LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 22
My birthday was June 11th.
I’m not sure why that matters.
It just so happens that my first record of accessing virtual reality was on that day, so I marked it as my birthday.
In reality, I might have connected even earlier, but it probably wouldn’t make a big difference.
Coincidentally, the day I was rescued from the capsule was also June 11th. In other words, I saw the light of the world exactly seven years later.
However, the date of June 11th wasn’t special just because it was my birthday.
[No Seol-ah: 2022. 2. 21 ~ 2045. 6. 11.]
Since I couldn’t accurately estimate Seol-ah’s exact date of death, I picked my birthday as the day her soul departed, even if just by my own hand.
So that as I continue living, I can remember her forever.
The columbarium was packed with urns containing ashes.
The fact that everyone enshrined here is no longer in this world makes my heart uneasy.
Will their spirits exist forever in their family’s memories? Or is death an absolute end in itself?
Well, if luck is on my side, I might get reincarnated in some fantasy world.
I think I stood there for a long time, praying that Seol-ah would simply be granted eternal rest.
“No photographs, huh?”
In the niches of the other deceased, there were flowers and family photos adorning the urns.
It felt a little pitiful that Seol-ah’s niche was so bleak.
“I’ll bring a gift next time.”
Thinking of what Seol-ah would like, I left the columbarium with a heavy heart.
Before I knew it, the full moon was hanging high in the sky. Professor Cheon Kyu-jin got out of the car to greet me.
“Your mother is gonna love this. You’re such a lively daughter.”
“Do you think so?”
“Of course.”
While I was meeting Seol-ah, Professor Cheon seemed to have stopped by a nearby street stall and handed me a hot steamed bun.
“It’s hot. Blow on it while you eat.”
“It’s delicious. I could make this my dinner.”
“You didn’t order anything for lunch today, did you? Haven’t you eaten anything all day?”
“How did you know…?”
Could he have heard my stomach growling just before I got in the car?
“I didn’t get a notification about your payment. I thought there was an error, but it’s true you’ve eaten nothing.”
“I usually don’t eat much. Just potions can fill me up.”
“I know it might sound cliché, but you really need to eat well to grow up healthy. By the way, what you’re drinking isn’t medicine, but a potion?”
“Do you want to try a bit?”
“I thought only wizards could drink potions, but it seems you can also buy them at pharmacies.”
“Right? But if you chug it like that…”
Gag! Gack! Hoo, gag gag!
It shouldn’t be too much of a role call for a potion.
Luckily, the driving system was AI; otherwise, it would have caused a major accident thirty years ago.
Professor Cheon was coughing to the point where he could hardly breathe, and the taste still lingered on his tongue, prompting him to keep coughing.
“Ahem… Am I supposed to drink this every day?”
“Professor, you’re being overly dramatic. It’s not that bad, is it?”
“Still….”
It was gross, indeed, but the potion’s effects did bring a certain uplifting quality.
I agreed that the aftertaste was hard to bear, but Professor Cheon showed remarkable resistance to it.
“I guess I’ll have to find a better potion. Ahem. Hmm.”
By the time we got home, it was already 8 PM.
Neither of us had had dinner yet, so we stopped by a chicken place on the way back and grabbed a whole fried chicken.
He set two plates and two cups on the dining table and took out a bottle of really cold-looking beer from the refrigerator.
“Join me.”
“Hmm?”
“Oh, is there a drinking age in Korea?”
He was pouring for himself like he was being stingy, so I asked for a cup too, but then I vaguely remembered something about the laws here.
“Have you ever drunk before?”
“No, there’s no way I have. I meant water.”
After catching the smell of alcohol for the first time in a while, I suddenly felt like having some.
Old memories were flooding back. But right now, I have to focus on the alluring chicken leg in front of me.
“Were you not bored all day?”
“I was doing just fine. I used the capsule a bit in my room. Did you have anything special going on?”
“For me, all I did was sign final grades for my college students and write a reports. I also checked on my lab students’ research whenever I had time.”
“This chicken is really delicious. Thank you for treating me.”
“Ah, no need to thank me like that. It feels awkward!”
Why hasn’t this sort of food existed throughout the world?
I even pondered if the development of gourmet food was inextricably linked to the fall of the imperial palace and the rise of the bourgeoisie.
If I had known, I should have brought down the Kaizen Empire a day earlier!
“Na-me, what was your old school like? Aren’t you sad to be parting with your friends?”
“Not really… I had a friend I was close to, but they transferred, so I’ve been alone most of the time. Do I really have to go to school?”
“Sadly, it’s compulsory education. But if you’re okay with it, I would like you to enroll in the academy. What do you think?”
“The academy?”
What does “academy” even mean? Isn’t it just a school?
Seeing my confused expression, Professor Cheon explained about the academies in Korea.
“Compared to an ordinary school, you could say it’s a school specialized in magic. You know that at your elementary school, you couldn’t learn many magic studies, right?”
