Adaptation [Illustration]
Now that I had entered the Academy, I couldn’t just laze around forever.
At last, the game’s story had begun, and countless crises and incidents were waiting for us ahead.
Three years until graduation from the Academy.
Those three years, which seemed long yet would surely feel short, would decide my future fate—and beyond that, the fate of the world.
In other words, there was a time limit.
Knowing that, I couldn’t afford to waste even a single day.
I had to be as efficient as possible.
I had to live diligently.
As if this were my final life.
Yes, as if it were the last.
[As if there were no tomorrow—.]
“Huaaam….”
The sky, poised on the border between late winter and early spring, was still dim.
Woken by the alarm I had set the night before, I wriggled in bed and looked out the window.
It was dark and chilly, so more than anything, I wanted to burrow back under the covers and sleep a little longer.
It was still far too early to go to school, so I could have done just that.
But the more lenient you became with yourself, the less it ever ended.
I couldn’t let myself grow lax.
Whether I liked it or not, I had to get up.
Barely overcoming the temptation of sleep, I stretched on the bed.
“Let’s go, Gyeonu. Let’s go….”
I coaxed myself.
I was going to sweat soon anyway, so there was no need to wash every inch of my body.
I just had to look human.
After wiping away the sleep from my eyes and washing up briefly, I changed into workout clothes.
By the time I left the dormitory, the sky was gradually brightening.
“Phew.”
The dawn air was cold.
The air I breathed in seeped into my lungs, and little by little, my mind cleared.
After lightly warming up, I ran along the path leading from the dormitory.
Not too fast, but at a moderate pace.
Planning to complete a lap around the Academy grounds, I jogged while maintaining my breathing.
The grounds were so large that even one lap seemed like it would take quite a while.
It would train me to some extent.
‘Maybe that’s why my stats went up.’
In the game, there had been daily content you could play once a day based on real time.
Among them, the most representative daily content was the morning jogging minigame.
It was content built around the concept of the player clearing the minigame and raising the characters who participated in the morning jog.
In reality, the participating characters would receive stat increases as rewards.
Unfortunately, both the rewarded character and the stat that increased were random.
On top of that, it was premised on consistently doing the daily content.
Meanwhile, while there was no limit to the number of characters that could be placed into the minigame, the difficulty and number of rounds increased in proportion to the number of participants.
‘In my previous life, I used to clear the daily content and then get ready for work….’
Memories of my previous life suddenly came to mind.
When I woke up in the morning, I would clear the daily content almost out of habit to shake off my sleep, then get ready for work.
‘That takes me back.’
I felt strangely nostalgic for those days.
It felt odd to now be personally experiencing the content that had once marked the start of my day in my previous life.
‘Though there’s no minigame.’
In the game, beneath the minigame screen, characters reduced to tiny dots would be shown running, but this world was not a game.
I wasn’t suddenly shrinking into a pixel sprite, nor was a minigame appearing over my head.
So I had no way of knowing whether I could really receive the reward for morning jogging.
‘Still, doing it is better than not doing it.’
It would be a shame if I didn’t receive a reward, but it wasn’t as if I would lose anything.
Morning jogging was good for one’s health.
It helped improve lung capacity as well as basic stamina.
It would reduce my sleep time, but I planned to keep doing it from now on.
Most of all.
“Morning! Gyeonu, you came out for morning training too?”
“Good morning. What a coincidence.”
I could build my friendship with Kang Hanbyeol.
I exchanged greetings with Kang Hanbyeol, who had somehow ended up jogging alongside me.
Kang Hanbyeol was full of energy from the morning.
But we were not the only ones completing a lap around the grounds.
“Do Gyeonu! Kang Hanbyeol! A strong and mighty morning to you! It seems you two came out to train from the morning as well. Admirable! Manly!”
“Oh! Haerang, you came out too!”
“Hi. Good morning.”
Yong Haerang was there too.
He popped out just as we were rounding a corner, dressed not in workout clothes like us, but in a black martial arts uniform.
The way he swung his arms and legs wide made him look absolutely brimming with energy.
‘Come to think of it, was this how Hanbyeol and Haerang met?’
