Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Muscle Bonds and Flow Sovereign
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It felt like the weekend was just the day before yesterday, but after throwing myself into studies and workouts, Friday morning had already dawned.
"Ah, it hurts."
My body wasn't just overexerted—it was straight-up tortured—so there wasn't a single spot that didn't ache.
Good thing I could see my stamina stats growing steadily like mushrooms after rain; without that, I'd have collapsed ages ago.
**Gustaba:** Objectifies the caster's physical condition into mathematical values.
・Dou (逗): Stamina・Mental Power 311 → 346.
The growth rate was even faster than expected. It took seven years to go from around 70 to 300, but Logan's mentoring was something else.
As expected of a Chaihak Academy senior, whose academic ethos was "a healthy mind in a healthy body."
"Tomorrow, I need to hit the black market..."
Today, I'd give my muscles several times the stimulus to make up for the workout I couldn't do tomorrow. Before he knew it, Rain was thinking like a true muscle enthusiast as he stepped out of the dormitory.
* * *
Today's first period was "Magic Formations and Attribute Understanding: Advanced." But the classroom was already buzzing from the morning.
"Young master, have you had breakfast?"
It was because Logan had come over to Rain and struck up a friendly chat (Logan was in Class Canglang).
"What the...?"
"A disciple from one of the Eight Great Academies..."
"That goody-two-shoes young master is buddying up with him...?"
The two had become fast friends in an instant.
Rain had never felt any hostility toward him from the start, and Logan's antagonism had long since melted away under the "friendship blooming from muscles."
"Nah, I skip breakfast. Gotta keep my head clear."
"If you haven't eaten yet, try this."
"What's this? Mana purification liquid?"
Rain shook the flask Logan handed him. A thick liquid sloshed around inside the glass bottle.
"Not just any mana purification liquid—it's Magic-Protein, infused with Chaihak Academy's secret techniques! We've dissolved proteins and nutrients essential for muscle regeneration right into it with magic!"
"Oh, for real?"
"Eat this, and you'll have awesome muscles in no time!"
Logan's eyes sparkled, and Rain nodded with his own eyes shining.
"Thanks. I'll dig in. But is it cool to just hand this out? Isn't it academy secret stuff?"
"It's fine—Big Bro, er, Professor Owen gave the okay. Anyway, I gotta prep for class, so later."
Chaihak's muscle growth accelerator... What an unexpected windfall.
Rain grinned as he uncorked it, but Christa from the next seat flinched and grabbed his hand.
"Are you insane?"
"?"
"What if it's poisoned?! You two were throwing punches just last time! Are you stupid? An idiot? Do you ever think?"
*What's she on about?* Rain shook his head like it was no big deal.
"Relax. This is a perfectly rational conclusion."
"?"
"What does he gain by poisoning me? He'd just get expelled from his academy for tarnishing its name. Kicked out of university, too."
"Well..."
"And if I drop dead? Heh, take notes. If you're gonna poison someone, don't make obvious assassination bait like hell cookies—do it subtle."
A brief silence...
Rain chugged the Magic-Protein with a sigh, his face utterly devoid of even a hint of playfulness. Wasn't that 100% serious?
"Whoa, this tastes absolutely vile! In terms of pure awfulness, it's on par with your hell cookies!"
Rain laughed in admiration.
Christa's face flushed red from chin to hairline, and in the next instant, magic formations spun up at high speed on both her palms.
"H-H-Heh, hehehe, fine... I'll bake some more cookies..."
"You serious? Cut it out. Who're you assassinating now? You keep killing people like that, karma's gonna bite you."
"Come here. Today I'm turning that smug face into mud and baking it into a cookie!"
"Hey, you psycho! Magic in class? Hey, ease up on your hands! Not easing up?"
"Let go! No?!"
Christa and Rain tussled, turning the classroom into chaos... and Melanie from Rohwinen Academy rolled her eyes.
"Damn, are those two high this early?"
It didn't even look like fighting—more like lovers' roughhousing. Anyone would think they were dating.
But that lasted only a moment. The front door slid open with a rattle, and the room fell silent.
Professor Owen had arrived.
Owen stomped up to the podium with heavy footfalls, and the classroom folded like origami in an instant. He swept his gaze over the room and locked onto Christa.
"You shitty little—Christa!"
"Yes, Professor."
"What time is it?"
"09:02."
"Outstanding! You can even tell time down to the minute! So why the hell were you yapping for those two minutes before class? Your pig-squealing voice echoed down the damn hall!"
Christa mumbled incoherently.
The diligent, top-student type like Christa seemed woefully unequipped for situations like this.
"You goddamn—! No excuse, huh? No objections if I dock points for conduct?!"
Christa's face went pale. For someone aiming for top honors graduation, even minor evaluations mattered hugely.
"Y-Yes..."
