I placed both hands reverently on the cover of the [Random Low-Tier Spellbook] lying on my bed.
Like a devout believer facing a holy scripture.
'Not yet... not yet.'
I was waiting for the perfect timing.
The perfect gacha moment.
The very instant when the Gacha God descends...!
Some might look at me like this and say,
-No, low-tier magic? That's no big deal, right?
'Low-tier' screams basic bitch magic at first glance, so why make such a fuss over pulling one?
Rebuke!
There were more than enough reasons to make a fuss.
In [Stella Academia], skill grades are divided into two categories.
The first is 'rarity.' It's classified as Common, Rare, Heroic, Legendary, etc., indicating the skill's inherent potential and value.
The second is the 'Tier' classification: Low, Mid, and High.
Tier is tied to the protagonist's school year.
Magic that the protagonist can learn or develop at the 1st Year level of the Academy is 'Low-Tier,' 2nd Year level is 'Mid-Tier,' and 3rd Year level is 'High-Tier.'
In other words, it's not about the skill's power level, but the timing.
But we mustn't forget that [Stella Academia]'s protagonist is a once-in-a-generation genius monster.
Even among the magic he creates in his 1st Year, there are plenty of useful ones.
For example, my [Low-Tier Reflection] skill is one that the protagonist can develop in his 1st Year.
Moreover, the Kaiser's Crimson Flame Arrow that I reflected earlier was also judged as Low-Tier magic.
That's why this gacha pull is so crucial.
If I pull a Heroic-grade or higher spell, I get that great magic right away.
So, I kept my eyes closed, waiting reverently for the timing.
'And now?!'
My eyes snapped open like lightning, and I abruptly opened the spellbook.
Jeron's Secret Technique Chapter 2: Off-beat pull.
Whoosh—
As I opened the book, the letters inside shone brightly.
But the color of that light was unusual.
"Huh?"
Not the gray of Common, the silver of Rare, or the gold of Heroic...
A brilliant rainbow hue.
I pulled it off—a Legendary!
'No way, it actually happened?!'
I clamped my mouth shut and held my breath.
But even among Legendary skills, there's a hierarchy. Which Legendary skill it was mattered too.
The light faded, and the result appeared.
The result was.
[You have acquired a skill.]
[Mana Slash (Legendary)]
"...Insane!"
Jackpot.
[Skill]
[Mana Slash (Legendary)]
It's magic, not sword aura?
Description: (Active) Fires a severing strike made of mana to inflict damage. (Cooldown: 1 second)
A short and simple explanation.
But upon seeing it, I let out a silent cheer.
[Mana Slash].
Exactly as named: an extremely simple spell that condenses mana into a blade shape and launches it.
Yet, among the countless skills in [Stella Academia], Mana Slash was rated as one of the most broken.
The reasons are as follows.
First, the power is insane.
According to the in-game protagonist's explanation, it's similar to the principle of a water jet that compresses water to cut through steel.
It works by injecting mana into a very narrow area at explosive speeds. Thus, even with low mana consumption, it delivers very powerful and fast attacks.
Second, the cooldown is a mere 1 second.
As long as you have enough mana, you can spam it continuously.
Perfect news for me, who lacked a proper attack skill.
Of course, with my current pathetic mana, I couldn't use it like a normal attack in the game yet.
Third, it has limitless potential for growth.
Right now, it's just a simple straight slash, but raising its Tier later allows for various transformations and enhancements.
In short, it's the perfect all-rounder skill usable from early game to endgame.
In fact, it's an essential skill for reaching the Magic Department ending in [Stella Academia].
And moreover.
'Combining it with that skill will create insane synergy.'
The skill I'm eyeing in the Sloth Shop right now.
It's absolutely necessary for tackling the hidden element in the dungeon I'll visit this weekend, and it pairs perfectly with [Mana Slash].
'Beyond jackpot—it's a super jackpot.'
Thank goodness I got the Luck stat yesterday.
Even accounting for the Luck bonus, it was absurd luck.
If you're gonna drop a guy living his life fine into a game world, you gotta give him luck like this.
'This might require revising my plans.'
Acquiring [Mana Slash] changes a lot.
Of course, in a positive way.
For example, tomorrow's elective class.
Or preemptively dealing with that 'old geezer' probably scheming outside the Academy right now, and so on...
