I nodded at Lee Seo-jun’s words.
After all, as long as Lee Seo-jun is on the team, it’s enough. With him alone, a top-three rank is practically guaranteed.
“Sure, no problem.”
At my answer, Lee Seo-jun smiled. That ridiculously handsome smile annoyed me for some reason.
“Oh, by the way, I’ve been meaning to ask. Your specialty is manifestation magic, right?”
“That’s right.”
“What about your secondary skill? Oh, let me guess—it’s enhancement magic, isn’t it?”
A secondary skill refers to a supplementary specialization among the four branches of magic. Usually, enhancement mages take support magic as their secondary skill, and manifestation mages often choose enhancement.
Of course, that’s not an absolute rule—exceptions exist.
Incidentally, summoning and support magic are so complex and distinctive that very few people specialize in them.
“Yeah, my secondary skill is enhancement magic.”
“Then we’ll need to recruit someone proficient in support magic.”
Lee Seo-jun, being a rare case, specializes in enhancement magic while mastering manifestation magic as a secondary skill. He uses a high-level technique called “synergy,” combining enhancement and manifestation magic simultaneously.
In other words, this team needs someone who can handle support magic effectively.
Lee Seo-jun seemed to think for a moment before nodding as if he had made up his mind.
“Alright. Let’s do our best this semester.”
He extended his hand, and I took it in a firm handshake.
[The character, ‘Lee Seo-jun,’ has taken a keen interest in you.]
[You have earned 2,000 points as a reward.]
After all the classes had ended, I headed to the Mana Training Hall.
The first week hadn’t even passed yet, so the place was crowded with students chatting among themselves.
I couldn’t understand why they were socializing here instead of in the lounge or the campus café, but I ignored them and entered the training area.
As soon as I stepped in, I felt the weight of people’s stares.
“Isn’t that him?”
“Oh, from the test video?”
“What an embarrassment to the school, seriously.”
Some whispered among themselves, while others openly sneered at me.
Annoying as it was, I brushed it off and made my way to a private training room.
“Sigh.”
The private room door opened after I scanned my smart student handbook against the sensor.
―Beep!
Inside, a long, empty space stretched out before me. It looked like a private baseball field or a bowling alley at first glance.
In many ways, manifestation magic resembles pitching in baseball. Velocity, power, and precision—these three aspects are equally critical.
I activated the summoning device designed for training.
[Target creation initiated.]
[Setting target movement.]
[Target movement set to ‘Fast.’]
With a sound, a “doll” appeared—a humanoid figure generated by the magical device. It immediately began darting left and right erratically.
I conjured my magic and started compressing my mana, just as I had during the public test.
Of course, this time I reduced the amount of mana being compressed to avoid repeating the failure from before.
The next step was discharge and control.
Yesterday, I failed to release the magic properly due to insufficient mana.
Today’s goal was to experiment and determine how much mana I could safely compress without issues.
“Haaah!”
I launched the spell directly at the moving target.
―Whoosh!
The mana sphere sliced through the air. I could feel my mana draining rapidly as I focused on its release.
As the sphere closed in on the target, I moved to the control phase.
―Crash!
The target’s head shattered, and a score appeared.
[96 points.]
“…Phew.”
Fortunately, the first attempt was a success, and the score was decent.
It seemed this was the maximum amount of mana I could safely compress and release.
Without the mana recovery and boost provided by the Returnee’s Wristwatch, even this level would have been a stretch.
“Next comes the real challenge.”
The immense mana consumption left me hesitant to try another shot, but I had to push forward.
Understanding my current limitations objectively was the priority.
[Generating the same target.]
[Increasing target count to 3.]
This time, I opted for a standard casting without compression.
Though less destructive, it was all I could manage with my remaining mana.
I conjured another spell and fired rapidly, launching three consecutive shots.
―Whoosh!
Three glowing blue projectiles streaked toward the targets, leaving faint trails in the air.
―Smash! Smash! Smash!
One by one, the targets’ heads exploded, and scores appeared.
[78 points.]
[68 points.]
[51 points.]
“…Tch.”
The last spell failed to connect properly due to insufficient mana.
So, this was my limit: one compressed shot followed by three standard ones.
It wasn’t nearly enough for combat, but with the wristwatch’s mana recovery, I might be able to stretch it a little further.
“Alright.”
With my limits clear, it was time to move on to mana cultivation.
[Your mana has increased by 0.02.]
[You have gained an additional 0.03 mana from the effect of Nature’s Blessing.]
[Training progress for Nature’s Blessing has increased by 12%.]
After finishing about two hours of mana cultivation, I opened my eyes.
Finally, it felt like I had safely wrapped up the day. Stretching contentedly, I stood up.
