Basic Magic (3)
"Wait, wait, wait... Huh? How did you do that?"
Professor Han Seohwa asked in obvious confusion as the opaque magic tool turned blue before her eyes.
What? Was something wrong?
"Y-yes?"
Seeing Professor Han Seohwa's bewildered reaction, I ended up stammering too, unable to keep my own surprise in check.
"H-Hold on, Student Lim Paran! First, I have two questions!"
"Yes, ma'am."
Professor Han Seohwa took a deep breath to steady herself, and the moment she had calmed down, she asked me her question.
"All right, first: how did you move your mana? No, no, that's not it. How did you sense it?"
The first question seemed to be about how I had felt mana.
Honestly, sensing mana wasn't all that difficult for me.
Maybe it was because my pure mana from Mana Erosion let me feel and draw in every trace of mana around me, but I could tell by instinct where mana had gathered in my body and how to move it.
But...
Would Professor Han Seohwa even understand if I told her that?
No, more than that, was it normal to absorb the mana around me?
In the first place, humans and all living creatures possessed their own unique core.
Because each one had its own core, the mana that core produced also carried its own distinct quality.
It could be fire-like mana like Yoon Hwayeon's, or warm, flexible mana like Han Riae's.
That was why taking in someone else's mana, instead of your own, was one of the most dangerous things you could do.
People died from Mana Erosion in the first place because they couldn't accept pure mana into their bodies, and their bodies tore apart as it surged back against them.
Of course, I'm not like that...
For some reason, I still hadn't suffered any such side effects.
If I told Professor Han Seohwa that I'd been absorbing the mana around me all this time and that was why I could feel it better than everyone else, I wondered what she'd think.
"I guess... when I thought of mana as being near my heart, I could feel it better... since that's where the core would be..."
I also didn't think it would do any good to explain Mana Erosion in detail, and there was no reason to create more doubts by bringing it up.
Besides, it wasn't even a complete lie. When I moved mana, I really did focus on my heart and feel it there.
"Mm... Really? That shouldn't be easy to figure out... That's impressive!"
Professor Han Seohwa went on, looking at me with bright interest.
"Then here's the second question. Fine, let's say you moved the mana. But how did you convert it into magical power?"
Converting mana into magical power.
When mana inside the body was separated outward, the core refined it, and after that it became magical power floating in the air.
When you said it in words, it sounded simple enough, but in reality it was a complicated process.
It was difficult enough just to release mana naturally, and refining it through the core at the same time was a tedious process in itself.
That was why so many hunters used magic tools containing magical power instead of bothering to do it themselves.
"I've accidentally absorbed magical power before, so I just tried to follow that feeling."
In my case, though, I had kept absorbing magical power into my body through Mana Erosion, and then I had simply reversed that sensation and sent it back out.
Instead of drawing the magical power outside into my body, I let the mana remaining inside me flow naturally outward.
Of course, the core still refined the mana in that process, but my pure magical power didn't need any such refinement at all.
"Hmm... I see... That's incredible!"
After hearing my answer, Professor Han Seohwa spoke with an astonished look on her face.
"So, to summarize what Student Lim Paran just said... you did it all by instinct?"
Uh...
Well, yes, I supposed that was true.
I had just done what I felt through Mana Erosion.
"Is it really that amazing...?"
"Of course it is! For most students, just sensing mana takes at least a full day, but Student Lim Paran felt it in just a few minutes. That's amazing."
Professor Han Seohwa's rainbow-colored eyes sparkled as she continued.
"Then let's finish what we were doing. You've successfully completed the first task, so the second one is waiting for you."
I had somehow succeeded in the first part, which was infusing magical power into the magic tool.
And the second task was to block as much of the leaking magical power as possible while replenishing it with new power.
The magic tool, which had been keeping its blue glow until a moment ago, had returned to an opaque gray, just like when I first received it.
"Oh my, we'll have to start by infusing it again. You've already done it once, so this should be fine, right?"
I recreated the sensation from a moment ago and once more breathed magical power into the tool.
The gray, opaque surface filled with blue light.
- Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh
The infused magical power slowly began to drain away.
