Prologue Story

After entering third grade, the new things we learned weren’t just about the advanced magic I cared deeply about.

In third grade, the number of magic-related subjects increased significantly, with four main subjects: , , , and .

In addition to these, we also studied Korean, math, social studies, and physical education.

included more practical explanations than the previous year.

Details about magical potions and magic items were added to the textbook, and most importantly, there was an explanation of unique magic.

It covered everything from creation methods to precautions, compiling all the basics that my friends and I had learned before.

Was the school already encouraging third graders to consider creating unique magic?

The students in this school were all exceptionally talented.

It felt as though we were already being outpaced.

Yet, the skills of elementary school students, no matter how impressive, were still limited.

Our young bodies could only absorb so much magic power.

Magicians only truly became strong starting from middle school.

However, it’s human nature to want to do everything possible once you begin something.

Time passed, and the long-awaited day of the ability-based classes—so anxiety-inducing and nerve-wracking—finally arrived.

During the first period, , we were tasked with a special assignment.

What were we writing about, you ask? It was about the magic we wanted to create.

“From now on, we’ll also be learning about unique magic. Before we begin, write down the magic you’d like to create on a piece of paper. Main, sub, or auxiliary—it doesn’t matter. Just write down the magic you want to make.”

Oh, um, honestly, I was a little flustered.

I didn’t think we’d be doing something like this so soon.

I glanced at my paper and then quickly looked at In-ha.

It just so happened that In-ha was also looking at me, and our eyes met perfectly.

Sharing a mutual sense of camaraderie, we exchanged a silent connection through our gazes and then returned to focusing on our papers.

I tapped my paper with the tip of my mechanical pencil.

I had already created the magic I wanted a long time ago.

But it felt odd to just write down the magic I had already made.

What kind of magic should I write?

It would be nice to write something fitting for an elementary school student.

After a moment of thought, I recalled a magic spell I had created but had yet to use.

I moved my pencil and wrote down one spell.

『Warp』

Warp and teleportation are different.

How are they different, you ask? Warp involves spatial movement through a “path,” while teleportation is direct movement without such a path.

The magic I wanted to create leaned more towards warp.

Even among movement magic, warp, which creates and connects pathways, is far more advanced than teleportation.

I stared at the magic written on my paper and hesitated briefly.

Glancing over at In-ha, I saw that she had boldly written “Light, Lightning, Ice” in large letters on his paper.

After some thought, I erased the word “Warp” and wrote 『Spatial Movement』 instead.

Beneath it, I also added “Barrier Magic.”

I decided not to write down “Written Magic.”

I suddenly remembered my childhood when I hadn’t yet decided on the magic I wanted to create.

Illusion Magic, Space-Time Magic, and Written Magic were the ones I had envisioned with great care and deliberation.

They were crystallizations of my thoughts.

Excluding those, there weren’t many spells I both wanted to try and create.

‘Hmm….’

After some contemplation, I suddenly had an idea and exclaimed, “Ah!”

I erased “Spatial Movement” from my paper and wrote down a different magic spell.

In the end, my “magic I want to create” looked like this:

『Pocket Dimension Magic』 『Barrier Magic』 『Word Magic』

It didn’t feel right to write my real magic, so this should suffice.

Thinking back, most of the magic I wanted to create in my previous life revolved around space manipulation.

Even receiving the Pocket Dimension from the Goddess showed how much I desired a personal space.

Now, I was determined to create my own pocket dimension with Space-Time Magic.

‘I really seem to aim for the most challenging things,’ I thought to myself.

I wrote “Word Magic” as it reminded me of “Written Magic.”

Looking at the magic I had written, I felt satisfied with my choices.

“Why did you write that? Why?”

In-ha looked at my list of magic spells with curiosity.

I smiled back at her.

“Just because. I didn’t feel like writing down the real ones.”

“Is that so? Well, I guess it doesn’t matter what we write.”

“What about you? You wrote ‘Ice’ because of Auntie Suna, right?”

“Yeah. My mom’s Ice Magic is cool and beautiful, you know? I used to think I wanted to use magic like that when I was little.”

“True…”

I agreed. Auntie Suna’s magic was truly stunning, elegant, and beautiful.

Her skill with ice, amplified by wind, could easily split a mountain with a flurry of ice shards.

After checking each other’s magic, we turned our attention to Hyun-ho, who had been agonizing over his choices for a while.

It seemed he was stuck thinking about his sub-magic.

I nudged In-ha to approach him.

“Huh? Oh? What is it?”

Hyun-ho, startled, looked back at us.

We couldn’t just tell him to stop worrying, so I pointed at his paper.

Hyun-ho glanced at the teacher before showing us his paper.

