Spiritual Power Manipulation (2)
“……!”
A hush fell over the room in an instant. The first to break the silence was Lee Seok-gyu.
“What the hell, Jo Min-je! He's better than that guy we always teased!”
That set it off.
“Whoa, what is this?”
“Come to think of it, didn't he come to school today with tape like Do-gyeol?”
“Does that stuff actually work?”
“No way! At this rate, I'm the one in last place out of the top 10!”
The kids' chatter grew louder. But the kids from Group 4 just stood there with their mouths agape, blinking in stunned silence.
What the hell is going on?
Did that guy actually have talent for handling spiritual power?
No way. If he did, he would've stood out during midterms.
Did he really get something out of mimicking that weird shit we teased Do-gyeol about...?
Meanwhile, Jo Min-je lowered his arm and turned toward Do-gyeol. He clasped his hands together in a prayer-like pose and bowed deeply and reverently.
Do-gyeol waved his hand near the chat window.
Sheesh, calm down already.
But Jo Min-je seemed to think the gesture was directed at him. Interpreting it as encouragement for a job well done, he nodded with teary eyes and an overwhelmed expression, then quietly returned to his seat.
Next up was Group 4's final contestant—the kid who'd come in fifth, just one rank shy of team leader.
The result?
“Puhahaha! Three! Three! Why'd you guys bully Jo Min-je? Puhahaha!”
Lee Seok-gyu doubled over, clutching his stomach in hysterical laughter. But the moment the Group 4 leader shot him a glare, the guffaws cut off like a switch had been flipped.
Then came Group 3's tenth placer, from Baek Seo-rin's team. He managed to lift just one.
“Kwaaak! Nooo!”
Unable to accept reality, he kept reattaching his hand to the sponge over and over.
“So the real last place has changed.”
“How do you only lift one?”
“One's pretty good, though.”
“Yeah, you did well.”
The Group 4 kids started yapping like their shock had never happened. They masked their mockery with backhanded compliments, but it was crystal clear to Jo Min-je, who'd been on the receiving end himself.
Pathetic losers.
I'm the one who said we should suck up to Do-gyeol.
Until then, they were spouting dumb shit about holding back and didn't even know what mattered.
I thought they at least had skills, but today's showing they're useless?
As Jo Min-je stewed in those thoughts, it was Group 2's turn—Lee Seok-gyu.
The result?
“Ta-daa~!”
Only the second sponge floated into the air.
Group 4's faces instantly hardened into icy glares.
“Why's that asshole bragging?”
“Right?”
Lee Seok-gyu shot back immediately at their reaction.
“You just said lifting one was impressive. Two's even better.”
“Bullshit.”
“Bullshit? Kang Hak couldn't even do one. So what does that make him?”
Kang Hak's eyebrow twitched—he'd been hit out of nowhere.
“What'd you say, you little shit?”
“Shut it, Lee Seok-gyu! Get your ass back here!”
“Thanks, Yun-a. You saved me.”
Lee Seok-gyu lowered his arm and scurried behind Seong Yun-a to hide.
And finally.
“Group 1.”
Pi Yu-jun eyed them with keen interest. Just as Do-gyeol, Group 1's official last placer, stepped forward—
“Do-gyeol, you go last. Sit.”
Pi Yu-jun raised a hand to stop him.
No need to test Do-gyeol. That wall he passed during midterms was beyond the pinnacle of control this lesson aims for.
But even if I told him that, with his personality, he'd pop up like 'Lemme try lifting 'em too~.'
Better to have him go last, use his result as a benchmark for extra lessons. It'll fire up the kids' motivation.
“Group 1, Yun Ga-eun.”
Yun Ga-eun stepped forward cautiously. And then—
Swoooosh!
The moment she raised her hand, every sponge bent and shot into the air.
A result on par with Seo Tae-yun.
“……?!”
“What? Yun Ga-eun's at Seo Tae-yun level?”
“What's Group 1, the death squad?”
“Come to think of it, didn't she tape up like Do-gyeol too? Back during the inter-team matches!”
“Now that you mention it, Yun Ga-eun started way before Jo Min-je. With her and Seo Tae-yun, it all makes sense.”
