NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15
Crash!
The sound echoed through the training grounds from the early morning. Every time a shimmering light and a sword exchanged blows, it exploded outwards.
Today was the day Lee Hyun was heading to the capital for his admission to the cradle, and he was having his last spar with Sa Jaehyeok.
Even though both were clearly using wooden swords, a razor-sharp metallic sound rang out every time their swords clashed.
Whoosh!
“You’re so dull today! Did you stay up all night thinking about something?”
“It’s noisy…!!”
Sa Jaehyeok, narrowly dodging a blow, taunted Lee Hyun. Infuriated, Lee Hyun spun around and aimed the tip of his sword right at Sa Jaehyeok’s neck. Then he lunged forward.
Lee Hyun was about 90% sure he would succeed with his attack. But then suddenly, a voice that had been in front of him came from behind.
“I told you to always keep your cool.”
“Oh…!”
Lee Hyun’s words got cut off.
Bang!
Sa Jaehyeok kicked Lee Hyun hard from behind, sending him crashing into the concrete wall, which literally shattered upon impact.
The sound was like a bomb going off, filling the air.
Gag cough… cough!
Amidst the thick dust, a coughing sound emerged. Moments later, Lee Hyun pushed aside the rubble and stood up, dusting himself off.
“I could’ve won this time…”
Lee Hyun shot a regretful glare at Sa Jaehyeok.
“You don’t stand a chance until you sort out that temper of yours. How many times did I tell you that for a wizard, calmness is key? Huh? Since there’s a meditation class in the cradle, go learn it diligently.”
“…If I had released my prediction to the max, I definitely would have won…”
Lee Hyun muttered while fiddling with his particle rearranger on his wrist, unable to hide the lingering desire to win.
“Tsk, this guy…”
Hearing that, Sa Jaehyeok glared daggers with wide eyes, as if he heard something he shouldn’t have.
Over the last two years, Sa Jaehyeok figured out quite a lot, including Lee Hyun’s powers.
Sa Jaehyeok called Lee Hyun’s witch power “Sealing.” Within a certain radius, the movement of Vessel particles completely halted. It was true for both particles present in the air and those internalized through a well.
Since magic was the process of artificially rearranging particles, it was naturally impossible to craft magic formulas there.
Moreover, as predicted, Lee Hyun wasn’t aware he possessed powers until Sa Jaehyeok told him.
Of course, he had no clue regarding their origin either.
At least he was fortunate that after becoming aware of his powers, he could control their manifestation on his own will. Currently, Lee Hyun kept his powers completely turned off during daily life.
Sa Jaehyeok had particularly warned him about this. Everything had been fine so far, but now he was heading to the cradle, where he’d live close to numerous wizards.
If he kept emitting his powers in that environment, it could create unnecessary chaos.
While sleeping, his powers tended to unconsciously leak out, but with his skills, he could easily secure a private room.
And except for abnormal factors like fainting, his powers didn’t leak during sparring or practice sessions, which Sa Jaehyeok thought should prevent any commotion.
Besides his powers, Lee Hyun currently also possessed some characteristics of a witch.
Ordinary wizards could only use internal particles to craft spells, but he could directly utilize ether state particles from the air.
Lee Hyun’s particle conversion rate was a shocking 100%, just like a witch!
Thinking about how even his past self had only a conversion rate of 27% while ordinary wizards hovered around 8-23% was truly astounding.
Ironically, Lee Hyun, born a complete non-responder, had an innate understanding of magic.
At this point, he had achieved the 7th level of his family’s unique magic, Prediction.
Considering Lee Hyun hadn’t even been exposed to magic for two years yet, his speed was nothing short of phenomenal.
Thus, Sa Jaehyeok always found it a relief that Lee Hyun wasn’t a genuine witch.
If Lee Hyun ever got the wrong idea, no wizard in the country, including Sa Jaehyeok, could oppose him.
Even the powers displayed by witches fifteen years ago wouldn’t match his sealing ability.
But that didn’t mean Lee Hyun was an invincible being.
His body still belonged to a complete non-responder.
Even a wizard from a relatively new family would need a decade or more for their body to adapt and bloom with magic after the Well was formed.
Naturally, it was impossible for him to use magic prolifically given his non-responder’s physique.
Moreover, due to continuously manifesting his powers unconsciously in the past, Lee Hyun
suffered significant accumulated damage.While he had managed to somewhat restore normalcy, using magic for too long or with excessive intensity could cause lethal overload to his body.