“Ahhh, this feels great.”
Just the thought of returning to my dorm to relax made me happy.
‘Man, cracking open a can of beer after this would be perfect.’
The mere imagination of it brought me joy.
But alas, I was still underage. Even if I wanted to, there was no way to get beer.
And getting caught drinking on school grounds would at least result in a warning.
“Ugh,” I clicked my tongue in disappointment.
Guess I’d need to find a workaround for that someday.
Exiting the mana cultivation chamber, I stepped into the eerily empty training area. It was well past 11 PM, so the space was desolate.
As I walked through the silent training hall, the door to a private training room suddenly opened.
Out stepped a familiar face—Yoo Ara, her hair slick with sweat and tied back. Her gaze immediately locked onto mine.
“… …”
Her sharp eyes and the coldness in her stare were a stark contrast to her usual demeanor.
She seemed to be harbouring some kind of grudge.
Feeling awkward under her gaze, I decided to break the silence.
“Hey.”
But she didn’t reply. Her cold eyes simply stayed on me.
“…Okay,” she said shortly before walking out of the training hall.
Watching her retreating figure, I couldn’t help but wonder.
‘…Is she mad because I said she doesn’t have any friends?’
Wednesday Morning
I headed to the dormitory cafeteria for breakfast.
Although the line wasn’t as crazy as yesterday, it was still long.
After waiting absentmindedly for my turn, I grabbed a tray.
The academy’s dormitory cafeteria operated buffet-style, boasting an impressive variety of dishes thanks to its abundant funding and emphasis on student welfare.
“Where is it?”
I wandered through the cafeteria, searching for a specific dish: Mana Shrimp Stew.
A fantasy-inspired dish said to be brimming with the mana of the sea, it was my favorite meal before my regression, and I made it a point to grab it whenever possible.
But today, I couldn’t spot it anywhere. Maybe word had spread, and everyone else had taken it.
‘No way I’m giving up that easily.’
Fuelled by my determination to eat shrimp, I searched for another two minutes before finally spotting it.
“Come on, seriously?”
There was only a single shrimp left in the large serving bowl.
I sighed. Oh well, better one shrimp than none.
“Too bad,” I muttered, piling my plate with various other dishes before scanning the room for a seat.
Unlike yesterday, there were more empty spots today. It seemed like students were beginning to adjust to academy life and skipping meals.
I found a suitable seat and started eating.
While I was savoring my meal, I noticed a subtle shift in the atmosphere.
The students’ gazes seemed to move toward a particular direction.
‘What’s going on?’
Following their eyes, I saw three familiar faces: Seo-Jun, Hyun-Joo, and Young Joon, all main characters in the story.
As they filled their trays and looked for seats, Seo-Jun’s eyes met mine.
“Kim Sunwoo,” he called out cheerfully and walked over to sit in front of me.
“Why are you eating alone?”
Hyun-Joo and Young Joon followed suit, and suddenly I found myself sharing a table with them.
Young Joon glanced at me and smiled.
“You’re Kim Sunwoo, right?”
“Uh, yeah.”
Young Joon turned to Seo-Jun.
“When did you two get so close?”
“Us? We became friends yesterday.”
“Didn’t see you two hanging out though.”
“We’re teaming up for tomorrow’s dungeon exploration.”
Young Joon nodded in understanding.
“Oh, trying to take advantage of the scoring curve since he’s last place?”
“Yeah. He approached me first about teaming up,” Seo-Jun teased.
“Hah, you really are competitive,” Young Joon muttered, shaking his head.
As I tried to focus on eating, I noticed a strange sensation.
Looking up, I saw Hyun-Joo staring intently at my tray.
“What?” I asked, breaking her trance.
Startled, Hyun-Joo came back to her sense.
“It’s nothing.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really. Forget it.”
I decided to let it slide and returned my attention to my meal. Soon, my plate was nearly empty except for the Mana Shrimp Stew.
This was the highlight of my meal, the moment I had been waiting for.
I picked up the single shrimp with my chopsticks, savouring its tempting aroma.
‘Ah, this is going to be amazing.’
Just as I was about to take a bite, I noticed Hyun Joo’s gaze fixed on the shrimp. Our eyes met.
“… …”
“… …”
The awkwardness was noticeable.
“…Do you want it?”
Her eyes widened, and she frantically shook her hands in denial.
“No, no! I’m fine, really.”
“… …”
Despite her protests, her gaze remained locked on the shrimp.
Sighing, I placed it onto her plate.
“Here. Just take it.”
Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at me, her expression softening with gratitude.
“You…” she murmured, clearly touched.
“You’re a really good person.”
[Character ‘Hyun Joo’ is moved by your kindness.]
[You have received 1,000 points as a reward.]
“… …”
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