“No way, it's that effective?”
The classroom erupted in chaos. It was shocking enough that an unexpected kid had shown control surpassing Baek Seo-rin.
At that moment, Pi Yu-jun grabbed a spare sponge and chucked it straight at Yun Ga-eun.
“Kyaa!”
Poof.
A sudden disruption that could've shattered her focus. But the sponges still dangled perfectly in midair.
“……?”
“Her concentration's that good?”
“She got perfect scores on written tests too.”
As the murmurs of disbelief continued, Pi Yu-jun stepped forward and lightly tapped one of the floating sponges.
“Who told you to make a shish kebab?”
Only then did the kids catch on. Yun Ga-eun's technique was Ju-bak-sa—a physical binding spell that tied all the sponges together with spiritual power and lifted them as one.
“Ahaha.”
Yun Ga-eun blushed and laughed awkwardly.
“I got too focused and did it without thinking...”
“Hey, brains count as skill too—as long as you don't get caught.”
Pi Yu-jun added, “In real combat, tricks and cheats don't matter if you get results. Flexibly adapting your techniques is a great skill. But in class, try to stick to what we're teaching.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Back to your seat.”
Pi Yu-jun turned to Do-gyeol.
“The grand finale.”
The classroom tensed up inexplicably. All eyes locked onto Do-gyeol.
“Here comes that bastard.”
“He's stepping up.”
“Bet he summons a familiar to hold them and claims it's his spiritual power.”
Amid the murmurs, Do-gyeol walked forward and unhesitatingly pressed his hand to a sponge.
Hmm, so that's the feel.
Infusing spiritual power into something not touching you was a hassle, but this close? Piece of cake. No surprise—even a sorcerer's spiritual power, which was nearly impossible to absorb without killing them, had been easy up close.
But linking them all together might make control easier but lock their movement as one unit, right?
Do-gyeol tilted his head and raised his arm.
At that instant—
“……?”
“What?”
Questioning murmurs erupted from the kids, laced with disappointment.
“All that hype for nothing.”
“Not nothing—one? For real?”
“Feels like a dream after everything else.”
As the kids said, Do-gyeol had lifted only the one attached to his hand.
But soon—
Swish.
Swish.
The next sponge rose straight up from its spot. Then the third, the fourth. One by one, with deliberate delays, each sponge ascended independently.
“……?”
“What the hell's happening?”
“Did he link them?”
Normally, they'd arc like a line being lifted or align like logs in a row. But this?
“No way...”
“He lifted them all separately?”
Do-gyeol's lips curved in satisfaction.
Worth practicing those tropical fish moves.
Infuse objects with spiritual power right, and multi-control was possible. Lump them together, and they were just a club. But like this? Ten hidden weapons flying from all directions.
Of course, splitting Showby like tropical fish is way more efficient, but no harm in learning this.
Pi Yu-jun, watching closely, widened his eyes slightly.
This guy... controlling them entirely separately...
Floating light sponges was one thing, but ten independent objects? And handling them this smoothly meant monstrous computational power.
Seo Tae-yun's fish are similar, but he draws trajectories directly, so...
Pi Yu-jun swallowed a dry chuckle and refocused.
“Your method doesn't match my explanation. I said lift them like one log, right? Redo it. No—don't just link. Try hardening them.”
“Hardening?”
“Yeah. Make them rigid, like when you altered the wall's structure.”
Do-gyeol pondered briefly, then neatly aligned the sponges' paths. Sensing the change, Pi Yu-jun hurled a piece of chalk.
Crack!
The chalk hit dead center on a sponge in formation and bounced off with a solid thunk.
This kid...
Pi Yu-jun let out a snort of laughter.
I just gave verbal instructions—no demo—and he nails it first try?
Sure, the kid who reshaped a wall could do it, but nothing was a given. Folding a paper crane didn't mean you could fold a frog—structural computations were endless.
“Pay attention, everyone.”
Pi Yu-jun addressed the class.
“He interfered with the physical properties of ten independent objects, fusing and hardening them into one.”
The kids went dead silent, like they'd swallowed honey.
