Peeling Back the Layers
"Ooh, Lee Seokhyun!"
Huh? What is this?
The instant Lee Hwaryeong took hold of Lee Seokhyun's hand and poured mana into it, she couldn't help but flinch in shock. There wasn't a single speck of the mana that even an ordinary person should possess. Or rather, she could sense something, but it was so faint she seriously doubted whether it deserved to be called mana at all.
He solved the problems with only this much mana? He probably can't even feel mana, so he wouldn't know what it feels like. How is that possible?
It was practically impossible. Like trying to read a book and summarize its contents while blindfolded with no assistance whatsoever. Yet he had answered both the artifact circuit question and the mana formula question without any context to guide him.
Cheating is impossible on our exams.
The idea that Lee Seokhyun might have tampered with his scores never even crossed her mind. Mirinae Academy was not nearly that sloppy. Which meant he had truly accomplished the impossible.
He was exactly like an onion of a cadet—the more you peeled, the more new layers kept appearing. At the same time, she realized his claim about being unable to handle mana properly was no lie. At this level, struggling was only natural.
It's worth offering help.
Guiding students onto the right path was, after all, a professor's duty. So she poured her mana in—and.
Huh?
The mana operation she expected to finish in the blink of an eye immediately hit a snag.
It's not working?
Normally, when linking mana between two people, the flow—unless it was special mana—would race through the body like lightning once it caught the current. And since she was considered the absolute forefront in mana research, the guidance should have gone even faster. Yet no matter how much mana Lee Hwaryeong poured in, Lee Seokhyun's mana refused to move. She couldn't even begin to guess why.
Who would believe the absurd scenario that there was no ordinary mana, only special mana?
This can't be happening.
Under normal circumstances she would have immediately grown suspicious and started investigating him. But right now the atmosphere of the first class was centered on her helping the class representative. The fear that stepping back now and admitting difficulty would shatter her credibility completely took over her body.
It's been a while, that's all. And circulating such a tiny amount is a first for me... I'll just need to insert a little more.
Lee Hwaryeong, who had once reached all the way to a dragon's nest, was confident. She would display the true dignity of the Magic Department representative professor, impress Seokhyun, and make him switch his major exclusively to magic. Judging it a flawless plan, she kept pouring mana into the stubborn, unmoving flow.
"...Ugh...!"
She sensed something had gone terribly wrong.
It's too fast.
What started as her simply inserting mana had now triggered Seokhyun's minuscule grain of mana to react and begin sucking it in. The problem was that the suction speed far outpaced the mana she was supplying. Had she been too complacent? In a combat situation she would have run her mana operation at full throttle to generate an endless supply, but the combination of wanting to draw Seokhyun into magic and the dismissive thought that he was "only" a first-year had driven her straight to the cliff's edge.
If I suddenly change the flow now, we could both get hurt.
With no other choice, Lee Hwaryeong decided to give her all in the current state. She poured every ounce of mana she could—and collapsed with a thud.
I need... an excuse...
She quickly thought up something to smooth over the situation once she woke, then slowly closed her eyes. Even if it killed her, she refused to admit it was due to lack of ability.
Is this mana exhaustion?
It wasn't serious. The natural mana had simply devoured too much of her base mana, causing the reaction. Since the body couldn't produce mana on its own, it was only natural that the natural mana would desperately cling to the first source it encountered. The symptoms were mild enough that she would regain consciousness in about a minute, so I calmly helped her up and sat her in a chair.
Now what?
I hadn't expected the situation to spiral this way, so during that empty minute I debated what to say.
Yeah. Let's just stay silent.
After a few seconds of thought, the smartest move was to do absolutely nothing. It would look ridiculous to suddenly scramble for an excuse after pretending not to notice all the eyes on us. There was no need to deliberately damage my image by explaining in excruciating detail that the mana exhaustion happened because of me. Since the class representative image had already solidified, maintaining a perfect facade and letting everything I did seem calculated would be far more advantageous.
Besides, I firmly believed that if I simply stayed quiet for a minute, Professor Lee Hwaryeong would handle the situation herself.
"Ugh... I collapsed because I was tired from research yesterday. I'm sorry for showing such an unsightly sight on the very first day of class."
I knew how fierce her pride was. No professor who was supposed to demonstrate in the first class would honestly admit they had fainted while infusing mana into a student.
"Thank you so much for perfectly completing my mana operation despite being in such a difficult state."
At that exact moment, I bowed ninety degrees to protect her dignity and offered my gratitude. The gesture was designed to eliminate any worry that she hadn't finished guiding my mana and to block any suggestion that she call me out later for another attempt.
If the truth—that I possessed no base mana and only special mana—got out now, the complications would be endless.
There would be over a hundred papers published in my name. I can't allow that.
The only person permitted to discover it later would be Akasa, and only to confirm the presence of natural mana in my body for the sole successor transmission. No one else could ever learn about my physical condition.
"Yes, you may go."
"Yes!"
