Chapter 10: I can use magic now! …Huh?

“Are you okay?”

I asked a male student on my first day at the academy.

If you asked me if I’m the type to talk to people first, the answer is no.

Sure, I act normal in public, but deep down, I’m awkward and avoid conversations. Naturally, I lost friends over time, and maybe because of that, I spent more time alone at home. I liked it that way, so it got worse.

At home, my older brother… well, except for him, I had no one I could truly open up to.

Despite being so reserved and socially clumsy, I somehow ended up talking to that boy without thinking.

He was the one who came in second this time, ignored and mocked by kids who relied on their parents’ status, talking about him being an orphan and mentioning insurance money.

He was handsomer than most, but I didn’t feel anything special for him—I just spoke to him out of pity.

A male student sitting quietly, looking at me.

His slightly gloomy, unfocused gaze gave off a protective vibe, yet his striking face created an intense presence.

“….”

But as he kept staring without saying anything, I started to get flustered and anxious.

What do I do? How should I react? Normally, things would’ve gone smoothly by now…

I might sound conceited, but I know I’m pretty.

I realized it when guys gave me creepy looks and girls gossiped behind my back, calling me a slut who relied on her face. I overheard them once, came home crying, and told my mom I didn’t want to go to school… Anyway.

I’d been mentally preparing for a conversation, assuming this boy would react like others, but his unexpected response threw me off.

“Uh… Uh…? Excuse me…?”

My poker face crumbled, and I called out to him with a trembling voice, wondering if he disliked me.

“…Ah.”

After a moment of spacing out, his focus returned, and he looked at me properly.

“Ahem, ahem.”

I stared blankly at him, and though it felt too late, I tried to regain my composure with a poker face.

“Are you, are you okay?”

“Ah, yes.”

He answered with a bittersweet smile.

There was something dreamy and beautiful about him.

“Um… Do you, uh, know your name…? I mean, it’s not like that… I just really want to know your name… I’m not asking because I have weird feelings!”

“Uh… My name is Lee Joohyuk.”

“Joohyuk… That’s a really cool name. Oh, no, that’s not what I meant…!”

“…”

That’s how I, unusually, started approaching someone.

It was the moment my relationship with Joohyuk began to take shape.

“Ugh…”

Today, I felt strangely off.

For the first time since being possessed in this novel, I had a dream, and something about it felt weird, leaving me uneasy the moment I woke up.

It was about an entrance ceremony… but oddly, I couldn’t recall the details clearly.

Still, the dream left a lingering, unpleasant feeling mixed with something indescribable that kept nagging at me.

It was a strange sensation—I didn’t want to feel this tingling, hazy emotion, but part of me wanted to keep feeling it… I couldn’t figure out what it was.

What could this feeling be? I racked my brain, but nothing came to mind.

♩♬~*

Lost in thought, the bell rang, the teacher walked in, and class started, so I pushed it aside and focused.

Since I bombed on the first day by not listening and self-destructing, I had to pay attention now to build my image as a model student.

“I’m Lee Jihoon, and I’ll be teaching Basic Magic for Class 1, Grade 1. Nice to meet you.”

The teacher wrote his name on the board and introduced himself.

Clap, clap, clap!

Applause erupted around me. I looked around and joined in.

“Does anyone know what Basic Magic refers to? You, over there?”

As the applause died down, the lesson began.

“Earth, fire, water, wind magic, right?”

“Correct. May I have your name?”

“I’m Lee Haeun.”

“Lee Haeun, two points for you.”

The teacher wrote earth, fire, water, and wind on the board.

“Basic Magic refers to the elemental foundations of all magic. Burning with fire, extinguishing fire with water, blocking water with earth, eroding earth with wind, or amplifying fire with wind—these are the essentials of Basic Magic.”

Water, earth, wind, fire… Note.

Just listening wouldn’t make me a model student, so I pulled out my notebook and started jotting down the teacher’s words.

I’ve always been confident in my note-taking skills, so I listened intently, scribbling every word.

“If I asked if these four elements are all there is, you’d likely say no. Basic Magic is just the foundation, not the entirety of magic.

For example, take Blizzard, a famous area-of-effect freezing spell from the water attribute. It creates a deadly snowstorm to freeze its surroundings. It seems like purely water-based magic, but it’s actually an advanced spell combining water and wind attributes.”

The teacher demonstrated by conjuring a small snowstorm in his palm.

Since my brother never showed me advanced magic, my eyes sparkled at my first glimpse of it.

So freaking cool.

“Of course, each person’s aptitude varies, so you’ll be better at some attributes and weaker at others. Today, we’ll check your aptitudes. Come up and take one of these crystal orbs.”

After his words, a box appeared on the desk, opening to reveal round orbs inside.

This is… magic?

What the heck, this is too cool. So stylish.

Could I, with my mana stat of 20, do something like that…?

With that thought, I grabbed a crystal orb.

“This is a ‘Trait Detection Orb,’ an artifact. If you channel your mana into it, it’ll reveal your specialized element. Want to give it a try?”

As the teacher finished, students began channeling mana into their orbs to check their attributes.

Joohyuk’s… earth attribute.

I glanced at Lee Joohyuk to check his attribute.

I don’t know why, but today, he was really on my mind.

“Why?”

“?!…”

Feeling my gaze, Lee Joohyuk asked, and I immediately blushed and turned away.

It’s definitely not because I like him, but it felt like I got caught stalking, which was embarrassing.

Let’s check my aptitude…

With [Blessing of the Water Spirit (Supreme)], I figured it’d be water, but there’s a thrill in opening a random box, right?

Even if you know the outcome, you pull the gacha. You know it’ll probably be trash, but you can’t help hoping for something good.

“Oh…”

As mana drained from my body, I felt something strange.

It was a slightly chilling sensation, but since it was my first time using magic, I felt excited and wanted to feel it again.

“I can use magic now!”

It was a quiet mumble, but I exclaimed it while channeling more mana into the orb.

Water began swirling and filling the orb.

Though my brother taught me how to use magic, this was my first real attempt, so I watched eagerly, my heart racing.

I can be like other fantasy protagonists and use magic now!

With that excitement, I kept staring at the orb.

“…Huh?”

But something started to go wrong.

Even after the orb filled with water, I kept pouring in mana, and it began to vibrate…

Boom!

“Kyaaa?!”

The orb suddenly exploded, and I screamed in shock.

Feeling the stares around me, I dove under the desk, curling up, wanting to be alone.

Why can’t I do anything right?