< Episode 70: The True Way to Use It (2) >
After finishing my shower, I headed to where Jia and Si-yeon were waiting.
Upon reaching our agreed meeting spot, the two women were laughing heartily, engrossed in conversation.
They had gone out together on Sunday, so it seemed they had become much closer since then.
“Sorry, am I late?”
I took a longer shower than expected.
Their eyes both turned to me simultaneously.
“You’re not late at all, Seo-yul. Please sit here.”
Jia pointed to an empty spot on the mat.
“I thought I was going to die waiting! Come sit! Jia packed lunch today!”
“Ah, okay.”
I took my seat. A lavish-looking lunchbox caught my eye.
Wait, is that even considered a lunchbox? That container clearly looks like a stew pot. It feels more like a mini buffet.
Why is it so quiet all of a sudden?
I turned my head.
“…”
“…”
Both were staring at me with a dazed expression, seemingly unaware of my questioning gaze.
“Is there something on my face?”
“Huh?”
“Oh.”
She seemed to come to her senses.
“Seo-yul, did you change your shampoo or body wash?”
HaSi-yeon asked a rather odd question.
“No? I just used what was in the shower.”
“Really?”
Ha Si-yeon seemed contemplative. So did Jia.
“Why?”
“It’s just that… there’s a refreshing scent coming from you, Seo-yul. Almost… refreshing?”
“…A scent?”
Out of nowhere?
“Yeah. Like sunshine? Or flowers? Anyway, it’s a very attractive scent.”
…An attractive scent?
Something came to mind.
“So that’s why? You seem even cooler today.”
Jia nodded in agreement with Ha Si-yeon’s statement.
…Could this be the effect of increased charm?
Given that there were no more changes to my face or body, did it change my body odor to be more attractive?
“…”
This is bad.
That might mean my body hasn’t changed at all.
…No way.
I swallowed down my unease.
“Let’s eat first. I’m hungry.”
“Just a moment.”
Jia began rummaging through her bag.
“Please drink this first.”
It was a luxurious-looking beverage.
“What is it?”
“It’s a drink that helps with magic circulation. It’s a new product that we’ve successfully commercialized.”
“A health drink, then?”
“Yes!”
Health is important.
I opened the lid and downed it in one go.
“Wow.”
It went down smoothly.
“It’s really tasty, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, and it’s effective too. After drinking it, I felt like my magic was circulating better.”
Jia enthusiastically commented.
Ha Si-yeon then chimed in.
“Really? My brother always said that drinks related to magic were just placebo effects.”
Zing.
Jia shot Ha Si-yeon a glare, signaling her to stop.
But Ha Si-yeon’s comment was valid. Even in the original work, drinks that claimed to boost magic never showed noticeable effects.
This might just be a tasty and healthy high-priced drink.
Aiding magic circulation?
If it did, the effect would be minimal.
“But, as Si-yeon said, other drinks never had any effects. This one’s different. Would I give Seo-yul something strange?”
…Jia, being sensitive to magic flow, might have felt even a less than 1% difference, right?
I tried moving my magic a bit. To my surprise…
“…It really works?”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
My magic circulation efficiency had truly improved.
“I told you, didn’t I?”
“Yeah? Yeah.”
But, while it’s great that the efficiency improved…
“But isn’t this effect too good?”
It felt like the efficiency of my magic circulation had almost doubled.
If the efficiency of magic circulation doubled, that means not only the operation efficiency of magic but also the growth limit of magic has increased.
Whoever made this should be awarded for this.
…Wait a moment.
The increase in the growth limit of magic?
At that moment, my eyes widened in realization.
…Could this be the complete integration of the elf traits and the increased charm effect?
After the changes in my face, body, and body odor, is there a transformation occurring in my magic blood vessels?
* * *
“After all the classes had ended.
After having a simple dinner, I was alone, moving my magic at the private training room I reserved in advance.
“Ah.”
To sum it up, I was right.
The efficiency of magical circulation improved due to the alteration in the magic-conducting veins.
The charm began to cause changes beyond my face, body, and scent, in unseen places.
The magical veins are probably transforming into an enchanting form.
Whirling-
“Wow.”
Flames wavered more brightly than usual on my palm.
Perhaps due to the improved efficiency from the alteration of the veins, my magic consumption decreased.
But its power increased.
“This is an unexpected fortune.”
Until yesterday, I was looking through the ‘Racial Trait Encyclopedia’, planning how to increase my magic, and pondering how to most likely boost it. I never expected the full transformation into an elf would bring this luck.
…Should I prioritize acquiring elf traits?
“No.”
Upon further thought, the next transformation is unlikely to affect my magic veins.
The reason is simple.
During the first complete transformation into an elf, there were slight changes in my face and skeletal structure.
