An awkward atmosphere swirled inside the lounge.
‘What do you mean take off something?’
I reflexively rolled my eyes. The words whispered in my ear sounded somewhat lewd.
It wasn’t wrong; the vibe was oddly strange.
The locked door I came through, and Baek Ahrin telling me to take off my clothes after shedding the thin outer garment…
‘No way, right?’
I had a passing strange thought due to the situation but quickly corrected myself.
Baek Ahrin wasn’t the type to blurt out random statements like that…
‘Was she?’
I tilted my head.
Baek Ahrin had an odd side to her. On the surface, she came off as bright and sociable, but underneath, she could show a cold temperament.
People can’t be purely one-dimensional, but she was definitely a strong contrast.
She had been treating me kindly lately, so I had forgotten, but in the original story, she had a history of stabbing the player in the back.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, I found myself instinctively stepping back.
“Ha-yul? Come here. The class is about to start, and we’re out of time.”
Baek Ahrin, just starting to unbutton her coat, tilted her head and beckoned me. The curves of her ample chest were now fully revealed from the partially lifted coat.
She sat in the middle of a long sofa, her coat resting beside her, patting the seat next to her to hurry me along.
[W-why suddenly take off clothes…?]
“Hmm? Oh, was what I said a bit weird?”
[Yeah.]
As I hesitated and asked, Baek Ahrin gasped in realization, then flashed a strangely mischievous smile.
“Don’t worry, it doesn’t have any lewd meaning. It’s just that I sensed a wave of energy from you.”
[Wave of energy?]
“Yes, it seems you used ‘Changhae’ before coming here?”
I had. I calmed down Gop-hwa, who had been in a frenzy with it before arriving here.
[How did you know?]
What surprised me was something different.
It wasn’t like she had witnessed the manifestation like last time; she sensed the residual traces left behind. Plus, I had cleared those traces with my affinity for magical energy. Even a sensing ability should’ve missed it, right?
[Do you have a sensing ability too, Baek Ahrin?]
“Nope! I just felt it with my magical perception.”
[How can you sense it like a normal ability…?]
“I’m not quite sure about that… Oh, wait.”
Just as I was pondering over it, Baek Ahrin suddenly clapped her hands.
“I didn’t sense it with others, but yours was particularly strong, Ha-yul.”
[Really? Mine?]
“Yes, yes! For some reason, it felt like I had a sense of kinship. If you look closely, you can feel it distinctly.”
‘Kinship… Kinship feeling?’
I subconsciously managed my expression. Although it was just a guess, a reason briefly flashed in my mind.
The Changhae I used is a mimicry through kinship. Gop-hwa settled within me and became my own uniqueness, but Changhae was merely a temporary imitation.
Imitation means emulating something else.
The Changhae I implemented was based on Baek Ahrin’s Changhae.
‘Could it be the original feels the imitation better…’
That was an unexpected issue. It was just a speculation, but it seemed right. After all, it makes sense that a derived imitation would show similarities to the original.
“I’ll help you collect it. Though the traces are faint and hard to detect, I wouldn’t want you to get caught outside and have a fuss.”
[I can manage it myself.]
“Is that why you keep trailing behind? Come on! Class is about to start!”
[But…]
“Oh, come on! Is ‘Baek Ha-yul’ going to act spoiled again? What a nice boy!”
[I’m not Baek!]
We tussled for a while.
Eventually, due to the insistence that class was starting soon and a little threat about ‘Baek Ha-yul,’ I slowly approached Baek Ahrin.
She smiled brightly as she sat me down next to her and gently lifted the hem of my shirt.
Then she placed her palm on my stomach. Her cool and soft palm covered my belly and began to press and rub.
– Ugh…
My body jerked unexpectedly. Baek Ahrin’s magical power began to gently sort out the Changhae energy, tapping at my center.
[Must it be done this way, with your hand on my stomach?]
“Because the chest and stomach are more efficient. It’s also comfortable when injecting and manipulating magic. Didn’t Yeon-hwa explain it to you?”
[I did hear it, but it tickles…]
“It’ll be over soon, just hold on a bit, Baek Ha-yul?”
