Chapter 7: Professor (1)

Chapter 7: Professor (1)

For two weeks, I immersed myself in understanding both magic and the human body. As a result, my body had memorized the spell of Basic Telekinesis by inscribing a vast telekinesis magic circle within my flesh like an invisible tattoo.

Whoosh—

Three fountain pens floated around the spacious living room like paper airplanes. My current Telekinesis limit was ten fountain pens or three hundred kilograms of pure metal.

The grimoire stated,

The maximum for Basic Telekinesis was thirty kilograms when the mage’s attributes were well-aligned and if it is only for simple pushing or pulling tasks.

Considering these conditions, my output was extraordinary.

“If this is the result after two weeks, it may not be perfect, but it's acceptable,” I said.

Of course, while the power had increased, I had yet to master the skill. The higher the performance became, the harder it was to achieve proficiency. Despite training as efficiently as possible with the help of Comprehension, writing with a floating pen remained difficult. I would only be satisfied when I could at least draw with it.

“Since I've finished the Basics...”

I picked up Volume 1 of Beginner Manipulation Magic from the desk. The difference between Basic Telekinesis and Beginner Telekinesis was an additional eighteen strokes. Basic Telekinesis consisted of twenty lines and two circles, whereas Beginner Telekinesis had thirty-eight lines and three circles.

Of course, Beginner Telekinesis built upon the foundation of Basic Telekinesis, so I only needed to remember eighteen additional strokes instead of all thirty-eight. However, this time, the thickness of the lines became an issue...

“I'll save this for later,” I said, as I moved the grimoire to the side.

I needed time for my body to recover, and jumping to the Beginner level without mastering the Basics would result in a loss of control. Therefore, my next goals were these:

Volume 1 of Basic Metal Attribute Magic

Volume 1 of Basic Fire Attribute Magic

Volume 1 of Basic Earth Attribute Magic

I had three grimoires, each with different properties. However, I could only learn magics that are in the manipulation category. This was an unexpected side effect. Since my body was inscribed with manipulation-type telekinesis, learning magic completely opposite to manipulation would place a burden on my body.

For instance, summoning and elemental magic were incompatible with manipulation and thus impossible for me to learn. I could only master magic forms similar to manipulation, such as ductility, support, and destruction.

However, this didn't really matter. This body was naturally talented in the manipulation category, so let's consider it a matter of choice and focus, and leave it at that.

Knock, knock—

As I was about to open the book, someone knocked on the door. I retrieved the floating pens and answered.

“Who is it?” I asked.

“Sir, it’s Roy. Mage Allen has brought the lecture materials...” a butler named Roy replied.

It was a message that Allen had arrived. With the first lecture materials for the semester just ten days away, on the following Thursday. It made sense for him to be here.

“I'll head out soon.”

I attempted to change clothes using telekinesis. However, the pants kept ending up on my upper body, so I dressed myself manually.

When I went downstairs, I found Allen unloading large boxes with the help of the servants.

“... Is this my lecture content?” I asked Allen.

“Yes, sir! These are the compilations for the first semester! I’ve done them as we did it just like every year!” Allen replied.

Allen's eyes were heavy with dark circles, but his cheerful demeanor made me pity him even more.

“Well done.”

While other professors at the Mage Tower had anywhere from five to twenty assistants, I only had Allen. This was entirely due to Deculein’s lack of virtue.

“No problem, sir! I'll head back now!”

As Allen was about to leave, I grabbed the back of his robe.

“Ugh!”

“It’s late. At least have dinner before you go,” I said.

“Sorry? No, I—”

“Stay and eat," I said, gesturing to a servant, who quickly ushered Allen to the dining room.

“Uh, I really don’t need to—”

Therefore, Sylvia can create anything within the reach of her mana. Her reputation for nobility from birth is no exaggeration...

I knew this named character. A blonde beauty with the attribute Femme Fatale, and the successor of Iliade, a rival to Yukline. Although Yukline's status was slightly higher for now, Sylvia, an overpowered named character, would surpass us and become an even greater threat.

