Wagner peered inside through the slightly open door of the individual training ground. Wonwoo, standing at the center, had yet to show any action.
‘This kid really has a talent for making people look forward to things.’
And so, Wagner focused in order to read Wonwoo’s mana flow.
At first, his brows furrowed, but afterward, the corners of his mouth curled up in interest.
‘......Interesting.’
He had expected Wonwoo to be struggling with mana operation, but Wonwoo was operating mana.
And he was doing it in a way where he did not ask or question anything. He simply transferred mana to wherever he wanted.
‘Mana with different properties...... moves separately after all.’
It was quite an unfamiliar sight. Because Wonwoo did not seem to have the concept of meridians at all.
Should he stop him? Watch him? Or just enjoy it?
Strictly speaking, it was a dangerous method. If he made a mistake, the collision of mana could leave him crippled.
Mana operation methods had been created precisely to eliminate that danger.
Even amid all that, whether Wonwoo was enduring it or not, his posture did not show even the slightest disturbance.
‘Well, he does seem fine. More importantly, what is with that body of his? Heh heh.’
Even Wagner found Lee Wonwoo’s body, which endured everything, difficult to understand.
‘It was the same back then.’
It had been like that in the cave too.
Whether it was the backlash of his special ability or not, even when he had been wrapped in crimson flames, Wonwoo had held onto his consciousness.
Even after suffering internal injuries severe enough to vomit blood, Wonwoo had walked around perfectly fine the next day as if nothing had happened.
At the time, the school nurse’s opinion had been this.
-Mana penetration impossible due to mana resistance...... Treatment impossible.
The school nurse, a healing-type Hero, had been carefully selected for the safe germination of seeds.
Even she, who had the alias Famed Physician, could not do anything for Wonwoo.
In other words, Wonwoo possessed not only innate physical durability and mana resistance, but even outstanding recovery ability.
For an instant, in Wagner’s eyes, Wonwoo appeared as someone else.
‘If those two had a child, would they be about like this?’
However, he immediately corrected that thought. No matter how he thought about it, it was a ridiculous idea.
‘Forget it. There is no way.’
They might kill each other, but Wagner could not imagine those two forming a family.
‘If he can endure that.’
In any case, if Wonwoo’s body was innate, there was no reason to stop him.
The reason was simple. Being able to transfer mana quickly to the right place at the right time was the dream of every Hero.
Suddenly, Wonwoo bent both legs at an angle. The boy’s gaze was aimed at the clock hanging at the far end.
VMMMM!
The mana for achieving his goal was transferred in an instant. Mana began operating in Wonwoo’s lower body and waist.
‘If it operates, then that is enough. Now jump.’
At that moment.
THOOM!
Wagner’s expectations missed the mark.
“......!”
Right before Wonwoo jumped, he operated the mana of a different property that had been resting, as if detonating the primer of a bomb.
‘Did he just copy me......?’
It was as if he were operating mana like a whip, just as Wagner had when he knocked Wonwoo unconscious with a forehead flick.
‘How many years did I struggle to get a feel for that again......?’
It looked easy, but it required outstanding understanding of mana as well as outstanding understanding of the body.
Moreover, if the amount of mana was even slightly lacking, it would be useless, and if there was too much, it would cause injury instead.
‘......Did I really stay like this just to meet this kid?’
Still, he was only a first-year for now.
Wonwoo’s body slowly tilted.
However, if he had gotten a feel for it after seeing it just once, then there was nothing more to say. For the first time in a while, Wagner felt his blood boil.
***
One stream of mana operated as if instinctively strengthening my body, while the other operated as if exploding through my legs.
‘That’s what the instructor did before, right?’
Surprisingly, my second mana operation was exactly the same as Instructor Wagner’s method.
‘Well, I was watching him the whole time with the Heavenly Hound’s special ability.’
Since I had been watching the flow of his mana with eyes that pierced through essence, it seemed to have settled in my head and become part of me without my realizing it.
“Uh, Instructor?”
I must have been very focused, because I only now saw the instructor laughing in disbelief at the entrance.
“But why are you standing sideways?”
The instructor was walking toward me while standing sideways, defying gravity like a lizard.
‘......Seriously, what is that? Is that using mana too?’
Only when the instructor stopped in front of me did I realize that I had fallen.
“I told you not to rely only on your body. Operating mana while trusting only your body...... Is this rebellion?”
“......”
I tried to answer, but the now-familiar hazy feeling came over me.
“That is how you learn. Ah, my body can endure this much. Ah, my mana has this much power.”
Instructor Wagner kindly did not carry me on his shoulder. Instead, as if it were only natural, he grabbed me by the ankle.
SCRAAAPE!
“Let’s see. Where was the infirmary again......?”
Hearing the instructor’s words, I once again felt that the kids at the training institution were amazing.
They must have grown up experiencing countless times from a young age what I was experiencing right now.
The instructor dragged me along and said,
“Just in case...... do not think everyone else must have gone through this too. You are the only one doing it this stupidly.”
***
A refreshing scent wafted over me. A faint breeze blew in through the window and cooled my body temperature.
‘Now it feels...... like home.’
I had reached a level where I knew where I was without even needing to look around.
I immediately tried to raise my upper body, but.
“......?”
My body genuinely did not move even a little.
My joints and muscles creaked as if my body was screaming at me to please stay still.
The school nurse sensed my presence and said,
“Lie down longer.”
“......Yes.”
For some reason, I felt conscious of the school nurse I was seeing for the first time.
‘Fortunately, I think I’ll be fine soon.’
I had never directly seen the school nurse treat me, but judging by how she returned me to normal every time, I could tell she was a person with great skill.
“Thank you every time.”
“What treatment did I...... No. Be good to your parents.”
