Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Magic Thesis Research
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"Lucy. Do you... like Ho-yeon?"
Lumi's voice made Lucy's mind go blank for a moment.
"Wh-what?! What, what are you t-talking about all of a sudden?!"
Lucy stammered, pretending nothing was wrong.
But Lumi wasn't about to let it slide that easily.
"Lucy. Listen to me."
Lucy was flustered by her sister's unusually serious demeanor but fell silent under the weight of that expression.
"Right now..."
Images of Lee Ho-yeon swirled in Lumi's mind. Fun memories surfaced, along with their secret relationship.
A faint blush colored Lumi's cheeks.
"Lumi...?"
Lucy noticed Lumi's hand trembling slightly on her shoulder.
"Right now... I could step aside."
"Lumi?! What are you...!"
"But tomorrow? I can't promise. And after this week... it'll be too late."
"What the hell are you saying?!"
"Seriously... you don't have any feelings for Ho-yeon?"
Lucy was utterly confused.
It wasn't just Lumi's sudden seriousness. Her own feelings for Lee Ho-yeon were a mystery too.
Honestly, Lucy did like him. He'd saved her from Felix, cheered her on, and promised to have her back. He was a truly grateful and precious friend.
But was that love? Lucy couldn't say yes for sure.
Her life had never included men or love.
She'd grown up fending off guys after her body, adults demanding sponsorships, and peers stealing glances at her chest. The idea of loving a man still felt distant to her.
'Is this love? I like Lumi. I like Ho-yeon too. Does that mean I love Lumi and love Ho-yeon?'
Lucy pondered deeply but couldn't find an answer.
In the end, she could only rely on her limited experience.
"...Yeah. Ho-yeon's a really great friend. Nothing more than that."
Only then did Lumi beam and pull Lucy into a hug.
"Got it, Lucy. I like you the most."
Pat pat.
"Yeah. I like you the most too, Lumi."
Lucy hugged her sister's shoulders tightly.
But even as she held Lumi, a dull ache lingered in her chest, one she desperately ignored.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Ho-yeon, sorry."
Moon Soo-rin suddenly apologized to me.
"What's wrong, Soo-rin noona?"
"You're already tired, and I dragged you into this mess because of all the scrutiny aimed at me. It won't happen again."
"... "
I was sure it included not just scrutiny toward her, but toward me too.
Shin Dong-min's hostile glare couldn't be explained by jealousy over Soo-rin alone.
"Anyway, I'm really sorry. Go rest. I'm beat too."
Moon Soo-rin turned to head back to the student council room.
Her back looked pitiful for some reason.
"Soo-rin noona."
"Hm? Something to say?"
She'd been worried about my fatigue, but dark circles stretched under her eyes too.
Her gaze, visible through her glasses, was deeply sunken from exhaustion.
"I'm on your side, noona. This stuff doesn't bother or annoy me, so don't worry."
"Heh. Thanks."
Moon Soo-rin gave a faint smile, amused by my sudden support.
"I told you, right? I'm a capable guy. You saw it yourself. If anything tough comes up, tell me. Got it?"
"Pfft. Okay, okay. How many times you gonna say that? Thanks for the cheer."
I had to repeat it to drill it in.
With a more relaxed expression than before, Moon Soo-rin entered the student council room.
That should bump up her favorability a bit more. Solid. Real solid.
No more business in the student council, so I turned to take the elevator.
"Hi."
"... "
Elise emerged from around the corner. She'd been eavesdropping on my chat with Moon Soo-rin.
Whoa, startled me. Why's she still here spying on conversations?
"You're pretty close with the president, huh."
"Uh? Yeah. Kinda."
"Hmmm."
Elise nodded slowly and stepped into the elevator.
She held my gaze until the doors fully closed.
"Uh... that's not good."
She caught me flirting.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Help me out."
That was the first thing Im Sol said when I visited her lab after wrapping up the student council meeting.
"What could be so tough that even you, Professor, are asking for help?"
It felt like ages since I'd last seen Im Sol, but it hadn't even been that long.
The commendation ceremony was Wednesday, so just two days. A lot had happened, that's all.
"I'm writing a paper for the magic society presentation. Help me with it."
"A paper?"
I'm totally clueless about that stuff. The word alone sounds daunting.
"Yeah. I tried researching alone, but pinpointing the core of the magic circles is brutal. It's pure grind work. Sorting them one by one never ends."
With that, Im Sol handed me her organized notes on magic circles.
"Just help with this. You're the only one who knows about core incantations... Please?"
She's wearing a tight pink knit that hugs her body perfectly, leaning in just enough to make refusal impossible. She's definitely using her assets on purpose. No way this sexy angle is accidental.
"Sure. You got me that commendation, so this is nothing. But is this all the volume?"
"Huh? Oh, just today's batch. Too much to print at once."
"No, this'll take 30 minutes tops."
"...?"
Im Sol squinted at me, face screaming what nonsense.