It was a situation similar to the encounter event between Kang Hanbyeol and Yong Haerang in the game.
Without meaning to, I had ended up wedged between them and was now proceeding through that event.
‘What a coincidence.’
The event illustration I remembered looked like it was about to change from two people to three.
Moreover, I was occupying the center, as if I were the protagonist.
As someone who had been a hardcore veteran in my previous life, I couldn’t help but feel deeply moved.
The corners of my mouth rose on their own.
* * *
As expected, merely completing one lap around the grounds took a fair amount of time.
After finishing the jog and returning to the dormitory, I took a clean shower.
Washing away the sweat with cold water and cooling my heated body left me feeling refreshed and clear.
“Haneul must be waiting.”
I couldn’t afford to dawdle.
I quickly dried myself off, put on my uniform, and finished getting ready for school.
I left the room right away.
[Yeon Haneul]: We’re in the cafeteria, so come straight down to the cafeteria!
After checking the message Yeon Haneul had sent, it seemed there was no need to go downstairs to her floor.
I got into the elevator and headed down to the first floor, where the cafeteria was.
At the counter, I chose a Korean-style meal, then looked for her, who would have arrived first and saved a seat.
“Gyeonu, over here.”
“Ah.”
Yeon Haneul was sitting by the window.
I also saw Go Eunbi and Lisa sitting across from her.
I approached them.
“Ahem! Gyeonu, do you think it’s okay to come this late? Or not okay? Did you know we were eating slowly while waiting for you? I even got water for you!”
“Even so, Eunbi, it looks like you’re the only one who’s already finished eating. Still, thanks for getting water. I’ll drink it well.”
“Welcome.”
Go Eunbi made an exaggeratedly angry face and tried to scold me, but it was no use.
She wasn’t scary at all.
I knew it was a joke too.
After snorting, I set down my tray and sat beside Yeon Haneul.
Just then, Lisa asked with curiosity.
“I heard from Haneul that you’re going to jog every morning starting today. How was it?”
“It felt good, getting up earlier than others and running. Made me feel proud. Oh, and I met Hanbyeol and Haerang on the way, so we ran together.”
“You met them too?”
“Yeah. The three of us chatted while running, so time flew by.”
Since I had run on an empty stomach from the morning, I was hungry.
I spoke while eating breakfast.
The topic of morning jogging was more than enough to draw the three of them in.
Their gazes turned toward me, and I could feel them listening closely.
“Oho, so that’s what male friendship is? I’m so jealous that guys seem to become close so quickly.”
“I’m glad there are parts of it that suit you.”
“That’s good. If the three of you run together, you won’t even have time to get bored.”
When I told them that I had decided to jog every morning with Kang Hanbyeol and Yong Haerang from now on, they reacted with wonder.
I made a suggestion to them.
“So how about you guys run with us every morning too?”
“Huh?”
“Mm?”
“Pardon?”
It wasn’t enough for only me to train; the others had to train as well.
In that sense, I had planned from the start to get the three of them to participate in morning jogging too.
But contrary to my hopes, they all made reluctant faces.
“Morning jogging… Hmm, well, it does sound kind of social and not bad. But I’m an outsider, so….”
“What is the most social person among us even saying?”
“Still, sorry… I think it’ll be hard because I have to watch the anime that came out the night before.”
“…”
Go Eunbi avoided my gaze and let out an awkward laugh.
Her ridiculous excuse left me dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, Yeon Haneul and Lisa also lined up their own excuses for rejecting me.
“Sorry, me too… I do want to run with you, but there’s a drama I watch in the morning….”
“You can just watch the rerun later.”
“Oh, come on. I have to watch something else then.”
“…Do you not study?”
“I watch while studying, so I can’t make any more time than this.”
“I do yoga at that time. I think it would be hard for me to make time.”
“Yoga… Fine, I’ll understand yoga. At least more than those two.”
Seriously….
It was as if all three of them had their desire not to sweat written on their faces.
I let out a small sigh.
‘Haneul has the best athletic sense among them, so she’s not a problem, but I really need to make Eunbi and Lisa do it….’
