The second semester had begun, and already, it was the third week.
For many students of the Academy, life had undergone a significant change.
Just take a look at the entrance of the Old School Building.
“Challeeeeeenge!!”
Someone among the gathered students in front of the Old School Building shouted.
“I, Tertio, formerly a B-rank Hunter, challenge the Gym!!”
With a confident cry, second-year student Tertio stepped into a building nestled in the woods and swallowed hard as he looked at the magic circle placed plainly before him.
“That’s an illusion spell array.”
Many students who had already stood on that magic circle had testified.
That the moment you stepped onto it, a whole new world would unfold.
And in that world, you’d experience something unlike anything before.
“For now…”
“Welcome, for making it this far.”
“!!”
Someone emerged from the shadows.
Wearing predominantly black clothes, the man had a large blue letter “P” emblazoned on his chest—someone Tertio knew very well.
“Senior Haiksa!”
“Ah ah. I’m not Haiksa, eldest son of Baron Process, right now.”
Third-year student of Esdinas Academy, Haiksa, denied the title of ‘senior’ and pointed at the black beret on his head.
“I’m a Gym Assistant here at the [Di Ercy Gym].”
“W-What do you mean…?”
“To put it another way, you could say I’m a ‘work-study student.’”
“Ah.”
At Haiksa’s words, Tertio nodded in understanding.
There had been rumors that some upperclassmen who lived near the Old School Building had been “scouted” to work there—this must be part of that.
“Are you staying here?”
“Yeah. You’re the challenger. I’m the examiner who checks whether you can reach the Gym Leader.”
“Then… do I have to fight you to pass?”
“No.”
Haiksa pointed to the center of the magic circle.
“Stand in the middle and use this. A mental-type spell will scan you, and when you open your eyes again, a new world will be revealed.”
“This is…”
“You’ll know once you use it.”
Inside the full-face helmet was a carved magic stone.
It was a magic device unlike any Tertio had seen before—but the inscription beside it, “Made by Kadisha,” reassured him.
A magic device developed by Academy faculty.
To doubt that would be no different from doubting all of Esdinas Academy for permitting something like this Gym in the Old School Building.
“Alright, then…!”
Tertio obediently put on the helmet.
Something shimmered like a rainbow, and the magic circle beneath his feet flared brightly, making his vision blur.
He felt a dizzying sensation as if magic was washing over him.
It was clearly the sensation of an illusion spell taking effect.
Even though he knew it was an illusion, Tertio couldn’t help but be awestruck at what he saw inside the building.
“Whoa.”
A wide, puppet-like town spread out like the interior of the Old School Building.
Colorful, mobile-like objects for children dangled across the area—and in the middle of it all, a massive teddy bear stomped about, shaking the ground.
“What is that…?”
Beep beep beep!
A sudden sound.
A strange alarm triggered the moment he made eye contact with someone. Tertio looked ahead—Haiksa stood before him, blocking his path.
“I, Haiksa of the Di Ercy Gym, challenge you to a duel!”
As Haiksa struck a bizarre pose, the giant teddy bear behind him mimicked the pose, and fireworks exploded behind them with a bang.
“…Aren’t you embarrassed, Senior?”
At that, Tertio could only set aside all his questions—
How this illusion was created, how everything had changed upon entering the building—none of it mattered anymore.
“Why go to such lengths to be here…?”
“Twenty times minimum wage outside.”
“…Ah.”
Nod.
Nod.
“So, if I beat you, do I pass the Gym?”
“No. If you beat me, then you can challenge the ‘Gym Leader’s Illusion.’”
“The Gym Leader’s… illusion?”
“Right. You see… I already know you can’t beat me, so I’ll just show you right away.”
Haiksa tapped something on his wrist, and the mobiles began to move wildly—
From them emerged a massive illusion.
“T-That’s…!”
“Evangeline di Ercy. One of the Vermilion Bird Class students of the Old School Building, and the Gym Leader of this ‘Di Ercy Gym.’”
“…Her illusion.”
Tertio swallowed hard as he looked at Evangeline, who stared at him expressionlessly.
Back when he’d seen her at a banquet of the Di Ercy Empire, her magic had already been remarkable. But when they’d entered the Academy, she hadn’t looked at him with those eyes.
Even if it was just an illusion, he could feel it clearly.
That was the expression of a strong person.
Was it just because the illusion was well-made?
Not at all.
“Senior… Can that thing fight as well as the real Princess?”
“No.”
“I figured.”
“The real Princess is way stronger than that illusion.”
“…!!”
Goosebumps ran all over Tertio’s body.
