Chapter 13

### Chapter 13: Lim Sol

"Hello, everyone. I am Han Jae-young, and I will be teaching you Mana Studies in Class A."

A professor, who looked like he had spent his entire life in a research room, stood on the podium in a white lab coat. He was almost skeletal, and I wondered if he was a former necromancer.

"None of you are unfamiliar with mana, right? You are all proud freshmen of Victoria Academy. I will proceed with the lesson assuming you have the basic background knowledge."

His words showed no consideration for me, who had entered without any background knowledge. A teacher should look at all students with a fair eye, but this one didn't seem to be a good teacher.

"Let's skip the concept of mana and talk about mana manipulation."

As he said this, mana began to gather in the professor's left hand.

"Mana manipulation can be divided into two main categories: the first is reinforcement."

Rumble—

The mana, gathered to a certain extent, became tangible enough to be seen by others, enveloping the professor's left hand.

"This is called the materialization of mana. It involves strengthening and condensing formless mana to create a shape."

Bang!

The professor extended his left hand and punched the steel bar prepared next to the podium, causing it to crumple easily.

'Wow, that's really strong.'

He had the skills befitting a professor at Korea's largest Awakened training institution. He could step into the field at any time and still be competent. That's what a Victoria Academy professor is.

"The second is emission. It can also be called magic, but it's a bit more comprehensive."

After finishing his words, a sphere of mana formed on the professor's left hand.

"Right now, it's just a compressed sphere of mana on my hand, but by adding various processes, it becomes magic."

A small magic circle was drawn on the sphere of mana, which then transformed into electricity.

Crackle—

"This is the manifestation of magic using a magic circle. Simple magic often omits the magic circle, but for large-scale or advanced magic, the magic circle is necessary."

He explained the concept of the magic circle, but it was too difficult, so I just skimmed through it. After all, it wasn't something that directly related to me.

"Let's move on to the advanced course now that we've covered the basics."

Another sphere of mana formed on the professor's hand, but this time it was much more compressed.

"Sometimes students ask, 'Professor, I'm not a magician, so why do I need to take this class?' Of course, you can think that way. However, when you wrap mana around a sword, it's called a sword aura, and when you wrap it around your fist, it's called a fist aura."

As he continued, he wrapped the compressed sphere of mana around his fist to create a fist aura.

"Whether it becomes magic or simple reinforcement depends on how you process the mana. Ultimately, the basics are the same. The mana manipulation you will learn here will definitely be useful."

The mana in the professor's hand disappeared, and a mana wave spread from him, like water droplets falling to the ground.

"This isn't exactly magic; it's usually called 'detection' in the field. It's a technique of spreading mana on the ground to detect the surroundings. Despite being a simple technique, it's very useful. High-level detection can even find hidden enemies or those hiding behind walls. It looks simple, but..."

I tried to listen to the professor's complex explanation, but nothing stuck in my head.

I couldn't understand why a mana formula and calculation were needed just to spread mana.

"Try it once, and you'll know where you're weak. I'll help you individually after that. Give it a try."

As the professor finished speaking, the teaching assistants waiting at the back started distributing strangely shaped bracelets to the students.

"Is this the famous Victoria mana assist device?"

"Mana assist device?"

"Yeah, wearing this makes mana manipulation much easier. However, it makes the destructive power too weak to be used in real combat."

Thanks to Kim Young-han's explanation, I understood what the bracelet was.

How many game settings did I not know? Was this game really so detailed?

"First, try using detection without the mana assist device. After that, wear the device and try to draw mana. You'll get a sense of where you're lacking."

The professor clearly said to draw the mana from inside your body and spread it around.

Rumble—

As the mana spread, I could feel the outlines of the nearby students.

'Hmm, this is doable.'

Since I could use magic, it was normal to be able to use detection.

Looking around, the other students seemed to be struggling.

Rumble—

Suddenly, my eyes met those of a female student.

Elise. The top French student.

Among the students, only Elise and I had successfully used detection.

Nam Da-eun, the top practical student, seemed uninterested in the class, twirling a strand of her hair.

Thus, my and Elise's detections had sensed each other's mana waves.

"..."

"..."

She was looking at me with narrowed eyes, as if she had a complaint. I had nothing to say, so I just avoided her gaze.

