She Told Me to Go Ahead and Do It (3)
Hana Rin didn't once think that Do-hyeon had already known how to cast magic. After all, she had been the one who told him to give it a try. Given her high self-esteem and her habit of acknowledging talent, the realization only made her even more baffled. How had he absorbed an ice elemental spell from the basic elements in the blink of an eye? The probability was absurd. Had he mastered every single basic element? That was even less believable.
'Tomorrow is the day after today. If he learned it all in advance, it's like he read every book in the library once and mastered it instantly. In the end, that's basically the same as learning it right now.'
The impossibility of it all left Hana Rin with no choice but to coldly admit his talent. And once she was this stunned, it was only natural for the rest of the trainees to be equally shocked.
“Whoa, crazy! He copied it in one go?!”
“As expected from Do-hyeon! Awesome!”
“Damn...”
“If you just watch it once, you can do it like that...”
Hana Rin, stunned by the chorus of admiration, could only stare in disbelief. Just the sight of Do-hyeon achieving what she herself couldn't had left her impressed beyond measure. It was clear how extraordinary his talent truly was.
'What the hell is this guy?'
Meanwhile, the second row was left in utter confusion, eyes wide with panic.
“??? Wait, Lee Do-hyeon can use magic too?!”
“That... isn't even possible!”
“This is nuts...”
“H-he's actually allowed to do this?!”
“...Sigh.”
Ji Yu-chan was the only one who managed to stay calm, but most of the trainees were trembling just from staring at Do-hyeon.
Hana Rin could sense the stark contrast between the two rows, yet she managed to identify a common thread in their reactions.
Their reactions stemmed from the technical brilliance displayed by Do-hyeon. The first row had been close enough to witness his potential, so they trusted him and reacted that way. The second row, being competitors, had underestimated his ability in magic, believing he couldn't handle it.
And then,
'He didn't even blink at all.'
Watching Do-hyeon carry on as if none of this were strange, despite the awe and astonishment swirling around him, Hana Rin felt a strange spark of interest.
It was unreasonable to assume he possessed such talent in both techniques and magic at the same time, but that very unreasonableness awakened her competitive spirit.
If his technique was already monstrous and his magic showed the same level of talent, she would simply have to confirm his magical aptitude. Even though learning magic in one glance was absurd, she refused to concede defeat yet.
'His speed in absorbing magic is faster than mine, so his resonance must be superior. But what about his affinity?'
If resonance referred to the speed of learning, affinity meant a broader spectrum for acquiring various spells. And since Hana Rin was a prodigy whose affinity was renowned across the world, she looked at Do-hyeon with a smirk and said,
“Then, shall I keep following what I'm doing?”
“Sure.”
Do-hyeon answered casually, prompting Hana Rin to flash a cool smile. She extended her hand, and a gentle wind swirled around the ice she had created.
Whoosh—
The wind whipped around the ice fragments, one of the basic elemental spells: wind.
As expected, Do-hyeon mimicked Hana Rin, summoning wind around the ice. But Hana Rin didn't stop there.
The wind swirled around the ice, and before long, tiny particles began to mix in. Sharp little pebbles flew through the air, crackling with electricity that danced between the stones, while hot flames licked at the edges, and droplets of water danced in the wind to avoid them.
Wind, stones, lightning, fire, and water—all six basic elements orbited the ice like a living storm. The trainees' eyes grew wide with amazement at the sheer control and affinity required to wield every single element.
“Wow, wow...”
“Beautiful.”
“How many can you even handle?”
“Magic prodigies really are different, huh?”
Entranced like moths to a flame, the trainees forgot to blink as they stared at Hana Rin's overwhelming magical power.
As Do-hyeon watched Hana Rin revel in her display, he simply nodded.
'He gave up?'
After all, even with such affinity, showing it off so dramatically right away would make it difficult to actually cast. Just as he was thinking she might slow it down, something changed.
The ice shattered completely, and the wind wrapped itself around the fragments, cradling them as they floated freely.
Within the wind, pebbles the same size as the ice exploded into shards and flew in all directions. Sparks weaved through the gaps like living lightning, flames blazed nearby, and droplets of water playfully skipped around the flames. All the elements drifted without interfering, each preserving its own power, glowing with their unique presence.