Why was she suddenly telling me to be good to my parents? Of course, it was true that I should.
The school nurse turned her back to me and muttered something.
“There had only been two cases like that. Yes...... only those two, only?”
Just when I thought the final note of the calm-looking school nurse’s voice rose like an oriole, she ended by covering her own mouth.
“......!”
The school nurse turned her chair roughly and met my eyes.
‘What? What is it this time?’
Her eyes were half-rolled back. In that instant, the school nurse’s form blurred.
Swish!
It was a truly tremendous speed. Since the school nurse was also a Hero, this level seemed to be a basic qualification.
Slide.
She was so close that her long purple hair fell over my face.
“You, what are your parents’ names?”
The school nurse suddenly gripped both my cheeks hard.
“Hurry and tell me. Who are they?”
When I did not answer, the school nurse tightened her grip on both my cheeks even more.
“Hurry and say it, hm?”
“W-Wait......”
I wanted to speak too. No, I wanted to speak right away and escape this situation.
However, because the school nurse was gripping my face, strength entered my whole body on its own, and an intense pain rose to the point that my tongue felt paralyzed.
“Oh my...... Look at me.”
Perhaps only then did she see my eyes rolling upward. The school nurse laid me back down.
‘......I lived.’
There was no particular reason to hide it, so I answered her right away.
“My dad’s name is Lee Taeho. My mom’s name is......”
Taeho meant Great Tiger. However, before I could even finish saying Mom’s name.
‘Why is she acting like that......?’
The school nurse rubbed her eyes, walked to the window, leaned against the wall, and only looked outside.
‘What is she looking at?’
The school nurse seemed to be looking at past days with someone she missed.
‘Does she have some connection with Dad?’
Now this is suddenly interesting......!
Sunlight settled into the school nurse’s gown and her disheveled purple hair. After a moment, the school nurse spoke in a candid tone.
“......So he got married.”
Since I had recovered enough to move normally at some point, I raised my upper body.
“Do you know my dad?”
I was curious because Dad had never told me stories about his past.
And hearing this kind of past story from someone else’s mouth was, by nature, the proper way.
“Yes, I know him. Now that I hear it, you do resemble him.”
The school nurse seemed to be seeing my father’s face in mine.
‘Today isn’t the day.’
It was not difficult for me to tell that the school nurse needed time alone.
“Ah, the instructor called me. I’ll see you next time.”
Just as I was trying to leave the awkward and uncomfortable place.
“Do not tell people.”
The school nurse’s words caught my steps.
“That you are Mr. Taeho’s son.”
“Yes...... I’ll keep that in mind.”
I came out of the infirmary like that, but I too could not leave right away.
‘What could the reason be?’
The school nurse’s firm expression and tone. At a glance, it was a warning, but the colors of advice and concern were clearly mixed in.
‘I’ll come again next time anyway. I’ll ask then.’
Still, meeting someone who knew about Father’s past was an unexpected gain.
‘Should I get some proper rest for the first time in a while?’
Of course, it was not that my enthusiasm to blend into the daily life of Heroes and grow as quickly as possible had cooled.
It was because I somehow had an intuition that if I spent today resting, I would be able to grow even more tomorrow.
‘Is it just me, or is it kind of dark?’
It seemed as if dark clouds had spread outside the infirmary. At that moment, I heard a chilling murmur.
“What is a spirit? What is spiritology...... And what is spirit magic? Who am I?”
The one dragging around an atmosphere like a dark cloud was none other than Elena.
Her usually lively blonde hair was stiff and nervously undone.
‘You’ve really been through a lot......’
Since I knew what it meant to suffer under Teacher Kwon, no, to receive his teaching, I could more or less imagine it.
-Experience it and endure it. Carve it into your blood and carve it into your bones. Innate Magic-.
The students in Elena’s path were terrified the moment they saw her.
“Elena, right? Are you okay......?”
“Spirit?”
“......No.”
I also ran into the students of Dormitory A for the first time in a while. I tried to greet them gladly.
I had changed affiliations because I judged there were more advantages to becoming Instructor Wagner’s direct disciple, but they were still the kids who had given me my first sense of belonging.
“It’s been a while.”
Yes, we were.
“......Sorry.”
“Sorry, Wonwoo. I’ll never block your path again.”
Friends.
I did not know why my image had turned out this way, but someday, this misunderstanding would surely be resolved.
Then, for now.
‘I need to do something about Elena.’
Mom had once said,
-Friends are like a second family. Do not forget that, our Wonwoo.
And so, I stopped in front of Elena, who had half lost her mind.
“......Who are you? Are you a spirit?”
Just as when I had first met her, her sharp gaze settled coldly on me.
“What? It’s Wonwoo?”
After confirming it was me, Elena placed both hands on my shoulders without saying a word.
“......”
“......”
The kids around us looked at Elena and me with strange gazes.
‘She’s a genius too.’
In that moment, I was merely observing the thick mana of spirits from Elena.
In that state, Elena cast a fierce gaze around me.
“There aren’t any. Phew......”
Elena let out a deep sigh. Life began circling in her eyes again.
“My...... class is over, right?”
Her tone was full of the lingering feeling of a defeated soldier returning home after joining the war.
At that moment, I felt an intense gaze directed at me from somewhere.
‘Who is it?’
It was both funny and sad, but because I knew there was no one among the first-years who could stare at me this intensely, the gaze stood out even more.
“Wonwoo, I really have so much to tell you, but I have to review if I want to survive tomorrow, so I’ll go first.”
Survive tomorrow? We’re students, aren’t we?
Elena left with those final words, but the intense gaze was still directed at me.
I felt familiar mana from that gaze, but I merely maintained the same attitude as at first, pretending I knew nothing.
‘Good. I happened to have something to ask anyway.’