"Testing each magic circle, channeling mana to find the core incantation? Even at top speed, that's 5 minutes each."
"...?"
"...?"
We stared at each other, both baffled.
"Ah."
I finally realized the huge gap in our perspectives.
I'd never lived as a mage without [Mana Sensitivity], so how could I know how others see it?
"Watch closely."
I pointed to the top page's magic circle with my finger.
"Explosion is a blast spell, right?"
"Yep. Advanced magic, so the circle's complex."
"Anyway, the key to Explosion is the blast. To infuse will into the circle and amp the spell, you strengthen the stroke handling the explosion. That's the core incantation, right here."
I tapped a stroke slightly right of the center.
"Uh...?"
As expected of a genius mage, Im Sol was starting to get it with the hint.
"One more. Core incantation spots depend on the attribute too. Fire spells, for example, it's here. The ignition incantation is the core."
I suck at theory, but I can 'understand' magic circle structures.
I don't get the principles, but I can read what's visually there.
That was plenty. Point out the result with my finger, and Im Sol could derive the cause herself.
"Hmm... Huh... Oh? Aha! I see!"
Im Sol eyed the circles I pointed out, flipped through her printouts, even manifested one in her hand, letting out weird moans of realization.
Then she squished my cheeks with both hands.
"Why didn't you tell me about this genius stuff sooner!!"
"Ow... Hey, let go."
Does she think I'm her boyfriend?
Im Sol ignored me, bit into a slice of cake on the table.
"Wow~! This cuts my time way down. Such a simple concept. Why didn't I think of it?"
"Genuses miss basic stuff sometimes. And it's only been a few days. Give it a week, you'd have figured it solo."
This was true.
Core incantations are new, not hard. Grinding circles would've revealed patterns to her anyway.
"Maybe. But you saved me a week, that's fact."
Im Sol hummed happily, beaming. Was that smile for me or the chocolate cake?
"By the way, know anything about this Shin Dong-min guy?"
"Shin Dong-min? Who's that?"
"Student council vice president."
"Oh~ That half-baked kid?"
"...Yeah."
He does look kinda weird. Yeah. There's reason Soo-rin hates him.
"Why the ugly kid? Same council, you know him better."
"Might spar with him soon. No clue how strong he is."
"How would I know? Barely remember the name. Oh, right, he's a mage."
"Fair enough."
No real expectations, so fine. But a sliver of unease lingers.
"You'll win anyway. Who cares."
"Huh?"
Im Sol sipped her mixed coffee casually.
"No cadet mage stronger than you. Except maybe Soo-rin, you could take up to third-years."
"Really?"
"Duh? You diced two ogres solo and you're whining? No cadet matches you."
"Didn't dice 'em... Anyway, thanks."
What? Worried for nothing. I'm fucking strong.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ⚡ Strength: 42 💨 Agility: 43 ✨ Magic Power: 50 💪 Stamina: 48 🛡️ Endurance: 42 Unique Ability: Combat Sense
Skills: Clairvoyance, Cotton Guard, Acceleration ...
??? : ???
Yeah, looking at the stats, I'm fucking stacked.
Average over 40 puts you upper tier among cadets. I'm strong.
"Haa. Ready to go then?"
"Huh?"
"Not gonna do it? This. You saved me tons of time, so I owe you a reward."
Im Sol parted her lips, stuck out her tongue a bit, and pumped her fisted hand in front of her mouth.
Hmm, truth is, she hooked me up with a magic book and artifact already, so I planned to pass... but that lewd gesture? Can't resist.
"Please do."
Im Sol knelt before my sofa. I dropped my pants and pulled out my dick.
Slurp. Schlick...
Her scarlet tongue slid up the shaft, teasing the head bit by bit. Im Sol engulfed my glans with lewd sounds, stroking the remaining length with her hand.
"Ngh... "
I barely stifled the moan. Why does her skill keep improving?
"Mm... Hey."
"Yesh?"
Im Sol suddenly pulled off my dick. Damn, was feeling good.
"Thought it was my imagination last time... but why's your... thing so sweet...?"
"...? Oh."
Ah, must be the "Sweet Body" reward from conquering Lumi.
Lilliana mentioned a sweet scent from my body after, and Lumi said my cum tasted good. Im Sol noticed too.
"Knew it! Not my imagination! Thought chocolate messed my taste once, cut back, but it's still sweet here! You did something weird!"
"Ack! No, a skill. Got a skill."
Im Sol gripped my precious cock tight, shaking it back and forth. Hurt, but the soft friction felt good. I hate myself for it.
"Skill?"
"Yeah... Bought a sketchy magic book off the black market, tried it, and my body got sweet after."
"...Not weird then."
Black market deals are common here.
Im Sol extended her tongue again, lapping my pre-cum from the head.
"Tasty..."
Schlick.
The eyes Im Sol gave my dick matched the ones she had for that chocolate cake.