It looked like a miniature storm infused with countless colors. The trainees, who had been watching Hana Rin, couldn't tear their eyes away.
“What is that...?”
“That's Instructor Hana Rin... even though she's a genius...”
“Has Lee Do-hyeon even started learning magic yet?!”
“If Instructor Hana Rin is a genius... what should we call Do-hyeon-hyung?!”
“...Insane monster.”
“...Sigh.”
Every single one of them was left speechless in awe at Do-hyeon's display. The tiny storm rising from his hands, far brighter than the one Hana Rin had created and radiating the very presence of the magic itself, left the trainees too stunned to move.
And it wasn't just the trainees.
“??????”
Hana Rin stared at the display with wide, bewildered eyes. Even with her superior affinity, mastering all six elements was plausible. After all, only two days after the magic instructor arrived, she had already surpassed the basics. But watching Do-hyeon break that record was incomprehensible. Not only was learning magic from one glance shocking, but controlling the basic elements as one unified force defied belief.
Hana Rin herself had only acquired that level of control after leaving the training center and learning advanced abilities at the Magic Association.
And yet...
'He just does it by watching?'
In magic, the three pillars were resonance, affinity, and control. A mage's talent lay in excelling at all three. The way Do-hyeon had performed showed that he surpassed her in every single one.
That didn't mean Hana Rin was a country-bred prodigy. The master mage of the United States, the most talented magician on Earth right now, was named Magnus Lockwood, and she was on par with him in talent. If Do-hyeon had already surpassed her, it meant he had passed even Lockwood.
The wall she felt was so unreasonable that it left her in shock. She wondered if everyone else had felt the same when they looked at her. Now she could only accept it honestly.
“You were able to do that just by watching?”
As the victor, Hana Rin admitted defeat, and Do-hyeon nodded with a slightly bewildered expression.
“Huh? Yeah, because you told me to give it a try...”
Do-hyeon looked a little confused as he asked why she had told him to follow if he wasn't supposed to succeed.
From his perspective, it was strange. He had followed because she had asked him to, so there should have been others doing the same, right? But apparently not.
'The atmosphere is weird.'
Thinking that, Do-hyeon erased the magic with a casual wave. Hana Rin stared in astonishment.
Magic created with mana couldn't be stopped without sufficient control. In other words, it was like firing an arrow and then trying to catch it mid-flight. But Do-hyeon had fired it and then caught it while running.
At a loss for words, Hana Rin shook her head for a moment, then dropped her usual cold expression and spoke to the trainees with a weary sigh.
“Gu Min-a trainee and Han Jun-seo trainee have talent for magic. So you may attend the magic lesson instead of the technique one.”
The two trainees jumped in delight at the news, while the others looked disappointed.
“And Park Dong-wook trainee is still undecided whether he is a buffer or a healer, but if it's about technique, then that's fine.”
As soon as she said that, Park Dong-wook's face lit up with joy.
Healers and buffers were both rare, but since he wasn't a direct combatant, it was only natural for him to be happy.
And just as the remaining trainees' roles were finally decided,
Do-hyeon tilted his head curiously and raised his hand.
Hana Rin noticed and asked what he wanted to say.
“Me...?”
Do-hyeon was clearly showing talent in magic, yet he had been left out of the magic class. Surprised, Hana Rin thought for a moment and replied,
“...Lee Do-hyeon trainee... we'll discuss it with the other instructors.”
“I see.”
Of course. Having shown talent in both magic and technique, a meeting with the instructors was necessary. Do-hyeon nodded in understanding.
The magic lesson ended. Hana Rin clutched her head in frustration and left the training hall. Do-hyeon watched her and scratched his cheek.
'Sigh. Did I go too far?'
It had been a little too flashy, he thought, and a little too much, making him uneasy. He read the text only he could see.
'Well, it doesn't matter.'
It wasn't a bad deal at all.
Do-hyeon thought that over calmly and moved on. He was just curious about how the upcoming classes would go.
He hoped he wouldn't miss out on technique lessons too. The thought made him a little uneasy.
'No way.'