Academy Bully in Charge, Episode 18
During break time, Namgung Jongsu pouted and grumbled.
“No matter how much I think about it, I just can't understand that lecture at all….”
Not understanding this so-called Mod Magic or whatever left him in a foul mood. He couldn't wait to get to martial arts class.
Just then, someone smacked Namgung Jongsu on the back with a thud!
“Jones, it's okay if you don't get it sometimes, don't beat yourself up. Besides, I didn't understand it either.”
“It's not Jones, it's Namgung Jongsu. And if you want to get into the Special Class, you need to be able to handle magic at a certain level.”
“That's true, but….”
Just then, the classroom door opened and a group of roughly fifty students streamed in. Blue tassels hung from the uniforms of those who climbed onto the podium.
“Huh? Blue tassels mean second-years?”
“Why are second-year seniors here….”
“L-look at their arms. They have armbands.”
Just as they said, armbands with a red lion drawn on them were wrapped around their arms. A student who recognized the armband muttered softly.
“Th-that's senior Bigri of the Bloody Lions.”
“What's that?”
“You don't know? He's a senior. He won last year's martial arts tournament….”
Amidst the students' whispering, a student who appeared to be the group's representative grabbed the microphone.
“Freshmen, nice to meet you. I am Bigri, the 18th Bloody Lion. As you all probably know, we are the Bloody Lion Society, the representative club of the Eastern Faction among the Academy clubs.”
Bigri lived up to his moniker of Bloody Lion with his red hair, and his eyes were as sharp as a lion's.
“We're here today to promote ourselves. Students who want to become strong, or who already think they're strong, we hope you'll join the Bloody Lion Society.”
Having finished his introduction, Bigri passed the microphone to the student beside him.
“Vice president of the Bloody Lion Society, the Blue Flame, Rudens. If you want an enjoyable Academy life, come join us.”
“General affairs manager, Moon Tooth Sword Jo Unchang.”
“Planning director, Arihwa Jin Yeha. Martial arts and magic track students are welcome, but please don't come if you're from the written exam track….”
The sharp, piercing gazes of the Bloody Lion Society executives made the freshmen tremble.
After that, they continued introducing themselves one by one with gleaming eyes until the very end. Only after handing out some strange promotional flyers did they finally clear out of the classroom.
Hwangbo Cheolsu, who had been staring blankly at their retreating figures, placed a hand on Namgung Jongsu's shoulder as he held a Bloody Lion Society flyer and asked.
“Come to think of it, Jones, have you decided which club to join?”
“I haven't.”
“Hmm… where should I go. I heard the clubs have a competition during the festival too….”
Clubs.
The flower of Academy life, a gathering of people with shared goals or interests. But that meaning had become distorted.
At some point, the focus had shifted to exerting individual influence, and since the Academy administration tolerated it in the name of competition, the influence clubs held over students grew by the day.
The Bloody Lion Society that had just come to promote itself was among the clubs wielding the greatest influence.
“Who knows, I haven't even taken the class placement exam yet, so what club. Getting into the Special Class comes first.”
He spoke as if he couldn't care less, but the truth was Namgung Jongsu was deeply interested in clubs. The very reason he'd enrolled in the Academy was to participate in club activities.
'What's there to say. I've got to join the one with the most female students.'
Thinking this, Namgung Jongsu propped his chin on his hand, rolling his eyes, and glanced at Baek Iljin eating a hot dog beside him.
He didn't know about others, but he had no desire to join the same club as this guy.
A shiver!
'The unparalleled Namgung Jongsu, thinking of avoiding someone….'
Chapter 3, page 127 of [How to Live as a Man]—the passage “A man who fears his opponent is no different from one who has already lost” came to mind.
'That won't do.'
Whether Baek Iljin knew of Namgung Jongsu's inner turmoil or not, after finishing his hot dog, he pulled a chocolate from his subspace and bit into it.
'But does this guy do nothing but eat all day?'
Just as Namgung Jongsu was looking at Baek Iljin as if he were a lost cause, the bell rang to signal the start of class.
[Ding-dong—Class time.]
Karis opened the door and walked in. He had apparently changed from his suit into a lightweight tracksuit.
“Did you all have a good break?”
“Yes!”