“There’s no need to rush. Losing to me isn’t because you didn’t release your prediction. It’s due to your lack of experience. From this perspective, among your peers, no one could ever be your match, even without relying on your powers.”
After hearing Sa Jaehyeok’s words, Lee Hyun questioned with confusion.
“Does that really make sense? There are many well-bred kids out there. It’s not some kind of consolation…”
“I don’t give consolation to boys. And there’s something you misunderstand. It’s precisely the children of noble families who lack sufficient experience. Because of the potential for an imperfect bloom, until they’re fully matured, their parents just wrap them up in skirts.”
“Imperfect bloom?”
“It refers to blooming abnormally before the body is fully prepared. It usually occurs under intense stress, and the more gifted a wizard is, the higher the possibility of imperfect blooming.”
“Uh-huh…”
“When imperfect blooming happens, it’s almost guaranteed that the particles in their body will explode, leading to death or incapacitation. Noble bloodlines often have outstanding potential, so it’s even more dangerous.”
“I never knew. Just because they’re from a good family, it doesn’t mean it’s easy…”
“Well, it’s true they live comfortably. But once they bloom safely? From the moment they enter the cradle until retirement, they’re worked to the bone. Once you arrive at the cradle, it’s going to get noisy for a while as young masters and ladies whine everywhere.”
After hearing the explanation, Lee Hyun, who had momentarily fallen into thought, asked.
“…Did the Leader whine too? My sisters said when he was a student, he was nothing short of a complete jerk…”
“Hey! Do you really believe that nonsense? These kids won’t do! I should just charge them all with contempt for their ignorance…”
Sa Jaehyeok shouted, reacting as if he’d seen something shocking.
“Will it be okay? What if my absence…”
After listening to Sa Jaehyeok’s laments for a moment, Lee Hyun mumbled. Upon hearing that, Sa Jaehyeok, with an unimpressed expression, pretended to give him a light slap on the head.
“This guy’s getting cocky again… Instead of worrying about useless things, focus on making friends, alright? You know? Neither I nor your sisters will be there in the cradle.”
“…What if I accidentally cause trouble for the Leader and my sisters…?”
Seeing Lee Hyun’s lack of confidence, Sa Jaehyeok let out a deep sigh.
“Come on. How hard can it be to make friends and study hard? Huh?”
“But…”
“And I told you. Even if you screw up, I can cover for you. So don’t hold back, just do what you want.”
“…”
“Your Commander has that level of ability. I could even make it seem like nothing happened even if you impregnated a girl or two. But three? That’d be a bit tough for me… What’s with that look?”
Just when Sa Jaehyeok was passionately trying to persuade him, suddenly, a water bottle flew through the air at incredible speed.
Sa Jaehyeok slightly moved to dodge it, turning his head towards the direction it came from to see the team members approaching. At the forefront stood Yoon Chaewon, her face filled with rage.
“Sa Jaehyeok! You crazy bastard! What nonsense are you telling to the kid?!”
“Hyun, cover your ears. You don’t need to hear that.”
“Seriously… disgusting…”
Yoon Chaewon was growling as if she would eat Sa Jaehyeok. Ryu Sehwa mimicked blocking her ears while Yeo Jin shot Sa Jaehyeok a scornful glare.
“There are things you can say and things you can’t! How can you say something so disgusting?”
“Did I say anything wrong? I just suggested to relax and think positively…”
“Hey! Are you using that as an excuse…?!”
Chaewon started yelling at Sa Jaehyeok in a high-pitched tone, while Sehwa and Yeo Jin turned their backs to that scene and approached Lee Hyun.
“Hyun, just consider what that was as a monkey barking. Let’s go over what your sisters taught you instead.”
“You’ve been having a hard time training with that guy since morning, right? Hurry up and drink some water.”
“…Thank you…”
For the past few days, the team members had poured all their efforts into training Lee Hyun. About 80% of the advice had been about relationships with girls.
“Reject all shady sponsorship offers from lousy companies. And… be cautious of any oddly nice women. If you develop feelings for someone, always consult your sisters first…”
“Well done! All correct answers.”
“Of course, Hyun is smart. He remembers all that.”
“Looks like they are committed to turning him into a monk…”
“Hey, I told you to shut up.”
Just when Sa Jaehyeok was about to grumble, Chaewon sharply interrupted.
“This should be enough. If you just remember what your sisters say, you’ll have no problems until graduation…”
Tap!