‘Hmm….’

The paper was blank, with only traces of erased writing.

In-ha, sounding concerned, whispered, “Why don’t you just write something for now? If you don’t write anything, the teacher might scold you later.”

“You’re right… Then, I’ll write Water Magic for now.”

Hyun-ho managed to fill in one line with “Water Magic.”

Seeing him immediately dive back into his worries made even me feel frustrated.

A normally active kid like him being so distressed made us realize how much guidance we needed.

Unique magic was something we had to figure out for ourselves, but advice from Teacher Joon-hwi or Teacher Min would have been helpful.

I suddenly realized how much I relied on those two teachers.

The thought that I would come to depend on others so naturally left me a bit surprised.

For the rest of the time, Hyun-ho didn’t write down anything other than “Water Magic.”

A few hours later, the much-anticipated “Ability-Based Class Assignment Time” arrived.

Amidst the bustling atmosphere, the teacher slowly called out names from the list.

“Remember to follow the confidentiality policy… Now, I’ll start calling assignments from number one. Raise your hand with questions after the roll call! Number one, Kang In-ha… S Class. Number two, Kim Narin, A Class…”

We listened intently to the teacher’s voice, tense with anticipation.

I glanced at In-ha.

If In-ha was in S Class, then Hyun-ho and I would likely be there too.

Sure enough, the teacher called both me and Hyun-ho for S Class.

After the roll call, the teacher explained the locations for each ability-based class.

The students, once informed, left the room in pairs.

S Class was the last to be addressed.

When it was finally time, the teacher spoke.

“S Class students Kang In-ha, Kim Hyun-ho, and Yoo Eun-ha… please head to the chairman’s office.”

We were completely taken aback by the unexpected announcement.

“…What? Pardon?”

The chairman’s office?

Why?

What for?

The teacher urged us to move along as we hesitated in surprise.

Feeling unsure, I left the classroom with In-ha and Hyun-ho.

Walking down the hallway, I suddenly thought of something and glanced at the next classroom.

“But… if we’re going to the chairman’s office, wouldn’t Han-soo and Min-hee also be going there?”

At my question, the two stopped briefly and looked at me.

“Now that you mention it…”

“That’s possible.”

We cautiously approached the window of Class 2.

However, Class 2 was already empty.

Disappointed, we resumed our steps.

“But why do we have to gather at the chairman’s office? Ugh… the chairman seemed so stern. I’m getting nervous.”

“Hmm…”

“Is that so?”

Honestly, In-ha and Senior Ji-hyun also had stern looks, as did Senior Seonghu.

While I was a bit nervous, it was more due to the situation than the chairman’s demeanor.

After all, what could the chairman possibly do to us?

The man’s impression was cold, but when I thought about his words, it seemed likely that his personality was the exact opposite of his appearance.

Even if he wasn’t particularly kind, it was certain that he wasn’t purely cold-hearted either.

After all, he was the one who said he established this school to protect talented children.

While I couldn’t fully trust such claims without question, at the very least, the school rules he created were highly effective in protecting the students.

So, what bothered me now wasn’t that.

The reason we were going to the chairman’s office was because of the ability-based classes.

But why? Why did we have to go through the chairman for these classes?

It couldn’t be that the chairman himself was going to teach us, so then…?

Thinking about who our assigned teacher might be only made me more restless.

The chairman’s office was located on the high school campus.

I mulled over various thoughts until we arrived at the chairman’s office.

Why did we have to go to the chairman’s office?

Could it be that the chairman wanted to introduce our teacher himself?

I should have asked Teacher Joon-hwi for more details.

Regretting my lack of foresight, I looked up at the sign for the chairman’s office.

“This is… the place, right?”

It was my first time coming to the chairman’s office.

Hyun-ho, uncharacteristically, gulped beside me.

As I scanned the door of the chairman’s office up and down, I hesitated briefly and then knocked twice.

A moment later, a voice came from inside.

“…Come in.”

I cautiously opened the door, swallowing my nerves slowly.

The first thing I saw when I opened the door was the small side profiles of Min-hee and Han-soo, who had arrived before us and were seated on the sofa.

The chairman was sitting at a desk beyond them.

I rolled my eyes, naturally scanning the room’s interior.

Bookshelves filled with books stood by the walls, along with an antique desk and chair engraved with wave patterns, a sofa where Min-hee and Han-soo were seated, and a table presumably for guests.

It was a textbook example of a classic office.

In-ha was the first to stride confidently into the room.

I gestured to Hyun-ho with my eyes.

Following In-ha, Hyun-ho stepped inside.

Finally, I closed the door and walked in as well.