Whether or not we could receive the rewards from the morning jogging minigame.
It would surely help Go Eunbi and Lisa, whose stamina was low.
‘What should I do….’
I couldn’t give up like this.
I had to persuade them somehow.
If I could persuade just those two, then Yeon Haneul, not wanting to be left out, would surely join automatically.
I decided to rack my brain for a way to coax the two of them.
“M-more importantly, Gyeonu, you know course registration is today, right? There isn’t much time left, so shouldn’t we be getting up soon?”
“Th-that’s right! We have to hurry to class and get ready for course registration! Guys, if we’re done eating, let’s get up!”
Trying to change the subject like that won’t work.
I’ll make you run, no matter what.
‘Come to think of it, there’s Min Arin too….’
* * *
Since course registration was today, homeroom was omitted.
Thanks to that, we had a little more time.
After breakfast, we stayed in our seats and chatted for a while until it was time for course registration.
It was around then that Yong Haerang joined us.
“Jogging is good for both health and beauty! In our clan, men and women, children and elders alike, all begin their day with morning jogging! Even newborn babies! When they reach the age to start walking, we teach them to jog a lap around the training ground! That is how indispensable jogging is as basic training in our clan….”
“I never said I’d do it, so why did it become decided that I am? I told you I’m going to watch anime! In March, most of the anime I’ve been watching are reaching their finales, and starting from April, when the second quarter begins, I have to keep up with the new anime!”
“Gyeonu said he learned how to hold a sword from the time he started walking, and the Righteous Yong Clan is like that too… I wonder if all prestigious clans exaggerate this much….”
“Um, shouldn’t a child who has just started walking simply be taught to walk? If they’re still young, their bones are relatively soft, so walking for too long doesn’t seem good for their body… Are their ankles all right?”
With food piled like a mountain on his plate.
Yong Haerang was practically stuffing breakfast into his stomach as if it were dinner.
At the same time, regardless of whether the girls were appalled, he chimed in with my story.
‘Does all of that really go into his stomach? Do you have to eat like that to build muscle?’
Yong Haerang could do eating broadcasts.
I had prided myself on eating a fair amount too, but watching him eat beside me made everything I had eaten until now feel like nothing.
It seemed like I should increase the amount I ate.
Though I wasn’t sure whether my stomach could stretch enough to eat like that.
“Then, guys! Good luck with course registration!”
After we had all watched Yong Haerang’s eating show as if observing something rare.
When it was about time for course registration, we each returned to our rooms.
I turned on my laptop.
“Ah, what the heck. What’s wrong with this?”
Maybe it was because everyone had flooded in all at once as soon as course registration time arrived.
The moment I logged in, the screen turned pure white and froze.
The loading time was terribly long.
By the time the screen changed after a long while, the people who had been lucky enough to get in first had already claimed the popular classes.
Course Name: History of Eastern and Western Swordsmanship 1
Class Category/Credits: Track (Swordsmanship, Required)/2
Instructor/Time/Location: Park Jihyeon/Wed 67/Suyang Hall 103
Enrolled Students/Capacity: 42/80
[Coin Priority] Enrolled Students/Capacity: 0/20
‘This is why I need to raise my luck….’
Still, there were seats left.
I clicked the course registration button.
Then.
[You are waiting to access the service.]
Estimated wait time: 2 minutes 58 seconds
There are 56 people ahead of you, Student Dogyeonu, and 74 behind. Due to high traffic, you are currently waiting; please wait a moment to be automatically connected to the service.
※ Reconnecting may result in a longer wait time.
“…Fuck.”
Isn't this the Academy, the best in the Academy City?
Isn't Academy City a cutting-edge city with developed infrastructure, combining magic, science, and otherworldly technology?
And yet there's a wait time?
I looked at the screen and let out a sigh.
'I guess I have no choice but to hope the people ahead of me drop out…'
The remaining spots for Instructor Bak Jihyeon's *Swordsman of East and West* were 48.
There were 147 people waiting to register ahead of me.
All I could do was hope those 147 people gave up and went elsewhere.
But the message that popped up while waiting was different from what I expected.
[Course capacity exceeded!]
