Chapter 358
Chapter 358
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 359
Chapter Title: Mana Utilization Test
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...After parting ways with Kim Jin-woo.
Han Se-yeon dragged her tired body into the house.
A dark and quiet living room.
As she gazed at the scene, she felt a momentary pang of loneliness before flicking on a small indoor light.
She then walked to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water, drinking it down.
As the cool liquid slid down her throat,
the dizziness from the alcohol cleared a bit from her mind.
And at the same time, memories surfaced of her drunken, disheveled behavior in front of Kim Jin-woo.
A surge of intense embarrassment hit her, heat rising to her pale cheeks.
"What the hell did I do..."
Han Se-yeon pressed her palm to her forehead, feeling utter dismay.
"...At least I didn't make any big mistakes. Thank goodness."
She was usually pretty good with alcohol, which was fortunate.
If she'd had a normal tolerance, she probably would've blacked out from overdrinking and done all sorts of embarrassing things.
"Hoo."
Han Se-yeon let out a sigh of relief and walked to the sofa, flopping down onto it.
She closed her eyes and replayed the events of the drinking session in her mind.
—I want to know more about you, Jin-woo.
Kim Jin-woo had fallen deep into thought at her bold words, fueled by liquid courage.
He had looked at her with bitter yet affectionate eyes.
Then, just as he seemed lost in contemplation again, he told her.
That he couldn't say right now due to circumstances. That he needed time.
One could argue it was just an excuse to dodge the situation.
But Han Se-yeon could sense the sincerity behind his words.
She already knew he had special circumstances unlike others.
She just didn't know what they were yet.
"...Kim Sun-woo."
Han Se-yeon sat up and checked the messy stack of Wizard Academy documents on the table, those belonging to 'Kim Sun-woo.'
Every time she saw it, she was struck by how much the photo resembled Kim Jin-woo.
It made her curious once more.
'Kim Sun-woo' and 'Kim Jin-woo.'
Which identity was his true self?
Using two identities meant one was likely fabricated...
"...Maybe it doesn't matter that much."
Han Se-yeon pulled out another document from the table.
A photo of a complex spell formula.
Presumably the one Kim Jin-woo had sent, investigated by Kim Chang-hyun.
Below it were personal interpretations and opinions from the Han family's mystical scholars.
She read through them slowly.
"A soul from another dimension. And a passageway..."
It was such an unfamiliar field that she couldn't make sense of it no matter how many times she looked. Not magic or mysticism, but dimensions?
"...No one to ask about it."
At that moment, a face flashed in her mind.
Come to think of it, two years ago she'd gotten a business card from a famous dimensional scholar.
Han Se-yeon jumped up from her seat.
A chilly autumn night with dark winds blowing.
After parting with Han Se-yeon, I walked alone toward the Wizard Academy in the guise of 'Kim Sun-woo.'
The drinking session I'd been looking forward to—with good company and fine liquor—hadn't left me in a great mood.
It was because guilt crept in over having deceived Han Se-yeon until now.
She seemed to harbor plenty of suspicions and hurts about me too.
"...Did she figure out that I'm Kim Sun-woo?"
Recently, I'd been entangled with her quite a bit as 'Kim Sun-woo.'
Especially on Wealth Island, where we'd practically been stuck together.
A sharp one like Han Se-yeon could've easily grown suspicious.
"But how do I even bring it up?"
I did intend to tell her everything.
It was the only way I could repay the deep trust she'd always shown me.
But right now, I was under 'restrictions.' I wanted to tell her all, but there were limits.
"What should I do...
What to start with?"
Lost in thought like that, I arrived at the Wizard Academy before I knew it.
It was late, around 11 p.m., so the school grounds felt empty and desolate.
I took in the scenery, feeling some indescribable emotion, then kept walking.
That was when it happened. I sensed mana from somewhere, followed by a familiar voice.
—...Like this?
—No. You need more imagination. Ice attribute is 80% imagination.
The voices came from the park.
As I slowly approached, I saw Yoon Ha-young and Choi Seo-yoon sitting on a bench, practicing magic.
—Let me try again.
Crackle—
An ice arrow formed above Yoon Ha-young's hand.
Choi Seo-yoon gave her detailed feedback.
It looked like Choi Seo-yoon was helping her train for the mana utilization test.
...Somehow admirable.
Even though she was 2nd year #1 and shared the ice attribute, it wouldn't have been easy to think of learning from a junior.
Seeing that made me want to join in and help.
But I'd drunk tonight, so I should hold back.
As I tried to quietly slip away to leave them to their time,
a voice called from behind.
"Sunbae?"
It was directed at me.
I turned to see Choi Seo-yoon staring at me in surprise.
Yoon Ha-young, sitting beside her, was looking at me with wide eyes too.
I'd meant to pass by unnoticed, but in this unexpected situation, I gave an awkward smile.
"...Uh, training, huh?"
"Yeah, but Sunbae, did you just get here?"
I nodded at Choi Seo-yoon's question.
"Finished some business outside, but it's later than I thought."
This time, Yoon Ha-young asked.
"What appointment keeps you out this late?"
"Something came up."
I smiled faintly and took a step back.
