Chapter 8

### Chapter 8: Practical Class

The afternoon class was a practical training session.

Perhaps because the boring morning theory class had ended, the other students all looked excited.

"Finally, our first practical training."

"I couldn't stand sitting all morning; my body felt so stiff."

The large training ground was divided into two halves, with one side for close combat and the other for marksmen.

In this training, mages are included in the marksmen group.

"Form up on my left for close combat, and on my right for marksmen. Mages, come to the back of me."

The homeroom teacher, Kim Jin-hyuk, appeared and divided the students by their specialties.

Since I am a mage, I naturally went to the back of Kim Jin-hyuk.

However, as I was walking, I was grabbed by the neck.

"Close combat students will be further divided by the weapons they use, so wait a moment... Hmm, Student Lee Ho-yeon? It seems you didn't listen to me. Only mages from the long-range marksmen group should come to the back of me. You should go to the left."

"Huh? I'm a mage."

"What are you talking about? Your Victoria Academy application says you're a swordsman. You also submitted proof that you consistently trained with a sword before entering the academy."

What is this about?

In the game, my specialty is determined by which one I join here.

But the default is a sword? No, then why did I get [Mana Sensitivity]? I should have gotten [Sword Mastery] or something like that. This is ridiculous.

There's nothing I can do. I had already decided not to fight close to the villains, and I seem to have a talent for magic, so I might as well change now.

"Actually, after serious consideration about my future, I believe I should be a mage."

"Your application was submitted last month, and the opening ceremony was just the other day. What kind of consideration did you have?"

"..."

"Phew, well. Talk to your instructor. If they agree, I won't say anything."

"Yes, thank you."

I finally managed to stand behind Kim Jin-hyuk.

"What is that kid doing? I thought he was smart, but maybe his head is messed up."

"Maybe he awakened to magic?"

"Is that even possible for a freshman? Not even active hunters can do that."

"I'd believe it if he said he was going to see Professor Im Sol."

"Is that really his goal? Hehe."

I heard a lot of chatter about me from behind.

By the way, "awakening" refers to a phenomenon experienced by top-tier professional hunters, where their abilities, which have been honed through training, evolve significantly.

It is usually created through extensive training and practical experience, or through intense battles.

Very exceptionally, some people awaken purely through talent.

For example, Professor Im Sol, who awakened after only doing research in her room without proper training or practical experience.

And although it hasn't happened yet, soon, Moon Su-rin will awaken as a student, setting a new record.

And the current freshmen will break that record... but that's not important now, so let's skip it.

Anyway, we were divided by our specialties and headed to the training ground.

"Finally, the mage class. I've been waiting for this day."

"I really wanted to learn from Professor Im Sol. I'm so excited, I might go crazy."

Professor Im Sol, the instructor for mages.

She is known as a prodigious genius mage and took up the professorship at the academy because the dean provides her with unlimited research funds and materials.

There is a rumor that 30% of the academy's budget goes to Im Sol, but her value is even greater.

In the game, she is a popular character with a beautiful face and charming personality, though she is not the heroine.

When all the students gathered, Professor Im Sol lifted her head from her book.

"Huh? What? When did everyone arrive?"

Thump, thump

Im Sol got up from her chair, dusted off her bottom, and approached us.

"One, two, three, ... Hmm, the number of students I received is different. Why is that?"

"I was newly added today. Actually, I deeply considered my future path..."

"Ah, good to have you."

I had prepared a detailed explanation, but it was just accepted. That's the kind of character Im Sol is.

She took up the professorship more for research than for teaching. While she doesn't take her classes lightly, she tends to overlook minor issues to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"Alright, let's start the training."

*

The mage practical training ground is similar to a shooting range. In a straight line, students cast and fire spells, and Im Sol walks around to check each one individually.

"Your mana manipulation is too slow. You seem to focus too much on the spell's form. In a real battle, you would have died three times already. You need to abandon the idea of a perfect form."

"Your accuracy is too low. The idea of quick attacks is good, but attacks need to hit to be meaningful."

"Of course, the most comfortable form is the best, but your spell form is too inefficient for attacks. If you want to use it in a real battle, make it a simple, ordinary shape like an arrow."

Being a professor is not easy.

After observing more than half the students, this is what Im Sol thought.

While it feels like a waste of time, it's less wasteful than doing hunter work to earn research funds.

As a professor, she sees many students. Some have outstanding talent, but most don't use it effectively. However, using talent is also a talent in itself.

Continuing with meaningless feedback, the last student remained.

He chose a different specialty from when he enrolled, but she didn't pay much attention.

However, her thoughts changed when she saw his spell casting.

A spherical fire spell.

Spherical forms are popular because they are easy to visualize, but they also result in significant mana loss. Compressing mana into a sphere is difficult, and much mana is lost in the process.

But this student's sphere was different.

Unbelievable cohesion. Most of the mana was concentrated in the center of the sphere.

'...Is this even possible?'

For a freshman to handle mana so well is hard to believe, but it was happening right in front of her.

