Chapter 19

Just before Monday's class started, instructor Ko Changsoo announced that there was a small notice.

"With this, the mid-term comprehensive evaluation has ended.

We plan to organize the future exams and training groups, based on your score."

From the second year, the intensity of the training is stepped up a notch.

There are more practical training sessions and there are more group activities as well.

And so, the results of the mid-term comprehensive evaluation can be said to be the data that optimizes those groupings.

"From the second year onwards, the results of all your training sessions are planned to be recorded on your report, so please do your best."

Although the results of the training sessions don't impact your grade as heavily as the exams do, starting from the second year, training sessions are also put on your report.

If you mess around during the training sessions just because you think that they're unimportant, your post-graduation record book will be in shambles.

From now on, you have to put your all into each and every training session and I have to work especially hard since my scores in the first year were horrendous.

"Then I'll release the report cards for the mid-term comprehensive evaluation."

The instructor pressed the operation pad on the teacher's platform.

A hologram screen appeared behind him.

And on the screen, the rankings from the mid-term comprehensive evaluation were written in order, starting from 1st place.

"I will start with a round of applause. The one who took the glorious position of first place comes from our class."

"Shin Hayul."

Everyone's gaze, including the instructor's, was focused on me.

"Congratulations. Among all the 18 year-olds currently in Korea, you are the most outstanding."

Clap clap clap-

Along with the instructor's words, applause rang out.

There were some applauding to sincerely congratulate me, but there were also those who were filled with envy and jealousy.

There were even some people with unsatisfactory expressions on their faces not even pretending to clap.

They just sat quietly, grinding their teeth together.

"As an instructor who has been watching Shin Hayul's unrelenting efforts since the first year, I am truly delighted with his achievement."

The instructor smiled warmly and gave me a heartfelt round of applause.

"Thank you."

"Seeing as you've come this far, you should make it your goal to keep your spot as number one for the next 2 months and compete in the Academy Olympiad. It will definitely be a good experience."

The World Academy Olympiad.

The number of people who can participate is limited.

No first-year students are selected.

Out of the second years, only 3 are selected and the remaining 7 places are selected from the 3rd years.

''Yes. I'll try my best.''

That had already been my goal.

"It might be difficult because of your grades in the first year, but do try your best."

But it's not going to be easy to earn the right to compete.

As I said before, my first-year grades are the worst.

Unless I maintain my spot as number 1 in the academy for 2 months by a landslide, it's going to be impossible to participate.

"There's no way someone who lucked out with his vision magic will compete in the Olympiad."

"2 months my balls. He'll lose his position in just one week."

"No matter what he does, he's still a defect..."

The students who had always been looking down on me murmured and criticized me.

Just by how they were looking at me while sneering nastily, it was clear that they were trying to taunt me.

I returned their taunts with a sneer.

It was quite fun watching the expressions on their faces rotting away.

"Then I'll be starting class right away."

And like that, instructor Ko Changsoo's class, the origins and beginnings of magic, began.

'Then shall I start my own self-study?'

Instructor, I'm sorry to say this, but since I already know it all, there's no point in me learning it again.

I quietly began to reanalyze the information I had noted down on the Bytenor style of magic.

* * *

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* * *

Monday's classes were all over.

As if being considerate of the fact that the mid-term comprehensive evaluation had come to an end, today's classes were filled only with theory lessons.

"Ugh. I'm feeling a bit under the weather. How is it even allowed for all 8 classes to be theory lessons?"

Soonchan loosened up his body here and there and stretched.

"Well, I guess we have the practical training tomorrow to look forward to."

"...I don't want to do practical training either."

Soonchan frowned as he stretched.

Watching his face coil up in disgust was well worth seeing.

"That's why I told you to hurry up and improve your stamina. Your stamina's frankly shit."

''Are you done talking? This magically impotent..."

Soonchan's words spilled out.

And then he suddenly frowned.

"Oh, God. I can't even make fun of you for being magically impotent anymore."

"If it bothers you that much then hurry up and increase your stamina and overcome your weakness."

"...As you wish. I'll overcome it just for you."

Soonchan ground his teeth together.

"Really? Then let's work on it as soon as possible. Shall we go to the gym after dinner?"

Recently, I've been feeling like I've been neglecting my physical training.

I think that it would be a good idea to spend some time working out with Soonchan for a change.

