are already arguing.”
“Which team is that?”
“Team 5. That’s Shin Young-joon, isn’t it? He’s trying to mediate, but it’s hilarious.”
One supervisor chuckled while watching the screen.
“Ah, Jang Ancheol, isn’t Lee Seo-jun in your class?”
“Yes, he’s in Team 3.”
“Hmm, Team 3, huh?”
The supervisor tilted his head, examining the team members.
“They’ve got a unique mix. I don’t recognize most of them, but oh, there’s one I know—Kim Sun-woo, the one from that recent viral video.”
“Correct.”
“Heh. That team’s interesting. Kim Sun-woo’s the lowest-ranked student, right? What about the others?”
“The big guy is ranked in the 40s, and the others are in the 80s and 120s.”
The supervisor laughed.
“Lee Seo-jun’s got his work cut out for him. Looks like he built this team to exploit rank adjustments, but it might slow them down in clearing the dungeon.”
“Well, he’s talented, so we’ll see.”
As Jang Ancheol and the supervisors chatted, footsteps approached from the corridor. Moments later, the door to the control room swung open.
“Teacher Lee Hee-young?”
The newcomer was Lee Hee-young, a manifestation magic instructor.
“Ah, hello, Mr. Jang.”
“Why are you here?”
“I didn’t have any classes today, so I thought I’d stop by.”
Jang Ancheol nodded knowingly. Lee Hee-young was famous for her interest in talented students. Since his class included two prodigies—Lee Seo-jun and Yoo Ara—he guessed her visit wasn’t random.
“Feel free to observe, but no favoritism toward specific students.”
“Of course not.”
Lee Hee-young smiled brightly and sat beside him.
“Do you have a particular student in mind?”
“Well, there’s one I’m curious about.”
Jang An-cheol smirked, sure of her answer. She likely came to watch Yoo Ara, another manifestation mage like herself.
“Oh, which team is that?”
Lee Hee-young pointed to a screen showing Lee Seo-jun battling monsters.
“That’s Team 3.”
“Lee Seo-jun and Kim Sun-woo, right?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting. A team of the top-ranked and the lowest-ranked students.”
Jang An-cheol pointed to another screen.
“Team 7 is similar. Yoo Ara’s group includes two low-ranked students and two mid-ranked ones.”
Lee Hee-young turned her attention to the screen. Yoo Ara advanced swiftly, scorching monsters with massive fire orbs.
“Both Seo-jun and Ara likely assembled their teams with rank adjustments in mind.”
“They’re skilled enough to make it work.”
Lee Hee-young smiled, then suggested playfully, “Shall we make a bet? On which team will score the highest by the end of the semester.”
“A bet?”
“Yes. Which team do you think will win?”
Jang An-cheol laughed.
“I don’t think it’ll be a fair bet.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’d probably choose the same team.”
“Oh? Which team do you think will score highest?” she asked, grinning.
Jang An-cheol pointed to Team 7’s screen.
“Yoo Ara’s team, of course.”
“Why?”
“Because Seo-jun’s team is unstable. As a reinforcement mage, he’s better suited for one-on-one combat, not carrying a team. Meanwhile, Yoo Ara is already halfway through the first floor.”
Lee Hee-young laughed.
“Then the bet’s on. I believe Team 3 will come out on top.”
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