Prologue Story

“……Alright. There it is.”

The voice, which must have whispered from a distant place, somehow sounded as if it were right next to my ear.

I spread magic around me that acted as a hallucination.

『You won’t notice me.』

For someone like me, who was naturally unsuited for combat, the best strategy was to avoid and defend while waiting for an opening.

So, what kind of attack should I use?

Elemental magic? Or should I use illusions?

She flew straight toward me and landed on the building where I was.

I used levitation magic to fly outside silently.

The windows had been shattered to pieces or crumbled like sand from her previous attack.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

However, she sensed my presence and attacked me directly.

I altered my flight path to dodge her attack.

The scenery below grew terrifyingly distant, but I reminded myself it was a virtual space and looked at Senior Kim Yoora with puzzled eyes.

How? I had definitely hidden myself with a barrier.

I retraced the situation that had just occurred.

So, I had flown right past her to escape.

‘Ah, that’s it. Vibration!’

Powder scatters even with a slight breeze.

Or perhaps her body sensed the wind I stirred as I flew.

“Kid, just so you know, this is a sparring practice. Simply evading won’t do you any good unless you counterattack. What I’m saying is, hide if you must, but make sure to attack properly.”

She was right.

I looked at her again.

Of course, she still wouldn’t be able to see me.

I scanned her from head to toe.

Her features were sharp, giving her a fierce aura.

She seemed to have a strong personality too.

I immediately activated illusion magic.

Black butterflies began to flutter around, one by one.

The butterflies carried the attribute of darkness.

“Oh?”

The butterflies scattered scales as they flew.

Those purple scales would show her countless illusions.

Just seeing them would induce hypnosis, and touching them would plunge her into a dream.

I held an illusion pen to control the hallucinations.

It was a specialized pen designed for illusion magic.

When held, it automatically linked with written magic.

This one was exclusively for creating illusion stories.

『Kim Yoora saw the black butterflies scatter like torn pieces of paper.』

Using black butterflies as a medium allowed me to control the illusions without entering them myself.

Her pupils turned cloudy.

A sign that she had fallen into the illusion.

Illusion magic, even with minimal magic power, could easily trap someone without immunity.

Once they believed what they saw, it was over.

『The black powder swirled toward her, radiating an ominous sense of danger.』

At that moment, the butterflies nearby exploded.

The powder she had hastily spread around caused it.

The powder had the fire attribute, igniting under her command and exploding.

I retreated further to get out of the explosion’s range.

The speed of my magic was proportional to the speed of writing, so it was slow.

But imagination compensated for it, making it enough.

『In the end, Kim Yoora found Yoo Eun-ha. Yoo Eun-ha was staring at her with a timid expression.』

While she was trapped in the illusion, I prepared magic.

It was the most powerful magic I could use, spell magic.

I wrote up to that point and began writing other characters.

The next illusion was supplemented purely by imagination.

I focused as I wrote the spell’s name.

I repeatedly inscribed the word 『Reinforcement』.

This was the only D-rank magic I could currently use.

I was a bit concerned because it was darkness magic, but it should be fine.

After all, she was a magician ranked as C.

I recited the incantation.

“Scatter into the darkness, become countless petals drifting in the shadows.”

The dark purple petals floated gracefully in the air, gathering in one spot.

Soon, they formed a massive bud of countless petals.

Feeling the magic complete, I chanted its name.

“Bloom, Profundi flos (Deep Flower of the Abyss).”

The languages most commonly used for magic names were Latin and English.

Of course, there were plenty of spells named in Korean or Chinese.

In fact, translating the original name and using it would still cast the spell successfully.

Even so, using the original name was preferred as it greatly increased the magic’s power.

Naturally, skilled magicians weren’t bound by such rules.

But as a mere elementary school student with nothing exceptional besides talent, I had no choice but to follow them.

The magic activated.

The dark petals unfolded before her as she attacked a random building while trapped in the illusion.

“Discerpe (Scatter).”

As soon as I spoke, the petals scattered and surrounded her.

A considerable amount of threatening magic filled the air in front of me.

At the same time, my magic power drained alarmingly fast.

Breathing heavily, I waited for her response.

D-rank magic. Amplified more than ten times.

I had even written the spell’s name directly.

