Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: 05. The Day I Went to School
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“Huh?”
I wasn’t the only one who swallowed hard at those words. The others looked anxious too, glancing around at each other. A few kids had nonchalant expressions, but at least among the first-years, me, Inha, Park Hansu, and the two second-years all exchanged uneasy looks.
“Don’t worry. That’s why I put all of you in the same class. We can monitor you so you can’t talk. No need to fret. Not that you could say anything anyway.”
...Ah. So that’s why all these kids with this level of talent were crammed into one class.
Not that they needed to go that far out of their way for us.
“For your main magic, just cast something simple. It’s just a rough check of your skills. I’m a detection mage, so I can gauge your current level easily. What, you want me to rank you or something?”
“No.”
We all shook our heads at once. Joo Minhee and Kim Hyunho looked disappointed, like ‘That could’ve been fun, why not!’, but we were firm. We didn’t need pointless rankings! They’d just get in the way of growth, and we were already nervous about showing our magic skills—now rankings on top of that...?
“So? Who goes first?”
“I’ll call you one by one.”
When Hansu asked with an arrogant look, the teacher replied like that. Then he pointed at the second-year boy first.
“You, with the rare magic. Cheong Inho.”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
“Ugh...”
The boy looked tense for a moment, then closed his eyes and spread his hands to cast. The floor glowed blue, and something whooshed out from between his palms. A tiny...dragon?
“Wow!”
“So cute!!”
They might call it childish, but I was on the side gawking and cooing over the little blue dragon. I mean, it was totally adorable! Super pretty!! It even made this cute chirping sound. The boy gently stroked the still-young dragon with a fond expression.
“What can it do?”
“It’s small, but it can summon lightning...”
“Good. Next, Park Hansu.”
“...Tch.”
He grumbled a bit, then swept his hair back with one hand and extended the other. Even though the floor was metal, a small wooden fence rose up behind the teacher.
“Not bad. Next, Kang Inha.”
“...Yes.”
Inha slowly raised her hand, extending only her index and middle fingers. A lump of light gathered in front of her, then shot out in an instant.
Boom!
“Hey! Showing off? Is that it?”
“......”
“Quit yapping.”
Inha’s light pierced right through Hansu’s wooden fence. The teacher just told Hansu to shut up and brushed it off, but...wasn’t that a bit excessive? Though, piercing power from speed was light’s specialty. Speed means light, right?
“Han Yujeong.”
“Y-Yes, yes!”
She held her palm out sideways, creating sharp icicle-like shards of ice above it. The teacher nodded.
“Kim Hyunho.”
At that, the boy made water droplets from his finger and stretched them out long. The water extended, spiraling around his body once. Like a Möbius strip.
“Joo Minhee.”
“Ah, yes!”
Minhee grinned brightly, conjured a mana bullet, and flicked it with her finger. The projectile curved to the opposite side before punching through its target—where Hansu’s fence connected.
“These girls taking turns at me or what!”
“Just clear it away and it’s fine.”
Hansu clicked his tongue at Inha’s words, then finally dispelled his mana to remove the wood. Hmm...that kind of magic is tough to cancel. I was quietly impressed. ...Huh? Does that make me last?
“Finally, Yoo Eunha.”
“Yes...”
I hesitated for a second. What should I...make?
For illusion... I cupped my palms downward. Soon, indigo flames flickered up from them. The wavering shape screamed illusion or phantasm. I let out a relieved sigh, but the teacher cut in bluntly.
“Yoo Eunha, try something stronger.”
“Huh?”
“Your mana barely moved. Too basic. Do something else.”
True... it was a simple phantasm made with minimal mana...
“Yes...”
But something stronger—what? I pondered, then turned my palms to the floor. Mana spread from my palms across the floor to fill the room.
“What the—?!”
A pitch-black night with a bluish sheen swept in. There, I imagined it. My still-incomplete illusion domain. The River of Flowing Stars, drawn from my name. A Milky Way unfurled beneath my feet. Worth looking up all those computer photos for. I knew it was illusion, but the countless silver threads made everything dazzling.
“W-What is this?!”
“Hmm. Not bad.”
“W-Wait. Why’d the scenery change... Whoa! What’s under my feet??!”
Ah...that...
I looked at Hansu, who didn’t seem to be doing well, and dispelled the illusion. It faded like mist. The classroom’s original floor emerged beneath. Hansu had tripped over a pillar inside the room.
“Guess it’s not enough to affect the brain yet. Pretty impressive though.”
It was incomplete, after all... My illusions had endless room to grow. That domain had brushed true mastery because it was close to my ‘name.’
