Prologue Story

“Don’t use magic until that shoulder heals.”

I was so shocked by his words that I widened my eyes. Normally, I would’ve just nodded no matter how I felt, but today, I protested for once.

“W-why…?! What does a dislocated shoulder have to do with using magic…?”

“It has a lot to do with it.”

The teacher cut me off sharply and looked me over intently. After a moment, he explained the reason in more detail.

“Magic power, depending on the degree, puts a certain amount of strain on the body when used. You’re just a kid. With adults, it’s one thing, but if you use magic power when you’re hurt at your age, it can have adverse effects. If you have a special constitution, it might be different… but we don’t know that yet. In any case, if you want to learn magic quickly, don’t use your power until that arm heals. Oh, meditation is fine since it can actually help with healing. Just don’t let your magic power out. So, how did you end up like this?”

I lowered my gaze, my face paling. Of course, I’d learned through this experience that magic power puts some burden on the body. I’d also realized that magic power exceeding physical capacity can lead to injuries like this. But still… still… I spoke with a sullen expression.

“I was trying to fire my magic at full power…”

“Oh my… I didn’t expect your magic power to be at that level already. Normally, magic follows the body’s limits, but for it to be this much already… You should start on other training once that heals. Like training to strengthen your stamina and body with magic power… and some basic martial arts and meditation techniques to train your body. Normally, people start this in middle school, but there’s no choice here.”

Teacher Joon-hwi sighed, mumbling to himself. Hearing that, I lifted my previously drooping head and looked at Teacher Joon-hwi with sparkling eyes.

“To use magic well, aside from magic power, you need to continuously train your body. Usually, it’s a lesson taken when you’re older, but you should start early. First, build up your stamina through jogging, and train in martial arts until you can at least use self-defense techniques.”

At his continued words, I nodded with a bright expression. It was exactly what I needed now. He looked at my face for a moment before letting out a sigh.

“So, how long will it take for your arm to heal?”

“Well… if I keep getting treatment from a D-rank healer at the hospital, they said it’d take about two weeks to recover.”

“How much power did you use? Two weeks? It’s a wonder it didn’t break.”

“But, it’ll probably heal in a few days. I’m planning to get treatment from In-ha’s dad starting today. He’s a B-rank magician and a healer.”

Magician ranks are like a status that denotes a magician’s level. They’re given through exams, called the Mage Rank Exam, which can be taken starting at age 15. The ranks are divided into seven levels: S, A, B, C, D, E, and F, with F (non-magician) being the lowest and S (Transcendent) being the highest.

Even within these letter ranks, there are further levels. F and E ranks, considered non-magicians or low-rank magicians, don’t have subdivisions, but from D rank (normal magician) onward, the sub-levels are used.

D-rank, considered average among magicians, has the most magicians. To give an example with D-rank:

D- (D-minus)

D (Single D)

D+ (D-plus)

DD- (Double D-minus)

DD (Double D)

DD+ (Double D-plus)

DDD- (Triple D-minus)

DDD (Triple D)

DDD+ (Triple D-plus)

This makes nine levels. At the D-rank magician level, the gap between plus and minus isn’t significant, but from the stronger C-rank magician level upward, the gap becomes more substantial. Until D-rank, they’re usually just referred to as “D-rank magicians,” but from C-rank, they often boastfully include their grade level.

As this system suggests, the difference between B-rank and D-rank is as vast as heaven and earth. C-rank healers, considered strong, often work exclusively for organizations rather than regular hospitals. Of course, it depends on the hospital’s scale…

Anyway, Uncle Jungmin is a B-rank healer, which means he’s incredibly skilled. He could heal most injuries in the blink of an eye. I couldn’t help but feel that I could’ve recovered faster if I’d gotten treatment from him last night. Well, in the end, I didn’t go until this morning.

“Is that so? It would be nice if it healed quickly. Seeing a young one like you like that just makes me feel bad…”

Teacher Joon-hwi looked at me with disapproving eyes. Really? Perhaps he did feel that way. I looked at my arm in a cast and nodded.

I decided I really needed to heal quickly. As soon as I got home, I received treatment for my arm from Uncle Jungmin. During the process, there was quite an uproar between Auntie Suna and Uncle Jungmin, but it was unavoidable, just like at school.

Thanks to Uncle Jungmin examining my condition for hours, I was able to remove the bandages in just a day. As expected, Uncle Jungmin was an amazing healer. As I moved my suddenly healed arm around in amazement, In-ha looked at it with a complicated expression. Meanwhile, I tested out my now-perfectly fine arm with fascination. In-ha asked with a worried look.

“Are you okay? Does it hurt?”

“Yeah. It just feels a little numb, that’s all. I’m fine.”

I gently patted In-ha’s head as I spoke. In-ha smiled faintly, relieved. Truly, adorably so.

In-ha was truly an extraordinarily beautiful girl for only being eight years old. She seemed to have inherited the best traits of her parents. Her skin was fair even for a Korean.