Due to that, my growth limit rose from C rank to nearly A rank.
And today, during the second complete transformation, my scent changed, and the structure of my magic veins altered.
While the physical structure barely changed and the growth limit did increase slightly, it remains near A rank.
Professor Pi Jin Ho, who has an eye for analyzing bodies, would know for sure.
That means there’s a limit to how much charm can be enhanced.
There’s probably also a cap on how much my magic’s growth limit can rise.
“…I need to get a detailed examination from Jia this week.”
There’s no equipment to train magic, and Pi Jin Ho’s ‘Mystical Eye’ can’t read magic perfectly.
Thus, another method of verification is required. If I ask Jia for a precise examination of my sealed magic, she’ll probably arrange a secret spot for me.
“Shall I test it?”
I gathered my magic and stood up.
The current time was 6:50 pm.
Training with Shin Jia and Ha Si-yeon starts at 8:30 pm. There’s still plenty of time.
“Mode set. Shooting mode.”
[Switching training mode.]
Simultaneously, I grabbed the training bow beside me.
“Target. Durability A rank.”
[Setting the training target’s durability to A rank.]
“Setup complete.”
[Starting the training.]
Following that alert, the surrounding scenery began to change. The previously empty white room started turning into a shooting range. It’s an impressive technology, every time I see it.
[Setup is complete.]
Once all the preparations were over, I took my position.
“Huff…”
I took a deep breath and, aiming at the target, lifted my bow. Feeling the familiar sensation of the training bow, I slowly drew the bowstring.
I didn’t bring any arrows. The quiver was rolling around nearby.
Today, the technique I wanted to test was none other than ‘Wind Arrow’. A cheat-like trait where I can condense wind into an arrow and shoot. A trait I had misunderstood and used incorrectly until now.
Whooosh-
Following my will, wind began to condense on the empty bowstring.
What was once a gentle breeze soon turned into a whirlwind.
Soon, it took the form of an arrow. It felt different from the natural arrows I used with [Roots of the World] in the past.
“Ugh.”
I felt dizzy for a moment, a symptom of the early stages of magical exhaustion. It seems I mishandled the control of my magic since it was my first time using this technique.
“Huff.”
But it wasn’t enough to break my concentration.
Whooosh-
With one final focus, the arrow took its full form.
An arrow that looked powerful at a glance. Holding the arrow, my right hand felt a strange vibration: the vibration of the wind.
I felt it as I aimed at the target.
And I silently released the bowstring.
“Ugh!”
It seems that the protagonist is honing his skills and realizing the potential of his newly discovered abilities.
At the same time, a strong wind blew. My body was thrown backward. For a moment, I was engulfed in the sensation of floating, overwhelmed by a torrent of unstoppable power.
Kwaaaang!
A deafening boom resonated.
Immediately after, I collapsed to the ground.
Whooosh-
A secondary, scorching wind, the aftermath of the explosion, blew by. I opened my eyes to the sensation.
“…What?”
The target was shattered into pieces, nowhere to be seen.
[Training result tally complete.]
[Target annihilated.]
[Time taken: 6 seconds 08.]
[Time from drawing the bowstring to release: 1 second 98.]
[Total score: 9.5/10]
[Further rapid-fire training is required.]
Seeing the objective metrics, I was stunned.
“…It didn’t even take 2 seconds?”
From what I felt, I thought it took at least 10 seconds.
Using the Spiral Arrow, I can achieve similar destructive power, but it requires a significant amount of preparation time.
That’s why I considered it a flashy technique with a ridiculously high difficulty level, unsuitable for real combat situations.
Yet, despite this being my first use of ‘Wind’s Arrow’ with my unrefined control of magic, it took only 2 seconds.
“If I suppress the power and use it…”
If I can properly regulate the consumption of magic, focus on the speed of creation, and manage to harness about half of this power efficiently…
“It’s amazing.”
The prowess of the ‘Wind’s Arrow’ isn’t just this.
“Calculate precisely. How long did it take for the arrow, once released, to hit a target 200 meters away?”
[Starting calculation.]
A moment ago, I heard the impact sound as I was blown back and felt the sensation of floating. This means the arrow penetrated the target faster than my body fell.
[Calculation complete.]
[The arrow took approximately 0.3 seconds to hit the target.]
“…Are you kidding?”
The advantage of the wind attribute lies in ‘speed’.
The ‘Wind’s Arrow’ aptly demonstrated this trait.
“If I use this properly…”
A smirk formed on my lips.
* * *
It’s currently 10 PM.
“Good work today.”
“Whew! That was exhausting!”
The training with Ha Si-yeon and Shin Jia has finally come to an end. Today’s focus was on the basic use of magical power.
“Jia, make sure to review the strength technique I taught you today.”