If this didn’t work, I wouldn’t stand a chance against her.

The result came quickly.

“Ahhh! What is this?”

Unexpectedly, it was a soft scream.

Along with her reaction, the illusion magic affecting her also dissolved.

When the magic dissipated, she coughed.

I clutched my pounding heart, overwhelmed by the rapid depletion of magic power.

Her skin was slightly scorched by the magic, but that was all.

Even with the amplified magic, a D-rank spell was no match for a C-rank magician.

I hid myself again.

At least I had managed to attack without collapsing.

As my next move, I used a barrier.

I constructed a domain with it, combining illusions and written spells to summon lightning and storms.

But once again, there were no noticeable effects.

“Ugh, this is annoying. Is it because you’re a defensive type, unlike me?”

Time passed with me unharmed and her slightly disheveled.

But since I wasn’t trying to harm her, and her magic power far surpassed mine, she remained unscathed.

Magic truly seemed to be influenced greatly by one’s will.

When only five minutes remained, she finally showed her true abilities.

Magic powder swept violently around her.

I defended with a barrier.

A massive amount of magic power was shaved off in an instant.

Explosions erupted nearby, overwhelming the barrier’s strength.

Some parts of the barrier turned to powder and were eroded away.

She used the movement of the powder to locate me several times, launching continuous attacks.

Each time, I strengthened the barrier, layered multiple ones, or changed their properties using written magic.

I even used illusions to reinforce my defense and weaken her attacks.

My outstanding defensive skills shone at that moment.

The match ended as a draw when the time ran out.

“Unbelievable! I couldn’t take you down!”

She stomped out in frustration.

I cautiously emerged, watching her mood.

As soon as I came out, Min-hee ran up to me.

“What was that earlier? Huh? When did you learn to teleport that far? That spell, Deep Flower of the Abyss! My brother was so shocked! Was that really a D-rank spell?”

“How did you not know? You’re supposed to be smart. Memorize the spell names already!”

“Hehe.”

“Perfect.”

I froze, startled by the voice I suddenly heard.

I looked up to see Senior Ji-hyun.

Perfect? What did he mean by that?

While I was puzzled, Senior Ji-hyun, who had been staring at me with an emotionless gaze, smiled.

Then, he suddenly squatted in front of me and ruffled my hair with both hands.

Ack, seriously, oppa!

“You’re a perfectly defensive magician. I suspected as much, you little rascal.”

“Ji-Ji-hyun oppa. My-my hair….”

“Alright, alright. I’ll fix it. Who’s next?”

Finally, Ji-hyun oppa released my hair and stood up.

In-ha and Chunho oppa raised their hands.

“Me!”

“It’s me! In-ha, do your best.”

Ah, while I was hurriedly running my fingers through my disheveled hair, I turned to look at In-ha.

“In-ha, good luck!”

“Yeah.”

In-ha smiled a little shyly, showing me a cute expression meant only for me.

“You were amazing just now. I’ll fight well too.”

But soon, her face returned to being expressionless.

Cheonho oppa and In-ha entered the glass room.

Meanwhile, Senior Kim Yoora sat down nearby with an irritated expression.

“I couldn’t overpower her. A third grader! She’s only ten years old! There’s a seven-year age gap!”

“Right. With more magic power and experience, she’ll be incredible. It seems like her magic level was high from the start. Watch the recording later. She used magic very freely. It’s surprising for an elementary school student to use magic like that.”

“Really? That much?”

“Yeah. For one, she has multiple unique magics. Beyond that, you’ll have to see for yourself. Even while watching closely, we couldn’t be sure what her magic was exactly.”

I listened to their conversation with growing anxiety.

Senior Ji-hyun patted my head again.

“You did great.”

“You were awesome!”

Min-hee clapped her hands and laughed.

Han-soo glanced at me with a thoughtful expression, while Hyun-ho beamed brightly.

Then, a senior I had barely met—Senior Yoo Seojun, a friend of Ji-hyun oppa and Cheonho oppa—smiled and spoke.

Meanwhile, Ji-hyun oppa sat me down in front of him and actually combed and tidied my hair.

“Ji-hyun, you must really like her, huh? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you treat a girl this well. I’ve never seen you play around like this.”

“Well, she’s cute when you watch her.”

