Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy.

Episode 11: Kim Ara (2)

“I really want to buy it quickly,”

I muttered while gazing at the monitor screen.

Aqua Rose.

It resembled a blue rose, and its texture was akin to touching water. Yet, it wasn’t being sold for a high price.

The reason lay in its unpleasant odor.

But the value of this herb skyrocketed in the mid-to-late stages of the game. It could become worth at least a thousand times more.

The explanation was straightforward.

This flower was a necessary ingredient for crafting B-grade Spirit Elixirs.

I set the delivery address to the penthouse and slipped into my workout clothes.

As I changed, I contemplated ways to earn money.

‘The first thing is to sell the Spirit Elixirs.’

I could sell the Spirit Elixirs made from Aqua Roses. Alternatively, revealing some yet-to-be-disclosed recipes might not be a bad idea.

‘I remember there’s an alchemy guild.’

I moved to the computer and took a seat.

I powered up the computer, located a website, and accessed it.

The site labeled [Alchemy Guild] came into view prominently.

I entered my resident registration number and name from my student ID, and then a prompt for a nickname appeared. I hesitated for a moment, typed in a casual nickname, and paused to think again.

Which recipe should I use?

I wavered between a Vitality Potion and a Mana Recovery Potion, eventually deciding on the Vitality Potion recipe.

“Please wait a moment,” a message popped up, followed by, “You are now registered.”

‘These guys are really ridiculous.’

Joining a guild shouldn’t be this straightforward ordinarily.

But alchemists were typically hermits, spending days and nights in their workshops engrossed in experimentation.

Gathering them was a challenge, as was organizing meetings, yet they still required a collective to safeguard their interests, so the registration process was made simple online.

What’s more, the site was surprisingly managed by artificial intelligence. Depending on the recipe’s efficacy, one could be assigned a rank within the guild.

[You have received a Diamond Badge.]

‘Diamond, huh.’

I had a mixed expression. With this recipe, I should have been assigned to Platinum or, if unlucky, Gold.

‘Is it because this is reality?’

This needed some investigation. I browsed through the recipes available at the Diamond level and came to a conclusion.

‘…It’s worse than I thought.’

Receiving Diamond wasn’t just a fluke. I wrote down a few more recipes and posted them on the bulletin board.

By sharing a few like this generously, it would become much easier to acquire herbs later.

‘And I should buy a kit with this.’

One advantage of the Alchemy Guild.

Depending on your rank, you could buy high-quality kits at a reasonable price. I purchased a Gold-grade Alchemy Kit, known for its cost-effectiveness.

Beep.

After writing about three recipes, the bell rang.

It was time to go out for exercise.

Suddenly, I felt a surge of irritation.

I sighed deeply and headed down to the training ground.

There was a private practice area inside the penthouse, but the facilities at the training ground were superior.

‘And I need to naturally create connections.’

Teach Kim Ara how to handle power,

Help Seo Ga-yeon awaken and utilize her magic power,

And simply give some advice to Hong Yu-hwa.

Ershil didn’t need it. Unlike the spirit of the sword beside me, a real transcender was stuck to her side, teaching her everything.

Kim Seo-hyun was the same. With a thousand-year-old martial arts lineage and the top sorcerer attached to him, digesting what he was learning now must be overwhelming.

As I descended to the training ground, lost in thought, I saw students already training there.

“Wow, it’s the top student.”

“Did he really come for physical training? Well, in close combat, he might be quite good.”

“Hey, don’t talk nonsense and just focus on your training. I heard he beat Park Woon-hyuk even with his magic and talent sealed.”

“Stop kidding, seriously.”

I flinched momentarily when Park Woon-hyuk was mentioned. I did feel a bit sorry for him. After all, I had used the Energy of Defying Heaven while he was in a mana-sealed state.

“Look at that. His footsteps are stable, right?”

“Is he already learning to control his body? Life’s so unfair. I grew up being called a genius.”

“Was there anyone here who wasn’t called a genius? This crazy school only admits a thousand students globally who are top of their class.”

But their attention was burdensome. People stopped their exercise and were busy watching me.

“Hey, did you come to exercise? Want me to help?”

Kim Seo-hyun appeared with a friendly smile.

“Yeah, help me out. I’m new to exercising, so I don’t know what to start with.”

“Really? Then let’s start with a light body check.”

Kim Seo-hyun said this while bringing a dumbbell. But the dumbbell looked odd. It was black and shiny, and it was marked 50kg.

“Am I supposed to lift this?”

“…Is this too heavy for you?

“I’m not a gorilla like you.”

Anyway, Kim Seo-hyun helped me with my workout like a personal trainer.

“Just once more. Only one more time.”

“Ugh.”

“Good, Seo-ha, keep your back straight. Lift your hips a bit more. Right.”

“Is it over?”

“No, five more times.”

This personal training was nothing short of torture. It was like dealing with a demon.

After the workout.

I felt completely drained. No strength left. I staggered on my way home.

I saw a familiar silhouette. Three girls were surrounding another.

‘Is it bullying?’

I was about to pass by and report it to an instructor, but I hesitated. The girl being surrounded was someone I knew very well.

Seo Ga-yeon.

She was trembling like a frightened hamster.

Ah, those girls. The ones who subtly bullied Seo Ga-yeon.

I grasped the Black Heavenly Demon Sword.

And whispered quietly.