“…Fuck.”
Yeon Haneul had told me not to curse, but this was a message that made curse words spill out automatically.
The exclamation mark at the end felt like it was taunting me.
Not like I could fight the laptop.
I returned to the main screen and decided to try adding other classes first.
But unfortunately.
[Course capacity exceeded!]
“….”
Of the 10 courses, I'd only managed to snag 3.
That meant I'd missed 7.
'My fingers are diseased…'
Yeon Haneul told me not to curse.
I let out a groan and barely reined in the surging emotions inside me.
[Go Eunbi]: Did anyone succeed in registering!? I… think I'm ruined… ㅠㅠ
[Yeon Haneul]: I… only managed to get one… I want to smash my laptop right now…
[Min Arin]: Oh my, really? I still managed to get quite a lot though hahaha
[Yeon Haneul]: I want to… smash it all with a hammer…
[Yeon Haneul]: Must be nice for Arin ^^
[Min Arin]: I only got 5 though???
[Yeon Haneul]: If I can't have them… I'll… destroy them all…
[Go Eunbi]: Haneul, don't go dark ㅠㅠ
[Lisa]: You guys still managed to get at least one… I didn't get any ㅠㅠ I think my life is ruined ㅠㅠ
[Go Eunbi]: Not even one!? How did that happen…
[Lisa]: I thought I'd applied for everything, but apparently I'd only been applying from the cart this whole time… Computers are too difficult
[Lisa]: (Unicorn crying and running emoticon)
[Yong Haerang]: Sigh… I just opened a bottle of soju
[Bak Saguun]: I'd heard it was hard to get a full load, but now I understand…
[Bak Saguun]: Meanwhile Kang Hanbyeol got a full load all alone. We should be on the same connection, so how and why…
[Ddolmani Geum]: ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
[Ddolmani Eun]: ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
[Ddolmani Dong]: ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
[Kang Hanbyeol]: Guys! Don't cry!
Looking at the group chat, it seemed everyone else was in the same boat.
I posted in the group chat that I'd failed too.
It was truly heartbreaking that even after paying expensive tuition, I couldn't take the classes I wanted.
I was a bit jealous of Kang Hanbyeol, who had succeeded in registering for every single class without missing one.
Was it because she was the protagonist?
Or because her Luck was 60?
Fortunately, we had a contingency plan for times like these.
[Me]: It can't be helped
[Me]: Let's use coins
[Ddolmani Geum]: Charge!
[Ddolmani Eun]: Charge!
[Ddolmani Dong]: Charge!
[Go Eunbi]: Aye aye, sir!
[Yeon Haneul]: Charge!
[Yong Haerang]: Charge!
[Lisa]: Charge!
[Lisa]: But what does 'charge' mean…?
[Bak Saguun]: I don't have many coins either… Hoo… It can't be helped
It was unfortunate for the students who had succeeded in registering, but I decided to use Geumgang Coins to purchase priority.
Having given the order in the group chat, I turned my gaze back to the laptop screen.
I had more than enough Geumgang Coins.
I used Geumgang Coins on the classes I hadn't succeeded in registering for.
[Use 1 Geumgang Coin for 'Swordsman of East and West 1'?]
Yes (Select) / No
Life turns around with coins.
And so, the others and I were able to take the classes we wanted.
I Became the Mid-Boss's Childhood Friend
(107) [Illustration]
It was the day of first-year course registration.
Because of this, there was no morning assembly today, and arrival time was extended.
First-year students were given a relatively comfortable opportunity to prepare for course registration.
However, for Cha Eunsol, it meant more time to lie in bed and sleep.
“Mnya….”
She had no interest in course registration.
Having entered the Academy due to her family's coercion, she had no particular interest in Academy life.
It didn't matter what her schedule looked like.
She could ruin her grades.
She didn't need to graduate.
Getting expelled would be truly welcome.
She had nothing to lose.
It was just that the desire to sleep a little longer took precedence.
Ignoring the alarm, she hugged a banana plushie even larger than herself, practically clinging to it.
Of course, the Sunhwan Chaga, who placed great expectations on her, couldn't leave her alone.
