The Academy's Delinquent in Charge – Episode 17
Baek Iljin, who had been cocking his head in bewilderment, belatedly realized that every student was staring at him.
‘Is it because of the uniform?’
The moment the thought struck him, Baek Iljin immediately stood up from his seat and bowed deeply at the waist. His movement was neat and his posture courteous.
“I apologize.”
An apology without any excess, impeccably polite. Having relearned the art of apology, he did not make the same mistake as before by cutting it short.
“Hmm……?”
Seeing his tidier and more polite demeanor than expected, Kharis raised his eyes in surprise and nodded.
‘At least the kid knows how to apologize like a man.’
Kharis was the type who liked cool people. As if he had never been angry, his wrath subsided in an instant, and wearing a smile, he finished calling the rest of the attendance.
“Since attendance is all taken, shall we begin the real lesson now?”
“Yes!”
Whoosh—
At Kharis’s light gesture, the blackboard that had been tucked away behind the lectern slid forward.
“This period, we’ll simply learn about the classification system of mages and murim warriors.”
“Yes!!”
“First, does anyone know how the realms of mages and murim warriors are divided? Raise your hands.”
Kharis scanned the room with an expectant gaze, but perhaps because they were reminded of Jegal Muhyeok, who had been humiliated during Professor Decant’s auxiliary magic class, no one raised a hand.
“…….”
“…….”
At the brief stretch of silence, Kharis let out a low sigh.
“It’s okay even if you’re wrong, so speak up! How else can I get excited and teach with enthusiasm?”
Only after those words did the students begin raising their hands one by one.
Among them, Kharis pointed to a student whose forearms looked twice as thick as the others’.
“You there, stand up and introduce yourself.”
“I’m Hwangbo Cheolsu, number 67 of the Martial Arts Track.”
“Yes, Hwangbo Cheolsu. Please answer.”
Over six hundred students turned their heads toward Hwangbo Cheolsu all at once.
“Huu—”
Though he had raised his hand bravely, speaking in front of a crowd seemed incredibly burdensome; Hwangbo Cheolsu took a deep breath and opened his mouth with a trembling voice.
“First, a mage’s grade is determined by the number of magic circles they can operate.”
“Magic circles? Can you show us?”
“Ah, well, just a moment……”
Saying so, he nudged Hwangbo Sujung. Then he gave her a look to get up quickly.
“I’m not yet proficient enough in magic to demonstrate, so Hwangbo Sujung here will perform the demonstration in my stead.”
Hwangbo Sujung shot Hwangbo Cheolsu a glare for suddenly volunteering her for a magic circle showcase, then rose from her seat.
“Hello. I’m Hwangbo Sujung, number 35 of the Magic Track.”
Seeing the children of his deceased sister rise to present during his class, a pang of affection flickered across Kharis’s face for an instant.
“Very well, Hwangbo Sujung. Please demonstrate.”
“Yes, understood.”
Hwangbo Sujung rolled up her uniform sleeve and extended her right hand.
“As Hwangbo Cheolsu said, a mage’s rank can be known by the number of magic circles they can wield.”
The mana that emerged from her dantian and passed through her mana circuits sparked blue, forming the shape of a circle.
“If you can use one magic circle like this, you’re 1-star.”
And she created one more in her left hand.
“If you have two like this, you’re 2-star.”
Then, after creating two more in the air, Hwangbo Sujung spun the four magic circles in midair as she spoke.
“A mage who can create four magic circles like this is called a 4-star mage.”
As soon as Hwangbo Sujung’s demonstration ended, the students cheered and clapped. Even in the Academy, a 4-star mage at their age was rare.
“And from what I know, mages who freely use 6-star magic are called Archmages, and from 8-star, they are called Grand Archmages.”
Receiving a round of applause, Hwangbo Sujung sat down with a satisfied expression.
“Good. Then please explain the martial artist ranks, Hwangbo Cheolsu.”
“Yes. Unlike mages, martial artist ranks are not intuitive. However, they are generally determined by the amount of internal energy.”
Nod—
Kharis nodded.
“If you accumulate about five years of internal energy, you are a third-rate martial artist; ten years, a second-rate; and if it exceeds half a cycle, a first-rate martial artist. Once you become a first-rate martial artist, you can emit qi like this.”
Hwangbo Cheolsu gathered qi into his fist. In that instant, a faint heat haze rose from his fist.
“And if you surpass one cycle and can emit dense sword qi, you are called a peak expert.”
“Good, let’s give another round of applause for the students who presented!”
Clap, clap, clap—
“That is indeed how martial artists and mages are classified. The students explained it well.”
It had been a while since he had given a theory lecture, so his throat kept drying up. Swallowing his saliva to continue, Kharis moistened his parched throat.
“Then let me ask another question. Does a higher rank always mean you are stronger?”
“……?”
The students tilted their heads at Kharis’s odd question. Of course, a higher-ranked person should be stronger, right?