Hearing their answer, Karis handed something out to the students. When they received it, it was a tracksuit made of blue fabric with three stripes on the side.
“Change into these at the home base and come to the auditorium. Second period is practical training.”
“Yes!”
The students began running off to their home bases in groups of threes and fives. The most excited among them was Hwangbo Cheolsu.
“Practical magic class! I can't wait! Iljin, aren't you excited too?”
“Well, I guess.”
Hwangbo Cheolsu was so excited that he was wiggling his hips and dancing inside the home base.
“Hey! Hwangbo Cheolsu.”
“Huh? What's up, Jones?”
“Keep the doenjang jar still. Why are you stirring the doenjang like that?”
Hwangbo Cheolsu, who had been doing his hip dance, got an earful from Namgung Jongsu, but still in a good mood, he kept wiggling his hips.
Just then, a boy standing next to him with a physique to match Hwangbo Cheolsu chimed in.
“Yeah, keep it still, it's giving me a headache.”
“Huh? Yongseok? Long time no see!”
“I saw you yesterday. And my name isn't Yongseok, it's Seok.”
The third son of the Moyong family, Moyong Seok.
A student who had entered as the top-ranked martial arts track admittee, surpassing Namgung Jongsu of the Namgung family and Won-gak of Shaolin. He wore a short regent-style haircut, and his aloof expression practically screamed 'I am the scion of a prestigious family.'
“Cheolsu, move aside for a sec.”
“Huh?”
Moyong Seok lightly pushed Hwangbo Cheolsu's hip aside and picked up Namgung Jongsu's modified uniform that had fallen in front of him.
“Hey, Jongsu, this is why you never improve—you waste your time on this weird stuff.”
“What did you say? You want to die?”
Namgung Jongsu bristled and approached Moyong Seok, but Moyong Seok paid him no mind, tossed the uniform back to him, and walked up to Baek Iljin.
“And you.”
Moyong Seok, now standing before Baek Iljin, placed a hand on his shoulder and kneaded it. A stinging pain shot through, laden with internal energy.
“You've been getting on my nerves. Watch yourself. Don't ruin the academic atmosphere.”
Tap—
Baek Iljin knocked his hand away and returned the shoulder massage. Naturally, infused with internal energy.
“You watch yourself.”
For a moment, Moyong Seok inwardly flinched at the powerful Penetrating Force that dug into his shoulder—a technique that infuses internal energy into the opponent's body to cause pain.
'…What the hell is with this guy?'
Barely managing to keep his expression from twisting, Moyong Seok knocked Baek Iljin's hand away and snorted as he stormed out the home base door.
Hwangbo Cheolsu and Baek Iljin, having changed into their tracksuits, followed him out.
“Hmph… Moyong Seok. Still an unpleasant bastard since childhood, I see.”
Left alone, Namgung Jongsu muttered, rubbing his chin with his hand.
“But what the hell is that Baek Iljin guy's deal?”
He had clearly witnessed Moyong Seok channeling internal energy into Baek Iljin's shoulder.
'And yet how?'
Moyong Seok was no ordinary late bloomer. He was truly a genius among geniuses. Measured by talent alone, Moyong Seok was on par with Hwangbo Cheolsu.
'The written exam track kid endured Moyong Seok's Penetrating Force…?'
Come to think of it, he had endured his own handshake last time too. Unless he checked his pulse, he couldn't know for sure, but one thing was certain: Baek Iljin was no ordinary guy.
“No matter how you look at it, he's not someone to be taken lightly….”
* * *
The auditorium was already noisy with students getting to know each other.
Looking around, small and medium martial arts sects stuck together, Magic Tower students clustered with their own, and self-taught or academy-graduate students also formed groups of threes and fives.
The issue was with the Five Great Families and the Six Great Sects. Though they belonged to the same Martial Alliance, they were not huddled together. It wouldn't be wrong to say they were quite spread out from each other.
However, Hwangbo Cheolsu was with Magic Tower students, belonging to neither the Five Great Families nor the Six Great Sects.
“Really? They teach you that stuff at the Magic Tower?”
“Y-yeah.”
“Wow, that's amazing. Your name was Lart Ex, right? Can I come visit your Magic Tower sometime?”
“Ah… that's a bit….”
