Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Dimensional Magic Aptitude
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“Everyone knows what a combustion reaction is, right?”
A kind voice echoed through the lecture hall.
The professor standing at the podium was Bailey Sleevia, with her scarlet hair tied in a neat bun and oversized glasses that were her most striking features.
She looked about the same age as Edmund and was the instructor in charge of elemental magic studies.
Right now, her lecture on elemental magic was in full swing.
“What are the three conditions required for combustion?”
“Fuel, temperature above the ignition point, and a certain amount of oxygen.”
“Excellent answer, Merrill.”
As expected of the top student.
Bailey nodded in approval at Merrill’s response.
“As you all know, the foundation of elemental magic is based on the four major elements. Among them, the operating principle of fire magic is simple. It uses mana as fuel to raise the temperature at a desired point above the ignition point. Controlling that temperature is what determines a mage’s skill.”
“Then where does oxygen come into play?”
“Great question. Oxygen is a baseline requirement. Without it, no matter how much mana you expend, ignition won’t occur. Additionally, sufficient oxygen can raise the temperature of fire magic even higher. At peak output, the flames turn blue and achieve complete combustion. Of course, that’s advanced material, so today we’ll focus on creating flames from ignition up to yellow.”
It was remarkably scientific.
In a Broken World where dragons served as pedestals for holy swords that fired beams, daggers stored immense energy, and king zingers lived in defiance of biological laws—this was unmistakably a fantasy world—magic somehow adhered to scientific principles.
Why? I had no idea.
Probably the developers’ preference.
Those who entered expecting pure fantasy were often divided—some loved it, some hated the sudden science.
Still, it wasn’t all drawbacks.
Conversely, it meant most scientific common sense applied to magic laws.
For instance, cutting off oxygen prevents ignition magic from working.
Pure water without impurities is an insulator that doesn’t conduct electricity.
Even dust explosions and steam explosions were implemented.
That’s why there were cases of players trying to make a torch with ignition magic in a sealed warehouse or dungeon and blowing themselves up.
Every flop game flops for a reason...
“Now, everyone try to follow along.”
Bailey swung her short staff, drawing a flame in the air.
The other students chanted in their own ways, sketched simple magic circles on their desks, or held staves to float flames in front of themselves.
I picked up my short staff as well.
I drew a magic circle at the tip while murmuring a simple incantation.
“Catch fire.”
One verse—short and concise, but it met all the requirements for an incantation.
Yet there was no reaction.
I’d grown used to it after a day or two.
This always happened in elemental magic lectures.
Realistically, suddenly being dropped into a world where I could use magic and expecting to cast spells right away would be the weird part, right?
No matter how I thought about it, I needed more basic, beginner-friendly instruction.
The students at Esterro Academy had all received elite private tutoring since childhood.
With lectures tailored to them... even if I crammed the theory into my head, my body couldn’t keep up.
Not that it was surprising. Theo’s body had no notable talents, so failing at magic made sense.
What on earth had Dresia seen in me?
I killed time with those thoughts.
Finally, the bell signaling the end of class rang, and Bailey set down her staff.
“That’s all for today’s lecture. Make sure you’re on time for the next one.”
I just needed to attend to pass.
I didn’t want to fail...
Ah, why was I suffering through a class I didn’t even sign up for?
If only I’d possessed him during the course adjustment period...
I hugged the thick textbook and sighed inwardly.
As if reading my mind, Bailey beckoned to me.
“Theo, come here for a moment.”
“What’s this about all of a sudden...?”
I hurried over, and Bailey pushed up her round glasses with a troubled expression.
“I hate to say this, but... it seems like elemental magic just isn’t for you, Theo.”
“I’ve been thinking the same. Honestly, I don’t seem to have any talent for it.”
“Well, magic does rely heavily on talent, doesn’t it?”
“What field doesn’t?”
Most things in the world boil down to talent.
They even say focus itself is a talent.
Talent is just aptitude by another name.
“We did accept your enrollment as per your request, but even the initial test at the start of the semester showed no meaningful results, right? So this time, I want to run a more precise test. If there’s still nothing notable, how about switching to a different class...?”
“Sounds good. Holding on to something I can’t do won’t solve anything.”
This was my chance.
I agreed readily, and Bailey grunted as she pulled a crystal orb the size of a soccer ball from under the professor’s desk.
It must have been incredibly heavy—even with a cushion, placing it on the desk produced a heavy thud...
“This is...”
“The highest-grade crystal orb used in the Mage Tower. I’ll use it to check your aptitude.”
If it was Mage Tower quality, it was a step above what Esterro Academy normally provided.
Something impossible to obtain from outside...
Had she borrowed it from the Mage Tower just for a failing student?
Bailey’s dedication was intimidating.
I respected her for it, but professors like her—who filled full schedules without breaks, assigned homework like bombs, and couldn’t understand why students struggled—were admirable from afar but not someone you wanted to get entangled with.
“Now, place your hand on it.”
If this showed no meaningful result either, I’d be done with elemental magic studies.
With a reverent mindset, I placed my right hand on the crystal orb.
The orb began emitting a brilliant glow on its own.
Light spread from deep inside the sphere, gradually filling it completely.
I didn’t expect good news.
Still, since the professor had gone this far, something should appear out of courtesy.
As if sensing my thoughts, the light inside faded, forming some kind of image.
Hmm, this is...
“Space?”
A pitch-black backdrop dotted with twinkling points.
No matter how I looked at it, it resembled the cosmos.
That’s why it felt off.
The image in the crystal orb represented one’s aptitude.
Affinity for fire showed raging flames; water, crashing waves.
