Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: 10. World
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When we got home, Mom greeted us warmly. The friends greeted her quite politely too. We decided to make the mana crystals in my room, so we headed straight up to the second floor.
"Eunha's house feels like it's been ages."
There was a cute nameplate hanging on my door. It was a dainty design with nothing written on it.
I turned the round doorknob and opened the door. The kids rushed into my room.
"Huh? You got a carpet? It's so fluffy!"
Minhee plopped down on the white carpet, leaning against the bed. I glanced around.
"If we're doing this, we'll need a low table. I'll go grab one."
"A low table?"
"Like this short one."
"Oh."
I taught Minhee a new word, then headed back downstairs. There was definitely an extra one in the storage room. I grabbed the desk and carried it up the stairs. It was a bit big and heavy for me to lift alone, so I cast a lightweight spell first. I passed Mom, who was preparing snacks. When I got back to the room, the friends were all playing around—or rather, poking through my room. At least Mom had cleaned it while I was gone, which was a relief.
"Wow, your accessories increased again? Bracelets, earrings... even though you don't have your ears pierced. Hairpins, hair ties..."
Minhee was fiddling with the accessories I'd collected on one shelf, eyeing them covetously.
"Ugh—these are all books?"
"What? You study all this? Isn't it hard?"
Hyunho was pulling books off the shelf one by one, looking overwhelmed, while Hansu flipped through the notebooks stacked by my desk with a fascinated expression. Seeing that made heat rise to the top of my head. It had been a while since I'd lowered my voice like this.
"You guys~."
"Huh?"
I took a deep breath and yelled.
"No touching without permission, randomly, as you please—!!"
──Silence fell.
Inha sat there with a look that said she knew it was coming. I shoved the desk against the wall and charged at Hyunho, who was holding the most important thing.
"Don't pull books out randomly, don't stick them back anywhere... Ugh, the cover's creased! I treasure this one!"
"S-Sorry..."
"Treat books gently! Hansu! Those are my study notes, so don't drop the bookmarks! And don't peek at someone else's studying—it's embarrassing!"
"H-Huh? Okay..."
"Minhee! Leave those alone or they'll tangle. Argh, seriously."
I'd always thought of my friends as mature, so I never imagined they'd ransack my room the moment I stepped out. I'm not great at organizing, but I'm pretty finicky and particular about how my things are handled—I can't stand it when someone touches my stuff without me around.
Come to think of it, they hadn't been in my room many times before. I put the books back, neatly closed my study notebook and set it on the desk, and untangled the accessories. Then I let out a sigh.
"Seriously, even if it's a friend's stuff or family stuff, you don't touch it without asking."
"Is that how it is?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, got it. I won't."
The friends looked a little cowed. Well, I'd been stricter than usual today. I quickly fetched the low table and set it down in front. Just then, Mom opened the door and came in.
"I brought snacks. Eat these while you work."
""Thank you!!""
Forgetting their awkwardness, they bowed to Mom right away. She smiled, looking pleased for some reason.
That's when we finally started making mana crystals. At first, it was just going to be me making a big one for them to watch, but somehow, it turned into everyone trying one.
Tap, plip plop. Roll roll roll...
They all came out differently. Minhee made a perfectly round one, big as a garden orb, and called it done. Inha's looked like a star candy. Hyunho made a bunch of tiny glass-bead-sized ones and rolled them across the desk. Hansu's was a long, stick-like shape.
'Well, it matches their mana shapes.'
As their magic grew, the shapes of their mana changed bit by bit. Minhee usually forms perfect spheres when she casts spells. Hyunho's mana sometimes bursts out in tiny droplets like splashing water. Hansu's really does stretch out like tree branches. Inha's is round but spiky, infused with light and lightning.
My mana spreads out like mist. But my crystal was just a plain oval. Not that that's bad.
And Siha... Siha was the only one who still hadn't made one. I paused midway through mine and tilted my head at her.
"Can't do it?"
"Huh? Yeah... I don't get it."
"Well, the others are the impressive ones for getting it right away. Most kids our age can't."
"Oh..."
Siha looked a little deflated. After a moment's thought, I decided to give her a hand.
I took one of Hyunho's stray crystals, placed it in Siha's hand, cupped her hands together, and murmured instructions. *Feel this texture. Remember it. Crystals are usually spherical. Now try without the crystal. Cup your hands, imagine a tiny bead inside. Picture your mana coiling up and filling it.*
Siha focused hard a few times. A bit later, she opened her eyes and her hands.
"Ah, I did it...!"
A teensy crystal, no bigger than the smallest bead, rolled in her palm. Ooh! Everyone looked impressed. Siha beamed.
"Thanks, Eunha. It's because of you!"
"Nah. You did it yourself."
It's true. I just gave her some tips, but without talent, you couldn't pull it off. Siha kept thanking me and practiced more.
Meanwhile, what was I doing instead of making a proper crystal? A new challenge. I'd shaped crystals before—hearts, jade curves. Some I kept in my drawer, others I reabsorbed into my mana.
This was a higher-level challenge. Before, it was just flat, simple shapes. Now, I was going for *3D*.
I uncurled my hands. A crude, child-sculpted tree-shaped crystal appeared. Just five branches, fewer than ten leaves. Tiny, fingertip-sized. But it was huge progress.
"Wow, is that a crystal?"
"Heh, it's pretty cute."
The friends marveled. I grinned. This was what I'd wanted to try today. After that, until the others left, I kept making rabbit shapes, weird models, building-like ones— all sorts of crystal figures. The others tried shaping too, but it wasn't easy. Minhee managed a little success, maybe?
We spent the whole day playing with crystals like that. After making tons, we reabsorbed most into our mana and gifted some to each other. For the record, after they left, I connected those tiny crystals into a little flower ornament. Inha's star one as the center, others around it. Not super pretty, but neat.
I smiled at the crystals by my accessory box.
A few days later, I learned the mana crystal method in school too, just like my friends. But honestly, we just learned it—most kids couldn't make one. So I didn't either.
The teacher said making crystals is pretty hard. Most succeed around 14 or 15. Our school's average is 12. Failing at our age is normal. So this lesson was just memorizing the method.
In the end, only one kid in our class succeeded: that girl who'd bragged to me before. She was the only one.
Whatever. Not a big deal. After that, we focused on magic training for a while. Especially me—the evasion drills suddenly ramped up, and I struggled to adapt.
"Wah!"
But I usually dodged by a hair. How to describe it? Within a certain range, I *feel* incoming mana. Not just sight— I track its trajectory with my awareness. The more I trained, the more it sank into my body. I was amazed. Before, I couldn't track them visually. Plus, in my past life, my eyesight was terrible—minus something awful. Now, it's my best physical stat...
Maybe the growing mana detection from evasion drills made time feel slower sometimes. Like in crises, things approach in slow motion. It felt faster, more conscious now.
Probably my body changing from mana, like martial arts masters in books leveling up. Stronger mages cast faster spells, right? Invisible speeds—how do they track and react? They must hone senses like this as they grow.
I chatted with seniors sometimes too. Not just Joo Je-hyeon or Lee Eunhee, but Yujeong Sister and Inho Brother from the year above. But unlike Je-hyeon, connected through Minhee, meetings with the other two dwindled to rare bumps in the hall.
Winter returned. In the warm classroom thanks to magic and tech, I dozed off. Then I spotted an annoying kid.
"For real?"
"Wow, really? Awesome."
"I saw her sneak it. She used two attribute magics, for real."
"I'm bad at attribute magic... They say infuse mana with attributes, but how? Spell magic's easier."
"But she did it. Name was... what? Ha Jinseong, I think?"
I woke from my doze, frowning at that. Who brazenly breaks school rules and blabs like this? Kids usually hush it even among themselves. Don't they block with magic? Isn't it enforced?
I'd never said anything, so I didn't know the punishment. Is the secrecy rule no big deal, letting kids hush it?
I frowned as kids crowded her.
"What? Who used two attributes?"
"So this Ha Jinseong kid..."
"Hey, wait. That's against rules. They said it's blocked by magic..."
"Oh, that? Not inside school. Heard from my sister—it's fine."
"But rules are rules..."
"It's fine! I saw it myself—what's the problem? Ha Jinseong used two attributes!!!"
Her voice boomed. Ha Jinseong wasn't in our class, but my face paled. My skills exposed like that? Terrifying.
Then chaos hit. Her student ID on her wrist started glowing.
"Huh? What? What is it?"
"Why's your ID glowing?"
"Dunno. What's happening?"
The girl panicked, grabbing it. But it ignored her, glowing brighter.
"Huh? Wha—?"
The light swallowed her whole. When we blinked, she was gone. We stared in shock at the empty spot.
"What? Where'd she go?"
"No idea."
Kids murmured. Even after the bell, we were in panic until our homeroom teacher burst in, sliding the door.
"Quiet. Son Minju's been summoned to the chairman's office. I have to go too, so self-study this period. Feel free to use the library or magic lab. But be quiet in the halls. Got it?"
She issued orders briskly, face stern, then left. Class fizzled out, and we went home earlier than usual. Friends looked baffled.
"Why end class early? Oh well! Where to now?"
"...Sorry, I'm heading home first. Need to think..."
"Huh? Really?"
They looked disappointed, but I nodded, pale.
"Then me too..."
"No, Inha—go hang with them. Don't you wanna play?"
"But..."
"It's fine. Just need to think about magic stuff."
"Oh, like that?"
"Yeah."
It'd happened before, so they accepted it casually.
"Let's go."
Hansu dragged hesitant Inha. She pouted a bit but turned away with the others. I waved them off, then bowed my head darkly. I hadn't told them, but I guessed the situation.
'Today's sudden self-study... early dismissal... probably because that girl exposed Ha Jinseong.'
Secrecy rule—set as 'law' because it's vital. She took it lightly. ID glowed, she vanished. Magic on the IDs?
'Well, except leveled classes, I never sensed magic on them...'
Honestly, no clue. I'm sensitive to mana, but not omniscient.
'But is Ha Jinseong okay?'
Oddly, I worried about the rumor center. Normally, I'd brush it off. Feel bad, move on.
I pictured the boy. Same class last year. Normal kid. Played soccer lively on the field. Totally average.
Sighing faintly, I walked toward the gate habitually. What worried me more: how much he'd broken rules. Maybe multiple victims. Overwhelming. Argh.
"Haa..."
Just stay quiet, and it's fine—or so I thought. Hiding skills is surprisingly complicated.
Honestly, I'm grateful, but sometimes I wonder: why does this school obsess over secrecy? Yeah, to protect talented kids—I get it. But is it necessary? Doesn't feel real...
'Whatever, suits me.'
But my mood didn't lift. That scene was my worst nightmare. Our school enforces secrecy. Skills exposed by another... then...
'Others won't care much? Maybe?'
Sure, probably. How many hide skills just to avoid attention like me? Friends, parents say hide—so they do. Head full of thoughts, I went home.
The truth came next day. Big time. Incident blew up.
Morning assembly: usually in-class for 2nd graders. This time, all 2nd year elementary in the auditorium. Students, teachers—even leveled class instructors. I gaped at Junhwi Teacher and Min Teacher on stage.
"What?"
"What's going on?"
Kids buzzed confusedly. I narrowed my eyes. School's treating this huge. Yeah, secrecy held—inside unknown, but outside, strict magic seals. Or so I heard.
But yesterday, a girl's innocence broke it. Kids kept it naively; she naively shattered it big. Sure, whisperers punished before—I heard some. But this scale? First since enrolling.
"Quiet. Chairman will explain. Everyone, silence!"
Controlling ~100 kids? Tough. They kept chattering post-order. But chairman's entrance hushed them some. He had that charisma. One of ~200 S-rank mages worldwide—a transcendent.
He spoke into the mic.
"Details via homeroom teachers, so I'll be brief—with a warning to prevent repeats. Yesterday, 2nd year elementary student Son Minju massively violated our top rule."
I thought *as expected*, but eyed him curiously. I can hide—thanks—but why obsess over secrecy? This big warning?
I know it's to protect talents. But why... His next words startled me.
"Student IDs state the penalty. Son Minju violated 15 times total. We overlooked for low years, no big fuss—but now, she will be expelled."
Kids erupted. Expel? Really? Seemed harsh... Even with rules, warnings—reality shocked them.
Me too. Few schools actually expel for it. But...
"Not excessive. Multiple prior warnings... And though how rumors spread is unclear, Son Minju leaked kids' talents outside several times—leading to near-kidnappings of Ha Jinseong and two others yesterday."
I looked up, stunned. Blood froze. Fingertips chilled. Something crept up my feet. *Realization*—never felt before.
"Ha Jinseong and the three were close to Son Minju. Maybe shared skills as friends—but broadcasting outside is forbidden. See what happens."
Yesterday, exact day of chaos. I worried mildly, figured it'd pass. Recalled her personality—would she care if exposed? Thought it'd settle.
Chills hit unannounced. I shivered coldly.
"Luckily, they triggered help system immediately—guild protected them. But they're sedated, unconscious in hospital now."
"..."
"Thus, Son Minju will be expelled."