Chapter 127
Chapter 127
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: Sparring with Professor Jairen
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[…….]
Asion Gail stood there, mouth agape in disbelief.
I asked him.
“Why do you look so shocked?”
He seemed extremely surprised, but so was I.
My space magic had manifested stronger than I expected, but was it really worth this kind of reaction?
On top of that, hadn’t he just witnessed my space magic moments ago?
That made it feel even stranger.
But from his perspective, it apparently wasn’t.
[……You’ve already surpassed the level of a serpent. Incredible. Truly incredible.]
He was too busy repeatedly exclaiming in admiration to answer my question.
It took a while before Asion Gail looked at me.
And then.
[Your space magic has already exceeded the limits of the 5th Circle.]
Out of nowhere, he declared that my magic had surpassed the 5th Circle.
Naturally, I was flustered.
“Huh? What do you…….”
[No, the fact that the 5th Circle can even handle space magic of that caliber is bizarre in itself.]
“……Then what level is it exactly?”
Asion Gail answered my question with a resolute expression.
[7th Circle.]
“……7th Circle?”
It was an answer too astonishing to not be shocked by.
7th Circle.
That was two circles ahead of my current power, the realm where one is called a high-ranking mage, wasn’t it?
Unable to believe it easily, I asked again.
“Is my space magic really at the level of a 7th Circle mage?”
[Yes.]
Asion Gail nodded with utter certainty.
But it didn’t end there.
[And it’s not just space magic. The light attribute magic you enveloped your body in has also surpassed the 6th Circle.]
“Huh?”
Asion Gail delivered an even more shocking response.
‘My light magic is 7th Circle too?’
My mind filled with questions just then.
[Yes, honestly, even I was skeptical at first. No matter how much we untangled the mana circuits twisted in the Room of Time and Spirit, skipping two stages at once is extremely rare. But…… it’s certain. You’ve already reached the 7th Circle.]
Shiver!
His words sent shivers down my spine, my hands trembling.
How should I process this?
I reached one conclusion.
“……Professor Jairen. Please call Professor Jairen.”
I’d confirm it directly with a 7th Circle mage.
That way, we could reach a definitive answer soon.
***
Jairen Renata, professor at Asion Academy and direct aide to Asion Gail, the society president, clutched her throbbing head at the sudden order.
“……Ugh, what is this all about out of nowhere?”
The communicator she was staring at displayed a short, curt message.
[Come to the multipurpose training room immediately. It’s a spar with student Yuhan.]
-Asion Gail, Society President-
“A spar…….”
The alcohol she’d chugged yesterday hadn’t even worn off yet.
And now a spar out of the blue?
With Yuhan, no less…….
“He never pushes when I tell him to train hard, but when it’s time to rest, he gets all diligent…….”
She already felt a headache coming on.
And understandably so—Yuhan was that absurdly talented student, wasn’t he?
“They say he racked up massive achievements in the recent war too…….”
Sparring with a student like that.
She could guess what would unfold without even seeing it.
It’d be an exhausting match where she couldn’t slack off even a little.
Especially with her condition this poor, she dreaded it.
But what choice did she have?
Jairen had no options.
No matter how lenient and approachable Asion Gail seemed, he was still the society president.
She had to follow orders, whether she liked it or not.
“Hmm.”
After a brief moment of hesitation, she nodded as if she’d made up her mind.
At least she’d come up with a plan of sorts.
“……Gotta end it quick and get back to rest.”
Her plan was to wrap up the spar as fast as possible and enjoy that sweet rest again.
Sure, she’d have to go all out, and it wouldn’t help the student’s growth, but she had no choice.
“I’m human too, after all…….”
Right now, securing minimal rest as a person outweighed her duties as a professor.
With that thought, Jairen trudged off.
***
About an hour later.
That’s when Professor Jairen finally arrived—the one we’d been waiting for.
Not in her usual prim and proper attire, but disheveled.
She clearly looked like she’d just been woken up.
I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.
“Um…… did you hear about it?”
When I asked cautiously, she nodded with a sullen expression.
“Yes, I heard you suddenly requested a spar?”
“Oh, yeah. There’s something I wanted to test. My skills seem to have improved a bit…….”
“Hmm, I see. I understand. You’re still passionate about magic at that age.”
Professor Jairen’s tone was kind.
Fortunately, she seemed to get why I’d called her here.
Of course, her kindness only went that far.
“But misconceptions are extremely dangerous. Magic is never a power that grows in a short time. Get too intoxicated by your own strength and talent, and you’ll face挫折 soon enough.”
“Huh? What do you…….”
