Prologue Story

After school had ended.

All the kids in the same grade had either gone home or gone off somewhere to hang out, but we were roaming around the school to give support gifts to our seniors.

For reference, we decided to give the chocolate basket itself to Eun-hee unnie.

The plan was to hand it to her and tell her to share it with everyone.

In our minds, Eun-hee unnie was firmly established as the representative and heart of our seniors.

“But if she’s not in the classroom, how are we going to find her?”

There were only two days left until the Rank Exam.

By now, all the high school seniors would naturally be training…….

We all looked at Min-hee at the same time.

Among us, the only one who might know where the seniors would be was Min-hee.

Min-hee was already on the phone.

After a moment, Min-hee spoke with a troubled expression.

“Ugh……she’s not answering!”

It was a rather tricky situation.

In-ha, also looking troubled, asked.

“Where do they usually train? You don’t know?”

“Of course I know……but there are only a couple of spots like that around here? Hmm, if it’s the place they go to the most often, though……”

While Min-hee hesitated, I opened the map.

I had a feeling, so I figured it was worth a try.

After confirming that there was no one around, and also making sure that there were no surveillance cameras in the area, I moved my pen over the map.

I drew a shining light and wrote a name underneath it.

Lee Eun-hee, and then the names of the other seniors who would likely be training with her: Joo Ji-hyun, Han Seonghu, Kim Juyeon, and next was……Ye, was it Yeon Yoon……?

I failed at first.

It was only natural since I was trying to find someone stronger than me.

But I didn’t give up and kept writing names on the map.

The second time, the third, was it the tenth try?

Finally, I succeeded in tracking them down.

The map expanded, and several lights began shining in one place.

Lee Eun-hee, Joo Ji-hyun, Han Seonghu…….

Looking at the shining names, I pulled Min-hee over to my side.

“Min-hee, do you know where this is?”

“Hmm……? I can’t tell with just a rough map……”

I switched the map to the satellite version.

As the clear scenery appeared, Min-hee let out a gasp of recognition and smiled.

“I know this place. It’s where the seniors usually go to train!”

“Really? Then lead the way, please.”

“Sure!”

Min-hee smiled brightly and took the lead.

I followed behind her, a bit nervous.

My heart was racing.

The very idea of doing something I hadn’t really done before in my life felt both awkward and a little exciting.

I was curious to see what kind of reaction they’d have.

And I couldn’t help but wonder if anything had changed among those three.

After all, I do enjoy a bit of romance gossip! Though, since they’d probably be training, I wasn’t sure if I’d get to see anything like that, but still, the curiosity was there.

We followed Min-hee and entered the high school grounds.

The last time I’d been here was during the festival, so it had been quite a while.

Unlike during the festival, the neatly arranged campus now had a distinctly different atmosphere compared to the elementary school grounds.

Compared to the elementary school, it was much larger, with fewer colors, calm……almost like a college campus.

Oh, right. This high school was similar to a university in the world I used to live in.

In this world, most people only went up to high school, and any certifications were obtained by studying at private academies.

Only a few actually entered university—people who wanted to become teachers, doctors, or the like.

For that reason, the level of compulsory education in this world was somewhat lower than in the original 21st century.

Since in this world, more than complex formulas or liberal arts, what’s most important is ‘magic’ itself.

Of course, to use magic, one needs a certain level of knowledge, so most people do study general subjects to some extent.

But naturally, the level is lower.

Min-hee navigated the complex high school grounds as if she knew the way by heart.

Before long, we arrived at a spot that matched the map exactly.

“This building is entirely used as a magic training room. Inside, there are virtual reality devices, and glass walls let people watch from outside. The upper floor has rooms used for resting, and there are magic measurement tools……what else was there?”

Min-hee explained to us as we approached the building.

I listened to her explanation while scanning the building from top to bottom.

Maybe because it was a magic training room, but I could tell the building itself was imbued with all sorts of magic.

There seemed to be reinforcement magic, barriers…….

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you going in?”

“Oh, no, let’s go.”

I had been staring at the building in silence, but snapped back to reality at In-ha’s words, gripping the basket tightly as I followed everyone inside.

At the same time, I felt an eerie sensation and momentarily stopped in my tracks.

‘Is this……magic power?’

It only lasted a moment, but it was a truly chillingly powerful magic.

I looked up.

And I flinched.

As soon as I entered, I saw a wall.

Now that I looked, a long hallway stretched out to the side.

To the left of the hallway, I could see something like doors.

The intensely powerful magic that made my skin crawl was flowing from that direction.

