Prologue Story

「Alright, then! Let’s start the quiz competition! The person who will read the questions is… this person!」

We looked at the person standing on the platform with surprised expressions. Oh, it was Teacher Joon-hwi! Min-hee and Hyun-ho saw Teacher Joon-hwi and waved excitedly.

“Wow! It’s Teacher! Teacher~!”

[Quiet, you brats.]

Teacher Joon-hwi frowned, then dismissed us with that response into the microphone. I admired Teacher Joon-hwi. He could hear so clearly, even from way over there. As expected of a perceptive magician.

「Now, the quiz category is ‘Magic Knowledge.’ If you think the answer is correct, go to the spot marked O, and if you think it’s incorrect, go to the spot marked X. Everyone sees that line over there, right? That’s the boundary. Then, Teacher Jung Joon-hwi, please give us the first question!」

He shined a sharp look through his glasses. Teacher Joon-hwi approached the microphone and announced the first question.

[The famous sub-magic of Frank, the first magician in history known for revealing his identity, was Amplification Magic. Is it light-based magic or not?]

I tilted my head in thought, pondering the question. It was a tricky one right from the start. Amplification… Amplification Magic… If it’s a type of magic that boosts power, it would probably be classified as support magic, right? That kind of magic often appears in holy magic… at least, in fantasy novels. But isn’t this world also kind of like a fantasy? I quickly made an educated guess on this unfamiliar magic. Honestly, it wouldn’t be a big deal if I got it wrong… well, maybe a little disappointing.

It would be nice if I got it right, but if I didn’t, it’d only be a bit disappointing. With that thought, I started heading toward O, but then I noticed Senior Ji-hyun heading in the same direction. When I met his cold gaze again, I flinched.

「You have 60 seconds, exactly one minute! Please move!」

“Hmm, so you think it’s light magic?”

“Ah, yes.”

“That’s correct.”

“Wow, Eun-ha, amazing!”

He said that as if it was obvious, taking Min-hee by the hand and heading toward O. Min-hee and Shia looked impressed. I was just guessing based on fantasy logic… hahaha.

‘After all, this is a 50/50 chance.’

Even if you guess, there’s a 50 percent chance of being right. So no need to be amazed, kids…

“Magic that strengthens others is generally light-based. Conversely, magic that weakens others is usually dark-based. Typically, anyway.”

Just as he said, Amplification Magic was light-based, and we made it through safely. Most of the people who didn’t survive were elementary students. It seemed like common knowledge for magicians of a certain level.

[The 42-gate magic circle ‘Aerial Field’ is defensive magic, true or false.]

The second question immediately followed. Huh, I’m not too sure about this kind of general knowledge. The 42-gate magic circle, ‘Aerial Field.’ Aerial Field… does it mean the domain of air or wind? Does it dominate the air? Defense? Or attack?

‘I think I saw something about Aerial Field magic once… it was attack magic, I think?’

I couldn’t remember whether I saw it in this world or through a novel or manga in my past life, but the Aerial Field Magic I knew was a fearsome attack magic that compressed sharp air and expelled it in a vacuum state, rapidly scattering it around.

And if it’s a magic that claims the air as its domain, it’d likely be attack magic. I was glancing at X with a bit of hesitation when, thankfully, Senior Ji-hyun headed there first. We made it through again. Ah, even if I make a mistake overthinking, I’ll be fine with this senior around. I looked up at him with that thought in mind.

But suddenly, his previously expressionless face softened with warmth. I was startled at the sight.

‘Huh? What’s going on?’

Curiously, I followed his gaze, turning my head. Then, I recognized a familiar face. Standing at a distance, I saw Eun-hee unnie. When she noticed me looking, she gave a small smile and a gentle wave. I glanced around, and then gave a small wave back.

“Eun-ha, what’s up? Oh, it’s Eun-hee unnie.”

Min-hee noticed Eun-hee unnie and waved happily. Then she looked at me with a curious expression.

“You know Eun-hee unnie?”

“Yes, somehow.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. So you and Min-hee know the high school president?”

Yoo-jung unnie looked at Min-hee and me in awe. I flushed, feeling a bit shy. Then In-ha glanced over at Eun-hee unnie and gave her a slight wave as well. Eun-hee unnie turned away, looking satisfied.

“…Ah.”

A small voice, almost a murmur, made me look up. Senior Ji-hyun was nodding, as if he’d just understood something, giving me a blank look.

“Oh, so that’s where I saw you…”

“…?”

I looked at him with a puzzled expression. Min-hee looked up and asked him.

“By the way, oppa, how come you’re not hanging out with Eun-hee unnie?”

“She said we should each handle things separately since we’re on different teams. So now I’m also not with Chunho.”

“Oh, I see. Huh? So Chunho oppa came down too?”

“Probably. That guy loves this kind of thing.”

‘Chunho oppa’…? Ah, that was the name Min-hee had mentioned before. Come to think of it, Han-soo and Hyun-ho were also familiar with him. Soon, the next question arrived.

[The minimum requirement for reaching A-rank magician status is a magic power level of 500,000. True or false?]

Hearing the question, I instinctively looked up at Teacher Joon-hwi. I’d heard this one before. The answer was true.

Forgetting my previous puzzlement, I turned with a cheerful expression. He, too, led us with his usual blank expression.

“Let’s go.”

Sure enough, the answer was O. I felt a burst of happiness, knowing I had guessed right. From then on, I solved the quiz in my head, following Min-hee’s lead and trailing after Senior Ji-hyun.

