Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: The Day We Headed to School
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“Hey, hey, Inha! Wanna go to the shopping district with us today?”
“Inha’s hair is so long~ So pretty!”
The kids swarmed around Inha today as usual, chattering away. Their blatant stares of attention washed over me too, standing right beside her. Inha ignored every single word with icy indifference.
What can I say? It was ~so~ overwhelming. Even though she kept a cold expression, I bet Inha felt the same way. That kind of excessive interest... If it were me, I’d have bolted ages ago.
I was gazing at Inha with pity when suddenly a boy came up, picking a fight.
“Hey, aren’t you a bit arrogant? Acting all popular with the girls when you’re a girl yourself... And ignoring people like that.”
“......”
“...Ugh! What?”
Inha turned with an ice-cold glare, and the boy flinched back. As expected, just her gaze alone could make someone retreat—Inha’s charisma was off the charts, huh?
Inha glanced at the boy, then turned back to her book with a look that screamed utter disinterest. Books really are the best escape. I snuck a peek at the stares around us and nodded inwardly, when suddenly the boy leaned toward me and whispered.
“Hey, why’s she like that? She ignores people so much. And that scary look in her eyes~.”
“Uh, me?”
“Yeah! Why are you friends with her?”
Hold on. Her? Inha’s so cool, pretty, and awesome—why wouldn’t I be friends with her...? Anger bubbled up inside me. I shot the boy a disdainful look. Oh, right... what was his name again...? I’m terrible at remembering faces and names. Even skimming the class roster on my student ID hadn’t helped.
“—You.”
Inha, who’d been ignoring everyone around her, finally reacted to someone other than me. She fixed the boy with a cold stare.
“Don’t talk to Eunha.”
“Huh? What?!”
“If you’re picking a fight, then don’t talk to her.”
“W-What kind of...! Hey! How are you even friends with her?”
I paused at that, thinking. Come to think of it, how did it happen?
We’d spent so long just quietly staring at each other. But one day, Inha took a step closer, and that’s when we became friends. I’d been thrilled.
“You’re just as clueless. What exactly do you like about her to hang out like that?”
That one, I could answer.
“She’s cool, pretty, and awesome.”
I said it matter-of-factly. Inha’s eyes widened for a moment. Then the boy yelled with a ridiculous expression.
“She’s rude as hell?!”
“What are you talking about?!”
Everyone around us snapped back at him. Not just the girls—the boys were outraged too, shoving his back and shoulders.
“Eunha’s right on the money!”
“She’s pretty!”
“And awesome!!”
“Right? Super pretty, huh?”
“And cool! Totally awesome!!”
The classmates squealed, faces flushing, and the boy stared at them in disbelief. Haha, well, this over-the-top reaction was kinda understandable... and kinda not. I glanced at Inha. Her cheeks were pink despite her near-blank expression, a shy glint in her eyes that only I could spot.
“I don’t get it. Sure, she’s way prettier than plain Janes like you guys.”
“Puhaha! True that!”
“What?!!”
“You?!”
Then the kids split into boys vs. girls, growling and snapping at each other. What now? Looked fun, so I joined Hansu’s side! How dare he say that? Laughing makes you the bad guy! Ugh, so annoying! Hansu, you jerk! Two boys and a bunch of girls clashed in half-joking, half-furious mode. They looked ready to spark mana any second.
Just then, the class bell rang. I glanced at the still-brawling boy and girls. Should I stop them?
Inha quietly shook her head at my unspoken question. No need, right? Yeah, honestly, I couldn’t stop them anyway. Too chaotic to jump in. Guess we wait for the teacher. ...Yeah.
“Enough! What are you all doing?”
We waited until the teacher arrived. At her shout, the boys and girls pointed at each other simultaneously (more boys had joined by then).
“But they started it!!
......No matter how you look at it, the arrogant boy started it. I rested my chin on my hand, watching impassively. Sadly, the boys got the worse of it. As the two groups geared up to fight again, the teacher stopped them.
“Stop!”
An electronic recognition pen moved across the blackboard, writing the names of the brawlers in midair.
“You lot have detention today! Stay after class. It’s been less than a week since you started at this school, and this is the commotion you cause.”
