Chapter 008
Chapter 008
Lumen Academy's departments are broadly divided into three.
Martial Arts Department, Magic Department, and Production Department.
Students chose their departments based on their respective aptitudes.
'The specific specialties will be divided within those, but for now, they've just split them into broad categories.'
Inside the rattling train, Kang-hyun was busy fiddling with his smartphone.
He had only recently learned how to use it by looking over Lee Se-rin's shoulder, so he was a bit clumsy.
"So... uh, here, was it like this?"
After a long while of diligently tapping the screen with his index finger.
He finally managed to send a text.
[Me]: I'm arriving at the department soon,,,~~
[Professor Lee Se-young]: Okay~^^ Have a good day.
[Professor Lee Se-young]: You too, my daughter, fighting^^
Lee Se-rin: Hyun-ie, you fighting for your first class too!
Lee Se-rin: (Dancing bear emoji)
[Me]: Have a, good, day,,,~~~~^^
Lee Se-rin: Hyun-ah... seriously, your way of speaking...
Lee Se-rin: (Sighing hamster emoji)
'Smartphones... they aren't easy.'
Kang-hyun, having sent the message with great difficulty, wore a proud expression.
Kang-hyun's actual age was several hundred years.
He had managed to adapt to other things reasonably well, but things like smartphones were particularly difficult.
Looking around, he realized the place was packed with students wearing the same uniform as him.
This train was a dedicated line that only traveled inside the academy.
Just how big was this place that it needed a train to get around inside the school? Kang-hyun clicked his tongue at the sheer scale of the academy.
『This stop is the Production Department G-Hall, Production Department G-Hall.』
An announcement played from the train's speakers.
The train, powered by mana and mana stones, slowly came to a halt, and Kang-hyun stepped out, blending into the crowd of students.
At his waist was his personal tool, the Mukroe-chu, and in his bag were some Mana Crystals and a notebook or two, just in case.
He was clearly a freshman in the Production Department.
'So, the first class is... Professor Kim Se-young's class.'
He walked while checking the signs, and a large lecture hall appeared.
There were easily hundreds of chairs, and the podium was located at the lowest point of the tiered seating.
Quite a few students were already seated.
"It's the first day of the semester, surely she won't teach today, right?"
"Nah, no way, right?"
"I don't know. But since it's Professor Lee Se-young, you never know."
"What are you signing up for as your minor and electives?"
"Still thinking. Have you decided?"
"I've decided on a few. Want to take them together?"
The socially adept students were already chatting among themselves.
Kang-hyun scanned the room and sat in the front row, where there were the fewest people.
A few students looked at Kang-hyun and whispered.
"Hey... that's the kid who got in through that, uh, Practical Competency Special Admission, right?"
"Yeah. I think that's him."
"If he's the guy who smashed the door down with just his skills, he must be pretty talented, right?"
"I heard the Department Head and Professor Kim Se-young wrote him recommendation letters."
"They say in the first exam, he made a Rare-grade item and then smashed it. Said it was trash."
"......Is he an attention seeker, or is he actually skilled?"
"Sniff, sniff... that smell again."
Gazes filled with various emotions poured down on him.
Envy, curiosity, jealousy, admiration...
If hundreds of eyes were directed at him, one might naturally shrink back, but Kang-hyun was nonchalant.
'I've lived for several hundred years, do you think I'd be intimidated just because some brats are staring at me now?'
Kang-hyun didn't respond at all, maintaining his silence.
"Tsk. Look at this uneducated guy acting all high and mighty. Getting in by luck just by drawing attention."
"Hey, hey. Just let it go. What could he possibly know how to do? Huh?"
"They say that whole 'competency special admission' thing was just him getting in through connections anyway. Seriously, guys like that just lower the academy's standards."
Kang-hyun turned his head at the particularly sharp reaction.
'Who the hell is this guy?'
The group whispering and glaring at Kang-hyun was a trio.
There was a guy who seemed to be leading the group, and for some reason, his appearance was strangely familiar.
'Thin, slanted eyes and an overall despicable-looking face.'
......Could it be Vice Department Head Han Seung-mok?
Now that he was paying attention, he really did look a bit like Han Seung-mok.
If Han Seung-mok had a full head of hair, had lost a lot of weight, and was much younger, wouldn't he look exactly like that?
"My uncle told me, that bastard got in through illegal admission."
"What? Really?"
"Yeah. My uncle opposed it until the end, but the Department Head and Professor Kim Se-young forced it through."
So he was Han Seung-mok's nephew.
'Ha, that Vice Department Head guy. He was intimidated by my skills so he passed me, but then blamed Professor Kim Se-young to look cool in front of his family?'
