Chapter 198
Chapter 198
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 199
Chapter Title: East Sea Training Center
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The multipurpose training center in Donghae, Gangwon Province, was lined with one splendid building after another.
The students participating in this year's Seongmu Tournament had arrived at their special training destination.
"Wow, it's really cool."
"It doesn't feel like a training center. It's more like a resort."
It certainly gave off more of a leisure or vacation vibe than a training facility.
Especially with the East Sea right next to the buildings, providing a stunning view that amplified the feeling.
"This kinda reminds me of that time we trained at Atlantis, doesn't it?"
Lee Seo-jun said to me as he gazed out at the ocean.
"Yeah, kinda similar. Same ocean, and leisure facilities too."
Most 'mega training centers' doubled as tourist spots. There were various reasons, but the main one was that high-roller wizards—the biggest sources of revenue—always checked out training centers first when planning vacations or trips.
"Oh, and I heard Atlantis is back in operation recently."
Lee Hyun-joo, standing next to him, reacted to Lee Seo-jun's words.
"Even without Poseidon?"
"Yeah, they lost some training facilities and recovery effects without him, but it's still usable enough."
"Hmm. Fair enough. After all the money they poured into those facilities, they're not gonna scrap it just because Poseidon's gone."
As I eavesdropped on their conversation, someone tugged at the hem of my clothes.
"Sunbae-nim."
I turned my head and saw Eun Seol-ah looking up at me.
It hadn't even been two months since I last saw her, but she seemed a bit more mature.
She looked a little taller, and her hairstyle felt subtly different somehow.
"What's up?"
At my question, Eun Seol-ah rummaged through her bag and held something out to me.
"......Here."
It was a bracelet made of knots in various colors.
"What's this?"
"It's a talisman I made with Grandma. To thank you for last time......"
"For me?"
"Yeah."
"Uh...... Thanks."
I took the bracelet. It was so light it felt weightless.
"I've learned the Silver Moon Reversal, so you don't need to worry about me anymore. No need for something like this."
"That's from Grandma. I wanted to give you something from me too."
I examined the bracelet from every angle.
The colorful threads were woven together so stylishly that it could pass as a fashion accessory.
［Knot Bracelet Infused with the Power of the Eunwol Family (D)］
Classification: Bracelet
［Continuous Effect］
► Illusion Resistance
Illusion resistance increases by 5%.
Fatigue recovery speeds up.
The effects weren't anything impressive on paper.
But sincerity matters more than the effects.
And since she made it herself, it felt even more touching.
I slipped the bracelet on right away.
At the same time, I felt a faint surge of vitality through my body.
"Thanks. I'll make good use of it."
"Okay!"
Eun Seol-ah beamed at me.
After that, we chatted lightly.
Asking if she was okay, if training was going well, if Grandma was healthy, things like that.
As I talked with Eun Seol-ah, I felt eyes on me from behind.
I whipped around and saw Choi Seo-yoon staring at me. For some reason, her gaze felt different from usual—strange, almost.
"You got something bad going on?"
"......No."
Her voice lacked its usual energy too. Was she sick or something?
"Sunbae-nim!"
Just then, Eun Seol-ah spotted Choi Seo-yoon and stuck close to her with a delighted face.
Eun Seol-ah was shy around people, but she was already buddy-buddy with her.
Well, in the original story, those two hit it off quickly too.
I remembered Eun Seol-ah especially looking up to Choi Seo-yoon.
But as Eun Seol-ah clung to her, Choi Seo-yoon's face stiffened slightly.
"Uh, uh...... Yeah."
"Can I...... call you unnie?"
Choi Seo-yoon wore an uncharacteristically flustered expression, unsure how to respond, before nodding.
"......Sure? Yeah, call me that."
Eun Seol-ah lit up at Choi Seo-yoon's words.
"Okay!"
Choi Seo-yoon's lips twitched upward in a small smile, mimicking her.
I watched the two of them warmly.
They seemed to get along great(?).
Hoping she'd adapt well to school despite being so shy.
"Alright, everyone. Pay attention."
Just as the atmosphere was getting a bit rowdy, Lee Hee-young—the teacher who'd told us to wait and vanished—reappeared in front of us.
"You'll be doing intensive training here at the Donghae Training Center for three days and two nights."
The mention of special training made the students' expressions turn serious.
The prospective first-years especially looked tense, since this was their first official event at the Magic Academy.
Lee Hee-young smiled brightly, perhaps to ease the first-years' nerves, and shook the stack of cards in her hand.
"Now, I'll hand out the hotel keys for your stay."
Time passed, and the first day's training wrapped up.
The first day focused on basic physical conditioning. Even non-enhancement wizards needed solid fundamentals.
And at 7 p.m.,
It was dinnertime.
We headed to the high-end restaurant inside the training center.
The sunset-dyed East Sea view through the wide windows drew gasps of admiration.
We sat wherever we liked. Yoo Ah-ra and Shin Young-jun flanked me, while Lee Seo-jun and Lee Hyun-joo sat across.
Choi Seo-yoon and Eun Seol-ah ended up at a table a bit away from ours.
They'd tried to join us, but other prospective first-years swarmed our table, forcing them to sit elsewhere.
"Hmm......"
As I nibbled on appetizers to tide over my hunger before the main dish, a voice called out from nearby.
"Sunbae-nim! I was shocked watching your basic training today!"
"Kim Sun-woo sunbae-nim! I'm a huge fan!"
They were prospective first-years at a nearby table whose names I didn't know.
If they were important characters, I'd smile and play along, but these were nobodies—just annoying.
"......Uh, yeah. Thanks."
"How much do you usually train?"
"Sunbae-nim, do you handle concrete forms for mana efficiency?"
