Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: 16. Love and Admiration
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A mana rampage was exactly what the term implied. It was when mana the owner couldn't handle burst out uncontrollably in all directions. That was called a "mana rampage." There were various causes for a mana rampage. The first was when the owner's mana suddenly increased beyond what they could willfully control. The second was when a possessor of strong mana lost their reason. Broadly speaking, those were the two main cases.
Yoo Eunha's situation was closer to the first case, if anything. Mana suddenly surging to a level the owner couldn't handle. But it was slightly different. Kim Seona paused in her shock and fell deep into thought.
'If that were the case, Mirae or I would have noticed the signs beforehand. Mana would have leaked out wildly around her. No way we wouldn't have sensed it.'
That left the extremely rare third case. When the owner could willfully control the mana, but their body couldn't withstand it.
But Kim Seona shook her head at that thought too.
'There would still be signs. Or maybe... a combination of factors? Eunha's been tired lately... Was that because her mana suddenly increased and she was struggling to control it? Or some other reason?'
Her head was a mess. Kim Seona stopped thinking for now and looked around. She saw the children's worried faces, followed by Han Mirae's pale expression. Kim Seona narrowed her eyes.
'If it's a rampage, releasing all the mana might resolve it... But in this case, we need someone more knowledgeable about mana than me. I should call him. And...'
"By the way, didn't you say one of your teachers is a detection-type mage?"
"Yes? Oh... yes... Teacher Junhwi..."
"Go call him. We need a detection-type mage. To calm that down for now... we need someone who can check the child's condition."
"Got it!"
Kim Seona spoke to the children like that, then teleported away from the spot with a whoosh. Joo Minhee immediately pulled out her phone and pressed the keys with trembling hands. Fortunately, Jeong Junhwi answered after a short wait. Soon, a video call popped up on the phone.
Jeong Junhwi looked at the children's urgent faces and opened his mouth with a puzzled expression.
[What's going on? On a weekend...?]
Yoo Min was beside him too. She'd heard they lived together. Joo Minhee spoke urgently to the two of them.
"T-Teacher! Big trouble! You know Eunha's house, right?! Come right now!"
[...Why?]
[Don't tell me something happened to Eunha again?]
Joo Minhee nodded desperately. The two men's expressions hardened coldly. Jeong Junhwi replied with a stiff face.
[...Got it.]
The screen went dark. The two appeared in front of Eunha's house not long after. There were too many security measures to teleport directly inside. Han Mirae and the children quickly opened the gate and let them in. The two rushed inside with urgent expressions.
"What the hell happened?"
"Eunha hasn't come out of her room for four days."
"Hasn't come out of her room...?"
Jeong Junhwi frowned in disbelief. Yoo Min asked with a flustered look too.
"Wasn't she sick?!"
Han Mirae shook her head at that.
"No. It wasn't illness. We just brushed it off saying she was holed up in her room. We thought it was just magic training keeping her from coming out... No way to make her come out... But after four days..."
"What the...?"
Han Mirae explained the situation step by step, though her face showed anxiety. How Yoo Eunha had suddenly holed up in her room four days ago. How they'd thought it wasn't a big deal and left her alone. And how it had continued until now... Kang Inha added an explanation.
"She put up a barrier and holed up, so no one could touch it. It was a strong barrier, and messing with it wrong might hurt Eunha. So we asked her mom who just got back to open the door... and mana leaked out, and she said it's on the verge of rampage..."
"On the verge of rampage...?!"
The two wore stunned expressions one after another. And they fixed their gazes on the door wrapped in the barrier's power.
A moment later, Kim Seona returned with her husband, Kang Jeongmin. She had teleported directly inside the house. Unlike Jeong Junhwi or Yoo Min, Kim Seona and Kang Jeongmin were free to move within the house's wards.
To check Yoo Eunha's condition, they needed to break the barrier again. Kim Seona stood in front of Yoo Eunha's door once more, just like before.
"Okay, watch closely."
Kim Seona said that and reached out to the barrier. With a sizzle, her hand was repelled by the barrier, but Kim Seona ignored it and cast her spell.
