I figured out the situation. After spending about 10 minutes browsing the internet, I discovered that the video of today’s public ranking evaluation test had gone viral across various community sites.
━━
[Current State of the Magic Academy Public Test LOL.avi]
▶ Comments
[Magic schools have really dropped in quality lately, LOL.]
ㄴ[No, it’s just this one person who’s weird.]
ㄴ[Apparently, they’re in the same grade as Chairman Kim Jin-cheol’s protégé. Total opposites, LOL.]
ㄴ[Shouldn’t they investigate admissions fraud? This is supposed to be the best school in the world, LOL.]
━━
“Huh…”
I never imagined my test video would become such a hot topic.
It was both ridiculous and embarrassing. I didn’t bother reading through the overwhelmingly negative comments, but strangely, it didn’t feel that bad.
[Current Points: 25,700]
And why would it? I had earned a whopping 14,000 points in such a short time.
Including the points I received during today’s ranking test, I’d managed to rake in 25,000 points in a single day.
“I only need 5,000 more…”
The Returner’s Wristwatch sitting in my cart.
Initially, I’d planned to take my time earning points to buy it, but now I was just 5,000 points shy.
Now that I was so close, impatience began creeping in.
“Can’t I get more reputation points…?”
I kept checking the view count on the video out of sheer habit.
At some point, it seemed like the video had stopped gaining engagements, buried under newer posts.
Was this the end? Should I give up here?
“No.”
I opened my browser and logged into a famous community site, Hermes.
Hermes was the most visited site in this world, making it the best platform to boost video views.
I hit the “Create Post” button and uploaded my test video.
It felt absurd to be the one spreading a video mocking myself, but the situation had already spiraled out of control.
Might as well earn some points out of it.
[Current State of Magic Academy Students.avi]
“Does this work?”
I hesitated over whether the title was attention-grabbing enough but decided to post it anyway.
With high hopes, I waited for five minutes.
[Views: 13]
“…It’s getting buried.”
The post had already been pushed to page five. At this rate, there was no way I’d earn enough points.
“Was the title too bland?”
Come to think of it, that was probably the issue. With so many posts vying for attention, even I wouldn’t have clicked on a title like that.
In that case…
[Shocking Scandal of an S-Class Mage Going Wild Today ㄷㄷㄷ]
I felt a bit guilty about the misleading title, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Post submitted.
About a minute passed.
[Views: 1,543]
“Of course!”
The views shot up to 1,500 in no time. Among the posts on page one, mine stood out prominently.
━━
[Video]
[Sorry, I used clickbait to get your attention. Is this really the current state of magic academy students?]
▶ Comments
[Blocked.]
[What’s wrong with this guy? Seriously.]
[Ugh, I got baited.]
[Are you sick or something?]
[Standards really are low.]
[I’ve never used magic in my life, but I can tell this person sucks at it.]
━━
Predictably, the comments were harsh.
But it didn’t matter. The views were steadily climbing.
“This is it.”
I began posting the same video to other communities. Five in total.
After some time and a lot of effort, an explosive reaction finally appeared.
Ding!
[2,000 people have remembered your face.]
[You’ve earned 5,000 points as a reward.]
“Got it!”
It wasn’t the most elegant method, but I’d achieved my goal.
Now, I had enough points to buy the Returner’s Wristwatch.
I immediately opened the Points Shop and checked my cart.
━━
[Returner’s Wristwatch (B)]
Category: Item
Description: A wristwatch once used by a returner, imbued with special powers.
[Passive Effect]
▶ Turning Clock Hands:
- Increases stamina and mana regeneration rate by 200%.
- Increases stamina and mana by 2.
Durability: B
Price: 30,000
━━
30,000 points.
Who would’ve thought I’d earn that many in a single day?
Long live the ranking test. Long live the internet.
[You have purchased the Returner’s Wristwatch (B).]
A bright white light burst forth in front of me. It gradually took shape, transforming into a wristwatch.
The watch’s design was classic yet exuded an air of elegance.
When I put it on, a message appeared.
[The effect of the Returner’s Wristwatch (B) has been activated.]
[Stamina and mana regeneration rates have increased by 200%.]
[Stamina has increased by 2.]
[Mana has increased by 2.]
I could feel energy coursing through my body. My mana, previously depleted, was slowly recovering.
I was completely satisfied.
The next morning on the way to school.
As I walked down the hallway toward my morning class, I could feel the stares of the other students. Judging by their less-than-kind looks, it was clear nothing good was being said about me.
“Isn’t that the guy?”
“Yeah, the one all over the internet yesterday.”
From their murmurs, I gathered they were talking about the video from yesterday. Well, considering how widely I shared the video, it’s no wonder the rumor spread across campus.
Because of me, not only was I being insulted, but the entire school was being dragged down with me.
Of course, I didn’t really care if anyone else was getting criticized.
“Ah, senior!”