“Can you activate Soulbreaker? Apply it to everyone except for the one in the middle.”

-Of course.

Having received a firm response from the Black Heavenly Demon Sword, I approached Seo Ga-yeon.

“What are you doing, Seo Ga-yeon?”

“Oh, oh?”

“Interrupting, this… Are you Lee Seo-ha?”

“Yes, I’m Lee Seo-ha.”

One girl—it’s tedious even to call her Girl A—changed the expressions of the other girls with her words.

“Oh, oh? You, you know Lee Seo-ha?”

Girl B said, and I nodded.

“Anything else to say?”

“No, no, I, we were just trying to, to get along well.”

Girl C stuttered. I hadn’t even activated Soulbreaker yet, but why were they like this?

Seo Ga-yeon glanced to the side.

There, with a slightly sharp expression, Lee Seo-ha walked beside her. He seemed in a worse mood than usual.

Seo Ga-yeon hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth.

“Um, uh, thank you.”

“Huh? Oh, that thing earlier?”

At Lee Seo-ha’s words, Seo Ga-yeon nodded.

“But, why did you, why help me?”

“…Does helping someone need a reason?”

“……”

She swallowed the words ‘Maybe helping a talented kid might bring some benefit,’ thinking it sounded uncool. Lee Seo-ha looked at Seo Ga-yeon for a moment. It seemed like she might be persuaded soon.

“That thing, you, you said before.”

“What thing?”

“When, choosing majors, that, that I might be more suited for magic.”

“Oh, that?”

“That, is that true?”

Lee Seo-ha looked at her. Seo Ga-yeon met his gaze. Perhaps she was hoping for something.

After struggling to get into this school by a stroke of luck, she found life here too challenging.

Endless competition, immediate expulsion if you fell behind, and constant expectations from home.

Her parents, who told her to speak up if she ever faced difficulties, her proud older sister, and younger siblings who looked up to her as their sister.

Everything still felt too heavy for her.

“Yeah, just poking my nose in a bit.”

“Poking your nose in?”

“Yeah. You have talent, but you don’t seem to know how to awaken it, just letting it sit there.”

Lee Seo-ha said, looking at her.

“In my opinion, you could be as good as Ershil.”

“Ershil?”

Seo Ga-yeon’s eyes widened. A magician who ranked third in the entrance exams, already renowned in England for mastering illusion magic.

Comparing her to that girl? Ridiculous. But somehow, Lee Seo-ha’s words felt believable.

His voice carried a certain strength.

Maybe she just needed someone to rely on.

“Yeah, if you need help, just contact me. I’ll help if I can.”

Lee Seo-ha reached out his hand skillfully. Seo Ga-yeon handed over her phone with a blank expression. Lee Seo-ha quickly entered his number, smiled satisfactorily, and headed towards the dormitory.

“Contact me later.”

[Seo Ga-yeon will remember you. You have gained 1,000 points.]

As expected.

Making connections with the main characters was the right answer.

After gaining points, I returned to the dormitory, loosened up, and practiced as taught by the Black Heavenly Demon Sword.

“Huff, huff.”

“You got used to it quickly? But your breathing is lacking. Try running while exhaling ‘hoo-ha’ with each step. It’ll be more comfortable.”

I got up to do morning exercises.

“Today, the magic department students will focus on basic physical training, and the warrior department students will engage in one-on-one combat!”

We intensely trained our physical strength from the first period in the morning.

Rolling around like that, my stamina seemed to increase by at least one level.

Then the awaited class time arrived.

“Hello. I am Professor Song Ra-hee, and I’ll be teaching you the theory of magic countermeasures.”

The professor, clad in a blue robe with long hair reaching down to her waist, spoke to the class. Her appearance clearly suggested that she was a magician.

“Sometimes, when you fight as heroes, you’ll need to coordinate with magicians or face opposing magicians. I am here to teach you about the various kinds of magic you might encounter.”

Professor Song Ra-hee scanned the students and then pointed at me.

“Lee Seo-ha, you’re the student in question, right?”

“Yes.”

“Can you demonstrate for us? I heard that the top student of this batch is exceptional in magic.”

It’s just a rumor.

Well, it didn’t matter. Professor Song Ra-hee’s involvement on either side in the game depended on the player’s choices.

‘Song Ra-hee would be an easy match.’

Not that she was weak.

As a magician, she excelled in one-on-one combat, and her immense firepower could kill dozens of students at once.

But to me, she was quite manageable.

“Student Lee Seo-ha, will you attack or defend?”

“I’ll defend against your magic.”

“Alright, Lee Seo-ha. Get ready to counter the magic over there.”

“I am ready.”

“……”

I stood on the stage, doing nothing. However, my constitution was the Heaven Defying Body. Just by summoning the Energy of Defying Heaven, I was ready to counter magic.

But Song Ra-hee seemed a bit angry, perhaps thinking I was being arrogant. Then she calmed down and continued.

“Then, trusting Student Lee Seo-ha’s words, I’ll show you my magic.”

A purple sphere glowed in Song Ra-hee’s hand. The Witch of Pama. Her signature magic, with maximized properties to break down magic power.

“It’s a simple curse-type magic. However, since my magic property is Pama (破魔), it might be difficult to block.”

Song Ra-hee looked at me with a subtle gaze, as if questioning whether I could block it. I nodded in response.

She threw the magic sphere.

Fssssss……

“Huh, what?”

It vanished as soon as it touched me.