Christa bit her lip and bowed her head, and Owen pulled out his fountain pen to jot something on the attendance sheet.
*Oh, come on.*
Pretending to be all grown-up—what a kid. Rain raised his hand.
"Professor."
"What."
"Christa just wanted to know about muscle training, so I was explaining. She said she wants a body like yours."
Owen's hand froze mid-motion. He looked up at Christa.
"That true?"
"Y-Yes...?!"
Christa blankly glanced at Rain. He nodded like, *just go with it.*
"Curiosity about muscles doesn't discriminate by age or gender—can't hold it back."
"Y-Yes!"
"It's not something your damn brain can deny; it's instinctual... I'll let it slide just this once! Sit down."
*What the hell just happened...?*
Christa's legs gave out, and she slumped into her seat in a daze. Weiber from Rohwinen Academy shot Rain a look of utter disbelief.
*'Noble brats all full of pride and ego—since when are they such good liars? They almost never do it, right?'*
The brief commotion settled as Owen slammed his desk to regain attention.
"You worthless shits! Quiet! What's today's date?"
"April 5th!"
"Right. One shitty piece of news and one less shitty one. Better get the bad one first, like they say. Midterms start in three weeks."
Midterms—just the word made every student groan like the earth was collapsing.
Magic education institutions typically held two exams per semester, the first being midterms.
The cadets' reactions at Ribarden Magic School were similar, but these seemed even more grave, which was intriguing.
"Why the long faces about exams? Don't you wanna check your progress? Isn't that good?"
"You serious? Delaiten's exams aren't innocent little tests. They're like rites of passage—separating climbers from fallers."
Delaiten's educational philosophy was endless competition; the fallen were discarded without hesitation.
"You look like you can't fathom why the school torments you with midterms. Professors getting off on torturing cadets? Can't deny that's part of it."
"????"
"But that's not the main reason. Delaiten doesn't want your puny magical knowledge! It wants to see if you've got the dominance to lead the era as a mage—or not! To weed out those who don't!"
The students gulped.
Rain, meanwhile, felt a strange curiosity and his eyes gleamed. Exams, huh... Wonder what aspects they'll test and how? Gotta be super fun, right?
"Class starts now. It's the 5th, so attendance number 5—"
"—Professor."
"You damn fool, Rain! Interrupting your sky-high professor? Better have a good reason."
"You didn't mention the less shitty news."
Owen let out a short "Ah" and tapped the textbook he'd brought.
"That's this goddamn tough lesson I'm teaching today—it's in the exam scope too!"
"!!!"
"So pay attention! Attendance number 5, front and center!"
It seemed intriguing, so Rain jotted quick notes—but crap, he'd forgotten his notebook back at the dorm.
He'd use Lin's diary as a makeshift. Jot short memos and copy later... But RudiyËn's status popping from the diary was off.
The light particles it scattered were larger and sharper than usual, yet oddly, the world's sounds faded and receded far away. Like he and RudiyËn had shifted to another space.
**Socrafres.**
- Inherit progress on 'Unique Magic' research from the surrounding environment.
- Progress: 39.9% → 40.0%.
- 'Unique Magic' comprehension: 40% achieved.
It made no sense.
Unique Magic progress rose inconsistently. Wasn't it supposed to go up only after smashing stuff with magic...?
Then, an unbearable sharp pain stabbed his left palm.
>>>
**Brante.**
- New mana circuit unlocked: Flow Sovereign (流量世尊).
Like burning flesh with scorching flames? Agony spreading from his palm like a burn...
§
He sucked in a breath and peered at his palm, where an unfamiliar pattern—clearly a rune—was emanating brilliant light.
>>>
**Camitishia.**
Analyzing circuit...
・Upon activation, deploys 'Mental Image Barrier: Flow Sovereign' within 20 meters of caster.
・Within 'Mental Image Barrier: Flow Sovereign', success rate of magic combinations using 'Unique Runes' and 'Unique Formulas' +33%, power +66%.
・Mana cost for activation: 20,000 (Warning - Current caster mana: 12,564).
・Activation hand seal designated for 'Mental Image Barrier: Flow Sovereign': Ra (羅).
Dazed from pain, he couldn't ponder deeply, but he could make a rough guess.
*'A perk granted upon reaching 40% proficiency in Unique Magic...?*
So, he'd learned a practice barrier for handling Unique Magic smoothly? Eventually, he'd use it without the domain?
But Mental Image Barrier—that familiar yet strange technique name... Wasn't it signature to the two Sages?
Emitsa Page's White Orchid (白蘭), the primordial mage, 1st Sage, and sole Grand Sage (7-Star), and Ryert Warden's Golden Sands Advance (金砂開進), the 2nd Sage (6-Star)...
His thoughts reached that point, and amid groans of pain, Rain muttered,
"...Jackpot."