The special elective activity class ended at 6 PM.
Disguised as “Kim Jinwoo,” I sat on a bench in front of a subway station in Seoul, waiting for someone.
At that moment, a man approached me and spoke.
“Mr. Kim Jinwoo?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Hello. My name is Jung Chanwook, and I work under Miss Han Se-yeon. She’s busy today, so I’m here in her place.”
“I see. Nice to meet you.”
As I nodded, the man pulled out a small, wrapped box from his coat and handed it to me.
“Here is the item you requested.”
7 PM.
After finishing all of today’s tasks, I returned to the dormitory.
I felt an overwhelming accumulation of fatigue over the past five days.
As soon as I arrived, I staggered like a zombie to the couch and threw myself onto it.
“Ahh, this feels good.”
With this, the week’s classes were officially over.
Tomorrow was Saturday, marking the start of a two-day weekend.
What should I do tomorrow?
I wasn’t in the mood for anything physically demanding.
Since I’d been busy running around lately, I just wanted to take it easy this weekend.
“Maybe I should train.”
Now that I thought about it, I’d been moving around so much that I hadn’t been able to train properly.
Using the weekend to catch up on mana cultivation didn’t seem like a bad idea.
Just then, my smart student notebook beeped with an alarm.
— [Sunwoo, can you watch over my training tomorrow?]
A message from Yoon Hayoung.
Training, huh. I had plenty of free time tomorrow, so I could help her anytime.
Besides, as her sparring partner, it was a long-standing tradition at this school to meet at least once or twice a week outside of class for additional practice.
— [Got it. Let’s meet at the training hall at 2 PM tomorrow.]
— [Oh! Thanks!!! See you tomorrow!]
I could practically hear her bright, cheerful tone through the message.
It made me smile unconsciously.
“Ah, right. I need to check the item.”
I pulled out the small box I had received earlier at the café.
Unwrapping it revealed a luxurious, small square case.
Next to it was a letter.
— [Here’s the item you requested. I wanted to deliver it myself, but I’ve been busy preparing for a new business lately. I picked the design myself—is that okay? – Han Se-yeon]
Seeing her neatly written, elegant handwriting made me chuckle.
Now, let’s take a look at the spending habits of a major conglomerate’s daughter.
I folded the letter and opened the case.
Inside was a silver bracelet, gleaming with a radiant light.
━━
Mana Alloy Bracelet (B)
Category: Bracelet
Description: A very durable bracelet infused with mana.
[Passive Effect]
▶ Custom Fit
Adjusts to the wearer’s wrist size.
Durability: SS
━━
“Oh, it even has an enchantment for a custom fit.”
This was the item I had asked Han Se-yeon for last night when she offered to get me something I needed.
The Mana Alloy Bracelet.
I wanted this bracelet for one simple reason.
Made from a special type of metal, it was incredibly durable and wouldn’t break easily, no matter how strong an attack it endured.
That’s why I planned to use the Magic Imbuement Scroll I obtained from the Tower of Proof to enchant this bracelet.
With its high durability, I wouldn’t have to worry about the enchantment getting nullified too easily.
I pulled out the Magic Imbuement Scroll, which I had carefully stored in my bag.
━━
[Magic Imbuement Scroll: Spell Barrier (B)]
Category: Magic Imbuement
Description: Grants a magical effect to an item.
[Active Effect]
▶ Spell Barrier
Deploys a protective shield that blocks one magical attack.
Cooldown: 12 hours
━━
“Alright, let’s do this.”
I held the Magic Imbuement Scroll and infused it with mana.
Immediately, the scroll emitted a radiant glow as the special characters inscribed on it lifted into the air.
Using my mana, I carefully embedded these magical characters into the bracelet, one by one.
As expected from an item made of mana alloy, the bracelet absorbed the characters smoothly without resistance.
After about a minute, the magic imbuement was successfully completed.
“Phew.”
I checked the bracelet’s updated effects.
━━
Mana Alloy Bracelet (B)
Category: Bracelet
Description: A very durable bracelet infused with mana.
