Prologue Story

“……!”

At that moment, we looked at each other in surprise.

Though I expected it, to some extent, since they said it was skill-based…… so it went as far as development?

Inha also looked around at the kids who were placed in the same level-based class, her eyes wide with shock.

Our gazes intertwined in a strange way.

“So, this class will focus on training to further develop your magic skills.

As you’ve been warned, you must never talk about anything related to these lessons anywhere else.

Since your talents are called ‘genius,’ this rule applies even more so to you.

Once you leave here, there is a spell in place that will naturally prevent you from speaking of it.

I assume there’s no objection? You all came to this school knowing this.”

We nodded heavily.

“I’ve heard that there’s even someone here who has developed more than one magic.”

At that, I couldn’t help but hide a slight expression of surprise.

“In order to assist with the training of your specialized magic, I’ll need to hear about the main magic each of you are focused on developing.

This will allow me to plan the lessons accordingly.

So, from now, introduce yourself by name and say your main magic in order.”

“……!”

“That’s why this class is being conducted in secret.”

Each of us looked around, our faces filled with mixed emotions.

Overwhelmed with nervousness, I swallowed hard.

He raised his hand and pointed in the exact opposite direction from me.

“You start.”

“…….”

It was the second-year student’s turn.

The girl looked at us hesitantly, then opened her trembling lips.

“My name is Han Yoo-jung. My main magic is…… ‘Ice Magic.’”

“Next.”

“Cheong In-ho. My main magic is ‘Summoning Phantasmal Beasts’……”

“Summoning Phantasmal Beasts? What’s that?”

“It’s creating mythical creatures from legends to summon as pets…… once created, they can’t be undone, and they’re usually raised from infancy.”

“A familiar summoning magic…… A rare kind of magic. Next.”

I briefly forgot my nervousness, surprised, and looked at the second-year student.

Wow, so that kind of magic exists too.

It was fascinating magic, and its principle was somewhat similar to mine, as it involved materializing things that didn’t actually exist.

“I’m Kim Hyun-ho! My main magic is ‘Water Magic.’”

“Park Han-soo. My main magic is ‘Wood.’”

The next to speak were the friend of the boy who had just provoked Inha and the one who started the provocation himself.

Water and wood…… their magic suited their magical energy colors well.

Blue for water, and brown for wood.

Next was the turn of the girl with pigtails who usually sat in front of us.

“My name is Joo Min-hee, and my main magic is ‘Projectile Tracking Magic.’”

“Projectile tracking? So, like magic that launches and follows to hit a target?”

“Yes? Yes.”

“Next.”

……It was my turn.

I tried hard to hide my nervousness as I opened my mouth.

“Yoo Eun-ha…… my main magic is ‘Illusion Magic’……”

“An illusion……?”

“Yes? Yes……”

“……But in the report, it said…… never mind. Next.”

I secretly breathed a sigh of relief and eased up slightly, looking at Inha.

Inha answered curtly.

“Kang Inha. My main magic is ‘Light.’”

Light.

It matched the color of Inha’s magic energy.

Magic that allowed her to freely manipulate yellow light.

It was a type of magic with much room for growth.

Moreover, it was a pure natural element.

Natural elemental magic might seem simple, but it was incredibly powerful with no limits.

The teacher looked around at each of us again before nodding.

“Then, each of you will now briefly demonstrate your magic!”

“Huh?”

I wasn’t the only one who gasped at those words.

The other kids also shifted their gazes nervously.

There were about two kids who didn’t seem to mind, but at least Inha, the boy named Park Han-soo, and the two second-year students looked at each other with visible unease.

“Don’t worry. Didn’t I already say you wouldn’t be able to talk about it? Besides, I figured it might bother you, so I put all of you in the same class.”

……So that’s why so many kids with talent ended up in the same class.

Not that it was necessary to be that considerate.

“You’ll simply demonstrate your main magic. I’m only evaluating skill.

I’m a detection mage, so I can easily assess your current level.

Should I rank you, perhaps?”

““No, thank you.””

We shook our heads simultaneously.

Although Joo Min-hee and Kim Hyun-ho seemed to think it might be fun, we were firm.

We didn’t need such unnecessary things!

It would only interfere with our growth, especially since we were already nervous about showcasing our skills; rankings would just add more pressure.

“So, who’s going first?”

“I’ll choose each one of you.”

When Park Han-soo asked with a somewhat displeased expression, the teacher answered.

He raised his finger and pointed at the second-year boy first.

“You, Cheong In-ho, with your unique magic.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“Ugh……”

Looking nervous, the boy then closed his eyes and opened his hands to cast his magic.

The floor glowed blue, and between his open hands, something sprang forth.

A tiny…… dragon?

“Wow!”

“That’s adorable!”

Some might think it was childish, but I couldn’t help but think it was cute as I looked at the young blue dragon.

But seriously, isn’t it adorable? So cute and beautiful!

Even its cry went “Kyuu─” The boy stroked the baby dragon with a gentle expression.

“What can that creature do?”

“Well, it’s small, but it can summon lightning……”

“Good, next is Park Han-soo.”

“……Tch.”

After grumbling briefly, he swept his hair back with one hand and stretched out his right hand.

A small wooden fence sprouted up behind the teacher.

It didn’t seem to matter that the floor was made of iron.

“Alright, next, Kang Inha.”

“……Yes.”

Inha slowly raised her hand, extending just her index and middle fingers together.

A ball of light gathered at her fingertips and then shot forward in an instant.

