"Luna, would you like to practice magic with me?"

'The two of us?'

That thought immediately sprang to Luna's mind upon hearing Rudy's suggestion.

Lately, Luna had been experiencing a peculiar sensation.

Whenever she was in Rudy's presence, her heart seemed to have a mind of its own.

She felt a strange warmth.

To hide these feelings, she acted more energetic than usual.

She thought that if she tried to act as usual, she'd be unable to speak.

But the idea of being alone in the laboratory with Rudy made her nervous.

It was already hard for her to focus in the spacious classroom, let alone in the smaller lab.

Even when studying and they were slightly apart, she found herself constantly distracted by Rudy.

Yet, she didn't want to distance herself from him. Instead, she wanted to be closer.

These conflicting emotions left her utterly confused.

She felt that way even now.

The top student lab was a smaller space compared to the classroom.

Imagining herself in that confined space with Rudy made her face feel like it would burst from embarrassment.

But she wanted to go.

'Yes... Let's go study magic together since Ena and Rika aren't around! Right! We're going to study magic!'

Thump, thump.

Her heart pounded as she thought about it.

"Alright! It's been a while since we practiced magic together!"

Trying to hide her chaotic thoughts, Luna spoke with enthusiasm.

Following Rudy, she headed toward the top student lab.

Though she had visited the lab once before, it felt different this time.

In her initial visit, she was still suspicious and fearful towards Rudy.

"Come in," Rudy said, opening the lab door.

"Excuse me," Luna replied.

"There's no need for formalities when it's just us."

"Is that so...?"

Luna awkwardly smiled and entered the lab.

"I'll practice magic over here. If you want to study magic circles or something, you can use the temporary scrolls over there."

"Thank you, hehe."

Luna smiled at Rudy's kind explanation. He gave her a faint smile in return before immersing himself in his magic practice.

"I should practice too..."

Luna briefly watched Rudy before starting her own practice.

Thump, thump-

'Why... Why can't I concentrate?'

Luna occasionally stole glances at Rudy, who was focusing.

The confined space.

The close distance.

Thump, thump.

'Uh... Can he hear it?'

Her heart raced even faster.

'Please, calm down...'

Luna placed her hand on her chest and took several deep breaths, but it didn't help.

She glanced at Rudy, worrying that he could hear her racing heart.

Rudy was fully concentrating on practicing magic and didn't seem to notice anything else.

Determined, Luna decided to concentrate on her practice as well.

And so, both Rudy and Luna began to focus intently on practicing their magic.

"Phew..."

Luna thought she had studied diligently and looked up.

However, Rudy remained engrossed in his own magic practice.

'Rudy really has great focus...'

Rudy always focused solely on his studies, never letting anything else distract him.

It was impressive and she admired him for it. She stared intently at Rudy as he concentrated.

'His eyelashes are so long... and his skin is incredibly fair...'

As she watched Rudy, Luna noticed details she hadn't seen before.

Recently, she had been unable to look him in the eye, so she hadn't had the chance to take a proper look at his face.

'He...he's handsome...'

At the time, it was like admiring a piece of art – simply appreciating its beauty and moving on.

But now, things were different.

Staring directly at his face, Luna felt her heart race and her cheeks flush.

'What... what's going on?'

Luna was utterly bewildered but didn't look away.

She continued to gaze intently at Rudy's face.

Gulp-

As Luna swallowed, Rudy suddenly sprang to his feet.

"Done...!"

"Ah!"

Startled by Rudy's abrupt outburst, Luna let out a small cry.

Rudy looked at her, and for a moment, she didn't know where to direct her gaze.

'D...did he notice?'

"Uh, Luna, sorry. Did I startle you?"

"Ah, no, no, no... It's... it's fine! I wasn't startled!"

Despite her obvious surprise, Luna blurted out an obvious lie.

Rudy tilted his head for a moment before speaking.

"Sorry, I finally achieved what I wanted."

"What was it?"

"I've reached intermediate magic."

"Int...intermediate magic?"

Luna was astonished.

She knew Rudy was talented in magic, but she didn't expect him to reach intermediate level so soon.

Usually, students would achieve intermediate magic during their second year, or exceptionally gifted first-year students might reach it during their second semester.

However, midterm exams had just ended.