[Passive Effect]
▶ Custom Fit
Adjusts to the wearer’s wrist size.
[Active Effect]
▶ Spell Barrier
Deploys a protective shield that blocks one magical attack.
Cooldown: 12 hours
Durability: SS
━━
“Nice, it worked.”
The bracelet now had a new active effect, allowing me to deploy the Spell Barrier whenever needed.
Now, I wanted to test it.
I wasn’t planning to go off-campus tomorrow, and with a 12-hour cooldown, it wouldn’t hurt to try it out now.
“Yeah, like I’ll need it within the next 12 hours anyway.”
Without hesitation, I channeled mana into the bracelet.
As it absorbed the energy, a translucent blue barrier formed in front of my palm.
It was about half the size of my body—large enough to block most magical attacks.
After approximately five seconds, the barrier faded away.
“So the duration is five seconds, huh.”
Well, five seconds was more than enough to block a single spell.
Satisfied, I smiled.
“…Ah, right.”
I almost forgot to send Han Se-yeon a thank-you message.
I grabbed my smartphone and quickly typed out a text.
— [I received the bracelet. It’s top quality. I’ll make good use of it.]
Sent.
About ten seconds later, a reply arrived, as fast as ever.
— [You’re welcome. Enjoy it ^^]
Saturday, 2 PM.
I headed to the magic training hall, the designated meeting place with Yoon Hayoung.
Although it was a holiday with no classes, quite a few students had gathered for magic training. About half of them were paired up, training together. They were likely practicing with their sparring partners.
Ignoring them, I entered one of the private training rooms within the hall.
Before leaving the dorm, Hayoung had already informed me of its location.
As I stepped inside, I saw her conjuring magic.
“Oh? Kim Sun-woo!”
She greeted me with a bright smile as soon as she saw me.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
After a brief exchange of greetings, I immediately got to work.
I laid out the weapons I had borrowed from the enhancement training hall on the floor—swords, spears, arrows, and so on. I pointed at them and said,
“Pick one.”
Hayoung tilted her head in confusion.
“What’s this for?”
“We trained in elemental control last time, so today, we’re working on form control. You can’t just keep creating weird lumps of ice forever.”
“Oh, right. I do need to practice form control.”
She nodded, understanding what I meant.
Form control.
Just like elemental training, it was an exercise to familiarize oneself with shaping magic into a desired form.
“Hmm… which one should I pick?”
“Just choose whatever feels most familiar to you.”
Hayoung placed a hand on her chin and carefully examined the weapons.
Watching her hesitate reminded me of a baby at a first birthday party, reaching for an object in a doljabi ritual.
Finally, she made her choice.
“This one.”
She picked up an arrow.
“Think carefully. Arrows are small, so they’re easy to materialize, but their destructive power is weak.”
“Yeah, I know. But I like this one.”
“Alright, then let’s go with that.”
In the original storyline, Hayoung specialized in summoning hundreds of ice arrows to darken the sky. Choosing an arrow meant the story hadn’t diverged too far from the original. That was a good sign.
“From now on, whenever you conjure something, visualize an arrow. But first, you need to memorize its structure.”
“The structure of an arrow?”
She blinked in surprise, as if she hadn’t expected that response.
I chuckled and pulled out my smart student notebook, searching for something. Then, I showed her the screen.
“Here. This explains everything about arrows—what they are and how they’re made.”
“Oh…”
“Copy all of this down and memorize it.”
In form training, understanding the shape you wanted to create was the most important factor.
To develop the imagination required for conjuring, this was an essential step.
“You want me to memorize all this?”
“Yeah. And make sure you can also draw it exactly as it is. Study how arrows fly, too—their mechanics and principles.”
“Ugh…”
Hayoung groaned with a miserable expression.
I smirked at her reaction.
“Save that for when you’re back in the dorm. For now, let’s just continue with your elemental manifestation training. Go ahead, conjure something.”
Choi Seo-yoon was observing an unusual scene at the magic training hall.
Kim Sun-woo, known as the lowest-ranked student in the second year, was teaching a female student the fundamentals of magic.
