Chapter 164
Chapter 164
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 164
Chapter Title: Back Mountain Traces
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“Like I noticed last time, you’re always trying new things.”
Talent is so meager that I have no choice but to experiment constantly.
If I had talent like Lee Seo-jun or Yoo A-ra, I’d have stuck to mastering a single magic spell to death.
“......There’s no harm in learning a variety of things.”
I dressed up my shortcomings in plausible words, and Yoo A-ra fell deep into thought with a serious expression.
“Growth...... yeah. Maybe I should practice a wider range of forms too?”
“No. You shouldn’t.”
“Why can you do it and I can’t? You look down on me?”
“What are you talking about? You’re overflowing with talent, unlike me. Sticking to one thing and grinding it out is the best approach. Didn’t they teach you that in Basic Magic Fundamentals?”
Her expression puffed up with pride at my words, but she quickly snapped back to normal.
“Hanging around Lee Seo-jun must be rubbing off on you. You’ve picked up his humility schtick.”
“What humility schtick?”
“When someone capable puts themselves down to lift others up. They think it’s humble, but it’s not always. It can rub people the wrong way.”
I was just stating facts, but somehow I’d turned into Lee Seo-jun.
“Humility my ass...... Hey, you’re the one doing it right now. Anyone hearing this would think you have no talent.”
“Kim Seon-woo. You really go all the way......”
Yoo A-ra shook her head like she was fed up.
While bantering with Yoo A-ra during training, I sensed someone approaching from behind.
“Kim Seon-woo.”
It was Lee Seo-jun. Yoo A-ra glanced at him curiously too.
“No, I was just wondering if you had time after school today.”
“After school?”
“Yeah, there’s something I’d like you to check out for me.”
Something he wanted me to look at?
What could it be?
As I pondered, Lee Seo-jun continued.
“I have some business at the back mountain behind the school.”
The back mountain. An out-of-the-blue comment, but I instantly knew what he meant.
He’d found traces of Jin Cheon-woo.
I was wondering how to insert myself, but luckily, he came to me first.
Guess I’d built up some trust with him.
“Sure.”
The moment I answered, Yoo A-ra cut in.
“What’s it about? I wanna come too.”
“You can’t.”
She scowled at my response.
“Ask Lee Seo-jun.”
Lee Seo-jun gave an awkward smile.
“Sorry. It’s something just between me and Seon-woo.”
Yoo A-ra nodded thoughtfully for a moment, then refocused on training.
“Well, if that’s how it is, nothing I can do.”
Late evening after school.
I followed Lee Seo-jun to the back mountain.
The Korean Sorcerer Academy’s back mountain brimmed with natural mana, boasting considerable height and scenery.
The school regularly exterminated naturally spawning monsters, but you could never predict when one might attack, so constant vigilance was key.
“......It was definitely around here.”
Lee Seo-jun muttered while scanning the surroundings.
“Ah, found it.”
He took off running ahead.
“Here.”
We arrived at a small burrow hidden beneath a massive boulder.
“Where’s this?”
I played dumb and asked Lee Seo-jun. He thought for a moment, then said,
“You said you’d help me find traces of my parents last time, right?”
“Yeah.”
“After the Special Class joint training, I found traces of Lee Yun-kyung.”
To be precise, it was Jin Cheon-woo’s traces, not Lee Yun-kyung’s.
But he apparently wasn’t ready to tell me about Jin Cheon-woo yet.
No big deal, so I nodded.
“And?”
“There was a map drawn on the traces, but it was so vague I had to scour the whole area to finally find this.”
I looked around. Sure enough, there were signs everywhere of the ground being dug up.
“You found it somehow.”
“Yeah. But it’s covered in complex illusion barriers, so breaking through wasn’t easy. I thought maybe you could dispel it.”
That explained why he came to me first.
Lucky break.
I smirked slightly and walked toward the burrow.
As I tried to open the entrance, a powerful surge of mana hit me.
“Yeah, it’s loaded with all sorts of complex spells. Feels like there’s some mystical power infused too.”
“So, can you undo it?”
I shook my head.
“If mysticism’s involved, even I can’t crack it.”
Disappointment crossed Lee Seo-jun’s face.
“......Figured as much. No good, huh?”
“Hm. Mind if I try stepping in?”
“Go ahead, but don’t go deep. It’s pretty mentally hazardous. I nearly died in there.”
I knew that from the original story.
I stepped into the burrow.
A horrific shriek pierced my ears.
My vision blurred, the ground split apart, the world fractured into 2, 3, 10 versions, then shifted through yellow, green, purple lights. Space warped in every color, and a pounding headache hit.
“Ugh!”
I gritted my teeth and bolted back out.
“Whoa...... that’s no joke.”
