“Alright! Tomorrow, we have sparring class.”
It was Monday morning during the homeroom session.
In Class 2-A, where fifty students had gathered, Jang Ancheol spoke.
“As you all know from last year, the sparring class involves finding a sparring partner that suits you and training together for two months. Of course, except for the test that takes place after two months, the results won’t affect your grades, so I hope you all find a partner that matches your level well.”
Once the morning homeroom ended, the students stood up from their seats.
“Ah, who should I pair up with?”
“Want to do it with me?”
“There’s a huge difference in our rankings. Why would I spar with you?”
It seemed like everyone was already looking for a sparring partner.
Sparring partners were sought not for grades but purely to improve one’s own skills. They would give each other feedback on their weaknesses and even practice together outside of class.
Naturally, most students preferred to spar with someone at a similar level or stronger than themselves.
I glanced over at Lee Seo-jun and saw him talking to Yoo Ara.
This followed the original story’s flow. In the original, those two were sparring partners as well.
‘But who should I partner with?’
I was ranked last in the entire school.
On top of that, I failed to even release magic during the public ranking test, earning a reputation as a total incompetent.
There was probably no one who would want to spar with me.
‘…I’m in trouble.’
The first class of the day was a specialized training session.
Arriving at the Manifestation Magic training grounds, I focused on my training, practicing the implementation of magic as usual.
―Crash!
The target shattered upon being struck by the magic sphere I released.
I took a breath and decided to take a short break.
“Phew.”
Just as I was about to rest, I felt someone’s gaze on me.
Turning my head slightly, I saw Lee Hee-young watching me with a pleased expression.
When our eyes met, she spoke.
“Kim Sun-woo, your growth is incredibly fast! Your mana capacity has increased even more in just a few days.”
“Thank you. I’ve been practicing mana cultivation diligently.”
In truth, it was less about mana cultivation and more about the adaptive trait I received as a reward from the tower.
After all, it had increased my mana by 5 and my magic’s power by 10%.
But I was still lacking in many ways.
During my fight with Jang Han, I managed to create a favourable situation thanks to the Heart of Nature, but once the one-minute duration ended, I couldn’t do anything.
If Lee Seo-jun’s group hadn’t shown up later, Jang Han would have recovered his broken body quickly, and it could have turned into a dangerous situation.
At that moment, Lee Hee-young smiled and said,
“Seeing you now, I’m convinced.”
“Huh?”
“I’m convinced that manifestation magic is the right path for you, Kim Sun-woo.”
What was she talking about all of a sudden?
Seeing my confused expression, she continued,
“How do you find manifestation magic? Is it doable?”
“Well, it’s… alright, I guess.”
Apparently dissatisfied with my vague answer, she frowned slightly.
“You’re not thinking about abandoning manifestation magic and switching to support magic, are you?”
Ah, so that’s what she was worried about.
“No, I’m not.”
“Hehe, that’s good. You should never abandon your conviction just for material things like special talent scholarships. Even without that, you’ll shine brightly with manifestation magic one day.”
Conviction?
…Honestly, I had no conviction in manifestation magic.
But suddenly, a question popped into my mind, so I asked,
“Teacher, is it impossible to receive a special talent scholarship with manifestation magic?”
“Huh? Special talent scholarship? That would be a bit difficult. The requirements are quite strict…”
Lee Hee-young mumbled nervously, her voice uncertain.
Seeing her reaction, I could tell why she was acting like this.
She was worried that I might switch to support magic instead.
Feeling mischievous, I said,
“Hmm, hearing you say that makes me think twice.”
“Wait! Kim Sun-woo, you’re not thinking of switching to support magic, are you?”
Lee Hee-young’s panicked response nearly made me laugh.
“Yeah, I need the money.”
“Huh? The special talent scholarship might be hard to get… but, um, a teacher recommendation scholarship might be possible! How about that?”
What? I was just joking, but she’s actually offering a scholarship?
“How much does it cover?”
“Up to ten million won. It’s not as much as the special talent scholarship… actually, it’s quite a bit less… and to be honest, ten million won is the maximum, so giving that much would be tough…”
Unlike her usual confident self, she seemed uncertain and avoided eye contact, as if she felt guilty.
Seeing her like that made me feel a little guilty too.
“Alright, I won’t consider switching for now, so don’t worry.”
“Really? Even if someone offers you a scholarship to switch to support magic, don’t be tempted, okay? If it’s about scholarships, I can provide them too!”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”
Only then did Lee Hee-young return to her usual bright self.
After the long specialized training class, the students began moving to their next class.
I finished my training and was preparing to leave the training ground when I happened to notice Yoon Hayoung deeply focused on her magic practice.
Curious, I observed her magic, but something about it felt off—difficult to put into words.
‘She’s seriously lacking in the basics.’
Yoon Hayoung was currently ranked 82nd, placing her in the mid-tier.
However, her talent was actually among the top ten in the entire school.
In the future, with advice from Lee Seo-jun, she would improve drastically and rise to 6th place in the rankings.
So why was she ranked so low now?
The reason was simple.
She had learned magic incorrectly.
In the original story, she received guidance from Lee Seo-jun during their previous dungeon exploration, which helped her progress, but my interference had prevented that from happening.
‘Should I give her some advice?’
Giving unwanted advice might seem prying, but Yoon Hayoung was a member of my dungeon exploration group.
