Chapter 1096 – 1096. The Dark Moon
Wake up at 6:00 am and do morning roll call.
Run at the command of the instructor, wash up, and have breakfast. Breakfast was plentiful for a slave’s diet. Being a slave and being a soldier at the same time.
After breakfast, we receive mental training. The brilliance of the Freecell Army, the benefits of working in the Freecell Army, and the hope that someday you will be able to escape slavery and become a high-ranking officer.
‘It’s a trick to use the successfully born Battle Mage more easily.’
Next was magic training. Learn basic magic from the current Battle Mage.
Room 211 hated this time.
He was forced to enter magic by injecting mana essence into his body, but he had no talent for magic.
He learned a few basic spells, but none of them were successful.
“Today I will take a test. Those who fail to manifest magic will be dealt with accordingly. As you know very well, it is too late for you to learn magic. So be desperate.”
Usually, magic is learned at the latest around the age of 10. From the age of 5 to 7, children with magical talents are marked, and the younger they are, the better they accept mana and the easier they are to form astral.
“No. 31. You are the first Come forward and use your magic.”
“Yes. Instructor Vinubis.”
A woman with purple hair walks forward. She has white skin and red eyes. She was no ordinary woman from the beginning. Her beauty is astonishing. Her gait is imbued with a certain aristocratic dignity.
Looking at No. 31, the instructor’s eyes sparkled with complex yet anticipation.
I could feel the well-organized mana from #31. There was no problem up to this point. It’s only natural that I, a first-class wizard, feel the mana of the same first-class wizard.
‘… I don’t just feel mana. Part of Mana’s magic formula is visible. No, I can feel it.’
It was a feeling that was hard to put into words. It is seen when it is invisible and felt when it is not felt.
I focused on the 31st spell. Analyze. Reminds me of basic magic techniques. Of the techniques shown in No. 31, they do not know more than 30. But it wasn’t hard to guess.
‘This magic… A gust of wind.’
Number 31 opened its mouth. The ceremony was complete. In order to bring that spell into reality, he utters the final chant.
“Squall.”
A strong wind blew.
Several children, including myself, were blown away by the wind. I managed to straighten myself right before collapsing. There were more than 50 people in total, and about 10 people fell to the floor. They were children who were relatively close to Room 31.
“Excellent, Room 31. You practice what you want.”
As usual, No. 31 was given preferential treatment.
“Thank you. Instructor.”
No. 31 accepted it calmly and started reading the magic book in his corner.
“The next number 36.”
Instructor Vinubis called the next child.
A very nervous man stepped in front of the instructor. The man full of freckles composes a magic spell right at the instructor’s chin.
‘Failure. Compared to No. 31, the movement of mana is very unstable.’
The magic formula was unstable, but there was no way the magic could be realized.
“Pa, fire!”
Fishy.
The flame flared up once and died down in a second with the sound of blowing wind. Number 36’s face turned pale.
“It is inconvenient. Follow the soldier outside and take action.”
Instructor Vinubis’ face was expressionless.
“… Yes. Instructor.”
Number 36 walked out helplessly.
The action that Instructor Vinubis is talking about is the injection of mana essence.
‘Only the name is mana essence. It’s actually a mixture of concentrated mana and drugs.’
Mana essence increases mana affinity. It may look good at first glance, but there are side effects. The aging of the intestines progresses rapidly and the lifespan is shortened. In addition, as soon as the mana essence is injected into the body, an immense pain strikes. If you cannot endure the pain, the astral collapses and you die or become an asshole.
The slaves here, including myself, are periodically receiving mana essence.
Right now, it would be nice to have a higher mana affinity, but it wasn’t good in the long run. Like the failed #36, receiving mana essence frequently only advances the limit.
“The next number 37.”
Instructor Vinubis continued the test.
“Room 211. Come out.”
My turn came in 20 minutes. I gulped and walked forward. I’ve never been able to successfully manifest magic before.
“Don’t hesitate and start right away.”
Instructor Vinubis said in a tone full of annoyance. The eyes that look at me are emotionless. There was not even 1% of expectations.
I raised my concentration. Astral responds to my will, and mana rushes through five mana rods. The Mana Lord builds a spell on Mana. Spells merge into one. I confirmed once more that the spells built through Astral were perfect.
All that remains is the implementation of magic.
I recited the chant with tension.
“Light.”
An orb of pure white light appeared. The light spreads in all directions and illuminates the surroundings.
Instructor Vinubis’s eyes widened for a moment, then returned to normal.
“… It is a pure magic expression. Your skills have improved beyond compare to last time. I heard you had a mana backflow yesterday…. Did you get any enlightenment?”
“I don’t know, but I feel like I’ve become more comfortable.”
I answered vaguely. To be honest, I never thought I would succeed so easily.
“Did you get enlightenment unconsciously? Sometimes it does. No. 211. Can I use other magic?”
What suddenly came to my mind was the gust magic that No. 31 used. It was the first time I had just seen the gust magic spell, but it didn’t feel difficult because it was the same first-class magic. I think you can do it if you want to.
‘… There is no need to draw attention here. If I fail, I won’t be able to do that much.’
No. 31 receives special treatment. She did nothing good by causing friction between her and hers.
“… If it’s fire magic, I think I can use it.”