Her hair was also incredibly soft. I enjoyed patting her head for that reason as well. Luckily, In-ha also liked it when I patted her head, so if I asked to, she gladly allowed it.

‘She’s really pretty…’

Really, where else could there be a kid like her? Thinking that, I suddenly remembered hearing about In-ha’s ‘great-grandmother.’

‘They say she resembles In-ha…’

Curiosity piqued, I asked In-ha.

“Come to think of it, isn’t your great-grandmother supposed to be amazing?”

“…What?”

In-ha’s eyes grew wide.

“They say she’s a Transcendent. My mom said you take after her. What kind of person is she?”

“…”

In-ha hesitated, looking a bit uncomfortable, but eventually told me about her ‘great-grandmother.’ She apparently had long silver hair, and her parents were magicians from Lavient and Polygen. In her time, relations between magical countries weren’t good, so she had a child after eloping for love. She settled in Korea 100 years ago, because she loved a Korean. She took her first Mage Rank Exam for marriage and registered directly as an S-rank. Although she looked to be in her mid-20s, she was actually over 400 years old…

“400?! That’s awesome! What about your great-grandfather?”

“My great-grandfather passed away before I was born.”

“Oh… so he was ordinary…”

Her name was Licella K. Fontina. Her Korean name was Kim Mi-young. She took her husband’s surname. She was ranked 56th in the world, making her an especially outstanding Transcendent. She apparently updated her rank recently.

Of course, she was very famous. When I searched online, her photos appeared. She was truly beautiful, a cold-looking beauty with an overwhelming aura. Appearance-wise, In-ha seemed even more stunning. If I had to say if they looked alike, well… honestly, I wasn’t sure. It was hard to compare, especially with In-ha being so young.

I lay on my bed, scrolling through my phone. Truthfully, I had planned to start training as soon as my arm healed, but In-ha insisted on spending time together. I couldn’t resist her childish plea. It seemed she was quite hurt by our time apart.

While scrolling and occasionally responding to In-ha’s chatter, a message arrived from Teacher Joon-hwi.

[Sender: Teacher Jung Joon-hwi

How does it feel after treatment? When do you think it’ll heal completely?]

It was the first time I’d received a message from him. Feeling a bit tense, I replied in a formal, stiff manner.

[Recipient: Teacher Jung Joon-hwi

I’m all healed. Why do you ask?]

『Sender: Teacher Jung Joon-hwi

Already? That’s quick.

Then, for now, come by the teachers’ office tomorrow.

You seem like you need to start physical training immediately, so I’ll teach you meditation first.

We’ll also begin physical training from tomorrow.』

I read the message and opened my eyes wide.

『Recipient: Teacher Jung Joon-hwi

Oh! Yes, yes!』

I held my phone with an excited expression and grinned.

I hadn’t been able to do proper magic training yesterday or today, but just thinking about learning something new tomorrow made my heart flutter.

Ha ha, though I do feel a bit anxious thinking about physical training.

I’ve always hated physical exercise.

In my previous life, I had a weak stomach, so whenever I got exhausted, I’d get out of breath, and my stomach would churn.

That feeling was so unpleasant that I avoided exercising even more.

Well, I guess I have no choice but to do it for the sake of magic.

I’d really have to put in my best effort.

I quickly made a rough plan in my head.

For a while, I’d have to build up my stamina by jogging around the park in the morning or evening.

Jogging is definitely the way to go for stamina!

And if I keep it up… I should be able to get even stronger than I am now.

With an excited expression, I gazed at my phone with a serious look in my eyes.

Having learned that a strong body was essential for casting higher-level magic, I had asked Auntie Suna about it today.

I asked her if there was a significant correlation between physical stamina and magic skills.

Auntie Suna told me that stamina was crucial for using magic.

She explained that no matter how strong one’s magic power is, a person with weak stamina can’t use magic properly.

Apparently, one’s stamina generally improves with their magic power, but still, building one’s body is something that all strong magicians naturally need to do.

If I truly want to become strong, a certain level of physical ability is essential.

Hearing that, I resolved to work on my stamina no matter what.

I didn’t want to become an extremely powerful magician.

The magic I intended to use—illusion, written, and barrier magic—were all far from offensive magic.

If anything, they seemed to lean more towards defensive magic.

Yes, it felt like that side was far more useful.

For instance, illusion magic creates the things one imagines or thinks of as reality.

It’s a magic that deceives reality by depicting dreams.

If I could make someone believe that a certain spell ‘doesn’t work’ through that?

Of course, unless the illusion becomes materialized, it’s nothing more than a ‘fake.’

So, even more, I think it’s a magic better suited for defense than for offense.

The thought of confusing someone’s mind seemed like it would be very useful for protecting oneself rather than attacking.

I didn’t want to become an extremely powerful magician with magic.

I just thought, unchanged from when I was young, that I wanted to do many things with magic.

As much as I could, as much as my talent would allow.

Seeing my imagination become reality had been like a long-held dream from my past life.

The more I used magic, the more incredible, surprising, and fun it became, and that’s why I wanted to learn magic—to do even more.

