NOVEL NEXT Chapter 96
I think I’ve become a bit arrogant lately.
I pretended not to care, but being praised as if I were someone amazing might have subtly spoiled me.
I heard that controlling the confession necklace could be a bit burdensome, and I’ve actually experienced it.
But once I could turn it on and off, I didn’t really worry about it.
It wasn’t completely impossible to filter things out, and I figured I could just cut the connection if it said something I shouldn’t let out.
It didn’t go as well as I thought.
This necklace… expressed the ugly thoughts that fleetingly passed through my mind to the world.
[I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry]
“Hey, no need to apologize that much. It’s okay, just lift your head.”
I had my head nearly buried in the ground. The apology message displayed beside me was equally embarrassing.
The moment the necklace blurted out something too shameful to say, I hastily stopped the confession necklace.
But I couldn’t just scoop up the spilled water after covering the bottle’s opening.
To be honest, I was terrified that Baek Ahrin would hurl an ice spear at me. Even if she didn’t, I thought I would be bombarded with cold glares and ill feelings.
“It’s really okay, you don’t have to. You didn’t mean anything bad, right?”
[I’m sorry…]
But Baek Ahrin didn’t seem particularly upset.
On the contrary, she seemed to comfort me as if she understood everything.
I was slightly moved by that. It was so kind and lovely that she brushed off my offensive words and cared about my feelings.
“It’s natural for babies to seek out their chests. So you don’t need to be embarrassed.”
[I’m so… huh?]
‘?’
Just as I was tapping out my apology message to show my sincerity, I heard something strange.
The confession necklace was definitely turned off… Did my ears malfunction?
A question mark floated above my head.
Baek Ahrin chuckled at my reaction.
[Baby, you say?]
“Yes, the baby you think I mean. Not ‘talking,’ but ‘goo-goo ga-ga’ crying baby.”
‘?!’
Another question mark popped up. I crumpled up Baek Ahrin’s words for interpretation.
She just called me a baby.
Baby…
A baby?
Was she really saying I look like a little sucking infant?
Looking at me?
I was flabbergasted.
Within me, a sense of rebellion stirred.
Along with the embarrassment and shame of hearing such words at my age.
No matter how short I was, I shouldn’t be treated like that.
In my previous world, my birth registration was somewhat ambiguous, but I was an adult, and in this world, I clearly was one too.
I had no justification to be called a baby based on my physique or age.
“What can a baby do about seeking out their chest?”
‘……’
“Right?”
But as I recalled the blunder I had just made, my rebellion quieted down naturally.
I had sinned, so protesting against such teasing was quite ridiculous.
Still, Baek Ahrin kept teasing me with that playful grin.
Sometimes her mischievous jokes highlighted her chest, making me want to run away, but… I couldn’t bring myself to flee because I felt guilty.
And while I was trapped in a playful hell without a way to react, a few other students arrived.
They didn’t intervene between me and Baek Ahrin, keeping their distance as if watching someone else’s business.
I recognized a few faces.
At a slight distance, I spotted Atilla and Aidan seated, observing the scene.
Atilla had her usual sharp expression, while Aidan just had a blank stare.
I felt relieved to see familiar faces but more so that I desperately needed help.
‘Help…’
As if sensing my urgent feelings, Atilla, who had been scribbling on her smartwatch, turned her head. Although our eyes didn’t meet, she definitely looked this way.
She flinched slightly. Her pupils darted between me and Baek Ahrin before she subtly turned her body away.
‘?!’
Aidan beside her blinked a few times, then suddenly began checking the surroundings, mirroring Atilla’s actions.
‘?!’
My heart sank at their blatant rejection.
I thought we had a decent relationship, but I never expected them to turn away like that.
While I was trembling in shock, I spotted someone walking toward the park.
The outer garments of the student uniform were discarded somewhere, replaced by a hastily worn red jumper and a rather indifferent face…
It was Hong Yeon-hwa.
‘……!’
My complexion brightened instantly.
Though I was dismissed by Atilla and Aidan, I had faith that Hong Yeon-hwa wouldn’t do the same.