Seeing Lart Ex's discomfort, Hwangbo Sujung let out a soft sigh, grabbed Hwangbo Cheolsu by the ear, and dragged him away.
“Aaaah—that hurts.”
“You're going to be the death of me. Why are you barging in there without reading the room?”
Just as most of the students had gathered, Karis climbed onto the podium in the center of the auditorium and took the microphone.
“Is everyone here?”
“Yes!”
“Good, then shall we begin class?”
“Yes!”
“From now on, we'll learn how to create magic circles. You all learned all the mnemonic chants for the mana breathing technique in Professor Decant's class, right?”
“Yes!”
“….”
Unlike the spirited answers from the written exam and magic track students, the martial arts track students couldn't answer confidently. They had mastered how to use mana circuits, but they had forgotten bits and pieces of the mnemonic chants.
“Well, as long as we can use mana circuits, it's fine.”
“R-right, using an internal energy cultivation method instead of the mana breathing technique is the same.”
“That's true.”
Karis waited for the muttering students to quiet down before speaking.
“Then does everyone know how to make a magic circle?”
“Yes!”
“….”
This time, only the magic track students answered loudly, while the rest fell silent again. Karis smiled as if he had expected this and looked at the students.
“Then, let me show you how to make a magic circle first.”
Snap—
At the same time as Karis's finger snap, every student entered the illusion created by Karis. Within the illusion, all bodily senses were under Karis's control.
“From now on, remember the sequence you feel in your bodies. That sequence is the order of the mana circuit.”
Baek Iljin too felt the mana circuit within the illusion.
The sensation of mana spreading throughout his body through the heart, starting from his dantian without passing through the conception and governor vessels.
Its essence was the same as internal energy, yet different. If internal energy felt thick and viscous, mana felt thin and diluted.
“Release the energy that has passed through the mana circuit with your right hand and try drawing a circle.”
The tips of Baek Iljin's fingers, infused with mana, turned blue as if dipped in paint. Soon, he began drawing a blue circle around him.
“If you draw a star inside the created circle using runic language that contains the spell, the magic circle is complete.”
Every magic circle contains a star made of runic language. Hence why they are ranked by how many stars based on the number of magic circles.
'Runic language?'
But Baek Iljin tilted his head, not knowing the concept of runic language. The same went for the other students besides the magic track.
“Oh right! The language that contains spells within the magic circle, that is, the language used to draw the star, is called runic language.”
At those words, the students woke from the illusion. Before them, Karis wrote letters in the air using mana to explain.
“When creating runic language, the type of language doesn't matter. Rochette, Zhongyuan, or even your own personal language. All of them can become runic languages.”
At this, Moyong Seok raised his hand and asked a question.
“Then, what is needed when creating a magic spell with runic language?”
“Spells must contain keywords.”
“Keywords?”
“A single magic circle usually needs to contain an [Attribute Keyword], an [Appearance Keyword], and a [Function Keyword]. A 2-star spell requires two magic circles, so naturally you'll need twice as many keywords, right?”
The martial arts and written exam track students waited for Karis's next words.
“And the composition of the spell is very simple. You describe the spell of the magic you want to use. Just like this!”
In Karis's magic circle, written in Rochette, it said: [[Wind] and blazing [Flame], a [Condensed] [Orb] within, [Guide] toward the enemy and [Explode].]
Soon, a blazing fireball formed from the magic circle.
“This is a 2-star spell, Fireball. I made it readable in Rochette for everyone, right? The essential keywords here are [Wind], [Orb], and [Flame]. The rest can be your own keywords.”
“Then doesn't the magic's power change?”
“Exactly! That's where a mage's skill is revealed. A high-level mage must be able to change keywords depending on the situation, even when using the same magic!”
With that, he summoned the Fireball magic circle again.
“And this is the runic language I've been using lately. It's a language made in my own style, so no one can read it.”
Indeed, the runic language drawn within it was completely illegible.
“Then shall we all try casting magic?”
At those words, a sphere of bright light appeared around Karis.
“A 1-star spell, Light. This magic is very simple. Imagine a brightly shining scene and describe the inspiration from it in runic language to create the magic circle, and you're done. The Light spell is so easy that it activates with just two keywords, so everyone give it a try!”
Karis added as if he'd just remembered, winking.
