8mi Chapter 192: Item Presentation (3)
Chapter 192: Item Presentation (3)
Chapter 192: Item Presentation (3)
Officially a week had passed since Baek Yu-Seol and Edna's secret relationship became known.
The unexpected news of the two commoners' romance didn't die down as quickly as expected, and due to that, they were more cautious in their usual behavior.
Even though they pretended to go on dates, they had thought about possible places and sought advice from others, but in reality, the best place for teenage couples to go on a date was the library.
The library in the Fourth Main Tower was known as the National Library.
It was enormous, and resembled a national library in its scale.
It even seemed like a magic books museum with preserved spell books authored by accomplished mages.
This place included various departments like the "Magic Combat Department," which was the main focus of the Stella Academy, as well as numerous other departments such as alchemy, economics, politics, practical magic, and magical sociology.
All students had access, and the library was always bustling with people that had an abundance of reference materials.
In order to avoid drawing attention, Baek Yu-Seol and Edna found a corner in the library, but they couldn't prevent curious glances from passing students.
While talking softly to each other, they were unexpectedly witnessed by Haewonryang.
With a slightly melancholic expression, Haewonryang gazed at Edna, who was subtly smiling at Baek Yu-Seol.
He knew that she had a crush on Baek Yu-Seol, and her feelings were genuine, causing her days of contemplation.
She always relied on him and opened up her heart to him.
He knew, of course.
Yet, seeing that scene, his heart ached even more, and he felt as if he had lost his entire heart.
Why would she show such a radiant face to him during their conversation?
"Why do you look so gloomy in the morning?"
"Is it a group project?"
How great must things be for her to smile so innocently and charmingly?
Coincidentally watching from quite a distance, Haewonryang was unable to hear their conversation, and jumped to a completely wrong conclusion.
Of course, they both whispered so quietly that others also thought of them as a young, inexperienced couple on a study date, so it wasn't strange that he felt odd.
Haewonryang quietly left the library. He didn't feel any sense of jealousy or inferiority.
After experiencing previous events, his mental strength had grown, and he came to think that negative emotions were only for losers.
Still, there was a slightly painful and bitter feeling in his chest... It must be inevitable.
On the other hand, there was a sense of relief as well.
Having been close to Edna, he always had such thoughts.
'Someday, will you look back at me?'
'But maybe she has some feelings for me.'
'If we continue to be close like this, maybe I can win her heart someday.'
However, empty hopes would eventually consume his heart.
So now that Edna was completely gone... maybe it would be better to let go of all regrets.
———-
Class S exclusive training ground.
'Personal Magic Control Practice Room'
This small space of about 20 pyeong was Stella's state-of-the-art practice room where one could freely test magic.
Haewonryang sat on the floor, placed the staff on his knees, and took a deep breath.
With each exhale, a small amount of mana seeped into the air.
He had wielded mana so masterfully that there wasn't any wastage at all.
It was to the extent that it was difficult to believe he was a Class 3 mage.
Sss...
Soon, as his hand pointed to the empty space, magic began to unfurl like a blooming flower.
It was a casting so quiet and detailed that there was no sense of movement of mana, as if it was controlled solely by his will.
Haewonryang became completely immersed in magic.
In the past, when he was consumed by dark magic, he burned away the feelings of loss with negative emotions like jealousy and inferiority.
But the current Haewonryang had directed all those emotions into his magic.
When focused on magic, he had no other thoughts.
Wasn't that interesting?
The five original elements which make up this world moved according to his will.
'What is it that excites me so much?'
'When I immerse myself in the world of mana, I forget all the worries and concerns of the world.'
Magic became the meaning of life for him, the driving force, and the reason for living.
"A little more, just a little more..."
The determination to forget the painful and bitter emotions became an incredibly powerful driving force, throwing the consciousness of Haewonryang into the sea of mana.
"Ugh...!"
A strange sensation overwhelmed him as another thread of mana connected to his heart.
It formed the source of mana.
Haewonryang tightly closed his eyes.
It was not unfamiliar.
He'd experienced it several times before.
That was... the path to Mana Class 4.
———-
For the past few days, the reason Baek Yu-Seol had been frequenting the library wasn't anything significant; it was for the preparation of his presentation.
'Item Presentation.'
Although the experts from the Alterisha Re
The expression on Hong Bi-Yeon's face as she said this made her look almost like a dying person, and it didn't make him feel particularly good to see.
It seemed like everything was seriously tangled, not just her life and relationships, but her research paper too.
"Do you need help with something that's blocking you? Want me to help?"
Although Baek Yu-Seol said that because he didn't mind helping her, Hong Bi-Yeon hesitated.
She avoided his gaze and lowered her head as if it was deeply twisted.
"... No. This is a problem I need to solve on my own. Thank you, but I'll decline your offer."
Well, saying that makes it awkward to just jump in and help.
Even if she said she didn't need help, it would have been strange for Baek Yu-Seol to offer advice like, "Hey, this is how you fix this."
Of course, if he wanted to help, he could have provided assistance similar to what he did in Alterisha's case.
However, he had to consider the differences in their personalities and situations.
At the time, Alterisha didn't have the ability to solve the "Delta Augmentation Technique" on her own, so he had no choice but to forcefully offer help.
Fortunately, Alterisha had a tendency to rely on anyone due to her self-esteem and self-confidence hitting rock bottom, so he managed to slip into that gap and avoid causing any resentment.
But, Hong Bi-Yeon was different.
Although her self-esteem was low, her self-respect was quite high, and in such a state, a few offhanded pieces of advice from Baek Yu-Seol might end up being better than any achievements she had made so far...
It could even shatter her mental state entirely.
'It's a tough situation. Maybe I should find an appropriate opportunity to come back later.'
He glanced over and quickly read her thesis.
Perhaps she sensed his gaze because Hong Bi-Yeon asked quietly, "Why do you have that expression? Even you do not find it good?"
"Huh? No, I mean, it's just... a bit..."
To be honest, he wasn't wearing his specs, so he couldn't understand what was written at all.
He thought it might be some sort of alien language.
But, he didn't bother to put on his glasses and read it carefully; they both just brushed it off without addressing it fully.
"I don't really know what's written here, but it looks quite complex. Isn't this your style?"
"... This is my style."
"Really? I didn't know. I thought you were more about using explosive and flashy magic."
"You're an idiot. Even behind those explosive and flashy magic spells, there are ultimately complex computational processes and combinations of numerous magic circles... setting up..."
As Hong Bi-Yeon began to speak with a tone that suggested Baek Yu-Seol's words were trivial, she paused for a moment and looked blankly at her notes.
Then, she looked up again to level a gaze at him through her rubies-like eyes, and blinked.
... And then, suddenly.
Rip! Rumble!
She tore apart the notes she had been working on for several nights and set them on fire.
"What, are you crazy?"
Startled, Baek Yu-Seol stepped back, and she spoke with a somewhat relieved expression.
"Thanks, commoner."
"No, not at all."
But Hong Bi-Yeon didn't respond, and after grabbing her bag, she immediately rushed out of the library.
Left alone in his seat, he was simply dumbfounded.
Could it be that the old saying among Korean high school students about studying too much can drive you crazy was actually true...?