"Anyway, I'm beat, so I'll head out. Good luck."
As I turned to leave, Choi Seo-yoon suddenly stood and approached me.
"Sunbae, just take a quick look at Yoon Ha-young Sunbae's magic—"
Then Choi Seo-yoon cut herself off.
She narrowed her eyes at me and sniffed her own nose? No, mine.
"...Alcohol smell."
Yoon Ha-young, who'd come close by then, recoiled with a "Eek!" and pinched her nose too.
At that, I sniffed myself.
Didn't seem strong enough to freak out over.
"Sun-woo, you drank?"
"It wasn't me drinking; an adult insisted on pouring one. Hard to refuse, you know?"
My rambling explanation didn't convince them; their expressions stayed the same.
"What adult pours so much a student's clothes reek? What a jerk."
"Yeah, who was it? Guild meeting?"
I scratched my head and said.
"...Hmm. Secret. But I'll check the magic. Show me."
"Trying to brush it off. Who'd you drink with?"
Yoon Ha-young wouldn't let it go.
"There's someone like that."
But I had no intention of telling.
Realizing I wouldn't budge, Yoon Ha-young sighed deeply.
"...Tch. Fine. Here's the magic."
She held out her palm.
Soon, the air above it froze into an ice arrow.
But it wasn't much different from her after-school practice this afternoon.
"See? Even you can tell the form's unstable, right? More than when I checked earlier."
"Mm..."
Yoon Ha-young said in a deflated voice, bracing herself as she recalled getting scolded during training today.
I gave her a small smile.
"You're unstable because you've trained too hard. Your imagination's tapped out."
Imagination was like a consumable. There was a daily limit.
Surprised by my words, Yoon Ha-young blinked blankly.
"Rest today. With the training you've done, it'll be way better tomorrow."
Time flew by.
The crisp autumn was nearly over, early winter's chill setting in.
Students started wearing puffer jackets or coats here and there, as uniforms alone couldn't fend off the cold.
"So cold."
"...I'm seriously dying from busyness."
"Yeah. Can't they just skip the second midterm?"
Laments erupted among the third-years.
From the pro wizard certification exam to the second midterm—they faced a brutal schedule.
Plus resume writing and stacking specs through various magic activities.
Thankfully, the school knew the third-years' plight and lowered the midterm's difficulty and weight as consideration.
"We'll now begin the Basic Magic Proficiency Evaluation. There are four parts total: mana utilization, chant structure, spell formula interpretation, and mana beast subjugation analysis."
And today.
The magic proficiency test—for eligibility in the pro wizard certification exam—began.
The massive auditorium of the Seoul Wizard Association was packed.
With Wizard Academy students, wizards seeking re-evaluation, unaffiliated aspiring wizards, and students from other domestic magic schools.
All wearing number tags on their clothes.
Mine had #4.
—Whoa, check out the lineup. This exam's gonna be fun.
—Yeah. Lots of people we've been curious about; we'll see 'em today.
—Who's your most anticipated?
Voices of the examiners drifted from the railing on the platform.
—Lee Seo-jun, obviously.
At that, I glanced at Lee Seo-jun, standing with Shin Young-jun off in the distance.
#62 on his chest, he was chatting brightly, seemingly without a shred of tension.
—Really? I'm betting on Kim Sun-woo.
—Nah, even so, Lee Seo-jun over Kim Sun-woo.
—What? You really can't judge. Didn't see their 1v1 spar?
—Sparring and real combat are different.
The examiners were debating me and Lee Seo-jun.
It was the usual school spat(?), so I tried to tune it out when another examiner spoke.
—I'm eyeing #206 over there.
—206? Oh, Yoo Sung-jin?
The name Yoo Sung-jin made my head turn involuntarily.
At the end of my gaze, a young man with dyed brown hair was yawning widely.
—Yeah, he's promising. Took down a moonlight black bear solo, right? Unknown origins too.
—Yeah, and self-taught magic, they say.
—Self-taught? You believe that? His manifestations are super systematic.
Yoo Sung-jin. 21 years old.
A new character who gets significant play in the upcoming 'Pro Wizard Certification Exam' arc after the basic magic evaluation.
Not a good guy, by the way.
He's a prospective villain with genius on par with Yoo Ah-ra, set to join Ja-un later.
Or wait, with Jin and Natasha as his master now... already a villain?
As I stared at him, he sensed it and looked my way.
Our eyes met briefly.
He recognized me too, it seemed.
Then the examiner's voice rang out again.
"For the first basic evaluation, mana utilization, we'll assess based on each person's specialty. Reinforcement types on reinforcement intensity. Manifestation types on form and detail."
"Sun-woo, think I can do well?"
Just then, Yoon Ha-young's trembling voice came from beside me.
"You'll do great. You've prepared a ton."
Emboldened by my words, the tension eased from her stiff face a bit.
Now I was getting nervous too. Gotta stay steady and nail it.
"Let's begin the exam! Those called, please come forward."
The examiner continued, looking at his papers.
"Lee Min-joo, Park Hyeok, Kim Min-ah... and Kim Sun-woo."
Naturally, all eyes turned to me. Feeling some inexplicable emotion, I walked up to the platform.