It felt like a nightmarish drug trip from a movie.
With my traits, I could probably build resistance if I endured, but I’d go mad first.
“You okay?”
“Yeah...... I’m fine. No way to break this normally.”
“So we can’t get in?”
I shook my head at his mutter.
There was a way in.
Lee Seo-jun in the original broke through that hellish device the same way.
“Just learn a protective spell that resists illusion magic.”
“Protective spell?”
“Yeah. This isn’t meant to be dispelled.”
“Then what is it?”
“It tests if you’re worthy to pass.”
“Worthy to pass?”
“Think about it. You’ve heard of something like this before.”
He pondered, then spoke.
“......The Silver Moon Family?”
“Exactly.”
The Silver Moon Family.
A clan specialized in illusion-based installation magic.
That illusion magic was theirs.
We needed to go there.
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: Ordinary Days and Electric Thorns
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School schedule pushed the Silver Moon Family visit to the weekend. Lee Seo-jun and I set Friday after school and parted ways.
The next day.
Ordinary routine resumed.
I woke early, washed up, and headed to the dorm cafeteria for breakfast.
Today’s menu: doenjang jjigae.
I sat with a tray topped by bubbling doenjang stew.
One sip, and the refreshing flavor spread through my mouth.
“Mmm.”
Nothing beats this for breakfast.
Lots of variety at the school cafeteria, but sometimes you gotta have the classics.
As I focused on eating, someone sat across from me.
“Sunbae!”
Choi Seo-yoon. Homemade pork cutlet on her tray.
“We’ve been seeing each other here a lot lately?”
“Yeah. But pork cutlet for breakfast?”
“Here, have one.”
She picked one up with chopsticks and placed it on my plate.
“I’m good.”
“More side dishes never hurt. Eat up.”
I eyed my tray. Nothing to give back.
She read my mind.
“You don’t have to give me any.”
“Then at least have some egg.”
I cut some fried egg and put it on her tray.
She giggled happily for some reason.
“Final exams are about three weeks away.”
“Yeah. Time flies. Three exams per semester’ll do that.”
I bit into the pork cutlet. Crispy breading, juicy meat—delicious.
They do good cutlets here.
Slightly different from regular ones. Maybe mana used in cooking? Cautious guess.
“Heard about the final exam leak last night?”
“Yeah.”
Less a leak, more the school deliberately dropping info.
And I already knew from the original what the exam was.
“It’s the inter-year Captain’s Battle.”
“Yeah, sounds like it’ll be huge.”
Choi Seo-yoon took a bite too.
“So maybe you and I’ll be on the same team?”
“If we’re lucky.”
She latched onto my offhand reply.
“Luck? Whose luck?”
“You nitpick the dumbest things.”
“Quick.”
“......My luck. You’re first in year one. Strong teammate’s a plus.”
Last exam of the year. To crack top five overall, need top scores.
No year-two top-rankers on my team works in my favor for competition.
They’d snag good scores too if we aced it.
Someone like Lee Seo-jun or Yoo A-ra might be fine.
She beamed, then teased.
“Phew, no pressure or anything. You need me, huh......”
“......Overkill.”
Choi Seo-yoon grinned and resumed eating.
Then someone sat beside me. Unexpected, so I was a bit surprised.
“Hey.”
“Oh, hey, sunbae.”
Yoo A-ra.
Choi Seo-yoon bowed politely at her greeting.
I stared at Yoo A-ra.
“What?”
“What what?”
“Just, what brings you to sit by me.”
“Sat alone ‘cause it’s boring. Plus, something to ask.”
She grabbed chopsticks.
“Ask?”
“You went somewhere with Lee Seo-jun last night.”
Choi Seo-yoon perked up interestedly.
“So?”
“......Wondered if you two were secretly special training without me.”
That’s what bugged her?
Imagination’s wild.
And the rivalry’s ridiculous.
I stared, and she scowled.
“What’s with the face?”
“......You’re intense.”
She frowned, annoyed.
“What’s that mean?”
After all classes, I headed to the Manifestation Department training ground.
Upon arrival, I set the training equipment.
A magic target doll summoned far away.
“Hoo.”
Short breath, then manifested the spell.
Pzzt!
A lightning-charged “thorn” formed over my hand.
Still unstable in shape, but expected at practice stage.
Lightning eats mana, but thorn form uses less relatively.
Good combo, worth practicing early.
I thrust my hand toward the target and released.
Bang!
The thorn shot fast.
Small area meant faster launch than spheres.
Blue lightning trail.
It shattered the doll’s head.
“Tch.”
Score lower than hoped. 76 seems high, but target was low-rank grade 6.
With usual orb form, I’d have nailed 100.
Even more disappointing.
“Tch.”
Regrettable, but unavoidable.