Chapter 4: Stepping Out (4)
I woke up laying on the same wooden bench. Did I have a nightmare about having a reunion with my bully?
…
Today was the first day of social interaction, and I was already having trouble differentiating between reality and dreams. I might actually be a lunatic. I sat up, and surprisingly, I did so quicker than usual. My breathing was slower; I didn’t have to fight for every breath. My muscles seemed to be cooperating well, too. And the migraine merely felt like a demon playing symphonies of hell in my brain and not like an entire planet splitting apart in my head.
["Super Strong Migraine" -> "Strong Migraine Lv.7"!]
["Anemia Lv.6" -> "Anemia Lv.2"!]
[You no longer have "Evolving Cancer Cells Stage 1"!]
What the…
A surge of excitement and triumph rushed through my mind. My diseased body was slowly healing. I didn’t have “Super Strong Migraine” anymore, and my blood production rate was improving. And “Evolving Cancer…” I didn’t even know I had that.
I survived cancer?
I couldn’t decide whether to feel concerned or happy. I looked forward and noticed archmage Atruse Servela and Xavier standing next to each other.
… So it wasn’t a dream after all.
A few other instructors were nearby, talking to each other. Not wanting to be a part of this meetup, I stood up quietly and tiptoed away. Suddenly, my faithful companion came to greet me.
[You are experiencing "Strong Migraine"!]
Thud!
I collapsed to the ground, face-flat, butt-up. This migraine keeps coming back buffed whenever I am off guard. That’s it. I’m determined to get rid of this companion.
“Who may that be? I could barely sense his presence earlier.”
“Haha, who is that?”
I hesitated. Do they want me to answer or..
“Ah, he’s one of the kiddos that arrived early... Also, he upholds very little magical power.”
The short girl in an archmage uniform and the tall man wearing a suit nodded as if they understood everything after hearing that.
“Hey kid, the Puri-Puri bag on the bench is yours.”
Puri-Puri bag? I looked behind me. The bag was very noticeable. It was pink with a huge “PURI-PURI ♡,” and it had the broccoli head’s chibi face sewn on it. I see; he’s the one who helped me.
“Inside contains some treatment. Oswaldo-nim told me to tell you to use them.”
“Ah... Thank you, instructor.” Hold on, it took me a while to recognize her, but isn’t that the Atruse Servela? Best archmage in this nation? “I mean, thank you, ahjumoni for helping me. When you see the Head Nurse again, please tell him I appreciated his benevolent actions.”
I went back to grab the Puri-Puri bag. It was pretty high quality—made from firm cotton and its perimeter laced with white silky fabric. I opened the zipper and a bundle of medication greeted me warmly. Antidepressants, vitamin supplements, treatment for anemia, and–oh?
Head Nurse, I no longer need to take revenge on you.
There were a few prescriptions and instructions taped onto the treatments. I spotted the “Puri-Puri ♡ Migraine Reducing Pills” and immediately popped two pills in my mouth, as per the prescription. I closed my eyes and tried to feel for the migraine, but it had already vanished.
“Damn, this works like magic,” I muttered.
The people near me stared at me like I was a clinically mentally handicapped zoo animal.
Suddenly, the academy’s bell tower at the east side rang loudly three times, and after that, I was bombarded with the loud voices of academy students.
“It’s time..” the ahjumoni sounded despaired.
“Line up, single file!” yelled the short archmage girl.
“Take this seriously and do not joke around! This is the final element evaluation and magic rank test!” The male instructor next to her went along.
Instructors waved their arms to guide the students.
“Retakers, go follow the short girl in the archmage uniform!”
As I followed the loli, I felt ominous gazes painting all over me. When I looked back at the students in line, they immediately faced their eyes elsewhere.
Do I really look that good? Heh.
[A divine being is pitying your pathetic state.]
Ah, so it was vice versa.
I remembered the moment before I fainted. Xavier was using his level two skill authority skill on me. I looked at my shirt and saw the extremely obvious stain of blood.
Fuck, his [Gravity of Obedience] was only level two. Was I that weak? I thought I was strong.
I have been talented since birth. My being smart, strong, and incredibly handsome was the reason why I was enrolled in the National Royal Academy in the first place. The only issues I have that are holding me back are illnesses caused by not experiencing nature and the sun in such a long time, etcetera.
