Chapter 68: A Talent That Cannot Be Hidden (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 68: A Talent That Cannot Be Hidden (2)
“The magic you will all be learning today is Fire Ball.”
That dampened my excitement a bit.
I’d already finished studying Fire Ball at the Park Cheol-su Magic Academy.
“First, let’s go over the role of each stroke in the Fire Ball’s magic circle.”
The teaching method wasn’t much different from what I’d learned at the academy.
He displayed the magic circle on a projector and explained, one by one, the role each stroke played in manifesting the spell.
“The diagonal stroke in the upper left is used to control the firepower. Its length and thickness determine the power, which in turn increases or decreases the mana consumption.”
The moment the magic circle is complete, the spell is complete.
In other words, you could adjust the spell’s power, shape, and size during the drawing phase, but you couldn’t modify it after it was finished.
But I was different.
Since I could control mana itself with my will, I could layer on more firepower or increase the size of an existing spell as much as I wanted.
If I had to point out one drawback, it would be that modifying a completed spell consumed more mana than the standard method.
To be honest, I was really stretching to call it a drawback.
The difference wasn't unmanageably large, and the advantages were far more significant.
“That concludes the theoretical portion. Let’s move on to the practical exercise.”
After an hour of explaining the magic circle, it was time for practice.
“I want you all to complete the magic circle based on what you’ve learned so far. There are no penalties for failure, so please feel free to try at your own pace.”
With that, Professor Go Su-jae walked toward the entrance of the lecture hall—specifically, toward a switch on the wall.
“Activating the protection magic now.”
Click!
When he pressed the button, massive magic circles appeared on the ceiling and floor.
Judging by their form, they seemed to be the type that increased resistance to fire magic.
Solid safety measures.
“Hmm…”
The eager students began drawing magic circles in the air.
A few of them, who had also studied ahead like me, succeeded in casting the spell in a single try.
The first to create a Fire Ball was the guy with bleached white hair sitting in front of me.
It took him about 15 seconds.
“Wow… he cast a Fire Ball in 15 seconds.”
“Special admission students are on another level.”
The other students’ whispers were easy to hear.
What, he’s a special admission student too?
It seemed that, unlike me or Im Na-eun, he must have been admitted under special consideration during the first semester.
Just then, Professor Go Su-jae, who was passing by, looked quite surprised.
“Excellent. And your name is…?”
“Kim Yun-sik.”
The guy announced his name with confidence.
“The casting speed, the form of the manifested magic, the firepower—all perfect. You may rest for the remainder of the class.”
“Thank you, Professor.”
Why was he glancing back here while bowing to the professor?
Was he trying to show off, like, ‘This is who I am’?
One by one, more students began successfully casting Fire Ball in front of Professor Go Su-jae.
I started to debate what to do.
Should I just get by without drawing too much attention, or should I properly put these lumps of arrogance filling the room in their place?
Finally, the professor arrived in front of us.
Im Na-eun, sitting next to me, skillfully cast the spell.
It took her about 20 seconds.
Third place, after the 15-second and 18-second casts.
Professor Go Su-jae praised her with a satisfied expression.
“Very good, student Im Na-eun. You may rest as well.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
Both of their gazes naturally turned to me.
In the rabbit’s clear eyes, I could see the word ‘expectation’ etched.
Alright, I’ve made my decision.
My rabbit was watching. I couldn’t just end this at some mediocre level.
Yun-sik took 15 seconds… right, let’s cut that in half. 8 seconds should do it.
I used the mana in my body to arrange the mana in my surroundings.
My magic was fundamentally composed of three steps: mana condensation, attribute conversion, and shaping.
Or rather, that’s how it was until a few days ago.
But now that my talent had blossomed further through my trait, two of those processes had merged into one.
Now, the mana condensed and converted its attribute at the same time.
In short, my casting speed had gotten even faster.
I deliberately slowed the rate of mana condensation.
I still had a lot of time to kill before my target.
Five, six, seven…
This should be about right.
I applied the final shape to the surging, fiery mana.
「Fire Ball.」
Finally, a fireball the size of Im Na-eun’s small head was complete.
“……”
The noisy lecture hall fell into a dead silence.
Everyone was staring this way, their faces painted with shock.
There seemed to be no room left for the arrogance that had filled their expressions just moments before.
Now their faces are finally worth looking at.
*
The class, which ran a little over two hours, finally ended.
As soon as it was over, the students who had been sitting quietly began to approach me.
“Hello, Kim Do-jin! If you don’t mind, could you give me some advice…!”
“Hey, move it! I was here first! Do-jin! Let’s have lunch together!”
