Episode 8. Practical Class

The afternoon class was practical training.

Perhaps because the boring morning theory class was over, the other cadets looked excited.

“Finally, our first practical training.”

“I couldn’t stand sitting around all morning; my body felt stiff.”

The massive training ground was divided in half, with one side for the close-combat troops and the other for the marksmen. In this training, mages were also included in the marksman group.

“Gather to my left for close combat, and to my right for marksman. Mages among the marksmen, come behind me.”

Our homeroom instructor, Kim Jin-hyuk, appeared and divided the students by specialty.

Since I’m a mage, I naturally went behind Kim Jin-hyuk. However, I was grabbed by the collar on the way.

“The close-combat troops will be further divided here by weapon type, so wait a moment… Hmm, Cadet Lee Hoyeon? It seems you weren’t listening carefully. Only mages among the ranged marksmen are to come behind me. You should go to the left.”

“Huh? I’m a mage.”

“What are you talking about? Your Victoria Academy application clearly states you’re a swordsman. You even submitted documentation showing you consistently trained with a sword before entering the academy.”

What is this nonsense? In the game, my specialty was determined by which group I joined here. But the default is swordsman? Seriously, why give me the [Mana Sensitivity] special trait then? You should give me something like [Talent of the Sword Saint]. This is absurd.

I can’t help it. I’d already decided not to fight villains up close, and I seem to have a talent for magic, so I have no choice but to switch now.

“Actually, after seriously contemplating my career path, I’ve come to believe that being a mage is the right choice for me.”

“You submitted your paperwork last month, and the entrance ceremony was just the other day. What kind of contemplation could you have possibly done?”

“…”

“Hmph, fine. Try talking to your assigned instructor about it properly. If they agree, I won’t say another word.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

I managed to get behind Kim Jin-hyuk and stood there.

“What is that guy even doing? I thought he was smart, but maybe his head’s gone wonky?”

“Who knows? Maybe he awakened towards magic?”

“Does that even make sense for a freshman? They’re not active hunters.”

“I’d believe it more if he said he was going to see Professor Im Sol.”

“Isn’t that really his motive? Hehehe.”

I could hear a lot of chatter about me from behind. For reference, awakening is a phenomenon experienced by skilled professional hunters, where their honed abilities evolve to a much higher level. It usually occurs through countless hours of training, practical experience, or intense battles. Very rarely, awakening can happen solely through talent. For example, Professor Im Sol, who was just mentioned. She awakened while only conducting research in her room, without proper training or practical combat. And although it hasn’t happened yet, Moon Surin will soon awaken as an academy cadet, causing a huge stir for setting a new record. And then the current freshmen will break that record… But that’s not important right now, so let’s skip it.

Anyway, we split up by occupational group and headed towards the training grounds.

“Finally, mage class. I’ve been waiting for this day.”

“I really wanted to learn from Professor Im Sol; I’m so excited I could go crazy.”

The professor in charge of mages, Im Sol. Known as a genius mage of the century, she took the professorship at the academy after the dean promised unlimited research funds and materials. There were rumors that 30% of the academy’s budget went to Im Sol, but her value was far greater. She was a popular character in the game, not only beautiful but also charming. Unfortunately, she wasn’t a heroine.

Once all the cadets had gathered, Professor Im Sol looked up from her book with a slight movement.

“Huh? Hmm? What, when did everyone get here?”

Tuk tuk

Im Sol stood up from her chair, brushed off her backside, and approached us.

“One, two, three… Hmm, the number of people I was told is different. Why could that be?”

“I was newly added today. Actually, after deep contemplation about my career path…”

“Yep, welcome.”

I had prepared a thorough explanation, but I was just waved through. That’s just how Im Sol is. She felt more like she came here for research than out of a passion for teaching. That doesn’t mean she slacks off in class, but for minor issues that aren’t a big deal, she tends to gloss over them to avoid hassle.

“Alright, shall we start the training?”

*

The practical training ground for mages looked similar to a shooting range. It was a system where students would manifest and cast magic in a straight line of firing lanes, while Im Sol walked around checking each one.

“Your mana movement is too slow. You seem too focused on manifesting the magic itself; in a real battle, you’d be dead three times over by now. You need to let go of the idea of manifesting it in a perfect shape.”

“Your accuracy is too poor. The intention to attack quickly is good, but an attack is meaningless if it doesn’t hit.”

“Of course, the best magic is what’s comfortable for you, but your magic’s form is highly inefficient for offense. If you want to use it in combat, make it a common shape like a sphere or an arrow.”

Being a professor is quite easy, isn’t it? This was Im Sol’s thought after observing more than half the class. Although she regretted this waste of time, being a professor was less time-consuming than working as a hunter just to earn research funds. As she taught, she noticed various students. She saw quite a few students with exceptional talent, but most couldn’t properly utilize their innate gifts. However, even having talent, the ability to utilize it is also that person’s talent.

She continued giving such meaningless feedback until the last student remained. She had heard he chose a different occupational group than when he applied, but she wasn’t particularly interested. However, upon seeing his magic manifestation, her opinion changed. A sphere-shaped fire magic. The sphere shape is the easiest to visualize and thus frequently used, but it comes at the cost of significant mana loss. Continuously compressing mana into a sphere isn’t easy, and a lot of mana dissipates during the process. But this cadet’s sphere was different. Unbelievable cohesion. Most of the mana was converging towards the very center of the sphere.

‘…Is that even possible?’

She couldn’t believe a freshman could handle mana this well, yet it was happening right before her eyes. Moreover, something, something felt off. Having been active since childhood, she had over five years of field experience, excluding her teaching tenure. During that time, she had met all sorts of mages, but this was a mana operation method she had never seen before. Usually, mages operate mana based on their own standards, but this student… felt like they had no such standards…

KWAANG! Furthermore, it hit the target’s head precisely. The accuracy was perfect.

