Rising to his feet in response to Dr. Elias's call was a student with curly brown hair and a smug expression. It was the boy Merlin had blacklisted in his mind.
Choi Sangook… Merlin murmured under his breath, twirling his pen in his hand as he stared at the boy for a completely different reason than the rest of the students.
"Stand here," said Dr. Elias from behind the podium as Choi Sangook walked up to him.
Choi Sangook did as he was told, and quietly too. Merlin couldn't help but wonder if he had judged him wrongly. But recalling Hakyun's expression cleansed his mind rather quickly.
"I know most, if not all of you, already have an idea on how to cast spells—perhaps even so perfectly that there's probably not much I can teach you—for example Miss Nora Tyrrell and Miss Kim Yiseo in Class B," Dr. Elias went on. "Are you one of them, Mister Sangook?"
Choi Sangook just shrugged in reply as though he had no intention of opening his mouth to answer.
"I suppose," he said simply a second later. Then he pushed his lips to the side, revealing a smirk. "Want me to show-off, is that it, Dr?"
Despite Choi Sangook's reveal of being one of those ahead of his mates in spell casting wowing the whole class, Merlin's thoughts had drifted to the fact that every single person he had a connection with was in Class B.
Kim Minji is probably in there too… He scoffed and shook his head, berating his luck.
Doing that, however, turned out to be a bad idea.
"What did you shake your head for?" Choi Sangook's haughty tone turned into a growl.
Merlin's eyes had been closed for a second there, so he had not realized that he was the one who Choi Sangook had been talking to. However, that was instantly rectified when he saw the boy scowling in his direction, as well as the attention of the rest of the class placed on him. Dazed, he could only stare back, blinking a few times.
"I asked you a question." Choi Sangook's nose wrung up, intensifying his scowl.
Merlin's doubts dispersed like the morning mist. He pointed at himself. "Me?"
"Yes, you," replied Choi Sangook. He then tilted his head slightly. "I remember you; you're Hakyun's roommate, aren't you? And that rude girl's brother." His expression loosened, but not in a very pleasant manner. He smiled. "The Deficient Mage."
Woah, woah, woah… Merlin's oblivious expression disappeared completely. This was getting out of hand. And he sure as hell knew where it was headed. He needed to stop it before he found himself in a mess he would be unable to get out of.
Merlin forced a smile. "I'm sorry, I think there's been a misunderstanding. I didn't shake my head at you." There was no better way to quell a heated argument than with an apology. It always worked.
Merlin, though, was not so lucky.
"You fought against a Troll and a Caster, didn't you?" Choi Sangook continued, almost like he had not heard Merlin's apology. "I'm sure the whole class would be more than interested in knowing how a mere Deficient Mage, who can't even cast the most basic of spells, was able to assist actual Mages. In fact, you must know one or two things about channeling mana, right? There's no way you got admitted with a rock for a brain. I'm sure you don't mind enlightening the class."
Blimey…
Merlin glanced at Dr. Elias, hoping that the man would upbraid Choi Sangook for speaking out of line when he was still in class. But the man just leaned on the podium and watched the drama with an unexpressive face like he was in a cinema.
Merlin could feel his chest tighten.
Sure, with the help of Singularity Mage, he did know how mana channeling worked, and even though he couldn't put it into practice due to his lack of a Grimoire, he could put it in words. And, more than anything, he would love to wipe off the smug look on that bastard, Choi Sangook's face.
However, he was not really interested in the wave of attention that would be directed his way as a result. He already had enough on him; the more it increased, the more hiding the secret of his System would be jeopardized. And he was not yet at the peak of his abilities to be getting found out.
"Hey," Oh Jihye said suddenly from his side. He turned to her. For some reason, he was hoping she would say something soothing to calm his nerves, like: "you don't have to listen to his threats" or something similar. His hopes were dashed in an instant, though. "What are you waiting for?" she said. "Go down already, would you? Time's wasting."