'This barrier's stronger than before. What kind of magic did she use?'
This time, Kim Seona poured in far more mana than earlier. To keep the barrier from reforming for a while. The barrier froze, not breaking this time but locking in place. Kim Seona undid the lock spell on the door handle, then sliced ice along the door's edges. Soon, she flung open the frozen door.
Whoosh, the door opened, and mana winds rushed out around them. Dazzling silver and mysterious navy mana swirled around Eunha's body. Jeong Junhwi and Kang Jeongmin's eyes widened in shock at the sight.
"This is..."
Everyone there except Kang Jeongmin turned to Jeong Junhwi at his mutter.
"What? Do you know something?!"
"Is it really on the verge of rampage? Is Eunha in danger right now?"
"No."
Kang Jeongmin answered the children's words. Jeong Junhwi affirmed it too.
"It's not wrong to say on the verge of rampage. But it stopped before that. She... made it stop herself."
"She made it stop herself...?"
Han Mirae asked with trembling eyes. Jeong Junhwi nodded.
"Yes. Eunha sensed her own condition before rampaging. And she put herself into... a 'hibernation' state."
"Hibernation?"
Kim Seona looked up from stamping her foot anxiously and turned to Jeong Junhwi. This time, Kang Jeongmin answered.
"It's not entirely accurate, but if we have to put it in words, yes."
"Th-Then, what happens to Eunha?!"
"Yeah, Eunha...!"
Jeong Junhwi continued calmly amid the children's urgent voices. Han Mirae just stared silently into Yoo Eunha's room with trembling eyes. Into the room where mana swirled endlessly.
"Remember how Eunha's been tired lately?"
"Yes... unusually so..."
"Yeah. I haven't been watching constantly, so I don't know for sure, but maybe that was because her mana control was starting to slip bit by bit."
"If that's the case... Eunha's had that tired look for about a month. That means she's been holding on all that time."
Kang Jeongmin, who had been listening quietly to Jeong Junhwi, let out a groan. In truth, that wasn't the only reason, but no one in the room knew that. If her mental strength hadn't been pushed to the limit, Yoo Eunha wouldn't have reached a rampage state.
Kang Inha, listening to the conversation with trembling eyes, turned toward the door again. Through the frozen door gap, Eunha's face was visible. Even that was obscured by mana. Kang Inha cried out in a quivering voice.
"But why did Eunha suddenly lose control of her mana?! She's a genius at mana control..."
Jeong Junhwi agreed with that. And he pieced together a fairly accurate guess of how Eunha had reached this state, from a slightly different angle.
"It probably started little by little at first. But she's been tired for a month. If it went on that long? With her personality, she must have gotten extremely anxious. Mental pressure makes mana control even harder."
"..."
"Of course, Eunha's especially talented at mana control. But there was that mana depletion incident too. Enduring a sudden flood of mana is tough for a child's body. And lately, all sorts of things happened. Sudden real combat, mana depletion, even mental strain from that stalker."
That was right. Nothing had happened until now, but in the past year, disasters had piled up especially on Yoo Eunha. The terror attack targeting Daeyeon Academy's elementary division, rescuing the children, mana depletion— they'd thought it all resolved, but then stalking from one of the escaped terrorists continued. It was plenty to mentally overwhelm her.
Ha, someone sighed and covered their face. Kang Inha bit her lip with clenched fists. All of it had been endured almost alone by the young Yoo Eunha.
"And to rampage even then requires an enormous amount of mana... enough to shatter the body's vessel, far beyond what's suitable for her age... It doesn't usually happen. Actual cases of mana rampage in kids this young don't exceed twenty ever. But..."
"...Eunha's case?"
Kang Inha said that and frowned. Jeong Junhwi nodded heavily. Haa... A heavy atmosphere settled over them.
Kang Inha bit her lip with clenched fists. Among them, the ones who felt Eunha's talent most terrifyingly were her friends, including Kang Inha. Dazzlingly brilliant, impossibly distant—Eunha was that amazing. But the clear fact was they hadn't realized the extent of her talent until recently. The terror incident had uprooted part of their hearts.
