Ch.360355 – Symbiosis

July is the busiest time for the high school division of the Academy.

They finish compiling all the grades for third-year students and prepare applications according to each student’s career path.

Their goal is to send every student safely to university without a single dropout.

For this, cooperation with the principals of each academy is essential.

This is precisely why academies are so desperate for external achievements like inter-academy competitions or national martial arts tournaments.

The better their performance, the more spots they can secure at top universities.

“Ugh, I can’t take this anymore. I’ve lost count of how many meetings we’ve had!”

Even after six hours of discussion about how many students each would send to apply for the Department of Theoretical Magic at Korea University, no conclusion had been reached.

Principal Park Tae-seok of Busan Aspen Academy cracked his neck from side to side as he left the conference room.

“Today I’ll just do a light half-marathon, hmm?”

His phone kept ringing non-stop.

He checked the mountain of messages in the group chat.

[Group Chat – The Old Farts (5)]

[Gu On-yu: You idiot, you just let the kid go like that?]

[Gu On-yu: At the very least, you should’ve gone to the train station to make sure they got on safely!]

[Kim Woong: This is complete bullshit.]

[Kim Woong: I thought we were just going to splash around in the stream nearby, who knew she’d leave right away?]

[Gu On-yu: God, you’re so frustrating! Did you age backwards or something?]

[Kim Woong: Is Park Tae-seok reading this now? Tell NoName to call me immediately when you see her.]

[Cheon Kyu-jin: I’ve been saying all along that we need to overhaul the system tsk tsk]

[Kim Woong: It’s a system that’s been modified and re-modified for 28 years. If you don’t know, just shut up.]

[Park Tae-seok: Wowww~^@ My dear friends, so lively on this fine day,,,*^^* Here’s a kimbap roll,,~~~to fill your tummies,,~~~!! lol @)))))))]

[Gu On-yu: This crazy bastard…]

[Gu On-yu: Don’t you dare write a recommendation letter for Name, got it?!]

“Hehe, quite the talent. How did she manage to break through something so secure?”

Park Tae-seok decided to stay at the academy to welcome Name.

With the principal not leaving, the vice principal couldn’t leave either.

The department heads and homeroom teachers also couldn’t leave the school.

If they were absent when an important meeting was held, there would be serious consequences.

Even academy students who had gone out on their precious weekend were ordered to return.

And so, the students of Aspen Academy ended up spending their entire Sunday in self-study.

“None of the teachers are going home today.”

“The principal must still be here. The meeting must have ended late.”

“Ugh, I had evening plans for once.”

“r Momentum equals negative one over… Argggh I want to graduate so badly!”

“Huh? Who’s that over there?”

Just as complaints were piling up, a ray of light descended to relieve them.

“It’s NoName!”

“Where, where?”

“Over there! It’s really Name, for sure!”

“You’re just trolling again.”

“I’m serious! This is insane. Does anyone have binoculars?”

Lies are inevitable in boring high school life.

But when the pterodactyl-like screams of the girls from the next class erupted, they realized it wasn’t a joke.

A few brave students escaped their classroom and headed down to the main entrance.

“Hey, you kids! Where are you going in the middle of self-study!”

Despite the year head’s angry shout, they carried out their mass escape.

And there was NoName on the first floor.

The girl was changing into guest slippers, her long twin tails flowing down to the hem of her skirt.

Every time Name blinked her big round eyes set in her tiny face, the students’ hearts skipped a beat.

“Hello, where is the principal’s office?”

With her baby-like voice that triggered protective instincts, everyone seemed to be under a spell.

Even the year head smiled kindly and responded to her.

“Are you looking for the principal? He’s in the main building on the first floor. Shall I take you there?”

“Yes, you’re so kind. Thank you.”

“Haha, it’s nothing! Hey, you kids, go back to your classrooms and study properly! Understand!”

“But teacher, that’s not fair!”

“Not fair? If you follow us any further, I’ll deduct points, so go back to your classrooms while I’m asking nicely!”

As the year head threatened them with punishment, Name, who had been blinking and watching from behind, secretly made a finger heart and sent it to the students.

“Woooooah!”

The year head jumped at the students’ ecstatic cheers and looked back.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

Name, who had already hidden both hands behind her back, asked innocently.

“Nothing, I was just wondering why they suddenly shouted like that.”

“I guess when you study all the time, sometimes you just want to scream.”

* * *

Strike while the iron is hot.

I rushed to Busan as soon as I received the recommendation letter.

The Principal Park Tae-seok I met was completely different from Kim Woong.

“Wow, a superstar has appeared in our Busan too! Can I give you a hug?”

“No.”

“Hmph. I understand.”

I flatly refused his request.

I was afraid that if I let him hug me, that man might rub his scratchy beard against my face.

“Looks like you’ve been hiking?”

“No, this is just my regular outfit, haha!”

“Oh, I see.”

There are two types of people to be wary of in this world: those who wear modernized hanbok and those who wear hiking clothes. Especially in a school setting.

The large man welcomed me with colorful attire inappropriate for the occasion.

