“Student Kim Sun-woo, Student Yoon Hayoung. That was a very high-level duel.”
Jang Ancheol spoke while looking back and forth between me and Yoon Hayoung with a satisfied expression.
At the unexpected praise, Yoon Hayoung smiled brightly and bowed her head.
“Thank you.”
“Student Yoon Hayoung, your skills have improved tremendously in just a few days. Seeing how the manifestation of your magic has become more distinct, it looks like you started training from the basics again.”
“Yes, I refocused on elemental and form training as Sun-woo advised.”
At Yoon Hayoung’s words, Jang Ancheol gave me a curious look.
“Elemental and form training. That’s an accurate piece of advice.”
Saying that, Jang Ancheol then turned to me.
“By the way, Student Kim Sun-woo, I noticed that you mainly used reinforcement magic in today’s duel. Is there a particular reason for that?”
The reason I focused on reinforcement magic…
I thought about how to answer but decided to just be honest.
“It’s to compensate for my lack of mana.”
“…Is that so? If that’s the case, why not just switch your specialty to reinforcement magic? From what I saw in your movements, you’re quite skilled.”
Jang Ancheol made the suggestion with a serious expression.
I didn’t expect to hear someone tell me to change my specialty again after previously being advised to move away from support magic.
“I belong to manifestation magic.”
At my response, Jang Ancheol chuckled as if he found it amusing.
“Is that so? With physical abilities like yours, it seems a shame to stay in manifestation magic.”
He muttered to himself as if deep in thought before continuing.
“Hmm. What a waste. I think I understand how Teacher Kim Yunjin must have felt. Well, it’s your choice. Do your best.”
The next day.
After lunch, there was an hour of free time. Students either ran around the field or spent time on their own.
I sat on a bench and used my smart student notebook to access the internet, checking on international affairs whenever I had the chance.
What should I look at first?
I entered the news tab and clicked on a headline.
[The blatant murders by demonic beings have begun. Four murder cases have been discovered just this week. The Mage Association has announced that they are putting all efforts into tracking them down.]
It was an article about Jang Ye.
I wanted to report her immediately, but even if I did, there was no proof that the human-disguised Jang Ye was actually a demonic being.
The only ways to distinguish between a demonic being and a human were to catch them in a rampage or use a special tool called the “Mirror of Truth.”
However, that Mirror of Truth had yet to appear in the world—it was a reward item from the 25th floor of the Tower of Survival.
‘Still, she must be feeling the pressure.’
She had been actively committing murders for the past few days, but nothing had happened yesterday or today.
It seemed she was being cautious due to the Mage Association’s heightened surveillance.
She would probably be even more careful with her actions moving forward.
“Hmm…”
As I scrolled through the articles, another one caught my eye.
[Hanseong Pharmaceuticals discovers a special medicinal ingredient. All drug effects expected to increase by up to 20%…]
Just as Han Se-yeon had predicted, the article had been published today.
In the accompanying photo, Han Se-yeon was elegantly dressed, looking quite impressive.
The comments were overwhelmingly positive.
Since she was both the daughter of a conglomerate family and highly competent—not to mention her striking appearance—she had built a likable public image.
Thanks to that, Hanseong Pharmaceuticals’ stock price was skyrocketing.
The value of the 2 billion won I invested yesterday had already surpassed 2.5 billion.
By next week, it would likely exceed 3.5 billion.
“Heh.”
A memory from my past life surfaced.
I had spent three years diligently saving money just to buy an apartment in Seoul.
Every morning, I commuted to the guild, risked my life clearing dungeons and towers, and worked tirelessly.
The earnings I made were then split among guild members.
Being a mage was a dangerous profession, but it was also one of the most lucrative.
Still, as a C-rank mage back then, I would have needed at least three years of effort and time to earn a few billion won.
Yet now, by simply utilizing my knowledge of the future, I had made this kind of money in just three weeks.