Hah, wow.
I'm speechless.
'And on top of that, he's not just badmouthing me, he's dragging Professor Kim Se-young and the Department Head into this?'
This kid isn't just rude; he's completely rotten.
Kang-hyun stood up from his seat.
"...! Hey, hey. What are you trying to do?"
"Th-this guy...!"
"You, you, you bastard! Do you know who my uncle is?! Huh?!"
Kang-hyun looked down at them without a word. The mana that moved subconsciously pressed down heavily on the surrounding air.
The massive mana originating from a dragon writhed.
The guys' faces turned pale, suppressed by the aura.
'Should I smack him one?'
Kang-hyun debated whether or not to grab the hammer hanging at his waist.
It wasn't just weapons that Kang-hyun was good at making.
In many senses.
"......Wh-what, you punk!"
"H-hit me! Go ahead and hit me! You bastard, all I have to do is tell my uncle!"
'Alright. Let's make a person out of you today.'
Just as Kang-hyun, having made up his mind, reached for his hammer.
Creak—
"Is everyone here?"
The lecture hall door opened, and Professor Kim Se-young entered. The students, who had been buzzing in the tense, explosive situation, straightened their postures.
"You there. What's going on? Are you planning to cause a scene on the first day?"
"...You got lucky."
Kang-hyun let go of the hammer.
Before turning away, he didn't forget to check the guy's name tag.
"Han Jun-hyeok? I've remembered you."
Han Jun-hyeok, Han Jun-hyeok...
As Kang-hyun muttered, the guy's hand trembled slightly.
"Sit down quickly."
Kim Se-young, having settled the chaotic atmosphere, stood on the podium and looked around the lecture hall.
"Normally, since today is the first class, we would do self-introductions and attendance, but..."
Kim Se-young, standing in front of the podium, made eye contact with the students.
"That's a bit boring, and it's too cliché, isn't it?"
Clap, as Kim Se-young clapped lightly, a teaching assistant brought in a large iron plate on a cart.
The glossy iron plate was placed next to the podium.
Students expressed their confusion one by one.
"Now. This iron plate here is a special Mana Resonance Plate that I made."
Kim Se-young pointed to the iron plate.
"It's a self-introduction and a surprise quiz. Try injecting mana into this resonance plate. Each of your mana patterns will produce a unique sound. Listen carefully to what kind of sound it makes, and the quiz is to explain why it makes that sound."
Students glanced at each other.
"Starting now. Come out one by one and try it."
The first student awkwardly came out to the podium.
As they placed their hand on the resonance plate and injected mana.
A clear, high-pitched sound rang out.
Tinggggg—
"Ohhh."
The students exclaimed in admiration.
"The sound was high, right? Anyone want to say why?"
A short silence followed.
Kang-hyun raised his hand slightly.
"Student Kang-hyun? Would you like to try?"
"The mana's purity was a bit high."
"Correct. Next student."
The second student came up to the podium.
Wooooong—
It was different from before.
This time it was a low and heavy sound.
"The sound is clearly different from the previous student. Now. Anyone want to say the reason?"
"......"
"......"
The students, who hadn't gotten the hang of it yet, just glanced at each other.
This time, too, Kang-hyun was the only one to raise his hand.
"The mana density was a bit higher, and it was a continuously connected pattern."
An unhesitating answer.
Kim Se-young looked at Kang-hyun with sparkling eyes.
'As expected, amazing! Just like the genius I had my eye on!'
That was the look in her eyes.
"Correct! Next student."
Third, fourth.
Students came out one by one, each making a different sound. Someone's sound shook unstably, and some sounds came out with two tones overlapping.
Kang-hyun kept getting the answers right.
As the examples piled up, the students also started to rack their brains.
"Correct! The mana output was strong!"
"Only half correct. Too bad."
"Hmm... the output was strong, but the flow was a bit rough."
"Correct."
No one was as accurate as Kang-hyun.
It was obvious.
'Is it okay to just breeze through this?'
Because Kang-hyun could clearly see the flow, movement, properties, density, and color of the mana...
'That one is a deep blue... and it's moving in jerky, broken segments.'
Like this.
Seeing the students taking it seriously, he might have felt a little sorry, but...
Kang-hyun had long since discarded any shred of conscience.
'If I were going to feel guilty about something like this, I wouldn't have entered the academy in the first place.'
A several-hundred-year-old dwarf is playing student among brats who aren't even twenty.
Since he had already decided to be shameless, Kang-hyun had no intention of hiding his power.
'Swordsmen or mages might hide their power. If a craftsman hides their skill, they're just a loser.'
He had to be skilled and famous first so that customers would come!