Yeah, in the end, I might indeed be aiming to become a strong magician.

I paused while looking at my phone, holding my notebook labeled ‘Magic Ideas’ and the one labeled ‘Magic I Can Currently Use,’ lost in thought.

In-ha seemed to find me strange, so she asked curiously with a puzzled expression.

“What are you thinking about?”

I turned my head.

I saw In-ha’s black eyes.

Deep in her black pupils, I briefly glimpsed a flash of blue light.

Looking at her, I grinned.

“In-ha, what’s your goal?”

“Goal?”

“Yeah. What do you want to achieve with magic?”

“Hm…”

In-ha tilted her head, thought for a moment, then looked at me with puzzled eyes.

Those eyes held an exceptionally pure light.

“I’ve never thought about it like that, so I don’t know. I just… want to become a magician of A-rank or higher with Light Magic. I guess that’s about it.”

At her words, I chuckled.

“That’s pretty amazing though, isn’t it? An A-rank magician. It’s like the dream of every magician.”

“Is it…?”

In-ha seemed confused, as if she hadn’t considered just how significant an A-rank magician was.

“But that’s not exactly what I meant… I was asking about your goals for ‘magic’ itself.

Have you ever imagined it?

Like, what kind of magic future you would be using, or what kind of spells you would cast.”

“Aren’t I already using Light Magic?”

“Right…”

In-ha asked innocently.

I smiled at her with a wistful expression.

We were very close, but we were also undeniably different.

In-ha was a child who, despite being quite mature, was certainly still a child, while I had actually been an adult.

In my case, I imagined things in much more concrete detail.

You could even say I set plans.

I want to use this magic in this way.

I want to develop Illusion Magic, Written Magic, and Barrier Magic in this way.

I jot down all my thoughts and memo everything.

If I compare it to writing a novel, it’s like drafting a synopsis to complete a novel.

I decide on the title (name) and set a rough storyline (direction).

Then I add details (settings) one by one.

The most important theme, key dialogues I definitely want to include, how each chapter’s story will unfold, the minor storylines—everything is planned out.

Finally, the most crucial part: the ending (goal).

But In-ha didn’t have anything like that.

She just took in the opinions around her, thought about them a bit, learned through direct experience, and grew from there.

And whenever she made a little progress, she’d smile brightly.

Her approach was only motivated by pure love for magic.

Though it was similar to mine, it was still quite different.

I would imagine and contemplate this and that.

I’d conceptualize magic more specifically.

What would future me be like?

How would I be able to use magic?

I’d think about it and smile with joy.

I knew I had a somewhat different maturity than the children who simply looked forward to the magic right in front of them.

And then there’s the goal.

Ever since I started creating magic, I naturally began to imagine the highest level of skills I could achieve with that magic.

The first goal I set for Illusion Magic was the ‘materialization of illusions.’

But the more I learned about magic, the more I realized there were higher and higher peaks to aim for.

My goal for Illusion Magic changed once again.

‘To break the boundary between reality and fantasy.’

If I created worlds with barriers and written magic, wouldn’t I perhaps be able to cast magic that shatters the line between reality and fantasy?

Just as illusions can feel real, maybe within a barrier, I could make reality feel like an illusion.

Magic is about ‘imagination’.

The more I learned, the more magic became my reality.

At first, I’d thought it would just be about materializing illusions like in the comics or novels I’d read.

I knew full well that it was a terrifying thought.

I was also aware that it might be a realm completely beyond my reach.

But I had already imagined that far.

‘That must be the difference between In-ha and me.’

Still, I believed firmly that this was the reason I had taken a step forward earlier than others.

It wasn’t a bad thing.

Even if that meant I’d forced my talent to mature earlier, it was okay.

The fact that I could think more deeply about magic and explore it more seriously than others my age, and that I could come to understand my own magic more thoroughly—it made me truly happy.

I was even proud of myself.

Of course, I couldn’t help but feel a certain burden.

Everyone has their own pace.

I knew I was one step ahead of In-ha.

I also knew that my growth rate was currently faster than In-ha’s.

I knew that In-ha found me amazing, while at the same time, she felt a bit dissatisfied, sensing that her own progress seemed slow by comparison.

But that was something In-ha would figure out on her own as she grew.

There are quite a few magicians who experience explosive growth after reaching adulthood, rather than during their immature years, and I think I understand why.

It’s because of this ‘difference in thought.’

Children’s thoughts are, unavoidably, often shallow.

Yes, my imagination might indeed be broader and deeper than others.

That’s probably why I’m growing faster.

It wasn’t for nothing that I’d read so many fantasy comics and novels, you know?

I’d actually been a fantasy writer in my past life.

Experience doesn’t just vanish into thin air.

I ended up chuckling to myself.

However, I also knew very well that I, too, was only going so far.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Hm? Just… because I like being able to use magic.”

“…Hmm.”

“Alright then, let’s get some sleep.”

“Yeah.”

I smiled warmly at In-ha.

She nodded soon after and turned off the light.

That night, I lay on the ocean, looking up endlessly at the starry sky in my dreams.