...I spent the last two weeks immersed in understanding magic and my body.
As a result, my entire body now firmly remembers the magic called Basic Telekinesis. I had inscribed a massive telekinetic magic circle into my very skin, like an invisible tattoo.
Whoooosh—
In the vast living room, three fountain pens floated like paper airplanes.
The limit of my telekinetic power was ten fountain pens—or three hundred kilograms of pure metal.
Considering the specs described in the grimoire—
"The limit of Basic Telekinesis reaches thirty kilograms only if it aligns well with the mage's affinity and involves simple pushing or pulling..."
—this was an outrageous output.
"Two weeks to achieve this much. It is insufficient, yet satisfactory."
Of course, only the power had been amplified; mastery was still far off. If anything, the superior performance would make mastery all the more difficult.
Thanks to Understanding, I had trained as efficiently as possible, but even now, I struggled to write with a fountain pen. At the very least, I needed to reach the level where I could draw pictures before I could call it satisfactory.
"The basics are complete."
I picked up Elementary Manipulation Magic Volume 1 from the desk.
The difference between Basic Telekinesis and Elementary Telekinesis was a mere eighteen strokes in the lines.
Basic Telekinesis consisted of twenty lines and two circles, while Elementary Telekinesis had thirty-eight lines and three circles.
Of course, since Elementary built on Basic with branching extensions, I only needed to memorize those additional eighteen strokes—but this time, the thickness of the lines posed a problem...
"Later."
My body needed time to recover, and jumping to Elementary without mastering Basic would make control impossible.
Thus, my next goals were these.
Basic Metal-Attribute Magic Volume 1
Basic Fire-Attribute Magic Volume 1
Basic Earth-Attribute Magic Volume 1
Three magic tomes of different attributes.
Among them, I could only learn manipulation-type spells, if at all possible.
This was an unexpected side effect. Having inscribed manipulation-type telekinesis throughout my body meant learning spells that directly opposed it would strain my physique.
For instance, summoning or spirits clashed entirely with manipulation, making acquisition impossible. The best I could manage were fusion >> support > destruction, in that order of similarity to manipulation.
Still, it hardly mattered. The original owner had talent only in manipulation anyway. It was simply a matter of choice and focus.
Knock knock—
As I moved to open a book, someone knocked on the door.
I recalled the floating fountain pens with telekinesis and responded.
"What is it."
—It is Roy. Mage Allen has arrived with the lecture materials...
Allen had come.
Of course. The first class after the semester began was in ten days—next Thursday.
"I shall descend shortly."
I used telekinesis to change clothes. Or tried to—my pants kept drifting to my upper body, so I dressed manually.
Descending to the first floor, I found Allen with the servants, setting down large boxes on the floor.
"...Is this the content of my lectures?"
"Yes! This covers the first semester's lessons! I prepared it just like every year!"
Allen's eyes were ringed with dark circles. More pitiful than that was his bright, innocent smile, proud of his work.
"Well done."
Other professors in the tower had anywhere from five to twenty subordinates. I had only Allen.
It was entirely due to Deculein's lack of virtue.
"Yes. Then I'll be off!"
As Allen turned to leave, I grabbed the nape of his robe.
"Ack."
"It is late. At least dine before you go."
"Pardon? No, I—"
"You will eat."
I nodded to a servant. They swiftly escorted Allen to the dining hall.
"Uh, I-I'm really fine..."
"You are fine. Sit."
The dining hall's opulence seemed to intimidate him; Allen stood awkwardly, shrinking back.
"Sit."
"...Yeees."
"Dinner is served."
The meal was prepared swiftly. Even to my eyes, it was a feast. Allen stared blankly for a moment, and I deftly picked up knife and fork.
"It is late. Stay the night."
"Pardon? No, I..."
"Refusal will be refused."
"Ah. Y-Yes, yeees..."
Allen nodded shyly, uncomfortably.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
One a.m.
In the silent study, where only the clock's second hand ticked, I prepared my lectures.
Lecture Summary: Deculein – "Understanding Elemental Attribute Magic"
Thanks to Allen's lecture summary, preparation was smooth.
However, comprehending just half of the first lecture's content had consumed three thousand five hundred mana.
That meant investing a thousand mana daily for a week to handle one lecture smoothly—but fortunately, what I understood via Understanding was not easily forgotten.
"...Best to excise the useless parts."
I made my own cuts.
I condensed Allen's summary to the essentials, boldly excluding anything too basic or irrelevant.
I knew little anyway, so I planned a participation-focused lecture.
The original Deculein would have belittled novice mages to stroke his ego, but I was not Deculein.
If possible, I wanted content that was indispensably helpful to the mages while not exposing my empty head.
This unnecessarily kind impulse stemmed partly from Deculein's excessively diligent nature rubbing off.
After an hour drafting the plan, I checked the schedule.
"Nine days remain."
Past midnight, the semester start was nine days away.
By then, as Professor Deculein, I needed to build at least some magical foundation.
Playing professor was unplanned and tense, but the systemic Personality minimized the burden.
Besides, I had the trait Intimidation and Dignity. It would make listeners focus more and grasp my words easily.
Quitting the professorship was an option, of course.
It would ease my mind.
Yet in the game, Deculein was always called "professor."
In other words, side quests and main quests might require the "professor" title as a prerequisite.
I could not rashly discard that card without hints of return.