But who could have known that talent would become poison someday. Kang Inha trembled, clenching her fists until blood welled. Then, someone's warmth overlapped her hand. Kang Inha looked up in surprise. It was Park Hansu. He stepped forward, holding her trembling hand.
"So, what do we do?"
"We wait."
Park Hansu frowned at that.
"Wait... and she'll be okay?"
"Yoo Eunha chose hibernation to manage that mana over time. To focus solely on the mana. Given time, she'll surely control it. That's not a rampage state. She's just releasing mana to manage it."
"..."
"Let's wait. That's all we can do."
It was a utterly hollow, powerless statement. But they had no other choice. Wait. That was the only thing they could do.
Han Mirae covered her face with both hands in a pale expression. Kim Seona softened her cold face into a worried one and grabbed Kang Jeongmin's arm.
"Honey. Will Eunha be okay...? She hasn't eaten or drunk anything that whole time... Can she hold out...?"
"She'll be fine. That's what hibernation is for. She has plenty of mana, so no problem. We'll check her condition daily. The issue is we can't cast recovery magic in that state. So if it drags on too long..."
"..."
"Then we pull her out somehow. No matter what, a month is the limit."
'Limit'... Jeong Junhwi's words etched precisely into the children's minds.
Kang Inha felt her strength drain, on the verge of collapsing right there. But she held on. Probably thanks to the strength and warmth of the hand holding hers.
"..."
Kang Inha silently turned her head away from Park Hansu.
For health reasons, an extended absence was submitted to the school. The details were only shared with the homeroom teacher and Eunha's acquaintances. To others, they just said she had a serious illness and couldn't attend for a while. Kids who usually admired Eunha buzzed, and representative Kang Yesul wanted to visit, but they brushed it off as contagious and refused all.
With Eunha gone, Kang Inha and Park Hansu were seen together more often. They bickered a lot with Eunha in between, but actually, they were very close friends. Plus, sitting front and back in class, after Eunha stopped coming to school, they stuck together like they were relying on each other.
That was because being alone filled their heads with anxious thoughts.
"Why didn't she tell us?"
"She might have been overwhelmed just controlling her mana. Come to think of it, a few days before... that girl... at school, her mind was so out of it she couldn't focus on anything."
"Yeah, right. And even if she told us, we couldn't have done anything."
Kang Inha, who relied on Eunha mentally more than others, was far more down than the rest. Seeing her so weak, unlike her usual self, made Park Hansu feel bitter and look down.
A week passed like that. Eunha still hadn't opened her eyes. The barrier grew stronger each time it was broken. Kim Seona declared she couldn't fully grasp its structure—it was that impressive. From the start, it was blocking all the mana Eunha emitted from inside without a trace.
But they had no choice but to keep breaking it periodically. To check Eunha's condition regularly. Mainly Kang Jeongmin and Jeong Junhwi did the checks, and they said her mana was gradually calming.
"...Hey."
"..."
"Can I... come to your house today? I want to know how Eunha's doing..."
Park Hansu muttered from frustration, and Kang Inha nodded without objection.
"Yeah. Sure."
They held hands and teleported. Not to Kang Inha's house, but to Eunha's. Just as they rang the bell, Kim Seona came rushing out from inside Eunha's house.
"Ah, Inha!"
"Mom...?"
Kim Seona, who had rushed out with an urgent expression, saw her daughter and her friend, then beamed with good news.
"Perfect timing! Eunha's mana has calmed down!"
The words they'd been waiting for made the two's eyes widen as they looked at each other. Then they turned to Kim Seona with bright faces.
"Really?!"
"Is that true?!"
"Of course! Come on in, both of you! Oh, right, I need to call Mirae and Jinhan too!"
The two dashed into Eunha's house. They tried to fling open Eunha's door right away, but the barrier was still there. Zap—the barrier repelled them.
Looks like the mana calming didn't remove the barrier. The two swallowed their impatience and decided to wait for Kim Seona. While waiting, they told Jeong Junhwi and the other friends. Only Eunha's master, Jeongmin, was away on a trip and couldn't come.
