Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: 18. Hard Worker
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Anyway, I threw myself into attribute reinforcement training with full determination. Adding attribute reinforcement on top of my usual routine made it seem incredibly grueling. I tried trimming back on other activities a bit, but it still looked exhausting. Still, since I wanted to do it, I reshuffled my priorities and decided to spend my days more fulfilling than usual. Yeah, that was the plan. If I got tired, I'd just play, eat, and rest.
At times like this, I was truly grateful for the virtual reality series I'd collected and the space-time magic I'd developed.
The time flow in the virtual world differing from reality was a given, and barrier magic could achieve the same. After all, a barrier was "my world." Now, I could even distort the time inside the barrier from the outside. One minute outside could stretch to as much as fifteen minutes inside. It was perfect for training. The only downside was that I could maintain it for only about an hour of outside time so far.
Of course, that didn't mean my body aged according to the barrier's time. Even if I warped time with a barrier, physical growth followed the original timeline.
Attribute fusion training was far too dangerous to do alone, so I asked my master and Auntie Seona to supervise. I'd train for about three hours with my master, then two with Auntie Seona, repeating the cycle. It was frustrating that I couldn't practice more. Well... I did speed up the perceived time in the virtual space by 1.5 times compared to outside time before starting.
"Attribute fusion... Tackling something tough again."
"I've made up my mind."
"......?"
"I'm going to make attribute fusion magic my main attack spell. Like an ultimate move?"
Having experienced attribute fusion firsthand, it was fun, to say the least. It required maxing out my mana control. Even one attempt demanded intense focus. And that focus—the act of concentrating so deeply—was pure joy.
So, it suited me perfectly. Fun magic was the best for me. No way it wouldn't fit.
I started with the most compatible attributes, skipping darkness and light for now, and excluding mental types like illusion magic. Water and wind had the highest synergy, so I began there. Even though I had copied spells, I stuck to pure attribute magic for mixing.
Water and wind meshed well from the start, so blending them was easy, but the ratios made subtle differences. The optimal mix amplified destructive power explosively, and I struggled with that sudden surge at first. But after a few hours of training, I got used to it.
I kept practicing that one fusion until it felt natural—no awkwardness between the attributes. Since I was already the type who mixed spells, I adapted quicker than expected.
Even so, making it as natural as my regular attribute magic took time.
Right in the middle of this intense training, bad luck struck: another school event hit before I could move to the next fusion.
The sports day, followed by the training camp.
"But it's kinda disappointing, right? We can't room with kids from other classes."
"Yeah."
For reference, the camp was four to a room. Meaning I might have to share with kids I wasn't close to.
Whatever, it probably wouldn't be a big deal. Still, I pondered who to room with.
As I thought that, someone spoke up beside me.
"Hey, Eunha, Minhee."
We were in the middle of camp discussions, with kids scrambling to pair up with friends. "I want in your group!" "I wanna room with so-and-so!" It was chaos. Wondering who was talking to us, I turned.
I was impressed. Long golden hair with loose curls at the ends, green eyes—a classic Western face. Ardel Adelman, who transferred into our grade this year. Not someone I knew well. She beamed brightly at me.
"The thing is, I don't have anyone to room with... Mind if I join you guys?"
Made sense—she'd just transferred. She hung out more with boys than girls anyway. I nodded casually.
"Sure, that's fine."
We needed a fourth anyway, so I agreed easily. She smiled and headed back to her group. Hmm... She has friends, at least? As I thought that, Minhee frowned at Ardel's retreating back.
"I don't like her."
"Huh?"
I stared at Minhee in surprise. She was outgoing and never badmouthed anyone.
"Why? Out of nowhere. You're not discriminating 'cause she's foreign, are you?"
"No way. Hmm... Just a bad vibe. Her smile looks fake or something?"
Really? I glanced back at her, then shook my head.
Whatever, we're not close anyway.
"Right, yeah. Can't you check with your special ability?"
"I don't use it except in combat training. It's rude."
"Oh, right... But emotions are fine, aren't they?"
"Yeah, I peek sometimes, but I feel bad, so I try not to."
"Yeah..."
Minhee eyed her reluctantly but let it go. She brought in one of her close friends, completing our group of four.
Well... It meant pausing my groove on attribute fusion for a bit, so I was a tad annoyed about the camp. But also kinda excited. This school's camp felt way different from the ones at my past life's school. It was a systematic training event for young mages. Intense sessions in a mana-rich spot. Four nights, five days.
Pretty hyped.
What topped the list was wondering how the training would go. I'd trained haphazardly so far, minus a few rules. Systematic group training—what would that feel like?
