Chapter 333
Chapter 333
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 334
Chapter Title: Late Night Library and Arrival at Aporia
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A late night at the Wizard Academy, with the autumn breeze gently blowing.
I was in the central library, reading books on sigils.
「Right now, there's a locking sigil buried with mysteries in front of you. And let's say it's mixed with 15 million pieces of false information to confuse any solver. What's needed to crack this cipher... J
It was written in Korean, but it didn't look like Korean at all.
Just looking at it made my head throb, but feeling the necessity of sigil studies, I was studying bit by bit whenever I had time.
After about an hour of being in a state of 'deep immersion,' completely lost in the book, a message appeared before my eyes.
[You have perfectly comprehended 'Understanding Sigil Structures and Practical Tips.']
['Sigil Comprehension (B)' proficiency has slightly increased.]
['Aspiring Sigil Scholar' achievement unlocked.]
[As a reward, you acquire 3,000 points.]
"......What."
I blankly stared at the message floating in front of me.
I'd only read one book, but my sigil comprehension proficiency rose, and so did my points.
Just as my mood was lifting from this unprecedented point acquisition method,
The message appeared once more.
[Your brain adapts to reading.]
['Comprehension (C)' acquired.]
......Comprehension?
I immediately checked the trait.
［Comprehension (C)］
Description: Reading comprehension increases. Upon achieving certain conditions, gain additional abilities after full completion.
"......Jackpot."
A better trait than expected had been born.
It seemed to be from the effect of ［Evolution and Adaptation］......
As I'd felt before, no other trait was as dutiful as ［Evolution and Adaptation］.
It was even more dutiful than our Gretel, who was going through puberty.
"Heh heh."
I smiled in satisfaction and closed the book.
Then I slowly looked around the library scenery.
It was past 11 p.m., so no one else was left in the library.
"......Time to head back."
It was late.
If I didn't return soon for tomorrow's schedule—
Right then, a familiar crown of the head entered my view across from me.
I blinked and stared at it.
It was Choi Seo-yoon, asleep with her face down on the desk.
"......What. She hasn't gone yet."
I'd thought she left with Lee Seo-jun, Lee Hyeon-ju, Yun Ha-young, and Song Seung-ah earlier.
Did she stay behind alone?
"She's surprisingly defenseless too."
Coincidentally or not, I seemed to see her sleeping more often than the others.
Even though we were in different grades and didn't cross paths much.
I lightly poked the top of her head.
No reaction.
This time, I poked a bit harder.
At the same time, the elbow covering her forehead twitched in response.
But she still seemed asleep, staying still.
I suddenly got curious about how hard I'd need to poke to wake her.
"Ung......?"
Right then, Choi Seo-yoon woke up.
She wriggled a bit, then touched her head and spoke to me.
"......Uh, what time is it?"
"11 o'clock."
.........
Choi Seo-yoon lifted her head with a flustered expression. Her face was wide awake from sleep.
"It's late. Get up."
"Ah...... Yes."
And so, Choi Seo-yoon and I left the library to head back to the dorms.
We walked down the darkened hallway, lights out.
Tap, tap.
In the silence, only our footsteps echoed softly.
Choi Seo-yoon glanced at me and spoke.
"Oh, right. Senior, did you hear about midterms?"
"Yeah. The Abyss Exploration thing, right?"
"Yes, I heard it's a pretty traditional exam. Something about overcoming oneself......"
"Hold on."
I cut her off and raised my hand to block her path.
Choi Seo-yoon turned to me with a briefly startled expression.
"Something's there."
"......Something's there?"
With Outsider's Privilege activated, I stared into the dark hallway.
Choi Seo-yoon followed my gaze into the darkness.
"I don't see anything."
Instead of answering, I extended my hand and manifested a magic orb.
At once, the pitch-black hallway lit up brightly. But still, nothing was visible ahead.
However, while invisible to normal eyes, through Outsider's Privilege, the mana distortion forming in front of me was clearly visible.
So, this was...... some kind of illusion.
As I tried to unravel the mana distortion using mana, the space rippled, and a man appeared like a ghost.