“…Ji-hyun hyung, step away from Eun-ha right now.”

Han-soo, who had been lost in thought, immediately glared at him.

“What?”

“Step away already, will you?”

Ji-hyun oppa looked at Han-soo with an incredulous expression.

Ji-hyun oppa chuckled as Han-soo growled at him.

I ignored them and focused on the screen in front of me.

In-ha’s match had started.

In-ha and Cheonho oppa’s duel was simpler than the one I had with Senior Kim Yoora.

Both of them faced each other directly and exchanged magic head-on.

Despite that, the match didn’t end quickly, likely because Cheonho oppa was holding back.

It was more of a teaching fight—a sparring lesson.

During the duel, Cheonho oppa showed none of his usual playfulness and instead exuded a serious demeanor.

He was, after all, a senior.

In-ha excelled in offense but was clumsy in defense.

This sparring session made that glaringly clear.

However, In-ha’s magic boasted considerable offensive power.

The light fused with lightning pierced through the wind and struck Cheonho oppa.

In-ha even managed to successfully attack Cheonho oppa, who was far stronger than her, at least once.

The watching seniors were visibly astonished.

“Wow… She’s not someone to underestimate just because she’s a kid.”

I absentmindedly agreed with their words.

In-ha returned nonchalantly.

When she met my gaze and smiled, I snapped back to my senses.

Next, it was In-ho oppa versus Senior Yoo Seojun.

In-ho oppa wasn’t adept at direct attacks.

His main magic was summoning familiars to fight in his stead, but his familiars weren’t fully grown.

No… I focused my mind on the glass room.

The last time I saw In-ho oppa’s magic was two years ago.

Although we shared the same master, we never trained together.

We stayed in touch but never practiced side by side.

So, I couldn’t make assumptions based on his past abilities.

After two years, In-ho oppa’s Azure Dragon had grown significantly.

And his familiars were no longer limited to one.

Beside the Azure Dragon was a small red bird spitting flames—a Vermilion Bird had appeared!

“Wow, the Azure Dragon’s grown a lot. What’s that red bird next to it?”

“Probably a Vermilion Bird.”

“It’s small. So cute~.”

I wholeheartedly agreed with Hyun-ho’s words.

As the countdown ended, In-ho oppa and Senior Yoo Seojun began their duel.

In-ho oppa’s Vermilion Bird scattered flames.

The flames pouring from its mouth were a deep crimson.

However, I quickly realized that the flames didn’t affect Senior Yoo Seojun at all.

His body glowed visibly.

A brilliant silver-white light, similar to the color of my magic, surrounded him.

Smiling gently, he thrust his fist forward.

That silver light surged out like a gust of wind.

[…!]

In-ho oppa urgently scattered something.

The pale fragments looked like… paper.

The white paper fragments spread along the wind, forming a wall that blocked the silver magic.

The paper scattered.

Despite that, it shielded In-ho oppa’s body.

“What’s that? That magic?”

It was our first time seeing such a spell.

Yoo-jung unnie explained.

“It’s In-ho’s sub-magic. It’s called Paper Magic, and he developed it to protect himself while his familiars fight.”

“A defensive magic?”

“It can attack too.”

Paper Magic, huh.

A single sheet might not seem like much, but when scattered like that, it’s hard to blow away all at once.

What’s more, when gathered together, paper can be incredibly sturdy.

I mean, even thick books can be used as blunt weapons.

It was a fascinating magic.

I watched In-ho oppa’s spell with captivated eyes.

Senior Yoo Seojun’s magic was intriguing too.

What was that thing shooting out of his hand?

It seemed like wind, but it wasn’t quite the same.

The energy surrounding his body that invigorated him… It resembled the “ki” or “inner power” often depicted in martial arts novels.

He buffed himself, summoned a sword, and wielded it with incredible ease.

It was a combat style I could never imitate.

“Amazing…”

“That guy looks gentle and kind, but his swordsmanship is razor-sharp.”

Ji-hyun oppa grumbled.

The swift movements were almost too fast for my eyes to follow.

If it had been magic, I could have tracked it, but pure physical skill was hard to keep up with.

He handled In-ho oppa effortlessly.

Just like Cheonho oppa, he filled the entire 20-minute match.