What I could do with illusions now was evoke detailed imaginary landscapes or confuse opponents. The chance of affecting the brain was under 6% right now.
“Can you make it affect the brain?”
Lost in thought, his casual question startled me into answering.
“Huh? Yes. For small objects, I can make them seem real...sort of.”
“Hmm.”
His eyes on me felt oddly intense. I shut my mouth, face heating up into a blank expression. He scanned us all, muttering that geniuses really were something else, then checked his watch. Just then, the break bell rang outside.
“Perfect timing. 15-minute break. I’ll grab some materials and come back. Need to bring another teacher too... My friend’s perfect for bossing around.”
“Oh, speaking of.”
Minhee spoke up casually, looking up at the teacher.
“We didn’t catch your name, sir.”
“Ah...right. Jeong Junhwi. That work?”
“Yes!”
Minhee waved him off with a sunny smile, then whipped around to us.
“So, what should we do for fun!”
“......”
That one line made it clear: Minhee was way more energetic than I’d imagined. No, was this what a real kid was like? She bulldozed our awkward vibe, approaching us with a bright, friendly grin. She quickly hit it off with the second-years too, chatting animatedly. Then, she turned to us.
“But hey, why were you all so reluctant to talk about your magic?”
She seemed totally unaware of her own talent, like before. No, hmm...at this age, was it normal not to get it? But still, every kid here had hesitated to speak—except Minhee and Hyunho. The second-year girl thought for a sec, then said,
“Well... Mom said if you go blabbing about it, you could get dragged into dangerous stuff.”
The second-year boy followed, looking a bit reluctant.
“Me... I know a third-year who just developed some new magic. Saw him bragging everywhere, dragging kids around. I hate that kinda thing. Though sometimes kids just follow along. Anyway, didn’t wanna risk it.”
“Oh! We’ve got one like that in our class too. Bragging about basic spells. Makes me so mad.”
“Wow, Yujeong Sister’s class too? Got it. That’s why Brother told me not to talk about it in elementary. Gotta be careful from now on. I hate that stuff too.”
The familiar-summoning boy nodded at energetic Minhee’s words.
...Come to think of it, the two I’d been calling boy and girl were my seniors. Suddenly feeling my age, I wondered how to address them. Seniors? In elementary, kids like Minhee just used sister/brother?
Inha and I stayed quiet the whole time.
About 20 minutes later, the teacher returned—not alone, as promised. He’d brought someone, just like he said. A tall guy with a refreshing, wide smile. He grinned around at us.
“Oh, cute kids. Name’s Yoo Min.”
Not missing a surname—two-syllable name, I guess. Huh, same surname as me. I looked up at him silently, a bit intrigued.
“I handle the full magic theory curriculum for upper elementary. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, sir!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Right after Yoo Min’s intro, Minhee chirped back energetically. What a lively kid, I thought fondly, watching her—then Jeong Junhwi stepped right up to me. He held out a stack of papers or thin books he’d brought.
“...?”
“Illusion’s tricky magic. Read as much related stuff as you can. You wrote you like books in your intro section.”
Oh, that thing from three days into school. I nodded.
“Look into it as much as you can. Though ultimately, it’s your will and imagination that matter most. What’s the end form you want for your illusions?”
All sorts of manga scenes flashed in my mind. Stuff I’d decided I wanted to achieve since choosing illusion as main magic. Yeah, I’d set goals for each of my magics already. Only character magic felt endless, so I hadn’t. I answered without much thought.
“Materializing illusions...crossing into dreams, showing opponents whatever dream I want...that far.”
“...Tch.”
He clicked his tongue? I shrank back in front of him. As I ducked my head uncomfortably, Jeong Junhwi said,
“Listen up, Yoo Eunha. Illusion magic splits into two main types: adjusting the opponent’s mental world, or creating illusions in reality. Push the latter hard enough, and it can dominate time and sensory perception. That’s ‘illusion.’”
“L-Let’s talk over there. This won’t help the rest of us.”
“......”
Yoo Min teacher led Inha’s group aside, separating us as class had already started. Uncomfortable but focused, I listened to Junhwi teacher.
“Tough concepts for your age, maybe you won’t get it yet... Point is, that goal you set is insanely hard. Most barely master one side... But with your talent, not impossible.”
Your illusion from before? Middle-school level’s fine. Mana’s low for your age and level, though. He popped another candy in his mouth.
“That was reality-domination illusion. Can you do mental-world illusions yet?”
“No.”
“Yeah, expected.”
He nodded, continuing.
“Ever manipulated your own mind for lucid dreams?”
“No.”
“Then practice. Lucid dreaming’s the first step into your mental world. Dream lucid, enter your mental world, practice shaping it. You get it goes up to imagination, right?”