“Ah.”
True to my belief, as she chewed on something while walking over, her face brightened as soon as she saw me.
She quickly quickened her pace, and without hesitation, reached out to pat my head.
As her fingers entwined in my hair, my lips involuntarily curled up.
“Did you come out okay? Are there any aftereffects?”
– Nod nod
“Really? Not lying, right? Your face says otherwise.”
Her hand slid down from my head and pinched my cheek.
I pushed against her fingers, relishing the increased surface area of contact.
As I enjoyed the pleasant sensation, her slender fingers brushed under my eyes.
She squinted at my response as if my answer wasn’t satisfactory enough but then glanced at where my left arm used to be, and her expression darkened again.
I didn’t want to see that expression on Hong Yeon-hwa’s face.
Just as I tried to divert her attention, her gaze had already moved.
Her eyes suddenly scanned my neck.
“Hmm?”
Her eyes blinked. A strange emotion flickered in her gaze, and she reached out to poke the confession necklace.
“What’s this?”
Her voice had a charming yet nagging tone. Yet, something felt off.
“An artifact. It has a psychological expression feature, and I was told you received it from Elia.”
“…Elia? An artifact?”
“Yep. But I can’t control it right now, so it’s turned off.”
Baek Ahrin, who had been watching us from behind with a peculiar look, explained for me.
She clarified the function of the confession necklace and that I’d stopped it following the recent event.
Thanks to Baek Ahrin picking up on my urgent signals, she sweetly edited out the more awkward parts of my explanation.
Listening attentively, Hong Yeon-hwa glanced back at the necklace.
“……”
Her gaze lifted towards me. There was a subtle intensity in her eyes.
It wasn’t quite chilling, but definitely strange.
I tilted my head in confusion, but Hong Yeon-hwa merely patted my cheek, as if dismissing my concern.
What would she have said if the confession necklace was on?
I didn’t want to think about it.
…
Not long after, Professor Liana arrived.
There were about ten minutes left before the announcement time.
Counting the students with her observation powers, there were no missing individuals.
Professor Liana stood with her back to the lake, doing a final check, while the students sat encircling her in a semicircle.
I was one of them. Sitting at the very back of the semicircle, I fished around in my pocket.
– Squeak
I pulled out the candies I’d stashed in my pocket and tore open the bag. I popped one in my mouth.
The taste wasn’t great, but since it was a gift, I couldn’t just keep it stored away.
Also, I had received a diagnosis to periodically put something in my mouth, not to the extent of malnutrition, so I had brought some protein bars and candies.
“……”
‘?!’
At that moment, I felt a gaze on me from beside. Wondering what it was, I turned only to find Hong Yeon-hwa staring at my lips… or rather, the candy that was sticking out.
The colorful candy in my hand.
It was the candy Baek Ahrin had gifted me.
Her gaze was similar to how she looked at the necklace earlier.
“…No. It’s fine.”
I offered her a spare piece of the colorful candy, but Hong Yeon-hwa just shook her head.
– Clap!
Just then, Professor Liana completed her final check and clapped her hands.
The clear sound of applause spread among the students.
“Alright, it’s time, and everyone’s here, so let’s get started briefly!”
I straightened up.
It was already piled up with missed lessons. If I let this slide too, my midterm grades would be buried in the basement.
Professor Liana turned her back to the lake and began her explanation.
Today’s lecture was “Understanding Spirits.”
“Let’s start with the definition of spirits. It’s simple! We refer to entities that act with weak providence and self-awareness as spirits. And the technique to handle them through contracts is called spirit magic.”
The spirits we commonly see in fantasy genres of the original world.
There are basic elements like water, fire, wind, lightning, and earth spirits.
There are also special attribute spirits, but most spirits belong to basic attributes.
“Now, while you all know the theory, I’ll ask you a question. What’s the advantage of spirit magic?”
“The output and manpower that come from handling multiple spirits.”
“Yes, as you said, the primary advantage of spirit magic is manpower.”
