A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy - Chapter 135:

Magic (1)

***

Though a chaotic event occurred, the day did not come to a halt.

Whether Ellie was chosen by Chaos or not, time continued to flow.

So, waking up in the morning meant I had to go to class.

I’ve now grown accustomed to freely roaming alone, and the academy has also adapted to my presence.

Above all, the fact that I haven’t caused any trouble and have been living quietly can be seen as the greatest progress.

Occasionally, when I feel stiff, I wreak havoc in the Forest of Chaos. Rod directly gave me permission for this.

‘I’m steadily earning money too.’

I decided to handle the money management myself, not Rize.

After the stock market boom and learning that the investor was Jane, all suspicions were cleared.

This incident granted me considerable autonomy. But if I cause another incident, all eyes will be on me again.

‘Let’s be careful. I need to show that I’m getting used to civilization.’

The final exams are approaching, and once they’re over, a special event will be held.

At this event, key figures from various countries will gather, and there will be many political entanglements.

Most importantly, rumors about me must have spread, so I need to ensure I don’t attract unnecessary trouble.

‘There will definitely be someone picking a fight.’

That’s a matter for later. What’s important now is the final exams.

They said there won’t be any unnecessary penalties, so I’m a bit curious. How will they balance it?

The gap between me and the other students is huge. Even the professors would find it hard to beat me.

Moreover, with my berserk mode gone and having acquired ‘Rampage’, I can maintain my sanity and still win against Hector.

‘I’m a bit excited.’

Every day has been filled with interesting events lately. And I haven’t caused any incidents.

If things go on like this, I should be able to progress through the story normally. That’s what I thought.

“Today, we’re going to practice basic magic. It’s a bit late, but since it’s the basics, please bear with us.”

Today’s afternoon class was basic magic practice. Under Godin’s guidance, we were to learn the basics of magic.

According to previous lessons, learning magic is optional. You can master one skill by focusing on it.

In this sense, warriors learning magic isn’t very efficient, but learning basic magic is beneficial.

“Learning basic magic isn’e blaze or electrify a puddle to shock a group. Even basic magic has many uses.”

As Godin explained, learning even a bit of magic significantly increases your options.

Of course, this requires a sharp mind, but it’s still helpful for survival.

“We’ll divide those who have already learned magic from those who haven’t. Those who have will practice with the assistants, and the rest will learn directly from me.”

I stood in front of Godin after hearing that. Among my group, everyone except Grace was with Godin.

Godin checked our faces with a smile and clapped to get our attention.

“None of you here have used magic before, right?”

“I can use lightning.”

Kara spoke up casually. As a devotee of Gulak, she meant she could use lightning.

Godin nodded as if he expected her to say that and replied.

“That’s not magic but faith. Faith manifests through willpower. Magic manifests through language, which is quite different.”

“Then which is better?”

“I can’t say which is better. Simply put, magic offers diversity, while faith enhances physical abilities.”

In simple terms, you can shoot a lightning arrow with magic, but it’s difficult with faith.

Faiame.

When faith reaches its peak, the sky will fill with clouds as you gather lightning.

If magic creates clouds, faith gathers natural ones.

“Anyway, as explained, magic manifests through language. Like this.”

Godin moved his fingers fluidly as if writing in the air.

He did it slowly enough for us to understand what he was writing.

“Fire.”

Fwoosh!

When he said ‘fire,’ flames sprang from his hand, covering his palm.

I’ve encountered fire magic countless times in tests and practice, so it wasn’t impressive.

It seemed the same for others. Most of them were warriors watching passively.

“Irained in us because they’re tied to survival.”

Fire and water-related magic are indeed easy to learn. I could probably use them right away.

Fire signifies the start of civilization, and water is the source of life, ingrained at the genetic level.

“Professor, I have a question.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“You said magic is language, but some people create large fire pillars with words like ‘ignite!’ How does that work?”

e flames would burst from the ground.

Godin praised it as a good question and demonstrated.

“Ignite.”

He clearly said that while writing ‘fire pillar’ with his hand. The spoken word and written word were different.

Fwoosh!

But the result was the same. Though smaller, it was the familiar fire pillar seen often because he used the common language.

Godin continued to demonstrate.

“Rise. Shoot up. Soar. Ignite.”

Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

He said different words, but the hand-written word was always the same.

The result wasn’t very different. As expected, the fire’s characteristics remained.

“As you can see, al as the essence of ‘fire pillar’ is captured, any words will work. But ‘ignite’ is the most suitable, hence its frequent use.”

“Oh…”

“Any other questions?”

Of course not. Most of them preferred physical action over thinking.

Godin knew this and quickly transitioned to the practical part.

Before starting, he handed out recording devices to each of us.

“It’s good to review your actions when you fail. Check if your pronunciation was clear or if you wrote the wrong word, etc. Blindly trying won’t help.”

While listening to his explanation, I pondered. Which language should I use?

I could use Hangul or the common language of this world.

Both were challenging since I hadn’t been learning the common language for long.

Using Hangul might raise unnecessary suspicion.

‘It doesn’t matter if I fail.’

Anyway, I’m here to learn defensive magic from Godin. That’s all I need; magic isn’t crucial for me.

I received the recording device and observed the others.

I wanted to see how they were doing.

“Huh? Why won’t this go out? Go out! I said go out!”