Soon, people gathered in droves at Eunha's door. Kang Jeongmin and Jeong Junhwi, who checked her periodically, seemed somewhat dazed.
"The mana really...?"
"Yeah. I saw it myself! Went in, and it was quiet."
"By the state, I thought it'd take longer... Faster than expected."
"Then, opening it."
Kim Seona reached out and froze part of the barrier. It still resisted the spell, but no way it could block an S-rank mage like Kim Seona.
Creak, the door opened with a sound. Indeed, as Kim Seona said, Eunha's room was quiet. The small mana storm that had covered Eunha just days ago felt like a lie. Everyone gathered there brightened.
Kim Seona walked in and stood before Eunha. Eunha was sleeping soundly, breathing evenly. Everyone fell silent for a moment. Kim Seona turned to them with a smile.
"Honey, check Eunha's condition quick. Even in hibernation, it's been two weeks. Just in case..."
"Yeah, okay..."
"Eunha!"
"Eunha!"
The kids snapped to and rushed toward the sleeping Eunha together. Kang Inha reached out to Eunha, voice choked with tears. But at that moment...
Fwaaah—!
Light flared, creating a fierce wind. Right before Kang Inha's hand touched Eunha's body. It bounced the kids back. Kang Inha, dazed, was pushed to the wall and slumped down, strength gone.
"Wh-What...?"
Even Kim Seona looked flustered, not having expected it. The others too. A moment later, Kim Seona reached toward Eunha to check. Lightly, her hand touched Eunha's body. But unlike before, no reaction.
"What was that just now?"
"No idea..."
Jeong Junhwi frowned and approached. Then the same thing happened. Just before touching, mana from Eunha's body repelled him.
"This is..."
"Why is it doing that?! Wasn't the rampage calmed?!"
"Yeah..."
Jeong Junhwi clenched and unclenched his hand brushed by mana, looking bitter. He turned to the kids.
"It's calmed, yes."
"Then why...!"
"...Don't tell me Eunha's rejecting people's approach herself?!"
At Kim Seona's cry, Jeong Junhwi nodded bitterly. Everyone turned trembling eyes to Eunha. Others tried touching her too, but same result. Repelled before contact. Only Kim Seona was allowed to touch. Even her own mother and father were rejected.
"Why...?"
"I don't know why. Mirae or Jinhan or Inha, maybe, but why only me...?"
Kang Inha stared blankly at Eunha. Tears welled up unknowingly. Realizing the rejection, she felt oddly betrayed. But the intense feeling now was sadness more than anger at betrayal. It hurt. Why, why was Eunha rejecting them.
"I-Inha."
"Hey, don't cry."
Kang Inha bowed her head, tears falling. Joo Minhee, Park Hansu, and Kim Hyunho nearby comforted her in fluster. As Park Hansu soothed her, he looked toward Eunha with an unreadable expression.
'Why on earth?'
They couldn't understand either.
'Anyway, your closest friend is Kang Inha. So why reject her?'
What had driven you to this. Why reject everyone's touch. Except for Kim Seona.
But no answer would come from the unconscious. They retreated before the barrier reformed.
"Now... what do we do...?"
"We can only wait. For Eunha to open her eyes this time."
In the end, they had to wait again. Everyone left Eunha's house dejected or hollow. Kim Seona and Kang Jeongmin comforted the tearful Han Mirae as they went down, while Yoo Min and Jeong Junhwi left with bitter faces.
Kang Inha left Eunha's house and trudged to her own. Joo Minhee and Kim Hyunho went home looking down too. Only Park Hansu stayed longer to escort Kang Inha home. As he turned to leave, Kang Inha grabbed his hand. He turned back startled.
"Today... stay over at my house... okay...?"
Park Hansu hesitated at her tear-filled eyes. But leaving her like this felt like he'd regret it.
They'd bickered plenty, but Kang Inha and Park Hansu were close friends. And they shared as many similarities as differences. Parents' status, magic talent... and liking Yoo Eunha.
"Yeah, sure."
Park Hansu nodded after a moment.