Special Perks

[Sub Quest Completed!]

I completed the sub quest and my magic power stat got a nice +1 boost. But that's not all. I also got to meet Moon Soorin and get to know her a bit. Okay, it wasn't like she instantly fell head over heels for me just because she saw my face, but it might come in handy later.

After that, I decided to take a stroll and get to know the area better. I focused on exploring the less crowded back alleys. You never know when I might need a quick escape.

The place had a bunch of tall buildings, and there were these narrow spaces between them where people could pass through. It wasn't creepy during the day, but walking around there at night would definitely give me the chills.

Once I had a rough idea of the alley layout, I headed back to my dorm. I sat down at my desk, pulled out a notebook and pen from my bag, and got down to business.

"Well, let's delve into the special perks first."

Understanding the perks was crucial in unraveling the situation. But honestly, I had no clue why I got them. Maybe it was just beginner's luck or something.

But then again, being transported into a game in the first place didn't make much sense, so it wasn't surprising to receive such benefits.

While I'm at it, I should organize my thoughts about these perks more clearly.

Firstly, Mana Sensitivity.

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– Mana Sensitivity –

▶ Perk

▶ The ability to sense and understand mana

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As I envisioned opening the status window, a skill window materialized before me, reminiscent of a game.

In this world, gifted people could objectively observe and measure their abilities and skills. Simply thinking about the necessary information was enough to manifest it right in front of me, eliminating the need for verbal prompts.

Mana Sensitivity… To elaborate, it's the capability to sense and understand mana.

But what does that really mean? Can I get a more specific description here?! Should I grab a textbook or something? I mean, studying usually involves textbooks, so…

I pulled out this famous mana studies textbook known for its complexity.

1. The Essence of Mana.

Mana is an intangible 'energy' that permeates all living beings, serving as an essential element in shaping the world.

The methods of awakening mana vary from person to person, leading to diverse attributes and characteristics of the mana they possess.

Presently, the most prevalent approach to mana manipulation involves controlling mana by perceiving it akin to the movement of blood within one's body.

…

Is that all?

"Moving the blood within my body, huh?"

Ugh, like, pumping blood from the heart to the arms…

But nothing happened.

"Yeah, it's freaky to suddenly feel something… Huh?"

But then, there was something. Inside me… It was…

As soon as I realized that mana existed in just one sentence, shit started to go down. Until now, it felt like I had the whole world. Joy, pleasure, excitement, abundance, ecstasy. I felt it all rushing in like a damn tsunami. But deep down…

The act of awakening mana. Lost in that ecstasy, I savored the moment before snapping back to reality.

"Haah…"

Has it been, like, a minute?

I had become a completely different person compared to before.

I grabbed the book called Practical Basics of Magic from the shelf where I found the textbook earlier and opened the very first page. Even though it was supposed to be the most basic magic, those six lines were all twisted, forming a complex-ass magical incantation.

Whoosh!

A flame appeared above my hand.

"Damn, holy crap! This is insane!"

While the Practical Basics of Magic book teaches some basic magical incantations, each person's form and attributes of efficient magic vary. Otherwise, it would be some boring standardized system.

Usually, most people learn this stuff at the academy. But I've surpassed the stage.

I focused my hands and pictured fire in my mind, and boom, another fireball appeared above my hand. Even though this crazy phenomenon happened, it didn't surprise me one bit. Mana had become a natural thing for me.

"It's all thanks to Mana Sensitivity…"

Doing something that seemed impossible so freaking easily… Next up was Clear Mental Strength.

I have no clue what the hell that even means.

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– Clear Mental Strength –

▶ Perk

▶ The ability to maintain clear mind in any situation.

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It's weird to think about it now, but even though I suddenly got sucked into the game, I didn't freak out. Maybe it's because of my clear mental strength, always trying to assess the situation and take action… Or maybe it was that sensation I felt when awakening mana earlier. Could it be it?

But I couldn't be completely sure yet, maybe I was just exceptional. Still, since it's labeled as a benefit like Mana Sensitivity, it'd probably come in handy someday. And lastly…

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– Memory Enhancement –

▶ Perk

▶ The ability to boost memory capacity.

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The most annoying thing was that the notification that popped up when I acquired these benefits said it had an "80% compulsion." Why not 100% compulsion? It's bugging me, but I remember the damn question from that god-like being on KakaoTalk, "Wanna make a bet?" And my response was, "What's there to bet?"

Fuck… it's all so messed up. But the perks were pretty good.

It's not just about improving memory capacity; it allowed me to recall every word, expression, and even her magical aura from the conversation I had with Moon Soorin. If I put my mind to it, I could even visualize the structure of the café where we talked and even the floor tiles.

Looks like it could be a useful ability.

I had finished summarizing everything, including the perks. Starting the next day, I had to head straight to the academy, and to be honest, I was pretty darn worried.

Victoria Academy was renowned for training people with exceptional abilities. It was considered one of the top institutions in Korea, even recognized worldwide.

Starting from tomorrow, I had to attend the academy, but here's the thing: I had zero combat experience, and I had never thrown a punch in my life. I wasn't sure if I could adapt to the academy.

"But hey, let's do it, right?"

It was 10 p.m. If I wanted to start my first class in a good condition, I should start preparing soon, but the thought of going to the training center was growing on me.

"I should go, it's the right thing to do."

My life had always been about cramming, even pulling all-nighters before the college entrance exam anyway.

I headed towards the training center, filled with top-notch training equipment. Victoria Academy had made the training center unnecessarily fancy.

The training center was a facility where various types of training, including physical and mana training, could be done in one building.

I flashed my smartwatch at the entrance of the center.

[First Year, Lee Hoyeon.]

1st floor.

As I stepped into the elevator and arrived at the 3rd floor mana training room, there weren't many people around. Well, it was the night after the entrance ceremony.

I mean, who would expect anyone to be here?

I strolled into a private room where I could have some personal training.

Private Room

With a press of the button next to the entrance, a mechanical sound accompanied the hologram.

[Mana training system activated]

[Training dummy. Maximum intensity. Distance: 10 meters.]

Once the voice was recognized, the hologram vanished, revealing a training dummy standing 10 meters away.

Shiiing-

I gathered mana in my hand, conjuring a fiery ball.

Honestly, I had no profound insights into the concept of mana. All I did was play around with magic by staring at the monitor and tapping on the keyboard.

But still, magic…

The talent to manipulate mana and use magic without having any knowledge about magical power. That's what Mana Sensitivity was all about.

And on top of that, the calculations and timing before using magic have always been a headache for mages. But for me, it was as simple as just thinking about it. It was that easy. Of course, I could use plenty of spells within the limits of my mana capacity.

"Oops."

After focusing my mana on the fireball for about a minute, I had the feeling that I had reached my limit.

Bwooosh!

"Phew… Pheeew…"

Even at a glance, the training dummy looked far from normal. It was charred, ablaze, and missing both arms.

[Damage: 22%]

22% damage? The original protagonist used to demolish training dummies with a single blow after a year of training.

"Should I give it another try?"

Squeezing mana from my whole body wasn't as bad as I thought. Using magic gave me a sense of thrill, just like excelling in any sport.

Once again, I gathered mana in my hand, this time envisioning a spear. If I were to throw in an incantation, maybe something like 'Fire Spear!' would do the trick.

The fiery spear gradually took shape, becoming more distinct.

"Alright, like this…"

Wobbling.

Out of the blue, my legs gave out, and I plopped down on the floor.

"Huh, wait, why…"

Even when I tried to muster the strength to stand up, my body simply refused. The surroundings started to blur, and a pounding headache struck me.

Thud.

And that's when my memory just went poof.