“U-uh, can you go…”
“Oh, sorry.”
I was holding up the line. A normal person would be embarrassed, but I thought it was funny.
I let out a small chuckle and continued forward.
“Unhinged young gentleman, please place your palm on the crystal sphere with a circular engraving,” the short loli archmage spoke. She directed me to the table-countertop of the tent.
There was a notable wooden sign that displayed, “PL3Z R3AD INSTRVCTI0NS BELOW!” Beneath the sign pinned a fine-quality paper of instructions.
- Both palms should be placed on the crystal. Say your full name before the instructor starts using their skill.
I couldn’t be bothered enough to read more. The other stuff was safety precautions in case something happened. I doubted anything would happen, though. Archmages were here to protect the students if something bad actually happened.
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On the table rested three clear crystal spheres. One each with different engraved shapes: rhombus, crescent-moon, and circle. Although a little nervous, I did as instructed and placed my palm on the one with a basic circle. The loli archmage picked up her golden staff and pointed it at my face. She smiled as if waiting for something.
“Ah, right. Park Min-Jun.”
I heard students snickering behind me. I turned to glare at them.
[Vaughn Lily is activating “Detect Simple Magic Compatibility”!]
…
One second passed.
Two.
Three.
..
Then, Ten.
…Nothing happened?
“Huh? Usually colors show on the sphere…” She squinted and focused her eyes on me. “Hey, Park-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Do you perhaps have zero compatibility with magi–” a strong gust of wind interrupted her.
A suspicious, dark-red aura started to become visible around the crystal sphere and a disgusting mix of black and purple slowly formed and circulated in the crystal. A putrid aroma radiated around the tent. Students behind me immediately covered their noses.
The archmage’s glasses dropped. She rushed closer to the sphere in awe—a clip on her nose accompanying her.
“A smell that reeks, and horrifying faces created by unusually mixed colors..”
Why did it turn out that way? The last time I took this test, which was about seven years ago, the sphere was flickering white and emitting black aura. They said I was gifted.
[A divine being is intrigued.]
[A demonic being is intrigued.]
Why the hell was a demonic being watching, too? Was I cursed or something?
I don’t know much about these beings, but I’m pretty sure the “divine beings” are like gods. The divine beings do nothing but react to our actions and give blessings when they feel like it. It’s rare to get a notice about demonic beings, though.
Whispers and gossips about the rare demonic being.. and me spread throughout the crowd.
“Blood is on his shirt..”
“Demonic being?...”
“No wonder. That guy looks sickly…”
Thank you for the compliment, friends.
Disregarding the nosey and noisy crowd, I glanced back at the archmage-loli-instructor. I expected her to say something about the weird thing that happened to the sphere, but she stayed quiet and held a grim expression.
“A–ah.. sorry. Park-ssi, please move left. I have evaluated your Basic Magic Compatibility.”
I obeyed. This started to feel a little exciting.
Next to the basic crystal sphere was the rhombus engraved sphere. One of my favorite instructors in the academy was managing that crystal. I was happy she’s there, but for some reason, she looked a little tired.
“Instructo–” I was forcefully stopped by extremely painful coughs. “Atruse Servela!”
The instructor most likely didn’t hear me. She still look pained and distressed, her head resting on both of her hands.
“Oii.” I leaned closer to her face and slowly enunciated, “Ah..ju..mo..ni~.”
Instructor Atruse Servela was shaken by the creepy call and quickly stood up. “Never do that again.”
“Sorry.”
“Whatever. Say your full name.”
“Park Min-Jun.”
[Atruse Servela is activating “Detect Transcendental Magic (±) Compatibility”!]
[Being is not applicable for this skill.]
“Ah..” Servela sighed. “It looks like you have no..” she passed as if she saw something strange. Her brows furrowed. “Go to the next archmage.”
When I started moving forward… or moving left, I heard gasps in awe.
“Can someone actually have that many already?..”
“He already has two… as expected of the crowned prince!”
I immediately twisted around to check on who the new talent was, and to my surprise, it was Vervillia Xavier. He missed out on this magic evaluation last year, too? And since when did he become the crowned prince? After taking a look at Xavier, I noticed the stupidly long line of seniors who also missed this last year. They probably skipped to avoid others seeing their compatibility, but it backfired since almost everyone thought the same thing.
