Philips Academy Andover offers over 400 different subjects.
Among them, there are a few bombastic subjects that you should absolutely avoid.
Those would be ‘Advanced Theoretical Aura Studies’ and ‘Magic Duel Practice.’
[Advanced Theoretical Aura Studies – 6/15]
[Recommended Prerequisites: Basics of Theory of Aura Studies, Epistemology, Phenomenology, Existential Philosophy]
[Magic Duel Practice – 15/15]
[Recommended Prerequisites: None]
First of all, even if a student wants to take Advanced Theoretical Aura Studies, they often can’t.
You have to first complete a boring philosophy course at the 3rd Grade university level, which serves as a Great Wall-level barrier.
It’s said by upperclassmen that if you don’t memorize at least five philosophy papers per class, it’s tough to keep up.
Next is Magic Duel Practice.
Every time there’s a S.T.A.Y. sound, it seems to gain popularity among the academy freshmen.
Thinking you’ll get to meet wizards who are as popular as celebrities is a big misconception.
After just a week, students realize they’re merely serving as punching bags.
Rumors started circulating that students attending Magic Duel Practice walk to school crying every day.
Along with these bomb lectures, there were also classes strongly recommended by upperclassmen.
[Open World Engineering – 30/30]
[Recommended Prerequisites: Principles of Open World, Open World Language, AI System Design]
All the prerequisites can be tackled with effort, making it an accessible class.
It can also serve as a great foundation for future college applications or job opportunities.
[Winter Semester: 1/06 ~ 3/28]
After the long or short 4-week vacation ended, a fresh breeze swept through Philips Academy.
The trial enrollment of NoName had become a given fact.
At this point, there might be people who don’t know the president of Korea, but not a single student didn’t know NoName.
A genius rare in human history, a living history machine.
Before the semester started, there were deep discussions about what classes NoName would choose.
Students entered their chosen classrooms with inflated expectations.
“Guys, look over there! She’s coming towards our building!”
“Could she be coming for Latin class?”
“She’s probably already mastered Latin, why would she take such a class? It must be for our Greek Literature class, no doubt.”
The building, ‘Pearson Hall’, the oldest at Philips Academy, was bustling with students and teachers.
Everyone eagerly pulled out their phones to record the moment.
In the center of all the attention stood a small girl.
Her black twin tails danced in the cold winter wind.
The star of the rumors, NoName.
“Look at NoName, total explosion of cuteness!”
“How can someone so small be this adorable? How old is she?”
“9 years old. We can count her age on two hands.”
“That being itself is the mystery of the world.”
Among the murmurs, people detailed NoName’s features.
Not even reaching the height of an adult’s chest, her small head looking like it could vanish at any moment, and her hair so long it nearly touched the ground—these became NoName’s trademarks.
Did she feel pressured by the crowd’s high whispers?
NoName picked up her pace toward the building.
“But why is she covering her mouth with her hand?”
That question was quickly resolved.
“Hic! Hoo hoo… Sorry, excuse me. Hic!”
The cute girl’s hiccups echoed endlessly from her little throat.
Her backpack bobbed along with her occasional shoulder movements.
The animal-shaped keychains on her bag jingled with ding ding sounds.
Witnessing an overdose of cuteness, students couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.
Finally entering the building, the brief commotion subsided.
Before long, a post popped up in the academy community.
[(New) Guys, guess who just sat next to me!!!!!]
(picture.jpg)
Oh my god. I’ve lived for this day!
Is it real that Name No is sitting right next to me?
Check out her cute animal keychains! It’s a ratel and a snake! So, so, so cute!
I gotta go get her autograph now, bye!
[Comments]
– To be 1 in 300, you’re really lucky.
– What class is it?
└ Looks like it’s written on the blackboard.
– Advanced Theoretical Aura Studies? Ugh…
– You can’t meet NoName without being crazy.
– You really picked the most minor subject among the minors.
– What’s she like in real life?
└ She’s just a total baby. The cutest baby in the world.
└ Did you see NoName too?
└ Yeah. I saw her when she went into Pearson Hall.
└ The teachers went wild, it was hilarious. LOL
– Can’t she just come to our Calculus class, please?
└ If it’s NoName, I bet she finished Calculus at 3 years old, right?
– Teach me the secret to getting smart like NoName.
└ You just gotta be trapped in a capsule since birth and study and play games.
└ Yikes, capsule confinement studying sounds scary…
*
Just before stepping into the 2nd floor Advanced Theoretical Aura Studies classroom, I circulated aura in my diaphragm and lungs.
Finally stopping my hiccups, I fixed my hair and opened the classroom door.
1 minute until Professor Angelina Hope’s Advanced Theoretical Aura Studies lecture began.
I wasn’t late, but I certainly didn’t arrive too early either.
However, there were only one teacher and five students in the classroom.
Is it normal to arrive late here?
