Chapter 10

The room was filled with things that looked like cutting-edge machinery. In front of the machines, there was another room, most of whose walls were made of thick glass. I felt a magical force enveloping the entire glass wall. This feeling, was it a defensive spell? I could guess because it somewhat resembled the sensation of my own barrier. After all, the basic function of a barrier is 'defense.'

I guessed that the room entirely made of glass was likely a magic training room. With the thick glass walls and numerous machines in front of it, it really did look typical. In fact, my guess was correct.

"That's the magic training room."

Then, the machines in front must be for adjusting the environment inside the glass room. I still focused my magical energy in my eyes and looked around. Then, I paused when I saw a clear magical force. Now that I noticed, there was another room besides the glass one. On the opposite wall of the glass room, there was a wooden door. At first glance, it looked ordinary, but it had a rather strong spell cast on it.

I tried a divination spell. However, it didn't work as well as I expected. Was there a spell to interfere with divination cast on it?

"Ah... That's a high-level magic artifact storage room. Only C-rank and above are kept there, so we can't touch them."

Ah, I see. No wonder.

I understood.

"How about it? Isn't it amazing?"

I was looking around with a very excited expression when Aunt Seon-a's voice came from behind. Turning my head, I saw Aunt Seon-a standing with her hands on her hips, looking at me confidently. I nodded shyly.

"Yeah, I got it from the Ministry of National Defense. Since it protected me from an attack, I asked for a training room where I could train to my full potential. Heh... I'm pretty capable, aren't I?"

"Wow, self-praise."

"Hehehe."

I looked at the two acting like children and then turned back to the training room with a surprised expression. If that's the case, it must be really impressive. Aunt Seon-a isn't just a strong magician; she's an S-rank magician. To be able to withstand her magic... I looked at the training room with renewed respect.

After a while, Aunt Seon-a explained the training room to me. For example, how to activate the defensive spells, how to operate the virtual devices, the types of virtual devices, and how to apply different training modes and items. I listened intently.

After explaining everything about the training room, Aunt Seon-a said that I could come and train here whenever I wanted once I could use magic. Well, as someone who can already use magic, I could only give an awkward smile.

After thoroughly exploring the lower level, we went back upstairs and played a board game with a few magic items. I'm not very good at games, so I lost quite a bit. Still, it was fun.

After the game, we had dinner. Aunt Seon-a is also very good at cooking, so I ate heartily, despite feeling a bit shy, and then went home.

"Come play again."

"Sure."

A very enjoyable day was coming to an end.

And from that day, or rather, from the day In-ha first smiled at me, we started to become closer, gradually but quickly.

In-ha, who used to be quiet, started to greet me every time she saw me. When my mom and Aunt Seon-a chatted, In-ha would cautiously talk to me. Of course, I was happy. I cautiously responded to In-ha's words and started to have conversations with her. In-ha often showed me a smiling face after that.

When we could have more natural conversations, In-ha started to visit my house without Aunt Seon-a. I welcomed her a few times, and on some days, I mustered the courage to visit her. In-ha welcomed me warmly, which made me very happy. And on another day,

"Can I stay in your room tonight?"

That day, neither Aunt Seon-a nor Uncle Jeong-min were out. I smiled broadly in response.

"Sure!"

We often spent time together. We talked, moved our magic, and trained. When I told In-ha about how I used my magic, she was surprised to learn about the various ways to use it. At some point, I realized that I could smile at each other without feeling awkward.

As we lay on the bed and chatted softly, In-ha suddenly asked,

"Are you not writing tonight?"

"Huh?"

"At night, you often write in your notebook, right?"

"Ah... that..."

I scratched my head at her words. It was a bit embarrassing. I remembered she had seen me turn on the light orb before.

"That's... where I write down the magic I want to learn."

"Really?"

"Yep. I have a lot of high affinity, so I can learn most basic and support magic..."

"Right."

In-ha nodded. We were silent for a moment. In-ha then asked,

"Do you have a main magic you want to specialize in?"

"Yep."

Rather, I had already created it. I was debating whether to tell her or not when In-ha looked at me with surprise.

"Really? What is it?"

"...Illusion."

Introducing my main magic was unexpectedly a bit embarrassing. Or maybe it's just me. I turned my head slightly with an awkward expression, and In-ha, who had nodded in agreement, raised her index finger and said,

"I've also decided on my main magic."

