NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15: Episode 15
After clearing the intense second-floor trial, I could now use not only first-order magic but also second-order magic. And from second-order onward, elemental magic became available.
"Well, which one of us is faster?" I asked.
My magic and Jinho's Flame Breath were fired simultaneously.
'BOOOOOOM!'
The two fireballs collided in the center, creating a massive explosion. The scorching heat washed over the spectator seats, making people flinch and cover their faces as thick, vision-obscuring smoke filled the arena.
"Cough! Cough!"
"What happened?"
While everyone was panicking, Jinho lowered his stance, preparing another Flame Breath in case of a follow-up attack. As he took a deep breath, his abdomen churned and heated up.
'Once the flames clear and I get his position, I'll fire again and charge. Drag him into close combat.'
However, his plan went awry before he could even execute it.
'FWOOSH!'
A crimson fireball burst through the smoke. Jinho's Flame Breath was just now rising to his chest.
'This is too fast…!'
'BOOM!'
The fireball scored a direct hit. Jinho's body was thrown several meters by the explosion before carving a long trail in the floor.
"Ugh!" A pained groan escaped his lips.
A single blow had left his Salamander form in tatters. As he gritted his teeth and raised his head, a magic circle appeared right before his eyes.
Before he could react, my fist emerged from the smoke, passed through the magic circle, and slammed into him.
'SMACK!'
With a ferocious impact, Jinho's body was sent flying, bouncing off the gymnasium fence. He tumbled to the ground, and by the time he landed face down, his Metamorphosis had already worn off. There was no need to check the mana suit gauge.
The facility staff shouted, "The match is over! The winner is second-year Kim Yusin!"
'FWOOSH!'
I waved my hand, and a fierce wind blew away the smoke. The scene that greeted the spectators was Jinho lying face down on the floor and me, standing alone in the center of the stage.
The once-fervent atmosphere of the gymnasium became as quiet as a library. I glanced around and smiled with satisfaction.
'Clank!'
Just then, the gymnasium doors opened, and new people entered.
"Who's the guy named Kim Yusin?!" It was San Yuk, the leader of the RNG Club.
"What the hell, did Jinho and Yeongyeong already lose?" Lee Chanhee, the leader of the Aegis Club, followed him in. The other two club leaders I had challenged had arrived.
"Welcome, seniors." I bowed politely to them. "This won't take long."
* * *
"Haaah…"
Jin Bora, left alone in the student council office, rubbed her tired eyes and slumped over her desk. The school was in an uproar. According to the rumors, some lunatic had challenged the club leaders to a duel. It wasn't really her concern.
'So sleepy,' she thought, picking up her phone to take a quick morning selfie. The result looked pretty good, with a natural, everyday feel. 'Came out nice. Time to post.'
Just as she was logging into her social media…
The office door opened. Thinking it might be a senior from the student council, she quickly stood up, but it was an unfamiliar face. Bora sat back down as the man approached. It was a bother, but she had to deal with him. She put on a bright, professional smile.
"This is the student council. How may I help you?"
'Thud, thud, thud.'
The man silently dropped something on her desk.
Bora's jaw dropped. They were the club leaders' armbands. All four of them.
"We meet again," I said, sitting down with a faint smile. "I'm here to register as club president."
So surprised, she could only stammer and ask, "For all four clubs?"
"Yeah. Is there a rule against holding concurrent positions?"
"N-no. I'll get it done right away!" she said, beginning to type frantically.
I sat back, took a breath, and fiddled with my phone. When I glanced up, I saw Bora staring intently at my face. When our eyes met, she flinched and quickly looked down.
I smiled to myself. 'So far, so good. All according to plan.'
* * *
"Wow! That's really amazing!" Bora's eyes sparkled as I recounted my victory over the club president. "You're like a stormy transfer student from a comic book! The kind who sweeps away the establishment and rises to the top!"
'Transfer student? I've been here for nearly two years.' While typing, she was firing off all sorts of questions. It was clear I had captured her interest, so my initial goal was definitely achieved.
"But, looking at the data, your recent grades weren't that great, senior," she said. "How did you get so strong in such a short time?"
"That's a secret, of course."
"That's no fun!" She pouted, feigning being upset. So this is what Shinwook was talking about.
"Are you curious?" I asked.
"Yes! Yes! I'm curious!"
"Hmm, well, are you free this afternoon?"
Her eyes widened like a startled rabbit. She studied my face, as if trying to gauge my intentions, then a sly smile touched her lips.
"Hmm."
Her expression was full of anticipation, but she glanced at her phone, leaving some room for negotiation.
"I'll have to check my schedule. What's up?"
"I'll tell you that secret. How about around five, after your classes are done?"
"Okay!"
* * *
The time for my meeting with Bora arrived. I was waiting for her on the street. She was already ten minutes late.
