The Plague Doctor Appears

The midterms, which I'd expected to be a relaxing affair, had suddenly crept right up on me. Time really flew by, and before I knew it, the night before the exam had arrived. I was wrestling with past questions on mana control theory under the glow of my desk lamp when my smartphone started vibrating wildly. A notice from Kwon Dohee had popped up in the student council group chat.

Gaon High's student evaluation system was strictly hierarchical. Regular students only had to take the written A-type exam in the morning and pass the practical. Student council members were different. We had to spend the entire day clearing Residues near the school, and our exams were held separately after everyone else had gone home. What awaited us was the notoriously brutal B-type paper, plus practical standards on par with active field agents. It was a harsh process.

As a freshman taking my first exam, I wanted good results. The first scores of an S-class freshman were bound to become the talk of the entire school.

"So, in the third law of mana compression, the way the variable affects the summoned entity's attribute..."

I drew a small line in the air with my pen, closed my eyes, and thought it over. Then I scratched my head a few times.

"Ugh, Jinny. This is way too hard."

The B-type practice book spread out on my desk looked as incomprehensible as some ancient grimoire.

"Asking me for help with human theories like this..."

Jinny floated lazily in the air, flipping through one of my manga books.

"I don't know any of that complicated theory stuff~"

She shrugged with a slightly mischievous look. Yeah, asking an Original spirit about mana theory basics... Unless it was an Original like Einstein, most spirits probably wouldn't care about complex theories like this.

In the end, I pulled out my phone and called Chaeyeon.

"Gangjin, that part is easier if you focus on the rotation rather than the density. Review the formulas I gave you."

Chaeyeon's voice through the receiver was calm and clear. We spent a while exchanging practice problems and diving into an enthusiastic study discussion. Maybe it was because we'd synced up so well during our spar at the dojo last time, but talking with her felt strangely comfortable now.

"Whoa, that works? Chaeyeon, I didn't realize the formula could be applied like this."

That was when the door quietly slid open and Mom came in with a plate of sliced apples.

"Gangjin, you've been working so hard this late. Have some fruit... Oh?"

When I panicked and tried to mute my microphone, Dad, who had been watching TV in the living room, poked his head in with a warm smile.

"What's got our son smiling like that while studying?"

"Is it a girlfriend, Gangjin?"

My parents asked with knowing grins on their faces.

"N-no! She's just a friend from the student council. I was asking about something I didn't understand!"

"My goodness, she has such a pretty voice. Bring her home sometime. Mom will cook something delicious for her."

The playful glint in Mom's eyes left me blushing furiously, completely flustered. I thought I could hear Chaeyeon's soft laughter through the phone.

"Our son's all grown up now!"

Dad sounded satisfied as he returned to the living room, and Mom smiled as she closed my bedroom door.

"Your parents are fun," Chaeyeon teased, laughing.

I tried to cool my burning face as I answered.

"It's because they've never seen me talking to a girl before."

Chaeyeon must have picked up on the embarrassment in my voice because she let out another playful laugh. Feeling like I'd just handed her a massive pile of teasing material, I quickly ended the call and buried my face in my pillow.

The next morning, the moment I arrived at school I headed straight for the student council room. Deokgu saw me drop my bag off in the classroom and immediately leave again.

"Hey, Baek Gangjin! The test is about to start, you know?"

"The student council takes midterms differently from the regular students."

Deokgu scratched his head awkwardly.

"Oh, really? Well, good luck anyway, Gangjin!"

Bora, who was neatly arranging her writing utensils on her desk while preparing for the test, looked up and called out to me too.

"Gangjin! Fighting!"

When our eyes met and she smiled, I felt a strange surge of strength. Was it because of Bora's mana?

"Thanks, Bora! You do well on your test too!"

There wasn't much time, so I exchanged quick greetings and hurried off.

The atmosphere in the student council room where the officers had gathered was solemn.

"Everyone here?"

Kwon Dohee senior folded her fingers as she murmured each person's name.

"Yep, everyone's accounted for!"

As student council president, she delivered one final announcement.

"Do your best in your ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠assigned zones."

Then she looked at Choi Gangcheol senior, who still wasn't dressed properly, and me.

"Especially be careful in the West Abandoned Factory Zone. The mana density is high there."

Kwon Dohee senior clapped once and flashed a bright smile.

"Let's all meet up after the test with smiles on our faces."

Chaeyeon came over to my side and whispered softly.

"Gangjin, fighting! Don't get hurt."

"Yeah. You stay safe defending the main school building too."

We exchanged brief goodbyes and headed to our respective zones.

The West Abandoned Factory Zone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a fifteen-minute walk from school. It had once been a thriving industrial complex, but now it was rarely used. The moment I opened the rusty iron gate, an unpleasant metallic scraping sound grated against my eardrums.

