“Y-You’re a genius... blessed with magic... no, you are cursed,” Jung Ha-Yan stammered.
The response was nothing short of explosive. Murmurs and whispers echoed all over the place. Even the students who seemed nervous in front of Jung Ha-Yan couldn’t shake the pull of my dark magic, as they were sneaking glances my way.
I had no idea why students this age liked darkness so much, but even a few students from the Democratic Country—devotees of the symbol of light—seemed powerless against the charms of the cursed power.
“He was cursed by magic?”
“Who.. the hell... is he...”
“Not only is it dangerous... but his magic is actually darker than the abyss...”
Han Sora didn’t seem to be particularly involved, but Ha-Yan appeared to be satisfied with the lore she had created.
Honestly, she didn’t seem all that interested in the class.
Han Sora was the one mostly leading the class, and Ha-Yan just chimed in here and there, but surprisingly, they worked well together.
What was a bit unexpected was that Han Sora was just as popular as Ha-Yan.
Of course, I quickly understood the reason behind that.
‘She's odd-eyed?’
Her odd eyes alone were enough to captivate the impressionable minds of the young students. Whether it was intentional or not, the look and aura emanating from her odd-colored eyes clearly matched her role.
Her background probably played a role, too. She was a black mage, after all.
Sure, black mages didn't have the best reputation on the continent, and the forbidden and wicked powers were always more tempting than their opposite. If they were a bit older, they'd hesitate to choose the path of a black mage, but right now, they looked like they’d jump into that class in a heartbeat if given the chance to do so.
“Y-You’re no ordinary mage. Are you aware of that?” Jung Ha-Yan asked.
“...”
“That... power... that magic... it might be hard to control, but once you have complete control over it, it’ll put you at a huge advantage. O-Of course, if you fail to control it...” Jung Ha-Yan paused.
“...”
“I-I-It would only bring ruin. Y-You’ve been born with a harsh fate,” she added.
At this point, I had to say something, but it came out like a mutter. My voice was so low that it was only audible if one were to strain their ears to listen carefully.
“Fate? I’ll defy it as many times as it takes.”
I could practically hear the loyalty of the Republic students going to the moon. As if she couldn’t take this farce anymore, Han Sora squeezed her eyes shut and muttered, “Miss Jung Ha-Yan, we should continue the lesson...”
“Ah... y-you’re right. S-So... Ah, S-Sora...” Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.
“...”
“L-Looks like the groups have been decided...” Jung Ha-Yan said.
“Since the groups have been decided, the lesson on spells for the battlefield will begin,” Han Sora announced.
“W-What Sora said,” Jung Ha-Yan commented.
“...”
“...”
Jung Ha-Yan looked like she wanted to say something, but she just couldn’t get the words out of her mouth. Upon seeing that, Han Sora took a quiet step forward and picked up where Jung Ha-Yan left off.
“Before we get started with the practice, I’ll give you a brief explanation.”
“...”
“Except for very special cases, ordinary mages usually form teams of three to five people. This applies to wars as well as to large-scale dungeon and monster raids. Thus, understanding each other’s magic and synchronizing spells are important.
"This is what Miss Jung Ha-Yan wanted to say,” Han Sora explained.
“S-She’s right,” Jung Ha-Yan said.
“To put it simply, breaking a shield with one spear is more effective than using two arrows. It will likely be easier for you to understand the concept by seeing it for yourself rather than just hearing an explanation about it,” Han Sora continued.
‘It might be kind of difficult for the kids...’
Han Sora and Jung Ha-Yan mustered their mana. Perhaps it was to help students who weren’t very perceptive, but they made their mana visible and tangible.
Han Sora’s mana emanated a slightly murky purple glow, while Ha-Yan’s mana had a clear blue hue. The students’ eyes were filled with amazement. They were probably impressed by the intricate and concentrated manifestation of mana.
Even if the students wanted to make their mana visible and tangible, the best they could manage was to make it visible to the naked eye. Even the mages working in the field couldn’t achieve that level of mana quality.
The sight was so extraordinary that it raised suspicions that they weren't staring at clumps of mana, but spells that had manifested into reality.
“I’ll show you... what it means for mages to synchronize their mana,” Han Sora said.
Immediately afterward, Jung Ha-Yan and Han Sora’s mana merged slowly. Normally, mana synchronization happened in the blink of an eye, but this was deliberately slowed down for demonstration.
The blue mana tenaciously clung to the eerie, purple mana. The purple mana was pulled away, but it didn’t fight back and surrendered gently to the will of the blue mana.
“N-No way...”
“Uh... wow...”
Gasps echoed from all over the classroom. What they were witnessing looked even more surreal than the emulsion of oil and water.
Jung Ha-Yan cast a quick spell, and Han Sora followed suit. Their mana transformed into an ice spear that was sharp and cold enough to send a shiver down anyone’s spine.
Neither was known for casting this kind of spell, but for the sake of the demonstration, they decided to cast a simple elemental spell that was safer than flames or lightning.
The students from the Republic were visibly tense and afraid of how dangerous the spear appeared to be.
“Mr. Jin Young.”
‘I said, it’s not like that.’