"That's......"
After fielding their question barrage for about five minutes, I finally got some breathing room.
"Whew."
I let out a sigh of relief, and Lee Seo-jun across from me chuckled.
"Tough break."
"......Doesn't this kinda stuff bother you?"
"I'm used to it by now."
Lee Seo-jun had dealt with even more attention than me for years and looked genuinely at peace, like he'd reached enlightenment.
I was dying of annoyance, though.
I couldn't ignore the interest either—not with the image I'd built at school.
......If this is how it's gonna be, at least give me points or something.
[You have achieved the 'Admired Senior' achievement.]
[You have obtained 3,000 points as a reward.]
"Huh?"
What was this? It actually gave them?
As I froze in surprise, Lee Seo-jun eyed me curiously.
"What's up?"
"Nah, nothing."
"......Anyway, you need to get used to it soon. You're gonna get way more attention starting this year."
"Just thinking about it scares me."
"Watch yourself from now on. Don't cause any incidents. One slip-up and it'll be chaos."
"Don't worry."
"I'm serious. In the stuff I'm popular for, I'm your senior."
I smirked at Lee Seo-jun's words.
Senior in popularity, huh.
"Someone might think you're a celebrity senior."
"Not that different from celebs. More like pro athletes."
I shrugged instead of answering and glanced across at Eun Seol-ah and Choi Seo-yoon chatting animatedly.
"Unnie, your specialty is ice magic, right?"
"Uh? Yeah...... yeah, it is."
"I'm jealous. I'm no good with manifestation magic. And mine's non-elemental."
They were really hitting it off. Looked like she'd already adjusted.
Then the main dishes arrived.
The lavish spread covering the table left everyone gaping in awe.
"Wow, this has gotta be delicious."
"Gotta take pics."
As I turned my head following the food on the table, I accidentally locked eyes with Eun Seol-ah.
She blinked at me before breaking into a bright smile.
Choi Seo-yoon glanced at her, then stabbed an appetizer remnant on her side plate with her fork and popped it in her mouth.
Around dawn.
Bundled up thickly, I stepped outside the hotel.
The biting cold wind made me shrink involuntarily.
But it was fleeting. Thanks to my cold resistance trait, I adapted to the chill quickly.
I headed to the training center's main gate.
After about three minutes,
I spotted Lee Seo-jun standing there in thick padding, just like me.
He flashed a grin when he saw me.
"Wait long?"
"Nah, just got here. But damn, it's freezing."
Lee Seo-jun shivered as he spoke.
"What're you wearing? Put on something expensive."
"This is expensive."
He pointed to his black padding.
"No, I mean not just thick—real high-end stuff."
"Oh, enchanted gear?"
"Yeah. Clothes with warming spells. Want to borrow one of mine?"
I had a few pricey warming-enchanted outfits in my sub-space.
"Nah, this is fine."
"......Suit yourself."
"Oh, and I invited one more person today. Cool with that?"
"One more? Who?"
I already knew from the original story but played dumb.
"Wait, she'll be here soon."
A short while later, the expected person approached us from the hotel direction.
Lee Seo-jun looked her way and smiled faintly.
"Hyun-joo."
"Ugh...... Seo-jun, it's too cold."
Lee Hyun-joo muttered, hugging herself, then glanced at me.
"Hey. Mind if I tag along today?"
I gave a small smile.
"Of course not."
If anything, I needed her there.
Her abilities were essential for today's plans.
"I explained everything to Hyun-joo. What we're looking for, our goal, all of it."
Lee Seo-jun and Lee Hyun-joo had shared secrets since childhood.
Since it matched the planned flow, I just nodded without prying.
"Everyone ready?"
"Yeah."
"Let's go."
We walked toward the beach.
As the faint sound of waves grew closer, Lee Seo-jun stopped.
"Probably around there."
He pointed somewhere beyond the ocean horizon.
On the horizon, barely visible even with mana-enhanced sight, was a tiny rock jutting out.
It looked like an island but was just a reef.
"There's an underwater ruin there, right?"
Lee Hyun-joo asked.
"Probably. But it might've already been looted."
Lee Hyun-joo nodded at his words, extended both hands, and drew up her mana.
Mana surged from her hands, gathering into a mass that soon formed a massive hawk.
—Kreeeek!
Once fully summoned, the hawk spread its enormous wings and cried out loudly.
"Whoa."
I looked up at it in quiet admiration. Not just the size—it was incredibly cool.
That fierce, charismatic hawk gaze felt alive.
Hated to admit it, but comparing it to Gretel's looks made me feel like we lost.
Still, our Gretel was great at binding spells, loading/unloading, and even gave elixirs sometimes...... So Gretel wins on utility, right?
Damn straight.
Lee Hyun-joo patted the spirit summon's head and climbed on.
"Come on, you two. Can't swim there."
This was exactly why Lee Hyun-joo was essential today.
The underwater ruins were too far for swimming.
Lee Seo-jun and I climbed onto the hawk she'd summoned.
It spread its wings wide and soared into the sky.
"Hang on tight!"
I gripped the hawk's body firmly.
Even with three of us aboard, the summon glided effortlessly toward the sea.
Not airplane-fast, but insanely quick.
"......Summoning magic's pretty awesome."
Time passed, and we reached our destination. The hawk landed on the small reef and dispersed into natural mana.
"Whew. Maintaining a summon this size really drains mana."
Lee Hyun-joo exhaled deeply.
"Good work."
"Nah. I thought about scouting the underwater ruins with a summon, but no mana left for that."
"No need. This is plenty."
Lee Seo-jun smiled as if it was no big deal, then shed his thick padding.
"Kim Sun-woo, you can dive, right?"
"Obviously."
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