As expected, due to the incident yesterday, classes were delayed until 1 PM.
The official reason was to allow time for security-related teacher meetings and other matters.
Looking down through the classroom window, I could see many people who appeared to be mages from the association guarding the school.
“Everyone must be feeling unsettled after what happened yesterday. Some of you went through serious danger, while others may not have. But I’m sure all of you realized something in common.”
The morning assembly.
No, wait, since it’s 1 PM, is it really a morning assembly?
…Anyway.
In the 2nd-year Class A classroom, where the students had gathered, Jang Ancheol spoke with an unusually serious expression.
“It’s the danger of the demons. And also, just how much humans are exposed to their threats.”
The students remained silent, their faces stiff.
Certainly, what happened yesterday might have been quite shocking for these young teenagers. After all, they could have lost their lives.
Looking at the students, Jang Ancheol gave a small smile, perhaps trying to ease their tension.
“That’s why you all need to train even harder. If you want to survive against such wicked demons, that is.”
“Yes!”
The students answered in unison. Their response was strong and determined.
“Alright, now I have a few more announcements. As you already know, the midterm exam has been cancelled. The remaining scores will be replaced by your usual class grades, assignment scores, and magic performance evaluations.”
“Ah…”
Sighs spread among the students.
Then, complaints erupted from a few of them.
“That’s not fair!”
“I’m doomed. My class grades are terrible.”
Clap!
As the classroom became noisy, Jang Ancheol clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Alright, quiet down. I’ve told you time and time again how important your class performance and participation are. And I’ve also mentioned that, depending on circumstances, your class scores could impact your exam grades. Are you really going to complain about it now?”
“……”
At his words, the students fell silent.
“Of course, I understand that some of you feel it’s unfair. However, this midterm exam won’t heavily affect your final grades. Instead, the second midterm and final exams will have a higher weight in your overall score, so keep that in mind.”
That was the end of the discussion.
Jang Ancheol swiftly turned and left through the classroom door.
As soon as he was gone, murmurs of disappointment spread among some students again.
Personally, I didn’t mind. I had been keeping up with my class performance, so this wasn’t a bad situation for me. In fact, it might even be better.
“Hmm…”
According to the school notice, there wouldn’t be regular classes today or tomorrow.
Instead, they had scheduled demon safety training.
It was probably because some students were injured and unable to attend school.
I glanced toward the seats of Yoon Hayoung and Yoo Ara.
Empty.
Both of them had been hospitalized and couldn’t come to school.
Still, since their injuries weren’t severe, they were expected to be discharged soon…
“Oh? Yoon Hayoung and Yoo Ara are here.”
“Huh? Weren’t they hospitalized? Did they already get discharged?”
Yoon Hayoung and Yoo Ara opened the classroom door and walked in.
What? They’re already back?
“Yeah, it wasn’t that bad. Haha.”
“That’s a relief. Oh, right! You two even took down a demon, didn’t you? That’s amazing.”
The room suddenly became lively.
As the chatter filled the room, my eyes happened to meet Yoo Ara’s.
She was giving me a strange look.
I couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but she was definitely aware of me.
“…What’s that about?”
Just then, the classroom’s ceiling speaker emitted an announcement.
— Yoo Ara, Yoon Hayoung, and Kim Sun-woo. Please come to the faculty office immediately.
Mage Association Special Task Force Headquarters.
Kim Deokhyun sat in a chair, thinking about what had happened the day before.
“…Something’s not right.”
Why did the demons attack the Mage Academy?
It didn’t make sense.
Demons were cunning creatures.
While they sometimes went berserk and attacked humans indiscriminately, they were usually highly intelligent and meticulous.
They preferred to blend in among humans and slowly build their power.
“So why would they suddenly pull something like this?”
For them to launch a direct assault on the Mage Academy, there must have been a reason.
And the fact that they even set up a barrier to trap the mages meant this had been planned for quite some time.
“Hmm…”
Then, he suddenly recalled the demon that was taken down by the students yesterday.
Yoo Ara, an unfamiliar girl, and Kim Sun-woo.
Those three had defeated the demon.
Based on the intensity of the magic he had sensed from afar, the enemy had been at least a B-rank demon.
Of course, Yoo Ara’s talent was well-known. If the three of them had worked together, they might have been able to defeat it.
But something still didn’t add up.
The traces left on the demon’s body didn’t seem like magic used by students.
Even considering Yoo Ara’s genius, the damage was beyond what she should be capable of…
Moreover, there were no signs of fire magic, her specialty.
“Then was it Yoon Hayoung? Or Kim Sun-woo?”
As he was lost in thought, the door suddenly burst open.
“Senior!”
Jung Hyunsoo called out urgently as he entered.
Kim Deokhyun turned to him and asked, “What? What’s wrong?”
“There’s been a terrorist attack in Incheon!”
“What?!”
The reason Yoo Ara, Yoon Hayoung, and I had been called to the faculty office was for a reward related to the demon subjugation.
As a result, I now had 5 million won of free money deposited into my account. *3,435 USD
I couldn’t help but grin.
“Here, you take this reward.”
As soon as we left the office, Yoo Ara suddenly spoke up.