“Try it.”
Light and fire are said to be basic among first-class magic. Maybe that’s why more than 80% of the magic formulas are similar. As long as you don’t make big mistakes, the expression won’t be difficult.
“Fire.”
Formed a spell and memorized a chant.
Roaring.
An orange flame burned where the sphere of light had been.
The flames that burned in the air without combustibles were truly magical.
“Done. Turn it off.”
Instructor Vinus’ order fell.
The flame was extinguished by my will.
The instructor smiles with satisfaction.
“The control is perfect. No. 211. Learn other magic I personally do not recommend Ice. Have you ever eaten ice?”
“No. It is not cooked.”
“Learn about ice and compare it to fire. Finding out which one is more comfortable will reveal your attributes. Since you seem to be able to rise to the 2nd grade without incident… It wouldn’t be bad to prepare for specialized attributes from now on.”
“Thank you.”
I saluted the instructor.
I was a bit bewildered. This is because Instructor Vinubis was famous for being stingy with praise. Right away, number 31 and I were the only children who were praised by him.
“The next room 212!”
Unit 212 succeeded in manifesting magic, but was only told by Instructor Vinus to advance.
•••
After lunch, we have military training. Ceremonies, martial arts, marksmanship, tactics, etc.
The Battle Mage Project, as the name suggests, is a project to create battle mages for use in the military. It was natural to learn military rituals and combat techniques.
Today was marksmanship.
Unit 211 was confident in ceremony and tactical skills, but lacked confidence in fighting skills and marksmanship. He wasn’t very bad, but he wasn’t even average.
The marksmanship instructor is Lexi. She was a woman with short pink hair.
Instructors, both male and female, wore officer uniforms. It was a nice uniform with a black design.
Instructor Lexy greeted us with an easygoing smile. Perhaps on purpose, she undid the top of her uniform, revealing her full breasts. I struggled to keep my eyes closed on the valley of her white breasts.
“Come on, kids. It’s fun shooting time. Do you know the importance of guns? When you run out of mana, the only thing you can count on is your gun. Don’t have a gun? At that time, I have no choice but to pray to heaven.”
Instructor Lexi said with a smile. I’m talking about a joke, but none of us understood the joke.
Instructor Lexi shook her head and said.
“From No. 31 to No. 40. Stand on the firing line and get your stance. For the rest, repeat the disassembling and assembling of firearms!”
I spread a cloth on the floor and put my rifle on it. The FS66 is a model assault rifle. It is said to be a firearm used by the elites of the Freecell kingdom, but I don’t know if its performance is good or not.
I disassembled the rifle while recalling the memories of room 211. I know how to do it, but I got stuck a few times because I didn’t have any tips.
‘I need to apply strength as if I’m pulling it, not blindly.’
After repeating disassembly and assembly about ten times, a trick came up. Disassembly, which initially took about 50 seconds, is now reduced to about 30 seconds. Assembly took about 10 seconds longer than disassembly.
“Next. From 211 to 220. Stand on the firing line.”
Entered the first fire lane. I set my posture and checked the target. The target is 50M away. When the bullet hits, the target is pushed back. The versatile No. 31 held a new record, hitting targets up to 720 meters away. Without a scope, of course.
The highest record for No. 211 was 310M.
“Open fire!”
Tang Tang Tang.
Gunfire rang out from another firing line.
‘… Something doesn’t feel like this. Can I change my posture?’
I saw Instructor Lexi’s eyes. She is a woman who is sincere when it comes to shooting. She could become angry if she arbitrarily changed her posture.
‘Let’s change. If you say something, you can pretend it’s a mistake. Could it be that I made a mistake and put the mana essence into it?’
I put her shoulders and back a little more relaxed. The body is slightly tilted to the left. It was because the balance of this shooting path felt a little tilted.
‘It’s convenient.’
I pulled the trigger.
Taang!
The bullet pierced the center of the target.
The target moves back 50m.
I adjusted the muzzle slightly and pulled the trigger. It was centered this time. I was a little surprised.
‘No. 211 didn’t shoot this well…. Is it Seong Yu-jin’s skill, not No. 211? … That I was this talented at shooting?’
I groaned and pulled the trigger again. It also hit the 200M target. This time it’s a spectator.
‘Well. Are you feeling something? The wind is getting a little stronger.’
Calculate the wind. It felt more difficult than building a magic formula. I wasn’t sure if my calculations were correct.
‘Let’s fill the rest with persimmon.’
Taang.
The bullet pierced the center of the target.
By the time I penetrated the 500M target, the eyes of the children, including Lexi’s, turned to me. I hesitated for a moment, but then focused again on the target.
Hit.
Hit.
Hit again.
Before I knew it, I was targeting 720M, which was the highest record of No. 31.
‘I can barely see the target.’
I lost my confidence here too. It was not easy to calculate because the target was not clearly visible. So, half-heartedly, I pulled the trigger.
Taang.
The target is pushed further back. It meant hit. My heart started pounding. I desperately calmed my excitement. They are shooting now. The excitement was not good.
My best ended at 850M.
I couldn’t hit the target because I couldn’t see it. If the target had only been visible, he would have hit it. I feel that way.
I put my heart behind me and lowered the gun. I turned around and saw Lexi looking at me with a strange expression.
