The Boundary of Dreams (7)
"Already time, is it? Well then, that's it for today!"
Once the amplifier rang out the bell signaling the end of class, Professor Shin Jae-yu, still clad in her usual training uniform, clapped her hands together and called out.
"Kehk… cough…!"
"Uweeegh…!"
The moment her words fell, coughing erupted noisily from every corner of the training hall. Now and then, the sound of retching mixed in.
"Good grief, you lot…" The professor frowned briefly at the sight of students vomiting. Every single face had turned deathly pale, like patients on the verge of collapse. Their hands and feet trembled, and they could barely keep their limbs steady. Even the students who usually flaunted their outstanding skills were no exception.
The golden-haired girl Jin Yeseo, the muscle-bound ape-like Choi Woojin, the noble young master Seungheon, and even his haughty fiancée Mun Yeoul—all of them were either ashen-faced or sprawled across the training hall floor, breathing raggedly. The only student here who remained perfectly fine was me.
But I wasn't completely without tact. I deliberately made a show of struggling to catch my breath and collapsed onto the floor with a loud thud.
"Alright, you've all worked hard. This must be your first time experiencing particle exhaustion. Quite tough, isn't it?"
The professor strolled among the sprawled students, continuing her lecture in an utterly nonchalant tone. It was a sight so familiar now that I could picture it with my eyes closed.
"From now on, you'll be repeating today's particle exhaustion training three times a week."
"Ah…" Despairing sighs escaped from various spots at her words. She had earned quite the notorious reputation among the freshmen for being especially harsh on her students.
"Quiet! I made the importance of this training perfectly clear earlier, didn't I? Let's see… Yeseo? Could you explain the precise definitions of Lubin Value and Conversion Rate?"
"Lubin Value is… haa… also called the body's maximum particle capacity… hng… it's the highest measurable concentration of particles clustered within each mage's well… Conversion Rate refers to… among those… hah, the proportion of particles a mage can draw outward in a single breath…"
After finishing her answer, the golden-haired girl chugged down a blue energy drink in large gulps.
"My, it seems you've been paying close attention in class! Thirty points. Come to my office after class to collect them."
Color returned to the blonde's face at the professor's words. Then I felt her glance flick briefly toward where I was sitting.
"Lubin Value and Conversion Rate are the two most critical factors for objectively assessing a mage's talent. The higher these values, the greater the variety, intensity, and number of spells one can cast."
The professor began pacing again.
"Especially with a high Conversion Rate, a mage can attempt spells that consume large amounts of particles. And if backed by a sufficient Lubin Value, one could even cast grand-scale magic like weather spells—things that normally require several mages working together."
"Whoa…"
"Of course, such extraordinary talents don't appear often. Maybe once every few decades. In truth, simply being capable of casting weather magic already places a mage among the elite."
The professor wore a playful smile.
"Normally, Lubin Value and Conversion Rate maintain a proportional balance within certain ranges, but it's not uncommon to see cases where one value is disproportionately low or high, causing spell efficiency to plummet. This usually happens when Lubin Value is either too low or too high compared to Conversion Rate. Why? Unlike Lubin Value, which is fixed at birth, Conversion Rate can be meaningfully improved through training."
"Oh…"
"For example, the particle exhaustion training you just experienced is the simplest, most effective, and safest method for raising Conversion Rate."
At the positive murmurs from the students, the short-haired professor nodded with satisfaction.
"It's an undeniable fact that people are born with different levels of talent, but most of those differences can be overcome to a certain extent through effort. Magic is no exception. Always remember that half of the heroes whose names are preserved in the National Archives were once considered mediocre mages during their freshman years. Instead of complaining, dedicate that time to training instead."
By the time she finished, a spark of life had returned to the students' eyes. Even to me, it seemed like a rather effective way to motivate them.
"…?"
However, after concluding her speech, the professor didn't return to the podium. Instead, she turned and walked straight toward me. The broad smile on her face only amplified my unease.
"And… Student Jin-hyun Lee? You were excellent. Forty points for you. Come to my office later to collect them."
She deliberately made her way over to where I had seated myself in the corner.
"Particle exhaustion training is difficult even for seasoned soldiers. Exhaustion is a phenomenon that cannot be overcome through physical means alone—only mental fortitude serves as a resource during this training."
