As the promised hour of 10 o’clock arrived, 450 students gathered in the vast auditorium. The teachers also gathered in one place, sitting down with faces full of anticipation.
Among them, the face of Jung hyun, who was talking with the teachers, could be seen.
He was performing the role of a new teacher very well.
“Sunwoo! Over here!”
As always, from far away, Yoon Hayoung tapped the empty seat next to her and waved at me. I smiled and walked over.
As I sat down, Yoo Ara followed and sat in the empty seat next to me.
Yoo Ara looked at me and spoke.
“Did you have a good break?”
That’s new. She’s asking how I’ve been.
She didn’t care at all back during the special class.
“Just okay.”
“What did you do?”
“Part-time work and training, both.”
“Really?”
Yoo Ara nodded.
“What about you?”
“Well, training… and some personal investigation too.”
“Investigation?”
“…Something like that.”
She trailed off at my question.
If it’s Yoo Ara’s kind of investigation, it’s probably about Jaun.
During the break, Jaun caused a major incident in Korea, and with her personality, she couldn’t have just sat still.
[We will now begin the first-year evaluation ranking test.]
The sound of the microphone rang out from the platform.
From the first floor, Choi Seo-yoon’s nervous face came into view.
Next to her, Jeon Min-gi was swinging a sword through the air, warming up.
[Student Choi Seo-yoon, student Jeon Min-gi…]
At the call from the stage, Choi Seo-yoon confidently stepped up to the test platform.
Just like in the first semester, when she stepped up, small cheers erupted among the male students.
The second semester’s evaluation ranking test format wasn’t much different from the first semester.
You just had to defeat the summoned doll in front of you.
And destructive power, among other things, would be measured to affect the overall ranking.
Choi Seo-yoon, with a more serious expression, gathered her mana.
Ssssss.
The air froze. A sharp ice spear materialized above her hand.
At the same time, cheers burst out from the audience.
“Wow.”
“That’s insane.”
They had admired her magic back in the first semester, too, but ever since she took the elixir during the Nightmare Fog incident, her magic had become even more precise and powerful.
I wasn’t the only one who noticed.
“What the? She’s way better than in the first semester.”
“She was no joke back then too, but seriously, talented kids are just different. The speed of their growth…”
“How is she even a first-year?”
Despite the murmuring around her, Choi Seo-yoon didn’t lose focus.
Once the manifestation was complete, she extended her hand and launched the spear.
Shwoooooosh!
A powerful sonic boom tore through the air.
The massive spear completely obliterated the target.
“Waaah—!”
Another round of loud cheers burst out.
Choi Seo-yoon gave a faint smile, seemingly satisfied with her result. Then, as usual, she gave a calculated smile and swept her gaze across the audience.
This part hadn’t changed from the first semester.
At that moment, her gaze met mine. She stared at me for a moment, then showed an even brighter smile.
In the corner of the first floor sat the teachers’ waiting room.
Once again, it was stocked with snacks and tea, where twenty teachers were watching the test unfold.
“Chris, this is your first time seeing one of these public tests, right?”
“Yes, it is. Isn’t this a tradition of the Korean Mage Academy?”
At a teacher’s question, Jung hyun responded with a smile.
“That’s right. Some say it’s cruel, but while I feel sorry for the students, from a teacher’s perspective, it’s quite the spectacle.”
“I understand.”
“So, do you have any students you’re keeping an eye on?”
At the teacher’s question, Chris fell into thought.
“It’s definitely the top-ranked students. First-years like Choi Seo-yoon and Jeon Min-gi. Second-years like Lee Seo-jun and Yoo Ara. Especially Lee Seo-jun — even seeing it with my own eyes, it’s hard to believe.”
And today, Lee Seo-jun showed a light-attribute sword aura.
The mana contained in the sword aura alone was impressive, but in all his life, Chris had never seen someone handle synergy at eighteen years old.
Definitely someone to watch.
A few months from now, when they attempt to eliminate the Child of Prophecy hiding in the second year… he might become a huge variable.