“All we really did was write runes on paper.”
“Magic is a very expensive field of study. That’s why schools established by the various famous magic foundations around the world are specifically called academies. The most famous one here in Gangnam is the Sephiron Academy, created by the Sephiron Foundation.”
“That’s fascinating. So there are academies like that all over the country?”
“There are a total of eight in our nation.”
Based on my knowledge from my past life, those academies must have been directly founded by the magic towers in the capital, right?
Thinking back, even the powerful Kaizen Empire could only build two academies due to budget reasons, and they were always overflowing with talented people from around the world.
“Well, if I have to go, I’d rather attend the academy.”
At least on the academy grounds, I wouldn’t have to pay to use magic every time, right?
I should look that up later.
“I think so too. Plus, when you draw magic circles, you use a slightly unusual syntax, right? When I graded your work last time, I had to run the AI just to translate it, which was really tough. You’d likely learn the international standard rune syntax at the academy as well.”
“Actually, it’s not a big deal, but if I want to read professional books, I definitely need to know it well.”
“Right?”
“Did you attend the academy, too, Professor?”
“Well….”
Professor Cheon put down the chicken he had been eating for a moment and started reminiscing.
“I attended Sephiron Academy until middle school, but it didn’t quite suit me, so I left the academy and graduated from a regular high school.”
“For someone who says it didn’t suit you, you’re currently a professor at Korea University.”
“Haha, true. You never know what the future holds.”
Though it seemed like there was a story behind it, I decided against probing further.
Moreover, I recently found out that Korea University, sporting the national name, was one of the most prestigious educational institutions in Korea.
Professor Cheon was not just there; he also served as the dean of the magic department and the head of the theoretical research institute, so I realized he held a surprisingly high position.
Gag! Ahem!
Even now, he’s making such a racket eating chicken necks. Still, he is kind-hearted.
“Academy… modern magic…”
All of it ignites curiosity.
How advanced will the magic studies be compared to my past life?
Will any of the riddles from the ‘Seven Trials of the Magic Towers’ be solved here as well?
Those humans just drawing magic circles with their heads all wrapped up tight…
Professor Cheon’s suggestion for me to enroll in the academy lingered on my mind for a while.
*
“What do I need to do to enroll in the academy?”
“Huh? You want to go to the academy? Hey, the jungle gank is coming, back off!”
“Actually, it’s more of a transfer, and they said no prep is needed.”
Since last week when Professor Cheon recommended I enroll at Sephiron Academy, I couldn’t shake that thought from my mind.
For a moment, Shia and I took a breather in the fortress.
“Transferring to high school is really rigorous! Especially for high school, you have to go through three rounds of recommendation letters and interviews!”
“What about middle or elementary divisions?”
“Well, they might be a bit less demanding, but transfers to the academy all require recommendation letters from the start. Are you planning to go? Or is someone you know?”
“No idea. Shia, we’re getting dived. The other mid-lane is here too.”
“Huh? Are we really diving with four people at this timing?”
-The enemy is all targetted, lol, this is like a fan meeting.
-I’m a fan ^^
-I’ve failed all entrance exams for the academy’s elementary, middle, and high divisions. T_T
-There are so many academy students these days, but students from regular high schools get into universities just fine.
-There are only eight academies, yet a majority of prestigious universities are academy alumni.
[Manager: Hey, this is a game broadcast, stick to gaming talk.]
-They brought it up first, though!!
-(This comment is banned – 600 seconds)
-Wow, and they’ve managed to catch three people in a turn, this game ended in eight minutes.
-NoName is truly a legend.
-Hyebam only plays support, so even if she were a local, I’d believe it, she doesn’t seem like a challenger.
-Support can’t carry these days.
-It’s not possible, idiot.
In the end, it was impossible to shift public opinion.
“Wow, I’ve never had a 47-line win streak in my life. I can see why Riot has removed duos.”
Shia browsed through the past records.
Her secondary account, ‘Hyebam Moonlit,’ created solely to snipe low-tier streamers, had shed its old look and transformed into a glorious Diamond I.
Now, Na-me’s ID is solely focused on aiming for the Master rank promotion.
[‘Daerongherong’ donated 100,000 won!]
-If you achieve Master undefeated, it’s 500,000 won!
“Huh? 500,000 won?”
Since a big spender promised to pay 500,000 won in addition to the initial amount for reaching Master, Shia’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“If someone had offered 500,000 won from the start, there wouldn’t have been a need for separate donations, right?”
“Hey! You don’t say that out loud!”
Shia stopped me from speaking.
“Originally, we were set to do the promotion match tomorrow, but, um, Na-me, do you have time today?”
“I can spare about two more hours.”
“Two hours might just be enough to barely scrape through with wins, right? Great! Na-me, we’re aiming for Master today!”
Shia changed the stream title. Her eyes were filled with more determination than ever.
[NoName-Hyebam Invincible Chariot Duo: Master Promotion Match _____]