As if to brace himself in case the spear actually came flying my way, Victor Galia gently lifted himself off his chair and got ready to withstand the ice spear in my place. His loyalty moved me to tears, but...
‘You’re going to block that? If that spear lands, everyone here will die.’
It was a meaningless gesture.
Slava, loyal as ever, quietly pulled out the Goddess’s Hand Mirror and got ready to contact the students from other departments.
Meanwhile, Killer Xiaolan seemed a bit nervous and was sweating.
At this rate, the students from the Republic would probably jump up and rush at Ha-Yan, so I had to give them a little warning.
Just then, Ha-Yan clapped her hands, and the ice spear vanished without a trace.
“D-D-Did you all see that? S-So... that—”
“As you have seen, today’s lesson involves synchronizing your mana with your group members. Then, you'll cast a spell and perform a mock battle with the other groups. That’s what Miss Jung Ha-Yan wanted to say,” Han Sora interrupted her.
“S-She’s right.”
“Proceed to your assigned group seats and practice what we’ve shown you. The mock battle will start in an hour, and until then, the magic tower’s assistants will teach you how to sync your mana,” Han Sora instructed.
“...”
"That's what Miss Jung Ha-Yan wanted to say,” Han Sora added.
“Yes! That’s right,” Jung Ha-Yan said.
I nodded confidently, and the kids got up from their seats as if they had been waiting for this moment. I quietly moved to our designated spots and saw that the assistants sent from the magic tower were already hovering around everyone, offering their help.
Our group was made up of Victor Galia, Xiaolan, Slava, Miss Kim Mi-Young, and me.
We also had an assistant assigned, but it seemed like they received instructions from Jung Ha-Yan beforehand because they didn’t bother us much.
Thus, the group practiced without Miss Kim Mi-Young and me.
The trio was struggling, doing their best to forcibly sync their mana.
They seemed to be wondering whether I was supposed to be practicing as well, but none of them dared to ask me any questions.
“We did it!” Felis Hanest yelled, seemingly trying to show off.
Slava nervously asked, “Are you not going to practice, Mr. Jin Young?”
“No, but I’m going to join the mock battle. However...” I trailed off.
“Yes?”
“I don’t want to force myself to draw out my mana. Once it’s out... it’ll be difficult to control it,” I added.
“...”
“...”
‘That was a bit over the top.’
“Ah... I see! Just as I expected,” Slava exclaimed.
'Maybe not?'
“Certainly... if your cursed abyssal magic were to be unleashed here...” Slava trailed off.
“The archmage will be present during the mock battle, so I’m sure she’ll help out. There’s no reason to cause trouble on purpose... As expected, you’re very thoughtful,” Victor chimed in.
“As expected, you don’t want meaningless sacrifices,” Xiaolan said.
I nodded for now.
“Casting spells is my responsibility... so I just need you to support me...” I instructed.
“I will faithfully obey your command with honor.”
“I’ll gladly support you as a humble shadow.”
They weren’t completely talentless, so it looked like they somehow managed to sync their mana. If I had to put their synchronization rate in percentages, I'd say their synchronization rate was about twenty-three percent.
Felis Hanest was apparently not as dim as I expected, showing off a twenty-six percent synchronization rate. The group with Kim Myung-Won and Aryl was roughly nineteen percent.
Of course, no one even came close to the minimum acceptable threshold of fifty percent.
‘The capable ones normally hit seventy-five percent. Considering they’re still just kids, it’s not too bad...’
It was a little disappointing, as this was supposed to be an elite group. It seemed that Jung Ha-Yan and Han Sora weren’t pleased either, as they summoned each group for a one-on-one meeting.
“W-Why is this... W-What’s going on? W-Why can’t you do this...”
Her comments sounded like she was crushing the kids’ pride.
Time passed just like that, and even though the promised hour had long passed, there were still groups struggling to get it right. Han Sora sighed, but the planned event couldn’t be canceled. This group project was an important turning point.
“Let’s start the mock battle. All groups, please move to your designated locations and stand by,” Han Sora instructed.
“Okay.”
“The groups to go first will be... Group A... and Group E,” Han Sora announced.
Group A, which was Felis Hanest’s group, looked kind of nervous. We were in Group E.
Since the very first match was between the Democratic Country and the Republic, it drew a lot of attention.
“Mr. Jin Young.
Felis Hanest, unable to hide how nervous he was, left a strong impression. Felis was afraid and seemed to be shrinking by the second before my shadow, which was infamous for being dark, cursed, and abyssal.
Perhaps he was hoping for a miracle, holding on to the fantasy that something would change.
The dark and ominous mana took form and devoured the trio’s mana. Was it syncing? Absorbing? Consuming? Whatever it was, the result was the same. Strictly speaking, it was still within the bounds of this lesson.
‘I need to cast a spell as well. It’s basically the rule as a rookie.’
“Truth...” I said.
“...”
“Truth... darker than twilight, and malice dyed deeper red than blood...” I chanted.
It was a spell that Ha-Yan cast on my behalf.
“I shall obliterate the enemies before me,” I added.
“...”
“...”
“Flames of the Black Ember Dragon,” I muttered.