“In simple terms, that's the pinnacle of spiritual power manipulation: altering matter's state. Reach today's theoretical goal, and you could pass walls like Do-gyeol did in midterms or pull off stuff like that.”
Pi Yu-jun continued, “And finally, even one is impressive. I said it'd be easy since they're light, but actually, one's hard too.”
“Huh?”
“If I'd said it's hard from the start, results would've been worse. Set limits, make it faith, and it becomes an unattainable ideal.”
Pi Yu-jun swept his gaze over the team leaders.
“That's why I started with you leaders. Seeing it's possible versus just hearing about it? Worlds apart.”
He met each student's eyes one by one.
“Sure, some of you might think 'That's just because it's them.' Those types are stuck forever. So believe you can do it too, and you'll see good results.”
The classroom air shifted. A burning zeal filled the room—the realization that extreme training could let them do the same.
“Class dismissed.”
Do-gyeol, meanwhile, just cocked his head.
Wasn't this actually easier?
*
“Lee Seok-gyu, don't waste paper.”
During break, Seong Yun-a approached Lee Seok-gyu, who was launching paper airplanes from the window, and scolded him.
“Waste? Spiritual power practice! Review!”
“You're just playing.”
Seong Yun-a glanced at the papers by the window and added, “And why all these doodles?”
“Blank's a waste.”
“...Yeah, sure.”
She clicked her tongue, but then her eyes widened slightly at the paper airplane gliding smoothly through the air.
“Huh? You're actually pretty good.”
“Paper planes ride the wind anyway. Barely takes effort.”
“Good for practice, I guess.”
“Exactly.”
Lee Seok-gyu leaned on the windowsill with a smug grin.
“With white paper and wind, I can go anywhere.”
“What're you on about.”
Seong Yun-a's brow furrowed sharply.
“Recycle 'em, so pick them up properly.”
“Of course! Can't toss my assets.”
Lee Seok-gyu replied energetically and launched another.
*
The next morning.
Kang Hak's foot froze at the classroom door.
“...This is fucked, for real.”
How the hell did the class end up like this?
Everyone except the still-absent Do-gyeol had their mouths and noses sealed with blue tape.
“Crazy bastards. Looks like a mass hostage situation.”
Then a voice from behind.
“What're you doing? Get in.”
Do-gyeol, passing the head-shaking Kang Hak, entered the room and flinched.
“Whoa, startled me!”
Definitely woke him up.
“Did they all take the wrong meds?”
The kids all mmph-mmphed in unison, jabbing fingers at Do-gyeol.
You're the original!
You started it!
You maniac!
The tape muffled their words, but their glares said it all. Do-gyeol's eyes filled with even more bewilderment.
“Dude, if you wanna say something, just peel it off...”
What weirdos.
Just then, the front door opened, and Pi Yu-jun entered the class.
“...Mmph?!”
“Mmph?!”
The kids mmph-ed frantically, scrambling to steady their breathing—their focus had slipped.
The reason was simple: Pi Yu-jun himself had shown up with his nose and mouth taped shut.
Kang Hak shot to his feet in a fit.
He jabbed an accusing finger, veins bulging.
“You too? What the hell!”
In that instant, Pi Yu-jun's hands moved with ninja-like speed, forming seals.
...Esoteric mudras?
Kang Hak's eyes widened. The inspiration for comic-book ninja arts, a genuine Silla-era exorcist's secret sorcery!
No, not mudras... sign language?
Kang Hak's dynamic vision parsed the hand motions rapidly.
'Teacher, what are you? You?'
The moment he finished translating, chalk flew through the air.
Thwack!
A white mark bloomed on Kang Hak's forehead, and he crumpled onto his desk.
Pi Yu-jun calmly shifted his gaze. The blue-tape brigade. The sprawled kid among them. And...
Why's that one doing the solo normal guy cosplay?
The weirdo staring around suspiciously. This was definitely the wind he'd stirred up.
Or rather, not just stirred—he'd created it himself.
A wind nowhere in the forecast.
No one knew how big it would grow. But one thing was clear: the flap of that guy's wings had begun shaking up the entire Je-ryeong Class.