Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Perk
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⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Quest completed! Magic Power stat increased by 1 as a quest reward. I'd gained a stat point, and getting acquainted with Moon Soo-rin was a huge bonus too.
Of course, this wasn't a game—she wouldn't fall for me just from one meeting—but it would help down the line.
After that, I wandered around to familiarize myself with the surroundings.
I focused especially on the back alleys where people seemed scarce. With six bridges to cross, who knew when I'd need to make a quick escape?
There were plenty of gaps between the towering buildings, narrow enough for people to slip through.
It wasn't scary during the day, but it would feel pretty eerie at night.
Once I'd roughly memorized the layout of the alleys, I headed back to the dorm.
I sat at my desk and pulled out a notebook and pen from my bag.
"First things first, I need to figure out these perks."
The perks were my one and only key to turning things around.
Truth be told, I still had no idea why I'd received them, or who this God of Wagers even was.
Then again, getting isekai'd into an adult game was absurd enough—what was a little perk on top of that?
While I was at it, maybe I should organize my thoughts on the perks properly.
Starting with Mana Sensitivity.
--------「 Mana Sensitivity 」------- ▶ Perk ▶ Ability to sense and comprehend mana --------------------------- Thinking of it like opening the Status Window brought up a skill window in front of me, just like in a game.
In this world, ability users could objectify and view their talents or skills. In simple terms, everyone had a Status Window, but you didn't need to vocalize it.
Just focus on the part you needed, and it would appear before your eyes.
Anyway, Mana Sensitivity. To explain it, it was the ability to sense mana, but I still didn't quite get it.
The ability to sense and comprehend mana?
What the hell did that mean? Give me some more details, why don't you?
Maybe I should crack open a textbook. They always say you should start with the basics for studying.
Introduction to Mana Studies.
I pulled out the textbook for Mana Studies Introduction, notorious for being a tough read.
1- All About Mana. Mana is an intangible 'energy.' Every living being possesses it, and it's a key component that makes up the world. …… The method of awakening mana varies from person to person, as do the attributes and properties of the mana they possess. …… The most common mana control method today involves manipulating mana with the sensation of moving blood through your body. …… --------------------------- Is that it?
After that, it devolved into what looked like bizarre research papers—nothing helpful there.
'The feeling of moving blood?'
Tsk. I imagined blood flowing from my heart to the tip of my arm.
But nothing happened!
"Yeah, it would be weird if I suddenly felt something... Huh?"
Something was there. Inside my body, in this room, in this world.
It had always existed. I'd only just become aware of it.
The moment I internalized that single line about mana’s existence, my awakening began.
Sensations I'd never felt before.
A feeling of owning the whole world. Joy, pleasure, euphoria, buoyancy, ecstasy.
A tidal wave of ecstatic emotions crashed over me. But something at my core held me steady, keeping my mind intact.
The act of awakening to mana. Lost in that rapture, I savored the moment before snapping back to reality.
"Haa..."
Had a minute passed? Yet I felt like a completely different person from before.
I grabbed Basic Practical Magic from the shelf where I'd left the textbook earlier and flipped to the first page.
Even the most basic spell involved six lines overlapping in a fairly complex magic formula.
Whoosh—!
A flame ignited above my hand.
"Whoa, shit. This is insane."
Magic was inherently a realm of pure talent.
The Basic Practical Magic textbook introduced fundamental magic circles, but to function as a proper active-duty ability user, you had to design your own magic system.
Because the efficient forms and attributes of magic varied from person to person.
Otherwise, you'd learn standardized public magic circles.
Most people picked this up at the academy.
But I'd skipped all those steps.
Cupping my hands and envisioning a flame, a fireball ignited above them once more.
Whoosh—!
This freakish phenomenon didn't even surprise me anymore.
A disconnect from reality? No sense of dissonance.
Mana had already become a natural part of me.
If anything, I wondered why I hadn't done it sooner.
"So this is Mana Sensitivity..."
Accomplishing the impossible with ease. It was a perk in every sense.
Next up: Clear Mentality. No clue on this one.