This meant that Rudy had reached intermediate magic at an unbelievable pace.

Of course, some people reached intermediate magic quickly but were unable to progress further due to the barrier of talent.

Nevertheless, the accomplishment was impressive.

Luna looked at Rudy, who was beaming with pride.

Was that what talent looked like?

Rudy was moving ahead of her.

She admired him but also felt a tinge of jealousy.

However, her jealousy didn't last long.

Luna genuinely wished for Rudy's success.

She wanted him to do well, not only because he had helped her so much, but also because she had seen how hard he worked.

Rudy, who didn't indulge in leisure activities and studied every day.

Rudy, who stood firm and focused on his own tasks even when others criticized him.

Anyone who saw him would want to cheer him on. Luna smiled and spoke with heartfelt sincerity.

"Well done! Congratulations, Rudy!"

The next day.

Instead of having lunch with Luna, I went straight to a place I wanted to visit.

The professors' smoking area behind the academy.

"…Rudy Astria?"

There were two people there.

Professors Cromwell and Robert.

Professor Cromwell was smoking, while Professor Robert sat in front of him, not smoking.

Their images seemed reversed – I would have expected Professor Robert to be the smoker and Professor Cromwell to abstain.

"Did you come here to smoke too?"

Professor Robert asked with a sly smile.

"No."

It was an obvious answer. Academy regulations prohibited students from smoking.

"What brings you here then?"

There was only one reason I came.

I had simply heard that Professors Robert and Cromwell would be in the smoking area together when lunchtime began.

And so…

"Professor Robert, if you haven't eaten yet, would you like to join me for a meal?"

"…Me?"

Professor Robert asked with a puzzled expression.

"Robert being sought for student counseling... This must be a first. Hehe."

Professor Cromwell laughed pleasantly.

"Hey, you have a professor here who likes you so much. Why eat with me?"

Professor Robert pointed at Professor Cromwell as he spoke. I stared intently at him.

"Heh, a professor refusing student counseling would be quite something."

Professor Cromwell put out his cigarette.

"Although it's a bit disappointing that you didn't come to me, I'll allow it since he's my friend."

"What are you, his father? And who are you to allow it or not?"

Grumbling, Professor Robert stood up and walked forward.

"Haah… Follow me."

"Then I'll go eat with the other professors. Good luck with the counseling."

Professor Cromwell waved goodbye and walked away.

As I watched him leave, Professor Robert called out to me.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah… I'll follow you."

I chased after Professor Robert.

He led me to a small, shabby diner within the academy.

A rundown diner.

It seemed like it could collapse with just a touch.

"You've never eaten at a place like this, have you?"

Professor Robert grumbled.

"Robert, who is this young man?"

An old lady emerged from the back of the store.

She seemed to be on friendly terms with Professor Robert, asking casually.

"Just a student."

"Your disciple?"

"No, not my disciple. Just a student. A friend's disciple."

"I am Professor Robert's disciple. Pleased to meet you."

I greeted the old lady politely.

"Why are you my disciple?"

"Kuku... When someone volunteers to be your disciple, why not accept? He looks like a noble but seems to have some manners. A low-ranking noble perhaps?"

"Watch your mouth. He's the second son of the Astria family."

"…What?"

Professor Robert's words widened the old woman's eyes.

"Are you talking about that Astria family I know?"

"Is there another Astria family in the empire?"

"Ah... I've seen all sorts of things in my long life. I'm not sure if someone from such a family can enjoy our humble restaurant's food."

With that, the old woman went inside the restaurant.

"Should I order our usual?"

"Yes, two servings of that, please."

Professor Robert said that and took a seat. Then he spoke to me.

"What are you waiting for? Sit down. Do I need to pull the chair out for you?"

"No, sir."

I sat down across from Professor Robert.

"You grew up in a duke's household, yet you're very polite. Is that how you normally treat commoners?"

"I'm just being respectful to my elders."

Even in this fantasy world, respect for one's elders was a basic courtesy.

Of course, it wasn't essential for those with high status and capabilities, but it was a good thing to do.

"So, why did you call me here?"

True to Professor Robert's easy-going nature, he went straight to the point. I preferred it that way.

I didn't like to observe and analyze my opponent like Rie.

I spoke directly to him.

"Please take me as your disciple."

"Disciple?"