What did I do wrong? If being handsome is a crime, then I should be in prison for life or something?

"Some students have achieved success, but most are still struggling. Put on the mana assist device in front of you and try again."

"Wow, the mana feels lighter now."

"Really?"

Kim Young-han, sitting next to me, was experimenting with the bracelet, amazed by the change.

I didn't think it was necessary, but since it was given to me, I decided to try it on. There must be some difference.

As I put the bracelet on my arm, it wrapped around my wrist, and I felt something fill my body.

"Wow, this is a strange feeling."

This time, I drew the mana from the tips of my fingers.

It was definitely easier... no, it felt heavier. Is this a defective product?

I tried to draw more mana. Strangely, it became more difficult with the assist device on.

"No, this is defective... Gah!"

Suddenly, an intense pain surged from inside my body, causing me to groan.

Clang!

Unable to bear the pain, I fell off my chair and clutched my chest, rolling on the floor.

I tasted a metallic flavor in my mouth, and blood dripped from my nose, staining the floor.

Cough, cough!

I covered my mouth and coughed, finding blood on my hands.

Damn. What the hell is this?

"Hey! Are you okay? Professor! There's an accident here...!"

Kim Young-han was shouting, but my vision was blurry, and I couldn't hear him clearly.

'What the hell is this...'

I couldn't focus amidst the sudden pain, but I knew the cause.

The mana in my body was in turmoil. My mana circuits were so tangled that it was difficult to raise mana properly. The pain increased every time I tried to draw mana.

Although I didn't know the cause of the pain, I instinctively knew that if I could somehow reset my mana circuits, the pain would disappear.

Of course, the process would be painful, but my consciousness was fading. If I didn't act, I might really die.

"Ugh...!"

I forced the non-responsive mana to move. The mana, which had been moving according to my will, now tried to escape.

It felt like a ball of mana was bouncing around inside my body, hitting me from the inside.

"Ugh!"

I couldn't bear the dizziness and pain, and I vomited bile and blood.

The chunks rose in my throat and spilled onto the floor. After a few dry heaves, I felt a bit better.

I endured the familiar pain, trying to control and harmonize the mana.

I caught the mana that kept trying to escape and carefully realigned the circuits and channels in my body. It required a high level of concentration to control all the fine circuits in my body.

During this process, my understanding of mana deepened, and the recovery process accelerated.

"Huff, huff. Sigh. Huff."

I finally succeeded in controlling all the mana. My body, which had felt like it was about to die, started to regain vitality.

Sigh. Although my body was still in turmoil, it wasn't getting worse.

If I had been a bit slower, it might have been fatal. Fortunately, I seemed to have saved my life.

Now I had a moment to look around.

All the students and the professor were standing, looking at me. Professor Lim Sol and Kim Young-han were right in front of me.

"You... How...?"

Professor Lim Sol, wrapped in a robe, was staring at me with wide eyes.

She was so shocked that her pupils were dilated, and her mouth was open, searching for words.

Why is Professor Lim Sol here?

According to the setting, she usually stays in her lab when she's not teaching.

Anyway, my head still hurt.

I wished they would treat me quickly.

"Uh... Uh..."

"Uh?"

"Uh... How did you do that...!!!"

I tried to guess what Professor Lim Sol was mumbling, and she suddenly screamed.

"Cough!"

Then she grabbed my collar and started shaking me.

"How! How did you do it...!"

"Cough, please, just a moment. Please, just a moment..."

"Professor Lim Sol! Let go! Blood is coming out of the student's mouth! Hey! Let go!"

Fortunately, the old professor regained his senses and stopped Professor Lim Sol from shaking me.

Cough. Blood spilled from my mouth, and my head started to spin again.

"What? Huh! What! Blood?! Send him to the emergency room quickly! You're a professor! What are you doing!"

"No, the medical team is already here, so let go of the student!"

"Ah, I understand."

Finally, Professor Lim Sol let go of my collar.

'Why the hell is she acting like this...'

Lim Sol.

A magician with a natural talent for magic, recognized for her authority not only in Korea but worldwide.

Although she didn't have a significant connection with the protagonist, her eccentric personality and actions, combined with her cat-like face, made her a very attractive character.

'Now that I see her, she's just a crazy woman.'

Although she was a bit of a quirky character, in the game, that was her charm. In reality, she just looked like a crazy woman.