― ――――「 Clear Mentality 」―― ―――― ▶ Perk ▶ Maintains a firm grip on your sanity in any situation. ― ―――― ――――― ―――― ―――― ―――― ―――― ―― Looking back, it was weird how I hadn't panicked after suddenly getting isekai'd into this game.
Assessing the situation and taking action—maybe that was thanks to Clear Mentality. Or that steadying force I felt during the mana awakening might be it.
Still, it could just be that I'm goddamn exceptional, so no certainties yet.
But since it's listed as a perk like Mana Sensitivity, it'll come in handy eventually.
Finally, Memory Augmentation.
―― ―――― ――「 Memory Augmentation 」―― ――― ―――― ―― ▶ Perk ▶ Supplements the user's memory. ―― ―――― ―――― ――― ―――― ―――― ―――― ―――― ――― ―― The most infuriating part was the notification when I got this one: '80% Compulsion.'
Why not 100%? Racking my brain, I remembered my KakaoTalk reply to that asshole god's 'Wanna bet?': 'Bet or whatever, do what you want.'
Fuck... This world really is full of bullshit.
But the perk itself is great.
It's not just improved memory—it's near-perfect.
Every word from my chat with Moon Soo-rin, her expressions, even the fluctuations in her magic power—I remember it all.
If I focused, I could probably sketch the cafe layout down to the floor tiles.
This ability will be a huge help.
I'd been worrying about keeping up with academy classes, but no need now.
That wrapped up the perks.
Classes started tomorrow at Victoria Academy, and honestly, I was pretty anxious.
Victoria Academy was the place that trained ability users.
The top academy in Korea and one of the top three in the world.
Heading there tomorrow, with zero combat experience—not even having punched anyone—could I even adapt?
"Maybe I should hit the training center?"
It was 10 p.m. Time to sleep for peak condition tomorrow, but the urge to train was growing.
"Yeah, I should go."
My life's been all cramming the night before big tests, like the day before the college entrance exam.
I headed to the state-of-the-art training center, packed with the latest gear. Victoria Academy had gone overboard making it flashy.
The center housed everything—physical training rooms, mana training rooms—in one building.
I tapped my smartwatch at the entrance.
[First-year Lee Ho-yeon. Entry confirmed.] I passed through the first-floor lobby and took the elevator inside.
The third-floor mana training room was nearly empty. Makes sense—few would train at 10 p.m. on enrollment day.
Maybe I should be surprised anyone's here at all.
I entered a private training room.
Nothing fancy inside: an empty space walled with special materials. Space magic made it efficient.
Pressing the button by the entrance brought up a hologram with a mechanical voice.
[Mana training system activated. Please state your desired settings.] "Training dummy. Max intensity. Distance: 10m."
The voice registered, the hologram vanished, and a dummy appeared 10 meters ahead.
"Hm."
Swoosh—
Mana gathered in my hand, forming a flame. Truth be told, I had no deep insight into mana concepts. All I'd done was press keyboard buttons on a monitor to cast spells.
Yet I could use magic. Thanks to the Mana Sensitivity perk, no doubt.
A talent that let you manipulate mana and cast spells without any prior knowledge. I knew how incredible that was.
Plus, the calculations and delays before casting were chronic issues for mages. But not for me.
Swoooosh—!
Just think it, and done. Mana responded to my will, taking shape in reality.
Of course, my mana reserves limited what I could cast, but I grasped how broken this talent was.
"Kuh."
After about a minute concentrating mana into the fireball, my limit hit instinctively.
I raised my hand, aimed at the dummy, and launched the fireball.
Boom!
"Hrgh... Hoo..."
The dummy was wrecked—charred, burning, arms gone.
[Damage: 22%] 22% damage? The protagonist needs a year of grinding to one-shot these.
"One more time?"
The sensation of squeezing every drop of mana from my body wasn't half bad.
Using magic was getting fun—anything you're good at becomes enjoyable, like sports.
I gathered mana again, this time imagining a spear.
If it needed an incantation, it'd be something like 'Fire Spear!'
The flaming spear took proper shape.
"Good, just like this..."
Stagger.
Suddenly, my legs gave out, and I collapsed.
"Wha—what the..."
I tried pushing up, but no strength came.
My vision blurred, a pounding headache hit.
Thud.
And that's where my memory cuts off.