The Mage Who Went to High School: Chapter 9
"...Fine."
That single word from me was the catalyst. It turned Kevin's small room into the most peculiar, inefficient, and yet most passionate "Midterm Exam Special Headquarters" in America.
The operation was codenamed "Operation: Create the Arcane Legend." Sora, the mastermind, was in charge of overall command. Kevin, the owner of the room and the operation's reliable supporter, was in charge of tactical and resource support. And I, the guinea pig whose fate would decide the success of the operation, sat at the desk, quietly awaiting the intellectual torture to come.
"Alright, let's move on to sociology."
Sora, who had just spent a frustrating half hour trying to counter my argument on why the "poetic license" of a poem was illogical, opened a new textbook without a hint of exhaustion. Her eyes were burning with determination, like a raid leader about to face a tough boss.
"The key here is the difference between 'functionalism' and 'conflict theory.' Do you see society as a living organism where each part—like the head, arms, and legs—has a role to play, or as a constant battlefield between the haves and the have-nots? If you understand these two perspectives, you can solve all the problems."
Sora passionately explained, highlighting and circling key phrases in the textbook. As I listened, I felt a pure intellectual confusion for the first time in 500 years. My world had many philosophers and sages, but I had never seen an attempt to fit such complex social phenomena into just two frameworks.
"That's illogical. It's an overly simplistic binary division of the social structure. Function and conflict are two sides of the same coin. The force that seeks to maintain stability (function) creates the force that seeks new change within that stability (conflict). These two forces are the driving power that makes society progress; neither can be the absolute answer. This theory is a ridiculously childish discourse that only highlights a single aspect of the phenomenon."
"...No, it's not that it's wrong! Dude… I mean, Arcane! I know you're right, but there's a right answer on the test!"
Sora was so frustrated that she almost called me "Oppa" (a term of endearment), but she quickly corrected herself, a faint blush on her face.
"A philosophy with a predetermined answer. How interesting. It seems the people of this world have a great talent for standardizing their thoughts."
My serious analysis made Sora want to grab the back of her neck in frustration. She couldn't win. My words were logically flawless. In fact, they held a profound insight that would be found in a college sociology textbook. The problem was that the American high school midterm exam didn't care about insight. It only cared about the "right answers" in the textbook.
"Ugh, forget it! Let's move on from sociology! Kevin, your turn! Do something with science! You're in honors, right?!"
Sora finally gave up and called for Kevin's help. Kevin, as if he had been waiting for this, opened his science textbook with a confident look. He thought that unlike the ambiguity of literature, science, which was made of clear facts and formulas, would be easy to explain to me.
"Arcane, science is different from literature or history. It's a world of undeniable facts and formulas. So, let's start with the structure of an atom. The atom is the smallest particle that can't be broken down, and it's made up of a nucleus and electrons…"
As Kevin's explanation continued, my expression grew more and more subtle. My eyes even held a trace of pity. I felt like a sage watching a child reciting ancient, incorrect knowledge as if it were the truth. I waited for him to finish, then quietly spoke.
"That explanation... has many serious errors."
"What? Errors? What are you talking about? It's what's in the textbook! It's the great history of science—Dalton's theory, Thomson's discovery of the electron, and Rutherford's discovery of the nucleus!"
"What you call an 'electron' is both a particle and a wave. Explaining it with a planetary model is a serious distortion. It only exists as a cloud of probability. Also, the protons and neutrons that make up the 'nucleus' are not the final stage. There are smaller particles called 'quarks,' and the strong and weak forces that bind them together…"
"Hold on! Stop! Stop!"
Kevin frantically cut me off. Cold sweat trickled down his back. Quarks? A cloud of probability? Strong force? These were not words that should come out of a high school student's mouth. It was like a scene from a sci-fi movie.
"Dude... where did you…?"
"It's common sense. It's the very foundation that anyone who explores the principles of the world should know."
At my perfectly normal answer, Kevin and Sora looked at each other, speechless. Common sense. These surreal facts were "common sense" to me. Then what were all the things they had stayed up all night to learn and memorize?