“Ugh......”
Moments later, the teacher used telekinesis magic to seat the sulking kids. She scanned us from the podium and spoke.
“Starting today, we’ll have mobile classes once a week.”
“Mobile classes?”
Everyone looked puzzled.
“Yes. The only skill-based mobile classes in elementary.”
Skill-based classes! My eyes sparkled. Finally!
“But keep this in mind.”
The teacher’s face turned deadly serious, unlike anything we’d seen before.
“During mobile classes, you’ll be in a completely sealed room—no sound escapes. You must never reveal any details of the classes to outsiders or friends. Teachers will impose restrictions before and after—seals preventing you from speaking of it.”
We all murmured, glancing at friends. Inha and I exchanged puzzled looks.
“You know the school’s top rule: keep magic skills of others and seniors secret. So, never share names or content of other students in those classes—even with classmates or closest friends. That’s what the secrecy rule is for.”
I froze. Ah... that’s what it means. While most kids frowned in confusion, the teacher continued.
“You can talk about your own class however you like. But only your own. Never others’. Violate this...”
She eyed us coldly.
“...five times or more, and it’s suspension.”
“...!”
“What? For real?”
“The rules do say that......”
The unexpected severity buzzed through the class. I listened intently.
“We’ll seal it with magic anyway... Got it? Never speak, even by accident.”
The kids nodded reluctantly—they hated punishment. We nodded solemnly too. But I still thought it odd.
Sealed by magic, yet accidents possible? What kind of spell? Makes sense—a school can’t fully silence students. I pondered, then looked up at her next words.
“Now, I’ll call class assignments by number. Listen closely. Raise your hand after if you miss. Okay?”
She smiled normally again. We focused.
“Starting with 1... 1, Kang Seongwoo, Class H. 2, Kang Yesul, Class G. 3, Kang Inha...”
The teacher’s gaze lingered meaningfully on Inha.
“Class I.”
Names continued. Soon, mine.
“19, An Dohee, Class H. 20, Yoo Eunha, Class I.”
Up to 27. She asked if anyone missed; several hands went up, and she repeated. We whispered happily—same class for mobile lessons!
“I’ll tell you the classroom locations. Group by class first.”
We looked around. Class I—who else besides us?
“You guys are Class I too?”
It was the twin-tailed girl from the front row. She had a vividly clear mana color, I’d noticed.
‘...! Ah......’
A hunch hit me; I examined her mana closely. Sure enough, vibrant greenish-yellow mana enveloped her. I glanced around. Others’ mana was foggy spray or noise... but hers drew clean lines. Not as sharp as Inha’s, but standout among peers.
‘Skill-based... right? Could this be...’
As I thought that, the boy who’d picked on Inha approached. Now I saw—vivid maroon mana.
“Hmph, hard not to overhear.”
“......”
Inha and the boy glared sparks. I patted Inha’s back. She turned puzzled. I whispered: Skill-based, so they’re probably our level. At least same tier. Inha frowned.
“What’re you whispering?”
“......”
“Is this ignoring me?!”
“Huh? What? No fighting!”
I eyed the fuming boy closely. The twin-tailed girl beside us held him back.
We knew our growth was abnormal. Subconsciously, we figured no peers matched our magic development speed. Maybe somewhere, but not right now.
But this scene made me realize we were wrong. His mana was standout clear like hers—not Inha-level, but top among kids. I’d never compared before, just passed by. Plus, I usually close my sight. Without deliberate comparison, it’s hard to notice...
...Come to think, one more. Right next to him, another boy with matching clarity—vivid blue mana. The one who’d joked with him earlier. They’re always together, so I overlooked it. I casually brushed back my hair, glancing indifferently.
“Hmm, looks like everyone’s grouped by class. Starting with earliest alphabet... Not strength order, so no misunderstandings.”
Right. I scanned around, nodding at the teacher’s words. Mana strength mixed regardless of letter. Letters might be codes or random. Just my guess.
Still, close comparison reveals groupings. Easier in clusters. Should’ve compared more—eyes hurt or not. With only Inha as peer, I lagged in noticing. Rarely differentiated subtle kid mana, especially talented ones.