As the dungeon’s floors went deeper, the monsters would become stronger, so her growth was crucial to securing first place for our team.
Moreover, she was an important character in the original story.
The more she grew, the more advantageous it would be for the storyline.
Without hesitation, I approached her.
“Yoon Hayoung, you’re not doing elemental adaptation training, are you?”
Elemental adaptation training was a method to enhance the imagination necessary for manifestation.
She turned to me and responded,
“Huh? Adaptation training?”
“I can tell just by looking. You’re not doing it, right?”
“Uh… I haven’t really done it much, but how did you know?”
“I can tell. Your spell formation is too flimsy.”
“…Really?”
Yoon Hayoung tilted her head and tried manifesting again.
A chunk of ice formed in her palm.
“Look at that. Does that even look like ice? It doesn’t seem cold at all.”
“…What the heck? Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden?”
“Never mind that. Did you find a sparring partner for tomorrow’s training?”
“Not yet.”
“Then pair up with me.”
Her eyes widened slightly at my words. Then, she smirked and looked at me.
“Kim Sun-woo, so this was your goal all along, huh?”
“What do you mean, goal?”
“You were worried you wouldn’t find a sparring partner, so you came over pretending to know something and asked to pair up, right?”
“What are you talking about? That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?”
“…Shut up and just do it with me, okay? You don’t want to be a burden during the dungeon exploration, do you?”
Yoon Ha-young looked at me with an incredulous expression.
“What does that have to do with partnering up with you?”
“I’ll teach you well enough to at least pull your weight. I know exactly what your issues are.”
“What?”
For a moment, disbelief flashed across her face.
“Do you even know the rank difference between us?”
“I just got offered a teacher-recommended scholarship by Ms. Lee Hee-young.”
“Huh?”
“I’m saying I might be better than you think.”
She blinked in confusion, seemingly unable to comprehend my words.
“Think about it.”
I patted her shoulder and walked out of the training hall.
[Hanseong Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.]
[₩535,000,000 deposited.] *374,170 USD
“Oh.”
The promised down payment of 500 million won had been deposited. The extra 35 million won must be the payment for the hidden floor reward, the Red Dragon’s Soul.
“Looks like I don’t have to worry about money for a while.”
Now, all that was left was to use this money as a foundation and multiply it.
Sure, investing in Hanseong Pharmaceuticals’ stock before it skyrockets due to their monopoly on Sacred Bloom would be a solid move. But right now, there’s an even better way to grow my money.
[Ms. Han Se-yeon, I received the down payment. There’s something I need by the day after tomorrow, so I’d like you to get it for me.]
Her reply came almost instantly.
[The day after tomorrow? What do you need?]
[I need an underground arena entrance pass.]
[An underground arena? Hey, who are you? The underground auction, now this? How do you even know about these things that regular people have no clue about?]
“Hmm.”
How should I answer?
I should maintain an air of mystery to strengthen my position for future deals.
[It’s better if you don’t ask.]
[Are you underestimating the Han family?]
“…Whoa.”
She was more agitated than I expected.
[Why do you need an underground arena pass?]
[I’ve made money, so now I need to grow it.]
[Wait… You’re not planning to gamble all of it, are you?]
Of course. Knowing the future, there’s no better way to make easy money.
[Of course I am.]
[You’re insane.]
Her blunt response.
I was about to reply when another message popped up.
[I’m disappointed. My trust in you just took a major hit. I can’t believe you’re actually this reckless.]
“…What the heck? Is she seriously upset?”
[I don’t gamble to lose.]
[I don’t care if you win or lose. The fact that you’re gambling at all is the problem. Whatever, our deal is only until the end of this month anyway, so I’ll let it slide.]
Her message practically dripped with disinterest.
Han Se-yeon is a cautious and calculated person. My text must have significantly lowered her impression of me.
[Oh, and the potion you ordered yesterday is almost done. I’ll have it ready the day after tomorrow.]
Just as I was about to respond, a notification appeared.
[Character ‘Han Se-yeon’ is greatly disappointed in you. Her interest in you has dropped significantly.]
[You have gained 1,000 points as compensation.]
“…Ahem.”
All the trust I had built up was crumbling in an instant.
“Oh well, it is what it is.”
I had to make money, after all.
Feeling a wave of fatigue, I put my phone away. But then, my smart student planner buzzed with an alert.
[Senior! I won’t tell anyone about the beer, so could you do me a favor? (pleading emoji)]
It was Choi Seo-yoon. She must have gotten my contact from the student directory.
A favor, huh?
‘There’s only one thing she could ask me for.’
She probably wanted me to set her up with Lee Seo-jun.
This happened in the original story too.
‘Nope, ignoring it.’
Since I already got rid of all the beer-related evidence, I didn’t care if she snitched or not.
Besides, it’s not like Choi Seo-yoon had the guts to do that anyway.
Just as I was about to relax again, another message came in.
“Man, she’s persistent.”
[Kim Sun-woo, are you really going to be my sparring partner?]
Huh? It wasn’t Choi Seo-yoon—it was Yoon Hayoung.
She was important, so I replied immediately.
[Yeah, let’s do it.]
[Alright then.]
“Huh?”
Her response was quicker than expected.
I thought she would hesitate a little more.
As I stared at the screen, a new message popped up.
[Seo-jun said it would be a good idea to partner with you.]
“Oh… Lee Seo-jun, nice!”
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