“Oh, right! The essential keywords are [Light] and [Orb]. This is such a simple spell that it activates with just an appearance keyword and an attribute keyword.”
Hearing this, the students closed their eyes and drew magic circles. Looking around, the magic track students were already manifesting the Light spell.
“Ah! Why doesn't it work for me!”
However, Hwangbo Cheolsu couldn't even create a magic circle. Hwangbo Sujung sighed at the sight.
“You idiot, it's because you're moving mana with the Thunderbolt Heart Technique.”
Like the other martial arts track students who had forgotten the mnemonic chants of the mana breathing technique, Hwangbo Cheolsu tried sending mana into the mana circuit using an internal energy cultivation method.
However, the Hwangbo family's Thunderbolt Heart Technique was a synergistic cultivation method that added the power of thunder to internal energy itself, making it unsuitable for use with mana circuits.
As expected.
From Hwangbo Cheolsu's magic circle came crackling, sparking sounds.
“Then what am I supposed to do….”
“Do you remember Professor Decant's mana breathing technique?”
“I forgot the mnemonic chant….”
“I'll tell you, so try guiding your internal energy that way.”
Hwangbo Sujung continued whispering the mnemonic chant into Hwangbo Cheolsu's ear.
“Alright! Here I go again!”
As time passed, the martial arts track students also began creating magic circles one by one. Namgung Jongsu, who had been the first among them, approached.
“Hwangbo Cheolsu, you talk all this game about magic, but you can't even make a single magic circle?”
A clear magic circle was drawn on Namgung Jongsu's right hand. And a victor's smile hung on his lips.
Hwangbo Cheolsu stole a glance at Namgung Jongsu's magic circle. Since Namgung Jongsu hadn't yet created his own runic language and was using Rochette, the spell's contents were plainly visible.
[Thou who shines alone in darkness, an [Orb] that radiates glory above all else. Illuminate before me, bright and beautiful.]
Pfft.
Hwangbo Cheolsu burst out laughing upon reading the spell inscribed in Namgung Jongsu's magic circle.
“What's so funny?”
“I mean, who writes an incantation like that for a 1-star Light spell? Anyone would think you're casting Genesis-class magic.”
Namgung Jongsu looked at Hwangbo Cheolsu with an expression of pity. Then he lifted his chin and puffed out his chest.
“Tsk, tsk. A truly cool man gives his best in even the smallest things.”
“Uh… yeah.”
Indeed, how could he mock someone who had created a magic circle when he hadn't even made one himself? With renewed determination, Hwangbo Cheolsu began trying again.
“Wow! I made a magic circle too!”
After dozens more attempts, Hwangbo Cheolsu was finally able to create a magic circle.
It was incomparably smaller and fainter than Namgung Jongsu's or Hwangbo Sujung's, but what mattered was that he had activated a magic circle by himself.
'Now I can become a mage like Mom too!'
Around that time, Baek Iljin had also closed his eyes to cast the Light spell.
'Is this it?'
Baek Iljin too imagined a brightly shining sphere and engraved his own runic language into his magic circle to activate the spell.
[Light, Orb.]
Boom—
The magic circle exploded again.
'Why doesn't it work?'
He clearly understood how to make it, yet somehow, whenever he tried to activate the Light spell, the magic circle exploded and the spell failed to cast.
'Hmm… why isn't it working?'
Hwangbo Cheolsu came over and offered some advice, but it wasn't much help.
'Why is my magic circle so fragile?'
Wait, fragile? The magic circle explodes because it can't withstand the energy?
'Ah!'
As if remembering something, Baek Iljin began sending internal energy through the mana circuit again. And this time, unlike before, he drew the magic circle without forcibly controlling the mana.
“Huh? Iljin! That's….”
Hwangbo Cheolsu looked at him in shock upon seeing Baek Iljin's magic circle. Because the magic circle formed in Baek Iljin's hand was about thirty times larger than those created by other students.
“Light!”
Flash—
At the same time as he spoke, a sphere emitting tremendous light was summoned from the magic circle. For a moment, the students who saw the blinding sphere bright enough to obscure their vision cried out.
“Argh—! My eyes! Who just flashed me!”
“Uwaaah! I can't see!”
“What the heck! Is that really a Light spell?”