What the Hell Am I Supposed to Do?
'Holy shit! Mana Control!'
The S-rank Mana Control. It was the core skill that had propelled Professor Kim Yo-han to his current position.
It wasn't just good. Among the S-rank skills overflowing with jaw-dropping ones, this was rated among the absolute top-tier.
Why? Because the power of every skill depended on how finely you could wield your mana.
As a passive skill like Talent, Mana Control applied constantly without needing conscious effort.
'Jackpot from the most unexpected place.'
I hadn't even tried shaking hands or anything, yet he'd come over and made contact himself.
'An angel. A total angel.'
To me, Professor Kim Yo-han looked like the rarest angel on earth. Hell yeah. What else could you call someone who handed you an S-rank skill like this?
As class ended and people packed up one by one, I turned my back and floated a ball in front of me.
Whirr.
Three balls zipped around too fast to see. Then more joined in sequence.
Threads of mana extended from my body, clinging to each ball and pumping endless power into them.
'Definitely feels different.'
The mana moved with incomparable precision and strength compared to before.
"Min-ho, time to eat?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Coming."
I waved to Jae-wook calling from afar.
Thud, thud.
Over a dozen balls hit the floor.
The two-story building at the heart of the Magic Officer Academy buzzed with crowds. The cafeteria district.
It boasted nearly every famous restaurant in the country, letting you pick whatever suited your taste.
'But best of all, it's free.'
The state covered every cost here. Meaning graduates contributed massively back to the nation.
'Yeah, they fatten us up, raise us right, then snag first dibs on contracts.'
In exchange, the state got priority negotiation rights with academy grads. But their eyes were on B-rank and up, so it didn't concern me.
Munch, munch.
Jae-wook, demolishing his fifth massive steak plate—way more than a single serving—glanced my way.
"You barely eat. You always this picky?"
"Huh? Nah, I used to pack it away... "
Come to think of it, when did my appetite shrink? Probably since joining the team in my past life. Rigorous training meant eating just enough to survive.
Dungeons made proper meals tough anyway.
'Even after regression, old habits die hard.'
I smirked and shoveled in some chicken breast salad.
"Too bland."
Jae-wook, waiting for my answer, dove back into his food.
Crash! Bang!
A huge racket erupted behind us, followed by murmurs.
'What the hell?'
Turning, I saw a C-Section student sprawled on the floor, smug-faced strangers looming over him.
"Fight?"
Jae-wook stood, craning his neck.
"Dude, sit your ass down and finish eating."
"Oh? Yeah, maybe."
He plopped back sheepishly.
Had to be higher-ranks bullying an easy mark. Jumping in with my current strength would just get me humiliated at best.
Awakener ranks were gangster-level for a reason. Not some shonen manga where grit or willpower bridged the gap.
It was an uncrossable chasm. Ranks created an ironclad class system.
In my experience, D-rank and below got screwed constantly, even when in the right. Guilds and academies turned blind eyes unless it was egregious.
So bullies flexed publicly to crush spirits and lock in privilege. Like now.
"What the fuck did he do to deserve that? Huh? You guys gangsters or what?"
A girl—probably the beaten guy's girlfriend—snapped sharply.
"Kekeke, look at her defending her boyfriend."
"Low-ranks playing house."
"Waifu material, though. Worth a spin."
"Agh! Let go! I said let fucking go!"
One grabbed her wrist; she thrashed, but the rank gap made it futile.
Clink.
Jae-wook slammed his spoon down and stood.
"Hey, Jae-wook!"
He grinned at my call.
"I know it's a mismatch like you said, but wrong is wrong. Can't watch anymore."
"Goddamn idiot."
Before I could stop him, he marched over. Who calls him dense bear-boy for nothing?
Shaking my head, I stood and strolled after.
"Who's this? Black knight?"
"Kek, crushing on her?"
"That bulk won't save you. Die slow?"
Jae-wook wedged in, pulling the girl behind him. They laughed like it was a show.
'C-rank or higher, easy.'
Experienced too. Looked casual, but they covered blind spots in a defensive formation. Well-practiced.
"No matter your rank, hurting innocents is wrong."
Jae-wook stood firm before them, preaching straight-faced.
"Hah~"
"Hear this straight-arrow."
"Who doesn't know?"
They flinched, exchanged glances, then circled Jae-wook, blocking views.
'Oh, these fuckers are going for real?'
Plan: lethal hit out of sight.
Awakener fights were banned hard by the state. Hence the Awakener Special Act.
Core rule: no harming normals. Violators got branded state criminals—jail for life, hunter status be damned.
Politicians and tycoons were mostly normals; who'd sleep with hunters rampaging? A C-rank could hop fences, snap necks, rob vaults no sweat.
So stuffy lawmakers pushed the Act first. Lightning approval.
Normals got safer. Awakener-on-awakener? Minor scuffles overlooked, but skills strictly forbidden outside dungeons.
Skill use: 3-year license suspension, fines, service. Career-ender for primes.
Thus, external brawls were pure physical. Though three C-ranks wrecking a D was trivial.
"Sigh."
I sidled to Jae-wook, slipping through their formation's gap.
What could I do? Had to babysit till I copied all that dense bear's skills.
"Huh? Who's this?"
"Kekeke, filming a movie now."
"Soulmates? Wanna die together?"
The last one strode up, jabbing my forehead with his finger mockingly.
'Information Viewing.'
'Whoa, check the title.'
'Vicious' prefix? Rare. Titles reflected life paths. This guy's? Backstabbing specialist.
D-rank Taunt, matching Serpent Strike and Dagger Throw. Sole C-rank: Leap—downgrade of my B-rank Leap Strike from ghouls.
'Dungeon scammers, got it.'
The others fit: one taunts, pair flanks low/same-rank marks. Classic 'hyena' cleaners.
"Don't touch my friend!"
Face red, Jae-wook roared and charged as I pondered.
"You're the one who swung first?"
His smirk made my head throb. Falling for obvious Taunt.
'How obvious can you get, bear-boy?'
He whipped a dagger at Jae-wook. 'Sneak' attack, but mana flow to wrist was crystal-clear.
I sighed, smacked his wrist hard.
Split-second, but deflecting obvious paths was easy now.
"Wha—?!"
He flung the knife at his buddy instead, flailing dumbly.
"Ack! You blind fuck?!"
Dodging, the guy stomped and charged me. Charge skill?
No rules for these idiots. Why even join the academy?
Mana Control made their flows vivid; I sidestepped effortlessly. He grazed past, eyes bulging.
I dashed to the last.
"Wh-what?!"
Mana flowed from waist to right foot—some skill. I circled, stomped his ankle mid-flow.
"Gah!"
Disrupted, he toppled yelping.
Whole thing: blink-speed. I yanked Jae-wook's collar, yanked back.
"H-hey! Let go!"
He flailed like a kid.
I smacked his huge nape.
Smack!
"Ow! Why hit me?!"
"Snap out, dumbass. Wanna retire early?"
"Oh... right."
Head cooled from Taunt; reality hit. Thought it'd end growling, but nah.
No major hits; they recovered, advancing murderously.
"Heh, cocky before enrolling?"
"No mercy—drown 'em."
"Boss said lay low till graduation?"
"Leave 'em? Nah, just chop a finger. Clean."
"Kekeke, vicious as ever."
They closed; Jae-wook flinched back, glanced at me.
'What the hell do you want me to do, you bastard?'