What kind of life had I even been living before my regression?
“The world is truly unfair.”
Time passed quickly.
To prepare for the midterms next week, I trained on my own every day after school.
And before I knew it, it was Sunday.
As usual, I was at the physical training room, building up my strength through exercise.
By increasing my food intake over the past few days and gradually raising my workout intensity, I had gained some muscle.
Of course, the biggest credit went to the “Returner’s Wristwatch,” which had a stamina recovery effect.
“Huff! Huff!”
Panting, I momentarily stopped running and sat on a bench, drinking water in large gulps.
“Every time I see that guy, I’m amazed by his endurance.”
“Yeah, he always looks like he’s about to drop dead, but he never stops running.”
“It’s sheer determination.”
I heard murmurs around me, people speaking as they watched me in disbelief.
Ignoring them, I stood up after a five-minute break.
It was time for weight training.
I added 80kg plates to each side of the bar and lifted it.
“Urgh!”
Thanks to reinforcing my muscles with mana, I was able to bench press over 180kg with ease.
“Wait, isn’t he a manifestation mage?”
“Yeah, I think so. I heard he originally specialized in reinforcement magic but switched to manifestation.”
“Seeing how well he handles strength enhancement, he seems wasted in manifestation magic.”
“I don’t get it either. Why switch and end up ranking last in the school? Haha.”
Did these guys come here to work out or to gossip?
“Phew.”
I wiped my sweat and added more weights.
With this, including the bar, the total was now 200kg.
“Huff.”
Taking a deep breath, I lifted it up.
“Ugh!”
Got it!
[‘800 Mana-Weighted Total’ achievement unlocked.]
[1,000 points have been awarded as a reward.]
“Whew.”
I did it.
Safely placing the bar back on the rack, I closed my eyes and lay back on the bench.
Another new record achieved today.
Considering my body weight, this was an absurd figure, but it was possible because I strengthened my muscles with mana.
Unlike mana training, physical conditioning showed immediate results, which I found satisfying.
As I enjoyed that feeling of accomplishment, a female voice spoke from beside me.
“Hello.”
I lifted my head to see a strikingly beautiful woman smiling at me.
It was Jang Ye.
“Hello.”
I greeted her with a calm nod. I didn’t know why she was approaching me, but it was important to act naturally.
She nodded back and said,
“We’ve met before, haven’t we? You’re Seo-Jun’s friend, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct. But why do you ask?”
“I was just curious about something.”
“Curious?”
“Do you have any siblings?”
Siblings?
“There isn’t.”
“What about other family members?”
I grasped the intent behind the question.
She must be suspecting whether I had any connection to the one who killed her father, Jang Han.
Still, why is the pattern always the same?
Do you have siblings…? Do you have family…?
“No. I don’t have any family. I’ve been alone since I was a child.”
In reality, I did have family, but at least in this world, I was set up to be without one.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Jang Ye put on a slightly flustered expression. As expected of a demon whose daily life was an act, her acting skills were excellent.
“It’s fine.”
“Your name is Kim Sun-woo, right?”
“Yes.”
“This might sound rude, but I found out your name from a MeTube video.”
“Oh, that’s fine. I’m used to it.”
At my words, Jang Ye smiled.
“I see. You just reminded me of someone I know, so I asked. Since it’s not the case, I have nothing more to say. Sorry for taking your time.”
She was about to leave when a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
The one and only way to quickly eliminate her with my own hands.
A way to be alone with her.
“Senior!”
At my call, Jang Ye halted her steps and turned around.
“Yes?”
“I’d like to get to know you better. Can I contact you?”
I said with the brightest smile in the world.
[Character ‘Jang Ye’ feels discomfort toward you.]
[You have received 500 points as a reward.]
[You have achieved the ‘First Rejection’ milestone.]
[You have received 1,000 points as a reward.]
“…Ah, damn.”
I got rejected.
