Chapter 10
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Yoo I-seol (1)
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Blue skies and bright sunlight streamed into the classroom on a pleasant Tuesday.
The first period was a class called "Mana and Life."
"..."
In the early, mid, and late stages of the game, there were powerful characters known as bosses.
Sa Mu-yeong, the Orbis Academy instructor handling the "Mana and Life" course and a 3rd Grade Hero.
He was one of the heroes who had participated in the Red Gate incident.
Creak—
The classroom door slid open, and in walked a man in a neat suit wearing horn-rimmed glasses.
He appeared to be in his mid-thirties.
"Let's begin the lesson."
This was the man in charge of one of the early-game bosses.
.
.
.
"How much do you all know about mana?"
Sa Mu-yeong projected his materials onto the screen as he spoke.
"Most people believe that mana emerged due to the influence of gates—their environments, monsters, relics, and so on.
That's not entirely wrong, of course.
But there's one opposing hypothesis.
It's called the 'Mana Evolution Theory.'
Polar bears and arctic foxes living in the Arctic have bright white fur.
They evolved that color to blend in with the snow and avoid detection.
All life evolves
to live more comfortably or to survive against predators.
The Mana Evolution Theory focuses on this very point.
It posits that mana is something humans evolved to survive against gates.
In the old days, maybe not, but nowadays, no one lacks mana entirely.
The differences lie in the ability to wield it, the total amount of mana, and 'techniques.'
One of the key pieces of evidence for the Mana Evolution Theory is that mana abilities grow stronger with each generation.
There's a huge gap between the mana of old heroes like myself and the heroes of today.
We call this the 'Mana Singularity.'"
He paused for a moment, scanning the students.
"There's a disease called 'Mana Addiction Syndrome.'
It's when the body can't handle mana, and it slowly kills you from the inside.
Humans can't keep up with evolution that's happening too fast.
So why are we evolving this quickly?
Could our bodies be preparing for some 'catastrophe' we can't even comprehend?
Haha... just kidding."
As the mood grew heavy, Sa Mu-yeong laughed it off as a joke, easing the tension a bit.
"Mana is a technology that's not even a century old yet. We know more about what we don't know, and it wouldn't be surprising if a theory completely opposite to what we have now emerges later."
Yoo I-seol.
She couldn't get a single word of the lecture into her head.
The reason? The guy sitting right in front of her.
[Got time this weekend?]
That's what he'd said yesterday when they were alone in the training room.
She'd blurted out that she did without thinking, but she really should turn him down...
"..."
Hmm.
Yoo I-seol sank into thought.
Then she glared at the back of Lee Han-su's head.
Come to think of it, why did he ask?
Was it about the demon incident?
As far as she knew, Lee Han-su had even received a commendation.
And a reward from the academy, no less.
It was already common knowledge among those who needed to know.
Though the rumors had twisted it into him handling the situation well and suppressing it quickly, rather than taking it down alone.
Is that why...!
Yoo I-seol glared at the back of his head again.
Is he hiding his power?
It was a trope she'd seen plenty in comics.
She just hadn't expected to meet someone doing it in real life.
Or maybe not.
If he wanted her to keep it secret, he could've just asked during lunch or a break.
So, sparring then...
As everyone knew, she and Lee Han-su were soul rivals.
Our grades are paper-thin between first and second place. In practical training, I'm just a tiny bit behind.
Yoo I-seol crossed her arms and racked her brain.
Did he ask if I had time this weekend to settle the hierarchy properly?
She'd lost disappointingly in their sparring match because she hadn't been at full strength.
A sudden headache had forced her to run to the bathroom, resulting in a disqualification, but that surely wasn't the kind of victory Lee Han-su wanted.
But if that's not it...
Yoo I-seol glared at the back of his head once more.
This bastard wouldn't...!
And a certain thought flashed through her mind.
No way... he likes me...?
She recalled a shojo manga she'd read recently.
That's supposed to happen behind the school or on the rooftop!
Yoo I-seol cautiously pulled a mirror from her pocket.
It was a gift from last year.
Hmm.
She checked her reflection.
Silver hair like melted moonlight, crimson eyes that gleamed red.
Yoo I-seol glanced at the girls around her.
