Chapter 47 (Continued)
My eyes, maintaining gentlemanly manners, shifted to the side to avoid staring directly at her.
“Now you understand how to apply elemental magic?”
“Yeah... I can use the magic within the wormhole.”
“Yes, that’s the application of the wormhole. Magic amplification. The lightning strike you performed using the crack is your own technique, so it’s best to name it.”
Huh?
My eyes turned to Geumyang’s golden eyes.
“Is there no established magic formula for this?”
“Well, attaching names is just part of defining the concept systematically. Magic formulas are something humans invented to establish a systematic understanding, aren’t they?”
“That’s true.”
Even Baek-seo attached her own techniques to magic formulas.
In this world, many people share similar unique abilities.
In such cases, they mostly follow already established magic formulas.
But if there’s no such concept, I could create my own magic formula.
‘...This is exciting.’
The idea of naming my new technique myself.
As a man, my heart pulsed with excitement.
“Heh, are you excited over something like this? You really are a kid.”
“What?”
Geumyang glared at me with an odd smile.
Did I fail to keep my expression neutral?
I thought I was being careful.
“Was it obvious on my face?”
I shrugged and asked honestly. There was nothing to hide from Geumyang, who had been watching me all along.
Geumyang shook her head.
“Not really. I’ve just watched you for so long that I can tell. Can you distinguish the expressions of a lizard you see for the first time?”
Geumyang shrugged and answered calmly.
“......”
Now it was my turn to glare at Geumyang.
Why compare herself to a lizard when she had a human body?
Her arrogance was palpable.
“Let’s continue. We’ll review what we did yesterday.”
As Geumyang stood up and extended her hand, I took it and stood up. She then distanced herself from me.
Unlike yesterday, now that I was using my unique ability directly, the sensation of Spatial Leap felt much clearer.
Recalling the lightning strike I had performed earlier fueled my enthusiasm.
‘Alright, let’s do this.’
With an uncontrollable smile at the corners of my mouth, I channeled my bubbling enthusiasm into practice.
A few hours later.
It was evening.
“Uh...?”
Suddenly, I felt screwed.
An urgent sensation like a cramp shot up my spine.
“Urgh!”
The magic I was wielding abruptly subsided, and intense pain erupted in my magic circuits.
It wasn’t a fleeting pain.
It didn’t stop.
“Grrr...!”
I curled up and clenched my teeth.
Instinctively, I knew.
This was the penalty.
Having repeatedly used Spatial Leap, the penalty had finally hit.
The sensation of my insides burning and an unbearable scream escaped me. It felt like I might die from the pain.
Powerful unique abilities come with equally powerful penalties.
If the usage conditions of a unique ability are stringent, the penalties are mitigated, but since my ability had no specific conditions...
“Arghhhh!”
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I couldn’t maintain my sanity.
But my consciousness remained sharp, fully registering the pain, as if cheering me on, saying, “You can endure this!” It was infuriating.
As I writhed in agony, unable to speak, Geumyang suddenly approached and hugged me.
Wrapping her arms around my waist, she closed her eyes and held me tight.
“What...?”
The pain subsided dramatically.
As if the hellish torment moments ago had been a lie, the pain vanished completely.
“Are you feeling better?”
Geumyang’s elegant voice echoed from my embrace.
“Yeah... I suddenly feel okay.”
“Remember, that pain is the cost of using your ability.”
With her chin resting on my chest, Geumyang looked up at me and spoke softly. Her squished cheeks made her look like a hamster.
A different kind of cuteness contrasted with her usual arrogant and sharp-eyed demeanor.
“When the magic circuits fail to handle the overload, they rebel. When magic flows through them, it causes excruciating pain, like being stabbed at a cellular level or set on fire. As long as you’re human, you can’t escape this price.”
I finally understood the part of her explanation from yesterday that I hadn’t comprehended.
The favor I owed Geumyang.
It seemed to be her taking on my penalty when my magic circuits recovered.
“When you hug me, the penalty transfers to you?”
I asked, looking down at her to confirm.
“That’s right. Specifically, as long as we’re in close contact, the pain disappears. For minor penalties, simple physical contact is enough to alleviate the pain. So, don’t worry.”
Eventually, Geumyang moved away from me.
The pain had completely disappeared.
‘So, without her, I’d have to endure hellish pain.’
Sweat trickled down my cheek.
The pain earlier wasn’t something I could endure with sheer willpower.
Of course, if I somehow endured it, the penalty might pass safely, but the thought of enduring such pain was unthinkable.
It would undoubtedly take a mental toll.
“Phew...”
Thud.
Although the pain was gone, I felt drained and collapsed onto the floor, lying down to catch my breath.
Geumyang sat on my abdomen. Since she wasn’t heavy, I ignored her and stared at the ceiling.
“You did well, kid. It’s best to rest now. The penalty means you overdid it.”
“Not just eager for dinner?”
“You dare think I value dinner over your training?”
Her response was like reading a textbook.
She was transparent.
I had already informed Baek-seo via messenger that I’d be having dinner out tonight. Time to eat comfortably.
“Fine. I’m hungry too. Let’s go.”
“Well, if you insist, let’s go!”
I took the begrudgingly following Geumyang to a kimchi stew restaurant.
“This is what happiness feels like...”
Predictably, Geumyang reacted as expected.
* * *
In the darkened house of Ahn Woo-jin.
His neighbor, Oh Baek-seo, unlocked the door and entered.
Turning on the lights, she found the house empty and quiet.
Baek-seo placed the pancakes she had made on the kitchen table, covering them with another dish.
[ I made extra, so I brought some. Eat when you’re hungry ^_^ ]
Leaving a note on the table, she put various fruits and milk in the fridge, thinking of Woo-jin’s nutrition.
Woo-jin had mentioned he would be busy this weekend, saying he needed to test his unique ability now that his magic circuits had recovered.
“Hmm.”
Imagining Woo-jin excited about testing his unique ability made Baek-seo smile.
At school this week, Woo-jin had tried to hide his excitement about his unique ability, and seeing that had made Baek-seo smile warmly.
To her, Woo-jin was already an adorable man who had surpassed her limits of cuteness.
“Hmm?”
Just as Baek-seo was about to leave Woo-jin’s house.
She noticed a long hair on the floor and picked it up.
A strand of light golden hair.
It was a woman’s.
“......”
The smile lingering on Baek-seo’s lips slowly faded.
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