“You’re giving it to me?”
“You’re the one who defeated the demon. Why should I take this?”
“No, I got there when the demon was already half-dead.”
“Don’t exaggerate. It wasn’t that bad.”
Yoo Ara narrowed her eyes and spoke firmly.
“Just take it.”
At my response, she frowned.
Then, she suddenly turned to Yoon Hayoung.
“Then Hayoung, you take it.”
“Huh? No way! I barely did anything!”
Yoon Hayoung quickly waved her hands in refusal.
Yoo Ara let out a deep sigh, looking back and forth between the two of us.
“…One of you just take it. It’s seriously embarrassing for me to accept this when all I did was pass out like an idiot.”
This girl’s pride is no joke.
Turning down five million won just because she finds it embarrassing?
She must not understand the value of money since she’s still young.
“Then give it to me.”
If someone’s offering five million won, there’s no reason not to take it.
Besides, rejecting money just to save face isn’t my style.
You take what you can while you can.
At that moment, Yoon Hayoung’s gaze turned to me.
“Huh…? Then I’ll give you mine too.”
What’s with her now?
“Why would you?”
“…Well, because you helped me.”
She answered with an awkward smile.
“You don’t have to.”
“Why not?”
“You actually dealt a solid blow to the Demon. Honestly, your contribution was the biggest in taking it down.”
“But I’m not even sure if that was really my doing.”
I let out a chuckle.
Even though she possesses the power of the Extinguisher—the natural enemy of the demons—she has no clue what kind of power she holds.
But I can’t let her stay in the dark forever.
She needs to learn how to use her power soon so she can protect herself from the mines.
“It was definitely you.”
“What are you talking about? You didn’t even see me using magic.”
“No, it was you.”
Because in this world, you’re the only one with the power of the Extinguisher.
“…Really?”
“Yeah.”
Hearing my firm response, Yoon Hayoung nodded as if she understood.
“Okay. If Sun-woo says so, then I guess it’s true. You’ve never been wrong before, after all.”
She believes me, even though I gave no evidence.
It seems she trusts me quite a bit.
At that moment, Yoo Ara, who had been quietly watching our conversation, spoke up.
“Kim Sun-woo.”
“Hm?”
“But you…”
She trailed off as if about to say something, then shut her mouth.
Then, she glanced at Yoon Hayoung, as if checking her reaction.
“What?”
I asked, but Yoo Ara shook her head.
“It’s nothing. Let’s talk about it later.”
…What’s with her now?
A massive hologram was playing on the classroom podium.
The video covered the history and behaviors of the mines—an educational program produced by the Mage Association for mine-terror safety training.
But the students seemed uninterested.
Some were sleeping, while others were playing games on their smart student notebooks.
Meanwhile, Yoo Ara sat in her seat, lost in deep thought.
‘What is it…’
She rested her chin on her desk and stared at the back of Kim Sun-woo, who was lying down.
Kim Sun-woo.
Up until last year, he was a completely unremarkable student.
His magic skills were nothing special, and he didn’t stand out in any other way either.
But ever since he became a second-year, it was as if he had turned into a completely different person.
He started attracting attention in various areas, and just yesterday, he displayed battle prowess so incredible it was hard to believe even after witnessing it firsthand.
Against a B-rank demon, no less.
What was that?
She had replayed the scene in her mind countless times since yesterday.
No matter how much she thought about it, the power he demonstrated wasn’t at a student’s level.
Strong mana, and the ability to wield it freely.
Other students might not have been able to gauge the level of magic he used, but Yoo Ara was different.
When it came to manifestation-type magic, she was among the top students in the entire school of 150.
Because of that, she knew—Kim Sun-woo’s magic ability had surpassed the realm of mere talent.
‘…Then why?’
Why does he only show a fraction of his power?
The abilities he had displayed at school so far were just a tiny fraction of what he showed yesterday.
Despite having an immense amount of mana, he pretended to suffer mana depletion on the first day of the public test.
And during Monday’s basic magic assessment, instead of using strong manifestation-type magic like yesterday, he had deliberately used his secondary specialty, reinforcement magic, as if he were holding back.
Even in the support magic, which was neither his main nor secondary specialty, he had refused a special talent scholarship that the instructor had personally offered him.
‘There must be a reason.’
A talent rivaling Lee Seo-jun’s…
No, perhaps something even greater.
Despite possessing such monstrous genius, he chose to hide his power.
Does he have some kind of backstory?
But what kind of past could someone his age even have?
Maybe…
Maybe he carries the same pain as I do…
Suddenly, Yoo Ara found herself recalling her childhood.
A past filled with misfortune.
Separation.
Suffering.
Pain.
The terrible incident that forced her to live such a hardened life.
“What’s got you thinking so hard?”
A voice suddenly snapped Yoo Ara out of her thoughts.
She turned her head to see Yoon Hayoung, who had moved to the seat beside her, smiling.
“It’s nothing. I just started thinking about something else.”
“Thinking about what?”
“Just… old memories.”
“Hmm. I see.”
Yoon Hayoung seemed like she wanted to ask more, but she stopped herself.
Maybe it was just her imagination, but she thought she heard sadness in Yoo Ara’s voice.
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