“Seo-jun is amazing, no doubt about that.”
“He’s beyond the rumors. No wonder they say he’s the greatest genius in history.”
[Second-year Class A, Kim Sunwoo.]
At that moment, Kim Sunwoo’s name was called. At the same time, interest among the teachers skyrocketed.
“Oh? It’s Sunwoo’s turn.”
“Ah, I’ve been looking forward to this.”
“Honestly, I was as excited for Sunwoo’s turn as I was for Seo-jun’s.”
“Hehe. Same here.”
The sudden shift in atmosphere puzzled Jung hyun.
Kim Sunwoo? He wasn’t a student he was familiar with.
In terms of second-year students to keep an eye on, he knew of Lee Seo-jun, Yoo Ara, and Shin Young-joon to some extent — but Kim Sunwoo wasn’t someone he had looked into deeply.
Of course, he was aware that the student had maintained a perfect score in theory.
But he believed what mattered most for mages was practical skill, not theory, so he hadn’t paid much attention.
He hadn’t had the time either — he only looked into the top ten students.
‘What is it?’
Jung hyun’s curiosity was piqued by the other teachers’ reactions. He turned his intrigued gaze toward Kim Sunwoo.
Kim Sunwoo was confidently walking up to the platform.
‘I’ve seen that face somewhere.’
Jung hyun thought to himself, and then realized.
Yesterday, when he asked Choi Seo-yoon for directions — the male student next to her.
He had thought he was just an ordinary student, but maybe not.
“Ah, I hope Sunwoo does well.”
“He got teased so much during the first semester. It was heart breaking.”
“But he’s always so cheerful. Such a good kid.”
The teachers continued sharing positive things about Kim Sunwoo.
Just who was this kid to receive this much attention?
Jung hyun checked the student record documents on the table.
2nd-year ranking: 150th. Last place?
Then… 72nd, then… 60th, then… 28th.
“…Huh?”
Jung Hyun felt puzzled as he checked Kim Sunwoo’s information.
He went from 150th to 28th in just one semester?
Is that even possible?
Now, Jung Hyun was starting to understand the teachers’ strange reactions.
He had witnessed the growth of countless human mages as a magic education consultant, but he had never seen such a steep rise before.
“That’s odd.”
When Jung Hyun muttered to himself, Lee Hee-young, who was sitting next to him, spoke.
“Right? It is odd. He’s a really strange kid.”
Another teacher nodded in agreement at Lee Hee-young’s words.
“Haha. He is. He even sets unbelievable records in weird areas.”
“What’s funny about Sunwoo is that his specialty is manifestation-type, but he’s amazing at everything except manifestation-type.”
At that, Lee Hee-young flared up.
“Hey! That’s such a biased view. Sunwoo is really talented in manifestation-type magic too.”
Another teacher who had been quietly listening backed her up.
“She’s right. I saw Sunwoo practicing manifestation-type magic before, and his fundamentals were solid.”
As the testimony came in, a few other teachers looked confused.
“Then why did he have a mana burnout last semester?”
“Because he pushed himself too hard using compressed manifestation.”
At Lee Hee-young’s reply, the teachers let out small chuckles.
“Come on, teacher. You’re clearly biased towards Sunwoo. Compressed manifestation? Really?”
“Biased? Not at all. I’m serious.”
“Still, compressed manifestation is as high-level as synergy… it’s not something just anyone can do.”
Jung Hyun quietly watched the conversation unfold.
Lee Hee-young—manifestation-type instructor.
She was quite a skilled magic teacher in her field. She had a natural eye for talent, so he didn’t think she could’ve misjudged compressed manifestation.
“Hm.”
Which meant that student really was using compressed manifestation…
Jung Hyun was filled with questions.
An 18-year-old using compressed manifestation?
Had there ever been such a student before?
“Oh.”
Now that he thought about it, Lee Seo-jun used synergy today too. So maybe it’s not impossible after all.
Rubbing his chin, Jung Hyun turned to look at Kim Sunwoo standing on the stage. Sunwoo was calmly looking around at the audience, without a hint of tension.
