"…Divided into thirteen forms for each type of mana. Of these, we know two major categories — the elemental mana, which depends on the world's natural mana flow, and unique mana, which is born from distortions in the mana current, anchoring itself to a chosen vessel."
"For example, Light Mana is a unique mana — created when a light source becomes the central medium of formation…"
Miss Wellay wrote on the blackboard, the lesson written in faint rune script disguised as normal letters.
"In addition, there is another kind of mana — not a unique form, yet not to be ignored. It is called Mana Writing."
At that moment, Ron, who had been resting his head on his desk since the start of class, immediately pulled out his notebook.
The reason was simple — knowledge of Mana Language was rare. Books containing it required active mana infusion to maintain legibility, making them unbelievably expensive to preserve.Only major noble libraries or royal archives could afford them — and Ron wasn't insane enough to mobilize a whole team just to steal one book.
"Mana within the Mana Language," Wellay continued, "is derived from the Law of this World. When we use it, we can impose the world's laws onto a target — even enhance them."
Tap tap.
Ron's pen raced across the paper, jotting notes without glancing up.
"It includes laws we do not yet comprehend… hidden mysteries, even dangerous ones…"
Tap tap.
Though she had spoken for only a few minutes, Ron had already filled half a page — mostly with hypotheses, scope definitions, and his own—
Tap tap.
"Ron, could you stop tapping the desk for a second—OH MY GOD, you're actually writing?!"
Emma, sitting behind him, widened her gray eyes in disbelief. A small bandage still covered her nose — the result of annoying Ron a few days ago.
"Huh? What did you say?"
"Oh my god. Look at you — that weird sleeping posture, freaky food taste, desk-tapping habit, and now… you're actually taking notes after a full week of sleeping through every class!"
"Haha, the guy probably thinks this school is just his bedroom."
"Careful, he might be a vampire in disguise, hehe."
"HEY, I—"
"Silence!"
Wellay's sharp voice cut through the laughter, silencing the entire class.
"All right, Ron. I've lost count of how many times you've acted up. Are you actually planning to study or not?"
"But ma'am, it's just a habit—"
"I don't care. That habit has distracted my class for an entire week!"
She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.
Ron's instincts screamed. He immediately covered his ears.
After a week of suffering through her lectures, he'd learned one thing — Wellay's scolding was a lethal weapon.
"You sleep through every lecture, you brought pizza to class last time, then spilled water all over the floor and didn't clean it—someone slipped because of you! And then you—"
Her voice began to fade into background noise. Ron's eyelids grew heavier. His lips parted slightly.
"Wahh—"
Ron snapped awake the instant the sound escaped his mouth.
Wellay's eyes sharpened, radiating pure killing intent. She stopped talking entirely, just stared.
The look of a dragon preparing to shred its prey.
'…Crap.'
Click.
"You just clicked your tongue, didn't you?"
Ron held his head, gazing longingly toward the nearby window.
'Should I jump?'
RING RING!
The class bell saved him. His eyes lit up instantly — hope reborn.
But before he could move, Wellay spoke again.
"Mr. Ron, next week you'll be taking the final exam along with everyone else."
"But, ma'am, I just transferred here a week ago! Normally, I'd need more time to—"
"I've seen you do nothing but sleep. The decision is mine, and it's final."
Before Ron could protest further, she vanished.
As expected of a Blue Light lecturer — her speed surpassed the limits of normal vision.
And the moment she left, the room erupted in laughter.
"HAHA! Did you see his face?""Classic! The drooling prince got wrecked again!"
'…'
•••
In the academy courtyard, two figures sat under a tree.
Ron sipped from his cup of coffee, while Emma chatted with Lunas through her smart bracelet.
"You should've seen his face, haha! Worth more than all those sleeping pics combined."
(Let me guess — furrowed brows, drooping face, arched eyebrows, mouth wide open, tongue out?)
"Exactly! Wait—how did you know? I was just about to say that!"
