Unexpectedly Becoming the Student Council President

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Lightning Rod.

A magical tool that stores lightning magic and allows the user to release it whenever desired.

It's rare and very expensive. Not only is the manufacturing process highly complex, but acquiring the materials is also difficult.

In the outside world, there is a magical beast called the 'Thunderbird.'

It stores lightning magic in its horn and releases it to attack when it feels threatened. It's a dangerous bird beast.

The Thunderbird's horn is the material for the Lightning Rod.

In other words, the rod-like section of the Lightning Rod is crafted from the Thunderbird's large, sturdy horn.

"How cool."

I thought as I admired the Lightning Rod's brilliant appearance.

An ordinary person isn't affected by their own magic.

Even if I store a million volts in the Lightning Rod and stand right in the middle of it, I wouldn't be harmed.

Because of this, the Lightning Rod is extremely useful for my combat style. It allows me to deliver a powerful strike to the enemy at critical moments.

"I should test it out."

The weekend.

It was a time when spring rain was drenching the ground.

The heavy rain loudly battered the paving stones.

When I arrived at the spacious clearing, the pleasant smell of soil filled my lungs. Refreshing.

I put down my umbrella under a tree and headed to the center of the clearing.

As I planted the handle of the Lightning Rod into the dirt, the heavy rain pouring from the gray sky soaked me completely. I felt a rare sense of liberation. Although I briefly worried about catching a cold due to the drop in body temperature, my body is strong, so I would be fine.

The long rod part pointed towards the sky.

To be precise, the Thunderbird's horn.

The Lightning Rod was already fully charged with lightning magic. I could release the lightning magic anytime I wanted.

I looked around.

No one was there.

Just in case the Lightning Rod attracted lightning, I hid behind a distant tree.

"Is this the feeling…?"

I felt a strange sensation as if the Lightning Rod and I were connected.

It was like an invisible thread linking us.

It must be the interaction caused by my magic.

I was sure that if I felt the sensation of pulling that thread, the Lightning Rod's effect would activate.

So, I focused my mind to engrain the sensation of being connected to the Lightning Rod throughout my body.

"Alright, I can feel it…"

"What can you feel?"

"!?"

Oh, damn.

I was startled.

When I quickly turned my head back, I saw a woman with a narrow-eyed smile looking at me.

It was Lee Se-Ah.

"Lee Se-Ah…?"

Why is she here?

Was she tailing me?

Come to think of it, Se-Ah had already covered me with a red umbrella.

I had been so focused on the sensation from the Lightning Rod that I noticed it late.

"Senior, if you stay like that, you'll catch a cold."

To think she would stealthily find me and then worry about my health.

'Now that I think about it, ever since she found out I was monitoring her, we've been crossing paths more often.'

Well, she is a potential villain.

It's only natural to be wary of someone monitoring you.

This is troublesome.

"It's fine. You use it."

I gently pushed the umbrella back towards her.

"Hmm? Senior."

"What?"

Se-Ah tilted her head and asked.

"You're not as surprised as I thought you'd be. I came right up behind you, you know? You should at least pretend to be surprised."

Although her tone was playful, it was clear she was curious.

'I was surprised…'

It's just the result of training my poker face.

My heart almost dropped.

Lee Se-Ah lightly poked my waist with her index finger.

"If I were an enemy, you'd already be stabbed. Many people must be targeting you, considering you're the Disciplinary Committee Leader."

"I knew you were tailing me. There's no need to overreact to you."

In truth, I didn't know, but I judged it was likely and decided to lie accordingly.

Se-Ah paused for a moment, then gave a profound smile.

"Of course, that's my senior for you."

It was a meaningful smile.

'She takes it for granted…'

Lately, I've been feeling something.

She's a fool.

That's the conclusion I've reached after much consideration.

Of course, I don't mean a 'fool' in the purest sense.

She's just far less wise than I expected.

As a future villain destined to become a titan of the black market, with great business acumen and extensive connections, I assumed she'd be very clever.

I thought she'd possess the cunning and insight of a snake.

Just look at her narrow eyes and sly smile.

Isn't she the epitome of a classic villain, appearing kind on the outside but wicked on the inside?

