Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Modern Magic Lecture (4)
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Luxy's offhand remark—no, it was practically a demand, a total outrage—was a blatant mistake. It wasn't just crossing the line; it was like storming across the border and planting a C4 explosive.
Her demand was that dangerous.
Mana secrets were always treated as top-secret to begin with, naturally handled as state secrets. And right now, Yuseong's secret technique was his original creation, one he'd risked his life to uncover.
Origin.
Even if it was a brute-force method, it was a brand-new secret technique that no one had ever devised before. His achievement deserved respect. It demanded respect.
Yet here was Luxy, demanding Origin without offering anything in return, without even a shred of respect.
It was the mindset of a thief. Even if he chopped her head off for it, no one could argue it wasn't justified.
"...There was one crazy bitch who crossed the line with her mouth, but I trust—no, I'm telling you—there won't be any more of that crap."
"Wh-what do you mean, trust?"
The last sentence felt a bit off...
Yuseong ignored it and pressed on with his warning.
"It's true I need your strength, but that doesn't mean I'm handing everything over on a platter or spoon-feeding you. Hell, I've already done plenty. If you have any conscience, figure it out yourselves from here. If you can't even manage that, just quit. I'm sick of the whining."
"......"
It was harsh, but irrefutable.
The icy atmosphere didn't last long.
As if everyone had steeled themselves, they finally attempted mana purification—and one by one, passed out right there on the spot.
In the midst of pain so agonizing it felt like death would be preferable, with tears, snot, or even "other things" spilling out, they were forced to stop.
"Guhhh...!"
"Ah, it still hurts...!"
"Hic...!"
"You're crying...?"
"I-I'm not crying......"
"......No, you're clearly crying."
How bad must the pain have been for even that arrogant snobby bitch to have tears welling up?
If there had been any results, maybe it'd be different, but it only hurt like mad with zero progress. It was pure hell.
At least they wouldn't end up hospitalized. That was a relief.
"You owe Luke big time."
If they'd tried building up mana assuming they had mana cores?
One of them might have ended up permanently crippled for real.
This must be why having a pioneer who cleared the path ahead makes such a world of difference.
"So, Luxy, got any promising ideas?"
Mirni asked the girl who was the kingdom's top genius, clinging to a sliver of hope.
Maybe she'll come up with something brilliant...
"Nope."
"...Ouch. So blunt."
Luxy added an explanation to Mirni, who was making a fuss like she'd seen it coming.
"All we can do is keep at this steadily. Once our bodies adapt to this world's ether, that's when we'll start making real progress. I figure Luke went through the same process to create his own Origin."
"...So we just have to keep hurting steadily?"
"Pretty much."
"......"
In a situation that naturally inspired silent curses, Mirni's face fell. She even considered giving up on mana altogether.
Except...
If I quit here...
Luke's gaze wouldn't look kindly on her.
He'd probably see her as worse than a bug.
Trapped in a situation where she couldn't even quit freely, Mirni's pout deepened.
Even as the daily struggle to reclaim their mana dragged on, the everyday knowledge lessons continued without fail.
No, it wasn't an illusion—they'd gotten even more Spartan than before.
"I'm ramping up the intensity now. We'll finish elementary school level by the end of the month. No exceptions—we're getting through middle school too. Got it?"
"...Yes."
"The ultimate goal is for everyone to pass the GED. Once you hit that, living in Korea won't be so tough."
It had been nearly six months since they arrived in Korea.
Half a year had flown by.
The promised care period had only half a year left. Yuseong would give his all since he'd made the promise, but if they couldn't keep up, there'd be no reason to keep babysitting them.
"Quitting would be easier, though."
He was the number one culprit in sapping their motivation, practically goading them to give up.
The ruthless cram school instructor was right here.
Amid all this demotivation, only two shone with unwavering enthusiasm.
One was Mirni.
"Ah! My followers hit 100 more!"
50,000 followers—that was the number Mirni had racked up on her recently started SNS account.
She'd just posted daily outfits without showing her face, guided by her unique fashion sense, and somehow surpassed 50k.
The fact that female followers outnumbered the thirsty guys ogling her figure proved her fashion sense worked in Korea too.
According to Aram's stats, if she kept it up, 300k wasn't impossible...
She's got talent, huh?
If her SNS kept growing, sponsorships would roll in. Add live streams, and the numbers would explode.
Maybe this catgirl was the one adapting best to this world, steadily building her future one step at a time.
The other one living with equal zeal was...
"Luke. I will take the GED."
Sylvia.
Unable to build mana due to her saintess nature, she'd gone all-in on studying, her academic fire blazing lately.
As expected, you couldn't underestimate basic education. She showed quick uptake worthy of someone from the temple's elite scholarly class.
Especially astonishing was her knack for languages like Korean, English, and Latin.
"Latin and English share contexts similar to Midgard's common tongue. Beyond that, I've always been good at picking up languages. Interpreting ancient tongues was my main job, after all..."
"Yeah, you're a genius."
"......"
Annoying as hell, but her language skills were insane.
They said the temple handled over a thousand languages?
Regular believers needed to interpret at least three. Saintesses? Thirty-plus as standard...
Maybe that was the fruit of prior learning—or rather, prior torture.
Fine. No point overthinking it... hurts my head.
What mattered was that it was working.
But while some adapted well...
"Ughhh...!"
"......Can't you ease up a bit?"
Others lagged behind.
Luxy... not just failing to adapt, but scoring worse than Alicia and Valian, the girl was a total flop.
Ever since learning she had mana, Luxy had been weirdly motivated, but she was completely stuck on purification, going nowhere.
She wasn't giving up, though.
Far from it—she pushed herself harder, doggedly seeking a breakthrough, collapsing and rising over ten times a day.
Her effort was admirable, but unlike her resolve...
"Let me be blunt: your behavior is selfish."
"......"
"If you keep hogging that spot, when am I supposed to adapt and absorb ether? Your actions are utterly self-centered."
Alicia. Always saying her piece, lenient with herself but quick to call out others—peak hypocrisy.
"Who are you to talk...?"
"Shut it. I'm speaking for you since you won't!"
"Wow, zero self-awareness..."
"You bitch!!"
The chunky snob and snobby bitch were at it again. Luxy quietly turned and headed back downstairs.
Alicia's words went in one ear and out the other.
But...
"...You'll die like that."
"......"
Not his usual venom—it was genuine advice.
"I know from experience: forcing it doesn't work. Especially not for milk-scented brats like you."
"...I don't smell like milk."
"Baby fat gone from your cheeks yet?"
"......"
"Immature little shit. Take it easy. Act like a mage—why copy me or Valian?"
"......Are you advising me right now?"
"Interpret it however."
"......"
Luxy stared up at Yuseong blankly, like she'd been whacked on the back of the head.
"You... don't hate me?"
"I do."
"......Too straightforward."
"Gotta be honest."
"......"
"Hate you or not, if you die, it'll be a headache with that noisy one—goddess—bitching at me daily. So chill. She's been dropping by every day lately."
"......Got it."
"Haa... my fate."
She had that stubborn, won't-listen face of an immature kid.
Of course she's high school senior age...
The age that's defiant as hell and super sensitive.
Yuseong couldn't shake the feeling he was starring in a parenting drama these days.
...How did Mom raise me?
He finally understood why parents sighed and drank just looking at their kids' faces.
......Watching the model filial daughter, he strangely yearned to be a good son that night.