“Ugh… Hello….”
[Hello, Eunsol. Are you up? It's almost time for course registration…]
“…Just do it for me, unni.”
[Uh… Y-yeah. Then as planned, I'll do it for you. You just sleep comfortably, Eunsol.]
“Okaaay….”
Knowing Cha Eunsol's personality.
The Sunhwan Chaga had anticipated her behavior and prepared countermeasures in advance.
They had ordered Bang Gye, a second-year student, to register for her instead.
For Bang Gye, it was a family order, and with her sponsorship on the line, she absolutely couldn't refuse.
[Your ID and password are the same ones you sent me yesterday, right?]
“Okaaay….”
[And I might need to use some coins to secure the classes, is that okay? I'm thinking of using the coins you received as some reward from the entrance exam and the ones allocated by the family…. Eunsol?]
“….”
[Eunsol, are you sleeping?]
“Snore….”
[….]
Meanwhile, the timetable was arranged not by Cha Eunsol, but by the Sunhwan Chaga.
As the foremost renowned spirit arts family, they possessed the discernment as spiritists to know what classes she needed.
Therefore, Cha Eunsol could complete her course registration without lifting a finger.
“Hello….”
[Eunsol, it's me. I'm calling because registration is done. I did have to use some coins, but fortunately we got a full load.]
“Okaaay….”
[…Right, attend your classes well, and let's grab a meal next time you have time.]
“Yaaawn… Yes, sounds good….”
[Then I hope you do well in your Academy life…]
“Snore….”
[Ha, shit…]
The call abruptly ended.
Cha Eunsol didn't mind in the slightest and decided to go back to sleep.
She could still sleep a bit more.
And as had been the routine since enrollment, she was late that day as well.
* * *
Today's morning class would be held not in the Teaching Hall, but in the Dimensional Hall.
I could predict that it would take place inside an artificial Gate.
Having finished registration, I headed to the Dimensional Hall on time.
I found the classroom announced the previous day and went inside; sure enough, an artificial Gate was operating.
'A White Gate, huh.'
The White grade—the lowest difficulty level.
I stepped into the dimension emitting pure white light.
When I came to my senses, I was already standing on a sandy field.
[You have entered the Gate.]
[White: Quicksand Desert I]
'…A desert?'
Even without looking at the rising message.
Seeing the sand filling my field of vision, I knew I had been summoned to a desert.
'What are we supposed to do here?'
Were we supposed to do battle with monsters that claimed the desert as their territory?
If so, it would be an extremely tricky battle.
They knew how to use their environment, so dealing with them wouldn't be easy.
Especially worm-type monsters that ambushed from within the sand were poor matchups for swordsmen.
'I don't sense any presence….'
I spread a detection net beneath my feet.
Worm-type monsters mainly operated deep underground, making it hard to detect their presence with mana.
Therefore, to find them, I had to focus on the vibrations in the sand.
Attuning my senses to the sand's vibrations, I could discern that there were no monsters nearby.
[The clearing conditions are as follows.]
[Reach the Gate.]
The chances of monsters appearing in a White Gate were extremely low to begin with.
Just looking at the message that appeared now, I could guess this gate wasn't dangerous.
Perhaps there weren't even any monsters in this gate.
'Let's join up with the others first.'
I could get the explanation from Hong Yena.
Searching for my classmates' presence, I set out to find the meeting place.
Before long, I spotted a crowd gathered in one place.
Among them, red hair easily caught my eye.
“A-rin.”
“Ah, you're here?”
After exchanging light greetings with Min Arin, I looked for Hong Yena and Yu Noeul.
A short distance away from the students.
Seated on portable chairs, they seemed to be checking the time.
Then, after a moment, they got up and approached us.
“Did everyone succeed in registration?”
“….”
“Did anyone get a full load?”
Hong Yena scanned the students' faces and spoke amiably, but there was no response.
At this, she smiled bitterly with an expression that said she understood.
“Don't be so discouraged just because you couldn't take the classes you wanted. What's past is past, so you need to brush it off and think about the future. It's not like your life is over because you failed at this. It's okay, these things happen. That's life. Besides, there's an adjustment period next week to begin with, so if you're lucky, you might be able to grab some spots then, right?”