Professor Liana smiled at a female student who answered.
“Spirit magic is not about handling a single spirit. If you have affinity, capacity as a sorcerer, and enough mana to operate, you can contract as many spirits as you want.”
Of course, it varies based on talent, but typically, a spirit magician can handle dozens of spirits.
It’s quite rare to have a single-element spirit in such large numbers.
While there may be differences in strength among spirits, a spirit magician can easily strategize against elemental weaknesses by having spirits of differing attributes.
Moreover, they can order spirits to engage in individual battles, and since spirits are fundamentally immortal, they can be sent into combat multiple times.
Also, despite that, spirit magicians aren’t wholly incapable of action themselves. They can engage in combat using physical strength, energy, magic, or other unique abilities.
“I consider myself a successful spirit magician and a superhuman who became a high-tier hero in the field of war.”
In combat, heroes are judged by their performance. No matter how skilled they may be in the present, they first need to build a record to assess their rank.
Among the assessment criteria, combat heroes are broadly divided into three categories.
Human (対人): The ability to face human-sized opponents.
Monster (対怪): The ability to defeat monsters.
And Army (対軍).
The ranking criteria for army heroes is quite unique.
Can one significantly affect the frontlines while standing alone amidst the battlefield?
It’s more stringent than even human or monster ranks.
Thus, most heroes rise in ranks through human or monster combat.
Professor Liana, too, rose to the very top in the army division, and she once was an unparalleled hero who single-handedly blocked a wave of monsters invading the frontline just before her retirement.
“Now, I won’t deny that spirit magic particularly demands innate talent.”
Professor Liana’s calm voice resonated throughout the park.
“Why? Because unlike special races like fairies, other races need to go through contract procedures to handle spirits, and without affinity, they can’t even attempt to contract.”
Spirits are tricky to utilize.
It’s because very few people even possess the qualification to make use of them.
Those who qualify are those who have innate abilities for spirit affinity.
Among even the first-year students of Shio-ram, gathered from all corners of the world, few have learned spirit magic.
That’s how rare spirit affinity is.
“What’s today’s learning objective? It’s to check for any hidden affinities! You never know. You might have missed detecting an affinity during your admission!”
Professor Liana smiled brightly and nodded her fingers.
Boom! One of the boxes nearby shook, and a colorful orb popped out and flew into Professor Liana’s hands.
As she caught it, Professor Liana flinched slightly.
“…?”
Professor Liana peered down at the crystal orb in her hands.
On the surface, there were faint signs of vibrant energy swirling within it.
Aside from the colors, it resembled the crystal ball she had used when teaching me about mana.
The only difference was that this one was smaller, and instead of mana, it contained a peculiar energy that seemed to be floating…
It was slightly shaking.
‘Is that energy a spirit?’
Since I first sensed it… it had been bothering me.
It felt like the energy was bouncing off the walls as if it was trying to escape, and it seemed to be headed in this direction.
“…Of course, even without affinity, attending this lecture is not a problem at all. The ‘Understanding Spirits’ lecture won’t teach you how to handle spirits; it’s about understanding the concept of spirits and how to deal with them.”
Professor Liana scanned the faces of the listening students.
She then looked down at the orb again, raising her gaze towards one spot.
“But…”
Her stare lingered particularly long in one direction.
“It would still be nice if you had some affinity, right?”
She was staring directly at me…
No, she was undoubtedly gazing at me.
*
[Player Correction System: Affection Level]
Lee Ha-yul → Baek Ahrin
●●●●○○○○○○(51▷53/100)
‘Affection’ ‘Suspicion’ ‘Confusion’ ‘Apology’
…
Lee Ha-yul → Atilla Blero
●●●●○○○○○○(49▷48/100)
‘Familiarity’ ‘Disappointment’
…
Lee Ha-yul → Aidan Reynolds
●●●●○○○○○○(45▷44/100)
‘Familiarity’ ‘Fool’ ‘Disappointment’
[Conditions for “Curse of Silence” have not been met.]
[Conditions for “Curse of Loneliness” have not been met.]