The Gacha Addict of the Academy

At the end of the day, the group that agreed to meet in the morning gathered at the library.
As I expected, that guy was there too.

He was sitting with an open book, but it was clear he wasn’t paying attention. From what I saw when he used a sword earlier, it was obvious that he preferred swordsmanship over magic.

Did he use that much power without magic?

Even though this was supposed to be a study group, there was no real studying happening. Luna, who had suggested studying together, hadn’t even opened her book. Kang Ji Hyuk was clearly distracted, and Hyeon-ah looked frustrated as she tried to mediate between them.

“Luna?”

“Uh, y-yes?”

Once again, she reacted in surprise when her name was called, almost as if she wasn’t used to hearing it.
I didn’t know her well, but seeing how she spent most of the day alone, except when talking to Hyeon-ah, made me wonder if she didn’t have any friends.

Could she be… left out?

“We agreed to study together, so why aren’t you studying? You didn’t even bring your book.”
“…I’m sorry…”

Luna apologized with a guilty look and pulled out the textbook the academy gave her.

It was a first-year book, full of basic magic lessons. To me, it seemed almost useless. But for someone like Luna, who probably hadn’t studied much before coming to the academy, it wasn’t surprising she had to start from the basics.
Still, something didn’t feel right.

Luna opened her book, but she didn’t seem to focus.

It was like she couldn’t understand any of it. Plus, it was obvious she hadn’t done the work assigned for today.
Was she avoiding it on purpose?

“What’s this? You didn’t do anything? Wait… did you fall asleep during the magic lecture today? Oh, you did.”
“….?”
Did she really?
I hadn’t noticed, since I was busy with my own work during class, but if she fell asleep, it must mean she didn’t understand the material at all.
Luna didn’t have trouble in other classes. She stayed awake and listened carefully.
But magic class was different?

“I mean… I fell asleep too.”
“What? You too?”

Are we all just bad students here?

I was shocked. For someone as strong as Kang Ji Hyuk, I thought he would have at least some experience with magic. But the fact that he slept during a basic lesson made him seem… a little pathetic.

As I sighed, Hyeon-ah also sighed, looking at Kang Ji Hyuk. Feeling both of our gazes on him, he protested.
“Hey, I’m more of a swordsman, okay? Besides, Luna fell asleep too!”

“Do you really think Luna falling asleep is the same as you falling asleep?”
Hyeon-ah was clearly defending Luna, but something still didn’t make sense.
If Luna’s magic skills were so bad, how did she make that barrier? Was it some hidden ability? If so, it could still be useful in the right situation.

“You should at least try to learn the basics of magic.”
“I don’t need magic,” Kang Ji Hyuk grumbled.
“Don’t you care about your grades?”

Listening to this, I couldn’t help but speak up, slightly annoyed.
“…Do any of you even want to study?”

My eyes moved to Luna as I said this. I didn’t mean to pressure her, but I felt it was time to figure out what was going on. If I checked her magical flow, I could understand her level.
Feeling my gaze, Luna flinched, then quickly opened her book and tried to study.

The first chapter wasn’t hard. We had only learned the basics so far. She just needed to focus on the fundamentals.
But even with the book open, she struggled, groaning softly as she tried to understand.

Something was definitely wrong.
If she could make that barrier, she shouldn’t have trouble with basic magic. Her reaction made it seem like she had never seen this before.

“…Do you even know how to use magic?”
“…No…”
…I see.
Well, that explains a lot.

I couldn’t leave her like this.
Teaching basic magic wasn’t difficult, so I sighed and said, “…Alright. Watch closely. I’ll teach you.”

At my offer, Luna’s eyes brightened, and she looked at me with hope and excitement. Her reaction surprised me—it was like she was a child seeing magic for the first time. Somehow, it made me feel good.

Once we started, my mood only got better.

Luna absorbed the information at an incredible speed. Though she struggled with unfamiliar terms, her intellect was impressive.
In less than an hour, she had memorized the theories behind basic elemental magic.
I had forgotten my initial hesitation to interact with her and was fully engaged in teaching.

“Alright, try casting this spell.”

I pointed to one of the simplest spells: a basic light magic incantation.
After studying it for a moment, Luna closed her eyes and tried to cast it.

“..?
But something was wrong.
The spell didn’t work.
Luna looked at her hands in confusion, as if she couldn’t believe the magic hadn’t worked.
I, however, understood right away.

“…As I thought,” I muttered.
“..?”
“Hold on.”

With a confident expression, I asked her to hold out her hand.

Placing my fingers on her wrist, I started checking her mana flow.
Mana flows through the veins and gathers in the heart—that’s the basic principle. By checking the arteries, I could see if mana was flowing or not.

But there was none.
This was unusual.

It didn’t make sense for her to have no mana flow. Everyone is born with mana pathways, and parents usually open them early on. If that hadn’t been done for her, it meant they hadn’t cared enough to try.

“You… you’ve never felt mana before, have you?”
“Huh?”
She tilted her head, clearly confused, as if she didn’t know what I was talking about.
Strange.

“…Come here for a moment.”
There was something I needed to do.
Though she looked puzzled, Luna stepped toward me without saying anything. I gently placed my hand on her head and prepared to open her pathways.

She flinched slightly but didn’t resist.

Normally, one would place their hand over the chest to begin this process. But even though we were the same gender, I felt it was inappropriate.
As an elf with advanced magical abilities, I knew starting from the head would be enough.

I sighed in relief as I felt mana starting to flow through her body.
Everyone has mana, but its density has greatly decreased in the modern era. Without a natural connection to it, one can’t use or sense it unless someone opens the pathways.

In other words, no one had ever done this for her.

“…What happened to you?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking why your mana pathways weren’t opened.”
“…I don’t know.”
She really didn’t know.

Her confused expression was so sincere I couldn’t bring myself to say more. Offering comfort felt condescending, and besides, I wasn’t very good at it.
But I was starting to understand why she was the way she was.

“…How could they…”
Those bastards.
I ground my teeth in frustration.
No one had cared for her—not even her parents.

It wouldn’t surprise me if she’d been bullied by her peers.
Her low self-esteem made that painfully clear.

“Um… it’s okay… If it’s troublesome for you, you don’t have to teach me magic…”
Even now, she was trying not to cause any trouble, her voice tinged with longing.

Her earlier excitement about learning magic suddenly made sense.

“No, it’s fine. That’s not the issue. And don’t say things like that.”
She was such a pitiful child.

At first, I had been merely curious about her. But now, I felt a deep sense of admiration.
Despite everything, she had endured, entered this academy to become a hero, and even protected someone—all without being able to use magic.
Of course, that wasn’t the case anymore.

“I’ve opened your mana pathways. Basic magic isn’t too hard. Why don’t you try casting Light?”
“I’ll give it a try…”
She raised her hand, focused, and softly spoke the spell.

A small orb of light formed above her palm—perfectly executed.

Given how recently her pathways had been opened, it should have been difficult to control, but she did it flawlessly.

She giggled with delight, showing me the glowing orb with a bright smile.
I couldn’t help but smile back.

This child… she probably had never received real affection.
Even if that wasn’t the case, her life must’ve been difficult.

At the very least, I could be kind to her.
I silently promised to treat her well, no matter what.