“Let's go, we still have a report to write.”
Irina approached the two. Now that the professor had left the classroom for them to write a report, they naturally had to collaborate and analyze the mana formulas.
However, for some reason, she felt a bit annoyed. Serafina's words and expression made her a little uneasy, and the scene in the classroom just now also made her angry.
“Okay,” Sylvie said while packing up her things. “We'll contact you after we finish the report.”
“Okay.”
After informing her friend, Sylvie immediately followed Irina. As for Morse, he was already prepared.
But his eyes were fixed on Irina, observing her every move.
“Since we recorded so many different formulas, we need to analyze them as soon as possible.”
On the way, Irina briefly explained the urgency of the task to the two, and neither of them objected. Surprisingly, when it came to magic and theory, she was very enthusiastic about studying these things.
And so, they entered the academy's library.
“Follow me, I rented a private room.”
After entering the library, Irina led Morse and Sylvie to a quiet corner where there was a soundproof room. This was specifically designed for student group projects, ensuring they could discuss and complete their tasks without being disturbed.
After the three sat down, the soundproof walls ensured privacy, and they could discuss and complete their assignments without being disturbed.
“Now, let's start analyzing the formulas,” Irina said, checking the materials. “You all know what steps we need to take, right? I guess you all passed the [Hunter Mana Introduction] exam?”
“……”
“I passed,” Sylvie replied.
Looking at their reactions, Irina understood that the two had passed the course's exam. The previous exam didn't completely determine their semester grade, but it could at least reflect their level of knowledge.
“Good,” Irina said, with a hint of satisfaction in her tone. “If there are any questions, feel free to ask. We need a thorough analysis.”
With that, they each immersed themselves in the task. The soundproof room became a place of focused study.
Irina carefully examined the captured mana formulas, analyzing their elemental composition and studying their structural integrity. Her gaze was sharp, her eyes slightly narrowed as she deciphered the complex patterns.
However, as she analyzed the formulas, her mind was elsewhere.
‘What's going on with these two?’
Sylvie's commotion in the classroom was unusual. If she was someone who liked to attract attention, Irina would have heard her name long ago. But from her initial impression, Sylvie was just an innocent and ordinary girl.
‘Well, she's still the same.’
Just because she did one thing doesn't mean she's a bad girl, but... something made Irina uneasy.
“This is how you handle this formula, you remember the method I showed you last time, right?”
‘Last time? When did they...’
Watching the two skillful conversations, Irina felt like they had known each other for a long time.
‘Is there something I don't know?’
Her mood became a little tangled, and she suddenly pushed the pen aside.
“Um, I remember,” Sylvie replied.
“You need to use that method to solve this problem.”
“But, isn't this formula third-order?” Sylvie asked doubtfully.
“It looks like it, but you used the wrong loop. You should use this.”
“Ah…”
The more Irina looked at it, the more she felt that something was wrong, especially since Sylvie seemed to be a little too close to Morse.
‘Is it necessary to be so close?’
Without even thinking about it, she decided to take action.
On a whim, Irina joined the conversation, her voice calm and steady. “Ahem, Sylvie, are you having trouble with this formula?”
Sylvie was surprised by Irina's sudden intervention. “Uh, not really. Morse is helping me.”
Hearing this, Irina glanced at Morse, sneered, and concealed her dissatisfaction. “Don't bother him, you can ask me if you have any problems. Anyway, I doubt that guy can even finish his own task.”
“No, that's not it...” Sylvie hurriedly explained, she was originally chatting happily with Morse, but looking at Irina's mood, she felt that something was wrong.
‘What's going on?’
This emotion felt foreign to her.
“Why are you suddenly picking a fight?” Sylvie couldn't help but ask.
“Huh? What do you mean? I'm just stating the facts,” Irina replied coldly.
“...You're really something...” Morse sighed, looking at Irina expressionlessly.
“If you really want to be a teacher that much, then go ahead.” He rarely backed down, seemingly tired of this pointless argument.
“Very well, you finally understand,” Irina responded lightly.
After that, Irina sat at the table and motioned for Sylvie to sit next to her. Despite feeling uncomfortable, Sylvie had no choice but to comply.
And so, the two continued to study, and time passed by second by second.
......
‘What a strange task.’
While we were analyzing the mana formulas, this thought kept swirling in my mind. Calculating and understanding magic wasn't difficult, and processing the data like a machine was also simple, but maintaining this state for a long time started to feel tiring.