Buzz—

True to the game world, the medical team was emitting light from their hands and applying it to me. The pain decreased as I received the light, which was hard to believe but was the reality.

"Wow, this is really amazing. Cough, cough."

"Hyun-yeon, are you okay? Are you really alive?"

"Yeah, thanks for worrying. Hey."

Kim Young-han looked at me with concern. It was nice to have a friend.

"If my friend from two days ago dies, I'll have nightmares."

"..."

The medical team, true to the high standards of the academy, quickly finished the treatment and started to pack up and leave.

"Your mana circuits were severely damaged, but we have completed the treatment. There should be no hindrance to your daily life."

"Thank you."

The old professor expressed gratitude on my behalf, as I was still lying down, catching my breath.

"The cause is probably the mana assist device... It might be a defective product. It would be good to investigate it."

"Cough. Cough..."

As the medical team finished speaking, an awkward cough echoed, and I saw Professor Lim Sol coughing with a red face.

"Actually, it's..."

### Chapter 13: Lim Sol

"Hello, everyone. I am Han Jae-young, and I will be teaching you Mana Studies in Class A."

A professor, who looked like he had spent his entire life in a research room, stood on the podium in a white lab coat. He was almost skeletal, and I wondered if he was a former necromancer.

"None of you are unfamiliar with mana, right? You are all proud freshmen of Victoria Academy. I will proceed with the lesson assuming you have the basic background knowledge."

His words showed no consideration for me, who had entered without any background knowledge. A teacher should look at all students with a fair eye, but this one didn't seem to be a good teacher.

"Let's skip the concept of mana and talk about mana manipulation."

As he said this, mana began to gather in the professor's left hand.

"Mana manipulation can be divided into two main categories: the first is reinforcement."

Rumble—

The mana, gathered to a certain extent, became tangible enough to be seen by others, enveloping the professor's left hand.

"This is called the materialization of mana. It involves strengthening and condensing formless mana to create a shape."

Bang!

The professor extended his left hand and punched the steel bar prepared next to the podium, causing it to crumple easily.

'Wow, that's really strong.'

He had the skills befitting a professor at Korea's largest Awakened training institution. He could step into the field at any time and still be competent. That's what a Victoria Academy professor is.

"The second is emission. It can also be called magic, but it's a bit more comprehensive."

After finishing his words, a sphere of mana formed on the professor's left hand.

"Right now, it's just a compressed sphere of mana on my hand, but by adding various processes, it becomes magic."

A small magic circle was drawn on the sphere of mana, which then transformed into electricity.

Crackle—

"This is the manifestation of magic using a magic circle. Simple magic often omits the magic circle, but for large-scale or advanced magic, the magic circle is necessary."

He explained the concept of the magic circle, but it was too difficult, so I just skimmed through it. After all, it wasn't something that directly related to me.

"Let's move on to the advanced course now that we've covered the basics."

Another sphere of mana formed on the professor's hand, but this time it was much more compressed.

"Sometimes students ask, 'Professor, I'm not a magician, so why do I need to take this class?' Of course, you can think that way. However, when you wrap mana around a sword, it's called a sword aura, and when you wrap it around your fist, it's called a fist aura."

As he continued, he wrapped the compressed sphere of mana around his fist to create a fist aura.

"Whether it becomes magic or simple reinforcement depends on how you process the mana. Ultimately, the basics are the same. The mana manipulation you will learn here will definitely be useful."

The mana in the professor's hand disappeared, and a mana wave spread from him, like water droplets falling to the ground.

"This isn't exactly magic; it's usually called 'detection' in the field. It's a technique of spreading mana on the ground to detect the surroundings. Despite being a simple technique, it's very useful. High-level detection can even find hidden enemies or those hiding behind walls. It looks simple, but..."

I tried to listen to the professor's complex explanation, but nothing stuck in my head.

I couldn't understand why a mana formula and calculation were needed just to spread mana.

"Try it once, and you'll know where you're weak. I'll help you individually after that. Give it a try."

As the professor finished speaking, the teaching assistants waiting at the back started distributing strangely shaped bracelets to the students.

"Is this the famous Victoria mana assist device?"

"Mana assist device?"

"Yeah, wearing this makes mana manipulation much easier. However, it makes the destructive power too weak to be used in real combat."