“Yes, that's right, kids. Don't be too upset like Instructor Yena said. Cheer up, everyone! The sun will rise again tomorrow, won't it?”
Hong Yena and Yu Noeul comforted the students to lighten the mood.
I fully agreed.
Rather than regretting the past, it was better to focus on what lay ahead.
I believe the past exists not for us to wallow in, but to reflect and introspect to gain the driving force to move forward.
'Life really is about coins.'
So there was no need to be depressed.
There would be other opportunities.
I silently cheered for a bright future for the students who had failed registration.
Then, I felt Min Arin staring intently at me from beside me.
“Why? Is there something on my face?”
“Your face looks like it's saying 'As long as it's not me.'”
“You're seeing it that way because you're thinking that. Sorry, but could you not treat me as the same kind of person as you?”
“What? What do you mean the same kind of person as me? Are you insulting me right now?”
Min Arin might not have realized it.
But while the students were being comforted, I hadn't missed her lips twitching.
Considering her personality, she had no doubt felt a sense of superiority over the students who had failed registration.
She tried to deny it, but lies didn't work on me.
I was also stopped by Hong Yena.
“Dogyeonu, Min Arin. Are you going to keep talking? Keep it up if you want a demerit.”
“No, I'm sorry. I won't do it.”
“S-sorry….”
Min Arin, who cared about her grades, shot me a brief glare and didn't argue further.
Meanwhile, Hong Yena, who had scolded us, soon began the lesson.
“Today's class will be about assessing your mana manipulation abilities in this desert. See the lines on the ground?”
Hong Yena pointed in one direction with her finger.
In the middle of the desert, white bricks shaped like pavement blocks were lined up in a row.
They didn't appear to be products of the gate; she seemed to have made them with magic.
“That's the starting line.”
“….”
“You need to make a round trip from there to that hill where the gate is.”
In the direction Hong Yena pointed this time, the gate was located.
I examined the starting line and the gate, estimating the distance by eye.
I figured it was roughly 3 kilometers.
A round trip would be about 6 kilometers.
'Is it just a simple round trip?'
It was when I was thinking that.
Hong Yena spoke up as if she had read my mind.
“Of course, I don't mean for you to simply reach it. Would I really tell students who enrolled in the Academy to merely make a round trip of that distance? Even an ordinary person could do that if they simply set their mind to it.”
“….”
“I told you from the start that you'd be utilizing your mana control abilities. You must manifest the mana within your body throughout your entire being, maintain that state continuously, and reach the location of the Gate. It sounds easy when you hear it, right? I'll show you the rest as a demonstration. Instructor Yunoeul.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
“Please give them a demonstration.”
“Yes.”
Yunoeul, who had been standing behind Hong Yena with her hands clasped in a demure posture, answered when her name was called.
She then smiled brightly and followed the order without a word of complaint.
“In today's class, we will be checking only your pure mana control ability as it manifests in the body. Since the lesson will be highly active, dress comfortably. Take off your shoes so that the soles of your feet can touch the sand. Instructor Noeul.”
“Yes, Instructor. Shall I take them off?”
“Please do.”
“Yes.”
Suddenly unfastening a button, Yunoeul slipped off her black suit jacket.
Now wearing only a white dress shirt on top, she pulled her feet from her boots, then carefully reached under her skirt and lowered her stockings.
“Hup.”
“….”
The stocking caught on her thigh.
Without panicking, she slowly rolled the stocking caught on her thigh and pulled her legs out one by one.
‘…So she was wearing stockings.’
Are they transparent? No, apricot-colored?
The world of women truly seems amazing.
It almost feels like watching magic.
I had been thinking they were bare legs; I never imagined she would be wearing stockings.
Furthermore, the fact that the skin tone revealed as she took off the stockings was subtly different was also a shock to me.
Doesn't that mean the legs I had known all this time might not have actually been legs?
‘What am I even saying.’
Something… something had been something.
I could no longer believe myself.
My mind was in turmoil at the suspicion that what I had known all this time might actually have been false.