“Yes!”
Jia responded sharply, with full commitment.
“Si-yeon, you’re doing well. Just keep it up.”
“Yup.”
Si-yeon lazily waved her hand while lying down, responding in a laid-back manner.
“Si-yeon, our ancestor made time to watch your training. What’s with that attitude?”
Ha Si-yeon didn’t answer Jia’s comment.
“Let it be. After training, she pushes herself to the point of almost depleting her magic. She’s out of it.”
She’s just too exhausted.
“Still, that’s no way to show respect to a teacher…”
“I really don’t care about that stuff.”
Being strict about senior-junior relations or maintaining a rigid teacher-student relationship is not her style.
“Ah.”
Jia suddenly covered her mouth, her eyes widening in surprise.
“If you’re tired, Jia, don’t force yourself. I know it’s hard on you.”
Jia’s limbs were trembling. She must’ve overused her magic today, making it difficult even to stand.
“…Yes.”
Jia obediently sat down.
“But Jia, is it really okay for us to use this training room every day?”
“Of course.”
“It must be quite expensive.”
Given that the room is equipped with cutting-edge tools and designed for three people, it wouldn’t be cheap.
“It’s okay. This facility is managed by one of our group’s subsidiary companies. It’s not a problem at all.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Looking at Jia’s expression, it seems there really is no issue.
“Ah, Jia. Tell me the monthly rent, and I’ll cover half.”
Ha Si-yeon said, still lazily waving her hand. She seemed a bit out of it.
I know that feeling all too well. Probably doesn’t want to do anything right now. I’ve been there.
“You don’t have to. As I said, it’s not a burden.”
“But we’re training together. It’s only fair to split the costs. I’m not that shameless.”
While lying down, she turned her head to look up at Jia, her gaze filled with a peculiar determination.
“Alright, then. I’ll send you the details via chat later.”
Jia smiled lightly and nodded.
“Thanks.”
The atmosphere was warm. It’s good to see the two of them getting along better than I expected. With a slight smile, I stood up.
“Then, everyone prepare well for the tournament tomorrow.”
There’s no joint training tomorrow. Considering the tournament the day after, everyone has a lot to prepare for. I’m no exception.
“I’ll head out first.”
“Okay.”
“Good work today.”
Since there’s only one shower facility here, I need to leave first to allow them their turn.
“See you tomorrow morning.”
I waved casually as I left the training room.
* * *
The next day.
An unexpected variable occurred.
– Breaking news. Early this morning, throughout the eastern coast, there was an outbreak of sea monsters rampaging en masse. Despite the deployment of many superhumans to the scene, there’s still no solution in sight.
In the classroom, the news announcer’s voice echoed.
– The government declared a national disaster this morning due to the endless onslaught of the monsters.
Whispers of concern spread among the cadets listening to the news.
“Wow, what’s happening to Korea?”
“They’re still pouring out?”
This was an event I was unaware of. Although there’s a good chance that a variable might have occurred, I think it might be an event that was skipped since there was no need for the protagonist to act.
“But then, what happens to the tournament?”
“Well, they can’t hold a festive tournament with the eastern coast in chaos.”
The problem is that the postponement of the practical exam overlaps with the event.
“Given that the superhumans in charge of safety and those providing support are all on-site, can the schedule proceed as planned?”
Probably not. Like they said, the president wouldn’t dare hold a tournament in this situation. There’s also a lack of manpower.
Moreover, the class was already 20 minutes late, and Instructor Pi Jin Ho hasn’t appeared, which was the most definitive evidence.
He must be in a prolonged emergency meeting.
“The practical exam always has something come up.”
“It does, right?”
At that moment, the buzz grew louder.
“Everyone, please take your seats.”
Instructor Pi Jin Ho entered the classroom with an urgent look on his face.
“As you may know, there’s been a national disaster on the eastern coast.”
“Yes.”
“Due to these circumstances, the practical exam will be indefinitely postponed. We hope for your understanding.”
Everyone seemed to have no complaints.
“Furthermore, from this moment on, the Korean Superhuman Academy will support the eastern
coast area. From the first to the fourth grade. Everyone.”
“…So we’ll be in charge of evacuating civilians and defending the city.”
Jia said.
“Exactly.”
The massive invasion covered the eastern coast. Given the deployment of even us, the trainees, it’s evident how scarce the manpower is and how dire the situation is.
“I’ll give you exactly 30 minutes. Get all your equipment ready and gather in the auditorium.”
“Yes!”
“One more thing.”
Instructor Pi Jin Ho paused, looking at me.
“There’s a separate request for Cadet Kang Seo-yul.”
“Yes?”
Pi Jin Ho had a mixed expression of worry and expectation.
“It seems your lightning-type magic is needed.”
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