Chapter 8. Practical Class
The afternoon class was practical training.
Perhaps because the boring morning theory class was over, the other cadets looked excited.
"Finally, our first practical training."
"Sitting all morning made my body stiff. I couldn't stand it."
The massive training ground was split in half—one side for melee fighters and the other for marksmen.
In this training, mages are also included with the marksmen.
"Form up with melee fighters to my left, marksmen to my right. Mages among the marksmen, come behind me."
Instructor Kim Jinhyuk appeared and divided the students according to their specialties.
Since I was a mage, I naturally went behind Kim Jinhyuk.
But, on my way there, someone grabbed me by the nape of my neck.
"The melee group will be divided again by weapon type, so wait here for a moment… Hmm, Cadet Lee Hoyun? Looks like you didn't listen properly. Only mages among the marksmen should come behind me. You should go to the left."
"What? But I'm a mage."
"What are you talking about? Your application to Victoria Academy says you're a swordsman. You even submitted records showing you trained with a sword consistently before admission."
What the hell is this?
In the game, the specialty you choose here determines your future path.
And the default is a swordsman? Seriously, then why give me the [Mana Sensitivity] perk? Should've given me something like [Swordmaster's Talent] instead. Unbelievable.
There's no helping it. I already resolved not to fight up close against villains and I seem to have talent for magic, so I have to switch now.
"Actually, after seriously considering my future, I concluded that being a mage is the right path for me."
"The paperwork was submitted last month, and the entrance ceremony was just a few days ago. When exactly did you have time to seriously consider anything?"
"…"
"Sigh. Fine. Talk to the supervising instructor. If they approve, I won't say anything more."
"Yes, thank you."
I managed to slip behind Kim Jinhyuk.
"What's that kid's deal? I thought they were smart, but maybe they're just off their rocker."
"I dunno. Maybe they awakened as a mage?"
"Awakened? A first-year cadet? Not even active hunters awaken that easily."
"I'd believe it more if they said they just wanted to see Professor Im Sol."
"Isn't that actually their goal? Haha."
I heard a lot of chatter about me from behind.
For context, "awakening" refers to a phenomenon experienced by skilled professional hunters, where their abilities evolve to a higher level.
It's usually the result of extensive training, practical experience, or fierce battles.
Very rarely, some people awaken based purely on talent.
Like the professor they just mentioned—Im Sol. She awakened while just doing research in her room, with no formal training or practical combat experience.
And soon, though it hasn't happened yet, Moon Surin will awaken while still a cadet, causing a huge sensation.
Later, that record will be broken again by the current freshmen… but that's not important right now.
Anyway, we headed to the training grounds in our respective groups.
"Finally, magic training. I've been waiting for this day."
"I've always wanted to learn from Professor Im Sol. I'm so excited I might lose my mind."
Professor Im Sol, the magic instructor.
Known as a genius mage of her time, she accepted the academy's offer when the dean promised unlimited funding and materials for her research.
There's a rumor that 30% of the academy's budget goes to Im Sol, but her value exceeds even that.
In the game, she was a popular character—pretty and charming, though not a heroine.
Once all the cadets had gathered, Professor Im Sol lifted her head from her book.
"Huh? Oh? When did you all get here?"
Tap, tap.
Im Sol stood up, brushing off her pants as she walked toward us.
"One, two, three… Hmm. The numbers don't match the list I received. What's going on?"
"I was added today. I gave my future career some deep thought and…"
"Oh, okay. Welcome."
I'd prepared a whole explanation, but she just accepted it. That's Im Sol for you.
She didn't become a professor out of a passion for teaching—it was more like she took the job to support her research. She doesn't slack off in her lectures, but she avoids unnecessary hassles.
"All right, let's begin training."
*
The mage training ground looked like a shooting range. We each stood in a straight row, casting magic while Im Sol walked around and observed us.
"Your mana flow is too slow. You're focusing too much on forming the spell's shape. In a real fight, you'd be dead three times over by now. Forget about perfect form."
"Your accuracy is terrible. Speed is good, but an attack only matters if it hits."
"There's no one right way to cast magic, but your spell shapes are too inefficient for combat. Stick to familiar forms like spheres or arrows."
Teaching is tough.
Im Sol had that thought after observing more than half the class.
She regretted the wasted time but knew that teaching was still less of a time-sink than taking hunter jobs to fund her research.
As a professor, she saw many students—some with immense natural talent. But even talent needs to be properly utilized.
She continued offering feedback, most of it pointless.
Until she reached the last student.
She'd heard they'd switched specialties, but she hadn't cared.
Until she saw their magic.
A fireball spell.
Spheres are the easiest form to visualize, so most beginners use them. But they're inefficient since holding mana in a spherical shape causes significant leakage.
But this cadet's sphere was different.
Unbelievable cohesion. The mana was concentrated at the very core of the sphere.
'…Is that even possible?'
A freshman with that level of control? It shouldn't be possible, yet it was happening right in front of her.
And something else felt strange. Im Sol had been active in the field for over five years, even before becoming a professor.
In that time, she'd seen every kind of mage imaginable, but she'd never seen this kind of mana manipulation before.
Most mages operate with a clear framework. But this cadet… had no framework at all.
Boom! The fireball struck the target's head dead-on. Perfect accuracy.