So I've been deceived all this time.
Though I don't particularly hate it….
It's complicated, really.
‘Women are scary.’
They say people feel fear toward the unknown which they cannot understand, and to me, women seem to be exactly that kind of existence.
Women are the unknown; they are terror.
‘Maybe even the Haneul's legs I've seen all this time weren't real either….’
When did Haneul start wearing them?
Was it since entering middle school?
Surely not from before that….
No, should I say she puts them on?
At this rate, I'll become completely paranoid.
It would be better for my peace of mind to ask her directly later.
Haneul, were you deceiving me?
That aside.
‘Is that a disposable item….’
As I watched Yunoeul roughly fold the disheveled stockings and stuff them into her boots.
I was briefly submerged in curiosity.
It was something I had been curious about since my past life.
To me, it seemed that after a single use, the elasticity would drop and they would sag like just now, so I questioned whether they could really be reused.
Even if they could be reused, I wondered how you would wash them.
‘Come to think of it, they seem to sell them like disposable items at convenience stores….’
If they are disposable, do you throw them away after wearing them once and buy new ones?
I don't know how much stockings cost, but that in itself would be a drain on the wallet, and moreover, environmental pollution.
Either way, it's a profound problem.
No answer came no matter how much I thought about it.
‘I'll ask Haneul later.’
If I rack my brains any more than this, I'll only waste my mental energy in vain.
I decided to stop thinking at this point and listen to the rest of the explanation.
By then, Yunoeul, who had stepped on the starting line, was waiting for Hong Yena's instructions.
“Since each person's internal mana quantity differs, I'll leave the amount you manifest externally up to your discretion. Instead, you must be able to manifest it evenly from your entire body. I'm telling you not to concentrate too much on specific parts, or too little. Instructor Yunoeul.”
“Yes. Kids, you have to do it like this.”
Yunoeul manifested her internal mana.
The mana that rose like blue smoke seemed to billow around her before quickly coalescing and wrapping evenly around her body.
It was an incredibly clean manifestation to the point where not a trace of leaking mana could be seen.
“You must maintain that state until you reach the Gate. Don't run, walk.”
“One, two, one, two, one….”
“….”
Yunoeul began to set foot upon the fine sand lightly and gracefully.
Where she passed us, faint footprints were left behind.
‘Walk while maintaining that state….’
It was a task requiring considerable concentration.
The sense to control and distribute mana output was also indispensable.
Unlike when I first heard the explanation, it didn't seem so easy.
On the other hand, I couldn't shake the thought that it was a bit sloppy.
‘There are around 50 students in the class. Can two people, the Witch and Instructor Noeul, watch all of us?’
Impossible.
No matter how excellent a magician Hong Yena was, she couldn't observe the manifestation state of all students simultaneously in detail.
In the end, it had to be left to each individual's conscience.
It was then that she opened her mouth.
“You probably think it'll be fine if your internal mana falters midway? Unfortunately, the sand in this desert is not ordinary sand. Instructor Noeul, if you please.”
“Yeees—.”
“If a change occurs in the state of manifested internal mana….”
“Kyaaah! Wh-what is this? Guys, help your instructor—.”
“….”
“That's what will happen.”
The ground beneath Yunoeul's feet, which had been stepping steadily across the desert barefoot, suddenly gave way deeply.
A patch of quicksand appeared out of nowhere, and she fell into it.
We lost our words watching her hands gradually sink beneath the sand.
But no one stepped forward to save her.
Because we could tell it was an act from Hong Yena's nonchalant attitude, and Yunoeul's scream lacking any tension.
Soon, Hong Yena drew their attention.
“As you can see, the sand in this Gate has the property of reacting to mana. It doesn't react to the faint mana exhaled while breathing, but it definitely reacts to mana wrapped around the entire body. And if a change occurs in mana distribution, the sand you step on transforms into quicksand. This way, I don't need to watch each of you individually.”
“….”
“Until class ends today, you will attempt this over and over again. Ultimately… I hope you can reach the Gate without making a single mistake.”
Though Hong Yena spoke as if it were no big deal.