Thud, thud.
Kharis came down from the lectern and approached the students sitting in the front. Standing before the student at the very front, Kharis held out the microphone.
“Student? Would you introduce yourself?”
“I-I’m Rat Ex, number 128 of the Magic Track.”
“Good.”
Kharis placed a hand on Rat Ex’s shoulder. Rat Ex’s shoulder flinched at Kharis’s touch.
“Rat Ex, would you answer?”
“Huh? Ah, I think that of course, the higher the rank, the stronger you are.”
“Good. Then to the lectern.”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
With his hand still on Rat Ex’s shoulder, Kharis ascended the lectern with him.
“Rat Ex. What star mage are you?”
“A 3-star.”
“Oh—a 3-star. Good. Then try using a 3-star attack spell on me.”
“……?”
“I’ll only use 1-star magic to block your spell, so don’t hold back and use your strongest magic.”
Hearing those words, the students looked at him as if he had gone mad. Rat Ex was no different.
“Even if you’re a professor, with a 1-star spell……”
“What if!”
“……?”
“If I fail to block your spell with a 1-star spell, I’ll write you a letter of recommendation.”
A professor’s letter of recommendation was an item that allowed one to advance to the next grade without taking exams. Thus, fire lit in the students’ eyes at the mention of it.
“Professor! Can’t I try instead?”
“No! Me!”
“I’ll do it!”
Amid the shouts rising here and there, Kharis looked at Rat Ex as if asking what he would do, and jerked his chin.
“I-I’ll do it.”
“Good. Try it.”
Rat Ex gulped and closed his eyes. Mana began gathering around him, and he drew magic circles.
“Lightning Spear!”
Soon, the three magic circles linked together and spewed blue lightning toward Kharis. Seeing the spear of electricity approaching in an instant, Kharis smiled faintly.
“Oh—nice spell. Then I’ll use Magic Missile.”
As promised, Kharis used a 1-star spell. Naturally, there was only one magic circle, and its size was even smaller than a typical Magic Missile.
Kwaaang—
Magic Missile and Lightning Spear collided, and thick smoke billowed up.
A moment later, once the smoke cleared, the result was utterly shocking.
Though the Magic Missile was cracked here and there, it still retained its form, while the Lightning Spear had vanished entirely.
“What the! How does that make sense?!”
A startled student reflexively jumped up and shouted. He quickly clapped his hand over his mouth in shock and sat back down.
But no one reprimanded him. Everyone was thinking the same thing.
“H-how…….”
Rat Ex shook his head in disbelief. However, he could not deny the result before his eyes.
“Let’s give a round of applause for Rat Ex for showing us such a splendid spell!”
Clap, clap, clap!
Even as he received applause, the shock on Rat Ex’s face did not easily fade.
“Rat Ex’s magic was excellent. But then, why did this happen?”
“…….”
The students were silent as mute swans that had eaten honey. At that moment, Hwangbo Sujung raised her hand.
“It’s because the Magic Missile the professor used is Modification Magic.”
“That’s correct.”
Buzz, buzz—
The students of the Magic Track murmured among themselves upon hearing the term Modification Magic.
“What’s Modification Magic?”
“Does it mean attack magic?”
“It can’t be. If it were, we’d know it.”
Even students who had studied magic their whole lives at the Magic Tower had never heard of the concept of Modification Magic.
“Students who only learned magic at the Magic Tower might not know. Modification Magic is not a classification like summoning magic, elemental magic, or mental magic.”
“Yes?”
“Regardless of the magic’s branch, magic that raises its lethality solely for combat is called ‘Modification Magic.’”
The students’ eyes widened at the first-time story, and they looked at Kharis, meaning to urge him to teach them how to use it.
“Actually, teaching the incantation for Modification Magic is forbidden under the International Magic Society’s regulations. Of course, the rules have changed so that creating and using your own is permitted.”
“Ah…… then we can’t learn the incantation for Modification Magic?”
“Yes, that’s right. But then the class wouldn’t be very interesting, would it?”
“Yes!!!”
Hearing the resounding reply, Kharis turned his head toward Rat Ex, who still wore a blank expression.
“Rat Ex? Draw just one magic circle.”
“……Yes, understood.”
Rat Ex answered lowly, rolled up his sleeve, gathered mana, and sent it to his right hand.
“You know the spell keywords for the Magic Missile I used earlier, right?”
“Attribute keyword [Magic], appearance keyword [Missile], operation keyword [Throw].”
“Good. Add the attribute [Wind] keyword to that spell.”
“Wha?!”
Buzz, buzz.
The Magic Track students murmured again.
He was asking him to do the insane act of putting two attribute keywords into a single magic circle. On top of that, doing so would mean four keywords in the magic circle.
At that moment, one student raised her hand and stood up. It was Raika, number 2 of the Magic Track.
