Prologue Story

Today, our first class was a magic demonstration by the senior students.

In other words, we watched as the older students performed magic one by one.

This school teaches magic significantly faster than other schools.

From the third or fourth grade, students consistently take classes to develop their own unique magic, and by the fifth grade, about half of the students have developed some magic.

In other words, by the upper grades of elementary school, most students can use at least one or two spells worth seeing.

For that reason, the senior students in the upper grades take turns demonstrating their magic to the younger students to help build experience.

…Honestly, I hate it. Doesn’t this mean that someday I’ll have to do this too?

But that’s for later; right now is what matters.

Anyway, that will happen years from now.

I was so excited for the magic demonstration that it was hard to keep from smiling.

We sat in our respective seats, waiting for class to begin.

As for our seating arrangement, it ended up staying as it was originally set.

Shia and Min-hee sat in front of us, and Han-soo and Hyun-ho sat next to us, though they were in a different section.

This was why Han-soo had initially picked a fight with me.

He complained that it was too noisy with kids constantly gathering around during break times, saying he couldn’t stand it.

So, by sheer coincidence, we all ended up sitting together in a cluster.

From the beginning of the semester until now, it’s been that way consistently.

I think the fact that we became friends faster than expected had a lot to do with our seating arrangement.

Thanks to this, it was quite convenient for us to chat secretly during class.

Even Han-soo, who was usually prickly with other kids, acted like a cute little kid around me.

Maybe that’s why I didn’t really get mad at him, and occasionally, Han-soo would talk to me as if he was enjoying himself.

Right now, though, it wasn’t Han-soo, but Hyun-ho, who was sitting closer to me, who leaned over and whispered to me.

Looking around, I noticed that the other kids were busy chatting excitedly in anticipation of the demonstration.

It made sense. The magic demonstrations by the senior students were always fascinating and enjoyable to watch.

“Eun-ha, what kind of magic do you want to see? I hope we get to see water magic this time!”

“Hmm… I’d like to see barrier magic.”

“Yeah, yeah, got it. So, In-ha, would you like to see light magic?”

“No. Although I’d like to see that too, today I’m hoping for lightning magic.”

“Right…! In-ha, you mentioned you’ve been thinking about your sub-magic lately, right?”

“Yeah.”

In-ha nodded at Hyun-ho.

Yes, In-ha was currently focused on designing her sub-magic.

That’s why she was eagerly gathering resources on lightning magic, building a foundation for her magic.

Initially, she was trying to create it without much thought, but both I and Teacher Joon-hwi advised against that approach.

It wasn’t a good method.

For me, I had gone through a lot of thought and consideration before creating any of my magic.

I’d been pondering how to use magic ever since I was a baby.

Once you create unique magic, you can never erase it.

The emotions and thoughts you have when you first create it will greatly affect its growth in the future.

Even if you later think, “I actually wanted to create it like this,” changing the direction of magic that has grown in a different way requires a lot of time and effort.

I’d done well from the beginning.

I thought deeply and considered how to use magic.

I even filled an entire notebook with detailed settings for my magic.

I created magic with the hope that in the future, I would be able to use it this way, wishing to grow this way.

So even now, I have a clear goal for my magic.

Teacher Joon-hwi had praised me after hearing about it.

Since magic grows according to our will, creating unique magic requires us to put in a lot of thought and heart.

That will later serve as a foundation for our growth.

The same went for In-ha.

Rather than creating it recklessly, she needed to think carefully.

Following her instincts isn’t a terrible approach.

In fact, for main magic, instinct can often become the groundwork.

But sub-magic, which supports the main magic, requires a lot of thought and consideration.

That thought process might change as she grows, but when that time comes, it will be important to have a solid foundation for the magic to follow her evolving thoughts.

After listening to me and the teacher, In-ha decided to stop creating sub-magic without much thought.

She started to think deeply about magic.

Still, In-ha had already decided on a direction.

She planned to use lightning to enhance her light magic.

It would literally support her magic.

The only problem was that it would likely become a highly destructive attack magic, which made me feel a bit uneasy.

Out of habit, I raised my hand to my cheek.

“I hope we get to see some rare magic like In-ho’s.”

“Oh, right.”

Han-soo agreed with Hyun-ho.

In-ho oppa’s magic, as well as all types of summoning magic, belonged to the category of rare magic.

Summoning magic might look cute on the outside, but it takes a lot of time and effort.

So, all of us nodded in agreement.

Still, if I could, I’d love to see barrier magic.

Currently, I was practicing the settings I’d written for magic a few years ago, starting with the easier ones.

The most challenging of them was barrier magic (space-time magic), which I had struggled a lot to create.

The problem was the size… I couldn’t make it larger.

I still couldn’t even open a single gate.

For now, this magic was just barrier magic, not space-time magic.

Honestly, space-time magic was still out of reach, so I called this magic “barrier magic” for now.

But I already knew that there was a 90% chance I wouldn’t see barrier magic today.

In reality, barrier magic is incredibly difficult for young children to use.

It’s undeniably a magic from the spatial category.

It takes as much time to master as summoning magic.

So, there are quite a few unique barrier magic spells, but very few people use barrier magic as their main magic.

It was especially rare for someone to develop barrier magic from a young age.

Tsk. I clicked my tongue internally.

“All right, you’ve all been waiting, haven’t you?”

Around that time, the teacher, who had been chatting with the senior students outside, came in.

The students were still talking loudly, and their voices only grew louder.

“Quiet down, everyone. Otherwise, it’ll be hard to show you the demonstration.”