Then, In-ha infused magic into her fingertips and created a small light. A few small lights appeared and circled around In-ha and me, dispelling the darkness.

"Wow..."

At the age of six, In-ha had already created her main magic. This was also an astonishing speed. She wasn't a reincarnated person or had any special items. But with her innate talent surpassing her parents, she had already created magic. It was the 'light' magic I had once said suited her.

"Do you have a secondary magic too?"

"I'm still thinking about it..."

In-ha moved her fingers to make the light balls spin. It was beautiful. It was clearly different from existing magic. This was In-ha's magic itself. The yellow light floating in the air was like fireflies.

"Since In-ha showed me, I'll show you too..."

I muttered, pointing at the light magic she was floating. Now, I can only move it slowly, but as I grow and my magic power increases, it will become much faster and more destructive. In comparison, my magic can only divert people's attention unless it reaches a considerable level of difficulty. But I never intended to use it as an attack magic from the beginning.

"Huh?"

The flying light dispersed. It spread out in a mirror-like pattern and floated around. I could now use a magic that could make illusions seem real or be accepted by the brain as real. The room was filled with small light balls. In-ha was startled and exclaimed,

"You...!"

"Yep..."

"Is this the 'Illusion' magic? When did you start creating magic...?"

In-ha must have known that her talent was special. I thought for a moment and then answered. Since In-ha had told me, I decided to do the same.

And we're 'friends' now, right? Telling her this required a lot of courage, but I decided to tell the truth.

"...When I was five."

"Five?! Why didn't you tell me!"

"It was burdensome and... a bit embarrassing... and it felt a bit odd to suddenly say it... If I say I was waiting for the right moment, would that be good? Actually, I didn't really want to tell anyone."

"..."

"Um, since I've shown you, I might as well tell you. I've already created secondary magic too."

"What...?"

"Text magic and barrier magic! I have those two, and the illusion magic is still incomplete. Especially the barrier, it was incredibly difficult. Maybe because it's not just defense but a 'world' as a base?"

"..."

My shocking confession left In-ha frozen for a while. She then crossed her arms and fell into deep thought. Hmm... Maybe it was too early to tell her? As I thought this, In-ha looked at me seriously and said,

"Show me."

"Sure!"

Willingly. I smiled proudly.

☆

Looking at the children who had fallen asleep leaning on each other, Han Mirae smiled affectionately. She closed the door and turned around. She then continued the communication she was having. Kim Seon-a, who was watching through the video, smiled contentedly and said,

Kim Seon-a recalled the recent events. The day when Gwang-in stayed at Yu Eun-ha's house for three days, it was raining continuously. Gwang-in immediately recognized Yu Eun-ha, who was sitting under an umbrella, and approached her. When the child kicked a puddle, Gwang-in wondered which child was playing like that, but she never expected it to be the well-behaved Eun-ha. Eun-ha was always quiet and mature, but she was still a child, and Gwang-in felt pleased.

Han Mirae chuckled at this.

"Come to think of it, In-ha always wanted to sleep next to Eun-ha when she slept."

"And our Eun-ha also paid a lot of attention to In-ha. I saw her with that look. She even said she wanted to be friends."

"Sure, I always saw In-ha looking at our Eun-ha."

As soon as she said this, Han Mirae bowed her head and fell silent. Kim Seon-a's face stiffened for a moment.

"..."

In response to Kim Seon-a's call, Han Mirae answered with a guilty expression, as if she had something to hide.

"Um... sorry. Our child is surprisingly good at magic. So, I can't tell you yet. Even you would be shocked. And our child said it was embarrassing and burdensome."

Han Mirae's shoulders trembled. Kim Seon-a looked at her meaningfully and smiled bitterly. She tried to sound cheerful.

"Seon-a!"

"Ah, I saw that."

Han Mirae changed her slightly darkened expression and smiled.

"I told you I asked Eun-ha if she wanted to be friends with In-ha, right? At that time, In-ha was listening from behind, hiding."

"That's why."

"Our Eun-ha also has a hard time getting along with friends..."

The two women smiled at each other. They wanted their children to be friends they could rely on, just as they had been for a long time. They were very happy that this wish had come true.