Feeling the tension of not knowing what might happen, I rubbed my butt to summon Jinny.

"Ugh, the air is awful. This place is a total dump."

The moment she appeared, Jinny glanced around the surroundings and grumbled.

Choi Gangcheol senior, who had been inspecting the factory interior, suddenly stopped in the central plaza. He sniffed the air a few times. What was going on? Then he made a completely outrageous declaration.

"Listen, newbie. I didn't get much sleep last night."

He patted my shoulder with a smug look.

"The rooftop of that shopping center across the way gets great sunlight."

Then he immediately started walking out of the factory.

"I'll go take a nap over there, so handle this place by yourself."

Wait. Was this what I thought it was? Was I seriously getting hazed by a third-year as a first-year?

"Senior?! You said this place has the highest residue density!"

"Haha! Strong characters are supposed to show up at the critical moment, you know."

He looked back and forth between me and Jinny, who was floating behind me.

"This is the perfect spot for you to practice syncing up with Jinny. Good luck!"

Choi Gangcheol senior disappeared leisurely without waiting for my reply. The man had apparently thrown away even the slightest sense of responsibility.

I stood there in a daze, staring blankly at his retreating figure, until Jinny's shout snapped me out of it.

"...Is that senior ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠actually crazy?"

"Yeah, he's definitely a bit... unique."

At that moment, Jinny seemed to sense something strange.

"Wait. There's something here."

I looked toward the depths of the factory where she was staring. From the darkness came a disgusting squelching sound as a swarm of low-grade Residues appeared. There were beast-type ones shaped like wolves and shadow monsters crawling across the floor. Dozens of glowing eyes surrounded us.

"Jinny, get ready!"

I immediately dropped into a rider's stance and began channeling the hot mana rising from my buttocks to her. Thanks to yesterday's spar, the flow of mana felt incredibly smooth and stable.

"Oh! The mana is flowing in nicely!"

Jinny burst out in a cloud of golden smoke and swelled into a massive form in the air.

"Support me properly!"

She materialized a giant golden fist and slammed it down on the head of a charging beast-type Residue.

Boom—!

The first Residue was smashed into the floor without even a chance to scream. When several more charged from all directions at once, Jinny used my shoulder as a springboard to leap into the air and snapped her fingers.

"Eat this!"

Using the mana I supplied, she compressed it into sharp awl shapes and unleashed dozens of golden arrows from the air.

Swish, swish, swish— Thud! Thud! Thud!

The cores of the Residues crawling on the floor were pierced perfectly, dissolving into black smoke and vanishing.

"Nice, Jinny! Grab the ones coming from the left and throw them!"

At my command, Jinny laughed and extended a long arm of mana. She snatched two Residues by the scruff of their necks, spun in a circle, and hurled them hard toward the factory wall.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-boom—!

"Kihihi! Did you see that?"

She rampaged through the factory like a fish in water, completely dominating the Residues. I held my ground without a single waver, enduring the heavy recoil of the mana in my lower body while maintaining the supply. The perfect synergy between summoner and spirit sent a thrill through my entire body.

"The mock battle really helped a lot."

Jinny seemed to agree enthusiastically with my words.

"I can feel how much your mana has improved, Gangjin. This feels great!"

With our excellent coordination, we wiped out the dozens of Residues at the factory entrance in the blink of an eye.

"Cleaning up trash like this is nothing!"

Jinny used the mana I supplied to suppress the Residues with flashy techniques. But that sense of victory didn't last long.

Sssssss—

Suddenly, all the surrounding noise disappeared. Even the lingering traces of burning mana grew strangely cold. Jinny landed quietly on my shoulder, glaring into the darkness.

From deep within the factory, a bizarre figure slowly emerged wearing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a wide-brimmed hat and a plague doctor mask shaped like a bird's beak. Purple plague mist flowed from the hem of his black coat, and the ground he walked across turned pitch black and burned.

"Kihihi... What rare mana. Its purity is exceptionally high."

He reached a hand toward me, letting out an unpleasant laugh from behind the bird-beak mask.

"It looks quite powerful. I'll be taking all of it."

For a moment, I felt as if a spine-chilling mana had seized the entire space. His gaze fixed on Jinny sitting on my shoulder.

"No ability user in sight, so it must be a Residue..."

Jinny took several steps back and prepared for battle.

"It possesses S-class mana capacity."

The air in the abandoned factory began to twist along with the stench of decay. Cold sweat ran down my back as I retreated. Choi Gangcheol senior still hadn't returned, and the enemy before me radiated a more overwhelming pressure than anything I'd faced before.

"Hand over that Original spirit obediently."

The outfit looked familiar. Wide-brimmed hat, bird-beak mask... and the long coat... If this guy really possessed S-class mana like Jinny said, then he was undoubtedly an S-class Residue—the Plague Doctor.