I gulped and followed Min-hee toward the door at the end of the hallway.

Even at the athletic meet, it wasn’t this intense.

I hadn’t felt this powerful magic at all while standing outside the building.

Auntie Suna usually kept her magic well-contained, so this was the first time I’d ever felt something this strong.

But unlike me, who was tense, the kids were chattering away casually, seemingly oblivious.

We opened the door at the end of the hallway and stepped inside.

I closed and then reopened my eyes.

The first thing I saw beyond the door was a seemingly ordinary room.

I opened my eyes wide.

There was a desk with snacks on it, and next to it, blankets, pillows, and cushions piled up.

But still, it was quite different from a normal room.

I turned my head.

Beyond the room, I could see a large glass room.

In front of that glass wall, machinery was stacked up densely.

It was a virtual reality system.

There are two main types of virtual systems.

One is implementing virtual environments into reality, and the other is experiencing it in a dream.

In other words, it’s similar to the two types of illusions I use.

The virtual system applied in reality is called virtual reality, and it’s almost like a form of illusion magic.

A virtual environment created by projecting a scene through machines.

Using that, two people were fighting on the other side of the glass wall.

It was Eun-hee unnie and Senior Chunho.

On the upper wall, there was a monitor showing multiple views of the two from different angles.

‘Wow, that’s amazing…….’

As I was absorbed by the intense magic I felt for the first time, Min-hee took off her shoes and stepped inside.

The people who had been sitting at the desk watching the scene through the glass wall turned and looked at us with surprise.

“Oh, you guys……?”

“Huh? Isn’t that Min-hee? Hey, Joo Ji-hyun. Wake up. Your little sister is here.”

They were watching such an impressive sparring match while casually peeling tangerines.

Senior Ji-hyun, in particular, was half asleep, only snapping out of it when another senior called him.

“Hey, Joo Ji-hyun. Your sister is here?”

“Hmm……what? Min-hee?”

I scanned the people in the room one by one.

There were some I didn’t recognize.

Or rather, people I hadn’t met before.

All the seniors here were famous within the school, so I had seen their faces at least once in passing.

Senior Ji-hyun, who had been dozing off, got up with a start and walked over to us, and Senior Seonghu, who had been watching the sparring with full concentration, also noticed me and came over with a curious expression.

Senior Yeon Yoon, who was sitting next to Senior Seonghu, also looked surprised when he saw me.

“Oh, it’s Min-hee. Min-hee, what brings you here?”

“Huh? Now that I see, the little miss is with you too?”

“Eun-ha, did you suddenly come with your friends for something……?”

Senior Ji-hyun, who was rubbing his sleepy eyes, smiled warmly.

Wow, still a sis-con…….

Min-hee cheerfully waved at her brother and asked.

“Hey, unnie, oppas. Is it okay if we come in for a bit?”

Then I, with an embarrassed look, answered Senior Seonghu.

“We have something to take care of…….”

“Sure, come on in, come on in.”

The seniors seemed welcoming.

We exchanged glances.

Naturally, the person we had to give the gift to first was Eun-hee unnie.

Giving it to the other seniors and asking them to pass it on to Eun-hee unnie……that wouldn’t be right. No way.

Since we’d come this far, that wasn’t an option.

“What is it you came here for?”

Senior Seonghu looked at me and asked gently.

Despite the growing loudness of my heartbeat due to my nerves, I gazed quietly into Senior Seonghu’s eyes.

“Well……I have something I want to tell Eun-hee unnie…….”

I hid the basket behind me, covering its contents with a cloth.

Senior Seonghu looked at me kindly.

Senior Yeon Yoon, who was watching the two of us, smiled and spoke.

“Really? Then could you wait just a bit? The sparring session will end soon.”

At that, In-ha tilted her head curiously.

“Do you have a set time limit?”

“Of course. If they didn’t, they’d keep going forever.”

In-ha nodded in understanding.

The seniors who knew us best—Senior Ji-hyun, Senior Seonghu, and Senior Yeon Yoon—led us over.

I carefully greeted them and sat down around the area, subtly observing the seniors.

There were third years, second years, and first years in high school—such variety.

The top ten ranked students in the high school hierarchy were all gathered here.

“Min-hee, long time no see~.”

“Yeah. Long time, Juyeon unnie.”

“All your friends here are first graders, right? Wow~they’re so cute. That long-haired kid over there looks like a doll.”

“They are definitely cute.”

“Right? They’re adorable!”

“I’ve seen a lot of cute kids, but these ones seem especially cute.”

“Are you close with Senior Seonghu, by any chance? He doesn’t usually respond to people right away. Ah, what’s your name?”