I am the best-looking, though.
.
.
.
After class ended, Yoo I-seol went looking for Lee Han-su.
Where the hell did this bastard go!
But the moment "Mana and Life" wrapped up, he'd vanished somewhere.
He'll come back if I wait.
Yoo I-seol leaned against the wall by the classroom door, arms crossed.
Just before the next class started, Lee Han-su came walking from afar.
"Hey! What the hell did you mean yesterday?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You know, that thing, you bastard...!"
"What thing?"
"Well..."
Yoo I-seol couldn't continue.
It felt embarrassing to say it out loud.
"...You asked if I had time this weekend..."
She said it with her head bowed.
Ah, fuck! she cursed inwardly.
"Oh, that? It means exactly what I said. Bring all your gear. I'll pick you up at the dorm at 6 a.m. Saturday."
...So it was that after all.
Yoo I-seol's grip tightened.
As expected, it was a duel to settle the pecking order.
Time passed, and the weekend arrived.
"Hoo..."
Yoo I-seol finished her meditation and stretched lightly.
She was in peak condition.
As Yoo I-seol exited the dorm, Lee Han-su was waiting outside.
"You're here? Let's grab breakfast first."
She froze.
Yoo I-seol's body stiffened at his words.
"Uh...?"
No way, is this...?
Her face flushed red.
Is it what I'm thinking?
Yoo I-seol cautiously checked her outfit.
Clothes that were far too casual for a date, perfect for sparring.
Fuck...
Yoo I-seol kicked a random pebble.
.
.
.
They ate at a nearby gukbap joint.
There weren't many places open at 6 a.m. besides 24-hour gukbap spots.
"Why aren't you eating?"
Yoo I-seol wore an expression full of dissatisfaction.
****
What the fuck is with this bastard?
Yoo I-seol thought as she watched Lee Han-su eat his gukbap.
She felt stupid for getting her hopes up.
Gurgle.
"..."
Her stomach growled, so she picked up her spoon.
It was a popular spot for a reason—the gukbap was damn good.
.
.
.
"Where to now?"
Yoo I-seol called out to me, arms crossed and head tilted slightly to the right.
"Portal."
Orbis Academy is a hero training school built with magic engineering technology.
And one of the pinnacle achievements in magic engineering is the 'portal.'
A magic engineering tech that lets you teleport to any desired location in an instant.
I led Yoo I-seol to the portal.
This world is the backdrop of a game.
And in games, you can't skip hidden pieces.
This world's backdrop is a game.
And no game is complete without hidden pieces.
They range from ones meaningless to me to ones impossible to find solo, but what we're hunting today is practically made for Yoo I-seol.
She's not at the stage of imbuing mana with attributes yet, but getting this hidden piece will skyrocket her growth.
Guess I'll snag the protagonist's later too.
Nothing useful for me has spawned yet.
****
High-Mana Zone.
These are areas affected by gates, saturated with excess mana.
"You bastard, don't tell me...!"
As my footsteps headed toward a shady spot, Yoo I-seol backed away and reached for her weapon.
"...It's not what you're thinking. Follow me."
This was some nameless mountain in South Jeolla Province.
No hikers, no residents nearby.
"A High-Mana Zone?"
Yoo I-seol seemed to sense the anomaly too.
"Hey, shouldn't we report this...?"
"Quit yapping and follow."
"..."
After climbing for a while, a small cave appeared.
Vmmm.
Mana waves emanated from the cave.
The dense mana made the ground feel sticky.
"Let's go in."
"..."
Yoo I-seol eyed me suspiciously.
Her face was a bit red—who knows what she was imagining.
Inside the cave gleamed a small gate shining in vivid gold.
"Gold Gate?"
There are many types of gates.
"You... this..."
Yoo I-seol backed away in shock.
Gold Gates guaranteed relics.
Relics.
Objects infused with mana found inside gates.
Relics range from 9th Grade up to the Special Grade ones managed directly by the World Relic Association.
The easiest way to surpass innate 'traits' and 'talents' is to use relics.
The value of a Gold Gate? Easily tens of billions.
The moment this one's location leaked, every guild in Korea would swarm it.
"Let's go in."