“I heard from a friend that you want to become a high-level mage? I was so surprised when that old hag told me!”

“Old hag?”

“Your principal.”

“That’s too harsh. I’ll tell her everything when I get home.”

“Hmm, anyway, you’ve come a long way. Actually, I don’t know how to say this… Principal Gu On-yu told me not to write you a recommendation letter.”

Principal Park Tae-seok tattled on her to me.

“I actually knew that.”

“You knew?”

“Yes, if she hadn’t, would she have bothered sending me all the way to Gangneung and Busan? Despite that, I just want to prove my abilities. I want to be seen not just as a child in the media, but as a proper mage.”

“I have a slightly different opinion. I think it’s also a blessing for a child to be treated as a child.”

“I’m not saying I’ll completely give up that treatment. I’ll still attend the academy regularly like before—”

“You want to create a clan? Do you really think you can have a normal academy life like other students? Seriously?”

Principal Park Tae-seok asked with a much more serious tone.

“Let’s say you really become a clan leader, Name. While some are learning calculus at the academy, you’ll be a clan leader receiving performance evaluations from the government. While some have to study like dogs for another 9 years to join a clan, you’ve already become a clan leader. How will you resolve this disparity? Can you truly understand the relative deprivation those students will feel?”

“If I provide opportunities for my friends to develop further—”

“No.”

Park Tae-seok closed his eyes and shook his head.

“No, no, human hearts don’t work that way.”

“…”

“People only see the world they know. The sun may be just an insignificant star in the entire universe, but within our solar system, it’s the only star. When the sun is up during the day, you can’t see any other stars far away. Do you understand what I’m saying, Principal?”

“Yes. I was a bit unsure before, but now I think I understand.”

I crossed my arms and legs.

“That all of you harbor feelings of inferiority toward Ham Cho-rong.”

When he heard those words, Park Tae-seok’s face hardened.

A chilly air filled the principal’s office.

Park Tae-seok tapped the desk a couple of times with his finger, then burst into laughter.

“Hahahahaha! You got me there! Yes, you’re right, especially Brother Woong had serious inferiority issues. You’re quite something, Name. You’re probably the only person in the world who would dare mention inferiority to us. You’re truly amazing, and I mean it as a compliment, not sarcasm.”

I opened my eyes wide at his unexpected response.

“Aren’t you offended?”

“Of course I am. But what can I do about the truth? Some things you just have to accept. So let me ask you this. What does our young friend want to do by creating a clan?”

At his question, I could smile brightly.

Finally, someone who’s asking the right question.

“I want to create mutual prosperity.”

“Mutual prosperity?”

“Yes. Right now, all mages aim to create A-class innate magic. But I think there are many more useful spells in this world, even if they’re not A-class.”

“Like what, for example?”

Currently, the work of clan-affiliated mages is broadly classified into three categories.

First, researching and inventing new systems of magic.

Second, enhancing individual combat power.

Third, designing and maintaining magic used in industrial settings.

All of these have direct or indirect positive influences on national development.

“But not everyone can discover new theories of magic, and not everyone works in cutting-edge industries. In a world where magic has developed so much, why do people still use crutches under their armpits when they injure their legs? To be honest, I don’t understand. How magic has developed so asymmetrically by 2052.”

“You’re dissatisfied because the benefits of magic aren’t distributed evenly?”

“Yes. I understand that magic is difficult to learn. That’s why only a few receive specialized education for a long time in facilities like academies. What I want to say is that while mages should be treated according to their abilities, those abilities should preferably be returned to society.”

“Mmm, good thinking. Good words… but how? How will you achieve that? Can you force mages to do this?”

Park Tae-seok narrowed his eyes.

It’s not realistic. It’s impossible in modern society.

He stared at me with such skeptical eyes.

I nodded calmly.

“I just need to become the strongest in the world. When the top does something, everyone follows. Humans are just monkeys who happen to know a bit of magic, right?”

The order was wrong.

Instead of making a clan that helps others influential, an influential clan should help others.

* * *

“I can’t believe these words came from the mouth of a 9-year-old.”

“While we’re worried about what to eat today and tomorrow, she’s looking at the world.”

“Perhaps even the world might be too small for Name.”

Park Tae-seok told Kim Woong about what happened at the academy.

Kim Woong eventually flew all the way to Busan.

He must have met Name, but there was no contact from her.

“So where is Name? Is she staying at the academy dorm?”

“No.”

“Then I guess she’s staying at a hotel near Busan Station?”

“No. None of those, haha.”

“Tell me quickly, you jerk, I have a mountain of questions to ask her! Starting with how she broke through the national defense barrier—”

“She’s probably at sea right now.”

“Sea? Which sea, Haeundae?”

“No, no. Muuuch farther. Name has gone to Japan.”

“What… Japan…! But why? By herself? Did you tell her parents?”

“Oh right. I forgot to tell you! My mind has been wandering lately.”

Name boarded a ship from Busan Port to Japan.

Leaving only the message that she was going to see the National Exchange Competition.