[I’m not Baek!]
[Ugh!]
[Please don’t press that hard…]
“Ah? Did it hurt? Hmm… Should I give you something to hold on to?”
[No!]
The silence was punctuated by awkward noise.
As I entered the lecture hall with Baek Ahrin, countless eyes shot toward us.
The gazes were noticeably different from earlier.
When we first walked in, there was a sense of awkwardness, but now the alternating glances between me and Baek Ahrin were filled with curiosity.
– What were they doing just now?
– I don’t know, but someone said they went into the lounge? They even locked the door…
– Oh my!
Once seated in silence, I overheard snippets of conversation around me.
Whispers filled the air, sounding almost like a small buzz. It was a level of sound that wouldn’t reach ears unless one hovered closely to those around them.
But to me, it was clear. Even if I didn’t have to hear it, I could read the atmosphere using observational skills.
‘So this is how rumors spread…’
My expression involuntarily soured. That’s how rumors most likely spread.
Of course, considering the people involved, such as Hong Yeon-hwa or Baek Ahrin, no one would dare talk carelessly.
No one would want a letter in their mailbox stating, “We are from such-and-such lineage, and you better come running, or else.”
But being at the scene where these rumors were being fabricated felt quite strange.
That said, there was no way I could just stomp over and tell them to shut up.
I restrained my expression and quietly downloaded the lecture materials.
“Welcome to the first lecture of this semester, ‘Practical Workshop Creation.’ Due to various circumstances, it started a bit late compared to other courses, but there will be no disruptions to our progress.”
‘Practical Workshop Creation.’ As the name suggests, this class revolves around a wizard’s workshop.
“You’ve probably read the syllabus, but allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Professor Friedrich Herman. I worked as a senior hero on the African Demonic Realm front before retirement. Although I’m retired now, I stand here to share the knowledge and experiences I gathered during that time.”
The professor on stage had a rugged appearance.
His stiff expression, tone, and the thick muscles bulging under his robe clearly revealed he’d once been a soldier.
Despite trying to tone it down, the aura he exuded confirmed that he had indeed been active on the front lines.
“This course will be mostly practical. Evaluations will also be based similarly. As there are other excellent lectures focusing on theoretical aspects, I’ll primarily teach how to construct workshops and tactics to use them in real situations.”
In the first semester’s ‘Basic Magical Theory (Ⅰ),’ we learned about workshops, but that was heavily theoretical. It was merely a glance at rudimentary theories with barely any practical application.
This course, on the other hand, is centered around actual practice. That’s why it isn’t run by a theoretical professor but by one who rolled through the frontlines before retiring.
‘Even though there is a lot of workshop knowledge in the Tower of Knowledge, it’s still a better idea to learn the basics first.’
Workshops are an essential skill for any wizard. But I hadn’t really constructed a large workshop.
I didn’t have the basic skill to build a workshop in the first semester.
By the time I could handle a workshop, for various reasons, I didn’t have the conditions to construct one.
Instead of spending time and effort making a shabby workshop, I could just gain its effects through spatial powers.
Even if I built one, its output would likely be weaker than Gop-hwa or Baek Ahrin’s, with speed and efficiency falling short compared to elemental magic…
Most importantly, there were no situations to use it.
I hadn’t even had a chance to defend my workshop.
But that doesn’t mean it won’t be needed in the future. If I’m planning to learn magic, it would be foolish to avoid learning workshop creation.
“Now, let’s begin the lecture.”
The professor looked around the room, making eye contact with each of the students.
He briefly flinched upon seeing my partially closed eyes, but given the reputation that spread about me, he didn’t make too big of a deal of it.
At the start of the semester, many professors questioned whether I’d be okay, but now, that kind of concern seemed to have faded. What a nostalgic feeling.
– Humming…
The desks in front of the students began to activate.
Magical energy flowed into the desks. The engraved magic formula activated, and soon a hologram suddenly appeared above the desk.
Unlike the usual lettered chalkboard format, it was a translucent square hologram.