I nodded silently at his words. He kept going.
“To manipulate the mental world, you need sensitivity to mana and emotions. Mostly innate. Training helps, but...you’re born with some. How well do you sense mana?”
“......”
“Be honest. I can’t say a word outside. The constraint binds me too.”
Even students get suspended after five slips; adults worse. Made sense. In a small voice, I explained my so-called talent’s current state.
“I think...I’m sensitive to mana.”
“How so?”
“Hmm, just looking at normal magic items...I can roughly sense the mana amount and attribute inside.”
“...Better than I thought. And?”
“I see the ‘color of mana.’”
“...!”
He went quiet, looking stunned.
“That takes serious training. You’re a natural. How detailed?”
“Can’t clearly see stronger people than me, but I can tell their mana amount from color density, size, feel. From the color, rough magic or mana attribute. Focus more, and I see mana colors flowing on the wind.”
“I see.”
He grinned, pointing at me.
“Practice that hard. Key asset. Felt emotions through it?”
“No...”
I shook my head, and his face went blank again.
“You’ve got the talent. Never sensing it means you haven’t tried deeply. Try sensing mana with eyes and presence. Imagine. Test every association that pops up. Essential for building your mental world.”
“......”
I pondered his words quietly.
Focus more.
Look deeper.
Sensing means feeling. I could already pinpoint magic attributes from mana flow and feel. Push further, and I might predict spells before they’re cast, discern usable magics just from mana colors. Someday.
Sounds fun. I smiled and nodded.
“Yes.”
“Take it slow with mana. Kids’ vessels are small. Growth spurt’s 10-20ish. Grows after by aptitude, but that period’s key. I’ll check the others; you practice magic or read that over there.”
“Yes.”
I nodded, heading to the wall. I wanted to start mental magic practice now. I knew imagination grew stronger with practice.
But first, I leaned against the wall and opened the thinnest book. Basics of illusion. My eyes sparkled. This class would help a ton. I read it all, then closed my eyes.
What if I spread illusion in my mind? Inside my head, my imaginary world.
What world to unfold? Milky Way? Felt off somehow. Beautiful star path underfoot, sure. Fine for real-world illusion, but for dreams, too quiet, lonely. I opened my eyes there.
‘What’d be good...’
I glanced at Inha. She was getting personal lessons now. Lost in thought, random ideas popped up. Lately, my mind drifted to my mana attributes and affinities. Ah, right—my mental world, base it there. Mental/special abstract, but darkness and light together? What?
‘Hmm...’
Simpler. Darkness symbolizes night, light day. Together...twilight?
No, didn’t click. My mana color was far from dusk. Then...
“Dawn.”
I pictured dawn’s most beautiful scene.
Milky Way overhead in the distant night sky, dawn light beyond the horizon. Surreal, yet it captivated me.
Ocean’d be nice. Silvery line drawn over churning black horizon. Ocean sunrise’s one of my favorite sights, but no sun. It’d block the stars. Plus, knowing it’ll rise someday fills the heart.
Sandy beach before the sea. Walk it in dawn light.
Faint silver sun-line leaking over horizon, hazy night darkness above. Love that sky.
But look up: pitch-black heavens pierced by dazzling Milky Way!
Fields better for stargazing. Brushing wind, grass scent, flowers glowing faintly in starlight. Lie in field, gaze forever. Spot a shooting star? Pure joy.
Hazy dawn horizon, star-shower Milky Way in night sky.
I’d closed my eyes again. If that’s my world, it’d be perfect...
...Huh...?
I snapped my eyes open, sitting up. Wh-When did I lie down? In a field like this...
“Wow!”
I looked up, cheering. The field’s dark sky sparkled with a Milky Way of star-dust. I followed it with my eyes.
“Morning sun...?”
Far horizon’s end: beyond black, wave-tossed sea absorbing night’s hue, faint silver line glimmered. No sun visible, but its light spread along horizon. So pretty...
“Huh? Feels familiar...”
Ping—a memory flashed. Eyes wide, I recalled.
Before here, just now—me imagining my world. I realized.
Ah. This is a dream.
Gazing at distant dawn sea, I thought. What’s stargazing on endless water like? Manga scenes: lying on vast black waves, sky overhead... World warped. Now I stood on the sea.
“Huh...?”
Dawn light far across ocean. Sky packed with Milky Way, constellations. I looked around in awe. Starlight vividly embedded in black seawater.
“Wow...”
I knew.
Real sea never reflects stars this clear. Lake maybe, but ocean always waves.
But dream world. If I realize and will it, anything possible.
I lay on sea, eyes closed. Starlight seeped through eyelids.