‘And I don't even understand what this all means.’
What was strange wasn't the calculation, but the results we ended up with. Usually, we would get a clear magic name, but this time it was a bunch of complex patterns.
“Ah... what the hell is this?”
It seemed like Irina and I were on the same page.
“How are we supposed to write these results in the report and make comments?” She frowned.
I never thought I would agree with Irina's point of view, but she was right this time.
“I've never encountered anything like this before. Mana formulas should reveal something specific, not leave behind a bunch of mysterious patterns.” She sighed, “It's like solving an equation and getting another equation, forever in a loop.”
“That's right.” I shook my head. “The more we analyze, the more confusing the results become.”
As Sylvie finished analyzing the last formula, a tired atmosphere filled the group. She raised her head, her face full of confusion and exhaustion.
During our study, I noticed that her talent didn't lie in theoretical aspects. I'm not saying she's stupid, but at least her intelligence didn't suddenly increase because of her awakening.
Seeing that she was still the same Sylvie as before made her seem more like an ordinary person.
‘But I'm not in a position to complain either.’
Just as I was thinking, something suddenly caught my attention.
As Sylvie stacked her papers together, I noticed a subtle connection between the symbols, thanks to the shadows of the light.
‘Wait?’
As if struck by lightning, I turned my attention to my own papers and compared them with Sylvie's. Then, a certain connection appeared. It was like seeing something and thinking it looked like something, but you couldn't quite put your finger on it.
“Wait a minute,” I said, leaning forward. “Sylvie, can you show me the last formula?”
In order to find the same connection, I motioned for Sylvie to show it to me.
Sylvie handed me the paper in confusion. “Okay, but I don't understand...”
“Wait a moment.” What I needed now was to concentrate and be quiet.
“……”
As I focused more on the formulas, I rearranged their order while mixing in my own.
Slowly, as I stacked more and more papers together, the pattern gradually became clear.
‘Is this a land?’
The patterns in our analysis results gradually formed a picture below.
“Irina, give me your papers.”
“What? It's not like it's...”
“Shut up and give me the papers.”
“...Here.”
Irina reluctantly handed me her papers, and I carefully stacked them on top of Sylvie's.
The mysterious patterns and symbols on the pages seemed to align in a way I couldn't fully understand. With each paper added, the picture became clearer. It was like a jigsaw puzzle.
As I placed Irina's papers, a sudden realization struck me like lightning. These patterns were forming a map, a map depicting a place we had learned about in class, a place where mana phenomena occurred.
I leaned back in surprise, my eyes fixed on the combination of formulas, which now revealed a hidden terrain. Lines and symbols skillfully outlined the contours of the terrain, highlighting key landmarks and features.
‘The Phantasmal Land.’
As this realization hit me, I finally understood the purpose of this test.
Why did they want us to capture as many mana formulas as possible, and why did they want us to analyze all these formulas?
Why weren't the results directly obvious?
It all made sense.
‘Luckily, I paid attention in class.’
Due to my good memory, especially with content related to projections, I was able to connect the dots.
Sylvie and Irina noticed my sudden change and exchanged confused glances.
“So... what's going on?” After a while, Irina couldn't contain her excitement and asked.
“Come over here.” I motioned for them to come to my desk while opening the map of the Phantasmal Land.
“Don't these two look familiar?”
Sylvie and Irina leaned in and carefully examined the map, their eyes scanning the intricate details. After a moment, a look of realization appeared on Irina's face.
“These patterns are very similar to the map we analyzed in class... Could it be?”
“Yes.”
“This is the map of the Phantasmal Land?”
I nodded, confirming her observation. “That's right. The whole point of this assignment is to test whether we can piece together the different mana formulas and draw a complete map of the Phantasmal Land.”
Sylvie's eyes widened as she finally understood. “So, these mysterious patterns are like puzzle pieces, and when we put them together, they reveal the hidden map we've been studying.”
“That's right...”
“So what do we do now?” Irina asked, looking at me.
“Nothing, we just need to add our findings to the report, and I believe we'll get extra credit for it.”
Although we discovered the purpose of this test, I believe that not all students will be able to do this. Most people will find it difficult to connect them, even with so many formulas.
This means we will get a special reward.
‘Let's see what it will be.’
If it's about analysis, I don't mind attracting attention, because I know that most of the credit for this assignment will go to Irina.
“Hehehe...”
However, seeing her expression, I suddenly regretted revealing the discovery.
