Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Clown's Talent
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During that time, Kim Seon-woo's mana sphere emitted a brilliant light.
Emitting a strong light meant that the second stage of the manifestation system, 'Release,' had begun.
And as expected, Kim Seon-woo's mana sphere shot toward the target, leaving a white afterimage.
-Swoooosh!
Seeing the incoming sphere, Lee Hee-young thought to herself.
There are so many talented kids in the second year besides Lee Seo-jun and Yoo Ara.
But then, something unexpected happened.
"......Huh?"
Even the teachers sensed something off and voiced their confusion.
Why is it so quiet?
He definitely just released the spell.
"What's going on?"
Feeling that something was wrong, the teachers stood up and looked at Kim Seon-woo.
Kim Seon-woo himself seemed caught off guard, his expression stiffening.
"What happened?"
"The mana sphere vanished mid-release."
"What? Why did it disappear?"
The teachers, equally baffled, asked back.
What on earth had happened?
For a spell to vanish during release?
That was when it started.
Laughter echoed from somewhere inside the auditorium.
"Pfft."
That was the spark. Soon, the laughter spread like a contagion throughout the hall.
"Puhahaha!"
"Kekeke! What the hell was that?"
"Oh man, that's hilarious. Who's that guy?"
"I got it on video."
"Wow, he couldn't even maintain that tiny mana orb and let it fizzle out."
It took quite a while for the laughter filling the auditorium to die down.
'I blew it.'
That was the thought that crossed his mind as he stared at the intact target in front of him.
"Man, that was hilarious."
"Insane. Heh heh."
"What did I just witness?"
Greed had led to disaster.
He'd pushed too hard, trying to crack the top ten, and exhausted his body's mana reserves.
"He made that little mana orb and still ran out of mana? For real?"
"Wow, how did he even get in with skills like that?"
"Who is that guy?"
The mockery from the stands showed no signs of stopping. He felt like laughing at himself too.
What an embarrassment in front of all the freshmen.
"Look at his face turning red."
"Must be mortified. Poor guy."
The occasional pity made it hurt even more.
He wanted to crawl into a hole.
"......Hah."
He'd hoped to climb into the top ranks in this test and earn some points, but it was a total failure.
He hadn't even hit the target, locking in dead last for the whole school.
Dead last.
Even his past self had never come in last!
Ding!
[You have achieved the 'Clown's Talent' milestone.]
[Reward: 5,000 points acquired.]
[232 people now remember your face.]
[Reward: 1,000 points acquired.]
[The character 'Lee Seo-jun' has taken an interest in you.]
[Reward: 1,000 points acquired.]
[4 major characters are now paying attention to you.]
[Reward: 3,000 points acquired.]
......What?
Messages suddenly flooded his vision.
Caught off guard by the unexpected turn, he panicked.
What is this?
A quick scan showed they were all related to achievements and fame systems.
There were a ton of them.
How many points was that in total?
5,000, 6,000, 7,000......
'......10,000?'
One clown act had netted him a whopping 10,000 points.
Even making the top ten probably would've given him around 5,000 from achievements—almost double that.
......Isn't this actually a good thing?
'No, it feels way better than just making the top ranks.'
He hadn't lost his cool, and somehow a great situation had unfolded.
No, not just great.
It was a jackpot.
"What's up with that senior? Why's he grinning like an idiot all of a sudden?"
"His mental just broke, I guess."
The jeers from others no longer reached him.
Massive point gain.
Nothing mattered more to him right now.
[2nd Year Class A, Kim Seon-woo test complete.]
"Kim Seon-woo, please return to the waiting room."
With the test over and the teacher's instruction, he stepped down from the platform.
Back in the waiting room, students tossed comments his way.
"Hey, what was that? Mana depletion?"
"Nice, congrats on locking in last place."
"My turn's next after yours, but you made me feel better. Thanks for setting the floor, seriously."
"But weren't you reinforcement type? You don't even seem talented—why switch to manifestation?"
Ignoring them, he returned to his seat.
As he sat, Park In-hwan, seated in front of him, turned around, smirked, and faced forward again.
Phew. Finally a bit quieter.
He'd made a huge impression in a different way, so this might happen often for a while.
He'd have to brace himself.
Still felt surreal, though.
Never imagined bombing last would net this many points.
'Whatever. Stacks of points means pure profit.'
Plenty of time before the exam ended, and he'd racked up points. Time to window-shop.
No one else could see the outsider perks anyway.