“I’m saying don’t be so impatient. Spars like this, done haphazardly, won’t improve your skills at all. Only diligent practice—and more diligent practice—is the way to grow.”
“…….”
What on earth was she talking about?
Her words felt kind yet edged with sharpness.
Her face clearly showed she had something to say.
As I stared at her blankly, she let out a deep sigh.
“……Hoo, in the future, only call me for spars when it’s truly necessary.”
“Ah…….”
Only then did I realize why Jairen seemed so long-winded.
‘……She’s annoyed.’
Apparently, being summoned early in the morning didn’t sit well with her.
‘No wonder she kept her distance from Jairen the moment she arrived.’
I subtly glanced at Asion Gail, tucked away in the corner.
He met my eyes and gave an awkward smile.
His gaze practically said, ‘Heh heh…… handle the aftermath yourself.’
‘She’s not really mad, is she?’
Just as that thought crossed my mind.
“Instead, I’ll give you my all today. Satisfied with that?”
Crack, pop!
Professor Jairen, stretching her neck to the side, gave the signal.
It meant the spar would start soon.
“Yes, exactly what I wanted.”
“Good. Then let’s begin.”
With those words, she pulled a thick book from her bosom.
It seemed that was Professor Jairen’s weapon……
“Hmm.”
It didn’t look very efficient to me.
Keeping my eyes on it would prevent full focus on the fight.
For someone like me who’d never used such a weapon, it was hard to judge.
Well, no need to overthink it anyway.
‘I’ll find out soon enough.’
Whether it was effective or not would become clear once we clashed.
“Then I’ll come at you first.”
“…….”
Taking her silence as assent, I immediately drew up my mana.
The first spell was the same light magic as before.
Whoosh!
The power of light filled my body.
I savored it for a moment, then lightly kicked off.
In that instant.
Bang!
My body shot forward like an arrow, just as always.
A speed incomparable to when I’d wrapped myself in lightning transformation magic.
Of course, I didn’t fail to control my power and crash into the wall like last time.
I’d practiced quite a bit with Asion Gail while waiting for her.
So my trajectory was perfectly aimed at Jairen, and as I closed in to point-blank range.
Maintaining speed, I thrust out my fist.
Thud!
My fist sank straight into her abdomen.
“Guh!”
Jairen collapsed to her knees, gasping for air.
Seeing that, I panicked.
‘Why didn’t she react?’
I’d assumed she’d naturally counter when I swung.
Who would’ve thought she’d take the hit without any resistance?
Genuinely worried, I asked cautiously.
“……Um, are you okay?”
“…….”
Jairen gave no reply.
She just stayed in that position, silent.
How much time passed?
Jairen cleared her throat with a cough and abruptly stood up.
Her expression was impassive, as if nothing had happened moments ago.
“……I was lost in thought for a second. Let’s continue.”
Whether that was true or not, I didn’t know…… but whatever, it wasn’t important.
“Yes.”
I nodded and cast another spell right away.
This time, I unleashed the condensed mana Asion Gail had praised, infused it with dark attribute mana, and summoned dozens of magic circles behind me.
Whoooosh!
A pitch-black void formed in an instant.
Casting was noticeably faster now that I’d used it a few times.
This time, Jairen countered with her own magic.
“Ignite.”
Ignite.
The same spell Kayla had used before.
But it was ambiguous to call it truly the same.
Roar!
Anyone could see it packed far more power than Kayla’s Ignite.
Rumble!
A streak of flame extended from the tip of Jairen’s staff, scorching the floor as it raced toward me at terrifying speed.
And as I pondered how to counter.
Whoosh!
For some reason, Jairen’s flames vanished before reaching me.
It didn’t take long to grasp the situation.
‘……It worked?’
The void magic’s powerful suction had devoured the Ignite.
Silence followed.
“…….”
Neither Jairen nor Asion Gail said a word, and that’s when I realized something was off.
Jairen had underestimated me, and my magic had truly become outrageously strong.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
My heart raced wildly at the thought that Asion Gail hadn’t lied.
I wanted to clash mana with Jairen as soon as possible.
And make it even more fun.
I broke the silence first.
“Um…… Professor. You can go all out now.”
At that.
“Heh! Hahaha!”
Suddenly, Jairen started giggling like a madwoman.
Seeing the usually composed professor like this made it look downright eerie.
“……Professor?”
Even to my question, Professor Jairen just kept muttering.
“Hehe! Understood……. Now I get it. This is fun, so fun…….”
Then.
Snap!
She cut off her laughter and snapped her head up.
“You’re a student who’s truly a joy to teach.”
By then, the look in her eyes had changed somewhere.