Unexpectedly, the number of people dwindled. As the questions continued, the number dropped below 20, and we were still among them. Surrounded by so many people’s eyes, I nervously clasped my hands.

‘This senior is just too smart.’

As the number of remaining students dropped to less than 20, Teacher Joon-hwi approached us to pose the next question and looked at us with a slightly surprised expression.

Before Min-hee and Hyun-ho could wave again, the host’s voice interrupted.

「Alright, now we’ll split into teams! From here on out, consult with your teammates to decide!」

“Huh?!”

“That’s not fair!”

At that, Min-hee and Hyun-ho looked at each other in surprise. We all turned to check our teams. Let’s see, Min-hee and Han-soo are on the Red Team, Hyun-ho is on the Blue Team… While I was counting on my fingers, Senior Ji-hyun tapped In-ha, Shia, and my shoulders.

“You’re on the White Team, right?”

“Huh? Yes.”

“Oh, yes.”

“…”

“Blue Team, come over here.”

“Red Team, over here!”

The seniors quickly gathered the dazed kids. Among the 20 remaining were Eun-hee unnie and the vice president senior. Hyun-ho and Yoo-jung unnie were taken in by Eun-hee unnie and the vice president. As for Min-hee…

“Hey! Min-hee! Come here already!”

Ignoring the call of the senior ranked fourth in our school, Min-hee clung to my hand and Senior Ji-hyun’s, chattering away until Han-soo grabbed her by the neck and dragged her back.

“Bye, oppa, Shia, Eun-ha, In-ha, Hyun-ho, Yoo-jung unnie, In-ho oppa. Bye~.”

Min-hee was quite the spectacle as she noisily left us. As Han-soo dragged her back to his team, he briefly looked a bit regretful.

Thus, the teams were formed.

The White Team consisted of Senior Ji-hyun, myself, In-ha, Shia, and one older girl who seemed to be in high school, making five of us. The Blue Team included Hyun-ho, Yoo-jung unnie, the vice president, Eun-hee unnie, and two others I didn’t recognize, making six. The Red Team had Han-soo, Min-hee, In-ho oppa, the fourth-ranked senior, and another senior I didn’t know, making five.

Moreover, Min-hee was laughing and chatting with the fourth-ranked high school senior while holding hands. Apparently, that fourth-ranked senior was the ‘Chunho oppa’ Min-hee knew.

‘Oh, so that guy’s name was Yoo Chunho?’

Wow, seeing it like this, Min-hee really has a vast network at our school. She’s acquainted with all these famous seniors…

But that’s not the issue right now. I clenched my fists, subtly hiding behind Senior Ji-hyun and cupping my hands to cover my mouth. It was partly out of habit and partly to conceal my expression. I felt all the attention from those around us focusing here, and I shut my eyes tightly, then opened them.

「Finally, we’re all in teams! Oh~?

But this is unexpected! Why are there so many elementary students left?」

‘I didn’t intend to make it this far!’

I looked up at the figure standing a bit in front of me, stomping nervously. If it hadn’t been for this oppa, we definitely wouldn’t have made it here. I felt my cheeks go pale as I nervously clenched my stiff fingers.

「Now, let’s begin the final quiz! Teacher Jung Joon-hwi will ask three questions! It’s a short answer round on the attributes of magicians in school! You’ll have just one minute to write down your answer! The team with the most correct answers wins! However, if the question concerns a team member’s attribute, you’re not allowed to reveal your attribute to your team! Now, here’s the question! Teacher!」

[First one.]

At the sound of his voice, we immediately took our pens and paper. My hands were pale with tension, but holding the pen helped calm me a bit. Let’s do our best. Since I started, I’ll see this through—that’s my principle!

[My attribute.]

“…”

The question was so brief. We, who had been listening intently, faltered for a moment. But then I quickly started scribbling with my pen.

“…You knew?”

“I’m somewhat familiar with the teacher.”

“I see…”

I responded to Senior Ji-hyun’s mildly surprised question as I drew strokes with my pen, writing down ‘Wind.’ Teacher Joon-hwi senses through the wind. But it seemed like I wasn’t the only one who knew this. Of course, In-ha and our Class I kids knew, and it looked like Senior Ji-hyun had written the answer without asking us. The senior next to him wrote the answer without even looking at us.

It felt a bit odd. Hmm, how should I describe this atmosphere?

Without thinking further, I raised my answer sheet.

「…Everyone is correct!」

[As expected.]

「That’s right! Teacher Jung Joon-hwi’s attribute is famous! Try something a bit harder!」

[Next, the school director’s magic attribute.]

「We’ve been ignored!」

“Huh…”

Ah, so that’s why this atmosphere felt so odd! Everyone already knew the answer! No wonder everyone wrote it down so easily! Jeez, Teacher Joon-hwi…

‘The school director’s attribute, huh…’

I made a perplexed face. I’d occasionally seen the director. He even appeared briefly at the opening ceremony. But aside from his main magic, little else is known about him…

「By the way, I know the school director’s magic attribute is famously mysterious, but why did the difficulty suddenly skyrocket?」

[This one’s a guessing question. If anyone knows, they might be able to pull ahead in points.]

「I knew it! Only Teacher Jung Joon-hwi would know such details! At first, I wondered why the questions were so easy, but now the difficulty’s suddenly extreme…」

Listening to the host sigh in exhaustion, I gave Teacher Joon-hwi a peculiar look. Although I wasn’t a perceptive magician, I was pretty sensitive to magic. Could he have planned this? I looked at Teacher Joon-hwi with a puzzled expression.