Professor Robert looked incredulous. I repeated my request.

"Teach me dark magic."

"Ha...!"

Annoyance began to show in Professor Robert's eyes.

"Do you even know what dark magic is?"

"It's the most powerful magic among all magics."

"And where does that power come from?"

That power came from...

"Risk."

"Right, well-learned. Dark magic involves taking risks to use it. Normal magic follows an equivalent exchange, using mana. The amount of mana used determines its power."

"I know that."

"Then, is dark magic equivalent exchange?"

"No."

Dark magic differed from normal magic. For one, there was mental contamination when it failed.

This was merely a fraction of the risks associated with dark magic.

It required the user to sacrifice their health, parts of their body, and in extreme cases, even their soul.

"I don't want to be killed by your father."

"My family doesn't care about me."

"Your family may have abandoned you as an heir, but I doubt your father has abandoned you as his son."

I couldn't refute that statement, having never met my father.

The Duke of Astria might have given up on me as his successor, but it was uncertain whether he had given up on me as his son.

"Why would the son of the Astria family want to learn dark magic? You should go to Professor Cromwell and learn telekinesis instead."

Professor Cromwell's telekinesis was indeed versatile and useful in battle. However, it wasn't enough to survive.

Being versatile meant it couldn't focus on a particular area. It was similar to the saying that there's a fine line between being a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none.

Moreover, dark magic had many applications, much like telekinesis.

Naturally, the reason was the associated risks.

"Already trying when you haven't even reached intermediate magic..."

"I have reached intermediate magic."

"...What?"

Professor Robert asked with a baffled expression.

"You've... reached intermediate magic?"

Such a reaction was expected.

Even grinding in the game wouldn't allow someone to reach intermediate magic at this pace.

It was the result of Rudy Astria's already high magic level, the incident with Luna, and relentless practice whenever he had spare time.

It took luck, effort, and talent to achieve such results.

"...That's an absurd amount of talent."

"I've simply put in the effort."

After a brief moment of contemplation, Professor Robert spoke.

"Alright, I'll give you a test."

"A test?"

"Learn Abyssal Flame by midterm camp. Then, I'll teach you dark magic."

Abyssal Flame - the most basic dark magic spell. It wasn't impossible to achieve, and the given time frame was perfect, lining up with my initial plan.

"So, will you take me as your disciple?"

"Disciple? I'm just saying I'll teach you. Why would I take a novice like you as my disciple?"

"Understood."

I accepted Professor Robert's proposal.

"I'll learn it quickly."

"Heh... go on, give it a try."

Professor Robert laughed with a meaningful smile.

"Ah, the food is here."

Our conversation continued as the food arrived. Upon seeing the dishes, dozens of question marks popped up in my head.

"Huh?"

"There's no other food, so eat this gratefully."

A savory aroma wafted through the air, accompanied by familiar bowls.

"Here's your meal."

The server handed over a bowl of white rice. The dish served at the restaurant was none other than a bubbling pot of cheonggukjang (Korean fermented soybean stew).

While the other side dishes were unfamiliar, the comforting smell of the stew was unmistakable.

"What do young masters like you... Huh?"

I immediately began devouring the meal, spoon in hand.

"You... Why are you eating so well?"

I didn't bother responding to Professor Robert and continued to stuff my face with rice.

After eating only Western-style meat and vegetables every day, this Korean dish was incredibly touching.

Who would have thought I'd find cheonggukjang in a fantasy world?

The experience was almost tear-jerking.

"It's so... delicious... sniff."

Even when I had defeated the game's final boss after 20 attempts, I never felt this moved.

Cheonggukjang in a fantasy world seemed impossible, but today, I was grateful for this out-of-place development.

"One more bowl, please."

"Uh... sure."

The restaurant's elderly owner, taken aback, handed me another bowl of rice.

Overwhelmed with emotion, I ended up eating three bowls of rice that day.

***

That's 1/4! advance chapter tiers are up! on my kofi link below, up to 15 chapters ahead will be posted Sunday at 9pm PST!

Also I made a change, I originally thought there was another separate exam after midterms but it was rather an 'evaluation' not an 'exam.' The evaluation is in the style of a survive in the wild camp, so I decided to name it midterm camp over midterm evaluation/event.

Enjoy the chappy!