So that A-rank-level illusion, now staring him down with overwhelming presence, was weaker than the real Evangeline di Ercy?
“It’s definitely… a Phoenix buff.”
Was it thanks to the unique environment of the Old School Building?
Or was it because Evangeline herself had worked that hard?
Whatever the reason, students like Tertio knew one thing for sure.
“Senior Haiksa. Have you ever met Phoenix in person?”
“Yeah. Just once.”
“What was it like?”
“The moment he put his hand on my shoulder and said I was a good fit for graduate studies, it felt like all the murky energy inside me just disappeared.”
“…A ‘blessing.’”
It was all thanks to the presence known as Phoenix, at the center of the Old School Building.
“Could I try being a graduate student too?”
“You’re still a second-year, so not yet. I only got to stay as a work-study student because I have a verbal agreement to become a graduate student after graduation.”
“Then at least as a work-study student?”
“Then try conquering that illusion over there and earn the badge.”
Haiksa pulled out something resembling a blue feather-shaped badge from his belt.
“Defeat the Gym Leader and earn the badge. At the very least, you’re in a better position than I was—I had to fight the Di Ercy Princess directly.”
“What happened?”
“That… you’ll have to find out for yourself.”
Haiksa raised the magic rifle strapped to his waist toward the sky.
“When it goes bang, the match starts.”
“Yes, then—”
Bang!
As fireworks burst, Tertio immediately summoned his mana—
Rumble Rumble Rumble.
“!!!”
The teddy bear Evangeline was riding suddenly began to roll forward.
BOOM!
With no time to dodge, Tertio was slammed by the massive bear.
The sensation of his entire body flying through the air.
As if he were really being kicked by the massive bear—Tertio’s vision went black.
* * *
[Old School Building. Pastry & Baking Practice Room.]
“The gym system seems to be working better than expected.”
While researching a new recipe for mana bread, Evangeline arrived, munching on a melon bread as she checked the magic pad on her wrist.
“It’d be easier if Yunia’s side came first. She does opponent-tailored matches.”
“Yunia’s challenges break too many spirits. You’re the one they’re calling the easy mode right now, you know?”
“What? I’ve handed out the fewest badges!”
“They say you’re just the least difficult to deal with.”
“Tsk.”
Evangeline grumbled and took another aggressive bite of her melon bread.
Some whipped cream spilled to the corner of her lips, but she licked it off with her tongue and finished the mana bread.
The taste was that of melon bread itself.
But the calories?
Zero.
Instead, it restored mana upon consumption.
“Mm, is there another one? If there is, I’ll eat it and pop out another.”
“Pop out? What do you mean by that?”
“Myself, in a match against a challenger at the gym?”
“Don’t say things that can be misunderstood. Just say you’re recovering mana to create a projection of the Gym Leader inside the illusion space.”
“That sounds way more complicated… Ooh, chocolate cream.”
Evangeline received a melon bread with chocolate cream thickly slathered on the outside and took a big bite.
“…”
Then turned to me with a face full of betrayal.
“Why isn’t this mana bread?”
“Heh.”
“Are you trying to make me fat with this, huh?”
“It’s fine. Even if you do gain weight, none of it goes to your arms or belly—it all goes beautifully to your chest and hips, so you can eat more.”
“…Hmph.”
Evangeline glared with sharp eyes as she slowly chewed the chocolate cream bread.
With mana bread, you could take big bites without worry. But with real bread, she had to eat slowly.
Her body’s mana flow burns off caloric intake at a certain pace, but if she eats faster than that rate, the rest becomes fat.
Lately, Evangeline had been saying, “My mana pockets are swelling too much, it’s a problem,” so she couldn’t ignore it.
“Phoenix.”
“Yeah?”
“Besides your massages, isn’t there some better solution?”
Evangeline pointed inside her shirt.
“I want the buff this gives, but if it gets too big, that’s a problem too.”
“You’re wearing the cow-print bikini again, huh?”
“Of course. It boosts mana when I wear it—why wouldn’t I?”
She had a point.
If there were something like a ‘0.1mm growth per 24-hour wear T-back’, most men would at least consider trying it.
But just like anything, if it grows too much, it becomes a problem—Evangeline was no exception.
“There is a way to reduce swelling.”
“…”
“You just have to go Kyun Kyun, like Yunia or Ludmila.”
“Ugh, no way.”
“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Just don’t do it in my room.”
“…”
Kyun Kyun.
That referred to purging toxins in the body through imagination and illusion—
a way to clear out impurities and keep your mana healthy and your thoughts pure.
“So that Kyun Kyun leads to healthy mana, and helps you avoid weird thoughts.
Like, say, the kind angels might settle into.”
