The Regressed Extra Becomes a Genius Chapter 122

“Magic Law… Article 12, Section 5. Please make sure to check this part…”

Today’s first class was a theory-based course—Law.

The students complained right from the start about how boring the class was, but they quickly quieted down.

As soon as the class began, the Law teacher’s latent trait put the students to sleep.

Thanks to that, everyone in Class A was slumped over their desks asleep—except for Lee Seo-jun and Yoo Ara.

…Or maybe not.

Unlike the first semester, there were a few students who didn’t fall asleep.

Lee Hyun-joo, Park Inhwan, and Yoon Hayoung.

Those three, who used to fall asleep last semester, were now wide awake and attentively listening.

“Hm…”

I think I understood why.

Their magical abilities must’ve improved significantly during the first semester, and with that, their resistance to latent traits probably grew too.

As proof—I’m not asleep either.

“Next is… the possession crime section for illegal magic tools…”

Unlike me, who relies on the power of the Outsider’s Privilege, those students are growing through their own raw talent. That alone is impressive.

Oh, and by the way—Shin Young-joon, snoring away in that corner, isn’t asleep because of the teacher’s latent trait. He’s just sleeping.

“…Communications-jamming magic tools are also classified as Class 1 illegal magic tools. Possession can result in imprisonment for over 50 years…”

Bored by the lecture, I glanced out the window.

Students training on the field. Jung Hyun directing the design of a training facility on an empty lot.

The familiar, peaceful scenery of the Mage Academy.

It’d be nice if these peaceful days lasted, but this world is far from normal, so that’s unlikely.

I’ll need to start preparing for the incidents and terrorist attacks to come.

“…Disguise magic tools capable of causing social chaos—like the Inpi Mask—are also considered Class 1 illegal magic tools.”

I turned my gaze back to the teacher to try and pay attention again.

“For reference, in the case of disguise tools… even just lending your face to someone is considered aiding and abetting and is punishable by law…”

As expected of a Law class—discussion about illegal magic tools was underway.

Illegal magic tools, huh…

In this world, there are several magic tools that the Association has designated as illegal.

The most infamous among them is the disguise tool that lets you change your appearance—Inpi Mask.

It’s true that disguise magic tools are difficult to use properly, but if mastered, they offer massive advantages in future scenarios.

After all, if you can perfectly change your appearance, you can cause all kinds of chaos without ever revealing your identity.

But there are a few restrictions on disguise tools.

I used the Outsider’s Privilege to search up information on the Inpi Mask.

━━
[Inpi Mask (Relic)]
Category: Mask
Description: Allows the user to change their appearance.

[Usage Effects]
▶ Appearance Storage
Stores another person’s appearance.
▶ Appearance Shift
Changes your appearance to a stored one.
*Duration: Up to 7 days
(Reverts automatically when time expires.)
*Cooldown: 24 hours
▶ Revert Appearance
Returns to your original face.

Price: 100,000 points
━━

First off, since it’s classified as a relic, the price is high.

Still, considering it’s not the only one in the world, it’s actually pretty cheap for a relic.

That said, coughing up 100,000 points all at once feels like too much of a burden for me.

Especially since I could theoretically get a disguise tool with cash instead of points—it feels like a waste.

But buying it with cash is hard too. It is a Class 1 illegal magic tool, so you can’t get it through legal means.

It might show up at an underground auction from time to time—that’d be the only way to buy it.

Another issue is that it requires storing someone else’s appearance first.

This is actually the main reason the tool was designated Class 1 illegal.

You can’t create a new face. You can only borrow someone else’s stored appearance.

Jaun also used this feature to participate in the Night of the Pioneers.

Still, if I want to use this, the question becomes—whose appearance should I steal?

I can’t exactly go up to a stranger and say, “Hey, I know it’s illegal, but mind if I borrow your face for a bit?”

And I’m definitely not going to go the Jaun route and kill someone for their face. That’s just… no.

“Hmmm.”

Still, if I could just figure out a way… I feel like this disguise tool could really work to my advantage.

Not to mention, the Outsider’s Privilege lets me “Add a New Profile” more than once—it’s not a one-time deal.

I should seriously consider this.

Ding-ding-ding-ding~

The bell rang, signaling the end of class.

“That’s it for today’s lecture. Good work, everyone…”

As the Law teacher left the room, the sleeping students slowly started to wake up.

“Yaaawn. That was a good nap.”

“Why is it that only Law class makes me sleepy?”

“Right? Same.”

“Hey hey, what’s the next class?”

“Supplemental Specialty class.”