They all had faces brimming with a passion for learning.
Right, mages are beings who live for their scholarly pursuits. That’s the kind of expression you should have.
The thought that my 8-second Fire Ball had awakened the academic passion slumbering within them made my chest swell with pride for some reason.
But sorry.
I have nothing I can teach you.
“Sorry~ I already have plans.”
Saying that, I grabbed Im Na-eun’s arm and practically fled the lecture hall.
Thankfully, they didn’t follow and bother me.
So they have at least a shred of decency, huh?
I slowed my hurried pace.
Just then, Im Na-eun, who was walking beside me, spoke cautiously.
“Um, Do-jin. My arm…”
Ah, I was still holding her arm.
“Oh, my bad.”
I quickly let go and offered her a sincere apology.
“N-No, it’s fine.”
The way she cradled her wrist with her other hand looked completely unnatural.
Did I grab her too hard…?
“Your wrist doesn’t hurt, does it?”
“Hey, I’m not that fragile!” Im Na-eun replied in a cheerful voice.
That was a relief.
“Anyway, Do-jin, you’re amazing. How did you cast a Fire Ball in just 8 seconds…?”
Ahh, this is why I learn magic!
Getting praised by a pretty girl made my self-esteem feel like it was about to soar through the sky.
“Ahem, it’s just because my trait is particularly suited for it.”
As the saying goes, the bouncier the rice, the more it bows its head. [T/N: A Korean proverb meaning the more accomplished one is, the more humble they should be.]
I answered as modestly as possible.
“Still, it’s incredible! The student who got pushed to second place was glaring at you so hard earlier.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it looked like lasers were about to shoot out of his eyes.”
I’d actually seen it too.
In fact, you’d have to be an idiot not to notice how blatantly he was staring.
The jealousy simmering in his eyes seemed to say, ‘How dare you take the attention that should have been mine…!’
It was my interpretation, but it was probably close enough.
“I’m hungry from using all that mana! Let’s go get something to eat.”
“Okay.”
We headed straight for the campus cafeteria.
Shin Yu-jeong had praised the food here endlessly, saying how cheap and delicious it was.
Vvvvmm
Suddenly, my smartphone vibrated.
I took it out and saw it was Shin Yu-jeong.
Speak of the devil. For her to call right as I was thinking of her, she was clearly no saint.
I answered the phone nonchalantly.
“What.”
—Where are you?
“On my way to eat with Na-eun.”
—…Wait, I’m coming too.
The call ended with those words.
“Who was that?”
“Shin Yu-jeong. She said she’s coming too since we’re going to eat.”
At my answer, Im Na-eun smiled brightly and clapped her hands.
“That’s great! I wanted to thank Yu-jeong anyway.”
“Let’s go ahead and wait for her.”
“Yeah, let’s.”
The campus cafeteria wasn’t far from Area D.
We walked at a leisurely pace, chatting pleasantly, and arrived in no time.
Just as we were about to enter the building, a bus stopped in front of it.
The moment the doors opened, Shin Yu-jeong shot out.
From her scowl, it looked like something was bothering her again.
“Hi, Yu-jeong!”
“Oh… hey.”
When Im Na-eun greeted her brightly, Shin Yu-jeong managed an awkward smile in return.
Then she stuck to my other side like glue and started poking me in the ribs with her elbow.
“Hey… if I hadn’t called, were you planning on eating alone with her?”
Her low growl used to sound like a tiger’s, but now it was more like a cute cat’s.
It felt like the trauma planted in her frail body had almost completely vanished.
Is this what they call sex therapy?
…Though I questioned whether what we did could even be called sex.
I replied as bluntly as I could.
“I guess so.”
I still hadn’t forgotten.
That pathetic moment when I was sweating bullets trying to make excuses because of one of her texts.
“…Are you pissed at me about something?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“What is it?”
Her tone dared me to say it, so I leaned in and whispered in her ear.
“It’s a secret.”
It’s no fun if I tell her right away.
Shin Yu-jeong is most fun when she’s teased.
“You little…”
Just as she was about to say something, her irritation flaring, Im Na-eun cut in with perfect timing.
“What are you two talking about?”
I immediately shook my head.
“We weren’t saying anything.”
“Really…? I thought I heard voices.”
“Let’s hurry inside, I’m starving.”
“R-Right.”
Gently pushing Im Na-eun’s back to guide her into the cafeteria, I shot a smirk at Shin Yu-jeong behind us.
She followed close behind, her eyes full of jealousy.
I’m going to torment you all through lunch, Shin Yu-jeong.