A voice suddenly called out to me.
Turning my head, I saw a female student approaching with a bright smile.
“Hello!”
She had short hair and acted as if we were already familiar. A quick glance at her name tag revealed her name: Song Seung-ah.
Song Seung-ah? The name sounded familiar. Where had I heard it before?
When I didn’t respond, she spoke again.
“Don’t you remember me?”
“Uh… not really?”
“On the first day of school, I woke you up on the bus!”
Ah, that’s right.
Now I remembered—she was the one who had woken me up on that first day.
“Oh, yeah, I remember now.”
“Hehe, it’s so nice to see you again. By the way, senior, did you know you became famous online overnight?”
“…More or less.”
“Don’t pay too much attention to it. People are just nitpicking because they have nothing better to do,” Seung-ah said, patting my arm as if to comfort me.
While her words were kind, they didn’t feel particularly reassuring.
For a moment, I wondered if she was teasing me, though her tone didn’t suggest any ill intent.
“Seung-ah, we need to get to class.”
Another voice called out to her from behind. It sounded strangely familiar.
Looking past Seung-ah, I saw a girl I immediately recognized: Choi Seo-yoon, the top-ranked first-year student.
Oh, that’s why the name Song Seung-ah felt familiar—she was Seo-yoon’s best friend.
Seung-ah turned back to me, her face lighting up.
“Seo-yoon, you know this senior, right? We watched his video together yesterday.”
Seo-yoon’s gaze landed on me. Her face brightened with her trademark warm smile as she gave a polite bow.
“Hello, senior.”
“…Hey.”
I returned the greeting somewhat awkwardly, feeling uneasy under her gaze. Maybe it was because I knew that her friendly demeanor was part of her carefully calculated persona.
When I didn’t say much, Seo-yoon kept smiling and stared at me.
“What?”
“Oh, nothing. You seem upset. Don’t be discouraged! I saw the video—hang in there!”
With a cheerful “Fighting!” and a raised fist, Seo-yoon gave off her usual positivity.
“…Thanks.”
Glancing at my watch, I noticed it was almost time for class. I figured it was best to move on.
“I should head to class.”
“Ah, okay! See you later, senior! We need to get to class too.”
“Alright, see you.”
As Seo-yoon and Seung-ah waved goodbye, I turned and headed toward my classroom.
“Wait.”
A thought struck me: interacting with major characters in the storyline often grants bonus points. Maybe I should’ve talked to them more.
‘No, it’s fine. There’ll be plenty of chances later.’
Just as I decided to let it go, a system message popped up before my eyes.
[Character ‘Choi Seo-yoon’ has taken an interest in you.]
[Reward: 500 points.]
…What? Why?
* * *
The first class of the day was Classical Magic Theory.
The teacher, an older woman in her sixties, speak in a dull voice.
Though the lecture was dull, I forced myself to focus—my last-place ranking meant I needed to put in extra effort to raise my grades.
“Now, the once-stable two-school system of magic collapsed. Can anyone explain why?”
I raised my hand immediately. The teacher smiled and gestured for me to speak.
“Yes, Mr. Kim Sun-woo?”
“In the 18th century, the emergence of the first reinforcement-type mage, the Blood Sword, shattered the balance.”
“Correct! Very well done.”
The teacher’s praise filled me with a sense of accomplishment.
Participation counts for 20% of the total grade, so making a good impression in class was crucial.
“After this, the dominance of manifestation-type magic was challenged, leading to an explosion of research. This marked the beginning of a new era…”
Thanks to my unique skill, Outsider’s Privilege, I could recall external information with ease. This made theoretical subjects like this a breeze, even if they were difficult for others.
The teacher continued, “As the two schools of magic competed, what was the inevitable outcome?”
I raised my hand again, and the teacher chuckled.
“Mr. Kim Sun-woo, you seem very enthusiastic today. Please answer.”
“A war broke out between the emerging reinforcement-type mages and the traditional manifestation-type mages.”
My answer sparked murmurs among the other students.
“Is he trying to be Hermione or something?”
“Heh, Hermione.”
“Does it even matter? He’s already dead last anyway.”
Their comments didn’t bother me. Let them talk.
“Excellent answer, Mr. Kim Sun-woo. You must study hard regularly. It’s admirable!”
The teacher’s compliments only seemed to fuel the other students’ jealousy.
Too bad for them—if they wanted the spotlight, they should’ve raised their hands.
By the end of class, I had participated six more times, ensuring the teacher wouldn’t forget me anytime soon.
“That’s it for today. It’s nice to see such active participation in the first lecture—especially from you, Mr. Kim Sun-woo. I heard someone maliciously spread a video to humiliate you yesterday. Don’t let it get to you, and keep doing your best!”
Her kind words were heartwarming, though it amused me that she had no idea I was the one who uploaded the video.
I couldn’t help but wonder—how would she react if she found out?
Leave a Reply