The class stilled, and everyone was looking at Merlin now. Dr. Elias was no different. The man's expression was still plain, not giving away his thoughts.
Merlin sighed. There was no escaping this, was there?
"I don't agree with this, Dr." Lee Jaehyun's hand was up. Merlin turned the lad's way, his intention to stand up shoved aside in an instant. Lee Jaehyun shifted his gaze from Dr. Elias to Choi Sangook who looked even more pissed than he had been before. "He was the one you called. And, honestly, I'm forced to believe that you're trying to look for a way to avoid the demonstration. Is that it?"
A light ruckus broke out in the classroom, the students deciding to air out their thoughts; and, surprisingly, all of them supported Lee Jaehyun. The reason was very much obvious. When the president's grandson spoke, barely anyone would object.
"I agree too, Dr," said Oh Jihye, no different from the rest of the bandwagon. Merlin scoffed indistinctly. "Why is he calling someone else out?"
Choi Sangook was just about to have his own say on the matter, when Dr. Elias spoke up, silencing the room,
"Yes, I know," the man said with a sigh. "I was just waiting to see if Mister Merlin would accept or not. And regardless of what his choice would have been, Choi Sangook would still be the one to demonstrate. After all, you will all channel mana in the end, just from your seats."
Well, that was reassuring, putting him on the spot like that. What was this? Some sort of test that only applied to him? Was he to go through this with every other professor as well? And for how long? His first actual day at the Academy was not as fun as he'd thought it would be.
Dr. Elias then turned to Choi Sangook. "And, you, young man. I will not tolerate you speaking over me in my class again. Do you understand?"
Choi Sangook shot Dr. Elias a glare, his lips parting slightly, seemingly having a lot to say in reply to the Dr's words. But when Dr. Elias narrowed his gaze, he only clicked his tongue and sighed.
"Yeah, yeah. Got it," he said.
"Such an ass," Oh Jihye commented. Merlin listened despite his gaze being on the podium. "Doesn't he have even a modicum of respect for his elders? Tch. Acting all smug because his father's the owner of the Golden Crown Guild."
First of all, Merlin was unsure of how to feel about Oh Jihye, following what she'd just said. From what he'd seen, she acted just as smug as Choi Sangook, but her words sounded like those of someone who would never look down on others. Was it from a place of self ignorance? Merlin wondered.
As for the statement that had gotten the most of his attention…
Choi Sangook was the son of the owner of the Golden Crown Guild?
Merlin had read about them; they were one of the top four Guilds in Korea, and, most of all, were sponsors of the Academy, alongside the rest of the Guilds in the top four.
Oh Jihye was probably right. The boy was being smug because of his status.
Dr. Elias cleared his throat and turned to the students.
"How does one know if they've successfully channeled mana?" he continued in a natural manner as though he had not been interrupted. A student raised their hand. Dr. Elias chuckled. "It's not a question this time. Would you let me do my job?" The students laughed, the tense mood that had been in the air until a moment ago long forgotten. "Channeling mana, I like to say, is the same as breathing. How does one know that they are not breathing? They know because they aren't breathing. I understand, it sounds too simple. But that's because it is. When you hold your breath, your body instantly tells you that there's something wrong; your chest tightens and you immediately feel winded. Then your brain says, "Hey! Do you wanna kill yourself? Breathe in!" It's the same with mana. You all instinctively know that you're not channeling mana at this moment. And that is because it is a part of you.
"Like I said, mana is a sentient being. It has its own consciousness. But as long as it's in your body, you, the host, are in control. You can move mana where you want, and how you want. Of course, this doesn't change the fact that it is a destructive force that will explode within your body if your Grimoire does not regulate it. To simplify it, I'll make use of an aircraft and a pilot as an example. We all know what those two are, right? Well, the wings of an aircraft generates lift and keeps the aircraft airbound. The pilot controls the aircraft, moving it where he wants it to go. However, what if those wings suddenly lose their function? Even though the pilot is handling the steering of the aircraft, still technically in control, he will ultimately be led to his death, regardless of the direction the aircraft is turned to. In the case of a Mage, mana is the aircraft and we are the pilots. The Grimoire is our wing—our control surfaces. Without it we will lose control of our mana, and we will crash to our death.