Just as he was about to enter the point shop,
He sensed movement from the seat next to him.
Turning his head, he saw Yoo Ara looking at him with a subtle gaze.
What now? Why's she like this?
"Why?"
"......That thing earlier."
Yoo Ara trailed off. It was quite different from the Yoo Ara he knew. What was her deal?
"During your test. That was compression implementation, right?"
Ah, so that's why she'd approached.
Not wrong, so he nodded.
"Yeah, it was."
"How'd you do it?"
"How? You compress your mana during implementation."
Maybe his answer lacked enthusiasm. Yoo Ara narrowed her eyes.
"I'm not asking because I don't know that."
Frustration laced her voice.
"So what's your question? Spell it out so I get it."
"How much practice did you put into compression implementation?"
How much? About three years?
But being honest had its risks.
At 18 now, three years ago would've been 15.
In this world, people usually first sense mana around 13 or 14.
What 15-year-old would practice compression implementation?
Especially him, with such low mana he depleted mid-cast.
As he hesitated, Yoo Ara met his eyes.
"Why no answer?"
"Uh...... I can't remember."
He mumbled, and her fine eyebrows furrowed.
"What?"
"......About three years?"
"Three years? That means you started at 15?"
"Probably?"
Hmm. Yoo Ara pondered.
Then, sensing something off, she tilted her head.
"Wait, three years?"
Doubt flickered in her eyes.
Predicting the follow-up, he cut in.
"Actually, thinking about it, more like two years."
"......Are you messing with me?"
She said in disbelief.
"Yeah, two years sounds right."
"......Hmph. Fine? Two years is pretty quick. You seemed pretty proficient."
A strange bitterness tinged her mutter.
Seeing him use compression implementation must've sparked her competitive streak.
Another student her age pulling off a technique she couldn't—it ignited her rivalry.
"You're pretty good. Didn't stand out much last year."
"......That a compliment?"
"Yeah. Compliment. But why learn it? Your mana pool looked pathetic. Isn't it overreaching for you?"
Ouch, straight for the jugular.
"......But didn't you tell me yesterday not to talk to you?"
"I said don't talk to me. Didn't say don't answer."
Oh, really?
"Aigoo..."
After all events wrapped up, he flopped onto his dorm bed. His whole body felt heavy, likely from the mana depletion.
He'd known his mana was low, but today's test showed it was worse than expected.
Never dreamed a spell would fizzle mid-cast from lack of mana.
Anyway, points in hand—what to buy?
[Activating unique trait 'Outsider's Benefit.']
[Entering point shop.]
What to get?
More like, what do I need right now...
No long deliberation. He opened the search bar right away.
[Using search function.]
[Adding category 'Items.']
[Adding 'Accessories' to item category.]
['Recovery' search results.]
►[Item] Fairy King's Earrings (S)
►[Item] Mana Circulation Ring (A)
►[Item] Fairy's Bracelet (C)
►[Item] Necklace of Regeneration (D)
►[Item] Returner's Wristwatch (B)
As important as max health and mana were recovery.
No matter how big your mana pool, slow regen means you'll eventually run dry and can't cast.
Faster recovery meant more training time—so recovery wasn't optional, it was essential.
Recovery was usually more efficient via items than traits.
Light accessories you could wear anytime were even better.
Scanning quickly, 'Returner's Wristwatch' caught his eye first.
[Returner's Wristwatch (B)]
Category: Item
Description: Wristwatch used by a returner. Holds special power.
[Continuous Effect]
►Turning Clock Hands
Increases health and mana regeneration by 200%.
Increases health and mana by 2.
Durability: B
Price: 30,000
"Nice."
It covered his lacking health and mana recovery—200% boost, no less.
Plus a flat +2 to health and mana.
Sturdy durability and classy design made it a solid pick.
Only downside: 30,000 points, out of reach for now.
But with 11,700 points already, grinding achievements for a few weeks should cover it.
Early in his regression, plenty of ways to earn points.
"Add to cart first."
[Returner's Wristwatch (B) added to cart.]
Now, scout some other candidates.
That was when—
Ding!
[300 people now remember your face.]
[Reward: 1,000 points acquired.]
A message popped up about more people remembering him out of nowhere.
"What?"
......Ah, right, this.
Someone must be talking about him somewhere.
He knew from his previous life—similar stuff had happened.
[350 people now remember your face.]
[Reward: 1,000 points acquired.]
......Huh?
Another similar message appeared.
50 more in moments.