"Oh yeah, fifth and sixth graders usually go to the same camp. So Yujeong Sister and Hyunho Brother might train with us?"
"Hmm... But they're still hiding their skills. Though they've revealed their main spells now. Can't just be thrilled. Gotta be careful."
"Ah, true~."
After class, Inha rushed in, devastated about not rooming together. I told her to come hang in our room whenever. I'd visit hers too.
Back home, I meticulously packed for camp. Midway, my master called for a video chat.
[Heading to camp?]
"Yeah. Means I won't visit for a bit. Probably no attribute training either... Might as well focus on unique magic while I'm there."
I scratched my cheek saying that.
[Then work on extending your illusion materialization duration while you're at it.]
"Hmm, sure..."
Illusions now affected brains and materialized freely. But duration was still short. Turning nothing into something wasn't easy. Top-tier illusion materialization made creations permanent—probably A-rank or higher. I'd love to reach that someday.
"But I was in the zone with attribute magic... Sucks to interrupt."
[Keep training then.]
"Huh? But you said not alone yet..."
[Next, try water and lightning. Not close attributes, but they synergize well—easy fusion. Don't start in reality. Your camp has tons of VR gear and training rooms. Want a tip on a hidden spot?]
"Really?!"
I forgot packing and focused on my master. She spoke slowly. Yes, yes. I grinned brightly.
"Thanks, Master!!"
Take it back.
Now I was totally stoked for camp.
Daeyeon's camp kicked off hard from day one.
Warp gates and sky paths got us there in under an hour from school. An island near the west coast, scarred by ancient S-rank mage battles. That was our destination.
We arrived around 9 a.m., dropped bags in assigned rooms, had an hour free, then bolted out for training.
First up: thirty minutes of meditation. Then an hour and a half of physical training.
"Huff... huff..."
Physical training was crucial for mages. Kids might not notice young, but as you grow, you realize your body—the vessel—matters for mana control. Mana toughens it somewhat, but not enough. Consistent conditioning was key to advancing.
Magic schools treat PE seriously. Daeyeon has it daily except one day, focusing on magic combat martial arts or stamina building.
This time: lap the island in ninety minutes.
Not the whole thing—too big for an hour, especially for elementary kids, even talented Daeyeon ones. So partial laps with magic.
Running, tool-assisted crossings, mountain climbs. Clear sections within time using fitting methods. Teachers sent e-maps to student IDs to prevent getting lost.
Ardel ranked high in stamina. Years on battlefields. She stood out among the kids.
'Unexpected...?'
Ardel eyed Yoo Eunha's back ahead with a strange look. Eunha's long hair was tied in one.
Watching her, Ardel thought: Combat sense and martial skills seemed mediocre in spars, but stamina's solid. Climbing the mountain fast, barely huffing.
She was surprised by Joo Minhee beside her too. Eunha felt weak, fine. But Minhee screamed "strong." No gaps even standing. Solid in magic and martial arts.
Yet unexpected. After all that running, no fatigue. Chatting with Eunha, enjoying it.
"But the group's already scattered, so can't we wait for them?"
"Hmm... Hansu and Inha will push ahead. Hyunho might lag playing with others... So let's gain ground first."
"Yeah."
Still, Eunha showed no fatigue. Ardel raised a brow—truly unexpected.
Classes 1, 2, 3 started in order. Now leading: Yoo Eunha, Joo Minhee, Ardel Adelman. Just three. Kids who'd trashed Eunha yesterday lagged far behind. Ardel felt conflicted.
"Ardel, we're speeding up. You coming?"
Minhee turned. Ardel felt annoyed but smiled sweetly.
"Yeah. I'll keep up as much as I can."
"Got it."
Maps were nav-guided—no getting lost. Past the mountain: steep cliff. Deep lake below. Path vanished; they scanned around. Map showed straight ahead.
Far off, opposite cliff. Nav pinged.
[Cross to the opposite cliff.]
"Hmm, gotta fly."
"W-what...? N-no... Too high..."
Eunha whined. Ardel inwardly clicked her tongue. Such weak nerves...
"But no helping except directions..."
"...Got it. I'll go first."
Oh? Not cowering on the ground?
As Ardel thought that, Eunha vanished.
"......!"
In a flash, Ardel glimpsed a black line where she'd stood. Gone instantly. She whipped around, startled.
"Wh-where...?"
"What're you looking at? Let's go."
"Huh? Eunha..."
"See her waving over there?"
Minhee pointed opposite cliff. True enough. Through faint mist, 500m away, Eunha waved. Minhee spotting her was less shocking than her sudden warp without warning. Ardel gaped.