“Looks like this year’s elementary school batch is a bountiful harvest…”

As we exchanged nods with Min-hee and Han-soo, the chairman briefly glanced over us and muttered softly.

Standing up from his seat, the chairman turned to us and spoke.

“…Take a seat.”

We hesitated for a moment before looking at the sofa.

Hyun-ho, a bit timidly, went to sit next to Han-soo.

In-ha and I sat on the chairs opposite them.

The pitch-black, long sofa was extremely comfortable.

The chairman, who had been quietly observing us seated side by side, sat down next to me.

I cautiously glanced at his profile.

As usual, his expression was cold and sharp.

The atmosphere instantly became heavy and stifling.

Except for me and In-ha, the tension was written all over the others’ faces.

It wasn’t just because of his position—he carried an air that made people tense up.

Anyone who accidentally met his gaze would feel intimidated.

He gave off a vibe somewhat similar to In-ha.

“I believe you have a general idea why you were called here.”

After a moment of silence, he spoke.

I answered on behalf of the others, who were frozen and merely exchanging glances.

“…Yes.”

“I’ve heard a bit about you from Teacher Joon-hwi. He said you all possess exceptional talent.

Our school provides ability-based individual classes for students with above-average aptitude, though it’s difficult to provide them for everyone.

According to Joon-hwi, you’ve surpassed the required level.

Therefore, you’ll be receiving individual classes for the next four years until you graduate from elementary school.”

“Yes.”

Once again, I nodded in response.

It was something I had already heard from Teacher Joon-hwi and Teacher Min.

I glanced at the chairman, feeling my heart pounding—not from nervousness, but excitement.

“And now, regarding who your individual teachers will be… because of their positions, I felt it necessary to personally give you some explanation about them, which is why I called you here.”

He muttered something under his breath while looking at the desk.

“Come forth.”

His voice was so soft that only I, sitting nearby, could hear it.

Suddenly, as if they had been there all along, teacups filled with tea and plates of appetizing cookies and candies appeared on the desk.

Wow. Min-hee, who adored sweet things, clasped her hands together and beamed with sparkling eyes.

“The explanation won’t take long, but feel free to eat while you listen.”

Min-hee was the first to cautiously reach for a teacup and cookie.

In-ha naturally followed suit.

Of us, the most nervous one was Hyun-ho, who hesitated before taking a bite of a cookie.

As soon as he tasted it, his expression turned childlike, and he kept helping himself to the snacks.

I chuckled softly as I watched him.

Hyun-ho was the simplest among us.

While the others focused on the snacks, I was more interested in the magic that had summoned them.

I glanced curiously at the desk.

Was it summoning magic?

It couldn’t have been materialization magic.

Tapping the desk lightly with a curious expression, I picked up a teacup and took a sip.

Seeing my friends enjoy their snacks warmed my heart.

“First, all of your teachers are A-rank magicians.”

At his words, we widened our eyes in astonishment.

“Talented children must always be vigilant of their surroundings.

But for that very reason, it’s crucial to develop your talents and grow stronger.

The teachers assigned to you are strong, knowledgeable, and skilled at nurturing gifted students.

Many of the powerful magicians in Daehyun have been trained by them.

Learn well from them.”

To think that we’d be learning magic under A-rank magicians!

A mix of intense nerves and excitement surged within me.

It felt as though it might swallow me whole.

I clenched my fists tightly to contain the trembling in my hands.

At the same time, I felt a weight of responsibility.

Was I truly deserving of such an opportunity?

“Their guidance will last for the next four years of elementary school.

Even after that, they’ll surely remain excellent mentors to you.

They’re all kind people.

Feel free to approach them outside of class time with questions—they’ll appreciate it.

…It seems the time has come.”

As the chairman continued with his somewhat subjective explanation about our teachers, he checked the time.

Then he spread his hand and grabbed the air, placing something on the table.

It was a small orb, no bigger than a fingernail.

“This is a solidified teleportation coordinate.

Teacher Joon-hwi and Teacher Min have matched your teachers to your personalities and magic.

Attach this to your teleportation badge.”

Each orb was a different color.

As we wondered which orb belonged to whom, the orbs floated in the air and flew to their respective owners.

Mine was pink, In-ha’s was black, Han-soo’s was brown, Min-hee’s was green, and Hyun-ho’s was grayish black.

We each caught our orb and attached it to our teleportation badge.

The orb seamlessly melded into the badge.

“Focus on the image of your orb and teleport.

Doing so will start your ability-based class.”

We followed his instructions.

I focused on the image of the pink orb and teleported.

As I closed my eyes and concentrated, I felt a floating sensation throughout my body.

Realizing this must be the sensation of teleporting, I carefully opened my eyes.