“Professor, adding a keyword is a problem, but adding an attribute keyword is truly insane. What if the attributes clash inside the magic circle?!”
Kharis chuckled. It was because he felt as though he were seeing his old self.
“Trust me and try it. If anything happens to you, I’ll compensate you even at the cost of my own life, so don’t worry.”
“……Yes, understood.”
Rat Ex immediately drew a star shape in the empty magic circle with runic language. But no one could read Rat Ex’s crooked runic script.
“Oh my, Rat Ex has already developed his own personal runic language to the point where it’s illegible. Could you perhaps make it in Rochett instead?”
“Yes, understood.”
“Please draw the original spell without changing the keywords too.”
Nod.
Rat Ex changed the spell to Rochett and created the magic circle again. Only now could the students read Rat Ex’s spell.
In one magic circle was written: ‘[Magic]’s [Missile], [Throw].’
And in the other magic circle was written: ‘[Magic]’s [Missile], ride the [Wind] and [Throw].’
“Shall the two of you clash once?”
“Understood.”
With a kwaaang—sound, the two Magic Missiles collided mid-air. A moment later, the one remaining was the Magic Missile with the added Wind attribute.
“Did you see? This is Modification Magic.”
“Wow—”
“Of course, the drawbacks are enormous. Because Modification Magic lowers the spell’s stability, the caster can be in danger too. However!”
Kharis wiped all smile from his face and spoke in a serious voice.
“When facing enemies like dark mages or demonic forces! I believe you know without me saying what difference it makes to know the incantation for Modification Magic and not to know it.”
Kharis, smiling faintly again, opened the classroom door and left as he spoke.
“Then this period is over. I hope all of you will not set limits on the magic spells you know right now, and gain enlightenment through different attempts every day—”
“Yes!”
“Ah, right! Next period will be practical combat.”
As soon as his words ended, the bell signaling the end of class rang.
[Ding-dong-dang-dong—It’s time to breathe in the fresh air.]
* * *
Kharis himself knew there was a problem with his lesson. If it were discovered that he was teaching the incantations for Modification Magic directly, it would be grounds for severe punishment.
But how could he teach Modification Magic through theory alone?
‘Hearing something a hundred times is not as good as seeing it once; showing it once is the easiest way rather than explaining a hundred times.’
Returning to his lab in this manner, Kharis laid eyes on Decant, who was half-dead.
“Professor Decant. To what do I owe the visit to my lab?”
“Ah…… you’re here.”
“But why is your face so pale again? You left early yesterday too.”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
Decant waved his hand as if nothing were wrong, but his face was haggard to the point of looking like a skull.
“By the way, did you attend the freshmen lecture today?”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
Barely lifting himself up, Decant whispered barely audibly.
“There was a peculiar fellow there, wasn’t there?”
“A peculiar fellow?”
Among six hundred students, how could there be only one or two peculiar fellows?
‘There are elves and dwarves, going by race……’
And there was a monk with a shaved head, and a Taoist wearing a gat as well.
“There are too many peculiar students?”
Decant pressed his forehead as he spoke. With his pale face and hand on his forehead, he looked so ghastly he could drop dead at any moment.
“That long-haired fellow.”
“There are about a hundred and fifty long-haired students.”
For an instant, Decant almost struck Kharis with his fist.
‘He has no tact whatsoever.’
Suppressing the urge to swing with superhuman patience, Decant spoke again.
“That, that long-haired, sullen-looking fellow. The one specially admitted despite ranking two hundredth on the written exam.”
“Ah! He was the specially admitted student?”
“Isn’t it written on his uniform.”
“That student didn’t wear his uniform today.”
“What?!”
Never had there been such a delinquent.
Decant tried to explode in anger, but his ruptured mana circuits prevented it.
‘The punk skipped the entrance ceremony yesterday, was late, and today comes without a uniform!’
No matter how reckless he was, this was too much. Decant vowed with a gleam in his eye that he would properly educate him next time.
“How did that student seem to you?”
“Huh?”
Decant, who had sneakily thrown an arm around Kharis’s shoulder, said,
“You have a good eye for people. Isn’t that punk hiding something?”
Otherwise, those strict bastards Jegal Mokyeon and Sama Jin wouldn’t have given a special admission pass, now would they?
Decant kept pressing Kharis.
“Don’t keep it to yourself, tell me.”
“I really don’t know?”
The ability known as the Insight Eye, granted only to the pureblood of the Robnine family. As far as Decant knew, no existence—not even a dragon—could escape the Insight Eye.
“Come on, between us?”
“There really was nothing……”
Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t felt anything from that punk either.
“Huh……?”
Thinking about it, it was strange. It was true there was nothing special, but it was *too* devoid of anything. He couldn’t even sense the Innate Qi that any person should innately possess.
Not in the dantian.
Not in the mana circuits.
‘Even if he was admitted through the written exam, how can that be?’