"This should suffice."
I folded the handwritten lecture plan neatly and slipped it into an envelope.
For reference, Deculein's lectures filled their 150-seat capacity. It was not simply due to his status as one of the tower's few professors-in-chief.
A deeper understanding was needed.
Tower mages started as debutantes upon entry. Only promotion to Soda allowed career choice, requiring mandatory magic credits from the university tower.
In that regard, Deculein's lectures granted a whopping five magic credits.
Equivalent to three ordinary courses combined—even a terrible professor would draw crowds.
—Knock knock. It is three a.m. This week's Wizard Journal has arrived. I shall leave it.
The butler knocked and slid the journal under the door.
I fetched it with telekinesis and read.
📰 Wizard Journal – New Year Special Edition
The most authoritative voice in the magical world: Wizard Journal.
Staring at the cover evoked a certain voice in my ear.
...When players rack up achievements, they get featured here. These little details are secretly what make the game fun. Woojin, if you start as a mage, you can read about your feats and feel proud all by yourself, right?
A memory that stirred sentiment for some reason.
Thanks to you, I know I am still Kim Woojin.
"Let us verify if that is possible."
I smirked and opened the journal.
"Rookie Mage of the Year" caught my eye first.
A blatant setting inserted by the GOTY-aspiring developers.
— Rookie Mage of the Year —
Awardee: Sylvia von Yuseffin Illayde
Attribute: Origin.
Main Series: Specialization.
At seventeen, Sylvia underwent the Illayde succession rite, bearing the three primal colors in her heart.
Red, blue, green.
The so-called Tri-Color, dubbed a miracle of manifestation. She was born with the original colors that can form all things when combined.
Thus, Sylvia can create all phenomena her mana touches. Her noble birth was no empty boast...
I knew this named character. A golden-haired beauty with the trait Nation-Toppling Beauty, heir to Illayde rivaling Yukline.
Yukline still held a subtle edge, but this cheat named Sylvia would widen the gap over time.
I flipped pages searching for Deculein.
Deculein, Deculein, Deculein... To my surprise, quite a substantial section was dedicated to my name.
— Chief Professor of the Imperial University Tower: Deculein von Grahan Yukline —
From a young age, he excelled in elemental magic. Since graduating the academy, hailed as a genius in formula interpretation, he became the youngest chief professor in the Imperial University Tower...
...
However, now in his mid-thirties, he has no notable recent achievements. He remains immersed in the magic research he declared three years ago.
It is time to prove not only his accomplishments but his very worth.
The original Deculein would have crumpled the journal and demanded contact with the writer.
What nonsense is this, you hacks?
"...They speak truth."
But Wizard Journal bowed to neither money nor family prestige. Even if some of Deculein's personality had transferred, I remained Kim Woojin.
I was utterly nonchalant about magic. No pressure from achievements. No pride in my work.
A person who reaches beyond their station invites ruin.
I simply wished to survive long enough to understand this game...
"Already four a.m."
Glancing at the clock, I headed to bed.
Lying down, I opened my eyes—
To six a.m.
"..."
The recovery of Iron Man was astonishing, but long days were not entirely a blessing.
"I wish to sleep at least six hours..."
I always woke at dawn.
The sun's tresses peeked, its glow sluggishly spilling in. The languid scene was sleep itself, yet I could not slumber.
My mind was alert. Fatigue melted away with mere hours of rest.
Trapped in the game, living each day, twenty-two hours was far too long.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Lectures began Thursday, but come Monday, I headed to the tower. To use the staff-only magic training room.
Chief Professor Deculein's entry is permitted.
The method was simple. In the shielded room, solve stages like mini-games with magic.
Players cleared the final stage for a bonus trait, but whether it applied to me was unknown.
Moreover, the magic used here mimicked real combat, allowing grasp of its aura.
"It is I. Deculein."
I placed my hand on the central magic orb. It pulsed blue, emitting text.
Confirmed. Please select the magic series you wish to train.
I chose manipulation-series Telekinesis Magic. Dots appeared in the air, intertwining and moving complexly.
Level 1: Manipulate an object with telekinesis to pierce the dots.
Easy enough.
I levitated the dagger from my inner pocket. It swam gracefully, piercing the dots; Level 1 cleared in two minutes.
Level 2 doubled the dots: five minutes.
Level 3 featured illusory butterflies instead: fifteen minutes.
Level 4 unleashed a swarm of illusory bees darting everywhere: forty minutes...
After an hour, I quit wrestling a Level 5 horde of tiny flying insects.
"Quite difficult. As it should be for flavor."
Mana spent: 2,500.
This much should suffice to grasp the aura.
Magic Aura Confirmed: Deculein von Grahan Yukline
Every mage's magic had an aura—its personality, simply put.
Fierce, provocative, explosive, serene, volatile, cunning, sly, subtle, composed, modest, and so on...
This aura usually mirrored the mage's personality. Seemingly trivial, yet surprisingly vital.
Similar to aptitude.
Fierce, provocative, explosive auras boosted destruction magic; cunning, sly ones amplified illusion or support.
In that sense, mine was...
Let us see...
Refined Aura
"Eh..."
Refined: Lofty in meaning or dignity; elegant.
In simple terms, dignity and grace infused the very casting of magic.
"...It suits perfectly."
I let out a hollow chuckle in disbelief.
In every way, it fit Deculein to a tee.