“Oooh, nice.”

Just as the class atmosphere returned to its usual energetic self—

“Hey! The test results are out!”

One student shouted.

“Huh? For real?”

“Checking now!”

Everyone, as if on cue, pulled out their Smart Student Notebooks.

The ranking evaluation test was simple and easy, but its weight in the final grade was heavy.

And rather than just ranking by raw score, the system calculated destructive power into points, so the overall ranking could shift drastically.

That’s exactly how I dropped to dead last in the first semester after scoring a zero.

━━
[Academic Info]
[2nd Basic Evaluation Results]

[Kim Sunwoo][Class 2-A]
[Overall Rank: 20th]
━━

[Achievement Unlocked: Top 20 Overall Ranking]
[Reward: 5,000 points]

20th place.

Even with the top ranks being so solidly packed, I managed to climb significantly.

They don’t reveal exact scores for the evaluation, but the fact that I rose 8 places into the Top 20 likely means I scored pretty high.

Even so… reaching 20th in just one semester?

I have to admit—even I’m rising through the ranks faster than expected.

Of course, now that I’m in the upper ranks, improving further will be even harder.

“Yaaawn. What rank did you get, Kim Sunwoo?”

As I was quietly checking my score, Shin Young-joon approached me with a yawn.

“20th.”

“Whoa. Already at 20th?”

He looked genuinely surprised. And just like that, the nearby students started glancing over at me.

“Hey, Kim Sunwoo’s ranked 20th?”

“No way. That’s insane!”

“Seriously.”

“I heard it’s hell to break into the Top 30. How the hell do you jump 8 spots in one test?”

[23 students envy you.]

[You’ve been rewarded 1,000 points.]

“Wow. I guess I should be nervous too.”

Shin Young-joon muttered with a slightly stiff smile. At that moment, Lee Seo-jun approached me.

“Kim Sunwoo, did you make it to 20th this time?”

“Yeah.”

“…That’s impressive.”

Lee Seo-jun murmured quietly in disbelief. I frowned at his words.

“Here he goes again, setting up a fake build-up to downplay it.”

“Fake? What are you talking about?”

“…Forget it.”

Lee Seo-jun tilted his head slightly in confusion but then continued speaking.

“Anyway, if you jumped up eight ranks from the twenties, doesn’t that mean you scored near the top in this evaluation test?”

Probably. I had gone all out with my magic that time, so I was likely in the top three at least.

But I shook my head.

“I don’t know either.”

The teachers’ office after lunch break.

One by one, the teachers who had finished eating started returning to their desks.

The start of a new semester had a positive effect on the teachers too, so the atmosphere was livelier than usual.

“Did you see the records from the latest ranking test?”

“Yeah, I did. I was honestly shocked.”

The ranking evaluation test.

While students weren’t given exact scores, the teachers had access to the full results—who ranked where, and how many points they received.

“The destructive power was insane, but I didn’t expect him to take first place.”

“Exactly. I never imagined he’d beat even Seo-jun. I guess manifestation-types really do have the edge when it comes to raw impact.”

“Of course, since the test only measured pure destructive power, it makes sense that a reinforcement-type like Seo-jun could lose. Still, it’s kind of strange, isn’t it?”

Amid the chatter, Teacher Jung Hyun sat at his desk, checking the teacher information system.

[Class 2-A]
[Kim Sunwoo]

“Hmm.”

Kim Sunwoo.

From what he could tell, the information matched what he had previously researched.

There was nothing particularly strange—everything looked quite ordinary.

The reason Jung Hyun had been investigating Kim Sunwoo wasn’t because he suspected him of being the ‘child of prophecy’, but rather due to a hunch that he might be connected to Jang Ye’s death.

The magical abilities he’d recently displayed were incomprehensible, no matter how Jung Hyun looked at it.

And now, the test results made things even more puzzling.

Kim Sunwoo had taken first place, even ahead of Lee Seo-jun.

Even accounting for the difference between manifestation and reinforcement types, it was hard to accept the result.

He turned to the teacher beside him, Baek Hyunwoo, and asked,

“Excuse me, Mr. Baek?”

“Yes, Mr. Chris?”

“I heard you were in charge of the first-year reinforcement class last year…”

“Ah, that’s right. What’s up?”

“How was the student Kim Sunwoo? In terms of ability or classroom attitude, anything really.”

“Sunwoo? Hmm. Let’s see…”

Baek Hyunwoo rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment before tilting his head.

“Huh? That’s weird. I barely remember anything about him. I definitely taught him, but… hmm.”

Jung Hyun found that suspicious. Barely remembered?