Anyway, comparing now means my skills grew. Mana clarity and sensitivity sharpen daily. Lately, I even sense Auntie Seona’s partly—awe-inspiring, intimidating pressure, but still. Makes world-class mages real. And it’s just a leak from her sealed partial mana!
While I checked mana and kids bickered, the teacher kept talking. Finally, Class I’s room: Elementary Building 7, 1st floor.
“That’s pretty far, right?”
“Elementary Building 7... 1st floor? Where’s that?”
I activated map GPS on my student ID (set private). Input destination—quite far. The boy asked without peeking, polite manners.
“Whereabouts?”
“Over 10 minutes walk.”
“Uwak.”
“Fua~.”
We sighed together. Teacher waved as she finished.
“Okay, two hours free—have fun!!”
Kids scattered. We trudged toward class, half-dreading. I set fastest route, leading the way.
A bit over 10 minutes later, we reached the building. I stopped at the entrance; boy asked.
“Here?”
“Yeah.”
Student ID perks feel wasted sometimes. Teleport’s unlocked... but can’t flaunt before boys. Honestly, wanna go separately next time, but kid etiquette says no.
We entered. Instantly, teleport sensation—suddenly in a classroom walled by reinforced glass and steel. No windows, but air clearer, breathing fine. Magic, probably.
“Total 7... you’re the last. Surprisingly many this year? Especially first-years. One’s already impressive.”
We whipped around at the voice. A man—slightly long brown hair tied back lightly, black-rimmed glasses—gestured us over.
“Second-years are here. Line up, first-years.”
“......”
Sure enough, two second-years—a boy and girl—stood awkwardly ahead. We hesitated, then lined up like them before the teacher-ish man. He scanned us one by one. His gaze paused on me.
“......?”
“Hmm... impressive.”
Then nodded at Inha. I felt oddly unsettled.
When he looked at me, it felt like he saw right through. ...Is he a mana-sensing specialist?
I eyed him warily. Uneasy.
“Well... some of you might’ve guessed. Or not? Then I’ll say it.”
He swept us with sharp eyes, popping a candy.
“Everyone here has ‘developed their own magic’.”
“...!”
We gawked at each other. Skill-based—we’d guessed, but... developed? Inha eyed the others in shock. Our gazes locked anew.
“Special magic class, basically. You’ve been warned—no talking about it anywhere. Especially you geniuses. Leaving here triggers a natural seal. No objections? You knew coming in.”
We nodded gravely.
“Heard some developed more than one...”
...I hid a flinch.
“To train your developed magic, I need your main spell—the one you’re focusing on. For planning. So, state your name and main magic.”
“...!”
“That’s why it’s secret.”
We eyed each other tensely. I swallowed. He pointed opposite us—from there.
“Start there. Introduce too.”
“......”
Second-year girl. She glanced nervously, lips trembling.
“Han Yujeong... main magic ‘ice magic’......”
“Next.”
“Cheong Inho. Main magic: familiar materialization...”
“Familiar materialization? What’s that.”
“Summon mythical familiars as pets... Once made, can’t erase—raise from baby usually.”
“Summoning magic... Rare. Next.”
Wow. I eyed the second-year sparklingly.
So... cool. Similar principle to mine—nonexistent beings made real.
“Kim Hyunho. Main magic: ‘water’.”
“Park Hansu. Main magic: ‘wood’.”
The troublemaker’s friend and him. Water and wood—fits their blue and maroon mana. Next, twin-tails.
“Uh, Joo Minhee, main magic: shooting tracking magic.”
“Like cast spell, throw something, it homes in?”
“Yes? Yes.”
“Next.”
...My turn.
I opened my mouth, expressionless to hide nerves.
“Yoo Eunha... Main magic: ‘hallucination’ magic.”
“Hallucination...?”
“Yes? Yes......”
“...But records say...... Never mind. Next.”
I sighed relief discreetly, relaxing, glanced at Inha. She answered bluntly.
“Kang Inha. Main magic: ‘light’.”
Light.
Just like her mana color.
Freely manipulate yellow light. Endless potential. Pure natural element. Boundless. We often brainstormed light applications.
Teacher scanned us again, nodded.
“Now, one by one—demo your magic roughly!”