At her words, I felt everyone's gazes converge on me. Especially from the golden-haired direction, a particularly hostile stare burned into me. This person always treated me with excessive favoritism whenever she saw me. That was exactly why I'd chosen to sit in the corner. I regretted not making my breathing seem even more labored.
"But that composed demeanor… I couldn't help but admire it…"
Honestly, from the perspective of maintaining my reputation, this was quite beneficial. However, she was mistaken about one thing: what I had done wasn't a display of mental strength at all. I had simply drawn in particles from the surrounding air and fed them directly into the particle detector installed in front of me.
I recalled something the squad leader had once said. He claimed that the very concept of Conversion Rate didn't apply to me. If anything, it could be considered 100%. Particle exhaustion was something that could never happen to me. The only risk was fatal overload on the body beforehand.
"He was just standing there doing nothing…"
"Student Kuk Jae-ryong? That doesn't seem to be the case. Student Jin-hyun Lee's particle detector is nearly at full capacity right now. At this rate, he's easily exceeded 22%. Since the topic's come up, shall we check your detector's capacity as well?"
Professor Shin Jae-yu had somehow caught the muttered complaint. At her words, a slick-looking male student hurriedly tried to cover his particle detector with his entire body. The professor grinned and clapped her hands, glancing around.
"Now then, today is the second mission meeting, correct? Those with mentoring group meetings scheduled may rest briefly before heading to the next location. As for the rest, you'll be doing additional training with me."
"Ah, Professor…!"
"Anyone who hasn't even passed the first mission, be quiet! Your heads are completely rotten! You lot will be crawling on all fours today…!"
Behind the students who were hurriedly leaving, the professor's furious roar echoed softly.
While walking toward the small conference room, my gaze was caught by a large electronic display mounted on the corridor wall. It was a real-time ranking board by year, easily found anywhere in the Cradle. I naturally checked the first-year ranking on the far left.
At the very top, beside the number '1', my name was displayed in large letters along with my score. At first, it had felt unpleasant, as though I'd become a product on display, but now I'd grown somewhat accustomed to it. If anything, a faint sense of accomplishment was beginning to well up.
Third place, Choi Woojin, went without saying, but there was also a considerable gap between me and second place, Jin Yeseo. It was likely thanks to being the only one to tag the recognition markers during the practical and successfully completing the first mission quickly. With the additional forty points I'd just received, the gap would widen even further.
Though quite some time had passed since enrollment, I had no particular memories of speaking with them personally. Choi Woojin always wore an expression brimming with competitive spirit, while Jin Yeseo glared at me whenever she had the chance, as if I were her parents' mortal enemy. In truth, it would be difficult for either of them to form a good relationship with me.
After all, unlike Seungheon who had a connection through his older sister Sehwanoona, Choi I-re—Choi Woojin's older sister—belonged to a clearly different faction. It was common knowledge even to the deaf that Jin Yeseo followed someone in the second year quite devotedly. Still, I was somewhat curious about their abilities. The fact that they'd managed to break through to the central area during the practical suggested their skills were certainly solid.
According to the academic schedule I'd seen last time, the week after the second mission ended would be ranking match week. And since ranking matches were held between students in adjacent positions, I might end up facing one of them. The victory points from ranking matches clearly carried the greatest weight in the overall score. A single ranking match victory was worth more than two successful C-rank missions. I wouldn't be able to use my Authority, but that didn't mean I intended to lose or hold back.
While lost in these thoughts, I found myself standing before the annex where several small conference rooms were located. Just as I was about to scan my student ID and enter, faint shouting echoed from the rear of the sparsely populated building.
-So… what are you going to do…!
-What do you mean, what am I supposed to do about the duel turning out that way…
It was the sound of several people speaking in angry tones. Among them was a voice I recognized. I suppressed my presence and carefully approached the source of the noise.
Soon, a scene unfolded before me: three female students surrounding one girl.
"It wasn't a legitimate duel… You…!!"
"If that wasn't a legitimate duel, then what was it? If you're upset, want to have a rematch? I don't mind. Though this time, the fingers on your other hand might get cut off instead."
It was that familiar, arrogant snort that grated on the nerves.
"You…!"
Unable to contain her anger any longer, the girl at the front raised her hand to slap Yeon Minha across the face. Yeon Minha moved to respond in her usual manner. But this wasn't what I wanted—for her to act directly.
I immediately stepped between them. Then I grabbed the wrist of the girl about to strike and twisted it sharply.