With a crisp, energetic reply I returned to my seat and immediately checked my natural mana proficiency.
Natural Mana (Beginner) / Proficiency: 90%
You are in a state where you can operate natural mana very slowly.
Your body is unable to generate mana by itself.
Due to insufficient proficiency, you cannot yet draw in the surrounding mana.
Perfect.
Reaching intermediate would have been even better, but this was more than enough. Now that I could at least operate it, my proficiency would no longer stagnate. It would be painfully slow, but I could gradually circulate the mana and connect with the outside world to raise the skill.
If I occasionally get help from Professor Lee Hwaryeong... I should be able to reach intermediate pretty quickly.
Intermediate was when natural mana truly began to show its worth, so it was one of the elements I absolutely needed before graduation. I'd originally estimated it would take around three years to obtain, but thanks to the inner core from Woongbak, everything had gone far more smoothly than expected.
Right. Then the rest can proceed according to the class schedule.
There was nothing to gain by rushing ahead now, so I started preparing to leave. Because I knew exactly what would come next.
"Everyone, please try the mana operation we just demonstrated. If you encounter any difficulties, tell me immediately. And students who finish early may leave first."
I knew Professor Lee Hwaryeong's teaching style better than anyone. She despised inefficiency and stuck strictly to the curriculum, so she always let students who finished early leave first. Since self-study methods differed between students, this was her own considerate way of accommodating them. There was no need to make a fuss when leaving—just exit quietly without drawing attention.
Still, I should say something out of courtesy.
I immediately stood and approached her again.
"Professor, I think I've gained some insight from the mana operation and would like to try it alone. Would that be all right?"
"Oh, of course! Come find me anytime if you get stuck."
"Thank you."
After a perfectly polite bow, I left the classroom without looking back.
Time to bury myself deep in the mountains somewhere.
Slap.
The moment I stepped out of the classroom, I felt something cling to my back. The same sensation from just twenty minutes ago. I remembered exactly what it was.
"...What do you want?"
"I finished too."
For some reason, ever since she'd punched me in the stomach, Meiri had been following me around like a shadow.
She's not a stalker, right...?
Just in case, I kept the possibility in mind as I continued.
"Do you really need to stick this close?"
"You said to rely on you whenever I feel like relying on someone."
She had remembered one of the random lines I'd thrown out the moment I became class representative and was now using it against me. Sure, relying on each other was fine, but did she really need to press herself against me this tightly?
Whatever. Do what you want.
It wasn't actually interfering with anything, so I decided to let her be for now. Sinmibi's culture and concepts were quite far removed from human society, so it would probably take her some time to adjust.
"Where are we going?"
"The forest."
"Oh, okay."
Apparently having run out of things to say, Meiri followed silently behind me like a doll with no expression, stuck firmly to my back.
What is this feeling?
It was like I'd found a lost child at the zoo and was now dragging her around.
"I'm still growing, so stop thinking weird things."
"How do you even know what I'm thinking?"
"Most people think that when they look at me."
This was exactly why I disliked sharp-eyed brats. With that thought, I walked forward to operate natural mana by myself for the first time.
Akasa is going to be shocked.
The future of the sole successor transmission was looking very bright.
In a pitch-black research laboratory, Professor Gi Juseon was giggling maniacally while staring at a test paper. Countless coffee cups, energy drinks, and scattered research documents surrounded him in chaotic piles.
"He solved this... as a first-year? He can repair artifact circuits?"
A talent. A true talent. He kept muttering the same words until he suddenly decided he couldn't stay seated any longer and shot to his feet.
"If he already possesses talent like this, our research club absolutely cannot let him slip away!"
"Rise, researchers!"
At Professor Gi Juseon's call, the laboratory gradually grew brighter.
"Uwooooooh...!"
With voices that sounded eerily like the trolls from the practical exam, the researchers who had been sprawled across the floor began rising one by one. Their hollow, sunken eyes, cracked lips, and ghostly pale skin that had never seen sunlight revealed exactly how much they had suffered.
The lab had been dark because they were piled up everywhere, blocking out every trace of light.
"To the researcher who captures Lee Seokhyun first, I grant the incredible privilege of walking back to the dormitory on your own two feet to sleep for five whole hours, plus a one-night, two-day vacation!"
At Gi Juseon's thunderous declaration, the researchers' deeply sunken eyes slowly opened, radiating an intense, almost feral glow.
"Gi Juseon! Gi Juseon! Gi Juseon!"
"He's a god! He's a god! He's a god!"
"Yield to me! Yield to me! Yield to me!"
"Five hours of sleep... does this mean I'll finally sleep this week? Not because I passed out, but because I actually choose to?"
"Ooh, Lee Seokhyun! Just hearing your name makes honey drip from the heavens and sweet celestial harmonies echo in my ears!"
"That's just auditory hallucinations caused by psychological instability."
"Ooh, Lee Seokhyun! Just hearing your name!"
From the deepest shadows, those who coveted Lee Seokhyun's talent began to slither out.
"You must! You must make him one of us!"