Bang!

“Hey! Are you rebelling or what?”

“…….”

“Quiet.”

The light that Inha created pierced right through the wooden fence Park Han-soo had made.

The teacher simply told Park Han-soo to be quiet and left it at that…… Inha, wasn’t that a bit much?

Sure, light is naturally known for its penetrating power due to its speed.

When you think of speed, you think of light, don’t you?

“Han Yoo-jung.”

“Yes, yes!”

She spread her palm to the side, producing a sharp, icicle-like piece of ice in her hand.

The teacher nodded approvingly.

“Kim Hyun-ho.”

The boy created a droplet with his fingers and extended it into a long shape.

The water stretched and wrapped around his body in a spiral.

It looked like a Möbius strip.

“Joo Min-hee.”

“Ah, yep.”

With a bright smile, Joo Min-hee created a magic bullet and flicked it with her finger.

The bullet curved and pierced exactly where it was aimed.

It struck the joint of the wooden fence.

“You girls have it out for me or something!”

“If you clean that up, there’ll be no problem.”

At Inha’s words, Park Han-soo clicked his tongue and finally dispelled his magic, removing the wood.

Oh, it must be pretty difficult to dismiss a physical type of magic like that.

I was a little impressed.

Huh? So that means I’m last?

“Finally, Yoo Eun-ha.”

“Yes…….”

I hesitated, considering what to create.

With illusions, I could make almost anything.

That’s why it was a tough choice.

I finally clasped my hands together and spread them out.

After a moment, a navy-blue flame appeared in my palms.

The way it flickered made it look unmistakably like an illusion or phantom.

I let out a small sigh of relief, but the teacher shook his head.

“Yoo Eun-ha, try something stronger.”

“Pardon?”

“There’s barely any magic movement. It seems too simple. Try one more thing.”

Sure…… it was a simple illusion created with only a small amount of magic……

“Yes…….”

But something stronger? What should I do?

After a brief pause, I aimed my palm toward the ground.

Magic spread across the room from my palm.

“What the……?!”

A pitch-black night with a bluish tint engulfed the room.

I envisioned my incomplete illusionary domain, the flowing river of stars named after me.

A galaxy unfolded beneath our feet.

I was glad I had looked up so many photos on the computer.

Even though it was clearly an illusion, the countless silver dots made the view blindingly beautiful.

“What, what is this?!”

“Hmm. Not bad.”

“Wait, why did the scenery suddenly change……whoa! Is there something beneath me?”

Ah, that was……

As I looked at Park Han-soo, who didn’t seem well, I released the illusion.

The scene dissipated like mist, revealing the classroom as it was before.

Park Han-soo had tripped over a pillar in the classroom.

“So, it doesn’t yet affect the brain?

Impressive, though.”

Well, it’s unfinished…… my illusion still had room for endless improvement.

The area I just created was close to my ‘name,’ so it was barely on the verge of influencing the brain.

What I could achieve with my illusions was still at the level of conjuring realistic scenery or confusing others.

The likelihood of my illusion magic affecting the brain was currently about 6% or less.

“Can you make it influence the brain?”

Lost in thought, I was startled when he asked in an indifferent tone.

“Yes? Yes.

If it’s a small object, I can make it seem real……to an extent.”

“Hmm.”

His eyes held a strange expression as he looked at me.

Feeling awkward, I kept a blank expression and stayed silent.

After examining each of us, he muttered that we were geniuses indeed, then looked at his watch.

Right then, the bell signaling break time sounded from outside.

“It’s exactly time.

Fifteen minutes for a break.

I’ll go get some materials.

Looks like we’ll need one more teacher, too…….

I have a friend who’d be perfect for the job.”

“Oh, by the way.”

Joo Min-hee, who was watching him turn around, suddenly remembered something and asked with a big smile.

“Teacher, we haven’t heard your name yet!”

“Oh…… that’s right.

My name is Jung Joon-hwi. Satisfied?”

“Yep!”

With a bright smile, Joo Min-hee saw the teacher off, then quickly turned to us.

“So, what should we do for fun?”

“…….”

From that one line, it was clear that Joo Min-hee was an incredibly energetic child.

Or rather, should I say she was just childlike?

She changed the atmosphere of our awkward group with her unrestrained energy, approaching us with a friendly expression.

She quickly warmed up to the second-year students and took the lead in the conversation.

Smiling cheerfully, Joo Min-hee asked,

“But why were you all so reluctant to talk about your magic earlier?”

It seemed that, like before, Joo Min-hee wasn’t aware of her own talent.

Hmm…… no, at this age, it would be more normal not to understand such things.

Still, most of the kids here had been hesitant to talk about their magic, except for Joo Min-hee and Kim Hyun-ho.

After thinking for a moment, the second-year girl replied,

“Well……my mom said it’s dangerous if you carelessly talk about it.”

Following her, the second-year boy spoke, his expression a bit reserved.

“Ah, I know a third-grader who developed magic.

But he always brags about it and goes around showing off, gathering people around him, and I really hate that.

People just follow him anyway, but still, I hate it so much I don’t want to talk about my magic.”

“Oh! There’s someone like that in our class too.

It’s so annoying seeing them show off just because they can use some basic magic.”

“Wow, really?

So that’s why my brother told me not to talk about magic when he was in elementary school!

I should be more careful from now on, I hate things like that too.”

As Joo Min-hee nodded with a serious expression, the boy who used summoning magic nodded in agreement, matching her gesture.