I had asked if I could contact her with my best killer smile(?), but she completely shut me down.
—Sorry. You’re just not my type… I’m okay with us being good seniors and juniors, but personal contact is a bit much. Sorry.
“…Ha.”
Since she was a demon, I hadn’t actually meant what I said, but still, being turned down like this made me feel really awful.
Demons do have romantic feelings.
Some demons even hide their identities and date humans.
I hadn’t seriously intended to get involved with Jang Ye, but now that it had happened, I couldn’t help but feel bad.
“This is so demoralizing…”
If she was going to reject me, she should’ve just done it cleanly.
Why the unnecessary excuse about ‘not my type’?
And more than anything—‘discomfort’?
I approached her politely, didn’t I? What’s the issue? My face?
Just as I covered my face with my palm and wallowed in self-doubt—
“Kim Sun-woo, stay strong.”
A voice of consolation came from behind me.
When I turned around, Shin Young joon was looking at me with a subtle expression.
“What?”
“I saw it all.”
“…Saw what?”
“Tsk. You sure have high standards.”
[Character ‘Shin Young joon’ pities you.]
[You have received 500 points as a reward.]
“…”
Shin Young joon patted my shoulder.
I had no idea where to even begin refuting him.
But no matter what I said, he wouldn’t listen.
I let out a sigh of resignation.
“Think whatever you want.”
“Hey, what the hell is this?”
“Crazy, right?”
A small café in Seoul.
Jung Yoon-seul was staring at the screen of a smart pad in shock.
On the screen, a male student was rapidly dispelling a barrier set up inside a dungeon. His skills were so astonishing that it was hard to believe even after watching it.
“Is this even possible?”
“I know, right? It’s absolutely insane.”
When the video ended, Jung Yoon-seul replayed it again. Even on a second viewing, it didn’t make sense.
Support-type magic was composed of complex magic formulas.
To dispel it, one had to analyze and interpret the formula from scratch, which wasn’t an easy task even for veteran support mages.
Yet this student had done it in just one minute.
It wasn’t just talent—it was something beyond exceptional.
“What’s this guy’s name?”
“Kim Sun-woo.”
“This guy’s the real deal. Back in the day, I used to be called a prodigy, but he’s on another level.”
At Jung Yoon-seul’s muttering, Kim Yunjin spoke.
“The problem is, Sun-woo has no intention of specializing in support magic.”
“What? He’s not a support mage?!”
Jung Yoon-seul shouted in disbelief.
The people in the café turned to look at them.
Feeling embarrassed, Kim Yunjin lowered her voice and whispered.
“…No.”
“Wait, he has this level of formula analysis ability, and he’s not even using support magic as his main specialty?”
“Not even as a secondary specialty.”
Jung Yoon-seul blinked in shock at Kim Yunjin’s response.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. I tried really hard to convince him to switch to support magic, but he refused. He was so firm about it that I gave up. Listening to him, it felt like he had some kind of reason.”
“A reason? What kind of reason would make him give up on this talent? Hah, this guy’s interesting.”
Jung Yoon-seul scrolled through other videos.
Week 1, Week 2… and now Week 3.
Since he had achieved this speed three weeks in a row, it was proof of true skill rather than coincidence.
Was something like this even possible?
“This is fun. Really fun.”
“I figured you’d react this way, Master.”
“If it’s me, sure, but any support mage would react the same way.”
At that, Kim Yunjin chuckled softly.
“That’s true.”
“What could it be? Maybe he unlocked some kind of special trait?”
“A trait? Hmm… But is there a trait that perfectly deciphers magic formulas? That’d be way too overpowered.”
“You’ve got a point. Traits usually just assist the user’s abilities, not outright do the work for them.”
Jung Yoon-seul finished the remaining coffee in her cup.
“Anyway, I have to meet this guy.”
TL : This is what the main character looks like, so you can’t blame the girl, to be honest.
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