I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy

TL/Editor: looloo

Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun

Illustrations: Here

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Monday. The moment when you wish you could leave school as soon as you arrive. I yawned and sat down. The seats were already filled with students studying hard. Such devoted people.

"Feeling tired?"

"Yes, I pushed myself a little too much yesterday."

"Well, you were running for quite a while with Seo Gayeon."

My gaze shifted to Kim Seohyun. He had joined the run partway, hauling a sandbag that weighed more than 150kg. Did he feel inspired?

Memories of Kim Seohyun's past came to me. He was a sort of living weapon, built to wipe out all the Mines in this world. I fiddled with my pen, lost in thought.

I was thinking about Seo Gayeon. The first step to training her would be to awaken her magic. Once she becomes familiar with her magic and masters its discipline, she will be unimaginably powerful.

'The path to get there will be tough, though.'

Time is not on our side. Seo Gayeon will have to bear the brunt of it, but it won't be a walk in the park for me either. There's so much to prepare.

How can I guide her so that word of my good work spreads? As I contemplated this, the front door opened with a creak.

Instructor Seo Woojoo walked in.

"Good morning, kids. Today, I have a couple of announcements."

He started speaking.

"Yesterday, Sunday. You all know about the incident where a Mine went wild in Gangnam, Seoul, right?"

"Yes!"

"Luckily, some of our students were nearby and intervened, enabling the civilians to evacuate safely. Hong Yuhwa, Ersil, Kim Seohyun, and Kim Ara. You all did well."

Instructor Seo Woojoo acknowledged them by name.

"The association is rewarding you all generously for your efforts. The prize money is just a side benefit. Is there anyone who would refuse it?"

"Can we know who's giving the prize money?"

"The Sword Queen, Baek Jiyeon, is said to be the one presenting it personally."

"The Sword Queen?"

Kim Seohyun's eyes widened in surprise.

At Instructor Seo Woojoo's words, half the class started murmuring in disbelief.

"Didn't the Sword Queen single-handedly solve a Class A disaster recently?"

"She dealt with a Class A disaster by herself? Is she even human?"

The students chattered among themselves.

Considering a Class A disaster is equivalent to a nation on the brink of extinction in a developing country, their reactions were understandable.

"Quiet, everyone. Anyway, I have another piece of news. The Black Magic Society has been causing some trouble recently, so I want all of you to be cautious. Don't act recklessly in the name of heroism. I don't mean to underestimate you, but compared to the heroes, you're still lacking."

Instructor Seo Woojoo's voice held a hint of sadness.

"Mines are crafty. They'll use any methods they can to get the upper hand: poison, hostages, crime. Don't think of them as human. They're our enemies. No different from monsters wearing a human disguise."

Instructor Seo Woojoo warned the students, looking each of them in the eye.

"Now, let's end the serious discussion here."

Instructor Seo Woojoo offered a slight smile.

Then, his gaze found me.

His expression was unusual.

"Also, Lee Seoha, please come by my office after class."

"Alright."

I scratched my head.

Had he finally figured it out?

I had been careful to keep my existence out of all modern devices. I was certain of that.

However, I couldn't completely hide my face or stop information from spreading via word of mouth, so it was possible he had some suspicions.

"Alright, let's start today's class. The first period is a joint class. Everyone, please head outside."

---

Raei Translations

---

"This is hard."

Seo Gayeon found herself silently agreeing with the murmurs of a fellow student.

It was hard.

And stressful.contemporary romance

Seo Gayeon's gaze shifted.

There was Lee Seoha.

Unlike others, who were covered in dust and sweat, he remained impeccably clean.

He was even yawning, as though he was bored.

"I really can't figure him out."

"Isn't he the top scorer for a reason? Kim Seohyun was the best among us when we joined, but Lee Seoha beat him."

"Do you know what kind of ability the top scorer has?"

"I have no idea. And that's what scares me. There's no way Lee Seoha would have a mediocre talent like ours."

The students nodded at the self-deprecating response.

Among the many students, Lee Seoha stood out.

It felt like he was on a completely different level.

Buzz.

Her phone vibrated. Seo Gayeon checked the message.

'Our Ga-yeon, fighting hard today! ^^'

A text from her mother.

Seo Gayeon quickly replied.

'Yes, Mom, you too!'

After sending the message, Seo Gayeon let out a deep sigh.

I just don't know.

Family gave you unconditional faith.

However, it felt like she couldn't live up to that faith.

Honestly, the faith her family had in her was quite burdensome.

And also.

"Hello."

The faith of this man, who smiled lazily, was equally so.

"Oh, hello!"

Seo Gayeon responded, her voice trembling slightly.

Yet there was hope within her.

In the Korea Hero Academy, they were the elite class.

And among them, the most outstanding student was looking at her with expectation.

What could he possibly see in her to hold such hope?

Could there be some hidden potential within her?

A glimmer of hope began to rise within her.

However, the end of hope was often disappointing.

Seo Gayeon tried to suppress the budding hope.

He might have just made a mistake.

"May I sit here?"

"No, go ahead."

"Thank you."

With a kind smile, Lee Seoha took the seat next to Seo Gayeon.

"Do you remember what I told you yesterday?"

"Yes, I remember."

Of course, she remembered.

She couldn't forget the praise that had made her cheeks heat up, stating that her potential surpassed that of Hong Yuhwa.

When was the last time she had received such a compliment?

"I need to apologize. I think I spoke a bit hastily yesterday."

Truthfully, he had been a bit caught up in the moment.

Not that it was beyond imagination that the tutorial would be difficult, but it had proven to be quite a challenge.