I lay on the bed, mulling over future plans, and gradually drifted off to sleep.
***
That night, in the Academy's magic training grounds.
It was late, but Artel remained alone, continuing her training.
-Kwachuk!
An ice spike shot by Artel pierced the chest of a fiercely charging magic combat puppet.
-Bang! Bang! Bang!
She stepped on ice platforms, effortlessly dodging training mana bullets pouring from all directions, and cast freezing magic to take down the puppets one by one.
A few minutes later.
The last puppet froze solid and shattered into pieces on the floor.
Ice shards scattered everywhere emitted a chilling aura, but Artel's body was drenched in sweat.
A testament to how long and intensely she had trained.
She sat on a nearby bench for a short break.
"Haa, haa..."
Today, spending time with Jeron had blown her entire daily study quota.
To make up for it, she had thrown herself even harder into training.
But something felt off.
Normally, she would feel anxious and restless about not finishing her planned studies.
Yet today, strangely, she didn't feel bad.
No, she actually felt a little good.
Today's experiences were all new and inexplicable to her.
The sweet cake from the cafeteria.
She thought it was something only kids would like, but it was really delicious.
The lazy afternoon gazing aimlessly at the sky.
She had wondered why Jeron always spaced out and slept, but now she could somewhat understand.
And... the cat she petted for the first time.
The smile that escaped her unwittingly.
And Jeron staring right at her.
Her thoughts naturally drifted to Jeron.
Yesterday's overwhelming display against Kaiser was shocking enough. And today?
He instantly saw through the dean's illusion magic that had everyone, including her, in a panic.
He remained utterly calm even before a Death Worm, illusion or not.
A monster of a person like that suddenly suggests skipping class out of nowhere.
Then spouts nonsense about resting during training time.
'A weird guy.'
And...
The one who recognized my efforts.
"I know you're working hard, harder than anyone."
He seemed indifferent to everything, like it all annoyed him, so how did he know?
Everyone thought of her as a natural genius.
Or one even coldly assessed her as mediocre.
But those were evaluations only of talent.
He was the first to recognize her desperate efforts.
He said she really was working hard, but that she needed rest, and worried about her.
Pure acknowledgment and concern she had never received before.
And he didn't just say it—he spent hours taking her around, letting her experience a special kind of rest.
Was it thanks to that?
For today, at least, the heavy pressure and impatience that always weighed on her shoulders lightened a bit.
Break time over, Artel stood up again.
And resumed her magic practice.
Fwoosh!
From her fingertips rose cold energy far purer and stronger than before.
Today, her magic felt smoother than ever.
***
Stella Academy girls' dormitory, the room at the far end of the hallway.
All lights were off, only a small nightlight on the shelf emitting a warm glow.
The bed and blankets were all fluffy soft.
Her large bear plushie, which she'd hugged since childhood, lay beside her.
The perfect sleep environment.
Normally, Yuria would fall asleep the instant her head hit the pillow.
But somehow, today too, sleep wouldn't come.
"..."
Yuria pulled the blanket over her head, then threw it off, feeling suffocated.
Today's [Basic Spirit Arts] class had been so much fun.
The professor had praised her spirit arts without reserve.
She'd been excited all day.
'I have to tell Jeron about this!'
Right after class, Yuria ran excitedly to Class 1's classroom.
To brag to her desk mate, her first friend at the Academy.
Wouldn't he say, "Good job, Yuria," with that soft smile?
Imagining it made her steps quicken unwittingly.
She was passing through the hallway then.
She overheard some cadets gathered, whispering.
"Did you see? This afternoon, Jeron and Lady Artel together."
"Huh? Those two? No way."
"For real! They were lying on the grass, and the vibe was super romantic..."
Yuria's steps halted abruptly.
'Jeron and... Lady Artel...?'
When did they get so close?
Of course, it was great that her friend made a new friend. She should sincerely congratulate him.
Especially befriending someone as haughty as Artel—that just showed how amazing Jeron was.
But somehow, after hearing that, a corner of her heart kept feeling uncomfortable.
The cotton-candy-like joy that had puffed up deflated like cotton candy melted in water, gone in an instant.
'Why am I feeling like this...?'
Yuria lay in bed, hugging her bear plush tightly.
Since entering the Academy, Yuria had been having trouble sleeping more and more.