“Yoo Eun-ha……”

“How adorable. Where did Eun-hee meet such cute kids?”

I made an awkward face.

The seniors, who initially just looked at us, were now surrounding us, creating a bit of pressure.

They weren’t physically touching us, but it still felt overwhelming.

Seeing this, Senior Seonghu finally spoke up.

“……take it easy.”

We waited in that state until Eun-hee unnie’s sparring session ended.

The seniors all seemed curious about what was in the tightly wrapped basket, but I covered it with my coat to keep their gazes away.

The seniors didn’t engage us much.

After a brief conversation, they resumed watching the sparring.

I also focused on the sparring rather than chatting with my friends or the seniors.

This was the first time I was seeing Eun-hee unnie seriously using magic.

What was it called again, ‘Spirit Magic’?

It was similar to the magic used by In-ho oppa—a type of summoning magic.

Magic that created and summoned spirits.

A type of magic possible only in this world.

Eun-hee unnie mainly used water-attribute spirits.

In contrast, Senior Chunho used wind magic.

Silver wind surged like a storm.

At first glance, it seemed like the wind had the advantage, but Eun-hee unnie manipulated the water to overwhelm it.

The spirits mostly appeared in the form of young girls and were very beautiful.

Senior Chunho’s secondary magic seemed to be lightning magic (at this, In-ha’s eyes sparkled), but lightning and water don’t make a good combination.

If combined, they could be powerful, but when they’re attacking each other……

The water could conduct the lightning, but the lightning couldn’t penetrate the water’s barrier.

It was clear that the lightning’s power was being diminished by the flow of water.

The winner of the sparring match was Eun-hee unnie.

Eun-hee unnie calmly secured her victory.

This was the difference between a CCC+ grade and a CC+ grade.

Even though they may look like similar ranks, from C-rank onward, the gap is no joke.

After Eun-hee unnie and Senior Chunho’s sparring ended, the virtual space filling the glass room disappeared, revealing an empty room.

The two, who were walking out towards us after their sparring, looked surprised when they saw us.

“Oh, Min-hee and her friends?”

“Even Eun-ha and In-ha are here! What brings you guys?”

At that moment, I took out the basket that had been hidden under my coat.

Exchanging glances with my friends, I took out the chocolate and flower meant for Eun-hee unnie, handing the basket to Min-hee for a moment.

With a shy expression, In-ha and I stepped forward and approached Eun-hee unnie, holding out the chocolate and flower we had made by hand.

Looking at the fist-sized paper flower and the chocolates we had carefully crafted and wrapped, Eun-hee unnie looked flustered.

I spoke in as bright a tone as I could muster.

“We wanted to thank you for helping us the other day, and……wishing you good luck on your Rank Exam! I hope you become a Guard!”

“Thank you for everything.”

In-ha also bowed her head.

Ah……! Eun-hee unnie’s flustered expression turned into one of joy.

“Thank you! You adorable things!”

Eun-hee unnie hugged us tightly with a delighted look on her face.

It felt unfamiliar, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.

Then, Min-hee held out a basket with chocolates and small paper flowers for Eun-hee unnie and the other seniors.

“This too! We figured the others might be disappointed if we only gave something to Eun-hee unnie, so this is for you guys, oppas and Seniors! Share it with your friends!”

“You kids……went to all this effort…….”

The other seniors, who were watching with surprise or smiles, also beamed at us.

Senior Ji-hyun, who immediately took the basket from Min-hee and looked inside, picked up one of the paper flowers and asked.

“Did you buy this?”

“No, I made it.”

“I thought so. It looks a bit rough.”

Hmm……. I looked down sideways for a moment.

No matter how much magic I add, my crafting skills still feel a bit lacking.

Even with magic, it turned out only this pretty.

At Senior Ji-hyun’s comment, Hyun-ho and Han-soo glanced at me and giggled.

“Thank you, our little darlings. We’ll enjoy it.”

We left the place with the seniors’ expressions of gratitude in our ears.

The next day, we successfully gifted flowers and chocolates to Teacher Joon-hwi as well.

Teacher Min teased him jealously when he saw it.

With that, we had safely delivered support gifts to everyone.

We laughed, feeling proud.

“It was so much fun, right?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded and smiled at Min-hee’s words.

Everyone seemed visibly pleased.

“Then let’s do this again sometime! It was fun.”

Hyun-ho waved his hand dramatically as he spoke.

Then Han-soo grumbled.

“Never doing this again. So embarrassing.”

We laughed at that, agreeing wholeheartedly.