"Now that you've infused it, let's try to hold it in as tightly as possible."
I sealed the passage where it was leaking with magical power.
Even so, the hollow left by the escaping power was filled again by pouring in new magical power.
- Wooooong...
"This should be a bit... har...
I successfully blocked every exit, and no more magical power leaked out.
Now there was only one thing left.
- Third, completely fill the magic tool with your own mana!
At last, it was the final stage.
The magic tool was now completely surrounded by my magical power.
All that remained was to make the last enclosed part my own.
"Hah..."
I opened the blocked exit just a little and poured in more magical power.
I reshaped the edge of the power, imagining it becoming the form of a sharp spear.
And then.
- Woooooong!
I drove my magical power into the final point.
The magical power that had been spreading inside the tool quickly began to settle into place.
Just a moment ago, it had seemed to tremble restlessly, like a stranger in someone else's house, but now it was finding its place and calming down, forming stable patterns as if it had always belonged there.
- Hum, hum, hum
The magic tool was now giving off a sound almost identical to the one that had come from the magi Professor Han Seohwa had demonstrated earlier, right when it was completed and aligned into its proper pattern.
Even the tool itself, which had kept trembling throughout the process of infusing and sealing, was growing accustomed to my magical power, letting out only a gentle hum now.
- Tiiing!
"Ugh!"
A sudden electric thrill rushed through my entire body.
It was my body signaling that something was off after I had done several things I normally never did all at once.
My vision blurred, and my mind went hazy as though fog had drifted in.
I gripped the blue jacket I was wearing and slowly let out a breath.
"Hoo... hoo..."
After taking a few deep breaths, my dazed mind rose back to the surface.
Having finished every task, a feeling of satisfaction welled up inside me.
It was the first time I'd felt that since coming to Sielm Academy.
Still caught up in that excitement, I looked at Professor Han Seohwa.
"Whoa..."
There she was, staring blankly at what I had done, her mouth hanging open.
"Hahah..."
She gave a drained laugh, wearing a look of utter disbelief.
Why?
Honestly, I couldn't make sense of that reaction.
All I had done was infuse the tool with magical power, maintain it, and then firmly take ownership of it with my own power.
Even if she'd said all along that this part was difficult and that part was difficult, once I actually started, everything just flowed together smoothly.
It had only taken ten minutes.
Honestly, wasn't this the sort of thing everyone could do? I couldn't help wondering.
When Professor Han Seohwa saw me tilting my head in confusion, she shook off her stunned expression and began speaking.
"For now, we've finished all of today's lesson. Excellent..."
According to Professor Han Seohwa, it usually took at least a full day just to move and sense mana for someone who had not been able to use it at all before.
That was what she'd told me earlier.
And converting mana into magical power, then pushing that converted power into a magic tool, usually took most people at least two days.
If they could sustain the magical power they had infused into a magic tool for even one minute, that was considered incredible. Most people would infuse it once, then collapse after a few seconds of clumsy effort.
Because of that, she had planned to watch my progress for a while and then train me in mana control...
"But you've already finished everything we were supposed to do today."
"...Was there anything important you absolutely had to teach me?"
"Hmm... If there still were, I'd be teaching it to you right now, wouldn't I?"
With a laugh that held equal parts helplessness and disbelief, Professor Han Seohwa shook her head and answered at once.
"We've only gone through a little of the lesson, but this definitely proves why you're a special admission student."
Thanks to this whole Mana Erosion business, it seemed to have ended up going smoothly after all.
Honestly, I'd been worried at first because I'd never properly handled mana before, but this cursed Mana Erosion had helped me find my way, and I managed to finish well.
At least according to Professor Han Seohwa, mana was clearly one of my strengths.
"It ended much faster than I expected... then..."
She seemed embarrassed, as though her plans had gone awry, and paused with a tone that suggested she was thinking of something.
I had felt a little worried when she said we'd already finished today's lessons, but thankfully...
"Since it's about time for a snack, shall we have one?"
"Y-yes?"
Professor Han Seohwa hummed as she pulled a snack out of subspace, never even answering my question.