The two of them felt a deep sense of helplessness and awe for me. I wasn't just smart. My mind was on a completely different level. It felt like a scholar from a distant future, or a sage from another world, was sitting in front of them.
"...Ugh. This isn't going to work. We'll die of stress."
Kevin was the first to give up. He picked up a piece of pizza from the desk and chewed it, his face full of defeat and frustration.
"Are you giving up?" Sora asked, her face worried. She was tired, but she didn't want to give up yet.
"No. Not giving up… we just have to change our strategy."
Kevin, looking determined, swallowed his pizza and spoke to me seriously.
"Arcane, let's do it your way. You study however you want to understand it. Tell us about your 'truth' too. It sounds really cool. In return, we'll keep telling you what the 'right answers for the exam' are. You can explore the truth of this world, and we'll be your assistants, bridging the gap between that truth and the right answers. How does that sound?"
It was a truly brilliant compromise. I fell into thought for a moment. It wasn't a bad offer. I could explore the knowledge of this world and at the same time pass the "exam." Most importantly, the process of explaining and debating my knowledge with someone was enjoyable. For me, who had been lonely for 500 years with no one to match my intellect, their eyes, sparkling with pure intellectual curiosity, were a new stimulus.
"...Fine."
And so, the strange symbiotic study group began again.
"So, is the 'Dragon's Tear' a magic item? Like a legendary sword?"
"It's more like a crystal imbued with the essence of an ancient dragon. It possesses great power, but it has a side effect of corrupting the user's mind, so the mages of Joseon sealed it in a special vault. The Shadow Cult behind Hideyoshi was after that…"
"Okay, okay. That's enough! This is too fun, I'm losing track of time. The right answer for the exam is 'the Japanese invasion led by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's arquebusiers.' Next question!"
"If electrons are waves... then is this desk I'm looking at also a wave? That makes no sense."
"'Quantum mechanics,' is that what you call it? Interesting. The principles are actually connected to the basic principles of spacetime magic, but in the macro world, the wave nature of matter approaches zero, so you don't perceive it. If I were to create a tiny dimensional rift and interfere with your observation, this desk…"
"STOP! STOP! Arcane, you're going to turn us into waves! For the test, you just have to memorize 'Dalton's atomic theory' and 'Bohr's atomic model'!"
The night deepened, but the small room was still filled with our passionate discussions and laughter. I explained my "real knowledge," and Kevin and Sora listened as if it were an exciting fantasy novel, all while constantly feeding me the "right answers for the exam." It was the epitome of inefficiency, yet our studying was becoming surprisingly productive.
Knock knock.
Just then, the door opened, and Kevin's mom came in with a tray.
"Oh my, you're still studying? You're such good kids. Here, have a late-night snack. You need to be full if you're going to study all night."
On the tray were golden-fried chicken and cold sodas. The savory smell of oil instantly chased away the musty smell of old books and filled the room.
"Yay! Mom, you're the best!"
Kevin and Sora cheered. I looked at the food, "fried chicken," with a curious gaze. Chicken covered in a golden crust. It looked so crispy.
"Arcane, you should try some. It's called fried chicken, and it's so good."
Sora picked up a drumstick and placed it in front of me. I hesitated for a moment. I even had the childish thought of analyzing its components with magic. I carefully picked it up and took a bite.
CRUNCH!
With a crisp sound, the crust broke, and the hot, juicy meat burst out. The salty and savory flavor filled my mouth. It was a completely different level of taste from the tteokbokki I had yesterday. My eyes widened, and I stopped chewing for a moment. A flood of information rushed through my mind. What was the principle behind this crispiness? What chemical reaction was the source of this savory taste? But an even more primal sensation took over, stopping all my analytical thoughts.
"...It's delicious."
At my sincere exclamation, Kevin and Sora smiled proudly as if they had been complimented themselves.
That night, the three of us ate chicken, drank soda, and continued studying until dawn. I still didn't understand everything about this world. But one thing was clear.
Studying alone, poring over ancient forbidden texts, was far less… fun than arguing and laughing with someone, sharing food and learning together. In my heart, the 500-year-old wall of ice was starting to melt, ever so slightly. And that change, without my even realizing it, was adding a faint warmth to my expression and my eyes.