##04. Scouting

I don't like winter. It's cold. I shivered, my hands in my pockets. But I don't hate it. If there's just the right amount of snow, winter isn't bad. Still, I really dislike the cold.

It's already this cold. I entered the classroom, feeling annoyed, and saw children in bright yellow clothes gathered and chatting. Most of them were talking about school.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to a nearby school. I can't feel magic yet."

"I'm going to a magic specialist school! I want to become a strong magician!"

"Me too, me too!"

The children were burning with determination to enter prestigious schools. It felt like a miniature version of college entrance exams.

Usually, there wouldn't be a choice for elementary school. You would automatically attend the nearest one.

If I were in 21st-century Korea, that would be the case.

But this world is different. This world is all about magic. A magician's talent often blossoms in adulthood, but it usually starts to flourish in early childhood.

In this world, there are prestigious 'magic specialist schools' for elementary school students to nurture such talents.

A magic specialist school is exactly what it sounds like: a school that specializes in teaching magic. It's a school for gifted children to develop their magical talents early. Naturally, a certain level of talent is required to enter these schools.

The level of talent varies by school and, of course, by grade (elementary, middle, high). But for prestigious elementary schools, the essential requirement is this: to be able to 'feel' magic, even at the minimum level.

Of course, not many preschoolers can feel magic. Therefore, this 'minimum' has some significance. It means feeling magic from anything, not just the surrounding environment. Feeling the magic contained in special items is usually the entrance exam for specialist schools.

'Well, usually.'

I sat down, slightly lost in thought. However, there is a clear difference in levels. The qualifications I mentioned are generally applicable to most specialist schools. Truly high-level schools won't accept you if you can't properly feel magic.

My dilemma was that I and In-ha met these conditions with flying colors. Of course, that's natural. We've already created magic. Where couldn't we go? We could enter any school, even the most famous ones, or schools in other countries... Yes, even a completely ordinary school.

And I preferred ordinary. I didn't like being too noticeable or completely unnoticed. I liked a normal life, as my mom had said. I didn't want to be dragged around everywhere. If I entered a specialist school, I would have to show a certain level of skill.

But I also wanted to learn magic. I can't describe how exhilarated I felt when I first sensed magic and created my first magic. I still love my magic. It's only natural that I want to develop it.

To be honest, I hadn't decided which school to attend yet. It was already November. I had to decide by the end of December, or I would automatically be enrolled in a nearby school.

However, once I decided, I would have to attend that school for six years. Naturally, I had to be cautious. It was only natural to be indecisive.

I sighed slightly as I thought. When I looked up, Yumi was entering the classroom with quick steps. She smiled when our eyes met.

"Hi, Eun-ha!"

"Hi, Yumi."

"By the way, have you decided on a school you want to go to?"

"No, not yet. What about you?"

"Ah, not yet. There is a school I want to go to... but it's quite famous."

"Which one?"

"It's a secret. It's a really great school. I'd be embarrassed if I didn't get in."

Yumi blushed as she said this. Hmm, she must have applied to a very famous school. I just nodded.

"I see."

I didn't ask Yumi which school she was going to. I just smiled and chatted a bit, then read a book. Checking the clock, I saw that class was almost over when the teacher called me.

"Eun-ha, can you come here for a moment?"

I stood up. The teacher led me to the staff room and handed me a paper bag on the desk. The heavy paper bag was filled with thin booklets.

"Teacher, what is this...?"

"These are school brochures. You haven't decided on a school yet, right? Well, you can go to most places, so it must be a tough decision."

The teacher smiled, placing her hand on her cheek. I made a slightly troubled face.

"There are brochures, and, ah, there are posters and school information sessions. Make sure to go with your parents. Got it? And let me know once you've decided."

Perhaps because this world gives a lot of decision-making power to schools, or because kindergarten isn't compulsory, preschoolers don't necessarily have to tell their kindergarten teacher which school they're going to. School notifications are sent to individuals. I gave an awkward smile and nodded.

"Sure, I will."

Anyway, it's not bad to look at these. I hugged the paper bag the teacher gave me and returned to the classroom. Such consideration was quite appreciated.

Class soon ended, and I took the kindergarten bus home.

When I got off at my usual stop, I saw In-ha waiting for me. I held In