'If I had to pinpoint weaknesses: low mana reserves and insufficient practice.'
The slight quickening of their breath after that spell confirmed it—they were running low on mana.
"What's your name?"
"Are you talking to me?"
Seeing their profile earlier, she'd thought they were decent-looking. But up close? They were ridiculously good-looking.
"Yeah. Your control is good, your mana wavelength is stable, and you have some weak points, but you're the best of this group."
"Thank you. I'm Lee Hoyun, Class A."
Lee Hoyun. Better remember that name, just in case.
She marked a 'V' next to his name in the attendance sheet.
And in smaller letters, she wrote: 'Looks good too.'
"Anyway, since it's a class, I should give you some feedback…"
*
Whew, today's classes are finally over.
The morning theory class wasn't bad, but the afternoon practical training was definitely fun. Professor Im Sol lived up to her name, providing proper guidance.
I left the first-year lecture hall and headed toward the dormitory. Today, I plan to stop by the training center for some meditation and then study theory.
Meow~
I heard a cat's meow from between the buildings along the path to the dormitory.
There are so many buildings at the academy that I have no idea what this one is for.
I was about to walk past when I heard an oddly awkward meowing sound.
"Me... meow?"
Meow~
"Meo~w?"
A surprisingly high-level conversation was happening in the alley.
I grew curious about which amazing student was having such a dialogue with a cat.
I tiptoed quietly, craned my neck, and peeked into the alley.
Meow~
"Meow~"
Meeooow~
"Meeooow~"
Oh, they're getting better at it.
I could only see her back, but she looked like a petite female student. Who could it be?
★ Heroine Status Window
[Lucy]
- [ Affection: 2 ]
- [ Lust: 20 ]
- [ Appetite: 30 ]
- [ Fatigue: 70 ]
"Huh?"
Lucy? What the hell is Lucy doing here?
Meeooow!
"Ah! Kitty! Where are you going?!"
Damn it. I accidentally made a noise when Lucy's status window popped up, and the cat ran away.
"Ugh. Hey! Who the hell are you to scare my cat away?"
She hadn't seen my face properly yet. Should I run?
No. I should apologize like a man. That might be better.
"Hey, aren't you going to answer? Huh? You..."
"Uh, hi. I'm Lee Hoyun, from the same class as you."
"You're that pervert who fell asleep at the entrance ceremony!"
"I'm not, though."
"Not? Yeah, right. Want me to call the police?"
"Sigh. I'm really sorry. I was so nervous about the entrance ceremony that I didn't sleep at all the night before. Then I trained too hard at the training center and passed out. It was an accident."
I bowed almost 90 degrees in apology.
From my social experience, being genuinely apologetic is the most efficient approach in situations like this.
"Hmm."
"I'm really sorry!"
I felt nervous. Lucy isn't the type to hold grudges, but if things go wrong here, the future might get complicated.
"Well, okay. Honestly, it wasn't that big a deal. It was an emergency, after all."
"Thanks."
I exhaled in relief, straightening up to look at Lucy.
"But I won't accept your apology."
"What?"
"Apologize again tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yeah. I'll accept it then."
With that, Lucy turned and disappeared toward the girls' dormitory.
What the hell?
*
I left Lucy and her cryptic remark behind and headed to the mana training center.
Since the semester just started, the place was packed. People always flood places like libraries and gyms at first, then disappear after a while. Let's see how long these guys last.
Ding—
[First-Year Class A: Lee Hoyun - Entry Confirmed.]
Today, I came to the meditation room.
Meditation is the best way to increase mana reserves. I hate it, but as they say, sweat now to save blood later.
I sat comfortably in the center of the meditation room.
From the mana stone hanging from the ceiling, I could feel thick, rich mana radiating into the air.
Inhale—exhale.
I slowly took a deep breath and released it.
As I focused, I began to sense the mana around me. I needed to draw as much of it into my body as possible.
The key was to trap the escaping mana from the stone and absorb it fully. I remembered from the original game how hard this was supposed to be.
I couldn't let my focus break. I had to stay sharp and clear my mind…
[Mana has increased by 1.]
Huh?
*
I meditated for another hour, but my mana didn't increase any further.
I guess it's not that easy to raise stats.
Still, I could expect faster growth than others. Most people need a month of consistent meditation to see results, but I got results on my first day.
Is this because of [Mana Sensitivity]?
Back in my dorm room, I opened a book.
[Humanity After the First Gate and Dungeon]
Just the title was painfully boring. The book was a 1500-page monstrosity.
It meticulously documented every minor incident, making it feel more like an archive than a book.
I needed to maintain good grades.
That garbage ero-game "Sex Academy" actually had a possible expulsion ending. You could be strong and progressing well with the heroines, only to get expelled for poor grades.
Seriously, an expulsion ending in a trashy adult game? What the hell?
But if you can't avoid it, you might as well face it. I won't enjoy it, but I'll do my best.
Thanks to my [Memory Reinforcement] ability, I can perfectly remember anything I read just once.
So instead of wasting time on summaries in magazines or newspapers, I picked this book to get as much useful information as possible. I'll buy a decent reference guide later.
[It was approximately 1xx years ago when the first gate appeared on an island in the Philippines…]
Ugh, I really don't want to read this.