"Now, how does that relate to a Mage realizing that they have successfully channeled mana? Besides you feeling it naturally, your Grimoire will react. As soon as you begin to channel mana, it will levitate and flip open."
Dr. Elias paused. Every single student in the class was listening attentively. He chuckled.
"You all want me to dive into the topic of Grimoires, don't you? Sorry to burst your bubble, but that's a topic for spell casting class."
"Awwww!!!" The students grumbled in unison, tearing the silence of the classroom away.
"Haha… That's enough. You may proceed, Mister Choi Sangook," Dr. Elias said after clapping his hands once to silence the students. "...with your demonstration."
Choi Sangook shot Merlin one last glare before pulling his Grimoire out of its pouch strapped over his waist. It was dark-red. The bastard was an A-Class Mage.
Perhaps the boy noticed the look of slight annoyance and envy Merlin wore, because he donned a smirk, obviously bathing in his magical prowess, while the rest of the classroom gaped and murmured.
"Watch and learn," said Choi Sangook to no one in particular as he took in a deep breath, held his Grimoire on his palm, and focused on it.
It took less than a few seconds before the ancient-looking book rose up, flipped open, and hovered just close to his head. His demonstration was a success.
"Woah…" the gasps came—exaggerated, if Merlin was to say, since there would only be at most a few Mages present who couldn't cast spells yet in their class. But his feelings were probably skewed considering he did not like the guy.
"It's really that easy," Oh Jihye muttered. Well, that was a surprise. It seemed like she didn't know how to cast spells yet.
"Yes," Lee Jaehyun said, replying to Oh Jihye. "It's as Dr. Elias said. Simple, just like what you did when you received your Grimoire to find out your Hex, but this time a bit more complex. All we have to do is feel for the mana in our body, envision it, and direct a substantial amount wherever we want. For casting spells, the fingertips is where it should go. Also, for the first time, closing your eyes helps you envision the flow better. It's kind of hard to do it like Choi Sangook did with his eyes open if it's your first time." Oh Jihye blinked rapidly at Lee Jaehyun, startling the boy. "What?"
She smiled, then glanced at Merlin and her smile widened.
Whatever was going through her Merlin didn't want to know.
One thing bothered him though, and it was what Dr. Elias had said about Grimoire serving to regulate mana from exploding. Yes, he did know that already, but he had been able to channel his mana without any worries for a while now. Sure, since he was Deficient, his mana was not enough to bring a spell to life, but he had been channeling it anyways. Why was he yet to explode?
If I think about it, the injuries I get from deconstructing spells probably worked in a similar vein. But, I'm not so sure. The way Dr. Elias had said it, it seems like it doesn't matter what sort of spell is being cast, whether it's a Novice, Tier I spell or an Advanced, Tier III spell, as long as mana is channeled without a Grimoire, it will prove fatal. But I'm able to deconstruct lower spells now without being injured.
What am I missing here? Do Deficient Mages not just need Grimoires because our extremely low mana can't harm us, or is this related to the System somehow?
I know I should ask, but… I don't think this is the right time.
Oh Jihye brought out her Grimoire and Merlin pursed his lips. It was dark-green. She was a B-Class Mage. He'd been blessed with a front row seat to witness another dazzling Mage appear before him. Maybe he really didn't have any place in this Academy.
"The rest of you may proceed," Dr. Elias said at that moment, dipping Merlin into an even sour mood. Because, less than a minute later, everyone's Grimoire hovered beside their heads, while he… He just sat in silence.