However, after doing volunteer work together every week and chatting frequently on messenger, I've concluded…

Lee Se-Ah is simply someone with a lot of knowledge.

Knowledge and wisdom are fundamentally different.

'Somehow… she seems less intimidating.'

I'm not particularly bright, either.

The only reason I could maintain top grades was because the academy evaluates not just knowledge but also combat ability.

Otherwise, no matter how much I studied through the night, my grades wouldn't have reached the top tier.

That's why villains with high intelligence were my primary concern….

But somehow, if it were Lee Se-Ah, I felt like I could easily stop her even if she became my enemy in the future.

Perhaps because of that, she seemed less intimidating.

"Are you perhaps thinking something disrespectful?"

"!?"

Se-Ah's question, asked with her head tilted, brought tension back to my loosened guard.

She's unnecessarily sharp when it comes to noticing if someone is badmouthing her.

It's a keen insight, like a finely honed blade.

As expected of a potential villain.

I can't let my guard down.

"I'm just kidding, senior."

Se-Ah laughed slyly.

Smoothly handled.

"And I just happened to see you while walking, so I followed you. I don't know if you would call that tailing…. Well, from your perspective, it might look like stalking."

"Yeah…"

Se-Ah smiled bashfully.

I didn't know if it was true or a lie, but it was meaningless to argue about it, so I decided to let it go.

'It's probably a lie.'

From the start, the whole picture didn't look good.

To put it bluntly, it was like a stalker being stalked by another stalker.

Pointing out such details felt petty.

"By the way, what were you doing?"

"Testing a magical tool."

"A magical tool? That one?"

Se-Ah looked at the Lightning Rod planted in the center of the clearing.

She was impressed.

"Wow~, it's a Lightning Rod? You got something good, senior!"

As expected, Se-Ah, with her extensive knowledge, knew about it.

"It's dangerous, so don't get too close."

"Of course, I'll stay right behind you, senior!"

…Wait a minute.

"But there's no reason for you to watch this, right?"

"I have a good reason. I'm quite bored right now."

Well, whatever.

"…Don't complain if you get hurt."

"Yes, sir."

"Cover your ears."

"Okay!"

Se-Ah responded with a smile and covered her ears with both hands, using her arms to prop the umbrella on her shoulder.

'Now, let's do this.'

I closed my eyes and imagined grasping the invisible thread.

And as I pulled that thread, I opened my eyes again.

  *

Lee Se-Ah was aware of the practical use of the Lightning Rod.

Despite being a rare magical tool, the Lightning Rod's cost-effectiveness was inferior to mass-produced magic grenades.

The Lightning Rod's magic discharge range was generally about 2 meters.

Whether it was fully charged or not, it was usually around 2 meters. This could be considered a narrow range.

The more refined, pure, and concentrated the magic, the wider the attack radius becomes. It might be possible to expand the attack range to a meaningful level.

However, this was an innate quality, so it was pointless to discuss it.

If Woo-jin had such extraordinary magic, he would already be aiming for the 5th or 6th rank or higher.

Of course, it was an obvious fact that a Lightning Rod, which can store a large amount of magic, could exert more power than a magic grenade.

But considering how expensive, rare, and large it was, Se-Ah thought that a magic grenade, which fits in one hand and is easy to throw, would be more practical.

Zzzt!

A teal current surged through the Lightning Rod.

Soon, the energy condensed.

"!!"

Boom!!!

With an ear-splitting roar, the teal lightning magic expanded intensely.

Startled, Woo-jin quickly turned and shielded Se-Ah.

The powerful lightning magic burst in all directions.

Bolts of lightning cut through the air sharply, striking distant trees like whips. Crack! The high-temperature energy struck instantly.

The lightning area expanded circularly from the Lightning Rod's point. The speed gradually increased.

Crack!

The destructive teal lightning heated the air.

The expanding lightning area gradually faded and finally merged into the air. The explosive reflection of lightning from the Lightning Rod also subsided instantly.

Pffft! The trees around the clearing, hit by the lightning, were charred black like coal.

The trees couldn't stand anymore and collapsed into ashes.

Thud.

The sound stopped.

The pouring rain stabilized the air.

"Are you hurt?"

Woo-jin asked calmly, looking down at Se-Ah, who was crouching.