"Eek!"
At the same time, Choi Seo-yoon flinched in surprise and tightly clung to my arm.
Confirming the man's face in front of us, she muttered in a trembling voice.
"......P-President?"
The man was none other than the Wizard Academy President, Jang Bong-jin.
Recognized as one of the legendary wizards alongside Kim Jin-cheol, he was also another teacher to Jin Cheon-woo and Choi Il-hyun.
"Kim Sun-woo, Choi Seo-yoon...... What are you doing at school this late?"
The president asked with narrowed eyes.
"By any chance, something improper at school......"
"Ah, no! We were studying in the library and just leaving!"
Choi Seo-yoon interrupted.
At her words, the president's expression changed in an instant, forming a smile.
"Haha. Just kidding. I saw you studying in the library earlier and was waiting to surprise you."
Hearing that, I realized the situation.
In the original story, Lee Seo-jun had fallen for the president's prank once too.
"Well, studying hard is good, but make sure to get proper sleep. Sleep has an enormous impact on magic condition."
Saying that, the president turned his gaze to me.
With his narrowed eyes, his expression was unreadable, so I couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"Hmm. Anyway, Kim Sun-woo, you're as impressive as the rumors say. Even 'those guys' never noticed my stealth until graduation."
"......Yes?"
At my question, a smile formed at the president's lips.
"You're the first student in 40 years of history to notice my prank. Excellent senses!"
With those words, the president vanished back into the darkness.
I blankly stared at where he had disappeared.
......What was that?
Time passed, Saturday morning.
Finally, one of the major main episodes, the 'Jaun Aporia Raid Incident,' had arrived.
As it could be a key branching point for future developments, I checked everything needed until the last moment.
"Hmm. This should be enough."
I neatly stacked some preparations and trap sigils in my subspace.
"Gretel, I'm off then."
"Nyaang."
Gretel waved her paw as if to say come back safe.
She wasn't as affectionate as before, but her greetings were still polite.
Feeling an inexplicable bitterness, I headed to the assembly point, a small port on the East Sea.
Upon arrival, I saw Association wizards gathered.
There were about eight in total.
A small number, but since numerous forces had already been deployed after the Aporia raid warning, there was no shortage of power.
"Kim Sun-woo!"
Then, Lee Seo-jun's voice came from somewhere.
Turning my head, Lee Seo-jun and Yoo Ah-ra were looking my way.
But Yoo Ah-ra's outfit today was unusual.
It looked like a red jacket outwardly, but it was definitely a magic tool.
Just in case, I activated Outsider's Privilege.
[Ancient Flame Sorcerer's Cloak (A)]
Description: Cloak favored by an ancient flame sorcerer. Imbued with power that amplifies fire magic.
Classification: Clothing
［Continuous Effect］
►Flame Affinity
Fire attribute control spell effects increase by 30%.
Fire attribute resistance increases by 40%.
"......Oho."
An A-Rank outfit, no less.
And for the mainstream 'fire series' magic, it was a highly rare item.
"What's with that outfit?"
At my words, Yoo Ah-ra grinned and touched her outerwear.
"You noticed right away. It's a gift from my sister."
Yoo Ah-yeon?
In the original, there was no scene of her receiving such an outfit from Yoo Ah-yeon.
Some change in her state of mind?
"Huh? What? That was a magic tool? What's the rank?"
Lee Seo-jun asked.
"A-Rank."
"A? Wow...... Must be super expensive."
Lee Seo-jun muttered while staring at Yoo Ah-ra's outfit, his eyes full of envy.
For reference, unlike me and Yoo Ah-ra, Lee Seo-jun's clothes were ordinary.
Of course, his gloves and some accessories were magic tools.
Considering his backing, President Kim Jin-cheol, it was quite frugal(?).
"When will I ever wear something like that."
"Want me to buy you something similar?"
At my question, Lee Seo-jun whipped his gaze to me, then squinted suspiciously.
"......Coming from you of all people, it doesn't even sound like a joke."
Hey, I wasn't joking.
Then, Kim Deok-hyeon, who had been watching us, spoke.
