After the entrance ceremony, I went straight to the dormitory’s training room.
Today, I planned to apply ‘Selection and Concentration’ to my mana sensitivity.
I’ll break down the mana energy generated by Schlus’s internal circuits into mana to enhance my body…
In theory, it’s perfect.
But since it involves handling mana energy, I couldn’t help but feel tense.
Last time, I almost died from just a tiny drop of mana.
“Ha. Let’s give it a try.”
I dressed in a thin short-sleeve shirt to avoid making a mess, even if I ended up bleeding.
‘Selection and Concentration. Use it on mana sensitivity.’
The time limit is 3 seconds.
Before the 3 seconds are up, I hurriedly started channeling mana into the internal circuit.
Then, amidst some loud *bang*, my whole body felt hot.
Basically, the internal circuit’s role is to break down mana into mana.
That broken-down mana circulates through the circuit, evenly distributing throughout my body to enhance it.
Depending on the form, it can strengthen physical strength or flexibility, among other differences.
But the complexly intertwined internal circuit of Schlus barely functions to break down mana, producing only a massive amount of mana energy due to strong resistance.
Even if I break the mana down, the amount is almost equivalent.
But if I break down mana energy, it roughly increases by 1000 times.
This is fundamentally why Majins are so strong. It’s a level that human-level mana sensitivity can never reach.
“Grrrr…!”
Amidst the intense pain spreading throughout my body, I felt the mana rising up.
Just before the 3-second time limit ended, I stopped the circuit’s operation.
No more mana was charging, but I still felt power surging through my entire body.
Does the broken-down mana remain even after stopping the circuit?
“Hah!”
I decided to test it by running around the training room.
As I sliced through the air, my fist hit the wall on the opposite side, barely making it.
I never thought I’d get so fast that controlling it would be difficult…
*Boom!*
When I punched the punch bag, it burst with a loud *pop*.
Compared to bursting Iskandal’s head last time, it was significantly weaker, but it was still undeniably beyond human strength.
“Haah…”
The sensation of lightness from mana faded after about 5 minutes.
After that, I returned to my originally weak state.
Five minutes. In that short time, I could possess physical abilities rivaling those of a high-level knight.
If I used ‘Selection and Concentration’ on strength or agility, I could project overwhelming force for 3 seconds.
But even if it’s a bit weaker, considering the 5-minute duration, using it for mana sensitivity in a situation like this can certainly be more advantageous.
“Ah…”
Warm liquid trickled down from my philtrum.
Wiping it with my hand confirmed that it was indeed a nosebleed.
Even with a high mana sensitivity stat, I couldn’t break down the mana energy 100%.
Still, I only felt a sense of powerlessness throughout my body, and this time, it wasn’t to the point of fainting like last time.
The amount of mana I channeled into the internal circuit was 100.
If I channeled all of Schlus’s maximum mana of 1000, I would become 10 times stronger…
But then the remaining mana energy would also increase by 10 times.
At that point, I’d truly be dead. I would probably never pour all my mana again.
After finishing the test, it was time for sword training.
I grabbed a wooden sword and activated ‘Memory of True Self’ to catch a glimpse of Schlus’s memories.
Once again, it was a memory of young Schlus learning swordsmanship from his father.
One hour later, as the ability ended, I felt like swordsmanship had become second nature. However, I couldn’t shake off the unpleasant feeling.
Whenever I use this ability, it feels like I’m merging with Schlus…
“Ugh. Damn…”
My right arm throbbed, and I paused for a moment.
Though I had unraveled the bandage because it looked too messy, my arm and fingers still ached.
As long as it doesn’t show signs of dislocating again, I can keep using it like this.
“Yeah. 5000 Tillion… I’ve confirmed and will send it promptly. Is there any message you would like to convey?”
“No.”
“Understood.”
After swinging my sword for another two hours, I stopped by the bank.
It was to grow the money as previously thought.
The 10,000 Tillion given as a maintenance stipend would be plenty for a month, but it’s always better to have more money.
Besides, you never know when the top position might be taken from you, so it’s wise to grow the money as much as possible.
For now, I divided the 5000 Tillion and invested in the Shayden Guild and the Holy Knights.
Both groups were set to make a major leap after an upcoming big event.
They are the best investment targets for making money in a short time.
“Hmm. Have we arrived?”
When I reached the dormitory, I found three boxes piled up in front of the main entrance.
The contents were all thick books.
It seemed my ordered books had been delivered just in time.
As the top scholar, I can borrow any book related to academics for free, so I borrowed a bunch at once.
“Ugh…”
Struggling against the weight, I managed to carry all the books to the training room after three trips.
Still, it would be nice to have an attendant.
This mansion is far too large for me to manage alone.
It would probably become a dust pit in less than three days.
I started taking out and opening the books I had piled up in a corner of the training room.
First, the basics of magic theory.
If I stayed up all night, I might reach the average level of a first-year student.
With courage, I dove in—
“What the hell is this nonsense.”
Not even after 10 minutes, I closed the book again.
It must have been translated into Korean, yet it was filled with alien jargon.
Of course, that’s expected. It was full of specialized terms I never described.
“Ugh… Tsk.”
Even trying to use ‘context’ on the words was useless. It seemed the ability only reacted to objects.
Not understanding anything, I had to pull out basic textbooks to look up the terms one by one.
So, now that I knew all the terms, did I understand it?
