Chapter 30. Preparation
After meeting Felix, I returned to the dormitory.
Only after reaching my own space did I finally feel at ease.
I took out the magic tool I had hidden in my pocket and checked its details.
────[ Receiver Orb ]────
▶ Grade: Mid-Low
▶ A magic orb imbued with receiving magic. (Single-use)
▶ It can receive location coordinates sent from a transmitter orb. (Single-use)
-────────────
No wonder he handed me a magic tool so easily—it was disposable.
If I took this to the professors, this would all be over instantly. He had let his guard down, thinking I was a fellow demon.
Of course, I had no intention of doing that.
I had to be the one to resolve this situation.
I placed the receiver orb back into the pocket of my cadet uniform hanging on the rack.
"Hmm…"
Now, how should I deal with Felix?
Facing the unexpectedly strong Felix would require a lot of preparation.
There was no convenient weakness like "demons are weak to light magic."
"…I want to win stylishly if I can."
Even if I couldn't find a way to win, it wasn't the end of the world.
In the worst case, I could simply alert others and be the first to charge in, buying time while getting beaten to a pulp.
It would be dramatic, sacrificing myself for Lucy, but I'd much rather take him down alone and rescue her myself.
After all, the best way to create the right atmosphere is to be the hero who saves the day.
"Should I go to the training hall? …No, I should do that first."
I had no money.
My only income was the 3 million won monthly stipend, but there were too many things I needed to buy.
Thinking of ways to earn money, one particular idea came to mind.
Victoria Academy Cadet Profiles.
Basically, it was like an SNS profile.
Everyday was an anonymous community by default, but cadets could register their profiles if they wished.
There were two types of people who registered profiles.
The first type was students who wanted to promote their guilds or families, like Elise, who already had a secured guild and a confident ranking.
The second type was those seeking guild recruitment offers or sponsorships.
Exam rankings and practical training videos were provided to scouts, but since they couldn't check every cadet, desperate students had to take initiative.
---------------------
Name: Lee Hoyeon
Year: 1st Year
Class: A-Class
Age: 20
Affiliation: Student Council
Introduction: I am a first-year magician enrolled in A-Class. I participate in student council activities and have achieved excellent results in various courses. Videos are attached below.
---------------------
…Not much to write.
Since I hadn't accomplished much, there wasn't much to say.
I felt a little bad for Lucy, but I uploaded our one-on-one sparring video. I also posted a dungeon training video. While Nam Daeun had contributed more in that fight, a professional hunter might still take interest.
After finalizing the profile, I hit submit.
"This feels a little superficial… But whatever."
Since grades hadn't been released yet, I had little to showcase.
Still, this was insurance. There was no reason not to take a risk-free bet.
Knowing the original story meant I could invest in promising guilds, but I had no capital.
"Ugh, might as well head to training."
If I got desperate, maybe I could borrow money from Professor Im Sol?
If we got closer, I might consider it.
*
The training hall was nearly empty, likely because it was Friday.
Not that it mattered, since I planned to use a private room.
Meeting Felix and realizing how much stronger he was than expected had given me a lot to think about.
I became more aware of my lack of strength and the reality of my situation.
Focusing so much on wooing heroines had made me forget I was still playing a game.
'If Felix had really lost control and tried to kill me earlier, I would have died on the spot.'
It was an unlikely scenario, but I had definitely become careless.
I had been serious before, but from now on, I needed to be even more focused and cautious.
Today, I planned to refine my combat style.
My biggest issue was my low mana reserves.
Since I hadn't practiced magic for long, my mana capacity and circuits hadn't expanded much.
The issue with low mana capacity was obvious—like a car with no fuel, I could only cast a few spells before running out.
Narrow mana circuits also made magic execution problematic.
With narrow pathways, it was difficult to channel mana quickly and impossible to use large amounts at once.
So far, I had been forcefully compensating with [Mana Sensitivity], but I couldn't keep relying on that.
The best combat style for me was swift and decisive attacks.
Which was why I was particularly interested in Nam Daeun's spatial acceleration ability.
I recalled the moment.
Nam Daeun using her acceleration ability to hunt the Cave Moles.
I had activated my Mystic Eye back then, so I could vividly recall every detail of the mana's movement.
And fortunately, Victoria Academy's official SNS had a video of Nam Daeun using acceleration.
The more data I had, the better.
For hours, I reviewed the videos and pieced together the workings of her mana control.
"Ugh, my head hurts."
Nam Daeun's ability didn't simply accelerate her body.
She created a spherical mana barrier around herself and accelerated the space within it.
This method was far more efficient than just enhancing physical speed.
It was like the difference between moving a well-designed puppet quickly versus rolling a soccer ball—it was simply easier.
Her technique revolved around circulating mana rapidly through her body's mana circuits to generate force through acceleration.
However, this put extreme strain on the body, turning it into a self-destruct mechanism.
That's why she accelerated space along with herself.
By accelerating the mana surrounding her body at the same rate, the recoil was absorbed externally.
It was a finely tuned and precise technique.
It involved accelerating free-floating mana, giving it mass, and redirecting recoil into empty space.
Most people wouldn't be able to do this even if it were explained to them.
But I was acknowledged as a rare talent by the world's strongest magician.
I wasn't like the other nobodies.
"Haa—"
I took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly.
Mana began accelerating through my circuits.
I started slowly, allowing my circuits to adjust before gradually increasing speed.