"…."

Se-Ah looked at Woo-jin with a dazed expression, then let out a dry laugh.

"Fortunately, no."

Se-Ah stood up and looked around.

"Wow…."

Se-Ah let out an exclamation, her voice tinged with a wry laugh.

The surrounding scenery had transformed into a scene of devastation. The spring rain hadn't yet extinguished the fires on the trees.

It was an unbelievable sight.

Zzt!

Teal currents of electricity still flowed like an afterglow through the Lightning Rod.

Woo-jin and Se-Ah stared at it in silence.

"It seems practical enough, but…."

Woo-jin couldn't continue his sentence.

'What am I supposed to do about all this…?'

Looking around, he felt utterly overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, Se-Ah's eyebrow twitched.

"Practicality, huh…."

Is this really the time to be considering practicality?

This wasn't the power of the Lightning Rod that Se-Ah knew.

It had far surpassed any ordinary level.

How refined must the magic be?

How dense must the magic be?

How powerful must the magic be for the Lightning Rod to display such immense power?

This wasn't the realm of a genius. It was a realm beyond even that. With such exceptional magic, it was inevitable that the efficiency, power, and everything related to magic would be on a completely different level.

She understood why Woo-jin, despite being at the 4th rank, could hold his own against those in the 5th rank. However, it still didn't make sense that someone with this much magic was only at the 4th rank.

That alone was a startling mystery.

Yet, Woo-jin was casually mentioning 'practicality.'

Se-Ah couldn't believe it.

"Senior."

"What?"

"Do you know the typical power level of a Lightning Rod?"

"Isn't this normal? It's a rare magical tool."

Se-Ah swallowed her breath at the unexpected answer.

Could it be that he's been living his life considering such things normal…?

This situation was clearly not ordinary.

"…Are you saying this isn't normal?"

Reconsidering Se-Ah's question, Woo-jin cautiously asked.

Se-Ah nodded.

"Not really."

"Hmm…. Thanks for letting me know."

Woo-jin, lost in thought, went to retrieve the Lightning Rod.

"Ah. Senior, it's still raining…!"

"Don't come. You might get electrocuted."

Se-Ah hesitated as she was about to cover Woo-jin with the umbrella.

The rain was pouring.

Approaching the Lightning Rod could result in electrocution.

Woo-jin pulled the Lightning Rod out of the ground and admired it. The rod still crackled menacingly with teal electricity.

'…This is awesome.'

The Lightning Rod's power had far exceeded Woo-jin's expectations.

Initially, he thought it was because of the high rarity of the magical tool.

But if what Se-Ah said was true, it must have been due to his own magic.

It seemed that the effects of his years of training in magic techniques from a young age were now manifesting through the Lightning Rod.

Knowing that the time he invested hadn't been wasted filled him with satisfaction.

Nodding contentedly, Woo-jin secured the Lightning Rod to his belt. One side held a collapsible baton, and the other, the Lightning Rod.

Then, a red umbrella was held over his head.

"Senior, you'll really catch a cold."

Woo-jin turned to look at Se-Ah.

"…Junior, want some tteokbokki?"

"Wow~, is this hush money?"

Se-Ah laughed slyly, glancing around at the destruction.

Woo-jin coughed and then continued calmly.

"Of course not. Since we met anyway, it's my duty as a senior to treat you. A junior covering me with an umbrella and worrying about me catching a cold, how can any senior not be moved?"

His words flowed smoothly.

"If that's the case, I'll gladly accept."

Se-Ah smiled warmly.

That night.

After making thorough preparations, Woo-jin returned to clean up the mess left by testing the Lightning Rod.

"Huh?"

Surprisingly, it had already been cleaned up.

Later, Woo-jin would learn from the neighbors that people dressed in black had come and gone, equipped with various tools.

  *

─ "Senior, if you stay like that, you'll catch a cold."

"Cough! Cough!"

He caught one. A severe flu, no less.

"Oh, this is killing me…."

Bzzzt.

[ Vice-Leader Oh Baek-seo ]

Even though his smartphone was vibrating, Woo-jin couldn't move due to his high fever.

The vibration continued for a while before stopping, and two missed calls appeared on the screen.

To read until the final chapter. p atreon.com/casca02