The girl was likely Yoon Hayoung, who ranked around 80th in the second year.
Since Seo-yoon memorized the faces of all ice-element users, she recognized her immediately.
At first, she had only been watching out of idle curiosity.
But at some point, she became so engrossed that she couldn’t take her eyes off them.
Kim Sun-woo’s teaching method was unexpectedly clear and systematic.
It was as if he had an exceptional grasp of the fundamentals—almost textbook-perfect.
Seo-yoon tilted her head.
‘Wasn’t Kim Sun-woo ranked last?’
How could someone at the bottom have such a high understanding of magic?
With that level of comprehension, he should at least be in the middle ranks.
Something didn’t add up.
And wasn’t he originally in the enhancement class until just a few months ago?
He hadn’t even been studying manifestation magic for very long.
She was lost in thought when a voice called out from behind her.
“Seo-yoon! What are you doing here?”
Turning around, she saw her close friend, Song Seung-ah, approaching with a cheerful smile.
Seo-yoon responded with a grin.
“Oh? Nothing. Just taking a break from training.”
Seung-ah glanced toward the direction Seo-yoon had been staring.
“Huh? That’s Kim Sun-woo, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“Whoa, who’s that next to him? She’s adorable.”
“No idea. Probably his sparring partner.”
“A sparring partner? Ohh, I see. Wait… is he teaching magic?”
“Seems like it.”
“Wow… I guess he’s a real model student, huh? Even though he’s ranked last, he’s got a solid grasp of theory.”
“…Model student?”
Seo-yoon’s face stiffened at those words.
Kim Sun-woo, a model student?
“Who told you that?”
“Obviously, it’s about Kim Sun-woo. Haven’t you heard the rumors?”
“What rumors?”
“He’s got the best reputation among the teachers lately. Apparently, he participates well in class and scores better than expected in practical subjects. They say he’s really diligent. Some even claim he cleans the school when no one’s around.”
“…Seriously?”
Seo-yoon stared at Kim Sun-woo in disbelief.
A model student?
‘The same guy who smuggled beer onto campus?’
From the top floor of a high-rise building, one could take in the entire night view of Seoul.
A man stood there, gazing down at the city lights.
“It’s been a while, Ha-ryeong.”
A voice emerged from the shadows, calling out to him.
The man, addressed as Ha-ryeong, continued staring at the view as he responded.
“What is it?”
“Two days ago, I lost contact with my comrade, Baek Kang. After investigating, I found that his last known location was the underground arena you oversee. I wanted to ask if you knew anything about this.”
“I’m afraid I don’t.”
“Then, do you happen to know a man named Kim Jin-woo?”
At the mention of that name, Ha-ryeong fell silent.
Kim Jinwoo.
The masked man who had bet big on the rookie fighter, Liang Liang.
After the underground matches ended, Ha-ryeong had personally ordered his subordinates to look into him.
And now, that name was coming up again.
“Yes, I know him.”
“I see. It just seemed odd that someone like Baek Kang would vanish without a trace. That’s why I wanted to ask. If that’s the case, then about Kim Jin-woo…”
“Cheonhae.”
“Yes, Ha-ryeong?”
“He’s my client. Don’t touch him.”
Cheonhae fell silent.
Ha-ryeong was one of the few S-rank demons in the entire world, one of fewer than ten.
Despite his overwhelming power, he was neither arrogant nor reckless. He was a man of wisdom.
Yet for the first time ever, he had given a direct, forceful order.
Cheonhae swallowed hard.
“…May I ask why?”
“Because I find him interesting.”
Ha-ryeong recalled the underground matches.
Kim Jinwoo.
He had known that Liang Liang would defeat Yang Hong-joo.
It wasn’t just luck.
Even after Liang Liang’s victory, there wasn’t a hint of surprise or excitement on his face.
That meant he had foreseen it.
Ha-ryeong couldn’t shake a thought from his mind.
Did he possess the power to read the future?
‘I need to find out.’
Whether Kim Jinwoo truly had the ability to see the future.
Leave a Reply