Chapter 43: Habit Correction

Some students who had previously made decent progress in magic and were ranked near the top now found themselves unconsciously lowering their voices when they spoke.

At first, when Hulim and the other two had learned magic ahead of everyone else, people thought it was impressive. But once they themselves had learned magic, their hearts began to drift; now that they could also use First-Tier Magic, did that mean they were any worse than those few? Maybe, given a little time, they could even surpass them.

But now, after this comparison, all sense of arrogance vanished completely.

They all knew clearly just how great the gap was between Second-Tier Magic and First-Tier Magic.

To put it simply, if it took someone half a year just to get started with First-Tier Magic, even if they kept studying at that pace, it would take four or five more years—assuming they had the talent and the right circumstances—before they could master Second-Tier Magic.

To be brutally realistic, in this class, the only people who might reach the Second Tier before graduation were likely Hulim, Fran, and Ander—just those three, possibly!

This was the consensus that teachers like Corrit and the others at the school all tacitly accepted.

“【ᚣᛃᛋᛖᛚᛜᚢᚪᛖᛡᛞᚠᛟᛃᛜᛃᚾᚪᛜᛓᚠᛏᚱוᚠᛃᛖᛜᚢᚪᛖᛡᛓᛗᚠᚺ】”

“Fire Barrier!”

Boom!

A torrent of flames appeared out of thin air, like a wall of fire, separating Hulim from everyone else on the training field.

“So strong!”

“So this is Second-Tier Magic!”

“It’s at least ten thousand times stronger than my Ignite!”

Everyone on the field craned their necks, their eyes fixed on Hulim’s magic without blinking.

Whoosh—!

The flames faded.

“All right, all right, everyone, please quiet down!”

Corrit spoke up to quiet the rowdy students, then turned and said,

“Hulim, thank you for your demonstration. You may return to your seat.”

As Hulim returned to the crowd, people’s gazes still landed on her from time to time, accompanied by quiet discussions.

“How did Hulim do that? She can really use Second-Tier Magic already. I’ve only just gotten started with First-Tier Magic.”

“You’re lucky. I can’t even cast First-Tier Magic yet… …”

Listening to the others praising and envying Hulim, Hulim herself remained unmoved, but Fran tilted her chin up, feeling quite smug.

“Hmph! You guys have no idea just how amazing Hulim really is~!”

“… …What’s with you? Hulim’s the amazing one, so why are you so proud? Don’t be ridiculous.”

“What did you say!?”

Fran glared angrily at the person who had just spoken.

“Fran—do you have something to say?”

“Ah… …Sorry, Teacher Corrit.”

Her voice had been too loud, and Corrit had overheard her. Fran bowed her head in embarrassment, then shot another fierce glare at the crowd.

Once the students had quieted down, Corrit began to speak.

“Everyone, what you just saw was a Second-Tier Fire Magic—Fire Barrier. It’s a spell that can defend against attacks while also harming the enemy. Don’t be fooled by the fact that it’s only Second-Tier—it’s actually quite practical, and even many Third-Tier Magicians use it often. But most importantly, this magic was cast by one of you!”

“This means that these seemingly distant and powerful spells are actually not so far away from us—they’re even within reach. As long as you work hard at your studies, you too can cast magic like this. So, tell me, who wants to be able to use such cool and powerful magic?”

“We do!!!”

All the students on the field shouted in unison.

Their former envy and feelings of inadequacy toward Hulim, under Corrit’s few words, had turned into motivation.

“Good~! With this much energy from you all, I’m truly delighted as your teacher~! So, without further delay! Let’s begin our lessons for the new term!”

In the new term, there weren’t many changes in the practical magic classes, but the theoretical magic knowledge increased dramatically, and its depth also advanced quickly.

This was understandable—after all, demanding that preparatory students master extremely powerful spells was a bit much, but knowledge was different. There were no real bottlenecks; even the youngest children could learn it.

However, in the days that followed, this change became a major headache for quite a few students.

“Teacher Corrit, how was that?”

After casting her spell, Hulim looked up and asked.

Because Hulim’s magic was so far ahead of the others, she received individual guidance from Corrit.

“Hmm… …”

Corrit fell into thought.

“Hulim, do you happen to have a magic tutor at home? To be honest, your proficiency with magic surprises even me. I haven’t seen any of the common mistakes that most beginners make. Without an excellent teacher’s guidance, I really can’t imagine it.”

“… …”

Hulim fell silent, thinking about how to respond, but before she could, Corrit filled in the blanks herself. “I see, well, you are from the Hyeral family, descendant of that notable figure, so it’s not surprising you have access to professional teachers!”

Although Corrit’s assumption let her off the hook, the blind trust the teacher had in her family left Hulim feeling a little conflicted inside.

“Ah, but—”

Corrit suddenly spoke again.

“Although your tutor must be quite accomplished in magic, it seems they haven’t grasped the specifics of the magic user’s own situation. Could it be that this person never received formal teacher training?”

“… …?”

Hulim was a bit confused.

“Teacher Corrit, what do you mean?”

“Well, Hulim, when you cast your spells, it sounds like you’re mimicking someone else’s pronunciation a little too much.”

“My pronunciation? But as long as I can cast the spell, isn’t it fine?”

Corrit shook her head.

“You’ve misunderstood, Hulim. Differences in pronunciation don’t affect whether a spell can be cast, but they do affect the casting speed, mana efficiency, and even the spell’s effects.”

“Everyone has their own pronunciation habits—it’s the result of the coordination between your body and your magical circuits. That’s why spell power and other effects can vary when people cast magic; the root cause is how well they’re in sync.”

“If you haven’t found the pronunciation habits most suited to your own body, it’s bound to affect your magic.”

“It’s like shoes: everyone has a size that fits. You can wear someone else’s shoes and walk, but they won’t feel as comfortable or let you move as quickly and easily as your own size would. The issue with pronunciation is just like that—you’ve bought a pair just like someone else’s, but for you, they don’t quite fit.” I see… …

After hearing Corrit’s explanation, Hulim understood the heart of the problem and realized why she hadn’t noticed it herself.

After all, Semilis could cast spells without chanting at all, but she herself had to say the incantation to activate magic, so she just copied what she heard.

Given that, she’d naturally overlooked that pronunciation might vary from person to person.

She had been mimicking Semilis entirely when casting spells; since it worked, she hadn’t realized her chanting habits were actually Semilis’s—not her own.

“Um… …So, what should I do, Teacher Corrit?”

“Don’t worry, Hulim!” Corrit said with a smile. “You just need to correct it, that’s all. Your own natural pronunciation is imprinted in your body, and it’s easy to find again. I’ll help you with this.”

Then, with Corrit’s help, Hulim began practicing to correct her pronunciation.

“Ah, that feels off—the casting actually seems slower now.”

“Does this mean I’m back to how I was before?”

“… …Don’t worry. Calm your mind and trust your instincts.”

“The effect is getting better! It looks like you’re getting closer. Keep going!”

With Corrit’s guidance, Hulim didn’t spend much time before she corrected her casting habits.

This experience also taught Hulim that everyone has gaps and things worth learning from others.

From then on, in addition to her daily, unfailing training with Semilis, Hulim gained another mentor to consult on magic.

Although Hulim and Corrit were now both Third-Tier Magicians, Corrit had received a higher magical education, and her understanding and insights into magic far surpassed what Hulim could currently grasp. Things Hulim hadn’t realized or that Semilis had overlooked might not be trivial matters in everyday human life, and those were exactly the things Corrit could teach Hulim.