"Hey, I can hear you two, you know."
"Hey Lunas, got any other pics of him? I'll pay good money for them!"
"LUNAS, SHUT IT!"
(Ahem, fine, fine… by the way, boss, what got you suddenly interested in Mana Language?)
"Stop ignoring me…"
Ron sighed and scratched his head.
"Lunas, remember those historical reports and ruin documents I asked for last year?"
At the mention of work, Emma's expression shifted — her professional instincts taking over.
(Uh… maybe? Or not? Sorry.)
"It'd be strange if you did remember," Emma muttered dryly.
(Hey! My memory's not that bad! I just… do a lot of work every day, so forgetting things is… normal.)
"Oh right, like forgetting to deliver my gift until someone else brought it for you?"
"…"
'…Wait, what?'
(…I'm sorry…)
Ron nearly dropped his cup.
He'd known Lunas for years — or rather, the previous Ron had — yet even now, he couldn't believe how bad the man's memory was.
'People say goldfish have a three-second memory… guess someone beat the record.'
He took a deep breath, glancing at Emma still lecturing Lunas while the poor guy mumbled apologies.
Emma had once been Ron's ex — though only for two days, and purely as part of an infiltration mission.But between Emma and Lunas? They'd known each other since childhood.
'Haah… I'm getting too old for this teenage drama. Wait, I'm only twenty-seven here.'
"Anyway, listen up."
Emma calmed down and focused on Ron's voice, though she kept side-eyeing Lunas's hologram.
Ron exhaled before continuing.
"In those history reports, we found countless fragmented records — broken pieces of ages long gone."
"Most mention an era from about 1,800 years ago — likely the Godslayer Era, when seven heroes united to destroy the four Evil Gods who once ruled this world."
"Or… at least, that's what the legends claim."
Emma nodded slightly. That was common doctrine in the great churches — part of every noble's education.
Ron's tone deepened.
"I've been analyzing every dynasty over the past two millennia. There are too many mysteries in history — stories about the Sun Mountain, the Birth Tree of the Elves, the Silver Volcano and the Lava Rivers of the Orcs and Dwarves… and even the Red Peak, said to be the birthplace of another legend five hundred years ago — The Crimson Banner."
He paused.
"I'm sure these events are all connected — like dominoes in a chain. But I can't prove it yet. What I do know is this: countless powerful factions are after the Mana Language — or rather, after the Law of the World itself. To seize it… is to become the next god."
"I have many theories, but one thing's clear — mana itself is only a fragment of the true Mana Language. As for the rest… I'll need someone who's lived long enough to know."
Emma frowned.
"Okay, first — I agree, history's weirdly fragmented. But what's with the dominoes and shadow conspiracies? You've been reading too many novels, haven't you? And second, what do you mean Mana Language contains mana? That's backwards! And nobody lives more than two hundred years, boss."
(Boss, you really should stop sleeping all day. Your brain's turning into tofu.)
"Sigh… whatever. I'm heading back. We'll talk tonight."
Ron stood up and walked toward the dorms.
As he walked, his thoughts wandered.
Everything he'd said… was partly true. It all came from his own unfinished novel.But he'd written it so vaguely — summarizing thousands of years of lore in a few lines.
Like trying to condense the history of Earth from year 0 to 2025 into three pages.
The more he thought about it, the more thrilling it felt — like a Pandora's Box. Dangerous… yet irresistible.
Still, he'd have to wait until the exams were over before digging deeper.
Back in his room, Ron carefully checked every corner — habit from his past life.
Once he was sure it was safe, he pulled out a hidden drawer, retrieved a small card, and tapped it against his bracelet.
Click. Click.
A holographic interface appeared, filled with dense clusters of data — regions, monsters, names of legendary figures, and stories from his own novel.
At the center was a bright red line connecting to dozens of others, like a web of roots.
[Empire of Seplat / Phelion / XXXXY-0212Y][The Giant — one of the three undying beings who once descended upon this world.]