The crystal Xavier placed his palms on glowed red and light blue. Impressive. He was compatible with elements that compliment each other; fire and air. He’s probably going to be one of the best military commanders in the nation of Vervillia.
“Hurry up, Min-Jun. Why are you always dozing off?”
“Sorry, sorry.”
[…]
"Park Min-Jun"
[Being is not applicable for this skill.]
“Mm..” the handsome ahjussi looked bored and unsurprised, then the next second, he had the same expression the ahjumoni had, but filled with a little excitement. “I don’t have time to trouble myself on this. You may head to your second lecture. We will pass out your rankings and results tomorrow.”
“Thank you, sir …” I forgot his name, though I did recall seeing him a while back.
“Valentine Voytek.”
“Thank you, sir Valentine.. Voytek.”
…
As I tried to run off and escape, I heard louder oohs and ahs behind me. Was it Xavier? But yet again, to my surprise, it was a face I’ve never seen before. A transfer? Did she come here during my two-year absence?
“A hundred percent compatibility with holy magic!” Atruse Servela looked ecstatic. “Looks like I underestimated this little girl.”
The girl had crimson hair and a very evident smug but grumpy face like Xavier. She looked a part of the Royal blood.
“Cute and holy…” whispered the male students.
Creepy. Was it just me, or did I also hear someone say, “Cunny”? Anyway, that’s not my problem. I only needed to befriend a few people and mend my relationship with old bullies. Though, that was easier said than done.
I strode away from the garden to look for the main office. I needed to retrieve my schedule for this year.
…
My pace quickened every second as I walked in the hallway.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Why was Xavier looking for me? Was he trying to finish me off? …
Enough questions. I need to avoid this guy; he’s intimidating. I almost died to his level two skill–I’m too weak to deal with his shenanigans.
“Hey Min-Jun! Stop running!” Vervillia Xavier yelled from behind. “I'm giving you your change of clothes, you fucking idiot!”
“Ah.” I stopped my tracks and awkwardly walked towards him; the silence enhanced my embarrassment by tenfold. “Thanks.”
“The Head Nurse told me to give it to you. Also, there’s a huge sheet of paper he grabbed for you. It’s on the clothes, as you can see.”
I grabbed the stuff from his hands. I was filled with slight discomfort and joy. “Oi..”
“I had no other choice! I mean, barely anyone in this academy… anyway, you cursed fucker, I was forced to help you. Also, you need to pay me tenfold. I had to chase your dumb ass down.”
“Sure.” I looked at the papers provided for me. “Woah. My schedule, room information, clothes, basically everything is here.”
The Head Nurse probably pitied my health conditions.
“Xavier, what’s your second lecture?” I tried to converse.
“Why the hell would I want to tell-”
Unexpectedly, I felt a spiking pain around my head.
[You are experiencing “Strong Migraine Lv.7”!]
“Wait, give me a moment,” I urged pathetically.
“...”
I grabbed the Puri-Puri bag stuffed in my coat pocket and opened it. The broccoli chibi logo and bright “PURI-PURI♡” shone as I took a while to search. “Found it.” I popped two pills for migraines in my mouth. “Sorry, continue."
“..."
"..."
The silence was loud.
... Come on man, talk.
"So you’re still a freak. I’m leaving.”
What a compliable guy. Xavier quickly walked ahead and turned to the left hall. As soon as he vanished from my sight, the eastern bell rang, telling all students it’s time for class.
Now to check my new schedule.
- First. Magic & Elements Mechanism and the System, Lecture A (Seniors)
- Second. Magic Training, Lecture B (Seniors)
- Third. Strength Training, Physical Education B (Seniors)
- Fourth. Diplomacy & History, Lecture A (Seniors)
- Fifth. Language & Arts, Lecture A (Seniors)
- Sixth. Elective. If you do not have one, Free Period. If you want one, see the front office.
Magic Training? Lecture B’s were located at Hall B’s if my memory serves me right. My second class was right around the corner… or should I say “left around the corner,” because it’s located in the left hall.
I realized Xavier also went to the left hall.
Did he also have Magic Training for the second lecture?
Time to find out.