Ryu Sehwa praised Lee Hyun, who recited the lengthy warnings. And just when she was about to stroke his head…
Thump!
Suddenly, Lee Hyun slapped her hand away.
“Oh…”
Sehwa’s eyes widened in surprise. It was now somewhat okay for her to make light contact while wearing a mask, but Lee Hyun had taken it off to spar with Sa Jaehyeok, and the moment was a result of having gotten used to that sight.
“I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean to do that… um…”
Realizing his reaction late, Lee Hyun glanced cautiously at Sehwa, whose body was lightly trembling.
“I’m sorry… really…”
“It’s okay… I made a mistake too… sorry…”
Watching Lee Hyun’s apology, Sehwa awkwardly smiled.
“Y-Yeah… it was my mistake!”
“…Right. Sehwa was in the wrong…”
“Ah… ugh…”
Chaewon and Yeo Jin tried to lighten the mood, but the atmosphere had already cooled rapidly.
Lee Hyun, fidgeting nervously, scanned the surroundings. He picked up the mask he had set aside in the corner and put it back on.
Then he approached Sehwa and simply hugged her.
“Oh my?”
Sehwa’s eyes widened at Lee Hyun’s action. Soon, she broke into a full smile and began to pet him.
“Oh my! Our Hyun is showing such cuteness… I’m almost in tears here…”
“Hyun! Me too! Let me do it too!”
“Me too…!”
“Whoa… it’s heavy…!”
Seeing Lee Hyun, Chaewon and Yeo Jin charged at him. In an instant, the training ground turned into chaos.
“Tsk tsk. What a scene to witness…”
Sa Jaehyeok clicked his tongue, as if he had seen something dreadful.
“But, I’m really worried… Can he make friends wearing that mask… No, can he even do that on campus…?”
Finally breaking free from the cheerfully chaotic atmosphere, Sehwa mumbled.
“It’s up to him to figure it out. And for safety’s sake, it might be better that way.”
“But…”
“I’ve already gotten permission from the principal. You don’t need to worry about that.”
“In that case… But it must be Hae… The principal’s really him?”
“That’s right. He must have been seriously troubled by the Leader all the time… Oh? Here they come!”
Chaewon, now full of energy, agreed. As if timed, a carriage had arrived from afar to take Lee Hyun to the capital.
*
“Take care, Hyun. You need to keep in touch often, okay? If you forget, I’ll get mad.”
“I will.”
“My younger brother is also starting in the cradle this time. Can you get along with him if you meet him? Don’t mention me…”
Now it was Sehwa who tousled Lee Hyun’s hair and spoke.
“I’ll definitely get along!”
“And if it gets tough, it’s totally fine to just quit and come back. No one will say anything, alright?”
Lastly, as Yeo Jin looked at Lee Hyun, she said.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let you down.”
“That wasn’t what I meant…”
Yeo Jin gave a wry smile and pulled away. Behind her, looking awkward, Sa Jaehyeok finally stepped forward. Lee Hyun noticed him with a voice he found unsatisfactory.
“…You still didn’t tell me.”
“Tell you what?”
“My powers. You said you’d explain to me what that is later. And you promised to tell me why I can use magic…!”
“Oh? That?”
Sa Jaehyeok casually replied in a nonchalant tone.
“After you graduate from the cradle, I’ll tell you then. It’s too early for a kid like you to hear about it.”
“Hey…!”
Just as Lee Hyun was about to get angry, Sa Jaehyeok suddenly threw a note. When he caught it and opened it, an address was written inside.
“Just remember this well.”
“…What is this?”
“You’ll find out later. If something happens to you, we’ll come, but if the situation is urgent, just come to this address for help.”
“…Got it.”
“And don’t go around mentioning that you were part of our squad. You won’t hear any good things. As I told you last time? Just follow that.”
“…Got it.”
Even after they said their goodbyes, Sa Jaehyeok looked as if he still had more to say. He cleared his throat for a while then spoke in an awkward tone.
“Ahem, now that you’re no longer a squad member, can’t you call me hyung? Try it once before you leave.”
“What?”
Hearing Sa Jaehyeok’s words, Lee Hyun looked puzzled. He pondered for a moment, hesitating.
Sa Jaehyeok looked on with a slightly expectant expression. But in the next moment, his hopes were utterly dashed.
“…Take care, Leader. I’m off.”
Crash!
As Lee Hyun closed the door, the vehicle soon departed. In the rearview mirror, the scene of team members giggling while patting Sa Jaehyeok’s back faded away.