The Gacha Addict of the Academy

Under Reina’s guidance, I began studying magic.

When I studied alone, I struggled to interpret the words and concepts. But as Reina explained everything step by step, I understood almost instantly. It made me realize that maybe this body isn’t inherently bad at learning—it’s just my lazy mindset that’s the problem.

That’s entirely possible.

No matter how smart someone is, if their mindset is rotten, it’s only natural that they won’t be able to study.
But now that I’d decided to change my approach and actually focus, I started to believe I might even be able to use magic.

“Why don’t you try using this spell?” Reina suggested.

She pointed to one of the most basic spells: the Light spell.
It’s called Light, right? She explained that the incantation is just a tool to help visualize the magic. By picturing the image in your mind and shaping it with your mana, you should be able to cast the spell.

But when you can’t even feel mana, how is that supposed to work?
Still, I couldn’t just not try. Taking a deep breath, I carefully recited the spell.

“Light.”

Predictably, nothing happened.

“…As I thought…” Reina murmured.

“…?”

“Wait a second.”

She looked at me with a curious expression before asking to see my hand. Placing her fingers on my wrist, she seemed to check something. After a moment, she frowned slightly and asked:

“You’ve never been able to sense mana before, have you?”

“Huh? Um… no?”

Wait, how did she know?

When I first arrived here, I wasn’t even sure this was the world of the novel I vaguely remembered. I’d only retained fragments of it, recalling details whenever something jogged my memory. But now, I was sure—this was the novel’s world.

Even so, the people I met were slightly different from the characters I remembered. For example, Reina, standing right in front of me, was the most surprising.
Are elves just naturally capable of detecting things like this? They’re supposed to be the most attuned to mana, so it’s not unbelievable.

Reina sighed deeply, looking a little sad. It was unusual to see her like this—she’d always had a sharp, almost frosty expression until now.

“…Come here for a moment,” Reina said gently.

Her tone was much softer than before.

What’s going on?

Still, I had no reason to refuse. As I approached cautiously, Reina placed a hand on my head. The suddenness of it startled me, and I flinched.

“Stay still,” she said softly, her kind voice easing my tension.

Now that I thought about it, there was no reason to resist. Having such a beautiful person patting my head? Why would I complain?

As I stayed still, I felt something tickling inside my head. Had my head ever been this sensitive before?

The strange sensation soon spread throughout my body. A chill ran down my spine, making me shiver. But I instinctively knew what it was.

This is mana.

A refreshing clarity washed over me, as if something had just clicked into place.

“…What happened to you?” Reina asked.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Why weren’t your mana pathways open at all?”

“…I have no idea.”

How would I know that?
I didn’t even know mana pathways were a thing until now. Are they supposed to be open from the start?

When I tilted my head in confusion, Reina’s face clouded with concern. She looked deeply troubled. The longer she kept that expression, the more I wondered—was she upset about teaching me?

It’s possible.
To someone as skilled as Reina, renowned as the Ice Witch for her mastery of magic, I must seem utterly pathetic. A clueless beginner like me probably seemed laughable—or maybe even outright annoying—to her.

This academy was supposed to be for people with a certain level of competence. If she thought I didn’t meet those standards, I wouldn’t blame her for being frustrated.

Even if I had my reasons, explaining them would just sound like excuses.

“…How did this happen…” Reina murmured.

Seeing her frustration made me feel equally upset. It didn’t matter whether or not I had done anything wrong—what mattered was that she seemed disappointed in me.

Then again, if I don’t know what I did wrong, how can I avoid doing it again in the future?

Maybe it wasn’t something I said.
But one thing was clear: it had something to do with me.

“Um… it’s okay. If you’re upset, you don’t have to teach me magic…” I said hesitantly. Sure, learning magic would be great. But if teaching me made Reina feel bad, then there was no point.
I’m not the kind of person who can shamelessly demand help from someone who’s upset.

In fact, I hate inconveniencing others. It’s not just because it can cause trouble—it’s part of my nature. I prefer living quietly, without bothering anyone.

Of course, I’d appreciate it if someone chose to help me. But if helping me upset them, I’d rather they didn’t.
So maybe I should just let this go.

“…No, it’s fine. That’s not the reason. And don’t say things like that,” Reina said.

What is this…?
This is nothing like the Kkanp I knew. How can someone—no, an elf—be this kind? Could it be that the author was the real villain here, painting elves unfairly when, in reality, they were all just incredibly nice? There’s no other explanation for this.

It’s plausible.
No, it’s certain!

“I’ve opened your mana pathways now. The basics of magic aren’t too difficult in theory, so why don’t you try casting a spell right now?” Reina suggested.

“Yes… I’ll give it a try.”

I raised my hand and muttered the incantation for the Light spell.

“Light.”

A small orb of light appeared above my hand—a sign that the spell had worked. Could it be that I hadn’t been able to use magic simply because my mana pathways weren’t open?

Excited by my first-ever successful spell, I eagerly showed it to Reina, who smiled proudly in response.

At that moment, I realized something for certain.

I’m sorry for ever calling you Kkanp…

From this moment onward, I pledge my devotion to Reina.

She’s the elf who taught me magic, after all. Thanking her profusely, I bowed my head repeatedly. She even praised me, saying it was impressive that I could use magic so soon after my mana pathways were opened. Her kind words were so moving and divine.

Ah, Reina… I’m so sorry for cursing at you when I was just reading the novel. Please forgive me…

“That’s a basic light spell, huh? Hey, can you do it?” Hyeon-ah, who had been watching, turned to Kang Ji hyuk and asked.

From what I remembered, the protagonist couldn’t use magic. His abilities were so overwhelmingly powerful that all his mana was focused on them, leaving him unable to cast spells. If anything, his abilities surpassed magic, making it unnecessary for him.

It was something like reality manipulation.

To be precise, it was closer to bending reality to his will. Even while reading the novel, I often wondered how such an overpowered ability could exist. But now that I’m seeing it in real life, it’s genuinely terrifying. Most of the protagonist’s allies have ridiculously powerful abilities, but his is in a league of its own.

There’s a reason why people say he can crush everything with his abilities alone.

“I can’t use magic,” he said plainly.

“What? Why?” Hyeon-ah asked.

“Uh… I just can’t.”

Even Reina seemed shocked by his words, her eyes widening as she turned to look at him.
Come to think of it, there was a scene in the novel where everyone was surprised to learn that the protagonist couldn’t use magic. But then they’d remember his overwhelming abilities and think, Well, that makes sense.

Still, right now, most of the students here probably have no idea about the protagonist’s powers, so their surprise is understandable.

Wait a second. He wasn’t supposed to reveal this about himself at this point in the story.

A chill ran down my spine.
Was this because of me?

Have I caused the future of the novel to change by inserting myself into this world?

No—maybe this was inevitable. A new person like me showing up would naturally shift the course of events.
This is exactly why I was trying to avoid getting involved with the protagonist in the first place.

After all, in the original story, the protagonist wasn’t even acquainted with Hyeon-ah.

Is this really okay?

I asked myself that question.

I wanted to live quietly, steering clear of the protagonist’s storyline, but now I’m tangled up not only with him but also with Reina.

I couldn’t find an answer to my own question.

Because the future had already changed irreversibly.