That was what Lee Seoha considered as he spoke slowly.

"So, as expected, I... I don't have any talent, do I?"

"No, you do."

Lee Seoha responded firmly to Seo Gayeon's self-deprecating statement.

"......"

His belief was unshakeable.

So much so that Seo Gayeon momentarily paused, speechless, to look at Lee Seoha.

"Do you have time this Sunday?"

"Time? Yes, I do. My club activities are on Saturday."

"That's good. Mine are on Saturday too."

He had purposefully scheduled his activities for Saturday.

Lee Seoha didn't voice this out loud.

"Ga-yeon, you have an extraordinary talent, but the process of learning magic might be quite challenging for now."

"Uh, yes."

She nodded at the reassuring compliment.

Because Lee Seoha believed in her potential and looked at her with such faith.

It was the first time she had experienced such belief outside of her family.

"It's also a bit late. Magic is a discipline where mastering the basics is crucial."

This was one of the reasons why Seo Gayeon was concerned.

Magic seemed too difficult.

More than anything, she felt it was too late for her.

It was too late for her to change her major now.

Lee Seoha paused in his speech and looked at Seo Gayeon.

He had been pondering during class.

How could he improve Seo Gayeon's confidence?

"Would you like to go somewhere with me this Sunday?"

"Wh, where?"

"A place that you might find fun."

"A fun place?"

Lee Seoha deliberately refrained from mentioning the word 'dungeon'.

If he did, Seo Gayeon would likely retreat.

"Yes. And the reason why I said that you have potential will be clear there."

"Potential......"

Seo Gayeon muttered the unfamiliar word.

She wasn't without potential.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been admitted to this school.

But the other students here were on a different level.

She had been the top student at her previous school, but at this academy, she found it tiring to keep up with the curriculum.

"Seo, Seo-ha."

"Hmm?"

"Is the potential you're talking about the awakening of an attribute?"

Attribute.

A unique power that gives magic its characteristic. Such a power is so extraordinary that fewer than five students in the freshman year, known as the Golden Riders, possess it.

Lee Seoha looked taken aback by Seo Gayeon's question for a moment, then nodded calmly.

"Yes."

"So, that's why you were saying all those things to me."

Seo Gayeon was finally starting to understand Lee Seoha's intentions.

She had spent the whole night thinking.

She had wondered what kind of potential Lee Seoha had seen in her. But the more she thought about it, the more perplexed she had become.

Because she felt she had nothing.

And then, she had remembered the awakening of an attribute.

"So, can you tell what my attribute is?"

"Of course."

Lee Seoha started speaking.

"Your attribute is..."

At Lee Seoha's words, Seo Gayeon looked confused.

Such an attribute, an attribute she had never even heard of.

"It's going to sound unfamiliar. This attribute is full of mysteries."

"......I see."

"But there's a method to awaken this attribute in a relatively short period. It will be challenging and tough, but can you handle it?"

"I'm prepared."

Seo Gayeon looked at Lee Seoha and spoke.

There was no tremble in her voice.

She was resolute.

That was what Seo Gayeon was all about.

She might appear endlessly insignificant from the outside.

But the spirit she housed was bright like light.

Seo Gayeon thought to herself.

A dormant attribute.

It could be her last hope.

Her efforts were always unrewarded.

But if she didn't even make an attempt, Seo Gayeon knew she would get nowhere.

"So, we have a date on Sunday? Oh, it's going to be quite intense, so wear comfortable exercise clothes."

"Uh, hmm. Oh, okay."

Lee Seoha left his seat.

Seo Gayeon watched him leave.

Yet, even then, she was puzzled by the attribute of her mana that Lee Seoha had mentioned.

The attribute of the star.

She had never heard of such a power.

---

Raei Translations

---

I'm heading to the office.

This is because Instructor Seo Woojoo called me after class.

'I'll ask him to keep it a secret.'

If it's Instructor Seo Woojoo, he'll probably keep it a secret.

He's one of the few genuine educators at this school.

Upon reaching the office, Instructor Seo Woojoo was waiting outside.

"Follow me."

"Yes."

I followed Instructor Seo Woojoo, recognizing the path.

There was no hiding it.

This was the place where I had recently met Seo Yebin.

In front of a door too grand and magnificent to be simply referred to as a principal's office.

Squeak.

As I neared, the door automatically began to open.

A pair of violet eyes met mine as she swept her glamorous blonde hair back.

"Welcome."

"This student is...?"

A woman in a suit appeared.

She had a dignified look in her eyes.

A woman with her black hair pulled back into a ponytail.

The white scabbard attached to her waist was visible.

After seeing the sword, I knew it was Baek Jiyeon.

"This student is?"

"He's a student I've taken an interest in. And... he's the student you're looking for."

Her violet eyes curved into a delighted crescent.

"I said I'd keep an eye out for him, but I didn't expect to meet him so soon."

Seo Yebin gave a meaningful smirk.

"I tried hard because I wanted to meet the principal."

"Is that so? You fought the Mines alone?"

Instead of answering, I just shrugged my shoulders.

Seo Yebin slightly smiled, perhaps amused by my action.

"You're putting me in a tricky position. Now I'm wondering what kind of reward to give."

"Then may I choose?"

"Go ahead."

Seo Yebin looked at me with the amused gaze of a doting grandparent.

Well, considering Seo Yebin's age, that comparison is probably quite accurate.

"Then I would like..."

I started to speak.

enjoy! :)

hmm seoha's becoming a mentor for gayeon kinda 🤔

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