Usually, it depicted the four major elements—water, fire, wind, earth—with extras like lightning, light, or darkness.
I’d never seen space before.
What the hell was space supposed to mean?
Was it saying I was as useless as cosmic dust?
“No way...?”
Bailey murmured, her eyes widening as much as her glasses.
As expected of a professor—she knew something.
“Do you know what it is...?”
“I’ve only heard of it, so I can’t be certain, but... there’s only one phenomenon like this. It means aptitude for dimensional magic...”
“Dimensional magic? Something like that exists?”
The name alone didn’t ring any bells.
Bailey nodded creakily.
“It’s understandable you wouldn’t know. It’s appearing after a thousand years, after all. It’s an extremely rare field—scarce, obscure, and largely unresearched. But now...”
Bailey’s eyes, trembling faintly, turned to me.
My instincts screamed at the fervor dawning within them.
Ah, I’m screwed.
Suddenly, a dimensional magic aptitude holder appearing after a millennium—what the hell?
And the professor in charge was overflowing with passion, even borrowing Mage Tower equipment for a failing student.
A combination that should never happen.
I could already see the headaches coming; I rubbed my throbbing temple with my thumb.
2
“Principal!”
The thick door to the principal’s office burst open.
Taylor, who had been polishing orchids, turned his head without surprise.
“You seem especially passionate today, Professor Bailey.”
“I can’t help it! You’ll be excited too once you hear this, Principal!”
Bailey Sleevia’s passionate nature was well-known among the faculty.
Taylor, who had hired her himself, was no exception.
Since it was par for the course, he returned to his orchids.
“So, what is it?”
“One of our students has aptitude for dimensional magic...!”
Even Taylor couldn’t ignore the voice suppressing awe.
“Is that true?”
“Yes! One of my students in basic elemental magic showed no talent at all. I borrowed a crystal orb from the Mage Tower for a precise check, and... it turned out to be dimensional magic aptitude! Our academy’s orb couldn’t capture its nature, so he seemed talentless until now! Plus, dimensional magic operates on completely different principles from basic elemental magic...”
“Calm down, Professor Bailey.”
“Ah, whew... I got carried away and spoke too fast.”
Bailey took a deep breath at Taylor’s gesture.
Only once she calmed did Taylor ask.
“So, what’s the student’s name?”
“Ah, it’s first-year Theo Agrit.”
“Theo Agrit... That student again.”
Just a few weeks ago, he’d been a failing student, but this was the second time Taylor had heard the name in his office.
Proficient in runes—still under active research—and now holder of dimensional magic aptitude, lost for a millennium.
He was clearly hiding more, but Taylor consciously cut off the thought.
“Principal...! We need to create an environment to nurture that talent right away...!”
No sooner had she calmed than Bailey heated up again.
Taylor, in contrast, calmly shook his head.
“You know as well as I do—no special privileges under any circumstances.”
“This should be an exception. The Mage Tower would kill for dimensional magic aptitude...! Neglecting it is a loss not just for the individual, but for academia as a whole...!”
She had a point.
As Taylor pondered, the principal’s office door opened politely.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
“Professor Edmund, what brings you here?”
“It’s about Theo Agrit. I heard Professor Bailey’s been spreading word about it.”
Edmund spoke politely.
But his voice carried a hint of breathlessness from rushing over, and a single strand of his usually neatly combed forehead hair hung loose.
“I heard he has dimensional magic aptitude.”
“That’s right. A talent unseen in a thousand years.”
“...Even so, Theo Agrit should focus on rune studies.”
“What nonsense is that, Professor Edmund? Burying a once-in-a-millennium talent in research? It’s a loss for the world, not just academia!”
“Burying it in ‘mere’ research? What do you mean? Dimensional magic is just a matter of talent. But knowledge and experience in runes come only from study and research. It’s obvious where Theo Agrit’s inclinations lie.”
“Runes have plenty of replacement scholars, but dimensional magic requires that one unique talent. Which do you think he’s needed for? And we’ve only just discovered it. It’s too early to assume his interests.”
Edmund glared at Bailey as if he’d kill her.
Bailey glared right back without flinching.
The two professors clearly had opposing temperaments.
Their clash was foreseeable, so Taylor massaged his brow and lowered his voice.
“What is this in the academy?”
“...My apologies, Principal.”
“...My blood rushed to my head; I lost sight of time and place. Sorry.”
“If you understand, fine. But don’t let students see such a spectacle.”
The two nodded.
“Theo Agrit is still a first-year. At this stage, with limited insight, it’s too soon to decide his path. Let him gain experience and choose for himself.”
Irrefutable straight talk.
The professors exchanged glares before nodding.
Only then did Taylor return his gaze to the orchids.
He’d probably need to meet Theo Agrit in person soon.
Whether the boy wanted to or not.
Feeling an odd premonition, he resumed polishing.
3
“Dimensional magic, huh. What’s that about?”
I sat in the middle of the training grounds for a break and muttered to myself.
The name sounded impressive.
But I’d never seen it in the game, nor was it mentioned in any setting materials.
A new aptitude holder after a thousand years? That alone was suspicious.
It seemed amazing, but conversely, it meant no one was actually proficient in the field.
“Just a hot potato.”
Too valuable to discard, too impractical to use.
Cool in theory, but learning it would be tricky, wielding it even more so.
Pondering dimensional magic now wouldn’t change anything.
“Sigh, better swing my sword...”
I needed to train my body more, or I’d pop like a balloon someday.
I shoved dimensional magic to the back of my mind and stood.
Just as I reached for my magic sword again.
As always, Deathwise whispered abruptly in my head.
-Foolish fool, unaware of how useful dimensional magic is...!