“NoName student, welcome! You can sit anywhere you like.”
The classroom was as cramped as my living room.
In the center, there was one massive circular desk.
I dropped my bag in a suitable place to escape the strong sunlight pouring in through the windows.
“Huh…!”
“Huh?”
The girl next to me with a braided hairstyle flinched, shaking her body.
Wondering what I did wrong, I squinted, and she waved her hands dismissively.
“It’s nothing. I’m just amazed.”
“Oh, nice to meet you.”
“Me too! Heehee!”
“Alright, since NoName has arrived, let me introduce myself. I’m Angelina Hope, and I have a PhD in Philosophy and Theory of Aura Studies. I’ve been teaching Theory of Aura Studies at Philips Academy for 5 years, and I have a feeling this semester will be quite special, especially since we have a special guest.”
Professor Hope pointed at me.
In a circular table, everyone could see me just by turning their heads slightly.
Feeling the concentrated gaze, I shyly bowed my head.
So this class only has six people in total, huh?
“In Korea, students are called Na-me, is that right?”
“Yes, you can call me however you like.”
“Got it. Welcome again, Na-me. May I ask why you chose to attend Theory of Aura Studies? It’s just a casual question, so feel free to answer as you like.”
Honestly, I hadn’t given it much thought when I signed up.
But three days ago, the food-loving Erichiton suddenly mentioned Seol-ah and vanished into the Imaginary World.
When I checked, other erosions were the same.
The erosions all seemed to know about Seol-ah’s existence.
I continued to lucid dream to meet other erosions.
It was always the same; I was rejected by the erosions that were unsympathetic to me.
Thus, the need to confirm the form of the erosion currently existing in my body arose.
I absorbed erosions into me like I did with the past persona, Paisi.
So, just like how engram cells store a person’s ‘memory,’ erosions must also be stored somewhere in non-visible forms.
But if it’s not in my body and instead stored in specific magic I used, then I’ll have a headache figuring that out.
Searching through the Akashic Records would take ages, and how many spells do I even know?
I nodded my head once up and down and answered the professor.
“There’s no unknown or mystery in aura. I was drawn here due to the grand premise of Theory of Aura Studies.”
*
“Plucking a hidden talent is a saying that applies even in the distant land of America.”
At Philips Academy, Na-me’s fame quickly spread.
On school communities, within a day, stories about her started pouring in like crazy.
[Free Board]
[I’ve never seen such an elaborate external manifestation in my life.]
Do you know how high your external manifestation can go when maximized?
Today, during the Epistemology chapter, we tried to create the most delicate shapes we could with our auras.
Seeing NoName not making anything next to me, I asked what she was doing.
To that, she suddenly stretched out her right hand and suggested we shake hands?
Simultaneously, her left hand came out too, asking to shake this hand as well.
But then, out of nowhere, another right hand emerged from underneath the desk?
I freaked out and yelled like crazy.
Turns out the first hand I shook was an arm manifested through external manifestation.
NoName is just playing in a different league from us.
[Comments]
– External manifestation appears transparent, right?
– Capturing a shape isn’t easy at all.
– Is it really that hard to tell them apart?
└(Author): I honestly have no clue where her arms connect to. I just imagine both are hanging from her right shoulder.
– This is straight-up a horror movie, LOL
└ I would’ve fainted if it happened to me.
– This is why talented ones are…
– It’s not that hard a concept. We acquire various perceptions about the world through sensory organs, but we can’t know whether these perceptions accurately reflect what exists in the world or not. Instead, if we grasp specific mathematical relationships established among experiential perceptions, we can deduce that these relationships reflect the causes of what exists in the world and triggers our perceptions, just like a mirror.
└ The ‘invasive species’ from Korea has been caught.
└ What are you doing here, NoName? LOL
└ Looks like someone hit the character limit.
└ One, two, three, go NoName!
└ Uh… does my identity show up? I thought the academy community was all anonymous.
└ LOL
└ Aww, too cute! LOL
“What on earth did they recognize me by?”
Preparing for the Magic Duel Practice class, Na-me checked the community briefly.
She looked puzzled, not understanding why people were laughing.
“Next, NoName!”
“Yes!”
Na-me quickly turned off her phone and trotted over to where the professor was calling.
Even in winter, small footsteps were etched into the well-maintained grass.
“Finally coming out. Look, this friend came all the way to America to defeat us after conquering Korea.”
The Magic Duel Practice professor placed a hand on Na-me’s shoulder and declared.
“Wait? I never said that…”
“Do you think you’re stronger than this friend?”
Swish-
At once, all 14 students raised their hands high.
In an instant, Na-me’s expression stiffened.
The professor smiled widely and asked Na-me again.
“NoName, what do you see in them?”
Magic Duel Practice consists of 1 professor, 1 student, and 14 punching bags.
As Na-me crushed the grass with her feet, she casually replied.
“They all look like adorable punching bags.”