'What...? Magic? What spell covers that distance...'
Teleport, probably. But that far? Tough. Ardel chalked it to space magic affinity, moved on.
"Let's go."
Minhee and Ardel flew over quickly. Landed, descended narrow stairs. Eunha groaned.
"Ugh, so high. Can't magic this...?"
"Nope! Scared? Let's run! I'll hold your hand."
"U-uh-huh."
Ardel frowned watching. Regardless of dislike, the girl had talent and skill. But such frailty irked her. Being babied? Infuriating.
The strong should act strong. Then Ardel wouldn't find Eunha so grating. Even if talent-gifted, act the part. Talent alone screamed obvious. Weak-minded yet talented... strong?
'Talent brings this much pain too.'
Inferiority, inadequacy—spot on. Ardel hid displeasure, followed.
After, they crossed lakes, scaled cliffs, rode sky bikes, jumped down, ran and ran, lapping the island. Fittingly chaotic terrain from magic fallout.
"But Inha, Hansu, Hyunho didn't catch up?"
At the goal, despite the run, Ardel and Minhee looked fine. Eunha caught her breath, tired. First place: them, naturally.
"Dunno... They'll come."
Eight teachers waited. Fifth graders started first, sixth later. The trio approached.
"Teacher... next..."
"Yahoo! Teacher! We're first! Break time now?!"
Minhee yelled, waving. Yoo Min turned, pleased.
"Ooh, started first, finished first. Nice."
"Duh!"
"Eunha, thought you'd slow us."
"Argh, Teacher!"
Eunha swatted Min's playful hand irritably. Ardel blinked—didn't expect that from the quiet listener type. But it was mere pout; Min eyed her fondly. Eunha wiped sweat.
"Teacher, next..."
"Min Teacher! Break? Wait, ask Seonghu Brother. Brother! First place—break?"
"Minhee... Call me Teacher."
"It's fine! No kids around."
"Whatever."
"Awesome. Eunha, c'mere!"
Ardel scratched her head, annoyed. Dragged by Minhee, Eunha ended up on Min's lap via his hand.
'Ugh, annoying. Suck-ups are the worst.'
Muttering inwardly, lone-standing Ardel got called by Han Seonghu.
"Ardel, come here."
"Y-yes?! Coming!"
The usually stoic homeroom teacher's call pulled her over. He patted her head gruffly.
"First place. Good job."
Ardel flushed beet-red. Her harsh young life made kindness her weakness. No feminine treatment ever; handsome guys too.
'Ugh... Girlfriend? Waste...'
She ducked to hide hot cheeks, shot Eunha a glare. Jealousy stung. Not even pretty, yet crowds of cool people...
Skill? Decent. Looks? Passable. Both above average. But in this school of standouts, just that.
"Teacher, floor's fine."
"Floor? Dirty."
"It's okay."
Eunha hopped off Min's lap, sat legs akimbo. Deep breath, eyes closed—like dozing. Ardel eyed curiously.
'What're you doing?'
"Argh, Eunha..."
Ardel missed why Minhee grumbled.
Twenty minutes later, most kids trickled in. The trio had arrived in thirty—record-breaking. Next: Inha, Hansu, Hyunho. Then sixth graders. Inho Brother and Yujeong Sister led them. After, fifth and sixth mixed in hordes.
Around noon, teachers quit waiting, herded kids. Laggards: penalty lap with one teacher.
Fifth and sixth split. Fifth graders reached a shallow vast lake soon.
They lined up on water per teachers. Three fifth-grade teachers upfront explained.
"Next: evasion training. Dodge or block attacks while on the lake."
"We won't attack—just magic guns. Shock only."
"Measuring hits with devices. Defense over 10p damage counts as hit. Top ten point-earners: penalty. Another island lap after lunch."
"But last place under 70p? Forgiven~."
Jeong Junhwi started; teachers alternated, grabbed training weapons. Kids raised hands.
"Into the lake to dodge?!"
"Yes! But over 10s: out. Measured."
No lake-hiders now. Also,
"Team up with friends?!"
"Caught: scolded~!"
Kids nodded at Min's sly smile, scattered.
Groups formed with friends. Ardel near Eunha's crew. Her usual allies—who disliked Eunha—clustered too, eyeing her smugly.
Ardel focused ahead on water. Risky—sustained water-walking while dodging. All could stand, but adding evasion? Tough. She eyed Eunha's feet.
'Super... stable...'
Obvious. Others' ripples unsteady, warped. Eunha's: clean, pretty.
Her clingy group spaced appropriately. Lake huge for hundreds.
"Ready, set, go!"
Ardel snapped eyes lake-wide, off Eunha.