Maybe he’d just had too many students to keep track of.

Then again, thinking back, Kim Sunwoo had indeed been the kind of student who left no impression at all during his first year.

“…I see?”

“Yeah, it’s strange for me too. I usually remember all my students. But Sunwoo… I don’t know why he slips my mind. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, well, there’s a lot of buzz about his test score today. Got me a little curious, that’s all.”

“Yeah, I get that. He’s definitely an interesting kid, the more you look at him.”

Baek Hyunwoo nodded without any suspicion.

After all the classes had ended.

Lee Seo-jun and Yoo Ara were sparring for the first time in a while.

Powerful spells flew back and forth, creating a tense and thrilling atmosphere.

Seo-jun charged toward Ara. She launched fire orbs to block his path, but Seo-jun quickly activated his sword aura and split the flames in half with a casual swing.

Seeing that, Ara gritted her teeth. Seo-jun had grown noticeably stronger in just a month.

She too had trained hard over the break, but instead of closing the gap, it felt like the distance between them had grown.

“Whew.”

After about fifteen minutes, the sparring came to an end.

The two sat on the floor, wiping off sweat and catching their breath.

“Sparring after so long feels good,” Seo-jun murmured softly, clearly intending for Ara to hear.

She stared at him intently.

He seemed more excited than usual.

He’d been more aggressive in training than normal too.

Curious, she asked,

“Seo-jun.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re really fired up today. You’re not usually like this.”

Since their first semester in their first year, they had always been sparring partners.

Having spent so much time facing him, Ara could easily notice subtle changes in Seo-jun’s training behaviour.

He gave a small laugh and replied,

“Yeah?”

“Did something happen? Some kind of emotional shift?”

“An emotional shift, huh…”

Yeah, something did. Two things, actually.

First, he’d been deeply stirred by watching Kim Sunwoo’s evaluation test yesterday.

In front of the entire student body, Sunwoo had shown off a side of his power that most had never seen.

Whatever others may have felt watching that display, Seo-jun had taken it as a declaration of war.

A declaration that Sunwoo was now going all in to climb the ranks.

And Seo-jun had a rough idea of how strong Sunwoo really was.

Which meant, if he didn’t want to lose, he’d have to push himself even harder.

“I’ve just had a lot of things motivating me lately.”

“Let me guess—Kim Sunwoo, right?”

Ara’s sharp guess made Seo-jun chuckle lightly.

“That’s part of it. There’s more though.”

Like the recent Pioneers Night incident.

His dream was to become someone like Chairman Kim Jin-cheol, who had raised him since childhood.

An absolute figure, feared by all villains.

But during Pioneers Night, he had realized just how powerless and lacking he still was.

“I realized how weak I really am. And how much I still lack.”

Ara looked at him with disbelief.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re not weak.”

“No, really. I felt it recently. That I’m still nothing special.”

She narrowed her eyes.

If Seo-jun was weak, then what the hell did that make her?

“…You know,” she said.

“Hmm?”

“You’re kind of… low-key deceptive sometimes.”

Seo-jun blinked at her words.

Now that he thought about it, Kim Sunwoo had said the same thing to him earlier.

But Seo-jun couldn’t understand it.

What exactly had he done that was so deceptive?

After finishing dinner and personal training, I returned to the dorm and opened the door.

Rustle.

Something crinkled under my foot. It was the plastic bag I’d used to carry food from the convenience store yesterday.

“…What the?”

I looked ahead.

Something felt off from the moment I stepped inside.

The floor was messier than usual. It definitely hadn’t looked like this when I left.

I took off my shoes and entered the dorm. From inside, I heard a faint rustling sound.

It seemed to be coming from the kitchen.

“Huh?”

When I got to the kitchen, I saw an even bigger mess on the floor.

Food was scattered all over the place in a chaotic jumble.

At the center of it all was the back of a wooden figure—Gretel.

“Gretel?”

At my call, Gretel turned toward me.

She had a sausage in her mouth and was chewing it.

“What are you doing?”

“Ung-ae.”

Apparently, she’d gotten hungry and rummaged through the place looking for food.

If I’d known she was a carnivore, I would’ve left some food behind for her.

But seriously, what kind of tree eats sausage?

“Who told you to make a mess and eat like this?”

Gretel looked up at me, finished chewing the sausage, and lowered her head.

Seems like she understood what I was saying.

It was kind of cute, honestly, and I smiled without thinking.

Then something caught my eye—right above Gretel’s lowered head.

A tiny green round object growing from a small branch.

Wait… is that… a fruit?