Prologue Story

“However, now is not the time to discuss such matters. I still have many questions to ask you. This time, I’d like to hear about your combat style.”

Combat style, huh.

I made a complicated expression.

The resolute look in my eyes from a moment ago began to waver.

I wasn’t suited for combat at all.

Still, I knew well that I had to think about it whether I liked it or not.

“A magician, no matter what, must be familiar with some combat techniques.

After all, as long as you are a magician, you’ll inevitably be involved in combat someday.

If you dislike combat, at least master defense so you can avoid death.

Have you thought about any offensive magic?”

Among all the questions so far, this was the one that troubled me the most.

After thinking deeply, I answered.

“I’ve been thinking about it since last year, but I’m still not sure.

My unique magic isn’t offensive magic, so I’d probably attack using elemental magic or spell magic.

Or perhaps confuse and incapacitate using illusion magic since it affects the brain to some extent now….”

I mumbled, trying to suppress a sigh that threatened to escape before continuing.

“To be honest… I’ve learned some attack and combat basics, but I’ve never seriously considered it.

If I had to guess, I’d say my approach would be hiding and protecting myself with barriers and illusions…

Then waiting for an opening to attack and take down the opponent with written magic or elemental magic.”

“Don’t worry. Fighting doesn’t always mean standing at the forefront.

Lying in wait for an opportunity while protecting and supporting your allies is also part of combat.

Listening to you, it seems like you’re more suited for defensive or support-type magic.”

She paused in thought before speaking again.

“But if you decide to ‘attack,’ your magic can become incredibly powerful offensive magic.

A magic capable of creating a world—do you think that’s impossible?

If illusions affect the brain, for the victim, those illusions are no different from reality.

Every illusion you create could leave real injuries on the target’s body.

Your written magic is a command.

If you think of causing pain, the target will feel pain.

Are you aware of this?”

I fell silent for a moment.

That was, in fact, true.

My magic transforms everything within its range into reality.

If I stabbed someone’s heart with an illusion, their heart might truly stop.

If I commanded madness through written magic, they might really lose their sanity.

Above all, space-time magic could instantly sever or pierce any part of an opponent’s body if I willed it.

However, I had never written down such gruesome methods, though I was aware of their possibilities.

“Thinking of your magic as defensive comes not from its nature but from your personality.

It’s not a bad thing.

Territory-based magic can be very dangerous if misused.”

She smiled softly.

“But you don’t seem like a child at all.

Ordinary children wouldn’t have such clear convictions.

If asked about realization magic, they’d feel uneasy, asking, ‘Is that so?’

Or stubbornly insist their magic is good.

You’re truly more mature than I imagined.”

Her words left me at a loss for a response, and I averted my gaze slightly.

Third grade in elementary school—this was an age when children were still forming their sense of self.

However, I already had a firmly established identity.

Though it might naturally change over time, unlike other kids, I had distinct convictions, emotions, and thoughts.

I’d heard countless times that I wasn’t like a child, but this was the first time someone analyzed it so accurately.

We continued talking for a while longer.

Occasionally, we fell into silence while sipping tea.

Before I knew it, it was time to finish the session.

“It’s already this late.

From next time, we’ll start formal training.

If you have questions, feel free to ask at any time.

Do you have a phone?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Then let’s exchange numbers.

Even outside of class, if I think you need it, I might call you for training.

Understood?”

“Yes… understood.”

“What’s your number?”

Cautiously, I told her my phone number.

She entered it and immediately called my phone.

“That’s my number. Save it.

Now, return to school. See you next week.”

I bowed politely to her.

Though I had been tense and occasionally flustered by her piercing remarks, her earnest consideration left a strong impression.

I hadn’t fully experienced her teaching yet, but she seemed like a good instructor.

Her old-fashioned manner of speaking was amusing, too.

“Thank you. Excuse me.”

Turning away, I used my teleportation badge to return to school.

The scenery changing had become familiar to me.

Naturally, I strolled across the schoolyard.

She looked like she was in her mid-twenties… but her manner of speaking felt so old-fashioned, so elegant.

Well, being an A-rank magician, her appearance might not tell the whole story.

Jung Min-ah… should I look her up online?

Feeling a bit guilty, I couldn’t help but be curious about her age.

And there was something else about her… her face looked strangely familiar.

Though her outfit and tone were entirely new to me, I felt like I’d seen her face somewhere before.

Being an A-rank magician, perhaps I’d seen her on TV or something in the past.

But that doesn’t feel like the whole story….

Puzzled, I quickened my steps toward the classroom.

The classroom was already bustling with classmates chattering after their leveled lessons.

In-ha was back too.

I waved at her with a smile.

As soon as I sat down, In-ha asked in a low voice.

“How was it?”

“Well… I’ll tell you later. It’s a secret topic, after all.”

“Fair enough.”

In-ha nodded.

Then, she began scribbling in her textbook.

『The teacher assigned to me is a woman with a very peculiar atmosphere.

She speaks so elegantly, like some noble lady from somewhere!』

『I got a male teacher. Kind of cold, but I think we’ll get along. He uses fire magic.』

I blinked.

Cold? Was he similar in personality to In-ha?

Fire magic… it’s one of those must-have powers in fantasy stories and superpower battles.

『My teacher is Jung Min-ah, and she uses game magic.

