Free muttered to himself, "Whose voice was that just now?"
Instructor Boger called out sharply, "Free! What do you think you're doing!?"
"Sorry, sorry, sir…" Free responded hastily.
Now standing in the magic release zone, Free raised his hand and tried to cast a spell.
A string of words formed clearly in his mind. As he spoke them aloud, an unusual energy surged forth from him.
"Curse Impact!"
The chunk of gemma stone shattered into pieces, releasing all the energy sealed inside. Power scattered in every direction, wild and uncontrollable.
Everyone around was stunned into silence, watching in awe.
"Hyuh, it worked." A wave of relief washed over Free, dispelling the nervousness that had gripped him earlier.
Gil approached him, impressed. "Free, what was that? That was amazing."
Seria, however, frowned. "That wasn't magic. That was a curse."
Gil nodded in agreement. "No wonder I didn't sense any magic energy nearby."
"Huh? I don't have magic energy?" Free asked, puzzled by Gil's comment.
Gil explained, "No, you do have mana… but it's not reacting."
With a blank expression, Free replied, "You're just telling me this now?"
Instructor Boger's voice boomed again, this time with a scolding tone. "Free! This isn't a Shaman class. We're practicing basic magic."
Free grumbled inwardly.
(What's the difference anyway… So troublesome.)
"Sorry, sir. I haven't been able to control my mana yet."
Instructor Zen, the more understanding one, stepped in to ease the tension. "It's alright. It's only the first day. That's all for today's class. Go and train—hone your magic energy!"
"Don't slack off… You're the future of this nation, the hope of humanity. Dismissed!"
Instructor Boger's words hit like gunfire—sharp and heavy.
The students scattered. Some returned to their classrooms, others trained with classmates, while a few simply roamed the academy grounds.
Free, Gil, and Seria went their separate ways.
Bored and aimless, Free wandered through the corridors.
He didn't know what to do.
Gil and Seria had things to take care of, leaving him alone.
"What now? They told us to practice… but I'm on my own. Oh well, maybe solo training is more fun. The forest could be a good spot. Let's see… if I remember right, there's one near Jurga. Guess I'll go there."
He made his way to the forest, relaxed and unhurried.
Once he arrived—
Rustle!
!!!
"Who's there!?" Free asked warily.
???: "Shock Bolt!"
A jolt of wind-infused magic hurtled toward him at high speed.
Reacting quickly, Free recited a curse-like chant to shield himself.
"All attacks exist only to be reflected—Reverse Mirror!"
A shimmering mirror manifested, bouncing the Shock Bolt back to its caster.
"Aaaaghh!"
A scream echoed through the forest.
Free approached the source and found someone fully cloaked in dark clothing. He spoke with suspicion, demanding answers.
"Why did you attack me? And who are you? I don't remember doing anything that would make me your enemy."
The figure scoffed. "You think that's enough to make me talk? Don't be ridiculous. And what did you do to my attack just now? 'Reverse Mirror'? I've never heard of that. That clearly wasn't magic."
Free's eyes narrowed, still confused.
(Who are 'they'? What is he talking about?)
He replied hesitantly, "That was… a curse. I transformed words into power, or something like that…"
"I don't really care what it is," the figure sneered.
"My goal remains the same—wipe out your kind. And now that my comrades are here, this is the end for you."
Suddenly, allies of the mysterious attacker revealed themselves—perched on tree branches, hidden behind bushes, emerging from all directions.
"You're really becoming a pain," Free muttered, rubbing his forehead, annoyed by the mess he'd stumbled into. "I didn't want to fight anyone…"
Still, he didn't feel fear. If anything, a part of him welcomed it—an opportunity to train.
They attacked—spells and weapons flying. But none of them landed.
Every strike froze inches from Free's body and rebounded violently. His assailants stared in disbelief, powerless to break through. Even their strongest spells failed to penetrate the invisible barrier.
"What the hell is this!? None of our attacks work! Can a curse really do that!?" one of them shouted in frustration.
Free wasn't listening. He was trying to sense the mana inside him, to finally cast magic. But nothing worked—only curses responded. He felt a rising frustration. Why couldn't he control his magic?
Demoralized, his enemies tried to flee.
But Free, consumed by irritation, refused to let them go. He raised his hand and began to chant.
"You've played long enough. Now it's my turn…
Those who live never truly lived. Those who died were never truly dead.
All laws bend to my will—
You all… Vanish."
The moment the curse was spoken, an otherworldly force swept across the forest.
In an instant, his attackers were erased—gone without a trace.
Free stood in the silence that followed, slightly irritated.
Still unable to use magic, he continued training until dusk fell.
Night came. After the encounter, Free returned to Jurga and headed back to his dorm.
When he arrived, Gil was already there waiting, with Seria beside him.
"Where have you been? It's the first day—don't tell me you got lost?" Seria asked with concern.
"Although… after this morning, it wouldn't surprise me." Gil said it while scratching his head.
"I didn't get lost," Free replied flatly. "Just went out for some air after training my mana."
"And? Did you succeed?" Seria asked.
"Not at all. I only ended up using more curses."
"I figured. No one masters mana control on their first try," she said firmly.
Gil chimed in with encouragement. "Hey, it's fine. Your curses are insanely strong anyway. And besides, there is a Shaman magic class here—one that focuses on developing curse techniques. The important thing is: don't give up!"
"…You're right," Free nodded. "I'm going to wash up. You two are heading to dinner, right? I'll catch up."
"Alright, we'll go ahead. Don't take too long," said Gil.
He and Seria left for the cafeteria while Free freshened up, preparing to join them for dinner.
"A pretty exhausting day… and annoying, too," Free sighed.
But even so, it was his very first day.
And deep down, he had to admit—he kind of enjoyed it.
He couldn't wait to see what the next day would bring.