"Look at you all excited. You here for a field trip?"
"......Ahem."
Lee Seo-jun cleared his throat.
Kim Deok-hyeon clicked his tongue and said,
"......Well, seems everyone's here. We're departing soon, so everyone board the ship."
Swoosh—
A massive ship carrying the wizards cut through the coast and advanced forward.
The ship's destination was the mysterious island 'Aporia,' which couldn't be entered or discovered without exact coordinates.
After about five hours of sailing, we arrived at the entrance to Aporia.
"......Whoa. So this is a barrier."
I climbed onto the deck and admired the massive barrier surrounding Aporia.
I'd seen countless barriers before, but as described in the original, it was the largest and sturdiest in the world.
The months Jaun spent crafting the key to enter here didn't feel short at all.
['One of the World's Three Great Barriers' encountered.]
[As a reward, you acquire 5,000 points.]
[Sigil Comprehension proficiency greatly increases.]
['Sigil Comprehension (B)' rank rises to A!]
"......Huh, what."
Sigil Comprehension rose just from looking?
As I was dumbfounded by the unexpected harvest,
One wizard next to Kim Deok-hyeon took out a small gem-like object from his pocket.
Injecting mana into the gem, it emitted a massive light and shot toward the barrier.
That gem's identity was the barrier's key.
Woooong......
Part of the barrier crumbled, and the ship advanced again.
Swoosh—
Soon, a small island came into view.
Realizing we'd arrived at Aporia, I went inside the cabin and called Lee Seo-jun and Yoo Ah-ra.
"Get ready."
Time passed, and we arrived at Aporia.
['Aporia' entered.]
[As a reward, you acquire 3,000 points.]
[A small change in the future detected.]
[Karma rises by 0.4.]
The Association wizards disembarked one by one, stepping onto land.
Then they looked up at the massive walls ahead.
"......So this is Aporia."
"Feels kinda eerie."
Even the Association wizards, for whom this was a first visit to Aporia, all wore surprised expressions.
However, Kim Deok-hyeon, with multiple prior visits, walked ahead with an expressionless face.
We followed Kim Deok-hyeon to Aporia's gates.
Then, a gatekeeper spotted Kim Deok-hyeon and saluted.
"Good day, Senior."
"......Yeah, good work."
Kim Deok-hyeon patted the gatekeeper's shoulder.
The gatekeeper's aura felt unusual, so I casually used ［Character Insight］.
Name: Won Min-hyeon
Age: 38
Race: Human
Status: Calm
Mana Rank: S
Interest: 0
Wow. What gatekeeper is S-Rank.
"Come on, everyone follow."
We followed Kim Deok-hyeon inside.
The interior was rougher than expected.
It was like a medieval prison, made of stone buildings.
And between the buildings, Association wizards were stationed. When our eyes met, they whispered among themselves.
—That's Kim Sun-woo and Lee Seo-jun, right?
—Yeah, looks like it. They're grinding hard on practicals. Heh heh.
Kim Deok-hyeon looked around and pointed at some buildings with his hand.
"That's the Level 6 Detention Center, over there is the Mystery Control Room. And your quarters are there."
We followed his pointing hand with our gazes.
"I won't guide you separately. Explore lightly on your own to get the vibe."
Kim Deok-hyeon said, looking at us.
"Oh, and never enter places marked as restricted areas. Got it?"
"What's in the restricted areas?"
Yoo Ah-ra asked.
"Didn't I tell you before? Souls are sealed there."
"......Ah."
Yoo Ah-ra nodded slightly.
"Hmm......"
I looked around, recalling the plan ahead.
Restricted or not, I wanted to see Jin Cheon-woo's soul at least once, so I planned to sneak in when the chance arose.
According to my memory, there were still about 10 hours until Jaun's raid.
Of course, it might differ from the original, but I didn't think it'd change much.
Midnight, when the island's sealed mysteries were at their weakest.
Right then.
"Disciple, you've arrived?"
A familiar voice came from somewhere.
Turning my head, Choi Il-hyun was smiling welcomingly.
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