"Hello!" Just then, I saw her waving and running towards me from a distance. She was wearing a denim shirt, a brightly colored cardigan, and a short wrap skirt. She had clearly put a lot of effort into her outfit.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! My class ran a little late…"
"It's fine." She placed a hand on her chest, panting dramatically, then looked up at me.
Her eyes carefully scanned my outfit from top to bottom. Her expression soured.
"…I see you're a fan of a European soccer team."
"Oh, how did you know?"
"Your outfit…"
"There's nothing more comfortable than a jersey," I said with a shrug.
Her face crumpled. "But not here," she muttered under her breath. I pretended not to hear and turned my head.
"Let's go in there." I enjoyed her reaction as I pointed to a famous franchise cafe.
We went inside and ordered. I was an iced Americano guy, but Bora ordered some frappuccino with a complicated name and a dessert.
"That's so mean, senior!" she whined as soon as we sat down. "We're meeting outside. You could have put in a little effort."
"Sorry, I came straight from training." Seeing her pout somehow lifted my spirits. I had no intention of giving this girl an inch. I had approached her in a way that would pique her interest because she was on my recruitment list, but I flatly refused to be drawn into her games.
Just then, our order arrived. Her expression brightened instantly, as if nothing had happened.
'Ah, I'm thirsty.' As I reached for my Americano, she lightly tapped the back of my hand.
"Wait a moment!"
"…?"
She adjusted the position of the coffee and the plate, then started snapping pictures with her phone from various angles until she got one she liked.
"…It's not even a picture of food. Why are you taking a picture of coffee?"
"Hehe," she giggled, brushing it off.
"And my Americano has nothing to do with it."
"It has to be there for the aesthetic! And if I just take a picture of one coffee, it looks like I'm drinking alone." After busily snapping photos, she finally nodded in satisfaction. "You can drink it now."
'I am eternally grateful.'
While I was drinking my Americano, she ignored her own drink and dessert, busy checking the photos she had taken.
"Excuse me" she cooed.
"What."
With a slight blush, she clasped her hands together and said in a voice dripping with charm, "Could you please take a picture with me?"
"…What? With me?"
"Yes!"
'Honestly, I'd rather not.'
…But in the end, I was the one who needed something from her. It seemed better to humor her for a moment.
"…Alright."
"Yay!" She quickly jumped to the seat next to me, extending her arm with the phone. "Come on, get closer! Quickly!"
I awkwardly tried to get my face into the camera angle. Still not satisfied, she boldly snuggled into my side. The sudden, sweet scent of a girl so close made me flinch. If I shifted my eyes, her pink cheek was right there.
"Okay, smile! Smile!"
'Sigh, what is this?' As I forced an awkward smile, she laughed like a proper lady.
"Ahaha! Your smile is so unnatural! Come on, one more time!"
After a few more shots, I was finally allowed to drink my Americano. She was beaming as she tapped on her phone.
'This girl is way more tiring than I thought.' I peeked over and saw she was on a popular social media site. Curious, I went to the same site and searched her name.
'…Whoa, a normal person with 300,000 followers? What is she?'
I scrolled down. There were pictures with student council seniors, handsome foreigners, pro hunters—a whole host of successful-looking people. There were also plenty of selfies and staged shots with model-like poses. I was getting bored of the repetitive pattern and scrolling quickly when a new photo was suddenly posted to her page.
'…Aaargh!'
It was the picture we had just taken. Seeing my awkward smile in the photo made my face burn with embarrassment. Below it was her caption:
[A pic with the talk of the town, Kim Yusin!]
#TransferStudentThat'sTakenTheSchoolByStorm!
The second-hand embarrassment was so intense it felt like space-time was collapsing. Seriously, why would you post something like this? Is this what an attention-seeker's life is like?
Only then, satisfied, did she start on her drink and dessert.
"Anyway, what did you want to meet me about?"
Finally, she was getting to the point. The complete opposite of Seojin.
"You said you were curious about my secret, right?"
"Oh, right! Right!" She met my eyes and nodded vigorously. Her hair fluttered, releasing a pleasant scent as she casually tucked a stray strand behind her ear and smiled sweetly. Just as I'd heard. A little devil.
"Telling you isn't hard. But…"
"…?"
I took a small potion bottle from my bag and placed it on the table.
"I want to see your ability in person, too. Is that okay?"
"Oh, is that all? That's easy! Should I enchant this bottle?"
"No, not the bottle. Enchant the liquid inside."
She tilted her head in confusion but soon agreed. "I'll try. It's been a while since I've enchanted a liquid like this, so I'm curious about the result too. Hup!"
As she began to work, I quickly used the Sage's Eye to analyze the item.
<Lesser Red Elixir>
Classification: Potion
Effect:
-[40 Regeneration]
-[Effect increases with repeated use]
Okay. Now I could clearly distinguish between before and after. Just then, as she was working, she looked up in surprise.
"What's in here?"
"Why?"
"The structure is a bit strange… Ah, it's nothing. I'll keep going."
'Oho.' So it wasn't just about strengthening an object; her ability required a certain level of structural comprehension. That seemed to be why she was having trouble. I waited patiently, sipping my coffee.
"If it's too hard…"
"No! I can do it!" Now it was less about my request and more about her own pride. I had expected this type to get bored and give up easily, but she had more grit than I thought.
After struggling for over ten minutes, she finally exclaimed, "Done!"
When she removed her hand, the potion shimmered with a brilliant light. I quickly examined it with the Sage's Eye.
<Amplified Lesser Red Elixir>
Classification: Potion
Effect:
-[80 Regeneration]
-[Repeated use effect]
-[Stamina stat +10 for 30 minutes]
'…!'
This was a jackpot. The potion's performance hadn't just increased; it had doubled. She had succeeded in one go without any potion-related traits, and the synergy was top-tier. Her personality was a concern, but her talent was undeniable.
I deliberated. 'She's too good to pass up. The most important security issue can be handled by the Magic Tower's restrictions, so…'
I had to recruit her, no matter what. With her potential, she'd be scouted by her second year, even if not for enchanting. I had to get to her before a guild did.
"There! All done! Ah, that was tiring." Unaware of my thoughts, Bora was casually eating her cake. Now, how should I bring it up?
"So, are you going to tell me now? About your secret."
"Alright." I decided to grab her attention first. I opened my palm, and she watched with an expectant gaze.
<Shield>
Mana rapidly gathered, taking the form of a magic circle that floated above my hand.
"Woooow…!" Forgetting her composure, she shot up from her seat and stared at the magic circle, mesmerized. "It's so pretty. It's like a hologram!"
When I lightly clenched my fist, the magic circle dissipated into the air. Belatedly realizing she had gotten too excited, she cleared her throat and sat down demurely.
"I used this power to beat the third-year club presidents," I explained.
"That's so cool!"
"Want me to teach you?"
"…Huh?" She stared at me with wide eyes, as if she hadn't understood.
"This is magic. Any player who can handle mana can use it."
"Wow! That's amazing!" she said, but she didn't seem to believe me. It felt like she was just humoring me.
Come to think of it, even though I'd been using magic so freely, no one had recognized it as such. At best, they thought it was an extreme application of a Unique Ability. It made sense. The people of this era were far too accustomed to the system of Unique Abilities; the very concept of magic didn't exist for them. Even if I demonstrated it and called it magic, they would just be confused.
If the offer of teaching her magic wasn't going to work, I had to try a different approach. I considered her personality: attention seeker, social media addict, a sly creature, an opportunist.
…Not a single good trait among them. 'In the end, I have to grab her interest, but is there anything besides magic?' After thinking it over, I shook my head. Magic was already special, and the Magic Tower was special. What more could I possibly use? The path I'd chosen wasn't wrong. I decided to face it head-on.
"Actually, there's something I'd like to propose."
"A proposal?" she asked, her expression full of anticipation, as if what she'd been waiting for had finally arrived.
"Want to work with me?"
"…What?" The look on her face was one of half confusion, half disappointment. "What are you talking about all of a sudden…?"
"A hundred thousand dollars a year."
Her shoulders flinched.
"And you can keep attending the academy while you work," I added. "I don't mind."
Her interest finally piqued, and she leaned forward.
"Is this a hunter-related job? Or something in modeling or fashion?"
"Neither," I said flatly.
"Or maybe… a photoshoot for a more mature audience?"
"I already said no."
I couldn't fathom why her mind always drifted toward such strange conclusions. "All you have to do is use your Enchantment properly."
"Aha."
She nodded as if she understood, but her expression turned frosty. "I was wondering what this was all about," she said, her tone clipped. "The market value for using my Enchantment ability is public knowledge by now. You didn't know?"
"Hmm?"
"You're planning to enchant gear and sell it, aren't you? Honestly, any equipment I enhance loses its power after just a few uses. I can't exactly follow customers around like a mobile repair shop, enchanting their weapons again every time it fades. It's basically a single-use ability."
"Not on gear." I dangled a potion bottle in front of her. "You're going to enchant 'this'. Since liquids are single-use anyway, the drawback doesn't matter."
"…What exactly is that?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.
Good. She was halfway there. I crossed my arms, feigning deep contemplation.
"Where should I even begin?"
I laid out the business plan, careful not to reveal the Magic Tower's existence. I explained my vision and what her role would be in it. To my surprise, Bora's curiosity was even stronger than I'd anticipated. We talked late into the night.
"Oh my god! So if I use this, my wounds will actually heal? How on earth did you make something like this?"
She had finally taken the bait. It was time to set the hook.
"Want a tour?"
* * *