He hadn’t thought much of him before, but now he figured he should pay close attention to this student’s test.
Let’s see if his skills match the hype.
“……”
Just then, a target formed in front of Kim Sunwoo.
He looked at it and began manifesting magic over his hand.
Wuuuuuuuung…
Powerful mana began to gather in Kim Sunwoo’s palm. Soon, it formed a round shape, compressed into a perfect sphere.
“…What the. It’s real.”
Just like Lee Hee-young had said, Kim Sunwoo was using compressed manifestation. And he wasn’t doing it sloppily—it was perfect.
That experienced execution—it was like watching a pro mage who’d been active for years.
Then, Kim Sunwoo stretched out his hand.
At the same time, it felt as though all the surrounding energy was being drawn into his fingertips. The magic orb turned silver in that moment.
PAAANG—!!
The compressed magical sphere flew from Kim Sunwoo’s hand, leaving a pure white afterimage as it shot forward.
The power was so intense that his body was pushed backward upon release.
SHHHHHHHHH!
The orb flew straight toward its target.
As it neared, a massive boom rang out.
KWAANG—!!!
The gust of wind reached all the way to the teachers’ waiting room.
They wanted to check the condition of the target, but it was hidden by thick smoke.
“……”
The auditorium fell silent in an instant. Everyone was stunned, mouths agape.
They just couldn’t comprehend what they had seen—because the image of Kim Sunwoo from the first semester, who had been mocked and ridiculed, was still fresh in everyone’s memory.
Jung Hyun muttered in a daze.
“…What is that kid?”
The smoke gradually cleared, revealing a target so thoroughly destroyed that it was unrecognizable.
[Second-year Class A, Kim Sunwoo – Test Complete]
The test was over.
Seeing the perfectly shattered target made me feel completely refreshed inside.
I’d grown quite a bit over the past six months—enough that I didn’t even need to use the Heart of the Nature to produce this level of destructive power.
If we were measuring only mana capacity, I’d easily place in the top 30 of the entire school.
In the audience, everyone was staring at me in shock.
Thinking back to all the ridicule and mockery from the first semester, the huge difference in their reactions now made me chuckle.
[You’ve achieved the title ‘Turnaround Character.’]
[You’ve earned 3,000 points as a reward.]
[Character ‘Jung Hyun’ is shocked by you.]
[You’ve earned 1,000 points as a reward.]
[450 students are amazed by you.]
[You’ve earned 5,000 points as a reward.]
I raked in a decent haul of points.
9,000 points.
Yeah, nothing beats grabbing a huge wave of attention all at once.
As I scrolled through the messages, I noticed a familiar name.
Jung Hyun.
I looked toward the teachers lounge and saw a man with blond hair standing out among the rest.
He looked completely spaced out, like his soul had just left his body.
It was hilarious.
Maybe I overdid it and drew too much attention from the villain.
Still, it’s better for me to raise my rank quickly, so it couldn’t be helped.
I turned my body and slowly stepped down from the stage.
As I returned to my seat, I could feel everyone’s eyes on me.
The reactions from the key characters were especially interesting—
Lee Seo-jun, Yoo Ara, Yoon Hayoung, and so on…
Though their expressions leaned more toward interest than shock.
“Yo! What the heck was that?!”
“You weren’t lucky when you ranked third on the finals, huh.”
“Whoa, that was nuts. You might even be in the top five now.”
“Right? In terms of pure firepower, I don’t think he’s behind Lee Seo-jun or Yoo Ara.”
Some of the students finally came to their senses and started talking to me.
I casually responded and returned to my seat.
“Hm.”
I’d managed to rack up a nice sum of points.
Debut match—no, comeback match—complete with flair.
If the video of this test spreads online again, it’ll definitely draw a lot of attention.
And with the heart-wrenching(?) backstory of me suffering mana burnout last semester, it’ll be even more of a hit.
Just thinking about how many more points I could earn from this made me grin without even realizing it.
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