When people think of game magic, they often think of leveling up, but her magic is Game Master Magic, so it feels similar to mine.

That’s probably why she became my teacher.』

『Really? I don’t know much, but your magic is pretty unique.』

『Yeah, I was surprised.』

Screech! Bang!

In the middle of our exchange, a loud noise erupted.

The chattering in the room abruptly stopped, and everyone turned to look at the classroom door.

So did we.

Standing there was Hyun-ho, panting with an oddly excited expression.

“Hyun-ho, what’s going on?”

“Big news!”

Hyun-ho shouted and dashed toward us.

For a moment, it looked like he might tackle us, but he stopped just in time.

Grinning mischievously, he leaned in close and whispered.

“My teacher is Teacher Yoo Min!”

In-ha and I were stunned.

What? What did he just say?

No way!

We expected Teacher Min to be strong since Teacher Joon-hwi was a B-rank magician, but who would have guessed he was A-rank?

And for Hyun-ho to be assigned to him!

I stared at Hyun-ho, who was beaming brightly, completely stunned.

Well, he had every reason to smile.

It must’ve been shocking and thrilling for him.

“I was so, so surprised….”

“No wonder.”

Even In-ha agreed.

Though she rarely showed emotion, she acknowledged Hyun-ho’s amazement this time.

“Apparently… they wanted to keep it a surprise.

Also, they weren’t sure until recently….

Ah, I was so shocked….”

Hyun-ho trailed off, unable to contain his joy as he broke into a big grin.

“…I’m so happy.”

The face wore a bright smile, but the voice was almost trembling with tears.

In-ha nodded silently, and I smiled warmly as I patted Hyun-ho’s head.

Boys his age usually dislike such gestures, but perhaps because I had acted as their protector since first grade, Hyun-ho accepted it naturally.

“Anyway, this is really great news. Let’s tell Min-hee and Han-soo as soon as class ends.”

“Yeah!”

Hyun-ho nodded enthusiastically.

I also felt a strong urge to share this news with our friends immediately.

Min-hee would be delighted.

Would she also be envious again?

Han-soo would be astonished as well.

And he’d surely be happy, too.

At that moment, I thought of Shia’s face and hesitated briefly, but I soon shook my head inwardly.

Shia wasn’t part of Class I, nor did he have any connection with Teacher Joon-hwi or Teacher Min.

So there was no need to mention this to Shia.

It was something difficult to explain to him anyway.

With that reasoning, I convinced myself.

We ran to the neighboring class as soon as the lesson ended.

Honestly, even if it weren’t for Teacher Min’s situation, we would’ve gathered right after class anyway.

This was the first time since starting third grade that we’d had leveled lessons and assigned personal teachers.

Naturally, there was much to discuss.

Though we “ran,” it was more like quickly stepping out of the classroom.

It seemed Class 2 hadn’t finished their homeroom session yet.

We waited quietly in the hallway for Han-soo and Min-hee to finish their class.

In the meantime, students poured out of Class 1, having finished earlier.

Among them was Shia.

Shia noticed us and briefly turned to look.

“You’re going to talk about the leveled lessons today, right? I’m heading home first.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sure.”

“See you tomorrow!”

Talking about personal teachers felt slightly awkward in front of Shia.

With a faint smile, Shia passed us by.

A little later, Class 2 finished their session as well.

Students flooded out of the classroom.

“…! Ah…!”

“Oh! You were waiting for us!”

The two, who had been hurrying out with urgent expressions, paused briefly when they saw us.

Min-hee soon approached us with a bright smile.

“Let’s go somewhere—anywhere! I have so much to talk about!”

“Right… we have good news too.”

“Good news?”

Leaving the curious Min-hee to ponder, Hyun-ho and I exchanged knowing glances and grinned.

Even In-ha’s usual stoic expression softened as she gave a slight nod.

──And a little later,

“What?!”

When we shared the story in a secluded spot, as expected, our friends were shocked and bombarded Hyun-ho with questions.

“Your teacher is Teacher Yoo Min?!”

“Is that for real?”

Han-soo grabbed Hyun-ho by the shoulders and shook him vigorously.

Hyun-ho smiled sheepishly and nodded.

“Of course, it’s true! My teacher is Teacher Yoo Min!”

“So, that means Teacher Min is A-rank. That makes sense…”

Han-soo nodded as if coming to terms with it, and I quietly agreed in my mind.

Indeed, Teacher Min had an air about him that set him apart.

Even apart from his presence, I was convinced that Teacher Min was at least B-rank.

The way Teacher Joon-hwi treated him and the content of their conversations suggested that Teacher Min was stronger than Teacher Joon-hwi.

“By the way, what about your teachers? I already know about Han-soo’s teacher since we talked earlier.”

“Oh, right. We got so caught up with Teacher Min that I forgot to ask about In-ha and Eun-ha’s teachers.”

Hyun-ho looked as if he had just realized it.

Ah, now that he mentioned it, we were so focused on Teacher Min that we hadn’t even thought of sharing our stories.

Then Min-hee raised her hand energetically.

“Then I’ll go first! How about we go clockwise from me?”

She pointed to her right.

That order would be Min-hee, In-ha, me, Hyun-ho, and Han-soo.

We all nodded in agreement.

“Sounds good.”