"Uh... I really want to. But I'm not feeling it today."

It felt like I could hear the sound of Soonchan's eyes rolling all the way here.

"You said that you were feeling under the weather?"

"Yea, I meant that my joints are sore. Oww. It hurts."

He clutched his knee and insisted that he was in pain, but even a 3-year-old child would have been able to tell that it was all an act.

I chuckled.

"If you don't want to exercise just say so, you chump."

Then Soonchan put on a serious look.

"No, let me be honest. It's not that I don't want to exercise. I just don't want to work out with you. Did you know? With you, you chump."

"Hey, what did I do?"

''How am I supposed to keep up with your crazy intensity? If I do what you're doing, I'll die."

"Stop making things up."

"If I'm making something up right now, then my funeral definitely won't be."

Soonchan snorted.

"Anyway, I'm going to exercise alone. You don't have to worry about it. I've found my very own routine."

Soonchan waved his hand and actively refused to exercise with me.

"Fine then. I suppose I have no choice. I have to exercise alone."

"Is this your first time going to the gym since becoming a second year?"

"Yep."

"...The first years are going to be terrified."

"Why would they be?"

''Anyone would be in shock after seeing you exercising for the first time."

Soonchan shivered.

"Why would anyone make a fuss over a person exercising?"

"Yeah, you're right. No one makes a fuss when it's a person exercising. Yeah. A person. When it's a regular human being exercising, of course no one would make any fuss at all."

I must've misheard.

Surely he didn't put any emphasis on the word 'person' just now did he?

* * *

I went to the gym for the first time in about 2 weeks and saw some new faces there.

''Woah, Shin Hayul's over there."

"Wow, even he uses this place, huh."

The number of new faces that I saw increased a lot between those two weeks.

I guess they're all newly enrolled students.

'I've really been neglecting my physical training for a long time.'

After being promoted, I immediately picked up Eadred's Grimoire, said hell to physical exercise and immersed myself in learning the Bytenor style of magic.

I'm reflecting on myself a little.

It was written in Eadred's grimoire as well.

[Since the Infinity Circle is a huge circle that flows throughout the entire body, it is affected by the body's physical strength.]

[A strong body creates a strong circle and increases the efficiency of the circle's rotations.]

[Physical training should not be neglected.]

Even if it is not to strengthen the Infinity Circle, physical training is a must.

Unlike in the old times, a mage's main position is now in the front line, so physical strength is the most important ability a mage can grow.

'Whew. Then I'll start by lightly going through my normal routine.'

Seeing as how this was the first time I was exercising in 2 weeks, I decided to do my stretches with more care.

''Uhm, senior.''

Whilst I was meticulously loosening my body up, a male student with a robust physique approached me.

Since he called me his senior, I suppose he was a junior.

That and the fact that he was a new face as well.

"If it's okay with you, would you be able to give me some exercises to do? I heard that no one can even come close to you when it comes to physical training..."

"Me?"

And at that moment, a silence spread throughout the gym.

"Goddamn."

"I'm going to have to clean up another corpse today."

And groans could be heard from all directions.

"There were times when I was like that as well."

''Ignorance is a sin."

"Hey, I'm betting 10,000 won that he won't be at the gym tomorrow."

"Only ten thousand won? I'm betting 100,000 won."

The student who had come to ask me to teach him some exercises was bewildered. His expression showed that he was wondering what on earth this situation was.

"Hey, Junior. Take back what you just said while I'm being nice."

A familiar face approaches the junior, pats him on the back as he shakes his head.

He was a buddy I had met at the gym frequently for the past year.

His name was Kang Jehyuk from class 3 or something along those lines.

"Out of all the students in the school, Hayul is probably the best at sports. He probably has the best stamina and physique as well."

''Yes. I've heard the rumors."

I'm very famous at this school.

The thing I'm most known for is being the only person incompatible with AI in the whole school.

And the second thing I'm known for is being the Magic Shin Clan's youngest child. And the third thing I'm known for is my body.

''Junior. Think about it carefully. This guy's incompatible with AI. Ah, Hayul. I'm not trying to offend you or anything."

Kang Jehyuk stopped in the middle of his sentence and gestured at me to not misunderstand him.

"Anyways it took this guy 8 seconds to use 1-circle magic. Though that's not the case anymore."

''Yes. Why does that matter?"