I started searching for Deculein's name among the pages. Deculein, Deculein, Deculein... Finally, I found a significant section dedicated to my name.

Head Professor of the Imperial University: Deculein von Grahan-Yukline

From a young age, he excelled in elemental magic. After graduating from the academy, he was hailed as a genius in spell interpretation, eventually becoming the youngest Head Professor at the Mage Tower of the Imperial University...

... However, in recent years as he approached his mid-thirties, he had shown no notable achievements. He had only been absorbed in the magic research he announced three years ago. It was now time for him to prove his value with concrete results.

The original Deculein would have crumpled the journal and immediately contacted them, kicking up a fuss about the nonsense written by the journalists.

“... They’re right,” I said.

However, the Wizard Journal wasn't swayed by money or family influence. Despite having inherited some of Deculein’s personality, I was still Kim Woo-Jin.

I remained remarkably unconcerned with magic, feeling no pressure about achievements in it and having no pride in what I did. People who overextend themselves often face ruin. All I wanted was to survive and understand this game...

“It’s already 4 a.m.”

I checked the clock and it was 4 a.m.. I headed to my bedroom, lay in bed, and closed my eyes. When I opened them again, it was 6 a.m..

Although Iron Man's recovery ability was amazing, having such long days wasn't always a good thing for me.

“I wish I could sleep for about six hours...”

Whenever I woke up, it was always early in the morning. The sun's rays barely peeked over the horizon, and the light slowly filled the room. This drowsy scene felt like a sleep spell, but no matter how much I wanted to sleep, I couldn't. My mind was always alert.

Any fatigue or drowsiness melted away with just a few hours of rest. For someone trapped in a game and living each day, twenty-two hours felt incredibly long.

***

Although lectures were to start on Thursday, I arrived at the Mage Tower on Monday to use the staff-only magic training room.

Head Professor Deculein's entry is authorized.

The training method was simple. In a fully enclosed training room, I had to complete stages presented like a mini-game using magic. If a player cleared the final stage, they would receive a bonus attribute, but I wasn’t sure if this system applied to me. Additionally, the magic used here was treated as a close simulation of real combat, allowing me to grasp the Aura of the magic.

“It’s me, Deculein.”

I placed my hand on the central magic crystal orb in the training room. The orb glowed blue and a text appeared.

Identity confirmed. Please select the category of magic for training.

I chose the manipulation category and selected Telekinesis magic. Several dots appeared in the air, intricately intertwining and moving.

Level 1: Use telekinesis to manipulate objects and pierce the dots.

This was easy. I levitated a dagger from my inner pocket using telekinesis. The dagger gracefully swam through the air, piercing the dots, and I completed Level 1 in two minutes.

Level 2 had twice as many dots and took five minutes. Level 3 featured illusory butterflies and took fifteen minutes. Level 4 brought in a swarm of illusory bees flying all around, taking forty minutes... I gave up after an hour of struggling with ant-sized bugs in Level 5.

“It’s quite difficult. But that's what makes it interesting.”

I had used up 2,500 mana. By now, I should have grasped the magic’s aura.

Magic Aura Confirmation: Deculein von Grahan-Yukline

Every mage's magic had an aura, akin to personality traits such as intensity, provocation, explosion, calmness, fluctuation, cunning, deviousness, subtlety, tranquility, and composure. This aura usually mirrored the mage's personality and was a surprisingly important setting for the game, similar to aptitude.

For instance, intensity, provocation, and explosion auras enhanced destruction magic, while cunning and devious auras amplified enchantment or support magic. In my case, the aura of my magic was... Let’s see...

Graceful Aura

■ Graceful: Having a high and elegant character or quality.[1]

“Oh...”

In other words, the execution of my magic exuded elegance and refinement.

“... How fitting.”

I let out a dry laugh. In many ways, it was a perfect match for Deculein.

1. The original word Go-Ah can be translated to both Graceful or Elegant and as well an Orphan ☜