‘If I had to point out flaws, it would be the total mana volume and lack of proficiency.’

After casting magic of that caliber, her breathing quickened slightly. This meant her total mana pool was insufficient.

“You, what’s your name?”

“Me?”

Judging by the side profile, I bet the face is handsome too. I thought, but this is exceptionally handsome?

“Yes, your control is good, the wave patterns are stable, and despite the minor drawbacks, you seem like the best among them?”

“Thank you. I am Lee Hoyeon, from Class A.”

Lee Hoyeon. Just in case, I should remember this name. I marked a V next to Lee Hoyeon’s name on the attendance sheet. Below it, I scribbled a note: ‘Face also GOOD.’

“Hmm, still, since it’s class, I should point out…”

*

Phew, today’s class is all done. The morning theory class wasn’t bad, but the afternoon practical training was definitely more fun. Professor Im Sol provided proper guidance, living up to her reputation.

I left the first-year academic building and walked towards the dormitory. Today, I planned to stop by the training center for some meditation and then study theory.

Meow~

A cat’s sound came from between the buildings on the way to the dormitory. There were so many buildings in the academy, I didn’t even know which one it was. I was about to continue walking when I heard a very awkward cry.

“Meee… meow?”

Meow~

“Meee~ ow~?”

A conversation of surprisingly high caliber was taking place in the alley. I wondered just what kind of amazing student and cat were having such a conversation. I tiptoed forward silently, peeked my head around the corner, and glanced into the alley.

Meow~

“Meow~”

Meeeow~

“Meeeow~”

Oh, now they sound similar? I could only see the back of their head, but they looked like a small female student. Who could it be?

★ Heroine Status Window

[Lucy]

• [ Affection: 2 ]

• [ Lust: 20 ]

• [ Appetite: 30 ]

• [ Fatigue: 70 ]

“Huh?”

Lucy? What’s Lucy doing here?

Meeeow!

“Ah! Kitty! Where are you going!”

This is bad. The status window suddenly popped up for Lucy, causing me to make a noise, and the cat heard it and ran off.

“Tch. Hey! Who are you to make the cat run away!”

She probably hasn’t seen my face properly yet. Should I run now? No. Let’s apologize like a man. That might be the better option.

“Hey, aren’t you going to answer? Huh? You…”

“Um, hello. I’m Lee Hoyeon, from the same class as you.”

“You’re the sexual harasser who fell asleep at the entrance ceremony!”

“That’s not true?”

“What do you mean, not true? Do you want to see me at the police station?”

“Hmph. I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry. I was too excited at the entrance ceremony to sleep even a wink, so I dozed off. And at the training center, I couldn’t manage my condition properly late at night, trained until I collapsed, and made a mistake.”

I bowed nearly 90 degrees to apologize. Based on my social experience, apologizing sincerely is the most effective approach in situations like this.

“Hmm.”

“I’m really sorry!”

I’m getting nervous for no reason. Lucy doesn’t seem like the type to refuse an apology, but if things go wrong here, the future development will be difficult.

“Well, okay. Honestly, it wasn’t that big of a deal. It was also an emergency situation.”

“Thank you.”

Phew. I sighed inwardly, straightened up, and looked at Lucy.

“However, I won’t accept your apology.”

“Huh?”

“Apologize again tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I’ll accept it then.”

With those words, Lucy disappeared towards the female dormitory. What the heck was that?

*

After seeing Lucy off with her strange words, I headed to the mana training ground. Perhaps because the semester had just begun, it was bustling with people. Normally, half the people who register for the library or gym stop coming after the initial phase, so I wonder how long these guys will last?

Tiriring-

[First-year Class A, Lee Hoyeon, entry confirmed.]

Today, I came looking for the Meditation Room. There’s nothing better for increasing mana capacity than meditation. I don’t want to do it, but they say every drop of sweat saves blood, so I guess I have to try.

I sat comfortably in the center of the Meditation Room. I could feel the mana stones hanging from the ceiling emitting dense mana.

Swoosh- Haa-

I slowly inhaled and exhaled. As I focused my mind, I could feel the mana dispersed in the air. I need to draw as much surrounding mana into my body as possible. I must firmly hold onto the mana from the mana stones trying to escape my body. I remember the original game mentioning multiple times that this is by no means an easy task. I can’t lose focus here. I need to maximize my concentration and clear my mind of distracting thoughts…

[Mana increased by 1.]

Huh?

*

I meditated for about an hour after that, but my mana didn’t increase further. It seems they don’t make raising stats that easy. Still, I could expect much faster growth than others. Usually, people start seeing effects after meditating consistently for a month, but I saw results from the very first day. Is this also because of [Mana Sensitivity]?

I returned to my dorm and opened a book.

[Humanity After the First Gate and Dungeon]

Just the title made it look incredibly boring, a whopping 1500-page book. Every single detailed event was organized, making it feel more like an archive than a book. The reason I’m reading this is that I need to manage my grades strictly. In ‘S*xual Assault Game’, a leading trashy eroge, there’s actually a dropout ending. Even though I’m strong and progressing well with heroine routes, I get kicked out simply for having low grades. No matter how I think about it, it’s strange. Does a dropout ending even make sense in an eroge? But if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it, as they say. Even if I can’t enjoy it, I have to work hard.

I have the [Memory Enhancement] ability, so I can memorize anything just by looking at it once. So instead of useless summaries, like newspapers or magazines, I chose this book that provides useful information all at once. Later, I plan to buy and read a decent reference book.

[It was 1xx years ago, the First Gate appeared on an island in the Philippines…]

Argh, I don’t want to read this.