Woom—
Then, I synchronized the surrounding space with my flow.
Even though it was my first time trying this, I managed to do it as naturally as flowing water.
I raised the mana outside my body to match my speed.
As I maintained the momentum and completely controlled the spherical space, I pushed it to the highest output I could manage.
Shwooo—
Winds swirled around the barrier surrounding my body, and my mana circuits screamed in protest.
This wasn't an issue of control but a physical limitation. No matter how powerful the engine, a small car had limits to how fast it could go.
If I went any faster, I would end up injuring myself.
I transferred the accumulated acceleration and recoil to the mana behind me, launching myself forward.
Boom—!
In an instant, I had traveled dozens of meters ahead.
"Hoo..."
『Skill: [Acceleration] has been acquired.』
---------『 Acceleration 』-----------------------
▶ Skill
▶ Accelerates the space around the body and uses the recoil to grant explosive speed in an instant.
--------------------------------------------
"Gaining a skill this easily feels kind of unfair."
In this world, skills aren't learned just by trying something once.
You have to fully understand, master, and repeat a technique until it stabilizes.
Yet I managed to do it in just one attempt.
I felt a little guilty, but it was what it was.
"Let's see… 'Accelerates the space around the body and uses the recoil for explosive speed'… Huh?"
Wait, this isn't what I was aiming for.
I had envisioned a skill that would allow me to cast magic faster and attack from a distance, but this seemed entirely melee-focused.
"Oh."
Now that I thought about it, all the videos and memories I analyzed showed Nam Daeun using her acceleration to approach enemies.
"Damn it, this was an entirely different skill from the start."
So after all those hours of suffering, all I got was a way to run faster.
*
After finishing my training, I stepped out of the private training room.
"Well, it's not bad. I can always use it to run away."
I comforted myself as I walked toward the dormitory.
"Or if I wake up late, I can dash to class. Yeah, that's actually useful."
Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all.
Ding—
As if to stop my useless thoughts, my smartwatch sent me an alert.
The sender was Moon Surin.
Surin Noona: Hoyeon, do you have time on Saturday?
Saturday… That was tomorrow. Was she finally bringing up the meal we talked about? I had no official plans, but plenty of things to do.
Me: Yes, I don't have any plans for tomorrow.
No point in lying. Most of my plans involved training anyway, and if she found out later, it'd be annoying to explain. Might as well go for it.
Surin Noona: Phew, good. Sorry for the sudden notice, but we have a promotion department event tomorrow.
Me: Ah, okay.
So I got ahead of myself again. But wasn't it normal to assume? Why not mention the actual reason first? Come on, Noona.
Surin Noona: Be at the promotion office by 9 AM tomorrow. I'll explain the details then.
Me: Got it.
Surin Noona: Make sure to wear your cadet uniform properly. Oh, did you think it was a meal invitation? Sorry about that. Let's definitely eat together next time, okay?
Me: ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Yep, let's go somewhere nice next time!
She really was sharp. Did my text somehow make it obvious I was a little disappointed?
Promotion department, huh? I guess this is what it's like to be good-looking.
Can't believe I'm about to work as a model.
"Wait a second."
Wasn't this just an excuse to use me and Elise's image rights for free under the guise of promotion?
If Elise and I were to stream online, the donations would flood in. This was daylight robbery…
Ding—
Surin Noona: Oh, by the way, your payment has been deposited into your account. It's a small amount, but it's a token of appreciation.
Now that's Victoria Academy, the world's most prestigious institution. Never disappoints.
"The door opens~. Money flows in~."
Humming, I happily checked my account balance.
[Balance: 5,120,000 won]
I had 120,000 won left before, so she had sent me 5 million won.
"She calls this a 'small amount'… Their sense of scale is completely different from mine."
For an average person, 5 million won was a huge sum.
Still, I wasn't one to refuse free money. Looked like I was going shopping this weekend.
*
Saturday.
For the first time in my life, I was about to do influencer work.
Exciting.
My heart pounded as I headed toward the promotion office.
A shut-in gamer becoming a model—it was surreal.
"Hello~."
"Hey, hey! Long time no see, junior!"
"Oh wow, is our promo department junior finally showing his face?"
The female student council members greeted me enthusiastically.
No matter how much they sucked up to me, there was no room for them beside me. Sorry.
I returned their greetings casually and entered the promotion office.
It was my second time here, but seeing it bustling with people was still interesting.
Not only were Elise and Surin Noona there, but several other women were gathered as well.
I looked toward Elise and Surin Noona and greeted them.
"President, hello. Who are these people?"
I cautiously pointed toward the unfamiliar women.
"Hello, junior. These are the makeup artists. Since you'll be representing Victoria Academy's image, we need you to look your best."
As soon as Surin Noona introduced me, the makeup artists started buzzing.
"Wow, he's the male model? This is insane."
"Right? But, uh… I don't think we actually need to do anything? He's already perfectly styled."
"…?"
I turned to Surin Noona, confused, and she gave me a wry smile.
"Uh, yeah. This is his no-makeup look."
"Huh? Wait, no way. That's impossible."
"…"
"…Seriously?"
"…Yes."
"…"
The makeup artists' enthusiasm visibly died.
Well, even I had to admit—I did look damn good.
It would be a shame if they ruined it with unnecessary makeup.
'Guess I'll just stay quiet.'
Seeing the makeup artists' displeased expressions, I decided not to say anything unnecessarily.