“In this session, we will deal with the basics of workshop foundation creation. This hologram is an auxiliary device to help in workshop creation. Keep in mind that it’s a function to be used only when unfamiliar with workshop creation.”
Thus, the lecture began.
True to the title ‘Practical,’ we started constructing workshops alongside theory.
As I occasionally glanced around, everyone was moving their hands in the hologram, happily drawing and inserting magical formulas.
Magic activates when magical energy imbues the formulas. Depending on the formulas, different magic activates, and the higher the magical level, the more bizarre and complex the formulas become.
Workshops are a technique that requires various formulas to be pieced together like a puzzle. Not just one or two, but you need to mix in hundreds of them.
Simply jamming things in by instinct isn’t enough. Hundreds of formulas need to fit in precisely.
Otherwise…
– Crash!
“Agh…”
Just like that, a hologram crashed down.
One student’s hologram turned entirely red, and then—BANG—some of the carefully arranged formulas collapsed. The student’s face scrunched up in utter dismay. He was clearly one of those first-year students who had already destroyed his foundation several times.
In fact, most first-year students were struggling similarly, looking utterly flustered.
In contrast, second-year and above students were already executing their workshop designs with a degree of familiarity.
“You got the foundation’s axis wrong. Setting it there could cause the protection spells to conflict, leading to a collapse during emergencies.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“The axis’s positioning depends on the zone in which the workshop will be set up…”
The professor pointed out the issues and solutions to the students’ mistakes.
Thus, while guiding the inefficient first-year students, the professor’s next target was me.
“Hm…”
Walking towards me, the professor examined my hologram with a focused expression. Just when I thought he was concentrating, his eyes flickered in surprise.
“The axis, outskirts, coordination, and protection spells are all working perfectly, and the counter-attack settings are well done too. Excellent!”
[Thank you.]
I nodded calmly at the professor’s praise.
Despite appearances, I was someone with the affinity for magical energy. It was naturally expected.
Of course, with my current magic level, I couldn’t inflict significant damage on a two-headed serpent or a round two enemy…
Anyway, eventually, all the students managed to establish a rudimentary workshop.
There were various flaws and awkwardness, but they were at least starting to solidify small workshops.
“Now, let’s conduct performance experiments for the workshops. Pair up for attack and defense.”
At the professor’s words, the students glanced around, searching for partners. Many gazes fell on me, mostly from those wanting to befriend me.
Most paired up with those they were familiar with, while others were awkwardly scanning the room, hinting they didn’t have anyone specific.
“Tsk….”
The person next to me was in a similar predicament.
With neatly combed back hair and a stiff, chiseled face, he couldn’t seem to find a partner.
I casually checked his name tag.
A first-year, like me, with the color green.
‘Baize Dietrich.’
I recognized the name. I knew it not from observation but from the original story.
He was a main character of sorts. Though not at the level of Hong Yeon-hwa or Baek Ahrin, he had plenty of potential to shine in the future.
Connected deeply with the ‘Foolish Counter-Magic’ plotline in the fifth round.
Later, he would become a ‘Wise Mage’ and a certified mage of the Magic Association.
I stood up, dragging my chair with a squeak, and walked over to him, tapping him on the shoulder.
[Hey, want to team up with me?]
“…Huh? Me, with you?”
Baize looked flabbergasted, repeating my words incredulously.
– Silence.
At that moment, the surrounding atmosphere fell silent.
As I scanned my surroundings, I realized everyone was staring at me, pretending not to.
“Whoa.”
An odd sound escaped. Baek Ahrin, who had drawn near, widened her eyes and covered her mouth with both hands.
“Wait, are you ditching already?”
[No!]
“Ah! No hitting, please~ This is domestic violence~”
I chased after Baek Ahrin, who was teasingly brandishing a wand from her spatial pocket.
*
[Unique ability ‘Magical Affinity’ is growing.]
…
[Player buff system: Affection level]
Lee Ha-yul → Baek Ahrin
●●●●●●●○○○(74▷75/100)
‘Cold,’ ‘Refreshing,’ ‘Affinity,’ ‘Question,’ ‘Confusion,’ ‘Milk cow?’, ‘Mischievous.’
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