The teacher’s voice, enhanced by magic, carried a subtle forcefulness.

The noise gradually died down.

With bright, expectant eyes, we all turned toward the teacher’s podium.

Soon, one by one, the senior students entered through the front door.

They lined up in a row, each stepping forward to introduce themselves.

“Hello! I’m Kim Seong-a from Class 6-2! I’ll be using summoning magic!”

Their faces were tense as they introduced their names and the magic they would demonstrate before casting their spells.

The first senior used summoning magic.

A magic circle lit up on the back of their hand, and another circle appeared in front of them.

Then, various items popped out of the magic circle one by one.

Wow, although it was a simple spell, everyone, who still couldn’t use magic properly, watched with amazement.

The second senior performed lightning magic, just as In-ha had hoped.

Crackling with a bluish glow, lightning turned into a spear.

For dramatic effect, the senior aimed the small spear of lightning at us before making it disappear.

In-ha’s eyes sparkled.

The third magic demonstrated was extremely rare.

It created an alternate space.

It wasn’t a pocket dimension (아공간) but an “alternate dimension (이공간).”

It was a spell that, albeit small, could hold a world within it.

I covered my mouth in awe.

A pocket dimension typically refers to a “space belonging to an individual.”

Since the Goddess had given me a pocket dimension, I had a great interest in this kind of magic and had read many books about it.

It’s difficult to explain, but pocket dimension magic is ultimately a spell that creates or connects a space to oneself, making it a personal, endless void.

The easiest type of pocket dimension magic starts by opening and widening the gaps within existing spaces.

This is why it’s impossible to succeed without compatibility with spatial magic.

Still, this is much easier than creating a personal space from scratch.

Everything has a gap.

It’s more of a philosophical concept than a physical one.

Magic that discovers such gaps in the soul, in emptiness, is pocket dimension magic.

An alternate dimension, however, is a completely unique concept.

It doesn’t involve space but rather “dimensions.”

Finding and using an alternate dimension—according to what I’ve read before—is precisely what alternate dimension magic is.

They say that the world is composed of overlapping dimensions.

For someone who can’t see it, it’s as if it doesn’t exist, but for those who can, the world feels incredibly vast.

Since each dimension has its own physical laws, they may appear thin, but once inside, they can be expansive, and even time flows differently.

But this kid actually created such high-level magic?

Truly, the potential of magic in this world was boundless.

Then again, it might be less difficult after establishing a connection.

Creating my own world from scratch, even if small, is nothing like my barrier magic.

I swallowed hard.

The truth was, that magic was indeed related to my own.

My magic is space-time magic, while theirs is spatial magic.

I widened my eyes and focused on the spell, studying the color of their magic closely.

It seemed to emerge from the void.

Through a mist-like air barrier, a beautiful small room appeared.

The items inside didn’t look like they were created by magic; they appeared to be real objects arranged inside.

Then again, that senior was still young.

Pocket dimension magic could also be considered a subset of alternate dimension magic, so maybe this was merely a small space.

Still, she had managed to summon a dimension.

For someone her age to create such magic, she must have had very good compatibility.

Honestly, her aura didn’t seem that powerful.

The alternate dimension briefly revealed itself but vanished instantly.

The senior who cast the spell was breathing heavily.

‘Is that her limit? Either way, it’s amazing. An alternate dimension….’

Although the alternate dimension appeared only briefly, everyone was captivated.

It was a rare and difficult magic for a young person to create.

Seven students performed demonstrations in total.

The fourth spell created clouds.

The clouds, small and low to the ground, appeared as if painted, yet they produced rain and lightning.

It seemed like an extremely useful spell, depending on how it was used.

The fifth spell was fire magic, the sixth was plant magic (I was very envious; Han-soo liked it too), and the seventh was water magic.

Hyun-ho beamed with joy as he watched the water magic.

“Now, everyone, let’s thank the seniors who showed us their magic, okay?”

““Thank you─!””

The kids shouted loudly.

Among them, we sincerely expressed our thanks.

Though each demonstration was brief, the experience was meaningful.

The seniors soon left the classroom through the door.

Each demonstration had lasted only about three to five minutes, so there was still plenty of class time left.

During the remaining time, we wrote a reflection on the magic we’d seen, revisiting our impressions to study magic through our emotions.

Since I enjoyed writing, I found the reflection assignment fun, unlike the other kids who found it boring.

We talked excitedly about the magic that had captivated us as we wrote our reflections.

Min-hee and Hyun-ho were, as always, the most lively, while Shia spoke more than usual.

As for me, I was thrilled to have seen alternate dimension magic.

Yet, it seems that I really am their guardian.

“I can’t wait to use magic like that too!”

“Yes, me too.”

Remembering the spells we’d just seen, I felt excited.

But seeing the kids chattering eagerly made me want to pat their heads.

I smiled contentedly.

Second period was the usual theory class.

It was a subject called , and the textbook covered the common knowledge of how magic integrates into everyday life.

It wasn’t difficult since it was mostly related to magical tools and magic used in daily life.

In our first semester of first grade, we only studied two theory textbooks for magic.

One, as I mentioned, was about daily life, and the other was a textbook on the basics of magical energy.

It was a class requiring both practice and memorization, with detailed explanations on handling magic and meditating.

In the second grade, we would start practical magic studies instead of this.

The rest of our subjects were basic courses unrelated to magic, like Korean, science, math, and physical education.

The remaining time was filled with practice sessions.

Level-based classes usually took place during this time.

I couldn’t help but wonder how our exams would be conducted.