Thanks to Kim Young-han's explanation, I understood what the bracelet was.

How many game settings did I not know? Was this game really so detailed?

"First, try using detection without the mana assist device. After that, wear the device and try to draw mana. You'll get a sense of where you're lacking."

The professor clearly said to draw the mana from inside your body and spread it around.

Rumble—

As the mana spread, I could feel the outlines of the nearby students.

'Hmm, this is doable.'

Since I could use magic, it was normal to be able to use detection.

Looking around, the other students seemed to be struggling.

Rumble—

Suddenly, my eyes met those of a female student.

Elise. The top French student.

Among the students, only Elise and I had successfully used detection.

Nam Da-eun, the top practical student, seemed uninterested in the class, twirling a strand of her hair.

Thus, my and Elise's detections had sensed each other's mana waves.

"..."

"..."

She was looking at me with narrowed eyes, as if she had a complaint. I had nothing to say, so I just avoided her gaze.

What did I do wrong? If being handsome is a crime, then I should be in prison for life or something?

"Some students have achieved success, but most are still struggling. Put on the mana assist device in front of you and try again."

"Wow, the mana feels lighter now."

"Really?"

Kim Young-han, sitting next to me, was experimenting with the bracelet, amazed by the change.

I didn't think it was necessary, but since it was given to me, I decided to try it on. There must be some difference.

As I put the bracelet on my arm, it wrapped around my wrist, and I felt something fill my body.

"Wow, this is a strange feeling."

This time, I drew the mana from the tips of my fingers.

It was definitely easier... no, it felt heavier. Is this a defective product?

I tried to draw more mana. Strangely, it became more difficult with the assist device on.

"No, this is defective... Gah!"

Suddenly, an intense pain surged from inside my body, causing me to groan.

Clang!

Unable to bear the pain, I fell off my chair and clutched my chest, rolling on the floor.

I tasted a metallic flavor in my mouth, and blood dripped from my nose, staining the floor.

Cough, cough!

I covered my mouth and coughed, finding blood on my hands.

Damn. What the hell is this?

"Hey! Are you okay? Professor! There's an accident here...!"

Kim Young-han was shouting, but my vision was blurry, and I couldn't hear him clearly.

'What the hell is this...'

I couldn't focus amidst the sudden pain, but I knew the cause.

The mana in my body was in turmoil. My mana circuits were so tangled that it was difficult to raise mana properly. The pain increased every time I tried to draw mana.

Although I didn't know the cause of the pain, I instinctively knew that if I could somehow reset my mana circuits, the pain would disappear.

Of course, the process would be painful, but my consciousness was fading. If I didn't act, I might really die.

"Ugh...!"

I forced the non-responsive mana to move. The mana, which had been moving according to my will, now tried to escape.

It felt like a ball of mana was bouncing around inside my body, hitting me from the inside.

"Ugh!"

I couldn't bear the dizziness and pain, and I vomited bile and blood.

The chunks rose in my throat and spilled onto the floor. After a few dry heaves, I felt a bit better.

I endured the familiar pain, trying to control and harmonize the mana.

I caught the mana that kept trying to escape and carefully realigned the circuits and channels in my body. It required a high level of concentration to control all the fine circuits in my body.

During this process, my understanding of mana deepened, and the recovery process accelerated.

"Huff, huff. Sigh. Huff."

I finally succeeded in controlling all the mana. My body, which had felt like it was about to die, started to regain vitality.

Sigh. Although my body was still in turmoil, it wasn't getting worse.

If I had been a bit slower, it might have been fatal. Fortunately, I seemed to have saved my life.

Now I had a moment to look around.

All the students and the professor were standing, looking at me. Professor Lim Sol and Kim Young-han were right in front of me.

"You... How...?"

Professor Lim Sol, wrapped in a robe, was staring at me with wide eyes.

She was so shocked that her pupils were dilated, and her mouth was open, searching for words.

Why is Professor Lim Sol here?

According to the setting, she usually stays in her lab when she's not teaching.

Anyway, my head still hurt.

I wished they would treat me quickly.

"Uh... Uh..."

"Uh?"

"Uh... How did you do that...!!!"

I tried to guess what Professor Lim Sol was mumbling, and she suddenly screamed.

"Cough