“No way, what the hell…”
It turned out to be even harder.
Before, I only vaguely knew it was difficult.
Now that I understand somewhat, it dawned on me that the level of difficulty exceeds my imagination.
This is a bit despairing.
I might have to retake all the subjects, let alone maintain the top position.
“Shit, that can’t happen…”
I opened the basics of magic theory once more.
Let’s see who wins today, whether it’s me or you.
At the very least, I need to prepare until the progress of the second week to barely keep up with the other kids.
It’s time to keep my head down and study until I succeed.
[Quest: Successfully activate Gravity Magic.]
[Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆]
[Reward: 1 Shop Coin]
After roughly scanning through the basic theory, I moved on to practical magic, and a quest popped up.
Gravity magic. It’s one of the most basic and easiest types of magic.
Appropriately, the difficulty is just one star.
Good. For today, let’s aim to achieve this quest.
*Ugh…*
I think I underestimated magic too much.
No matter how basic the magic is, it still is magic.
There’s a reason why magicians are rare in this world.
To cast magic, one must first intuitively understand the concept of an invisible spell…
Many people never cast magic in their lifetime simply because they can’t grasp this.
Here I am, struggling to combine this simple spell…
But as the author of this novel, I can’t afford to show the disgrace of not being able to cast any magic.
I’m sure I can use the metaphors and images I conjured when describing magic.
How many hours have I spent absorbed in this?
There’s not a single window here, so I have no way of knowing how time passes.
In any case, after immersing myself for a long time—
“Oh! I did it.”
[Quest Achieved]
[You have been awarded 1 Shop Coin.]
I became capable of activating Gravity Magic.
After reluctantly completing the spell, I channeled mana into it, causing the wooden sword on the floor to rise into the air.
But after a few seconds, the wooden sword started trembling before dropping back down.
Is 100 mana only good for a few seconds?
“Hah…”
I laid back, feeling both a sense of achievement and powerlessness.
Schlus Hainkel’s mana stat is 1. In the units used in this world, that’s 1000.
That’s tiny. Way too tiny.
The average stat is 10, so even those who can’t use magic typically have a mana amount of at least 10,000.
Moreover, those a bit strong can have 20,000 or even 30,000…
With my mana of 1000, even if I could cast magic, it would only allow me to lift a wooden sword for a few dozen seconds.
To use robust magic, it’s essential to use ‘Selection and Concentration’ on mana stats.
I keep thinking that there are way too many instances where I need to use ‘Selection and Concentration.’
Three seconds a day is simply too little; I need to find a way to increase that.
“Ah. The shop.”
Speaking of which, I heard there is a shop here.
Could there be means to enhance my abilities at the shop?
[Shop]
[You can use Shop Coins to buy items.]
[The shop activates once all stats reach 10 or above.]
“Oh, right.”
I stupidly forgot that again.
The shop won’t open until all stats exceed 10.
This is really frustrating.
By the time the shop opens, the novel’s probably nearing its climax, huh?
“Wait a minute.”
While checking the conditions for activating the shop, a clever idea popped into my head.
There’s no mention that all stats need to exceed 10 at the same time.
That means that even if I get all stats above 10 temporarily, it should count, right?
For instance, if I use ‘Selection and Concentration’ to exceed 10 for just three seconds, wouldn’t that be accepted?
“So far, I’ve raised my stats in computational power, strength, and mana sensitivity…”
Excluding the stats that already exceeded 10, the remaining ones are strength, agility, mana, and vitality—four in total.
If my hypothesis is correct, by raising these four stats over the next four days, I can unlock the shop.
Great. The seemingly impossible task of opening the shop is just four days away.
I’m curious about what kind of goods will be there.
If it’s nothing special, I might be disappointed.
*Grrr…*
“Oh no. I’m starving; I might die.”
I realized I was in a dire state of hunger after hearing my stomach growl.
Well, I hadn’t eaten anything since the morning, so of course, I was bound to be hungry.
It had been so long since I concentrated like this that I had forgotten my personality.
Whenever I lost track of time writing in front of the computer, that creature would take care of the meals for me…
Never mind. Let’s drop that subject.
“No way.”
As soon as I opened the door, a flood of light poured in.
I immediately looked up at the sky to see the sun at its zenith.
It was noon…
I’d been holed up in the training room all night and through the morning?
So, how many hours did I spend, excluding the time I stopped by the bank?
About 25 hours, I suppose?
Realizing the time made me feel even hungrier.
Since I bought groceries yesterday, I should eat something.
“Um…?”
I noticed a presence coming from the main entrance.
Thinking it might be a guest, I quickly recalled who it was.
It was a small event that happened the day after the entrance ceremony.
“Hello! I have volunteered to be the attendant for this year’s top first-year student!”
“……”
As I stepped out to the main entrance, three people were standing neatly lined up to greet me.
Yeah. That event is the selection for the first-year student attendant…
One of the candidates is someone remarkable.
“Alright, let’s all come inside.”
“Yes!”
I gazed at the woman standing on my far right, with black hair and a pure demeanor.
How could she match the image I had imagined so perfectly?
It sent chills down my spine.
“Is something on my face?”
“……No, nothing.”
Emilia Siegfried.
An operative from the Trud Kingdom’s intelligence agency and…
The younger sister of the protagonist, Hertlocker Siegfried, has arrived.