We, who had realized the true nature of the sand, could by no means take it lightly.
It seemed we would have to be quite careful.
“Then hurry up and take off your shoes.”
* * *
Honestly, when I heard the explanation, it didn't seem necessary to go out of my way to take off my shoes.
The point was to manifest internal mana evenly anyway.
So if we could just manifest mana evenly while wearing shoes, it wouldn't be much of a problem.
It was something any student who enrolled in Geumgang Academy could do easily.
To this, Hong Yena added an explanation.
“You tend to think of your feet vaguely as a lump. You see your feet and shoes as one, and when manifesting mana, you imagine wrapping your shoes rather than your feet. Naturally, there are limits to controlling mana more precisely that way. Is there anyone among you who has observed their own feet in detail?”
“….”
“As expected, it seems no one has. You may not know this, but the foot, which makes up only 2% of the human body, is an organ designed to support the remaining 98%. Yet don't you find it a shame that you perceive your own feet merely lumped together in the shape of shoes?”
“….”
“The fundamental reason I'm telling you to manifest mana barefoot is here. Let this be an opportunity to perceive your feet in detail. Don't try to manifest it vaguely; take care down to each individual toe and manifest more precisely. The same goes for your fingers. I won't ask you to be aware down to each strand of hair, but try to be aware of as many parts as possible.”
Magic works by ‘persuading’ the principles of the world through the combination of mana and imagination.
A phenomenon that originally could not exist deceives the will of the world into allowing it to exist, thereby becoming realized in the world.
Therefore, to perfectly realize magic, one must raise its persuasiveness accordingly, and to do that, the imagination forming the basis of magic needed to be more concrete.
It was only fitting that she, who had risen high as a magician and was called by the epithet of the Seven-Colored Witch, emphasized the importance of the feet.
“And many nerves are distributed in the soles of your feet, just like your palms. If you walk across the desert barefoot, remembering the sensation of the sand, it will help you maintain balance.”
Once Hong Yena had spoken that far.
No one remained who questioned her lesson.
The students showed signs of understanding and began taking off their boots.
I too understood her intentions and quickly stepped barefoot onto the desert.
I placed my boots with socks inside to one side and tried to stand at the starting line.
Then, Min Arin called out to me.
She was still wearing her boots.
“Hey, Do Gyeonu.”
“What? You're not taking yours off?”
“How do you expect us to take them off when you guys might peep?”
“Ah.”
Min Arin snorted.
Only then did I look around and realize that only the male students had taken off their boots.
The female students had gathered behind her and were standing around awkwardly.
It looked as if she had become the representative of the female students.
‘Well, I suppose that makes sense.’
Min Arin was the class representative.
It wasn't strange at all that the female students followed her.
And in that sense, it was a natural flow that I, the vice representative, had become like the representative of the male students.
“I wish you'd tell the guys to turn around so the girls can take off their shoes.”
“Yeah, got it.”
It wasn't a difficult request.
I told the male students around me to turn around.
No one defied me, a member of the Divine Sword Sect.
A few people seemed disappointed, but the male students all turned around in unison.
“You stay behind them and keep watch. Don't turn around until I say it's okay.”
“Got it, I got it.”
“If you turn around… I really won't let it slide.”
“I won't turn around, so hurry up and take them off.”
I turned around as well.
I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination, but I felt Min Arin's gaze on my back.
Rustle.
Soon, I could hear rustling sounds from behind.
Occasionally, I could hear Min Arin and the female students conversing.
“Ah, this means I have to take off my spats and put them back on. What a hassle….”
“Should I just wear my spats? I don't think we need to wear skirts.”
“It's not just us, the guys are right here too, you know?”
“Ugh… It feels a bit empty after taking them off.”
“I like it. The breeze feels nice and cool?”
“Oh my… Look at her. What are you wearing right now? You're bolder than you look….”
“What do you mean what… I can wear what I want. I wear it because it's pretty, okay?”
“….”
…How long do I have to stand like this?
I decided to pay as little attention as possible to the sounds coming from behind, and gazed at the desert horizon together with the male students.
‘I feel like I've become a cactus or something.’
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss