Chapter 72
Chapter 72
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: 15. School's Star
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It wasn't magic. It was a kind of evolution of my talent.
That thing that had let me sense mana much faster than others ever since I was born. The ability to sense mana and see its color. It was the evolution of my detection ability, which was already several times more sensitive than anyone else's.
All the precursors to casting magic were visible before it was even manifested. I could feel the flow of mana. I could see exactly how the mana moved to activate the spell, what attributes it took on, what properties it had—and I instinctively understood it all. By remembering it, I could use that magic right away.
That was the phrase that explained this situation.
The first time I realized I could "copy" magic, I was shocked and amazed. After that, I was just thrilled. Purely delighted.
So I copied magic without discrimination. Every spell that caught my eye—every single one.
As I did, the characteristics of my copying ability started to become clear. My newly awakened talent was far more incredible than I'd imagined.
This talent for grasping magic didn't just apply to existing spells. In other words... even unique magic could be copied and used as long as I properly memorized its mana flow.
However, since it wasn't copying through magic but through talent, there were strict limits. Naturally, it had to be within the limits of my own mana, and there was the constraint that I could only comprehend and replicate flows within my understanding.
But conversely, that meant as long as I could understand a spell's mana flow and mimic it exactly, I could replicate and use every spell I laid eyes on.
It was an unbelievably incredible evolution of my talent.
Since I wasn't copying with magic but comprehending and imitating it with my talent, it was convenient to apply in ways that ignored my skill level. In other words, I could evolve the magic in the way I wanted.
When I experienced and confirmed all of this firsthand, I told Inha and my parents first and foremost. Completely honestly and straightforwardly, without any pretense.
My parents, upon hearing it, were stunned of course, and so was Inha. Inha, who had turned eleven, was smart enough to judge the situation and quickly realized just how amazing my copying talent was.
"I can't believe it. It's not something simple even with magic."
"But... that's Eunha's talent. Her greatest talent is her sensing ability to see and feel mana, and her precise mana control."
Auntie Seona, the Transcendent, saw through and judged my magical talent most accurately.
"But I never imagined it would reach this level..."
Even she couldn't hide her astonishment.
With this, I no longer had to worry much about attack magic. I could just copy a spell I liked, make it my own, and that would be enough. Well... there was a bit of guilt about it feeling like stealing, but my interest in magic outweighed that. And I'd tell the people I knew before copying theirs anyway.
Yeah. When I truly realized the awesomeness of magic copying, my endless curiosity and thirst for knowledge about magic once again flooded my mind anew.
Once I knew I could copy others' magic, I thought: I want to see as much magic from as many people as possible. And try using each of those spells once...
After that, I told my friends, teachers, and master about my awakened talent. I told my friends first, then the teachers and master. The friends were just surprised, but the teachers and master were speechless for a while.
"How is that even possible...?"
That was all they could say.
Honestly, I knew this evolved talent was absurd. I'd just tried not to think too deeply about it, but would a talent that lets you grasp and replicate a single spell be ordinary? But there was nothing to be done about a talent that had already awakened and been discovered.
"It's best not to tell anyone about that. Even after you become an adult... Hiding it isn't a bad thing. Even strong mages don't go around publicly sharing their magic. Everyone has their aces up their sleeve. Since everyone has different magic, it's actually better to keep quiet for future advantages."
I nodded quietly at my master's stern expression. It was easy to accept.
After that, during my time off from school, I immersed myself in observing mana. I succeeded in copying some of Mom's communication magic, Auntie Seona's ice magic, Inha's light and lightning magic, and Uncle Jeongmin's healing magic. However, Auntie Seona's and Uncle Jeongmin's magic were on a much higher level than what I could handle, so I could only use parts of them. Plus, Uncle Jeongmin's healing magic didn't mesh well with my affinity, making it pretty hard to use.
And the short break ended. The first day back at school after "that incident" had dawned.
With my uniform on and preparations complete, I set my backpack aside and sighed in front of the vanity mirror.
"Hoo..."
It had been an unavoidable situation back then, and I had no regrets about protecting the kids. Regretting that would mean I had no humanity left.
It wasn't so much regret as worry. Why did things have to turn out that way, forcing me to use magic? And in front of all the kids, exposing my full abilities like that.
Up until now, I could proudly say I'd lived quietly at school, blending in. Aside from that one open fight in front of everyone in second grade, I'd really been quiet and well-behaved. Of course, "ordinary" was a stretch with the flashy people around me—Inha and Hansu, the most popular kids in the elementary division, always hanging with me.
But aside from that, I myself was pretty ordinary. No tardiness, sat quietly reading, no causing trouble, listened to the teachers, chatted with kids occasionally...
'Too late, already.'
Argh, this is driving me crazy...
Suddenly recalling what my friends had said to me, I clutched my head. Even so, I'd been out of school for nearly a month, so maybe my image had faded a bit in their minds? I wanted to hope...
'Ha, a month. Already a month...'
Yeah, it'd been a full month since I last went to school. After sleeping for two weeks straight, I woke up and got dragged around for checkups because childhood mana depletion might leave aftereffects, and with rest, a month had passed. In the end, they just concluded my mana had massively increased. Afterward, my muscles ached every time I used mana for a while—maybe that was the aftereffect, as I suffered muscle pain.
Now the muscle pain was gone, and the suddenly surged mana that had startled me had mostly stabilized. The sudden increase made control tricky at first, but I'd always prided myself on my exceptional mana control talent. Two weeks later, I could handle delicate control as naturally as before.
'No, actually, control wasn't the only issue...'
The sudden growth in mana had a huge impact on me. Have you ever felt the world change when you open your eyes? That's exactly what I felt.
I hadn't noticed much in the hospital room where mana was blocked, but from the moment I first opened my eyes, something felt refreshingly clear. Then, when I looked at the world... a mystical sensation filled my chest and mind, like the entire world was pouring into my eyes.
The mana rippling through the world hit my eyes and heart directly—what should I call it...? Like being reborn? Or so overwhelming I could cry?
Anyway, that's how it felt. Suddenly, the world seemed too beautiful. Hard to put into words, but the sky was so pretty, the rustling green leaves sounded so good it made my heart swell...
The world had become sharper, more vivid. If I had to sum it up in one phrase, that's it.
I can never forget that感動 from back then. After that, I trained in the real world to get used to the increased mana. There was some commotion when my parents tried to stop me...
And today was my first day back at school since the incident. I sighed again.
'I wonder what looks the kids will give me... I hate it, hate it.'
But in the end, I decided to just go with it. There was no other choice anyway.
'Plus, they're just kids. They'll forget something like that quick enough.'
I'd go to school like always, and I wouldn't show off my magic like before. Even without drawing attention, showing my magic in front of lots of kids felt embarrassing somehow. Cringe-worthy?
Of course, the terrorist attack was a big deal. But it was in the past now. Past events don't linger long in the mind. Everything fades with time. Once peaceful days resume, the kids would gradually forget what I'd done.
...Of course, given the scale of the incident, I couldn't be too optimistic.
"...Alright."
I muttered to my reflection like a pledge and stood up. Glancing at the time, it was already when I'd promised to meet Inha at the gate. I grabbed my bag and boldly opened the door, heading downstairs.
"I'm off to school—."
"Have a safe trip!"
"Yeah, Mom!"
Unlike moments ago, I greeted brightly and stepped out. Opening the gate, Inha was standing there.
"Inha! Hi!"
"Yeah. Hi."
Inha smiled shyly and greeted me back. Then she tightly gripped my hand.
"Going to school with you feels like it's been forever somehow."
"Yeah... While I was out, spring's almost over. Summer's coming soon? Wow—."
I shaded my eyes with my hand and looked up at the sky. Inha murmured, "Come to think of it," and spoke.
"You don't mind the heat much, right?"
"Yeah. I hate the cold, but heat's tolerable."
"Really?"
"Yeah. How to put it? I know it's hot, but it doesn't feel that hot. Hmm, Mom said it might be my mana influencing my constitution."
"Makes sense. They say the stronger your mana, the more unique traits or abilities appear per person."
"Yeah. It's something that always comes up in class. We haven't learned it yet, though."
We chatted like that as we walked a bit, then took a teleport badge and teleported. As usual, arriving early, the quiet campus with hardly anyone around came into view. Holding hands, we crossed the wide playground and entered the school building.
"I figured it might be like that. I already have special abilities anyway. Two of them! What about you, Inha? Got any yet?"
"Hmm... Not really."
Inha said that while brushing her hair. Her long black hair sparkled and scattered before my eyes. I gazed at Inha's pitch-black hair, then glanced at mine. So pretty. Compared to Inha's, my hair...
'Huh...?'
I suddenly felt something off and touched my hair. Brushing it once, the strangeness hit me clearly.
'My hair used to be noticeably brown.'
East Asian hair is black, but often it's dark brown. Plus, mine was thin and light brown that stood out in sunlight. I puzzledly ran my fingers through it.
'The color's darkened.'
Not completely black. But compared to before, definitely darker. It used to be near golden-brown; now it's dark brown-black.
Feels weird. Is this a mana-induced constitution change? Hair color changes usually happen at adulthood (age 15), so it's even more suspicious. Amazing, even. Anyway, clear proof my mana strengthened—I felt inexplicably pleased.
"Eunha, what's up?"
"Yeah. Look at this. My hair color."
I grinned and stuck right next to Inha.
"See? Used to be golden-brown, but now it's dark brown-black. My mana color's navy, right? Close to black. And dark attribute has the best affinity, so maybe that's why?"
"Really..."
Inha looked amazed as she ran her fingers through my hair. I beamed.
"Feels kinda good. Honestly, I prefer black over brown anyway."
"Really? Brown suits you too."
"Nah. Black definitely suits me better. Bet on it."
Inha giggled at my words. As we walked leaning on each other, I suddenly sensed familiar mana and footsteps approaching from behind, so I turned. Hansu was approaching with a frown, paused when our eyes met, and hesitated.
"Oh, Hansu. Long time no see."
"Uh? Uh... yeah, long time."
Hansu blushed awkwardly, then reached out and firmly separated me and Inha. He wedged himself between us. Inha scowled.
"What are you doing?"
"You're annoyingly stuck together. Hey, you okay? Body-wise?"
"I've rested a month; no way it'd get worse."
The two started a hand-fighting tug-of-war in that position. Can't pull apart? Ah, don't poke. Don't interfere between me and Eunha. Hmph. Trying to hide it from me, but it's obvious. I chuckled. Then I blinked.
"But Hansu... your mana increased a lot in that month?"
Hansu flinched. Y-yeah? He muttered, looking flustered. No, not just increased... more... yeah, refined...
I smiled brightly.
"Training hard while we weren't meeting?"
"..."
Hansu fell silent with a slightly downcast expression at my words. Uh, uh? Why's he like this? I complimented him? As I panicked, Hansu nodded.
"Uh..."
Now I noticed Inha beside him looking glum too. As I wondered what was up, Hansu slipped out from between us and strode ahead. He turned toward the lockers and vanished. ...Then immediately, a crashing sound of something pouring out and a scream-like yell came.
"Uwaaak!"
"W-what?!"
Rushing over with Inha, we saw Hansu buried under a pile of gift-like things. Hansu stood, picking up one box, and scowled.
"Ah, damn..."
Seeing that, I guessed and laughed. I clapped once and clasped my hands at my chest.
"Wow. Amazing. You two's popularity is still going strong~."
Hansu gave me a dumbfounded look.
"No? These aren't mine? Not hers either?"
"...Huh?"
I tilted my head in confusion.
"Then?"
"Here."
Hansu tossed me the smallest wrapped gift. I caught it flustered with both hands. The palm-sized box had a card:
『Happy Birthday!!
To. Yoo Eunha』
Uh...???
As I tilted my head, Hansu yelled.
"It's your birthday today! Forgot?!"
"Oh? Yeah. Oh. It's the 29th today."
Realizing, I nodded, then my expression stiffened awkwardly.
"Wait...? Then this huge pile of gifts is all...?"
Hansu sighed slightly and nodded.
"Your birthday presents."
"..."
I shut my mouth. I hadn't hidden my birthday, so it spreading wasn't weird. But all these are for my birthday...? Who from? No need to ask—the answer was obvious. My face paled.
"Uh... I'll gratefully accept them all."
I glanced around awkwardly, muttered helplessly, and stored all the gifts in my sub-space. Hansu stared wide-eyed at the black hole opening in midair. Because it was clearly different from storing in a student ID.
"Huh? You can use sub-space magic now?!"
Ah. Then I realized something. Come to think of it, I hadn't told Hansu and the others. We'd just messaged during my break. I smacked my palm with my fist.
"Oh, right. Yeah, I can, but... this isn't sub-space magic. It's my own."
"What?"
"Yeah, see. My magic is spatial originally. I made a sub-space with it. Still small, but I'll expand it gradually."
"..."
Hansu stared wide-eyed in silence. Moments later, he muttered with a complicated expression.
"Aw, damn."
Huh? As I blinked at him, he shook his head.
"Nothing."
Really? I tilted my head puzzled but let it go. Then I cast message magic on my sub-space. Searching for any meant for Inha or Hansu, a few items popped out.
"This one's Inha's, this Hansu's."
Receiving their shares, the two glanced at each other side-by-side. Then sighed in unison. I raised an eyebrow curiously.
"What? From earlier."
"Nothing..."
They said simultaneously again, glanced at each other, then exchanged odd looks. Hmm, wondering why, I decided to drop it. They didn't seem mad at me, so just curiosity.
More than that, watching their "talk with eyes" continue, I blurted out my feeling.
"But you two acting like that makes you look like you're dating."
"...What?"
"...Haa??!!"
They both looked dumbfounded. Of course, I said it knowing they'd react like this.
"Absolutely not!"
"Who are you to say!"
We changed to indoor shoes at the lockers and headed to class. Walking, with me in front, they bickered behind me. I watched their backs with a cute smile.
'But anyway... if that's all gifts...'
A certain thought and predictions flooded my mind, leaving me a bit despondent. My shoulders heading to class felt heavier.
'Haa...'
But the heavy mood didn't last. As we neared the classroom down the hall, the familiar scenery eased my mind. Nostalgic, sentimental. Skipping a month—not even vacation—brings this feeling...
Inha ahead tapped her student ID on the door and entered the code. A beep sounded, and the door opened. Seeing the intact classroom, I felt a touch of longing. It had been nearly half-destroyed in the last attack. Plus, the vividly clearer mana view gave a fresh, novel sensation.
I took a pleased deep breath.
"What?"
Hansu eyed me puzzled.
"You seem especially happy today?"
"Not especially today—from waking up."
"Why?"
"Eunha says the mana feels better, and that sensation feels good."
"Really?"
"Yeah!"
I nodded at the two discussing me.
"It's an amazing good feeling."
Smiling at them, I put my bag at my seat and sat. Unlike me sitting right away, Inha and Hansu took stuff from their student ID sub-spaces before sitting. Watching, something occurred to me, so I spoke.
"Come to think of it... Hansu and Inha, your magic skills got exposed too, right? Back then..."
I hesitated. The terrorist situation wasn't a good memory. Swallowing, I asked.
"You used magic too, right?"
"Yeah."
But unlike my worry, Hansu and Inha nodded casually.
"It's fine. Me, Minhee, this guy, Hyunho—now that yours is out, doesn't matter much?"
"...Really?"
My expression turned awkward. Hearing that made the pressure tenfold. I hung my head.
No one else was in the classroom yet. Surveying it with fresh sentiment, I pulled a novel from my bag with a determined look. Yeah, I prepared for today. It stems from my trait: when absorbed in something, I ignore surroundings. Until attention fades, I'll read and tune out!
'Hmm, I'm not that pretty anyway. Won't show magic openly after. Hmm, time will make it fine?'
I truly believed that. The birthday gift pile was no joke, but... yeah, it'll be okay! I believed.
But before I could even open the book, Hansu spoke up.
========== Author's Note ==========
I'm a bit nervous. This chapter got some criticism during the previous serialization. So the progression is quite different from pre-remake.
For reference, Eunha's birthday is May 29th.
+++
Thanks for the sponsored coupons from Elsukai!
Thanks for the comments from HestiaL, Baekwolheolang, Kkumsogiyagi, Lenggul, Hye-reu, Jeokhwa-cheongwol, Julwi, EoddeongauiReader, Kaienellia, Haneultong, Kakao0, Baekkkomhu-gaeja, ChunjaC, Silunes, Mintaehyun, Ertin, K dun, Teichia, MaleG, Bluepeach, Napeosha, HayuhaS, Osy0, JajaOneDaySpecialSale, Elsukai, Ryumir!!
+Yes, Byeolyoi is a reincarnation. Precisely, a previous previous life.