Kiiiiiing—
A particularly high and delicate sound rang out.
It was Evangeline.
Perhaps because she was a little nervous, her golden hair swayed.
Her pointed cat ears moved slightly.
'This is...'
Kang-hyun narrowed his eyes.
Evangeline's mana had a different color. A yellowish-brown like the sand of the wilderness.
The flow was also a completely different texture. It flowed secretly and quietly. Just like... a cat.
"Anyone want to say why it made this sound?"
Kang-hyun thought for a moment.
It's a type he's never seen before.
'Secret and quiet... infiltration, stealth, stealthiness? Is it moving quietly so the mana isn't detected?'
Having sorted it out to some extent, Kang-hyun raised his hand.
Before he knew it, the students were waiting for Kang-hyun's interpretation.
"It felt very quiet and stealthy. It was a flow that seemed advantageous for infiltrating somewhere or moving mana secretly."
"Oh."
Kim Se-young was surprised, her mouth slightly agape.
Evangeline also looked at Kang-hyun, her tail standing straight up.
"That was accurate. Student Kang-hyun, have you ever seen a Feline Race before?"
"No. It's my first time."
"...If it's truly your first time, that's a terrifyingly sharp mana sensitivity. The Feline Race's mana pattern is characterized by being stealthy and quiet."
Because of that, even among active hunters, there are many cases where they cannot read the Feline Race's mana—
She tried hard to hold back that additional explanation. Kang-hyun was already showing off his abilities enough.
This time, too,
Correct.
The students looked at Kang-hyun as if he were a monster.
The most surprised one was Evangeline.
'...He read my mana.'
How?
Even the adults of my own race couldn't notice my mana?
Evangeline passed by Kang-hyun as she returned to her seat.
Sniff, sniff—
The smell of scales.
The smell coming from Kang-hyun had become stronger.
More than at the entrance ceremony, more than when he entered the lecture hall.
This very moment was the strongest.
'Why on earth is the smell of scales here...'
Evangeline glanced at Kang-hyun as she sat down.
Why does a human smell like scales? What on earth do you have to do to make your soul smell like scales?
'Scales, mana sensitivity... ugh, I feel like I might remember something.'
Being next to him makes my spine tingle, and the inside of my stomach tightens; it's almost addictive... but it also feels kind of scary...!
Evangeline, who had fallen into confusion.
Next was Han Jun-hyeok.
Han Jun-hyeok came out to the podium, acting cocky.
Kaaaaang—
A sharp and strong sound rang out.
"The mana output is high. But the flow is rough."
Han Jun-hyeok's expression stiffened.
It was an evaluation that was ambiguous whether it was praise or criticism.
Returning to his seat, he glared at Kang-hyun.
Kang-hyun ignored him.
"Next. Student Kang-hyun?"
Finally, it was Kang-hyun's turn.
Kang-hyun slowly came out to the podium.
The students' gazes followed Kang-hyun.
He stood in front of the resonance plate and raised his hand.
Kang-hyun had absolutely no intention of doing it half-heartedly.
'A dragon gives its all even when catching a goblin.'
If Ivan had heard this, he would have been outraged, saying, "What kind of dragon in the world uses their full power on a goblin without any dignity?!"
Kang-hyun poured in his full-power mana from the start.
Wooooooong———!!!
Massive mana surged in with a violent force.
It was like an ocean pouring into a teacup.
The resonance plate vibrated crazily as if it were screaming. It emitted vibrations, not sound. It felt like a cry for help.
The entire lecture hall began to resonate with the massive vibration.
The glass windows shook and then crash-! shattered. Cracks began to spread across the ceiling and walls with a creak-.
"Kyaaaak!! My ears!! It feels like my ears are going to tear!!"
"Aah! Aaaaah!! That sound! That sound is!!"
"E, earthquake?! Is it an earthquake?!"
"No! This, this is because of that crazy bastard!!"
Students screamed in panic. They hurriedly covered their ears.
Kim Se-young shouted urgently at the sudden situation.
"Student Kang-hyun! Stop! Stop it!!"
"Oh."
Kang-hyun quickly removed his hand.
The vibration stopped.
"......"
"......"
"......"
The students, who were left completely ragged, stared blankly at Kang-hyun.
In particular, Han Jun-hyeok had a look on his face like he had just seen a ghost.
Kang-hyun glanced down at the resonance plate.
The surface was cracked all over.
"Uh, well."
Kang-hyun scratched his head and rolled his eyes.
"...Uh, well. Anyone want to, uh, say the answer?"
"...Student Kang-hyun. Go back to your seat."
"Yes."
Kang-hyun quickly hid his aching hand behind his back,
and scurried back to his seat.