Moreover, something was off. Having been an active hunter for over five years, she had seen all kinds of mages.

During that time, she had never seen this method of mana manipulation.

Usually, mages set a standard for themselves and manipulate mana accordingly, but this student seemed to have no such standard.

Bang! He hit the target's head precisely. His accuracy was perfect.

'If I have to nitpick, it's the total amount of mana and the lack of proficiency.'

His breathing quickened slightly after casting the spell, indicating a lack of total mana.

"What's your name?"

"Me?"

When I saw his profile, I thought he would have a decent face, but this is way too good.

"Yes, your control is good, and your resonance is stable. There are some shortcomings, but you seem to be the best among them."

"Thank you. I'm A-Class Lee Ho-yeon."

Lee Ho-yeon. I'll remember that just in case.

I checked a V next to his name in the attendance book and wrote "Face also GOOD" in small letters below.

"Hmm, since this is a class, I should point out some things..."

*

Phew, today's class is over.

The morning theory class wasn't bad, but the afternoon practical training was definitely more fun. Professor Im Sol lived up to her name and provided proper guidance.

I left the 1st-year classroom and headed to the dormitory. I plan to stop by the training ground to meditate and study theory today.

Meow~

I heard a cat's meow from between the buildings on the way to the dormitory.

There are so many buildings in the academy that I don't even know which one it is.

As I was about to continue walking, I heard a very awkward meow.

"Hey... Meow?"

Meow~

"Hey~ Meow~?"

A very high-level conversation is taking place in the alley.

I wonder how great a student and a cat must be to have such a conversation.

I tiptoed and peeked into the alley.

Meow~

"Meow~"

Meow~

"Meow~"

Oh, it's getting similar now?

I can only see the back, but it looks like a small female student. Who is she?

★ Heroine Status

– [Affection: 2]

– [Libido: 20]

– [Hunger: 30]

– [Fatigue: 70]

"Huh?"

Lucy? Why is Lucy here?

Meow!

"Ah! Meow! Where are you going!"

Oh no. Lucy's status window suddenly appeared, and I blurted out a sound, which made the cat run away.

"Shh! Hey! Why did you make the cat run away!"

She hasn't seen my face clearly yet, should I run now?

No, I should apologize like a man. That might be better.

"Hey, not answering? What? You..."

"Hi, I'm Lee Ho-yeon, in your class."

"You're the pervert who groped me at the opening ceremony!"

"No, that's not true."

"Is it not? Do you want to go to the police?"

"Phew. Sorry. I'm really sorry. I was too excited at the opening ceremony and couldn't sleep, so I fell asleep. At the training ground, I was training late into the night and collapsed, making a mistake."

I bowed almost 90 degrees to apologize.

From my social experience, the most efficient way to apologize in such situations is to be sincere.

"Hmm."

"Really sorry!"

I'm getting nervous. Lucy isn't the type to refuse an apology, but if things go wrong here, it will be difficult for the story to progress.

"Well, it's not that big of a deal. It was an emergency situation."

"Thanks."

I sighed in relief, straightened up, and looked at Lucy.

"But, I won't accept your apology."

"Huh?"

"Come back tomorrow to apologize."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes. I'll accept your apology then."

Lucy said this and disappeared towards the girls' dormitory.

What is she talking about?

*

After sending off the strange Lucy, I headed to the mana training ground.

It's crowded because the semester just started. Usually, half the people who register for the library or gym only come in the beginning and then stop. I wonder how long these guys will last.

Ding!

Today, I found a meditation room.

Meditation is the best way to increase mana. Although I don't like it, there's a saying that you save blood by sweating, so I should try.

I sat comfortably in the center of the meditation room.

I could feel the dense mana emitted by the mana stone hanging from the ceiling.

Inhale, exhale.

I slowly breathed in and out.

As I focused, I could feel the mana in the air. I needed to draw as much of the surrounding mana into my body as possible.

I had to firmly hold onto the mana from the mana stone that was trying to escape from my body. This is not an easy task, as mentioned several times in the original game.

I can't lose focus here. I need to concentrate as much as possible and clear my mind...

Huh?

*

After meditating for about an hour, my mana didn't increase.

It seems they don't make it so easy to increase stats.

Still, I can expect much faster growth than others. Usually, it takes a steady month of meditation to start seeing effects, but I saw results on the first day.

Is this because of [Mana Sensitivity]?

I returned to the dormitory and opened a book.

A 1500-page book that looks incredibly boring just by the title.

It's more like an archive than a book, with every small event meticulously documented.

I need to manage my grades strictly.

In the trashy adult game 'Sexa,' there is a dropout ending. Despite being strong and making progress with the heroines, you get expelled for low grades.

Fucking hell, can there be a dropout ending in an adult game?

But they say if you can't avoid it, enjoy it. I might not enjoy it, but I have to try hard.

So, instead of useless summaries like newspapers or magazines, I chose this book, which can provide useful information all at once. I plan to buy a decent reference book later.

I don't want to read this.