"Oh, come on. Your comprehension skills are lacking."

Kang Jehyuk knocked on his own head and took a deep breath.

"Think carefully. Say it takes you 8 seconds to cast water, the most simple of spells." "Yes."

"Is it possible to complete all your subjects for the first year in that state?"

"Sorry?"

"Forget passing or whatever, do you think you'll even be able to take the exam?" "Well..."

"You're not confident, right? You shouldn't be. Because if you think that you'd be able to take it, that's a load of bullshit."

Kang Jehyuk fired off statements in rapid succession.

"This guy did it. That's what I'm saying. How do you think he managed to do it?"

"...How did he manage?"

"By using his body."

"Sorry?"

"He did it with his body. His body. This monstrous bastard covered what he was lacking with his body."

"..."

''You get it now don't you? His body isn't normal. His body is a kind of magic in itself. Dis is mejic. Oh-kay?" *(T/n: He's speaking English here.)

Though he was exaggerating a bit, he wasn't wrong.

To be honest, I've never thought that I would be short of someone when it came to physical ability.

Seeing as how I had the mentality that I had to cover for my lack of magic ability with just my body, I've been training to death for the past year.

And before that as well, I had been constantly training my body back when I was with the Magic Shin Clan.

"This non-human crazy fuc... Ahem. If you were to learn some exercises from this monstrous bastard. You. Will. Die. I really mean it."

Kang Jehyuk looked at the junior with serious eyes.

However,

"After hearing that, I want to learn the exercises even more."

The Junior's eyes instead started to shine.

"...Ah!"

"Oh my God."

More groanings erupted from the surroundings.

"Hayul sunbae-nim. Please, teach me the secret to building that strong body."

Completely ignoring the groans around him, the junior looked me straight on in the eyes and made his request.

"Okay."

I like people who are passionate like him.

Because the passion of these kinds of people become the driving force of my growth.

"Thank you very much!"

"Then let's do a quick warm up together first."

"Yes!"

And like that, I started doing physical training with a junior I had never met before.

"...I did warn him."

"Yikes. I guess we should at least pray for him."

Sighs could be heard one after another from all over the room.

* * *

"Pwahaha! I knew this would happen. What did you do to that kid?"

That night.

I was chatting lightly with Soonchan in the common room.

''Just by looking at him, I can tell that he won't even be able to pee in the direction of the gym."

Soonchan smiled slyly and poked my side with his elbow.

"Some parts were exaggerated though. And he kept up better than I had expected as well..."

My physical condition was so great, even after taking the 2-week break, that I ended up training harder than usual.

As a result, my junior fainted.

'Is this the effect of the infinity circle?'

My physical condition was so good to the point that it was incomprehensible.

Even though I was training according to my usual routine, it wasn't tiring at all.

'The body and the infinity circle were said to be closely related. Maybe that's what's causing this.'

The more you train your body, the stronger your Infinity Circle becomes, and the more you train your Infinity Circle, the stronger your physical ability becomes.

The effects had great synergy.

This would make winning the Olympiad much easier.

It's some unexpected fortune.

"What? Why did you just randomly stop talking?"

"What? Oh, no nothing. I was just reflecting on myself."

"Oh come on. You're so boring."

Soonchan finished his canned coffee with a tired expression and threw it into the bin.

"Ah."

But perhaps it was a little too far away?

The can hit the bin and bounced off.

I focused my mind on it.

"Hm?"

The can, which floated under the influence of my mana, turned and went into the bin.

"You can't even throw a can into the bin?"

"...Woah, what are you?"

Soonchan pursed his lips and looked at me as if he was genuinely surprised.

"Did you control that can by moving mana at that exact moment? What's up with your control?"

It seems that he was so surprised he didn't even process my sarcastic comment.

"Nothing much. I just treat my mana like my limbs."

I tilted the half-full coffee can and spilled its contents onto the floor.

The black liquid fell through the air.

I used my mana and suspended the coffee in the air as it was.

The lump of coffee moved around.

"Like this. Easy, huh?"

"...Wow."

Soonchan looked blankly at the coffee floating in the air.

It seemed that he was too surprised.

And at that moment I thought I should stop messing around, Soonchan's expression suddenly turned intimidating.

"You bastard, do you think you should be playing with your food like this?"

Ah, I see.

So that was the problem.