“Careful. Careful.”

One student managed to ignite his hand but couldn’t extinguish it.

The method to extinguish it is simple. Just stop providing mana.

A magical flame created with one’s mana won’t harm its creator.

Of course, the magic itself won’t harm you, but the aftermath is your responsibility.

‘Well, let’s start with fire…’

I focused my mana on my fingertips. Honestly, controlling red mana precisely is hard.

Remember how it devoured and compressed everything? For me, magic is all about concentration.

Maybe practicing magic could improve my focus, though I have no intention of becoming a mage.

‘Fire in the common language…’

I slowly wrote the word in the air, meticulously to avoid accidents.

Once finished, I concentrated on my fingertip and quietly spoke.

“Fire.”

Fwoosh!

Fortunately, a small flame appeared on my fingertip. No, it wasn’t just my fingertip. It covered my whole hand.

I thought it was fine until I realized it wasn’t just my hand—my entire arm was on fire.

‘How far has this spread?’

While assessing my body, I heard a horrified scream.

“Aaah! Look at that!”

“Huh?”

A student was staring at me with a horrified expression, as if seeing a ghost.

“Water! Is there any water?!”

“Hey! Roll on the ground! Roll, you idiot!”

Antonio shouted loudly, snapping me back to reality.

I looked at my entire body.

I had only intended to ignite my fingertip…

Why was my whole body engulfed in flames?

Even Ghost Rider only has flames on his head. But my entire body was ablaze.

“Pour!”

Splash!

As I tried to make sense of the situation, something poured over my head.

It felt cold, so it must have been water. Someone had used magic to douse me.

Thanks to that, the flames on my body were extinguished. Now, soaked, it would be hard to ignite again.

“Phew… good thing I prepared in advance. Are you alright?”

The person who doused me was, as expected, Godin. He sighed in relief and asked about my condition.

I shook off my wet hair and answered honestly.

“Cold.”

“…”

Godin was at a loss for words.

*****

After the Ghost Rider incident, Godin began to keep a close eye on Sivar.

He never imagined that igniting a flame would engulf his entire body. This was unexpected.

‘I’ve never heard of such a case…’

Theoretically, this could happen if the body is entirely composed of mana. Otherwise, it’s a control failure.

Godin leaned towards the latter. Magic requires precise mana control above all else.

Even if you learn to control power, fine-tuning it is still unfamiliar. That’s why this happened.

‘He has the will to learn… and he’s not unintelligent.’

Godin watched Sivar, who was still wet but focused on magic practice.

He kept wiggling his toes, thinking deeply.

Godin wanted to help but saw that Sivar was determined to do it alone, so he let him be.

‘I’d rather he be less intelligent.’

As seen in the midterms, Sivar’s application skills are outstanding.

Suicide attacks and firebomb throws before fully adapting to civilization. He thought outside the box.

If he learns magic too? Who knows what unexpected events might follow?

Sssk—sssk—

‘…Why is he taking off his shoes?’

Sivar suddenly took off his shoes, going barefoot. Godin was puzzled.

What is he planning now? As Godin wondered, Sivar wiggled his toes.

No, he wasn’t just wiggling them; it looked like he was writing something with his big toe.

“…Ignite.”

Though he mumbled, Godin heard the last word due to sharp hearing.

Boom!!

But the result was unexpected. A large explosion erupted from Sivar’s feet.

Along with the explosion came a weak flame. It seemed he created a fire pillar from his sole.

“What’s happening now?”

“Ouch! It’s hot!”

“…”

Godin was speechless again, his mouth agape in shock.

Using magic in close quarters causes a big explosion due to lack of space.

This basic fact was not taught. Godin forgot Sivar was a wild man.

“…Where is he?”

“Did he explode?”

“He wouldn’t die from this, right?”

As Godin held his head in frustration, he heard unsettling remarks.

He quickly looked at where Sivar had been.

As the students said, Sivar was nowhere to be seen.

Only traces of the explosion, soot marks, were left on the floor.

“Isn’t that him?”

“What? Where?”

“Look up! That thing dangling!”

Just as Godin felt he’d have to write a report, a student pointed to the ceiling, shouting.

The practice room’s ceiling was high due to magic use.

“…It seems like him? Why is he stuck up there?”

“Not stuck, more like wedged?”

“It’s amazing that he’s still squirming.”

And there was Sivar, literally wedged in the ceiling. His squirming suggested he was alright.

The explosion launched him at an incredible speed, and he got stuck in the ceiling headfirst.

How absurd must this be for everyone to find it fascinating rather than shocking? After being quiet for a while, he caused another incident.

Thud—

“He’s falling.”

“Everyone, move away!”

Soon, Sivar began falling from the ceiling.

The students quickly moved to avoid any potential injuries. No one thought to catch him.

Thud!

Fortunately, Sivar landed gracefully. His sense of balance was remarkable.

He brushed off the ceiling debris from his head and then met Godin’s eyes.

“…”

“…”

“…Sorry.”

“…Thank you.”

Apologizing should suffice.

“I’ll personally teach you magic from now on, Sivar. That’s all for today.”

“Okay.”

“Phew…”

Godin sighed deeply, looking up at the ceiling.

Like the hole Sivar’s head made, he felt a myriad of emotions.

‘Is he even human?’

That thought crossed his mind.

End of Chapter